ZoneOrchestrator Readme Information

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Client Copyright  2002-2004 Jonathan Holmes

Server Copyright  2002-2004 Justin Harrison


INTRODUCTION

ZoneOrchestrator is an application designed to streamline usage of
the MSN Gaming Zone. This document contains a brief description of the
program, an introductory tour and details of some known issues. A
complete reference which details all features can be found in the
included Help file.

Its usage centres around lobbies, either opened within its user
interface, or imported from an external source. Text and pop-up
messages relating to the lobbies are processed and various actions may
occur as a result of this: for example, if offensive language is
detected, that line of text is highlighted in red, and if a pop-up
message is received, the message is displayed in the lobby text in
green. Notifications of flooding, other Member Pluses entering and
leaving lobbies, and other events are displayed in pop-up windows when
ZO does not have focus, so you will be alerted of potentially
important occurrences even when not watching the lobbies.

Another area where improvements to the normal lobby mechanism have
been made is in the provision of additional commands, and enhancements
to existing commands. You may now, for example, warn multiple users
at a time by typing a comma-separated list of their names, and make
use of the /reply command to reply to the last person who sent you a
pop-up message. Numerous other features such as automatic logging,
echoing of commands issued in lobbies and quick tool menus when
right-clicking a user in a lobby assist swift, error-free responses to
be provided to situations as they arise.

This program represents a collection of small but cumulatively very
substantial enhancements which will hopefully have a dramatic impact
on your usage of the Zone.


USAGE

If you have been used to similar navigation aids in the past, usage
of ZO should be fairly intuitive. However, the following steps may
still be of use to you as they highlight any subtle differences to
what you may be used to, as well as new features which you will not be
expecting.

To get started - ten steps to introduce ZoneOrchestrator:

1. Start ZoneOrchestrator from one of the potentially many shortcuts
installed by Setup

2. Complete the wizard by signing up for an account if necessary and
entering your username and password

3. Once ZoneOrchestrator has connected it will be in the "Default"
window arrangement. Glance at the available windows to familiarise
yourself with the user interface

4. These windows may be docked at the left, right or bottom of the
main ZO window. You can dock them next to each other in many different
arrangements, so it is worth experimenting to find an arrangement
which suits you

5. Take a look at the Room List. Right-clicking a game will allow you
to view its web page, and right-clicking a lobby will enable you to
enter the lobby inside or outside of ZO. Open a random lobby inside ZO

6. The lobby's window will appear in ZO after a short time

7. You can now use this just like an ordinary Zone lobby. The User
list window will display the users present when the lobby is focused

8. Type /? to see a list of new commands. Type /? <command name> to
get further information on a given command

9. Try launching another lobby from the command line. Type /go teen
chex or /go sysop bc, for example. You may abbreviate lobby names by
using groups of initial letters of words.

10. Right-click the name of a user in a line of text inside a lobby,
and explore the actions available. Instant commands (boot, gag,
warnings) can be performed, along with commands which require further
input, such as /boot60, which will type the first part of the command
for you in the command line and place the cursor ready for you to type
a reason

That's it! You've grasped the basics of using ZO. In no time, you'll
find yourself using ZO's features as if they had always been there -
and perhaps, they should have. Certainly, once you are used to it, you
will miss ZoneOrchestrator's features when in ordinary lobbies.


FEATURE DETAILS

The following lists define the intended behaviour for certain
features of ZO:


Notifications:

- Swearing detected

- Flooding detected

- Watched text detected

- Watched entry/exit

- Connection

- Incoming /msg or ZoneMessage

- Popup lobby information

- 911 calls and OMW responses

You may opt to receive popup notification messages, or add users to
your Quick Access list, when these events are detected, using the
Lobby tab of the Options dialog. You may also set specific options for
lobbies by accessing the Room Properties dialog from the tree view -
for example, you may wish to turn off flooding detection in a
tournament room.

You may click transient messages with the left mouse button to
display the lobby to which they relate, and the right button to close
them.


Command Enhancements:

You may specify multiple names when executing the following commands:

warn, msg, gag, gag5, gag60, gagday, boot, boot5, boot60, bootday

as well as some of the internal ZO commands.

The syntax is simply to specify, in place of the ordinary name, a
list of names separated by commas. For example, the following command:

/msg David ,Peter , Bruce Hello, there!

would cause ZO to execute the following sequence of commands:

/msg David Hello, there!

/msg Peter Hello, there!

/msg Bruce Hello, there!


Significant New Commands included with ZoneOrchestrator:

/go - Opens a lobby in ZoneOrchestrator by abbreviation. For example:

	/go sysop bc (Sysop BackChat)

	/go fs98 ff (Flight Simulator 98, Free Flight)

	/go mphr (Member Plus Help Room)

/lobby - Opens a lobby outside of ZoneOrchestrator by abbreviation.
Same as above

/reply - Replies to the last received /msg

	/reply Why, Hello There!

/replyzm - Replies to the last received ZoneMessage

	/replyzm Hi. You can't have my password, sorry

/nickban - Files a nickname ban

	/nickban NastyName

	/nickban HorridPerson

/ban - Opens a dialog to file a ban on a user. The dialog includes
relevant logs from the current lobby and as many fields already filled
out for you as possible

	/ban BadUser Repeatedly swearing after being warned

	/ban Astyrrian Every reason

/bootcheck - Checks Sysop Activity for requested name, returns
results in presently active chat

	/bootcheck DubiousUser

There are many more commands. You can type /? in any ZoneOrchestrator
Window for a full list, or type /? <command here> for help on a
specific command.


Watched Word Lists:

Your Zone IDs, and the strings "911" and "omw" are automatically
Watched. A default selection of swear words are automatically added to
the Bad Words list. You may add to either list using the commands
/badword add and /watch.

Your custom lists are automatically saved.


CONSOLE

You may open a console from which you can control any other lobby.
All notifications can be channelled through the console using the
appropriate option in the Options dialog, and any ZoneMessages you
receive can also be displayed there. To access the Console, click the
New Console button on the toolbar.

To send a command to a named lobby (eg, from the console), type a
stroke, then the initials of that lobby (eg, TC for Teen Chex, SB for
Sysop Backchat) followed by a comma, and then your command or text. As
an example, the command:

/RR1,/bootday baduser

would bootday baduser from Rated Room 1. Note that you must have a
lobby open in order to send commands and text to it.


OPEN LOBBIES LIST

Lobbies opened within ZO can be exported, and also reconnected, if
you lose connection from the Zone, via the Open Lobbies window.

To access this functionality, or to close or switch to a lobby, simply
right-click it in the list.


USER LIST

Although ZO implements a user list, you should be aware that it is
better to access these commands by other means. You can right-click
users' names in lines of text in lobbies to access all the common Zone
commands, and also send automatic greetings or warnings.


ROOM LIST

From the room list, you can open lobbies and view game web pages by
double-clicking tree items. This behaviour can be changed in the
Options Dialog Box. If you right-click a lobby, you will find you can
add it to your Favourites list, view its Properties, or set specific
options for it.

On the Events Tab for Lobby Properties you can view pending events for
a lobby, the event contact, description, and more.

If available a lobby's population is shown next to the lobby's title.
ZO often removes the need to download files before entering a game
lobby. This feature does not work for old-style lobbies, but such
lobbies can be opened in ZoneOrchestrator if you have ZoneCommander
installed.


ANNOUNCEMENTS

Important information related to the ZO beta program may be displayed
in the Announcements panel.


QUICK ACCESS LIST

Through altering lobby options, you can specify when users should be
added to your Quick Access list for the session and after how long a
period they should be removed from the list. This enables you to
quickly take action against people who are abusive, or to reply to
contact who messaged you. You can also opt to watch users, causing
them to be added to the list when they enter lobbies or change the
Quick Access List to function on a "global" level.


SYSOP ACTIVITY LIST

The Sysop Activity List is updated whenever a boot or gag list is
received via the /boot and /gag commands. You can select whether boots
only, gags only, or both are displayed using the tabs below the list.
/boot and /gag will be automatically executed when you enter a lobby
to display an up-to-date list but you can disable this using the
Options dialog if you prefer.


IMPORTING LOBBIES

Lobbies opened outside of ZoneOrchestrator may be imported into
ZoneOrchestrator for use.


HANDY TIPS

Watch out for tips which may be displayed from time to time, based on
the way you use ZoneOrchestrator.


USAGE NOTICES

Lobbies:

- ZoneOrchestrator is primarily a navigation and chat tool so table
list functionality is not present

- User lists will not be visible in a lobbies imported from ZC

- Old-style lobbies (eg, Checkers) may not be if originally launched
externally

- Some games (and possibly lobbies) may not be present in ZO. To
report these, please contact feedback@zoneorchestrator.com

User Interface:

- Windows may occasionally dock in peculiar places or disappear after
being dragged

- While downloading files for a game room, you cannot enter further
lobbies

Compatibility:

- ZoneOrchestrator works best on Windows 2000 or Windows XP
