ARCHIPELAGO DOCUMENTATION
ARCHIPELAGO 9.5
Archipelago 9.5 is an experimental HyperCard-based graphical MOO interface. It uses MIT's MediaMOO as a host. Archipelago is configured to work on a Macintosh with a minimum 14-inch monitor running HyperCard 2.x using either a dial-up connectiion or a MacTCP connection to the Internet. If you have the HyperCard Player application on your machine you may need to increase its memory allocation.(Select the Player and use the "Get Info" menu item on the Finder.)
This text is lifted directly from the game, so some references are inappropriate in this context. Also, information on bugs and credits has been left out. When you download the game, please be sure to read the complete documentation. (I know, I know. I never read documentation either...)
PLAYING THE GAME
The Archipelago interface is a map of an island which can be inhabited by several remote players at once.
The island is divided into sixteen interactive maps. As a player, you are represented by a small figure who walks around, rides horses, canoes, and sailboats and enters buildings. Each map section is surrounded by a thin black border. Moving into the border will take you to the neighboring section.
Other characters representing players at remote locations appear on your map as figures accompanied by initials identifying them.
You will notice various types of vehicles in the game, such as horses, boats and canoes. These all belong to you. When you're not using them, no other player can see them on their terminal, so they aren't able to use them. When you're riding a horse or sailing in a boat, other players will see you represented along with a horse or boat.
Your player will spontaneously move towards the cursor. If you want your player to stop moving, place the cursor at its feet. To enter a building, walk the player to the front door and it will automatically enter--if it doesn't, then move the cursor by a few pixels until it's in the right spot. To ride a horse, or get on a boat, walk up to it and then click on the horse or boat. To get off, hold the mouse down anywhere (except on the horse or boat) until the character disembarks.
Walking or riding on roads is quicker than on ordinary land. Getting around is also quicker at lower elevations than higher ones.
If you wish to talk to another player, type your comments and they will appear at the bottom of your screen. Hit return and they will be sent to all other players on your screen. Your words will appear in a talk bubble next to your character on the remote players' screens. Players only appear on your screen if they are near you (about 125 pixels or closer) or in the same room of a building.
Walk around in buildings the same way you do on land. You cannot walk through walls, of course. To leave a building, walk to the porch area and click at the feet of your player, this will take you back onto the map (it's a slow process, it takes about 3 - 5 seconds).
There are several ways to die on the island. Swimming and climbing are risky behaviors with accidents occurring on a random basis. In general, you can expect to drown on one out of every 70 strokes or fall off a cliff on one out of every 50 climbing moves. Climbing is the only way to get around above the fourth contour level unless you're on a road.
If you walk into the woods, you'll become lost. This means that your character disappears and its movements become 90% random--i.e.: most moves (but not all) are not likely to be in the direction of the mouse. There is approximately a one-in-40 chance that each step in the woods will result in becoming hopelessly lost and dying there.
You can also die if you get into a fight. To enter fighting mode, hold the option key down and hit return. Keep holding the option key down until your character appears holding a sword. The sword will not show up unless your character is moving. If you see another character holding a sword, you stand about a one-in-8 chance of dying from each move you make in close proximity to the armed player. Arming yourself does not protect you, but it does make it equally dangerous for the other player to approach you. Disarm yourself the same way you armed yourself.
In this version of Archipelago, death is not permanent. You will simply be returned to the main map from which you will be able to re-enter the game.
Sailboats move according to the wind. In this version of Archipelago, there is a constant Northeasterly wind, so it's very easy to move southwesterly and difficult to move to the northeast. Sailboats will sink if they encounter land or a reef. Reefs are marked by buoys. When you see buoys, assume that all water between the buoys and land is dangerous, though it's possible to sneak through if you choose to risk it. When sailboats collide, one or both may sink. To disembark from a sailboat, you can either approach land and wade ashore by holding the mouse down, or you can land at a dock (represented by black squares) and disembark automatically.
You can sail off the 16 map sections and sail back onto them if you like. The ocean is infinite and there are no other lands beyond the immediate area of the main island.
WHAT THE BUTTONS DO
MacTCP/Dial-Up. This button may be appear as either MacTCP or Dial-Up. Its name reflects the mode in which the communications connection is operating. Clicking on this button will change the connection mode. When in dial-up mode, the Connect and Disconnect buttons appear as Call and Hang-Up. It's not a good idea to change the communications mode while a connection is active. While operating in MacTCP mode, it is a good idea to have the MacTCP network connection established prior to opening this application. When operating in dial-up mode, be sure to adjust the modem setting using the Settings button.
Offline/Online. This button may appear as either Offline or Online. The name of this button reflects whether or not data transmission is enabled. Clicking on this button changes its name and state.
When in the online state, the application repeatedly checks for incoming data which it displays and all keyboard entries are sent to the text entry field which is directly below this field. When the return key is hit, everything in the text entry field is sent out the serial port. If you need to use the keyboard normally while a connection is active, you can click on this button. However, it's not a good idea to switch to online status while a connection is not active.
Info. This button is hilited (ie: black) while the information field is displayed. Clicking on the Info button will alternately show or hide this field. (Try it now, if you like.)
Erase. This button deletes any text appearing in the text entry field, which is located directly below this field. You can also delete text using the delete key, but it works very slowly.
Enter MOO. This button repeats the process for entering Media MOO from a Unix prompt. It's useful when using a dial-up connection and telnet access to MediaMOO is temporarily denied.
Suggestions. This button hides and shows the suggestion field. You can enter your ideas for improving Archipelago there any time they occur to you. When leaving the MediaMOO, you will have an opportunity to e-mail your comments on the game to the author. At this point you will also be asked if you wish to append the contents of the suggestion field to your e-mail message.
Settings. This button hides and shows the Settings field. The Settings field is useful only for configuring a dial-up connection. To change data in the Settings field, click on the line that needs changing and a dialog box will prompt you for the new information. Be sure to configure the settings before attempting a dial-up connection.
Enter Game. Click this button once you have established a successful connection to the mediaMOO. It will take you into an interactive, on-line, map-based environment. You will enter the game in the lobby of a hotel located in the most populated area of an island.
Connect/Call. This button may appear as either Connect or Call depending on the connection mode selected by the MacTCP/Dial-up button. Clicking it will automatically establish a connection and navigate to a room in the MediaMOO which serves as the game's host.
If you are in dial-up mode, and this is your first connection, you will be asked by a series of dialog boxes to enter the cues and responses you ordinarily use to navigate to your Unix prompt. What you will see is an alternating series of questions asking you for either a cue or a response. A cue is a word that your Internet host sends and to which you ordinarily reply. For example: login: is a standard cue and your login name is the proper response. When you have entered the entire sequence of cues and responses that brings you to your host's Unix prompt, you then enter the Unix prompt itself as the last cue. After you have entered the last cue, you will be asked to enter a response. Leave this answer blank to indicate that the Unix prompt has already been reached. After doing this, the program will automatically proceed to establish a connection and navigate to the MediaMOO. If you make a mistake, or you need to rewrite the process, hold the option key down the next time you click on this button and the data entry process will be repeated. To complete this process, you will need to remember the sequence of cues and responses that you ordinarily use to navigate to the Unix prompt...so you may want to write them down first.
Disconnect/Hang Up. This button may appear as either Disconnect or Hang Up depending on the transmission mode that has been selected. Clicking this button will first provide you with an opportunity to e-mail comments and suggestions to the author, then it will terminate the communications connection. If you are in dial-up mode and this is your first connection, you will go through a process similar to the first time you used the Call button where you will be asked to input the cues and responses that take you out from the Unix prompt and terminate your connection. The first cue you should enter is the Unix prompt and you should leave the last entry blank to indicate the end of the sequence.