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Re: CF: proposed docs (longish)



On Jun 25,  2:53am, Brian Thomas wrote:
> Subject: CF: proposed docs (longish)
>
> 	Hi all,
>
> 	I would like to propose some new documentation for CF. Comments
> 	on the contents (add/delete/??) are encouraged. I have 3 documents
> 	in mind, respectively the 1st and 2nd are for players and the 3rd
> 	is an update to the developers document -- crossfire.doc. In terms
> 	of format, I plan some sort of image-embedded postscript (latex)
> 	layout for the 1st (and 2nd?) document(s) and continue to use an
> 	ascii document for crossfire.doc. Below I give my philosophical
> 	agenda and a potential outline (and/or changes) for each.
>

 Might I suggest that HTML might be better than latex/postscript?  Main
advantages being that it would then be very easy to put docs in a web
page (which can be very useful, since people connecting may not necesssary
be on hte same machine/network as the server, and thus can't get the local
source.)  Also, more people probably have HTML viewing tools than postscript
tools and/or more people know it (I am one such case - I am somewhat literate
in HTML, but not in latex/tex).


>
>
> 	*******************************************************************
> 	*******************************************************************
> 	Document Uno -- CF Player's Handbook
>  	------------------------------------
>
> 	IV. Hints for playing CF.
>
> 		Places to visit/things to do at early/medium levels (eg
> 		go to the "basic house", "newbie tower", buy some real
> 		armour, buy/learn some spells). Save your character often
> 		on servers, etc. Reading books for server-specific changes.
> 		Strategies for minimizing death and gaining exp. Save a
> 		load--change your money at the bank..etc.

 In theory, frequent character saving shouldn't be needed that much.  I would
hope
that if crashes are still a problem, people have compiled in the various
options that do automatic backup saves.

 Other than that, the doc sounds fine.  I actually started a little work on
such a doc, but didn't get very far until time constraints hit me (I was doing
an HTML version, so I could just put it on a web server and let anyone access
it..)

 Some other tips you might want to add are things like using the pickup command
to
only get the stuff you want, using the weight of items to better guess what
they might be, find out if stuff is cursed/magic before doing an identify, etc.
 Stuff that may not be really obvious, but can make the game easier.


> 	*******************************************************************
> 	*******************************************************************
>
> 	Document Dos -- "Tome of magic" and "Book of Prayers".
> 	------------------------------------------------------
>
> 	Lets update this w/ new spells and changes to older ones.
>

 I know someone started work on documenting the spells - actually send me the
base
format he was using.  Never got a completed list however (or at least that I
recall.)  But I do agree, an updated spell list would be a good thing.

> 	*******************************************************************
> 	*******************************************************************
>
> 	Document Tres -- "crossfire.doc" reborn.
> 	----------------------------------------
>
> 	Edit the current crossfire.doc. Merge in notes from skills_dev.doc,
> 	Multigod.doc, and update current notes. Also include information
> 	on how to use the check_inv, moodfloor archetypes. Hints on using
> 	the editor (?)

 What would probably be useful is one doc (maybe archetype.doc) which describes
meanings for all the various fields in the various archetypes - certain fields
have different meanings for different items.  crossfire.doc already does this
for some of hte items, but not all.

 Using the editor might be done better as its own doc.  While archetype fields
certainly might be chagned in the editor, the doc on the editor probably should
not say anything much more than how to do that, and then refer to the other doc
on specific things that you may want changed.

 It is certain that all these docs don't need to be done by the same person.





-- 
 --Mark