                Sysop Documentation for Illusions 1.3
         Copyright (C) 1993 by Paradox Development Corporation
                         All rights reserved.

             Designed by Kris D'Nal and Andrew Laakmann
                    Programmed by Andrew Laakmann


INTRODUCTION ----------------------------------------------------------

Welcome to the next generation of on-line gaming for TBBS systems.  
Illusions 1.3 is the first in a series of exciting new games that will 
bring TBBS on-line gaming to new levels of excitement, playability, and 
adventure!

Some new features have been added to Illusions 1.3, including:

- Optional daily time limits for players
- Demigod shop, message, spell. and external exit creation
- Auto locking doors
- An expired light source scavenger
- An external database packer
- Ability to age out players who have not entered the game in a while
- An in-game chat system that allows players to chat between themselves
  without ever leaving Illusions.
- On-Line help for EVERY command that Illusions knows about.
- Intelligent "command completion" to remove some of the burden of the 
  command line interface.
- Upgraded and easier to use demigod functions.
- Safe zones within towns so no rebel players can spoil everyone's fun
- Automatic play log so you can keep track of game usage
- and more (check out the update file included in the package)

In addition, Illusions 1.3 has been created with an eye towards minimizing 
CPU usage, so despite the complexity and richness of the Illusions worlds, 
many players can be in the game simultaneously without too much of a drop 
in performance.

Also, watch for the full VGA graphics and sound version of Illusions coming 
soon to a PC and BBS near you.

So get ready to play, and we hope you will enjoy playing Illusions as much 
as we enjoyed creating it for you!


INSTALLATION -------------------------------------------------------------

When installing Illusions, you have two options.  If you wish to install 
Illusions over existing software and maintain your current world and 
databases, you need only install the program files over the top of the 
previous game and Illusions will do the rest.  See the following section 
for information on this type of installation.   If you do not have existing 
software that you wish to use the databases from, skip to the section 
entitled "COMPLETE INSTALLATION" for instructions on installing both the 
Illusions program and world files.


INSTALLING OVER PREVIOUS SOFTWARE -----------------------------------------

This section contains information on installing Illusion program and system 
files over previous software.  It is highly recommended that before you 
install Illusions over your existing software, that you backup your those 
previous files.  (Note, if installing over Legends, Illusions can only be 
installed over Legends 4.2)

When you unpack your Illusions archive, it will contain the following two 
subarchives: "world" and "program".  Since you want to maintain your 
current world and databases, you need only to unpack the "program" archive 
and copy the extracted files into the subdirectory containing your existing 
software.  When copying the files, some overwrites may be encountered.  
Simply respond YES to all overwrites since you will be both replacing and 
adding some files.

Once the system files have been copied, you will need to make minor changes 
to your menu file.  Depending upon your existing software, these changes 
may included deleting and/or modifying some menu entries.  Skip to the 
section entitled "MODIFYING YOUR MENU" for information on how to do this. 


COMPLETE INSTALLATION ----------------------------------------------------

To install the complete Illusions software, including system files and the 
Illusion world, first create an Illusions subdirectory by following your 
operating system instructions.  Once a subdirectory has been created, 
unpack the Illusions archive.  Contained within this archive will be the 
following two subarchives: "world" and "program".  Extract the files from 
both of these archives into your new directory.

Once you have done this, all the files that you need to play Illusions will 
now be located in your new directory.  Next, you need to update your menu 
such that it calls the game and various support files.  


MODIFYING YOUR MENU ------------------------------------------------------

Illusions requires three menu entries for complete use of the game.  One 
entry must execute the game, another can display the player's handbook, and 
a third can be used to display the high scores.  

Here is an example entry to execute the game.  You may need to modify this 
according to your directories, privileges, and prompting styles.

Entry:
I -> Illusions 1.3
PRIV=0 A1=-------- A2=-------- A3 = -------- A4=-------- IBM=- ANS=X
KEY=I TYPE 200 OPT DATA=C:\TBBS\ILLUSION\ILLUSION /Q

Now, you need to make an entry for the SCORES text file that displays the 
current high score list.  Scores are only available in the registered 
version of Illusions.  Here is an example menu entry for the SCORES file.  
Again, you may need to modify this according to your local system.  Please 
note that this menu selection is optional, as the scores are available to 
players via the "SCORES" command while they are in the game.

Entry:
S -> Scores for Illusions 1.3
PRIV=0 A1=-------- A2=-------- A3 = -------- A4=-------- IBM=- ANS=X
KEY=S TYPE 1 OPT DATA=C:\TBBS\ILLUSION\SCORES.TXT

Finally, you will need to make an entry to display the player's handbook, 
as this text file contains useful information to all the players of the 
game.  Like the scores file, the handbook is available during game play, so 
having this menu command is optional.  Here is an example entry:

Entry:
H -> Handbook for Illusions 1.3
PRIV=0 A1=-------- A2=-------- A3 = -------- A4=-------- IBM=- ANS=-
KEY=H TYPE 1 OPT DATA=C:\TBBS\ILLUSION\HANDBOOK.TXT /Q

Once all of these changes have been made to your menu files, recompile 
them.  That completes the game, scores, and handbook installation. 


GHOST EVENT INSTALLATION -------------------------------------------------

The final hurdle of installation is the ghost event.  The ghost event is a 
TDBS ".tpg" file called GTASK which is located within your Illusions 
subdirectory.  It is recommended that you run this ghost event twice a day 
for proper operation of the game.  The ghost event distributes new items to 
the shopkeepers, shuffles monsters around, and performs other housekeeping 
operations.  Follow the instructions contained within your TBBS manual for 
information on installing a ghost event.  Operation of the ghost event will 
not effect players currently in the game, so it can safely run while 
players are on-line within Illusions.  The ghost event can be run manually 
from within Illusions by typing the %GHOST command and the game prompt.

If you wish to have players who have not played for a while be 
automatically aged out, simply supply an argument like bellow to the ghost 
command:

	OPT DATA = C:\TBBS\ILLUSION\GTASK /Q $90

The $90 indicates that all players who have not played within 3 months (90 
days) will be automatically removed from the system.


STARTING THE GAME ---------------------------------------------------------

After installation - upon the first running of the game - Illusions will 
perform a variety of initialization functions, including an automatic run 
of the ghost event. This ghost event will only be run once at startup, 
after which you will be returned to the calling menu.  Simply enter 
Illusions again and the game will now be operational.

If you are installing Illusions over existing software, the old software 
files not used by Illusions will be deleted upon startup.  With this in 
mind, please remember to backup your existing software before installing 
Illusions.


DEMO VERSUS REGISTERED VERSION --------------------------------------------

If you did not purchase your Illusions software directly from a registered 
dealer, you have automatically received a demonstration version of the 
game.  This demo version is a completely operational game, but for 
demonstration purposes some features have been removed and/or restricted.

The most important restriction of the demo version is that players are only 
allowed to play once per day.  Once they are killed or quit the game, they 
must wait until the following day before playing again. Another restriction 
is the lack of demigod commands.  All of the commands that allow you, and 
other players, to modify the world have been removed from the demonstration 
copy.  Also, players in the demo game are limited to at most one hour of 
play per session, and hence per day.  Finally, the high score list is 
unavailable.

If you later decide to upgrade to the full Illusions software, you can 
simply overwrite your current Illusion program files and continue playing 
with the same database.  So try out Illusions, and if you like it, give us 
a call, and when you receive your new files simply plug them in and 
continue playing.


ILLUSIONS NEWS ------------------------------------------------------------

As shipped, Illusions comes complete with a news file that displays helpful 
information to players, things such as help and command listing 
information.  Players can access this news file by typing NEWS.  Feel free 
to modify this news file and put whatever information you deem important, 
such as local events etc.  For a while, you may want to leave the standard 
news file in place since it displays information on features that are new 
to Illusions 1.3 (like command completion) that current players might not 
know about.


PLAYER TIME LIMIT ---------------------------------------------------------

If you wish to set a daily time limit for players, simply modify your 
Illusion's SDL entry to include a "$T<mins>" option.  For instance, if you 
desire a 2 hour daily limit, change your SDL entry to look like the 
following (of course, the directories may be different):

Entry:
I -> Illusions 1.3
PRIV=0 A1=-------- A2=-------- A3 = -------- A4=-------- IBM=- ANS=X
KEY=I TYPE 200 OPT DATA=C:\TBBS\ILLUSION\ILLUSION $T120 /Q


RAMDRIVE MESSAGE USAGE ----------------------------------------------------

Much of the Illusions world and interplayer messaging happens via disk 
files. With this in mind, Illusions performs much better when disk access 
is optimized.  Perhaps the best way to speed up Illusions (and your entire 
system for that matter) is to run a disk caching program such as SMARTDRV.  
Consult your operating system manual for information on installation of a 
disk caching program.

If you do not want to run disk caching, yet have enough available memory to 
set up a ramdrive, Illusions can be instructed to use its messaging 
information via a ramdrive.  To set up a ramdrive, follow the instructions 
contained within your operating system manual on establishing a ramdrive.  
To compute the required size for your ramdrive, use the following formula:

Maximum # of users in Illusions * 6000 bytes = ramdrive size 

For example, if at most 5 people will ever be playing Illusions, then your 
required ramdrive size would be 30k.

Once the ramdrive has been created, you will need to copy the message 
database files to the ramdrive.  These files will need to be copied 
EVERYTIME your ramdrive is created, which is usually when your computer 
boots up.  With this is mind, you may want to create a batch file that 
automatically creates your ramdrive and copies the message files.  The name 
of the files to copy are "MESSAGES.DBF" and "GAMEMAIL.DBF", and they can be 
found in your Illusions working directory.  The first time Illusions is run 
with the message database on the ramdrive, an index file called 
"MESSAGES.NDX" will be automatically generated.

Finally, you need to tell Illusions about your ramdrive by adding a $MSGDIR 
string to the opt data when you call Illusions.  For instance, if your 
ramdrive is the E:\ drive on your system, the following menu entry would 
call Illusions with messaging stored on the ramdrive E:\ :
 
Entry:
I -> Illusions 1.3
PRIV=0 A1=-------- A2=-------- A3 = -------- A4=-------- IBM=- ANS=X
KEY=I TYPE 200 OPT DATA=C:\TBBS\ILLUSION\ILLUSION $MSGDIR=E:\ /Q

Note that there should be NO spaces surrounding the equal sign in the 
$MSGDRIVE switch.  

If you are installing multiple copies of Illusions on your system and want 
them all to use a ramdrive for messaging, you will need to create separate 
subdirectories on your ramdrive and call Illusions with a different 
ramdrive subdirectory for each instance of the game.  Here are some 
examples:

Entry:
I -> Illusions 1.3 the standard world
PRIV=0 A1=-------- A2=-------- A3 = -------- A4=-------- IBM=- ANS=X
KEY=I TYPE 200 OPT DATA=C:\TBBS\ILLUSION\ILLUSION $MSGDIR=E:\G1 /Q

Entry:
J -> Illusions 1.3 the new improved dungeon
PRIV=0 A1=-------- A2=-------- A3 = -------- A4=-------- IBM=- ANS=X
KEY=I TYPE 200 OPT DATA=C:\TBBS\ILLUSION\ILLUSION $MSGDIR=E:\G2 /Q

To check the status of your ramdrive while playing Illusions, type the  
%RAMDRIVE command.


SYSOP COMMANDS -----------------------------------------------------------

As sysop, you have access to a variety of commands that other players 
cannot use (unless you specifically gave them access).  In addition, you 
automatically have access to all the demigod commands for world 
modification (see the DEMIGOD instruction manual for information on those 
commands).  

Here are the additional sysop commands.  These are available to all users 
with a TBBS privilege of 255:

%GHOST - runs the Illusions 1.3 ghost event.  This can be safely run while 
other players are in the game.  If you wish to age out players who have not 
player for a while, supply an a "$<days to expire>" argument to the %GHOST 
command.  For instance:
    %GHOST $90
will age out all players who have not played with 3 months (90 days).  This 
same argument can be supplied on the menu SDL command to automatically age 
out players each time the ghost is run.

%RAMDRIVE - displays if a ramdrive is being used, and if so, its location 
and free storage.

VERSION - actually, everyone has access to this command.  For everyone 
(including yourself), it displays the current version number of your 
Illusion software.  For sysops, it displays additional information that can 
aid our technical support staff when tracking down problems.

%EDITPLAYER - allows you to modify any player (including yourself).  All 
aspects of a character can be modified with this command, including gold, 
experience, spell points, etc. This command is initially available only to 
sysops, but via %EDITPLAYER, sysops can give other players demigod ability. 
An Illusions privilege level of 500 (described below), allows access to the 
%EDITPLAYER command (but not the sysop commands listed above).


ILLUSIONS PRIVILEGE LEVEL -------------------------------------------------

Every character in Illusions has a privilege level. This privilege level is 
NOT the same as the TBBS privilege level contained with the userlog.  Any 
character created by a sysop (a user with a TBBS privilege of 255), is 
automatically assigned an Illusions privilege of 500.  This 500 privilege 
level allows access to all demigod commands including a special version of 
%EDITPLAYER.  All other characters are assigned a privilege of zero, which 
gives them no access any demigod commands.

If you choose to, you can grant a player demigod ability by using 
%EDITPLAYER to modify their privilege level.  Below is a list of the 
various privilege levels along with the demigod commands allowed by each 
level:

0	Standard player, cannot make or edit anything, cannot teleport, etc.
100	%TELEPORT, %E
200	%SUMMON
300	All %CREATE and %EDIT commands (can only edit
	there own creations).  Access to %EDITPLAYER does not include
     privilege modification.
500	Can edit anything, including privilege levels.

Also contained within your Illusions subdirectory is a demigod instruction 
manual, called "demigod.txt".  This demigod instruction manual can 
automatically be displayed with the %DEMIGOD command, and is available to 
anyone with a privilege level greater than zero.  Make sure anyone that you 
give demigod abilities to fully READS and UNDERSTANDS this manual, as they 
could quickly clutter your world with useless entities by misusing their 
power.

As a final note, grant demigod abilities carefully.  In general, the worlds 
and realms supplied with Illusions or option modules (the Quests from Ron 
Dias for instance) are complete worlds that need little if any 
modification.   By granting demigod abilities, you allow players the 
ability to corrupt the integrity (even inadvertently) of the world.


DATABASE PACKER  ----------------------------------------------------------

From time to time, the Illusions databases may need to be packed.  Included 
in your Illusions package is an executable file called "PACKER".  Simply 
run this executable from within your Illusions directory and the databases 
will be packed.  Note that the index files are deleted in the process, so 
they will automatically be rebuilt the next time a player enters the game.  
DO NOT RUN THE PACKER WHILE ANYONE IS IN ILLUSIONS!!! If you do this, 
serious database corruption will likely result.

END OF FILE HITS AND INDEX CORRUPTION -------------------------------------

If, in the event of a power failure or system crash, the index files for 
Illusions become corrupted, simply delete all of the index files within the 
Illusions directory and they will be automatically rebuilt next time a 
player enters the game.  You can tell an index file has been corrupted when 
Illusions issues an "end-of-file hit" error message.

All of the index files end with the ".ndx" extension, so simply enter the 
Illusions directory and type "erase *.ndx".  Note that the game will be 
inoperable until a sysop enters it, which will trigger Illusions to rebuild 
the index files.

BUG REPORT ----------------------------------------------------------------

While all effort has been made to make Illusions as robust and solid as 
possible, bugs are still inevitable.  Please report all bugs to either your 
local Illusions distributor or at the number shown below.  When reporting 
bugs, please supply the COMPLETE error display and if possible, a screen 
capture of the events that led up to the error.

Currently, there are two known bugs in Illusions.  Both will result in the 
player being sent back to the Illusions calling menu, but other than that 
are completely harmless to the player and the world.  If you or your 
players come across these error messages, PLEASE be aware the we are 
attempting to fix them.

Known Errors:

RECORD-IN-USE : this error usually appears when there are 8+ players in 
Illusions and interplayer messaging is happening.

FIRPOOL : this appears sporadically and is a system resource issue.

REGISTRATION AND TECHNICAL SUPPORT ----------------------------------------

For technical support please contact FUNN San Diego at the following phone
numbers:

    FUNN San Diego: 2400 baud USA (619) 549-3866, MNP5-v.42 Bis
                    14.4k     USA (619) 549-3879, MNP10-v.42/.32 Bis


Or contact GW Associates:

                          Voice  (508) 429-6227
                          BBS    (508) 429-8385

