| SpiritWars |
Quick Start Tutorial |
Page 1 |
| This tutorial is
designed to cover the basic concepts and mechanics of SpiritWars. A
variety of supplemental aids are available within the web site that
address advanced strategy and more detailed coverage of playing options
and game features. Here, we'll just concentrate and getting you
started successfully with the minimum amount of verbiage (and an emphasis
on screen captures and illustrations). You can keep this tutorial open in your browser and use it as a guideline as you learn the phases of play and basic mechanics during your first game or two. |
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The Chat Interface |
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| Player
Lists: You will see two lists of players on the left side of
the chat interface. The top list shows all players currently in the
chat room with you. The lower list shows those players not playing
or editing their dungeons. These are the players currently available as
potential opponents. Color-Keyed Player Names: You will notice that most player names in the top list are displayed in white, while some are displayed in other colors. These colors denote various categories of players who help manage our playing world. Red names are Moderators who help maintain order, deal with problems and supervise activity. The players listed in green are members of our Green Team and they are there to answer questions and help new players. Yellow names are designated Tournament Directors and manage our online tournaments. At some special events (like our famous online parties) you will see special Hosts and Hostesses who are displayed in purple. Web Links: In the upper right corner of the interface you will find a list of links to key web sites that provide supporting information related to SpiritWars. Clicking on one of these will open your browser and load the designated web location. Chat Commands: The chat interface supports a variety of commands. The interface will provide a quick command guide if you type /help. To send a private message to a player, type /tell Player_Name (or /t) and your message. You can send a colored "emote" message to the room by typing /emote and your message.
Chat Room Populations: The list of
chat rooms (middle right side of the chat interface) shows the list of
available chat rooms and the current number of players in each room.
Log Chat: The "Log Chat"
button in the lower right-hand corner of the interface is designed to save
a transcript of the chat window to a text file. (This is saved as
Chat_Log.txt in the SpiritWars folder.) When this feature is
activated, it begins the log file with the previous twenty lines of dialog
from the chat window. Please use this feature if you are reporting
problems with another player. Having a transcript makes it much easier for
us to address problems that may occur. |
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Starting a Game |
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| To start a
game, click on one of the players' names listed in the
"Available" list box on the lower left corner of the chat
interface. These are the players who are not playing a game or
editing their dungeon. Once you have selected a name (the name will
be highlighted with a colored border), you can click on the
"Challenge" button below that list box. This will send a
challenge to the selected opponent. When you receive a challenge, a sound will notify you and you will see a message at the bottom that tells you who has challenged you. You will also see a timer begin counting down from 30. If you do no accept or decline the challenge, the game will automatically decline the challenge for you at the end of that time. To accept a challenge and begin a game, simply click on the "Accept" button which will be activated. Clicking on the "Decline" button will inform the other player that you do no wish to play at this time. |
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Chatting During a Game |
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| Depending on the resolution setting of your monitor, you can continue to participate in conversation in the chat room while playing SpiritWars. If you have an 800x600 display screen, the game screen will appear over the top of the chat window. You can switch between the two screens by using either the ALT-TAB key combination of the Windows task bar. If you are running in a higher resolution, you can drag the chat window to another location prior to starting a game. | ||