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- This document is effective 12/10/90
- BBSINFO.DOC
-
-
- BBS Onliner Interface version 1.20
- Copyright (C) 1990 Andrew J. Mead
- All Rights Reserved.
-
- Contact:
- Andrew J. Mead
- POB 1155
- Chapel Hill, NC 27514-1155.
- or
- #98 @9968 WWIVnet
- 1:151/223 FidoNet
-
- Sections (in order of appearance)
-
- General info - technical specifications
- - sysop abort - F-9, F-10 overrides
- Command line directives - customization
- - get player info - BBS data
- - force local mode - local override /L
- - comm port override - lock comm port /C
- - IRQ override - lock baud rate /I
- - play Again mode - allow multiple games /A
- - local quiet mode - turn the bell off locally /Q
- - hall of fame limiting - limit appearances in HOF /X
- - text HOF rerouting - change HOF path/filenames /Y
- - maximum time limit - set time limit /Z
- Tech Talk - how to get help
- - upgrade history - changes from version to version
- Support and Distribution - Where to find the latest test drives
- Special Thanks - people who aren't getting paid for this
-
-
-
- - General Info -
-
- This interface is easily installed. The documentation, however,
- needs help. The installation of any game using this interface should
- be almost identical to that of any other game also using this interface.
- The /L, /C, and /I switches should not be used unless absolutely
- necessary. This interface currently works directly with 2 A.M., DoorWay,
- Force, Forum, GAP, GT, ModuleX, PCBoard 14.x, Opus-CBSC 1.14, Phoenix,
- RyBBS, SearchLight, Spitfire, Telegard, WildCat, WWIV, and all the
- various DorInfo.Def BBSs (EIS-PC, FoReM, OLEcom, Quick BBS, RBBS 16,
- Remote Access (RA), TAG, and TP-Board). PCBoard 12.x and Opus-CBCS 1.13
- are currently in the Beta stage.
-
- See BBSNotes.Doc for extra installation help.
-
- - sysop abort
- The SysOp can end the game in progress by pressing either the F-9
- or F-10 function keys.
- - sysop abort - F-10 override
- The game will be aborted, the user will be notified as such, then
- control will revert to the batch file or BBS.
- - susp[ abort - F-9 override
- This abort will hang up the phone. To the user, it will appear as
- if line noise had severed the connection. The program will then
- terminate, and return control to the batch file or BBS.
-
-
- - BBS Command Line Directives -
-
- - command line directives - BBS information
- There is a command line directive to get player info from the BBS.
- The information that the program uses is username, time remaining,
- lines per screen, communications port, and whether the program is
- being run locally or from remote.
-
- 2 A.M. BBS /2 Auntie BBS /7
- DoorWay /D EIS-PC /R#
- Force BBS /S FoReM /R#
- Forum /F GAP /S
- GT /D ModuleX /M
- OLEcom /R# OPUS 1.14 /OXX
- PCBoard 14.x /P Phoenix /H
- Quick BBS /R# RBBS /R#
- Remote Access /R# RyBBS /5
- SearchLight /9 (see note) Spitfire BBS /6
- TAG /R# Telegard
- TP-Board /R# WildCat! /W
- WWIV /4
-
- Note for /R# :
- '#' represents the node number. If it is missing the filename the
- game uses is 'DoorInfo.Def'. If it is present, the file name
- is 'DorInfo#.Def' where # is the node number. (i.e. DorInfo1.Def)
-
- Note for /9 (SearchLight) :
- See BBSNotes.Doc for more complete information. This pathname
- after this directive is the reverse of the other switches listed
- here. The path should be the path to the directory that the game
- itself is in.
-
- If this command is missing, game will default to LOCAL mode.
- None of the following are yet operational, they will only be supported
- when I get the technical information for them. If you are
- registering a copy, and want one of these switches to work,
- send a copy of the file your BBS creates, and what lines the
- user's name, their screen length (if available), how much time
- they have left (minutes or seconds), what com port is in use, and
- what baud rate is in effect. A printout is acceptable. Actually
- most of these create files that I will need offsets for, since
- the information is not seperated by carriage returns.
-
- /U UBBS /8 Sapphire /0 XBBS
- This list is not exhaustive. I'm always looking for more systems.
-
- - alternate file path
- If, for example, your copy of WildCat creates CallInfo.BBS in a sub-
- directory "C:\WC\", and you want to run the game from somewhere else,
- just use the format /?:fullpath, i.e. /W:C:\WC\. Add a colon and
- the filepath to the directive, and it will work.
-
- - command line directives - force local mode - /L
- You can force the program to use Local mode. This is designed to
- work with the command above, so that you can play the game locally
- from the BBS. This will not work with either /C or /I.
-
- - command line directives - communications port override - /C:n
- You can force the program to use a specified serial port. Use '1' for
- 'Com1:', etc... Example /C:3. Acceptable values are from 1 to 4.
- This should not be used if one of the above is used. This will
- not work if either /L or /I is used.
-
- - command line directives - interrupt override - /I:x:nnnn
- You can tailor the game to your specific set up. This command
- allows you to access any serial port setting. If you are using
- a non-standard setup, or a PS/2 using Com3 or above, you will
- need to use this. The default settings, would be equivalent to
- Com1 : /i:4:03f8, Com2 : /i:3:02f8, Com3 : /i:4:03e8, Com4 :
- /i:3:02e8.
- The 'x' is the IRQ number. It is a hexidecimal value from
- 0 to f. 'nnnn' is the port address for communications. It
- is a 4 digit hexidecimal value. This will not work if either /L
- or /C is also specified.
-
- - command line directives - play Again? mode - /A:x
- /A:x (/A = /A:10) will prompt the player if he wants to play again
- if he has more than x minutes of game time left.
-
- - command line directives - quiet local mode - /Q
- /Q will keep the bell from ringing on the host.
-
- - command line directives - limited Hall of Fame listings - /X:n
- You can limit the time any one name appears in the monthly top 20
- with this switch. The default is unlimited appearances. The
- recommended limit is 1 or 2. This keeps a small number of players
- from monopolizing the game. If an occassional (non-fanatical) is
- more likely to see his name listed, he is more likely to play the game.
- n is any number from 1 to 19.
-
- - command line directives - alternate text Hall of Fame - /Y
- You can change where the program creates its text Hall of Fame, and
- what it is called. All you have to do is use the following format:
- /Y:pathname\filename where the filename is optional. This will
- Wildcats, for instance, to use /y:c:\wildcat\bull4.bbs where the text
- file is renamed bull4.bbs and placed in the c:\wildcat directory.
-
- - command line directives - set time limit - /Z:x
- /Z:x (x is a number between 10 and 50), sets a maximum time allowed.
- If a BBS file is read then the maximum time will be the smaller of
- this directive and the user's actual remaining time.
-
-
- - That's Not My Table - Tech Talk -
-
- The SysOp accepts all responsibility for this programs implementation.
- The Author is not responsible for any damages caused by running these
- programs. If you are attempting an installation, it is always best
- to TEST the program before opening it up to the public. Make sure all
- switches are correct. If you have any technical questions or any
- suggestions, please send a SASE to the above address or contact me
- through E-Mail on the WWIVnet or the FidoNet.
- If you find another system that this runs on/under that is not
- mentioned above, please include that in your regisration. I am
- always looking for new systems.
-
-
- - changes from StarsBBS 3.0 - StarsBBS 3.5 (Interface 1.0)
- /C switch removed (obsolete).
- /I switch added.
- Error Log file added. (See Game information for log name.)
- Automatic LOCAL mode detection added.
- SysOp F-10 abort added.
- Current User line added.
- Inactivity time-out fixed.
- - change from 1.0 to 1.02
- /Q quiet local mode added.
- Remote Access capability verified.
- - change from 1.02 to 1.03
- /A replay switch added.
- - change from 1.03 to 1.10
- /F, /M, /H, /5, /6 switches added.
- - changes from 1.10 to 1.13
- beta switches /B (locked baud rate), /P (PCB14.x), and /N (username).
- - changes from 1.13 to 1.14
- /9 added, /B improved, carrier detect routines implemented
- - changes from 1.14 to 1.17
- F-9 added, internal reorginization
- - changes from 1.17 to 1.20
- /P,/O,/1,/7 added
-
-
- - Support Boards and Distribution Nodes -
-
- This is where you can find the latest testdrive versions of my and
- other programmers programs that feature this interface.
-
- BBS Name Phone BBS PCP SL FR AV When
- + Bargain Basement BBS 919-220-6058 WildCat NCRPT Y N N 24hrs
- + Psychotronic BBS 919-286-7738 RA 151/223 NCRPT Y Y N 24hrs
- Social Graces BBS 919-831-2759 WWIV-9954 NCRPT Y N Y 24hrs *
-
- CatHouse BBS 805-395-0650 WildCat ? N Y 24hrs *
- Mustang BBS SysOps Only WildCat ? N N/A 24hrs *
-
- Geneal BBS 919-471-6026 RBBS NCRPT ? N ? 24hrs
- Pheonix BBS 407-451-9845 GAP Y N Y 24hrs
- Wild Zephyr BBS 619-432-0787 WWIV-6962 ? N Y 24hrs
-
- PCP - PCPursuit node, SL - StarLink, AV - AutoVerify, When - hours up
- * national or regional support board for given BBS system.
- + guaranteed latest versions available.
- FR - Fido F/REQ available. I can be contacted on Psychotronic through
- the DoorWare conference echo.
-
-
- - Special Thanks -
-
- Beta Test Sites - the BBS Onliner Interface
-
- Bargain Basement BBS (WCat) - Durham,NC - (919)220-6058
- Another World BBS (WWIV) - Durham, NC - (919)220-6299 - WWIVnet 9968
- Dennis O'Dell and Mollie Moses - SysOps and Bowlers extrodinaire
-
- Thanks also to David Malin, Tom Yates, Rick Guggemos, Brian Cox,
- Jack Holsomback, Shirley Gurley, Richard Lee, and a host of others
- for their time and ideas in helping me make this a fully functional
- interface.
-
- BBS Onliner Interface
- Copyright (C) 1990 Andrew J. Mead - All Rights Reserved.
- The Mad Programmer - Brown & Mead Consulting
- POB 1155 Chapel Hill, NC 27514-1155
-
- This interface is currently written in Turbo Pascal 5.5 and
- can be liscensed by other programmers. Contact me for
- details.
-
- END BBSINFO.DOC