megamodels: > The 8086 is 8-bit processor The 8086 is a 16 bit processor, the opcodes themselves are 8 bits long, but with arguments and immediates the entire instruction becomes much larger. Furthermore ascii printable characters are fewer than 127, most of a byte isn’t printable. You can open a executable in a text editor but you will not see many ascii characters, the ones you list certainly show up rarely outside of raw `.data:`/`.text:` blocks. And if you do intend to block all 0-255 values a byte can hold then why even accept input? At this rate the only thing someone can submit is whitespace (which happens to actually include a valid opcode). Here’s a interesting video on making a “printable” program in x86, only using instructions that fit into the ascii table. Compiling C to printable x86, to make an executable research paper * * * Regardless this misunderstanding about the printable nature of machine programs doesn’t help your initial problem, you only need to avoid loading script, resources, and scenes submitted by users, all of these can contain a script that executes even system calls.

@megamodels You are quite right but you did say a MMORPG, where players not only command multiple sea ships but combine their efforts in strategic battles against the CPU. We were also careful to just point out politely that sometimes grand visions need to be parred down a bit to face the realities of time considerations. So we were saying this because the vision is fantastic and who doesn’t want to make a MMORPG? And I cannot speak for @gentlemanhal, who was also very polite and gentle, but I got this idea from knowing how long testing and dev took for my own vastly simpler game. However, if you took offence at our comments, I apologise. No criticism nor discouragement was meant, and it was a genuine question when I asked how long you planned for such a project? I ask because I would perhaps like to explore multiplayer for my next game, however I am worried that this might just be waters that are too deep for me. Anyway, good luck with your next project. It is always a really exciting time planning a new project, and some might say the best part. Please accept my best of wishes for your new game.

megamodels: > They could literally stick a program and pass this as the password The solution to this is to not run passwords as programs, which shouldn’t be difficult as it’s the default behaviour for Strings to not be run as a program of any sort.

Hi megamodels, Your project sounds super exciting—I’m a huge fan of retro-style Action RPGs, and your inspirations from Secret of Mana already have me intrigued! As a developer, I’d love to share a few tips to help you get started and, most importantly, keep going (because that’s often the hardest part). Give the Game a “Head and Tail” Before diving deep into the flashy stuff like 3D models or animations, focus on the foundation. Start with the basics: Framework First: Build a framework for essential systems like menus, submenus, and settings. Things like: Fullscreen toggle Volume control Save/load functionality Even placeholders will do at first. Reusable Code: Use global functions for common tasks like saving game state or handling level transitions. This will save time and ensure consistency. Gameplay and Handling Come First Gameplay and level progression should take priority over visuals early on. Use static placeholders for 3D models while you’re testing mechanics—it’s easier to swap them out later. This approach keeps the focus on how the game feels rather than how it looks initially. Keep the Scope Manageable With a 6-month goal, keeping the scope tight is crucial. A great gameplay loop, polished mechanics, and memorable story beats will matter more than overly complex features or huge maps. Feel free to reach out if you need advice or feedback. Us old-timers are here to help. Looking forward to seeing your screenshots and hearing more about Hunt for Immortal!