June 1, 1991 COWS! SHAREWARE NOTICE COWS is now SHAREWARE. It is a copyrighted program and must not be altered is any way. In fact if it is...it may not run, so there...pfffttt.... If you have not registered this version of COWS it is only 60% operational. You have no idea what you are missing if you have not registered it - so I suggest you do. To register COWS Send a check or money order for at least $10 to: Joe Blenkle P.O. Box 41746 Sacramento, CA 95841 You will be set an official registered COWS disk that is fully functional. If this is for a BBS, please include the BBS NAME, AREA CODE and PHONE NUMBER, and handle of the SYSOP. If you are ordering COWS for your home enjoyment, please include the name you would like to appear on the title screen. PLEASE NOTE: Canadian orders - Please submit your payment for COWS by postal money order (in U.S. funds). My bank charges a hefty service charge for out of country checks, but the good old U.S. Post Office will cash postal money orders with no problem. Foreign orders - Get me U.S. funds somehow! UPDATES & REVISIONS: There will be no further updates to COWS. As of v9.0, the program is finally finished. Anyone with registered versions older than v9.0 can get an update by sending a 3 1/2" disk and $3 to cover postage and handling to the above address. I guarantee the new COWS will be worth your $3. REMEMBER - When installing COWS on your BBS you must not rename or try to alter the program in any way. Doing so may render the program useless. NOTE: By registering COWS, you agree not to distribute your registered version to other users or sysops. The day I call XYZ BBS and find ZYX BBS' version up in the game section will be the day I trash my COWS master disk. I may also activate the hidden feature in COWS that renders any computer you own for the rest of your life useless (neat trick, eh!...but then that's COWS for 'ya). WHO AM I? - Nobody special. I am Sports Editor of The Orangevale News, a weekly paper in Orangevale, CA. I've always been interested in off-the-wall science fiction-fantasy type stories, hence COWS. The original COWS was very primitive, with the code "borrowed" from another BBS game. As I am no programming genius, Cheech Wizard (the then SYSOP of Dream Park BBS in Sacramento), re-worked the code, with some additions from Axolotl Tyrant of Axolotl BBS. Minor additions were added (and still are being added) by me. And, of course, the whole COWS story is mine, which says a lot about what I think about the world. Many people have asked me if I have written or plan on writing more games. As of right now, the answer is no. COWS started as a joke directed against a guy who called himself Mr. Moo. It wound up growing into a monster. I wouldn't know how to top COWS. If I ever do come up with another original idea for a new game, I may tackle one in the future. I would like to translate COWS to other computer systems as well. TAMPERING - It came to my attention some time ago that someone had tampered with a version of COWS and converted it into a program that could be used as a backdoor into the BBS it was being run on. I have taken steps to see that this does not happen again. And, of course, incorporated the BACKDOOR idea into the game -- guaranteed harmless, so don't worry -- COWS can no longer be altered in such a fashion to be harmful (I hope) or even be renamed or it will not run. FILES - This archive or disk should contain the COWS.PRG, CONFIG22.PRG, INSTRUCT.COW and the README.COW file. These files all need to be in the directory you set up for COWS. It may also contain a README.1ST file if I am sending an update to you or have something to say to you about this particular version of COWS. The COWS.PRG will be named COWS_90.PRG or some such thing depending on the version number. If you have sent in your money for a registered version, your disk will contain both the registered version and an unregistered version. Your registered version will be in an archive named after your BBS. The unregistered version will be named COWS_90.ARC (again, depending on the version). Please put the unregistered version on your downloads if you are running a BBS. COWS will also create several data files of its own for high score, hall of fame, etc... BUGS - I have been told on some bulletin boards that COWS gives an extra line feed when it is being played. If this happens on your BBS, it is local only. The user does not see this. It should not happen if you are playing COWS from your keyboard while your BBS is up either...just when someone actually calls in and plays it. I have no idea why this happens and I have yet to see it happen myself (I don't run a BBS). If you should detect any other bugs in COWS, please report them to me at the address found in this file. PRIVACY - I am a very private person. That is the reason I do not list a phone number in this file. I am not listed in the Sacramento, Calif., phone book either, although there is a J. Blenkle in there. It is not me. It is a relative who has nothing to do with COWS and does not take my messages. REACHING ME - If you really need to reach me in a hurry, I can be reached at the following BBS': AXOLOTL (916) 638-9923 and MIND KEEP (916) 723-1657 (official COWS Support BBS'); and also at the non-Cow BBS' EARL'S CASTLE (916) 967-1643; and OMNI (916) 386-2521. The non-cow BBS' may be better for you as you don't have to be validated to leave mail. SETTING UP COWS! - Should be very simple. Run the CONFIG.PRG and read the instructions carefully. If COWS will not run, you have either set it up wrong, or have a "tampered with" copy (in which case you will get a message saying it has been tampered with). Remember, you can't rename the program from its original name or it won't run. SYSTEM DATE - Please make sure your system date is set correctly. Some parts of COWS require the correct date or it might make for some confusing play late in the game. The Hall of Fame, Cow News and Error Log also use the date. HALL OF FAME - If you have a COWS version lover than v8.5, and are installing a higher version, you will need to RESET the HALL OF FAME by running the CONFIG.PRG. PLAYING COWS! - See the INSTRUCT.COW file which is viewable from within the game or readable from the desktop. The VERSION NOTES (viewable from within game) and PART II instructions (viewable at the start of Part II) may also be helpful. REGISTERED COWS - The registered version of COWS is fully activated. If you are playing an unregistered version, you are probably only seeing about 60% of the game. so REGISTER it today!!! Thanks Joe Blenkle P.O. Box 41746 Sacramento, CA 95841 JUNE 3, 1991 Henceforth, to document any additions or changes to COWS I will add on to this text file by date. Actually, at this point, there isn't really anything to add, but there are a lot of bizarre things roaming around in my head. A few days ago, I set out on a photo expedition through Orangevale, CA, looking for cows to shoot for the picture that would go on the official COWS envelope. I found two ideal subjects in a small field. They were ugly, they were drooling, they were covered with flies...they also refused to look at me except for a one second interval when I approached the fence - hence, the slightly out of focus picture you registered owners will see on the envelope you receive COWS in. Even more bizarre is the murder mystery in Folsom, CA where I work. Divers found a badly decomposed body in a weighted down bag that was apparently thrown off the Rainbow Bridge into the American River. Police were called in, of course, and when the bag of bones was brought out of the 40 feet or so of water, it was discovered to be the body of a cow. Police said that the way the body was tied and the bag was weighted down, it wasn't meant to be found. Everything is hush, hush about it now, but I believe Moovian agents killed an informant and tossed the body in the river -- it was obviously Moo-der... JUNE 10, 1991 As of v8.5, several new parts have been added for you registered users (if you are lucky enough to run across them), and for the first time since COWS went SHAREWARE, I have added a part at the beginning of the game for both registered and unregistered users. You might have to play the game a few times to find it, however. My list of registered users has grown by a few, but I'm still waiting for more (hint, hint)...after getting those first couple of checks in the mail, I'm feeling good about COWS I'd hate to not continue feeling that way... JUNE 26, 1991 A major bug in the Part II scoring was found and finally fixed. Unfortunately, several registered users received the buggy versions (Of course, I discovered the bug the day after I sent the registered users their disks). In Part II, the game would often deduct points, or not add them to the total at all. After completely removing the scoring routine, I found the glitch and was able to fix it. A few improvements and changes have been added to the scoring routine in Part II in this regard. Read the instructions on-screen if you make it that far. JULY 10, 1991 As of v8.6, non-registered users now have a slim chance (about 1-in-35) of getting to play a fully active COWS. Check the title screen to see if you are one of the lucky ones. In addition, non-registered users now have a chance to use the SECRET DEVICE found in Part II of the game. Sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn't...you gain points, of course, if it does, but you also lose points if it doesn't. Several other changes have also been made to make a few of the scenarios more interactive. A new ELITE HALL OF FAME for registered users has been added. This one records the names of those who complete the game, rather than score the most points...one does not necessarily preclude the other. See the HALL OF FAME section above for more information. You will need to run the CONFIG.PRG. JULY 27, 1991 A new scenario has been added to Part II of the game...it can be found by using the SECRET DEVICE and now brings the total number of SD scenarios to 12. The new scenario, if answered correctly, will effect other SD scenarios. I would advise reading everything -- even if you've played COWS many times, or you may miss something. The text now may change from play to play. More scenarios will be added in the future, further reducing your chances of blowing up or going into the past. The COWS title screen has been altered slightly, as well as the COW NEWS screen. Color users will notice the changes in COW NEWS. It will not change the display for ASCII/Mono players. IBM ANSI - I have reactivated ANSI color for IBM callers to Atari ST BBS'. It has always been part of the COWS game, but it had been buggy and I finally fixed it. BLACK BACKGROUND/WHITE TEXT - Since the default for IBM terminal programs seems to be a black background with white text, this is how COWS is set. If you are playing ANSI with a white background and black text, chances are your display will screw up. Color on the ST does not seem to have this problem. I have also noted that while playing COWS via a BBS on an IBM, the single quote marks used throughout the game when a character is speaking are reversed on the left. What appears as 'The cow looked baffled.' on the ST will have the left quote mark turned the wrong direction. This is because the ST displays the mark straight up and down, while an IBM displays it as a true apostrophe. If this bothers you IBM users - buy an ST!!! The README.COW file (what you are reading now) is now viewable from within the game from the MAIN MENU. Please be sure to include it on the drive/folder where the rest of the COWS files are. AUG. 11, 1991 With a few semi-final touches today, another 80k of uncompiled code has been added to COWS. I had thought this would be one of the last additions to COWS as I had drawn a line of 200k compiled and packed as the biggest COWS would get. Surprisingly, the final product was only 130k, so there is still room to grow some more (a new packing program has reduced this size even more!!!). This version (v8.7r) will only be run on a few select BBS' until I am satisfied all the bugs are out. Undoubtedly, more additions will be put in before my projected official release date of Jan. 1, 1992. Part III of the game is still in need of finishing. I will do that next and that will probably do it for COWS (ha, ha...in my dreams...). The newest addition to COWS can be found in the SECRET DEVICE section of Part II. It is the single largest addition to the game I have ever made and because there are so many variables involved, it's going to take quite a few plays to figure out exactly what the best choices are. Many are hidden in such a way that you have to stumble upon one to find another. Unlike other parts of COWS, this new scenario will not always play the same. While the answers might not necessarily change, what was a right answer on one play might kill you on the next. There are several ways through the scenario and there are many ways to get killed. Some parts of it may change in the future, as well, as I test and modify its playability. I am not saying what this new scenario is because I prefer to keep it a surprise...it adds a lot to the game and is lots of fun. You'll know it when you see it. Be careful, it is a departure from the rest of the game and takes some strange twists. I have also modified the display of COW NEWS and the option to read this file from the main menu so that you can break out of the READ during each page. Entering a 'C' will advance to the next page, while an 'X' will return you to the main menu. The main instruction file for COWS is now external from the program and readable via the main menu or from the desktop. AUG. 31, 1991 I have decided to release a new COWS version (8.9) ahead of my planned Jan. 1, 1992 deadline. There will still be one released then, however, and the way I've been going lately, there may be more in between now and then, as well. I have added so much more into the game that keeping the old version as the "current" release is unfair to the users. See the INSTRUCT.COW file for a hint of what has been added. I prefer to be mysterious about it as it is probably the best part of the game to date! SEPT. 24, 1991 As of v8.9, you need to run the new CONFIG22.PRG. I have renamed several of the files that the program writes to disk, as their old names were too common and may have caused files with the same names to be lost when they were overwritten. SEPT. 26, 1991 Do to another careless accident, a major portion of some new stuff I added to COWS was lost. I had already uploaded a test version to a local BBS, however, and I was able to recreate the lost portion fairly accurately by going through and playing it. I will be more faithful to keeping backups of my work disk in the future. OCT. 24, 1991 I am currently working on finishing Part III of the game. Bugs, bugs everywhere...it will not be installed until I am confident they are squashed. Part III is turning very complicated, which is odd, because it is basically a rewrite of another part of the game...too many new twists and variables, I guess. Part III will conclude the COWS game (I think)...future additions will stay within the current game. NOV. 13, 1991 Well, after three weeks of fooling around with Part III of COWS I came to the conclusion that the thing was never going to work right - IT BEAT ME! Grrrr... It was too complicated. So, I deleted the whole thing and am going to start over from scratch. I'm going to use the same basic premise for it, but will simplify the whole scenario. Actually, other than changing the story a little and cutting out a "graphic" display similar to what you may have seen in another part of the game it will, in fact, be the same. In fact, doing it the way I now plan to do it will open up a lot more adventurous options for it than were available before. NOV. 16, 1991 Except for debugging, Part III of COWS is done. Part III finishes the game and barring any major overhauls, that's it! NOV. 27, 1991 Finally! I declare COWS to finished. I've done everything I can do to it and still keep it a respectable size. You might say it's getting too big for its own good. The program itself is squished down to its 130k or so size...unsquished it's over 350k!!!! There are still a few things I'd like to add, but I am afraid they would add too many more k's to the code. I've already had one report of an OUT OF MEMORY situation from a BBS. Hopefully this will not happen elsewhere. I am comfortable with COWS the way it is, so that's the way it will stay. Many thanks to all the COWS fans out there!!! The most current version of COWS is now v9.0.