COPYRIGHT & PROPRIETARY RIGHTS
This program is a product of Dan Linton & Jason Blochowiak. It is
protected by United Sates copyright laws and international treaty
provisions. You may NOT modify or create derivative works based on this
this program or any of the information that is contained within it.
You may NOT sell, lease, rent or perform any modifications that might
otherwise convert the original contents, performance or concept that
was intended by the copyright holder of this software package.
DISCLAIMER
The authors of this program make no warranty of any kind either expressed
or implied. In particular we make no warranty as to correctness or
fitness for a particular purpose.
In no event shall the authors be liable for any errors contained herein or
for incidental or consequential damages in connection with the furnishing,
performance, or use of this product or documentation.
This document contains proprietary information which is protected by
copyright. No part of this document may be photocopied, reproduced, or
translated without the prior written consent of the owner.
The information in this document is subject to change without notice.
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Table of Contents
Introduction to Trivia Shell ................................. 1
System Requirements .......................................... 1
Screen Layout and Information ................................ 1
Getting around easily
The Setup Menu ............................................... 2
Personalizing your game
Browse Mode .................................................. 2
The added educational dimension
Starting a New Game ......................................... 2
Lets get started already
Loading a Game ............................................... 3
Level of Play ............................................... 3
Einstein, look out!
Selecting Points ............................................ 3
Gamble on your genius
The Humor Mode ............................................... 4
Hecklers and cheerleaders
The Display Answer Mode ....................................... 4
The Randomize Option ......................................... 4
Sound ........................................................ 4
Arcade-style fun
Timed Play ................................................... 4
Allowing Hints & the Hint Penalty ............................ 4
The Repeat Wrong Option ...................................... 4
The Icon Bonus & Icon Bonus Penalty ........................... 4
Exercises in concentration
High Scores .................................................. 5
The Hall of Eternal Fame and Honor
Quitting a Game .............................................. 5
For More Trivia, or for Support .............................. 5
Getting help ................................................. 5
Hey! ....................................................... 5
Getting involved in Trivia Shell
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Hello, Welcome to Trivia Shell and thank you for choosing our game.
Trivia Shell is an interactive trivia game that allows you to test your
knowledge in a variety of subject areas. Think you know all that there is to
know about movies? Test yourself and amaze your friends by learning new facts
from our files! Is state trivia your bag? We have it covered! You name the
subject and chances are we have it, or we will have it.
Trivia Shell can also be used as a study aid. You and your children can
study geography, presidential history, science and more through Trivia Shell.
Trivia Shell allows you to define the parameters of the game. You choose
how the game will be scored, what questions you will answer, how many points
you will get for correct or incorrect answers, whether you will get hints or
not, and so on. You can control almost every aspect of your game play and we
think that's important. So why don't you read on to learn the details of
customizing Trivia Shell? We hope you enjoy playing the game that puts you
first.
System Requirements
To play Trivia Shell you must have an IBM PC or AT or 100 percent
compatible machine with 640k RAM available. We recommend that you use a mouse
(if you're using a mouse, you must use a 100 percent Microsoft compatible
mouse driver). You must have an EGA or VGA video card installed and you must
be using MS-DOS 2.0 or later.
Please remember to back up your copy of Trivia Shell and play using the
back-up copies, reserving the original game disks for emergencies. See your
DOS manual for information about backing up your disks.
Screen Layout
Trivia Shell is laid out on a menu system, similar to the one used in
Microsoft Windows(TM). In case you are unfamiliar with this system, this
section will explain it and teach you about getting around in Trivia Shell,
with and without a mouse.
On any given screen, there will be a menu at the top, a strip of topics
that allows you to get information, choose special preferences, load and save
games, and quit playing Trivia Shell. You will find details on how to work
with the menu items in the Setup and Starting a Game sections of the manual.
The Info menu item contains information about the program, the author credits
and the version number.
On the bottom of each screen there will a status bar that gives you
important information, like on the right side, how much memory is currently
available for Trivia Shell and the time, and helpful messages and instructions
for Trivia Shell on the left. Looking here will help keep you informed about
the game at all times.
Getting from place to place in Trivia Shell is pretty easy.
If you have a mouse!
Clicking on any of the menu items on the top of the screen will bring up
that menu. Clicking on buttons, like the Next or Previous buttons, will
perform the action specified on each button. For example, the Previous button
will take you to the Previous page. Clicking in check boxes will change their
color from green to black or vice versa. This selects preferences. Green means
a feature is selected, black means it is not selected. See the Setup segment
for further details on preferences. Sunken boxes containing text can be edited
using standard keys. You may delete and re-enter text using the Delete key,
the Backspace key and arrows. We don't recommend using the numeric keypad.
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If you don't have a mouse!
All items can be accessed from the keyboard. Most items have titles. In
each title you will see one underlined letter. Press and hold the Alt key and
press and release the key for the underlined letter. This will activate the
control just as if you had clicked on it with a mouse. You can move
sequentially through the controls by pressing the Tab key. Depressing the Tab
key will highlight the activated command and it will turn white. At this
point, pressing the Space key will activate the control. With a few minor
exceptions, the Enter key corresponds to the Ok function and the Escape key
corresponds to the Cancel function.
Whether or Not You Have a Mouse!
If a menu item or a button has a gray title, it is disabled and you won't
be able to use it. If a menu item or button has a black title, it is enabled
and you may use it.
Setup
The Setup menu can be used to select and set-up your regular game
preferences. These choices will be saved and kept even when you quit the
program. You may also set individual player preferences for each game played.
These will not be saved at the end of the game. Trivia Shell has certain
default preferences that appear the first time you play the game.
They include:
Intermediate level of play
Select Points option is off
Humor Mode is on
Display Answer mode is off
The Randomize Questions and Sound options are on
Timed Play is off (if you turn it on, the default time is 30 seconds)
Allow Hints and the Hint Penalty are on
Repeat Wrong mode is off
The Icon Bonus and Icon Bonus Penalty are on
See Starting a Game and the individual feature descriptions for more details.
Browse Mode
The Browse Mode is a feature unique to Trivia Shell. It allows you to
take a sneak peek at Trivia Shell and also to use it as an educational tool.
You can review questions and boost your knowledge in available topic areas.
You will see a column on the left side with key words or numbers that are used
in the questions. On the right, you will see the number of questions that
contain this word or number. If you don't have a mouse you can scroll through
this list with the up and down arrow keys or the Page Up and Page Down keys.
If you do have a mouse, you can grab and hold the scroll thumb on the right to
cycle through the choices.
Once you find a word you want to browse, activate the Browse button.
This will bring up sample questions in the mode you chose in your setup.
You may answer these if you want, but you will not get any points.
You can continue and see all the questions with the Next and Previous
buttons or you can return to the Browse window with the Cancel button.
Starting a New Game
You can choose one, two, three or four players for a game of Trivia
Shell. You can also choose the number of questions you will answer in a round
of Trivia Shell. After you do this, hitting Ok will bring up a new window.
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In the next section, you can enter game information for each player.
You enter each player's name and choose the categories for each person to play
with.
The Customize Setup button takes you to the Setup window, where you
can really start to individualize Trivia Shell for every player. Here you
alter your preferences for the current game. After each game, Trivia Shell
will return to the default preferences noted earlier. After you have entered
the information for each player, choose Ok. If you made a mistake or want to
change a previous player's preferences, select Previous Player.
If you decide not to start the game at this point, select Cancel. When
you are finished entering all the player information, hit Ok and the game will
begin.
You may also choose to answer certain categories in a given game. Here
is another chance to really personalize your game play. You may choose one
subject area, two, three and so on, or you may answer questions from all the
subject areas in a potpourri round.
When you begin playing Trivia Shell, you will notice that the question
window contains some new information. The upper left will tell you whose turn
it is. The upper right tells you what category question you are currently
trying to answer. Depending on what level you are playing, you will see a
question and some answer choices or an answer blank. If you are playing in
Hint mode, the Hint button will be enabled and you can click on it to get a
hint. If you are using Timed Play mode, you will see a timer in the question
box. For some of the questions there may be a reference. If there is a
reference, the button will be enabled and you can click on it to see the
reference.
Below the actual question window, you will see a player status window.
This status window lists the players' names, scores and some vital statistics.
The current player's stats will be highlighted.
You will also notice that the menu above has changed. You may pause the
game with the Pause menu item. This is the only way to stop the timer in Timed
Play mode. You may also save the current game by choosing the Save Game menu
item. Please note that there is only one saved game available per database. If
you have saved a previous game and decide to save a new game, the old one will
be erased.
Loading a Game
If you have previously saved a game, the Load Game menu item will return
you to where you were when you last quit Trivia Shell. You can play a new game
every day or go for a week-long master challenge game.
Level of Play
You can pick your level of difficulty in Trivia Shell. The Beginner mode
is a true/false game. Trivia Shell will give you a question and an answer. You
simply decide if it's true or false.
When you've gotten too advanced for this level, you can switch to the
Intermediate level, or if you're more daring - start out there. The
Intermediate mode is a multiple choice game. Trivia Shell will give you a
question and four answer choices. You pick the one you think is correct.
For those real daredevil trivia buffs, the Advanced mode is a
fill-in-the-blank game. You will be given a question and you have to type in
an answer.
The Select Points Option
If you think you're still too advanced for standard trivia games, the
Select Points option in Trivia Shell allows you to gamble on your knowledge.
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You can choose any number of points between 1 and 100 to add or subtract from
your score. For example, if you choose 20 points and get the question right,
you'll add 20 points to your score. If you get the question wrong, you lose
those 20 points. If you don't activate this option, each question you get
right will add 10 points to your score; there is no point penalty for wrong
answers.
Humor Mode
Do you hate playing games that just beep at you, or tell you flat out
that you're wrong? The Humor Mode adds a more personal touch to the game. If
activated, Humor Mode will comment on your trivia skill - good and bad. It's
the next best thing to playing with a friend.
Answer Mode
The Display Answer option will do just that. If you get a question wrong,
it will tell you the right answer. If you get it right, it's like a pat on the
back. Display Answer will confirm your response. This is particularly useful
if you want to use Trivia Shell as a learning aid; you'll never have to guess
what the right answer was or search through reference books, you'll simply be
told the right answer to store for future attempts.
The Randomize Option
The Randomize option will shuffle through all of the questions in the
topic areas you've selected and give them to you randomly. You'll never have
to wonder if you got a question right just because you've memorized it from
playing Trivia Shell so often. This option helps ensure that each time you
play Trivia Shell, you're entertained anew.
Sound
The Sound option, if activated, gives you beeps and buzzes. Add an arcade
feel to your matches!
Timed Play
The Timed Play option puts the pressure on you. The timer ticks away as
you wrack your brain for wisdom. You can set the timer anywhere from 5 seconds
per question on up.
Hints and Hint Penalties
The Allow Hints option activates a Hints button in the game. If you really
get stuck, use the button and Trivia Shell will give you a little help. The
Hint Penalty option encourages you not to rely too heavily on the Hints
option. If activated, you will lose 5 points for every hint you take. You can
take it easy or you can work for those high scores.
Repeat Wrong Mode
The Repeat Wrong option will bring the questions you missed back up. In
Trivia Shell, you get a second chance.
Icon Bonus & Penalty
The Icon Bonus gives you brownie points for having a good memory.
If this function is activated, you will see a small icon in the upper
right-hand corner of the question window. Keep track of what you see. If the
same icon comes up again, click on the Icon Bonus button. The last question
you saw with the same icon will reappear. If you remember the correct answer,
type it in and score 20 bonus points. But we don't want to make it too easy
for you, so if you have selected Icon Bonus Penalty and get the bonus question
wrong, you'll lose 20 points. You choose the level of difficulty of your games
and the level of rewards.
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High Scores
Here's where you begin to reap the rewards of your trivia wit. The High
Scores window will show you the names of the top three scorers for each of the
three levels of Trivia Shell along with the date that each score was attained.
You can keep track of your friendly battles of wits without ever having to
write down a point gained or lost!
Quitting the Game
As much fun as you've had playing Trivia Shell, we know you'll have to
reluctantly take breaks to let your mind rest. If you are in the middle of a
game and would like to save it, simply select the Save option from the menu at
the top of the screen. If you do not want to save, or if you have finished
your game, simply select the Quit option from the menu. Trivia Shell will
verify that you really want to quit; you answer and you're out.
See Loading a Game to resume a saved game at a later time.
For More Trivia
If you would like to know where to get more great trivia games on other
subjects, you can write to:
Dan Linton, Jr.
26 Harris Street
Clinton, MA 01510
If you have a CompuServe account, you may leave messages and questions
with:
CompuServe ID # 73230,3254
If you have a modem, you may contact the Software Creations BBS at the
following numbers:
1200/2400 V.42/MNP 5 lines: (508) 365-2359
2400-16.8k HST US Robotics lines: (508) 368-4137
2400-14.4k V.32/V.42bis Hayes lines: (508) 368-7036
Again, thank you for using our Trivia Shell products. We hope you enjoy
the many options you have with our program.
Hey!
We are looking for people to create great question databases for new and
exciting Trivia Shell games - educational, technical, or just informative. If
you or someone you know can use a word processor and would like to create a
question database, then contact us with your ideas. We're also looking for
graphics designers for cover screens for all of our Trivia Shell programs. If
you or someone you know can do great graphics on the computer, please contact
us for further information.
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