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Old MS-DOS Games

SystemSystem Member, NoReporting Posts: 178,019 Arc User
edited May 2012 in Ten Forward
Who remembers the gems of old?

Traffic Department 2192: Epic Story
Raptor: Call of the Shadows: Epic Shooter
Rise of the Triad
DOOM
Wolfenstein 3D
Blake Stone: Aliens of Gold & Planet Strike
Tyrian
Q-Basic Gorillas

Anyone else remember some old classics?
Post edited by Unknown User on
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  • Archived PostArchived Post Member Posts: 2,264,498 Arc User
    edited May 2012
    My earliest DOS games:
    Rogue (like nethack)
    Firepower (overhead tank combat)
    StarFlight (like Star Control 2)

    Then there was a large gap since my computer was junk and I was just a kid. By the time I got back into things, I was all the way up to:
    X-Com series
    MechWarrior 2
    Wing Commander series
  • Archived PostArchived Post Member Posts: 2,264,498 Arc User
    edited May 2012
    I played Tetris on a green screen.
  • Archived PostArchived Post Member Posts: 2,264,498 Arc User
    edited May 2012
    the ones i have and still play sometimes

    Master of Orion
    Reuniun
    Acendency
    lemmings
    mortal combat
    tomb raider
    Crusader
    Quake
    Strife
  • Archived PostArchived Post Member Posts: 2,264,498 Arc User
    edited May 2012
    Snake :)

    10char
  • Archived PostArchived Post Member Posts: 2,264,498 Arc User
    edited May 2012
    Oh, and Star Trek: A Final Unity. The best game EVER!!!!!
  • Archived PostArchived Post Member Posts: 2,264,498 Arc User
    edited May 2012
    You young wipper snappers and your fancy MS-DOS.

    It'll never catch on.

    It'll never be as good as EMPIRE was played on TRS-DOS on my Tandy Model I

    For you youngings....this was the REAL 1st home computer, predated Comodore Pet, apple, IBM... all of 'em

    As a note... EMPIRE grew up to be CIVILIZATION by Sid Meijer
  • Archived PostArchived Post Member Posts: 2,264,498 Arc User
    edited May 2012
    Oh, and Star Trek: A Final Unity. The best game EVER!!!!!

    Yeah I miss that game. One of my favorites.
  • Archived PostArchived Post Member Posts: 2,264,498 Arc User
    edited May 2012
    Doom
    Star Trek TNG: A Final Unity
    Star Trek: Captain's Chair
    Mega Man X PC
    Bioforge
    SSN-21 Seawolf
    Buncha others I can't remember right now
  • Archived PostArchived Post Member Posts: 2,264,498 Arc User
    edited May 2012
    Some of these may be early Windows, but I loved:

    F19 Stealth Fighter
    Tank Commander
    Red Baron II
    Their Finest Hour: Battle of Britain
    Railroad Tycoon
    Gunship
    Zork
    X-Wing series
  • Archived PostArchived Post Member Posts: 2,264,498 Arc User
    edited May 2012
    I remember:

    TOP GUN (floppy disc!) and Boulder Dash. I played them on my Dad's Tandy 1000. It cost him $2500.00 back in 1986. My iPad 3 is like the USS Enterprise NCC-1701-E's computer core compared to it, LOL!

    :D
  • Archived PostArchived Post Member Posts: 2,264,498 Arc User
    edited May 2012
    Microprose F-15 Strike Eagle III

    The first MS-DOS game I had to make a Boot Disc for.
  • Archived PostArchived Post Member Posts: 2,264,498 Arc User
    edited May 2012
    1) Gary Grigsby's Pacific War - been playing this 1992 - there is a new improved free version on matrixgames.com with improved graphics, strategic AI and other fixes

    2) Steel Panthers series - again you can get improved versions of SP2 and SP3 with both WW2 (again from Matrixgames) and modern warfare total conversions. They are surprisingly realistic as there was extensive work over the years to make 'everything as right as possible'.

    3) X-Com : Terror From the Deep.
    There were many X-com clones over the last decade, best of all the German produced UFO series (Aftermath, Aftershock, etc).

    But none of them could match the sheer terror of deadly underwater combat like the original "UFO2" which was titled Terror From the Deep. I still have nightmares about piloting deep sea interceptor submarines against enormous alien battleships using nothing but a primitive sonar and fire control display. And yes you could set it up so that you had multiple subs engaging the same target simultaneously. Way better than STO carrier pets as you could manually set attack patterns, fire weapons individually etc.

    You researched and designed the loadouts for your attack subs manually, by yourself. You paid to manufacture their weapon systems or bought them from government sources. If you lose the sub you paid for the replacement yourself. Same for ground combat, either do inhouse RnD, reverse engineer alien equipment or buy from government sources.

    4) Falcon 2.0 and 3.0 + MiG29 expansion
    Were my first taste of flight sims and I eventually learned to play them with full systems complexity and realism settings. Those games were quite advanced for their time and omg, 20 floppy disks.

    Fighting Steel (with NWS expansion)
    This is also a very, very old 3D naval combat simulator. It has once again been made almost completely historically accurate by third party developers - NavalWarfare.net

    Battles are very challenging because with good weather you can fire battleship main guns to their historical ballistic ranges, with also period-authentic fire control effectiveness. That means you have to use target aspect ratio, wind speed, ballistic computers, radars (if USN) in order to secure victory in historical or fictional fleet batties.

    The historical battles are such like the Battle of River Plate where realistic orders of battle are used. Campaign generators give you 'what if' scenarios like what could occur if you had a battleship engagement between Japan's new Yamato class and the US Navy in early 1942.

    Unlike simplified combat games like STO, Fighting Steel models historical armour protection systems and shell ballistics. So yes, you have to engineer your strategies so that your shells will do maximum damage to the weak points of enemy ships. Battlecruisers for instance, had weaker deck armour so were vulnerable to plunging shots through the deck from long range.

    And as for going up against the Yamato... you're going to learn to use a lot of desperate tactics. You can't go one on one with her in an early war American battleship... but you can screen your BBs with your CAs and make the Yamato waste precious main gun shots trying to hit the screening vessels, using them as sacrificial protection if necessary. Load cruiser guns with HE shells to basically plaster the Yamato with hi explosives to disable fire control systems and other soft components outside the implenetrable armor belt. I managed to disable the Yamato's fire directors and caused significant damage to the superstructure after about 2 hours of constant battle, but it was a wasteful and indecisive engagement as not a single destroyer or cruiser could get a torpedo solution on the Yamato as her secondary triple 6" gun battery actually performed to historical specs... each secondary turret to be able to engage enemy escort vessels individually.

    And as for battles taking 2 hours or more to resolve... that's perfectly realistic for a WW2 naval engagement too. Ships had 300 or more main gun rounds per magazine but that's really not enough and you do have to conserve ammo and fire on valid solutions and use a lot of thinking skills to 'cross the T' and deliver some effective punishing blows :)

    Unlike STO where you destroy thousands of enemy ships a day (well, you could, in the Gorn Minefield), you worked for hours or even days to sink an enemy ship in those old naval battle sims. And that made each 'sinking' tremendously satisfying.
  • Archived PostArchived Post Member Posts: 2,264,498 Arc User
    edited May 2012
    Star Trek...in 1982..on my dad's TRS-80,64K computer. The Enterprise was represented with <E>, and the Klingons were <K>.It took 25 minutes to load from a cassette tape in machine language. It only took a neck breaking, lighting fast 10 minutes to load when he upgraded the memory to 128k.:rolleyes:I think I have photos that require more memory than that now..:eek:
  • Archived PostArchived Post Member Posts: 2,264,498 Arc User
    edited May 2012
    hort_wort wrote: »
    My earliest DOS games:
    Rogue (like nethack)
    Firepower (overhead tank combat)
    StarFlight (like Star Control 2)

    Then there was a large gap since my computer was junk and I was just a kid. By the time I got back into things, I was all the way up to:
    X-Com series
    MechWarrior 2
    Wing Commander series



    What they did with Starflight and on 2X 5,1/4 floppy disks, its awesomeness can never be matched. I got immersed and lost in that game for months if not years. So much to explore, plot and chart.

    EA hold the rights for it and it was recentyl re released on GOG. Was only $5.
  • Archived PostArchived Post Member Posts: 2,264,498 Arc User
    edited May 2012
    many that your could save twoon a 5 / floppy without punching it to use side two..
    remember 512k game files

    Ah Twilight2000
    ---Fields of Glory [hoby spectrum byte.. ur <microprose> Napoleonic Lead up battles to and Waterloo

    remember non compatable sound cards and irq address set ups and boot disk

    CASSETTE option for C64! C128 Avalon Hill Computer Battle of Midway! hooked up to 42' rear projection via
    the uhf adapter like a Pong game http://www.google.com/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=avalon%20hill%20computer%20battle%20of%20midway&source=web&cd=2&ved=0CG4QFjAB&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.hotud.org%2Fcomponent%2Fcontent%2Farticle%2F44-war%2F21742&ei=PKCzT8HNNJSi8gTeytD9CA&usg=AFQjCNHR_h4aNt6w6yArhSiGkhitE3RkBQ
  • Archived PostArchived Post Member Posts: 2,264,498 Arc User
    edited May 2012
    Vhakka wrote: »
    What they did with Starflight and on 2X 5,1/4 floppy disks, its awesomeness can never be matched. I got immersed and lost in that game for months if not years. So much to explore, plot and chart.

    EA hold the rights for it and it was recentyl re released on GOG. Was only $5.

    Yep! :D I snatched it up on GOG right away! I also found the Sega Genesis version for a couple $ on ebay last year. Tis an excellent, enhanced port.

    Ah, I miss that game. I'm surprised no modern equivalent has taken its place. Sure, you can explore places in a space sim and pick up salvage to upgrade your ship, but you can't land on a planet and dig through ancient ruins. Hmmmm, I guess STO would be like that if it were a single player game instead of an MMO.
  • Archived PostArchived Post Member Posts: 2,264,498 Arc User
    edited May 2012
    carmenara wrote:
    Steel Panthers

    LOL, I still have mine in the box.
  • Archived PostArchived Post Member Posts: 2,264,498 Arc User
    edited May 2012
    Star Trek 25th Anniversary
    Star Trek Judgement Rites

    :P Love to play them got the extended CD-Rom Version of 25th Anniverary :D
  • Archived PostArchived Post Member Posts: 2,264,498 Arc User
    edited May 2012
    I have pratically all the Trek DOS games but my favourite DOS games have to be the Lucas Art's ones. Spent ages on stuff like Day of the Tentacle and Fate of Atlantis but also X-wing and Tie-Fighter
  • Archived PostArchived Post Member Posts: 2,264,498 Arc User
    edited May 2012
    RKRider wrote:
    As a note... EMPIRE grew up to be CIVILIZATION by Sid Meijer

    Omg, omg... Civilization was my first game I could play (well, before that I get to play around with an ibm xt-at compatible...and a game called Barbarian... But thats all I remember... :P)

    Again, Civ is probably THE only game I have played for so long (at times I would still fire up Dosbox and then Civ... I already have some games I saved... :) ), and finished about 97% of 'em. Some normal ones, but most were on custom earth maps... :P :)

    My prefered dificulty is Warlord and 7 enemy civilizations... But as far as race (or army, whatever) I dont really have a preference.

    Ok, my games of times old...:
    *Wolfenstein 3-D
    *Doom I&II (+ several fanmade addon levels; the so called wad-files - I think that stands for World Addon files...)
    *Command&Conquer 1& Red Alert1 (+ expansions, all of 'em; C&C1 Covert Ops and RA1 CounterStrike and The Aftermath)
    *Rise of the triad (only the demo though :P)
    *F-22 Raptor (the up/down scrolling shooter)
    *BioMenace, Commander Stryker, Halloween Harry, Cosmo's Cosmic Adventure (by Apogee; these were all so-called shareware games...)
    *Wing Commander III&IV (yay for Luke Skywalker!! :P)
    *and ofcourse EGA Trek and VGA Trek (those still exist today, in some more modern version...)
    *StarFleet Academy (by Infogrames, they dont exist anymore...)
    and some more...

    Yea, I can say I am a gamer... Not good at what I do, but a gamer pur sang... :cool::D
    Take my games away, and you take my life away... That is as simple as that... :P

    greetzz
  • Archived PostArchived Post Member Posts: 2,264,498 Arc User
    edited May 2012
    *Command&Conquer 1& Red Alert1 (+ expansions, all of 'em; C&C1 Covert Ops and RA1 CounterStrike and The Aftermath)

    Ohhh yeah! I can't believe I forgot those early rts games! I think I enjoyed the C&C installation and user interface more than the game, though. ;)

    Also, Cryptic, GIVE ME HER VOICE!!! Not me, I mean, my ship. I want that for my ship! :D
  • Archived PostArchived Post Member Posts: 2,264,498 Arc User
    edited May 2012
    hort_wort wrote: »
    Then there was a large gap since my computer was junk and I was just a kid. By the time I got back into things, I was all the way up to:
    X-Com series
    MechWarrior 2
    Wing Commander series

    Loved: X-COM
    Loved MW2 and MW2 Mercenaries

    LOVED WC 1 - 4 (IMO, WC3 was amazing back in it's day) WC5 was okay. Loved Privateer too (same universe).

    I really wish EA hadn't gutted Origin Systems as I think were they still around we could have had an MMO set in the WC/Privateer universe; and would have to worry about comment like "There's too much derstruction and blowing up of enemy ships without giving them a chance to surrender..." ;)
  • Archived PostArchived Post Member Posts: 2,264,498 Arc User
    edited May 2012
    Pong , as played on an Oscilloscope (-2sp?)
    Alaso

    Guadalcanal 1942: Whatever you do, DON'T take an Atlanta Class light cruiser against a Yamato, it won't end well for you
    Xwing Series
    Wing Commander Series
    Masters of Orion (except 3, which sucked)
    Privateer
    Naval Warship Gunner 1 &2 along with Naval Warship Commander which allowed some interesting ship design choices, up to an including my favorite.. Wave guns!!! along with 16 inch Gatlings :D
  • Archived PostArchived Post Member Posts: 2,264,498 Arc User
    edited May 2012
    Ah Winters nice AA cruiser LT .. I miss Fighting Steel Grand Atlantic Campaigns The hypothetical large German battleships scary stuff too .. But nothing like Yamato's 18's..
    I didn't mind Graf Spee but Scharnhorst was my fav

    Microprose Fleet Defender F-14
    Red October sub campaign
    X-Com ah yes ..COW DOWN its a Harvester mr Rico!

    Colt pc 512 Gengis Khan by Konami !


    http://www.google.com/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=fighting%20steel%20grand%20atlantic%20campaigns%20&source=web&cd=2&ved=0CF4QFjAB&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.german-navy.de%2Fgames%2Ffightingsteel%2Ffsna.html&ei=Ugm0T4-BE4ug8gTiorDqDw&usg=AFQjCNGDekAADA4P7O9SE1-Q0RZUkZoVWg
  • Archived PostArchived Post Member Posts: 2,264,498 Arc User
    edited May 2012
    Some of my favorites were:
    - Blackthorne
    - Monkey Island 1 & 2
    - Commander Keen
    - Doom
    - Duke 3D
    - Pool of Radiance
    - Adventure Castle
    - And many others I can't think of at the moment!

    EDIT: Argh! How could I forget Fallout 1,2 and Tactics. In fact, I still play Tactics Multilayer now and then.
  • Archived PostArchived Post Member Posts: 2,264,498 Arc User
    edited May 2012
    The most favorite dos games I can remember are as follows

    Redneck Rampage
    Redneck Rampage Rides Again
    Tom Clancy`s SSN (I remember this I ran in a DOS window)

    I used to run Titanic Adventure Out of Time in a DOS window, only way I could get more than 5 mins of game play in at a time before the game would freeze up.

    Aside from that there were alot of old games I played that were backwards compatible in DOS mode since they were very early window`s games.

    Civil War Generals I
    Civil War Generals II
    Half Life 1
    Half Life : Opposing Force
    Half Life : Blue Shift
    Sim City 2000
    Microsoft Combat Flight Simulator
    Fallout 1
    Fallout 2
    Fallout Tactics
    Most of the Sierra hunting and fishing games
    Then there was Need for Speed 3 which I just had to buy the pedal and wheel assembly to play which set me back $50 for the top of the line model.

    Aside from that the other games I like are all post windows 98. The fallout series I didnt start playing till friend turned me onto Fallout 3 a few years back.
  • Archived PostArchived Post Member Posts: 2,264,498 Arc User
    edited May 2012
    Having a mighty 386sx 20 with a 40 meg hardrive -

    To be able to play the best games I had to have -

    Qemm

    But games wise,

    Wing Commander 1-4
    Any Sierra Games, but especially Hero's quest (think it changed it's name to Quest for glory)...

    Ahh life wasn't so simple then, but immensely fun...

    Oh and I never could get Ultima 8 to work on my machine and to this day, I refuse to play it as the specs were too high :(
  • Archived PostArchived Post Member Posts: 2,264,498 Arc User
    edited May 2012
    I just found a kickstarter page for Wasteland 2!! That's an rpg that I remember from wayyyy back before I could read. I stood no chance of figuring it out, but I somehow still had fun with it.

    Note the rewards for the donation amounts. :D Cryptic, take some notes here!
  • Archived PostArchived Post Member Posts: 2,264,498 Arc User
    edited May 2012
    Did any of you play Tradewars back in the mid 80's?

    Besides that some of my favs were:
    Fallout
    Doom
    Heritic
    Wolfenstien
    Pretty much every Trek game
    And of course Civilizations
  • Archived PostArchived Post Member Posts: 2,264,498 Arc User
    edited May 2012
    Monkey Island 2 (my copy of the first game never worked).
    X-Com: Terror from the Deep.
    X-Wing.
    Wing Commander.
    Dune 2.
    Sam and Max Hit the Road.
    Dungeon Master.
    Eye of the Beholder 1 & 2.
    Bloodwych (like Dungeon Master, but 2 player. Most fun I ever had with split screen co-op).
    System Shock.
    Doom (naturally).
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