What Is TWGS and What Does It Do?

TWGS (TradeWars Game Server) is a stand-alone server and game management application from EIS, the company behind TradeWars. It is used to host classic TradeWars games on the internet. According to EIS, it is "the simplest and most flexible way to host classic TradeWars on the Internet today." It is aimed at game operators (gameops) who want to run their own TradeWars server rather than just play on someone else's.

Where TWGS fits in the TradeWars world

TradeWars is a classic space trader game originally released in the late 1980s for Bulletin Board Systems (BBSes). EIS notes it has been actively played for 25 years by a devoted community of gameops and players, and that it is credited as an early inspiration by many of today's game developers.

TWGS exists because that game no longer depends on a dial-up BBS. Instead of running TradeWars on a BBS, a gameop runs TWGS as a standalone server and manages the games hosted on it.

What TWGS actually does

• Hosts TradeWars games — it serves classic TradeWars to players connecting over the internet.
• Manages those games — it is described as both a server and a game management application, so gameops use it to run and administer the games they host.
• Provides a standalone setup — it does not require a BBS to operate, which is what makes internet hosting practical.

Who it is for

TWGS is for game operators: people who want to run their own TradeWars server and manage games for a community of players. If you only want to play TradeWars, you would join a game hosted on someone else's TWGS rather than install the server yourself.

Related EIS offerings

Alongside TWGS, the EIS site lists TradeWars 2002 downloads, TradeWars registration, and a store. Donations are also accepted toward the support and future development of TradeWars, per John Pritchett of EIS. The site shows PayPal as a payment platform, but the available material does not state prices, so check the store or registration pages for current terms.