
  Mek Arena 1.50
  25 April 1994
  Science Friction Warfare
  (c)1994 CIOE Corp / by Neale Davidson

  Introduction
  ------------
  It is the far future, and wars are being waged not just for
  political gain, but for profit. You, and everyone you know,
  have turned over to being mercenaries. With money in
  hand, you buy your Mek and its hardware and set out to
  make your fortune.

  Mek Arena is a violent game stressing robotic combat with
  a wide array of weapons and defenses. Players will pilot
  meka, and attempt to kill one-another in endless combat.

  Installing Mek Arena
  --------------------
  To begin installing Mek Arena, make sure that all of Mek
  Arena's files are in the same directory. If the door came to
  you as an archive, you will need to decompress the files
  into the same directory. Usually, decompression is
  performed with a command-line such as the following:

  PKUNZIP MEK130.ZIP C:\DOORS\MEK

  If you are installing onto any previous release of Mek
  Arena, you will need to also run the enclosed MEK30-
  50.ZIP program. This program will convert the game's
  pilots datafile to conform with the new version.

  All versions of the program itself can be updated by
  copying the MEK.EXE and MEK.OVR files directly upon
  the older versions.

  File Manifest
  -------------
  Mek Arena now uses far fewer files for itself than before.
  Only a handful of graphics icons and files are neccessary,
  along with the datafiles. If any of these files are missing at
  startup, you will need to contact InfOrder for a
  replacement diskette.

  MEK.EXE          - The game's executable file.
  MEK.OVR          - The game's overlay file.
  TEXT.STR         - Menu display information file.
  HELLO1.ANS,.RIP  - Hello Title screen
  PREPARE.ANS,.RIP - Battle preparation screen
  WINNER.ANS,.RIP  - Battle winner screen
  LOSER.ANS,.RIP   - Battle loser screen
  MEKPIC01.ANS,.RIP- Mek Picture File
  MEKICONS.ZIP     - RIP Icons Archive
  INS*.TXT         - Instructions Text

  If you are installing onto any previous release of Mek
  Arena, you will notice that several files needed in previous
  versions are not used in the current version. These files
  may be safely deleted when installing the current version.

  *.MEK         - Mek information files
  INS.RIP       - Instructions menu
  MSCR*.ANS,.RIP- Graphics Display screens

  Lastly, Mek Arena will create three datafiles as the game
  progresses. These files are the main databases for
  running the game. Sysops can reset the game easily by
  deleting these files.

  PILOTS.DAT - Pilots database
  MEKS.DAT   - Mek and MekShop database
  CREDIT.DAT - Bank and stocks database

  Creating a Configuration
  ------------------------
  If you are installing onto any previous release of Mek
  Arena, you will likely not need to run through this step. No
  changes are needed in the game's configuration file.

  To inform Mek Arena about your modem and BBS setup,
  you will need to create a DOOR.CFG file with your
  favorite editor. This file will have six lines, which are
  explained below.

  (Note:We have had reports that additional spaces on the
  end of each line causes havoc with the game. If
  something isnt being recognized properly, simply remove
  any whitespace).

  Line One tells Mek Arena which type of drop file should
  be hunted for when the program loads up. Known drop
  files are as follows:

  GAP	DOOR.SYS (recommended)
  PCB	PCBOARD.SYS
  RBBS	DORINFO1.DEF
  WC	CALINFO1.DAT
  SF
  TRIBBS
  WWIV

  Users of Wildcat BBS software of greater than version
  3.0 should use GAP for their drop file.

  The second line is the path to that door file. You need
  to include the full path name on this line, but not the name
  of the drop file itself.

  C:\BBS\DROPS

  The third line is the name of the BBS. This is where
  Mek Arena will look for the name of the BBS when
  searching for registration information.

  The forth line is for the name of the sysop of the BBS,
  or for whoever is in charge of the doors.

  If the sysop locks the baud rate on his modem, that
  baud rate must be specified on line five. If the baud rate
  isn't locked, then you must enter a 0 on this line.

  (Note: If you are using a high-speed modem, you will
  almost always want to specify the baud rate of the modem
  as if it were locked. Connections problems result
  otherwise.)

  Lastly, on line six, if you plan on using DSZ to support
  the direct downloading of the RIP icons package, specify
  the full path and program name for your DSZ or
  command-line compatible program.

  When done, you should have a DOOR.CFG file which
  looks something like the following:

  GAP
  C:\WC30\CIOEGAME\MEK
  CIOE InfOrder
  Joseph Drasin
  19200
  C:\WC30\DSZ.EXE

  Running Mek Arena
  The door can usually be executed with the DOS
  command 'MEK.EXE DOOR.CFG'. This will usually be
  placed in a batch file such as the following:

  C:
  CD C:\DOORS\MEK
  MEK.EXE DOOR.CFG
  CD C:\BBS
  EXIT

  Mek Arena can also be run locally outside of the BBS by
  adding '/L' after the configuration file paramter in the DOS
  command line ('MEK.EXE DOOR.CFG /L'). The local
  user will then be prompted to enter his name.

  Nonstandard IRQs can be used with Mek Arena by
  specifying the IRQ after the configuration parameter in the
  command line. ('MEK.EXE DOOR.CFG 2').

  Mek Arena will automatically initialize any datafiles it
  needs when the door is first run.

  RIP Support
  -----------
  Mek Arena will automatically detect if RipTerm or Ansi is
  available, ignoring the values passed it by the door drop
  file. This was done to allow the door to use RIP even the
  BBS system hosting it does not normally have RIP
  available.

  If, for some reason, Mek Arena cannot detect either Ansi
  or Ripterm, the user is prompted to force either Ansi or
  RipTerm sequences. Users should only do this if they do
  indeed have either  Ansi or Ripterm, but did not have their
  terminal options properly detected. Users must have
  either Rip and Ansi available in order to play this game.

  For Rip players, a set of icon files must be provided for
  download. These icons are the mek and barrier display
  icons for the battle map. The map will be unreadble
  without them.

  When Mek Arena loads up, and if Rip has been detected,
  it will query the remote user for the existance of the icon
  files. If it doesnt find them, it will default the game into
  ANSI mode.

  Please place the included MEKICONS.ZIP file in a
  publically downloadable area.

  Game Play
  ---------
  Refer to the online documentation on game-play.

  Version History
  ---------------
  * 1.50 - 25 April 1994
  Mek Arena was long overdue for a major upgrade, and the
  result is a near-rewrite of the entire game engine. The
  interface is much faster at almost every point. Fancy
  ANSI and RIP have been ditched in places for better
  speed and playabliity.

  The Arena has been expanded to include several fight
  classes, and a new Free For All style of combat. There is
  also now a limit on the number of fights per day in which a
  pilot may participate.

  The casino has been outright removed. A future version
  will see the addition of a large bar setting, with the casino
  re-established as an option.

  The bank is now fully functional, with stocks and credit
  transfers.

  Most of the work on this version included less reliance on
  memory and disk space. The game itself is now fairly
  small, even though it encompasses more, makes use of
  an overlay, and contains much of its text in another file.
  Systems encountering memory probems in previous
  versions should find them cleared out here.

  The limitation on the number of players has been
  removed.

  * 1.31 - 20 January 1993
  A minor bug fix for the 'black market' trader.

  * 1.30 - 1 November 1993
  This is a major release, with lots of new features and new
  equipment. Amoung the most powerful features, DSZ
  support, on-line documentation, multiple opponents, time-
  checking.

  Also, new meks and new equipment were added, allowing
  more freedom of Mek unit choices. Also added salvage
  rights to defeated meks in mercenary missions.

  Some minor updates, including correction to phased
  movement system and critical hit redisplay.

  * 1.20 - 18 September 1993
  Some updates, including a new casino and registration
  scheme. Level restriction removed from Amateur Night.

  * 1.00 - Full version Release
  Unlocked features, such as the chop shop and mercenary
  missions completed.

  * 0.90 - Unregistered Beta Release
  First release, made for playtesting. Only distributed as an
  unregistered release.

  Registration Information
  ------------------------
  If you haven't registered this game, you will notice that
  we've turned a couple of things off, such as the garage,
  and the merc missions. To unlock these features, you'll
  need a registration key.

  Sorry to have to do this, but we've got little choice. See
  the enclosed REGISTER.DOC file for registration
  information.

  Technical Support
  -----------------
  If you have any questions about Mek Arena or any other
  InfOrder products you can reach us by mail, voice, or by
  our system.

  InfOrder
  207 North Street, Suite 102
  West Lafayette IN, 47906
  Voice : (317)743-3487
  Data  : (317)743-4487