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Fantasy World Builder(TM) Copyright (c) 1996 Perry Horner Software Agreement: ------------------- Thank you for your interest in a Perry Horner (PERware) product. This software is provided "as-is" without warranty of any kind. PERware and the author of the program(s) expressly disclaims liability for any direct, indirect,consequential or incedental damages arising out of the use or inability to use such software. You may copy the software for backup purposes only; all other copying of the software or any written materials is expressly forbidden. -------------------- DISCLAIMER: -------------------- "This software is provided as-is. There are no warranties, expressed or implied." PERRY HORNER DISCLAIMS ALL WARRANTIES RELATING TO THIS SOFTWARE, WHETHER EXPRESSED OR IMPLIED, INCLUDING BUT NOT LIMITED TO ANY IMPLIED WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTABILITY AND FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE, AND ALL SUCH WARRANTIES ARE EXPRESSLY AND SPECIFICALLY DISCLAIMED. NEITHER PERRY HORNER NOR ANYONE ELSE WHO HAS BEEN INVOLVED IN THE CREATION, PRODUCTION, OR DELIVERY OF THIS SOFTWARE SHALL BE LIABLE FOR ANY INDIRECT, CONSEQUENTIAL, OR INCIDENTAL DAMAGES ARISING OUT OF THE USE OR INABILITY TO USE SUCH SOFTWARE EVEN IF PERRY HORNER HAS BEEN ADVISED OF THE POSSIBILITY OF SUCH DAMAGES OR CLAIMS. IN NO EVENT SHALL PERRY HORNER'S LIABILITY FOR ANY DAMAGES EVER EXCEED THE PRICE PAID FOR THE LICENSE TO USE THE SOFTWARE, REGARDLESS OF THE FORM OF CLAIM. THE PERSON USING THE SOFTWARE BEARS ALL RISK AS TO THE QUALITY AND PERFORMANCE OF THE SOFTWARE. Some states do not allow the exclusion of the limit of liability for consequential or incidental damages, so the above limitation may not apply to you. This agreement shall be governed by the laws of the State of Arizona and shall inure to the benefit of Perry Horner and any successors, administrators, heirs, and assigns. Any action or proceeding brought by either party against the other arising out of or related to this agreement shall be brought only in a STATE or FEDERAL COURT of competent jurisdiction located in Maricopa County, Arizona. The parties hereby consent to in personam jurisdiction of said courts. This software and the disks on which it is contained is licensed to you, for your own use. This is copyrighted software. You are not obtaining title to the software or any copyrights. You may not sub license, rent, lease, convey, modify, translate, convert to another programming language or platform, decompile, or disassemble the software for any purpose. You may make as many copies of this software as you need for back-up purposes. You may use this software on more than one computer, provided there is no chance it will be used simultaneously on more than one computer. If you need to use the software on more than one computer simultaneously, please contact the author for information about site licenses. -------------------- The Fantasy World Builder(TM) is a SHAREWARE product. Shareware is a "try before you buy" means of marketing software. Many shareware products are created by individuals who use their spare time to creatively produce unique products that are generally not available through the normal market. These one-of-a-kind programs are usually created to fill a hole in a need that others have failed to identify. By registering a shareware product you help the programmer in many ways. you are saying "thank you", "good job", etc. for the efforts put into the project. You have an open door to suggestions and comments for future releases and projects. Your registration fee goes towards hardware, software, compiler, utility, and reference material upgrades for the programmer to produce future products. Shareware products usually are well below any off-the-shelf program cost for a similar product. The Fantasy World Builder(TM) has many long hours, sleepless nights, verbal abuses, etc. expended in its creation (not to mention my wife telling me I am ignoring her). This program is fully functional. Only a delayed screen at the end of the program is added. This is just a reminder to you that if you find this program of use to you, please take the time to register it. Thank you for your interest in the Fantasy World Builder(TM). Registration cost: $20.00 US dollars Shipping/Packaging: $03.50 Total cost: $23.50 Registration includes the Fantasy World Builder without "nag" screens on two 3 1/2" high density disks, a printed instruction manual, and the latest version of the Fantasy War Simulator- a DOS program to simulate both sides of a large scale fantasy battle. Please send US Check, Money Order, or International Bank Money Order to: Perry Horner PO BOX 2282 Peoria, AZ 85380-2282 USA Allow 2-3 weeks for delivery (based on shipping location) If you have any questions or comments, please mail to the address above or P_HORNER@ASU.EDU. Hardware Requirements: Minimum Recommended -------------------------------------------------------------------- 386 MS-DOS based PC 486/66 or faster processor MS-DOS 6.xx MS-DOS 6.22 570K conventional RAM 580K conventional RAM 2 meg Expanded Memory (EMS) 4 meg Expanded Memory (EMS) 256 color VGA 1 meg SVGA Microsoft compatible mouse Microsoft compatible mouse Dot-matrix printer Laser Printer MPU-401 compatible wavetable sound card Description of Program: ---------------------- The Fantasy World Builder(tm) is aimed to aid fantasy role-playing game masters in the design of a campaign QUICKLY. Requiring a 386 MS-DOS based PC with 585k conventional RAM, and 2meg of Expanded Memory (EMS), 256 color VGA, and a Microsoft Compatible mouse, the Fantasy World Builder requires little time to get a finished product. Using a graphical point-and-click interface with minimal keyboard use, the program will generate random maps for 2 types of dungeons (natural or cut), cities, and terrain. Whenever a city or dungeon is created, information on the new creation is stored on disk. When a world map is generated, you are given the option to include the previously generated file information in the generation of the world. This allows the computer to randomly place the cities and dungeons in the world. All city, dungeon, and world maps are saved as 256 color .PCX graphic files that can be viewed by an external viewing program, edited by a paint program, or printed out. Text files are generated describing the cities, dungeons, and the world map. All output can be directed to a file on disk, Epson compatible dot-matrix printer, or a Level 4 Hewlett Packard laserjet printer or compatible. This includes both text files and graphic files. All city and dungeon generation rely on resource information files. These files are user editable. This allows for versatility in customizing to your own world. The Dungeon generation has an on-line monster database that allows you to enter or delete monsters that are used to stock your dungeons. For your enjoyment, sound is supported. Some users with slower machines may find it comforting to listen to music while the random generation process takes place. The music requires an MPU-401 General MIDI compatible sound card. Music can be turned on or off from within the program. Colorful screens and a mouse driven interface should make this program easy and attractive. History: ------- Many of us would love to win the lottery and play role-playing games for the rest of our lives. Most of us can not find the time to create adventures, campaign, maps, dungeon-hacks, etc. What this program does is help you by creating the "skeleton" with which you can add to with your own creativity. The Fantasy World Builder was designed to aid a gamemaster in the outline. This allows the gamemaster to then use creativity to expand the outline into a playable scenerio. It can also be used for those situations where friends come over and decide at the spur of the moment to play a role-playing game. Not much time needs to be invested into creating a playable adventure. Cutting creation from days to hours/minutes takes much of the burden off being a gamemaster. The Fantasy World Builder is not a paint program. There are many programs on the market that help you design maps using a library of objects and some custom drawing tools. These can be used as supplements to the Fantasy World Builder to refine the maps generated. For the past 5 years the focus that built up to the creation of the Fantasy World Builder was on "random" generation. A fantasy setting is just that... fantasy. Real-world logic is sometimes thrown out the door. This is what makes fantasy settings such a thrill to develop. Making a program that could be customized to fit many fantasy RPG mechanics was a must. Standard text files are used as resources for the Fantasy World Builder. These files can be modified to meet the needs of the gamemaster. The world generation component of the program was created for those who want to create a new campaign setting. By creating many dungeons and cities, you can then have the program place them on a randomly created map. For only a couple days invested, you have created an entire campaign setting with cities and dungeons ready for the next two years of game playing! Please take the time and read the documentation before using the program. ============ INSTALLATION ============ STEPS ----- 1. Read this documentation first 2. Run the file INSTALL.EXE 3. After installation is complete, run the file SETUP.EXE 4. Select the options that you wish to use 5. Select MENU =================== RUNNING THE PROGRAM =================== Intro Screen ------------ The introduction screen can be bypassed by pressing the left mouse button. Main Menu --------- The MAIN MENU screen gives a selection of builders and utilities. CITY BUILDER creates maps of hamlets, villages, towns, and cities. DUNGEON BUILDER creates playable dungeons in either "natural rock" or "cut: man-made" style format. WORLD BUILDER creates terrain maps that can utilize previously generated cities and dungeons to "populate" the world map. UTILITY/SETUP lets you modify, print, and configure various program aspects. QUIT will end the Fantasy World Builder program. Use the mouse to select the function you wish to use and press the left mouse button. ==================== CITY BUILDER UTILITY ==================== CITY SELECTION MENU ------------------- The city selection menu offers many options for city attributes. SIZE POPULATION MARKET CASTLE KEEP WALLS ------------------------------------------------------------- Hamlet no no no no Village no no no no Town yes no yes no Small City yes yes yes yes Medium City yes yes yes yes Large City yes yes yes yes TERRAIN DESCRIPTION WORLDMAP COLOR ------------------------------------------------------------- Forest Light & Thick Light Green & Dark Green Mountains Hills & Mountains Light Grey & Dark Grey Desert Dry/Arrid Regions Brown Plains Flat, Grassy Yellow Coastal Near Water Next to Blue Areas Use the left mouse button to select the CHANGE button next to each option you wish to change. Select the DONE button when all desired options are set. A mini map is created. Select the QUIT button to exit back to the MAIN MENU. MINI MAP -------- This screen shows a minature map of a random city created based on the options set in the CITY SELECTION MENU. Colors represent different types of buildings. If you wish to keep the current randomly created city, press the KEEP button. If you would like to randomly generate a different city map, press the REDO button. If you want to exit the CITY BUILDER and return to the MAIN MENU, press the EXIT button. NAMING THE CITY --------------- You can name your city using up to 40 characters in length. SAVE CITY TO ARCHIVE DATA FILE ------------------------------ City information can be saved to a datafile that keeps track of what and how many cities you have generated. This information is used by the WORLD BUILDER utility to "populate" a world with the previously generated cities. By selecting the YES button, the current city information will be appended to this archive data file. If you select the NO button, the current city information will not be saved for use by the WORLD BUILDER utility. WRITING CITY INFORMATION ------------------------ The CITY BUILDER utility will create a text file that shows the location, description, and business name of each building in the city. This process uses the files located in the \TABLES\CITY subdirectory on your hard drive. (See TABLES section) CITY MAPS --------- City maps are saved as 256 color .PCX graphics files. They are located in the \CITYMAP subdirectory on your hard drive. ======================= DUNGEON BUILDER UTILITY ======================= CHARACTER LEVEL --------------- By using the mouse, you can select on the up and down menu bars to change the number of character levels. Character level is important for the program. The level of monsters that are generated use the character level as a base. The amount of treasure and magic generated is also based on the character level. Character Level Monster Level = --------------------- 3 Magic Item Generation --------------------- Monster Level # of Items File Used (.TBL) ---------------------------------------------------- 1 1 MAGIC1.TBL 2 2 MAGIC1.TBL 3 2 MAGIC1.TBL 1 MAGIC2.TBL 4 2 MAGIC1.TBL 2 MAGIC2.TBL 5 3 MAGIC1.TBL 2 MAGIC2.TBL 1 MAGIC3.TBL 6 3 MAGIC1.TBL 3 MAGIC2.TBL 1 MAGIC3.TBL 7 3 MAGIC1.TBL 2 MAGIC2.TBL 3 MAGIC3.TBL 1 MAGIC4.TBL 8 3 MAGIC1.TBL 2 MAGIC2.TBL 2 MAGIC3.TBL 1 MAGIC4.TBL 9 3 MAGIC1.TBL 3 MAGIC2.TBL 2 MAGIC3.TBL 2 MAGIC4.TBL 10 4 MAGIC1.TBL 3 MAGIC2.TBL 3 MAGIC3.TBL 2 MAGIC4.TBL ATTACK DIE ---------- The ATTACK DIE is the type of dice you use in your game to roll for how many life/attack points the monster has. EXAMPLE: Lets say a GOOBER (type of monster) has an ATTACK DIE of 3. And the gaming system it is in uses a 10 sided die to roll for ATTACK POINTS. We would then roll the 10 sided die 3 times and add each result for the total amount of ATTACK POINTS. AD = 3 DIE USED 10 sided roll 1 = 4 roll 2 = 8 roll 3 = 2 +___ ATTACK POINTS = 14 You will want to move the mouse pointer over the type of dice used for this means of determining ATTACK POINTS and press the LEFT mouse button. A window will show what your current die selection is. Press DONE when you have completed your selection. MONSTER SELECTION ----------------- After the Attack Die Menu, you will be presented with a menu screen for MONSTER SELECTION. A list of available monsters for the character level you had previously selected will appear on the screen. This list of monsters is read from the files called LEVELx.TBL in the TABLES sub directory. The monster menu has these options: LEVEL The level buttons (UP/DOWN) allow you to increase or decrease the monster level that you wish to view [UP ARROW] Moves the list of currently displayed monsters back one [DOWN ARROW] Moves the list of currently displayed monsters forward one ALL The ALL button will select/deselect all of the monsters for the current monster level DONE This will exit you from the Monster Selection menu By moving the mouse pointer over the name of a monster and pressing the LEFT mouse button, you can select or deselect the monsters you wish to populate randomly throughout your dungeon. This gives you the ability to "seed" your dungeon with appropriate monsters for your game or scenario. DONE By selecting the DONE button, you are stating that you wish to build the dungeon and all parameters have been set. MINI MAP -------- The program will randomly generate a level to your dungeon and display it on the screen in the form of a small map. You have the option to accept or reject this random map by moving the mouse to the YES or NO buttons. You then press the LEFT mouse button to make your selection. After selecting YES, the program will save a copy of this small "mini" map to the MAPS sub directory with a filename called MINIMAP.PCX The program will then start saving maps of the current dungeon to the sub directory DUNMAP in the form of files called DMAPx.PCX where x is the map number (A,B,C...) NOTE: MINIMAP.PCX file does not print while using the normal print utility. You can use the PRINT FILE option to select this file in the print utility menu. SAVING DUNGEON -------------- The Saving Dungeon screen will display while a text file called DUNGEON.TXT is being created. This file is located in the TEXT sub directory and contains the text and descriptions to the maps generated. The files used by this stage of the program are all of the.TBL resource files for room descriptions, traps, containers, container traps,magic items, and miscellaneous items. The dungeon maps will include a room number on them. This will correspond to the room numbers in the DUNGEON.TXT file. The text file will also create a "roaming monster" table that will list 6 monsters that could be encountered anywhere in the dungeon. NAMING THE DUNGEON ------------------ This screen will ask for a name for your dungeon. It can be up to 40 characters long (including spaces). This will create a data file in the ===================== WORLD BUILDER UTILITY ===================== The WORLD BUILDER utility generates a random terrain map. The map is divided into 4 sections. Each section is generated separately. Each terrain type is represented by a color: ICE White DESERT Brown PLAINS Yellow WATER Blue HILLS Light Grey MOUNTAINS Dark Grey LIGHT FOREST Light Green HEAVY FOREST Dark Green Generation time may vary depending on your computer system. If you have an MPU-401 compatible sound card and have selected music in the SETUP menu, music will play while generation takes place. If you have not selected music in the SETUP menu, generation will take place without giving you any notification on status. each of the 4 sections will appear on the screen after generation of the section. After all 4 sections are generated you can select: KEEP- Use the currently displayed map as the world CREATE- Create a different random map as the world QUIT- Exit back to the MAIN MENU screen POPULATE WORLD OPTIONS ---------------------- You can use any previously "saved to archive file" cities and dungeons to populate your world. Each type of city and all dungeons will be totalled and listed. You can select the option USE PREVIOUSLY SAVED FILES or NO FILES to create your world maps. If you select USE PREVIOUSLY SAVED FILES, city and dungeon icons will be placed on your world maps. HEX GRID -------- You can select to have your world maps generated with a hex grid or without. NOTE: Hex grid generation may overlay some map detail. WORLD MAPS ---------- World maps are created with a LEGEND and COORDINATE system. They are saved as 256 color .PCX files in the \WORLDMAP subdirectory on your hard drive. A text file is created showing map locations of any cities and dungeons that have been saved to data files (Only if USED PREVIOUSLY SAVED FILES option had been selected.) This text file shows coordinates and descriptions of cities and dungeons in the newly created world. The text output file is named MLEGEND.TXT and is located in the \TEXT subdirectory on you hard drive. ================== UTILITY/SETUP ================== The Utility/Setup screen allows you these options: SETUP Set printer and sound options PRINT Print maps and/or text files ERASE DATA Delete previously saved archive files MONSTER EDITOR Create/edit monsters used by DUNGEON BUILDER MENU Exit to MAIN MENU screen SETUP ----- The SETUP screen allows you to change printer and sound options. PRINTERS SUPPORTED: LASER Any Hewlett Packard LaserJet level 4 compatible laser printer. DOT-MATRIX Any Epson FX-80 compatible dot-matrix printer. (NOTE: Some inkjet printers will accept this mode) SOUND OPTIONS: The Fantasy World Builder allows background music during generation times. This sound support only works with MPU-401 capable sound cards. These are usually what are known as WAVETABLE sound cards. The music uses the extended sounds available through General MIDI specification. AdLib May be selected for non-MPU401 soundcards that support the AdLib emulation Gravis UltraSound MPU-401 General MIDI Soundblaster MIDI No Sound No sound or soundcard Exit Exit to SETUP screen PRINT ----- Printer output can be up to 80 pages. It would be advisable to make sure that your printer has sufficient paper before printing. PRINT ENTIRE MAP All sections of the map PRINT INDIVIDUAL MAP Prints a single map file CITY TEXT Prints the text to a newly generated city DUNGEOON TEXT Prints the text to a newly generated dungeon WORLD TEXT Prints the text to a newly generated world EXIT Exit back to MAIN MENU screen The maps printed out may need to be taped or pasted together to form the complete map. This may mean adding the coordinates or legends to a single map. This may also mean placing many map sections together. The maximum size of the maps may be: CITY 2' x 2' DUNGEON 2' x 3' WORLD 6' x 4.5' Each map is named and numbered and can be placed together following the legend in the MAPS section of this document. You can select to print ALL MAPS to print the entire city, dungeon, or world. Or you can select an INDIVIDUAL MAP which will present you with a file selector. The file selector allows you to move to the map directory of your choice and select an individual file to print. Text output can be selected for printing. This will print a formatted text output that includes page numbering. NOTE: If you have a SVGA Vesa compatible graphics card, you can exit the Fantasy World Builder program and run the optional included file named HIRESPR.EXE. This program will switch to hi-res mode and load 4 map files at a time and place them all on one sheet of paper at a time. ERASE DATA ---------- This utility will erase any previously saved cities and/or dungeons that you have selected to be placed in the archive data file. The archive data file is used by the WORLD BUILDER utility to place cities and dungeons on a newly created world. Erasing this data will allow you to start with a clean world. MONSTER EDITOR -------------- The DUNGEON BUILDER utility uses monster resource data files to "stock" a dungeon. These files are located in the \TABLES\DUNGEON subdirectory on your hard drive. The Monster Editor allows you to modify,delete, or create monsters. There are 10 levels of monsters. Each level can contain a maximum of 60 monsters. The lower the level of monster, the weaker the monster is. The higher the level of monster, the stronger the monster is. Generally, fantasy role-playing games have certain similar monster characteristics: a form of life-force points, an armor rating, and a frequency of numbers appearing. This information can be placed into the Monster Editor to allow customization to your own fantasy world. Editor Screen ------------- LEVEL UP/DOWN Increases or decreases current monster level SCROLL UP/DOWN Scroll through monsters at current level ADD Add new monster DONE Exit Monster Editor You can move the mouse and left button click on a monster to turn it dark grey. This means that you have selected to permanently remove this monster from the monster database. If you select a dark grey monster, it will turn white again. This means that you have selected to keep the monster in the monster database. ========================= AFTER THE PROGRAM ENDS... ========================= After the program exits back to DOS, you can go into the TEXT sub directory and use a text editor to examine/print/modify the output text files. These files contain all the necessary information (skeleton modules) to start your adventure or campaign. You might want to rename the file and place it elsewhere on another disk or another directory on your hard drive. The associated map files will have the extension.PCX after them. These files can be printed out or modified by using a paint or graphics display program or the utility built into the Fantasy World Builder. Some other common ways of doing this are: Function Program ---------------- ------------------------- text editing EDIT.EXE (DOS) WRITE (Windows) paint/printing PaintBrush (Windows) This way you can modify the files to your liking before printing them out. ===================== EDITING/PRINTING CITY MAPS ===================== The maps are arranged in the following format: ------------------------------------------------- | CMAPA.PCX | CMAPB.PCX | | | | | | | | CMAPC.PCX | CMAPD.PCX | | | | ------------------------------------------------- Each map will connect with the other. You might want to use a paint program to draw in landmarks or items. After you are finished modifying the maps, you can print them out. The maps are in 256 colors and have been "textured" to different shades of gray for those who only have dot-matrix printers. This conserves on ribbon/ink and extends the life of the print-head. Using tape or glue, and possibly some scissors or blade, you can put together your finished map and get to work on the text file output. The text file is just a skeleton outline and should be modified and added to. ===================== EDITING/PRINTING DUNGEON MAPS ===================== The maps are arranged in the following format: ------------------------------------------------- | DMAPA.PCX | DMAPB.PCX | | | | | | | | DMAPC.PCX | DMAPD.PCX | | | | | | | DMAPE.PCX | DMAPF.PCX | | | | | | | | DMAPG.PCX | DMAPH.PCX | | | | ------------------------------------------------- Each map will connect with the other. You might want to use a paint program to draw in landmarks or items. You can even remove walls or make corridors connecting rooms or areas together (This may be wise since the program may generate "non-obtainable" rooms or hallways"). After you are finished modifying the maps, you can print them out. The maps are in 256 colors and have been "textured" to different shades of gray for those who only have dot-matrix printers. This conserves on ribbon/ink and extends the life of the print-head. Using tape or glue, and possibly some scissors or blade, you can put together your finished map and get to work on the text file output. The text file is just a skeleton outline and should be modified and added to. This will make a well-rounded playable adventure for your players. =========================== EDITING/PRINTING WORLD MAPS =========================== The maps are arranged in the following format: ------------------------------------------------------------------------- | | | | | | MAPxA.PCX | MAPxB.PCX | MAPxC.PCX | MAPxD.PCX | | | | | | | | | | | | MAPxE.PCX | MAPxF.PCX | MAPxG.PCX | MAPxH.PCX | | | | | | | | | | | | MAPxI.PCX | MAPxJ.PCX | MAPxK.PCX | MAPxL.PCX | | | | | | | | | | | | MAPxM.PCX | MAPxN.PCX | MAPxO.PCX | MAPxP.PCX | | | | | | ------------------------------------------------------------------------- x = Map Section Number Map Section Layout ------------------------------------- | | | | 1 | 2 | | | | ------------------------------------- | | | | 3 | 4 | | | | ------------------------------------- Each map will connect with the other. You might want to use a paint program or colored pencils to draw in landmarks, rivers, etc. After you are finished modifying the maps, you can print them out. The maps are in 256 colors and have been "textured" to different shades of gray for those who only have dot-matrix printers. This conserves on ribbon/ink and extends the life of the print-head. Using tape or glue, and possibly some scissors or blade, you can put together your finished map and get to work on the text file output. The text file is just a skeleton outline and should be modified and added to. ============================= Modifying the Resource Files ============================= The versatility of this program is shown by it's ability to let you tailor the monsters, treasure, traps, etc. to your own world or gaming system. This is done through the use of .TBL files. These files are located in the TABLES subdirectory. ======================================= DUNGEON TABLE FILES: \TABLES\DUNGEON ======================================= Filename function ---------------- -------------------- CONTAINR.TBL containers CONTRAP.TBL container traps NATDESC.TBL room descriptions for natural dungeon CUTDESC.TBL room descriptions for cut dungeon TRAP.TBL traps CONTENTS.TBL misc. items in room LEVEL1.TBL monsters level 1 LEVEL2.TBL monsters level 2 LEVEL3.TBL monsters level 3 LEVEL4.TBL monsters level 4 LEVEL5.TBL monsters level 5 LEVEL6.TBL monsters level 6 LEVEL7.TBL monsters level 7 LEVEL8.TBL monsters level 8 LEVEL9.TBL monsters level 9 LEVEL10.TBL monsters level 10 MAGIC1.TBL magic items level 1 MAGIC2.TBL magic items level 2 MAGIC3.TBL magic items level 3 MAGIC4.TBL magic items level 4 These files are used by the DUNGEON BUILDER utility. All of these files are standard ASCII text files and should remain that way! DO NOT USE WORD-WRAPPING!!! Each file must have a [carriage return] at the end of each line of text. It is illegal to use the \ in any .TBL file. NOTE: All dungeon related .TBL files have an "@" symbol at beginning of the last line of the file. THIS IS NECESSARY! Please do not create a dungeon related .TBL file without placing an @ symbol at the end of the file. The program may not work correctly without it. [The program uses the @ symbol as a file terminator] CONTAINR.TBL ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ This file is where you can list different types of containers for treasure. This file starts with an asterisk and ends with an asterisk and @ symbol. If you examine the sample file, you will see that each item is separated by an asterisk. This allows you to use multiple line descriptions of containers. EXAMPLE: * Green colored bottles * A very strange looking chest that if examined closely will reveal small etchings on the sides. * Jars * @ CONTRAP.TBL ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ This file is where you can list different types of traps that are placed on containers. This file starts with an asterisk and ends with an asterisk and @ symbol. If you examine the sample file, you will see that each item is separated by an asterisk. This allows you to use multiple line descriptions for each container trap. EXAMPLE: * When the lid is opened, a poisonous gas is release. All persons within 10 feet of the container must make a save against the gas. * When the container is moved, darts fire from the walls. * Contact poison * @ NATDESC.TBL & CUTDESC.TBL ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ This file is where you can list different room descriptions for natural made dungeons and cut "man-made" dungeons. These files starts with an asterisk and ends with an asterisk and @ symbol. If you examine the sample file, you will see that each room description is separated by an asterisk. This allows you to use multiple lines for each room description. EXAMPLE: * This room looks very unkept. There are broken boxes strewn everywhere and dust covers the floor. The ceiling has a single chain link placed in the center. The floor below the chain link has a duplicate set into it. There is also a strange smell here. * This room has wooden walls and is dark. * When the party enters this room, they find pictures of their friends on all of the walls. These pictures actually speak to the party as if they were the real characters. * @ Notice the @ symbol at the end of the file? This is a must. TRAP.TBL ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ This file is where you can list different types of traps. This file starts with an asterisk and ends with an asterisk and @ symbol. If you examine the sample file, you will see that each trap is separated by an asterisk. This allows you to use multiple lines for each trap description. EXAMPLE: * 6 Arrows shoot forth from the walls when a person comes within 2 feet of a wall. These arrows do 1-6 points of damage each. * Poison drips from the ceiling. All characters must save against it or die! * @ CONTENTS.TBL ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ This file is where you can list different types of miscellaneous items. This file DOES NOT start with an asterisk. It is just a list of ONE-LINE worth of words listing different items. These can range from a broom to a chair to a feather. Whatever miscellaneous items you want. Just be sure to have an @ symbol at the end of the file. EXAMPLE: brush comb table chair nail hammer @ MAGICx.TBL ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ This file contain a list of magic items. This file DOES NOT start with an asterisk. It is just a list of ONE-LINE worth of words listing names of magic items. Since there are 4 different MAGIC text files in the REGISTERED VERSION of this software, this will allow you to choose which one would be best for your items. A magic item that would go in file MAGIC1.TBL would be lesser in power and value than one going into file MAGIC4.TBL where power magic would go. Just be sure to have an @ symbol at the end of the file. EXAMPLE: Witch's flying broom Wand of rabbit changing Sword of good omens Blanket of warming the body @ LEVELx.TBL ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ These files range in numbers from 1 to 3. The x in the filename corresponds to the monster level. Each file is arranged in the following order (one entry per line): MONSTER NAME ARMOR RATING ATTACK DICE FREQUENCY Monster Name is one line up to 80 characters naming the monster. Armor Rating is the number associated with the type of armor. This is a value given to different types of armor and can go into negative numbers i.e.. -5 Attack Dice is the number of times the attack die is rolled to calculate the number of Attack Points the monster has, i.e.. a value of 3 for Attack Dice means rolling 3 times on the attack die for a total number of attack points. Frequency is the maximum number of monsters of this type to appear together i.e..a value of 5 would mean there could be anywhere from 1 to 5 monsters of this type in this room or area. Each monster should follow the other. Again, an @ symbol should be the last line of the file. EXAMPLE: Tiny Men name of monster 7 armor rating 2 attack die 10 frequency 1-10 Poison Frogs name of monster 9 armor rating 2 attack die 12 frequency 1-12 Tiger name of monster 3 armor rating 2 attack die 1 frequency 1 @ End-of-File terminator It would be wise to keep monsters of similar attack dice or strength grouped in the same LEVELx.TBL file. Weak monsters should go into the lower numbered files, where as stronger more powerful monsters should go into the higher numbered files. NOTE: You cannot use any values other than whole integers. This is illegal: 5+6 You may want to round any values of this nature to: 6. ================================ CITY TABLE FILES: \TABLES\CITY ================================ Filename function ---------------- -------------------- ADJ.TBL adjectives NOUN.TBL nouns These files are used by the CITY BUILDER utility to generate random names of businesses. You can add nouns and adjectives to these files to expand the word lists to suit your own campaign world. All of these files are standard ASCII text files and should remain that way! DO NOT USE WORD-WRAPPING!!! Each file must have a [carriage return] at the end of each line of text. It is illegal to use the \ in any .TBL file. NOTE: All city related .TBL files have a "*" asterisk symbol at the beginning of the last line of the file. This should be the only item on the last line. THIS IS NECESSARY! Please do not create a .TBL file without placing a * symbol at the end of the file. The program may not work correctly without it. [The program uses the * symbol as a file terminator] ================================ TROUBLESHOOTING & TIPS ================================ *MY MOUSE DOESN'T WORK: You may need to load a DOS mouse driver. This driver comes with your mouse hardware on disk. It usually is called through your CONFIG.SYS or AUTOEXEC.BAT startup files. Make sure you have it loaded before running the Fantasy World Builder. Also, all mouse selections and operations use the LEFT mouse button. *I HAVE SELECTED SOUND YET NO SOUND COMES OUT: Your sound card may be set to a non-standard IRQ and/or DMA setting. The Fantasy World Builder assumes your card is set to the standard IRQ:7 DMA:1 for Sound Blaster compatibility and IRQ:5 for MPU-401 General Midi Wavetable compatibility. Check your soundcard settings and use the SETUP.EXE program to set the Fantasy World Builder to match those settings. Check your cables and speakers. Make sure they are in working order. If sound still fails, there may be a conflict in memory. It would be advisable to NOT use sound (select NO SOUND in SETUP) if this is the case. This will ensure the program runs correctly. *THE PROGRAM LOCKS UP ON ME!!!: This is a tough one to diagnose. Thorough testing has been done to ensure compatibility with a wide range of CPUs and configurations. But not every computer behaves and/or is set up the same. The main problem with any program usually has to do with memory conflicts. Many TSRs (Terminate and Stay Ready) programs that are loaded up during bootup from the CONFIG.SYS and AUTOEXEC.BAT files use upper memory space. Some may conflict with the program. You may also not have enough conventional RAM for the program to execute correctly. Try running DOS's MEMMAKER.EXE and select CUSTOM SETUP. Be sure to select yes to EMS memory. Also do NOT optimize for WINDOWS by using the monochrome region of memory. You may want to create a special "boot disk" for this program. Format a disk using FORMAT /S command option to create a bootable system disk. Copy your AUTOEXEC.BAT and CONFIG.SYS files to the new disk. Edit these two files and only keep necessary statements in them. Here is an example: CONFIG.SYS ----------- DEVICE=C:\DOS\SMARTDRV.EXE /Q DEVICE=C:\DOS\HIMEM.SYS /TESTMEM:OFF DEVICE=C:\DOS\EMM386.EXE RAM BUFFERS=25,0 FILES=30 DOS=UMB LASTDRIVE=G FCBS=16,0 BREAK = ON SHELL=C:\DOS\COMMAND.COM C:\DOS\ /E:512 /p STACKS=9,128 AUTOEXEC.BAT ------------ VERIFY ON PROMPT $P$G SET Path=C:\DOS; c:\mouse\mouse You will need to enter in any optional statements allowing for sound, etc. Be sure to use the DOS command MEM to confirm you have at least 570K of conventional memory free. Other Conflicts: Some CD-ROM device calls/drivers may not allow the program to work. If your MSCDEX.EXE call in AUTOEXEC.BAT has a /E in it, it is using EMS memory for buffer storage. Remove the /E in the statement. Some systems may have a problem using SMARTDRV.EXE or similar drive cache utility. Remove calls to any caching program. If you are using a third party memory manager other than that which came with DOS, you may run into some conflicts. EMS memory handling by third party memory managers use their own methods of allocation and may not be compatible with this program. A possible solution would be to create a "boot disk" using the standard DOS EMM386.EXE memory manager. *MY PROGRAM LOCKED UP AND I HAD TO RESTART MY MACHINE: Some files may still have been left open when the lock-up took place. Run DOS's SCANDISK to correct any damage that may have took place. *I CAN'T USE THE EXTRA HI-RES PRINT PROGRAM The program HIRESPR.EXE is designed to work with VESA compliant video cards. Your video card or video driver may not understand the command set the program is using to access video. You may also not have enough video RAM to display a higher resolution image. An upgrade to the video driver or a newer video card may fix the problem.