programming/tads2/library/worldclass/readme

				WorldClass

				Pre-release
			     Version 1.0 Notes

			       David Baggett
				 14-Aug-94



What's WorldClass?

WorldClass is a class library designed for use with High Energy Software's
TADS (Text Adventure Development System).  It completely replaces the ADV.T
that comes with TADS.  The motiviation behind WorldClass is simply stated:
I wanted to correct the few things that irritated me about ADV.T and add
support for some nifty stuff that I'd always thought would be cool to
have in games.  Not very scientific, but there you have it.


Restrictions

First things first.  Please read the license carefully.  The general gist
of it is as follows:


	- Noncommercial or shareware use of WorldClass in your own
	  works is permitted, but you must include the text

		"This product includes portions of WorldClass,
		a TADS class library developed by David M. Baggett
		for ADVENTIONS.	WorldClass is Copyright (C) 1994
		by David M. Baggett."

	  in the title page of anything you use it in.

	- Before using WorldClass in any commerical products, contact
	  me and we can work something out.  I do not intend to make
	  such use difficult or expensive.

	- If you make your own edition of WorldClass, it is subject
	  to the same restrictions.


The spirit of these terms is this: I don't want anyone making lots of money
from WorldClass unless I know about it, and I don't want people to have a
hard time getting WorldClass in the first place.


Requirements

WorldClass requires TADS version 2.1.2.0 or greater.  It relies on
changes made starting with this version, so don't try to use an earlier
version.


Mailing List

Mail anything about WorldClass to the WorldClass mailing list:

	<worldclass@ai.mit.edu>

Mail requests to be added or deleted to <dmb@ai.mit.edu>, not to the
mailing list itself.


Dave's Role

I'm releasing this source code because I think other people might be able
to use it in their own games.  I hope that this decision won't result in
hundreds of hours of support or maintenance, because I unfortunately have
almost no time for such things right now.

However, I'd really like to see WorldClass used widely, and this will
require good documentation and support.  This is where *you* come in,
dear reader.  If you want WorldClass to really be a useful tool, please
do everything you can to help the WorldClass user community, by doing
any of the following:


	- Help write the manual.

	- Answer users' questions in Usenet and other forums.
	  Tell people about the benefits of using WorldClass.
	  Warn people about problems with WorldClass.

	- Report bugs to the WorldClass mailing list.

	- Fix bugs; improve the code.

	- When writing your own TADS code, try to keep it modular
	  so that it can be integrated seamlessly into WorldClass
	  for others to benefit from.  Follow WorldClass class and
	  method naming conventions.


I hope to help with all of these things, and will try my best to answer
tough questions about the more obscure fringes of the class library.
(There are plenty of tricky bits in the current code, that's for sure.)


Dave Baggett
August 14, 1994