PsL Monthly 1994 January

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Asc2Com (MorganSoft) | 1992-10-18 | 15.5 KB | 253 lines

σ*************************************************************************σ σ E G A E c o M a s t e r σ σ*************************************************************************σ σ INTRODUCTION σ σ STARTING THE GAME σ σ PLAYING THE GAME σ σ SCORING σ σ HALL OF FAME σ σ DETAILS σ σ REGISTRATION INCENTIVES σ σ INTRODUCTION σ ECOMASTER is an ecology simulation in which you try to predict how animals will survive in a series of different environments or biomes. Each round, players bid for animals. Animal increase or decrease in value, depending on the current environment. Players win by deciding which animals will perform the best in changing biomes. Some basic definitions: Herbivore -- an animal whose primary diet is plants Carnivore -- an animal whose primary diet is animals (This is, of course, simplistic. There are many gradations within these 2 categories. There are also insectivores and omnivores. For this game, omnivores like bears are treated as herbivores. Insectivores are also combined with herbivores, since their insect prey are not present in the game.) Ecomass -- the total amount of resources available in a given biome. A biome is an ecological setting. In this game, there are 5 biomes: Jungle, Forest, Desert, Tundra and Plains. As in real life, chance plays a large part in the success of a particular species. Your biggest task is to plan your holdings based on your estimate of which biome will follow the current one. The amount an animal's value changes is related to several things. The ecomass, hervbivore and carnivore ratings show the total amount of animals present and the relative ratios. In an ecology of mostly carnivores, there will be more competition for a limited food supply. Similarly, each biome has a maximum ecomass it can support. σ STARTING THE GAME σ Type ECO to start the game. You'll see the main title screen, with the main menu: σ Play σ -- start a game σ Saved Game σ -- resume a saved game σ About σ -- brief description of Ecomaster σ Instructions σ -- this file σ Register σ -- print an order form σ Quit σ -- exit the program Press the letter of the choice you want, or click on it with the mouse. To start a game, you need to tell the program whether you have 1 or 2 human players (the computer will always play), and then enter the names for those players. In addition, you need to enter the number of extinctions to be allowed. This lets you set the length of the game. Fewer allowable extinctions will usually mean a shorter game. The exact game length is variable, depending on the order in which biomes follow each other. (Registered users receive more animals, so the games can be long and more variable.) σ PLAYING THE GAME σ The game is played as a series of rounds. Each round, one or more of the following phases occurs: σ Sell animals σ σ Biome changes σ σ Buy new animals σ σ Update & report σ You'll be prompted for any information that's required. After reports, the program waits for you to press a key or click a mouse button before proceeding. You can start to play the game now, and come back here to read the details later. The focus of the game is on choosing animals that will do the best in the current biome or environment. You have 'points' that you can use to bid against other players for the 'purchase' of animals. If an animal is well suited to the biome, it will normally increase in value (see SCORING for details). Part of the risk you take when buying an animal is that the current biome may change, and the animal will no longer be able to survive. σ Sell animals σ If you currently own any animals, you will be given a chance to sell them for their current values. σ Biome changes σ The chance that a biome will change, and the particular biome that it will become are inter-related. Thus, a jungle is most likely to stay a jungle or become a forest. It is not very likely to become tundra or plains. Similarly, forest is most likely to become jungle or plains. You can discover other relationships during the play of the game, and use them to help you predict which animals will do best in succeeding rounds. Each biome has a background screen and a color associated with it. The following table shows the colors and origin of the various images: σ Jungle Magenta Himalayan jungle, with pointsettias σ σ Forest Green Pacific NW mushrooms in old growth forest σ σ Plains Brown Poppies, Tuscan countryside of Italy σ σ Desert RED Organ pipe & Saguaro cactus, Arizona σ σ Tundra Cyan Yak pastures, near Mt. Everest, Nepal σ' In the shareware versions, these pictures are presented as 'oils', that is, some the details have been removed so that the pictures can be compressed to fit on one disk. In the registered version, you'll receive the more detailed pictures. σ Buy new animals σ Any unowned animals will be offered for purchase. In addition, any animals that are extinct will be replaced with new ones. There will be 10 animals in play at any time. For each animal, a minimum bid will be shown. When its your turn, you can purchase the animal by making a higher bid. The order of bidding changes after each animal is purchased, and proceeds starting with the player who has the most points available. This gives the poorer players a slight advantage. If you want to decline to purchase an animal, click on the Esc box, or just press enter without raising the bid. σ Update & report σ When all purchases are completed, the value of each animal will be calculated (see the details section below). Summary statistics are shown: A table showing current animals appears, showing owner, present value, previous value, net change and biome rating. The biome rating is a number from 1 to 5 which shows the relative adaptability of the animal to the current biome. 5 is the best, 1 the worst. Normally, an animal with 2 or less will decline and eventually become extinct. When the number of extinct animals reaches the limit you set at the beginning of the game, you'll be notified that the last round is starting. Finally, the current standings are shown. Each player has available points, invested points (current animals), and a total. At the end of the final round, the player with highest total wins. σ SCORING σ STUB: more details to come later...... σExtinctionσ If you own an animal that goes extinct, you suffer an additional loss of about 20% of your cash points. The game ends when the extinction level you set is reached. The player with the most points wins, and as a bonus, receives a percentage of the scores of the other players. More details about how the numbers change are provided below. σ HALL OF FAME σ Whenever you win a game, the program puts you in the Hall of Fame. This shows your score, the total number of animals in the game, your name, and the date. You can clear the Hall of Fame at any time. Just enter the DOS command: DEL ECO.HOF A new HOF will be created the next time you win. σ DETAILS σ This section provides more details on the internal workings of the game. You don't need to read this to play the game, but it may help you to understand the underlying ideas. Ecomass -- a measure of the total resources available. EcoReq -- the average amount of resources available to each herbivore. If this number is too small, populations decline. If it is large, populations tend to grow. Herbivore Mass -- a measure of the total fitness of the current herbivores to the current biome. High number here means that most of the animals are well suited to the environment Herbivore Weight -- a measure of the total size of the current population. (Animal size ranges are relative, ranging from 1 for mice to 5 for elephants) Carnivore mass and weight are similar. Carnivores need to consume their own weight each round. So, if herbivore weight is less than that of the carnivores, the carnivores will drop in value. The game maintains a log file (ECO.LOG) during play. This is an ascii file that you can examine. Each round, it shows the above statistics, then shows current values for each animal. A typical line might read: Giraffe 60 77 2 This means the giraffe started at 60, increased to 77. The giraffe's biome rating for the current ecology is 2. The log file is reset each time you begin the program, so you should rename it if you want to keep files from several sessions. σ*************************************************************************σ σ* REGISTERING SHAREWARE *σ σ*************************************************************************σ Shareware is a means of distributing software. Under the shareware concept, software may be freely copied and passed along to others, or distributed through bulletin board systems or national networks. As a recipient of a shareware program, you may use the software for a short trial period to determine if it meets your needs. If the software is not suitable, then you can discard it. If you decide to use it, you must pay by registering. When you register a Cascoly shareware program, you receive: σ REGISTRATION INCENTIVES σ σ * A copy of the latest version of the program σ σ * Full color, detailed images of the biomes σ σ * An expanded collection of animals for the game σ σ * A hint & strategy sheet, giving further insights into the game σ σ * A free introductory account on CompuServe including a private User σ σ ID number and password, $15 introductory usage credit, and a σ σ complimentary subscription to CompuServe Magazine, - a $30 value! σ σ * A minimum of 90 days online support via CompuServe or by σ σ telephone. Support by mail is also available, if accompanied σ σ by a SASE. σ To register enter the following command: σ REGISTER σ and the order form will be copied to your printer. Check off the bonus unregistered program you wish. Cascoly Software is a member of the Association of Shareware Professionals (ASP). ASP wants to make sure that the shareware principle works for you. If you are unable to resolve a shareware-related problem with an ASP member by contacting the member directly, ASP may be able to help. The ASP Ombudsman can help you resolve a dispute or problem with an ASP member, but does not provide technical support for members' products. You can contact the ASP Ombudsman at 545 Grover Road, Muskegon, MI 49442 or send a message via CompuServe Mail to ASP Ombudsman 70007,3536.