Index of /atarilibrary/atari_cd09/GAMES/OMEGA202

      Name                    Last modified       Size  Description


[DIR] Parent Directory        11-May-2007 21:22      -  
[DIR] DATA/                   11-May-2007 21:21      -  
[   ] INFO.MIF                25-Nov-1995 06:03     1k  
[TXT] INSTALL.TXT             25-Nov-1995 06:03     6k  
[DIR] MISC/                   11-May-2007 21:21      -  
[TXT] OMEGA.AD                25-Nov-1995 06:03     2k  
[TXT] OMEGA.CNF               25-Nov-1995 06:03     1k  
[   ] OMEGA.DOC               25-Nov-1995 06:03    30k  
[TXT] OMEGA.TOS               25-Nov-1995 06:03   382k  
[DIR] SAVE/                   11-May-2007 21:21      -  

Hi,

  This is the second release of Omega for the Atari ST. This version is dated
April 19th and may contain some minor bugs. This file will tell you what you
need to know to play the game.


                              UPDATE INFO
  
  The second version of Omega was needed because the first version contained
a serious bug, causing the game to crash when reloading a game that was saved
outside of the city level. That error has been corrected, but in the process,
save files have become incompatible. So, sorry, you cannot use the saved game
positions of version one.
  This is version 2.02 of Omega. The following changes have been made since 
version 2.01 of January 30, 1991:
- the line-of-sight routine, which determines which monsters you can see, has
  been changed substantially. It is more logical now, but shows less monsters.
- configuration options are now set by file. Note to users of older versions:
  using the environment to set configuration options still works.
- the help files have been updated. The old documentation is still available
  in the file OMEGA.DOC in the MISC directory.
- The program is somewhat smaller; memory usage is the same as before.
- The program is somewhat faster.

  
                              MANIFEST

  First of all, this archive should contain the following files :

OMEGA.TOS                 the game itself
OMEGA.CNF                 sample configuration file
OMEGA.AD                  the Omega ad (great for BBSes)
OMEGA.DOC                 the Omega manual
README.TXT                this file
INSTALL.TXT               installation guide

DATA folder with :
  *.TXT                   text files needed in the game
  *.DATA                  data/level files needed in the game
  OMEGA.HI                high-score file
  OMEGA.LOG               log file to generate NPCs
  OMEGAHI.BAK             backup of high-score file
  
MISC folder with :
  PFXPAK.PRG              executable program packer
  OMEGA.CNF               another sample condiguration file
  OMEGA.DOC               old documentation file

SAVE folder with :
  (now empty)             save files, level files, omega standard setup


                              INSTALLATION

  Omega's minimum requirements are :
-1 Mb of memory
-Double-sided floppy or harddisk
-Medium or High resolution
If your system is not up to this minimum, forget about playing Omega.
  The file INSTALL.TXT contains an installation guide. If you've used Omega
before, you can use your old installation environment: no changes are needed.


                              STARTUP
                          
  You may want to read the manual OMEGA.DOC before playing; all the information
in the manual is also available on-line (press the 'Help' key).
When starting, you'll need to know a few essentials :
  - the '@' character is you, the player
  - movement is with the numeric keypad
  - the 'Help' key gets you on-line help
  - the '/' key gives you info on the meaning of on-screen chars
  - the 'x' key enters examine mode; walk the cursor to a point (with the
      numeric keypad) and press '.'. You will now get more information.
      

                              NOT IN THE MANUAL
                          
The 'X' key will report the amount of free memory remaining. Save and restore
if this gets below 20 Kb.


                              PROBLEMS
                          
  There may be some bugs left; Omega was an extremely buggy game when I started
porting and some bugs may be left. Mailing me (with CLEAR and CONCISE bug
reports) will help me to repair any possible bugs. My address is below.
However, you should be careful: Omega is a very complicated game and many things
that seem bugs at first are features (really!). Examples of this are the NPC
players you'll meet : every time you quit, a Non-Player Character will be added
to the log. You may therefore meet NPCs with your name, which may be a bit
confusing. All this works far better on a multi-user system, which the ST isn't.


                              PLANNED CHANGES
                              
  The following changes are planned for the next minor update of Omega, due
in a month, maybe two months:
- Increased compression speed (loading, saving of levels)
       
  For the next major release of Omega (due later this year), planned 
changes are:
- More sites in the city site list (sewer entrace, cemetary)
- Compression of the files in the DATA directory to save space
- Saving and restoring the village levels, dragon's lair, star peak etc.
  (All levels but the temporary, such as the Arena and the tactical screen).
  
  If you would like other changes, please tell me about them. I am thinking
about adding support for MiNT (file locking, minix file systems and terminals),
but will only do so if enough people ask for it. So, please write...


                              COPYRIGHT
                          
  Omega is copyrighted by Laurence R. Brothers, but the binaries are public
domain as long as the version and copyright messages are NOT removed. I would
also appreciate it if you did not claim any credit for work you have not done,
and leave the startup screen intact. The standard sources are available by FTP
at paul.rutgers (check your FTP list); the modified sources (for Pure C) are
available from me and can be requested by e-mail. And no, I'm sorry, but the
university does not allow anonymous FTP access for sources or latest binaries.


                              CHEATING
                          
  The wizard mode has been obscured (mail me if you really need it).
The best way of cheating that's left is to make a complete backup of the SAVE 
directory, including level files. Then, if you die, you can go back to the last 
backup you made.
Note that as the level and save files are compressed, ARCing them will not 
result in very large savings.
  Level files have an identifying mark, so that level files from one game cannot
be used in a different game. Attempts to do so will result in an error message
and the game will quit.


                              THANKS TO
                              
  Thanks go to :
Laurence R. Brothers, for writing the game Omega
Rene van 't Veen, for his ST curses library
Han Ko Bicknese, for making me do this port
Led Zeppelin, Joe Satriani and Queensr˜che for keeping me awake during
  long nights of debugging


                              HOW TO REACH ME
                          
My e-mail address is :
  biersma@dutikos.tudelft.nl
Please mention Omega in the message header; this will ensure promper filing
and handling (I hope).

My real-world address is :
  Hildo Biersma
  Tollensstraat 138
  2513 GE Den Haag
  Holland (that's in Europe)