LAND OF THE FORGOTTEN v0.83   [16bit/DOS  Beta Test]
-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=

This is the Sysop Documentation for LAND OF THE FORGOTTEN Version 0.83.  Be 
sure to read this file carefully before installing or running the LAND OF THE 
FORGOTTEN doorgame.

If you already have a previous version of LOTF installed on your system,
please read UPGRADE.TXT immediately for instructions on how to upgrade to 
version 0.83 of the game.

Land of the Forgotten is copyright 1998 Evan Elias.


==============================================================================


Introduction
~~~~~~~~~~~~
Land of the Forgotten (aka LOTF) is a new doorgame RPG for bulletin board
systems.  Unlike most other doorgames, LOTF features a command based-interace 
to allow for the maximum amount of depth and game interaction.  Whereas the 
game world in most doorgames is really just a bunch of menus, LOTF's game 
world consists of over 600 different rooms.  In future versions, expect the 
number of rooms to increase; there will eventually be thousands of rooms for 
your users to explore!


==============================================================================

Contents
~~~~~~~~
1. Support features
2. Disclaimer
3. Registration
4. Setup
5. Running CONFIG.EXE
6. Sysop abilities
7. Misc

==============================================================================

1. Support Features
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
- Desqview aware.
- Supports either built-in serial I/O, or can do serial I/O through use of a
  fossil driver.  If a fossil driver is present, it will be detected 
  automatically.
- Supports all common dropfile formats, including most varities of: chain.txt,
  dorinfo*.def, exitinfo.bbs, sfdoors.dat, callinfo.bbs, and door.sys.  If
  your BBS does not use any of these dropfile types, you can also pass user
  info to the game on the command line.
- Year 2000 compliant.

==============================================================================

2. Disclaimer - Agreement
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Users of this program must accept this disclaimer of warranty:
LAND OF THE FORGOTTEN is supplied as is.  The author disclaims all warranties,
expressed or implied.  The author assumes no liability for damages, direct or 
consequential, which may result from the use of LAND OF THE FORGOTTEN.

==============================================================================

3. Registration
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Land of the Forgotten will be marketed as shareware.  However, this version
cannot be registered.  The new areas that are added to the game world when you
register have not yet been completed, and so registrations are not being
accepted at the current time.  LOTF v0.9 will be the first version that can be
registered.  Please see "Coming Soon" in section 7 for more information on the
registered version.

Because this version of LOTF cannot be registered, you are allowed to run it
on your system for an indefinite period of time.  This applies only to this 
version and will not apply to later versions of the game.

==============================================================================

4. Setup
~~~~~~~~
In order to set up LOTF, perform the following steps:

Step 1:  Create a new directory just for LOTF, and copy all of the LOTF files
         to this directory.  (You have probably already done this.)
Step 2:  Copy the file RUNLOTF.BAT to wherever you usually put door batch
         files -- typically, your main BBS directory.
Step 3:  Edit RUNLOTF.BAT so that the directories used are correct for your 
         system.  Remarks in the file will tell you which lines to fix.
Step 4:  Run CONFIG.EXE in LOTF's directory.  Be sure to enter your real name
         and set the dropfile directory; you'll probably want to leave the
         other settings alone.  More info on CONFIG.EXE can be found in the
         next section.
Step 5:  Set up your BBS so it runs LOTF by calling RUNLOTF.BAT.  


If your BBS only has one node, LOTF is now completely set up.

If you are running a multi-node BBS, you will need to have the BBS tell LOTF
what node the player is on and where the dropfile for that node is located.
The BBS must add parameters to RUNLOTF.BAT in the form

runlotf.bat -n # -d XXX

where # is the node number, and XXX is the location of the dropfile.  For 
example, if the caller is on node 2 and the dropfile is at "c:\bbs\node2", you
would want the BBS to call "runlotf.bat -n 2 -d c:\bbs\node2".

Most BBS systems can automate the above process with special flags.  For 
example, a WWIV board should be set to run "runlotf.bat -n %n -d %c"; WWIV
automatically replaces "%n" with the node number and "%c" with the dropfile
location.

(If you need further help on setting up LOTF, please send an e-mail stating
what you need help with.  The address can be found later in this document.)

Please note that LOTF is *not* a multi-user game at this point in time.  Set
your BBS to only allow one user to enter the game at a time.

==============================================================================

5. Running CONFIG.EXE
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The first time you run CONFIG.EXE, you will be prompted for your real name.
The game needs this so it knows who the Sysop is, for both game purposes and
for registration purposes.

From CONFIG.EXE, you can also change the following game settings:

 - Dropfile location: Specifies where the game should look for the user
   dropfile.  This can be a directory (ie c:\bbs) or a directory with 
   filename (ie c:\bbs\chain.txt).  Specifying the dropfile location on the
   command line (for multinode a BBS) overrides this config setting.

 - Daily Movement Points:  Movement points (MPs) are the "turns" in this game; 
   this setting determines how many each player gets per day.  The default 
   setting is 100.  Note that MPs are cumulative; if it is set to 100 and a
   player doesn't play for 5 days in a row, he/she will enter the game on the
   6th day with 600 MPs.  Also note that the first time someone makes a 
   character, they receive a 50% MP bonus for their first day.

 - Player Killing Restriction:  Determines how many levels apart, at most, one
   player can be compared to another to attack him or her.  The default
   setting is 2 levels; ie, a level 5 player can attack other players that are
   levels 3 through 7.  Setting this to 0 means players must be the exact same
   level to attack one another, and setting this to -1 disables player killing.
   Note that this setting also affects players with the Thievery skill; a 
   player can only rob from another player if the target is in their player 
   killing range.

 - Starting Gold:  Sets how much gold new players get; the default is 20.

 - Max days of inactivity:  When a user doesn't play for this many days, his
   or her character is erased.  Any "limited" items that player is carrying
   are automatically put back into the game.

 - View Preregistration code:  This is used for registration purposes, and
   should be ignored until version 1.0 is released.

Please note that you should NEVER run CONFIG.EXE while one of your users is
currently in the middle of playing LOTF on another node, or is capable of
entering the game on another node. 

==============================================================================

6. Sysop Abilities
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
If a user is playing remotely, and you are viewing their screen, you will see
a status bar at the bottom of the screen with some info on the user.  You have
access to various functions while the user is playing, such as: chat, change
user's time left, hang up on user, etc.  Hit F9 to change the status bar so
it shows what sysop functions are available.  You can also hit F10 at any time
to remove the status bar from the screen; this is useful for local play.  Hit
F1 to put the normal status bar back on the screen.

Also, as Sysop, you get some special powers if you choose to play the game
yourself.  This only happens if your real name matches the name that was
entered when CONFIG.EXE was first run, and your BBS dropfile must use real 
names instead of handles.  These powers include:
- When looking at another player, you see their ENTIRE inventory, instead of
  just what they have equipped; this helps to see if one of your users is
  hoarding rare items so other players cannot get them.
- You have access to a special command, "/locate".  In order to view the
  documentation on how to use this command, type "/locate" while playing the
  game.

==============================================================================

7. Misc
~~~~~~~

Other command line options:
  You can get a list of all valid command line options by typing "lotf -help".
  This shows you how to do things like pass the user's info on the command line
  if your BBS doesn't use dropfiles, run in local mode, etc.  Please note that
  the "-config" command line option is currently not supported.  

Maintenance:
  LOTF's maintenance routines are automatically run as the first player enters
  each day. Thus, you don't need to put anything in a daily event batch file.

Single-user only:
  In this version, LOTF doesn't support multiple players to be in the game at 
  the same time.  If your BBS has multiple nodes, BE SURE TO SET YOUR BBS TO
  ONLY ALLOW ONE USER TO ENTER THE GAME AT A TIME.  LOTF does not and cannot
  detect whether someone is currently in the game due to the crash recovery
  logic that is used (see Automatic Backups, below).  

Automatic Backups:
  Everytime a player exits the game, a backup of all data files is made.  If
  for whatever reason, your BBS crashes while LOTF is running, a file called
  EXTYP.BAD will be in the LOTF directory.  Do not erase this file.  When a
  player enters the game after an abnormal exit, RUNLOTF.BAT sees EXTYP.BAD
  and knows to restore the old data files to the backups - this is because the 
  potential for corrupted data files after a crash is very high.
  (Do not misinterpret this - LOTF is very stable and does not crash your
  system.  These precautions are just in case of a power outage or in case of
  a crash caused by another program that is running at the same time.)

Supported Dropfile Types:
  Due to the nature of BBS dropfiles, certain BBS programs write dropfiles
  in different ways.  If LOTF does not run with a given dropfile type, try
  specifying a different dropfile type.  CHAIN.TXT and DORINFOx.DEF seem to
  always work with LOTF; other dropfiles sometimes act quirky.


Coming soon:
-=-=-=-=-=-

LOTF registered version:  Adds several new high-level areas to the game for
   your users to explore.  Also allows characters to advance beyond level 7.
   Expected price: $15       Expected release date: Second Quarter '99

LOTF add-on module 1:  Adds several very-high-level areas to the game and also
   enables 4 new character classes to be selected.
   Expected price: $15       Expected release date: Late '99

DungeonKit add-on package:  Enables you to edit and add to the LOTF game
   world through use of special implementor commands.  Also allows you to
   create your own add-on modules that may be distributed (and even sold) to
   other sysops!
   Expected price: $15       Expected release date: Late '99

LOTF Multi-user upgrade:  Transforms LOTF into a true multi-user dungeon,
   allowing for real-time multi-node support!  
   Expected price: TBA       Expected release date: TBA



Support:
-=-=-=- 
LOTF will be supported for many years to come.  The official LOTF web page
is updated regularly and contains valuable information on new releases.
 
 - Visit the official LOTF webpage:  http://www.onix.com/darklord/lotf
 - E-mail the game's programmer:     darklord@onix.com
                                     - or -
                                     RhythmNP@aol.com

E-Mail is checked on a daily basis.  If you need *any* help with *any* aspect
of the program, please send an e-mail right away!  I am more than happy to 
provide assistance to eager SysOps.

Also, I am creating a list of all telnet Bulletin Board Systems that are
running LOTF.  If your board can be accessed via telnet, please e-mail me the
address and I'll post it on the LOTF web page's links section!


<End of file>
