Additional information on Bitmap Diplomacy Mapper v1.2 beta BDM program by Rob Paar (rpaar@globalxs.nl) this file by Joshua E Randall (jerandall@yahoo.com) !!!Please read the files 'Readme.txt' and 'Information.txt' that come with the program !!! = = = = = Introduction ------------ BMD is capable of reading Judge output and displaying the results in a relatively intuitive format. However, BDM has several quirks (we won't call them 'bugs') of which you should be aware when running the program. Preparing Judge results for use by BDM -------------------------------------- In brief, you need to load the movement results into a text file, massage them a bit so BDM likes the format, and then copy/rename that file to the '*.his' extension for use by the BDM program. In detail: 1. Create a text file that contains nothing but the Judge movement results. (BDM is capable of ignoring non-move Judge output, but this occassionally causes problems, so I recommend that you strip out all press, late notices, etc.) You can either grab a 'history ' from the Judge, or keep a running log of the moves as they come through (by cutting and pasting from your e-mail to the text file). Name the text file something sensible, like NB: If you're using Windows Notepad, the text file will grow too large for Notepad to handle. You can use Windows Write or even a full-fledged word processing program (such as Word) to create the file, but BE SURE TO SAVE IT IN TEXT- ONLY FORMAT. Windows Write will prompt you for this option whenever you save the file, so I recommend that choice. 2. BDM is very particular about the formatting of the text file. To begin with, the first line of the file MUST contain the double-colon line that starts each Judge message. For example: :: Judge: USEF Game: Monster Variant: Standard NB: BDM only supports Standard and Standard Gunboat games. 3. Each move requires a 'Date:' and 'Subject:' line, followed by the 'Movement results for XXXXX' line. Other lines, such as 'To' and 'From' are irrelevant and can be deleted. Be sure there is a space between the 'Date:' and the text following it, and likewise with 'Subject:' -- if you don't do this, BDM will not recognize the results. Example: Date: Tue, 16 Feb 1999 23:51:31 -0800 (PST) Subject: Diplomacy results monster S1901M Movement results for Spring of 1901. (monster.001) Counter example: (**DON'T DO THIS**) Date:Tue, 16 Feb 1999 23:51:31 -0800 (PST) Subject:Diplomacy results monster S1901M Movement results for Spring of 1901. (monster.001) 4. Format the results so that each unit's moves appear on ONE line. What this means is that moves to long-named provinces have to go past 80 columns WITHOUT WRAPPING. This is also the case for retreats, some of which are very long; for example: The English Fleet in the North Sea can retreat to Yorkshire or Edinburgh or Norwegian Sea or Skagerrak. Format the supply center ownership chart in the same way; for example: Ownership of supply centers: Austria: Budapest, Trieste. England: Edinburgh, London. France: Brest, Liverpool, Marseilles, Paris, Portugal, Spain. Germany: Belgium, Berlin, Denmark, Holland, Kiel, Munich, Norway, St Petersburg, Sweden, Warsaw. Italy: Naples, Rome, Tunis, Venice, Vienna. Turkey: Ankara, Bulgaria, Constantinople, Greece, Moscow, Rumania, Serbia, Sevastopol, Smyrna. 5. Once you have cleaned up the text file to conform with BDM's requirements, save it, and make a copy of the file. Rename the copy to 6. Store the *.his files in the /Games/ subdirectory within whichever directory BDM was installed into. Running BDM ----------- 7. Do not try to run BDM by double-clicking on a *.his file, even if you have associated it with the BDM executable. Doing so will cause the program to crash. 8. Run BDM by executing the 'admap.exe' file or using the shortcut that was created on installation. 9. Choose 'File | Open' (or click the open folder icon) and pick the game to load from the list. 10. Zoom all the way out by repeatedly clicking the zoom out icon (magnifying glass with red minus sign on it). Un- fortunately there is no way to change BDM's default so that it is not zoomed in on opening, so you'll have to zoom out each time you launch the program. 11. While within BDM, do not attempt to close one game and open another, or open multiple maps at once. This will cause the program to crash. You must exit the program and re-launch it each time you want to view a different map. Interpreting results -------------------- 12. Please see the file 'Information.txt' for help on how to interpret results. After you get used the BDM, you will find it quite easy to interpret the results of each phase. The alternative map and unit bitmaps ------------------------------------ 13. Included in this zipfile (BDM-info.zip) is an alternative map and unit bitmaps which are (in my opinion) nicer than the ones included with the original BDM program. The redrawn map and unit bitmaps were created by Steve Araps (saraps@erols.com). 14. Place the 'Standard.bmp' file into BDM's /Maps/ sub- directory. You can overwrite the existing file (or rename it to 'Standard.bak' or something). 15. Place the '*A.bmp' and '*F.bmp' files into BDM's /Info/ subdirectory, again overwriting the existing files (or renaming them). 16. The next time you launch BDM, you will see the cleaner map and more brightly colored units. 17. You can modify the bitmaps with any appropriate program, such as Windows Paint. I recommend you make backups before you do this, though, in case you goof up. Conclusion ---------- Once you get past BDM's quirks, the program is pretty easy to use. I encourage you to give it a chance -- the first time I tried it, I hated it; but now I can't live without it. Please contact me, Joshua Randall (jerandall@yahoo.com), with comments on THIS FILE ONLY. NOTE: I am not BDM's author, just a relatively knowledgable user. Thanks. -- Joshua E Randall 17 August 1999