Reply
 
Thread Tools
Old November 18, 2002, 06:00   #1
Richard Bruns
King
 
Local Time: 12:12
Local Date: November 1, 2010
Join Date: Nov 1999
Location: NC, USA
Posts: 1,579
Does anyone keep an ancient computer for the sole purpose of playing old games?
I am seriously considering this. Before I left home for my year of studying abroad, I replaced my parentsī vintage 1995 Hewlitt Packard with the newer computer I was using at school. I will order a better computer when I get back to the states, and the old computer is currently resting unused at home. It still runs perfectly well, and my parents would still be happily using it if I hadnīt given them the newer one.

Since XP got rid of compatibility mode, I am worried that some of my old favorites will not run on my newer computer. Even if I can emulate DOS, there are several problems:

Integrated soundcards. Old games insist on using seperate soundcards, and if the PC has the sound integrated into the motherboard I have to play games like Master of Magic with no sound.

High processor speeds. This ruined X-COM on my newer computer. All the graphics ran too fast and looked wrong.

So I was thinking of taking the older computer to school and using it as a gaming platform, while my new computer does the normal computer stuff. Does anyone else do something like this? It seems kind of backwards, I know.
Richard Bruns is offline   Reply With Quote
Old November 18, 2002, 09:36   #2
aaglo
King
 
aaglo's Avatar
 
Local Time: 14:12
Local Date: November 1, 2010
Join Date: Aug 2001
Location: the contradiction is filled with holes...
Posts: 1,398
Yes. Of course. These new PC's are too fast / otherwise incompatible with older games.
Like the new digital sound blaster on my new pc. It makes buggy/funny sounds to some games. And another issue - no matter whatkind of boot-disk I make, the memory is insufficient for older games - like MOM...
__________________
I'm not a complete idiot: some parts are still missing.
aaglo is offline   Reply With Quote
Old November 18, 2002, 12:58   #3
muxec
Prince
 
muxec's Avatar
 
Local Time: 14:12
Local Date: November 1, 2010
Join Date: Jun 2002
Location: Mingapulco
Posts: 688
I know that "Kings Bounty 2" does not properly works on fast comps.
__________________
money sqrt evil;
My literacy level are appalling.
muxec is offline   Reply With Quote
Old November 18, 2002, 13:11   #4
Heresson
Scenario League / Civ2-CreationNationStates
Emperor
 
Heresson's Avatar
 
Local Time: 13:12
Local Date: November 1, 2010
Join Date: Jun 2000
Location: of syrian frogs
Posts: 6,772
Sort of. I have my old atari and would never throw it out
for that reason - another thing is that I can't play it even though I have it.
Heresson is offline   Reply With Quote
Old November 18, 2002, 14:10   #5
GePap
Emperor
 
GePap's Avatar
 
Local Time: 05:12
Local Date: November 1, 2010
Join Date: Nov 2001
Location: of the Big Apple
Posts: 4,109
Damn the endless march of technology! And it is also too bad that all thse punk kids nowadays have no clue what great game they missed. Because of this no one would get the brilliant idea of coming out with revised versions of our favorite older computer games to play on these new machines.

The old computer my family has died, unfortunitelly. the oldest machine I have, my current one, runs on wins. 98, which is already too much for colonization, MOO and civ 1. Pity.
__________________
If you don't like reality, change it! me
"Oh no! I am bested!" Drake :(
"it is dangerous to be right when the government is wrong" Voltaire
"Patriotism is a pernecious, psychopathic form of idiocy" George Bernard Shaw
GePap is offline   Reply With Quote
Old November 18, 2002, 20:35   #6
Sikander
King
 
Sikander's Avatar
 
Local Time: 04:12
Local Date: November 1, 2010
Join Date: Jan 2000
Location: Boulder, Colorado, United Snakes of America
Posts: 1,417
I still have every computer that I have ever owned:

PC / AT 12 MHz
P 2 350 MHz
P 3 600 MHZ
P 4 2.26 GHz
__________________
He's got the Midas touch.
But he touched it too much!
Hey Goldmember, Hey Goldmember!
Sikander is offline   Reply With Quote
Old November 19, 2002, 06:09   #7
Lars-E
Warlord
 
Local Time: 12:12
Local Date: November 1, 2010
Join Date: Nov 2000
Location: N/A
Posts: 237
I have a Commodore 64 in the attic. I even bought a floppydisc and a taperecorder for it - years after C64 was old news.

I found out it's possible to play those old C64-games on the PC with an emulator. So I finished Maniac Mansion which I never did on C64.

What I'd like now is to use those old C64 joysticks on my PC. An interface has to be developed for that purpose. Sadly the engineers at my church who do stuff like this had no time.
Lars-E is offline   Reply With Quote
Old November 19, 2002, 06:24   #8
MariOne
King
 
MariOne's Avatar
 
Local Time: 13:12
Local Date: November 1, 2010
Join Date: May 1999
Posts: 1,082
Well, I still should have a C64 with external tape unit, in a drawer somewhere (bought for Xmas '84).

The XT (8088, 640Kb RAM, HD upgraded from 10Mb to 20, yes Mb not Gb, 12" amber phosphors monitor, bought around end '85), was brought at her seaside home by my mother, I dunno what she thought to do with it and don't want to know.

The 386dx40 (with "I think" 16Mb RAM & 400MbHD) still lies in a corner of my room, under some cardboards and some old junk... Bought I think in '92

My current computer could soon be tagged vintage, if not ancient...
PII 333 192Mb Ram 10GbHD ATIXpert@Home SBAWE64...
Bought in early '98...

So, I don't keep the 386 for playing, because the PII333 with Win98SE is already old enough.

BUT.

As I had problems to properly configure the EMS memory under Win98 (either in DOS-session window or in DOS-mode) to run old games, even on htat PC I resolved to....

...make a true DOS 6.22 partition, ONLY to play MoM and Machiavelli the Prince on it (and an old "strategy - spaceadvanture" mixed game that I never completed, Alien Legacy).

Even under DOS (windows, sessions or true partitions), there is a tool made to slow your PC enough to make them playable.
It's called "moslo" iirc, you should find it searching on the web, without it it would be impossible for me to play Elite even on the PII333....
__________________
I don't exactly know what I mean by that, but I mean it (Holden Caulfield)
MariOne is offline   Reply With Quote
Old November 20, 2002, 07:42   #9
Richard Bruns
King
 
Local Time: 12:12
Local Date: November 1, 2010
Join Date: Nov 1999
Location: NC, USA
Posts: 1,579
So it seems that Iīm not alone. Old computers are still in service.

Quote:
Originally posted by MariOne
Even under DOS (windows, sessions or true partitions), there is a tool made to slow your PC enough to make them playable.
It's called "moslo" iirc, you should find it searching on the web, without it it would be impossible for me to play Elite even on the PII333....
I would strongly advise against the moslo program. That thing completely crashed my PC when I tried it, forcing me to reinstall the OS. I was using it to try to get the old Ultima games to work.
Richard Bruns is offline   Reply With Quote
Old November 20, 2002, 13:35   #10
MariOne
King
 
MariOne's Avatar
 
Local Time: 13:12
Local Date: November 1, 2010
Join Date: May 1999
Posts: 1,082
Thanks for the heads up, R.B.
I of course want to disclaim any bad intention on my part when I suggested it.
I used it sometimes to get back playing Elite, and never observed the slightest problem or bad collateral effect with it.
I must have been lucky, of course I had not access to reviews about such a minor tool, and could not know that it can cause serious problems on systems different than mine (or maybe does it depend from the game you start with it?).
__________________
I don't exactly know what I mean by that, but I mean it (Holden Caulfield)
MariOne is offline   Reply With Quote
Old November 20, 2002, 23:01   #11
Rex Little
Prince
 
Local Time: 11:12
Local Date: November 1, 2010
Join Date: May 1999
Posts: 912
I still have a PC with a 5X86 processor (pre-Pentium) that runs only DOS--no Windows, not even 3.1. I use it for Colonization.
__________________
"THE" plus "IRS" makes "THEIRS". Coincidence? I think not.
Rex Little is offline   Reply With Quote
Old November 24, 2002, 15:21   #12
Weltraum Amy
Settler
 
Weltraum Amy's Avatar
 
Local Time: 11:12
Local Date: November 1, 2010
Join Date: Nov 2002
Location: Heidelberg
Posts: 11
I still have my old P133 with 32MB Ram and DOS 6.1. It's nearly impossible getting games like Syndicate or MoM (Monkey Island, too) work on WinXP...
Weltraum Amy is offline   Reply With Quote
Old November 24, 2002, 15:27   #13
Juggler
Prince
 
Juggler's Avatar
 
Local Time: 12:12
Local Date: November 1, 2010
Join Date: Apr 2001
Location: of nothing
Posts: 361
an old 486pc with win3.1. I keep it for old dos games and some other classics (prince of persia, dynablaster, civ1 etc.) playing these is still lots of fun
Juggler is offline   Reply With Quote
Old November 26, 2002, 21:12   #14
Jac de Molay
Prince
 
Jac de Molay's Avatar
 
Local Time: 11:12
Local Date: November 1, 2010
Join Date: Sep 2001
Location: Detroit
Posts: 350
Quote:
still have every computer that I have ever owned:
Same here. In fact I've been looking for games for my 1989 MacIntosh SE which I still use to write and keep a journal.
__________________
"Perhaps a new spirit is rising among us. If it is, let us trace its movements and pray that our own inner being may be sensitive to its guidance, for we are deeply in need of a new way beyond the darkness that seems so close around us." --MLK Jr.
Jac de Molay is offline   Reply With Quote
Old November 27, 2002, 09:36   #15
Father Beast
King
 
Father Beast's Avatar
 
Local Time: 04:12
Local Date: November 1, 2010
Join Date: Feb 2000
Location: My head stuck permanently in my civ
Posts: 1,703
Thrift stores
I've been thinking about going around to the thrift stores and scouting for old computers. You have to do some digging, because some of them have them and some don't, but between a handful of old PC's I should be able to get something working...

I've had mixed results with moslo. it has never crashed the system, but often doesn't work, or work right. like in Ultima II, trying to land the spaceship is almost impossible. at full speed the terrain is going too fast to control, and with moslo on, the terrain still spins by too fast, but the screen updates are slowed down, making it even worse.

i even have at least one game which refuse to slow down at all under any slowdown program.

for slowing down, the more radical, and effective solution, is to enter the bios and turn off the internal and external cache. that works for every slowdown problem I've tried.
Just, for goodness sakes, DON'T LET IT LOAD WINDOWS WITH THE CACHES DISABLED. I did that once and had to wait 10 minutes for it to load so I could shut it down.
then my daughter tried loading the sims, and I was stuck for a half hour....
__________________
Any man can be a Father, but it takes someone special to be a BEAST

I was just about to point out that Horsie is simply making excuses in advance for why he will suck at Civ III...
...but Father Beast beat me to it! - Randomturn
Father Beast is offline   Reply With Quote
Old November 27, 2002, 19:50   #16
Markus The Mighty
NationStates
Chieftain
 
Local Time: 12:12
Local Date: November 1, 2010
Join Date: Jun 2000
Posts: 56
My computer is ancient enough (PII/300, but lotsa RAM ), so games like MoM don't pose problems.

However, I recently had problems with Machiavelli because I am not supposed to have a VESA driver. (I had reinstalled the game,but before it didn't seem to require one )

Overall, I'm quite content. Who needs those flashy new 3D graphics when one can play the true gems of PC game industry?

(and besides, I have a brother with a cool PIII around to play Morrowind )
__________________
War doesn't prove who is right, only who is left.
Markus The Mighty is offline   Reply With Quote
Old December 2, 2002, 04:33   #17
Richard Bruns
King
 
Local Time: 12:12
Local Date: November 1, 2010
Join Date: Nov 1999
Location: NC, USA
Posts: 1,579
Re: Thrift stores
Quote:
Originally posted by Father Beast
I've been thinking about going around to the thrift stores and scouting for old computers. You have to do some digging, because some of them have them and some don't, but between a handful of old PC's I should be able to get something working...
In my experience, thrift store computer equipment is good for low comedy and little else. One time I saw something that looked like a computer case. On closer inspection, however, I discovered that it was an ancient external CD-ROM drive designed to be attached via serial cable. The thing was literally as big as my computer. It even had the buttons on the front like fast forward and play that normal CD players have. I was almost tempted to pay the ten dollars and take it home just for the humor value.

More recently, I paid $20 for an old computer that seemed like it would be a good upgrade for my familyīs old computer. It came not from a thrift store but from my momīs office. My mom is a nurse, and the office wiped all the software off the computers before they sold them, to prevent anyoneīs confidential medical information from getting out. First I tried to simply move the hard drive from our old computer into the new one, but that didnīt work. Then I tried various other things to make it work, to no avail. It turned out that the CD drive was shot, and the drive from the other computer didnīt work in it either. All the OS software I have now is on CD-rom, so my only hope now is to find an ancient copy of DOS, or perhaps a Linux distribution on floppy disks. If I canīt do that the only use for it is its small hard drive to add as a slave.
Richard Bruns is offline   Reply With Quote
Old December 5, 2002, 00:07   #18
DarkCloud
staff
NationStatesAlpha Centauri Democracy GameCivilization II Democracy GameInterSite Democracy Game: Apolyton TeamSpanish CiversCiv4 InterSite DG: Apolyton TeamPolyCast TeamApolyton Storywriters' GuildAge of Nations TeamApolytoners Hall of Fame
 
DarkCloud's Avatar
 
Local Time: 11:12
Local Date: November 1, 2010
Join Date: Jul 2000
Location: Deity of Lists
Posts: 11,873
I had one- but it's battery failed last month
__________________
-->Visit CGN!
-->"Production! More Production! Production creates Wealth! Production creates more Jobs!"-Wendell Willkie -1944
DarkCloud is offline   Reply With Quote
Old December 5, 2002, 09:50   #19
LDiCesare
GalCiv Apolyton EmpireCivilization IV Creators
Emperor
 
Local Time: 13:12
Local Date: November 1, 2010
Join Date: Jan 2001
Location: Ashes
Posts: 3,065
I kept a 486 to play civ, Moo and MoM until its alim/battery failed too. I managed to play MoM on Win98 somehow on my next computer, but I no longer use it either because it is a laptop whose screen is slowly falling apart. I still have MoM on it (and the early versions of Clash of course!).
In fact, I now buy laptops because I can keep them long after they become obsolete without wasting space. There's the fact that I never spend more than 4 days in the same place, too.
LDiCesare is offline   Reply With Quote
Old December 6, 2002, 09:34   #20
child of Thor
Call to Power II Democracy GameCTP2 Source Code Project
Emperor
 
child of Thor's Avatar
 
Local Time: 11:12
Local Date: November 1, 2010
Join Date: Jan 2002
Location: UK
Posts: 3,272
I've got an Amiga1200 that is working fine and i use nearly everyday - it has some great games.
Also in a friends attic,an old 8bit Atari that also still impresses me,when i get it out, with the quality of some of the games made for it.
Old school games are great(....but when they are bad, they are very very bad!), and everyone should own an 'antique' computer ,on ebay you can get a real bargin to play those classics on.
__________________
'The very basis of the liberal idea – the belief of individual freedom is what causes the chaos' - William Kristol, son of the founder of neo-conservitivism, talking about neo-con ideology and its agenda for you.info here. prove me wrong.

Bush's Republican=Neo-con for all intent and purpose. be afraid.
child of Thor is offline   Reply With Quote
Old December 6, 2002, 10:37   #21
statusperfect
King
 
statusperfect's Avatar
 
Local Time: 13:12
Local Date: November 1, 2010
Join Date: May 2002
Location: Sweden
Posts: 1,333
Yes. Old 486.
statusperfect is offline   Reply With Quote
Old December 7, 2002, 11:34   #22
Father Beast
King
 
Father Beast's Avatar
 
Local Time: 04:12
Local Date: November 1, 2010
Join Date: Feb 2000
Location: My head stuck permanently in my civ
Posts: 1,703
Re: Re: Thrift stores
Quote:
Originally posted by Richard Bruns


In my experience, thrift store computer equipment is good for low comedy and little else.
You really have to do some looking. some thrift stores will never have anything, and some others will periodically have equipment. I have about 15 thrift stores within about an hour's drive of my place, and only 3 of them ever have any decent stuff. it seems that some places never put anything out, and just throw donated parts and systems away.

one of the thrift stores i like going to even has a rack where they put all the odd cards they get - $1.00 each. that's where I got my first vga card for my 386 5 years ago.

it goes the other way sometimes, too. one of the stores that used to have stuff has stopped putting it out. new management, I guess..
__________________
Any man can be a Father, but it takes someone special to be a BEAST

I was just about to point out that Horsie is simply making excuses in advance for why he will suck at Civ III...
...but Father Beast beat me to it! - Randomturn
Father Beast is offline   Reply With Quote
Old December 9, 2002, 01:10   #23
War4ever
Civilization II MultiplayerCivilization III MultiplayerCivilization II Democracy GameApolytoners Hall of Fame
Emperor
 
War4ever's Avatar
 
Local Time: 03:12
Local Date: November 1, 2010
Join Date: Dec 1969
Location: I live amongst the Red Sox Nation
Posts: 7,969
yeah the computer i currently use !!!!!!
__________________
Boston Red Sox are 2004 World Series Champions!
War4ever is offline   Reply With Quote
Old December 15, 2002, 16:56   #24
CapTVK
Civilization II MultiplayerPolyCast TeamApolyCon 06 Participants
King
 
CapTVK's Avatar
 
Local Time: 11:12
Local Date: November 1, 2010
Join Date: Apr 2007
Location: Voorburg, the Netherlands, Europe
Posts: 2,899
Quote:
Originally posted by Lars-E
I have a Commodore 64 in the attic. I even bought a floppydisc and a taperecorder for it - years after C64 was old news.

I found out it's possible to play those old C64-games on the PC with an emulator. So I finished Maniac Mansion which I never did on C64.

What I'd like now is to use those old C64 joysticks on my PC. An interface has to be developed for that purpose. Sadly the engineers at my church who do stuff like this had no time.

Lars-e
You should check out the Catweasel floppy controller card. It also features a special connector for those old digital joysticks controllers.
CapTVK is offline   Reply With Quote
Old December 15, 2002, 17:12   #25
Andemagne
Civilization II MultiplayerNationStatesCivilization II Succession GamesACDG3 Spartans
King
 
Andemagne's Avatar
 
Local Time: 13:12
Local Date: November 1, 2010
Join Date: Dec 1999
Location: Rovaniemi, Lappland
Posts: 1,551
I trouwed(sp?) my old C64 away a year ago. current converter was broken and I didn't room for the machine, since I'm living in a small student box rigth now. have regretted it since then. *sigh*
__________________
My Words Are Backed With Bad Attitude And VETERAN KNIGHTS!
Andemagne is offline   Reply With Quote
Old December 15, 2002, 17:16   #26
CapTVK
Civilization II MultiplayerPolyCast TeamApolyCon 06 Participants
King
 
CapTVK's Avatar
 
Local Time: 11:12
Local Date: November 1, 2010
Join Date: Apr 2007
Location: Voorburg, the Netherlands, Europe
Posts: 2,899
I keep an old 386SX 2Mb RAM with Soundblaster and Roland MT-32 around, for old times sake...
CapTVK is offline   Reply With Quote
Old December 15, 2002, 17:22   #27
CapTVK
Civilization II MultiplayerPolyCast TeamApolyCon 06 Participants
King
 
CapTVK's Avatar
 
Local Time: 11:12
Local Date: November 1, 2010
Join Date: Apr 2007
Location: Voorburg, the Netherlands, Europe
Posts: 2,899
Quote:
Originally posted by Andemagne
I trouwed(sp?) my old C64 away a year ago. current converter was broken and I didn't room for the machine, since I'm living in a small student box rigth now. have regretted it since then. *sigh*

Cheer up, they're plenty of old C64's floating around on the 2nd market. And wait, what do I see there in the distance? It's a glimmer of HOPE !
CapTVK is offline   Reply With Quote
Old January 6, 2003, 14:27   #28
Panda
Prince
 
Local Time: 11:12
Local Date: November 1, 2010
Join Date: Dec 1969
Location: Europe
Posts: 744
I still have my old P120 for classics like Shandalar, Syndicate (again), and Colonization which won't run on my current computer. Sometimes its a matter of OS, but some games like Shandalar can't be played on a high-spec PC because the games moves too fast for you to react.

On that note I kept the old family PC (IBM 386) tuned up so I could occasionally play Wing Commander.
__________________
"I didn't invent these rules, I'm just going to use them against you."
Panda is offline   Reply With Quote
Old January 8, 2003, 07:08   #29
Richard Bruns
King
 
Local Time: 12:12
Local Date: November 1, 2010
Join Date: Nov 1999
Location: NC, USA
Posts: 1,579
Quote:
Originally posted by Andrew Livings
On that note I kept the old family PC (IBM 386) tuned up so I could occasionally play Wing Commander.
I have a copy of two wing commander games that I got in bargain packs, but I have been entirely unable to get either one to run, even on the old machine. That really annoys me, because they are supposed to be really good, and I own them but can't play them.

I have the same problem with Ultima 7. I get other games like Savage Empire to run, but not that one. It is kind of sad that I already own more good games than I have time to install properly and enjoy playing, but I keep getting new ones. Granted, most of the games I get are free or nearly so, but still...
Richard Bruns is offline   Reply With Quote
Old January 8, 2003, 07:31   #30
aaglo
King
 
aaglo's Avatar
 
Local Time: 14:12
Local Date: November 1, 2010
Join Date: Aug 2001
Location: the contradiction is filled with holes...
Posts: 1,398
Richard -
I have had similar problems with ultima 7a (black gate & forge of virtue) on my old pc (AMD 200Mhz MMX processor). With a shareware version of a program called moslo I was able to play it though.

Ultima 7b (serpent isle & silver seed) had a slow-down option in itself (I think it was Alt-8 or Alt-F8.... well, read the manual), which was quite handy.
__________________
I'm not a complete idiot: some parts are still missing.
aaglo is offline   Reply With Quote
Reply

Bookmarks

Thread Tools

Posting Rules
You may not post new threads
You may not post replies
You may not post attachments
You may not edit your posts

BB code is On
Smilies are On
[IMG] code is On
HTML code is On

Forum Jump


All times are GMT -4. The time now is 07:12.


Design by Vjacheslav Trushkin, color scheme by ColorizeIt!.
Powered by vBulletin® Version 3.8.2
Copyright ©2000 - 2010, Jelsoft Enterprises Ltd.
Apolyton Civilization Site | Copyright Đ The Apolyton Team