Modem Wars now Working!

[Jim Brain]

As of 2AM this morning, I've squashed the last bug in tcpser relating to running Modem Wars over TCP/IP, and....

Success!

I await qualified players....

Here are some shots:

www.jbrain.com/brain/ip_games/modemwars/IMG_0283.JPG
www.jbrain.com/brain/ip_games/modemwars/IMG_0285.JPG
www.jbrain.com/brain/ip_games/modemwars/IMG_0286.JPG

In the last shot, you can see the two machines, the homemade RS232 interface on the 64 stuffed inside an old 1660 shell (about all the 1660 was ever good for - a home for some better electronics...), and you can just barely make out two command windows on the PC monitor on the right. Those are tracing the two connections.

Thanks to Leif for providing the copy protection maps so I could test. Thanks to Jeff and Leif for suggesting this as an exercise. It was fun.

tcpser grew a dedicated connection configuration option to support Modem Wars, but it's useful in other places as well, so I took care to implement it as non-obtrusively as I could. Found some latent bugs to boot. 1.0RC6 will be up on jbrain.com soon.

Now, I need to figure out how to play these games...

I'll demo them at EXPO...

Any other modem type games people want me to try?

Jeff, the schematic for the interface will be available soon. It requires 2 MAX232 ICs and a 74LS04 (and 9 1uF caps...)

Jim

[Jim Brain]

tcpser parms:

server:

tcpser -d /dev/ttyS1 -p 6400 -s 300 -D: -I

client:

tcpser -d /dev/ttyS0 -s 300 -p 6500 -D"dilbert:6400" -I

1.0RC6 or later must be used.

[Leif Bloomquist]

brain said:

Thanks to Jeff and Leif for suggesting this as an exercise. It was fun.

Thank you Jim for doing all the hard work for us!

I'll demo them at EXPO...
Any other modem type games people want me to try?

Jim, I should have some time this Friday to try a test of these two games over the Internet. I have the day off work so I should be free all day. Does that work for you?

I have a Win2K laptop, so I'll need a Win32 compiled version of tcpser. Do you still prefer IRC for communication? What channel? We'll leave client/server/firewall setup for then.


As for the Expo demo, I think it would be neat to have the opponents on opposite sides of the room, connected by Ethernet. You can do all the talking. Could we leave the setup running all day?

Were there ever any other modem games for the 64?

[Jim Brain]

Friday's gonna be tight. I am taking my son to a baseball game, and I have to work that day.

Saturday works better for me. Either morning, or late afternoon, evening. We could even test during the #c64friends chat.

For ModemWars, I'll put RC6 up on jbrain.com, and it'll have the Win32 binary already in there. I'll also put cygwin1.dll (needed) somewhere as well

For Operation:Terminal, bps rate is 150, and Jeff and I could not get either of our XP machines to go that low with tcpser (tcpser on UNIX worked fine at 150 bps, so it is either the Win32 subsystem, or the Cygwin DLL. So, for that, you either need to boot into a liveCD version of Linux and compile the UNIX version, or maybe patch your program to do 150 bps (Jeff couldn;t get your app to do 150 either...

Finally, you'll need a pretty standard null modem cable. DCD pin is important.


For EXPO, I was going to simply connect to 2 Serial ports on this old 386 Linux box sitting here, but I like your idea. I have a spare 486 Laptop for the other machine, but I need to get a couple more things to make this happen:

I need a spare router, as I can't spare mine here
Some long cat5.
The 386 Linux box needs DHCP installed and configured
Someone would need to "man" the other table, to help folks, and/or reset the connection if needed.

Jim

[Leif Bloomquist]

Hi Jim,

Saturday during the day might work, but it depends on the weather. Saturday evening is out, I'm going to a friend's birthday party. I'll let you know before then what my schedule will be like.

[Jeff Ledger]

brain said:

I need a spare router, as I can't spare mine here
Some long cat5.
The 386 Linux box needs DHCP installed and configured
Someone would need to "man" the other table, to help folks, and/or reset the connection if needed.

We need to develop a list of things required at the show so
we can divy up the requirements.

I can bring a box of CAT5 and connectors. Anyone got a decent crimping tool for RJ45? (Mine sucks) I've also got extra hubs, etc.

Jeff

[Jim Brain]

The room we are in is 34x56, so we need ~ 90' of cable to hook the two machines (I am getting 3 tables, 2 of which will be in opposing corners, as Leif suggested)

Here's what I am bringing:

• 486 laptop (with 1 serial) Slackware 10, tcpser
  
• 486 laptop (with 1 serial) Slack 10, tcpser
  
• 386DX slim desktop (2 serial ports), Vector Linux 3.2, tcpser, dhcpd
  
• Omnitronix rs232 user port interface
  
• Homemade rs232 interface
  
• Turbo232
  
• VIC UART
  
• VIC-20
  
• 4 SX-64 units (2 for games, 1 for C=key, 1 for spare
  
• LCD projector
  
• My personal work laptop
  

Wishlist:

• hub/switch
  
• Monitors
  
• Cat5
  
• Maybe more regular 64's, so I don't have to drag all my SX units there
  
• Presentation Materials (stuff to hand out, slides, etc.
  

I'm trying to figure out how to get an IP connection in the room. some of the rooms have high speed internet, but they are on the other end of the hotel... Wireless might not reach. I'd love to show off the BBS systems here, any ideas? The hotel lady said a phone connection could be had to $9.95, but IP in the conference room was $400.00/day

Jim

[Jeff Ledger]

brain said:

I'm trying to figure out how to get an IP connection in the room. some of the rooms have high speed internet, but they are on the other end of the hotel... Wireless might not reach. I'd love to show off the BBS systems here, any ideas? The hotel lady said a phone connection could be had to $9.95, but IP in the conference room was $400.00/day

I don't suppose that we can just get a phone line for the day?
I can supply us with dialup for the day..

I'm planning to bring...

1 Commodore 128
1 1571 floppy drive
1 Commodore monitor
1 Linux box for running TCPser
1 VGA Flatscreen monitor
2 Hubs with CAT5 cables
1 Commodore 64 (as backup)
1 1541 (as backup)

I wish I had an SX for these things...

Jeff

BTW: Jim, do you have a build sheet for that interface yet??

Thanks!

[Jim Brain]

Jeff said:

I don't suppose that we can just get a phone line for the day?

Yes, they can. I'll get one.

Jeff said:

I can supply us with dialup for the day..

Is there any way I can get access to this "dialup" the week prior for a day to make sure my host's routing is set up correctly?

Jeff said:

I wish I had an SX for these things...

Hehe. They ARE nice.

Jeff said:

BTW: Jim, do you have a build sheet for that interface yet??

I've been trying to lay it out in a schematic capture app, but the ones I am trying are so hokey to use. I may just write it on a piece of paper and scan it.

Jim

[Jeff Ledger]

brain said:

Yes, they can. I'll get one.
Is there any way I can get access to this "dialup" the week prior for a day to make sure my host's routing is set up correctly?

Yes, we are "qwest" resellers, so getting an account is a
piece of cake. I'll get it setup and get all the information to
you ahead of time. (number, login/pass)

Are you going to use a linux router for dialup?

We could connect the linux box up to the line and use
IPmasq for sharing the IP with the group.

I've been trying to lay it out in a schematic capture app, but the ones I am trying are so hokey to use. I may just write it on a piece of paper and scan it.

Get me anything I can use to build it, and I'll work up a
nice looking build schematic for you. (Like the one I did for
the MAX233 interface.) I love any excuse to work with
my paint tools.

Jeff

[Jim Brain]

Yes, the 386 has iptables ready to go. However, I've never configured, so that's why the need for the dialup beforehand.

And, yes, my idea was to NAT all the traffic for the day via the box. The DHCP server can hand out 192.168.0 addresses for the internal boxes, and we'll set up some rules to bring a couple ports into the various boxes.

And, I'll draw up the schematic for you tomorrow.

Jim

[Leif Bloomquist]

brain said:

Here's what I am bringing:

Wow, quite a list! Between carpooling with everyone else from Toronto and the issues with bringing hardware across the border, I'm just going to bring a laptop and a single C64 (the blue one) with a few accessories.

but IP in the conference room was $400.00/day

That's crazy! Most hotels have DSL right there for anyone to plug into at no charge. In Kentucky, the DSL ports in the conference room weren't working so the hotel staff gladly let us run 100' of Cat 5 from the closest one that worked. (Although we ended up getting a wireless LAN to work instead).

You should co-ordinate with Robin Harbron - he may have some sort of network setup as well.

We'll have the biggest 8-bit network ever!

[Leif Bloomquist]

brain said:

For Operation:Terminal, bps rate is 150, and Jeff and I could not get either of our XP machines to go that low with tcpser (tcpser on UNIX worked fine at 150 bps, so it is either the Win32 subsystem, or the Cygwin DLL. So, for that, you either need to boot into a liveCD version of Linux and compile the UNIX version, or maybe patch your program to do 150 bps (Jeff couldn;t get your app to do 150 either...

How did you determine that the baud rate was 150?

If you open up Hyperterminal in any Windows OS, you'll see that the options are 110, 300, 1200... I also had a quick look in the Microsoft Developer's Network database, and they don't even define a constant for 150 baud, for either C++ or VB. So I'm suspicious of the Win32 subsystem.

Also, were there ever modems for the C64 that supported 150 baud? I vaguely remember my first modem, the 1660, defaulted to 300 baud and could fall-back to 110 bps. But I can't find a manual online to verify this.

So just a question - could it in fact be 110 baud, but the 150 is "close enough"?

[Jeff Ledger]

Leif said:

Also, were there ever modems for the C64 that supported 150 baud? I vaguely remember my first modem, the 1660, defaulted to 300 baud and could fall-back to 110 bps. But I can't find a manual online to verify this.

Wow, I'm pretty sure you are right on this one..
I know people who type faster than 110 baud. <smirk>

Jeff

[Jim Brain]

Leif said:

How did you determine that the baud rate was 150?

If you open up Hyperterminal in any Windows OS, you'll see that the options are 110, 300, 1200... I also had a quick look in the Microsoft Developer's Network database, and they don't even define a constant for 150 baud, for either C++ or VB. So I'm suspicious of the Win32 subsystem.

I started at 300, noticed incoming bytes, but garbage ones, stepped it down in bps until I found some bytes that made sense (ATQ1).

From MSDN:
msdn.microsoft.com/library/default.asp?url=/library/en-us/devio/base/commprop_str.asp

VIC-20 PRG, p 253. I don't have my 64 PRG handy, but it's in there as well.

Leif said:

Also, were there ever modems for the C64 that supported 150 baud? I vaguely remember my first modem, the 1660, defaulted to 300 baud and could fall-back to 110 bps. But I can't find a manual online to verify this.

All < 1200 bps modems supported any bps rate, since they simply changed tones based on the state of the RXD or TXD pin. We used to drive 300 bps modems at 450 bps all the time.

Leif said:

So just a question - could it in fact be 110 baud, but the 150 is "close enough"?

Testing...

No, 110 does not work. It gives garbage. Must be 150.