Answers to common Portal© questions:

What is this whole MUD thing?
Click right here for a fantastic introduction to the world of online text-adventuring.

What are the system requirements for Portal©?
Portal© will run fine on a Pentium II with 32 Megs of RAM. As with most programs, the more RAM the better.

Which operating systems will Portal© run on?
Windows 95, Windows 98, Windows ME, Windows 2000, Windows NT and Windows XP

Ok, it runs under Windows 95, but will it work under Windows 3.1x with Win32 extensions?
Yes, but why are you still using Windows 3.1x?

Is there a charge for the program?
We love you, but not that much. Portal© is shareware, meaning that you get 30 days to freely play around with it. After that, the registration fee is piddly considering you'll be using this thing hours every day (and you know you will ;) You can even register online with your credit card. It's way easy. Just click here!

Can Portal© be used with any online game?
In its most basic form, Portal© is a telnet client. As such, it can be used on anything where you can attach to a host. Most functionality (Aliases, Macros, Events, etc.) are available for complete use on any host.

You say it works on any MUD. What about MUSH's, MOO's and things like that?
We only use the word MUD because that is the most recognizable (kinda like you say Kleenex when you want a tissue). Portal© will work just fine with MOO's and MUSH's (and any other telnet host) as well.

Does Portal© have a built-in editor?
Yes, it is called the Autotyper. It is a full-featured, multi-document word processing editor that has a direct line to the server itself, making writing notes, mails and editing files a snap.

Does Portal© have an automatic mapper?
Absolutely, and it's better than anything else out there. It's called the Cartographer and provides you with the easiest and most comprehensive mapping system you'll ever see in a MUD client. You have to see this to believe it. Check out the screenshots for more.

Does Portal© support triggers?
Yes, they are called "Events"

If Portal© supports events, does this mean that "bots" are ok on any MUD I use it on?
That depends on the MUD. For those that don't know, "bot" is short for a "robot" program. Robot programs basically perform actions that simulate a user while the real user is off watching TV, eating pizza or something else. Most MUDs don't allow robot programs. We highly suggest you consult either the help files on the MUD or ask a wizard in authority about the legality BEFORE you try.

How about supporting "sets" of events?
Events are classified into "Groups" which can be activated/de-activated on the fly.

Can I have an event set to play a sound?
Absolutely, as well as color the event text or firing off a Macro or Alias and a slew of other things.

Is there any kind of timer in the program?
Portal© has a full-functioned event "Ticker" (repeater) Also, constant and random time-delays are programmable into all command strings.

Can the Ticker play a sound when it goes off, or does it have to send something to the game?
The Ticker can display a message to you, send a command to the game, fire off an alias or macro or invoke a sound.

Does the program do session logging?
You can either grab an instant snapshot of your entire session, or actively log all activity to a text file.

Can I customize the display, the fonts and font sizes?
Yes to all. The display, fonts and font colors are customizable in every sense of the word.

Can I change the sizes of the windows?
Most windows can be resized to your liking and all can be positioned anywhere. Not only that, but they can be "anchored" to the main window to move when it moves. All positions and sizes of all screens are saved with each individual character profile.

Is any aspect of the source code being released?
The codes used by Portal© are available in the MIP (Messaging Interface Protocol) white sheet. This will allow any other MUD developers the opportunity to support Portal©.

Ok, about this MIP. I've seen "Developer Kits" offered by other clients to help MUDs write code to support that client. Are you offering anything like that? If yes, will there be a charge?
Those "kits" are very misleading. MUDs that use them have to not only develop the code, but they have to then distribute the .DLL file to physically be installed on the machine of EVERYONE using their MUD. What a pain. Add on the fact that you have to pay $40+ just to get the "kit" itself and it's almost laughable.

Our MIP white sheet tells MUD coders the minimal things they need to do to support the special codes Portal© uses. Portal© user doesn't need to do a thing. If a MUD supports it, Portal© will recognize it and automatically hook up. If not, it will work as normal. The MIP is free to any MUD developer and is available in the Developers area.

Will Portal© be able to handle functioning through a firewall?
Yes, Portal© provides full firewall and proxy support scripting.

Will development on Portal© continue?
Absolutely! Development on the program will be an ongoing process, continually adding new features and options with each subsequent release.

How much disk space does this sucker take up?
The base client files take up less than 10 Megabytes of hard disk space. This does not include space taken up by Autotyper files or session logs you create. Also, image packs and sound packs require appropriate disk space.

How big a resource hog is this bad boy?
Portal© has been developed with great care. This includes thousands of hours of unit, regression and stress testing. Memory-management protocols were strictly followed throughout. While Portal© should be referred to as a "major application," it will run just fine in parallel with other standard applications.

Will Portal© eliminate netlag problems?
While Portal© is one sparkling gathering of code, it has no relevance to your connection to the internet itself and therefore has no bearing on netlag, good or bad.

Does Portal© do any funky things on installation? How about a clean uninstall?
The installation program used by Portal© conforms to the Windows Application Setup Guidelines for Independent Software Vendors. This includes a clean uninstall of all Portal© related files.