Welcome to STRIFE! ----------------------------- If you would like to work with modified levels of STRIFE, we encourage you to purchase the retail version of the game. ------------------------------------------------------------ Auxiliary programs ------------------------------------------------------------ There are a number of auxiliary programs that come with STRIFE. These are IPXSETUP.EXE, the IPX Network Device Driver that enables you to play STRIFE over an office network that uses the IPX protocol and SERSETUP.EXE, the Serial Device Driver that enables you to play STRIFE over the modem or serial cable. The documentation for the IPXSETUP.EXE and SERSETUP.EXE programs follow. ------------------------------------------------------------- Get our latest releases from the following places: http://doomgate.cs.buffalo.edu/addons/adds/rogue/ Rogue's WWW Home Page ------------------------------------------------------------ STRIFE ADDENDUM ------------------------------------------------------------ Welcome to STRIFE. Before playing, you'll need to read the STRIFE manual and this addendum which contains information for playing in Multiplayer mode, as well as technical support and troubleshooting instructions. To avoid compatibility errors, please make sure that your machine and network conform to the system requirements listed below. ------------------------------------------------------------- SYSTEM REQUIREMENTS ------------------------------------------------------------- STRIFE(TM) requires an IBM compatible 486 or better with 4 megs of RAM, a VGA graphics card, and a hard disk drive. A 586 or better, a Sound Blaster Pro(TM) or 100% compatible sound card is recommended. A network that uses the IPX protocol is required for network gameplay. ------------------------------------------------------------- MULTIPLAYER MODE ------------------------------------------------------------- GETTING STARTED ------------------------------------------------------------- 1. Install STRIFE as described in the manual. 2. Launch STRIFE from the SETUP program, by going to the directory in which you installed STRIFE, type SETUP, and press the ENTER key. (If you are installing STRIFE for the first time the SETUP program will be automatically launched.) Unlike playing STRIFE in single player mode, STRIFE in multiplayer mode must be run either from the SETUP program or by using the command line parameters mentioned later in this addendum. 3. The SETUP program not only allows you to configure STRIFE to your system but lets you tell STRIFE information that is necessary for the multiplayer game, (i.e. number of players, skill level, mode, etc.) The SETUP program is simple to use--providing context sensitive help at the bottom of the screen. NUMBER OF PLAYERS: A maximum of eight people can play multiplayer STRIFE on a network. COMPATIBLE NETWORKS: To play multiplayer, you must have a network that uses the IPX protocol. Check your network manuals for information regarding your protocol. Novell networks use the IPX protocol. MULTIPLE GAMES ON THE NET: To play a multiplayer game while another group is also playing the multiplayer game, you'll need to change your network port address from the SETUP application. The port address tells your server where to send information that is sent over the network. Network addresses range from 1-64000. You should refer to the person in charge of your network for possible port addresses. ------------------------------------------------------------- MULTIPLAYER INSTRUCTIONS ------------------------------------------------------------- Many of the rules for playing STRIFE change for the multiplayer game. Read the following information carefully before you begin to play STRIFE in multiplayer mode. MENUS: When you activate the Options menu or submenus, the game KEEPS RUNNING so that other players can continue with the action. So it is best to find a safe place before adjusting screen sizes or sounds. UNPAUSE: A player may Pause the game by pressing the PAUSE key, but any other player can Unpause the game by pressing the PAUSE key again. Make sure it's OK with your buddies before taking a breather. SAVE: You cannot save a game during a network play. LOAD: You cannot load a saved game while playing a multiplayer game. WEAPONS: When a player runs over a weapon, he picks it up, but the weapon remains in the game for other players to take. With the RESPAWNING ITEMS option on, the items will dissapear, and will come back in about 30 seconds. With the RANDOM RESPAWN option ( -random from the commandline) items picked up will be randomly respawned. DEATH: If you die and restart in the level, previously taken items and destroyed enemies DON'T reappear. UNIFORM COLORS: In net games, each player's uniform is a different color. The color of your character is the color next to your name on the FRAG/KEY screen. The colors are BROWN, RED, REDBROWN, GREY, DARK GREEN, GOLD, BRIGHT GREEN, and SUPER-HERO BLUE. CHAT MODE: In a multiplayer game you can communicate with other players in the Chat mode. To enter into Chat mode and broadcast a message to all the players, press the letter T. A cursor will appear where your messaging is normally placed. To broadcast to a specific player, after pressing t you'll need to press the number of that player (1-8). You can also change your name by pressing the $ key, then enter your name. CHAT MACROS: In a multiplayer game, you can send your own pre-defined macros (defined in the SETUP program) by initiating Chat mode (as stated above), then holding ALT and pressing the number key that corresponds to the macro you wish to send. For example, if macro #2 is "Eat it and die!", initiate Chat mode by pressing 'T', then hold down ALT and press 2. EXITING A LEVEL: When one player exits a level, all players instantly exit with him, regardless of their position or their status. ------------------------------------------------------------- DEATHMATCH MODE ------------------------------------------------------------- There are two ways to play multiplayer--DeathMatch with and without respawning items, described above. In DeathMatch mode your mission is to kill everything that moves, including your buddies. You can choose which mode you wish to play from SETUP. In DeathMatch mode the players begin in completely different areas-- if you want to see your buddy you'll need to hunt him down. Each time you die, you'll restart in one of several random locations. KEYS: Unlike in single-player, in DeathMatch mode the players start with the keys necessary for opening any locked door in that area. KEY SCEEN: In DeathMatch mode, the key screen shows each player's frag count - the number of time each has killed another player. AUTOMAP: In DeathMatch, on Training the Automap works the same way it does in single-player mode. Each player is represented by a different color arrow. SPY MODE: If you're playing with the Training skill level, press F12 to toggle through the other players' viewpoint(s). Press any other key to return to your view. You still retain your own status bar at the bottom, and if your view reddens from pain it is YOU, not your partner, who has been hit. ------------------------------------------------------------- DEATHMATCH MODE GAMEPLAY NOTES ------------------------------------------------------------- The rules for completing or winning a DeathMatch game have intentionally been left general. Any player can exit an area and force all of the players to move to the next area. Also, there is no limit on how many kills are required to declare a player the winner. We decided to leave this up to you. You know what you like best! Note: Before you play STRIFE in DeathMatch mode you should be familiar with the layout of every area in STRIFE. As you know, in DeathMatch mode your startup location is random and often in an area that is very hostile. ------------------------------------------------------------- MULTIPLAYER DEMO RECORDING ------------------------------------------------------------- You can record your tournaments for posterity! To record multi- player demos, add the line "-record demoz" to the command-line. Make sure the other player is recording also, or it won't work. If you need more time, add the "-maxdemo " option to increase demo buffer space. Make sure both of you specify the same amount. STRIFE defaults to 128K of demo buffer space, to specify 1meg you would type "-maxdemo 1024" on the command-line. IF STRIFE BOMBS TO DOS WITH A "Z_MALLOC" ERROR, YOU DON'T HAVE ENOUGH MEMORY FOR THE MAXDEMO AMOUNT SPECIFIED! When you wish to stop recording, press the F10 key and all players will exit to DOS. To play the demo back, merely type, "STRIFE -playdemo demoz" and the demo will play back. To see the other player, press the F12 key. Press F12 to toggle between all players in the demo. The TAB key will display the automap. You can set the name of the demo file to anything you want. "demoz" was just an example name. ------------------------------------------------------------- RUNNING STRIFE FROM THE COMMAND LINE ------------------------------------------------------------- Much of the information you give to STRIFE through the SETUP program can be provided by passing program parameters to the appropriate device driver on the command line. NETWORK PLAY ------------ When you want to run a network game, you use IPXSETUP.EXE which is the device driver for STRIFE's network mode. The parameters are as follows: -NODES starts STRIFE as a network game and sets the number of players who are going to play. If you don't specify the number of nodes, the default is 2. -nodes <# of players> -PORT sets the port from which to play STRIFE multiplayer on the network. By setting a different port, more than one group of players can play STRIFE on a single network. -port <# of the port> MODEM PLAY ---------- When you want to play a modem or null-modem game, you need to run SERSETUP.EXE which is the device driver for STRIFE's serial communications mode. The parameters are as follows: -DIAL tells the program which number to dial, if you're going to do the calling. -dial -ANSWER puts your modem into Answer mode so someone can call you and play STRIFE. -answer -COM1, -COM2, -COM3, -COM4 specifies which COM port your modem or serial cable is connected to. Very important! -com1 -8250 tells SERSETUP to set the UART to 8250. Just in case your 16550 UART is acting up at the higher speed. -8250 -IRQ sets the IRQ for the COM port. -irq -PORT sets the COM I/O port that SERSETUP uses to communicate with your modem. To use hexadecimal, such as the number 0x3f8, you would type "-port 0x3f8". -port -<#> sets the baud rate of your COM port, overriding the value in the MODEM.CFG if you're running a modem game. Legal values are 9600, 14400, 38400, 57600. Example: -14400 Note that to run a null-modem game, you must have a null-modem cable plugged into a serial port on both computers and each computer runs SERSETUP.EXE with a -COM# parameter as well as any General Parameters. Do not use the -ANSWER or -DIAL parameters, or SERSETUP will think you're using a modem. To get a null-modem cable, go to CompUSA or Radio Shack and say,"I need a null-modem cable to run a STRIFE multiplayer game." VERY IMPORTANT! You will need to run the SETUP program and select Choose Modem from the Network/Modem/Serial menu so you can set your modem init string correctly. Merely select the modem and press Enter and SETUP will create a new MODEM.CFG file that corresponds to your modem (the MODEM.CFG file is used by SERSETUP for initing the modem.) If your modem is not in the list, you will most likely need to edit the MODEM.CFG file in the STRIFE directory. The first line of the file is an initialization string that: * Turns off error-correction * Turns off data-compression The MODEM.CFG file has a Hayes-standard init string like this: AT Z S=46 &Q0 &D0 You just add your own commands after the "AT Z " if your modem doesn't work with these settings -- dig up your modem manual for the correct settings. The second line is a hangup string used when you quit STRIFE. The third line is the baud rate at which you want your COM port set. The legal settings are: 9600, 14400, 38400, 57600. If the modem connection isn't working when you call your friend, have him call you instead. Try setting the modem to GENERIC (in the SETUP.EXE program) if your modems don't connect. If you STILL can't get the modems to connect, both of you should run your favorite COMM programs and connect with 9600, no error correction and no data compression. Then quit the COMM program and keep the connection going. Then just run SERSETUP with a -COM# parameter (as if you were running a null-modem game) since you're already connected. If you had trouble connecting, but figured out some settings that work, please fax them to us at (214) 686-9288 so we can expand our modem init string database and perhaps have the SETUP program ask you for your modem type in a future version of STRIFE. GENERAL PARAMETERS ------------------ These parameters can be passed straight to STRIFE, or passed to IPXSETUP or SERSETUP, which then pass them to STRIFE. -DEATHMATCH starts STRIFE as a DeathMatch game. This is the default mode for a network game. -deathmatch -ALTDEATH specifies respawning items during DEATHMATCH. -altdeath -RANDOM items picked up will be randomly respawned. Only useful with -altdeath -random -SKILL sets the skill level (1-5) you wish to play. -skill <# of skill level> -CONFIG allows you to use your configuration file from any directory you choose. This is primarily for diskless workstations that don't have a C: drive to save config information to. You need to rename the default.cfg file created by the SETUP program to a directory and name of your choosing to avoid conflicts. -config ex. -config f:\STRIFE\data\myconfig.cfg -NOMONSTERS allows you to start playing with NO Enemies shooting you! This is great for DeathMatch where, really, the enemies just get in the way. -nomonsters -NOJOY isn't what it sounds like. It just disables your joystick. -nojoy -NOMOUSE disables your mouse. -nomouse -NOSOUND turns off sound effects. -nosound -NOMUSIC turns off music. -nomusic -NOSFX turns off both sound and music. -nosfx -NOVOICE turns off the voices. -novoice -PLAYDEMO runs a demo you've previously recorded, using -RECORD. -playdemo -RECORD tells STRIFE to record the game you are starting. Demo files will be saved as .lmp. -record -MAXDEMO xxx If you want to record a demo bigger than 128k, use this option. xxx will be the size (in kilobytes) of the demo. example -MAXDEMO 1024 will record a 1 megabyte demo. -record -maxdemo xxx -RESPAWN tells STRIFE to respawn some robots 12 seconds after you kill them. The robots that explode and go away when killed, will not respawn. The BLOODBATH skill level already does this. Note that using -respawn and -nomonsters at the same time is a dumb thing to do. -respawn -TURBO xxx gives you a speed boost. This is great in DeathMatch! The value xxx can be from 0 to 250. The other player(s) will be notified of your speed increase! THIS IS CONSIDERED CHEATING IN SINGLE PLAYER MODE! -turbo xxx @ will allow you to specify a Response file that STRIFE will read additional command-line parameters from. For example, typing 'STRIFE @MYPARMS' will tell STRIFE to look in the MYPARMS file for additional command-line parameters. The file format is simply one parameter per line with a carriage return to terminate the line. Each parameter is typed exactly as you would type it on the DOS command-line. -FAST will make the enemies move and shoot up to 3 times faster, just as if you were playing in BloodBath mode, but without the respawning. -fast -TIMER <# of minutes> will prevent STRIFE from exiting the level until after a specified number of minutes. This is for you level scroungers! This option is only useful in DeathMatch mode. -timer xxx An example line for entering the above information would be: STRIFE -deathmatch -skill 4 -timer 10 NOTE: Without using the -WARP parameter in single player, all of these game options will be reset to the defaults. Network games will automatically warp to the start level without this parameter. ------------------------------------------------------------- ADDING MORE PHONE NUMBERS TO YOUR LIST ------------------------------------------------------------- You must use a text editor (such as EDIT that comes with DOS) to edit the MODEM.NUM file. The format is simple. The first line is the Person's name (which will appear in the list), the second line is the phone number. The third line should be blank. SPECIAL SOUND OPTIONS: These options are normally disabled for stability reasons, but the features may work on your computer. Setting the environment variable DMXOPTIONS to -opl3 may, if you have a modern SB compatible card, give you stereo FM music. Setting the same environment variable to -phase will enable phase-shifted sounds which is most easily heard with headphones. This deepens the stereo effect of sound effects. Special thanks to Robert Huebner for IPX speed-up ideas. Thanks to Serge Smirnov (sxs111@po.cwru.edu) for graphics compression. ------------------------------------------------------------- STRIFE, the STRIFE logo and STRIFE likenesses are trademarks of Rogue Entertainment, inc.,(C)1996. IBM is a registered trademark of International Business Machines, inc. Sound Blaster is a registered trademark of Creative Labs, inc. All other trademarks are the property of their respective companies.