EchoView version 1.01

Welcome to EchoView !!!

  EchoView is a Windows player utility for VGA Planets. VGA
  Planets is a play-by-email game for the IBM PC written by
  Tim Wisseman. EchoView is mainly a data-tracking utility,
  but it also has useful features such as a message editor
  and hyperjump utility. In addition to the usual ships,
  planets, and starbases, EchoView will track wormholes, ion
  storms, and UFO.HST objects, allowing DOS-Planets players
  to visualize the same objects as WinPlan players.

  EchoView was written by Stefan Glasauer.

  EchoView is freeware (but is not in the public domain). You 
  can use EchoView and its associated programs freely as long 
  as you observe the restrictions described in the disclaimer 
  section in ECHOVIEW.HLP.

  This readme file only gives a description of the
  installation procedure.

  For more information see the Windows help-file ECHOVIEW.HLP.
  For changes with respect to previous versions see CHANGES.TXT.

Installation :

EchoView is distributed with the following files :

ECHOVIEW.EXE	the Windows executable
UNPACK35.EXE	a Dos unpack utility which extracts Host 3.2
		information from RST files (see below for 
		installation)
SCANMESS.DAT	an ASCII file containing the message 
		scanner definitions
SCANMESS.EXE	a DOS utility generating PHOST UTIL??.DAT 
		files (NOT necessary to run EchoView)
SCANMESS.DOC	documentation on SCANMESS.EXE
CHANGES.TXT	a file decribing the bug fixes and changes 
		since the last version
ECHOVIEW.HLP	a Windows help file
CTL3DV2.DLL	a Microsoft DLL for those who do not 
		already have it (the "3D" look of dialogs)
README.TXT	this file

How to install :

- Place ECHOVIEW.EXE and ECHOVIEW.HLP wherever you want. 
- Move the CTL3DV2.DLL to your \WINDOWS\SYSTEM directory, if 
  it's not already there (important : don't leave it in the 
  same directory as EchoView).
- Put UNPACK35.EXE and SCANMESS.DAT into your planets 
  directory.
- No need to install SCANMESS.EXE, this utility is meant to 
  support future utilities which rely exclusively on PHOST
  UTIL??.DAT files. The functionality of ScanMess is 
  integrated in EchoView.

That's all !!! You're ready to start.

Now start EchoView. 

Select "Load Game" from the File menu. 
A dialog will ask you to enter the path of the planets 
directory.
Press "OK" to continue.

The next dialog will ask you to enter a name for your 
game (EchoView supports multiple games), your race number 
(1-11) and the game directory. 
Press "OK" again. 

If there was an error, a message box will appear.  In 
this case, select "Load Game" again and check whether 
your directory and race settings have been properly 
described (press "Edit" to see them). 
If your game has a password, EchoView will ask you for it.

Now the fully maximized starmap of your current game 
should be visible.

Hint : Read the mouse section of the help file to learn 
about all the different ways to use the mouse in EchoView. 
This is the most important section of the manual.

Note : if you play with alternative race names, maps or 
ship lists, EchoView looks first in the game directory 
for the RACE.NM, PLANET.NM, XYPLAN.DAT and *SPEC.DAT 
files.

If you have been using Crystal Ball, select Files/Load 
Crysball data. All of the information in the Crystal Ball 
database will become available in EchoView.

Note : When your host uses Host3.2 or PHOST3.2 but you 
don't have WinPlan, use UnPack35 (see below).

Installing and using UnPack35 :

UnPack35 is a small Dos utility which will extract the 
KORE??.DAT file containing Host 3.2 information (ion 
storms, bangs, minefields and UFO's) and the RACE.NM file 
from the RST files. Both files will be placed in the game 
directory.

UnPack35 must not be used together with WinPlan.

UnPack35 works like UNPACK. It must be called before 
UNPACK, since UNPACK deletes the RST files. UnPack35 also 
works with PHOST 3.2.2.x RST files.

Usage : unpack35 <game-directory>

UnPack35 does not replace UNPACK or VPUTIL/VPUNPACK !!! 
UnPack35 only extracts the KORE??.DAT files from the RST 
files, nothing else.

Note : the KORE??.DAT files produced by UnPack35 have not 
been tested together with WinPlan. If you use WinPlan, 
you don't need UnPack35.

Have fun with EchoView !!!