Here's a chalenge for the scripters:

telnet://lightningbbs.dyndns.org/

Just write a script that can login to this BBS, navigate to TradeWars, display the "S" settings screen, and then logg off cleanly (No DC).

Sounds simple? Right?

this one sounds like a job for Vid..

problem is, you have to make an account, or use an existing account to log in...

Do you have some login info for us to use to cobble this together?
Or do you expect us to each make our own account on this system
just to write this script for ya?

There was a time when I would jump through BBS hoops to find a TW2002
game, I'm glad TWGS means I don't have to anymore. Excellent security
if you want to keep out script kiddies <- read: users, not writers.


It's possible though.

Yes, you would have to create an account. That part takes about 30 seconds.

This sysop has spent a lot of time using ANSI to make his BBS interesting. The opening menu is random, as are some of the screens that follow. Navigation is animated, and uses up/down keys to select menu items. Here is the real kicker though, the pause prompt is a random looping animation.

This is really a challenge for Vid, Sing, or any of the other skilled script writers if they are up to it.

Or just ask the sysop to give you a quick access to TW, so you can promote his server?

Your assuming it has an active sysop. Most of these guys don't even watch their BBSs anymore.

I'm actually more interested in knowing if it can be scripted. I spent about an hour trying before I gave up.

Telix SALT: Ran it a few times. Entry 9 in phonebook, named "lightning" is lightningbbs.dyndns.org


main()
{
dial("9|lightning|",1,1);
if (waitFor("sconnect ³ÀÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÙ",120)) cPuts("^M");
if (waitFor("³ÀÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÙ",100)) cPutS("mickey mouse^Ilpword^M");
delay(50); // 5 secs
cPuts("^M^M^M");
delay(50);
cPuts("^M^M^M");
if (waitFor("anna write something? {NO} Yes",100)) cPuts("^M");
if (waitFor("{Main Menu}",100)) cPuts("^M");
if (waitFor("{Main Menu} Oo.",100) cPutC('d');
if (waitFor("ÄÄÙ",100)) cPutC('5');
if (waitFor("ÄÄÙ",100)) cPutC('6');
if (waitFor("[Pause]",100)) cPuts("^M");
if (waitFor("Enter your choice:",100)) cPutS("s^M");
if (waitFor("[Pause]",100)) cputs("^M");
if (waitFor("Enter your choice:",100)) cPutS("x^M");
if (waitFor("ÄÄÙ",100)) cPutC('q');
if (waitFor("ÄÄÙ",100)) cPutC('q');
if (waitFor("{Main Menu}",100)) cPutC('g');
if (waitFor("Log off? {NO} Yes",100)) cPutC('y');
if (waitFor("Yes",100)) cPuts("^M");

}

I tried sending ^M at timed intervals yesterday, and it didn't work. Today it works...
There's a Node list that displays after the one-liner screen, but only if there are other nodes active, but another timed ^M works there.

I'm still having trouble with the d 5 6 sequence. Microbot is seeing pause prompts at these sub-menus, but I'm not sure why as they don't appear when using putty. Maybe the BBS is trying to autodetect my screen length, and Microbot doesn't respond to that request.

I had trouble getting to the "anna write something? {NO} Yes" prompt, which is why I had to put in the two delays and the triple ^Ms. Never after that though. What triggers are you using, and what terminal program?

I'm using Microbot, and I have confirmed that the problem is screen length detection. Microbot does not respond to the screen size request, so the BBS is assuming my screen is 1 line long.

That might not be your problem, Telix (which I use) does not respond to anything incoming, and there is no way to know my terminal sizing short of asking me personally.

Dude, you guys are making this waaaaayyy too hard. If you just burst a bunch of...
"N N N N N N N"

Maybe with a small delay between it, it gets you past all the random pauses and questions. Once at the main menu, hit D a few times...

Then 5 and 6. So...



Appears to work fine after you log in. To logout, either disconnect or just gggy

Why script when you can macro?

roflmao, why do either when you can log on by hand? The man asked how to script it, not how to macro it.

Like, "solve the murder" question, as opposed to ....... umm

I have never script/macro logged to a bbs or game before. Had to read the help file for the SALT "dial" command to write the logon script above, laff.

The point of the exercise is to explore the question of whether or not there are ways to have a human-readable interface that is difficult for a script to handle. I'm skeptical that this could be done, certainly not bulletproof, but this site had some interesting ideas and we were curious how long it would take our local scripters to complete the challenge.

This is something I've given a lot of thought to, and haven't had any ideas even worth exploring. Short of having periodic challenge questions, like the kind that used to keep 8 year olds off of your BBS, I don't have anything...

I see what you are driving at, but this would only hinder relog scripts, not scripts in general. Once in the game everything could be scripted as normal.