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Text File | 1991-07-25 | 28.8 KB | 771 lines

////// ////// // // ////// The Psychological SysOp. // // /// // // /// Version 1.00 BETA. ////// ///// //// ///// By Peter G. Zion. // /// /// /// Copyright 1991. // /////////// /// // ////// All rights reserved. // // Table of Contents What is Psys? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3 Licence . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3 Credits . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3 Test Drive . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3 Remote Use . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4 Name Macros . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4 Forcing Output . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5 Colour Control . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5 Log Files . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5 The Status Line . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6 Real Chat Mode . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6 Typing Speed . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7 Backspace Type . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7 Exiting Psys . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7 Setup . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7 The Language File . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8 The General Section . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8 The Response Section . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9 The Random Response Section . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10 The Personal Section . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10 Text Macros . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11 Some Notes on the Language File . . . . . . . . . . . 11 Some Notes on Sharing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12 Mailing Address . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12 What is Psys? Psys is a `semi-intelligent' SysOp emulation. Psys takes advantage of the unique aspect of SysOp chat mode that the user cannot tell who is actually typing on the SysOp side. Users are typically unable to tell the difference between Psys and the real SysOp for at least a few minutes. This comes in handy in several situations, including: - Having to chat with annoying users - Having to answer the SAME QUESTIONS OVER AND OVER - Using a never-tiring program to make it look like you care - When you need a good laugh Psys attempts to mimic a SysOp chat through three factors, namely, making somewhat intelligent replies to what the user types, imitating a human's typing, and imitating a SysOp chat environment. Psys even works with a user configurable language file. Best of all, Psys captures it all to a log for later reference. It is important that you read all of the documentation for Psys thoroughly before using it on a remote user -- that's why I've spent time on writing these docs! Licence Use of Psys is at your own risk. The author takes no responsibility for anything that results from the use of Psys, except a laugh or two. No fee may be charged for Psys in any way whatsoever, EXCEPT if as part of the file library of a pay BBS. Psys is free, although Peter Zion retains all ownership of the program. However, if you wish to give me a "keep up the good work" donation, you can send that along to the address listed at the end of the documentation. Any donation of $15 or more will receive, if requested, a free copy of, on 5.25" disk and/or the magic filename and password to file request at my FidoNet/ImexNet node number (also listed below) the C/assembly source code for Psys. Credits Thanks to Scott Dudley, author of Maximus-CBCS, for his help in testing the program and finding a few nasty bugs. Thanks also to Eric Vice for his helpful suggestions. Test Drive Psys Version 1.00 By Peter G. Zion Page 3 To give Psys a `test drive', make sure all the Psys files are in your current directory, and type the following at the command line: PSYS /P0 /J"Hello, @u" /NS"Joe Computer" /NU"<your name>" and argue to your heart's content. When you want to exit, either type "Go Away" or press [ESC]. Remote Use Although usable in local mode with the /P0 command line parameter, Psys is designed primarily for remote use over the modem. To communicate over the modem, Psys uses a FOSSIL driver. If you plan to run Psys from a BBS that already uses a FOSSIL driver, such as Maximus or Opus, then you need not worry about this. But if you don't normally have a FOSSIL drive loaded, then you will have to do so before running Psys. There are several FOSSIL drivers available, such as David Nugent's BNU. There are two command line parameters that are important to the use of Psys remotely: /P (com port) and /B (baud rate). The parameter /P must always be specified, and it is immediately followed by the number of the com port, with 0 being local mode (eg. /P2 means to use com port 2). The parameter /B, baud rate, needs only to be specified if the previous communications program didn't use the FOSSIL, eg. if you just loaded the FOSSIL before running Psys, or if you just shelled to DOS from a terminal program. The baud rate is specified immediately after the /B on the command line, eg. /B2400 sets it to 2400 baud. Name Macros The Psys program uses macros in its language script for the SysOp's name, user's name, and BBS name. It is important that these are set correctly so that the default language file for Psys calls users by their real name. The names are set by the command line parameter /N, which is followed by a name specifier, and then a name in quotes. The three possible name specifiers are U for the user's name, S for the SysOp's name, and B for the BBS's name. For example, /NS"Joe SysOp" sets the SysOp's name to "Joe SysOp", and /NU"Petey Zion" will set the users name to "Petey Zion". This will be used in several of the program's default phrases, such as "Hello, @u", where @u is the user's first name. See Text Macros on page 11 for a more complete list of usable macros. Note that the SysOp name and the BBS name are usually set permanently in the language file (see Language File/General Section, page 8). Psys Version 1.00 By Peter G. Zion Page 4 Forcing Output There are two command line parameters that force Psys to display messages right when it starts. The /J"<text>" parameter causes Psys to type the <text> before the user gets to input anything. For instance, /J"Hello, Peter" will type "Hello, Peter" and press enter twice before waiting for the user to type anything. The /H"<text>" command sends the string <text> to the user at full speed in the message colour (which defaults to white, changeable through the /CM parameter -- see Colour Control, page 5), and presses enter ONCE. This is good for simulating "CHAT: begin." type messages to make it REALLY realistic. For instance, /H"The SysOp has arrived!" will send "The SysOp has arrived!" to the user at full speed in the message colour. Colour Control To make Psys work well with different BBS programs in simulating their chat modes, the /C switch lets you change the colours that Psys sends and uses. /C is followed by either U for user text, S for SysOp text, or M for message text, which is then followed by the colour number. The 16 colours that Psys supports are: 0 - Black 1 - Blue 2 - Green 3 - Cyan 4 - Red 5 - Magenta 6 - Brown 7 - Light Grey 8 - Dark Grey 9 - Light Blue 10 - Light Green 11 - Light Cyan 12 - Light Red 13 - Light Magenta 14 - Yellow 15 - White The colours default to yellow for SysOp, cyan for the user, and white for the messages -- the chat colours for Maximus. Note that the only time the user ever sees the message colour is if you specify a /H (display highlighted text) parameter. Whether or not the user receives graphics, and what type, is determined by the /G parameter. It is followed by either 0, 1, or 2, indicating monochrome (no colour), ANSI colour, and AVATAR colour, respectively. For instance, /G1 would tell Psys to use ANSI codes to make the colour changes. Note that this parameter is only effective when Psys is talking to a remote user. Log Files One of the best features of Psys is the log file support. By default, Psys will capture the conversation between Psys and Psys Version 1.00 By Peter G. Zion Page 5 the user into a log file (defaulting to "Psys.Log") for later "reference", useful for a good laugh as well as occasional blackmail. If you wish to change the name in the log file, use the /L"<logfile>" parameter, where <logfile> is, you guessed it, the log file. If you do not wish a log at all, you can use the /L<+/-> command, where + turns on the log or - turns it off. Note that these two variations on the /L parameter can be used together: /L+"My.Log" will turn on the log and set the name to "My.Log". Also note that the command /L-"<filename>" is somewhat of a waste of command line space, and that in the current version, /L+ is somewhat redundant, since the log defaults to on anyway. Oh well. If at any time in the session with Psys you wish to toggle the log on or off, you can press Alt-L: you will be told of the new status of the log, and it's condition of the status line will change. The Status Line While Psys is operating in either local or remote mode, a status line will be continually displayed on the bottom of the screen. The status line has the following format: "<username> * <chatmode> * <logmode> * <datentime>" where <username> is the full name of the user, <chatmode> "CHAT" if you are in "real" chat mode and "NOCHAT" if you aren't (see Real Chat Mode, page 6), <logmode> will be "LOG" if the log is open and "NOLOG" if it is closed, and <datentime> is the current date and time (assuming that you have set it correctly). Real Chat Mode If you feel that you need to give the user a little scare in remote mode, when you press Alt-C you will be transported into "real" chat mode. This chat mode operates identically to the chat mode of most BBS programs, and the user will not be notified of the change. Here is a possible use of "real" chat mode: User: Are you a computer? I think you are. Psys: No, I'm a human like most of us. User: Ok then, what's one plus one? Now the SysOp sees that his program might be foiled, so he presses Alt-C, and types: SysOp: It's two, you bozo! What, didn't they teach you that? Psys Version 1.00 By Peter G. Zion Page 6 ...and the SysOp then presses ESC. The user will gasp with amazement and usually apologize to the SysOp for claiming that he/she is a silicon sack. Of course, to exit "real" chat mode at any time, just press ESC. Whether or not you are in real chat mode (in case you somehow forget) is indicated by "CHAT" or "NOCHAT" on the status line. Typing Speed Of course, not everyone types the same. As such, Psys allows you to modify the default typing speed from the command line. Typing speed is adjusted using three factors: the maximum, minimum, and starting speeds. These values are set with the /S command line parameter. /S is followed by either S, M, or X for starting, minimum, or maximum, respectively, and it is then followed by a decimal number to represent the speed. Note that smaller numbers are faster, and that the minimum speed, as such, must be a greater number than the maximum speed. The default numbers are maximum: 35, minimum: 80, and starting: 50. A faster SysOp might use maximum: 25, minimum: 60, and starting: 40, and a slower could make adjustments in the opposite direction. The only real way to test these is to experiment with them in local mode; there is no guarantee that halving the value will double the speed. Backspace Type Certain VT-100 emulations do not have destructive backspaces; as such, Psys will normally send a backspace, a space, and another backspace to make sure that the character is cleared. If you wish to not have Psys do this, for instance, if your BBS program doesn't do this, then you can use the /D<+/-> parameter to turn this off (-) or on (+). For instance, /D- will turn off the extra space and backspace. Exiting Psys To exit Psys, either press ESC or wait for the user to type the default quitting phrase, specified in the language file (see Language File, page 8), which defaults to "Go away". Setup Because of both the wealth of options available in Psys and the number of different BBS packages that exist, setup of Psys is left up to the SysOp. However, because I run a Maximus system, I can tell you a little more about how to set it up for Maximus and probably Opus as well. I have the file F3.BBS in my \Max\Misc Psys Version 1.00 By Peter G. Zion Page 7 directory, which consists of the compiled form of the following: [xtern_run]psys.exe /p%P /j"Hello, @u." /nu"%n" /g%g /h"CHAT: begin."[quit] This tells Maximus to shell and run Psys using the current port, jamming "Hello, <username>" into Psys's first statement, setting the user name, setting the graphics mode, and making Psys send "CHAT: begin." in the message colour full speed when started. I have my name and the board's name set as a default in the language file (see Language File/General Section, page 8), so I need not include them as parameters every time. Because I have named the file F3.BBS, it will automatically be executed when I press the F3 key locally. I'm not sure that all BBS programs have this capability, but because of the flexibility of Psys, it can usually be implemented in one way or another. The Language File It is in the language file that the real power of Psys lies. By changing the language file, the true capability of Psys that everything that it every says to the user can be modified is revealed. You can give it certain accents, extra fluency in certain subject areas, and even turn it into an intelligent help system if you really want to. The possibilities are endless. The language file is automatically loaded and processed by Psys as soon as the program is run. The default language file that Psys will search for is "Psys.Lng"; if you wish to change this, use the /F"<langfile>" parameter, where <langfile> is the path/filename of the language file. The language file is divided into four sections, namely, the General section, the Response section, the Random Response section, and the Personal section. All blank lines and lines starting with a semicolon (';', for comment lines) in the language file are disregarded. The General Section This is where most of the basic default information for Psys is found. The General section starts with the line: !Begin General This tells the Psys language file parser that the lines up until the !End statement are part of the General section. The next line is the phrase that, if found anywhere within a user input line, will cause Psys to end. For example, the line: Shut up Psys Version 1.00 By Peter G. Zion Page 8 will make Psys end as soon as the user types something with "Shut up" in it. When the user DOES do this, the next line in the file is displayed, for example: Oh so you want me to shut up? OK, I will then. If the user says the same thing twice in a row, the next line of the language file is displayed, for instance: Please don't repeat yourself. The next three lines of the file give the default values of the name macros, in the order of default SysOp name, default user name, and default BBS name. For instance, Peter Zion Joe Average Pete's Bar and Grill Of course, these can all be changed via command line parameters as well -- but it is usually useful to set defaults here so that you don't have to use the same parameters over and over. This is all that is required in the General section, so the next line tells Psys that it is the end and to look for the next section: !End General The Response Section The next section in the language file is the Response section. This section is the heart of the Psys language file; it tells the computer what specific phrases Psys should look for and what to respond to them with. To start the Response section, use the !Begin Response directive at the start of a line. The format of the Response section is simple. It is separated into groups of a set of phrases to look for, followed by a set of responses to randomly choose from. The computer differentiates between the phrases and the response because the responses are offset by a whitespace character [space(s) or tab(s)]. Follows is a possible group in the Response section: Hello Hi Psys Version 1.00 By Peter G. Zion Page 9 Yo Goodday Hi there! How are you? Goodday and welcome to the great white north! Hello! In this instance, the computer will first scan the user's input for either "Hello", "Hi", "Yo", or "Goodday". If it finds one of these, there is a pretty good chance (there is slight randomness of whether it will pick this phrase or another one in the sentence) that will randomly pick one of the three responses (offset by spaces) that follow. Psys will detect the end of a group of responses by either the !End Response directive (ending the section), or a line that isn't offset by whitespace (indicating a new group). The Random Response Section The Random Response section is a list of responses which Psys will use when it can't find any of the special phrases in the Response section. The Random Response section is started with the !Begin RandomResponse directive. The section consist only of a list of random lines which Psys will pick from, and is terminated by the !End RandomResponse directive. There is no special formatting needed. The Personal Section The Personal section is used to change the person when using the '*' macro (which indicates substitution of the rest of the sentence) in the Response section. The Personal section is commenced with the !Begin Personal directive. The Personal section has the structure of a list of groups of two phrases, which are substituted for each other in the end of sentence mentioned above. A possible such group could be: You Me Your My Psys Version 1.00 By Peter G. Zion Page 10 Now, if the user typed, for instance, Can you tell me how to leech your files? and the computer looked in the Response section and found the entry Can you Yes, I can *. the computer would take everything AFTER the "Can you" in the user's sentence, substitute every "You" for a "Me" and every "Your" for a "My" and vice versa, substitute the result for the '*' in "Yes, I can *.", and type this to the user. The computer would end up typing Yes, I can tell you how to leech my files. To terminate the Personal section, use the !End Personal directive. Text Macros Psys has several text macros that can be substituted into anything in the Response and Random Response sections and will substitute for various text strings. @u - The user's first name @l - The user's last name @f - The user's full name @s - The SysOp's first name @y - The SysOp's last name @m - The SysOp's full name @b - The BBS name * - The rest of the sentence after the detected phrase when used in Response section ~ - Scrap current response and use previous Some Notes on the Language File 1. The sections of the language file do not have to be in any specific order. For instance, if you wanted to have the Response section before the General section, Psys will have no problem with it. However, the order of the information inside the General section is very important. If it's not in the right order, Psys will not be able to Psys Version 1.00 By Peter G. Zion Page 11 detect it but it's use of the information will be wrong. For instance, if you had the "go away" string in the place where the user's name is supposed to be, Psys will think that the user's name is "go away" (which could, under the right circumstances, loose you some friends). 2. All text that is output by Psys is case sensitive, while all text that Psys tries to detect is not. For instance, the phrase that Psys tries to look for in the Response section is not case sensitive, but the responses are. 3. In the Random, Random Response, and Personal sections, there are no limits on the number of entries except your memory, with one exception: there can only be a maximum of 100 phrases for Psys to search for in one group in the Response section. Normally, the limit should never be reached; however, if you are working with a very large language file, keep this limit in mind. Some Notes on Sharing Psys has been carefully programmed so that it can be used several times at once. For instance, if you were running a two node BBS system and it happened to be run by a user on each node at the same time, there would be no problems -- however, you MUST have SHARE.EXE installed to do this. Without having SHARE installed, undefined and possibly dissasterous things can happen (read: I hope you backed up recently). However, only one copy of Psys can write to the same log file at once. To solve this, either don't expect to get transcripts from two nodes concurently, or set an alternate log file for each node with the /L command line parameter. Mailing Address If you would like to leave me a comment about Psys, need help with a certain aspect of Psys, or report a bug (God forbid one exists) then I can be reached at any of the following network/snailmail addresses: BBS Pete's Bar and Grill - Kingston, Ontario 613-531-9801 FidoNet 1:249/148 ImexNet 89:487/102 Home 43 Newcourt Place, Kingston, Ontario, K7M 6Y1 CANADA Please make sure that you have read the documentation Psys Version 1.00 By Peter G. Zion Page 12 several times before you send me a question about using Psys. I probably won't even respond to one like "How do I use Psys in remote mode?". Would you? If you would like the source code, please send a cheque or money order for $15 (US or Canadian), along with a note specifying whether you want a disk with the source code or just the F'req password. I would love to hear any comments or suggestions about Psys from you; the best suggestion usually come from the users, anyway! Psys Version 1.00 By Peter G. Zion Page 13