MeggieSoft Games for 1998 (32-bit) - README.TXT
===============================================
 
This file contains the following sections:
      Introduction
      System Requirements
      Installation
      De-Installation
      Registration
      Distribution
      Frequently Asked Questions


Introduction
------------
MeggieSoft Games distributes three two-handed card games for the
Microsoft Windows operating systems.  The games are available in
both 16-bit (for Windows 3.x and Windows 95) and 32-bit (for
Windows 95 and Windows NT) versions.  

Rummy 500 was our first offering, released in August 1994.  We
released our second product, Gin Rummy, in February 1995.  Our
third game is Pinochle which was released in July 1996.

In each game, you play against the computer, which can be set to
one of six different skill levels.  At Champion and Master levels,
the computer is harder to beat and provides a very challenging 
game.

All games share the same MeggieSoft Games user interface which
provides very rich customization features, including sound effects,
music, and speech synthesized output.


System Requirements
------------------- 
32-bit versions require Windows 95 or Windows NT and a mouse.

IMPORTANT NOTE: 
Many shareware distributed versions do not include the required
Visual Basic runtime files in order to minimize download overhead
for the many users who already have these files installed on their
systems.  If you are missing these files, the games will not run.
You may obtain an installation set of the runtime files from the 
MeggieSoft Games website at http://members.aol.com/meggiesoft and
at many other internet shareware sites.

An Intel 386 class system with 4 megabytes of RAM is considered to
be the minimum configuration, although a 486 class system with 8 
megabytes of RAM will provide more fluid action. 
 

Installation
------------
Installation is achieved by running the setup.exe program.  32-bit 
versions may be both installed and de-installed (see below) via
the "Add/Remove Programs" capability of Windows 95.  

Each installation will add an "add/remove programs" entry to the
registry.  If you do not deinstall (see later) older updates 
before installing a new update f the SAME files these will
accumulate.  However, no harm will result if you allow multiple
installations to accumulate.  (For the technically aware, all 
files are installed as "Shared" to permit multiple installations
and deinstallations of the SAME files to occur correctly without
"overwrite" warnings or unintended removal.)

To use the sound effects and Speak-To-Me capability, you must 
either have a sound card installed in your system, or have the 
speak.exe driver installed to use your system's regular speaker.  
Speak.exe is a freely distributed product from Microsoft, and is 
available on most online services and bulletin board systems.  

MeggieSoft Games distributes a few simple sound files; others may
be obtained from libraries on most online services and bulletin
board systems.  To enable sound effects, you must check "Enable"
from the "Sounds Effects" option under the "Edit Preferences" 
menu option.  

Midi music files are not distributed for copyright reasons.  You
may acquire these from regular online sources.  You will probably
have canyon.mid in your Windows directory (under the "media"
subfolder for Windows 95) since this is distributed with Windows
by Microsoft.  If this is the case, the games will automatically
find it and select it as the default.

Note that, in rare instances, some systems may be unable to 
handle midi music and other sounds at the same time. 


De-installation
---------------
To de-install 32-bit versions, use the remove option of the 
Add/Remove programs facility of the control panel.  Then delete
the MegiSoft folder (which should then contain only the residual
scoreboard files).

When installing updates, you should deinstall any older updates
of the SAME module or program before installing a new update.  
Otherwise these will accumulate in the add/remove programs list.
However, no harm will result if you allow multiple installations
to accumulate.  Be careful not to deinstall more files than you
are reinstalling.  For example, if you have installed a complete
installation from registered diskettes, or from an online or 
shareware source, do not deinstall this to perform an update of
a single game downloaded from the MeggieSoft Games website - 
otherwise the files from the original installation which are not
being updated will be removed from your system.
(For the technically aware, all files are installed as "Shared" 
to permit multiple installations and deinstallations of the
SAME files to occur correctly without "overwrite" warnings or
unintended removal.)


Registration
------------
You may evaluate shareware programs from MeggieSoft Games for a
period of 30 days after which you must register or remove from
your system.  To not comply with this condition is a violation of
United States and international copyright law.  Ensure you have
reviewed and agree with the terms stated in the LICENSE.TXT file.

To register, please use the printable order form under the "Help"
menu.  The cost of registration for each game is $15.  If you 
require the latest versions on diskette, the fee is $20 to 
register one game, $30 for two games, and $45 for all three games.
If you are unable to print the order form, please copy the
information from the on-screen order form onto a sheet of paper
and make sure that you:

1. Specify which game you are registering 
2. Add 5% sales tax to the registration fee if you are a 
   Massachusetts resident
3. Enclose a check drawn on a U.S. bank, or an international money 
   order, for the correct amount, in U.S. funds, payable to Carol
   Bufton

We return checks made out incorrectly, or drawn on a non-U.S. 
bank.

You will receive your registration code by mail.  The registration
code is encoded from your name, so be sure to provide your name 
exactly as you wish to be registered.

Please allow 28 days for your registration to arrive, although 
every effort will be made to mail your registration within 5 days.  
Your registration may also be valid for future versions as they
become available.

Because we cannot track which versions are currently available at
what locations, it is possible that a game will have been updated
since your evaluation copy unless you downloaded a recent version.
Details of latest versions may be found at the MeggieSoft Games
worldwide web site at http://members.aol.com/meggiesoft.  If your
system is configured for internet access and you have a web 
browser installed you may access the site from the "Help" menu.


Distribution
------------
You may distribute MeggieSoft Games products to others provided
that you derive no revenue other than that associated with the act
of distribution, provided you make it clear that the products are
shareware, and provided that you distribute all distributed files
intact and unaltered.

The following files comprise the MeggieSoft Games 32-bit products
(and supporting, distributable, Microsoft Visual Basic system
files), together with their default installation locations:

[System]
VB40032.DLL -> C:\WINDOWS\SYSTEM
ven2232.olb -> C:\WINDOWS\SYSTEM
olepro32.dll -> C:\WINDOWS\SYSTEM
msvcrt20.dll -> C:\WINDOWS\SYSTEM
msvcrt40.dll -> C:\WINDOWS\SYSTEM
ctl3d32.dll -> C:\WINDOWS\SYSTEM
winmm.dll -> C:\WINDOWS\SYSTEM
WSPLIB32.DLL -> C:\WINDOWS\SYSTEM

[MeggieSoft Support Files]
ReadMe32.TXT -> C:\Program Files\MEGISOFT
License.TXT -> C:\Program Files\MEGISOFT
Africa.WMF -> C:\Program Files\MEGISOFT\CardBack
Buttrfly.WMF -> C:\Program Files\MEGISOFT\CardBack
Daisies.WMF -> C:\Program Files\MEGISOFT\CardBack
Pencils.WMF -> C:\Program Files\MEGISOFT\CardBack
Rose.WMF -> C:\Program Files\MEGISOFT\CardBack
Watrfall.WMF -> C:\Program Files\MEGISOFT\CardBack
Megan.WMF -> C:\Program Files\MEGISOFT\CardBack
GENERAL.WSD -> C:\Program Files\MEGISOFT\Speech
USENM11A.WSF -> C:\Program Files\MEGISOFT\Speech
GrnCloth.WMF -> C:\Program Files\MEGISOFT\Effects
RedCloth.WMF -> C:\Program Files\MEGISOFT\Effects
BluCloth.WMF -> C:\Program Files\MEGISOFT\Effects
Mahogany.WMF -> C:\Program Files\MEGISOFT\Effects
Pine.WMF -> C:\Program Files\MEGISOFT\Effects
Oak.WMF -> C:\Program Files\MEGISOFT\Effects
Granite.WMF -> C:\Program Files\MEGISOFT\Effects
Water.WMF -> C:\Program Files\MEGISOFT\Effects
Small.WMF -> C:\Program Files\MEGISOFT\Cards
Regular.WMF -> C:\Program Files\MEGISOFT\Cards
Large.WMF -> C:\Program Files\MEGISOFT\Cards
XLarge.WMF -> C:\Program Files\MEGISOFT\Cards
Shuffle.WAV -> C:\Program Files\MEGISOFT\Sounds
Card.WAV -> C:\Program Files\MEGISOFT\Sounds
Knock.WAV -> C:\Program Files\MEGISOFT\Sounds
mgenter.WAV -> C:\Program Files\MEGISOFT\Sounds
mgexit.WAV -> C:\Program Files\MEGISOFT\Sounds
mgwnrnd.WAV -> C:\Program Files\MEGISOFT\Sounds
mglsrnd.WAV -> C:\Program Files\MEGISOFT\Sounds
mgwngame.WAV -> C:\Program Files\MEGISOFT\Sounds
mglsgame.WAV -> C:\Program Files\MEGISOFT\Sounds

[Optionally, if distributing Rummy 500]
Rummy532.EXE -> C:\Program Files\MEGISOFT
Rummy500.HLP -> C:\Program Files\MEGISOFT
Read500.TXT -> C:\Program Files\MEGISOFT

[Optionally, if distributing Gin Rummy]
GinRum32.EXE -> C:\Program Files\MEGISOFT
GinRummy.HLP -> C:\Program Files\MEGISOFT
ReadGin.TXT -> C:\Program Files\MEGISOFT

[Optionally, if distributing Pinochle]
Pinoch32.EXE -> C:\Program Files\MEGISOFT
Pinochle.HLP -> C:\Program Files\MEGISOFT
ReadPin.TXT -> C:\Program Files\MEGISOFT

Commercial distributors are expected to check the MeggieSoft Games
web site periodically in order to ensure that the latest versions
are being distributed.


Frequently Asked Questions
--------------------------
Q. In what programming language are the MeggieSoft Games written?

A. Microsoft Visual Basic 4.  See the "For The Technically Curious"
   section of the help files for more information.


Q. Where did the name "MeggieSoft Games" come from?

A. From a pet Border Collie named Megan.  The program icons are 
   derived from a photograph of Megan 


Q. What happens if the game causes system messages, "bombs out", 
   or freezes?

A. These problems are almost always to do with the way your system
   memory is configured or managed.  The MeggieSoft Games are
   quite intensive in their use of system resources and run on
   99% of customers' systems with no problems. However, sometimes
   such problems are reported, and all we can do is offer the
   advice noted here.


Q. Why do I get white rectangles displayed where the cards should
   be (and other strange behavior)?

A. Very occasionally we receive reports of this problem, which is
   a result of your graphics configuration not being able to load 
   and/or display the card images.  If your graphics card is 
   manifesting such problems, try setting the number of colors it
   displays to 256, or even 16.  Alas, there is little we can do
   about this situation without severely comprising display speed,
   since this is predicated upon holding relatively large card
   image maps in memory.  However, you might find that an updated
   driver is available for your graphics card if you contact your
   system manufacturer.


Q. Why do I get "subscript out of bounds" error messages and/or 
   see erratic behavior?

A. The MeggieSoft Games are designed to respond to single 
   mouse-clicks, not double-clicks.  In earlier versions it was
   possible to "trip up" the processing of actions if the program
   reacted to the second click before it had finished processing
   the first click.  In current versions the games attempt to 
   trap and ignore extra clicks when they are busy.


Q. I have my graphics display set to "Large Fonts".  Why are some
   of the fonts displayed smaller?

A. Many graphics drivers (particularly for Windows 95) alter the
   Twips parameter of the display in order to display everything
   larger - not just the fonts.  The MeggieSoft Games compensate
   for this by shrinking some of the font sizes on those windows
   which display card images, particularly the main playing 
   window.  While this makes everything fit, the result is not as
   attractive as when "Small Fonts" is the enabled graphics
   display mode.


Q. How do I permanently change the preference settings?

A. Check the "Save Preferences" box at the bottom of the 
   Preferences frame to make changes permanent. 


Q. Do the games cheat by peeking at the player's cards?

A. No!  However, at the higher skill levels, the games will
   remember everything that you have done, and will also make
   probability estimates of which unseen cards might be in your
   hand versus the stock.


Q. Why didn't you respond to the suggestions for enhancement I 
   made?

A. Our first priority is to provide quality games at the lowest 
   possible price and this prevents us from entering into much
   personal correspondence.  Most suggestions are incorporated 
   into the next version of the game(s). This is our way of
   responding positively to your suggestions.


Q. Why don't you accept credit cards or online registrations 
   through CompuServe, for example?

A. Again, our first priority is to provide a quality game at the
   lowest possible price and thus we keep our overheads to a 
   minimum.  With respect to online registration, our customers
   obtain our games from a wide variety of sources and it would be
   impractical for us to offer different registration means for
   each source.


Q. I am a shareware distributor.  How do I obtain permision to 
   distribute your products to my customers?

A. As noted earlier in this file, permission is automatically 
   granted subject to the conditions stated.


Q. I am a software developer.  Are you able to share any of the 
   program code?

A. No.  All program code is proprietary to MeggieSoft Games,
   except for the third-party components which are described in
   the help files (in the section called "For The Technically
   Curious").


© MeggieSoft Games 1994-1998.  All Rights Reserved.
