DRAKVOR for sysops
In short
With the door, the callers on your board play in the same world as everyone else. You download one file, request a key by email and set up the door once. The door is free and released under the MIT licence.
How the door works
The door is a thin client. The game runs on the DRAKVOR server; the door only shows its screens and sends your callers' keys back. No game data is stored on your board. Your board competes in the bulletin board contest against the other boards and against the web.
What you need
- A board running WebCarrier BBS. The board's scoreboard needs WebCarrier 1.6.0 or later; on older versions the door runs without it.
- PHP with the curl extension or with allow_url_fopen, so that the door can reach the server, and outgoing HTTPS connections (port 443).
- Your board's key and the address of the interface. You get both by email.
Setting up in three steps
- Download the door: download drakvor.php and put the file on your board as doors/drakvor.php.
- Request a key: send an email to kontakt@chrisscheel.de with the name and address of your board. You will get a key and the address of the interface, https://drakvor.com/api/. The name you give will appear in the hall next to every hero from your board.
- Set up and add to a menu: start the door once as sysop, enter the address and key, and add it to a menu in the backend under "Doors" with "Add to menu".
First-time setup
If you start the door as sysop before it is set up, it asks for the address of the interface and then, hidden, for the key. You can leave out the https://, the door adds it. Then it checks both with a request to the server. Only when the server answers does it save the address and key and show your board's name. If it fails, the reason is shown and you can try again right away.
Once the door is set up, it shows you as sysop a small menu: S play, E change setup, Q back to the board's menu. On an English board the keys are P, C and Q. Ordinary callers go straight into the game.
For your callers
- The first time they start, they create their hero. They do not need an account on the website.
- They play with the same keys as in the browser, and the screens have 23 lines. The ? key shows help for the screen, including the address of the matching chapter of the guide.
- Q in the village takes them back to your board.
- The language follows the language of your board, German or English.
- Your board's scoreboard shows every player's level and dragon kills.
When something goes wrong
| Message | Cause and fix |
|---|---|
| "No DRAKVOR answers at this address." | Wrong address, or the server cannot be reached. The address ends in /api/. Check that your board may open outgoing HTTPS connections and that curl or allow_url_fopen is available. |
| "The key is unknown." | The key was mistyped or has been replaced since. If in doubt, request a new one. |
| "Greyford cannot be reached right now." | The server did not answer in time. Usually temporary. If it persists, check the setup again with E. |
| "This board is blocked for DRAKVOR." | The board has been blocked on the server. Please get in touch by email. |
| "The key of this board is not valid." | The key was replaced on the server. Enter the new one as sysop with E. |
| "Greyford is very busy right now." | Too many requests in one minute. Wait a moment. |
| "DRAKVOR is being updated." | An update is running on the server. Try again later. |
The door never throws an exception outwards. Every problem ends with a message and a key back to the menu.
Moving and updating
If DRAKVOR moves to a new address, the server tells the door. The door checks the new address with your key and only switches if the server answers there. To install a new version of the door, simply copy it over the old file. Address, key and scoreboard are kept.
Licence
The door is released under the MIT licence; the full text is at the top of the file. You may use, change and share it freely. The game itself is not covered: the server, the texts and the world are not part of the door's licence. Access to the game depends on the board's key and can be revoked.