Amiga Games Extra 1996 May/Amiga_Games_Extra_CD_5-96.bin/spiele/publicdomain/amsrv/readme

Text File | 1996-02-19 | 15KB | 330 lines

                AmigaMUD V1.0


February 19, 1996; Edmonton, Alberta, CANADA.


This is version 1.0 of AmigaMUD. It replaces versions 0.5, 0.6, 0.7
and 0.9, all of which have been uploaded to Aminet. Please feel free
to distribute this release as widely as possible.

At least one user, Nils-Arne Dahlberg, has solved all of the quests in
the standard scenario, including the fairly difficult "Heart" quest.
Any others out there managed this?

See the request for pictures and icons at the end of this file. I have
received several images from Michiel van den Donker, but there is
always room for more.

The system has been tested fairly extensively on a V2.04 A3000 and a
V3.1 A4000T. I run Enforcer continuously on those systems. Earlier
testing of the client was also done on a V1.3 A1000. The client has
also run on A500's, A1200's and a CDTV (with disk and keyboard).

This release is freely distributable - send it anywhere you like. You
don't have to pay me anything, but I'm much more receptive to requests
and suggestions that come with "donations", which can be sent to:

    Chris Gray
    #604 - 10545 Saskatchewan Drive
    Edmonton, AB
    CANADA    T6E 6C6

Please do NOT send physical letters to me without donations if you
want an answer. As many people who sent me letters about Draco and
Amiga Empire will attest, I simply never get around to answering such
letters. If the letter comes with, say, $50.00, however, I'll probably
answer it right away, and perhaps even send you the latest version, if
there is a new one, and you ask for it. I prefer to use electronic
distribution means, however, since then I have fewer versions to keep
track of.

I am much better at answering electronic mail, which can be sent to:

    [e-mail]

I also read several Amiga and most MUD newsgroups. I suggest newsgroup
comp.sys.amiga.games as the main discussion group, with perhaps some
general MUD-related discussions in rec.games.mud.misc . A lot of the
discussion on the first release was in newsgroup comp.sys.amiga.datacomm.


This Release

There are 5 archives in this release. You only need the first one if
you just want to play MUD on someone else's server. If you want to run
a server, you will need the second one as well. If you want to create
your own scenario, you will need the first 4 archives. The fifth
archive is a teaser for what might be in the future.

The first archive, AMClnt-1.0.lha contains:

    README - this file
    ChangesFromV0.5 - notes on what changed from the first version
    ChangesFromV0.6 - much smaller list of changes for this version
    ChangesFromV0.7 - changes between V0.7 and V0.9
    ChangesFromV0.9 - changes to make this first non-beta release
    mud.library - the shared library that clients and servers use
    MUD - the actual client program
    Doc/Intro.txt - introductory document - read this first
    Doc/MUD.txt - how to run the MUD program
    Doc/Playing.txt - tips and detailed information on playing within
    the standard AmigaMUD scenario
    Doc/Building.txt - how to do online building, both using commands
    and using mouse-buttons
    Doc/Images.txt - a list of image files that the scenario will use
    Doc/ToDo.txt - stuff left to do
    Effects.lha - an archive, which you should unpack in location
    "AmigaMUD:", containing effects files that the scenario will
    make use of.
    Images.MvandenDonker.lha - an archive of images drawn by Michiel
    van den Donker. These can be unpacked in "AmigaMUD:" and used
    with the standard scenario.
    some icon files

The second archive, AMSrv-1.0.lha contains:

    MUDServ - the AmigaMUD server program
    MUDAgent - the remote client agent program
    MUDShut - the server shutdown program
    MUDFlush - the server flush program
    SMUD - the simple MUD client program
    AgentKill - the Workbench-started agent killer program
    Doc/MUDServ.txt - how to be a sysadmin
    Doc/MUDAgent.txt - details on the agent program
    Doc/SMUD.txt - the simple MUD local client program
    Doc/Decisions.txt - some ramblings on possibilities
    MUD-DB/MUD.data - the database for the standard scenario
    MUD-DB/MUD.index - database index file for the standard scenario
    MUD-DB/MUD.log - log file from creating the scenario
    some icon files

The third archive, AMDoc-1.0.lha contains documentation, etc. needed
    in order to program within the MUD, both at the level of the
    standard scenario, and at the level of the bare MUD system.

    MUDCre - the program used to create an initial empty database
    MUDCre.txt - a short description of MUDCre
    Programming.txt - basic information on wizard mode, and on
    programming in AmigaMUD
    Builtins.txt - complete reference on all builtin functions
    simple.m - the source to a simple scenario
    ProgConcepts.txt - tutorial style documentation on writing
    scenarios in AmigaMUD
    Scenario.txt - tutorial/notes on programming within the standard
    scenario, and on using parts of it in new scenarios

The fourth archive, AMScen-1.0.lha contains the complete source to the
    standard scenario, plus a few extras

The fifth archive, AMCastle-1.0.lha contains a compiled database, and
    an IFF graphics file, which together implement an overhead, tiled
    view of walking around in a 100+ room castle on 4 main levels.


Quick Setup

The client will run just fine on a 512K Amiga with one floppy disk. To
set up for such a situation, unpack the AMClnt-1.0.lha archive
somewhere, setup a bootable floppy with at least 200K of space, copy
the file "MUD" to somewhere accessible on it, and copy the file
"mud.library" to the "libs" directory (the "libs:" assign location) on
the floppy. The first copy can be done from Workbench by dragging the
MUD icon to where you want it, and the second can be done by having
booted from the floppy you want to install to, and double-clicking on
the "CopyLib" icon. You should either name the floppy "AmigaMUD", or
you should setup an assign by that name, since "MUD" looks for files
there.

If you have a hard drive, then you just need to unpack the
AMClnt-1.0.lha archive wherever you want it, and then double click
on "CopyLib".

The MUD program looks in location "AmigaMUD:" for any IFF pictures or
sounds that the scenario requests. There are a few supplied with the
standard scenario. So, you need to have an assign of that name (or a
partition or mounted floppy with that name) or you will be continually
clicking "CANCEL" on the standard requester.

Installing the server is a bit harder, since it needs a bit more
space. The server will run on a two-floppy 1.5 Meg V1.3 system (like
my Amiga 1000), but more memory and a harddrive make things easier. I
think more memory will be needed on a V2.0 system, but I'm not in a
position to easily test that. The most space a server system needs is
for the database files. They will nearly fill a single density floppy
by themselves. To allow for this, the server program MUDServ can be
told where to look for the files, so it does not have to be in the
same place as the database files. To run on my A1000, I put the
database files on one floppy, and the various AmigaMUD programs, etc.
on a much trimmed down Workbench disk, in a directory called 'MUD'. I
put a tooltype "PATH=DF1:" into the MUDServ icon, telling it where to
find the database files, along with "CACHE=100000" and a stack size of
25000. I have "mud.library" in LIBS: on that floppy, and all of the
programs (MUDServ, MUD, MUDFlush, MUDShut, AgentKill, MUDAgent) in the
MUD directory.

On a harddrive, you can keep everything in one directory, but I
suggest keeping the database files in one directory and the programs
in another, so that it is easier to backup the database files. You
will want to put a proper "PATH=" in the MUDServ icon, and a cache
size suitable for your system. On my A4000T I use 500000, which
results in very infrequent disk I/O once the system has settled down.
I also have a "go" file which runs MUDServ from a shell, with
appropriate parameters. It contains:

    run <path>/MUDServ >nil: <nil: -c500000

If you are not running the server locally, you can add tooltypes to
the MUD icon that will point it at your modem (the default is the
standard serial port, running at 19200 BPS), and you can put in a
modem command to dial the server you will be calling. See MUD.txt for
details. If you are running the server locally, you can put "LOCAL=
TRUE" into MUD's icon, or just set variable "MUDLOCAL=TRUE" to tell
MUD to connect to a local server instead of a remote one.


Quick Running

To start MUD, just double-click on its icon, or, from a shell, type
"MUD" or "run MUD" to start it up. It will initially open two windows,
one for graphics and one for text. If it is doing a local connection,
MUD will connect to the server, and you will be asked for your
character name. If MUD is connecting remotely, the graphics window
will go away, leaving a full-screen text window. In this phase, MUD is
acting like a simple terminal program. Characters you type will be
sent to the serial port (and modem), and characters received from the
modem will be displayed on the screen. If you set up a modem command,
it will be executed as soon as the window opens, so the first thing
you see may be the dialing sequence. When you are connected to the
remote system, you must arrange for it to let you have binary access
to the MUD server. How this is done will depend on the remote system.
If the remote system is not running a BBS or anything else, then the
"MUDAgent" program may answer the phone, and you will have nothing to
do to set up. Once the MUDAgent program is running on the remote host
system, you should see a line saying:

    REMOTE END DETECTED

and the graphics window will come back. Shortly after that you should
get a prompt for your character name. At this point you are using the
AmigaMUD reliable protocol, and modem line noise will be hidden from
you (unless it gets so bad that something gives up!)

When you are prompted for a character name, you should enter the name
you wish to use for your MUD character. This name should not contain
any spaces or punctuation marks. If this is the first time you have
connected, then you may have to type in a "character creation
password", depending on how the MUD administrator has set it up. It is
also possible that you cannot create new characters, and will have to
ask the MUD administrator to do it for you. If you are allowed to
create a new character, then you will have to enter a password for
that character, and then enter the same password again to verify that
you typed what you thought you typed. This password should be known
only to you, so that other people cannot connect to your MUD character
and have it do or say things that you don't want it to have done or
said. On later connections, you will only have to type in your
password once (assuming you get it right).

It is possible that the host system is running software which cannot
run the MUDAgent program in its reliable-protocol mode. In that case,
you will only be able to connect to the AmigaMUD server there in text-
only mode. You will not have graphics output, and you will not have
mouse input. If that is the case, you will probably prefer to use a
normal terminal program instead of the "MUD" program. AmigaMUD is much
less interesting in text-only mode.


What I Want From You

I want to hear from you about AmigaMUD. What can I do to make it
better? Should I abandon the low-res graphics and make a game that
will only run on AGA machines? Do you like it? Tell me what you like
and what you don't like. Please don't send me large logs or binaries
unless you get my permission, however, since I pay for my email. As
above, the email address to send stuff to is:

    [e-mail]

This is a fully registered domain name, so you should be able to email
to it from just about anywhere on the internet. I reply to all email
that seems to need a reply, so if you don't hear back from me, try
again, giving a different email path to yourself. I've had several of
my letters to users bounce back to me with bad addresses, invalid user
IDs, etc.

As you can readily tell, my talents as a graphics artist are close to
non-existant. I have not attempted to draw many pictures for use in
the scenario. The scenario, however, has been programmed to make use
of some of them. I welcome submissions for these pictures. In order to
properly fit into the current scenario, the pictures need to be of a
fairly rigid format, so that they fit in the view area to the left of
the buttons, and so that they don't mess up the palette used for the
buttons, etc. The pictures of locations should be 160 pixels wide by
100 pixels high using the following palette:

    0x000,    /* 00 - black */
    0x777,    /* 01 - dark grey */
    0x999,    /* 02 - medium grey */
    0xccc,    /* 03 - light grey */
    0xfff,    /* 04 - white */
    0xd00,    /* 05 - brick red */
    0xf00,    /* 06 - red */
    0xf80,    /* 07 - red-orange */
    0xf90,    /* 08 - orange */
    0xfc0,    /* 09 - gold */
    0xfd0,    /* 10 - cadmium yellow */
    0xff0,    /* 11 - lemon yellow */
    0xbf0,    /* 12 - lime green */
    0x0f0,    /* 13 - green */
    0x8e0,    /* 14 - light green */
    0x2c0,    /* 15 - dark green */
    0x0b1,    /* 16 - forest green */
    0x0ca,    /* 17 - blue green */
    0x0db,    /* 18 - aqua */
    0x1fb,    /* 19 - light aqua */
    0x6fe,    /* 20 - sky blue */
    0x6ce,    /* 21 - light blue */
    0x00f,    /* 22 - blue */
    0x69f,    /* 23 - dark blue */
    0xc1f,    /* 24 - violet */
    0xc0e,    /* 25 - purple */
    0xf99,    /* 26 - flesh */
    0xfac,    /* 27 - pink */
    0xdb9,    /* 28 - tan */
    0xc80,    /* 29 - brown */
    0xa70,    /* 30 - medium brown */
    0xa87    /* 31 - dark brown */

Currently, pen usage is as follows:

    0 - shows up in the borders, due to the Amiga hardware
    1 - initial pen, button letter background, button highlighted letters
    2 - button outer border
    3 - button middle border
    4 - default icon pen, button inner border
    6 - default cursor pen
    9 - button letter colour, button highlighted background colour
    17, 18, 19 - normally used by the pointer (hardware sprite 0)

The pens used by the buttons can be changed, as can those for the cursor
and the icons. (commands 'icon[s]' and 'cursor').

The scenario knows the names of the above set of colours. This is used
for the above commands and in some of the building commands.

See file Images.txt in the AmClnt archive for a list of the possible
image file names that the current scenario can use. If you make good
images of any of these, just uuencode them and email them to me. If I
include your picture in the next release, you will get credit for it.
Note that the newsroom and the telegram office are not present in the
version of the database included here.

I could also use some different icons, especially for the monsters in
the Proving Grounds. All of them are 15 x 15 (leaving space between
them) one-bit-per-pixel images. I need icons for:

    rat, snake, dog, gremlin, wolf, troll, black bear, deer, moose,
    goblin, spider + larger varieties of many

Better version of the icons I already have would be good, too.