 VSysop: The Virtual System Operator Simulation.

 (Virtual Sysop 3.2)
 Copyright 1999 - 2002 by Darryl Perry
 Copyright 2003 - 2004 by Michael Montague
 All rights reserved.

 Maintained by Vagabond Software
 http://vs3.vbsoft.org/


This is a simulation of what it may be like to be a system operator on one of
the larger data services in the nation. It is not designed to be 100% accurate
or resemble any one BBS. The problems and situations found in this program are
the result of many years of running a BBS.


INSTRUCTIONS FOR PLAYING THE GAME

       "The local system operator's group welcomes a new member to their
        community!  Most of them wish you the best of luck with your BBS
        and users."


GENERAL INTRODUCTION

         Every effort has been made to make this game true to life whenever
        possible. There are some areas that have been changed to make the game
        more enjoyable and less like work. After all, if you would put up with
        the pain of being a real sysop then you would be running a real BBS.

         Most of the users that you will find in this simulation will not take
        up any of your time, as do many actual users. The few that will use up
        your time are the ones to watch. They will be giving you the most
        trouble.


YOUR GOAL

         Your goal is to get your BBS to grow. You must attract the most users
        and get them to take part in your system. This will make up the larger
        part of your score in the game. Hardware and software don't count much
        if you don't have any users.

         For the most part use the golden rule and you will do ok.


PROMPT LINE

         The prompt line is made up of 3 (or 4) parts:

            (non-paying users : paying users : actions left today)

         The first part tells you the total number of non-paying (free) users
        that may be talked into paying for your system.

         You must have more than 50 users to start charging for access.

         The second item is the total number of paying users. These people are
        paying for your system and you should make sure that they have enough
        phone lines to use. They tend to be very easy to make mad because they
        are putting their money into your system. Too many busy signals and
        they may even demand their money back.

         The third part is the number of actions you have left today. There is
        only so much one person can do in a day. Even a super sysop is
        limited. Keep an eye on this number until you find out what takes up
        your time and what doesn't.

         If you hire employees a "point" number will be added to your actions.
        This shows the number of employee actions available. Most employees
        are limited in how fast they can do a job compared to the main sysop.
        It might take an employee 2 or more actions to do something you could
        do in 1 action.

         You will find that most of the prompts are easy to understand so feel
        free to explore.


ANSWER MAIL

         Answering mail is one of the jobs that every sysop must decide when
        and how often to do. Most of the mail sent to a sysop is nothing more
        than questions that the sysop has answered many times before. These
        are called "no-brainer" messages and any sysop can answer these in his
        sleep. It still takes time to answer them, but you are not shown the
        text of each one as they are answered.

         It is a good idea not to let the mail pile up in your box for too
        long. When the users see that it is taking a long time for you to get
        back to them they may get mad. This normally starts with more
        messages, but may end up with them leaving your system.


PROBLEM MAIL

         When your system gets larger, the co-sysops will start answering more
        and more of the "no-brainer" mail. If they find a message that they
        can't answer, or is a problem that they don't want to answer, they
        will send it to you. These messages are called "problem" mail. They
        are normally from mad users who are upset about something to the point
        of being rude. It takes special care to answer each message in a way
        that will either cool the user down or stop him from bothering you
        again.

         Don't be so eager to lock out a user or ignore his mail. Bad things
        can happen if you get a reputation as a censor or make the wrong
        person mad at you. It may even get to the point that you will be
        forced to take your system down or end up in a lawsuit.


MAIN FUNCTIONS

         The following commands should be the ones you spend the most time
        with. They are (W)ork, (V)irus scan and (S)tore. Be careful. It is
        easy to forget to keep up with your (M)ail or to keep the number of
        free lines ahead of the number of users calling your system.


PHONE LINE LOAD

         The (U)sage function will show you a quick overview of the work load
        percentage on each group of your phone lines. The numbers are split
        into two different sections. The slow modems and high speed modems.
        The slow modem users are any user with a modem not capable of 9600
        bps. They are happy to connect with any of your available modems. The
        high speed modem users have paid extra for their hardware and only
        want to use the high speed lines on your system.

         The users will start to complain about the busy signals if the load
        on your phone lines starts to get too high. They will only complain
        for a short time before they leave your board. When users leave your
        board they normally take their friends with them. This can take a big
        chunk out of your customer base.

         It is suggested that you spend part of your time each day installing
        modems until you are well ahead of the number of users. This will give
        you some time to devote to building up your user base without fear of
        overloading your phone lines.


CHARGING FOR ACCESS

         The method you select to charge your users for access to your system
        is up to you. Just about every option is available, some more
        successful than others. You are encouraged to consider several things
        about charging before you actually start taking money. First, what is
        the main thing that you will be selling. Is it bytes or time? Will the
        users re-subscribe for more of the same access? What would you be
        willing to pay if you were a user?

         You will be able to change the way you are charging once each day by
        going into the (C)harge option. It is suggested that you not change
        the way you are charging very often. It can make your paying users
        unhappy which may cost you both money and subscribers.


FREE USERS

         Keep an eye on the number of free users you have on your system. They
        don't have anything invested in your service and can cause problems
        between you and the phone company. It is a good idea to keep the
        number of free users as low as possible. Some of them will subscribe
        on their own, but others need to be "reminded" why they should
        subscribe to your service with the (C)harge option.


VIRUS CHECKING

         When you work around communications it is likely that some point in
        your many connections that you will attract a virus or two. It is
        strongly suggested that you use the scanning option at least once for
        every ten "working" actions. There are some situations that a
        TurboScan mode will be available. But remember that this faster scan
        may not catch all of the infected files as the regular scan. If a
        virus is found its name will be displayed. If it is found in more than
        one place it will be shown more than once.


SHOPPING

         The store menu allows you to purchase a wide range of items. You will
        need to go to the store to buy just about everything for your system.
        Not every store on the menu has the same price on the same item. You
        should shop around until you find what you need. It is possible that
        the "discount" stores may pull you in with a false price and charge
        you a higher price than the full retail stores.

     (PHONE SERVICE)
         Much like the real world, the phone service in this game is not 100%
        reliable. If you have to deal with the phone company try to keep it as
        simple as possible. Errors are likely when you start placing orders
        while asking for other services. When calling for repairs remember
        that the service trucks must charge you for every trip even if they
        don't find anything wrong with your line.

         When you start adding large numbers of phone lines you will quickly
        out grow the local phone services which will require them to run
        special lines just for you. This will cost time, money and actions so
        think and plan carefully before jumping into that first multi-line
        order.


PERSONAL OPTIONS

         There are several options not directly related to running a BBS that
        are available in this game. They range from going to school to get a
        higher education and buying insurance to illegal activities like
        hacking or burglary. These options are not available to the very new
        player to try and make things a little less complicated for them.

     (EDUCATION)
         There are different types of education available. The public
        education is the kind of information found most often in schools or
        from tutors. The personal education is more of the "secret" stuff
        normally found out from direct word of mouth. Each type will allow you
        to do different things. A good public education will make it easier
        for you to run your BBS or if you are in the mood, break into someone
        else's office or take something from the store without getting cought.
        A good personal education will make it easier to hack a BBS or rob the
        bank.

     (CALLER-ID)
         The most useful of the personal options are the protection devices.
        These come in two forms; Caller ID and Office Security. The Caller ID
        is rated with a number showing the level or strength of validation
        that is used by the hardware. Different hardware has different caller
        validation abilities. Sometimes this equipment can be damaged by
        someone trying to break into your system or by "age". Check it every
        so often to make sure that it is still operational.

     (SECURITY)
         The Office Security ranges from locks on the door to very complex
        security and access management services. Like the Caller ID it is
        rated with a number showing the level or strength. Burglars can do
        more damage to your system than hackers so a good security system can
        be a very smart investment. These systems are more robust than Caller
        ID systems, but they also have a limited lifetime.

     (INSURANCE)
         The only insurance company we could get to open an office in this
        game was not very well known. They do cover most damage from hackers
        or burglars, but the coverage for the first 60 days is limited. They
        also retain the right to cancel your policy if the claim is too high.
        The good thing is that they don't keep good records so you can sign up
        with them as often as you like.

         Illegal activities are not suggested but are there just for those who
        can't resist. These options have a risk of being detected by the
        police. Jail terms are stiff and can take you out of the game for
        several real days. You must serve your time.

         If you don't call back at least once each day you are in jail your
        term will grow one day for each one you skip.

     (HACKING)
         Hacking is the safest of the "dark" actions. This is where you use
        your "personal" education to break into other systems. You must be
        able to out smart their validation system to gain access. Otherwise
        the police will be notified. What you do once you are on the inside is
        up to you.

     (BREAKING IN)
         Breaking into an office is more risky but allows you to steal items
        and do things that hackers can't. For example, a hacker can't destroy
        backup tapes or take a modem or computer from a BBS. Since you are in
        a hurry, some items may break. So get all you can in the limited time
        you have.

     (ROB BANK)
         Rob the bank is the hardest of all the options. It really is for the
        very very experienced and should not be attempted without much strong
        drink. The odds of you actually getting even a part of the funds from
        the bank are so small that if you put the same time into working you
        would be a multi-billionaire. The chance is there and the prize is not
        small either.

     (SHOPLIFTING)
         Shoplifting is available for those who are so experienced that they
        either want a larger challenge or a chance at the big stuff. This
        option is very hard! The store is always trying out new security
        hardware. The Bank is the only thing harder to break.

         There is a difference in the score you get from items you steal and
        items you buy. Sometimes the difference is small, but often it is much
        more noticeable.

         Every illegal activity leaves some kind of a trace or clue. The
        police are not always bright enough to pick up the clue so the player
        may have to look at the damage report in person. If the hacker or
        thief was very good the clue will be too small to use in court. But
        not too small to allow the player to track down who the criminal was.
        Watch out for mad victims.

         A byproduct of being the victim of a crime is that you get "mad" and
        have an extra boost of energy. This is shown as extra actions on the
        command line. Even if you are in jail or in debt for education you can
        still find those extra actions. Use these wisely. Protect yourself
        before you go off in a rage to attack your attacker.

         It is also possible for the hacker or burglar to "lie" and leave a
        fake clue. So you may end up venting your anger on the wrong person if
        you are not careful.


SCORE CALCULATION

         The score is calculated on the main parts of the BBS.

        They include:
                Computer type and operating system, file storage, BBS
                software, number of phone lines, number of modems,
                number of users and how long it takes you to answer
                your waiting mail.

         Each part of the calculation can be affected by other parts. Keep an
        eye on your score in the (R)eport option until you get a feel for how
        things work. The largest part of the score is the number of users.
        Keep your users happy and your score will grow faster.


