Conference bulova::decw_jan-89_to_nov-90

        And it doesn't work well on Monochrome screens...
        
        q
        

    Some problems with using the 100 DPI fonts, you'll need to manually
    resize the dialog box.

    
Good job! I remember it from VWS days... I do have some suggestions:

1. I know very little about the game, but I think XPOOL could teach me. To
   facilitate this, I think it would be useful to have an "instructional" mode
   for use when playing with the computer. In this mode, the computer would
   depict its target and its settings for velocity and spin before making a 
   shot. Perhaps it would wait for a user mouse click before proceeding, to
   allow the student to make notes... (or perhaps it could just use the
   settings dialog box to announce its settings and wait for a click on "OK")

2. It would be convenient if a MB1 click were a synonym for "OK" in the
   settings dialog box. As a beginner I tend not to alter the settings
   very much, but just want to get on with the shot. Perhaps also (or 
   alternatively) a customize setting that inhibited the dialog box from
   coming up...(or perhaps if I knew what to do with the settings I wouldn't
   be making this suggestion).

3. Some minimal help would be nice - e.g brief descriptions of the games.
   For example, how do Computer I and II differ?
    
    
   Thanks for the shiny new toy!
    

I like it!  (I also remember it from VWS).

The VWS game brought you back to the menu to QUIT.  It would be nice if there
was a way to select another game without getting completely out of the program.

Thanks a bunch!

    I am having problems with the colour map. I'm running VMS V5.3.
    
    I tried using the default colour maps, but all I get for the table
    colour is a solid colour - no edges to the frame, no pocket/bags,
    some balls just show up as a white circle with a number, etc.
    
    I friend's DECwindows V1.0 workstation looks fine.
    
    Is there some way I can define the colour map used?

How many planes does your WS have?  How many colors (which are not the same
as colors on the pool game) are you using in other applications?  What
kind of WS do you have?  These are more important questions in this kind
of problem than which version of the OS or DECW you are running.

Dick

    Re: .7 - it's a 4 plane Vaxstation 2000/GPX.
    
    I'm not using other applications with any colors - mainly just DECterm
    windows. I'll try logging out sometime and run it again as if starting
    anew.

    From my very limited initial trials on XPOOL, I'm very impressed with
    the visuals and the overall action of the game.  Really nice job!
    
    A suggestion for some future version on XPOOL:
    
    The best implementation I've seen for shooting pool is the creation of 
    a vector by dragging the mouse away from a "clicked" point on the cue 
    ball.  (Was this VWS pool?)  This creates an excellent visual "direction" 
    and "velocity" of the shot based on the direction and length of the
    vector.  This maps extremely intuitively to what one knows about "real 
    world" pool.  The current implementation of a click on the target ball 
    and use of the slider for velocity is less satisfying. 
    
    Also, is there a "forced" position for placement of the icon in the
    icon box?  When XPOOL was run in a session with a lot of icons in the
    icon box, the XPOOL icon appeared at the top of the full first row,
    forcing a scroll bar to appear across the bottom half of the icon-box.
    This is the first time I've seen a scroll bar in the icon box - other
    applications end up creating new icons on the next non-full row.
    
    Nice job.
    
    - Dave

How exactly does your network version work?  Does it use TASK 0?  (We were told
to disable the TASK TASK recently for security reasons).

Why doesn't it just create additional windows on the other server?  All that
would be required then would be to add the challenging node to the challengee's
DECwindows security list.

I don't know whether it uses TASK (it probably does from what I can tell).
However, the instructions to completely disable TASK were overkill.  What
you should do is

MCR NCP DEF OBJ TASK NUMBER 0 USER *ABOGUSACCOUNTNAME* PASS *ABOGUSPASSWORD*
MCR NCP SET OBJ TASK ALL

This will make TASK so that it only works for accounts that have proxy
access to the machine.  It also makes it so you don't have to do the "fix up"
suggested by net security after each startnet.

Dick

RE: .6 & .8

Steve,

	I ran xpool on my 4-plane system and it worked o.k. (everything 
visible) but the system next to me had the same problems. I traced it to the
number of colours that are "used" by your default settings. The difference
between my system and the one next to me was that I have reset the highlight
colour to be blue (which is used already for outlines, I think) and the other
system had the default, red, colour. Therefore, my system was using one less 
colour.

 Change your highlight colour to blue and see what happens...


					Andy

I know I should get a REAL workstation but budgets will be budgets...

When trying to use XPOOL I find that I am asking to challenge myself and if I
accept the challenge the program crashes with lost link error.  Is there a
special setup when the display workstation is not the "run" workstation?

-Ken

Apparently the way you do multi-player is by starting a second copy of the
program over the network that communicates back to first using a network
object like task.  This is nasty makes the first copy think it is a second
copy because it is in a network object.  I'm pretty sure this reflects the
requirements for 2 player-2 workstation playing in VWS.

I think that as a work around, you could get a DECterm on the remote
machine and run xpool either in the DECterm or as a detached job pointing
back at your PC.  I know this is not as nice as the remote application
starting stuff, but it will have to do.

Dick

    re: .12
    
    Thanks Andy, changing my highlight colour from red to blue did the trick!

    
    	Nice game, however it would be nice if there was a way to set the
    skill level of the computer. Playing against the computer is almost the
    same as having the computer play itself (it never seems to miss!) This
    I would not mind but it gets boring wiating for the computer to finish
    its turn.

RE: .16

"Computer Player II" can make mistakes (it usually misses very long shots).
It would be nice if there were some other levels--I haven't yet failed to beat
"Computer Player II" and "Computer Player I" usually runs the table following
its break.

    As someone mentioned, it would be nice if you had a 'training part'.
    Sort of one click for positioning the object ball(s) and then
    positioning the cue ball.

    A few nits.

    When playing nine ball, if you miss your object ball, it's a scratch
    and the other player should be able to put the cue ball anywhere.
    If you scratch and manages to make the nine ball in the same shot, you
    currently lose the game. I don't think this is correct.
    When shooting across the length of the table with 100% force and max
    bottom spin the cueball stop before hitting the target ball. Not so in
    reality.
    When breaking in straight pool, you have to have two object balls
    touching the rail.
    When breaking in any game you have to have the cue ball in the bottom
    section.
    There is no way to indicate a safe in straight pool. If you add that,
    remember that on a safe either the cue ball or the object ball has to
    touch a rail.
    If you miss your object ball and sink something else, it should be
    spotted.

    Apart from this, it's a great game.

    Peter

    I am trying to run the game on a 4 plane system. I read here that
    if we reset the color map to use fewer colors, the pocket should
    show up. The rub is, that I cant reset the colors since the "color
    map is full". I get this message even when I select "default factory
    settings". How can I reset the color map?
    
    Thanks
    Paul

The session manager system defaults is not a minimal color usage.

If you have a plain background (no pattern) then the foreground and background
colors can be the same.  This will save you 1 color slot.  The window border
color could be the same as the foreground color.  This will save you another
color slot.  Depending on your choice of colors you might even get away with
setting the window highlight color to one of the foreground colors.  This
will save a third color slot.

Once you have done that, quit your session and log back in.  Then (if no
other clients have customized colors) you should be able to get xpool
working.

Dick

Version 2 is now available.  I've added several features requested by
some of you.  The new features include:

	* It now can use a resource file (DECW$USER_DEFAULTS:XPOOL.DAT)
	  to set default parameters and in particular colors.

	* There is a menu bar to set options.

	* There is help available from the menu bar.

	* There is a preset velocity option (the computer sets the
	  velocity for you).

	* There is a confirm shot option (you are asked to confirm
	  each shot before you take it with the option to reset
	  direction and velocity).

	* You can vary the computer's skill level from very bad to
	  very good (0-100) (Use the Computer Skill option).

	* The number of places and amount of time the application
	  is blocked has been greatly reduced.  This makes exposure
	  events work better and allows to set options at almost any
	  time.

	* Assorted bug fixes.

The new executable is at the same place:

	 PGG::USER5:[STEFANELLI]XPOOL.EXE	Xpool executable
				XPOOL.COM	sample network connect file
				XPOOL.DAT	sample resource file

Have fun,
Doug

    The program and sources are now available at
    PGG::USER5:[STEFANELLI.XPOOL].  See note 312 in ELKTRA::DW_EXAMPLES
    for more information.  Updates are more apt to be put there than here.
    
    Doug