===============================================================================

                            Tale Twisters™
                          BBS DOOR v1.20.9
                              SETUP.TXT

===============================================================================

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
                                  QUICK SETUP
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------

 1. Extract the package into its own directory.

 2. Configure your BBS to run TALETWIST.EXE and pass the full path
    to the caller's drop file.

 3. Allow outbound TCP connections to:

      bbs.taletwisters.games   port 8096

 4. Run the door once and complete the free board registration.

 5. Add the door to your menu.

 No COM port, baud rate, or node count is required.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
                                 PACKAGE FILES
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------

 TALETWIST.EXE       The door
 door.cfg            Board registration (written for you on first run)
 taletwisters.ini    Ready made door definition for BBS software that
                     can import one (see below)
 SETUP.TXT           Setup and technical information
 readme.txt          Ownership, license, and terms

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
                              TALETWISTERS.INI
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------

 Some BBS software lets you import a door instead of typing its settings
 in by hand. taletwisters.ini is that file, so you do not have to work
 the values out yourself.

 If your BBS does not import doors, just ignore this file and add the
 door from your menu editor as usual. It is for your BBS, not for the
 door. TALETWIST.EXE never reads it, so changing it does nothing.

 What is in it:

   Name=Tale Twisters
   Command=DOORS\TALETWIS\TALETWIST.EXE
   Parameters=-D*DOOR32
   Native=True
   ForceQuitDelay=5
   WatchDTR=True
   WindowStyle=Minimized

 Check these two before you import it:

   Command      This expects the door in DOORS\TALETWIS. If you put it
                somewhere else, fix the path.

   Parameters   -D then your BBS's macro for the full path to the
                caller's DOOR32.SYS. Different BBS software uses
                different macros, so swap in the one yours uses. See
                STARTING THE DOOR above.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
                               STARTING THE DOOR
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------

 Pass the full path to the caller's drop file:

   TALETWIST.EXE -DC:\BBS\NODE1\DOOR32.SYS

 This form also works:

   TALETWIST.EXE C:\BBS\NODE1\DOOR32.SYS

 Use the drop file path macro provided by your BBS software.

 Running TALETWIST.EXE without a drop file starts local mode with
 one hour available for testing.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
                              SUPPORTED DROP FILES
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------

 TALETWIST.EXE supports:

   DOOR32.SYS
   DOOR.SYS
   DORINFO1.DEF

 The format is detected automatically.

 For telnet sessions, DOOR32.SYS can pass the live connection directly.
 DOOR.SYS and DORINFO1.DEF use standard input and output. SSH and local
 sessions also use standard input and output.

 All three formats work. Use DOOR32.SYS if your BBS supports it.

 The door reads only the caller handle, BBS user number, node number,
 remaining time, and ANSI setting from the drop file.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
                               NETWORK CONNECTION
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------

 Each active player from your BBS uses one outbound TCP connection to
 the Tale Twisters servers. The door never accepts incoming connections.

 That connection is encrypted. See SECURE CONNECTION below.

 What the door needs to reach us, all of it built in:

   Host     bbs.taletwisters.games
   Port     8096   encrypted, the default
   Port     8095   unencrypted, only if you set tls=0

 You do not type any of this in anywhere. It is here so you know what to
 let through your firewall.

 The machine running the door needs to be able to look up our name. Use
 the name, not an IP address. The door checks that our name matches our
 certificate, and an IP address on its own cannot be checked.

 If Tale Twisters is unreachable, confirm that your firewall allows
 TALETWIST.EXE to make this outbound connection as mentioned Quick Setup.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
                             CONNECTION SETTINGS
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------

 door.cfg sits beside TALETWIST.EXE. The door writes it for you when you
 register. On almost every board there is nothing to change.

 Our address is built into the door. You never type it in, and you never
 have to keep it up to date. If it ever changes, you get a new door.

 There is one setting you might ever need to add:

   tls=0           Use the older unencrypted port instead of the
                   encrypted one. Only if your board cannot reach
                   port 8096. See SECURE CONNECTION below.

 Lines beginning with a semicolon are ignored, so you can comment
 something out rather than deleting it.

 Back up door.cfg after registering.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
                               SECURE CONNECTION
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------

 From v1.20.0 everything between your board and our servers is
 encrypted. Your callers' handles, their chat and their game are no
 longer sent across the Internet in the open.

 There is nothing to install and nothing to set up. Let port 8096 out
 through your firewall and the door handles the rest.

 The door also makes sure it is really us before it sends anything. It
 carries its own list of who it trusts, so nobody can sit in the middle
 and pretend to be Tale Twisters.

 If it cannot get a secure connection, it does not connect at all. It
 will never drop back to an open one behind your back. We would rather
 tell you than let you think your board is covered when it is not.

 The welcome screen tells your caller which one they got, bottom left:

   Secure Connection      green.  Encrypted and checked.
   Standard Connection    grey.   The older open port.

 OLDER WINDOWS

 The encryption is inside TALETWIST.EXE instead of borrowed from
 Windows, and that is on purpose. Windows XP cannot do the encryption
 modern servers ask for, and its list of who to trust is too old to know
 ours. A door leaning on Windows would just stop working on older
 boards.

 Ours brings its own, so it works the same on Windows XP as on Windows
 11. That is why the file is bigger than it used to be. Worth it.

 IF YOU CANNOT REACH PORT 8096

 The old open port still works and we are not switching it off without
 telling you first. Add this line to door.cfg:

   tls=0

 and let port 8095 out instead.

 Your callers' handles and chat then travel in the open again, the same
 as before v1.20.0, so only do this if you have to. Let us know if you
 do and we will help you get onto the encrypted port.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
                                BOARD REGISTRATION
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------

 Register the door before adding it to your public menu.

 On the first run, enter your board name, SysOp name, and email address.
 A four digit verification code will be sent by email. Please allow a few
 moments for the email to arrive. It is usually rather quick.

 If the code does not arrive, type the word  again  at the verification
 screen and a fresh code will be sent.

 Registration is saved in door.cfg. Back up this file after registering.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
                              NODES AND CALLER TIME
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------

 Run one copy of the door per caller as usual. The node number and
 remaining time are read from the drop file.

 The door exits when the caller leaves, disconnects, or runs out of time.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
                           FILES CREATED BY THE DOOR
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------

 All files are written beside TALETWIST.EXE:

   door.cfg              Board registration
   taletwist-node1.log   One log for each node
   TALETWIST.DIS         Dismissed announcement records

 There is no installer, registry entry, or Windows service.

 To remove the door, remove it from your menu and delete its directory.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
                                TROUBLESHOOTING
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------

 Each node log records the door version and any error code.

 The log also says what kind of connection the door got. TT-TLS-OK means
 encrypted and checked. TT-TLS-01 means it could not get a secure
 connection, so it stopped rather than connect in the open.

 When requesting help, send us:

   Your board name
   The door version
   The error code
   Any relevant log entries

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
                                    SUPPORT
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------

 Email:  support@taletwisters.games

===============================================================================
 Tale Twisters™ - (c) 2026 UORealms LLC - All Rights Reserved

 Tale Twisters(TM) and its software, stories, artwork, branding, and
 other original materials are owned by UORealms LLC or its licensors.

 This is proprietary software. It is not shareware, open source
 software, or public domain software.

