**Welcome to the Atlantis DHD Simulator**

  * Tann San 2006
  * http://www.davidmillington.net/pages/AtlantisDHD

  * Frequently Asked Questions
  * http://www.davidmillington.net/pages/AtlantisDHD/FAQ

  * Forum (requires registration)
  * http://forums.sgcsim.com/index.php?showtopic=153
  
  * v2.1 - 23.05.06
  * v2.0 - 27.04.06

This is a simulation of the Stargate Atlantis Dial Home Device.  It includes an example Stargate screen and an example planet movie (Athosia).  I decided to release this version now although there are still several additions I would like to make.  The DHD is release edition only and therefore the source code is not included.  I do not permit the usage of the code via any form of extraction it may be put through.  The gate screen and Athosia demos both include their source code so that you may modify and create your own versions.  My hope is that there will be a forum that you can post your movies in so others may share what you have created.  Lets get onto the fun stuff; what it can do:

**Features**
  * Easy to configure XML file - a whole bunch of setup options are in there.  You can change several key features of the sim.
  * External Sounds - there's a shortage of good sound effect files at the moment.  By keeping them external to the DHD you can easily add new sounds as they are released.
  * Extendable Gate Addresses - the addresses and some other information for each planet is stored in the config xml file.  There's a link in there to chevron26 who host a list of addresses to date.  At the time of writing this there where only three complete addresses.
  * + for key overlay - press + to show the key numberings.  These were taken from a different source than cheveron26 and do not match what they list.  Press + again to hide the numberings.
  
**Usage**
To just use the DHD you simply have to load it up and wait for the loading sequence to finish.  You'll know when that's complete when the panels become active.  To dial planets just press the relevant 7 symbols on the DHD.  When all 7 have been entered press the cancel button to attempt dialling.  If the address is a valid gate then the gate screen will begin dialling and then open that planets movie.  These can be anything from simply sound effects to movies to mini games.  Anything's possible.

To cancel dialling at any point simply press the cancel button.  The DHD will clear the currently entered symbols and then allow a new set to be entered.  NOTE: the cancel button is the centre button on the DHD that doesn't resemble the others.  Its second function is to dial the address once it's been entered, perhaps cancel button isn't the best name :)

**Demo Usage**
To use the demo gate screen you must open "dhd.exe" and "gatescreen_localconnection.swf" simultaneously.  Have both open so you can see them and then begin dialling.  The available addresses are in the xml file.  Open that and check out the numbers.  Athosia is 16,9,19,32,27,21,31.  It might seem ultra tough to learn the numbers but trust me the ones you use most frequently quickly become easy to dial.

To start with the key overlay is the best method.  Wait for the DHD to load and initialise and then press the + key.  The numbers for each key should overlay on top of the relevant button.  Now using one of the addresses dial it up.  Once all 7 symbols have been entered tap the cancel/dial button.  After the status panel has told you its dialling the gate screen movie should start to react and dial the address.  If a movie clip was entered in the xml file for that destination then it will play once the gate has completed dialling.  In the demo you should see the Athosian movie I threw together.  This particular movie closes the gate when it's done but this will not always be the case.  The cancel/dial button on the DHD can close the gate at any point and in other future destination movies may be the only way to do so.

**Demo Source Code**
The code for the demos is available in each .fla file.  Each file is fairly commented to help you expand the sim.  For a simple way to make a new gate screen simply update the graphics.  Keep them at the same dimensions and positions and that's all you have to do.  If you move them or rescale them then you may have to alter the code for rotating the glower.  The gate itself is simply drawn on the main timeline whilst the glower which is the thing that moves behind the gate symbol dots is a movie clip in the library.  The glower will need to be resized to only fit a single symbol.  I just used a random chunk in the demo.  So to recap, to make a simple gate just change the graphics and leave them in the same locations / scale as they are now.

The destination movies don't require any coding; they can be anything you can put together.  If you want to unload the movie and close the gate then copy the code on the last key frame of the Athosia demo file.

**Self Updates**
To add new gate addresses, sound files, or any other config option simply open the xml file in your favourite text editor.  I use Crimson cos its cool!  I commented the xml file and included a snippet of each thing to show you how it's done.