Table of Contents
You need, of course, a computer or a computer terminal having enough hardware resources (graphical display, speed etc.). The system should be running on any operating system where is a graphical Internet WWW browser available (e.g. UNIX, MS-DOS, Macintosh System).
If you are not a computer specialist, and you think your system doesn't have the features described in this chapter, you should consult someone having the required skills to upgrade your system.
Your system should have the following capabilities:
In general, if you can use a WWW browser such as Netscape, you have all that is required.
1. Run your WWW browser
2. Input the connect string to the URL-field of your browser. For the time being (end of 1995) the string is:
http://hiekkalapio.cs.hut.fi:1995/LAG/
3. Wait until the login screen is displayed.
4a. If you have used the game previously:
If you entered a user name that is not registered, and 1) changed the password from the default guest-password, the system will request you to register (see the next section). If you used the 2) default guest-password, you will get the Adventure Menu. If that was not your intention, you can go back to the login-screen with the 'Relogin'-button.
If you entered a user name that was registered, but a password that is not in accordance with the password given in the first log-in, the system will request a new login.
If you entered the correct user name and password, and are a play-only privileged user, you will go to the adventure location where you finished last time. If you didn't have an ongoing adventure, you will get the Adventure Menu.
If your user-group has privileges other than playing, you will get the Main Menu.
4b. If this is your first login:
Note! This chapter applies to adventure writers and teachers only.
Using the Main Menu, you select the main function for which you are going to use the system. The available selections are:
If you want to visit some WWW sites while playing, it is possible while your WWW browser has your last LAG page in its internal cache. This means that the browser doesn't try to reload the page, but fetches it from its own memory. If the browser tries to reload a page, it will lead to a synchronization error, and you have to log in again. This is not dangerous, since the game situation is saved after every action you make. The language exercises, however, are lost if left unfinished.
You can usually change (increase) the size of the cache of your browser. To get the page from a cache you should use the 'Back' or 'Return'-button function of your browser which will go back to the previous page displayed. Another possibility is to use a list of previous pages (if your browser supports that), and select the most recent .../LAG/... page.
With the Adventure Menu, you select an adventure story you are going to play. You will get this menu (1) when you log in for the first time, (2) when you have completed an adventure, or (3) when you choose to quit your ongoing adventure.
When you play an adventure game, you always reside in one particular location. A typical game screen displays some information about the location you are in, and also information about your current status. The standard parts of such a location page are:
Header:
In the header (the top of the page) you can see the adventure you are playing, the name of the location you are in, your score etc.
Inventory:
Below the header you there is a list of items you are carrying or wearing. Your properties (money etc.) are also displayed here.
Location description:
Below the inventory you have the description and possibly a picture of the location you are in. There may also be links to related WWW sources etc.
Item descriptions:
Below the general description of the location, there is a list of items that currently reside in the location.
Your possible actions:
Below the item descriptions are the hypertext-link-style descriptions of the actions you can do at the moment in this location. They may depend on the things that you are carrying etc. Typical actions are, for example, going to another location and picking up items. You can perform an action you wish by selecting (clicking) the description text of the action.
After you select the action, the game typically responds in a way that the action intended. In some cases you have to pass a language task in order to complete the action. Help with using these exercises can be found in chapter 'Language Exercises' in this User's Guide. In some cases, the game responds to your action with a description what happens. After you have read the description you should select the 'Continue...'-hypertext link to continue.
Footer:
At the bottom of the page, there are the default action buttons or hypertext links:
Quits your current adventure and returns to the Adventure Menu.
Removes your personal data from the system. This includes your registration and game situation.
Returns to the login-screen. Your game won't be lost, since every action is saved. You can use this, if you want to login with a different user name, or create a new one.
Returns to the Main Menu. Your game won't be lost, since your every action is saved.
(You may be just using it...)
This WWW page has links to different language sources, and is updated by the leading teacher. Remember to use the back-function of your browser when coming back to the game, or you have to log in again!
(possible future enhancements)
Note! If the location page does not fit into your display, you must scroll to view the rest of the page.
You don't have to do anything. Your game position is saved after every action you make, and you will continue from the location where you left off, when you log in the next time. If you want to quit the game and start a new adventure game, select the 'Quit Adventure'-button. If you want to quit the system permanently, select the 'Quit Permanently'-button. In this case, your registration information will also be deleted. Please use it when you decide to never play again, in order to save the game system resources.
The game consists of different parts; locations, properties, items and actions and the logic between those parts. Location is a basic part. Location is a place where a player can be and perform some actions. Basically the location is an HTML-page, with some additional information. Property is, like the name tells, the property of a player. It has a value that can be changed while playing the game and properties are with a player all the time. Item is a thing that is located in a certain location. This location can be one of the games locations or some special locations, like "user has the item with him" or "nowhere". These locations, items and properties are linked to each other by actions. Action is divided into different parts that define the behavion of the action. For example, you can move from an one place to another, you can get or lose an item, change the value of a property and so on. Actions are located in some location and are visible if the logic of the action evaluates to the TRUE value. Sounds strange ???, Do not worry these are discussed in more detail in the following section.
Warning! this program is made in the WWW environment and to be used with not so fast connections. Therefore there is a little bit different behavior of some "familiar" functions than you might be used to work certain way. One matter is a lack of confirmations, for example if you are used to Window-programs those every time you are deleting somethink ask you to confirm it. In our delete functions, it just deletes it without asking any confirmations and there is no way to get it back. (In window programs you can get that confirmation done in few seconds, but in this network program it might take few minutes and we do not want to wait that long :-)
NOTE! These buttons are for moving and moving only. These buttons do not save any information from the current page. If you do not want to lose your data you should save it beforehand, by using the SAVE-button of the current page.
LocationData:
This is how you define the outlook of an location. You can write text straight to the input area or you can write it somewhere else and then copy-paste it to the input area. That way you have also an copy of your own.
We recomend that you use yoours favorite HTML-editor, and design the layouot of an location by that way, and when it is ready then just a copy it.
If you are using X-terminal: usually left mouse-buttons marks text and after that you can paste it by middle button of you mouse. (This might however works diffrently in your system, because it is up to how you (or yours administrator) have configured yoours system.
If you are using windows: Mark your text with mouse, from windows' Edit menu select copy, move cursot to input area and select from yours browsers Edit-menu paste.
NOTE! It does not ask anything, like for example some Windows programs do, it just deletes the current location and that is it. There is no way to get it back.
At the top of the page there is a Name of the current item you are handlling. Name is an unique identifier of the item. This means that there cannot be two items shaering the same name.
DefaultLocation is a location where the item is when a player starts the game. Default Location can be any of the locations of the game or special location. PictureFile tells the name of the optional picture file. More information on how to add pictures to the system see section Pictures. If there is a picture file, it is used in the locations inventory part. Description tells which kind of item we are handling. The purpose is to add a littele bit more information than just a name.
NOTE! It does not ask any confirms, like for example some Windows programs do, it just deletes the current item and that is it. There is no way to get it back.
At the top of the page there is a Name of the current property you are handlling. Name is an unique identifier of the property. This means that there cannot be two propertys shaering the same name.
Default Value is a value that the property has when a player starts the game. Default value can be any arbitary number. If you want to use decimal values the point will be the delimiter
Description tells which kind of property we are handling. The purpose is to add a littele bit more information than just a name.
NOTE! It does not ask any confirms, like for example some Windows programs do, it just deletes the current property and that is it. There is no way to get it back.
<IMG SOURCE="http//:www.domain.country/path/name">. This way the picture will be loaded from the URL every time the location page is used.
The second one is to first copy picture to our system and then use file name only, like
<IMG SOURCE="name">. (For items picture file this is the only way) This copying can be done from the picture edit page.
At the moment (end of 1995) there are two picture formats usually reconiced by WWW browsers, the gif-format and the jpg-format. We strongly recommend to use pictures using these formats only. Othervise it might be that a player cannot see your picture att all. (This means that pictures in formats commonly used for example in Windows programs (like *.pcx, *.bmp) are not valid) HINT Use some picture handling program to convert those to right format :-)