HOW TO FTP THE BATMAP.
The Bat outworld is a large place, and navigation can, at times,
be daunting. This need not be the case, what with the
resurrection of the tree system, one might go through an entire
newbiehood without ever knowing where any areas are in relation to
one another, but, in the case of the mud purist who wishes to
walk, or the indigent traveler who has no choice, there is help.
The batmap.gif file is an automatically generated graphics file
of GIF format. Upon each reboot, this wonder file is produced,
and contained in it are the locations of any area that is marked
with a '?' on the outworld. To download this gif is a very simple
project, requiring only the most modest internet skills. I shall
outline here how to FTP the file.
** Disclaimer **
I am not a internet guru. I am actually closer to an
InterSchmuck. However, I am able to download this badboy gif,
whereas many are not aware of how to do it. What I am about to
post may not work for you, because your system is somehow tweaked.
I am NOT the person to ask particularly technical questions of on
this matter. However, if you are an InterGuru, and see something
you think I should add or subtract to this book, let me know. If
you are having troubles, don't ask me unless you absolutely can't
think of anyplace else to go for help, because I probably _won't
know the answer_.
FTP (File Transfer Protocol):
FTP is a very simple way to transfer files from one computer to
another.
There are 5 essential commands you will need to know:
ftp
cd
ls
get
quit.
The FTP command is your connection command. In this case, you
would 'ftp bat.cs.hut.fi'. This will connect you to Bat's
machine. Now you will have to login, with the login name
'anonymous' or 'ftp'. For a password, it will ask for your Email
address. Be a good FTP'er and take the time to type it out.
Then, you are in, you have now mastered the connection process.
CD and LS commands I'll include here in one shot. They are simple
unix commands, if you don't know them by now, tsk, but for
argument's sake, this is what they do: CD is change_directory, it
lets you move up or down a directory. LS lets you see what's IN
the directory you just moved to. Just do 'cd ' and
'ls'.
Now, you wish to get the file you are FTPing for. Just 'get
'. Tough, huh? This command will dump the file you are
getting to the directory that you are ftping from.
Now, just "quit", and you are the master of FTP that you always
knew you could be. Hmm, now, it's time for pathnames.
To get at the gif:
cd pub/images/misc
batmap.gif is in this directory. It's a 27K file, will take you
almost no time to download.
There is also a world wide web page or two for bat, the gif is
located at these sites too. I, however, am not the one to ask
about this. Try asking on the various channels.
As for how to view the gif, if you run a Mac, I may be able to
help you. I am a Mac man, myself. If you do not run a Mac,
well...ask someone else. ;) Again, try channels, there's almost
certainly someone out there that knows.
Using the GIF to get around:
The idea is simple, 1 pixel = 1 room. All you need now is a way
to view it while you are playing bat. Hardcopy laser prints work,
so do all sorts of window-oriented OS's. Moving around the
outworld is really quite fast, if you use the 'walk' command.