Introduction
Welcome to the
world of text-based internet gaming. It
is a wonderful place where your imagination can soar with unparalleled
freedom. It is arguably, the most
exciting and all-encompassing online interaction that has ever existed, and new
advancements are made every day with it.
This telnet client is designed to give you the most advanced access to
that world, and all the wonders and mysteries within.
This, and all related help files are designed for use with Portal© for Windows. It includes all relative information for proper usage of the client to connect to different, online text-based games. Online help for the rules and regulations regarding the actual games, themselves, can be accessed by typing “help” once you are connected to the server. Game functions and other commands are accessible by typing “help” as well. Other help information sources on the game will be clearly defined once they are made available to you (for example, guild help files and such).
There are many text-based types
of connections out there. MUDs, MUSHs,
MOOs, etc. Each different type appeals
to a different type of person, and each has their unique pros and cons. While Portal©
can be used to connect to any and all types, we simply refer to the bulk of
them as MUDs. Thusly, you will see the
word MUD used throughout the program and the help files, even though you could
easily substitute it with MUSH, or MOO, etc. One point to remember though, some advanced features are available
only on Portal© enhanced MUDs. These
features will be indicated by an asterisk (*) when they are mentioned and
discussed further as needed.
The client also
allows connection to most any telnet port.
You can use it to connect to your server machines as well as your
favorite MUD.
Also, if you run into issues, don't forget to check out the FAQ or Troubleshooting help files.
So adventurers, unsheathe your swords or strap on your laser blasters, for your journey has just begun…
This screen is the
heart of the program. Here is where you
receive most messages and enter commands.
Access to the other screens is done through this screen. The position and size of the main screen is
saved with your character. The main
screen is described in more detail below.
Floater screens are
special windows that can remain onscreen, visible and active while the main
screen is also active. All floater
screens are listed below, with a brief description for each.
Autotyper The program’s integrated editor
Canvas
Displays
the Portal© Canvas
Imagery Displays custom and 3rd party images
System Messages Allows you to view any retained system messages
Cartographer Displays the mapping viewer/editor
Chat Monitor The program’s integrated chat client
Tell Monitor The program’s integrated conversation client
Room Monitor The program’s integrated room display
Floater Screen
Common Properties
· All screen desktop
positions and dimensions are saved with each character
· All options within
each floater screen are saved with each character
· All can be chosen
to remain on top of other windows or not
· All can be
“anchored” to the main screen and move
around when it does
· All can be
retrieved to the screen home position (upper left corner) if lost off-screen
You can cycle through the
active, usable floater screens by holding down the Ctrl key and pressing the
Tab key. The cycling follows the order
in the floater screen list above. If a
screen is not active and showing (i.e. closed), it will not be included in the
cycling. To cycle through the screens
in reverse order, hold down the Shift key in addition to the Ctrl key.
Also, when on any
screen, you can bring up any other screen using the Floater Screen
Hotkeys. If any screen is closed at the
time, using that screen’s Hotkey will open it.
Esc Sets
focus on the Main Screen from any Floater Screen
Ctrl+Enter Shows the Autotyper
Shift+Ctrl+N Shows the Canvas
Shift+Ctrl+I Shows the Imagery
Shift+Ctrl+M Shows the System
Messages Screen
Shift+Ctrl+G Shows the Cartographer
Shift+Ctrl+C Shows the Chat Monitor
Shift+Ctrl+T Shows the Tell Monitor
These are screens
that affect the basic control and operation of the game settings. When one of these screens is active, the
rest of the program cannot be accessed.
Once you have finished work in one of these screens and closed it, the
game is again at your fingertips.
Examples of these screens would be the aliases and
macros screens.
The game still
runs while a modal screen is active, as do all applicable events.
In most screens, you will see a small button with a yellow question mark. This indicates that there is a help topic specific to that screen. To access this help file, either click the button with the mouse pointer or press the F1 key. Help accessed from the main screen brings up this file.
With
some browsers, If help is already loaded, the help file might not be
automatically redirected. In this case, simply manually navigate using the
links in the contents area on the left.