Yankee Trader - Sysop Info

(Last update: Sep 12 2024)

This document is intended to be a rough guide to assist sysops with getting the door game Yankee Trader running on their BBSes.

Portions of the information on this page came from https://dosbox.bbsdev.net.

Information may change as more facts are known.

Where to find the door

Several different modded and unmodded versions are available from YT.StarFlt.com. Look for YT36.ZIP if you want the original author's latest version in its original, unmodded form.

Basic door info

Be sure to completely read through the YTSYSOP.DOC file that comes with the door. In contains important, basic info for running the game, including the setup program and running nightly maintenance, which are not covered on this page.

How to run the door reliably

"It is a period of great instability." - First sentence in YTSYSOP.DOC.

Yankee Trader (abbreviated "YT") is a BBS door game known for intermittent instability (i.e.: random crashes) while running on any BBS software.

Under modern BBS software (e.g.: Synchronet) on modern systems, YT crashes most typically come in the form of:

• A program crash accompanied by an "NTVDM" error message on the host (BBS) end.
• The game simply hanging and refusing input from the user, with no error message.

Either scenario can result in the user having to hang-up on the BBS while in-game.

FOSSIL drivers cannot run the game very long, if at all. In the section labeled "Problems?" of YTSYSOP.DOC, the author notes intermittent trouble with the door crashing seemingly randomly for no apparent reason even on DOS computers in 1990.

Here are some ways to run YT reliably:

1. Emulation: DOSBox

   It has been found that YT runs exceptionally well in DOSBox, able to withstand the scripted repetitive play styles typically expected from expert players without crashing.

   However, do not use DOSBox 0.74 (the latest official version as of this writing). Socket inheritance, the feature that makes running door games possible over telnet, is broken in the latest official DOSBox build.

   There are various versions of DOSBox with working socket inheritance:

   	DOSBox 0.63	DOSBox-X 2024.07.01 +
   Website	🌐	🌐
   Advantages	- Fast	- Potentially fast * - Stable - Share & File-locking ** - Regularly updated - 32bit and 64bit versions available
   Disadvantages	- High CPU usage - Outdated	- None, really?
   Works with Synchronet	✅	✅
   Works with Mystic	✅	❌
   Works with Other BBSes	❔	❔
   Description	This is the first known version of DOSBox that had working socket inheritance patched in by H-A-L-9000. The directions in the link above outline the tried-and-true method of using DOXBox to get non-FOSSIL doors working in both Synchronet and Mystic. However, this is a very old and outdated version of DOSBox from 2004. Even though it offers fast speeds over telnet, those speeds come at a high CPU cost.	This is probably the ideal DOSBox version to use, being regularly updated and feature-rich. Runs stably with very little demand for resources. Speed is limited to 9600 baud by default, but can be increased to 115200 baud via the MODE.COM utility. * Game speed can then be further increased depending on CPU cycles settings. Unfortunately, it does not seem to accept the socket handle passed by Mystic, but works with Synchronet just fine. ** Also worth mentioning DOSBox-X adds support for file-locking, which, in theory, allows doors to be ran as multi-node. However, YTSYSOP.DOC is unclear as to whether multi-node use is supported. YT was written during a time when most BBSes ran on single-line systems on single-tasking operating systems, which means YT is probably best ran as a single-node door, therefore this feature may be of little benefit.

   • Steps for setting up DOSBox-X with Synchronet (3.18 and later) on Windows:

     1. Download the latest version of DOSBox-X from the project's GitHub site.
        1. It will install to C:\DOSBox-X by default.
     2. Download dosbox-x_door_files.zip.
        1. Create a dosdoors subdirectory in your xtrn subdirectory (ie: C:\sbbs\xtrn\dosdoors), and then unzip the included dosbox-win32.conf, mode.com, and rundosdoor.cmd files into that subdirectory.
           1. The dosbox-win32.conf file has numerous settings already in place, including:
              • In the [CPU] section, cycles is set to auto.
                NOTE - You can optionally set cycles to a fixed value if you find that auto results in slow gameplay. For example: cycles=10000. You will want to experiment with different values, and determine for yourself which one works on your system, paying close attention to your CPU usage while the game is running. A value of max is strongly discouraged, since you don't want DOSBox-X taking up more resources than absolutely necessary.
              • In the [serial] section, serial1 is set to nullmodem inhsocket:1 telnet:1
              • At the bottom, in the [autoexec] section, drive "C:" is mounted as the dosdoors directory: mount c c:/sbbs/xtrn/dosdoors

              (Many other nonessential settings are disabled entirely [sound emulation, video scaling, etc.].)

           2. In rundosdoor.cmd, note the REM lines immediately above set SDL_VIDEODRIVER=dummy, and optionally un-comment that line if you don't want to observe DOSBox-X running on the host while someone is playing the game.
              • If your DOSBox-X installation path is somewhere other than C:\DOSBox-X, make sure you change that accordingly in the bottom of rundosdoor.cmd
           3. The purpose of the mode.com file is to set the baud. Without it, the door game will default to 9600 baud. This is why the file rundosdoor.cmd contains the line echo mode com1:baudhard=1152 >> dosbox-%SBBSNNUM%.conf , to increase the baud to 115200, the maximum.
     3. Set up the door in Synchronet as follows:

         1: Name                       Yankee Trader 3.6
         2: Internal Code              YT
         3: Start-up Directory         ../xtrn/dosdoors
         4: Command Line               rundosdoor.cmd %h yt yt.exe C:\DORINFO%#.DEF
         5: Clean-up Command Line
         6: Execution Cost             None
         7: Access Requirements
         8: Execution Requirements
         9: Multiple Concurrent Users  No
        10: I/O Method                 Socket
        11: Native Executable/Script   Yes
        12: Use Shell or New Context   No
        13: Modify User Data           No
        14: Execute on Event           No
        15: Pause After Execution      No
        16: Disable Local Display      No
        17: BBS Drop File Type         RBBS/QuickBBS   DORINFO#.DEF
        18: Place Drop File In         Start-Up Directory

   • Steps for setting up DOSBox 0.63 with Mystic 1.12 A47 on Windows (maybe Linux too, untested):

     1. Download bbsdbox.zip. This archive contains all the required files previously hosted on https://dosbox.bbsdev.net (dead FTP link on page).
     2. Follow steps #1 through #8 in the link under DOSBox 0.63, but replace any instance of sbbs\xtrn with mystic\doors or whatever your Mystic doors path is.
     3. Set up the door in Mystic as follows:

          Action List ────────────── Access ───── Data ─────────────────────────────
          (!E) Check for semaphore                yt.inuse
          (GT) Display line of text  OK           |CL |07Yankee Trader is in use. |15Try again later!
          (!C) Create semaphore      !OK          yt.inuse
          (GT) Display line of text  !OK          |CL
          (DD) Exec external program !OK          copy c:\mystic\temp%3\dorinfo1.def c:\mystic\doors\dosdoors\dorinfo%3.def
          (DD) Exec external program !OK          c:\mystic\doors\dosdoors\rundosdoor.cmd %0 yt yt.exe c:\DORINFO%3.DEF
          (!D) Delete semaphore      !OK          yt.inuse              

        This will create a semaphore file called "yt.inuse" in order to ensure that only one user runs the door at a time.
        
        
     4. Edit "rundosdoor.cmd":
        • Add cd C:\mystic\doors\dosdoors to the top.
        • Change every instance of %SBBSNNUM% to %2.
        • Comment out the line echo mount d %SBBSNODE% >> dosbox-mystic.conf since you won't need a D drive mounted.
        • Make sure the path to dosbox is correct.
     5. Edit "dosbox-win32.conf":
        • Change the mount line at the bottom to mount c c:/mystic/doors/dosdoors, or wherever you have your dosdoors path.

   When your users launch Yankee Trader, the drop file will be created in the dosdoors directory, right where DOSBox can easily find it (in the mapped "C:" drive). That's why we set the drop file location to the Start-Up Directory.

   Other doors DOSBox/DOSBox-X has been tested with:

   • Bagels - Produces random NTVDM errors if run on its own.
   • Space Empire Elite - Does not run on Windows 32-bit systems.
   • Space Quest 2112 - Lacks its own FOSSIL support.
   • Trade Wars 1000 - An earlier door by the same author of YT, and similarly lacks its own FOSSIL support.

   On rare occasion, if a user's BBS connection drops unexpectedly, DOSBox may not properly recognize the dropped carrier. If this happens, the game will continue to run idly without the user being present. So check your BBS server at least daily, and if you happen to notice DOSBox-X running without anyone being logged in, simply close the DOSBox window.

   ---

2. Dedicated Hardware: NT-based OS

   It has been observed that YT runs stably on Windows 2000 (or similar NT-based OS).

   So, if practical, consider running YT on its own dedicated hardware running Windows 2000, and install a lightweight BBS software package like GameSrv (any pre-2016 version). Then, on your main BBS system, configure your YT door so that it connects to the Windows 2000 system via RLogin, which then executes the game when connected. To the user, it will appear as though it's all running under one roof.

   Steve Bennett over at Slinky's Place BBS (telnet://slinkybbs.com) has done extensive experimentation in this area, and set up an entire Yankee Trader Game Server (YTGS), hosting several different YT games.

   Steve decided to decommission and repurpose the server he used to run YTGS effective August 1, 2021. Prior to its removal, it ran reliably for approximately one year.

   As of April 2024, the Yankee Trader Game Server (YTGS) is back up and running at Slinky's place. Head on over to https://slinkybbs.com (telnet://slinkybbs.com) to check it out.

Registration

Yankee Trader is shareware. However, unlike most other shareware software, it is fully functional and playable in its unregistered form. Obtaining a registration key does not unlock any gameplay features or add any additional functionality. All registrations ever did for Yankee Trader (apart from supporting the author, of course) was remove the "UNREGISTERED" text upon entering the game as well as the "PLEASE HELP YOUR SYSOP REGISTER" text and the brief delay upon exiting the game.

Unfortunately, registering the door via the original author is no longer possible.

This generic public key will remove the unregistered nag messages and allow the game to run as though it is registered. It works on YT 3.6, including the modded versions from yt.starflt.com (it is already included in the ZIP files available on that site).

Create a text file in your YT directory containing the following three lines and save it as YT.REG. The file must be formatted for MS-DOS/Windows (i.e.: CRLF-terminated lines).

This BBS
The Sysop
3484625551

Enjoy! If you find this key useful, consider making a donation of $20 or more to any local charity of your choosing.

Sound Effects

Players will notice that YT occasionally spews lines of incoherent text followed by a music note character. These are special sequences meant to be interpreted as sound effects or music in certain terminals, such as SyncTERM or Qodem.

To enable sound effects during play in SyncTERM, set ANSI Music to "All ANSI Music enabled." When you enter the ship's computer, you'll hear two brief, high-pitched beeps. Different sounds can heard in other places as well, such as while playing the lottery and during space combat. Sounds are enabled in Qodem by default.