The Gaming Center
Encyclopedia
The Gaming Center was a Southeast Florida BBS
that was popular in the "gamer
" scene. It was founded by Aztech and Player, and generally managed by ELLiS DeE.
The original BBS
started around 1995 and was shutdown in 1999. It had 50 dial-up nodes which supported unlimited PPP
internet. The Gaming Center BBS serviced all of Southeast Florida, including Fort Lauderdale
, Miami
and West Palm Beach areas. TGC was able to achieve the ability to canvas this large calling area by exploiting a little known and legal tariff of Bellsouth
called MultiPath Call Forwarding. This allowed multiple calls to be forwarded to another location via a single phone line. Using this technique, Aztech was able to grossly expand the BBS to many calling areas by installing phone lines in strategic locations which bordered different calling areas. Thus, when a caller called that number, it was forwarded to the main number at no cost to the caller. This unique and highly effective technique was a trade secret which gave TGC a tremendous competitive edge.
At its peak, The Gaming Center BBS hosted more than 5,000 individual users. Recently (2010) the TGC user Dr. Evil has started a Facebook group to unite many of the former members. You also find the original members at The TC Zdaemon and Skulltag Doom Clan Website
The BBS software used was Galacticomm's Major BBS
/Worldgroup, which is probably the most expensive BBS software available on the market. It also had a Major BBS add-on called "Game Connection" which allowed its users to play games such as Descent
, Doom, and Quake
, among other popular BBS door games such as Legend of the Red Dragon
, Lunatix, TradeWars 2002
, MajorMUD
, BladeMaster
, and Swords of Chaos
.
The ZDaemon (and likely other Doom2) communities still use a product of the users of TGC BBS. TGC.WAD was created by a group of users that called themselves the WadMasters.
Bulletin board system
A Bulletin Board System, or BBS, is a computer system running software that allows users to connect and log in to the system using a terminal program. Once logged in, a user can perform functions such as uploading and downloading software and data, reading news and bulletins, and exchanging...
that was popular in the "gamer
Gamer
Historically, the term "gamer" usually referred to someone who played role-playing games and wargames. Since they became very popular, the term has included players of video games...
" scene. It was founded by Aztech and Player, and generally managed by ELLiS DeE.
The original BBS
Bulletin board system
A Bulletin Board System, or BBS, is a computer system running software that allows users to connect and log in to the system using a terminal program. Once logged in, a user can perform functions such as uploading and downloading software and data, reading news and bulletins, and exchanging...
started around 1995 and was shutdown in 1999. It had 50 dial-up nodes which supported unlimited PPP
Point-to-Point Protocol
In networking, the Point-to-Point Protocol is a data link protocol commonly used in establishing a direct connection between two networking nodes...
internet. The Gaming Center BBS serviced all of Southeast Florida, including Fort Lauderdale
Fort Lauderdale, Florida
Fort Lauderdale is a city in the U.S. state of Florida, on the Atlantic coast. It is the county seat of Broward County. As of the 2010 census, the city had a population of 165,521. It is a principal city of the South Florida metropolitan area, which was home to 5,564,635 people at the 2010...
, Miami
Miami, Florida
Miami is a city located on the Atlantic coast in southeastern Florida and the county seat of Miami-Dade County, the most populous county in Florida and the eighth-most populous county in the United States with a population of 2,500,625...
and West Palm Beach areas. TGC was able to achieve the ability to canvas this large calling area by exploiting a little known and legal tariff of Bellsouth
BellSouth
BellSouth Corporation is an American telecommunications holding company based in Atlanta, Georgia. BellSouth was one of the seven original Regional Bell Operating Companies after the U.S...
called MultiPath Call Forwarding. This allowed multiple calls to be forwarded to another location via a single phone line. Using this technique, Aztech was able to grossly expand the BBS to many calling areas by installing phone lines in strategic locations which bordered different calling areas. Thus, when a caller called that number, it was forwarded to the main number at no cost to the caller. This unique and highly effective technique was a trade secret which gave TGC a tremendous competitive edge.
At its peak, The Gaming Center BBS hosted more than 5,000 individual users. Recently (2010) the TGC user Dr. Evil has started a Facebook group to unite many of the former members. You also find the original members at The TC Zdaemon and Skulltag Doom Clan Website
The BBS software used was Galacticomm's Major BBS
Major BBS
The Major BBS was bulletin board software developed between 1986 and 1999 by Galacticomm. In 1995 it was renamed Worldgroup Server and bundled with a user client interface program named Worldgroup Manager for Microsoft Windows...
/Worldgroup, which is probably the most expensive BBS software available on the market. It also had a Major BBS add-on called "Game Connection" which allowed its users to play games such as Descent
Descent (video game)
Descent is a 3D first-person shooter video game developed by Parallax Software and released by Interplay Entertainment Corp. in 1995. The game features six degrees of freedom gameplay and garnered several expansion packs...
, Doom, and Quake
Quake (series)
The Quake series is a line of first-person shooter video games produced by id Software.-Overview:The Quake series is somewhat unusual in that its focus changes frequently; the story of Quake II has nothing to do with Quake, and Quake III Arena has little to do with either of its predecessors...
, among other popular BBS door games such as Legend of the Red Dragon
Legend of the Red Dragon
Legend of the Red Dragon is a text-based online role-playing video game, released in 1989 by Robinson Technologies. LORD is one of the best known door games. The player's goal is to improve his or her skills in order to defeat the Red Dragon which has been attacking the village...
, Lunatix, TradeWars 2002
TradeWars 2002
TradeWars 2002, also known as Trade Wars 2002 or TW2002, is a space game developed starting in 1984 and continuing through the 1990s by Gary Martin for play as a BBS door game, with later versions developed by John Pritchett both for BBS and, starting in 1998, a devoted game server called TWGS...
, MajorMUD
MajorMUD
MajorMUD is a MUD for the Major BBS and Worldgroup BBS software. It can be played over a dial-up modem connected to a BBS, or more commonly over telnet.-History:...
, BladeMaster
BladeMaster
BladeMaster is a 1990 BBS game. According to the , the program was written by Don Arnel and the creatures/treasure design was by Adam Horowitz. It was known to have run on The Gaming Center Bulletin Board System, which utilized Galacticomm's Major BBS/Worldgroup software...
, and Swords of Chaos
Swords of Chaos
Swords of Chaos is a computer game made by Mark Peterson. It is a MUD type game for the Major BBS and Worldgroup BBS software, allowing it to be played over a dial-up connection with a modem: since the advent of the internet, it is also possible to use a telnet connection or a terminal emulator...
.
The ZDaemon (and likely other Doom2) communities still use a product of the users of TGC BBS. TGC.WAD was created by a group of users that called themselves the WadMasters.