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Text File | 1996-02-14 | 13.4 KB | 308 lines

/* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * */ /* |_o_o|\\ Copyright (c) 1988 The Software Distillery. All Rights Reserved */ /* |. o.| || This program may not be distributed without the permission of */ /* | . | || the authors: BBS: (919) 481-6436 */ /* | o | || Dave Baker Alan Beale Jim Cooper Jay Denebeim */ /* | . |// Bruce Drake Gordon Keener John Mainwaring Andy Mercier */ /* ====== Jack Rouse John Toebes Mary Ellen Toebes Doug Walker */ /* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * */ ------------------------------LEGAL STUFF Hack and HackInstall are Copyright (c) 1988 The Software Distillery. All rights are reserved. See the bottom of this file for more information. ------------------------------THE SCENARIO OK, you've just gotten this super-wonderful new version of HACK from the Software Distillery (or Fred Fish, or wherever) and now you can't wait to play, right? But what's this? There must be a HUNDRED files on here! and each one of them has to be in just the right place! Oh, never mind, I guess I can go back to doodling in Deluxe Paint. . . BUT NO! JUST AS YOU WERE GIVING UP. . . IT'S HackInstall!!!! Yes, HackInstall can solve all your problems! It can format diskettes! It can copy files! It can make directories! It can feed the baby, empty the garbage and let the cat out! (or is that. . . format the baby, copy the garbage and let the bits out? Hmmm. . .) But seriously, folks, you have just obtained a copy of The Software Distillery's new version of Hack, with HackInstall. This version of Hack is called Hack Lite (plays great - less killing) and is largely compatible with what you've probably seen before, but many new features have been added to make the game more exciting and more balanced. Before you can play, though, you will have to make yourself a playing environment. That's where HackInstall comes in. To run HackInstall, just double-click on its icon or type "HackInstall" from the CLI. At this point you might be saying "Hold it! I didn't have to do this to install my last copy of Hack!" In fact, if you haven't said it yet, go ahead. I'll wait. Yes, it's true that previous versions of Hack didn't require you to run an installation program, but there are several good reasons for using one. First, despite the volume of this documentation, using the program is very straightforward and will probably be easier for you than installing all the little pieces by hand. Second, you can customize your installation of Hack much more easily with HackInstall than you could without. Why should the owner of a 8 meg 68020-based machine with 60 meg of hard disk be limited to running Hack from a single floppy every time, just because he doesn't care to learn enough about Hack to install it on his hard drive? In fact, why would this person be running Hack at all? He probably has servants to do that. ------------------------------THE HACK ENVIRONMENT Before I begin describing the gadgets, I will first describe the environment Hack will be looking for after it is installed. THE HACK DRAWER ------------------ Hack looks in this drawer (or "directory") for permanent work files like the file containing the graphics characters, the rumors file, and so forth. These files do not change from one game of Hack to the next. In previous releases of Amiga Hack, you had to either have a diskette named HACK_GAME or have the name HACK_GAME: assigned to the directory you put these files in. THE SAVED GAME DRAWER --------------------- Hack puts your saved games here. In previous versions of Amiga Hack, this drawer was kept inside the HACK_GAME: drawer or on the HACK_GAME: diskette. Hack Lite allows you to specify a default save location anywhere on your system. THE LEVELS DRAWER ----------------- Hack puts working files it needs during your game here. A good place might be a RAM disk if you have lots of extra memory. Previous version of Amiga Hack put these files in the HACK_GAME: drawer. THE RAM DISK ------------ Hack can put some working files in a RAM disk, then spill them over into the levels drawer if the RAM disk gets too full. If you have expansion memory, you can set up a RAM disk. Specify its location as RAM: if you don't care where the RAM disk files go. ------------------------------THE FIVE DEFAULT SYSTEM TYPES Depending on your system setup, you will want put the directories discussed above in different places. We have provided five different default setups with the HackInstall program, accessible by selecting one of the menu items under "defaults". The five "default" systems are: MINIMAL SYSTEM -------------- 512k, one drive system All your HACK working files are on one diskette, just like previous versions of HACK. You may have problems fitting everything on the diskette if you keep any saved games on the diskette or go very deep in the dungeon. No RAM disk is set up. If you have more than 512k, you can speed things up by setting up a RAM disk. TWO-DRIVE SYSTEM ---------------- 512k, two-drive system The HACK program files are on one diskette, everything else is on another. This is a good way to do it if you have a one drive system, but need more space to save games in. With this configuration, only one disk change is needed, after the game is loaded into memory. No RAM disk is initialized. TWO-DRIVE ALTERNATE SYSTEM -------------------------- Extra memory, two-drive system This configuration also uses two disks, one for the game, and one for save files, but most of the auxiliary files are on the game disk, not the save disk. This requires more disk changes on a single disk system, but leaves more room on the save disk for your saved games. This is also a good way to do it if you have two people trying to use the game: each person has their own save diskette, and they use the same program diskette. This allows them to compete for slots in the high scores table. Additionally, a 100k RAM disk is enabled, which will speed up access to the game files. MINIMAL HARD DISK SYSTEM ------------------------ Extra memory, hard drive The Hack program directory is kept on the hard disk; saved games are kept on floppies. Levels are kept on the hard disk for speed. RAM disk is enabled by default: disable it if you have less than 1 meg of RAM. Note that some of the extra utilities and files such as HackIcon II are not copied in this configuration. FULL-BLOWN HARD DISK SYSTEM --------------------------- Extra memory, big hard drive You power-user, you! EVERYTHING is kept on the hard drive. RAM disk is enabled by default: disable it if you have less than 1 meg of RAM. ------------------------------HACKINSTALL FIELDS AND GADGETS Now, on to the other fields of the HackInstall window. The first thing to realize is that you can get help for most of the sections of the window just by clicking on the words describing that section. For example, click on the words "Hack Directory" in the upper left-hand corner. The text field at the bottom of the window says "Pathname for permanent files". If you're not sure what a field does, try clicking on the field description. I have already covered the first four string fields: Hack directory, Save location, Location for levels, and RAM disk. There is one more string gadget on the left side, "Player name". You can set a default name for yourself here by clicking on the name that is there ("Amigan") and typeing your name in. Notice the small gadget next to the Save location name. It says "Prompt". Click on this gadget. It should change color to indicate it is now selected. The text line at the bottom tells you what the option means. In this case, it means the program will stop to make sure you want to put your saved game in the usual location before it saves. Click on again. This time it changed back to the original color, indicating the option is now turned off, and the status line says "Do not prompt before saving". Most of the gadgets in the window are boolean gadgets like this. Continuing down the screen on the left side, we next come to the "Size" gadget. You can click inside the size gadget and type in a maximum size for the RAM disk. If Hack ever gets too much data to fit in the specified maximum size, it will spill over into the Levels directory. Below the Size gadget is the "Class" gadget. You can select a default character class by clicking on this gadget and typing C for Caveman S for Speliologist K for Knight F for Fighter W for Wizard T for Tourist Note that if the Amiga flashes the screen at you as you attempt to tell it whom you wish to be, just press the delete key to make it forget the old one and empty out the string gadget. The "OK" and "CANCEL" gadgets at the bottom are for when you are done. "OK" tells HackInstall to go ahead and install everything the way you have it right then; "CANCEL" aborts everything and quits. Moving over to the right, we come up to the "Game Play Options". These are options that you can set up to affect the way the game works. The Game Play options are: NEWS: Turning this on means that you will see the news file every time the game starts up. SILENT: Turning this on means the game will not flash or beep at you when you make an input error. TIME: If this is on, the number of moves you have made so far appears on the bottom line of the display at all times. WORKBENCH: If you turn this off, you will not be able to run HACK from the workbench. None of the HACK icons will be copied over. This might be useful on a single-drive system if you are trying to save all the space you can. ORDER PACK: If this is turned on, items in your pack will be sorted by type. For example, all foodstuffs will be kept together; all weapons will be kept together, and so forth. You can specify the order they will be kept in by clicking on the line below and retyping it. The characters in that line represent different types of items: " = Amulets (you should be so lucky!) ) = Weapons [ = Armor % = Food ? = Scrolls / = Wands = = Rings ! = Potions ( = Tools (whistles) * = Gems 0 = Heavy Iron Balls If you like this order, you can keep it by leaving the string gadget alone. If you would rather have Heavy Iron Balls listed first and food last, you could click in the field, delete what is there, then type 0")[?/=!(*% REST ON SPACE: Selecting this allows the space bar to mean 'rest' - i.e., do nothing. If this is not selected, space bar is treated as an error. PICKUP: Selecting this means you automatically pick up any items you move onto. MALE/FEMALE: Toggle this gadget to change the sex of your character. TOMBSTONE: Selecting this shows you the tombstone picture at the end of the game. Deselecting it saves you the disk space it takes to store the picture, though, so for single-drive systems, you should deselect it. ENDGAME: Selecting ENDGAME lets you choose how the scores in the score file will be displayed. You type your preferences in the string gadget immediately below. There can be up to three entries, separated by slashes. For instance, the default is: 5t/4a/!o This means to list the 5 top scores, and 4 scores around your current score, but not to list any of your other scores. An entry composed of a digit followed by 't' says how many top scores to list. An entry composed of a digit followed by 'a' says how many scores around your current score to list. An entry of 'o' says to list your other scores, and an entry of '!o' says not to bother. Any entries you do not put in are taken from the defaults. ------------------------------HACK FUNCTION KEYS In addition to the above options, you can program your ten function keys to do various commands that you find tiresome. They are assigned to default values. To change their values, just click in the gadget, delete the text that is there, and replace it with the command you want. ------------------------------OK, LET'S GO! Once you have everything set up the way you want it, just click on the "OK" gadget, and away you go! If you have chosen to install hack on floppies, HackInstall will prompt you to insert floppies in drive 0 only. The floppies do not have to be formatted; HackInstall will format them if necessary. ------------------------------COPYRIGHT NOTICE Hack Lite and HackInstall are Copyright (c) 1988 The Software Distillery. Permission is granted to distribute the programs and data on these disks provided the following conditions are met: 1. All files present in the distribution package must be redistributed with the package, including this documentation file. If you distribute on diskette, all files must be on a single diskette. 2. The distributor may charge a fee to recover distribution costs. The fee for diskette distribution should not be more than the cost to obtain the same diskette from Fred Fish or The Amigans, whichever is greater. 3. The distributor agrees to cease distributing the programs and data involved if requested to do so by The Software Distillery. Names of members of the Distillery are listed above. ------------------------------DISCLAIMER The Software Distillery will not be liable for any damage arising from the failure of this program to perform as described, or any destruction of other programs or data residing on a system attempting to run the program. While we expect no damaging errors, the user of this program uses it at his or her own risk.