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DNDBBS Documentation Page 1 Table of contents Page ----------------- ---- 1.0 Hardware requirements . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2 2.0 File distribution . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2 3.0 Modem settings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2 4.0 Communications device driver . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2 5.0 Console ansi support . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3 6.0 Command line options . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3 7.0 Dndbbs as a single user program . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4 8.0 Problem determination . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4 9.0 Configuration problems . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5 10.0 Setup instructions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5 11.0 Configuring instructions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5 12.0 Operating dndbbs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6 13.0 Modem communications . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7 14.0 Configuring for communications ports . . . . . . . . . . . 7 15.0 Door information and nodes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7 16.0 Door batch files . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8 17.0 System environment . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8 18.0 Files used . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9 19.0 Compiling instructions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9 20.0 Rbbs door file structure information . . . . . . . . . . . 10 DNDBBS Documentation Page 2 1.0 Hardware requirements -------------------------- The adventure system requires an IBM (or compatible) PC, XT, or AT, dos 4.0 or higher, serial port, hayes smartmodem (or compatbile), minimum of 640k memory, an 80 column color monitor, and 10 megabyte fixed disk drive with at least one megabyte of free disk storage. 2.0 File distribution ---------------------- The adventure system is distributed on Executive-PC Bbs, data number 1-414-789-4210, in file dnd29c4.zip containing all executable files, documentation, data, source, and help files. You must use the PKWare utility to separate the programs from the compressed .zip files. 3.0 Modem settings ------------------- Dndbbs can autoanswer the modem by receiving the response ring and returning the command ata, or by receiving the response connect then the modem speed (i.e. connect 2400). This way the modem can autoanswer with s0=1 or with s0=0 (modem register s0 sets the number of rings). Dndbbs configures serial ports for 300 up to 38,400 baud at no parity, eight data bits, and one stop bit (n,8,1). The initial modem settings should be one of these commands: Modem initialization string 1: atm0e0q0v1x1 m0 -- speaker off e0 -- do not echo commands q0 -- enable result codes v1 -- verbose result codes x1 -- extended result codes Modem initialization string 2: atm0e0q0v1x1&c1&d2 &c1 -- carrier detection &d2 -- DTR detection Modem initialization string 3: atm0e0q0v1x1&c1&d2s0=1Ss=255 s0=1 -- autoanswer on ring one s2=255 -- disable escape codes 4.0 Communications device driver --------------------------------- Dndbbs can access most communications device drivers for modem input, output and initializing. Normally all you need to do is put the device driver statement in your config.sys file and reboot to install the port driver. The fossil (fido/opus/seadog standard interface layer) driver distributed as x00.sys is required to be placed in config.sys with the statement device=x00.sys, or if you are using more ports (up to a maximum of eight), use the statement device=x00.sys 2, etc. DNDBBS Documentation Page 3 5.0 Console ansi support ------------------------- Dndbbs sends color code changes to the ansi.sys device driver. This is done by calling the basic interrupt function. The ansi driver is found on your dos disk. Install the driver by placing the program on the boot directory, add the statement device=ansi.sys into the config.sys file then reboot. Desqview users should put the statement dvansi.com in the current dndbbs partition. The ansi.sys driver is distributed with dndbbs. The vdisk.sys device should be installed for a small ram disk of 16k and selected in the dndcnfg files variables. Vdisk.sys is only required for the ram disk option if you are using multinodes for message transfers between nodes by using the message work files. Example contents of config.sys: files=20 buffers=8 device=ansi.sys device=vdisk.sys s:16 Dndbbs can also utilize the enhanced ansi code as stated by the avatar device driver specification. The driver included for using these codes codes are zavt.sys and zavtnk.sys. The zavtnk file has the same ansi codes without keyboard redefinition code parsing. When the config options Prompt For Avatar, and Detect Remote Avatar are selected, then dndbbs will use local avatar code sequences. Dndbbs will also detect remote avatar if these options are selected. Example Avatar driver is, device=zavtnk.sys. 6.0 Command line options ------------------------- The command line options are parameters you type after the command dndbbs at the dos prompt. If there are any parameters at all, the first must be the node number. The node number must be in the range from 0 to 9 or A to Z. All command line options should be separated by a space. There are six options: [node], local, bbs, bypass, disable, and name. Bbs starts the bulletin board service. Local starts the game without modem communications. Bypass skips the startup screen. Disable prevents dm commands or dm logins from being entered. Name starts the dndbbs with the username in quotes without being required to enter the user's password. The last two optional parameters are for over-riding the communications port number specified in the configure modem screen variables and over-riding the amount of time the user can be online. The port parameter is /p:n where n is replaced with the alternate port number. The time parameter is /t:n where n is replaced with the amount of time the user can be online in minutes. Examples starting dndbbs: dndbbs bbs dndbbs local dndbbs 1 bypass dndbbs c local name="uzernaym" dndbbs bbs /p:1 /t:30 DNDBBS Documentation Page 4 7.0 Dndbbs as a single user program ------------------------------------ To start the adventure at your computer without a modem or serial port type dndbbs local and you will be able to enter the program from your keyboard. When started locally you are not required to operate dndbbs as a bbs, need to have a modem, or need the fossil driver installed. 8.0 Problem determination -------------------------- The modem does not answer the phone. This is probably because the modem is not initializing correctly. Try rebooting and then starting the program. Try initializing the modem with another communications program. If none of these work then your modem might not support the hayes command set. When you start dndbbs, the fossil is initialized, then the opening screen appears. The status indicator will show Waiting for Calls if the modem has initialized correctly. If the status indicator shows Reset Timeout or Init Timeout this means the modem has not sent ok back to dndbbs and the modem might not have initialized properly. In this case dndbbs continues normally anyway. Most users do not increment the files= statement in config.sys when installing dndbbs for the first time. Dndbbs uses sixteen files for its own use. Dos uses four files. Adjust the files= statement in the config.sys file to 20 or more. The increased files will go into effect when you reboot. The message Out Of Memory, or Program To Large To Load during exiting to edit, dndcnfg, or dndedit from dndbbs opening screen, or from the dnd game indicates that the program cannot load the secondary ones. In this case select option shell/chain from the configuration menu screen for modem variables and set the option to chain. Shell has advantage over chain because the main program still resides in memory. Chain directly loads the secondary program and must restart dndbbs from disk after returning. Therefore chaining is slower yet takes less memory. DNDBBS Documentation Page 5 9.0 Configuration problems -------------------------- The program does not read the configuration file: Delete all the configuration files (files with the extension .cfg) and start over with dndcnfg. Dndcnfg loads zero into all configuration values. Load the default configuration values with control-d. You will be prompted for the node number. Press enter for no node or enter the node number from 0 to 9 or A to Z. The program does not recognize the configuration file: You have not written a new configuration file to disk. Make sure you use the control-w command before exiting dndcnfg. Or the configuration file is from an old version. You will prompted for the node number for the configuration file. Press enter or type the node number. Installing a new version of dndbbs: The configuration file structure may have changed from an old version. Delete all old configuration files and write new files with dndcnfg and the control-w command. The program displays errors and does not start: Make sure the statement files= in config.sys is set for 20 or more. Place the statement files=20 in config.sys and reboot the computer. 10.0 Setup instructions ----------------------- The remaining contents assumes you are installing dndbbs into a fixed disk system and your computer is an MS-Dos compatible, or 100% IBM compatible. Create a subdirectory on your fixed disk and copy the dndbbs .zip files. Separate the compressed .zip files with the PKWare utility. 11.0 Configuring instructions ----------------------------- This section is primarily text on creating the configure file for dndbbs. The dndbbs will look for this file in the default directory it is started from. If the configuration file is not found then the program exits with an error message to create a configuration file. Start the configure program by typing dndcnfg in the dnd directory. You will be presented with a color screen containing eight options: F1 Logon variables F5 Command variables F2 Processing variables F6 Modem variables F3 File variables F7 Custom equations F4 Rooms variables F8 Quit configure DNDBBS Documentation Page 6 11.0 Configuring instructions (cont.) ----------------------------- And a selection on the bottom line: Highlight Menu Choice W/ Cursor Keypad, Press Return To Select Option. Control-D Load Default, Control-W Write Config, Control-R Read Config. Select the option for loading the configuration defaults (control-d), loading a configuration file (control-r), or writing the configuration file (control-w). At this point you can select one of the eight options with the cursor keypad and the enter key, or by pressing the function key selection, or with the first letter of the option. The screen will display the parameters for the selected option. The critical operating parameters are the datapath to the .dat (data) files, the datapath to the .doc (documentation) files, the datapath to the temporary work directory, and the datapath to the door information file. They are in the file variable screen. The modem variables screen contains the option to operate as a rbbs door, the door information file path, and communications port. When you have entered the critical options, write the configuration out to the dndbbs.cfg file. If you are using dndbbs as a door you must use a node number. The node number is used for the configuration file name. For node one the file created is dndbbs1.cfg, for node two the file created is dndbbs2.cfg, etc. You will be prompted for the node number, or to press enter for no node number. The configuration file dndbbs.cfg is read by local mode (when the sysop runs the program from dos or starts as a standalone bbs). When dndbbs operates in the bbs door mode, the program will search for the door information file with the specified node number. 12.0 Operating dndbbs --------------------- After writing the configuration file to disk dndbbs can start locally with the command dndbbs local or dndbbs bbs for bbs mode. While in bbs mode the program controls the modem and answers incoming calls. The opening screen status indicator displays the activity of the modem during answering and connection. Dndbbs answers at speeds up to 38,400 baud. Your modem must be 100% hayes compatible and support the entire hayes command set. The opening screen shows the modem status, recycle, intializaltion, reset, and off hook commands. DNDBBS Documentation Page 7 13.0 Modem communications ------------------------- Sample of dndbbs to modem conversation bbs mode: From dndbbs to modem: atz (reset command, status indicator: Reset ok). atm0e0q0v1x1 (initialization command, status indicator: Init ok). Now the opening screen status indicator displays Waiting for call. From modem to dndbbs: ring (for s0=0, incoming call, status indicator: Ring, dndbbs responds with ata, or), connect 1200 (for s0=1, modem autoanswers, returns connect speed after autoanswer, 1200, 4800, 9600, 19200, or 38400). For 300 baud, modem returns connect then dndbbs waits and assumes 300. If dndbbs does not detected a carrier signal within 30 seconds then the modem disconnects and the program recycles. Dndbbs can configure to disallow 300 baud access. 14.0 Configuring for communications ports ----------------------------------------- For sysops using multinode systems, networks or multitask applications you may need to configure dndbbs for a specific communication port number besides the default of port 1. Dndcnfg modem variables screen allows you to set the port to any other number from 1 to 8. The fossil device driver can access up to eight ports on an AT. In order to do this you must modify the command line on the device=x00.sys in config.sys. Read x00 documentation for further information. Example of the x00 command line for 2 ports would be device=x00.sys 2. Example contents of config.sys: files=20 buffers=8 device=x00.sys 2 15.0 Door information and nodes ------------------------------- To start dndbbs as a door put the node number after the dndbbs command (for example: dndbbs 1). To specify the node parameter from a batch file use the node number for the first replacement parameter (for example: dndbbs %1). Select the option in dndcnfg for the door type. The option for dndbbs to be an rbbs door should be selected. Other door types need to be converted to an rbbs door file with a conversion program like DoorMaster or similar program. The door file searched for will be dorinfox.def with x replaced with the node number. Select the dndcnfg option for the pathname where the dos directory containing the door file is to be found. Dndcnfg will add the trailing slash at the end of the pathname if you forget. DNDBBS Documentation Page 8 16.0 Door batch files --------------------- Here is a sample batch file to call dndbbs from rbbs. This batch file is named dnd.bat and is called from rctty.bat from rbbs.bat with the command dnd 1. cd\dnd dndbbs %1 cd\rbbs For futher rbbs batch file programming read the rbbs documentation. There are many involved batch routines for files rbbs.bat, rctty.bat, and rbbstm.bat. Rbbs uses the file menu5 to look for the keyword to start the batch file. The menu5 file must have the batch file name in uppercase surrounded by spaces so rbbs can find it. Then the rbbs attaches .bat to this filename and checks the disk for the filename. For example, menu5 could look like this: +--------------------------------------------------------------------+ | Rbbs doors menu selections | | | | Type in one of the following door options: | | | | DND - The adventure system v2.9c-4! | +--------------------------------------------------------------------+ 17.0 System environment ----------------------- An environment string is a system variable locally known to dos and the program dos executes. Environment strings are placed into the dos system variable space with the set command. Dndbbs will recognize the strings and use them for disk access. There are five set variables recognized by dndbbs. You can also place the dos environment varables into the autoexec.bat file. For example: set dndbbs=c:\dnd\ set dnddoc=c:\dnd\doc\ set dnddat=c:\dnd\data\ set dndtemp=d:\ set dnddoor=c:\rbbs\ The path command can specify the directory containing the dndbbs.exe program. By combining the environment strings with the path command, Dndbbs can be started from any drive. The dos environment strings are used instead of the configuration file pathnames. Dndbbs will add the trailing slash at the end of the set statements. If the directory containing dndbbs is c:\rbbs\dnd\ then the path statement would be: path=c:\rbbs\dnd\ DNDBBS Documentation Page 9 18.0 Files used --------------- A well organized dndbbs system would make full use of the datapath options. The disk drive structure could look something like this: c:\ c:\dnd\data\ c:\dnd\doc\ config.sys rooms.dat readme.1st autoexec.bat spells.dat catalog.doc ansi.sys objects.dat dndbbs.doc vdisk.sys monsters.dat edit.doc x00.sys monclass.dat hint.doc montalk.dat summary.doc c:\dnd\ nonplyrs.dat sysop.doec brt71efr.exe treasure.dat dndbbsx.cfg users.dat c:\dnd\source\ dndbbs.exe prelog.dat *.bas dndcnfg.exe notice.dat *.bat dndedit.exe welcome.dat *.inc dndutil.exe logoff.dat *.lib edit.exe dndedit.dat bc.exe logon.dat link.exe d:\ (ram disk) help.dat messwrk1.dat dmhelp.dat messwrk2.dat messbase.dat messwrk3.dat *.new *.tbl 19.0 Compiling instructions --------------------------- The dndbbs system is compiled into many separate executable files by linking together individual submodules. Each submodule has the same include file, dndbbs.inc, which also loads in several other include files. If any of the .inc files are changed then all the programs must be recompiled. The command line compiler distributed with the Microsoft Professional Development System 7.1 and most recent linker are required to make the dndbbs .exe files. The bc.exe compiler command line switches /e, /s, and /fs are used when compiling the submodules. After each submodule is compiled then the linker makes the .exe file. For example: bc dndbbs/e/s/fs; bc dndsub1/e/s/fs; bc dndsub2/e/s/fs; bc dndsub3/e/s/fs; bc dndsub4/e/s/fs; bc dndsub5/e/s/fs; link dndbbs+dndsub1+dndsub2+dndsub3+dndsub4+dndsub5,,,qbx+dtfmter/e; The compiler switches are: /e -- local error trapping /s -- compress strings /fs -- use far strings The linker switches are: /e -- compress .exe size The dndbbs source is packaged with many batch files to autocompile executable programs. Compile1.bat compiles the dnd main program, compile2.bat compiles dndedit, etc. There are several linking batch files, linkmain.bat, etc. For example, you could type compile4, or linkall, or make, to compile, link, or make programs. There are three library files used by the linker to compile dndbbs. The .lib files used are qbx.lib, dtfmter.lib, and brt71efr.lib. These files are installed by PDS 7.1 during setup. Link the files in with link (brt71efr.lib links in for default) as the library part of the linking command. DNDBBS Documentation Page 10 20.0 Rbbs door file structure information ----------------------------------------- Rbbs v17.4 door option, 13 lines ascii text: dndrbbs (bbs name) smedley (bbs sysop first name) nowon (bbs sysop last name) com1 (comm port used, com0 for rbbs local sysop) 2400 baud,n,8,1 (baud rate and parameters) 1 (network type) schmuckle (sysop for local access, otherwise the user's newbody first name, and last name) new york, ny. (users city, state) 2 (graphics preference) 10 (the user level) 60 (time remaining) -1 (fossil used) ========== END OF DOCUMENTATION ==========