Quake-Manager Ver 1.75 Free

Visit the official homepage of the Quake-Manager !
  * http://ourworld.compuserve.com/homepages/Joerg_Aldinger

----------
 CONTENTS
----------

 1) Technical information
   1.1) System requirements
   1.2) Installation
 2) How to use QM
 3) Short explication
   3.1) Usergames (aka Quake-C patches) subsystem
   3.2) Usermaps subsystem
   3.3) What is being saved to QM.DAT ?
   3.4) Valid options for INI files
 4) Features and plans for the future
 5) QM-History
 6) Credits
 7) Support
   7.1) The author
   7.2) Availability
 8) Rights


--------------------------
 1) TECHNICAL INFORMATION
--------------------------

Remember :
The author doesn't take any responsibility on any problems encountered after
using QM. If QM does any damage to your system it is NOT the authors fault.
In other words : Use QM at your own risk ...

 1.1) System requirements
--------------------------
- Nothing special, except a mouse with an installed mouse driver.
   It is NOT possible to control QM only with your keyboard.
   Since only beginners play Quake with the keyboard,  ;-)
   this is acceptable I think.
- and, of course, a configuration that allows you to play Quake !
   QM will eat 5 more KB of conventional memory, but that's all.

 1.2) Installation
-------------------
- Just copy QM.EXE and QM.TXT to any directory on your harddisk.

- The first time you start up QM you will be prompted for several things.
  - The first thing QM wants to know is where your copy of QUAKE has been
    installed. (Only if the QM directory is different from the QUAKE dir.)
  - The second thing is the subdirectory for usergames. If you don't use any,
    just press enter. But then don't bother me with things like:
    "I found a usergame called ID1, but nothing happens ... " ;-)
    QM displays ALL directories in the path specified. I recommend creating a
    subdirectory called GAMES.
    Your directory structure would then look like this :

    C:\QUAKE\QUAKE.EXE
    C:\QUAKE\GAMES\MODGAME1\PROGS.DAT
    C:\QUAKE\GAMES\MODGAME2\PROGS.DAT

- Since v1.66 it is possible to have a QM.INI file. It is plain text format,
   and you can specify several options in it.

- Additionally there is the configuration file for Quake, named QM.CFG. It
   will be rewritten every time you launch Quake throughout QM. It is placed
   in your ID1 subdirectory, where your other .CFG files are too, I suppose.
   Any changes that you make to this file will be ignored.


------------------
 2) HOW TO USE QM
------------------

The options should be selfexplaining, if not, try it out ...
Just click around a little bit to get familiar with QM. It's really EASY !

Round brackets like that ( ), mean that you can enable or disable this
option. Click episodes or maps to select them, or within >  < to change the
string between.

To start Quake, click the "START QUAKE !!" button or press 's'.

To exit without starting Quake, hit the Esc-key.

QM has three pages for all its options. Clicking either the "Normal"-, the
"Extended"-, or the "Advanced"-Button will switch between the three pages.

----------------------
 3) SHORT EXPLICATION
----------------------

I hope QM helps you to maximize your time playing QUAKE. This means
to spend less time on configuring network-games and the like.

This is a fully functional freeware-version of the program. I tested it with
the Shareware v0.92, and with the Registered v1.01 and v1.06. It worked fine
with all of them. If you encounter any bugs, I'd appreciate an adequate bug
report. (Of course you'll be e-mailed an updated version, as soon as I fixed
the bug.)

QM was originally thought for network games. But it works pretty
well as a map or usergame selector for stand-alone games.

Actually, it is pretty much more helpful, than I first thought it would be.

 3.1) Usergames (aka Quake-C patches) subsystem
------------------------------------------------

THIS ONLY WORKS WITH THE REGISTERED VERSION OF QUAKE !!!

With the directory structure mentioned in the installation part above, you
can select two games from the list : modgame1, and modgame2. If you want to
start them manually from the commandline (although not needed, since you have
QM ;-) you would type e.g.:

QUAKE -game games/modgame1


 3.2) Usermaps subsystem
-------------------------

Forget this part if you have the shareware version of Quake.
Go buy Quake first. It is worth it.

If you are having usermaps for QUAKE you are maybe having different versions.
There are usermaps for the Shareware, and for the Registered version of QUAKE.
id does NOT want you to use usermaps for the Shareware version. If you have
some, they will NOT show up in the list. Your Registered version of QUAKE
would crash anyway, when you try to load a v.28 map, so I excluded them.

You should place every usermap in the same directory. QM doesn't search
different directories ! QM searches the ID1\MAPS subdirectory. Since QUAKE
does too, this is reasonable. If you unpacked your .PAK files there may be
lots of files that are not working as a map. (All the B_... files !). I
excluded these files from the list.

Maybe I will come to search for usermaps in user-modified .PAK files, but that
has a low priority for me right now.

Your directory structure with some maps may look like this:

C:\QUAKE\QUAKE.EXE
C:\QUAKE\ID1\MAPS\MAP1.BSP
C:\QUAKE\ID1\MAPS\MAP2.BSP
C:\QUAKE\ID1\MAPS\MAP3.BSP

It should not be too hard to get along with this ...


 3.3) Valid options for INI files
----------------------------------

Currently supported entries:
  (Press F1 in QM to save one. Then open it with a text editor and see...)

Comments are possible by using the C style // slashes. Lines with a length
less than 2 characters will be ignored. Any other unknown entries will cause
an error, though QM will not halt. QM will just inform you that an invalid
line has been found.

QM also allows you to have different INI files for different versions of
Quake. (e.g. one normal version, one accelerated version, ...)

For another INI file than QM.INI (here CB.INI) type:  'QM -ini cb'

If you have further questions (May be not well explained. True.) just drop me
a message in CIS' Action Games, Modem Games or 3D Gaming Forum or an e-mail.


--------------------------------------
 4) Features and plans for the future
--------------------------------------

Features included :

- mouse-controlled !
- Saving the previously used QM-configuration.
- a listbox for usermaps
- Possibility to load patches easily by simply scrolling through a list
- a variety of options :
   episode, map, gametype, hostname, # of players, deathmatch/coop, teamplay
   (mode 1 and 2), fraglimit, timelimit, playername, player's colors, execute
   additional .cfg-files, Skill
- automatic character check (no letters in fraglimit e.g.)
- possibility to place QM in any directory (does NOT have to be QUAKE dir)
- easily select the cheats with your mouse and launch quake to have them ...
- extended options (initial health, gravity, friction, ...)
- advanced cmdline stuff : select _every_ command line parameter by simply
   clicking on it
- possibility to load savegames, which are displayed with advanced
   information (like : name, health, monsters killed/left, secrets found ...)
- running under Win95 too !
- teamplay 2 mode (only for Quake v1.06 or other patches)

Features planned for QM v2.0 (in that order) :
--> Well actually i'm not quite clear how long I am going to continue the work
    on the Quake-Manager. Feel free to give me input, it might help.

- comments on the patches from an included file. This will be very helpful.
   (What did that patch do ? Which commands did I bind ? etc.)
- demo recording and demo playback controls
- Modem dialing options

---------------
 5) QM-HISTORY
---------------

What has been done ( QM Ver 1.00 Free -> QM Ver 1.20 Free) :
- Bugfixes :
   - the "-game" parameter worked incorrect, when no usergame should be used
   - the "coop" option did not work at all
- QM now uses less commandline parameters. A QM.CFG file will be created
   in the ID1-directory instead. Any previous existing QM.CFG file will be
   overwritten, so be careful if you have this file, and if, rename it !!!
   Do not try to add something to this file manually, because this will have
   NO effect ! It is rewritten every time you start QUAKE using QM.
- A new command alias has been added :
   Typing "usermaps" in the Quake-Console will display all Usermaps currently
   present in the ID1\MAPS-subdirectory. If you wish, you can bind a key to
   this alias like this : "bind <key> usermaps" (either in the console or in
   your .CFG file.)
- Some code optimization
- For those, who have unpacked their .PAK files, the unpacked original maps
   will not show up in the usermaplist.
- It is now possible to select some of the cheats, so that you have them when
   the map starts up (god, quad, weapons, no target and no clip).
- Usermaps with a version other than 29 have been excluded from the list
   (Sorry, but I think this may help id, as they don't want usermaps for
   the Shareware-version of Quake.)

What has been done ( QM Ver 1.20 Free -> QM Ver 1.50 Free) :
- Speeded up the Startup-Processor.
- Removed the Restart-option.
- Added the 's'-key to start Quake with the keyboard.
- Implemented the 'Cmdline Stuff'-section for
   - disabling cd-audio
   - debugging the console
- removed the invisibility option from the cheat corner, since it's
   impossible to implement it
- added gravity, maxspeed and friction to the cheat corner
- added the possibility to load games (displayed with advanced information)
- added the OS selection for QM running under Win95
- completed work in the cheat corner by adding the initial health option

What has been done ( QM Ver 1.50 Free -> QM Ver 1.60 Free) :
- QM is now looking for the mouse driver to be present.
   If not, QM fails to load.
- Some users had graphics errors when clicking somewhere due to the mouse
   cursor that has been located there. I set the pointer invisible for the
   time while updating the screen at that position.
- The lists for maps and patches are now sorted alphabetically.

What has been done ( QM Ver 1.60 Free -> QM Ver 1.65 Free) :
- do not wait for the mouse button to release, to scroll up/down in a list.
   (faster navigating through your maps/patches)
- increased the number of possible items in the lists from 64 to 250. (Now
   you can collect a whole bunch of maps/patches <g>.)
- removed some spelling mistakes
- bug fixes (puuhh...)
- some code tightening

What has been done ( QM Ver 1.65 Free -> QM Ver 1.70 Free) :
- bug fix (Boy... There was it !)
- added the rest of the command line parameters
- replaced the old QM.DAT file by a plain text QM.INI file
- added a new var for better support of other Quake versions: Executable
- removed the OS selection possibility (Executable is taken from INI file.)
- new: "save INI" option (by pressing F1)
- added support for multiple INI files
- removed some debug code

What has been done ( QM Ver 1.70 Free -> QM Ver 1.75 Free) :
- bug fixes
- added the possiblity to change the executable and PathToQuake from the GUI
- added "load INI" and "save INI" buttons and an INI selection box
- gave the option to loop QM and hereby play Quake even more ! :)


------------
 6) CREDITS
------------

Special thanx go out to

 - id software for QUAKE !!! (again and again ... ;-)
     -> YOU DID A REALLY GREAT JOB, KEEP ON GOING !

 - my beta-testers, as there are :
     - ME !              [Crazy Banana]
         -> :-)
     - Steffen Itterheim [Duke-Addict]
         -> Thanx for helping me out with information and suggestions.
            They will help to enhance QM.

 - a few QM users:
     - Swen Klemund
         -> for telling me about problems (mostly there weren't any ;)
            for some suggestions and for his Quake maps
            for publishing QM on his webpage (see below)
     - Celtic [MGF Staff], for having some good ideas
     - Rich Heimlich, for his wish on supporting multiple executables
     - Richard Stenson, for another option

 - some of my friends (in alphabetical order by the last name) :
     - Sven Elvers       [Ultimate Doomer]
     - Benjamin Mueller  [Cyber-Jack]
     - Uwe Rempler       [Sickboy]
     - all the guys, that i had a great session with <g>

------------
 7) SUPPORT
------------

 7.1) The author
-----------------

This text file by : Joerg Aldinger (01/16/97)
QM v1.75 by       : Joerg Aldinger (01/16/97)

I 'd like to hear comments on QM. Just send me a few lines :

  Internet : CrazyBanana@deathsdoor.com
  CServe   : Joerg_Aldinger

You can also visit my homepage !  Check out
  * http://ourworld.compuserve.com/homepages/Joerg_Aldinger
for more information about me.

 7.2) Availability
-------------------

Newer versions will be available through different resources:
- CompuServe :
   * Action Games Forum
   * Modem Games Forum
   * 3D Gaming Forum
   * Deutsches Action Games Forum
- WWW :
   * http://ourworld.compuserve.com/homepages/Joerg_Aldinger
   * http://home.t-online.de/home/Swen.Klemund
- FTP :
   * ftp.cdrom.com/pub/quake/utils/frontends/arc_qm.zip


--------------
 8) DISCLAIMER
--------------

QM is provided AS IS. The author does not take any responsibility for errors
or damage that QM may do, or anybody else may do through QM.

QM is Freeware, which means :
You are free to copy this program, if you are not going to take any profit
out of it, and as long, as the archive consists of these TWO files :
  * QM.EXE
  * QM.TXT

Do NOT make ANY changes to the program itself or this Textfile !
If you need any modifications, let me know.
Maybe you would like to thank me for QM, if you do so, please send bank notes
to my home address. It is available on my homepage. BTW, nothing under US-$100
will be accepted. ;)

MS-DOS and Windows 95 are registered trademarks of Microsoft Corp.
QUAKE is a registered trademark of id software, Inc.
