tclientplay.html - vaccinewars - be a doctor and try to vaccinate the world
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tclientplay.html (13818B)
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8 <head>
9 <title>Playing the game: the dopewars client</title>
10 <meta charset="utf-8"/>
11 </head>
12
13 <body>
14 <h1>Playing the game: the dopewars client</h1>
15
16 <p>The dopewars client is the part of dopewars which most users will
17 encounter most frequently. If the dopewars binary is run without the
18 <b>-s</b> (server) or <b>-c</b> (computer player) options (see
19 <a href="commandline.html">command line options</a>) it defaults to running
20 in client mode. The dopewars client handles the interaction between a
21 human player and the dopewars server (but if a dopewars server is not
22 available, a "virtual" server will be run by the client to enable a
23 single-player game to be played).</p>
24
25 <p>A brief description of using the client and playing dopewars is given here.
26 These instructions apply to the old-style text-mode client, but the basic
27 game play is similar for the newer graphical client.
28 Bear in mind that both the client and the server you are connecting to can
29 be configured by means of the dopewars <a href="configfile.html">
30 configuration files</a>, and so the game may differ radically from what is
31 described here. It is suggested that you familiarise yourself with the game
32 using the default settings before getting too adventurous!</p>
33
34 <ul>
35 <li><a href="#startup">Starting the dopewars client</a></li>
36 <li><a href="#screen">The main game screen</a></li>
37 <li><a href="#server">Connecting to a dopewars server (or not)</a></li>
38 <li><a href="#dealing">Dealing drugs and moving around</a></li>
39 <li><a href="#finance">Your finances: loans and banks</a></li>
40 <li><a href="#cops">Law enforcement and why it's a bad thing</a></li>
41 <li><a href="#multiplayer">Multiplayer: interacting with other players</a></li>
42 </ul>
43
44 <h2><a id="startup">Starting the dopewars client</a></h2>
45 <ul>
46 <li>From the command prompt, run the dopewars client with the command<br />
47 <tt><b>dopewars</b></tt><br />
48 or to run an <a href="commandline.html#antique">"antique"</a> mode game,<br />
49 <tt><b>dopewars -a</b></tt></li>
50
51 <li>An introduction screen will appear, giving a brief description of the
52 game and version and licensing information. Press any key to clear this.</li>
53 </ul>
54
55 <h2><a id="screen">The main game screen</a></h2>
56
57 <p>The game screen is your interface with the dopewars world. At the top of the
58 screen, from left to right, is displayed the game date, the game location
59 (you start in the Bronx), the number of bitches working for you, and the
60 space you have available for drugs. Note that each drug uses up one "space",
61 but some guns may take up more.
62 Your "bitches" are your subordinates - each bitch increases your "space"
63 by 10 (you yourself start with a space of 20) and can carry one gun (you can
64 carry two). Your bitches also take damage for you when in firefights, so it
65 is advantageous to acquire extra bitches during the game.</p>
66
67 <p>Below the top line of the screen are three large windows. The one in
68 the top left lists your statistics - your finances, the health of yourself
69 or your bitches, and the number of guns you are carrying. Notice that you
70 start the game with a debt - this will increase, turn by turn, until you
71 pay it off to the Loan Shark. The top right window lists the drugs that you
72 are currently carrying (you start off with none). Below this is a window in
73 which messages from other players (if any) will appear.</p>
74
75 <p>Please note that if you are playing in <a href="commandline.html#antique">
76 "antique"</a> mode, you do not have "bitches" but instead have a large
77 trenchcoat which can carry 100 drugs. Antique mode also disables the
78 messages window.</p>
79
80 <h2><a id="server">Connecting to a dopewars server (or not)</a></h2>
81
82 <p>On starting a game of dopewars, the first thing you must do is give
83 yourself a name. This identifies you to the server and to other players. If
84 you are running in <a href="commandline.html#singleplayer">single-player</a>
85 or <a href="commandline.html#antique">antique</a> mode, the client will
86 then start an internal "virtual" server and immediately start the game.</p>
87
88 <p>In other cases, the client will attempt to connect to a dopewars server
89 specified in the <a href="configfile.html#Server">configuration file</a> or
90 on the <a href="commandline.html#server">command line</a> (if none is
91 specified, it defaults to the local host). If this connection is successful,
92 the game will then start. Otherwise, you will be given the option to manually
93 choose a different server, obtain the server list from the metaserver and
94 choose one, play a single-player game, or quit, by pressing the
95 C, L, P, or Q keys respectively. If you don't want the client to attempt to
96 connect to a server, this can be set - full details are given in the section
97 on <a href="configfile.html#Server">configuration files</a>.</p>
98
99 <h2><a id="dealing">Dealing drugs and moving around</a></h2>
100
101 <p>The New York of dopewars is divided into 8 (6 in "antique" mode) locations.
102 At each of these locations, a variety of drugs, with fluctuating prices, are
103 on sale. Not all of the drugs are necessarily on sale at each location all
104 of the time, and the normally gentle fluctuations may be affected by such
105 events as other dealers flooding the market with drugs, or the cops making
106 a big drugs bust (which will drive the price up). On arriving at a new
107 location, you will be told if any of these "special" events have occurred.</p>
108
109 <p>The main way to make money in dopewars is to buy and sell drugs, buying
110 cheaply at one location, and then moving ("jetting") to a new location (a
111 process which uses up one "day" or turn), and then selling for a profit at
112 this new location. When you have arrived at a location, you will be told which
113 drugs are being dealt in. You may buy one of these drugs by pressing the "B"
114 key, then pressing the letter for the drug you wish to buy, and then entering
115 the number of this drug you require. Bear in mind that you may not be able
116 to afford or carry these drugs! Selling drugs is similar, on pressing the "S"
117 key. When you are done and wish to "jet" to a new location, press the "J" key
118 and then choose the location number.</p>
119
120 <p>If you are at a location where you cannot sell your drugs, you can drop them
121 to free up space in your inventory (with the "D" key). Of course, this does
122 not get you any money, and there is a chance that the cops may catch you in
123 the act and attack you (see below).</p>
124
125 <h2><a id="finance">Your finances: loans and banks</a></h2>
126
127 <p>Buying and selling drugs may make money, but unfortunately you start the game
128 with a debt to the loan shark of $5,000. Every turn this accumulates
129 interest, and counts against your total amount of money at the end of the
130 game (which is used as your high score, so it's quite possible to end with
131 a negative score). To pay off the loan, you must visit the loan shark by
132 jetting to the Bronx. You will be asked if you wish to visit the loan shark -
133 respond by pressing the "Y" key - and then asked how much money you want to
134 give him. Respond by entering the amount of money, without the $ sign or
135 commas, and ended with "k" or "m" as shorthand for "thousand" or "million"
136 if you like (i.e. entering "2.5k" is the same as "2000", which is $2,000).</p>
137
138 <p>You can also deposit or withdraw money from the bank, which is also located
139 in the Bronx. This is done in a similar way to paying the loan shark. Putting
140 your money in the bank lets you accumulate interest on it, and prevents it
141 from being stolen if you are mugged (which does occasionally happen). Money
142 in the bank also contributes to your high score at the end of the game.</p>
143
144 <h2><a id="cops">Law enforcement and why it's a bad thing</a></h2>
145
146 <p>When you jet to a new location, one or more "random events" may occur.
147 Usually this is just something such as a drug bust which affects drug prices,
148 but there are a number of other beneficial, useless, or just plain annoying
149 random events. Perhaps the most annoying of these is an encounter with the
150 cops, in the form of Officer Hardass or Bob and their deputies.</p>
151
152 <p>When you meet Officer Hardass, you must decide what to do. If you don't have
153 any guns, you must answer Y (yes) or N (no) to the question "Do you run?"
154 If you are lucky, you'll get away - otherwise, the cops may shoot you. The
155 more deputies are accompanying Hardass, the worse the damage is likely to be.
156 If you take enough damage for your health to drop to zero, you will lose a
157 bitch (and, possibly, some drugs and a gun, if the bitch was carrying them).
158 If you have no bitches, you will die, and the game will end! The more
159 successful your drug dealing is (i.e. the more money you have made) the
160 more aggressive the cops will be.</p>
161
162 <p>If, on the other hand, you have acquired one or more guns, you can either run
163 ("R" key) or fight ("F"). Guns may be offered to you at bargain prices
164 randomly, or you can visit the gun shop in the Ghetto and buy or sell them.
165 To beat the cops by fighting them, you must kill all the deputies, one by one,
166 and then finally Officer Hardass. Bear in mind that the more guns you have, the
167 more damage you will do to the cops! If you kill Officer Hardass, you can take
168 whatever money you find on his corpse, and if you are lucky a doctor will
169 offer to "sew you up" (i.e. restore your health to 100) for a price.</p>
170
171 <p>If, after killing Officer Hardass, you are unlucky enough to meet the cops
172 again later on, they will be lead by his replacement, Officer Bob, who is
173 tougher. If you then kill him too, you'll meet tougher opposition in future -
174 so it's often wise to run from the cops!</p>
175
176 <p>If you lose bitches, or simply want to acquire more, you can visit the pub
177 in the Ghetto to hire them, or they may offer their services to you at
178 bargain rates randomly.</p>
179
180 <p>Some locations are more heavily policed than others. In addition to being
181 attacked on your travels, you also run a high risk of being shot at by the
182 cops if you drop drugs (dispose of drugs that you can't get any cash for)
183 or if you attack other players.</p>
184
185 <h2><a id="multiplayer">Multiplayer: interacting with other players</a></h2>
186
187 <p>If you log on to a dopewars server, there is the possibility of meeting other
188 players, either human or computer-controlled. When joining a game which
189 already contains other players, they will be listed to you. Other players
190 which join or leave the game once you are playing will announce their
191 presence to you automatically via the "Messages" window.</p>
192
193 <p>When in multiplayer mode, you can send a message to all current players by
194 pressing the "T" key from the main drug prices screen, and then typing in
195 your message. To send a private message, use the "P" key and select the
196 player instead. These messages will appear in the Messages window also.</p>
197
198 <p>Another new command in multiplayer mode is the list command ("L" key). This
199 will either list the other players in the game, or the list of high scores
200 maintained by the server which you're connected to.</p>
201
202 <p>The "G" key activates the "give errand" command. With this you can sack one
203 of your bitches (with the "G" key again), pay one to tip off the cops to one
204 of the other players, or pay one to leave your employment and to join another
205 player and spy on them for you. In any case, if you lose a bitch you may
206 also lose any drugs or guns which they were carrying (remember that each
207 bitch can carry one gun, and increases your inventory - your available space -
208 by 10).</p>
209
210 <p>A tip-off means that Officer Hardass or Bob will attack your chosen
211 enemy when they jet to their next location (and then you will get to hear
212 the result of the encounter). A spy, on the other hand, will present himself to
213 the enemy as a bargain bitch (in the same way as normal "bargain bitches"
214 appear). If your enemy accepts the bitch, you will then be able to see
215 everything about the enemy whenever you like, by pressing the "C" key from the
216 main drug prices screen. Unfortunately, there is a chance that your spy may be
217 discovered by your opponent later on...</p>
218
219 <p>If, in the course of normal play, you are carrying one or more guns, and you
220 jet to the a location where another player already is, you will be informed of
221 their presence. You can either ignore them completely (with the "E" key)
222 in which case they will never know you were there, or you can attack them
223 with the "A" key. When you attack another player, or another player attacks
224 you, the main screen which normally lists drug prices at the current location
225 is replaced by the fighting screen. You can switch back from this screen to
226 the drug price screen with the "D" key, but note that the "Jet" command is now
227 missing from the drug price screen - you must instead use the "F" key to
228 return to the fight, and conclude it before continuing on your way.</p>
229
230 <p>When in a fight with another player, you can choose not to fire back with the
231 "S" key, you can shoot back with the "F" key, or you can run from the fight
232 with the "R" key. Be aware that if you fail to shoot back at your enemy
233 within five seconds, they can fire at you again (otherwise, shots alternate
234 between you and your enemy). If you kill an enemy bitch, you
235 are awarded a bounty from the cops for killing such a dangerous criminal; if
236 you kill an enemy player (after you've killed all of their bitches) you
237 receive their total assets - their cash and bank balance minus any debt. In
238 either case you can loot the body and pick up any guns or drugs which the
239 bitch or player was carrying.</p>
240
241 <hr />
242 <ul>
243 <li><a href="index.html">Main index</a></li>
244 </ul>
245 <p>
246 Last update: <b>15-07-2002</b><br />
247 Valid <a href="http://validator.w3.org/check/referer">XHTML 1.1</a>
248 </p>
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