DeMONS 1.24, by Paddedwall Software

Providing computer solutions for the mentally impaired since about 8:35am...

http://www.paddedwall.org/demons/


What Is It?
------------
DeMONS (pronounced "smith") is a racing simulator event scheduling program 
designed for use specifically with Nascar Racing 3 and Nascar Legends, both 
developed my Papyrus.


How Much Is It?
---------------
First, let me say that I don't want your money.  This program is absolutely 
free (however, I have been known to accept the occasional sacraficial virgin 
from my more loyal subjects (it makes them feel better, but more importantly, 
they don't follow me around as much if I just accept what they offer and let 
them get on with their lives).

Next, don't even think about making any money on this software.  You can't 
charge for it, and you can't put it ona web site or other source that does 
or will charge for access.  You can't even charge enough to recoup your cost 
of mailing it somewhere (including shipping charges, labor, or media).


Yer a God - What Programming Language Did You Use?
--------------------------------------------------
Anyway, this program was written using Visual C++ 6.0 and the MFC class 
libraries, but no other 3rd party commercial code was used (just in case I 
feel like releasing the source code at a later date).


Sure You Wrote This - What Are Your Qualifications?
---------------------------------------------------
I've been programming for a living since 1982.  I don't have a degree, but 
I did go to a local computer trade school in 1980-1982, learning how to 
write programs in various languages for mainframe.  Remember, this was 
BEFORE the IBM PC was released.

Since then, I've worked for a few defense contractors and have been with my 
current employer for 12 years, writing financial modeling applications.  I 
taught myself Pascal and C/C++.


Where's The Damn Help File?!
----------------------------
I have been debating about providing a help file, but I really don't see a 
need for it at this time, because the program is so damn simple to use.  The 
way I have it figured is that if you're familiar enough with the simulator 
to want to run a dedicated server, you probably alread know what all this 
stuff means.

There is a web page that discusses DeMONS and will be updated as I receive 
suggestions, bug reports, or just plain comments (praise) concerning my 
god-like programming skills.


What Do I Need To Make The Program Work?
----------------------------------------
In order to run the program, you need to have Nascar Legends and or the 
patched Nascar Racing 3 simulators installed correctly from their respective 
CDs.  Other than the sims being installed prior to running the app, nothing 
else is needed.  

I'm not sure about the association between the calendar file and the 
selected car list in the sim, but I recommend that you select the MULTI car 
list before trying to run as a server through DeMONS.

Once you've started using DeMONS, DO NOT CHANGE YOUR CALENDAR FILE (ALL.CAL).  
There is no checking currently being done to ensure that the track you 
selected in a schedule still exists in the calendar file.

Apparently, the N3 patch only allows Internet connections, so if you want to 
connect from another machine on your LAN, you must select both TCP/IP AND 
Internet connections on your client machine in order to join your race.  I 
don't know if this is also the case with NL.


COOL! I Can Serve Both Sims From The Same Schedule!
---------------------------------------------------
Nascar Legends REQUIRES that the CD be in the drive before running even in 
dedicated server mode.  As of Patch #7, Nascar Racing 3 does NOT have the 
same requirement.  However, we never know exactly what Papy will do until 
they do it.  In order to cover all of your bases, you need to create a CD 
with BOTH sims on it to avoid having to disk-swap if you intend on mixing 
your schedule.

On the original CD (for both sims), you'll find the following two folders:

	\DirectX
	\WorldNet

These are not needed by the simulator to verify a legal copy, and can 
therefore be ignored when making a new CD.  You can also safely ignore 
the files in the root directory of the CD.  Remember, we're not making 
installable CD's, we're making a key CD that the sims can use to start 
up.

On the Nascar Racing 3 CD, you want this folder:

        \NR3

And on the Nascar Legends CD, you want this folder:

        \NL

Copy these two folders to a single CD, and you don't have to worry about 
disk swapping any more, no matter what Papy does with the patch. 

Before you ask, no - I won't make the CD for you.


What OS Does It Run On?
-----------------------
To be honest, I've only tried it on Win98, but I see no reason it shouldn't 
work on Win/NT or Win95 as well.  As for Win2k, I'm reluctant to hazard a 
guess.


Where Do I Install It?
----------------------
You can put this program ANYWHERE on your system.  It uses the registry to 
find the sims, so there's no problem with installing DeMONS on a completely 
different drive if that's what you want to do.

I install all my Papy sims in a \Sierra folder.  So, I have the following 
folders contained within the \Sierra folder:

   NR3
   NL
   GPL

I created another folder under \Sierra called "DeMONS" and put the files 
in that folder.


You Mean It's Not Stable?
--------------------------------
I'm pretty sure it's stable, but hey, I'm only human. The only thing I can 
REALLY guarantee is that this program will take up a little disk space.  I 
need everybody that uses DeMONS to report back with ANY problems, regardless 
of the severity.  If I don't know it's broken, I can't fix it.  I'll try to 
get a fix posted as soon as I can, but don't forget that real life has a 
very annoying habit of interfering with what you'd much rather be doing.

Don't be surprised when your screen goes black under dedicated server 
mode -  that's the way Papy designed it.  It's not real informative, but it 
is a good indication that things are proceeding as they should.

If, after updating to a newre version of DeMONS, wierd stuff starts 
happening, try deleting the DMONSdata.ini file in the DeMONS folder, 
and starting over.  This usually fixes the problem.


Where Do I Find the Revision History?
-------------------------------------
It's on the DeMONS web page.  Go to the URL given at the top of this 
file, and you'll find the revision history.


What If I Need More Help?
-------------------------
If you need help with the program, try the web page.  If the web page 
doesn't answer your questions, post to the the n3.discussion newsgroup 
and/or send email here:

    jsimm@home.com

Don't be surprised if the format of the web page changes a bit in the 
next couple of weeks.  Depending on the popularity and denisty of 
feedback, I may have to revamp things abit or completely ignore the web 
page in deference of working on the program.  There's also a bug report 
form at the bottom of this file.


Bug Report Form
---------------
Please supply the following info when reporting a problem.

Name
Email addy
What Version of DeMONS?
What Version of Windows?
Amount of RAM installed? 
Is Nascar Legends installed? (Y/N)
Is Nascar Racing 3 installed? (Y/N)
Which NR3 Patch is installed?
List Other Programs Running
Exactly what were you doing when the problem occured?


