SRACE Race switcher add-on for VGA Planets: Free: add-on program for VGA Planets All programs by Tim Wisseman ( cocomax@aol.com ) 3.22.010.SRace.005 Has all the features that can be found in HOST 3.22.010 All fixes found in HOST322.TXT apply to this SRACE HOST. --------------------------------------------------------------- Terms used in this doc file: "SRACE.EXE" = A Race switcher program for HOST 3.21.SRACE "HST Path" = the directory that contains the HST files. "Main directory" = the directory were the *.EXE files are. (This is the directory were HOST.EXE is) -------------------------------------------------------------- HOST 3.21.SRACE follows these rules: If there is a FRIDAY.HST file in the HST Path host will read this file and switch the races to the races set using SRACE.EXE. If no FRIDAY.HST is found the defaults will be used. HOST does not use TRUEHULL.DAT any more it now uses TRUEHOST.DAT. Do not mess with TRUEHOST.DAT, just leave it in the Main Directory. HOST 3.21.SRACE does everything HOST 3.21 does. -------------------------------------------------------------- SRACE generates two files at the path you give it. TRUEHULL.NEW and FRIDAY.HST TRUEHULL.NEW: This is to be used by players. 3.00 players that are playing in a switched race game need to overwrite their TRUEHULL.DAT with this file. Copy truehull.new truehull.dat ***NOTE*** The file must be renamed truehull.dat before giving it to the players. --------------------------------------------------------------- WINPLAN 3.5 users can place TRUEHULL.DAT files into the VPWORK1 - VPWORK8 directories. Which ever directory that they place the file will effect that slots game only. WINPLAN's button removes the file from the VPWORK? directory. --------------------------------------------------------------- MASTER.EXE uses any TRUEHULL.DAT file that it finds in the main directory. You need to place the TRUEHULL.DAT of your choice in the main directory before mastering a new universe. This will make sure the 2 free ships belong to the correct player. If you choose not to give each player two free ships it will not matter which TRUEHULL.DAT is in the main directory when you run master. --------------------------------------------------------------- To set up a switched game: SRACE rename TRUEHULL.NEW TRUEHULL.DAT master namerace copy FRIDAY.HST FRIDAY.DAT send your players the new TRUEHULL.DAT, RACE.NM and FRIDAY.DAT NOTE: The special race mission 9 will be listed as the wrong mission in PLANETS.EXE. I.E. A Lizard race that is switched to a Fed will will have the HISS mission listed, but it will have the fuction of Superrefit when used. Mission 1 now takes the place of mission 9. Any ship doing a mission 1 will do a mission 9 instead. MISPLAN.EXE can be used to patch the PLANETS.EXE file. --------------------------------------------------------------- NEW Player files: (DOS Players) VCR.EXE : This version of VCR will use the FRIDAY.DAT to allow for different player numbers than normal to play the lizards and privateers. (Beam bonus and damage bonus) If FRIDAY.DAT is found VCR will switch to the new race settings. If no FRIDAY.DAT is found VCR.EXE will function like the old VCR. If VCR.EXE finds a file in the main directory called "nobeep" the VCR sound will be disabled. MISPLAN.EXE : This file will edit your PLANETS.EXE file. Be sure to save or zip up a copy of your old PLANETS.EXE before running this program. It will change the label on all your race missions (Mission 9) to read "--------" and rename mission 1 to read "Special !!" This special mission now takes the place of the old mission 9 mission. (Hiss, super refit, super spy, etc.) FIXPLN.EXE : This program changes the race pictures and race symbols used by PLANETS.EXE. When you run it it looks for the data file FRIDAY.DAT. If it finds this file the race pictures will be changed to match these new settings. If no FRIDAY.DAT file is found the pictures will be changed back to the default race pictures. PATCH.PLN : A data file used by FIXPLN.EXE Player files need: VCR.EXE FIXPLN.EXE MISPLAN.EXE PATCH.PLN RACE.NM * TRUEHULL.DAT * FRIDAY.DAT * * ( different for each scenario ) Player installed PLANETS into a new directory just for this game Player unzips the above files. These programs are then run: MISPLAN.EXE FIXPLAN.EXE The player is now ready to play. Only one scenario can be used at a time per main directory if the dos version of planets is being used. ***NOTE*** Dos version of PLANETS will only accept RACE.NM, TRUEHULL.DAT and FRIDAY.DAT that are in the same directory as PLANETS.EXE. PLANETS.EXE will NOT read these from the game data directory. --------------------------------------------------------------- WINPLAN players can use a different VPWORK? directory for each "s-raced" game they are playing in. Just copy RACE.NM TRUEHULL.DAT and FRIDAY.DAT into the VPWORK? directory of your choice. --------------------------------------------------------------- ***NOTE*** Do not get these files mixed up with normal game files. Players: Install the players files to a new directory before using these files. Hosts: make a new host directory (Unzip a fresh copy of the latest host 3.2 into a clean directory before adding these files) ***DANGER*** If you get TRUEHULL.DAT files made by this set of files gets mixed up with normal game's TRUEHULL.DAT you will produce <<>> Be sure the host and all players are using the same TRUEHULL.DAT and FRIDAY.DAT files. Make sure your FRIDAY.DAT is the same as FRIDAY.HST ---------------------------------------------------------------