Connecting to Costello

The best way to connect to Costello is to use the Costello Java CD client. This client is designed to work with the Costello game and give you information about your character as well as sounds that will increase your enjoyment of the game. You type commands to the game in the white bar at the bottom (you must click it first) and output from the game comes in the window at the top.

There are 3 versions of the client:

1. CD-Rom version for Mac OSX, Windows or Unix systems with Java 1.4 or later. Java is included on the CD if it isn't already on your system. This is the best version!

2. Web applet for Mac OSX, Windows or Unix systems with Java 1.4 or later. This works from your web browser by clicking the button below. This version has some sounds but no narration and it has some limits compared to the CD-Rom version. It will also be slower than the CD version. If you don't have Java 1.4 or later then you can download it from Sun.

Note: the web applet doesn't work with Internet Explorer on MacOSX. Please use Apple's Safari.

3. Web applet for systems that have older versions of Java. This includes 'Classic' MacOS (7-9) for which there is no Java 1.4 available. This version cannot play sound and is very basic compared to the other versions. But it does allow people with older systems to play Costello!

The white area at the bottom is where you enter text. At the bottom right you can see the scroll bar (move it up and down) and the resize tab (pull to make the window bigger or smaller).

You can repeat commands by pressing the 'up' arrow key on your keyboard. Pressing the 'up' key many times will go back through the commands you have entered since you started this session of Costello. The 'down' arrow will go forward through the commands you have entered (but only after you have pressed the 'up' arrow).

	Click this to open the Costello web page in your browser.
	You need to click this button to copy text from the Client window. Select the text you want to copy with the mouse and then click the copy button. The text will be copied to the clipboard. Note: on the web client you can only copy about 5 lines of text and the text will open in a new web page.
	Clicking this button opens a window where you can enter words into the Costello dictionary. The pull-down menu shows words that you looked up before.
	If you have already heard the game text for a location you can listen to it again by clicking this button.
	Brings up the client settings which are explained below.
	This button will open a window with folders that list the main help topics. Double clicking a folder (For example Basic Commands) will show you a list of commands. You can then click a command and help for the command will be shown in the window on the right. To close a help folder just double click it again.
	This bar shows your health settings. If it gets too low then you are in danger of dying!
	This bar shows how much magic power you have (your spirit points). If it gets too low then you won't be able to cast any spells.
	This shows your endurance. If it gets too low then you will have no energy to move or fight.
	This shows how hungry you are. If you are too hungry then you can die!
	Clicking turns the sound off or on.
	These show if you are connected to Costello (online) or not connected (offline). Clicking the button will connect you or disconnect you from the game. However you should always remember to type 'quit' when you want to disconnect from the game.

Clicking the button brings up the Settings dialog.


Background	You can choose the background you like from the pull-down list. You will see the change when you click the 'Apply' button.
Font	The pull-down menu shows the best fonts for the Costello Client. You can use any font on your computer by clicking 'Show all fonts' but most fonts will not look good because they are not monospaced. You can also set the font size.
Save to File	You can choose to save all output from Costello to a text file. This is very useful because you can read the text again later. For example, if you forgot what a character said about a quest you can go back and read it again. To save a file to your desktop, for example, click the 'Browse...' button and choose your desktop. Set the filename to be something like 'Costello.txt' or, if you want to read it in Microsoft Word call it 'Costello.doc'. Then click the 'Apply' button. All the text that comes into the client window will now be written to this file until you leave the game. The next time you enter the game the client will continue to add to the file unless you delete the name from this box.
Automatically replay sounds?	If you check this box then you will hear the text descriptions every time you enter a place in Costelllo, even if you have been to the place before. If you uncheck the box then the client will only play the sounds when you enter a place for the first time (unless you press the 'Replay sound' button).
Apply	Clicking this button will save the changes you made to the settings. These changes will also be saved the next time you play the game.
Close	This button closes the settings dialog.