+--------------------------------------------------+ | WELCOME TO THE MULTICOM-4 BBS NETWORK! | | AMERICA'S LARGEST FREE BBS FOR GAYS & LESBIANS | | | | SYSTEM MANUAL & POLICIES | | VERSION: 10/93 | +--------------------------------------------------+ If you've used The Major BBS before, you'll probably have no trouble finding your way around. If you haven't, this document is intended to help you learn your way around. A few basics to keep in mind: if you want to exit from wherever you are in the system, select X; all selections and commands must be followed by a RETURN; on menus (and most prompts) you may select ? for help; and hit the RETURN (or the CTRL-O key) to abort lengthy scrolling displays. This document will serve two purposes: 1) to help you get started (using Multicom-4 for this first time), and 2) to be a reference for you, even after you've found your way around (to answer the question, "I wonder... is there a way to do in the module?"). Accessing --------- You can dial in to Multicom-4 with any computer/terminal with a MODEM. If you are in the ROCHESTER LOCAL CALLING AREA, dial our data number in Rochester at 716-473-4070 (3/12/2400 baud), or 716-242-7979, if your modem is faster than 2400 baud (up to 14.4 V.32bis). If you are in the BUFFALO LOCAL CALLING AREA, dial our data number in Williamsville at 716-633-1111 (3/12/2400 V.42bis baud) Our VOICE LINE (24 hours a day) is 716-442-1669, and can be accessed with your touch-tone phone for a variety of purposes. You may also use any of our PUBLIC ACCESS TERMINALS (PATS), which are located in the following places at the following hours: * ROCHESTER, NEW YORK * THE BACHELOR FORUM ROCHESTER CUSTOM LEATHERS 670 UNIVERSITY AVENUE 274 NORTH GOODMAN STREET (ANSI,COLOUR,2400bps) (ASCII,GREEN,9600bps) hours: 1pm-2am hours: 11am-9pm ROCHESTER SPA AND BODY CLUB 109 LIBERTY POLE WAY (ASCII,AMBER,2400bps) hours: 24 hours a day * BUFFALO, NEW YORK * THE BACK POCKET 884 MAIN STREET (ASCII,WHITE,2400bps) hours: 1pm-4am A Quick Overview ---------------- When you first call Multicom-4, you're asked to "sign up," creating an account for yourself. If you're on-line reading this document, you must have already signed up, and should now have a UserID and password that you can use from now on. Now, when you call in, all you have to do is enter your UserID and then your password. The BBS will remember who you are, and start by telling you if you have any mail waiting (it may also ask you if you want to read it right away). You might also get some other important notices, but will eventually be left at the MAIN menu. The MAIN menu is the first menu on the BBS. The various selections on this menu go to different areas of the BBS. Here's an example of what the MAIN menu looks like (if you are on a non-ANSI terminal/computer): __________ \ / The Multicom-4 BBS Network Online: 92 Minutes \ / Multicom-4 Data Services, Inc. Credits: +9102 \/ a not-for-profit corporation. Class: FREE +----------------------+ +----------------------+ +----------------------+ | Messaging/Files | | Other Options | | Entertainment | +----------------------+ +----------------------+ +----------------------+ | (Y)our NEW E-Mail | | (I)nformation Centre | | (*)The Game Room | | (Q)uickscan (SIGS) | | (A)ccount Disp/Edit | | | | | |(=?)Globals & Macros | | (T)eleConference | | (E)-Mail | | | | | | (S)IGS (conferences) | | (D)etails | | (R)egistry (BIOS) | | (C)lassified Ads | | (O)thers Online | | | | | | (L)og of Callers | | (M)atch Maker | | (F)ile Libraries | | | | | | QW(K) (offline mail) | | (G)oodbye/Logoff | +----------------------+ | | | | | You're on channel 02 | +----------------------+ +----------------------+ +----------------------+ MAIN option, or ? for help: By typing in one of the select characters, followed by a RETURN, you can enter any of these different areas. As an example, this is how you might go about leaving a private E-Mail message to your Sysop (System Operator -- the person who runs this system). First, select E to go into Electronic Mail, which will bring you to this menu: The following E-Mail services are available: R => Read message(s) (read any mail TO or FROM you) W => Write a message (write mail to any other member) M => Modify a message (modify a message you've written) E => Erase a message (erase a message you've written) S => Special functions (configure your personal mailbox) X => Exit from E-Mail (exit back to the MAIN menu) Select a letter from the above list, or ? for more info: Now, in this example, you would select W to write mail. That selection would bring you to this prompt: Who do you wish to send this message to? Enter UserID, "?" for help, or just RETURN for "Sysop": In this example, you'd only have to hit a RETURN (with no selection) to specify "Sysop". If you wanted to write mail to someone else, you would simply type in his or her UserID here (if you don't know the whole UserID, but only know part of it, you can just enter what you know, and the BBS will try to help you find the exact UserID). Now, you'll be asked for the topic of your message. After entering in a topic, you'll be put into the editor. Depending on whether or not the terminal you're using to call in with has ANSI support, you may get the Full Screen Editor. This ANSI editor will act very much like a small word processor, allowing you to use your cursor keys to move around in the message. You can feel free just to type your message as you wish it to appear to your Sysop. The automatic word-wrap will wrap words at the end of lines appropriately. Just hit CTRL-G whenever you are done, and want to save your message. Hit CTRL-O if you changed your mind and want to quit. All sorts of advanced commands are also available. Just hold down the control key and hit R (CTRL-R) to display some other commands: ÉÍ HELP (CTRL-W for more) ÍÍÑÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍ» º CTRL-Z Select Terminal ³ CTRL-L Redisplay Screen º º CTRL-K CTRL-Q Quit ³ CTRL-K CTRL-X Save and Quit º º CTRL-T Change Topic ³ CTRL-W Extended Help º º CTRL-X Exit to Line Edit ³ CTRL-N Import Message º º Line Commands: ³ º º CTRL-B Insert Line ³ CTRL-Y Delete Line º º CTRL-C Chop Line ³ CTRL-J Join Line º º CTRL-A Center Line ³ CTRL-E Erase to End of Line º º CTRL-F Insert character ³ CTRL-V Delete character º º Block Commands: ³ º º CTRL-K CTRL-B Mark Start ³ CTRL-K CTRL-K Mark End º º CTRL-K CTRL-H Hide Block ³ CTRL-K CTRL-F Frame Block º º CTRL-K CTRL-Y Delete Block³ CTRL-P Format Paragraph º ÇÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÁÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄĶ º --- HIT ANY KEY TO RETURN TO EDITOR --- º ÈÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍͼ If you don't have ANSI support, you'll get the line editor. The line editor doesn't allow you to move around with your cursor keys like the Full Screen Editor, so you have to enter your message one line at a time. (The automatic word-wrap feature will wrap the end of lines for you, just like the ANSI editor.) When you're all done entering your message with the line editor, and you want to go ahead and save it, just enter /S on a blank line by itself. If you want to change something about what you've written so far, you can edit the message by typing OK on a blank line by itself. That will give you this menu: EDITOR OPTIONS: S)ave message R)e-type a line A)ppend message D)elete line L)ist message I)nsert line(s) C)hange text N)ew message H)elp T)opic change Select an editor option (S,A,L,C,H,R,D,I,N, or ? for menu): When you're done editing your message, just select S from this menu to save your message. Then, you'll get this prompt (you come to this same prompt by typing /S in your message instead of typing OK and editing): Do you wish to "attach" a file to this message (Y/N)? Note: "Attaching" a file to E-Mail costs 3600 credits. If you answer Y to this question, your topic will be used as the file name (you'll get a chance to re-enter your topic if it's not a valid one), and you'll be asked to upload a file to the BBS. When the Sysop reads your mail, he'll be asked if he wants to download the attached file. Answer N if you don't need to send a file along with the message. After all that, you'll get: Do you want a "return receipt" when this message is read (Y/N)? In other words, when the Sysop reads your message, do you want an E-Mail message to be sent to you immediately, letting you know when the Sysop read it? Just enter Y or N (followed by a RETURN, as usual) as a response. You'll then get this prompt: Do you want to send a copy of this message to anyone (Y/N)? You can send copies of your message to other UserIDs if you wish. If you answer Y to this question, you'll simply be prompted for which UserID you want to send a copy to, and then asked if you want to send any more copies. That's all there is to writing E-Mail to the Sysop. The only difference between writing mail to the Sysop, and writing mail to any other UserID is the name you type in when you're prompted for who you want to write the message to. When you're done, you'll find yourself back at the main Electronic Mail menu, where you can hit X to get back to the MAIN menu. (Remember, when you decide you're ready to log off, just select X from the MAIN menu.) This is only the tip of the iceberg as far as features are concerned. The rest of this document contains more in-depth information about the vast number of other features that Multicom-4 has to offer. If you have any problems finding your way around, just leave some E-Mail to "Sysop". The Main Menu ------------- The main menu will allow you to choose different sub-menu options, leading you into different areas (or modules) of the BBS. Each menu you encounter will display the options that you have available to you, and then await your selection. To enter in any selection or command, you must type it in, and then hit RETURN. Each menu and menu selection is also called a "page," and has a name of its own. (The first menu you are given [the MAIN MENU] is named the "MAIN" or "TOP" page.) There are a few things you can do at any of these menus: go back to the previous page, jump straight to another other page, find another page to jump to, or re-display the current menu. Select X at any of these menus to return to the previous menu. Just hit RETURN (with no select character) to re-display your current list of options. To jump straight to another page, type /GO . To look for a page containing a specific topic of interest, type FIND, followed by the topic to look for. Any pages that you can /GO to that refer to that topic will be displayed. Global Commands --------------- Most global commands begin with a "/" character, and are available to you from almost any prompt on the BBS. Here are a few standard global commands: /GO Jump straight to a specific page name /# Show a list of other members on-line /P Page another member on the system (with an optional message) /RECENT See a list of the 75 most recent members to logoff the system. /$ See your remaining time/credits Be sure to also check out "User-Defined Global Commands," elsewhere in this manual. Concatenated Commands --------------------- You can probably find most things you're looking for by just going through menus one at a time. But, concatenated commands allow you to save time by bypassing menus you already know your selection for. The idea is this: If selecting E from your current menu leads you to the main Electronic Mail menu, and you know you want to write mail, which is the W selection from the main electronic mail menu, you can just select EW from your current menu to bypass the main Electronic Mail menu entirely. You can even bypass some prompts by concatenating your selection ahead of time. Some prompts have "defaults," meaning you just hit a RETURN for a certain action. At the prompt for who to write mail to, just hitting RETURN means you want to write mail to "Sysop". In the above example, you could specify you wanted to write mail to your Sysop by selecting EW. from your current menu. Basically, by putting a dot (.) in your concatenated command (as opposed to a select character), you are saying "at this prompt, act as if I just hit RETURN, and give me the default." As you become more familiar with this system, you will find that using concatenated commands may save you quite a bit of time. Most prompts and menus support concatenated commands, so you can feel free to experiment with using concatenated commands throughout the system. File Transfers -------------- In different areas of the BBS, you will have the opportunity to transfer files from your computer to the BBS, as well as from the BBS to your computer (referred to as uploading and downloading files, respectively). File transfers can be accomplished through a wide variety of "protocols," each of which has different characteristics, but all of which will have the same end-result: transferring a file (or files) between your machine and the BBS. This section simply introduces you to the options available to you through Multicom-4. To get you started, here's a quick rundown on the most popular protocols and their highlights: L = List displays a text file one screen at a time C = XMODEM-CRC has very widespread usage, simple and to the point B = YMODEM Batch widespread usage and full featured, gets the file size right, and sometimes date and time too Z = ZMODEM robust and efficient K = Kermit works on 7-bit communication lines Download Protocols: L ... Listing (a screen at a time) G ... YMODEM-g A ... ASCII (continuous dump) Z ... ZMODEM M ... XMODEM-Checksum ZR... ZMODEM (resume after abort) C ... XMODEM-CRC K ... Kermit 1 ... XMODEM-1K V ... View compressed file contents B ... YMODEM Batch T ... Tag file(s) for later download (Add '!' to automatically log off when done) Upload Protocols: A ... ASCII B ... YMODEM Batch M ... XMODEM-Checksum G ... YMODEM-g C ... XMODEM-CRC Z ... ZMODEM 1 ... XMODEM-1K K ... Kermit (Add '!' to automatically log off when done) The terminal software you're using to call the BBS may not support all of these protocols. Be sure to pick one that your terminal supports. (In most terminal programs, hit PgUp to get a list of upload protocols, and PgDn to get a list of download protocols.) The ASCII and LIST protocols will only work with ordinary ASCII text files. The other protocols will work on all types of files. Another protocol option will appear automatically when you're about to download a compressed file (or files). Examples of these are .ZIP or .ARC files: files that each contain one or more other files (in a compressed form). The option V will appear in these cases, allowing you to view what file(s) are compressed into the .ZIP, .ARC, .ZOO, or .LZH file. Another download option that may be available is T to tag a file. This feature allows you to tag up to 10 files for download, and then, when you're ready (or when you log off), you can download all your tagged files at once. Another time-saver is the ! suffix. You can put an ! character at the end of your protocol selection to have the BBS automatically log you off when the file transfer is over. This way, if you're not around to disconnect yourself when done transferring a large file, the BBS will disconnect you automatically, possibly saving you connect time charges. QWK-Mail (off-line mail service) ------------------------------- In order to use QWK-Mail, you must first have an off-line quick mail reader such as SLMR, EZ-Reader, BlueWave, or Freddie. Shareware versions of some of these programs are available in our FILE LIBRARIES AREAS. You log onto the BBS, select the QWK-Mail menu and request download of a QWK packet. A QWK packet is a file with a filename unique to each BBS and the extension of .QWK. QWK-Mail scans for messages you have not yet read in the SIGS in your Quickscan, along with all private E-Mail messages to you, and includes them in your QWK packet. You are requested to select one of the file transfer protocols for download. After the QWK packet is downloaded, you can log off and read the messages using your off-line mail reader. The off-line reader will allow you to write responses and request file downloads. These are assembled into a REP (reply) packet. An REP packet is a file with the same filename as the QWK packet plus an extension of .REP. You now log back onto the BBS, select the QWK-Mail menu and select upload of the REP packet. You are requested to choose one of the file transfer protocols for upload. After the upload is complete, you can exit QWK-Mail or log off the system. The uploaded REP packet is queued behind other members' REP packets for processing. It can take several minutes for your REP packet to be processed. When the REP packet is processed, the reply messages are sent as if you did them on-line. Requested files will be included in your next QWK packet. You will be notified when processing of your REP packet is completed, if you are still on-line. Here are the QWK-Mail menu options: D - Download .QWK packet Downloads a QWK packet containing all messages you have not yet read either on-line or via QWK-Mail. You can filter the messages which are downloaded by configuring your SIG Quickscan parameters. QWK-Mail displays each SIG and the number of messages included in the packet while the QWK packet is being built. QWK-Mail will ask you to specify the download protocol. After the download successfully completes, your current message pointers will automatically be updated so that your next download will only include new messages. U - Upload .REP packet Uploads a REP packet which you built using your off-line reader. You will be asked to specify the upload protocol. If you are still on-line, you will be notified when processing of your REP packet has completed. This can take many minutes due to REP packets queued ahead of yours. A - Attachment toggle (currently ) When ON, this option includes file attachments in your QWK packet. Normally, you would leave this option OFF to prevent downloading large file attachments which you are not interested in. You can request download of a file attachment you do want in your next REP packet, by writing E-Mail to GALQWK with a topic field of REQUEST <#>, where <#> is the message number of the message whose attachment you want. R - Reset message pointers This resets your current message pointers to the message number you specify. Normally, you don't have to change your message pointers, since QWK-Mail automatically maintains them for you. However, if you are interested in downloading all messages since a certain date, you can reset the message pointers to the number of a message slightly older than the time you're interested in. Your next download will include messages newer than the one specified. Resetting the message pointers to 1 will cause your next QWK download to include all messages in the SIGS in your Quickscan, along with all private E-Mail messages to you. H - Help with this feature Displays a screen of useful information on using QWK-Mail. X - Exit, return to main menu Exits QWK-Mail and returns to the menu tree. Processing of REP packets will continue even if you exit QWK-Mail or log off the BBS. The Messaging System -------------------- Messages are used in both the SIGS and the Electronic Mail areas. Electronic Mail: private messages from one member to another SIGS: public messages from many members, readable by many There's a lot of overlap between the Electronic Mail and SIGS. For example, when you write an electronic mail message, you can send it to one member, and send a carbon copy to a SIG. Or you can reply privately to the author of a SIG message, and other members won't see that reply. And usually the best way to erase a message you wrote in a SIG is to use the E-Mail read command to find it and then erase it. Electronic messages consist of: o Header o Body o File attached (optional) The header contains information like who the message is to, who it's from, what the topic is, and when it was written. Message Topic: Each time you write a new message, you need to give it a topic. When you reply to a message, you inherit the topic of the original message. Message Body: You can compose the body of a message you're writing using the editor. You'll get the full screen editor if you have an ANSI-compatible terminal. Otherwise you'll use a line-oriented editor. Reading a message displays the message body on your terminal. Whenever you read a message's body, the BBS makes a note not to include that message again when you scan for new messages. Message Number: The BBS issues a new sequential message number each time anyone writes a new message. Whether it's a private electronic mail message to one member, or a message in some SIG, it has a unique message number on the BBS. This message number is used to jump directly to a message you want to read or reply to. Files Attached to Messages: When you write an Electronic Mail or SIG message, you usually have the option of attaching a file to the message. You upload the file after you write the message. Then, anyone who reads the message gets the option of downloading the file. File Names: When you attach a file to a message, put the name of the file in the topic of the message. You can put the description of the file after that. For example: Topic: FONTCVT.EXE - converts printer fonts This file name will be used when a member downloads with a multi-file protocol like YMODEM Batch or ZMODEM. That is, the file's name on the member's machine will be FONTCVT.EXE. File transfers are discussed in more depth in the FILE TRANSFERS section of this manual. Modifying or Erasing a Message You Wrote: First, find the message. Whether its a SIG message or an Electronic Mail message, you can find it from the Electronic Mail menu. You can (R)ead all messages (F)rom you, and scan through them until you find the one you want to change. After reading your message you'll get the chance to modify it by selecting the M option. To erase a message, just find it, read it, and select E to (E)rase. On the other hand, if you know the number of the message you want to modify or erase, there's another way. Just use the (M)odify or (E)rase option from the Electronic Mail menu. It will work on SIG messages you wrote as well as on Electronic Mail messages. Electronic Mail --------------- Electronic Mail allows you to send private messages to other members of the BBS. Electronic Mail has several advantages over other modes of communication: o You can dial into the BBS from almost anywhere, at almost any time, write your message, and forget about it -- no stamp, no paper to carry around. o The recipient of your message has a copy he can capture and print out if he wants, or leave the message in his "in-box" and get it out later. o You can attach a disk file to your message. No need to mail floppy disks, or to bring up two computers with file transfer software at the same time. You upload when you want; your recipient downloads when he wants. o You can request a return-receipt, so you know when the person read your message. o Your recipient can easily reply to your message, sending another message back to you. Your original message will usually be available to you again so you can "backtrack" and remember what the member was replying to. o You can easily copy your message to other members. o You can send your message to distribution lists. o You can create one distribution list of your own. Electronic Mail Messages: Here's what an electronic mail message header looks like: Date: Thursday, April 23, 1992 12:37pm Electronic Mail From: Arthur Fischel Msg#: 20483 To: Richard T. Natheson *RETURN RECEIPT REQUESTED* File: BOOTH.DWG - for trade show in Phoenix (Reply to #20461, Reply to #20409) The *RETURN RECEIPT REQUESTED* flag indicates that the sender wants to be notified when you read this message. When you do, a message is automatically generated by the BBS from you back to the author of the message, informing him that you read his message and when. Files Attached to Electronic Mail Messages: To send a file to another member, you can write him an electronic mail message and upload an attached file. When he reads the message, he has the option of downloading the file. R=Read messages Multicom-4 keeps track of the messages that were written to you and the messages that you have written. In-box messages TO you messages others wrote to you Out-box messages FROM you messages you wrote to someone else Either of these sets can be scanned, one message at a time, with the E-Mail read command. These include private messages between you and other members as well as public messages in the SIGS. (Whether your in-box includes SIG messages or not is your option: see below, under setting preferences.) R=Read messages T=To you You'll have these options for where to start your reading: RETURN or dot (.) Start with the next message you haven't read yet F Start with the earliest message in your in-box L Start with the very latest message in your in-box Start with a specific message number The Default or Next Message: You'll probably be calling into the BBS regularly to get your latest messages. Some of your messages are not urgent, or they require more work to reply to, or you just want to keep them around for a while. Multicom-4 tries to distinguish between new messages and messages you've already read by remembering the highest numbered message you've ever read from your in-box. This isn't perfect, but if you're careful to read your messages in order, you might find it very handy for keeping your urgent mail and your not-so-important mail separated. When you (R)ead messages (T)o you and hit RETURN when asked for a message number, you'll get the message that's one higher than the highest numbered message that you've already read. You can do the same thing in one step by typing "RT." from the E-Mail menu. As an example, imagine you have an in-box tray on your desk. New mail is always getting added to the top of your pile. You often peek at your mail starting from the bottom. After you read a piece of mail that you want to keep for the moment, you slip a piece of red paper over it. When you read another piece, you slip the red paper over it. Now you have new mail on top, red paper, old mail. To quickly see if you have new mail, see what's on top of the red paper. Here's what some other E-Mail commands are like (these are the concatenated command sequences -- you can enter one letter at a time to have all the prompts displayed): E-Mail for command reading Analogous to ------- ------- ------------ RTF Old mail scanning from the bottom of your mail up RT. New mail scanning from your first new message up RTL Latest mail scanning from the last message in your box Sometimes, you read a message and just can't handle the message right away, but you don't want to forget about it. There is a way to make a message you have already read new again: forward it to yourself. Then, next time you log on, it will appear as new mail again, and you can deal with it then. So, in Electronic Mail, the default or next message is the message right after the highest numbered message that you've already read. You actually need to read the message (see the body of it) for it to be counted as "old" mail. R=Read messages F=From you Messages "from" you include all the E-Mail and SIG messages you've written that are still on the system. After finding and reading a message you've written, you may get these options: (E)rase this message, (M)odify it, (P)revious or (N)ext message? Read Commands RTF Read all your incoming mail, starting with the earliest message RT. Read your incoming mail, starting with "new" mail RTL Read your latest piece of incoming mail RFF Read the earliest piece of outgoing mail RFL Read your latest piece of outgoing mail (R)eply to the message When you reply, you are writing a new message back to the author of the original message. If your E-Mail preferences have been set to allow message quoting, you can use pieces of the original message in your reply, and address each point directly (more on personal preferences below). Replying without Erasing: You can set your E-Mail preferences to erase automatically when you reply to an E-Mail message, or to leave the original message in your in-box. But even if you're set up to erase automatically, there is a way to get around it, and save the original message. Say you're typing in a reply to a message, and you decide you don't want to lose the original message. Maybe you want to keep it on file, or you want to send a copy to someone. The way to skip the automatic deleting of the original message is to hit X to exit before the deleting takes place. The place to do this is the carbon copy question. When you're asked about carbon copies, your message has already been saved and stored, and the original has not yet been deleted. It would get deleted if you answered N to the carbon copy question. Instead: Do you want to send a copy of this message to anyone (Y/N)? X (Don't exit from the attach-file or return-receipt question -- you'll lose your reply entirely.) (E)rase the message After reading an E-Mail message to you, pick this option to get rid of the message. (C)lear message After reading a SIG message, pick this option to remove it from your in-box. You won't delete the message this way -- it will still reside in the SIG, but will not show up in your in-box any more. (F)orward the message Forwarding the message is like handing a piece of mail to someone else. They get the message and it disappears from your "in-box." Reply after Forward: In some cases, you may want to both reply to a message and forward it to someone else. The dilemma is that either of these operations by itself usually leaves you with no message. You can both send the original message to a third person, and send a reply to the original author by invoking the reply after forward option. To use this, you need to enter "F R" all on one line. You could also send a carbon copy of the reply to the third person after you're done writing the reply. (C)opy the message Copying the message sends a copy of it to another member. You keep the original message in your in-box. (B)acktrack to the original message After viewing a reply to one of your messages, you can view the original message using the (B)acktrack option. This is very helpful when you can remember asking someone a question, and you now have their answer, but you can't remember the question. Backtrack brings it up if it's still on the system. Even if the other member deleted your message from his in-box, your message still remains sort of hidden in your out-box, just for this purpose. (P)revious or (N)ext message Skip chronologically through the messages in your in-box or out-box with the (P)revious or (N)ext commands. Any time you're viewing a message header or body, or you've just downloaded an attachment, you can usually move around to other messages with (P)revious and (N)ext. W=Write a message You can write an electronic mail message to: a specific member RETURN to the Sysop / to a SIG @ to a distribution list !quick to your own custom distribution list !mass to all members (special access may be required) When writing to an individual member, if you can't remember their UserID exactly, just type in an approximation and the BBS will try to find a match. When writing to a SIG from E-Mail, you are writing to ALL members in the SIG (more on the SIGS later). Attach a file? After you write a message, you get the option of uploading a file and attaching it to the message (assuming you have access). Do you wish to "attach" a file to this message (Y/N)? Be careful to complete this step or your message will get lost. For example, if you type X to exit instead of Y or N, you'll lose the message you wrote. Return Receipt? The next option after deciding on the attached-file issue is whether you want to be notified when the recipient reads your message. Do you want a "return receipt" when this message is read (Y/N)? A return receipt is a brief message that the system automatically generates from the reader when he first reads the message. After answering the return-receipt question, the message is actually saved. <<< CONFIRMED: MESSAGE #78933 WRITTEN TO DISK >>> It's important that you at least get to this point in writing a message. If you don't, and you X=exit back to the E-Mail menu, or lose carrier, your message will be lost. If the person you're writing to is also on-line when you get to this point, he may get a BEEP and a message on his terminal like: *** Irving R. Neely has just written an E-Mail message to you! (You can find it by invoking (E)mail (R)ead-msgs (T)o you.) Carbon Copies? You can send copies of the message you've written to other members. Do you want to send a copy of this message to anyone (Y/N)? Y Who do you wish to send a copy of this message (cc:) to? You may also type "?" for help: ED CHAVEZ <<< CONFIRMED: MESSAGE #79833 COPIED TO #79834 >>> <<< SENT TO Ed Chavez >>> Do you want to send a copy of this message to anyone else (Y/N)? N By the way, you may be able to save time by answering all three questions at once (using concatenated commands): Do you wish to "attach" a file to this message (Y/N)? NNN This means the message has no attached file, no return receipt requested, and no copies to anyone. M=Modify or E=Erase a message You need to know the message number before you can use either of these options. You can find the message number of a message you wrote by (R)eading mail (F)rom you and scanning (N)ext or (P)revious until you find the one you're looking for. S=Special functions This is a little menu for managing various features of your Electronic Mail. Choose a special function: C => Configure distribution list A => Auto-forward incoming E-Mail S => Set personal preferences Your choice (or X to exit)? S=Special functions, C=Configure distribution list Your distribution list can have up to 40 entries. When you write a message to !QUICK, the BBS will send it to all of the names you have put in your list. There's no checking for correct UserID's. You can even specify members who haven't signed up yet. But be sure to get their UserID exactly right (except it doesn't matter whether you use upper or lower case). S=Special functions, A=Auto-forward incoming E-Mail You can set things up so that all mail written to your UserID will be automatically forwarded to another UserID. This is helpful if you're going to be out of town for a while and someone is keeping on top of your messages. Or, if you want to change your UserID, you can forward messages from the old UserID until everyone gets used to using the new UserID. This forwarding is not apparent to whoever is writing the message. SIG messages to you are not affected by auto-forwarding. They'll still appear in your original in-box (if you have your preferences set to include SIG messages in your in-box -- see below). Also, enabling auto-forward only affects future messages -- any E-Mail currently in your in-box remains there. For example: UserID to auto-forward E-Mail to (X to exit): SAM JONES S=Special functions, S=Set personal preferences You can personalize your mailbox with these options: 1. Should replying to E-Mail messages erase them? (default is YES) NO: the messages will remain in my in-box. YES: replying to an E-Mail message automatically erases it, and replying to a SIG message automatically clears it from my in-box. 2. How to handle new messages when you log on? (default is 3) 1. Read them immediately. 2. Ask me if I want to read them immediately. 3. Just notify me that I have new mail waiting. 3. Should SIG messages that are directed to you appear in your E-Mail in box? (default is YES) When you read your E-Mail, you may also want to be notified of any new messages directed to you in the SIGS. YES: mix these in with my private E-Mail. NO: don't bother me about them. I'll just have to see them in the SIGS or not at all. 4. When will you want to quote excerpts of a message when replying to it? (default is 3) 1. Sometimes (ask me each time I reply to a message) 2. Always 3. Never Replying to a message with quoting is something like taking a business letter and scribbling your comments in the margins and mailing it back to the sender, only neater. When you reply with quoting, you start out, not with a blank message, but with the contents of the original message filling up your screen. >> You can delete and insert as appropriate to address each part of the >> original message specifically. This is very helpful to the original >> author, especially when he writes you very large messages. SIGS - Special Interest Groups ------------------------------ SIGS are for gathering people and information. Bulletin Boards have many features that compare in interesting ways with things we're all used to. A post office delivers mail to your door -- bulletin boards do it electronically. A newspaper conveys a large amount of very timely information -- bulletin boards can convey more information faster, but not to as many people (yet). A phone book can help you contact anyone in a city -- a bulletin board could offer more versatile access to more timely information (it's already being done in France). But there's nothing quite like a SIG on a BBS. In a SIG, lots of people write messages and lots of people read or search or scan messages. You can direct a message to all members, or to a specific member. You can search for messages in many ways: chronologically, by topic, by conversation "threads," by message content, by lists of keywords, or by the unique message number. You can also search in the same ways for messages with files attached. There are other features we'll get to later. Here's an example of a SIG menu: Your current SIG is /Hello: Questions and Answers about this BBS R => Read messages W => Write a message Q => Quickscan Menu F => Filescan T => Teleconference S => Select a new SIG X => Exit from SIGS Select a letter from this list, or ? for more info: When you first log on, you'll probably be in a welcoming or introductory SIG like this "/Hello" SIG. S?=See a list of SIGS Before you do anything else in the SIGS, you'll probably want to see what SIGS are on-line. Entering S? will display to you a list of SIGS available to you. S=Select another SIG Use S to select another SIG. Once in another SIG, you get the same menu, with the new SIG name and description at the top. Messages in a SIG Here's what a message header looks like in a SIG: Date: Monday, April 27, 1992 11:23am /IntSales From: Stuart Blaumberg Msg#: 108782 To: Cristina Rodolfo Re: Singapore sales office (impressive growth!) (7 replies) (Reply to #108623, Fw by Tom Gerhart) Who a message is To You can write a message in a SIG to a specific member, or to ** ALL ** members. Either way, the message is visible to anyone who has the proper access to the SIG. Writing a message to a specific member gets his attention when he reads his mail (assuming his preference settings include SIG messages in his in-box). When writing to an individual member, if you can't remember his or her UserID exactly, just type in an approximation and the BBS will try to find a match. All replies in a SIG are automatically directed to the writer of the message you're replying to. Keep this in mind when adding your own message to a thread: Which message would be best to reply to? Which member are you really speaking to, or who do you want to see your message most? Files in a SIG The SIGS emphasize messages. Files in a SIG are always attached to messages. You can think of the way files are kept in a SIG in two ways: A message with a file attached A file with a detailed description Either way it's the same thing. A message can incidentally have a file attached to it or serve as a description or introduction to the file. By convention, the topic of a message with a file attached contains the file name and a brief description of the file. Nothing requires this, although whenever anyone uploads a file they are encouraged to put a file name in the topic field. If you have an ASCII file that you want to contribute to a SIG, the easiest thing to do is write a message and upload the file as an attachment. (You can use any upload protocol, not just the ASCII protocol.) The message could be empty, or explain something like "here's the file that ...." Other members can use the ASCII or LIST download protocols to see the contents on their terminals. When you write a message to a SIG, you have the option of uploading a file and attaching it to the message. When you read a message that has a file attached, you get a chance to download the file. Threading A thread is a bunch of messages on the same topic. You'll probably find many different threads going on at the same time in a SIG. Say you write a message and somebody else writes a reply to it. You reply to that, someone else replies to it too, and then someone else replies to your original message. Before you know it, a tree of messages is formed. All of these messages usually keep the same topic. We call this a thread. When you're scanning messages, you may come across a message with a lot of replies, or one that's a reply itself. You can digress from your scan to see what else has taken place on this thread before you contribute yourself. Threading forward and backward is chronological. So in a complex thread you won't always see a message next to its reply. You may see the messages of one little sub-conversation alternating with those of another. If message number 123 is a reply, threading to its parent lets you see the message that 123 was a reply to. You can keep threading up to the original message that started it all, if it's still on-line. Changing the Topic of a Reply You can change the topic of a reply, but by doing this you'll lose the "thread" of the conversation. Then other members won't be able to find your message when they're threading through the other messages on the original topic. If you reply to a message and change the topic, the Thread Forward and Thread Backward commands won't find your message, but the Thread Parent command will. You may want to do this to break off from the original conversation and start another one. The SIG Header This is the very first message in a SIG. You can see the SIG header by typing "RS0" from the SIG menu. The header may contain lots of information on the SIG, including how long messages are kept, and the charges for using the SIG (if any). Here's an example of a SIG header: #1 SIG HEADER: /Hello Created 03-FEB-92 11:09 SIG-Op: Sysop SIG Topic: Questions and Answers about this BBS. This is the /Hello SIG Header. Sysop #1 is the message number in this case. The SIG operator is the Sysop himself. The topic of the SIG appears at the SIG menu. R=Read messages There are many ways for you to read messages in a SIG. Actually, most of the features you'll find here are not for reading messages. They're for finding the messages you're interested in. Once you've read the message, there are many options for what to do with it, and what message to read next. R=Read, S=Scan through messages, one at a time During a scan, you get to look at message headers one at a time in chronological order (the order they were written in). You get the option to read the messages, download attached files, reply publicly, or reply privately. You'll have these options for where to start your scanning: RETURN or dot (.) Start with the next message you haven't read yet F Start with the first message in the SIG (the SIG header) L Start with the very latest message in the SIG Start with a specific message number The Default or Next Message: You'll probably be calling into the BBS regularly to see "what's new" in the SIGS. The system tries to keep track of where you left off when you last read messages in a SIG. But it doesn't keep track of exactly which messages you've read. It just remembers the highest numbered message. When you come back, you pick up after that one. This is the default or next message that you get by just hitting RETURN when asked for a starting message number. So, in a SIG, the default or next message is the message right after the highest numbered message that you've already read. You need to read the message (see the body of it) for this to count. Except that reading while threading forward or backward doesn't count. R=Read, L=List messages out, nonstop If you want messages to scroll by on your screen without stopping to reply or download any files, then listing could be handy. You could also capture all messages and read them off-line this way. Later you could call back to download specific files or reply to specific messages. There are three types of listings depending on how much you want to see: o Brief one-liner descriptions of the message o Titles, or message headers, 4-6 lines long o Full messages, with header and body In all of these cases you can specify the starting point like you do in a scan and the listing goes from there forward, to the end of the SIG. RETURN or (.) Next or default message F First message L Last message Any specific message in the SIG R=Read, K=Keyword search Keyword searching is just like scanning except that you'll only see messages that contain some special words or phrases you're looking for. Keyword Example matches ------- --------------- demo Demonstration pandemonium demolition -demo- demo "DEMO" red day By Monday, I was tired of waiting red-letter-day Thursday was a red letter day As you can see, a hyphen has a special purpose in keywords: A word with hyphens around it will specify an exact match on the entire word. A hyphen will match a space, a line boundary, any punctuation symbol, or any combination of these. Read Commands You can answer several questions at once by typing them all on the same line. All of these read commands work from the SIG menu: RSF Scan from the first message RS. Scan starting from the next new message RS38501 Scan from message number 38501 RSL Scan from the last message RLBF List brief titles of all messages RLTF List 4-line titles of all messages RLFF List all messages fully RLB. List brief titles starting with the new messages RLT. List 4-line titles starting with the new messages RLF. List full messages starting with the new messages After Reading a Message After you read a message in a SIG, you'll get a prompt like this: (R)eply, (E)mail reply, follow (T)hread, (P)revious or (N)ext message? (R)eply in this SIG If you reply, the author of the original message will see your reply in his electronic mail, assuming his E-Mail preferences are set accordingly. Other members who read this SIG will also see your reply as part of a thread. (E)mail (private) reply You can reply privately to the author of a message in a SIG using the (E)mail reply option. The author will see your message in his electronic mail. No other member will be able to see it. Follow (T)hread A thread is a bunch of messages on the same topic. The messages are formed into a tree by replying and re-replying. You can move through the thread in these ways: Thread (F)orward, (B)ackward, or to (P)arent (? for help): The thread options can be combined into character pairs: Rather than typing T RETURN P RETURN, you can type TP RETURN (using concatenated commands). TB (T)hread (B)ackward skip back to earlier messages on the same topic, in chronological order TF (T)hread (F)orward skip forward to newer messages on the same topic, in chronological order TP (T)hread to (P)arent jump back to the "parent" of this message -- the one it was a reply to You can continue to type TF RETURN TF RETURN to move through the thread. All this threading is a digression: you'll resume your original scan from where you left off when you choose the (N)ext or (P)revious message. (P)revious or (N)ext message Skip chronologically through the messages in the SIG. You'll often use P RETURN P RETURN P RETURN ... to zoom backward in time, or N RETURN N RETURN N RETURN ... to zoom forward. You can also type NNNN RETURN to leap over four messages at once -- seeing all their headers as you do. F=Filescan -- look only for messages with files attached The Filescan option from the SIG menu operates exactly like the read option with one important difference: only messages with files attached are scanned. Everything else in the above description of reading messages also applies to file scanning. Q=Quickscan multiple SIGS Here's another powerful variation on reading messages. You can specify your own preferences for some of the SIGS, and even the kind of information you'd like to see in those SIGS. That way you're saved the trouble of switching to several different SIGS each time you log on, or of wading through reams of messages that you're not interested in. Configuring Your Quickscan The first step is to configure your quickscan by answering these questions: o Which SIGS are you interested in? o Do you want to narrow the scan down to messages with certain keywords? Here's an example of some keywords and possible matches: Keyword Example of a match ------- ------------------ 1. COMP COMMUNIC computer communications, company must communicate 2. MODEM COMMUNIC modem communicating 3. PACKET SWITCH packet switching networks, packet of switches Keyword Phrases The search will look for messages that match any of the above 3 keyword phrases, but the match must be complete on all of the words in a keyword phrase. In more technical terms, the search is looking for a message with: COMP and COMMUNIC or MODEM and COMMUNIC or PACKET and SWITCH Which SIGS When deciding which SIGS to include in your Quickscan, here are some things you might type: V View the SIGS now included in your quickscan - Remove a SIG from quickscan + Add a SIG to quickscan - + Reset scanning in a SIG to the beginning -ALL Remove all SIGS from your quickscan +ALL Add all SIGS to your quickscan All new SIGS will automatically get added to your quickscan. If you aren't interested in them, you can remove them any time. Starting your Quickscan Pointers From Scratch If you want your quickscan to review a SIG from the beginning, you need to reset your pointers for that SIG, because quickscan tries to give you only "new" messages. To do this, just remove and then add the SIG: Enter K, V, + or -, or ? for more info: -/ANTON +/ANTON Now your next quickscan will start the "/Anton" SIG from the first message. This might be particularly handy if you've changed your quickscan keywords, and want to review what you might have missed. W=Write a message In a SIG, you can write your message to ** ALL ** members, or to a specific member. When you write to a specific member, the message may appear in his electronic mail "in-box." After making the choice of who your message is to, you can begin writing your message. If your terminal has ANSI capability, you enter the full screen editor. You can type your message a line at a time, move the cursor around with the arrow keys, delete lines with CTRL-Y, and so on. CTRL-S saves your message and exits the full screen editor. If your terminal doesn't have ANSI capability, you enter the Line Editor. Just type one line at a time here. The editor will automatically wrap lines as you run into the right margin. When done, type "OK" on a single line to save your message and possibly edit it a little more. After writing a message to a SIG After you write a message, you get the option of uploading a file and attaching it to the message (assuming you have access). Do you wish to "attach" a file to this message (Y/N)? Be careful to complete this step or your message will get lost. For example, if you type 'X' to exit instead of yes or no, you'll lose the message. T=Teleconference Every SIG has its own teleconference channel. The topic of the channel is the topic of the SIG (from the SIG header). See more on the teleconference in the "Teleconferencing" section. Library of Files ---------------- The Library of files is for putting large file areas on-line for uploading and downloading. LIBs - Library Information Banks Files are organized into LIBs. A LIB is like a single DOS directory of files. Type S? from the Library menu to get a list of LIBs. You can select a LIB with the S command and get a list of files with the F command. File Names Files can be named just like DOS files, with 1 to 8 characters, a dot, and 0 to 3 characters: FILENAME.EXT File names can include letters (converted to upper case), numbers, and these punctuation symbols: ! # $ & ' ( ) - @ ^ _ ` You can refer to a file that's not in the current LIB by adding the LIB name and a backward slash (\) on the beginning: LIBNAME\FILENAME.EXT All the files within a LIB have to have a unique name. The Current LIB You always have a current or default LIB. When you first log on, you're in the MAIN LIB. Use the S command to select a different LIB. The Library menu prompt shows you what LIB you're in: Current LIB: MAIN The Main LIB Select a letter from the above list (or X to exit): Finding a File Fast If you know the name of the file you want to download: S MAIN D Select the MAIN LIB and start a download keyword search for the name of the file. If the file is in the MAIN LIB you'll get it right away. If it's in another LIB and you see it listed alphabetically, you can pick it by number. If there are many files with the same name in different LIBs, you can scan (F)orward and (B)ackward until you find it and pick it by number. If you know the name of the file, and the LIB it's in: D \ Example: D UTILITY\BIGSORT.EXE Just stick the LIB name in front of the file name with a backslash (\) in between. You can use this command from any LIB. If you know a piece of the file name or description: S MAIN F D The F command will search for the piece of information in the MAIN\FILES. file. Examples: you can see all files with an .EXE extension by typing F .EXE; or all files with the word "doctor" in their short description by typing F DOCTOR. Once you know the name of the file, use it in the D command. If you know when the file was uploaded: D D - Examples: D 4/15 D 12/25/91 D -7 D -14 You'll get a numbered list of files in order by when they were uploaded. You can scan (F)orward or (B)ackward through the chronological listing and pick a file by number. If you know something about the subject of the file: S MAIN D In the MAIN LIB you can search the entire Library for a file. Just refer to it by keyword, and you get a numbered list of files with that keyword. If you don't get an exact match, scan (F)orward or (B)ackward through the alphabetical listing. Command Summary F File directory for this LIB F File search (searches through names and descriptions) D Display details on a file, with download options D Download a file D ... Download several files (you can use wildcards too) D Keyword scan (alphabetized) D -0 Scan today's uploads D -1 Scan yesterday's uploads (-7 for this week, etc.) D -LAST Scan uploads from the day you were last on-line D Scan uploads from a specific date D \ Download a file that's in a different LIB U Upload a file U * Upload multiple files M Modify the descriptions of a file you uploaded T Menu of options for files you have tagged T? List of tagged files with options T Download all tagged files now T -ALL Untag all tagged files S Select a LIB, display some details on it S? Get a list of LIBs S. Get a complete description of your current LIB The MAIN LIB The MAIN LIB can have its own files just like any other LIB. But while you're in the MAIN LIB, the download and file list commands apply to all files in all the LIBs. If you're not sure which LIB a file is in, the MAIN LIB is the place to look. F = File Listing Enter F from any LIB to get a list of the files in the LIB. The F command just displays the text file in each LIB named "FILES.". So these commands do almost the same thing: F File listing (no download charges) D FILES L File listing (download charges apply) F = Find String This command searches through the FILES. file in the current LIB for a certain string. F SYSOP Look at all files uploaded by Sysop F " SYSOP " Same, but exclude those uploaded by CoSysop F .EXE Look for all .EXE files F " 4000 " Look for all files that are 4000 bytes long F DOS Look for all files that have something to do with DOS Only lines in the FILES. file that have the string you're looking for will be displayed. The matching strings will be highlighted in a different colour (if you have ANSI support). This search is case-insensitive. Tagging Files for Download When you choose a file to download, you will be given a list of protocols to use for the download. You can "tag" a file to download later using the T protocol. When you have tagged all the files you wish to download, you can download them all at once. You can select the T option to download all your tagged files (or to remove some of them if you changed your mind). You will also be given the option of downloading all your tagged files when you log off the system. Multi-File Download You can specify several files to download at once: D *.EXE *.COM *.BAT READ.ME When you do this, you are tagging these file specifications. Right away you get the chance to download them all with a multi-file protocol, or you may download them all later. You can download multiple files from a different LIB by prefixing the file specification with the LIB name, as in: D OTHLIB\*.TXT OTHLIB\READ.ME K This starts a Kermit download of all .TXT files and the READ.ME file from the "OTHLIB" LIB. Download Pricing The BBS may charge your account for downloading files. When you get a detailed description of a file, you can see an estimate of the download charges. This estimate tries to take into account the duration of the download on your session and the cost of connect time -- you may see the amount drop if you call back at a higher baud rate. If the amount of credits you have is close to this estimate, you may or may not be able to complete the download. U = Upload a file There are three steps to uploading a file: 1. Name the file 2. Type in a short description for it (up to 40 characters) 3. Transfer the file 4. Modify the file, entering a long description and keywords Take a moment to choose a good description for the file. This description will appear in the FILES. listing and in the keyword and chronological searches. (And the F command will find your file if the is in your description somewhere.) Multi-File Upload You can upload several files at once using one of the batch file protocols by typing * instead of a file name. Here are the multi-file upload protocol choices: Current LIB: MAIN The Main LIB Select a Library option (F,D,U,M,S,T,X, or ? for help): U * To start uploading these files, type: B ... YMODEM Batch Z ... ZMODEM G ... YMODEM-g K ... Kermit Your choice (or 'X' to exit): In these cases, you don't need to tell the BBS the name of the file. The same file name will be used on the BBS as is used on your computer. That's possible because these protocols transmit the name of the file, as well as its exact size, time, and date, before the contents are transmitted. You can use "U *" even when uploading only one file. That way you don't have to type in the file name twice. Please be sure to M = Modify the files you upload using U * right after you upload them. Otherwise they'll have blank short descriptions. That means that in the F = file listing and in the keyword search they'll show up with only the file name. Upload approval (BINARY FILES/PROGRAMS) In some LIBs your uploaded file may not be available for other members to download until the Sysop or LIB Operator approves the file. LIB Operators are notified of unapproved files in their LIBs when they log on. Usually, you can see who is the primary LIB Operator when you select a LIB. Upload royalty On Multicom-4, you may get credit for an upload when another member downloads it. When the download completes, if charges are deducted from the account of the downloader, then the uploader may get a percentage credited to his or her account. The charges based on the number and size of files are subject to the royalty. Connect time charges during download are not subject to royalty. M = Modify an uploaded file If your terminal has ANSI capability, modifying a file gives you a full screen view of the file information. You can move around with the arrow keys. To change anything, just point to it and type it. Modifying a file means typing in this information: Short file description (up to 40 characters) Long file description (up to 5 lines of 79 characters each) Keywords (up to 10 keywords of 16 characters each) When you modify a brand new file, the long description starts off as blank. A message will appear where you're supposed to type in a long description: Just point the cursor to this field and type in the description. This message will disappear right away. You'll see a similar message where you can type in keywords: You can modify the information for files you've uploaded to change their descriptions or keywords. Other information about the file appears here, but you can't change it, like size, time, date, and who uploaded the file. The long description can be up to 5 lines of 79 characters each. If you're not using all 5 lines, just hit RETURN after the last line. You can give a file up to 10 keywords so that it will show up in download keyword searches, and in the INDEX file. When you're done modifying the file's descriptions and keywords, move the cursor to the bottom and choose: SAVE Save your new descriptions and keywords QUIT Throw out your changes and restore the old descriptions and keywords RE-UPLOAD Save the descriptions and then upload new contents for the file DELETE Delete the file To choose one of these type in the first letter (S, Q, R, D) and hit RETURN. Or tap the spacebar until the one you want comes up and then hit RETURN. You can also get out of the modify screen quickly by using these keystrokes: Save your new descriptions and keywords Throw out your changes and restore the old descriptions and keywords Modifying a File when you don't have ANSI If your terminal doesn't have ANSI, you can still modify the descriptions and keywords of a file one field at a time. Hit RETURN to skip over a field and move down to the next field. When you're pointing to a field, you can back up over the information that's already there and type new information, or just start typing in the new information. To edit the information that's there, start with a . To replace the information that's there, start by typing the first character of the new information. If you make a mistake, just use: to back up one field. Choosing Keywords Keywords are attached to files in the Library so that the file can be referenced by subject, using the D command. After you upload a file, it's a good idea to modify it and give it some useful keywords. Keywords should be short and simple. Don't use abbreviations, synonyms or suffixes if you can help it. Avoid keywords that are too general, as well as those that are too specific. To follow the terminology that's already in use on the BBS, try scanning with the D command. If you must use a multiple-word keyword use the comma so that the more important word comes first, for example: "america, north" or "compound, organic". Use multiple-word keywords only when: o There exists no single word that identifies the concept. o The subordinate word is meaningless without the main word, but the main word is too broad without its subordinates. o The single word is used often. Use another word to control the sequence and group the files better. Keywords can be 1 to 16 letters (converted to lower case), numbers, or any of the punctuation symbols comma (,) dash (-) and apostrophe ('). The file name is automatically a keyword, so there's no need to make up keywords that are similar to the file name. This will just hog space in the alphabetized sequence. Take a second and put yourself at the keyboard of someone who wants this file. What keywords are they likely to think of? There's usually no need to think up a lot of keywords. Maybe the file name and one or two good choices are all that members will need to find your file. S = Select a LIB When you're in the Library of Files, you are always in the current LIB. The Library menu tells you the name and description of the current LIB. Use the S command to select a different LIB. After selecting the S command, you can select ? to view a list of all available LIBs (just S? from the main Library menu to just get a list). When you select a new LIB, you get a little more information about the LIB. Registry of members (BIOS) -------------------------- The registry allows you to put information on-line for other members to view. This is optional. You may want to remain confidential or anonymous on the BBS and there's usually no penalty for doing so. By the way, the questions you answered when you signed up are for the Sysop only. See him if you have any confidentiality concerns. When you create your own entry in the registry, you type in the answers to several questions. The operator of the BBS can configure his own set of questions. The last one is always a "summary" question. If you don't want to answer a question, you can always enter "N/A". You can scan a list of members alphabetized by UserID, and see their summary lines. Also, you can look up other members directly by UserID. Of course, you'll only see information on members who have voluntarily answered the registry questions. D - Directory Search Use this command to list out the members that have answered the registry questions. You may start anywhere in the alphabet you please, and only the UserID and summary line will appear for each member. L - Looking up Another Member This is used to look up a specific member's registry. You will be able to view the member's answers to all registry questions. If you don't know the exact UserID you want to look up, just enter what you know, and the BBS will try to find an exact match for you. Remember, the global command /R will do this from just about anywhere on-line. Just type /R and the User-ID. Y - Creating or Editing Your Entry When you create your entry, you answer the registry questions one after the other. Each answer has a limited number of characters it can accept. To find out how many, you can just type a long line until you run into the limit. After creating your entry, you can go back later and edit your answers. Account Display/Edit -------------------- This service allows you to: o View some statistics on your account o Edit many of the answers you gave when you first signed up o Transfer credits from your account to another Credits Multicom 4 tracks and charges for your usage by issuing "credits." Being on-line consumes credits and using various services also consumes credits. You can see the credits you currently have in your account menu: UserID: Arthur Berg Credits: 693150 S => Display statistics on your account A => Display or edit account information (address/phone/password) T => Transfer credits to another member Your choice (or 'X' to exit): S = Display Statistics on your Account This choice shows you a few statistics on your account. UserID: Arthur Berg S => Display statistics on your account A => Display or edit account information (address/phone/password) T => Transfer credits to another member Your choice (or 'X' to exit): S UserID ..................... Arthur Berg Account Created ............ 02/09/91 Last Logon ................. 05/14/92 Account Class............... CUSTOMER Time Limit Per Call......... UNLIMITED Time Limit Per Day.......... UNLIMITED ANSI setting this session .. ON UserID: Arthur Berg S => Display statistics on your account A => Display or edit account information (address/phone/password) T => Transfer credits to another member Your choice (or 'X' to exit): Your account was created when you first signed up. The day you last logged on, (prior to your current session) is recorded also. Your class determines how long you can stay on-line and what services you are allowed to use, and on some systems, whether you are charged for using the BBS or not. In the above example, Arthur has no limits on how long he can stay on-line. The ANSI-ON condition means that his terminal is receiving colour and cursor movement commands from the BBS. You can change your ANSI setting if you like. More on that below. A = Editing Your Account Information On most BBSes, you can edit your answers to the sign-up questions. You won't be able to change your UserID, though. And some custom questions are only asked at sign-up, and can't be changed later. The Full Screen Data Entry service is used to change your account information if your terminal has ANSI capability. You'll see all your account information on screen. Use your up and down arrows keys to move around to different fields. To retype a field, just type over the old information. To change a field, start by moving the cursor right or left to the correct position. Then type over the old stuff, or: or delete a character insert a character See below for editing your account information when you don't have ANSI (using the Linear Data Entry service). You can leave this screen any time by hitting one of these keystrokes: Save your changes and exit Quit and abandon your changes Name, Address, Phone Numbers On some of these fields there are certain minimum lengths required. You'll be notified if your answer is too short. Most Sysops treat this information as highly confidential. It would be used mainly to contact you in the event of a question or problem with your account. Many Sysops also use this information to mail announcements, newsletters, etc.; however, at Multicom-4, we do not use this information as a mailing list--nor do we sell/give this data to anyone (except in the case of a court order). See the Multicom-4 Policies later in this document. Computer System On some systems, different menus are provided for members that have IBM computers and members that don't. IBM computers as terminals can display a wide variety of special extended ASCII characters, including box borders, shading, international characters, etc. The only other impact of this question is on demographic statistics that the Sysop can see. ANSI Preference This answer concerns whether or not your terminal should be receiving ANSI commands for cursor positioning, colours, and other attributes. ON ANSI commands will be sent to your terminal OFF ANSI commands will not be sent to your terminal AUTO Each time you log on, the BBS will ask you if you want to display ANSI graphics or not. We recommend that you leave it set to AUTO, as this allows YOU to select ANSI ON or ANSI OFF when you logon. But if this appears to be making the wrong choice sometimes, you can change it. If you see bland colourless text on your colour monitor, set it to ON. If you see lots of annoying bracket characters with numbers and letters after them, like "[33m" or "[0;1;47;52m", you may want to set it to OFF. Screen Dimensions and Pausing Here are some examples of different screen configurations: Screen size: 80 columns by 24 lines Pause output? PAUSE Standard 80x24 terminal, the BBS pauses when it has 23 or more lines to display Screen size: 80 columns by 24 lines Pause output? CONTINUOUS Standard 80x24 terminal, the BBS doesn't pause, display is continuous Screen size: 80 columns by 43 lines Pause output? PAUSE Enlarged 80x43 terminal, pause each 41 lines Password Your password appears as a string of asterisks (****). You can retype your password once in a while to keep your account secure. Save or Quit When you're done editing, you can answer the question at the bottom: SAVE Save your changes and exit QUIT Quit and abandon your changes Just pick S or Q and hit RETURN to exit the service back to the Member Account Display/Edit menu. Editing your Account when you don't have ANSI If your terminal doesn't have ANSI capability or if your screen isn't long enough (24 lines is enough), then editing your account information will have to proceed one question at a time. Use the RETURN key to skip each field you don't want to change. When you get to a field you want to change, you can back up over the information that's already there and type new information, or just start typing in completely new information. To edit the information that's there, start with a . To replace the information that's there, start by typing the first character of the new information If you make a mistake, just use: to back up one field. T = Transferring credits You can transfer credits from your account to another member's account. There's usually a minimum amount you can transfer. Just select the T option if you wish to transfer some of your credits to another member's account. TeleConference -------------- Teleconferencing is like a conference room where people gather to present and exchange information, or to chat socially. The multi-channel feature makes it like a vast building of conference rooms. There's the "main" channel, where everyone can meet, there's a channel for each SIG (for special, SIG-related discussions), and there's even a private channel for every, single member! Teleconferencing simply allows several members to converse with one another over their terminals. When you type something, a message goes out to all the other members in the same teleconference channel telling them what you said. This teleconference is different from others in many ways, one of which is its ability to "link" to other teleconferences around the world, connecting teleconferencing sessions between different BBS systems. Another way this teleconference is different is its use of "actions" -- you have the ability to express certain actions to other members in your channel. You can hug members, kiss them, kick them, or even smack them. You just type the action, followed by the UserID you want the action to apply to (or even "all"). You can use actions to just plain express yourself: entering just "smile" will let everyone else in your channel know you're smiling joyfully. For a list of all the available action commands, enter "action list". In the teleconference, you get a colon (:) for a prompt. When you type a message and hit RETURN, that message is broadcast to all other members on the same teleconference channel (if it's not an action or a special command). All of the special commands available in the TeleConference are described here. Each command has a longhand and a shorthand form. To un-type a command you may either use the backspace key several times, or end the command with the caret (^) character -- the entire command will be ignored. This will let you know who else is on your current channel by listing their UserIDs. A "forgotten" member (see the "FORGET" command) will appear with an "(F)" next to his or her UserID. WHISPER TO / Using the "whisper" command, you can send a message to just one other member -- no other members in your teleconference channel will be the slightest bit aware of the exchange. USERS # Displays a list of all the members currently logged onto the system, and the name of the modules they are working in. ? /? Display a list of the commands available in the teleconference. X /X This takes you out of the teleconference, back to the main menu. If you come back to the teleconference before logging off, you will be in the same channel. EDIT /E Invokes the Teleconference Profile Editor. The editor will permit you to configure your usage of the teleconference. Some of the things you can edit are: o Is ACTION turned on or off when you log on? o By default, do you allow others to page you (and how often)? o When you first log on, what's your private channel's topic? MAIN /M Returns you to the main channel from a private or SIG channel. SCAN /S Shows a directory of the other members in Teleconferencing, and what channels they're on (i.e. main channel, private channel, or SIG channel). If you have "forgotten" or "invited" any of the other members on the system, it will be noted in the SCAN. INVITE /I You may invite another member to "JOIN" your private channel. The other member is so notified. The invitation remains in effect for as long as the other member is on the system. A special use of this command is "INVITE ALL" or "/I ALL". This will permit any member logging on to the system to enter into your private channel. JOIN /J You type this to switch channels. The channel name may be: "MAIN" for the main channel; the name of a SIG for a SIG channel; the UserID of another on- line member, to switch to his or her private channel (see "INVITE", above); or the channel name may be omitted, to switch to your own private channel. UNINVITE /U You do this to uninvite another member from your private channel. If the unwanted member is already in your channel, then the member is forcibly returned to the main channel. He will no longer be able to enter your private channel. A special use of this command is "UNINVITE ALL" or "/U ALL". This will have the affect of cancelling the "INVITE ALL". Any members currently in your channel will remain there. In order to remove members from your private channel, you'll have to uninvite them one at a time. FORGET /F This command allows you to ignore another member completely. Any messages, whispers, chat requests, and actions will not be received. The "forgotten" member will be notified of this each time that he or she does a directed action (a message or action specifically directed at you). Forgotten members still show up in the "SCAN" and "" commands. REMEMBER This command will reverse the effects of a "FORGET" command. The named member will again be able to make direct contact with you. ACTION /A On Puts you in "action" mode. Action commands from you will have colourful effects. Off Puts you in normal teleconference mode. Action commands are transmitted to other members literally. ? Displays a brief help message on the "action" feature. List Will display a list of the valid "action" words. CHAT /C "Chat mode" is where two members can converse directly with one another. Each keystroke from one member is immediately echoed to both members. To request someone join you in chat, simply use this command. The other member will be able to accept by using this same command. PAGE /P On This will allow others to page and request you in chat, but not more often than your current "page/chat interval" allows. Off This will prevent others from paging you or requesting you in chat. Ok This will allow others to page and request you in chat as often as they wish. PAGE /P The "PAGE" command broadcasts a message to another member who is not in the teleconference (or not on the same channel). The command may be used to send a special message to the other member. If is omitted, the command will simply request the user's presence in the teleconference channel from which the page command was entered. If the page does not go through, the sender is so notified. Use the /P form of this command when you want to page someone from somewhere other than the teleconference. If you page the Sysop when the Sysop is not on-line, your page (and your message, if any) will be displayed on the Sysop's main console. TOPIC /T This command sets the topic for your private channel. The "SCAN" command shows the topic of each channel with members in it. Using this command without a erases the topic. Playing Blackjack Tele-Blackjack is the game of 21, in which the players compete against each other to win the "pot" -- the sum of all of the players' bets minus a "house cut." Aces count as either 1 or 11, and the person whose hand comes closest to 21 without busting (going over) wins the game. If enough members request to play, the game will automatically begin, and proceed via normal Blackjack rules. In the event of a push (tie), the pot is divided among the winners. To list all of the Teleconference Blackjack commands, just type "bj help" from inside the Teleconference. Playing Poker Tele-Poker is standard five-card draw Poker, interfaced with Multicom-4's teleconference. Players ante and bet their on-line credits, and the winner of the hand wins the "pot" -- the sum of all bets made by the players, minus a "house cut." If enough members want (request) to play, the game will begin automatically, and proceed via normal Poker rules. (Aces are high, not low.) For more information about the poker commands, just enter "poker help" from inside the Teleconference. Playing Tingo TINGO is a Bingo-style game interfaced with Multicom-4 TeleConference. If enough members on-line "request" to play, the game will begin automatically and play will continue until one member wins by getting five marked spaces in any row, column, or diagonal. The winning member (or "members" if two or more members get TINGO at the same time) is given a credit prize, automatically. Once in the Teleconference, simply type "tingo help" to get information about the commands available. Flash Games The "Flash" game concept was developed by Galacticomm to provide fast, highly interactive, visually or graphically oriented, multi-player games to the users of The Major BBS. Flash games may be played on this BBS by running a properly licensed or shareware version of the game on your computer (certain game-specific hardware requirements may have to be met). This BBS will act as a "conductor," synchronizing your game action with that of several other players. Galacticomm provides, under license agreement, potential Flash game developers with the tools to develop their own Flash games. If you don't already have a registered copy of a Flash-compatible game, contact your Sysop for the availability of shareware Flash games. (Note: There is a special "FLASH" file library where many FLASH PROGRAMS are located for downloading!) To begin playing a Flash game, such as "Flash Attack" by Galacticomm, you need to enter the Teleconference on this BBS. In most cases you can either (1) "shell out" of your communications program and run the Flash game, or (2) run the Flash game in the first place as a dumb-terminal program to log onto the BBS and enter the Teleconference. When you're running the Flash game, and in the Teleconference, just hit the start key (typically F9) and begin playing! There is a wide variety of Flash Games available for download on Multicom-4 in the FLASH FILE LIBRARY. The Information Centre ---------------------- In the Information Centre you can find out more information about this BBS and the rules for accessing it. Classified Ads -------------- Classified ads allow users to advertise items for sale. You can list items for sale or reply to the ads that are listed. Here is the Classified Ad menu: G => General information S => Scan or read ads P => Place an ad M => Modify an ad D => Delete an ad C => Check reader responses Classified advertisements allow users to advertise goods and services for the benefit of other users on the system. A classified ad has a 50 character topic, and the ads are sorted in date order. You can scan the ads by selecting the "scan" option, and you can scan forward or backward from there. If you place an ad, then people reading it will have an opportunity to "respond" to it via E-Mail, and you will be automatically notified of any pending responses the next time you log on. You can also view Classified Ads with your QUICKSCAN as well. Just add the /CLASS-AD SIG to your quickscan configuration. Match Maker ----------- The Match Maker can be used to find your love match, your soul mate or someone you can have a good time with. If you would like to see additional matching questionnaires (i.e. find a friend or a tennis partner, etc.) send a message to your Sysop. The following documentation is for the base Match Maker system, the menu examples and explanations are for the base system. Depending on how the system is configured and the options that the Sysop has elected to use; some options described may not be available on the system you are using but the method of operation is basically the same. The Match Maker is the most sophisticated dating program currently available on The Major BBS. It allows each person to fill out a questionnaire describing him- or herself and to set criteria to search for the ideal mate, date, or friend. Match Maker is designed to find your match on what you consider important and does not try to find someone just like you. You can skip any questions you feel are irrelevant, while filling out the questionnaire or while searching for a match. Any questions skipped while filling out your questionnaire will reduce the percentage you will match on someone else's search. The more questions completed in both the questionnaire and the search, the more accurate the match. On Multicom-4's Match Maker system you can remain completely anonymous. Match Maker uses aliases in its process and no one will know your true identity unless you choose to tell. The Match Maker is menu driven and includes on-line help for many of its functions -- if you are not sure what to do or get confused while using the Match Maker type a "?" at the prompt, and the help screen for that section will be displayed. The Match Maker Main Menu After selecting Match Maker from the BBS menu, you will get the Match Maker Main Menu. To make a selection from the Match Maker Menu, select the desired option by typing the letter of the selection. If you have not filled out the registry you must select the "(R) .. Register" option and fill out the registry. Match Maker Main Menu (R) .. Register (B) .. Browse Registry (Q) .. Fill Out Questionnaires (E) .. Read Match Mail (S) .. Search Other User's Entries (W) .. Write Match Mail (V) .. View The Responses Of A User (?) .. Instructions/Help (X) .. Return to Previous Menu The Registry Every new Match Maker user must fill out the registry. The registry will ask for an alias, age, sex, a brief description and a detailed description. The brief description will be displayed along with your alias, age and sex when a user matches you in a browse or search. The Questionnaire(s) On Multicom-4 several Match Maker questionnaires are available. You may fill out and search on any or all of the questionnaires you have access to. You will only be allowed to search the questionnaires that you have already filled out. Filling Out the Questionnaire(s) Choose the questionnaire you wish to fill out by selecting the number immediately before the questionnaire description. Once you have selected a questionnaire, the questions will display one at a time. The questions may be multiple choice or require a text answer. Some of the multiple choice questions may allow more than one answer, they may also have an "other" option, which allows you to enter your own text answer. You may or may not be required to answer every question (depending on the configuration of the BBS system you are on). Helpful Hints: Filling Out the Questionnaire(s) -- To answer the multiple choice questions: ...? 1 If the question allows multiple responses, this will redisplay the question and your selection(s) will be highlighted (ANSI) or have a "*" by the number(s) selected (non-ANSI). If the question only allows one response, or you have selected the allowed number of responses, you will automatically be moved to the next question. -- To delete (unselect) an answer to a multiple choice question: ...? 1 Reselecting a selected response will unselect that response. NOTE: At each question, you are given the option to go to the (N)ext or (P)revious question. Hitting ENTER by itself will take you to the next question. You may use Previous or Next to go to a specific question that you wish to change. -- To change an answer on a question that allows multiple responses: Unselect the answer as described above and enter the correct selection as if it were a new answer. For example: You chose selection 2 and want to change it to 6 1) Which best describes your personality? 1) Fun * 2) Outgoing 3) Shy 4) Reserved 5) Reclusive 6) Aggressive 7) Loving 8) Other Up to 5 response(s) ....... ? 2 (This unselects number 2 and the question is redisplayed) 1) Which best describes your personality? 1) Fun 2) Outgoing 3) Shy 4) Reserved 5) Reclusive 6) Aggressive 7) Loving 8) Other Up to 5 response(s) ....... ? 6 (This selects number 6 and again, the question is redisplayed) 1) Which best describes your personality? 1) Fun 2) Outgoing 3) Shy 4) Reserved 5) Reclusive * 6) Aggressive 7) Loving 8) Other Up to 6 response(s) ....... ? (ENTER by itself takes you to the next question) -- If you are allowed multiple selections, you can select one answer and go to the next question without the current question being redisplayed by entering the following: ...? 1 N Where 1 is the answer and "N" indicates to go on to the next question (the space is not required). -- To answer a question with multiple answers allowed, you can enter them one at a time, or select multiple responses at once: ...? 1 2 5 Where 1, 2 and 5 are the selected responses (spaces between numbers are mandatory in this case). Again, if you have given the allowed number of responses, you will be automatically moved to the next question. If you give too many responses, the extras will be ignored. -- To answer a question with multiple answers and go on to the next question: ...? 1 2 5 N If you don't wish to select the number of allowed responses, you can append an "N" to the selections, and it will take you to the next question. -- Hitting the ENTER key with no response will select the default option which is indicated by square brackets ([]) For example: ...response(s), (P)revious, [N]ext question, (D)one, or ?: ENTER Pressing the ENTER key will take you to the [N]ext question. -- To go to the next question without answering current question ...? N or ...? (default) -- Alternate responses to multiple choice questions: Some of the multiple choice questions have an "other" option. If you choose "Other," you will be prompted for an alternate answer. -- To fill out text answers: Short answers will only allow one line of text. For these, just type your response and hit ENTER, or just hit ENTER by itself to leave it blank. Long responses use the editor. You will know these because they are preceded by a block of text that tells you how to use the editor. Just type in your response (multiple lines are allowed), and type /S on a empty line to go to the next question. Browsing/Editing Your Questionnaire -- Selecting (P)revious from the options will take you to the question immediately before the one you are on. You may select (P)revious for as many questions as needed to get to the question you are trying to find. -- You may select (D)one at any time during the questionnaire or selection process. This will result in saving your current answers to all questions (it doesn't matter if the questions proceed or follow the question you selected (D)one on, (i.e. you select to go back through the questionnaire after completing it, change the answer to one question and then select (D)one -- all of the other answers are still valid). If you select (D)one before all questions are answered a "No Answer" response will be attached to all questions that you did not answer. You may go back at any time to answer these questions. -- You may change any or all of your answers, or just look at your answers to any of your questionnaires by selecting the "Fill Out Questionnaire" option on the menu. If you are still in the Questionnaire menu, just select the questionnaire you wish to edit. You can look at each of your answers and go to the next question by entering "N" or for each response you want to leave the same. You can change any of the answers by deleting the current answer and adding the correct answer (as described above). Searching for Your Match Select the "S" option from the Match Maker Main Menu. When searching, you will be presented a copy of the same questionnaire that you are searching. You will not be asked for responses to the text questions; use "(T)ext Search" to search through the text responses. Fill out the appropriate questionnaire with your preferences for a match -- select the responses that you would like your match to have selected. There is no limit to the number of responses that you can select. Skip any questions that are not relevant to you, and they will not be considered in the matching. Read/Write Match Mail Match Maker has a mail facility that allows the you to write match mail to another user at the time of a search, or anytime while within the Match Maker. To write Match Mail you can either select the "W" option from the Match Maker menu and write a message to any registered user, or you can select "W" during a search to write Match Mail to one of the users found in your search. Match Mail can be read by selecting "E" from the menu. If the system is using the anonymous function, Match Mail is sent using Match Maker aliases, so you don't have to worry about anyone seeing your real userid, or looking you up in the general registry. User-Defined Global and Macro Commands -------------------------------------- User-Defined Globals & Macros allow you to create your own macros as well as specific global commands on the system. You have been provided with several default macros designed for Multicom-4. You have the option of adding your own personal macro base as you wish, and/or changing the defaults on the fly. A macro may run other macros greatly enhancing User-Defined Globals & Macros capabilities. Global commands are included in these macro capabilities, as listed below: = Lists all of your current macros =? Displays the User-Defined Global & Macros on-line help & config screen = TEXT Assigns any single keyboard character to the macro contained in TEXT. = ^D Deletes the current macro assigned to = ^ Assigns a global function to character ^D Deletes that macro ^S Saves your Last input [Save] ^R Repeats your last saved input [Rept] ^U Gives a current user list [Users] ^T Gives the time of day [Time] ^C Current Credit information [Creds] ^H Hangs you up [Hngup] ^P Toggles pause screen on/off [Pause] ^L List of Recent Log-on/offs [Recnt] ^F Toggles page forward on/off [Fwd] ^A Toggles Ansi on/off [Ansi] ^W Additional Status information [Adsts] ^(0-9) Special Sysop defined Screens [S?] Multiple commands may be imbedded within one macro, by using a "!" as a carriage return [enter key] in between them. Typing the character alone, executes the macro associated with it. User-Defined Globals & Macros provide a number of "global" commands that can be defined as any keystroke you desire. A "global" command is a keystroke that can be used anywhere on the system to perform a specific task. We have already defined several of these for you. To change these assignments or to assign your own choice of globals to your own choice of keys, simply follow the instructions below: EXAMPLE: =# ^U Creates a global that lists information about the current users on the system. From now on simply typing a "#" would give you a list of current users on-line. You might wish to choose a more meaningful character. Simply replacing the "#" in the line to the left with a "U" for "Users" might be more meaningful to you. Globals are "CASE SENSITIVE," which means that even though a capital "U" performs the task listed above, a lowercase "u" would be sent out as an ordinary character. This is handy to remember when you are at a menu where a letter selection is required, and conflicts with your choice of global characters. The "^U" part of the input to the left represents one of many predefined functions available on this system. The others are listed on the following pages. = Typing this character alone will give you a list of your assigned global commands. You will notice that in some of your globals you will see an abbreviation in brackets like [USERS]. User-Defined Globals & Macros AUTOMATICALLY identify system commands so that you can tell at a glance what each global does! =@ ^U!^T Now here is an interesting feature. Typing the line to the left would perform TWO global commands with one keystroke! In the example to the left, typing the "@" key would first give you a list of users on line, then give you information about your time on the system. The "!" character has a special meaning in User-Defined Globals & Macros. It represents an "enter" key or "carriage return." Using this character you can string up to 27 characters together on a single line, to perform many various system functions, all with a SINGLE keystroke! Note that there is no "!" required at the end of your line: the system assumes that there is one at the end, so adding it is optional. There must, however, be a "!" between each global command you wish to execute, or the system will not recognize the separate functions. =@ ^D The "^D" is a special case. When you type the line to the left, it deletes the global keystroke "@" from your list. This is how you delete unwanted global commands. You may have up to 30 self defined globals at one time, each with a length of 27 characters maximum. The next page is an in depth description of each system command made available by User-Defined Globals & Macros. Many other system commands such as "Page" and "Scan", can also be assigned to a single key with User-Defined Globals & Macros. Please see the help section on macros for more information on this. = Gives a list of your current defined globals. =? Gets you to the help/configuration menu. Executes system function assigned above. = function Assigns a function to the keystroke after the = sign. ^S Saves the last line you typed into a temporary buffer. This might be very useful for those times when you are in Teleconference and type a very long line to someone. It's so aggravating when you press the [ENTER] key and the person it is meant for is not there anymore. Now by simply typing the "S", that input is saved, for recall upon that person's return. [Save] ^R Repeats the last saved input. This can be repeated over and over again, and is very useful in games. [Rept] ^U This function provides a user list of those on-line, along with a few details about them. [Users] ^A Use this function to toggle your settings back and forth from "ANSI ON" to "ANSI OFF". [Ansi] ^T This function provides information on the time as well as on your usage of the system. [Time] ^C Provides detailed information about your available credits on the system, as well as on your status. [Creds] ^A Use this function to toggle your settings back and forth from "CONTINUOUS SCREEN" to "PAUSE, PRESS ANY KEY TO CONTINUE". [Pause] ^H Creates an instantaneous hang up command. Use this key to leave the system immediately. [Hngup] ^L Gives out a list of the recent logoffs on the system, along with the amount of time they spent on-line. [Recnt] ^W Additional Status information, information on user flags such as new E-mail, page status, global chat channel, ANSI and screen pause [Adsts] ^F Toggles page forward on/off, this option sends any pages to a user to his or her E-mail when he or she is not available, then notifies the user of the pages when free. [Fwd] %1 Represents the 1st input after your macro. %2 Represents the 2nd input after your macro. %s Represents the balance of input after your macro. Lastly you should know that with the exception of the "X", "^", "%", "?", "!", "=", and the FUNCTION keys, A global can be assigned to any key on the keyboard. User-Defined Globals & Macros allow you to create your own macros and assign them to a global key. A macro is simply a way of making a complex statement such as, "Scan ship A" to a single keystroke. You create macros on this system much the same way you would create a global command outlined in the help on globals section. EXAMPLE: =1 Scan ship A Creates a macro that sends out "Scan ship A" every time you press the "1" key. =Q 1!1! This would create a complex macro that executes, the "Scan ship A" sequence twice! You can have up to 27 characters on a line, and up to 30 macros or globals. =* Page %1 %s You have now assigned the page command to a function key! Simply typing "* Sysop Hello there how are you?" would page the Sysop with "Hello there how are you?". The %1 represents the first word entered after the macro key, in this case "Sysop". The %s represents whatever is left on the line, in this case "Hello there how are you?". =+ whisper %1 %2 Would assign the "+" key to the whisper command. From then on each time you typed "+ Sysop hello there", you would whisper to the Sysop "hello". %2 represents the second word after the macro command, in this case "hello". =P *!+! If you created the two previous examples, typing "P Sysop what are you doing?" would first page the Sysop with "what are you doing?", and then whisper to the Sysop "what". As you can see between macros and globals you can set an assignment of keys to do just about anything on the system you want. Remember! With the exception of the "X", "^", "%", "?", "!", "=", and the FUNCTION keys, a global can be assigned to any key on the keyboard. Global Chat ----------- Global chat is a method in which you can keep in communications with other users throughout the system using the "." key. Once you select a channel below, anyone else having selected the same channel, will be able to see what you type, if you put a "." in front of your message. Since there are over 65,000 possible channel numbers, you can be pretty much assured of privacy. User-Defined Globals & Macros provides the ability to roll dice, useful in playing games such as D&D in Teleconference. To roll your dice simply type "xdy", "x" being the number of dice you wish to roll and "y" being how many sides the dice have. If you wish to play a game involving these dice, User- Defined Globals & Macros sends your dice roll out over your global chat channel. So anyone on your global chat channel will see what you rolled, and you will see their roll, while all other users will not see a thing. EXAMPLE: "2d6" Rolls two six sided die. User-Defined Globals & Macros allow you to change the color of your text. Simply use the TAB key to select the color you wish to type in anywhere on the BBS except the FSE (Full Screen Editor). Page Forwarding --------------- Page forwarding is available. When this option is turned on , when you are not available, pages to you are forwarded to your E-mail. When you become available, you are notified of the pages. ANSI Colour ----------- With User-Defined Globals & Macros, you can change colours that you are typing in by pressing the CONTROL+I (^I) or [TAB] key. This can be fun in the LINE EDITOR, in messages, or in PAGES. DOORS ----- What is a Door? A door allows you to access DOS applications on-line. These applications appear to you like any other BBS function. You may need to configure your terminal for "Doorway" mode or "IBM-PC" emulation for some doors to work properly. Please ask your Sysop. Here are the Doors menu choices: E => Enter a Door You will be prompted to enter the name of a Door. It may take a few seconds before the door program begins execution. Once you've entered the Door, follow the operating instructions for the program you've selected. You can exit the Door at any time by typing a special character three times in rapid succession (a message will appear when you enter the Door that will tell you which character to use). L => List available Doors This option will give you a list of the Doors available to you. It will show the Door's name, a short description and the surcharge for using this Door. The surcharge is the number of additional credits you will be charged per minute while in that Door. X => Exit Doors Exits the Doors module and returns to the previous menu. THE GAME ROOM ------------- Here's an example of what the GAMEROOM menu looks like (if you are on a non-ANSI terminal/computer): +-----------------------------------------------------------+ | Come out and play on Multicom-4 in the GAMEROOM! | +-----------------------------------------------------------+ ACTION GAMES_________________ JUST FOR FUN_________________ Galactic Empire The Graffiti Wall Super Nova! TEXT ADVENTURE GAMES_________ GAMES OF SKILL & CHANCE______ Fazuul! The Multicom-4 Casino Quest for Magic Super Lotto! Guess What! Hangman Yahtzee GAMEROOM option, or X to exit: By typing in one of the select characters, followed by a RETURN, you can enter any of these different areas. ANDROIDS! --------- This game is only displayed on the menu if your system is ANSI. It requires ANSI graphics in order to work. The year is 2089. Humans have merged with machines to become the ultimate power of the known universe: ANDROIDS! The Androids stay in fighting trim by playing a game in which "prizes" of different values appear at random at various locations within an enclosed playing area. The object of the game is to accumulate as many points as possible, both by beating your opponents to the prizes, and by "ramming" your opponents to take their points away. You may become invisible at any time, to avoid pursuit, or to ambush your opponents. Special high-voltage obstacles litter the playfield, and the border is made of duodenum alloy -- points are deducted for colliding with any of these. "Top- Three" listings include Total Points and Points Per Hour. Androids! was the first real-time multi-player ANSI-graphics game developed for use with The Major BBS. Each player is represented by a letter (or sometimes a question mark) that moves around under that player's control, picking up "prizes" (represented by digits, question marks, or diamonds), and trying to "ram" the letters representing the other players. Running over a prize adds that prize's value to your score, and makes the prize disappear. Similarly, when you ram into another player, points are subtracted from that player's score and added to yours (assuming the other player has any points to give you), and the other player is sometimes teleported to a random new location. Each time you collide with a wall or any of the obstacles in the playfield, you lose points. If your system-type is "IBM PC or compatible," then "IBM extended character set graphics" are used to display the playfield. Otherwise, simple @-signs are used, although they may appear in different colours if your system has colour- display capability. Upon entering the game, you're given this prompt: Enter "P" to play, "T" for Top-Three, "D" for details, or "X" to exit: If "P" is selected, then the screen clears and the playfield is drawn. If your cursor-movement keys generate ANSI output, you can use them to move around. This works under standard PC comm programs such as ProComm and Telix. Otherwise, use the diamond-shaped set of keys I, J, K, and M: I means "move up," J is "move left," K is "move right," and M is "move down." Hit the space bar to become invisible. Hit RETURN or at any time to interrupt play. Top-Three listings are maintained in two categories: total points, and points- per-hour. This is because total points achieved can be arbitrarily high, if a member is willing to stay on long enough. So in a sense, a top rating in points-per-hour is a better indicator of game skill, whereas total points measures perseverance. THE CASINO ---------- The Casino is an interactive collection of poker games where you can compete against other players like yourself, or against computerized players. During the flow of a game, you will always be informed of what is happening. When it is your turn to do something, you will be prompted with a message and a question mark. You can hit ENTER at any time to find out what the current state of a game is. The following is a list of valid Casino command words. Some of the commands may only be used at certain times during the play of a game. To use a command, just type the command word as it appears below when you see the Casino prompt. All commands may also be abbreviated by first typing a slash (/), followed by any number of matching letters of the command word. For example, /H is the same as typing HELP. HELP or ? - Displays a list of help topics. ANTE - Used by dealers to set the ante. BUY - Used to buy chips with credits. CALL - Matches the current bet amount. CARDS - Shows the cards you are holding, or another player's cards. CHIPS - Shows how many chips you are holding. CREDITS - Shows the number of credits you have in your account. EXIT or X - Exits either the table you are at, or the Casino. FOLD - Used to drop out of game. GAME - Used by the dealer to change poker games. PASS - Used to pass the opening bet, or the deal. PLAYERS - Shows who's where in the Casino. POT - Shows how many chips are currently in the pot. SHUFFLE - Used by dealers to shuffle the cards before starting a game. SIT - Used to sit down at a table if you are currently a spectator. TABLE - Used to switch tables. TIME - Displays the current time and date. Five Card Draw: In this game, each player is dealt five cards. A round of betting follows in which players make bets based on the rank of their hands. After all bets are in, each player may exchange up to three cards in his or her hand for new ones from the deck. If you feel your hand is good enough already, then you don't have to draw any cards. Once all players have drawn, there is a final round of betting. At the end of this round, the player with the highest ranking hand wins all the chips in the pot. Stud Poker: There are two versions of stud poker: 5-card and 7-card. For 5-card stud, players are dealt the first card face down, the next three cards are dealt face up on the table for all players to see, and the final card is dealt face down. A round of betting follows each round of cards dealt by the dealer. In 7-card stud, players are dealt two cards face down to begin, the next four cards face up, and the final card face down. Again, a round of betting follows each round of cards dealt by the dealer. Jacks or Better This game is identical to 5-card draw except at least one player must have a pair of jacks or better to open the betting and begin the game. If no one can open the betting, the cards are re-shuffled and all players must re-ante the initial bet to stay in the game. Blackjack Blackjack is played by trying to get as close to twenty-one points as possible without going over. Cards numbered from 1 through 10 are worth their face value in points. Jacks, queens, and kings (face cards) are all worth ten points. An ace can be used as either eleven points or one point. All players bet against the house dealer, and try to get a higher number of points than the dealer to win. If the total of your cards goes over 21, you lose. If you are dealt an ace and another card worth 10 points, you win with what is called a "natural Blackjack." Ranks of Hands The following are valid poker hands, ranking from highest to lowest: Royal flush - an ace-high straight flush. Straight flush - 5 cards of the same suit, ranking consecutively. Four of a kind - 4 cards of the same rank. Full house - 3 cards of one rank and 2 of another. Flush - 5 cards of the same suit. Straight - 5 cards ranking consecutively. Three of a kind - 3 cards of the same rank. Two pairs - 2 cards of one rank and 2 cards of another rank. One pair - 2 cards of the same rank. FAZUUL ------ You have arrived on FAZUUL, a lush pleasure planet discovered years ago by a number of shipwrecked space captains. At the time of its discovery, FAZUUL was a harsh, forbidding world of intense dry heat and endless rolling sand dunes. Now, however, through the miracles of kwish-age engineering, FAZUUL has been transformed into a beautiful leisure paradise, fully equipped with all of the essentials of the up-to-date resort planet. Due to a quantum fluctuation of the void, however, the entire tourist mass transit system on FAZUUL has been incapacitated. Vacationers can beam in but they can't beam back out! Or can they? As a marooned vacationer on this paradise planet, you and your fellow marooned vacationers may be able to figure out the alien technology lying around, pool your resources and knowledge, and find a way to escape. Or, if you like, you can spend your time playing the various Galactic games that have been installed as part of the resort's facilities, such as Foonball and Umflungoo. Or, you are free just to explore around, talk with other players, fight with them, or do whatever you like! Talking You can talk to other players in your immediate vicinity by typing the word "say", followed by whatever it is you want to say to them. If you want your voice to carry further, use "shout" or "yell". Everyone within hearing distance will hear you. If you want to communicate privately with another player in your immediate area, you can type "whisper to so-and-so", followed by your confidential message -- other players nearby will only know that you have whispered something, not what it is you whispered. Moving around You move around by telling FAZUUL the direction in which you want to move: north, south, east, or west (or just N, S, E, or W for short). Sometimes, depending on the situation, other moves will also make sense. FAZUUL keeps track of the last five places you have visited, and gives you the full description of the place only if it is not one of these last five. You may tell FAZUUL always to give you short place-descriptions by typing "brief" (this may be undone by typing "nonbrief"). Trading You can trade crackers, goods, services, and information with other players any time you like, in any way you like. Typing "give such-and-such to so-and-so" will cause the item to be transferred to the player you specify, assuming that (a) you possessed it in the first place, and (b) the specified player is in your immediate area. The item can be either a device you are holding, or a count of crackers (for example, "GIVE 5 CRACKERS TO BEELZEBUB"). The terms and conditions of any sale are entirely yours to work out with your co-conspirator. Exiting the game To quit FAZUUL, type "exit", or just "x". Your player will be placed into "hypospatial stasis," which means that you will vanish from the FAZUUL universe, but that your complete status will be saved, awaiting your return to the game. Any objects you are holding go into hypospatial stasis with you, so that you can pick up playing again right where you left off. If you are lost in the jungle or something and merely wish to restart the game afresh, just type "restart". Strategy The original inhabitants of FAZUUL all perished thousands of years ago of biological causes, leaving behind odd bits and pieces of incredibly advanced technology. The technology takes the form of the various objects with strange names that you find lying around here and there. Since they are based on advanced alien technology, their various purposes may not be apparent to you at first, but by experimenting around with them you may find that some of them have amazing properties. You can also assemble the objects together in various ways to make more complex and interesting devices (e.g. "ATTACH THE GWINGUS TO THE MONGOO"). These combined devices can then be further combined, and so on. A major portion of the information you will be trading with other players relates to which devices combine with which others, what they do when combined, how you activate them, the side effects they might have, and so on. Getting help Once you're in the game, help is available on all of these topics. Just type "help" from inside FAZUUL for more information. GALACTIC EMPIRE --------------- Please ask for a special GALACTIC EMPIRE MANUAL for more information about this complex, real-time, multi-player game. GRAFFITI WALL ------------- The Graffiti Wall allows you to type one-line anonymous messages for others to read. All messages should be treated lightly. When writing graffiti, try to maintain a positive outlook; the Zaibatsu don't take lightly to insults, and they have ways of finding out who you are... The city cleaning crews clean the wall every few days, but despite their efforts, the graffiti always comes back. Please bear in mind when using the wall that abusive personal, racist, sexist, or other highly offensive slogans may get you snuffed out. You never can tell who might be watching from the vacant lot across the street.... GUESS WHAT! ----------- GUESS WHAT! is a game where you try to guess the hidden word, phrase, thing, etc., by guessing individual letters of the puzzle. The faster you come up with the correct answer, the more points you get. THE PLAY SCREEN: The puzzle area may consist of up to four lines. At the start of each round, all the letters of the puzzle are hidden. As you begin guessing, the letters you have guessed correctly will be revealed in the puzzle area. Below the puzzle area is a line displaying certain game statistics: Puzzle Category - The puzzle category is the first piece of information shown on the statistics line. This gives you some sort of clue as to what the puzzle is about. Round Score - Your score for the current round is displayed to the right of the puzzle category. This shows you how many points you have accumulated for the current round. This score is also reflected in your total game score. Game Score - Your total score for the game is shown just to the right of the Round Score. This is the total number of points you have accumulated so far in the game. Used Letters - All the way to the right of the statistics line is where the letters of the alphabet are displayed. As you begin guessing, the letters you have used are removed from the list. PLAYING: You play by rounds. Each round you will have to solve a new puzzle. You score points by guessing correct letters. If there is more than one usage of an individual letter in the puzzle, then you score points for each usage. You begin each turn by spinning a point wheel (imaginary of course). This will determine how many points you will score for each letter that is revealed on a correct guess. However, if you make an incorrect letter guess, you may lose points! There is also one bankruptcy space on the wheel. If this comes up, you lose all points accumulated during the round. You may not guess vowels. Vowels must be bought with points. Each time you guess a vowel, it will cost you, whether your guess is correct or not. When all the consonants of a puzzle have been guessed, you will get a warning that only vowels remain. At this time, you may attempt to guess the puzzle, or continue buying vowels. You may attempt to guess the puzzle at any time in a round. If your guess is incorrect, you will lose the round. One more note about guessing the puzzle: You MUST enter all punctuation (if any) as it appears in the puzzle display. If you guess a puzzle correctly, you will receive bonus points depending on how many letters remain hidden in the puzzle. It is definitely to your advantage to guess the puzzle as soon as you know what it is. If at the end of the game your score qualifies for the Top 10 list, it will be added and you will be notified. So put on those thinking caps and have fun! HANGMAN ------- Hangman is a take-off of the ol' time favorite word game of hangman, but with a twist of casino-type gambling! You make a bet, and then the computer randomly chooses a word/phrase from its large database. You then may guess one letter at a time in an attempt to figure out the word/phrase. You may only guess each letter in the alphabet once (all occurrences of the letter will be shown with the first guess). After 10 wrong guesses, you lose your bet. At any time, you may also take a guess at the entire word/phrase; however, if you guess incorrectly, you'll lose automatically. There are only letters (no numbers, hyphens, or special characters) in each word/phrase. You may exit in the middle of a game by typing "*", but you will lose half of your wager. There is a minimum wager of 10 chips, and a maximum of 10,000 chips. Each time you log into the system, if you have less than 100 chips, you are given 100 chips to play with. LOTTO ----- In this module, you can purchase lotto tickets, each of which is comprised of a special sequence of numbers that you select. Each lotto ticket you buy, you buy with credits you have on-hand, and those credits are immediately added to the day's "pot." This pot accumulates all day long -- every time a member buys a ticket, the price of that ticket is added to the pot. Every night, a winning ticket is drawn. If any of your tickets match the winning one (the order of the numbers doesn't matter), you win the entire pot! (If more than one member has the matching numbers, the pot is divided evenly between the winners.) QUEST FOR MAGIC --------------- Quest for Magic is a multi-player fantasy adventure. You will start off as a wandering apprentice of an ancient wizard. Your master has recently died, but he sent you on a Quest with his last dying words. The Quest? To restore the lost magic of the world of Peyennuu. Ever since the evil Duke of Drajorth stole or destroyed most of the known magical incantations, the world of Peyennuu has slowly eroded from a prosperous paradise into a poverty-stricken wasteland... but there is hope. It is believed that the evil Duke hid many of the incantations in his underground fortress. Someone cunning enough... someone brave enough... someone with the true gift of magic might be able to enter the Dungeon of Drajorth and find the ancient incantations of the lost spells. You, with your courage (or foolishness?), have decided to take on this perilous Quest, but be forewarned! No one is really sure what became of the Duke, and he was (and possibly is still) one of great power. This game is a multi-player "text adventure," meaning that you interact with an imaginary adventure world by issuing commands at your keyboard, like this (players' keystrokes are shown in all CAPS): >GO NORTH ...You're standing on a marble walkway. Constructed from some of the finest marble of the land of Peyennuu, this majestic passageway leads to the east and to the west. There is an amulet lying on the floor. >TAKE AMULET ...Okay, you got the amulet. >EXAMINE AMULET ...The amulet is made from some sort of yellow crystal, and it sparkles with a dazzling glow. Although it appears to be only a small gem, you sense it has great powers hidden away in its many facets. >GO WEST ...You're standing in an abandoned priest's chamber. If there was anything much in this room years ago, it is gone now. A dank, moldy smell fills the air. There is a doorway to the south, and a small shrine to the west. The key advantage of this game over conventional single-user text adventures is that players can interact with each other, within the context of the simulated adventure world. For example, if two players happened to run into each other in the priest's chamber, their sessions might look like this: WHAT PLAYER 1 (Orion) SEES: | WHAT PLAYER 2 (Gilgaroth) SEES: ---------------------------------------------------------------------- >GO WEST | ...You're standing in an abandoned | *** priest's chamber. If there was | Orion has just appeared, from anything much in this room years ago,| the east! it is gone now. A dank, moldy smell | fills the air. There is a doorway | to the south, and a small shrine to | the west. Gilgaroth is here. | | >LOOK AT ORION *** | ...An aura of power surrounds Gilgaroth is looking you over. | Orion, and the brilliance | radiating from her garments | stings your eyes. She is | holding an amulet. >SAY GREETINGS, STRANGER! | ...Consider it said. | *** | Orion says: greetings, stranger! | >SAY THAT IS MY AMULET THAT YOU | STOLE, YOU THIEF! *** | ...Consider it said. Gilgaroth says: that is my amulet | that you stole, you thief! | | >KILL ORION *** | ...Why would you want to do that? Gilgaroth is trying to kill you! | The idea is that everyone who has selected the game option from the main menu is placed in the same adventure world together. This does not necessarily mean that they are all on top of each other: each player is free to move around the adventure world independently of the others, so players typically form small "bands" of two to six people, and go exploring together. Or, some people enjoy fighting with others, which they can do with weapons, or spells, or a little of both. Some people just like to sit and talk, or play magic tricks on each other, to show off their mastery of the game. All tastes are accommodated. Quest for Magic takes place in the lost kingdom of Peyennuu, a once-magnificent cave network destroyed long ago by the evil Duke of Drajorth. Starting with a few ambiguous hints, you can build up your magical powers and knowledge to awesome, monumental proportions, at the pinnacle of which you may acquire the capacity to port yourself out of Peyennuu altogether. After selecting Quest for Magic from the main menuing system, you may type "help" (or just a "?") to get some more information about playing this game. SUPERNOVA --------- Your mission is, simply put, to destroy the enemy's galaxy before he destroys yours. You do this by entering sector coordinates where you wish to detonate your SN-101 Hydroplasmatic Antimatter Destruct (H.A.D.) bomb. This bomb is capable of destroying entire planetary solar systems by causing their suns to explode into supernovas. Each of you will be given a chance to hide your stars. You have five stars to hide (making up your galaxy). When your galaxy is destroyed (when your opponent hits all five stars), you lose. You will see two grids on your screen: YOU OPPONENT 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5 .---------------. .---------------. 1 | * . . . . | | . . . . . | 2 | . . . * . | | . . . . . | 3 | . * . . . | | . . . . . | 4 | . . . * . | | . . . . . | 5 | . . . . * | | . . . . . | `---------------' `---------------' The asterisks (*) on your grid indicate the locations that you chose to hide your stars. The player who completes the hiding of his stars first gets the first shot. YOU OPPONENT 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5 .---------------. .---------------. 1 | * . . . . | | . . . . . | 2 | . . . * . | | . . . O . | 3 | . * . . . | | . . . . . | 4 | . . . * . | | . X . . . | 5 | . . . . * | | . . . . . | `---------------' `---------------' On the opponent's grid: O - Indicates you guessed this sector and missed. X - Indicates you guessed this sector and hit one of his five stars causing it to go supernova. YOU OPPONENT 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5 .---------------. .---------------. 1 | * . . . . | | . . . . . | 2 | O . . * . | | . . . O . | 3 | . X . . . | | . . . . . | 4 | . . . * . | | . X . . . | 5 | . . . . * | | . . . . . | `---------------' `---------------' On your grid: O - Indicates your opponent guessed this sector and missed your stars. X - Indicates your opponent guessed the correct sector of one of your five stars and destroyed it. Score Your score is based on the number of games played, number of games won, and the number of kills you have. The chart below displays the best score and the worst score: BEST ====> 100.0 . WORST ===> 0.0 YAHTZEE ------- You play Yahtzee by rolling five dice to form combinations of numbers, which you then score points on depending on the outcome of the roll. You get three rolls per turn to achieve the desired combination of dice. There are thirteen possible scoring combinations, or areas, which are: SECTION-1: COMBINATION POINTS -------------- ------------------------------------------------------ Ones ? Add up all the ones for a maximum of 5 points. Twos ? Add up all the twos for a maximum of 10 points. Threes ? Add up all the threes for a maximum of 15 points. Fours ? Add up all the fours for a maximum of 20 points. Fives ? Add up all the fives for a maximum of 25 points. Sixes ? Add up all the sixes for a maximum of 30 points. If you manage to score 63 or more points in Section-1, you will get a bonus of 35 points. SECTION-2: COMBINATION POINTS -------------- ------------------------------------------------------ 3-of-a-kind ? You must have at least three dice showing the same number. Example: 1 1 1 4 6 Add up all the dice for your score. 4-of-a-kind ? You must have at least four dice showing the same number. Example: 5 5 5 5 2 Add up all the dice for your score. Full house 25 A full house is made by rolling a combination of two dice of the same number and three dice of the same number. Example: 2 2 5 5 5 Small straight 15 A small straight consists of at least four dice, numbered sequentially. Example: 1 2 3 4 6 Large straight 30 A large straight consists of all five dice, numbered sequentially. Example: 1 2 3 4 5 Scratch ? This is a free-score area allowing you to add up all the dice for your score. No special order or sequence is needed. You may use the scratch any time. Yahtzee 50 A Yahtzee occurs when all five dice are the same number. You score 50 points for this! Your final score is the total of Section-1 + your bonus (if any) + the total of Section-2. The highest possible score is 332 points. PLAYING THE GAME: You begin play by rolling all five dice. You then have the option of rolling again, or scoring your roll. You can choose which die to re-roll by specifying the die numbers. For example: R)oll, S)core, Q)uit, or ? to re-display: R124 ...will re-roll only the die numbers 1, 2, and 4. This allows you to keep combinations of dice to build upon. To re-roll all the dice, you would enter the following command: R)oll, S)core, Q)uit, or ? to re-display: RA ...the letter A meaning "ALL" the dice. After your third roll, you must score the dice as they are. However, you do not have to roll all three times. You may select S)core at any time to see which areas have not been scored. You may score each area on the score card only once. If you do not meet the requirements for a certain combination, you will score a zero for that area. System Policies --------------- MULTICOM-4 DATA SERVICES, INC. -- THE MULTICOM-4 BBS NETWORK POLICIES AND PROCEDURES OF OPERATION ==================================== The MULTICOM-4 Bulletin Board System is a not-for-profit, private, free service available to anyone, twenty-one years of age or older, who agrees to abide by the policies and procedures that are outlined below. [Note: The age limit was changed 08/08/91 in response to numerous user requests. Members who were of Eighteen (18) years or older, who are already on-line before this change will remain on-line unless their actions on this System warrent the removal of his/her account. In such a case wheras an underage (18-20) member is removed from the system for any reason, he/she/they will NOT be granted access again until he/she reach the age of Twenty-One (21). Sig-Ops (SIG Operator(s)) must be Twenty-One (21) years old, or older.] [Note: participation in the MULTICOM-4 Bulletin Board System does not, in any way, indicate the sexual orientation of the user.] Purpose ======= The MULTICOM-4 Bulletin Board System functions as an educational and social system providing its users a convenient electronic medium by which information may be distributed and obtained. THe MULTICOM-4 Bulletin Board System was intially created and designed to meet the needs of the Rochester gay and lesbian community. Since its inception, the service of the system have expanded providing information exchange of an educational, health, social, politicial, religious and entertainment nature. The MULTICOM-4 Bulletin Board System does not restrict its use to members of the gay and lesbian community. The policy of the MULTICOM-4 Bulletin Board System is that it grants access to any party over the age of twenty-one (21) without regard to sex, sexual preference or sexual affection, race, creed, religion, or handicap. Liability ========= The MULTICOM-4 Bulletin Board System and its System Operator(s) (Sysop(s)) assume no responsibility for the accuracy of any information appearing in or provided by this service, including personal communications between users. No warranty is expressed or implied regarding the integrity of information stored in this system or the length of time such information will remain available. The inclusion of the name of any individual, business, or organization in any message/information supplied through this system does not, in any way, indicate the sexual orientation of that person or the owners or officers of that business or organization. Content ======= Any messages posted in this system by its users that may appear to be, in the opinion of the Sysop(s), bigoted, slanderous, obviously inaccurate, offensive, anti-gay or anti-lesbian in nature, or that appear to be illegal or for illegal purposes will be removed. The Sysop(s) reserve(s) the sole right to evaluate messages according to these criteria. The MULTICOM-4 Bulletin Board System may not be used for the solicitation of sex with minors. All users of the MULTICOM-4 Bulletin Board System affirm that they are over 21 years of age. Any intentional falsification of age or any other information when applying for access privileges, or any attempt to use this system to solicit sex with minors is considered sufficient justification for immediate and permanent termination of access privileges. Further, modification or deletion of user identification information from the account tracking files (i.e., changing personal account information after the account is verified) is also sufficient justification for immediate and permanent termination of access privileges. Accuracy of your personal data (full legal name, residential street address, residential telephone number etc.) information in the "account information" section of the MULTICOM-4 Bulletin Board System is required for both initial verification and on-going usage of the system. User's Rights and Responsibilities ================================== Each individual user on this board is assigned an account with a unique user account name ("handle") and password. Each user is expected to carefully protect the security of his/her password and to change those passwords often to avoid possible unauthorized access. Each "handle" is assigned for the use of one (and only one) individual user. It is forbidden for any user of the MULTICOM-4 Bulletin Board System to "loan" his/her user account name or password to any other person for any purpose. Further, each individual user is entitled to one (and only one) account on this system. Duplicate accounts will be removed. Any individual attempting to violate these policies may, at the discretion of the Sysop(s), have his/her access to the MULTICOM-4 Bulletin Board System removed for no less than six (6) months. Every user is entitled to one half an hour of connect time to the MULTICOM-4 Bulletin Board System per day. This "free" access allotment will be refreshed at approximately 5:00 a.m. daily. For those users who wish additional connect time per day, additional time may be obtained through a donation of $.50 per hour ($5.00 minimum donation). Funds collected in the form of donations (through the sale of credits and otherwise) will be used to support the on- going development and operation of this system and are non-refundable. Appropriate levels of courtesy, responsibility, respect and common sense will be expected from all users of the MULTICOM-4 Bulletin Board System. Disagreements, exchanges and debates are to be handled in a mature, adult manner. All public communications (i.e., those contained within the Special Interest Groups (SIGS), Teleconference, etc.) will avoid the use of real names, telephone numbers or addresses. Any messages posted that contain any of this information will either be immediately deleted or edited (at the discretion of the Sysop(s)); in addition, the posting user may have his/her access to the system restricted. Threats of aggression, either between or toward any users of the MULTICOM-4 Bulletin Board System, will not be tolerated in any form. In the case of such threats, legal counsel will be consulted and the offending user(s) will be removed from the system immediately and permanently. Users may, if warranted, request that their account name ("handle") be changed. If such a change is approved, the user's existing account will be immediately deleted. The user may then (after a fifteen (15) day waiting period), log onto the system again as a "new" user. During this moratorium, the user will not be allowed any access whatsoever to the system. Any individual, organization or any other entity accessing this system does so at his/her/their own risk and responsibility. Neither MULTICOM-4 DATA SERVICES, INC., MULTICOM-4 Bulletin Board System, MULTICOM-4 BBS NETWORK nor the Sysop(s) assume any responsibility regarding the personal use of information supplied by this system, the appropriateness of that information supplied by this system, the appropriateness of that information to the user's needs or any consequences of such subsequent use. The Sysop(s) of the MULTICOM-4 Bulletin Board System STRONGLY discourage(s) the inclusion of such information as personal telephone numbers, credit card numbers, or any other sensitive data that may be used illegally or cause embarrassment or harassment. Any individual user who chooses to include real names, telephone numbers, addresses, credit card numbers or any other information of any kind does so entirely at his/her own risk, and by so doing, personally assumes all responsibility therefor. NEITHER THE SYSOP(S), NOR MULTICOM-4 DATA SERVICES, INC. ASSUME ANY LIABILITY, IN PART OR WHOLE, IN ANY MANNER OR NATURE OF WHATEVER KIND AS A RESULT OF ANY LOSS INCURRED BY ANY INDIVIDUAL, ORGANIZATION OR OTHER ENTITY AS A RESULT OF THE POSTING OF ANY INFORMATION AS AFOREMENTIONED OR ANY OTHER INFORMATION OF ANY NATURE, MANNER OR KIND. Confidentiality =============== All information entered in the "personal data" section of a new account application is considered strictly confidential. Also, any information about a user of the system that is learned by the Sysop(s) in the normal course of events/transactions in operating the system will be considered strictly confidential; within the limits of the law, this information will not be divulged to anyone. In simple terms, this means that the Sysop(s) of the MULTICOM-4 Bulletin Board System will not violate any statute or law in maintaining confidentiality -- if a law enforcement agency serves a court order, we will be forced to comply and supply our records. User Acceptance =============== Application for access to the MULTICOM-4 Bulletin Board System and use of that privilege implies acceptance of all the policies, procedures and responsibilities herein contained. By logging onto this system as an approved user, the user affirms such acceptance and agrees to indemnify and hold harmless, (corporately and individually), the MULTICOM-4 Bulletin Board System, MULTICOM DATA SERVICES, INC. AND its Sysop(s) from any and all claims and expenses, including reasonable attorney's fees, in any actions directly or indirectly related to the use (or as a result of the use) of this system. Illegal Activities ================== The usage of the MULTICOM-4 Bulletin Board System for illegal purposes (such as prostitution, sale or distribution of controlled substances, solicitation of sex with minors, etc.) will not be tolerated. Offenders will be permanently removed from the system and all information regarding the user's activities will be subsequently turned over to the appropriate legal authorities. Consequences ============ Repeated disregard for or violation of the above regulations, as well as any use of the MULTICOM-4 Bulletin Board System for illegal purposes or activities, or any attempt to disrupt or interfere with the operation of this system (either directly or through provision of information or assistance to another attempting to do so), shall be sufficient cause for immediate termination of any access privileges. These consequences will occur at the sole discretion of the Sysop(s). In addition, the Sysop(s) may choose to utilize any legal recourse as is appropriate to the circumstances involved. NOTE: The policies and procedures of the MULTICOM-4 Bulletin Board System are subject to change at any time and without notice and are established at the sole discretion of the Sysop(s). Revised: 29 JUL 1989 08 AUG 1991 29 MAY 1992 PUBLIC MESSAGING "SIG" POLICIES ------------------------------- ================================================================= MULTICOM-4 SIG USAGE, DEFINITIONS & GUIDELINES ================================================================= These general SIG USAGE, DEFINITIONS AND GUIDELINES are subject to alteration by the SysOp at any time with no advance notice; however, they may not be changed in a manner that would bring about any discrimination upon any member and/or group of members. ---------------------------- (I) SIG (Special Interest Group) ---------------------------- a) A SIG is a message forum or conference, wherein persons who are validated to use the system AND have access to the specific SIG are entitled to use the area within the specific guidelines set forth by the SigOp. b) SIGS may be public or private in nature. c) Membership to Multicom-4 in any fashion does not accede to any guaranteed read, write, upload, nor use in any other way of the SIG area(s) on Multicom-4. d) Guidelines set by the SigOp may not supersede the Multicom-4 System Policies. Use of any of the SIGS on Multicom-4 is not a guaranteed right; it is a privilege. e) Multicom-4 Data Services, Inc., offers no warrants, express or implied, regarding the accuracy, sufficiency, suitability, or merchantability of its service in any manner delivered herewith. -------------------- (II) SigOp (SIG Operator) -------------------- a) A SigOp is a person (or agent of a group of persons) that is accountable for proper use of his or her SIG, as determined by Multicom-4's system policies and/or his or her SIG guidelines. b) A SigOp must be of the legal age of twenty-one (21) at the time he or she is appointed. c) Any and all guidelines (i.e. policies) for particular SIGS must be prominently displayed in the SigOp's SIG HEADER at all times. d) The SigOp has the privilege to set the access levels of any individual and/or group based on his or her SIG GUIDELINES. These guidelines must be in effect for all members without prejudice. e) The SigOp is responsible for approving or declining uploaded files on a timely basis. Files that are declined must be forwarded and reported to the SysOp immediately via Electronic Mail. The original message and file are to be forwarded to the SysOp. Also, an additional message from the SigOp containing a valid reason why the file was NOT approved should follow the forwarded message. f) The SigOp is responsible for keeping the subject-matter of his or her SIG established and within specified parameters as well as an interest-bearing part of the system. g) MESSAGES WITHIN SIGS that do not remain within the subject-matter of the SIG TOPIC and/or do not remain within the guidelines of the specific SIG are subject to forwarding and/or obliteration by the SigOp or SysOp with no advance notice. h) SIGS that do not remain active and/or remain within the subject-matter of their topic are susceptible to cancellation by the SysOp with no advance notice. i) Guidelines set by the SigOp may not supersede the Multicom-4 System Policies. Use of the SIGS on Multicom-4 is not a guaranteed right; it is a privilege. j) The SysOp reserves the right to have final say regarding individual and/or group access levels to his or her SIG. ---------- (III) SIG Header ---------- a) The SIG HEADER is always the FIRST MESSAGE IN EACH SIG. You may view this at any time by going to a specific SIG and typing a question mark "?" twice from the SIG's MENU. b) The SIG HEADER will always contain the following: 1) The User-ID of the SigOp 2) The theme (subject-matter) of the SIG itself 3) Any and all guidelines (policies) for the SIG. c) Guidelines set by the SigOp may not supersede the Multicom-4 System Policies. Use of the SIGS on Multicom-4 is not a guaranteed right; it is a privilege. d) Guidelines are subject to alteration at any time with no advance notice; however, they may not be changed in a manner that would induce any discrimination upon any member or group of members. e) You should ALWAYS review the SIG HEADER to determine if a message is appropriate before posting (writing) a message in any SIG. ------------------------------ (IV) GENERAL USAGE NOTES/GUIDELINES ------------------------------ a) CROSS-POSTING. Placing the same message in more than one SIG could be considered displeasing by some members. If your message doesn't quite fit into any single SIG, you have the ability to cross post it (if you have access to this function), but the SigOp(s) and SysOp(s) reserve the right to delete and/or forward duplicate messages. b) PERSONAL SLAMS/PUBLIC HARASSMENT. Some of our SIGS are meant for public debate (such as the /Politics and /Theology SIGS). From time to time a debate may arise. This is what the SIGS are meant for. When an ARGUMENT arises between members, however, the SigOps have full authority to remove or forward messages, change individual access levels to their SIG(S) and/or recommend account deletion and/or suspension to the SysOp when they feel it is out of hand. A good rule of thumb is to attack the ISSUES and not the MEMBERS directly. Merely avoiding user names, User-IDs, or handles, however, does not necessarily mean that you are attacking an ISSUE. c) OTHER NETWORKS. There may be some special "EXTERNAL" SIGS on Multicom-4 that are part of outside networks, such as FidoNet, GayCom, and/or but not limited to InterNet. These areas will be clearly marked as such. Special rules apply to these (EXTERNAL) SIGS: 1) Some of these areas do not allow the use of our "UserIDs." If you WRITE (post) a message in areas like this, the system may use your REAL NAME from your personal (A)CCOUNT INFORMATION in the "from:" field. These areas will be clearly pointed out when you attempt to write a message in one of them. By posting a message in these areas, you agree to hold Multicom-4 Data Services, Inc., harmless from any legal indemnification as outlined in the general system policies, available for public viewing from the (I)NFORMATION CENTRE. 2) Specific areas may be operated by moderators that will have their own rules of conduct. These "external SigOps" will have the same rights and abilities as our internal SigOps. As far as Multicom-4 is concerned, external message bases are not governed under our system policies; however, our system policies remain in effect for any message that appears in our public message bases internal and external. The SysOp will have final say regarding acceptance of any outbound messages originating from Multicom-4, as our outgoing messages represent Multicom-4 to the general public. A fair, non-biased method shall be used without prejudgment for all members. 3) Members use "external SIGS" at their own risk. 4) Multicom-4 Data Services, Inc., offers no warrants, express or implied, regarding the accuracy, sufficiency, suitability or merchantability of its service in any manner delivered herewith. d) APPEALING FOR SIG ACCESS. If your access to any SIG has been changed, you have the privilege as a validated member of Multicom-4 to request, in writing via Electronic Mail, justification of why your access has been changed to the SigOp and/or SysOp. The SigOp/SysOp must reply to this inquiry ("appeal") on a timely basis without prejudgment. You will have the right to confront the SigOp and/or SysOp with the specifics regarding your access level change; however, the SigOp and/or SysOp reserves the right to have the final say regarding access levels in SIGS for ANY reason.