
                            DETONATION BLVD. BBS
                               (619)744-4500
                    
                 BEFORE YOU SURF THE NET, CRUISE THE BLVD!!!


Written 5/26/95  rev. 2/01/96
============================================================================
    

HOW TO PLAY ON DETONATION BLVD. BBS   TEXT FILE FOR NEW USERS

****************************************************************************

                             **** CONTENTS ****



I.        HOW TO USE MULTI-PLAY ON A BBS- A FEW THOUGHTS
II.       BASIC REQUIREMENTS
III.      DOOM OR DOOM2 VERSIONS & COMPATIBILITY
IV.       COMPUTER REQUIREMENTS
V.        HIGH SPEED MODEMS
VI.       INIT STRINGS
VII.      16550 UART
VIII.     SIRDOOM
IX.       HINTS & TRICKS TO SPEED UP GAME PLAY
X.        HOW TO USE THIS BBS
             














I. HOW TO USE MULTI-PLAY ON A BBS- A FEW THOUGHTS

There is a lot of confusion that exists as to how the BBS is able to play the
DOOM game (or any other for that matter). The answer is quite simple... it 
doesn't. 

The BBS only acts to connect your computer/modem to another computer/modem
as if the telephone line were one uninterrupted wire.  To use an analogy, it's 
sort of like a big bicycle tire.  In the middle of the tire is the hub, which
is the Detonation Blvd. BBS.  Radiating out from the hub are spokes on the 
bicycle tire.  Each one of these spokes is a phone line coming into the hub.
That is as good an analogy that I can come up with, but it basically
explains the wau the games are played on the board.  

As you are probably well aware, 2 player is pretty straightforward, just like
connecting 2 telephones. It's when you have 3 or more players (or 8 in 
Descent and Quake) that things get pretty wild.  Still the basic idea is just 
plugging all of the player's computers together as if they were telephones 
all on a conference line!

The DOOM game (or DOOM II, HERETIC, DESCENT, etc. ad infinitum) will still be 
run on your computer just as it always has. It will also run on the other 
player's computers. The only thing different is that these individual games 
will now share information regarding where the players are in the game.

So when one player moves, that information describing where he moved and how 
much he moved is forwarded to every game player(in this case by modem & across 
the BBS). Your game then receives that information and calculates where that 
other player moved to. The end result is that you get to watch the other
player racing across your screen with a rocket launcher aimed right at you!

This is technical jargon that is hopefully put into easy to understand terms.  
Don't freak out if you don't get it... you really don't need to know it to 
play a game on DTB BBS.



II. BASIC REQUIREMENTS- OR WHAT YOU NEED TO PLAY...

There are a few things you will need to have, check or configure in
order to have a fun and error-free gaming experience. The golden rule is, of 
course: the better equipment gives better results. On-line gaming wasn't 
even possible two years ago so we are bumping right up against technical 
limits which are eased by more powerful CPUs, Video cards and Modems. Here 
are the bare minimum requirements.


     A. Registered copy of DOOM or DOOM2
     B. Minimum 486-33 Computer
     C. High speed modem, Minimum 9600
     D. 16550 serial port UART
     E. Terminal program SIRDOOM (available here in the library section)
     F. Some time and patience to configure all of the above


I would like to take some time now and try to expand on this. It will probably 
save you quite a bit of time to actually read all of this so you won't have 
other users giving you a hard time when you ask a question that is already 
answered here. Also, it seems that if you just keep tweaking with it, you can 
get it to work.  My experience has been that if you fool with it long enough 
(just as long as you have a basic understanding of the problems being 
experienced) you can figure it out.  If all else fails, talk to your Computer 
Guru and bribe him/her with a Snicker's Bar.

II. DOOM or DOOM2 Versions & Compatibility

If you own DOOM2 you still can't play DOOM unless you own THAT also. If you 
own both, as well as HERETIC & DESCENT, then so much the better as you will 
probably be able to play most games that pop up here.

The DOOM/DOOM2 game will also only play with the same version of itself. So 
if you have the old version 1.666 and the others all have the 1.9
(latest version) then you will crash the game due to incompatibility.

We have Patches on DTB BBS, in the library section to bring your DOOM 
up to the latest version.

This also means if you are running any dehacked patches that modify the 
DOOM.exe file, that the game won't run unless the other players have the 
exact same patch installed. 

There is an added benefit: that nobody can cheat in a multiplayer game 
because the changes they made to the DOOM.exe in order to cheat would 
prevent their game from working with anyone else's.  Besides, aren't you 
tired of kicking the you-know-what out of the monsters using those cheat 
codes?!  The whole purpose of this bbs is to play a challenging game against 
real live opponents!



IV. COMPUTER REQUIREMENTS

a.  CPU- Again, the better your equipment the better the game... up to a 
POINT! One feature of "network" games like DOOM is that they will default 
to the speed of the slowest user. This means a Pentium will run great when 
hooked up with other Pentiums but will run like a 486-33 when hooked to a 
486-33. I'd use the Pentium given the opportunity. HOWEVER, in Descent and 
Quake, all players will stay at the speed of their machines. Now, this gives
us P5 users an unfair advantage.  I've been in games when it was also 
reversed on me where someone had a faster machine and was kicking butt in 
Descent.  The only thing I can recommend is that you try to find someone who
has the same kind of cpu to help cut down on the speed disadvantage.

For all practical purposes a 486DX4-100 seems to give about the same game as a
Pentium does, so if you are on a budget build a system with this processor.

b.  VIDEO CARDS-  These make a big difference too. Many video cards on the 
market have built in accelerators designed to make Windows graphics 
performance acceptable and they advertise great performance numbers. However, 
there is the problem that their DOS performance might be lousy as the card is 
so tweaked for Windows. Nevertheless, if you're in the market for a video 
card, make sure that it has some good DOS specs!

c.  SOUND CARDS- These can also make a difference. Cards that need the 
computer's CPU to create sounds can really slow system performance as it 
takes processor time away from calculating graphics. Cards like the Gravis 
Ultrasound offload nearly all of the sound card burden from the CPU.  
However, even with the Ultrasound, play is faster if you choose a 16 bit DMA 
channel instead of an 8 bit one. I know that SoundBlasters cost quite a bit, 
but you can't beat the performance on one of these babies.

d.  RAM- You must have at least 4 megs of RAM to play DOOM even in single 
player mode. You will definitely see the difference if you have 8 megs and 
use a bunch of that for a cache program like Microsoft's Smartdrive (included 
in DOS & Windows).

e.  MEMORY MANAGERS-   QEMM can work depending on your system. Others have had 
great luck with a memory manager called Netroom3 and it's ancillary program
Multimedia Cloaking. 

f.  TSR's-  Hey, I love them, but... the less you have the better off you are. 
Make sure SHARE.exe is NOT loaded.


V. HIGH SPEED MODEMS

Well, here again is the golden rule: A cheap modem is just that. The last 
thing you want is a no name modem that you picked up along the way. If you own 
one of these modems, get rid of the darn thing.  It will give you poor per-
formance in the games.  

Modem problems are nightmarish,  and my Guru and I have torn out what little 
hair is left trying to get numerous communications dilemma worked out.  Below 
is a list (by no means is it complete) of recommended modems:

     A. US Robotics Courier (The best out there!)
     B. US Robotics Sportster (My personal favorite)
          C. Practical Peripherals 28.8
          D. Intel 14.4 or higher

In order for this board to work it's best for you the user, you will want at 
least 14.4 and higher if you can afford it. In one year 28.8 will be the 
standard and you may need the extra speed to be able to handle the new games 
coming out by then. Very few BBS's in San Diego County support
higher speeds but Detonation Blvd. BBS can connect you as high as 28.8.

Ultimately, an external model is the best choice, and with prices dropping 
every week, there are some GREAT deals out there.  External modems are a 
little more money but are preferred for a number of reasons. First of all 
you can see the lights on the external models and this can be a great aid in 
diagnosing problems. Secondly, if your computer freezes up, you can turn it 
off, without losing your connection. After you reboot, you're right back in 
on-line.

Modems are setup to run with certain commands called initialization strings 
or init strings for short. This is a string of letters and numbers with each
combination of letter and number turning some feature ON or OFF in the modem.
DOOM over the BBS makes certain specific requirements 

We have a list of init strings below and a compiled list of commands in a 
text file SIRINIT.ZIP that should list your modem. If you have to create your 
own string because your modem is not listed or the string given doesn't work,
then I would suggest calling the manufacturer and tell them you need a string 
that includes only the following:

     A. Hardware Flow Control........ON
     B. Compression .................OFF
     C. Error Correction.............OFF
     D. lock port speed at connect rate

Each modem is different and the strings that work for regular modem DOOM do 
not apply here. Best bet again is to ask the manufacturer or, of course, Read 
the Book!  Below is a list of init strings which MAY or MAY not work for you. 
The init strings we have collected in SIRINIT are tested on this system and 
are usually different than the ones listed below.

** In some RARE cases you CAN have error correction and compression enabled 
and this may improve the game play as well as helping with static and line 
noise problems. This is sort of a trial and error process, and we have seen 
on occasion much WORSE playspeed when those are enabled.

Theoretically,  if you have an EXPENSIVE modem it probably will allow for 
error correction. Whether or not it works is mostly a function of how fast 
your modem performs the error correction procedure. Cheaper modems perform 
these functions in software or even rely on the communications software to 
perform the function. Most high end modems perform the error function in 
hardware and so are very fast. Still if playing with someone else who's 
software/hardware is not quite up to snuff, you will have a WORSE game 
because of error correction.

Testing of these strings here has shown that running the defaults we 
suggest gives an excellent game that can run at about 90-95% of what you 
would see playing alone. 



VI. INIT STRINGS


POPULAR MODEMS AND KNOWN INITIALIZATION STRINGS
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
MODEM NAME                      INIT STRING

BOCCA 9600                      AT&F&K3%C0&Q0%E0N0S37=9
BOCCA 14400                     AT&F&K3%C0&Q0%E0N0S37=11
BOCCA 28.8 (19200)              AT&F&K3%C0&Q0%E0N0S37=15
Gateway Telepath I 9600         AT&K3&Q0%C0S37=9
Gateway Telepath I 14400        AT&K3&Q0%C0S37=11
Gateway Telepath II 14400       AT&R1&M0&K1N8    
Gateway 2000 Telepath 550       AT&R1&M0&K1N8
GVC 14400                       AT&FE1L1V1\N0&C1&D2S0%C0=037=90
HAYES (all)                     AT&F&K3&Q6
Intel Satisfaction 9600         AT&F\N0"H0-J0S31=9
Intel Satisfaction 14400        AT&F\N0"H0-J0S31=11
Intel 144 E or S                AT&F\N0"H0-J0B9 
Microcom 14400 (all)            AT\N0\Q3%G1%B14400
Microcom ES (cheaper model)     AT\N0&K3
Practical Peripherals 28.8      AT&Q6&K3S37=12
Prometheous Pro-modem 14.4      AT&F\N0%C0&K3S37=11
Prometheous Home Office 14.4    AT&F\N0%C0&K3S37=11
Prometheous Ultima Home Office  AT&F\N0%C0&K3S37=11
Supra (ALL)                     AT&F2%C\N0&K3NS37=11
US Robotics Sportster 9600      AT&F&M0&K0&H1&N6&B1
US Robotics Sportster 14400     AT&F&M0&K0&H1&N8&B1
US Robotics Courier 14400       AT&F&K0&M0&H1&N8&B1
USR Courier 28.8 (19200)        AT&F&K0&M0&H1&N10&B1
USR Courier 28.8 (21000)        AT&F&K0&M0&H1&N11&B1   
ZOLTRIX 14400                   AT&F&K3&Q6\N0
ZOOM 14400                      AT&F&C1&D2&Q6S37=11N0
ZOOM 14400 (newer models)       AT&F&C1&D2&Q6F13
ZOOM 28.8 (19200)               AT&F&C1&D2&Q6F15  
ZYXEL 14400                     AT&F&K0S18=5     
ZYXEL 16500  (19200)            AT&F&K0S18=3    

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------

** For some modems the order of commands is critical, I suggest 
   you use the string exactly as shown.

   Also, be sure to set port speed to 57600 in SirDoom
                                    
                  
          WARNING FROM DETONATION BLVD. BBS!!!

                                                                           
The init strings listed below are NOT PROVEN STRINGS! I obtained this from         
another source and have no way to verify if they are correct or not.     
These are more than likely regular modem to modem strings, so don't say 
that I didn't warn you.                                                                                      


          USE AT YOUR OWN RISK!!!      

                      

UNPROVEN INITIALIZATION STRINGS
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------    INIT STRING

Acubit 14.4 fax v32             ATZ S37=9 %C0 \N1
AT&T Data Port 14.4 FaxM.       ATZ S41=3 %B9600 \N0 %C0
CalCom Internal                 AT&F\N0                
Cardinal 14.4 v32               AT&F&Q0N0S37=9
Cardinal 9600fax                ATZ&Q6&K0%C0\N0N0S37=9
Digicom Connection 14.4         AT&F\N0
Digicom Scout Plus 14.4 Fax     AT&F&E0&M0
GENERIC                         AT&B0 &K0 &Q0 &D0 &C0
GENERIC 14.4                    AT&Q6&R1&K0N0 S37=9 \J1 %E1
GENERIC 9600                    AT&F1 &K0 &M0 &Q0 &D2 S46=0
Identity Internal               AT&F0 B8 %C0 \Q0 \N1
Infotel 14.4                    AT&Q6 %C0 S37=9 N0 &K0
Magnum 14.4                     AT&F\N0  
MegaHertz 14.4                  AT&F\N0 
MegaHertz C596FM                AT&F \N1 \J0 &Q0 %C0
No Name (Rockwell) 14.4         ATS37=9 N0 S46=0 &Q0 &K0 %C0
Packard Bell                    AT%C0 \N0 \Q0
Practical Perip 14.4FX v32      ATZ S46=0 &Q0 &D2
Redicard v.32 bis 14.4          AT%C & \N
Siig 14.4                       AT&F\N0\Q0\J1\V0 
Smart One 1442F                 ATZ %C0 &Q0 &K0 &D2 S37=9 S95=44 S46=0
Telebit Worldblazer 14.4        ATS51=4 S180=0 S183=8 S190=0 L1
Viva 14.4                       AT&F\N0
Viva 14.4i fax                  AT\N0\Q0\J1\VI
VivaFax 14.4                    AT&F &C1 &D2 N0 \N1 %C0 &K0 S37=9
VivaFax 14.4                    AT\Q0 &M0 %C0 B8 \N1
ZOOM 14.4                       ATS37=9 N0 S46=136 %C0 &Q0 \G0




VII. 16550 UART

This stands for Universal Asynchronus Receiver-Transmitter which handles the
parallel-serial conversions. IBM PC's have been fitted with a number of UART 
revisions over the years; the first was the 8250, while the most common UART 
chip version in use today is the 16450.

Internal modems include the UART on the card and all of the new ones are
installing 16550 UARTS. External modems, however, use the serial port found
on your computer and so you may or may not have the latest UART technology 
on board.  

The 16450, though vastly improved, was never designed for today's high speed
serial communications. At speeds of 9600 or higher the use of the 16450 will 
almost always result in repeated data errors, something games like DOOM
can not tolerate.

16550 is the answer as it provides a bigger buffer to store packet data until
the CPU has a chance to retrieve it. Earlier versions of the 16550 chip did 
not handle the buffering of incoming characters correctly, so make sure your 
chip carries the designation "AF" or "AFN"

If you have the older UART you will have to replace your computers I/O card
with one that has the newer 16550AFN. If you're getting a new card,  get the 
one with 2 serial ports on it.

If you are unsure if you have a 16550 or not, you can use the MSD.exe utility
found in DOS 6 and Windows to check.



VIII. SIRDOOM

This is the terminal program you will need to use when calling DTB. BBS
to play DOOM. It's not much good for anything else, though, as you can't 
download with it. The latest version can always be found a Library here 
as well as the most current modem init strings in the text file SIRINIT.TXT

If you have been playing modem-to-modem DOOM successfully, and you already 
have an init string you're fond of... FORGET IT!! DOOM over a BBS is different 
and your old string just won't cut it!



INSTRUCTIONS:


1.  Start SIRDOOM from the DOS prompt.  SIRDOOM will NOT work from
    within Microsoft Windows.

2.  Type Alt-C (Hold down the ALT key and type 'C') to open the
    Configure menu.

3.  Your first option is to SELECT GAME. Here you tell SIRDOOM the PATH 
    where your GAME files are located(ex: C:\GAMES\DOOM).

    Highlight the SELECT GAME option and press the <ENTER> key. To edit or
    change the path shown press the <E> key. This will allow you to edit the
    path. When you're done, press <ESC> key to save and exit and then use the
    up and down arrow keys to select the next option to configure.

4.  Next, chose SETUP DOOM. this allows you to pick options such as: 
    SKILL LEVEL; TYPE OF GAME, Co-Op, Deathmatch or Deathmatch 2 and ARGS

    To play one of the custom wads (like the TOMBSTNE series) instead of the 
    regular DOOM/DOOM2, you will need to edit the ARGS section. Just arrow 
    down to the ARGS section and type in your commands (some are listed below)
    You can also do this while you are on-line, so if you decide to
    play a different wad while on-line, you can easily change to it!
    
    -file <name>.wad   (used if everyone is going to play a WAD)
    -nomonsters        (used for deathmatch only)
    -warp #            (used to start a different level ie #7 = Map 07)
    -ticdup: 2         (used sometimes to smooth jerky game)  

5.  Next,select CONFIGURE MODEM. You have 4 options.

     
     A. INIT  (here you'll need to type in the string from above or )
                 (from SIRINIT.TXT that matches your modem brand)

     B. DIAL  (should read "ATDT" for TONE or push button phone)
                 (phones with a dial are PULSE signals and use "ATDP")

     C. BAUD  (choose 19200)

     D. PORT  (chose your COM port, COM1 or COM2 - you can use)
           (the MSD.exe utility provided in DOS 6 and Windows to) 
           (find out which com port to use if you're not sure)



6.  If you  need to create your own INIT string remember you only need to set:
    (also see file SIR-HOW2.txt for help setting strings)
     
     A. Hardware Flow Control ON

     B. Error Correction OFF

     C. Data Compression OFF


    Look in the manual that came with your modem for the correct commands 
    or call the manufacturer(much easier!) Many manufacturers have already
    developed DOOM strings and this is what they will try and give you if
    you mention DOOM at all. So don't... just tell them the config settings
    you need.

7.  Next, select DIALING DIRECTORY. Press <ENTER> key and then <E> key to
    begin editing NAME and NUMBER. If you have Call-Waiting on your phone
    you will want to disable it, otherwise when someone calls you, your
    connection to Detonation Blvd. BBS will be broken.

    To disable Call-Waiting just type in "*70," (ex: *70,619-7874602). Not
    all phone company prefixes (first 3 digits of your number) support this
    Call-Waiting disable feature, so if this doesn't work for you, check 
    with your phone company. 

8.  You will then need to select "Save and Exit" Be careful not to type
    anything in teleconference until your hard drive light stops saving. 
    Typing too soon almost always locks SIRDOOM. If you have an external
    modem when this happens, you can simply close SIRDOOM by typing alt-x 
    and select Y when asked if you want to exit, then restart SIRDOOM and
    you'll be right back on DTB BBS!

    Internal modem users are not quite so lucky. You will have to cold boot
    (turn OFF) your computer and re-log onto DTB BBS. 
    
9.  Press Alt-D and then ENTER to dial the DTB BBS.

10. Go through your normal log-on procedure and head for the DOOM Battle 
    Area. You are now ready to play!
    
11. When playing do not drop carrier on purpose during the game.  If you
    want to leave simply tell the other players. Pressing the "T" key 
    while in a DOOM game let's you chat. Then hit esc and exit DOOM normally.
    This will put you back on DTB BBS in the DOOM teleconference area.

12. If your game is still choppy, try reducing the graphics detail in DOOM 
    from HIGH to LOW. If you need more, shrink the window size by pressing
    the "-" key. Both of these settings are also available under DOOM's 
    option menu and can be changed even while you are playing.



IX. TRICKS TO SPEED UP GAME PLAY


First of all the best trick is a Pentium 100mhz processor! The faster the CPU 
the better your game will run. Minimum CPU for really snappy play is DX4-100,
the slower processors will work but there is no substitute for horsepower
when it comes to playing DOOM.

If you can afford a large monitor (like 20") then you can shrink the screen
quite a bit and still end up with a 14" or 15" equivalent. This will yield a 
real performance benefit on slower systems, but odds are if you can afford a
20" then you probably already have a fast CPU. You shrink the screen or 
in-large it with the "-" and "+" keys.

You can also gain a real boost in performance by lowering the resolution of
the graphics from hi to low. Although this will degrade long range clarity 
it does offer a significant increase in play speed.

If you don't mind playing without the sound you can select "no sound card" 
from the DOOM setup menu and gain a real jump in performance as most sound 
cards still rely on the main system CPU to process and that steals cycles 
away from running DOOM. 

Running a cache definitely helps a lot. Smartdrive configured to 2 or 3megs in
size, should work wonders at reducing the amount of time the processor has to 
wait for data while the hard drive looks it up!

You can control the buffer size by editing the SIRDOOM.CFG file. This is just
a plain text file. The argument, BUFSIZE:50 will help yield a very fast game.
If this command is not present it means that SIRDOOM is defaulting to a 
BUFSIZE:1024 - our test have shown a dramatic difference as the bufsize number
is changed. 

If your game is FAST but too choppy you may want to try increasing
the number from 50 to 100 or higher. You will also probably have to reset your 
mouse sensitivity.

Finally the other argument in the SIRDOOM.CFG file that enables FAST playspeed
is TICDUP:2


X. HOW TO OPERATE THIS BBS

Most things are pretty straight forward on this BBS... just read the choices
presented and you can usually stumble your way through. A few special commands
exist however that are worth noting.

First of all, the most used command will simply be the letter X as this 
command is used to navigate the various screens and menus. Typing X at any BBS
prompt will immediately exit you out of whatever you were doin.

You will also want to find other players on the BBS and see where they are... 
you can do this easily by using the command, /#   at any prompt. This will 
give you a list of who is online and what module of the BBS they are in.

Once you know who is online you may want to page them to play. The simple 
command for this is, /p USERID MESSAGE  where USERID is the screen name
of the user you wish to page and MESSAGE is what you want to say. 
Sometimes the user will be unavailable for paging such as when downloading 
a file but the system will inform you when the party can't be paged.

If you tire of being paged you can also turn OFF the paging feature by typing
/p OFF  and of course /p ON to reset it again.

You can skip most of the graphics on-line (and the slow redraw) after you've 
seen them several times by just pressing Q at each prompt that comes up till 
you're at the main menu.

You can also jump directly to various places on the BBS by using the /go 
command. Below is a list of available commands.

/#             shows users online and where they are
/p userid      sends page from your location 
/p userid message   sends message to user anywhere on system
/go tele       jumps directly to Chat
/go gc         jumps directly to Battle Menu
/go library    jumps directly to File area
/go email      jumps directly to E-mail
 

That's it!  If you are still unsure or are having trouble with something, ask!
We are here to help.  Just leave email to one of the Sysops or Co-Sysops and
tell them exactly what isn't working for you.  Sometimes it's easier to get
a program to work if you have someone else to bounce ideas off of.  The 
Sysops and Staff here have done it a few times and we can usually get someone
up and running with a little be of chat or we can even call you and help.