I built a brand-new BBS door game from scratch - Cypher-Quest (exclusive to Shift-Bits BBS)
From BBS (/u/WearExact1049https://www.reddit.com/user/WearExact1049) to All on Sat Jan 17 12:45:12 2026
I run a Renegade BBS and wanted a door game that wasn't a clone of something from the 90s so I built one.
Cypher-Quest is a progressive puzzle and cipher door game designed specifically for modern-hosted DOS BBSes. It plays like a classic door, but under the hood it's doing something a bit different. What the game is: Progressive cipher & logic challenges Caesar ciphers, pattern recognition, and word-completion puzzles Persistent player progress (resume across sessions) Leader boards and time-based bonus scoring Leveling system that ramps difficulty naturally What makes it unusual:
Instead of running entirely inside DOS, Cypher-Quest uses a small TCP door server. When a user enters the door, control is handed off from DOSBox to the server and then cleanly returned when they exit. From the player's perspective, it still feels like a traditional door - just smoother and more flexible.
Controls are intentionally simple: SPACE to continue/select H for hints (costs points) ESC to exit
Right now, Cypher-Quest is exclusive to Shift-Bits BBS. I wanted to prove the architecture and gameplay in a real production system before deciding what comes next.
I'm mainly looking for feedback from other sysops and retro folks: Does this kind of TCP-backed door feel like a good direction? What puzzle types would you want to see added? Would you run something like this on your own board?
Not selling anything, just sharing a build and seeing what resonates with the BBS community.
If interested Telnet: bbs.shift-bits.com ports 2000-2003 submitted by /u/WearExact1049 [link] [comments]
From BBS (/u/WearExact1049https://www.reddit.com/user/WearExact1049) to All on Thu Jan 22 09:54:29 2026
