 
 2 1 1 2 - a Field Trip   
 by George K. George of  
 Mutilation Software Independent
 Copyright 2001      
 
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 ----------  Game  -------------
  -------  Information  ---------
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* See bottom of document for BETA-TESTER information.

Installation:

2112 does not have an installation application. The best way to ensure that the program will run on your Windows 95 machine is to have the following directory structure anywhere on your hard drive:

2112 (dir)
   - 2112.exe
   - 2112.ico
   - DataI
   - DataP
   - DataR
   - Help.txt
   - Msvbvm60.dll  (Judges: this file is treated like an interpreter for the competion. Find it either where specified in Comp01.z5 or here: http://www.fictionfiction.net/mutilation/ Then put it either in the main 2112 directory or your WINDOWS\SYSTEM\ directory. Thanks.)
   - Readme.txt
   - Richtx32.ocx
   - WalkThru.txt
   - DataS (dir) (optional sound files)
      - s1.wav through s37.wav

Simply have this file layout as will be created from extracting the *.zip file, and run the *.exe to begin playing the game. You may create a shortcut to this *.exe on your desktop. Upon first playing the game, a directory named \Saved will appear in the same directory as the 2112.exe file. This is for saved games and transfer files as well as the Script.txt file that is discussed fully in the beta-testers' section at the bottom of this document.


In the Beginning There was Darkness...

2112 was begun in QuickBasic programming language early in 2000 A.D. The author, having no idea what he was doing, ran into pitfall after pitfall wading through his own version of proper code construction. The ultimate demise of this near-incarnation of 2112 came even before a small portion of the game's map was complete.

Early in 2001 A.D. the author---armed with new knowledge of BASIC programming language from a semester long course in Visual Basic 6---dusted of his Microsoft Visual Studio discs and began plunking away at what you see here.


Version History:

1.0.0 (beta) The first beta version of 2112 was completed on August 26, 2001.

1.0.1 (beta) Second release - with Scripting, Version and Diagnose capabilities.

1.0.2 (beta) Second and a half release - with addition of required file now playable by an audience wider than only those with Visual Basic 6.0 installed on their computer. Changed a few words around in opening text.

1.0.3 (semi-final) Made a few changes to text and data files. Shrunk executable considerably by removing some unnecessary bitmap data. Prepared game for competition.


Special Thanks To:
   
   Andrew Dewar 
       – digital sound recording
   
   Jaden Boodry
       - the spark      

   All the cats at NTC
       – for the hints


The Author:

George K. George, born 1978, has been a player of interactive fiction since he acquired Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy cerca 1980's. Other ventures include searching the nation for the perfect occupation in computer electronics and programming with an recently earned Associates degree from a Central Wisconsin technical college. He thrives in environments rich in rock-n-roll and void of regurgitated high school bullshit. Without Frank Black, The Pixies, Man...Or Astroman?, and Billy Bragg (& Wilco)---not to mention many others---George may not have had the creative caffeine needed to muddle through this mess he calls 2112.


BETA-TESTERS!!!

Allow me to thank you for your time and effort. If you haven't already done so, a good place for the interactive fiction beta-tester to start is in the beta-testing section found on the homepage of "www.textfire.com".

Here is an explanation of using the Scripting capabilities of 2112:

   1. When you want to begin scripting, type SCRIPT ON
   2. A text file called Script.txt is created in the \Saved directory of the game's root directory.
   3. You must turn scripting back on once you have restarted, restored, or undone the game.
   4. This will overwrite the \Saved\Script.txt file each time, so it is suggested that each time you restart, restore, or undo with intent to begin scripting again, you rename the Script.txt file to something descriptive.
   5. How to make comments: As discussed in textfire.com's beta-testing site, when you see an error, type something like "[that is bad]" Using strange punctuation will not affect the game, but will add what you typed to the script for me to examine later.

You may also long-hand your suggestions and corrections so long as you digitize them into an e-mail. Send the scripts or whatever you have for me to:

george10k@lycos.com

Your help is sunshine on my back, everyone. Thanks for playing.


* This game will be entered in the "www.textfire.com" 7th Annual 2001 Interactive Fiction Competition. Please check in sometime after Sept. 28th and see how I made out. It's a shame they don't offer a prize for most corporate name-dropping in a single work.


