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Ghost Stories
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# PLEASE NOTE THAT THIS README IS STILL SUBJECT TO #
# FREQUENT CHANGES. THEREFORE DON'T EXPECT THE     #
# GIVEN INSTRUCTIONS TO WORK.                      #
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1. Installation
#FIXME: insert content here
2. Getting Started

There are three shell scripts in the ghoststories root directory: 
start_server.sh, start_client.sh and start.sh. These start a server 
or a client in a prolog shell or a simplistic dialog which lets you 
choose if you want to start a server or client. You are __strongly__ 
advised to use only start.sh. 
After starting the script you can choose between starting a server 
or client.

2.1 Server

2.1.1 Initialization
You'll have to choose the port for client connections. Please be sure 
that your firewall is configured to open this port. Default 
configuration is 1337. 
Now you can click on "Open Server" to start the server.

You may have to type "main." to initialize some settings.

2.1.2 Running
You can see the log messages at the textfield in the middle of the screen.
To update the status of the connected player by clicking on the button 
below the log messages. You can also kick a player out of the game by 
pressing the "kick" button next to the player you want to kick.

2.1.3 Exit
To shutdown the server click on "Shutdown Server". After this you can 
close the window.

2.2 Client

2.2.1 Connection
First be sure that there is a server running and that you know 
the ip address and port number. To connect to a server on you 
own machine set 127.0.0.1 as ip address.
You'll also have to choose how many players want to play from 
the connection you want to open. You can also set a nickname.
Now click on "Start client" to establish the connection. 

2.2.2 Running the game
Please have a look at the manual of Ghost Stories.

2.2.3 Exit
Please click on Stop client before you close all windows.















-- the rest of these remarks pertains only to the other two scripts ---
For now these scripts are hardwired to establish the 
connection on the localhost on port 1337 and not across the network.
After the client shell is started you have to manually execute start_client/0.
There are a couple of helper functions accesible from the server shell, 
namely:
- restart_server/0,
  which restarts the server and retracts entries from the servers database
- exit/0,
  which closes the connection and destroys the socket object used by the
  server

Please be careful to always shut down all running clients before you shut
down the server, and to always call exit/0 before closing the server shell,
otherwise the socket used for communication will not be closed properly and
you have to wait for the kernel to close it correctly.  



3. Bug Reports

In the unlikely event that you happen to encounter any bugs,
please direct bug reports to 8letsch@informatik.uni-hamburg.de.


GPL V3 or later
