ÖÒ¿ Ò Â ÒÄ¿ ÖÄ¿ ÒÄ¿ ÒÄ¿ Ò ÖÄ¿ Ò º ÇÄ´ Ç ÓÄ¿ Ç ÇÂÙ º ÇÄ´ º Ð Ð Á ÐÄÙ ÓÄÙ ÐÄÙ ÐÁ Ð Ð Á ÐÄÙ ÖÄÄ¿ ÖÄÄ¿ ÖÄÄ¿ ÖÄÄ¿ ÒÄÄ¿ ÖÄÄ¿ ÖÄÒÄ¿ ÄÒÄ ÖÄÄ¿ ÖÄÄ¿ º º ³ º ³ º ³ ÇÄ º º º º ³ º ³ ÓÄÄÙ ÓÄÄÙ Ð Á Ð Á ÐÄÄÙ ÓÄÄÙ Ð ÄÐÄ ÓÄÄÙ Ð Á Modem 2 Modem Game Connection Interface Programmed by Alan McNamee ÚÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄ¿ ³ Introduction ³ ÀÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÙ The SERIAL CONNECTION (TSC) is a MODEM 2 MODEM connection interface that allows users to solicate other users on a TBBS system for any type of modem 2 modem connection process. This is most commonly used for modem to modem games such as DOOM (tm) and BATTLE CHESS (tm). The two major problems with modem to modem connections are: 1. Connections always have to be at the SAME baud rate. This is sometimes impossible between two users. 2. Finding someone to connect with when YOU want to play. TSC addresses both of these problems. Its primary job is to allow you to find someone to connect with. This allows you to request a game play and then return to the system and do other things until someone wishes to join you. TSC also handles the differences in baud rate. This means that one user can be logged on at 28,800bps and another user at 2400bps and both callers can still connect and play the same game. ÚÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄ¿ ³ Instructions ³ ÀÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÙ Making a connection requires 4 steps for the person that is requesting the connection. The following list is the order of execution for this process. 1. Use the R option (Request) in order to display the game that you wish to play with someone else. This will ask you to input the name of the game that you are wishing to play. It is a good idea to put in the VERSION number of the game you are using, i.e. DOOM V1.2, this lets the other users know that they would need version 1.2 in order to play with you. Your system may be configured to allow you to ANNOUNCE your request to the rest of the system and may also display the status of TSC during the system logon to new callers. At this point, you can leave the TSC program and go to chat or do something else on the system. When another user JOINS you, TSC will notify you with a private message. 2. After you have been notified that someone wishes to connect to you, you can then go back to TSC and use the JOIN option to join their line number. If you JOIN and say NO to that user, then the join is cancelled. 3. After both users have joined each other, you will then have access to the START option. This is the final stage of the program for starting a connection. You may wish to use the CHAT option before starting in order to communicate any last minute details that you need to know about the game that you are planning on playing. 4. One both users have used the start option, it is now time to begin the process of game connection. There is two ways to do this. SHELLING from your communications program is the easiest, but some games require alot of base memory and shelling may not free up enough memory for you to load your game program. DOOM requires alot of base memory and for DOOM, shelling is not normally an option. The second method is to EXIT your communications program without hanging up. Most communcations programs allow you to do this. Once you have successfully exited the comm program without hanging up, you can now start the connection process for the game that you are going to play. You will need to tell the game that you are already connected so that it does not try and INITIALIZE your modem. ÚÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄ¿ ³ Game Completion ³ ÀÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÙ Game completion occurs when a player disconnects or drops carrier or a play or call time limit is reached. You can end a connection by reentering your terminal program and pressing the "-" key three times. This will cause both lines to return to there normal state and take you back to TSC. ÚÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄ¿ ³ Status Glossary ³ ÀÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÙ The following are discriptions for the information that is displayed in the STATUS column of TSC. Browsing - The user is just looking around and has not invoked any TSC command operation. Request Play - The user is setting up a play request. Ready to Play - The user has requested a game play and is *IN* TSC and is ready to be joined. Awaiting Play - The user has requested a game play and is *NOT IN* TSC and is ready to be joined. Joining Play - The user is in the process of joining another line. Joined Ln ## - The user has Joined another line and is ready to start a connection. Awaiting Ln## - The user has been joined by another line but is not in TSC at this time. Start Ln ## - The user is starting a serial connection with another line. Playing Ln ## - The user is in active play with another line. Chat Line ## - The user is chatting with another line or has requested another line to chat. Cancelled - The user has cancelled the join of another line. Game Download - The user is in the game resource download area. Reading Info - The user is reading this infomation file. ÚÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄ¿ ³ Special Notes ³ ÀÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÙ TSC itself, once two lines are connected together, is simply a data patch from one line to another. This means that there is no programmic performance issues involved any longer that could slow down the data stream from one modem to another. During the testing of TSC, DOOM V1.2 was used as the primary test program. The primary reason for its use is that it has the highest demand and data flow of any of the programs that we tested. The second reason for using DOOM is that its one of the most popular games in the country right now and will likely be used more often in TSC than any of the other modem 2 modem games. One of the special instructions for playing DOOM thru a modem is that you MUST disable error correction and compression. If this is not done by both users, game play will be very sluggest. The modem settings that I found to work the best with the greatest number of 14.4 modems is: AT Z S=46 &Q0 &D0 &K0 %C0 (EOF)