🚀 go-pugleaf

While, I don't normally use programs that won't run on an 8-bit screen
(in fact, usually they go right into the trash can), I found SimCity
entertaining enough that it's worth a little trouble.

Basically, SimCity has two problems: it doesn't like 8-bit screen mode
and it doesn't like MultiFinder.

MultiFinder isn't a problem right now, and you might even suggest that
I can use Switch-a-roo to easily change the screen depth, but I also
use Russ Wetmore's Kolor cdev to change my button and window colors,
and my internal button color is not white (it's green).  The result is
that when I run in 1-bit mode, my buttons are all black; I can't see
the text at all.

So, the way I run SimCity is that I have a floppy that contains a
Finder and a System with no color resources, the INITS and cdevs I
really need (including SuitCaseII), a copy of the ForceMount INIT
(sorry, I forgot the author's name) and a copy of Bill Steinberg's
Launcher program.  SimCity and my city files are installed on my hard
disk.

To run the program, I start my system with this special floppy.  I have
it configured so that Launcher is the startup application.  Launcher is
configured to put the machine in 1-bit mode and execute SimCity from my
hard disk.  ForceMount makes sure that my hard disk is installed before
Launcher runs.

When I restart the machine from my hard disk, I'm back in 8-bit mode
with everything working like I expect.  In other words, I haven't had
to completely change my configuration just to use a program.

Of course, when I get the color upgrade to SimCity, I won't need to do
any of this, though if they don't do a MultiFinder-compatible version
by the end of the year, I'll have to go back.  Also, I guess an
simpler solution might be to get Switch-a-roo to switch the System
color resources as well.

In any event, the point here is that ForceMount and Launcher can
be used together fairly effectively to create special environments.

-- 
David Elliott		dce@Solbourne.COM
			...!{boulder,nbires,sun}!stan!dce