A user named [Amiskell](https://classictw.com/viewtopic.php?f=1&t=35158&p=248898#p248898) posted [instructions](https://web.archive.org/web/20170000000000*/https://gist.github.com/andrewmiskell/e347585c059fbcddbb98cd324377d8c5) on how to get TWGS running in one of the most difficult ways possible. But hey, it's easy if you know what you're doing! Reminds me of the days I was running TWGS under WINE on Linux before Linux was semi-easy to use. All sitting behind my custom BBS software, eleqtriqBBS!

... back in August! I forgot all about it. Not many websites out there can lay claim to being online for 20 years, but this site can. No one really comes here anymore, since I don't post (and there are no players). This site is barely getting 30-50 visitors a day. I expect over the next few years, people will notice The Stardock has had an anniversary. Unfortunately, I haven't posted much in the decade since. I closed my TWGS three years before the 10 year anniversary, and shortly after it I updated the website to what you see today. I've been wanting to update the look of it for about five years, but I can never find a theme I like. Eleq

Dear Fellow Trade Warriors, Ten years - WOW. When I started this site, I'll be the first to admit I did it out of wanting recognition. That was my primary motivation. I had just gone onto the original Stardock BBS and kicked everyone's ass with my corp, [Dominance Enterprises!](/static/img/0003.jpg), a corp comprised of a few guys you may have heard of - Ripclaw, Retaliator, and Guardian. It took 30 or so of the Tradewars "Elite" to gang up on us to get us out. It's a fact I'm still proud of to this day. My buddies and I became famous overnight, so why not start a website and capitalize? sidenote - yes, the "elite" of Tradewars has been an issue for well over 10 years. I've beaten them, been them, accused of being them, told I couldn't be one, told I'd never be one, was appointed the king of them, etc. It's been a long, sometimes very hard ride, to get where I am today. A ton of websites has come, gone or been forgotten. Remember [The War Room](https://web.archive.org/web/20020120072253/https://cyber-svcs.com/), [TW Gazette](/category/TW_Gazette), [TW Links](/files/Site%20Caps/TWLinks/index.html), Egroups Tradewars_2002, [Boo Inc.](/files/Site%20Caps/BooInc/news.html), [TW League](https://web.archive.org/web/20030603155707/https://www.twleague.com:80/archives.asp), and my favorite, [Mana Knight's Tradewars.org?](https://web.archive.org/web/20040321085208/https://www.tradewars.org:80/). But The Stardock is still here, still updating, still alive, still collecting muchas hits. I've met and talked to a lot of good people along the way. Such as John Pritchett, [Guardian](https://web.archive.org/web/20080911194423/https://tradewars.fament.com/guardian/guardian.htm), [Bad Girl](https://web.archive.org/web/20080922094940/https://tradewars.fament.com:80/guardian/playerbadgirl.htm), Ripclaw, [Maverick](https://web.archive.org/web/20080509164522/https://tradewars.fament.com/guardian/eliteplayermav.htm), Artemis, Lord Chaos, [hELLCAT](https://web.archive.org/web/20050205214731/https://www.depletecoitus.com:80/twars.htm), Ghost Ryder, [Timberwolf](https://web.archive.org/web/20080515164105/https://tradewars.fament.com/guardian/playertimberwolf.htm), Peacemaker, [the reverend](https://web.archive.org/web/20050424151745/https://www.blacksuntwgs.com/interviews/reverend.htm), Aitvo, [Traitor](https://web.archive.org/web/20050425123338/https://www.blacksuntwgs.com/interviews/Traitor.htm), Stonewall, [Hosem](https://web.archive.org/web/20080820213626/https://tradewars.fament.com/guardian/eliteplayerhosem.htm), [Gypsy](https://web.archive.org/web/20080511202129/https://tradewars.fament.com/guardian/spotlight/gypsyspot.htm), Kitty Moon, [Kemper3](https://web.archive.org/web/20040706054044/https://www.blacksuntwgs.com/interviews/kemper3.htm), [Xide](https://web.archive.org/web/20050424151737/https://www.blacksuntwgs.com/interviews/xide.htm), [earth](https://web.archive.org/web/20070000000000*/https://www.tw-attac.com/), [Bud](https://web.archive.org/web/20050417212103/https://www.blacksuntwgs.com/interviews/Bud.htm), Jackal, [Tweety](https://web.archive.org/web/20080509071137/https://tradewars.fament.com/guardian/playertweety.htm), Prestone, Kavanaugh, Nazwes Chaiwind, Adomma, Attila, River Rat, Jack Box, Last Starfighter, Epicenter & [Sir Lancelot](https://web.archive.org/web/20080511211327/https://tradewars.fament.com/guardian/playersirlancelot.htm). I've also literally met, in person, these great people - Retaliator, Mana Knight, [Cruncher](https://web.archive.org/web/20080303011337/https://tradewars.fament.com/Cruncher/tradewar.htm), [Space Ghost](/files/Site%20Caps/BooInc/news.html), [Hekate (aka Phoe6e)](https://web.archive.org/web/20050424010621/https://www.blacksuntwgs.com/interviews/phoe6e.htm), [Speedy](https://web.archive.org/web/20050424151652/https://www.blacksuntwgs.com/interviews/speedy.htm), [Rawhead Rex](https://web.archive.org/web/20060319232127/https://tradewars.fament.com/guardian/eliteplayerrex.htm), Animal, Diana & Leila. Then there have been those that helped me administer this site over the years, like [Fuseblown](https://web.archive.org/web/20050827035042/https://tradewars.fament.com/guardian/playerfuseblown.htm), [The Mad Hatter](https://web.archive.org/web/20050128063000/https://www.blacksuntwgs.com/interviews/MadHatter.htm) and [cbs228](https://web.archive.org/web/20050425123232/https://www.blacksuntwgs.com/interviews/Cbs228.htm). Fuseblown merged his popular website, Tradewars.ws, with mine. He then ran the site solo for quite some time. The Mad Hatter is nearly solely responsible for my huge file archive. cbs228 helped me write TWGS Search, which has been far and away this site's most popular feature over the past decade. I remember all those nights of 4 am externs with both fondness and disdain. I'd get my butt up, along with my corpies, to patrol the lanes and mop up the cloaks. It was both fun and exhausting. I had a hard time holding a few jobs before I learned how to manage it. I also kicked a lot of tail because of it. I remember how the phrase "we need more fighters" got stuck in my head for months like a catchy song lyric. I was constantly analyzing a game, figuring out what percentage of a game's fighters my corp had. Trying to figure out on past experience what another corp might have. Today, there is a huge body of research on how the game works. A lot of that started back in the late 90's when the first creds-per-warp calculations were done. My good buddy Retaliator was a master of knowing how a universe was laid out and where we'd most likely find our enemies. I was great at figuring out how good my enemies were and outstrategizing them. Trade Wars was always on my mind. I remember releasing the first useful Telemate scripts on the internet. People ran with them and they got better. Years later, I did the same for ZOC's REXX scripts. I can still find credits and remnants of my code in scripts downloaded today. That's shocking considering how long ago I made those, and how antiquated they really are compared to today's scripts. I remember writing my own BBS software to emulate MajorBBS. I was originally helping out Aitvo (Andrew Wyatt) with his FusionGS. But Andrew and I get along like brothers too close in age-fighting friends. We got into an argument, which caused me to go it alone. We're buddies again now. We had a lot of good times together talking Perl and Linux. I learned a LOT from him, so much that I went from being a computer tech to Perl programmer, then to Linux administrator and then to manager of my department. Thanks to Aitvo, I had a running start in my career. I remember having a ton of long, long conversations with John Pritchett over TWGS. When TWGS first came out, people didn't care for it. It wasn't like HVS's version for Major BBS. I convinced JP to create an MBBS-compatible mode to bridge the gap, and that's why you see it in TWGS software today. I opened The Home Sector TWGS specifically to help JP bug-fix. I was constantly installing pre-release versions of TWGS to help fix bugs. For my efforts, JP donated money when I needed help keeping things running and even named a port after me. If you ever see a port with the name "Eleq" in it, that's my port. I remember the Trade Wars Convention [(pics here)](https://web.archive.org/web/20050503051259/https://tradewars.fament.com/Cruncher/TWCon2k.htm). Actually getting to meet people you've already known for years is ODD, to say the least. It was impossible to convey to people what that is like until you've done it. Nowadays, knowing and conversing with people you've never actually met is common in today's internet-run world. But in 2000, it impossible for most people to comprehend how that could be. I remember many nights talking with Mana Knight over who was an idiot, who wasn't, Mana starting the TradeWars.org, that page envolving into tradewars.org, my TWGS opening at twgs.tradewars.org, and Mana's hilarious wit. I actually got to meet Mana a few years ago when he was in San Jose at Gamecon. The past two years I've missed him while he was near. I always regret that. Mana's a riot and it's cool to hang with an old buddy. I remember when DE! stopped playing TW, a new corp emerged that was to some, the greatest corp yet... the Black Nights. Maverick- CEO, Artemis, Lord Chaos, Ripclaw (yes, DE!'s Ripclaw), Kujo. Overall those years, when DE! was playing, BK was breaking, or vice versa, For many years Mav and I circled each other like two pit fighters but never heard the bell. In the end, Mav and I actually corped together for a little while. Maverick is supremely intelligent. I knew him as a good man. He is also remembered for making the single biggest donation ever to The Stardock in the form of a very, very expensive P3 1ghz CPU at a time when Intel had no better chips. I remember being inducted into the TW Hall of Fame. I was one of the first, something I'll always be proud of. I was once the "Godfather of TW" (huh Space Ghost?). Now I've been out of the discussions for years. There's a whole crop of players won't don't know me from John Doe. They've never played against me, played a game run by me, or been part of a forum thread dominated by me. I'm just kind of this name running this somehow-relevant website for God-knows-what-reason. And I'm finally OK with that. Personally, so much has happened in the past 10 years it's almost scary to think how much will change in the next 10. When I started The Home Sector website, which if you didn't know is was the former name of this site, my life was in heavy flux. Just months earlier, I found out my girlfriend (now wife) was pregnant. I had moved two hours north from [Clovis CA, to Modesto, CA](https://web.archive.org/web/20070000000000*/https://maps.google.com/maps?f=q&hl=en&q=clovis,+ca+to+modesto,+ca&sll=37.0625,-95.677068&sspn=71.934927,86.132812&layer=&ie=UTF8&z=8&ll=37.190505,-120.351317&spn=4.655513,5.383301&om=1) to find work. I spent about a year there before we moved back to Clovis. In 2000, I married the love of my life, Monica (aka Eleqtra). In 2002, we had another child (how fitting, right?). Over the years I've collected too many hobbies. Weight-lifting, cars, motorcycles, computers, guitar, gardening, I've gained weight, lost weight, put on muscle, gained weight again. I went from being thin to a toad, to a running back, now a small linebacker. I've crashed my motorcycle, met many celebrities (I work in the music industry), woken up in the middle of country rodes drugged, been robbed in a strip club and did a lot of really good deeds I'm proud of but won't talk about. As for the future of The Stardock, it'll keep on trucking. EIS is slowly rolling out Jumpgate, which might make TWGS Search redundant someday. I often think about what I'll do next. There are features on this site that either unactivated, unnoticed or underused. Maybe that'll keep SD current, I don't know. I'll cross that bridge when I get there. Thanks for the memories...so far! EleqTrizi'T [Myspace](https://web.archive.org/web/20070000000000*/https://www.myspace.com/eleqtriq) - [Flickr](https://web.archive.org/web/20070000000000*/https://www.flickr.com/photos/eleqtriq/) - ICQ: 7971550 - AIM: EleqTriziT

There are hundreds of TradeWars servers scattered across the internet, each hosting a multitude of games. Yet, the designers of the TWGS software have failed to include a way to search them all. Until now, no one has bothered to assemble a single comprehensive resource of TradeWars games. In lieu of such a system, [EleqTrizi'T](/) and I set out to build one. Powered by [PHP](https://web.archive.org/web/20040000000000*/https://www.php.net/), [PostgreSQL](https://web.archive.org/web/20040000000000*/https://www.postgresql.com/) and [Perl](https://web.archive.org/web/20040000000000*/https://www.cpan.org/), the new [TWGS Search Engine](https://web.archive.org/web/20040000000000*/https://www.thestardock.com/twgssearch/) launched today with listings from select servers. Every night, Eleq's search program connects to all of the TradeWars servers in the database and refreshes the list of games. This allows us to index a massive number of games without any (human) effort required. The search engine website, coded by me, allows game searches based on 17 different game settings. Several sorted views are available. An extended display, which lists all of the information about the game, server, and other games on that server, is available, including the raw telnet session converted to HTML. Before this system even gets off the ground, I want to make one thing perfectly clear: We are ** *not* ** in the business of rating SysOps or servers. Our goal is to provide open access to all SysOps and interested players, not to be a [TWLeague](https://web.archive.org/web/20040000000000*/https://www.twleague.com/). We will not take action against cheating SysOps or refuse to list sub-par systems. This decision comes after thorough consideration: We do not want this system to die a controversial death or become so embroiled in TW‑politics that it does not function as intended. Interested SysOps may submit their server for indexing on [this page](https://web.archive.org/web/20040000000000*/https://www.thestardock.com/twgssearch/sysops.php).

The transition went pretty smooth yesterday. No one seemed to notice. I moved to my favorite distro, [Mandrake Linux](https://web.archive.org/web/20040000000000*/https://www.mandrake.com), along with updates to all the software. Anything wrong, let me know.

Here's a [review](https://web.archive.org/web/20040000000000*/https://www.ocia.net/reviews/tradewars/tw2k2.shtml) of the TWGS. Here's a [link](https://web.archive.org/web/20040000000000*/https://www.ocia.net/reviews/tradewars/tw2k2.shtml) to two Trade Wars related projects, which even includes a downloadable [zip file](https://web.archive.org/web/20040000000000*/https://www.codefortress.com/code/tradewars.zip). Remember TW_ATS and it's maker, Badhouse Software? Lots of porn to be had at [Badhouse.com](https://web.archive.org/web/20040000000000*/https://www.badhouse.com/) these days. What about [TWAR](https://web.archive.org/web/20040000000000*/https://webhome.idirect.com/~twar/). Kind of crooked that you can still order it, tho it hasn't been updated in SIX YEARS!

-- updated 4/22 -- The winning corp in this game of TW CHESS will each receive a free CK License to use the TWX scripts in the CK Combat Pack. Also, I'd like to reiterate... you ARE allowed to dupe within the same corp... so all 4 accounts can be played by 1 person if you so choose. -- end of update -- TW CHESS 2004 will open this Saturday, the 24th of April, at 12 noon eastern time. Standard TW Chess v2 edits will be used, with standard TW Chess rules. The server will run TWGS version 3.11.55 for the duration of the game. 4/corp, 800 turns, 5k sectors Corp CEOs will need to register in advance so I can set up your corps/planets. The registration form is now online at [https://tavern.homeip.net](https://web.archive.org/web/20040000000000*/https://tavern.homeip.net) Cherokee

I don't know why some of you are so upset. EVERYONE practices plans to end games quickly. I used to, it was a source of pride to be able to shut down 4-5 games in a row within the first 48hrs. The fact that a corp was able to do it within 90 mins, in a tournament no less, that's freakin' awesome. Best tournament plan, EVER.

**Macros, I guess I am writing this as the master hC is unavailable. I learned the best combat macros playing with hC during WTC2001. I have since trained several peeps in the Art of Combat with zoc/twx The focus of this article will be ZOC user buttons and RES-Macros.** **First off current version of ZOC has 32 user defined buttons. 20 user defined Fkeys, 32 Auto Replies and 32 Auto Macros. We shall cover the 32 user defined buttons, using my set up as example.** **Ok 32 buttons here is a view of standard.zoc in the zoc/options folder. err well I have 31 here, leaving 1 button for on the fly use.** ``` [OPTS_MACROS] UserDesc#00="game" UserDesc#01="XPORT" UserDesc#02="SD" UserDesc#03="Voids" UserDesc#04="Ansi" UserDesc#05="Zone" UserDesc#06="Buy EQ" UserDesc#07="Buy Ore" UserDesc#08="Kill Port" UserDesc#09="Move" UserDesc#10="PAIR" UserDesc#11="Mega Buy" UserDesc#12="Sell" UserDesc#13="MEGA" UserDesc#14="LAND 38" UserDesc#15="NS Dock" UserDesc#16="STOP" UserDesc#17="a999" UserDesc#18="SD1" UserDesc#19="SD2" UserDesc#20="SD3" UserDesc#21="SD4" UserDesc#22="SD5" UserDesc#23="SD6" UserDesc#24="SD7" UserDesc#25="SD8" UserDesc#26="SD9" UserDesc#27="Tdrop" UserDesc#28="HOLO 2" UserDesc#29="CASH" UserDesc#30="Photon-Move" UserDesc#31="Pdrop" UserValue#00="rrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr" UserValue#01="x1^Mq" UserValue#02="uy^M.^Mc" UserValue#03="cv0^Myyq" UserValue#04="cn1qqd" UserValue#05="^RUN=SCRIPT everend_zonedeploy.ZRX" UserValue#06="$ss2_BuyDown^M30^M0^M" UserValue#07="$ss2_BuyDown^M10^M0^M" UserValue#08="pay20000^M^M" UserValue#09="$ss1_Move^M" UserValue#10="^RUN=jackalpair.txt" UserValue#11="^RUN=SCRIPT everend_class7.zrx" UserValue#12="^RUN=_port_negotiate.ZRX" UserValue#13="^RUN=_megarob.zrx" UserValue#14="l 2^Mc" UserValue#15="x42^M" UserValue#16="$sx^M" UserValue#17="a999^M^M" UserValue#18="ay9999^M^M ay9999^M^M " UserValue#19="any9999^M ^M any9999^M^M " UserValue#20="anny9999^M ^M anny9999^M^M " UserValue#21="annny9999^M ^M annny9999^M^M " UserValue#22="annnny9999^M^M annnny9999^M^M " UserValue#23="annnnny9999^M^M annnnny9999^M^M " UserValue#24="annnnnny9999^M^M annnnnny9999^M^M " UserValue#25="annnnnnny9999^M^M annnnnnny9999^M^M " UserValue#26="annnnnnnny9999^M^M annnnnnnny9999^M^M " UserValue#27="^RUN=_tdrop.zrx" UserValue#28="qqshl 2^Mc" UserValue#29="tcyf99999999^M^M" UserValue#30="^RUN=SCRIPT everend_photonandmove.zrx" UserValue#31="^RUN=_pdrop.zrx" ``` Ok that is a partial view of standard.zoc file which is the backend of zoc buttons. The way to manually add a button is much different then editing this file. However, you can edit this file and save/reboot zoc to take instant affect. Adding a Macro go to Options-JumpTo-Buttons <img src="/static/img/add.jpg" /> Click Add <img src="/static/img/macro_button.jpg" /> Ok name your button then add the macro make sure you choose "TEXT TO SEND" thats it, now you have a new button. Ok procedure is same to add an Fkey however you just type in the macro <img src="/static/img/fkeys.jpg" /> Ok my sample LIST from Standard.zoc file The most common used macro in TW is ATTACK I have 9 attack buttons for FED or DOCK. Notice I have spacing in my macros, a double space will send a SPACE to TWGS. The purpose of this SPACE is to abort display. Various messages will be displayed while in combat in TW. Some of these messages and displays are time consuming and take up lots of screen Take for example landing on a planet with 30 planets in sector. When you use l to land you see all 30 planets listed below. If you use l with double spaces you tell TW to Land but dont display planet list. example `l 30^M` will land on cit #30 without filling up your screen with the full sector list of planets Another use is in combat, where you attack and blow up some one. if you use double spacing after each attack, if you kill some one, you wont get the DISPLAY Message that you killed them, thus eliminating the SCROLL after KILL message. Example `ay9999^M^M` Now remember RES always attacks with 2 or more shots at same time so my standard attack would look like this. `ayy9999^M^M ayy9999^M^M` Notice also I have 2 'y' in this sample. The extra `y` is for BEACONS, if you were to attack me with a beacon in sector your macro would hang up on the beacon, giving me time to POWER-UP. Whereas if there is no beacon the extra y will not effect the macro. WARNING WARNING IN FED if you use `ayy9999^M^M ayy9999^M^M` and miss your target the second wave might SHOOT A FED, hence you DIE. Recommend not using extra Y attack macro in FED, I use it mostly in my Fkey set up for planet battle. Ok back to display messages, you get a BIG LONG message while Pbusting planets for EXP. You can use spaces to speed up this macro to be 99.99% untouchable at dock ok sample bust macro for dock `quy.^Mcl zdy uy.^Mcl zdy ps` This will bust 2 planets and land back on dock. Notice there is no planet scanner on ship If you have a planet scanner, you must use exact CIT numbers. This gets tricky as you can be vulnerable at dock. Another factor to consider is when entering a SECTOR with CANNONS. If you warp into cannons you get a new PROMPT/PAUSE from being HIT by sector blasts. To remove this you would use a macro like this. Example `m8834^M^M` Double Enter characters will keep you moving through combat messages when being hit with cannons. So mothing its important to have lots of ENTER KEYS to keep your macro moving fast. Well that about does it for this article. Take a close look at my buttons you will see how I use ZOC buttons to run TWX scripts as well. Enjoy Res Judicata

EIS has given us a small update about what to expect for the new year on [EIS Forums](https://eisonline.classictw.com/): *"First let us state that we appreciate all the die hard Trade Wars fans sticking with it through the past year or so with little or no updates. This is just a quick memo to let you know that we are now back with vigor to complete some long awaited and anticipated updates to Trade Wars, TWGS and the EIS website. To give a brief status report of what should be coming in the near future: * .56 Code Release * Jumpgate * Reported web site bug fixes (including registration and links sections)"*