Craps 4.0 Installation Notes and Other Good Stuff... Thanks for trying PyroWare Craps 4.0! This game is, we feel, the best Craps game for Windows available. We have worked long nights and "observed" real Craps games in action to better simulate the thrill of the Dice. SYSTEM REQUIREMENTS: An IBM Compatible PC, 80386 or better, prefer 80386DX-25 or faster. Microsoft Windows, version 3.1 or later able to run in Standard or preferably 386 enhanced mode. If your machine is an 80386DX with 2 or more MB of RAM, you are probably already running in the cor- rect mode. Craps has not been tested with Windows NT. Windows 3.0 is no longer supported. If you are still using Windows 3.0, do yourself a favor and upgrade! A mouse. A monitor (obviously). Craps 4.0 has been exhaustively tested at various resolutions up to 1280 X 960. Optimum game play occurs at any resolution equal to or greater than SVGA (800 X 600), although Craps 4.0 works fine on a standard 640 X 480 VGA screen. Things just tend to get a bit crowded. A desire to roll the bones! INSTALLATION NOTES: There are two ways to run this ShareWare version: Method 1 - RUN SETUP.EXE. This is the best option. SETUP is typical of any Windows setup program. It will NOT modify any system or Windows files. Its only job is to decompress and copy files into the directory of your choice. Method 2 - Like any ShareWare program, Craps 4.0 will probably be bundled, compressed, and up/downloaded from BBS systems. I encourage this. SETUP programs really aren't necessary in this case. However, for Craps to run, the following files MUST be in THE SAME DIRECTORY. The files are: CRAPS.EXE The Game itself CRAPS.DDS Necessary for dice animation CRAPS.DLL Custom Mouse Pointers/Sound CRAPS.HLP Help file README.TXT This file If these file names end in an underscore (ex. CRAPS.EX_), then they have been compressed by the Microsoft utility COMPRESS.EXE. SETUP.EXE automatically decompresses during installation. To create a BBS file from a diskette containing SETUP.EXE and compressed files, the game should first be installed using SETUP.EXE... then, the above five files may be bundled (via PKZIP or similar) into a single file. IN ADDITION, the file VBRUN300.DLL MUST be in one of these directories: C:\WINDOWS\SYSTEM C:\WINDOWS or the Craps directory To install MANUALLY: You must manually install the files if SETUP.EXE is missing. To do so, copy the five required files into the directory of your choice. Ensure VBRUN300.DLL is present in one of the specified locations. If you want to bundle the files for a BBS, as an absolute minimum, please include the first five files above, as well as a note that the game requires VBRUN300.DLL. This large DLL does not compress well, and many computers already have a copy in their WINDOWS directory. If you want to Sell Craps as a ShareWare package, you MUST abide by the VENDOR/RESELLOR notes found in the help file within the SHAREWARE AGREEMENT topic. In addition, you must offer the package with the setup program and related support files. Call or write with ?? or requests for the latest version. To Install using SETUP.EXE: Insert the Diskette into your disk drive. While Windows Program Manager is running, select FILE, then RUN... A dialogue box will appear asking for a COMMAND LINE. Enter either A:\SETUP or B:\SETUP depending upon which drive you are using. Most systems use 3.5" disks in the A: drive and 5.25" disks in the B: drive. Follow on-screen prompts. You will have the option of installing the GAME files, or the HELP file, in any combination. Sound is not available in the ShareWare version, mainly because the SOUND files decompress to almost 5 MegaBytes, making bundling and transmission difficult. By default, the SETUP program will create a Program Manager Group named Craps, and install 4 Icons to the new Group... Craps 4.0, Craps Help, This file, and the SETUP program, which can be run at any time to add files or re-install. TO PLAY CRAPS: After SETUP.EXE has done its work, you can run the file CRAPS.EXE, or double-click the Blue Chip Icon. Craps rules and game play instructions are accessed with the HELP item from the menu bar. DICE ANIMATION: Dice Animation makes use of a file called CRAPS.DDS, which is installed in your requested game directory. The dice roll animation is, we feel, the most realistic dice in ANY game, and an entire program was written just to create CRAPS.DDS, which is a database of rolls. Like a cartoon, the animation is created by showing a series of frames. Unlike a cartoon, we cannot control, to the necessary degree, the speed of your personal machine. Too many variables come into play, the two primary being processor speed and video Card speed. The dice are set up to roll correctly on a 386DX-40. The first time the game is run, you will be requested to SET DICE SPEED for your machine. The Play field will be displayed, and a small window will Pop-up and allow you to try different animation speeds. Select the speed which looks best. It will be saved and written to disk. You can adjust animation speed ANYTIME by selecting SET DICE SPEED from the menu. IF THIS IS AN UPGRADE FOR YOU FROM AN OLDER PYROWARE CRAPS GAME: You may safely delete any old CRAPS.INI files, which can be found in your C:\WINDOWS directory. Craps 4.0 will write a new INI file, named CRAPS40.INI. Also, the new HELP file, CRAPS.HLP, has been improved and re-written for the new game. Please delete any old CRAPS.HLP files. PROGRAMMER'S NOTES: Craps was written using Microsoft Visual Basic versions 1.0, 2.0, and 3.0. I maintain Source code for versions 2.0 and later. If you are a VB prog- rammer and would like the source code, please write for details. CRAPS.DLL was compiled with MicroSoft Visual C++ and handles only Sound and Custom Mouse Pointers. VERSION INFO: Version 1.0 released - Summer 1992 Version 1.2 - repairs of a bug which permits saving of a game between sessions, improved dice animation and handling, and other minor modifications. Version 1.3 - improvements include modifications to speed screen refresh and fixing place bet bugs. Version 2.0 - added many features, including automatic Dice rolling and statistical features, a true Windows Help file, and CRAPS.EXE was brought up to VB 2.0 standards. Version 3.0 - was a total rewrite with many new bets, more compact in size, and with SAVE SETTINGS support. Version 3.1 - combined the statistics window and the bar-graph window and improves the appearance of some of the dialogue boxes. Version 4.0 - another complete rewrite. Changes too numerous to mention. Biggies are Sound support, new playing field, improved animation, elimination of Auto Dice, and new bets including the long awaited DON'T COME! Shareware Notes: This game is ShareWare. Please, enjoy it for 21 days. Give it to a friend. Upoad it. Swear at it. But please, if you continue to play the game, you must register with us at PyroWare. This is a legal (and hopefully moral) requirement. The good news... if you have a sound card, the registered version includes 5 MegaBytes of digital sound, crafted to replicate a Craps table in a casino. Background is continuous, with bystanders, slot machines, clacking chips, all the atmosphere we could create. The sound blends seamlessly. The registered version also includes an AUTO DICE feature, which will roll for you any desired number of rolls, with or without any automatic bets activated. This is useful for statistical analysis. It's also fun to watch. Registration for 3 compressed disks of your choice is $15.95. Please see SHAREWARE AGREEMENT in the HELP file for more info. To my friends in CANADA: Please note that registration $$ must be either... US funds drawn on a US bank, International Money Order in $$U.S. (best), or US Currency Why? The greedy banks here charge a hefty $5 to cash a check drawn on a foreign bank! PyroWare 1109 Manor Way Roanoke, TX, USA 76262 Phone: (817) 431-0751 I cannot return a call unless you are a registered user of PyroWare Craps for Windows. Enjoy the program, and good luck "Rolling the Bones". Hopefully, if you are a novice to the exciting game of Craps, you may learn enough to make intelligent bets in an actual Casino, and walk away from the table a winner! ANSWERS TO COMMON QUESTIONS Q: Why can't more than one person play at a time? A: The game in its present form is a compromise between functionality and appearance. To have nice piles of chips on a nice back- ground requires screen real estate. Most users still run WINDOWS in a 640 X 480 mode, which limits the number of bets which can be displayed. Each person would require his/her own bet stacks. Just not enough room! Q: Seven seems to come up at the worst time, or too often. Did you program it this way? A: No. It's gambling. I made it as random as a PC can make it. Have Fun! Kurt