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XB BBS


Opry99er

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I personally dislike TIBBS' performance -- it's not the disk access that's the problem, it's XB's file access and low speed in general. A RAMdisk helps a bit, but you can still tell.

 

But your best bet is to choose something you can actually get set up. :) Since I wrote my own package, and it's decidedly NOT easy to set up, I guess I'm not much value there except to express my opinion. TIBBS on an emulator I could handle since it could be faster. ;) Maybe someone has a list of options and more importantly, where to get them?

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I personally dislike TIBBS' performance -- it's not the disk access that's the problem, it's XB's file access and low speed in general. A RAMdisk helps a bit, but you can still tell.

 

But your best bet is to choose something you can actually get set up. :) Since I wrote my own package, and it's decidedly NOT easy to set up, I guess I'm not much value there except to express my opinion. TIBBS on an emulator I could handle since it could be faster. ;) Maybe someone has a list of options and more importantly, where to get them?

 

Tim wrote a BBS that Richard runs on THR. Seems fast and reliable (It's been running for years) and can use a variety of storage solutions. Perhaps he can chime in...

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Sorry Tim... I wasn't clear. Here's what the goal is.

 

I want to run a BBS on my TI, hooked up via serial to my XP machine. I want it to be quicker than TIBBS (based on Tursi's suggestion) but I don't really need all the features of the Reef. I want a bulletin board for users to post messages, and an ability for users to "import" and "export" games and demos via rs232. I haven't decided whether XModem transfers will be necessary or not...

 

Since we will be using the modem emulator method and the majority of users will be signing in via a PC, my question is: "Can Greg's thekeep.net BBS allow TI hardware to sign in to this new BBS?". Since his BBS is TI compatible, could he allow a portal to this BBS?

 

I am asking alot of questions here before I decide to go forward with this. Any advice and/or suggestions you guys have would be great. :)

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Sorry Tim... I wasn't clear. Here's what the goal is.

 

I want to run a BBS on my TI, hooked up via serial to my XP machine. I want it to be quicker than TIBBS (based on Tursi's suggestion) but I don't really need all the features of the Reef. I want a bulletin board for users to post messages, and an ability for users to "import" and "export" games and demos via rs232. I haven't decided whether XModem transfers will be necessary or not...

 

Since we will be using the modem emulator method and the majority of users will be signing in via a PC, my question is: "Can Greg's thekeep.net BBS allow TI hardware to sign in to this new BBS?". Since his BBS is TI compatible, could he allow a portal to this BBS?

 

I am asking alot of questions here before I decide to go forward with this. Any advice and/or suggestions you guys have would be great. :)

 

Ahh... I gotcha :) To be quite honest, if you like XB and assembly, there are many choices out there. The nice thing about most of the BBS packages is you can create your own XB program(s) that when combined with the assembly support, can give you a lot of flexibility and creativity.

 

So... you could theoretically build a very simple BBS with only the features you desire. The complex parts are usually the users (which a demo system might easily forgo), message boards, and file transfers.

 

As for connecting to the system we have most of the parts and like Tursi suggested, there may be simple ways to get around a few of the new technology problems.

 

As for BBS packages there is mine (what Richard is running), PBBS, Techie, MXT, TIBBS, and other's I'm sure to have forgotten, some are named here in the TI section:

 

http://www.bbsdocumentary.com/software/

 

And if you want a blast from the past, albeit near the end of the BBS era, here is what may be the last officially verified BBS listing I generated and distributed back in the day:

 

http://www.99er.net/bbs.html

 

nothing like chewing on some BBS-related fun now and then ;)

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Just started thinking about Keith's Dead Station game... This BBS could be a great place to have turn-based strategy games. :) We could have a contest on here for the best war/strategy game and set up a data bank for storage of variables and score. Of course it would take "sign in, play, sign out, opponent signs in, plays, signs out" kind of thing-- so not terribly arcade-like... But a really good game with great chess/stratego-like elements and an immersive plot could work quite nicely. :) Sounds like fun.

Edited by Opry99er
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I should get started writing the code... What are the assembly routines that support the XB program? Like X-Modem and disk access? I need to read up on these existing software packages before I ask a bunch of stuff that's already there. :) This is pretty cool... This whole concept. If nothing else, a TI-based ALL-PC BBS running a TI emulator would even be acceptable. Lots of directions we could go here...

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Just started thinking about Keith's Dead Station game... This BBS could be a great place to have turn-based strategy games. :) We could have a contest on here for the best war/strategy game and set up a data bank for storage of variables and score. Of course it would take "sign in, play, sign out, opponent signs in, plays, signs out" kind of thing-- so not terribly arcade-like... But a really good game with great chess/stratego-like elements and an immersive plot could work quite nicely. :) Sounds like fun.

Now that's a thought... I wonder if I could create a multiplayer version of Ultimate Planet that could potentially connect to the BBS and download/upload game data from each of the players. Hmmmm... Definitely worth looking into.

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The concept is really simple. Just create a bank that holds the necessary variables and have your program load them when you sign in. Something like coordinates of a play piece and a turn # for each player (not to over-simplify)

 

AX-27

AY-5

ATN-101

 

BX-41

BY-11

BTN-100

 

Of course it would be far more than that, but as an example, this would give the location of each play piece and indicate who's turn it is, etc. :)

 

 

I know you know this and are WAY ahead of me already, but I'm thinking out loud for my own sake. :). I'd love to play a BBS strategy game with you guys. How 1985!?

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Tim, I am very interested in writing my own XB code... To, as you said, customize it to my/our needs. But I am interested in your assembly routines for the hardcore stuff. I'd be interested in buying a registered copy of your BBS software if you could help walk me through the process. :)

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Tim, I am very interested in writing my own XB code... To, as you said, customize it to my/our needs. But I am interested in your assembly routines for the hardcore stuff. I'd be interested in buying a registered copy of your BBS software if you could help walk me through the process. :)

Owen, No need to purchase or register. You can download the entire package from THR or WHT:

 

ftp://ftp.whtech.com/communications/bbs/snt_bbs_02102004.dsk

 

The root folder on the disk contains the BBS itself. The three subfolders contain docs, Murder Motel (a multiplayer game I ported from the IBM to TI), and ANSI Tools. You'll need TI99DIR to get to them unless you have a Myarc controller that can access the subdirectories natively.

 

I have made some changes for Richard since 2004 but nothing to be concerned about. If you are serious about this (or other existing BBS) software you'll want to review some of the docs first to see if you want to dive in. Explanations of the LINKs and the entire BBS operation, addendums, etc. are documented. I can't speak for other software packages.

 

Be forewarned, the learning curve is a bit steep simply because of the sheer volume of information. And some of my coding can be, well, perplexing if not abusive of XBs quirks. I'll also mention up front that I won't have much time for Q&A, so consider your expended time and effort carefully...

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