ARCHON ULTRA: Last-Minute Notes

Demo Mode:
ARCHON ULTRA is not only exciting to play but also engrossing to watch.
If you ignore the Main Menu for more than a minute or so, ARCHON ULTRA's 
computer AI will automatically play a game against itself.  (If the previous
game of the current session involved a human being, there is a longer wait
between games.)  You can, of course, start such a demo immediately by
selecting Computer for both sides and then choosing Start.  Conversely,
you can interrupt a computer demo by selecting New Game from the pull-down
Game menu.
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Saving a Game:
If you must interrupt a game to perform some other task on your computer, 
you can save the game and finish it later.  In the pull-down Game menu,
choose Save Game; then you can Quit normally, but your unfinished game will
be preserved. 

To go back to your unfinished game, run ARCHON ULTRA, select your input
device, and start a game.  Then choose Load Game from the pull-down Game
menu, and you can resume play where you left off during your earlier session.
Alternatively, you can select Load Game while you are still in the Main Menu,
but the restored game will not be visible until you click on Start.

Only one saved game can be stored at a time; saving a game overwrites any
previously saved game.  You can neither load nor save a game during modem
play.
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Swapping Keys:
The default keyboard configuration is shown on page 5 of the rule book.
If you prefer, however, you can play the Dark Side with the "Light Side" 
keys, or vice versa.  To do so, just select Swap Keys from the pull-down 
Keyboard menu.
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Windows:
Do not try to run ARCHON ULTRA under Windows Enhanced Mode; your computer
may crash.  (Standard Mode is OK.)
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Modem Play:
If you have a modem hooked up to your computer, you can play the game against
any other ARCHON ULTRA owner who also has a modem-equipped computer. (Both 
modems must be 2400 baud or faster.)  To play a game by modem, first TURN 
YOUR MODEM ON.  (If you have an internal modem, it is already on.)  Then
choose the Modem option in the pull-down Game menu.  Note that this option 
is available only while the Main Menu is displayed: that is, before a game 
has started, or immediately after you select New Game.

Modem Window:  The modem window uses a point-and-click interface similar to
that of the Main Menu.  You can move the special modem cursor with a mouse,
joystick, or the cursor keys -- but not the Light Side's (alphabetic) keys.
Make selections with the usual buttons or the Insert key.

Select the side you want to play (Light or Dark) and the Com Port your modem 
is using.  If you are not certain of the correct Com Port, try #1.  If 
nothing happens, work your way through the buttons, in order, until you 
succeed in "pushing" one.  (You cannot push a button that corresponds to a 
port your mouse is using, and buttons for ports that are not there "won't 
work," either.)

Error Correction:  To ensure the accuracy of their transmissions, many 
modems use a variety of error-correction procedures that, unfortunately,
interfere with the operation of the game.  ARCHON ULTRA has its own 
error-correction protocols, and the unnecessary duplication of effort will 
greatly slow action on the battlefield.  

To avoid this problem, the program will attempt to shut off your modem's 
error correction as soon as you choose a Com Port.  Since the necessary 
command varies from modem to modem, the program uses a string of commands, 
one of which is usually effective.

Testing:  The only conclusive test for the absence of external error 
correction is to check the speed of combat during modem play.  Before
proceeding, however, to see if the program and your modem are at least on 
speaking terms, type ATE1 and press Enter.  If all is well, an encouraging 
"OK" will appear in the dialog box in the center of the window.  (You do not 
have to do this to play the game; it is only a test.)

Coordination:  At this point, an old-fashioned telephone call may be needed 
to be sure both you and your opponent are ready to go, and to decide who (or 
whose computer) is going to call, and who is going to answer.  Obviously, 
you could discuss who gets which side and what handicap, but you could also
settle such questions later, after your machines connect, by exchanging
typed messages.  (See Connecting, below.)  Once you decide which of you will 
initiate the modem connection, you can hang up.

Dialing:  If you are the calling party, click on the large DIAL button.  
When "ATDT" appears, type in your opponent's telephone number.  Include the
area code and the initial number 1, if needed; hyphens are optional.  (Thus, 
for example, 555-1212 or 1-408-555-1212 is OK; so is 5551212 or 14085551212.)  
Press Enter, and the modem will dial the number.  

Answering:  If your opponent is doing the calling, wait for your telephone or 
modem to ring.  When it does, click on ANSWER.  

Connecting:  Once one machine has dialed and the other has answered, the
two computers should be able to establish --and maintain-- an electronic 
connection.  In most cases, as soon as this happens, CONNECT (or possibly 
CONNECT or CONNECT 2400/NONE) will appear in the dialog box.  

The presence of additional codes after CONNECT --e.g., MNP, ARQ, or LAPM-- 
usually means both modems, despite the program's efforts, have turned on 
error-correction procedures.  Since this will make the game unplayably slow,
you MUST deal with it before proceeding.  See Problems and Technical Stuff, 
below.  

In some cases, if one modem tries --and fails-- to impose its error-
correction protocols on the other, the CONNECT message will immediately be 
overwritten with a line of gibberish.  This looks bad but is harmless.

Once you are connected, as long as you are in the modem window, you and your 
opponent can "talk" to each other by typing messages in the dialog box. (Be 
sure to wait for the CONNECT confirmation before typing, or you will confuse
your modem into hanging up.)  When you are ready, press OK to return to the 
Main Menu to start the game.   

Starting the Game:  Make any choices you need to, and select the appropriate
Start.  Once your opponent does the same, you can start playing.  Note that
you and your opponent must press Start within 30 seconds of each other.  Be
prepared for surprises if the two of you make conflicting selections (e.g.,
you both choose to play Dark).  To permit the game to begin, the program 
will arbitrarily resolve such conflicts.

Message Window:  Any time the board (not the battlefield) is showing, you
can pause the game to exchange messages with your opponent by pressing the 
function key F5.  Type whatever message you wish in the dialog box, and 
click on CANCEL to return to play.

Quirks of Modem Play:  Playing the game by modem is not much different from
playing in person.  However, there are a few quirks to remember.

1. You cannot do anything while your opponent is using a menu.  (This
includes the Main Menu.)  If your cursor suddenly stops moving, this is the
reason.

2. During your opponent's turn, you cannot use your joystick to access 
pull-down menus.  Use the keyboard or a mouse, instead.

3. You cannot use the Pause key during modem play.

4. Combat sometimes slows down, and the controls are a bit sluggish: that is,
there is a small delay between a push of the joystick and the corresponding
action.  (In effect, your creatures have intertia and momentum.)  The longer
the connection and the noisier the line, the more noticeable will be the
delays.

5. Avoid pounding on the keyboard, especially at inappropriate moments.
Modem play is more fragile than a normal game, and you can confuse the
program or freeze the game if you really work at it.  

Playing Another Game:  At the end of a modem game, after the victory and
end-game screens are shown, the modem window will return automatically.  
Since your machines should still be connected, you can use the dialog box to
boast of your victory, vow revenge for your defeat, or challenge your
opponent to another game.  For a rematch, press OK.  To play the computer or
another player, or simply to end your session, press CANCEL.

Disconnecting:  Disconnecting is usually automatic if your opponent hangs up
or the signal is lost.  If the Main Menu suddenly reappears in the middle of
a modem game, it is because your opponent has vanished.  You can also 
disconnect and hang up "manually:" in the modem window, choose CANCEL (which
puts you back into the Main Menu); on the board, press the Escape key and 
then, at the prompt, the function key F9.  (During modem play, this 
combination disconnects the line without leaving ARCHON ULTRA.)

Problems:  If you haven't used your modem or com port before, you may have 
configuration problems that require the assistance of an experienced 
modem user --if you can find one.  

If you have call waiting on the line to which your modem is connected, your
game will be ruined if someone else calls during play.  If you can 
temporarily disable the feature, you should do so.  (This works better if 
you are the one initiating the modem call.)

Occasionally, the game may not realize a disconnect has occurred, or the two
computers may get hopelessly out of synch.  Some modems, for instance, do 
not tell your computer when the carrier signal is lost, and the menu 
protocol can conceal a surprise disconnection.  In odd cases, the modem 
connection might remain even if your opponent's computer crashes.  In any of 
these cases, if you realize your opponent has vanished before the program 
notices, formally disconnect with CANCEL (in the modem window) or Escape &
F9 (on the board).  If you are on the battlefield and are POSITIVE something 
is wrong, pressing the Escape (Esc) key three times will artificially end 
the battle and return you to the board, from which you can --and in this 
case must-- start a New Game or Quit.  In extreme cases, you may have to 
Quit to make sure the modem hangs up, and restart the game to get things back 
to normal.

If action on the battlefield is r-e-a-l-l-y s-l-o-w, both modems evidently 
have error-correction turned on.  At least one modem must have error-
correction OFF.  (To find out how to do this, you will have to look in your 
modem manual.  See below for an example.)

Technical Stuff:  Standard com port and IRQ settings are shown below.
(Unless you are having problems with modem play, just IGNORE ALL THIS.)

Serial Port (COMPORT)   I/O Base Address (COMADDR)      IRQ (COMINT)
        1                       3f8                         4
        2                       2f8                         3
        3                       3e8                         4
        4                       2e8                         3

ARCHON ULTRA assumes the default IRQ settings but tries to get the actual
addresses from the BIOS.  If your com port settings are weird, or your IRQs
do not match those in the table above, you may need to override the settings
in the game.  (If you are not having any problems starting a modem game, you
do not need to worry about this.)

To correct the game settings, create a batch file that includes something 
equivalent to the following lines, and run it before running ARCHON ULTRA.  
(Alternatively, you could include the lines in your autoexec.bat, but always 
save a backup copy of autoexec.bat --autoexec.bak, say, or autoexec.arc-- 
before modifying the real thing.)  

        set ARCHON_MODEM_COMPORT=4
        set ARCHON_MODEM_COMADDR=3f8
        set ARCHON_MODEM_COMINT=4
        
        set ARCHON_MODEM_INIT=AT&F &C1 &D2 &M0 &Q0 \N0

        set ARCHON_MODEM_DIAL=ATDT555-1212
        set ARCHON_MODEM_ANSWER=ATS0÷1
        set ARCHON_MODEM_EQUAL=#

Note that the numbers shown are just examples; the numbers and (in the 
fourth line) modem commands you actually put in your file need to match your 
particular setup.  

Line 1 specifies a com port; the overrides in lines 2 and 3 apply only when, 
in the modem window, you push the button matching that com port.  If either 
line 2 or line 3 is omitted, the program will assume the default setting for 
the missing line.

The fourth line, which is independent of the others, turns off error
correction.  The series of commands shown in the example is the program's
default attempt to influence ALL modems.  (For reference, the commands
contain zeros, not the letter O.)  It will not be used if you supply a 
simpler initialization string appropriate to your particular modem (e.g.,
set ARCHON_MODEM_INIT=AT&M0).  If you are experiencing glacial slowness in 
combat, you MUST use such a command to correct the problem.

Since lines 5-7 are tricky to use and somewhat difficult to understand, we
suggest you ignore them --and the explanations that follow-- if possible.

Line 5, a labor-saving device, should be used ONLY if you play modem games 
against a single opponent.  If you replace the example number (after ATDT) 
with your opponent's telephone number, clicking on DIAL in the modem window 
will cause your modem to dial that number automatically, without your having 
to type it in the dialog box.

Line 6 allows you to click on the ANSWER button before the phone (modem) 
rings, and have your modem answer automatically when your opponent calls.  
(The number 1 tells the modem to answer on the 1st ring.)  

Here is the complication: the normal modem command to do this is ATS0=1, but
DOS does not allow two equal signs in the same line.  Thus, we are using the
squiggly equivalent ÷, which is produced by holding down the Alt key, typing 
247 on the numeric keypad (only), and releasing the Alt key.  If this is too
awkward, you can use line 7 to redefine any character (preferably the pound
sign, as in the example) to be read as an equals sign.  In the latter case,
in your batch file line 7 should PRECEDE line 6, which would be altered 
accordingly (i.e., set ARCHON_MODEM_ANSWER=ATS0#1).  In a few unusual cases,
you might have to use this gimmick to shut off your modem's error correction
(line 4, above).
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Have fun!


--Jon Freeman (1/10/94)
