Sysop FAQ
Updated 7/9/06
Q: Does the Door32 version of DoorMUD run on WWIV 5 for Windows? A: Yes. The proper configuration for WWIV 5 has been added to the Setup section of the on-line sysop documentation.
Q: Why did my copy of DoorMUD stop working on my Synchronet BBS when I upgraded to Synchronet v3.13a? A: Check to see if your system is manually setting the SBBSNODE environmental variable somewhere. You should not be manually setting this variable; Synchronet sets it automatically upon executing the door. Ensure that you aren't manually setting it in your Windows configuration (XP: Control Panel -> System -> Advanced -> Environmental Variables) or in C:\autoexec.bat. Having this manual setting was not a problem in previous versions of Synchronet, but is troublesome in v3.13a due to a bug in this version of Synchronet. This bug is fixed in v3.13b.
Q: Why doesn't DoorMUD v0.99 for DOS seem to install properly on my Windows XP / 2003 system? A: Recent versions of Windows seem to have changed the syntax for certain DOS shellout commands, including one used in the install procedure of DoorMUD 0.99 for DOS, breaking backwards compatibility. (Supporting legacy DOS apps on modern Windows platforms is becoming increasingly difficult for door authors!) For a workaround, install v0.98 for DOS first, enter the game in Local mode, exit, and then upgrade to v0.99 afterwards.
Q: Why does DoorMUD for DOS seems to lock up during daily maintenance on my Windows 2000 / XP / 2003 system? On these versions of Windows, there is an unknown recent incompatibility between DoorMUD for DOS and the Synchronet fossil driver. This includes derivatives such as SyncFos and mSyncFos. There is no known workaround, and debugging utilities were not helpful in illuminating the cause. If you're running a 32-bit BBS software, use one of the Windows 32bit versions of DoorMUD instead of the DOS version. If you're running a legacy 16bit BBS under SyncFos / mSyncFos, try configuring the BBS to switch to execute NetFos to wrap the DoorMUD session.
Q: Running DoorMUD for Door32 on Wildcat Winserver, why do pause prompts show up in every line of an ANSI display? It's actually a bug/incompatibility in WinServer -- those are WinServer pause prompts, rather than DoorMUD pause prompts. The problem is caused by having the "Screen Length" option for users (under the Your Settings menu of WinServer) set to 0. Supposedly a value of 0 is supposed to be "nonstop" display, but apparently it messes up in some 32-bit doors. Setting the Screen Length field to a nonzero value (usually 24 or 25 is typical) should fix the problem. You may have to set this for all existing users, as well as set it as the default for all new users.
Q: What is the current status of DoorMUD development?
A: DoorMUD is not presently under development -- in other words, no new coding for DoorMUD is presently being done.
However, DoorMUD is still supported -- Sysops and players can always contact the door's author with any questions or
comments about the game, and the game can still be registered.
DoorMUD's codebase is in bad shape, with large amounts of eight-year-old legacy code restriciting possibilities for new features and game world additions. At least two ground-up full re-writes of DoorMUD have been started in the past few years, but both were scrapped in relatively early stages. At present (July 2006), DoorMUD's author has not used a BBS in over a year and a half.
Q: I'm running Synchronet, and DoorMUD came pre-installed
with the BBS software, but it isn't working. Any ideas?
A: Check to see if the other pre-installed 32-bit doors work -- BlackJack and
BBS List are the other Windows 32-bit ones. If they don't work either, the culprit
is probably a process-blocking firewall on your system. This type of
firewall blocks certain programs from accessing the internet. Doors sometimes get
blocked since the BBS launches them automatically, so the firewall can incorrectly assume
that they are harmful programs.
You may be running a process-blocking firewall without even knowing it -- for example, the
installation of McAfee virus scanner also installs McAfee's firewall which
blocks processes. You must disable the firewall (or perhaps manually configure it
to allow internet access to each of your door exe's) in order for 32-bit doors
to run! You don't need to uninstall all of McAfee; just disable the firewall.
Q: I registered DoorMUD a while ago and have since had to re-install the game. I no longer have my registration file. Can you send me a new one? A: Yes, replacement registrations are provided promptly and free of charge. Please send me an e-mail containing your real name, your new pre-registration code (visible in the game's config menu -- see the docs), and your sysop name (as entered when you re-installed -- also visible on the config menu). If your e-mail address has changed since you originally registered, you may need to provide proof of identity, such as your mailing address at registration time or something similar. I will try to send you a new registration file within 24 hours.
Q: I'm trying to use the
Synchronet version of DoorMUD, but I can't get it to run properly. When a
user tries to enter the door, a blank window comes up on the server and the game
locks. Why does this happen?
A: If you are getting a blank, locked-up window, this indicates that
you have not properly set up DoorMUD as a Native 32-bit door in SCFG. If
you are running Sync v3.10g or later, simply set the "Native (32-bit)
Executable" toggle to Yes. If you are running an older version of
Sync, you must put "dmud32" on the SCFG OS/2 Program List as described
in the game's documentation -- click
here for sample SCFG screenshots. Be sure you to simply use "dmud32"
(NOT "dmud32.exe") for the OS/2 list and for the game's command line.
If the question above did
not help, please e-mail
me a cut-and-paste or screen capture of your DoorMUD configuration in SCFG,
along with your OS/2 program list in SCFG, and I will take a look and see what's
wrong. Please double-check your configuration versus the documentation first,
though.
Q: Do you plan on making any *nix-native versions of DoorMUD? A: Yes, hopefully. If/when DoorMUD v1.x is ever completed, it will have native Linux and FreeBSD versions; OR it will be a "remote-hosted" single-server game accessible to any Unix BBS via rlogin.
Q: I recently upgraded to v0.99, and my registration no longer works! Q: After upgrading to v0.99, my game now says that it is cracked, even though I legitimately registered. What happened? The sysop name in your registration file must match the sysop name in your game's configuration. In v0.99, this name comparison is now inadvertently case sensitive, whereas in previous versions it was not. If this happens to you, please e-mail me and I will send you a new registration file ASAP.
Q: When running the Door32 version in Local Mode, the game runs with a user name of "sysop" regardless of what I enter at the local mode name prompt. A: This is a bug in the doorkit used to create the Door32 release of DoorMUD; it only seems to affect some versions of Windows. To use a different user name for local mode, please try the "-username" command line option.
Q: DoorMUD doesn't seem to run properly with multiple nodes on my Linux BBS, using DOSEMU. Any suggestions? A: In order to make this work, you may need to do some patching of DOSEMU. Click here for helpful instructions written by the sysop of ChungKuo BBS (telnet://chungkuo.org).
Q: Is DoorMUD now freeware? I just received an e-mail that claimed the game is now free, and a registration file was attached, but I never registered! A: No, DoorMUD is not freeware; what you received is an illegal crack. A certain software pirate does this a few times a year, obtaining sysop e-mail addresses from public BBS lists. Please be aware that the executables within the attachments differ greatly in size from the normal DoorMUD executables, highly indicitive of these files containing malicious code such as a virus.
Q: Will you make a 32-bit version of DoorMUD native to WildCat 5 (WINServer)? A: Please try the Door32 version of DoorMUD; it has a native interface to WildCat's door32.dll.
Q: How do I setup DoorMUD to run on the Worldgroup BBS software? A: Please visit Worldgroup Doorgame Central for full information on running DoorMUD on Worldgroup via a door server. This info is slightly out of date (with regards to Synchronet version and DoorMUD version) but should still be very usable.
Q: Can I use PayPal to send my registration payment electronically? Q: Can I register using a credit card? A: Yes, to both questions. Click here for on-line registration information.
Q: What command line should be used for DOS DoorMUD under the Virtual Advanced BBS software? A: Assuming that "c:\va" is the location of your BBS, try "runmud.bat /n %1 /d c:\va\temp\n%1".
Q: I downloaded the DOS version of the game to play it locally, but it says I need a dropfile. How do I get it to run just in local mode? A: To play DoorMUD locally (without a BBS), you must use "dmud -local" at the command line. You can test out multinode play like this, but if you do so, you must pass a different node number to each copy of the game (ie "dmud -local -node 1" in one window and "dmud -local -node 2" in another). Also, you must supply different user names to each local copy of the game in this case.
Q: Will there ever be an OS/2 native version of DoorMUD? A: No, sorry. The number of OS/2 boards remaining is too small.