Title: Bandit's TW Utility Ratings Took me long enough, heh? Well, here it is anyway. The long awaited Bandit's Ratings on Trade Wars Player, SysOp, and Game Utilities. These are NOT listed in any order of preference. As I've said before... one is not necessarily better than another. They all do different things, and have different functions and abilities. It makes no difference which one you use (personally I've been known to use as many as 4 of the Player Utilities in a single game). Your strategy should be to pick one you like (for whatever reason), and become as proficient with it as you can. The better you get with the one you pick, the more advantage you'll have over your opponents. Beyond that, game strategy will determine the winner of this incredibly popular online game. As a note of interest, it appears now that Gary Martin will be releasing Trade Wars v2.0 late this spring. He's been tied up with some other business interests and has not had time to finish programming the new version, but has announced that he will be attacking that project with renewed vigor and determination. IT IS NOT YET KNOWN if the new data structures will be compatible with v1.03d...which means...the new release may conflict with the utilities that have been written (which includes ALL the ones reviewed below!). My scoring system takes into account program documentation, relevance and understandability of the information the program provides, ease of use, author support, upgrade probability, program speed, and cross-adaptation of the report information between programs. So, a high score is a sure thing...but a low(er) score does not necessarily mean the program is of less value. A program that does not provide for author contact via Net Mail or BBS will score lower than one that does. You, as a user, will have to decide how important that is to you. In some cases, there is no need for program support...or documentation. THE PLAYER UTILITIES TWAST11 .ZIP Trade Wars Assistant v1.0 Player Mapping Program The newest version of this program, by Albin Gersich, was just released yesterday. Because I know what his future plans are for this utility, I would highly recommend getting to know this program. I would also *strongly* encourage you to register it. Many of the most valuable functions the utility has to offer, are only available in the registered version. Support for the program is excellent, and the documentation is the nicest I've seen. It is a well thought out, well designed, extremely useful utility. Albin can be easily reached via the FidoNet Trade Wars conference, or via the Night Owl BBS (distribution site) at (206) 631-4949 <1:343/102> Registration is $15.00, and worth every penny. (Point of Interest - *IF* you decide to use this program, I suggest you play the ENTIRE game with your capture buffer ON, capture a CIM report before exiting, and load that data file into the program. All the relevant information - and there will be LOTS of it - will be separated by TWASSIST and parsed accordingly.) Bandit Rating: 100 TWMAP131.ZIP TW Map v1.31 - Trade Wars Player Utility Written by Ranseus, TWMAP had a big impact on the game when it was first released last year. It too, has excellent support, especially for us local Denverites (the author lives in Evergreen). He's also the Fish Net Trade Wars Moderator. The mapping function is one of the best (and fastest) I've seen, and it also has a very useful sector locator that identifies sectors with one-warp in, and two-warps out. Another *must* to get to know. The program interface is very nicely done, well thought out, easy to understand, and lends a measure of joy in playing the game. Many, many times this program has gotten me out of what would have otherwise led to to disastrous results. Hopefully, Ranseus' recent return to the Denver area, and his recent appointment as our FN_TWARS moderator will spark a new interest in the game for him, and perhaps...just perhaps...we'll be seeing a TWMAP132 hit the streets in the not too distant future...?? At one time, the author was asking for a $5.00 fee that entitled you to an early future release (before it was released to the general public), but otherwise, it too, is a free program. Personally, I would encourage you to send him the $5 anyway...it might have a favorable effect on new, upgraded releases. Bandit Rating: 100 TWVIEW94.ZIP TW View 0.94 - Trade Wars Player Utility Many players have trouble getting this program to work for them. It can be a complicated, and intimidating program to run. Woody Weaver (author) is a mathematics professor. It is reflected in the program's routines. But once you learn how to use it, this baby will do things no other program will even come close to doing. Problem is, much of the value it has to offer comes in *understanding* what the program is telling you. Suffice it to say, there is lots more info to be had than what appears at first blush. But support, again, is EXCELLENT. Woody can be reached via his own BBS: Lost Traders Tavern (510) 376-1554 or via the FidoNet Trade Wars Conference. Simple questions are met with long, detailed explanations about what the program does, what all the numbers mean, and how to interpret them. TWVIEW is the oldest of the Trade Wars Players Utilities. There have been several revisions and updates, and a new revision is due out soon. There is no registration available. Woody wrote it for the fun of it. There are also a couple add-on programs available (COMPUPGR, TWVCOLOR, TWXTRA). If you want to try a program that is a challenge to use, and seems to provide you with new "discoveries" every time you use it, this one is a must. Bandit Rating: 100 TWUTIL10.ZIP Trade Wars Player Utility - Finds Stardock, Etc. This one is something every player has to have! It was written by Joel Downer, of Evil Imperial Starship fame. He is, without a doubt, the most brutal TW player I've ever encountered. This utility is the one with FINDSGA in it. It will find Star Dock for you without your ever having to leave Sector 1. It *can* be defeated however, if a SysOp decides to move StarDock after Big-Banging a game (something to keep in the back of your head). It also has a utility for finding Paired Ports, dead-end warp tunnels with one-way outgoing warps, and an interesting port locator function that is designed to help you keep an Evil Imperial Starship. Again, excellent support. Joel is a regular on the Fido Net Trade Wars conference, and can also be reached on his own BBS: Dreaming City (619) 462-7146 (2400 baud) 462-8406 (9600+ baud) <1:202/1104> A serious player...?? You bet he is. He has 12 TW games going on his BBS at all times. He re-rolls one a month. There is a TWUTIL101A available, as well. Essentially, it is a Beta release of the next v1.01, but it does not do anything that TWUTIL10 won't do. It was an attempt to support different com ports and computer types. Last I knew, registration was $10.00 Bandit Rating: 100 TWTRAK11.ZIP Player Utility Tracks Opponents, Lists Dead Ends, :Shows Ports To Rob/Steal, Mapping Utility, More!! This has one of the more colorful, interesting interfaces of all the utilities I've seen. It uses a windows-type point and click environment. You can play an entire game with your capture buffer on, load the file into this program, and track a player (the program takes data from the docking reports you see in the game, parses it, and feeds that info back to you). It is a simple program to use, is provided with nice documentation, but seems to have lots of redundancy within the program functions. Nevertheless, it's worth taking a look at. Written by Will Boyett, the registration fee is $15.00 Bandit Rating: 85 PWRMC25S.ZIP Version 2.5 Of The Trade Wars Power Macros (Needs :{COMMO} communications package). If you want to go through the trouble of installing yet another communications program onto your computer, it's worth doing for this utility. This thing is a whole slew of Trade Wars macros that pretty much automates the game for you, including finding the best port prices which gives you 5 experience points on every trade. It makes the game go extremely fast for you, but also makes use of *every single one* of your turns. It has good support, excellent documentation (each macro is detailed), and is constantly being upgrades. The author can be contacted via: Trade Wars Only BBS (804) 979-9568 That is also the distribution point for new releases of this little jewel. The {COMMO} program you'll need to run it, and it's updated versions can be obtained via ONLINE! at (504) 624-8795 1:390/8 Bandit Rating: 95 TBHV2_0 .ZIP TW Player Utility - Bargain Hunter & Mapping (Nice!!) This program is an interesting concept. The purpose of the program is to find the best trade routes for you (adjacent paired-port trading). But the registered version ($3.00) opens another provision called "Space Walker" that captures the entire explored universe for you, and while you are offline, you can "walk" your way through your known universe, just as though you were still playing the game. As you probably have already guessed, this function is where the real value of the program lies. It's use is limited only by your imagination. It was written by Dave Noel, who can be contacted through the address shown in the program documentation. This is one of the very first TW programs I ever registered. I've used it *countless* times to scout planet locations, trade routes (the port prices can be seen in Space Walker), and to map planet-stardock-sol routes. Bandit Rating: 95 TRADERS3.ZIP The Competition's Version Of TWVIEW I won't spend a lot of time with this Player Utility. I've tried using it several times, and rejected it each time. If it weren't for the other excellent utilities available, I suppose I could live with it. IMHO, though, it's a cumbersome, clumsy, hard to understand, difficult to use utility that provides you with a "play sheet" full of questionably useful information. The documentation is well done, and cites a BBS run by the program author called: Traders Outpost (214) 492-2417 Still, if you want to play around with something in your spare time, this program is worth taking a look at. In all fairness, I know more than a few players who *swear* by this thing. It was written by Bill Rathbone of Garland, TX. Bandit Rating: 60 TWATERM2.ZIP TW Terminal Program By Darryll Harper. Supports VGA :and Sound Blaster! Has Documentation. If nothing else, this program is FUN to use, and has limited macros built into it. Want to listen to "Theme From Star Wars" on your Sound Blaster every time you leave your Citadel..?? This puppy will do it for you. It appears to have a couple bugs in it (i.e. function keys that don't do what they're supposed to), but then, I've never registered it, so am not sure if they are disabled to all except registered users (although the documentation suggests otherwise). A pretty comprehensive menu is displayed to you at the touch of a single keystroke (you load this program up while you're in the game and it runs in the background as a TSR). Once loaded, your function keys become your information source. Want to see all the Class 1-6 Trading Lanes? Just press 8 and there they are. Warp/Distance Calculations? Press 12. Show your known universe? Hit F6. All planets are automatically tracked as you move through the universe, all sector and port information is automatically updated, and database updates can be made online using the F2 and F3 function keys. This thing is worth playing with, but if you're a serious Trader, I'd recommend using one of the other utilities. If you just want to have a good time while you're cruising around the universe, but still have access to game information without having to keep lots of external notes to keep track of where things are, load this one up. Bandit Rating: 65 TWUTEC12.ZIP Another Player Utility - By Eugene Cook (Try This One) I can only tell you two things about this one. First, I've never really used it. I've unzipped it a couple times to take a look at it, but never saw anything in the program to cause me to want to look any further than just a cursory glance. Second, that's why I've never bothered to spend any time with it. Bandit Rating: 25 2002HLP2.ZIP TW Help v1.10 (By Neal Tibrewla). Online Player Util :Uses CIM To Create Data Files On Universes. Near as I can tell, the author's intentions were good, but it looks to me like all he succeeded in accomplishing was to create a program that downloads CIM data from the CRAI Onboard Computer, and renames them into one of his "special" files. Then you (Player) go look at those files to see what you can see...and what you see is...yep, you guessed it...a .PRT report and a .SCT report. Only difference is, in this program, you use a script with your communications program, and the capturing of the report(s) is done automatically for you. As a Player Utility, however, this program has virtually nothing to offer. Bandit Rating: 10 TW2TOOLS.ZIP Trade Wars Toolkit Program For Players (By Jim Gast) This is a player utility that needs Norton Guides to interface with. It is designed to be used as a pop-up TSR while you are online, and playing a game. It provides you with information on the nearest port buying/selling whatever you specify, on trade-routes, on nearest unexplored sectors, etc. It has limited potential as a useful utility to gain any sort of strategic advantage over an opponent. The documentation provided is sparse (as is the information the program generates), but there is a support BBS for the program called: The Racer's Edge (708) 983-9708 I tried this program a couple of times, and simply did not like it. The more comprehensive player utilities do everything this one does, they do it nicer, quicker, easier, and provide a whole lot more information, so I stopped using this one in favor of one of the others. Bandit Rating: 25 TWHELP21.ZIP Player Online Terminal Program. Maintains Sector Data :& Can Be Used To Negotiate Trades. (v2.1) This is an interesting program. It is another TSR type program that continuously updates it's data base while you are on line. The focus of the program is for it to be used as a trading utility, and you can use it to negotiate the best port prices for you. It's simple to set up, easy to use, and runs in the background while you are playing the game. Program (port) information is brought up on-screen for you using hot-keys. On those days when it is your "corporate mission" to trade to accumulate credits so your corporation can buy fighters, this utility is the one you want to use. It maximizes your turns for you, and insures you get as many credits as possible for your trading day (given your current explored universe). Used in conjunction with one of the other player utilities, if you plan your paired-port trading out ahead of time, and use this utility to do the trades with, it can be a very effective program. The author references three Salt Lake City BBS's he can be reached on for program support. Bandit Rating: 80 TWDATA10.ZIP Another Player Utility - New From Jeff Wiersema This is yet another utility that simply gives you very generic information about your explored universe. It uses two capture files called SECTOR.CAP and PORT.CAP (instead of xxxxx.prt and xxxxx.sct) and then creates SECTOR.TXT, PORT.TXT, and TRADE.TXT for you. Then you're supposed to use those files to see what sectors you've visited, what ports you've visited, and which sectors have adjacent paired-port trading possibilities. Bandit Rating: 25 TWTC20 .ZIP Trade Wars Treasury Calculator This is a handy little program to have in your arsenal. You tell it how many credits you want to have in any given time frame, and it will tell you how many credits you have to have in your citadel to reach your goal. Likewise, you tell it how much you have there now, and it will tell you how much you WILL have at definable future dates. Bandit Rating: 80 TRADE WARS INFORMATION FILES TWHELP10.ZIP 10/92 Release Of TWHELP - TSR Program, Tips, Hints, :Strategies. Has Updated Pricing Schematic. This is a useful little program to browse through. It answers all kinds of questions players have on the game, and introduces some strategies to use against the Ferrengi, as well as your opponents. It also details, by date, the fluctuating fighter/shield prices you will encounter to help you plan your purchases. Everyone should load this up, and read through it at least once. Bandit Rating: 90 TWEGT100.ZIP Edit The Grimy Trader In Trade Wars While technically a SysOp utility, it's productive for players to use as well. Ever wonder how much information Grimy really possesses? This program will show you everything he knows! It's got a real nice graphical interface, and all you have to do is cursor your way through all 300+ keywords players can throw at him. It responds with all the possible answers he might give you. (You need the GRIMY.DAT file from the game for the program to work, of course.) It's worth playing with, just so you can spend your time in the game in other places besides the back of the tavern. Bandit Rating: 80 TWFILES1.ZIP 1/93 Release. Detailed Map Of The TW Data Files. If you're a utility programmer, this file is a must-have. It is very technical in nature, and essentially useless for players. All it does is detail the data structures used in the various .DAT files the game uses. Extremely well done, but of no value to the average person. Bandit Rating: 50 TWTIPS12.ZIP Kris Lewis' Collection Of TW Tips & Strateties (v1.2) A collection of individual files that explain some of the most popular bugs in the game, as well as some strategies to use to make it more difficult for your opponents. Updated regularly, and has excellent support. Kris Lewis is the moderator of the Fido Net Trade Wars Conference, and he maintains a BBS called: Trader's World (619) 284-8729 The author of this program is also one of the people Gary Martin uses to write code for the game itself. He has written several other SysOp Utilities, and will be releasing a DOS compatible version of TWENH150 just as soon as he returns from Navy sea duty. Bandit Rating: 90 TWINFO.ZIP Text Files For Beginner and Advanced Players. If you ever run across anyone who tells you they'd like to learn how to play the game, refer them to this file! There are three separate text files included in this archive. One of them is the online help (DOCS) you get when you press "Z" from the Main Menu. The second one is a *complete* step by step strategy of the do's and don'ts of the game for beginner players. It explains the entire game in easy to understand, concise, well written text. The third file is strategies for more advanced players that explains a lot of the idiosyncacies players will encounter in the game, and how to capitalize on them. I've referred to this file many, many times to answer questions from other players. EVERY serious Trade Wars player should spend some time with this file. Bandit Rating: 100 WINTW103.ZIP Useful TW Tips, Hints, & Little Known Facts. :By Brandon Bannerman. SysOps!! Has SHIPSTAT Data :Structures! This little gem has all kinds of information on the game not found anywhere else. Brandon is the author of one of the Ship Editor programs, as well as a couple other popular utilities. During his "tours" of the game to write his programs, he kept notes on useful little tidbits of information he ran across. The result of all those notes is this program. While certainly not any barn-burner of a program, you'll learn lots of new things if you take the time to read through it. Bandit Rating: 80 That's all you guys get from me....:-) Hope it helps you out some, and causes you to play around with some of the other programs you've been meaning to get to, but somehow just never seem to be able to find the time for. Maybe, if I get to feeling productive, I'll rate the SysOp utilities some day. But for now, my fingers are about to lock up...so... Have fun, and remember what a nice guy I am for posting all this stuff to you the next time you find me parked in uprotected space somewhere. -= Bandit =-