LAND OF THE FORGOTTEN v0.9    [16bit/DOS]
=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=

This is the Sysop Documentation for LAND OF THE FORGOTTEN (LOTF) version 0.9.
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,
you must completely delete it before installing the new version of LOTF.
Please see UPGRADE.TXT for more information.

Land of the Forgotten is copyright 1999 Evan Elias.

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


Introduction
~~~~~~~~~~~~
Land of the Forgotten (LOTF) is a new doorgame RPG for bulletin board systems.
Unlike most other doorgames, LOTF features a command-based interface 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 1350 separate rooms!  The game also has over 175 items, 40 spells, 
115 different monsters, and a dozen quests!


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

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

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

1. Support Features
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
- Can use 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 many 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.
- Runs smoothly over telnet using COM/IP or Netmodem, on any comm port.
- Desqview aware.

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

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. 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 when running 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 system running Renegade BBS should be set to use
"runlotf.bat -n %n -d %o".  Renegade automatically replaces "%n" with the node
number and "%o" 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.

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

4. Running CONFIG.EXE
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The first time you run CONFIG.EXE, you will be prompted for your real name.
The game needs this 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.

 - Movement Points settings:  Movement points (MPs) are the "turns" in LOTF.
   These settings allow you to control various aspects of the MP system.  It
   is recommended that you stick to the default settings until your users
   become skilled at the game.

   Please note that, unlike in most doorgames, unspent Movement Points add up
   from day to day.  This makes it so that your users do not have to play every
   single day in order to reach a high level.

   The options that you can configure include:
   -> Starting Movement Points:  This determines how many MPs a new player
      gets on his or her first day.  This is typically set to about 50%
      higher than the "daily movement points" setting, to allow a new player
      to get extra playing time on his or her first day.  Default: 150
   -> Daily Movement Points:  This setting controls how many additional MPs
      a player gets each day after their first.  Default: 100
   -> Maximum Movement Points:  This sets the maxiumum number of MPs a
      player may accumulate.  It is recommended that you set this to about five
      times the "daily movement points" setting.  Or, if you don't want players
      to be able to save up MPs at all, set this to the same as the Daily 
      setting.  Default: 500
  
 - View Preregistration code:  This is used for registration purposes.  Please
   see section 5 for information on registration.

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

5. Registration
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Land of the Forgotten is shareware.  In the unregistered version, players may
not advance past level 7, and can only explore about 600 of the 1350+ rooms in
the game world.  If you register the game, your users can advance to any level
and can access the entire game world.  

There are two ways that you can receive your registration file.  The first
option is by Internet E-mail.  This requires that you have an e-mail account
*capable of receiving file attachments*, and costs $15 US.

The second option is to receive your registration by standard mail.  This
method takes longer to process, and costs $20 US.  Your registraion file will
be mailed to you on a disk.

HOW TO REGISTER:
1.  Print and fill out the registration form (REGISTER.TXT).  If you do not
    have a printer, you may handwrite the information.  Be sure to include
    your "preregistration code".  This can be found by running CONFIG.EXE
    and selecting option 5.  Copy it EXACTLY as it appears.  It is VITALLY
    IMPORTANT that you include your prereg code when filling out this form!
2.  Include a cheque for $15 US if you are receiving your registration by
    e-mail, or $20 US if you are receiving your registration by conventional
    mail.  Make the cheque payable to "Evan Elias".
3.  Put the cheque and registration form in an envelope and mail to this 
    address:

      Evan Elias
      100 Crestwood Drive
      Lansdale, PA 19446
      USA

When I receive your registration, you will be sent a registration file, along
with instructions on how to install it.

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

6. Misc
~~~~~~~

Maintenance:
  LOTF's maintenance routines are automatically run as the first player enters
  the game each day.  

Single-user only:
  In this version, LOTF doesn't support multiple players to be in the game at 
  the same time.  If one user is playing and a second user tries to enter the
  game, LOTF will autmatically prevent the second user from playing.  However,
  if your BBS software has a setting that allows a door to be single-node-only,
  it would be a good idea to set this to avoid load time.

Resetting the game:
  You can completely reset the game world by running RESETALL.BAT at a DOS 
  prompt.  Please note that RESETALL.BAT cannot be used on older versions
  (v0.8x) of LOTF.

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.
  (Please 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.

  Sometimes, LOTF is unable to read higher port numbers from the dropfile.
  If this happens, the message "No UART at specified port address, cannot 
  continue" will be displayed.  If you encounter this problem, try passing
  the port number on the command line; ie, for port 10, you would want to
  add "-p COM10" to the command line.  Most BBS systems allow you to use
  special flags that automatically insert the proper port number for the
  current node.  For example, you would use "-p COM%p" under Renegade.


Other command line options:  (You will never need to use most of these!)
 -MAINT           - Forces maintenance to be re-run immediately.  Must appear
                    before other options on the command line.  This is mainly
                    only useful in local play.
 -D or -DROPFILE  - Door information file directory and/or filename.
 -N x or -NODE x  - Sets the node number to use.
 -P x or -PORT x  - Sets serial port to use. For COM1: use -P COM1; for COM2:
                    use -P COM2, etc.
 -L or -LOCAL     - Causes door to operate in local mode, without requiring a
                    door information (drop) file.
 -B x or -BPS x   - Sets the serial port <---> modem bps (baud) rate to use.
 -ADDRESS x       - Sets serial port address in HEXIDECIMAL (if no FOSSIL).
 -IRQ x           - Sets the serial port IRQ line (if FOSSIL is not used).
 -NOFOSSIL        - Disables use of FOSSIL driver, even if available.
 -NOFIFO          - Disables use of 16550 FIFO buffers (only if no FOSSIL).
 -MAXTIME x       - Sets the maximum number of minutes that any user will be
                    permitted to access the door, regardless of time left.
 -SILENT          - Operate in silent mode, with no local display.
 -G or -GRAPHICS  - Unless followed by 0 or N, turns on ANSI display mode.
 -USERNAME x      - Name of user who is currently online. Useful if no 
                    dropfile present.
 -TIMELEFT x      - User's time remaining online. Useful if no dropfile.



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:     rhythmnp@aol.com
 - Telnet to the support BBS:        telnet://warlordz.darktech.org

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



Thank You's:
-=-=-=-=-=-
Mod, Ivy, Amber, Johnny Rotten, Chipper, Zoran, Jeff Miller, Matt Elias, 
Jacob Hartman, Blade, Mefanerus G, Becker, Aaron, Captain Hack, Brian Pirie, 
Mabus, Robert Lafore, Barry Bogart, Outworld Arts, Gatekeeper, and all of the
other sysops and players who helped beta test the early releases.

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