Operation OverType - FAQs
-------------------------

Q: What is this program all about?
A: It is "touch  typing game". Various  words are appearing  on the screen  and
   are trying to reach its bottom.  You are expected to prevent them from doing
   this by typing them as fast as you can on your keyboard and firing them down
   using SpaceBar. "Attacks" are  separated  into  twelve  (standard,  you  can
   change this, see below) levels, speed of falling words increases with  level
   number. There are many programs  of this sort  on present shareware  market,
   but I hope you will like right this.

Q: There's too many command-line options; can you give a brief summary of them?
A: Yeah. Proper syntax is:

   OOT [-D<path>]                             ; where word lists are located?
       [-local]                               ; use local hi-score file
       [-nocrunch]                            ; turns sound effects off
       [-stdchar]                             ; turns built-in font off
       [-boring]                              ; turns various types of UFOs off
       [-double|-half]                        ; increases/decreases length of
                                                every level twice
       [-stars]                               ; turns stars on
       [-snail|-chewingtoy|-ultrachewingtoy]  ; decreases playing speed
       [-four|-eight|-twelve]                 ; sets maximal length of words
       [-lowcase]                             ; disables uppercase characters
       [-nomarks]                             ; disables diacritic marks (Czech
                                                and Slovak in CP "Kamenickych"
                                                only)
       [-pieceofcake|-heavyduty]              ; sets number of UFOs falling si-
                                                multaneously
       [-wimp|-macho]                         ; combines -boring, -double,
                                                -half, -stars, -snail,
                                                -chewingtoy,
                                                -ultrachewingtoy, -four,
                                                -eight, -twelve, -pieceofcake
                                                and -heavyduty options to be
                                                best suitable for wimps and
                                                machos
       [-charset]                             ; displays extended character set
                                                used in OOT before running prog

   Note: if you don't use any  parameter  afflicting  spped  and/or  number  or
   length of words, OOT will run itself in "automatic" mode (first time it will
   really turn you up, but when you run it this way next time, it will consider
   your actual typing skills -  information about  them will  be updated  after
   each use of OOT).  It  is  updated  for  each  directory  ("-Dpath"  option)
   separately.

   Czech users: use `OT.BAT' with the same options instead of `OOT.EXE'.

Q: I would like to use OOT with word lists of my own - is it possible?
A: Yes. Word lists can  be  found  in  `level_xx.oot'  files.  These  are  pure
   ASCII, and there  must  be  at least one of  them  in  OOT  directory  (`le-
   vel_01.oot',  `level_02.oot',  ...  ,  `level_??.oot').  Maximum  number  is
   twenty four, OOT will ignore  these with number 25  and above. Note that  if
   you have for example 01,  02, 03, 05, 06, 07,  08 and 09 levels, only  first
   three will be used. Each line must  contain one word, maximal length of  one
   word is limited to 16  characters, maximal number of  words in one level  is
   limited to 3000. If you are  using Czech characters, use "Kamenickych"  code
   page.  Used  font  does  not  contain  special  French,  Spanish  or   other
   characters. But you may  turn it off  - run OOT  with "-charset" option  for
   more info. If you have several sets of words, maybe you will find "-D<path>"
   command-line parameter very useful: if you run OOT for example by

   OOT -boring -ultrachewingtoy -nocrunch -pieceofcake -Dlaw

   from directory in which OOT.EXE is located, levels from .\LAW\ will be  used
   (. is for current  directory). You can  use full or  relative path, with  or
   without backslash at the end.  If you  use "-local"  option with  "-D<path>"
   one, OOT will create/update hi-score  file in directory  with word lists  so
   you can have hi-score for every set of levels.

Q: Am I obliged to sort words in each level alphabetically?
A: No. As you can see even "original" levels are not sorted.

Q: Can you explain me what sorts of UFOs are implemented in this version?
A: There are five of  them: SUPPORTERs (dark colors)  just flit on the  screen,
   up, down, left, right - whatever they like. Their task is to hide  attackers
   and bosses, and make situation  more confused. ATTACKERs (light colors)  are
   just falling down,  trying  to  reach  the  bottom  of  the  screen.  ATTACK
   LEADERs (blinking ones) are also falling  down, but when they reach row  20,
   they send a  signal to other  UFOs and all  these from the  very top of  the
   screen (if any) immediately fly down to help that boss who sent the  signal.
   WATCHERs (magenta ones) just fly over the playground from time to time. They
   will not attack you, they are just looking what's going on. UFOs from  first
   three sorts also differ in speed; red are fast, cyan are "normal" and  green
   are slow. They can also change their roles during time! I. e. supporter  may
   change itself to attacker, leader can sometimes become supporter and so  on.
   You will get more points for shooting down boss than for attacker/supporter,
   your rating also depends on speed (color) of destroyed word. You can get ve-
   ry large amounts of extra points for destroing watchers too. But: from  time
   to time you wont' get  any points, dying watcher  just cries out, other UFOs
   get angry and you will  encounter more UFOs  falling simultaneously in  next
   attack! (don't worry, maximum number is 20 and it don't increase  more  than
   by one from level to level ;-) At the end of each level one "BOSS" waits for
   you - you must type'n'shoot him up to five times!

Q: What are shocking missiles?
A: When you do have enough  points (one shocking missile costs 2.000 pts!), you
   can use <Enter> instead  of <SpaceBar>  for firing  down UFOs.  All UFOs  at
   approximately the same height of the word you hit with shocking missile  are
   influenced by "menthol radiation" (or,  mental, if you  like :-) and  become
   "supporters", no matter what  role they had before.  If you hit "boss"  this
   way, he does not become supporter, but number of his lives decreses by  one.
   Remember, you must definitely  destroy  bosses  with  direct  hit,  "menthol
   shocks" do not  damage "one-live-bosses"  (you can  ultimately destroy  them
   with direct hit by shocking missile, of course; but in this case they absorb
   all the radiation and you have just wasted 2.000 pts, watchers do the same).
   When there are several words  the same,  only one  will be  hit by  shocking
   missile (you cannot influence which one it  will be), others will be hit  by
   standard rocket. When you  have less than 2.000  pts, you cannot afford  any
   shocking missiles and <Enter>  will fire  standard rockets.  You cannot  use
   shocking missiles in "boring" mode (see next question).

A: That's too crazy! I wanna just type, and not to care about these attack lea-
   ders, bosses, supporters, watchers, shocking missiles and all the stuff!
Q: You're right. Nothing is  more amazing and cool  than plain typing. ;-)  Use
   "-boring" command-line option.

Q: I have never heard of TPMs?!
A: In Czech, you need to press up to three or even four keys to type some  spe-
   cific characters so this  ratio is quite more  accurate than CPMs. WPMs  are
   not very good units (in OOT),  because you can fire  at short words most  of
   the time and destroy  longer ones  only in  case of  absolute necessity  and
   doing this overvalue your real touch-typing performance a lot.

Q: How should I pay for this program?
A: If you are not Czech resident, you are obliged to send me $1 for this  game.
   In case a new version will appear after you have registered, you can use  it
   without any additional payments. You are also entitled to use all  available
   word lists free of charge. So if you think shareware  authors have right  to
   get something in  return for they  effort, send  this in cash (according  to
   scheme below) by air mail to:

     Karel Behounek
     Vlkanec 102
     285 64 VLKANEC
     Czech Republic

   NOTE: To encourage you  to REGISTER, I have crippled UNregistered version  a
   bit -  maximal number  of levels  in UNregistered  version is  4 (four).  It
   will ignore further levels. After registration you will  get "full"  version
   with 12 levels (maximum: 24). Due to this distribution policy also changed a
   bit:

   when you send me | you will get in return
   -----------------+----------------------------------------------------------
   e-mail only      | nothing
   $1 only          | nothing
   $1 and e-mail    | information about  how to get  full version  via Internet
                    | (FREE)
   $2 (*)           | full version  and several  (four?) sets  of levels  (each
                    | contains 12 of them),  bonus programs  in English,  Czech
                    | and  Slovak  language,  information  about  getting  FREE
                    | upgrades via Internet - all these on disk via air mail.

   (*) first buck will  pay for  my work,  second one  will cover  distribution
       costs (diskette, postage stamps, packing material,  amortization  of  my
       floppy drive :-) ...)
   (+) if you won't specify format, you will get 3,5" (HD)

    \|/   REMEMBER: If you are using OOT after trial period (14 days),  you are
   (/ o)            not big macho, but evil PIRATE ...  till I get registration
    \U/             fee from you ... ;-)


Q: Personally, do you believe in UFOs?
A: Yes. But I hope you can clearly see (from the style I wrote OOT) I don't li-
   ke them and make  fun of them  - that's my  attitude towards everything  de-
   parting people from the only true God.

Q: ?
A: If you have any problems/questions (not listed  above),  don't  hesitate  to
   contact me via e-mail (xbehk02@vse.cz), maybe I'll be able to help.