I'm designing a game inspired by the 80s/90s 'elite' bbs scene and I need your help. reddit / bbs ---------------------------------------------------------------------- drblackfox · 2017-11-18 03:31 Some of the design comes from Rob O'Hara's fantastic book Commodork, and some from my own experiences as a leech and co-sysop back in the day. Would appreciate hearing some of your favourite stories about running pirate boards, couriering or leeching in the bad old bbs pir8 days. I'll use these as inspiration for game mechanics and interactive story elements. ---------------------------------------------------------------------- cdtoad · 2017-11-18 03:52 Don't forget getting mci codes to get free long distance. Cuz 12 yr old me sure as shit wasn't going to pay a $300 phone to call Pirates Harbor to download all the new messages about cracking and how Mr Fong got busted. ---------------------------------------------------------------------- cdtoad · 2017-11-18 03:52 Oh yeah... At 300 baud ---------------------------------------------------------------------- rykker · 2017-11-18 04:06 Ansi art and mod music competitions between groups! ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Slip_Freudian · 2017-11-18 05:41 Have you checked out Jason Scott's textfiles.com website? ---------------------------------------------------------------------- UnaClocker · 2017-11-18 12:13 Hehe, reminds me of when I wrote Sim-BBS. Totally modeled after my local BBS scene. It’s users, and my experiences as a 12 year old sysop. Heh. Good times. So sad I lost all my source code. ---------------------------------------------------------------------- drblackfox · 2017-11-18 14:24 I have... well, I have read as much as I can. His archive is massive! ---------------------------------------------------------------------- drblackfox · 2017-11-18 14:25 MCI and sprint codes are definitely on my list :) ---------------------------------------------------------------------- drblackfox · 2017-11-18 14:26 Sounds very similar to what I'm working on. I'm intentionally abstracting out actual BBS UIs and using a UI much more like FTL to keep things simple. ---------------------------------------------------------------------- drblackfox · 2017-11-18 14:27 Thanks for the reminder. Demoscene was on my list, but I forgot about compos ---------------------------------------------------------------------- UnaClocker · 2017-11-18 18:15 ftp://archives.thebbs.org/door_games/doors_s-t/simbb240.zip Have a look at mine. :) ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Slip_Freudian · 2017-11-19 00:11 Is this game gonna be in mid 80s - early 90s graphics? ---------------------------------------------------------------------- drblackfox · 2017-11-19 00:25 Yep. 16 colour ANSI throughout. Working on my ansi painting skills again for the first time in 20 years. ---------------------------------------------------------------------- NuSkooler · 2017-11-19 22:00 One used to be able to trade ANSI / ASCII for access/leech/whatevs, so that could come into play ---------------------------------------------------------------------- NuSkooler · 2017-11-19 22:06 Some things from the past that would be sweet in a game off the top of my head: * war dialing * blue boxing * BBS exploits - ANSI bombs, zip file upload hacks, etc. * acquire top ten of X (e.g. up bytes) for access to soemthing * hidden systems (elite access sections / sub BBS boards) * l337 sp34k, and oTHER sCENE sPEAK * kewl, lamerz, blah blah * IRC shit like warez bots, flooding, #l33t-ass-channels, what nots * FTP takeovers (hidden dot directories and the like for warez drops) * couriers, suppliers, crackers, oh my! * ...I could probably go on. ---------------------------------------------------------------------- drblackfox · 2017-11-20 01:34 Ahahah I seriously had a great time playing this. Reminds me a lot of LORD with a BBS sysop maintenance twist :) Enjoyed your ANSI menus too! ---------------------------------------------------------------------- drblackfox · 2017-11-20 01:34 Gonna definitely have file trading as a means for gaining access. Thanks for reminding me. ---------------------------------------------------------------------- drblackfox · 2017-11-20 01:38 Sounds like we're thinking along the same lines. I completely forgot about ANSI bombs. In fact, I had forgotten about ANSI escape sequences period. I'm dealing with elite back rooms/file areas with secret doors and hidden walls. L33tsp34k was a given from day one. Still makes me laugh my ass off. I've been digging through textfiles.com for the best/worst teenager shit-talking. k-rad/kewl/lamerz are on my vocab list :) I'm intentionally staying away from IRC/FTP stuff and keeping it focused on the pre-net BBS era. But I've definitely kept that all in the back of my mind for a future game. Keep going on if you're up for it - I want to build some deep systems. ---------------------------------------------------------------------- UnaClocker · 2017-11-20 03:47 Hehe, thanks. Yeah, this game was written after LORD so it got some heavy influence from that runaway hit of a game. Glad you enjoyed it and the artwork in it too. :) ---------------------------------------------------------------------- drblackfox · 2017-11-20 04:11 This is going to get an easter egg for sure. ;) ---------------------------------------------------------------------- nolageek · 2017-11-21 16:55 Oh man, I released a language mod for WWIV that was in HAKR SPEK. I believe the pause prompt was I HAK U CUZ U SUK ---------------------------------------------------------------------- nolageek · 2017-11-21 16:58 Hacking PD (public domain, non elite) boards to gain cred. I ran a PD board and it got hacked while I was at work once, and they posted the log files to a bunch of local systems. SUUUUCKED for me. :) ---------------------------------------------------------------------- drblackfox · 2017-11-21 17:08 Ahahah that's a great idea and hilarious story. I originally planned to make PD boards/downloading shareware drop your scene cred, but that's even better! Consider this added. ---------------------------------------------------------------------- drblackfox · 2017-11-21 17:25 Bahaha I didn't see that back in the day. Did you ever release it on local boards? ---------------------------------------------------------------------- nolageek · 2017-11-21 18:08 I did. It would have been in New Orleans. ---------------------------------------------------------------------- drblackfox · 2017-11-21 18:13 Hilarious. If you happen to recall the filename I can dig for it on textfiles.com ---------------------------------------------------------------------- mro_1337 · 2017-11-22 07:17 i remember hearing about a sysop who's wife would like to chat with the male callers behind the guy's back. she told some sob story about how he was mean to her and they cut his phone wires and slashed his tires. ---------------------------------------------------------------------- drblackfox · 2017-11-22 18:13 Hah first pre-Internet online cheating story I've ever heard. I'll think about a way of working that into a quest/story element. Thanks! ---------------------------------------------------------------------- mro_1337 · 2017-11-22 18:28 well it's not really pre-internet. the internet has existed for a long time. maybe it was pre-web or when the web first came out. ---------------------------------------------------------------------- NuSkooler · 2017-11-22 19:03 Hmm some more BBS era related stuff: * Tweaking modem init lines and re-dialing until a good handshake was established * Transfer protocols like HS-link * 31337 zines! Make your name known! * Trading board access via vouching for people * New user apps wanting to know your creds and affils * Boards having you agree to anti-fed agreements... "You gotta tell us if you're a cop!" * Adding nfo, .com demos, etc to files via upload processors to advertise a phile passed through xxxxx before you got it! * Mass amounts of infected files, but mostly harmless "this file pwnd by xxxxx" type if shit ---------------------------------------------------------------------- drblackfox · 2017-11-23 00:33 Ha yes, protocols I've been tinkering with - especially the bidirectional ones like HS-LINK and BIMODEM. NUPs are on my list too - that's going to be a critical way of gaining access. Thanks for reminding me about New User Applications and their ridiculous hoop-jumping routines. One of my favourites was a local board that had questions like "What is the # of the RZR1911 WHQ?" or "First three letters of PARADOX releases".. heh I'm also planning on using NFO-style "tagging" to let you leave your name on your uploads.. pretty much the same idea. Thanks again. These are all great. ---------------------------------------------------------------------- NuSkooler · 2017-11-23 01:28 Please keep us posted on the status if this game! ---------------------------------------------------------------------- manager_dave · 2017-11-23 02:02 Reminds me of 'virtual sysop', one of my favorite door games from back in the day! I'd love to play this! ---------------------------------------------------------------------- drblackfox · 2017-11-23 02:09 Hells yes! I don't want to spam the sub with updates, so I may build a progress page for it elsewhere if anyone is interested. ---------------------------------------------------------------------- drblackfox · 2017-11-23 02:10 I am totally looking for this - never played it back in the day. :D ---------------------------------------------------------------------- nineteen999 · 2017-11-23 02:26 Nice! We have been working on this for a couple of months. https://www.reddit.com/r/0x10c/comments/784sgz/update_z80_powered_spac e_game/ Ours is essentially "80's/90's BBS's in outer space" though. ---------------------------------------------------------------------- drblackfox · 2017-11-23 04:26 Holy shit. Your project is jaw droppingly gorgeous. I am definitely following this now :) Funny, I also began with the idea of space exploration a la Elite or Wing Commander Privateer. In the end I switched to a style closer to a Roguelike. I need to start a development blog as the design progresses. ---------------------------------------------------------------------- drblackfox · 2017-11-23 17:25 Thanks again for this. It eventually led me to BreakIntoChat's BBS sim door games page where I found a few others of the same kind, like Shadow Board and Board Master. ---------------------------------------------------------------------- nineteen999 · 2017-11-23 21:08 Thank you! We are interested in doing the space exploration thing but we are taking a few cues from things like FTL as well. ---------------------------------------------------------------------- drblackfox · 2017-11-23 23:23 Awesome! Very much looking forward to any new developments in your project. ---------------------------------------------------------------------- beatscribe · 2017-11-28 19:21 Just found this subreddit. It has to have ANSI graphics... ---------------------------------------------------------------------- [deleted] · 2017-11-28 23:20 Couldn't agree more ;) How about a taste of my first sketches for the game?[pic here](https://imgur.com/gallery/YC5ap) ---------------------------------------------------------------------- oldasdirt74 · 2018-02-07 05:39 When my parents cut my access to the local phone line, I use to go and steal phone cords from old abandoned buildings to splice the cord and run to neighbors houses. Worked out pretty well for a time.. :) Usually only went out and connected it up after midnight. Got a knock on the door one night from the neighbor, asking why we were plugged into their backyard phone box from my bedroom window.. Needless to say, I lost my computer and BBS rights for months! ---------------------------------------------------------------------- playaspec · 2018-03-25 08:44 **WAY** late to this party. Used to co-sysop on an Amiga board in L.A. called AAHQ. We would call a board in the UK to get zero day wares and mag disks.