Universal Hint System
Revision 95a
Reader for MS-DOS, Version 3.00
  (June 7, 1995)
 

1. Copyright Information
2. About the UHS
3. Loading the File (and where to find new UHS files)
4. Hint Restrictions
5. Basic Interface Options
6. Advanced Interface Options
7. Shareware Information (how to register, what you get for registering)
8. Addresses (how to write to me)

 
1. Copyright Information
========================
 
This program and all related documentation are copyright 1992,1995 by Jason
Strautman.  All rights reserved.  Portions written and copyright 1992 by
Robert Norton.  The Graphics Interchange Format, used in some UHS files, is
copyrighted by and a service mark of CompuServe Incorporated.  Thanks to Jim
Griebel for his GIFSLOW program, which helped me with the GIF decoder used in
this reader, and to all of the beta testers of all of the UHS programs.

This program may be used only for evaluation purposes until it has been
registered.  Use of this program after initial use (30 days or two hint
files), or use of the program with a registration code for which you did not
pay, is prohibited.  License information in this file is intended only as a
summary of policies contained in LICENSE.DOC.

Some product names referenced in this documentation are trademarks or
registered trademarks of their respective owners.


2. About the UHS
================
 
I created the Universal Hint System (or UHS) to provide computer gamers with
an alternate method for getting hints when they are stuck on a game.  The UHS
offers a large number of hint files that cover many of the current and classic
games, all for the price of a single registration fee.  UHS files were
designed to be exchanged across computer formats, so a file written on any
computer can be uploaded and shared with users of any other computer -- as
long as an up-to-date reader is available.  The files will also provide hints
ranging from subtle clues to outright answers.  You only see what you need to.
 
This is the third version of the UHS.  The first version, now called 88a, and
its accompanying programs were released in 1988.  The second version, 91a, was
created in 1991, although the first batch of programs was delayed until 1992.
That new version offered improved hint options, the ability to include
16-color pictures, and a new file structure that makes future revisions easier
to implement.  The UHS 91a format was codesigned by Robert Norton.  The
current version, released in 1995 and known as 95a, adds even more options,
including cross referencing between multiple sets of clues and the ability to
embed additional types of data (such as pictures) inside hints.
 
 
3. Loading the File
===================
 
This UHS reader won't be enough to give you hints for a game.  If you do not
already have a hint file for the game that you need help with, you should
download it from the proper library.  Hint files aren't available for every
game on the market, so if you cannot find one, it may just be because no one
has written a file for that particular game.

America On-Line: Look in the PC Games Forum, keyword "PC GAMES" or "PGM".
There is a "Universal Hints" library for all UHS files.  You can also use the
"Software Search" command and specify "UHS" as a keyword to find related
files.

CompuServe: Users can find UHS files in various LIBraries on The Gamers' Forum
(GO GAMERS).  If you're not certain as to how the game is classified or in
which LIBrary the file would be found, either ask a SysOp or specify a search
in all LIBs.  Consult the documentation of the program you're using to access
CIS (such as CIM or OzCIS) for more infomration on performing searches.

Exec-PC BBS: A free file area for the UHS that all callers can access is
available on this BBS.  The main phone number is (414) 789-4210.

GEnie: Search in library 8 (Universal Hint Library) of the Games Roundtable
(SCORPIA).  You only need to specify the game title as a keyword; all files in
the library relate to the UHS.  (Note: future support on GEnie is not
guaranteed.)

Internet FTP: The FTP site ftp.gmd.de (directory /if-archive/solutions/uhs)
and its United States mirror wuarchive.wustl.edu (directory
/doc/misc/if-archive/solutions/uhs) should contain a complete collection of
new UHS files.  Check the on-line index (filename "Index") within those
directories to locate a particular hint file.

Software Creations BBS: Type "F 155" from the main menu to reach the UHS file
area.  Current phone numbers are

  (508) 368-2359  2400 baud Public Access
  (508) 368-7036  9600-16.8K Public Access
  (Additional numbers are available to BBS members)

Subscription: If none of the above methods work for you, or you'd just like a
more convenient way of getting new UHS files, you may get a subscription that
will provide you with all of the latest files about every two months via
postal mail.  The price of for six disks is just $20 per year.  See the
"Shareware Information" section at the bottom of this document for more
information.
 
Now that you have downloaded the file, make sure that it and this program are
in the same directory of your hard drive (or floppy).  Type "UHS", followed by
the name of the file (you may omit the .UHS extension) and hit ENTER.  For
example, to view LOL.UHS, simply enter "UHS LOL" and the file will be loaded.
 
You can also specify a filename within the program.  Either hit the F3 key or
click on the "F3 Open" option at the bottom of the screen.  (You'll need to
have your mouse driver installed in order to use the mouse.)  Only one hint
file can be opened at the same time with this reader.
 

4. Hint Restrictions
====================
(For unregistered users only)

As you may notice, certain UHS 95a-format files will contain data that cannot
be read by unregistered users.  Most files will have a section that warns you
about such data in advance.  Please take a look at this information, so that
you can be aware of which parts of the file will be unavailable to you.
Registration is the only way to enable these hints, and I encourage you to
register before you find that you need the hints.  Please note that I will not
provide any hint support to unregistered users beyond what is in the file
(except to clarify legitimate errors and omissions) -- no request to provide
information contained in the restricted hints will be answered.


5. Basic Interface Options
==========================
 
Experienced computer users will find the interface fairly basic and may want
to skip this section of the documentation.  But for those who need the help,
there are a few basic things you might need to know.  To use the menus at the
top of the screen, click (press and release the mouse button when the cursor
is over the item) on one of the headings, and then click on the item that you
want to choose.  Or you can click and hold the mouse button, releasing it over
the item.  Keyboard users should hold ALT while pressing the key for the
highlighted letter of the menu name.  Then press the key of the highlighted
letter on the menu item, or use the arrow keys and ENTER to select.  You can
also use the shortcut keys, listed either at the bottom of the screen or on
the right side of the menus.  For example, the shortcut key to close a window
is ESC.
 
When the file is loaded, double-click on the item in a window that you want to
select, or use the arrow keys to move through the choices and press the space
bar or ENTER to select.  Some windows have more choices than will fit inside
the available space.  If you're using a mouse, click on the arrows on the
scroll bar at the right of the window to display more choices.
 
Any window can be closed by hitting the ESC key.  You can also click on the
box in the upper-left corner of the window.  To expand the window so that it
fills the entire screen, click on the button in the upper-right corner or hit
F5.  And to change to another window, either click in any portion of that
window or hit the F6 key to scroll through the available windows.  You can
also use SHIFT-F6 to move through the windows in reverse order.  All four of
these options are also available from the "Windows" menu.
 
If you want to move a window, you can either click on the title bar and drag,
or hit CTRL-F5 and use the arrow keys to move the window around.  Hit ENTER
when finished.  To resize a window, either use the size "box" in the bottom
right corner or press CTRL-F5 and hold the CTRL key while pressing the arrow
keys, followed by ENTER to accept.
 
The "Tile" and "Cascade" options, also on the "Windows" menu, will re-arrange
the desktop so that all windows are displayed.  However, if too many windows
are on the screen, you'll probably find that these commands make the windows
too small to be practical.  In that case, close unneeded windows first and
then use tile or cascade.
 
 
6. Advanced Interface Options
=============================
 
Windows with hints in them will automatically zoom to the maximum space
available.  To display additional hints, either click on the "Another Hint" or
"Hint xx of yy" button at the bottom of the window or press the ENTER key.
 
If the display becomes cluttered with too many windows, you can use either the
"Show Top Window" or "Clean Up" option from the "Windows" menu.  The first
option will simply bring the highest-level window (i.e., the first one that is
displayed upon loading a file) to the top of screen.  "Clean Up" closes all
windows associated with the current file, except for the top window.
 
6a. Hint Counting
-----------------

The reader will count the total number of hints in each question.  Both the
number of the current hint and the total number of hints are displayed inside
the button at the bottom of the screen, as in "Hint 1 of 5".  Clicking on this
button will reveal the next hint just as the "Another Hint" button does.

If you want to disable the hint counting for any reason, click on the "Options
| Counting" menu item, and the counting will be turned off.  Click on this
menu item again to turn it back on.  Buttons currently on-screen will not be
affected by your selection.  Your preference will be saved for the next
session in a file called UHSDOS.INI.

6b. Print/Save Window
---------------------

If you want to print or save a copy of the contents of the current window,
select the appropriate item from the "Window" menu.  F4 is the hot key for
"Print", and CTRL-F4 is the hot key for "Save".  If you select the save
option, a file will be created with the same name as the hint file, except the
".UHS" at the end is replaced with ".EXC".  For example, the contents of any
saved window from MYST.UHS are placed in a file called MYST.EXC.  If the save
file already exists, the contents of the window are appended to the current
file.

In a hint window, only the hints that are currently displayed will be saved or
printed.  If you want to save (or print) all of the hints in a question, you
must first click on the "Another Hint" button until all the hints have been
displayed and then save (or print) the contents of the window.

6c. Verbose File Open
---------------------

If you don't remember a particular hint file's name, you can use the "File |
Verbose" option from the menu to locate it.  This option will bring up a list
box with all of the files in the current directory, their version numbers
(88a, 91a, or 95a), and titles.  Double-click on any selection (or use the
arrow keys and spacebar/ENTER) as with all other list boxes to open that
particular file.  Only one verbose file window can be open at the same time.

The "File | Change Dir" will change the directory that is used with the
Verbose file opening routine and the normal "File | Open" option.  Use the
arrow keys and ENTER to change directories -- the space bar does *not* work
here -- or double-click on the directory you wish to change to.  The "Revert"
button will return you to the directory that you were in before opening the
dialog box.

6d. Displaying Pictures
-----------------------

Some files will contain pictures that the reader can display.  In order to
view any picture, you must have a EGA card (or better, such as VGA or SVGA) in
your system.  When a picture is available, a button in the window will remind
you; click on this button or hit the ENTER key, and the picture will be
displayed.  You may stop the drawing routine with the ESC key.  Hit any key or
click on either mouse button to return to the main display once the picture is
completely drawn.  (You should hear a beep from the internal speaker.)
 
If you either don't have an EGA display or want to use another program to
print the picture, click on the "Export" button in the window.  A file named
UHSGIFxx.GIF will be placed in the same directory as the UHS file.  The "xx"
will be replaced by a number from 1 to 99.  You can then load the file into a
GIF viewing or printing program.

6e. Embedded Data
-----------------

Certain hints may contain additional windows of data inside them.  Links to
such data will be denoted by red text in the hint window in place of the usual
black.  Any time you see one of these links, you can double-click on the line
of red text to display the data.

6f. File Version and Info
-------------------------

The "Help" menu provides information about the currently-loaded file and the
reader.  For files written in version 91a or higher, the "File Version"
information brings up a window containing the format used to write the file
and information about the compiler used.  You should view this window any time
you are having problems with a file, to determine the cause of your problem.
If the version reported is higher than 95a (such 95b, 96a, etc.), first
attempt to replace your reader with the most current version before reporting
a bug.
 
88a files don't include version information.  However, many files include a
few words from the author of the file or compiler that can be displayed by
going to the top window and selecting "A note from the author."  If there is
no such option, then you will have to check with the person who uploaded the
file for more details.

In addition, all UHS 95a files contain an additional information section,
which specifies the author of the game, the game's publisher, date and time of
creation, and copyright information.  This information can be displayed by
selecting "File Info" from the "Help" menu -- it may prove useful to those
compiling collections of UHS files (such as BBS sysops).
 
 
7. Shareware Information
========================
 
This program is shareware.  If you continue to use it, you should send a
contribution of $10.  In return, I will send you a code to disable the
registration reminders and to enable any disabled hints within UHS 95a-format
hint files.  The codes from the DOS and Windows versions are not
interchangeable; you should register each program separately if you keep both.
Please use the "Print Reg. Form" option from the "File" menu to print a copy
of the registration form.

Anyone who sends me an extra $8 (or more) will receive a high-density 3.5"
disk with all of the latest files, an unregistered copy of the Windows reader
to try out, and the newest versions of the DOS reader.  As of this writing,
there are more than 105 different UHS hint files.  The disk also includes a
program that will print out the complete contents of any UHS file; the decoder
program is available only with the disk.

I am also offering a year-long subscription of files disks to registered
users.  For $20, you will receive one disk with your registration of the
complete set of hint files and readers, and five additional disks over the
course of a year with all of the new hints and updated readers.  Disks will be
sent at intervals of roughly 2 months apart, but the exact dates of updates
may depend on the availability of new files (which in turns depends on the
availability of new games).

Please note that the primary purpose of subscriptions is to save you the
trouble of seeking out and downloading new files -- hints are not sent earlier
to subscribers than they are to the major on-line services.  Subscriptions are
currently available only to those who have US addresses, but others interested
in receiving subscriptions should contact me at any of the addresses below in
case of any changes in this policy.

If you want a list of available files and the place where you found the UHS
does not frequently update its UHS files, you can send a self-addressed
stamped envelope to me at the address below.  Registered users may purchase
disks with the latest versions of UHSDOS, UHSWIN, and all of the hint files at
any time for $8.  Please give me your registration code with a request for an
extra disk, since the code is the easiest way to verify that you are
registered.

Foreign users may register this program through CompuServe's shareware
registration service (GO SWREG).  The registration ID is #352.  I have added a
$2 service charge to pay for CompuServe's commission.  Disks will not be
mailed to anyone who registers through SWREG.  If you live outside of the US
and Canada and want a copy of the files disk, please mail your registration
and add $2 to cover extra shipping and handling costs.  Payment will be
accepted ONLY IN US DOLLARS.

Anyone who writes a complete UHS file that follows the guidelines included
with the compilers will be registered automatically for the DOS and Windows
readers and will receive the files disk.


8. Addresses
============
 
Jason Strautman
P.O. Box 391481
Cambridge, MA  02139-0015
America On-Line: JStrautman
CompuServe: [72337,2611]
GEnie: J.STRAUTMAN
Internet: jstrautman@aol.com
