This is the original Seven Spells of Destruction web engine, written circa 2001 in raw HTML, JavaScript, and C++ CGI. It is presented only for educational and historical interest.
⚠️ WARNING: DO NOT RUN THIS CODE IN ANY PRODUCTION OR PUBLIC ENVIRONMENT.
This early version was written long before modern web standards, security best practices, or compiler sanitisation tools were widespread. It contains multiple critical vulnerabilities including:
- SQL injection vectors throughout the query layer
- Cross-site scripting (XSS) via unescaped user input echoed to HTML
- Buffer overflows and unsafe use of functions like
strcpyandsprintf - Numerous assumptions about user trust, input formatting, and execution order
These flaws are well-known and will never be fixed.
At the time this was written, I was still very much a beginner. The code reflects an early stage in my learning journey with C++, web programming, and server-side scripting. Like many developers of that era, I learned by experimentation - often without understanding the deeper consequences of unchecked input, memory safety, or security hygiene.
While I’m proud of what I accomplished with the tools and knowledge I had, it’s important to see this for what it is: a snapshot of amateur-era coding, not a modern or safe foundation.
To even compile or run this, you'd need a near-replica of the original early-2000s server stack:
g++version 2.95.1libmysqlclientfor MySQL 3.x- An HTTP server that can run traditional .cgi binaries (e.g. Apache with
mod_cgi) - A Linux distro from the early 2000s such as:
- Mandrake Linux 7.2 (released October 2000)
- Red Hat Linux 7.0 (2000)
- Slackware 7.1 (2000)
- Debian 2.2 "Potato" (August 2000)
Even if you get it running, expect segfaults, encoding bugs, and undefined behaviour.
The modern Seven Spells Discord bot engine is built entirely from scratch using modern C++20 and the D++ library.
None of the original C++ CGI code was reused - deliberately.
Only the game data (locations, items, character stats) was exported and preserved. This 2001 engine is now archival only.
If you're studying:
- Early web RPG architecture
- CGI scripting in C++
- Pre-ORM SQL patterns
- What not to do in a secure application
...then you're welcome to explore the source. Just don’t deploy it.
cgi-bin/- Game code (C++ CGI scripts)images/- Game UI graphics and icons