When you first start up the program, it will ask you for the file that contains all the questions. I have included a sample file called NJACEP2006.txt The format of the file is very simple. Every line that doesn't begin with either "Clue" or "Category" is ignored. You can put whatever kind of comments you like into the file.
There should be exactly twelve Category lines and exactly 60 Clue lines. If there are less, then there may be unexpected instability in the program. If there are more, they will be ignored. You should list the clues but not the correct response. The announcer should know all the answers.
After you create the question file, you can make certain questions special. If you end the question with ^DD, the question becomes a daily double, and the contestant can enter a wager for the question. If you end the question with ^filename.ext, then the file will be displayed before the question is shown. Currently, the program acccepts files with extension .avi for movies and .jpg, .gif and .png for images. All the sound/image files must be in the same directory as the configuration file.
This is the file I used for NJACEP 2006.
As of 1.0.0.14, the signalling devices are hard coded to respond to the numbers 1,throug 6. I will fix that later. There are several ways to build a signalling system. The simplest is this
Each contestant is given one of the numbers to push when he wants to ring in. You will have to trust them not to push the other players' numbers.
Another option is to take apart an old keyboard and solder the connectors onto wires and eventually to signalling devices. For NJACEP 2006, I used staples "EASY" buttons.
Another option is to build your own controllers based on some of the great chipsets available at groovygamegear.com. For the 2009 game, I used the GP-Wiz+LED. At some point, I may add some LED action when the user is allowed to answer. I haven't done that just yet.
The game is played similar to the Jeopardy TV show. The announcer picks the question by clicking on the point value. As soon as he does, the clue text becomes visible. After the announcer reads the question, he hits the spacebar. This begins the contestant timer. IF no contestant rings in before the timer expires, then the announcer gives the answer. There is a green status bar that ticks down as time runs out, and a "beep-beep" when time is up. If nobody rings in, then the announcer hits the space bar and allows the next contestant to pick.
If a contestant rings in, his name will be highlighted. If he gets the answer right, the announcer presses PageUp, and his point score increases by the value of the question. If he is wrong, the announcer hits PageDown and the points are deducted. After that, the other two contestants have the opportunity to ring in.
After that, the game just runs by itself.