Baud Premiere edition
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(B)BS (A)nd (U)ser's (D)igest
"Reviewing Console BBS', Sysops and Users all across the World"
JULY 1, 1995
Premiere editionEditors note
Oh NO! Not another CHART? Well no! It's Dedicated to the rest of The Scene which seems to be Extinct. The BBS's, The SYSOP's, The USERS and the other parts that make up the scene. Back in 1987-88 There was a c64 txt magazine called INFLUX that was run by Candyman ( The Humble Guys, FBR, Epic ) and a few other guys like Jazzy ( ATC, Epic, PE, Badboys and more ). for those who don't know it Jazzy is now r/\\/e. and 10 years in the scene has taught me alot. Since my first bbs THE CURE to my Current system. I have been a dedicated member of the pirating scene. And hope to be here till its all gone. ( which looks possible any day now). BAUD will pick up where INFLUX left off.
BAUD is not a "point scoring" but a real txt magazine with articles interviews, and reviews and EVERYONE is being asked to be a part of BAUD. Once a month we'll select a board to review and compile the best articles that have been written for that month. We'll try to talk to at least one SYSOP and one NON sysop. As well as featuring articles written by guys IN THE SCENE. We want to keep it as interesting as possible by allowing different people to share their opinions and ideas
With the lack of calling options This might be a good way to stay in touch with what everyone else is up to, and possibly spark new interest into our dying console scene. The main focus, is The CONSOLE SCENE, but that doesn't mean that we wont cover the INTERNET or any other existing scene. Especially if its something worth talking about. We would like to hear from the people who are COMMITTED to the scene and not just the games fans.
I thought it was a good idea that we allow some of the sysops to speak since a Sysop's perspective of the scene is abit different than that of a User. The same is true for a User. His view of the scene is important, so its a good way to get some cool info from both sides of the field. Although this first Issue was mostly written by me I would like to do less writing, and have people in the scene voice their own opinions. I am inviting YOU to express yourself. If We like your article we will definitely use it.
r/\\/e - Editor of B.A.U.D!
TABLE OF CONTENTS
- BULLETIN BOARD REPORT: A Visit to Germany - written by: r/\\/e
- SYSTEM OPERATOR REPORT: The direction of The Scene - written by: BREAKDOWN
- DETAILS - SCENE NEWS & ARTICLES
- IRC and the Internet
- Bye Bye Ghetto
- Paying your way-Phreaking!
- SWAT - Here to stay?
- BBS Ads - Give it a rest!
- Cleaning up the Crap! - written by : NIGHT ASSASSIN
- GREETINGS AND FINAL COMMENTS
I. Bulletin Board Report
This month BAUD reviews: SYNERGY ATX-GHQ
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-//-------------------------------------------------------------------//-Sysop: Sigma - Seven
Location: Germany
Group affiliation: Anthrox, S!X Support HQ
Years online: 4 years (off and on)
Software supported: Console, Amiga, Pc, PD files, S!X & utils
Lines/Modem speed: 4 nodes / 14.4 21.6 64.0(2-ISDN)
BBS Software: S!X - Sigma-Seven Express
Hardware: Amiga 2000/030 28mhz, 7meg Ram, Multiface II, ISDN Master II, NEC 3X cd rom, 1Gig HD. USR 14.4/21.6 modems
LOGIN:
SYNERGY is not only the GHQ of Anthrox but also the Home Base of S!X, one of the most widely used programs for bulletin board systems. Its sysop is none other than Sigma-Seven who is credited with this awesome piece of programming. What originally started out as a modified Ami-Express bbs, has become the choice program of many of todays existing Console, Amiga and Multi Support boards. Replacing Ami-Express as the LOW COST ALTERNATIVE. I call Synergy "The Workshop" of the Console scene. Sigma Has been around for ages and although Synergy went down, due to a blown Amiga 4000, it has been up and running with few flaws since its return some time ago. Recently it has been named as the NEW ANTHROX German HQ.
If you are a programmer there really is a lot of reason to call here. Seems that while the rest of us are transferring files, chatting about Groups, releases or other things. The guys who spend their time making S!X utilities are trading ideas and routines for that next S!X door or utility. If you ever had a question about the software, here is the place to get answers. Probably more answers than you ever imagined. The board itself isn't a flashy ansi artist palace, but its cool looking in its own way. There's always the latest and greatest utilities online that makes the rest of us S!X sysops drool, but there's also some good Console scene activity happening. Sigma has always been known to help out anyone he can and I have to admit that I have been the recipient of his patient helpful ways. Many of us can give credit to him for getting us set up and running with S!X and the best doors/utilities. And alot of us drove him crazy too :) Just ask Wing leader of HALL OF FAME! heheh :)
Since calling overseas is so expensive I suggest calling late at night if you are in the states or Canada and are a PAYING customer. Change your service to the one with the best discounts ( but they all suck if you ask me. what ever happened to the good old days with 1033's) Not that you dudes are idiots but I just got my last phone bill.and it made me realize that I cant go calling overseas whenever I want to. Some of you lucky guys don't have to worry about this bit of info, I guess. I'm not too sure how European callers call out to this board. The file directory is always up to date and speed with the latest warez, so a disabled ratio account is a necessity to grab all your goodies. ( I wonder if there's anyone left in the scene on a ratio?) Once upon a time Synergy was the European Home of PREMIERE and it still manages to retain the "feel" that it had as a PR - EHQ. The message bases are steady and if you want to brush up on your german, this might be the best place to go. Sysops using S!X will be happy to see a fresh batch of utilities online, and more than enough help to set them up.
As a Console bbs Synergy can hold its own. A laid back sysop, Sigma seems to concentrate on the entire scene, including the Internet, PD files as well as gameboy/gamegear, PC, and Amiga Interest. I always talk about a bbs having a "FEEL" or "Atmosphere" and its true. As soon as you log onto a board and fool around, you get a sense of how the board is. Synergy has it. I suggest to all sysops who run S!X to call it at least once. You will quickly find out what it takes to run a good bbs in addition to a support bbs for software. What's important to mention is the fact that, with all the things he's into, Sigma still finds times ( and ways ) to call around. So not only is he a sysop he is a user and thats a tough thing to be these days but somehow he does it. The fact that SYNERGY is an ANTHROX HQ adds a little twist to whats already a good bbs. Anyone who's a part of the Console Scene knows the Crew at ATX, If you haven't Downloaded one of their many Releases, then you probably used one of the utilities created by ATX members, Paninaro and The White Knight ( Pan & TWK ). ATX seems to be a Programmers alliance these days in addition to being an active game releasing group, so Sigma-Seven and his board SYNERGY seem to fit right in.
LOGOUT- +++
II. SYSOP REPORT
This month's guest: BREAKDOWN
I asked Breakdown to give me his thoughts on the future of Bulletin board systems and here's what he had to say:
Sysop.nfo: BREAKDOWN
Name of BBS: TOTALLY NUKED
Years in the scene /online: I have been in the console scene for about 4 years now. Started out with a 8Mbit SMD and have survived SMC and SWC and all that good stuff. I believe I will still be able to get 2-3 years out of the scene.
Group affiliation: I just recently joined NAPALM which I believe is a cool group that has potential and still offers a challenge.
Additional Info: Well I guess I'm one of the last Sysops that trades basically because thats the way i started in Europe. Have been Co-Sys on many Boards that are dead now and have now concentrated a little more on whats going on over at my place. Places I call frequently inc. Hall of Fame, Land Of Confusion, Menace 2 Society, X-Factor and most group WHQ's
LOGIN:
Well when Rave asked me late at night in a chat to write something for BAUD i was interested since I have not always have had an easy time as sysop and was wondering what he would like me to write about. This topic of where is the scene and especially BBS's going effects all of us in the so called real scene that is still left. I am gonna tell you up front i am not really an Internet guy but more a old fashioned sysop/trader. What do I think will happen with the BBS scene? Well i hear a LOT of groaning that it's dying along with the console scene. The BBS's have a lot to offer that I think people wont just give up for anything. I certainly enjoy calling around and chatting with old as well as new guys and as long as there are still people willing to communicate like this there will be a chance for BBS's. It's harder for the sysops to say that its all on a downward slide coz I don't think many users know what a shitload of work we put into our boards. I just switched bbs software from Pc-Express (buggiest piece of shit in the world) to SYSTEM EXPRESS. I did it for the users not for myself. So I don't want to hear people say the scene is dead or whatever. Ultra 64 will give it new life and also there is a lot of life still left in 16-Bit (summer is always slow). Yes there are many guys switching to the INTERNET and saying thats the way to go and hey the INTERNET has a ton of things to offer but like Rave was talking about earlier a BBS has an atmosphere. You logon and see the ASCII and shit and you like it or hate it. For me that adds to the whole concept of having the bbs scene being more personal then the INTERNET which is huge. The problem that BBS's have is the fact that for many guys that have to pay it's LD and on the INTERNET for example it's a free, local call. But like Rave said there are loopholes and if we try hard enough we can find them. Thats what the scene lived on in europe, phreakin coz Euro callers get ripped off by State phone companies. But look ISDN comes along. Its helping cut back on high phonebills (check it out RAVE hehe) and might breath new life into the BBS scene. I think a lot of it depends on the Euro and Canada dudes. They are the guys that can keep it alive if they find ways to avoid getting those high bills and supporting boards. If the BBS scene dies it will go first in Europe at least console whise coz all the games are in the USA rarely in EUROPE first.
LOGOUT:- +++
IV. DETAILS - SCENE NEWS & ARTICLES
The Change of the Scene - IRC and the Internet
Seems that lately we've all been bitching about how dead the scene is and for the most part its true. Yes its dead but games are not all there is to the scene. There's also the social aspect of the scene, then there's the competitiveness that the releasing of games is associated with. My opinion has always been, Its only as fun as you make it and these new dudes have no idea of how to make their own fun. Messaging may seem stupid to you but its what keeps things going. Its no wonder how recently IRC is seeing so much of the real Console dudes. why is this the REAL scene, well this is where it all begins. this is where it began too. when the first C64/Atari boards went into effect, it started a legacy that we continue to enjoy.
IRC and the net is not the fucked up domain I encountered last year. Dudes were so paranoid they never bothered to ask who you were, but when they found out that you ran a board or was a part of a group they wanted to be your friend. Today its different. The net and the Scene are becoming 1 unit and it won't be too long before we are all on IRC chatting and trading. A couple of dudes were very helpful in getting me started on the net. Piccolo and Archimede. Even now I am still not too comfortable on the net so its always good to see dudes like The Hoodlum, Spaceman Spiff, Sigma Seven, Shadower, and the rest. I even heard that TWK has been on there lately. So you know that things are changing. I try to call there when I get a chance and for the most part its pretty fun. its different to me so its still hard to understand all thats going on there. If you don't have Internet access, what are you waiting for? get your ass on there.
You can run into some of the old dudes from the early Console days and meet all the other dudes our hard work has been benefiting on the INTERNET.
Bye Bye Ghetto
By now everyone knows about the Ghetto going down. Well it lasted long after the SEGA bust and I guess Andeveron felt it was time to close up shop. So like the song goes: ANOTHER ONE BITES THE DUST! It was a cool board and I'm sure the users are feeling the loss. In fact it was one of the bbs's I was going to review. Next Please... Andeveron was pretty bold to stand up to SEGA awhile back, and it caused many people to believe that he was a narc for sega. No one could believe that THE GHETTO was back on line. Some dudes never called it again, out of fear of being Busted.
I remember people telling me that I was crazy to call The ghetto. They said the feds were tracing all calls to the bbs and lots of other bogus shit. It didn't affect me. I continued to call it and watched it BAN sega warez and still survive. Some other systems never came back. The ghetto became the hang out of dudes like TWK, S/Y\/Y\, Propmaster and others and you could always catch a good ragging between coders and traders. Andeveron was always there to add more fuel to the fire. Rip, the co sysop and ANSI GENIUS ( who by the way NEVER made the ansi for me that I asked for over a year ago :) constantly updated the board with some of the best ansi's I ever saw. That one animated ansi with the SHOT GUNs? Shit I don't know of anything that could touch it.
So another Big board shuts its lines and the scene becomes a little smaller. The 32 bit systems might force copiers into extinction but I wonder if the same thing will happen to BBS's?
Phreaking, a thing of the past?
Once Upon a time when Sprint was stupid and At&T was easy we used to be able to call everywhere for free. Hacking codes was as easy as loading up a terminal program. Then one day the phone companies got smart. It was this that put a price tag on calling cards. Back in the days we used to share codes for FREE and everyone had 'em. Now you'd be lucky if you could buy a code for $5. and the Bust in early 1995 put a big hurting on the scene. Now the score is Phone Companies 1 - Pirates 0. I'm sure there are still loopholes in the system and its just a matter of finding them. we really need to find a solution to the problem of calling out. With both my nodes being blacklisted there is a problem for euros to reach the system. This is yet another plague on the scene. Several boards have either 1 or all nodes blacklisted at this time and it seems that there is little solution to this problem. So it seems that the BBS scene is suffering all over. I know it sounds crazy but we really have to work together with the euros and canadians to keep things alive. The internet is an alternative but not a solution. Boards are suffering in a big way.
I remember the days when there was a codes message base on every bbs and Voice mail boxes ( VMB) that were updated daily with fresh list that dudes called in to share. Even the old hacking programs that were used back on the c64. You'd set it up and leave for the day, and when you got home you'd have at least 10 new codes and possibly much more. Those days are GONE! Not too many people remember those days. It was when sharing things was considered COOL. Today you'd have to be crazy to give anything away. Its just the way things are these days. If I get something ( every now and then ) I usually donate it to the dude who has been helping me out since My introduction to the Console scene. ( I won't mention the name but he knows who he is ). I'm not sure how many other dudes are doing that, but there should be more. Im pretty sure that the future of phreaking is doomed. Its getting worse everyday.
All of the Major phone companies are doing what they can to prevent fraud. and its working. So I pay for my calls which is no big deal since I only call a few times a month. but Im sure for the TRADERS and users, its a pain in the ass. when someone finds a solution fill the rest of us in. in the meantime, I suggest we hang in there and use the net whenever possible. maybe soon we will have bbs's connected to the net. I can see that happening pretty soon.
SWAT - Ready For the world?
I recently caught up with CyberChrist and spent a while chatting with him about his views on the scene. The confrontation with SNK and their plans for the future. SWAT's first releases were a surprise on the SEGA side and right away I thought " here comes the next FUCK " a bombardment of releases then you'll never hear from them again. Just like Propmaster SWAT initially came to the console scene with the " WORLD DOMINATION" attitude. Since then they seem to have cooled their jets as well as the amount of their releases but they are still hanging in there. The guys at SWAT seem to have their minds set on making an Impact in the scene and whether you like them or not, they appear to be here for the duration. SNK's Dragon Avenger has posted numerous messages to and about team SWAT and its very funny banter between these guys. Talk of "Honor" "legends" and Respect" seem to be the focus of their disagreements. I agree that there are LEGENDS. and that those Legends have earned their respect from the rest of us in the scene.
While its easy to say "Can't we all just get along" its not too easy to determine what SWAT has in store for the uncertain future. whether SWAT and SNK will ever see eye to eye on their differences is irrelevant. I'm just curious to see if they will have the Longevity in the scene that the prior groups have had. Or will they just be "FUCK" clones singing "We are the world". Cyberchrist believes that they have something to offer the scene and they are promising to deliver but on a quieter note. Letting their releases speak for themselves is a good idea. There obviously isn't any hard feelings on their side, since I see that Sneakers member DA gets greets in Swat's .nfo files.
I have to agree with Dragon Avenger. RACIAL shit whether its a JOKE or just to piss someone off has NO place in the scene. This is the one place where none of that shit matters. and I hope the dudes at Swat see how stupid that kind of shit is. How many times have you chatted with a dude and never known what his ethnic background or nationality was. My answer to that is EVERY SINGLE DAY!. Its about Warez and about systems and Friendship and rivalry and Competition ( to some) but never about Race, Ethnicity, Culture, Nationality or Color. Leave that shit in the real world. we don't want it here. Thats my current gripe with SWAT and I hope they understand it.
Besides that, I support team SWAT in what they do. Its good to add some competitiveness to the dominant forces in the scene as long as its in fun. Nobody gets paid for this shit. In fact its actually cost MONEY to be a part of the scene. These dudes are a good sign that THE USA can still Hold their own in the Canadian dominated scene. No complaints either way from me. but its good to see some Yankees in there every now and then. Atlanta IN DA' HOUSE! so let the games BEGIN!
Once is Enough - The bbs ad craze!
A current problem that is frustrating alot of us are the BBS ADs in the archives. Yes even I have 1 bbs ad automatically inserted. But can someone explain to me why some boards have 5 and 6 and more? and then there are those who create directories for their ads? And still those who are using this utility SMILE WRITER to make ads, or IFF and GIF files. The bottom line is that ITS NOT NECESSARY. 1 straight Text ad should be more effective. All the bbs ads in the world isn't going to make someone call a system. Its more than just the ad. that attracts the users/ groups members, and traders to a particular board.
Message Bases are the other place where you'll either see 10 ads from the same bbs or 10 ads from some Console Copier/CD Rom seller. Sysops should know that it disturbs the "flow" of the messages when you have to run through 7 bbs ads then 4-5 "FOR SALE" ads. Some boards have a conference for bbs ads, and I can't speak for everyone but I think its useful. I try to read them. Maybe I'm looking for a board number, or want to suggest a bbs for one of my users to call and I will direct them to conference where BBS / For Sale stuff is located. Or the case where some dude is looking for that new 3DO or PC game on CD Rom. then its useful to have those ads on the system. Just preferably in one conference.
The CD rom business also seem to be on the rise.( Copiers faded ) Alot of competition out there now, which means what? MORE ADS right? I actually prefer a price war if I have to see the 10 advertisements at least let them be in my favor. LOW COST PRODUCTS! Thats the answer to more business. There's just too much of this stuff going around. Yes, Its important but also can be a real pain.
Take these for what they are. Opinions. Im sure many will disagree and thats fine, Its not my intention to start an argument over text files and bbs ads. But I think we all know these things can be a pain in the ass if they are abused. I just wanted to shed some light on it!
Cleaning up the scene - Text files/Slideshows
Written by NIGHT ASSASSIN
Well, first of all I must say that I'm very honoured to voice my opinion on the console scene through this magazine. Until recently, there have been a big slew of people jumping on the Internet bandwagon... so much stuff in the media exposing this new 'information highway' Hah. What a way to put it. All of this is great but the thing is, everyone is getting into it and releasing anything and everything. Boy, just call one of your local ko0l console boards and do an N S U and what would you expect? Games? WRONG! Tonnes of FAQ's, GIFS and whatever people can get free from the NET. I'm sure there are gamers out there who actually are interested in this stuff but it is getting out of hand. Yikes... it's pathetic going through pages and pages of captures of IRC's and messages. IMO, people releasing these things are just in need of some credits. What should be done about this? I'm sure it's possible to phase out these FAQ's but then again people will start to complain about it. Well, on M2S, HOF & MR&R new rules have been set to move all this kind of 'junk' to it's own conference dedicated to the gamer. Does that sound so bad? People will not clot up the file areas (where the real warez should be sent to) and it makes it a whole lot easier to look at the directories.
Another issue concerns the slideshows... sure those Anime characters are cute, but does the scene actually want to see hundreds of those lame slideshows of these naked Japanese chicks? I personally do not want to see these things clotting up the dirs when scanning for new files. Well, once you've seen one slideshow you've seen them all!! (as the saying goes) And if you're a real anime freak, My suggestion is (I've seen this done on Freekworld and I think it's a good idea) is to setup one of those Manga conferences so the whichever users can go and leech their favourite slideshow of whoever. With those damn IBM utils that let's you convert GIF's to SMC slideshow format, slideshows of any kind should be banned.
After all, these next few months will be the last of the console scene and let's not end it off by seeing all these FAQ's and Slideshows which anyone with half a brain can release. I've been spreading games for about 3 years now, and phasing out the Slowrom/Pal fixes (err.. somewhat) can be accomplished if we all work together and nuke this shit, so can the deal with the FAQ's and slideshows!
There ya go guys, that's my opinion concerning the latest 'junk' to hit the scene. And if you want to respond, just leave me some mail on any of the boards you see me hanging around. And what are you waiting for? Go and read Console World (Shameless plug) :) I'm outta here!
V. Greetings / Final words
Sigma-Seven, Night Assassin, Splash, The white Knight, Cyberchrist, Breakdown The 7a3, Bluewater, Piccolo, Archimede, Shadower, Ayatollah, Stephen King, The Lone Rebel, The Hoodlum, Mega, Dragon Avenger, Breakdown, Fallen Angel, BadBoy, Enforcer, Shadow Master, Arctic Cat, G.E.M, Keywiz, New Sensation, Popcorn, DAviolator, Nostromo, Devious Doze, Mr. Mister, The Unknown Gamer, Fazwonga. Centurion, Mymurth, BamBam, Papillon, and YOU!
Anthrox, Sneakers, Quasar, Swat, NightFall, Cyberforce, Asgard, Cream, Napalm and the retired groups: Premiere, Censor, Elitendo, Illusion & Accumulators.
Synergy, Land Of confusion, Hall Of Fame, USS Enterprise, Death Row, Domino Effect, Operation X, Robins First Orgasm, The Source and the other Cool systems out there.
If I missed you, blame it on my OLD AGE and LOSS OF MEMORY!
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B.A.U.D - BBS And Users Digest would like to thank all of the Sysops, Groups and Users in the Scene for "keeping it Alive".
Special Thanks to Sigma Seven and Breakdown for forcing me to get off my ass and finish this thing and making the current .diz and logo. Also to Night Assassin -SNK for helping out in the writers dept.
I am looking for a .diz and a logo for BAUD if you can help out, swing by M2S or have someone else send it up for you.
Comments and Suggestions are Welcome and Encouraged - Contact me on any BBS that you see me on or you can always leave me a PUBLIC message on M2S. If you would like to submit an article for any Future Baud Publications, Or if you want make some comments on the articles in this edition of BAUD, please type it up so it can be included in the upcoming edition. Anything else? then, please feel free to contact me.
PEACE! r/\\/e
