• doors on a linux install

    From Geri Atricks@21:3/235 to All on Sun Apr 5 09:59:39 2026
    Can anyone point me towards a good set of instructions for getting old doors to run under my linux install? I tried looking at the one on "hardwareasylum" but it is anything but straight forwards. He has you setting up a whole sub menu in a bash script to launch the games from rather than just launching the game directly from the mystic menu option.

    Hoping to maybe even get MysticGuy to make a video showing how to do it. :)

    -FltCapt Dallas Vinson, SFI

    ... Kilometers are shorter than miles. Save gas, take your trip in kilometers

    --- Mystic BBS v1.12 A48 (Linux/64)
    * Origin: Legends of Yesteryear (21:3/235)
  • From pgauthier@21:1/235 to All on Mon Apr 6 19:17:24 2026
    Geri,

    Same struggle here! Running Mystic v1.12 A49 on Debian 12 (Linux/64)
    at PhotoRM BBS — Les Mechins, QC, Canada. Connected to FidoNet
    1:229/114, FSXNet 21:1/235, and we just brought back CRS Network
    (Canada Remote Systems) as Zone 79:1/1. The old Canadian network from
    the early 90s — nothing was left, no hubs, no nodes, zero. So we
    rebuilt it from scratch as a bilingual FR/EN network.

    For doors on Linux, we're tackling it three ways:

    1. MPL native — Writing new games directly in Mystic's MPL. Already
    have Wordle (French "Mot-le"), BlackJack and Rumeurs compiled and
    in our door menu. Working on Slot Machine and Trivia next. No DOS
    dependency at all, runs anywhere Mystic runs.

    2. Linux native ports — Usurper v0.25 has a Linux build, works great
    with just a shell script wrapper.

    3. DOS classics — We have ~35 ZIPs ready (LORD, TW2002, BRE, Global
    War...) but DOSemu2/DOSBox config is still on our list. That
    hardwareasylum guide... yeah. Agreed.

    We also tried signing up for DoorParty — never got credentials back.
    So we stopped waiting and started building everything locally.

    If you have any working door launch scripts, happy to trade notes.
    And honestly the MPL route is worth exploring — the compiler (mplc)
    is already in your Mystic directory, zero setup needed.

    Philippe
    PhotoRM BBS — Les Mechins, QC
    telnet support.photorm.net
    FidoNet 1:229/114 | FSXNet 21:1/235 | CRS 79:1/1

    --- Mystic BBS/NNTP v1.12 A49 2024/05/29 (Linux/64)
    * Origin: New Mystic BBS (21:1/235)
  • From maskreet@21:1/114 to pgauthier on Tue Apr 7 00:14:09 2026
    On 06 Apr 2026, pgauthier said the following...

    We also tried signing up for DoorParty — never got credentials back.
    So we stopped waiting and started building everything locally.

    What was the name of your BBS at sign up? I don't recognize your BBS name. I just checked the DoorParty database and there's no pending applications, no BBS with the name "Photorm" in there, and no user named Gauthier either.

    I generally don't delete sign-ups, only if I have duplicate submissions, but there's nothing there for your BBS.

    If you want, jump on my BBS and sign up for DoorParty, I have zero issues approving your application.

    --- Mystic BBS v1.12 A49 2024/05/12 (Linux/64)
    * Origin: throwbackbbs.com -\- meriden, ct -\- (21:1/114)
  • From Geri Atricks@21:3/235 to pgauthier on Tue Apr 7 09:09:34 2026
    1. MPL native — Writing new games directly in Mystic's MPL. Already
    have Wordle (French "Mot-le"), BlackJack and Rumeurs compiled and
    in our door menu. Working on Slot Machine and Trivia next. No DOS
    dependency at all, runs anywhere Mystic runs.

    These sound good, are they available in your downloads section? And I hope that the trivia game will have a sinmple way to add new question/answer pairs into it on the sysops side.

    2. Linux native ports — Usurper v0.25 has a Linux build, works great pg> with just a shell script wrapper.

    Where can I get this archive?

    We also tried signing up for DoorParty — never got credentials back.
    So we stopped waiting and started building everything locally.

    I use BBSLink. But will be adding both DoorParty and Exodus in the somewhat near future.

    -FltCapt Dallas Vinson, SFI

    ... Inside every cynical person, there is a disappointed idealist.

    --- Mystic BBS v1.12 A48 (Linux/64)
    * Origin: Legends of Yesteryear (21:3/235)
  • From pgauthier@21:1/235 to All on Tue Apr 7 14:00:01 2026
    Hey maskreet!

    Thanks for looking into that -- much appreciated. Not sure what
    happened with our DoorParty sign-up, might have been a glitch on
    our end.

    We'd love to get set up. Our BBS is PhotoRM BBS (FSXNet 21:1/235,
    FidoNet 1:229/114), running Mystic A49 on Linux/64.

    We've been doing a lot of work here -- building bilingual door
    games (French/English), setting up a new CRS Network (Canada Remote
    Systems revival, Zone 79), and working on automation and AI-assisted
    sysop tools for moderation and translation.

    Would it be possible to continue this conversation via netmail or
    email? We have some ideas we'd like to discuss that go beyond door
    games. You can reach us at support@photorm.net.

    Thanks again for reaching out!

    73,
    Philippe Gauthier
    PhotoRM BBS - Les Mechins, QC
    FSXNet 21:1/235 | FidoNet 1:229/114

    --- Mystic BBS/NNTP v1.12 A49 2024/05/29 (Linux/64)
    * Origin: New Mystic BBS (21:1/235)
  • From pgauthier@21:1/235 to All on Tue Apr 7 15:31:04 2026
    Hey Geri,

    Thanks for the interest! Yes, we definitely want to share
    these games with the community.

    Here's where we're at honestly: the games work on our
    board, but we're hitting some limitations and bugs in
    Mystic that we can't fix without access to the source.
    Things like string handling in MPL, display issues, and
    some door communication quirks that make it hard to
    package them reliably for other sysops.

    We're a team of two. We need to find a way to develop,
    debug, and keep this project alive. We'd love nothing
    more than to do this full-time - it's our passion. But
    right now we're far from that. We need to find a balance
    between making a living and building what we believe in.

    One day, we'd like to be able to survive just from this
    passion. That's the dream. And to get there, we need a
    platform we can actually maintain and extend.

    We're working to find a path forward - whether that's
    collaborating with g00r00 to continue Mystic development,
    or finding another way. Until we can properly debug and
    maintain the platform under the games, we don't want to
    release something half-baked that breaks on your board
    and wastes your time.

    For the trivia game - yes, that's exactly the plan.
    Simple text file format for Q&A pairs, easy for any
    sysop to add their own content. Localizable too, so
    it works in any language.

    Here's our vision for when we get past this hurdle:

    - Our MPL games available through a small subscription
    that covers our development and hosting costs
    - You configure your BBS to connect to our game server
    remotely - no local install hassle
    - Updates and bug fixes roll out automatically - you
    always have the latest version
    - New games added regularly as we build them

    We're setting up CRS Network (Zone 79) as a community
    space where sysops can report bugs, request features,
    and participate in development directly. Think of it as
    a feedback loop - you tell us what you need, we build
    it, it shows up on your board.

    We'll post on FSX_MYS when the first games are ready for
    other boards. No vaporware - when we announce it, it'll
    be working.

    73,
    Philippe Gauthier
    PhotoRM BBS - Les Mechins, QC
    FidoNet 1:229/114 | FSXNet 21:1/235

    +---+ +---+ +---+
    | C |---| R |---| S |
    +-+-+ +-+-+ +-+-+
    | | |
    ====+=======+=======+====
    Canada Remote Systems
    Zone 79:1/1 * Since 1986

    --- Mystic BBS/NNTP v1.12 A49 2024/05/29 (Linux/64)
    * Origin: New Mystic BBS (21:1/235)
  • From Geri Atricks@21:3/235 to pgauthier on Tue Apr 7 18:21:42 2026
    I don't really know anything about coding (I've forgotten more then I ever learned. :) ), but would be more than have to be a test base on my BBS. I'm wanting something to run on my local system, not another game server.

    -FltCapt Dallas Vinson, SFI

    ... The reason Santa is so jolly is because he knows where the bad girls live

    --- Mystic BBS v1.12 A48 (Linux/64)
    * Origin: Legends of Yesteryear (21:3/235)
  • From pgauthier@21:1/235 to All on Tue Apr 7 23:21:43 2026
    Hey maskreet!

    Thanks for stopping by our board -- that really means
    a lot to us. And thanks for checking on our DoorParty
    sign-up, appreciate you looking into it.

    We're working on a lot of fronts at once here: bilingual
    games in MPL, CRS Network, francisation of the whole BBS,
    FidoNet and FSXNet connectivity... We know we're nowhere
    near the level of established sysops like yourself. But
    we're learning every day, working hard, and we WILL get
    there.

    We'll jump on throwbackbbs and sign up for DoorParty
    properly this time.

    If you ever have any suggestions, feedback, or advice
    for a couple of new sysops trying to build something
    real -- we're all ears. Any guidance you can offer,
    we'll take it gratefully. We've got the passion and
    the drive, just need to keep learning from people
    who've been doing this right for years.

    Philippe Gauthier
    PhotoRM BBS - Les Mechins, QC
    FSXNet 21:1/235 | FidoNet 1:229/114
    --- Mystic BBS/NNTP v1.12 A49 2024/05/29 (Linux/64)
    * Origin: PhotoRM BBS (21:1/235)

    --- Mystic BBS/NNTP v1.12 A49 2024/05/29 (Linux/64)
    * Origin: New Mystic BBS (21:1/235)
  • From pgauthier@21:1/235 to All on Wed Apr 8 13:25:54 2026
    Hey Geri!

    That's great to hear. You're actually the first name on
    our beta tester list -- and we hope it'll be a long list.

    That's exactly our goal: games that run LOCAL on your BBS.
    No external server dependency. Your board, your control.

    Right now we're still early stage -- building the games and
    working out the kinks. In the first phase, beta testing will
    be done on our board via telnet so we can debug together in
    real time. But the final product will be doors that you
    install and run on your own system.

    We're also working on some ideas for community features
    that would tie into the network -- think shared high scores,
    cross-BBS tournaments, that kind of thing. Still early days
    on that front, but we think it could add some real value for
    everyone involved.

    We'll keep you posted as things progress. Really appreciate
    the offer to help test.

    Philippe Gauthier
    PhotoRM BBS - Les Mechins, QC
    FSXNet 21:1/235 | FidoNet 1:229/114

    --- Mystic BBS/NNTP v1.12 A49 2024/05/29 (Linux/64)
    * Origin: PhotoRM BBS (21:1/235)

    --- Mystic BBS/NNTP v1.12 A49 2024/05/29 (Linux/64)
    * Origin: New Mystic BBS (21:1/235)