SOURCE: OFFICE OF THE COMMANDANT, STARFLEET ACADEMY AUTHOR: ADMIRAL GREGORY EPLEY, COMMANDANT, STARFLEET ACADEMY STARDATE: 9008.08 (OLD CALENDAR RECKONING, AUGUST 8, 1990) SUBJECT: LOW-LEVEL ACCESS GENERAL COMMUNIQUE RE: STAR TREK: THE NEXT GENERATION - TRIVIA CHALLENGE CONTENTS: 1.1 INTRODUCTION 1.2 OVERVIEW 2.1 INSTALLATION 2.1.1 INSTALLING ON FLOPPIES 2.1.2 INSTALLING ON HARD DISK 3.1 FLOPPY-BASED PROBLEMS 4.1 THE STARTUP AND SCRIPT 5.1 LOADING THE GAME 5.1.1 LOADING OFF FLOPPIES 5.1.2 LOADING OFF HARD DISK 6.1 COMMAND PANEL 6.1.1 SCORING SYSTEM 6.1.2 ANSWERING QUESTIONS 6.1.3 KEYBOARD INPUT ROUTINE 6.1.4 FUNCTION KEY ACTIONS 7.1 FINAL GAME COMMENTS A.1 TECHNICAL INFORMATION B.1 KNOWN POSSIBLE DATABASE ERRORS C.1 CREDITS D.1 DISCLAIMER E.1 EDITORIAL F.1 CONTACTS 1.1 INTRODUCTION First. I urge you to read this entire document as it contains important information throughout. I hate to read instructions as much as anybody else when I get a new piece of software, especially when written by someone who tends to be as long-winded as I, but there is little choice in this case. Most importantly, you should read Section D.1 on the Disclaimer and Section E.1 with the Editorial. Second, you will note, as was already mentioned, that I tend to be a bit long-winded describing things. This has its advantages and drawbacks. The primary advantage is that I go into as much detail as possible, which often eliminates or answers a lot of questions you may have. The drawback is that material is difficult to organize in this manner, so you may have to read quite a bit to find something specific you're looking for. I have attempted to overcome that drawback by organizing items into separate paragraphs as much as possible so that you can quickly skim. Third, I have intermixed the descriptions on mechanics of game play with their representative computer, or real-world, elements. For example, the section on the scoring system describes the scoring system and how scoring is relayed to the player (on the computer display). That is why it is so important for you to read this entire document before attempting to play the game. Operation of a Command Terminal on the Enterprise is not something which is readily apparent at first glance. Fourth, because of the tremendous amount of data required for the game (the game module itself is fairly small), and because the current release of The Director can only handle common IFF files (not those extremely crunched proprietary format things), and because I needed a simple way to distribute everything with as little hassle to all as possible, it was necessary to distribute this first release in three (3) LHARC files. On Fred Fish, the first two files are included on the disk with this documentation; the third file is on a related Fish disk. Sorry, you'll have to look for it since I don't know the disk numbers as of this writing. The filenames and such are listed in the installation section of this document. I had planned to release all files in compressed form on one disk but they simply would not fit; it was either reduce the game or spread to another disk. You will also have to do some setup work before you can play - sorry about that too - I've tried to keep it as short and simple as possible. In the event that you don't know how to use the CLI and LHARC to get everything set up yourself, I'm sure you can find someone to help. I would be glad to walk you through over the phone (at your expense) if nothing else. Fifth, there are bound to be some criticisms about what I consider "trivia" versus what others might consider "trivia". About 95% of the questions are based on material which has been revealed in the series within the scope of seasons the data base covers. For example, some material was revealed during the third season about the background of the U.S.S. Enterprise; however, this is not used as source material for the current trivia data base because it only asks questions based on the first season. The point is, when the trivia data base catches up with the material I will include it; otherwise I'll omit it because it's the kind of thing you'd only find in a fan periodical prior to revelation in the series. On a related note, it is possible that some errors appear in the Trivia Database. If you locate any errors I would appreciate your bringing them to my attention (see Section F.1). Corrections or additions will appear in future data sets. Known possible errors in the current Trivia Database are listed in Section B.1, so check there before reporting anything. Sixth, upon starting the game you may be disappointed at the lack of a fancy opening title and theme music...and I was disappointed at not being able to provide these. However, it was evident this would occupy too much disk space and wouldn't add sufficiently to the game. Therefore, I chose to provide more "game" and less "opening glitz". 1.2 OVERVIEW STAR TREK: THE NEXT GENERATION - TRIVIA CHALLENGE, or NGTC, is a trivia game based on the syndicated television series "Star Trek: The Next Generation". Your ultimate goal is the achievement of Starfleet's highest rank - Admiral of the Star Fleet. Your score is based on your ability to answer as many questions correctly as possible. NGTC is written with The Director (v1.6), and requires an Amiga with 1.2 or 1.3 Kickstart, a minimum of 1M (Megabyte) of memory, two floppy drives or a hard drive, and audio hookup. Sound is very important in this game because some of the questions relate to various sounds; you must be able to hear these to answer the related question. A Trivia Data Set for Season One, containing well over 400 questions and accompanying audio and video data, is included, with plans to add Data Sets for other seasons in the future. The game accepts both mouse and keyboard input for most actions, saves the "Top Ten" scores, and allows you to save a game in mid-play for later recall. Your Amiga is transformed into a Command Terminal, complete with sound effects - you'll feel like you're right on the bridge of the Enterprise. But don't be too impressed or distracted by your surroundings - the CHALLENGE is about to begin. This game has NOT been tested on a machine with one or more of the following: 1M Agnus, 512K total memory, or 680xx/6888x processors. Additionally, any hardware or software not listed earlier has not been tested with the game. 2.1 INSTALLATION The first distribution disk has two LHARC files, NGTCGMD.LZH and NGTCTD1.LZH, and this documentation file. You MUST have the second distribution disk which has the LHARC file NGTCTD2.LZH. Both distribution disks should be listed fairly close to one another in the Fred Fish collection (e.g., if disk 1 is on FF#380, disk 2 will likely be on FF#381). However, I have no control over the organization beyond what I supply to Fred, and I cannot control how the files may be modified on a BBS or public access service such as BIX or GEnie or PLink. 2.1.1 INSTALLING ON FLOPPIES If you plan to install the game on floppy disks, you MUST format two disks first. The easiest way to do this is to put a disk in one of your drives, then select "Initialize" from the "Disk" menu on Workbench. When the format finishes you will have a disk named "Empty". Select "Rename" from the "Workbench" menu on Workbench and type in a unique name for the first NGTC disk, such as "NGTC-One". Now repeat this process for a second disk and give it a name such as "NGTC-Two". It is preferable to use names WITHOUT spaces in them to simplify things later on; do otherwise at your own risk. You might like to delete the "Trashcan" since you don't need it but you'll have to do that from the CLI or elsewhere. Of course, you can also use the CLI "Format" command and save yourself a lot of other steps. Decompress the NGTCGMD.LZH file to your FIRST blank formatted NGTC disk. A CLI command such as: 1> lharc -m -x e NGTCGMD.LZH NGTC-One: will work, although you may have to make some slight changes depending on your setup. The point is to decompress the contents of the NGTCGMD.LZH file onto your first blank formatted NGTC disk. Use the "-m -x e" options and LHARC will automatically extract all files and create needed directories. Decompress the NGTCTD1.LZH file to your FIRST blank formateed NGTC disk, using a command similar to the above. Decompress the NGTCTD2.LZH file to your SECOND blank formatted NGTC disk, using a command similar to the above. Insert your FIRST prepared NGTC disk (not the first distribution disk) in one of your drives and open it. You do not need to keep the "ngtc_script.hd" file, the one indicated by the large orange question mark, so you may delete it if you like. You don't really need to keep any of the icons for the remaining files, except for the "NGTC" file; that's the game icon; DO NOT DELETE IT! You may also delete the "Projector" and drawer icons on your SECOND prepared NGTC disk. WARNING: DO NOT, I repeat, DO NOT use the "Discard" item from the Workbench menu to delete icons; use the CLI "Delete" command or delete ONLY the indicated ".info" files. You may wish to examine the "ngtc_script" file with your text editor to make some changes. Specifically, note the commented line referencing the "Projector" player. If you move this player to another location on your floppies make sure to note that here. WARNING: THE SUPPLIED SCRIPT SHOULD SUFFICE AND YOU SHOULD NOT BE MAKING ANY MODIFICATIONS UNLESS YOU KNOW WHAT YOU ARE DOING! Now refer to Section 3.1. 2.1.2 INSTALLING ON HARD DISK If you plan to install the game on your hard drive, you may wish to create a master directory and drawer to keep the game in; you should be familiar with this process so I'll not cover it here. Decompress the NGTCGMD.LZH file to your selected hard disk location. Here are two sample command lines suggesting format and setup: 1> lharc -m -x e NGTCGMD.LZH HD0: 1> lharc -m -x e NGTCGMD.LZH DH0:STTNG The first line extracts the files to the root of HD0:, the second extracts them to a master directory drawer called "STTNG" on DH0:. Use whichever method suits you. Now decompress the NGTCTD1.LZH and NGTCTD2.LZH files to THE SAME hard disk location as above. If you are so inclined, and you know how, you may move things around otherwise later on. Open your hard disk to the location where you decompressed the files and look for the "ngtc_script.hd" file, indicated by a large orange question mark icon. Also note the "ngtc_script" next to it. Delete or rename the "ngtc_script", then rename the "ngtc_script.hd" as "ngtc_script". You may also wish to examine this script with your text editor to make some changes. Specifically, if you already have The Director "Projector" utility on your hard drive, change the commented line appropriately so your copy of the Projector will be referenced. I'll assume you know enough about the CLI to do all these things. 3.1 FLOPPY-BASED PROBLEMS The current game player module does not prompt you if it can't locate the Audio or Video clue that goes with some of the questions in the Trivia Database. Because of the tremendous amount of space required to hold all the clue files for the Trivia Database, floppy users will eventually have to swap disks to play the game when the Trivia Database is expanded. Current plans are to offer a revised game player module with the next Trivia Database. I have considered several options for floppy-based players in this next module: (1) cause the game to prompt the player once to insert the disk with the needed data if not present; and (2) allow the option to ignore all Audio and Video clue questions so that disk swapping isn't necessary. With option (2) floppy-based players won't be able to obtain the higher scores that clue-related questions offer, so option (1) will allow floppy-based users access to these questions if they can accomodate some disk swapping. With option (1) players would be prompted once to insert the needed disk; if the disk with the needed data still isn't available during the second check the game would skip the question and move to the next. The problem with prompting is that it might also cause some occasional system requesters which force you to the Workbench. That could get quite irritating and there is no way around it with the current release of The Director. None of this is set in stone yet, so if you floppy-based players have any other good ideas on how to handle this situation I'd like to hear them. 4.1 THE STARTUP AND SCRIPT Your installed game disks, or the game as installed on your hard drive, will now be referred to as your NGTC disks. You should put the distribution disks with the LHARC files away for safe keeping. Look for an icon on your NGTC disk labelled "NGTC"; it looks like the logo from the television series. It will be on your first floppy disk assuming you didn't make any mistakes during installation, or it will be in the root or master directory drawer on your hard drive likewise. This icon is linked to a control script which handles some pre- and post-housekeeping chores and loads the game. You cannot access this script from the Workbench and you should not be messing with it from the CLI if you don't know what you're doing. The icon has two ToolTypes set in it which you will need to change. Single- click the left mouse button with the pointer over the "NGTC" icon, then select "Info" from the "Workbench" menu to display icon info. Look for the box labelled "TOOL TYPES" in the Info window. Single-click the left mouse button on the little down arrow beside the TOOL TYPES box; you'll see a line which says: EXECUTE=Assign ngtc_one: DF1: Click in the box where it says "DF1:" and, using the and keys, change the DF1: to the name of your first NGTC disk, or to the drive and/or master directory drawer name(s) on your hard drive. REMEMBER TO PRESS THE KEY TO END YOUR INPUT. FLOPPY EXAMPLE: If your first NGTC disk were named "NGTC-One" change the "DF1:" to "NGTC-One:" - DON'T FORGET THE COLON (:) CHARACTER! - AND DON'T TYPE IN THE DOUBLE-QUOTE (") CHARACTER! HARD DRIVE EXAMPLES: If you installed the game in a master directory drawer called "STTNG" on hard drive "HD2:" change the "DF1:" to "HD2:STTNG" - DON'T TYPE A TRAILING SLASH (/) CHARACTER! - AND DON'T TYPE IN THE DOUBLE-QUOTE (") CHARACTER! If you installed the game on hard drive "FD0:" just change the "DF1:" to "FD0:". Single-click the left mouse button on the little down arrow beside the TOOL TYPES box again; you'll see a line which says: EXECUTE=Assign ngtc_two: DF0: Click in the box where it says "DF0:" and, using the and keys, change the DF0: to the name of your second NGTC disk, or to the drive and/or master directory drawer name(s) on your hard drive. REMEMBER TO PRESS THE KEY TO END YOUR INPUT. Refer to the above examples for help. Now select the "SAVE" button at the bottom of the Info window to save your changes. The script refers to the assignment names ngtc_one: and ngtc_two: for referencing other items during startup and shutdown. Again, DO NOT make ANY changes to the script file itself, or ANY changes to other lines in the icon's ToolTypes, unless you know what you're doing. Depending on whether you are using the floppy or hard disk version of the supplied script files, the following additional assignment names and system files may be used: OLDC:, OLDL:, OLDLIBS:, OLDFONTS:, ngtc_game:, g001006:, g007025:, a01: c (dir) Assign, Run, Delete l (dir) Ram-Handler, Disk-Validator libs (dir) diskfont.library, icon.library, info.library A few more rules: (1) You CANNOT change the assignment names. Well, you can change some of them but do so entirely at your own risk!!! (2) You CANNOT use the assignment names for any other programs you might run along with NGTC. Again, you can make some changes but do so entirely at your own risk!!! (3) All necessary assignment names MUST be assigned to point to the correct data because the current game player module does not search or prompt for it. 5.1 LOADING THE GAME Everything should be installed and set up to load the game at this point. 5.1.1 LOADING OFF FLOPPIES Boot with your standard (usual) Workbench disk. Do not run other tasks which might require some disk swapping unless you want to put up with the extra hassle. Since very few commands from your system c: directory are transferred during setup, you may encounter some conflicts trying to run other programs which reference c: commands. It is best to run the game by itself with nothing else so that both floppy drives will be available. If you happen to have more than two floppy drives and enough memory you can try running other tasks with the game. I will refer to the default setup. Place disk #1 in drive DF1: and double-click on disk #1 to open it. Double- click the left mouse button with the pointer over the "NGTC" icon to start loading. After a few seconds you may encounter a system requester asking for your second NGTC game disk. Leave the first disk alone; put the second disk in drive DF0: or another extra drive and wait for the system to continue. After a few seconds you may encounter another system requester asking for your boot disk again. This usually occurs if you had to put the second NGTC disk in your boot DF0: drive. Again, leave the first NGTC disk alone; put your boot disk in drive DF0: or another extra drive and wait for the system to continue. You may encounter another system requester asking for your second NGTC disk when the game begins to load. Just repeat what you did earlier with the second NGTC disk. After a few seconds you should see a black display and shortly thereafter a title screen. You should not need your boot disk again during game play unless some unforseen error arises. Try to note as much as possible about any problems or errors you encounter and report them so they can be fixed or checked. When you exit the game and return to the Workbench you may encounter a system requester asking for your boot disk again. Just repeat what you did earlier with the boot disk. I will remind you of this later. Refer to Section 6.1 on the Command Panel now. 5.1.2 LOADING OFF HARD DISK Boot your system as usual. If you have enough memory you may run other tasks provided they don't use any of the assignment names. Double-click the left mouse button with the pointer over the "NGTC" icon to start loading. After a few seconds you should see a black display and shortly thereafter a title screen. When the title fades out and the "Starfleet Command" seal appears you're ready to play. Hard drive players should not see any system requesters unless some unforseen error arises. Try to note as much as possible about any problems or errors you encounter and report them to so they can be fixed or checked. 6.1 COMMAND PANEL You should be looking at the Starfleet Command seal on the Command Panel. Forget the Amiga for awhile, you're on the Enterprise now and you're using a 24th-century computer terminal (through an Amiga). You may use the keyboard or the mouse for most actions. If you see your normal Amiga mouse pointer you may optionally use the mouse. The keyboard is ALWAYS available but only a few keys will work at a given time. Both mouse and keyboard operations are "idiot-proof" to prevent selections other than those available at a given time. There are three pads on the Command Panel. You can select the pad with the mouse by clicking the left mouse button while the pointer is over the pad area. You can select the pad with the keyboard by pressing the first letter of the pad name, with or without SHIFT or CAPS LOCK. The REQUEST pad may be used to bring up the EXAMINATION OPTIONS display, to continue or resume after message or information displays relating to an action selected from the EXAMINATION OPTIONS Function Key list, or as your basic "Panic Button". The OPT pad is used to display the answer choices when a Video clue is displayed. The IMAGE pad is used to replay an Audio clue or redisplay a Video clue. Remember, if you get stuck, select the REQUEST pad with or on the keyboard, or a left mouse button click with the mouse pointer over the REQUEST pad. This will get you out of most messes (with a few exceptions which we'll note later). With the Starfleet Command seal displayed, select the REQUEST pad to bring up the EXAMINATION OPTIONS Function Key list. Notice that your mouse pointer disappears - the listed function keys are the only valid actions. We will cover these function keys later; select F1 for now. Now we'll look at the scoring system and how to respond to questions. 6.1.1 SCORING SYSTEM You will notice that it takes a few seconds before a question appears after starting/resuming a quiz or moving to the next question. Refer to Section A.1 for an explanation of this if you're curious. Each new player begins as an Ensign with 6 points. Notice the line of information at the bottom of the Command Panel. It has your current rank on the left, two numbers separated by a colon (:) in the middle, and your current score on the right. The two numbers in the middle give you some idea of how many questions you must answer correctly to be promoted to the next rank level. Every rank level has the same number of questions, so once you see that second number following the (:) you know how many questions are going to be on every rank level. The number of questions on a rank level is determined by dividing the total number of questions in the Trivia Database by 11, since there are 11 ranks, and the number is just rounded off to make things simple. The more questions you have in the Trivia Database, the more you'll have to answer correctly on each rank level to be promoted. This is the only fair way to do it. Establishing some set number like 25 would be fine if you only had 250 questions in the Database; but when you add more questions to the Database it would be unfair, and not very challenging. The number before the (:) tells you how many more questions you need to answer before you'll be eligible for promotion. For example, if it says "32:41", that means there are 41 questions per rank level and you must answer 32 more to be promoted. The three basic types of questions offered and their point values are: True/False...................................1 point Multiple Choice..............................2 points Either of above with Audio or Video clue.....3 points If you answer a question correctly that number of points is added to your score; if not, they are subtracted. If your score drops below zero you'll see a short message from the Commandant of Starfleet Academy, asking you to study more. The game is over at this point and you MUST select the REQUEST pad to exit the game. If you correctly answer enough questions for a rank level you will be promoted to the next rank level. With any promotion there comes a short period where mistakes could be costly. If you incorrectly answer enough questions you will be demoted. When you are demoted you will have to answer a full rank level of questions correctly to be promoted again. For example, let's say there are 30 questions per rank, you're a Captain, and you've incorrectly answered enough questions to demote you to Commander. You will have to complete the entire rank level of 30 questions again to get your Captain's rank back, and rest assured, they will be different questions, mister! I told you this was a challenge, not a day at the beach... If you are good enough and manage to reach Admiral of the Starfleet, you will be asked to submit your name to Starfleet Command for the Top Ten list. Refer to Section 6.1.3 on how to use the keyboard input routine. After you submit your name the Top Ten list will appear. When you finish looking at the list you MUST select the REQUEST pad to return to the EXAMINATION OPTIONS Function Key list. You MUST select F2, F3, F5, or F7 to continue. 6.1.2 ANSWERING QUESTIONS Now let's look at ways to respond to the questions. The question appears in the top portion of the Command Panel, beside the REQUEST pad. Answer choices and/or Video clues appear in the bottom portion of the Command Panel, beside the OPT and IMAGE pads. A Standard True/False question can be answered with the mouse or keyboard. True is always first, False is always second, and there is no pattern to True/False questions. Sometimes the question will be just slightly wrong somehow, sometimes obviously wrong, sometimes exactly right. Select True with or on the keyboard or just click the left mouse button with the pointer somewhere over or to the right of the word TRUE. It's not hard to select with the mouse, but do try to avoid getting too close to the edges of the word or you may select the wrong thing. Select False with or on the keyboard or select with the mouse pointer over FALSE. A Standard Mutliple Choice question can be answered with the mouse or keyboard. Just click the left mouse button with the pointer somewhere over or to the right of your answer choice. Select with the keyboard using , , , or or , , , or ; "A" denotes the first choice, "B" the second, "C" the third, and "D" the fourth. These letters are not listed beside the choices so you'll have to remember them. Multiple choice questions are tricky because the choices are mixed up each time the question is presented. So the answer might be "A" one time and "C" another time; that should keep you on your toes... Some questions have Audio clues. A question with an Audio clue appears as a normal True/False or Multiple Choice question. After the answer choices are listed the clue is loaded and played once; you'll notice the IMAGE pad activates when the clue plays. If you wish to hear the clue again just select the IMAGE pad (remember you can do this with the mouse, or by pressing the or keys on the keyboard). You can replay the Audio clue as many times as you wish. When you are ready to select your answer do so as described above depending on the type of question. Some questions have Video clues. The question will appear normally and may be True/False or Multiple Choice. The clue is loaded and displayed with the IMAGE pad activated. To see the answer choices just select the OPT (options) pad (remember you can do this with the mouse, or by pressing the or keys on the keyboard). The IMAGE pad will appear normal; the OPT pad will activate and display the answer choices. If you want to see the clue again just select the IMAGE pad; the OPT pad will appear normal; the IMAGE pad will activate and show the clue. You may toggle back and forth between the OPT and IMAGE pads reviewing the Video clue and the answer choices as many times as you wish. You can only select your answer when the answer choices are displayed; when you are ready to select your answer do so as described earlier depending on the type of question. NOTE: With Video clues, the answer choices for multiple choice questions are only mixed when the question is initially displayed. In addition to any actions listed above, you may select the REQUEST pad to display the EXAMINATION OPTIONS Function Key list. You might want to do this to save a game in progress and exit, or to submit your name to the Top Ten list, or whatever. Once you have selected an answer choice you will be told if your answer is correct or incorrect. If correct, you will occasionally see some additional information relating to the answer. No additional information is given for incorrect answers. You'll have to watch the show to find the answer and improve your knowledge and score. To move to the next question, you may select the REQUEST pad, or press the key on the keyboard, or click the left mouse button with the pointer anywhere else. You MUST answer the question to move on to another question. 6.1.3 KEYBOARD INPUT ROUTINE If you achieve Admiral of the Starfleet and answer all questions on the rank level correctly, or request function keys F4, F5, or F6, you will be asked to input some information from the keyboard; your own name, or the name of a previously saved game, or the name to save a game under. This section tells you how to input this information. Once prompted for keyboard input, you may type in up to 20 characters. You should only use letters of the alphabet and/or numbers, or the characters listed in these curly braces {:;,."-_()!}. If you are entering a file name use valid names - the program does not check these things. You may see a little "N/A" (Not Available) character if you use a character which is not available in the font. Use the (or dark back arrow) key to make corrections as you type. You may enter up to 20 characters. If you enter any less than 20 you must press to signal the end of input. When you enter a 20th character input is accepted without . WARNING: Be careful when typing in information that is very close to 20 characters in length; don't continue to type or you may cause unpredictable input results. After input different actions will occur depending on what you were doing before input. I have already described what will happen after you submit your name to the Top Ten list as Admiral of the Starfleet at the end of Section 6.1.1. Now let's look at the function keys in detail and I'll cover what happens with F4, F5, and F6, as we go. 6.1.4 FUNCTION KEY ACTIONS The function keys are only valid when the EXAMINATION OPTIONS Function Key List is displayed. The F1 key is used to start a new game after loading NGTC, or after loading a previously saved game, or after resetting the quiz parameters with F2, or to resume a game in progress after some other function key action has ended. The F2 key is used to reset the game (quiz) parameters for another new game after completing a game or if you want to start back over for whatever reason. This remixes the questions and initializes other parameters as if had ended and reloaded NGTC. When the message "QUIZ PARAMETERS HAVE BEEN RESET." appears you MUST select the REQUEST pad to display the EXAMINATION OPTIONS Function Key list to continue. The F3 key is used to display the TOP TEN ACADEMY APPLICANTS list. If there are none on file a message to this effect will appear, otherwise, a list of up to ten entries will appear. The entries in list appear in order of highest to lowest rank, with scores from highest to lowest within ranks. You MUST select the REQUEST pad to display the EXAMINATION OPTIONS Function Key list to continue. The F4 key is used to submit your current score and rank to Starfleet Command for the Top Ten list. You will be asked to submit your name (refer to Section 6.1.3 for assistance). This action does not guarantee that you will appear on the Top Ten list; you must have a score and rank sufficient to place you on the list. After you submit your name and confirm the F3 display will appear; refer to F3 above for more information. The F5 key is used to load a quiz stored with F6. This allows you to resume an earlier game. You will be asked for the name of the quiz to load (refer to Section 6.1.3 for assistance). After you submit the name and confirm an attempt will be made to load the file and one of two things will happen: if the file is not accessible for whatever reason a message to that effect will appear, otherwise the file will be loaded and the message "QUIZ HAS BEEN LOADED TO RESUME." will appear. Regardless of the outcome you MUST select the REQUEST pad to display the EXAMINATION OPTIONS Function Key list to continue. The F6 key is used to save a quiz for later recall with F5. This action is NOT available after you have completed a quiz. You will be asked to name the quiz (refer to Section 6.1.3 for assistance). After you submit the name and confirm an attempt will be made to save the file and one of two things will happen: if the file is not accessible for whatever reason a message to that effect will appear, otherwise the file will be saved and the message "QUIZ HAS BEEN SAVED FOR LATER RECALL." will appear. Regardless of the outcome you MUST select the REQUEST pad to display the EXAMINATION OPTIONS Function Key list to continue. The F7 key is used to exit the game. If you installed the game on floppies and have one of the NGTC disks in drive DF0: you should encounter a system requester asking for your boot disk. Just insert your boot disk in drive DF0: and wait for the system to continue. You MUST use the F7 action to end the game or risk unpredictable consequences. Upon exit the startup will restore your system as it was before. 7.1 FINAL GAME COMMENTS That concludes the basic operation of the game and display. If you find that something has been omitted from this documentation or needs further clarification I would appreciate your letting me know so the correction can be included in later updates. In addition, let me know what you think about the scoring system and the look and operation of the game. As of this writing, I cannot say when the Database for Season Two will be released. That depends on what happens over the next few months and on how busy I am. I will say that I hope to have Season Two out by June of 1991, with Season Three around December 1991, and Season Four around June 1992. However, I retain the right to terminate all distribution without notice, and without further release, and such shall depend on the reactions I get from this release. If nobody else seems to be interested in the game I'll terminate it. It has nothing to do with money, in fact, I'm not asking for any and I don't expect any. That option is left entirely up to you. A.1 TECHNICAL INFORMATION All data in the Trivia Database is encrypted to prevent cheating. It takes an average of three seconds to decrypt the data before each question is displayed. Unfortunately, this data doesn't compress as much in encrypted form as in normal ASCII, and it does require more setup work, but I knew a lot of people would cheat if I didn't do something to the data. An "Enterprise"-ing hacker could likely break the code and use the decrypted file to cheat but what's the challenge? Breaking the code? I'm no hacker and I doubt my code would be that difficult to break. Any self-respecting hacker that found it difficult isn't much of a hacker in my book. Once you break the code and know all the answers there's not much use in playing the game, now is there? While I suppose you could give or sell the decrypted file to other players the end result is the same and you'll pay for it one of these days anyway. It would take a minimum of approximately 2 x 10^83 (2 followed by 83 zeros) years - that's right I said YEARS - to break the code IF you could spit out a new code every second. It would take at least one second or more to TEST the code. You would have to know exactly how long the key is and the exact characters in the key, and further, I rotated the key to some position so it doesn't start at the beginning. The key may or may not have anything which relates to me in some way, such as my social security number, or address, or telephone number, or something based on numerology, or my birthdate, or age; in other words, forget looking for patterns like that. I will say again that you are gaining very little by trying to break the code and decrypt the Database. I can assure you I will change the code if I release a new game player module so you'll have to do all your work over again. The code is also changed to prevent your being able to use an older trivia data base with a newer game player module, since there's nothing else in the data base to signify such a change. The AmigaBASIC program which creates the Database reads a plain ASCII file which uses markers to denote the type of data it is dealing with at any point in time. These markers denote questions, answer choices (and the correct answer), additional information for correct answers, and the file names of Audio and Video clues. Because the display font is proportional, the program refers to a table of character widths to split long lines intelligently. It then encrypts the data and writes it (without markers), creating the Database. An additional file is created during this process which is nothing but a jumble of numbers to everyone else; this allows questions to be quickly located by the gane player module. The questions are mixed using a pseudo-random heapsort routine which guarantees that no question will be asked more than once within a normal game. The question numbers are stored in a temporary file in RAM: and loaded shortly thereafter into an array in the game player module; the temporary file is then deleted. Note that the questions are remixed if you happen to exhaust the supply. The Top Ten file is a plain ASCII file with the rank number, player name, and score of up to ten entries. You could cheat and use a text editor to make yourself look good but it's meaningless if you don't actually know enough to get the score in the first place. The saved game quiz file is a plain ASCII file and I'm shutting my mouth as to what data, or in what order, the data is in. You could meddle with this file and achieve some technically impossible scores, so don't try to make yourself look too good - I know better whether anybody else does or not - and cheating like that will tell me a lot about what kind of person you are. B.1 KNOWN POSSIBLE DATABASE ERRORS The item(s) in question are enclosed in square brackets; if possible, the episode name is also given. Items are included in this list if confirmation was lacking in the slightest. Certain errors or ommissions from the first three season review guides have been noted, verified by videotape, and corrected in my listings for future reference. Reprints of the first and second season review guides did not arrive in time for confirmation on some of these items. * [various country lingo] from "The Neutral Zone"; exact corrections may never exist despite the fact that we talk this way where I live; an exact spelling is difficult to pin down. * [Albanian] Meditation Crystal from "Angel One" * [Aldeberan] Serpent from "Hide and Q" * [Andorian] Tea from "Conspiracy"; possibly correct; I noted a reference to the Andorians in several other Trek-related publications, but the tea referenced could be something else with a similar sound. * [Armus Nine] from "Angel One" * [Kabatras] from "Angel One" * [Megmaline Throgmine] from "Angel One"; not included because I could not pin down a confirmed spelling; this will be included in the next release. * various French names from "We'll Always Have Paris"; not included because I lack enough understanding of the language to hazard guesses; these will be included in the next release. * Cafe de [Zachtieste] from "We'll Always Have Paris" C.1 CREDITS Source data for questions, answers, and related Video and Audio clues, as well as models for additional graphics and sound effects, were obtained from my personal collection of videotaped series episodes. The Season Review Guides published by Enterprise America, the Star Trek: The Next Generation fan club, were used to ensure that locations, characters, and subjects were properly identified. Special thanks to Jim Lyon and his crew at Enterprise America for producing such a thorough and accurate set of information; this improved the accuracy of the game and eliminated a lot of guesswork on my part. The club newsletter was referenced for several of the actor/actress portrayal-related questions. Video clues were digitized in 352 x 240 HAM with Digi-View 4.0 from NewTek and reduced to 16 colors. Audio clues and sound effects were digitized with Perfect Sound from MicroSearch, Inc. Models for the game icon, titles, Command Terminal display, and Starfleet Command seal were digitized in 640 x 400 B/W and color using Digi-View 4.0 from NewTek and the Electronic Color Splitter from MicroSearch, Inc. The final hand-corrected or hand-drawn images were based on the low-resolution models and were created with Deluxe Paint III from Electronic Arts. The Command Terminal design and Starfleet Command seal were based on footage from "Conspiracy". The Command Terminal display and Starfleet Command seal were hand-drawn; portions of the Command seal were based on a digitized model. The game icon and title were hand-corrected and hand-drawn based on the digitized model of the series' logo. The Command Terminal font was hand-designed using FontEd from the Amiga Extras disk. The Amiga version of this font is my own work and I would appreciate credit if anyone else uses it for something. A great deal of time and effort was invested in making these fonts as accurate as possible and tracking down displays from the series' episodes to use as guides. Presentation and sequencing for game player module created with The Director from The Right Answers Group. Additional data files and IFF file optimizing software created with AmigaBASIC. D.1 DISCLAIMER NEXT GENERATION TRIVIA CHALLENGE (NGTC) is a freely distributable release. Star Trek: The Next Generation, all characters, concepts, and audio/video segments referred to in this release are registered trademarks or copyrights of Paramount Pictures Corporation. No infringement is intended towards Paramount Pictures Corporation by this freely distributable release which is distributed without license from Paramount Pictures Corporation. This release may not be sold for profit by any parties under any conditions. No fees or payments are specifically requested or denied by Second Sight or the author(s) of this release. Any fees or payments received by Second Sight or the author(s) of this release without specific request, which shall be all fees or payments, shall be considered donations without any legal or moral liabilities or obligations pertaining to their acceptance. In no event shall Second Sight or the author(s) of this release be held liable for any illegal distribution or use of this release by other parties. At the written and signed request of Paramount Pictures Corporation , Second Sight or the author(s) of this release will terminate distribution of this release at the original source(s) of distribution, which shall be Second Sight, or the author(s) of this release, or the Fred Fish Freely Distributable Library for the Commodore-Amiga. All other sources of distribution are exempt from such termination as they are outside the boundaries of reasonable control of Second Sight and the author(s) of this release. E.1 EDITORIAL Following is a fairly detailed description of the activities prompting this release and my intentions and understandings. This is not an attempt to make excuses, but I feel it important that I try to clarify things as I observed and understood them. Let me repeat again, this is not an attempt to make excuses or point the finger at somebody else; this is an outline for future reference should a problem arise relating to the issues of legal or illegal distribution of this release. The basic concept for some type of game based on ST:TNG had been on my mind since shortly before the airing of the original two hour premiere movie in September 1987. I sent a proposal to Paramount Pictures Corporation on November 4, 1989 outlining an action/adventure style game based on ST:TNG seeking a license to pursue and distribute the end product. The proposal outlined a game which would use digitized audio and video from the show, with different backgrounds for the digitized scenes, in an action/adventure format, with its own unique story. I requested carbon copies of my proposal be sent to Mel Harris, President, Paramount Television Group, and Gene Roddenberry, Creator and Executive Producer. I received a reply dated November 16, 1989 from the Licensing Director of the Marketing Division of the Motion Picture Group. It stated "regrettably, due to business, legal and contractual considerations, Paramount Pictures Corporation is unable to grant you [Second Sight] a license for your proposed game at this time." Carbon copies of the reply [and my proposal, I assumed] were sent to A. Hein, M. Katz, and D. Rosenbaum. I sent a reply on November 20, 1989 in thanks for prompt consideration and response, and stated that all work pertaining to the project would end until such time as Paramount might grant a license. It was my understanding and intention that this only pertained to the project I had outlined in the proposal, not to a ST:TNG computer game in general. I considered there were some obvious technical difficulties associated with the action/adventure game I had proposed, and I finally decided something like that would best fit the CD-ROM format. That Paramount Licensing said "at this time", left a glimmer of hope that I might eventually get to create the proposed game, since that sounded to me like the door wasn't completely shut on the concept. During the next few months I began to hear rumors of other Amigans working on games based on Next Gen, and I finally even got my hands on one, although it was buggy. At this point it seemed that every good software idea I had ended up being someone else's success; someone always seemed to beat me to the public domain or commercially on my best ideas. I was determined I was not going to let that happen with Next Gen. In June 1990 I hit upon the idea of a trivia game based on the show. I debated for another two months over whether the concept was sufficiently different enough to begin work without violating any previous statements I had made to Paramount Licensing. I considered... (1) The need for some type of computer game based on the show was strong. (2) I decided to release what I did regardless of whether anyone beat me to the public domain or commercial market. I'd let the public decide what they liked. I felt that any effort less than my own could not possibly match what I had in mind. (3) I had made my position and proposal as clear and the need for the product as strong as possible. (4) Paramount might consider work on ANY computer game based on the show a violation of my agreement to stop work on the project. Each of us referred rather generically to my proposal in communication, but I have already stated my understanding in that matter. (5) A license might only be granted after the show was no longer in production; at least several more years. I felt the time to release such an item was while the show was still in production, still hot, still popular. Since books and other items based on the show were being sold I could not fathom why they would not be more interested in a computer game. (6) Mindscape, Inc. had already released a commercial game based on Star Trek Five, and thus obtained a Star Trek license to sell it for profit. My chances of obtaining a license were slim against Mindscape's Star Trek license and the fact that I was not as well known. (7) The trivia game concept was sufficiently different from the concept in my Paramount proposal. Audio and video are used as-is and game play is based on existing stories. (8) If the project were released entirely free of charge and made freely distributable I would not be making any profit or sales from the release of the project. Paramount would not see any profit or sales either, but if this was a concern for them, I or someone would have been granted a license. There could be no requests for donations or shareware fees other Amiga developers had requested in their Next Gen releases. I opted to begin work on the trivia game project in August 1990 and to release it free of charge as freely distributable, with the understanding and intention that I was not doing it for profit, but because I wanted to do something to demonstrate my appreciation for the show. It is with the best of intentions, and in good conscience, that I offer this release without expecting or requesting any rewards or compensation in return. This release was distributed because I wanted to do something to demonstrate my appreciation for Star Trek: The Next Generation, not to acquire money or fame. In the event that nothing I have said has made a difference in your opinion of my actions, let me simply conclude with a few quotes from the episode "Justice" on my behalf: Picard: "There can be no justice so long as laws are absolute. Even life itself is an exercise in exceptions." Riker: "When has justice ever been as simple as a rulebook." F.1 CONTACTS The address and telephone number to contact for this release: Second Sight 306 Arbor Drive Lexington, NC 27292 (USA) ATTN: Gregory Epley (704) 249-1331 Please call between the hours of 10AM-6PM EST, or alternatively from 7PM-10PM EST (PLEASE pay attention to the time zones - I hate being called at 11PM if you happen to be in Chicago or Los Angeles or something). If you can't reach me during one of those periods just keep trying back. If you write please enclose a SASE if you wish a reply. If you see something incorrect or missing in the Trivia Database please let me know so I can include the fix in a future Database release. I can't fix the problem if I don't know about it. Just make sure you enclose that SASE if you want a reply. Comments, if you like the game, constructive criticisms, if you don't like something...just make sure you enclose that SASE if you want a reply. Enjoy the game and "live long and prosper"! SINCERELY, ADMIRAL GREGORY EPLEY COMMANDANT, STARFLEET ACADEMY