旼컴컴컴컴컴컴컴컴컴컴컴컴컴컴컴컴컴컴컴컴컴컴커 旼컴컴컴컴좔컴컴컴컴컴컴컴컴컴컴컴컴컴컴컴컴컴컴컴컴컴컴컨컴컴컴컴커 � Making .DAT files for use with Cyberbox II � 읕컴컴컴컴쩡컴컴컴컴컴컴컴컴컴컴컴컴컴컴컴컴컴컴컴컴컴컴컫컴컴컴컴켸 읕컴컴컴컴컴컴컴컴컴컴컴컴컴컴컴컴컴컴컴컴컴컴켸 1. All C2 levels are stored in text files named C2-##.DAT, where ## is the "level number" to be typed in after selecting "User-Made" in the C2 login screen. I've provided a file called C2-04.DAT in this archive; it's the outline of a level with nothing but the required stuff -- a starting point and an exit sign -- inside. Use this as a template for the levels you create, if you like. 2. Use any text editor to edit a previously made level or start a new one; I use the EDIT program provided with MS-DOS 5, but something like QEDIT would also work well. You should not use word processors like WordPerfect, but if you do, use a marginless page and save in ASCII format. 3. .DAT files contain a MESSAGE section (optional), then the word BEGIN (required), and then the MAP section (required). The message section contains MESSAGES separated with EQUALS SIGNS ("=") on their own lines. Messages can be at most 7 lines long, and each line can be at most 36 characters. There should be no equals sign before or after the message section, only between messages if there is more than one. These messages correspond to the messages that are displayed by question-boxes A, B, C, and so on; the first message corresponds to A, the second to B, and so on. If you use in the MAP section a capital letter that is represents a message that is not defined before the word BEGIN, you will get an error message. You can have at most 8 messages per level, A through H. See the file C2-01.DAT for good example of messages. 4. The MAP section maps the corresponding Cyberbox II level exactly, and with the same orientation. Note that while Cyberbox boxes are square characters on the screen are quite a bit taller than they are wide; therefore the mapping in the text file should look a bit elongated in the vertical direction if you want the "rooms" within your level to appear square. The best way to assure squareness is to simply count. 5. Levels are 77x77 boxes in size, but it is not necessary to fill in every character: C2 will assume, if a line is under 77 characters long, that the remaining characters are blanks (spaces), or if the .DAT file is under 77 lines long, that the remaining lines are filled with blanks. However, if you go over the 77 limit in either direction you will get an error message. 6. The following characters represent the boxes in Cyberbox II. Any other symbols in a .DAT file will cause an error to be reported. 旼컴컴컴컴컴컴컴컴컴컴컴컴컴컴컴컴컴컴컴컴컴컴컴컴컴컴컴컴컴컴컴컴� 旼컨컴컴컴컴컴컴컴컴컴컴컫컴컴컴컴컴컴컴쩡컴컴컴컴컴컴컴컴컴컴컴컴커 � � � � � � � � Character � Character � � � Cyberbox piece: � on "land" � on "ice" � � 쳐컴컴컴컴컴컴컴컴컴컴컴컵컴컴컴컴컴컴컴탠컴컴컴컴컴컴컴컴컴컴컴컴캑 � � "Land" alone � � (n/a) � � � "Ice" alone � (n/a) � 0 � � � Blocker � x � x (same function) � � � Sliders: � � � � � (Both ways, � + � 1 � � � horizontal, � - � 2 � � � vertical) � | � 3 � � � Pushers: � � � � � (Up, � ^ � 4 � � � right, � > � 5 � � � down, � v � 6 � � � left) � < � 7 � � � Meta-blockers: � � � � � (Up, � u � u (same function) � � � right, � r � r " " � � � down, � d � d " " � � � left, � l � l " " � � � plus sign) � * � * " " � � � Selectors � # � % � � � Starting point � s � 8 � � � (exactly one � � � � � per level) � � � � � Gems � g � 9 � � � (as many as � � � � � 95 per level) � � � � � Exit sign � e � e (same function) � � � (at least one � � � � � per level) � � � � � Question-mark box � A,B,C,...,H � A,B,C,...,H � � � (must be def'd � � (same function) � � � before BEGIN) � � � � 쳐컴컴컴컴컴컴컴컴컴컴컴컵컴컴컴컴컴컴컴탠컴컴컴컴컴컴컴컴컴컴컴컴캑 � � Other pieces: � � � � 쳐컴컴컴컴컴컴컴컴컴컴컴컵컴컴컴컴컴컴컴탠컴컴컴컴컴컴컴컴컴컴컴컴캑 � � Grass � @ � n/a � � � Heavy sliders � : � ; � � � (four-way) � � � � � Out-of-bounds � o � n/a 쳐� 읕컴컴컴컴컴컴컴컴컴컴컴컨컴컴컴컴컴컴컴좔컴컴컴컴컴컴컴컴컴컴컴컴켸 7. Do not create infinite loops, such as a meta-blocker that points to another meta-blocker in the opposite direction, or a loop of meta-blockers, or a series of meta-blockers connected in a cycle by ice. This will cause Cyberbox II to crash or hang, I'm afraid, because I knew of no easy way to check for such evils. 8. "Grass" and "heavy sliders" are experimental pieces that I didn't use much. In fact, I don't think I used grass at all. Grass blocks all pieces except the token, which destroys it upon hitting it. It's sort of the opposite of a selector in that sense, except it can't move. Heavy sliders, as explained in level 2, can only be pushed singly and can't be pushed by anything but the token. These two pieces would probably make for some great puzzles, but to avoid confusion I didn't make them an important part of the levels. 9. If you edit any existing data files, you may want to delete any saved games (.C2) associated with that level. Saved game files associated with level 3, for example, have filenames xxx03-y.C2, where xxx are initials and y is a slot number.