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Offline OEP Features

Copyright, Madhouse UK 2003 and on.

Most of the Turn Wizard has been designed to be quick and easy to use. This page goes over the basic features you will see when the Turn Wizard is active, briefly explaining them.
Please note: you will not see any of these features until you have set the program up as shown on the "setting up the Turn Wizard" page of this web site.

All On One Page
So far, we've managed to keep all the functions you need to enter orders on one simple page. Many things have shortcuts which its worth learning as you get used to the program as they will save you a lot of time. If your program is running you should see the big Madhouse "M" logo in the top left corner of the window. Let's take a look around the page:-

Working Offline
Once your system is set up with your personal information you will be able to work on your orders offline and only log on when its time to send them. You can access this ability by launching the program and clicking the "work offline" button in the initial connection window.

Select A Game - Text Area
Location: Just under the Madhouse "M" logo
This box should show all your positions in all our games. If it does not, then you have not yet downloaded your current info by logging on to the internet and running the program. This box is not editable. If you have multiple positions, you simply click on the one you want to enter orders for. The positions are named as follows; "game name" "module number" "position number" "three letter abbreviation". So, Game 5, Position 24 would be Dungeon Explorer5-24dun. (Don't worry, you don't need to enter these, you just need to know which is which.) Also, don't worry that some of our games have different "system" names, as in DungeonWorld being called Dungeon Explorer, that's just the title it had when it was being developed which the system still remembers.

Connection Status - Text Line
Location: Halfway down the left hand side
This box lets you know if you are currently connected to the Madhouse Web Server. If it says "The Evil Eye Can See You" then you are. The only time you actually need to be connected is when you are sending orders or when you initially download your personal information. Other than that, don't worry if the Evil Eye can or cannot see you.

Send - Button
Location: Halfway down the left hand side
You click this button when you want to send orders to us that you have created. Orders are stored as a single file. (so dont send orders for one character then later send some for another on the same position, your later orders will overwrite the first set, not add to them.) It's fine to gradually write your orders over a few days as long as you do not send them until they are ready to be completely submitted. The send button only sends orders for the position which is currently selected in the "Select A Game" text area. As soon as you actually SEND the orders to us, you will see them disappear from the screen (ready for the another turn to be entered next time.) However, you can revise your orders at any time using the "Load All Last Orders" button and resend them.

Order Entry Area - 15 lines of three text entry boxes
Location: The middle of the screen, taking up most of the page.
This is where you type your orders. It is made to simulate a turn sheet so you should easily see how orders need to be entered. There are a number of shortcuts to make your life easier. Try to get used to typing letters on the main keyboard and numbers on the numeric pad on the right of your keyboard. You don't have to do this, but it'll help you enter orders much more quickly if you do.

Order Entry Speed Ups:-
These are little things we've done to help you type orders more easily.
(1) When you enter a letter, the cursor immediately moves to the next text box.
(2) You cannot type letters or numbers where they are not appropriate.
(3) Clicking the ENTER key takes you straight down to the next order line
(4) Clicking the + key on the numeric keypad saves your character and moves you to the next character
(5) Clicking the - key on the numeric keypad saves your
character and moves you to the previous character
(6) Hold down the "Ctrl" key and press any number on the numeric keypad.
This will write a MOVE order in that direction and immediately move you to the next line.
(7) Hit the / key on the numeric keypad to go back one field and
delete anything in that field as the cursor arrives
(8) hit the * key on the numeric keypad to copy the field above and move the cursor forward.
(9) Hit the HOME key to copy the order line above the cursor to the bottom of the form

Last - Button
Location: Top Right next to the Order Entry Area
This button saves the character you are on and takes you to the previous character in this position.

Next - Button
Location: On The Right of the Order Entry Area
This button saves the character you are on and takes you to the next character in this position.

Save - Button
Location: On The Right of the Order Entry Area
This button saves the character you are on. Mostly you don't need to use it, as the characters save automatically while navigating between them. However, if you make a change to a character and do not navigate to another you wont trigger the auto-save, so a click of this button would be necessary.

Clear Orders - Button
Location: On The Right of the Order Entry Area
This button deletes all the orders for the character you are currently on. It does not affect other characters in this position.

Copy Above - Button
Location: On The Right of the Order Entry Area
This button copies the whole order above the cursor into the current order where the cursor presently is.

Fill To End - Button
Location: On The Right of the Order Entry Area
This button copies the order line above the cursor to the bottom of the form. The shortcut key for this is the HOME key.

Load Last Orders - Button
Location: On The Right of the Order Entry Area
This button loads the last set of orders you wrote for the current selected character only. This button is useful if you often write similar orders for a character and want to save time. Beware:- do not load back a single characters orders in this way to make a change and then resend. Doing so will overwrite your earlier orders for the full position with the orders for just this single character! To make amendments to your turn and resend, use the Load All Last Orders Button.

Load All Last Orders - Button
Location: Bottom Right of the Order Entry Area
This button loads the last set of orders you wrote for this whole position. This button is useful if you need to amend your orders. You load back the position, make a change, and then resend it.

Message Board - Three text entry lines
Location: Bottom Of The Screen
Enter any message for the player noticeboard here. These boxes represent the limit of what you are allowed to send as a notice message per position. Longer messages are not allowed. There are some strict rules about use of the player noticeboard. If you break these rules, you can be removed from the game, without refund of any kind, immediately. Please note:-
(1) The normal Madhouse House Rules apply in terms of acceptable player etiquette and manners.
(2) The noticeboard is for game contact and material only. Comments about other games, adverts or anything not pertaining to the actual game are strictly forbidden.
(3) You are not allowed to send the same message twice from different positions, nor a close facsimile of that message.
(4) You are not allowed to keep sending the same message turn after turn. It's boring. Use your imagination and make some changes!
(5) It is absolutely forbidden to try and send a notice for a game which does not have or allow them.

Load Last Message - Button
Location: Bottom Of The Screen
This button loads the last message you wrote back.

Close - Button
Location: Bottom Of The Screen
This button closes the Turn Wizard.

Download Turn- Button
Location: Bottom Of The Screen
This button will let you download the most recent copy of your turn direct from our server... very useful if it seems to have gotten lost somewhere in the ether! The Download Turn button is capable of downloading turns in any of the Madhouse formats; PDF, HTML and NVE.

Generic Path - Text Box
Location: Top Right of Screen
This text box will automatically have the path C:/Windows/desktop/ stored in it. You can amend this to have the program save turns in a different location when you use the "Download turn" button. This is useful for people using Windows versions which have the desktop stored in a different location to Windows 98. If you don't know what this function is, don't use it. If you DO make a change, clicking the "Save Path" button will store the change you have made.

Specific Path - Text Box
Location: Top Right of Screen
This is the same as Generic Path but it allows you to choose different download locations for different positions. This is useful if you save your turns in different folders or have just one position you'd like in a different place. If no specific path is stored, the program will use the Generic Path instead for any turn. If you don't know what this function is, don't use it. If you DO make a change, clicking the "Save Path" button will store the change you have made.

View Turn - Button
Location:- Bottom Right of the Big Madhouse Logo.
This button is a quick way to view your most recent downloaded turn. It looks for the turn according to the locations in your "Generic" and "Specific" path settings on the top right of the screen, so if you have downloaded them and then moved them yourself, the program will not be able to find the turn to load it and you'll have to use the old-fashioned method to open your turnin the appropriate program. The position viewed will be whichever is currently selected. The View Turn Button is capable of viewing turns in any of the Madhouse formats; PDF, HTML and NVE.

Options - Drop Down Menu
Location: Top Left Of Screen
The options Drop Down Menu is where we store optional functions that are suggested by players, but which we are aware not everybody will want to use. You can turn them on or off in your system as you choose, depending on whether you think they will suit your style of play and order-writing or not. In all cases, if you don't understand the option, or don't think you need it, simply do not turn it on.

Current options are:-
Auto-Return - This option causes any letter typed while entering orders to automatically start a new order line and put that letter in the first box. Some people find this style helps them type orders faster.
Compass Keypad - This option changes the way the Move order shortcut works. Usually Move orders can be written by holding down the Ctrl key and pressing a number on the numeric keypad. So if you press Crtl+8 then you will write an M 8 order. Using this option the keypad instead forms the shape of a compass, so the order written corresponds to the location of the numbers as if they were a compass. In this casem Ctrl+5 will write a M 1 order because 8, being at the middle-top of the keypad, corresponds with the position of North on the Compas.

The HELP - Button
Location: Top Right of the Big Madhouse Logo
This simply opens this help page for quick reference.

The CONNECT - Button
Location: Left hand side beneath the Position List.
This button allows you to disconnect from the server, so you can save your file to disk and email it instead of sending it direct. This is useful if you have experienced any connection difficulties or problems when connected to the server, or if you just prefer to send emails. You can also use the same button to reconnect to the server if you have lost your connection, to save you switching the whole program off and on, which is what you used to have to do.

Last Received Box (Horizontally scrollable)
Location:- Directly below the "Select Game" box on the left side of screen.
(By popular demand.)
You can now see when orders were last successfully *directly* submitted for a position. This is particularly useful because it is not updated until the server at our end tells your computer it has successfully received orders you send. It is a quick reference to see if you have already sent orders, when you did so, and if they were successfully received or not. Better still, if you scroll to the right in this box you can even see what orders you sent, albeit in their coded form. This is useful for a quick check if something is puzzling you.

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