Computer Software Reviews
Copyright (c) 1994, Louis Turbeville
All rights reserved
 
Trade War Utility Programs
==========================
 
There is a lot of excitement on many local bulletin board systems about the
upcoming upgrade release of the BBS door game Tradewars 2002.  This is one of
the most popular bulletin board games around.  The current version of Tradewars
has been around for many years and most players feel that the new version is
way overdue.  However, with the release of the new version comes many questions
about the compatibility of game utilities that players currently use.  The
good news is that since Tradewars 2002 Version 2 is now in an extended beta
release test which has allowed utility developers to make their products mostly
compatible with both versions of Tradewars.  The bad news is that no one is
quite sure when the final version of TW will be released and what changes will
be in it.
 
I will review of several popular utilites, determining their pluses and minuses
and their compatability issues.  The programs to be reviewed in this article
are TW Helper, TW Term, and TW View.
 
The game premise is that you are a space merchant/trader in the year 2002. You
are given a space ship to travel the universe and build your empire.  Most of
the strategy in the game involves trading to build up your assets.  Once your
assets are sufficiently built you can then chose a path for your future:  be a
evil robber/bandit, work for the Federation and attack the evil Ferrengi and
their home world, or you could build up your planets to make yourself an
independant, powerful force in the universe.  Along the way you interact with
other human traders and computer generated Federation personnel, Ferrengi
aliens and other miscellaneous alien traders.
 
When looking at a utility there are a couple of considerations.
For strategy planning you need strong database functions.  Most programs will
allow you some way to look at your explored universe and allow you to plan
your next days business.  A good utility will allow you to find any ports that
you can cross trade at (commonly called paired ports in TW).  You can make the
most money quickly if you can find any cross trading ports that are only one
sector apart.  Another useful ability is the use of macros on-line to take
some of the dregedry out of some of the more mundane tasks, like hagling for a
good price on a trade or colonizing your planet.
 
TWHELP:
=======
TWHELP81.ZIP
Mike Ingham
Just FUN Software
Internet: 71231.3727@compuserve.com
Registration Fee: $12
 
I feel that TWHelp is one of the best, if not the best, TW utility available.
TWHelp is easy to install and allows you to play up to 30 games at a time,
each with its own database.  If you have enough RAM you can have an online
database even for universes of 5000 sectors.  Some TW utilites still only
support the 1000 sector universe found in the older version of TradeWars.
 
TWHelp performs many of the database functions seen in most programs but also
has the added benefit of being able to use the database on-line.  This is
helpful if you go exploring and are not sure where you are, TWHelp gives you
some commands that allows you to determine how far you are from certain places.
 
Also a great function is the built in macro abilities.  TWHelp will
automatically perform every task you could possible want with simple two
keystroke command, from colonizing to trading.  Also, because of its advanced
uses you can build up expierience much quicker by letting the program do many
of the more mundane fuctions for you, because the automated process is much
quicker and has more patience them most users will have.
 
You also have the ability to add notes to the database that you can view
online, such as where a traders planet is and what ship he is in, for future
reference.  For the player that decides to turn evil, TWHelp will
automatically keep track of where and when you got busted for a crime and warn
you when you enter that sector so you do not get busted for trying to steal
from a port you were recently caught at.
 
TW Term:
========
TWTERM22.ZIP
Will Boyett
Registration Fee: $18
 
This program offers you a graphical interface into the traditional ANSI text
character based game.  You are given a view of your ships cockpit and a view
out the front window.  TW Term also allows for sound support.  The visual and
audio enhancements may be what you need if you are tired of playing just a text
game.
 
However, along with the graphics and sound you also need more computer then
you would if you use other utilities.  You need a graphics video card (EGA
minimum, required) and a sound card (optional, but nice to enjoy full feature
of the program) .  It will run on a XT, but with the speed slow down I would
suggest at least a 16MHz 386.  No matter what machine you use, TW Term will
work with either the new or old version.
 
One of the best beinfits of this program is that you can program your own
macros to perform functions.  If you do something in your TW games that most
players don't use, then just program it in.  This will require greater patience
than getting all of the function with the program, but it may suit your needs.
For an additional $5 you can purchase pre-made TW macros from the author.
 
One added benifit of registering this program is that you will recieve a
complimentary one-year subscription to a TW newsletter.  TW Term give you more
flexibility than TW Help, in that you can program your own macros into the
program, but when you register TW Help you get most of the macros you could
ever need with the program.
 
TW View:
========
TWVIEW91.ZIP
Robert Weaver
Registration Fee: None
 
 
TW View is generally viewed as the premier off-line TW utilites.  One thing for
sure is that you can't beat the price.  If you are a Turbo Pascal programmer
then you will definitely want to check this program out since the source code
is included and you can make you own modifications.
 
Almost all the TW utilities programs give you the ability to make thier data
TWView compatible and have many of the database functions similar to TWView.
Most TW utilities try to make their product competitive with and comparable to
TWView.
 
TWView offers a slew of database functions that allow you to plan out your
next exploration into space much better. It tells you almost any information
you may need to deal with building power and resources.
 
If you plan on being a serious player and have a lot of competition in your
games, you will probably need to get this program to allow you the planning
edge you need.  However, let the beginner beware...TWView is not the easiest
program to setup and get running.  It assumes you have some knowledge of Trade
Wars and how to use your ships onboard computer.  If you have the patience,
then this program will benefit you.
 
Conclusion:
 
There are many TW utilities available, with these three being the most popular.
Try them all out and pick your favorite.  My personal choice is TWHelp,
especially for the beginner who values ease of use.  However, whichever
program you chose to use, you will benefit immensely and give yourself the
competitive advantage you need to become a power player in every game.
 
Happy Trading!

