Full-color Paradise-Netrek BETA client README
---------------------------------------------

The pixmaps in this tarfile are for the Paradise full-color client.
To use them you must create a bitmaps directory, and put the following line
in your .xtrekrc or .paradiserc:

shipBitmapPath: (full path to bitmap directory here)

The client requires a considerable chunk of memory --
don't try to run it on a machine with less than 8-bit color.

The client also requires a reasonable CPU.  Although I thought this could
be inferred from the rest of the document, apparently it slipped by some
people.  When I say "considerable", I mean on the order of a 50 Mhz
processor or better (it doesn't matter what architecture -- most architectures
that can handle 50 Mhz can handle the client.  I play from a 40 Mhz Sparc,
which is probably close to the performance of a Local-bus video 486/66dx.
The client can appear slow on my machine, but most of this "slowless" is
from not expecting full-color pixmaps to only be updated 5 times/sec.  The
client only gets 5 updates per second, and is bound to look flickery because
of the complexity of the images.  For reference, television has a framerate
of 30 frames/sec, and most (IBM and Mac) games using 8-bit color have do about
15-20 frames/sec.

Since Netrek is primarily a game for X-windows, which is a large burden
on the machine itself, improving the speed of the client would be difficult
to impossible.  Drawing operations in X are not fast by any means -- and
most of the CPU intensive operations are in the Xpm library, not the client,
anyway (the Xpm library is merely a collection of Xserver routines).  The 
client source will be available soon, and the Xpm source is
available at ftp.x.org and assorted other ftp sites.  (You'd have to talk
to the author(s) of the Xpm lib to make improvements to it -- although it
uses lowlevel X routines, and I doubt it can be improved much)

Other notes -->

     * TURN LOCAL BUFFERING OFF, unless you have a FAST machine and X server.
       (FAST meaning 66 Mhz Pentium w/localbus video, 70 Mhz Sparc, etc.)

     * Two pixmap sets currently exist -- one "paradise"/Next
       Generation set, and one "bronco"/The Motion Picture set.  The ships
       in them are from those respective 'trek "eras".  The bronco Romulan
       ships are provided in both "plain" and "painted" versions -- the painted
       ships have stylized birds painted on the hulls, whereas the plain do not.

       The default setup has only the Rom DD, CA, and BB as painted vessels, where
       the SC and AS are not painted.  High ranking or prestigious Romulan
       Commanders often had painted vessels, and, as a rule of thumb, such
       Commanders only flew powerful vessels like CAs and BBs.  The DD is
       painted because it's a commonly used vessel, and it makes telling Rom
       and Klingon DDs apart much easier.  The AS and SC are pretty distinct,
       and didn't need to appear painted, IMO.  You can pick and choose which
       vessels you want painted and which ones you don't by merely renaming
       some files in the Rom subdirectory.  The ones WITHOUT the ".plain" or
       ".painted" extensions are the ones being used by the client.

     * I've started a Star Wars set, which is only included in this
       tarfile because I didn't want to have to bother removing it for
       the BETA release.  I think the TIE fighter is probably the only
       ship actually residing in the starwars directories.  I'm still
       working on the others.     

     * A fair number of the planet pixmaps are not finished!  Also, I've
       been told that a number of galactic planet BITmaps are missing.
       I'll fix this soon.

     * There are green and orange plasma pixmaps, blue and orange torp
       pixmaps, accompanying explosions, and a NEW SHIP EXPLOSION -- which
       I really want you to take a look at if you have the time.
       They're called "torp.green", etc, and the explosion is "explosion2.xpm"
       rename them to use them.

     * Other pixmap sets will soon be available (when I have the time).
       These will include the Independants (a collection of vessels from
       both series), the Tholians, the Gorn, the Cardassians, and those
       wierd-talking "So-and-so, when the walls fell" guys who I don't
       remember the name of, but remember the ship. :)  I'll make some
       assorted other vessels too, and put them in some sort of set. :)
       I made 'em all with XPaint 2.1.1 -- grab it, compile it, and
       make some of your own if you've got some cool ideas you'd want
       to see flying around.

                                                   -Mike McGrath
                                                       September 1st, 1994
                                           (last update February 3rd, 1995)

New .xtrekrc/.paradiserc options:

xpm: on/off
local.buffered: on/off
showLocal: R-F-S-T/r-f-s-t (example "showLocal: Rt" will give you
                            (R)esource planets with (t)eam overlays)
showGalactic: R-F-S-T (example "showGalactic: F" will give you
                        (F)acility planets)



Credits:

PIXMAP CODE AND ASSORTED CLIENT MODS
Bill Dyess (current beta code)
Rob Forsman (original alpha code)

ARTWORK
Mike McGrath

PLANET ARTWORK
Joe Rumsey (planets)
Mike McGrath (overlays)

INTRO SCREEN ARTWORK
Brandon Gillespie

SOUND SUPPORT:
Sujal Patel