FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS ABOUT FEDTERM
Why do the commands on the F-1 key run whenever I log into the game? Is this a bug?
When I use the F-10 function key, it sends the command and then focuses on the 'File' menu. Why?
I just died dead-dead, and now FedTerm won't log me back on... what's up?
Q: Why do the commands on the F-1 key run whenever I log into the game? Is this a bug?
A: No - it is meant to happen. The F-1 key is the start up key, so - as you noticed - the commands you put on the key are run as soon as you log into the game. You can use it to automate all the things you normally do when you first step into Fed2 DataSpace, like set your mood, clip a charm to your keyring, read the notice board, and so on. The key also works as a normal function key as well.
Q: When I use the F-10 function key, it sends the command and then focuses on the 'File' menu. Why?
A: For some reason, Windows treats the F-10 key differently from the other f-keys - we don't know why because it is not documented anywhere that we can find. We can't stop this happening, so if you find it too annoying you will just have to avoid using the F-10 key, and stick to the other 11 keys.
Q: When I move the focus away from the main FedTerm screen - or away from the program altogether - FedTerm stops scrolling properly when new text is sent to it, and when I return to the main screen I have to scroll manually. Why?
A: The underlying reason for this is Windows showing its origin as a non-networked operating system. Basically Windows only has one text cursor to share among all of its processes, and that is always (understandably) allocated to the window that has the focus. The assumption underlying this is that text will only come in to the window that the user is currently working in.
That might have been true once, but now we have networking and the Internet, it is not true any more!
We did try to fix this by adding a blank line to force a scroll when the focus went back to FedTerm, but the players told me they preferred to do it manually.
Some players have also said they quite like the fact that new text is not scrolled - it means when they return to the FedTerm main screen they can start reading the text exactly where they left off.
Q: Sometimes when I am typing very fast, the first bit of a command gets attached to the end of the previous command. What's going on?
A: Yet another Windows problem, I am afraid - this time related to Windows' input routines, together with the way the programming tools used to write FedTerm work. Anyone who types very fast may find that if you type a command, hit return to send it off, then start typing a new command before FedTerm has had time to process and send the first command, the first character of the second command gets sent on the end of the first command. It does only affect very fast typists, so if you find it happening, just slow down a bit and pause for a moment in between sending one command and starting to type the next.
Q: Someone set up a relay to show me what they were doing, and there was all kinds of gibberish included with the text. What's that all about?
A: FedTerm and the game send each other all kinds of commands, as well as the text that you actually see on the FedTerm screen, and these commands all get included in a relay stream. If you just want to look at a short relay you can probably put up with seeing the codes, but for longer relays, ask the person relaying to you to switch to a different front-end for the duration.
Q: I have two Fed2 characters, and when I fire up a second copy of FedTerm so I can have them both on at the same time, the logging only records the second character, not the first. How can I make sure both characters get logged?
A: You need to turn off the auto-logging feature, and then start the logging manually, saving to a different file for each copy of FedTerm.
Q: I use two different characters in the game, but when I log on FedTerm sends the F-1 commands whichever character it is. Can't I get it to tell the difference?
A: Sorry, no. The f-keys do not distinguish between which character you are using, and the same commands will get sent every time, no matter which character you log on with. If you use more than one character then avoid putting any character-specific commands on the F-1 start up key.
Alternatively, you can install two completely different versions of FedTerm on your hard disk, in separate folders. The f-key data will then be different for each one.
Q: I just died dead-dead, and now FedTerm won't log me back on... what's up?
A: FedTerm does not handle this situation properly. If you try to log onto the game with an account but no character, it will stall when you log-on. In theory, using the New Account setup page should allow you to input the details for a new character on an existing account, but it doesn't work.
The solution is to get FedTerm to set up a brand new account with your new character - or alternatively, you could use a different front-end (or even the basic Windows telnet) to log on with your existing account and set up a new account, and then revert to FedTerm
