Pasteurized games, just doodling around...

[gpetersz]

I hope I used the doodle verb in right context in the title... :)

And I hope I found the proper group. Actually it is something like "your office" or so. If not then I ask the moderators to move it. Thanks!

I was just thinking about gaming (as always, I think we haven't grown mentally since we were teens) and found that I have some games what installed on my computer for ages. I might called them pasteurized or UHT...? :)

One is Civil War, an character mode(!) strategy game, with built in level editor, quite good range of unit types and well-thought game-mechanism. I still play it from time to time. The other is Fantasy General. I just love this one (good unit portrait art) and the good ol' Panzer General hexa-strategy with some new elements (like resting). There is Heroes of Might&Magic 2 and 3 (somehow the 4th one has not touched me) and Age of Wonders 1 and 2. Yes, I am a strategy freak. But I also have Counter-Strike installed since 2001... (a youngster with its 4 years) in any form, now it is CS: Source.

I only thought of the whys. And here could come many things. I think computer gaming (at least widely known computer gaming) roots back to the 70s. Now, we have our own "classics", as in filming, music or any other art form. We have big hits, and some of them are real good even today.

I even celebrated when emulators appeared. I got all I could put my greedy hands on. I even downloaded old games (shame on me). I still replay Manic Miner some times (installed, naturally) or Chuckie Egg. I have the remakes as well, some of them are good, but they only sometimes reach the fun level of the originals.

Have you got any long-lived game on your PCs? Or am I alone such a sentimental idiot? ;)

[electronicStar]

Well with the constant evolution of Operating systems and hardware it is difficult to keep a game installed and working more than a few years, apart from emulated games.
There is one game that remained for years and that I could play everyday without growing bored of it, that was the old "Magic the gathering" game from interplay. You didn't have to collect cards like in the "real" version of the card game and it was a great strategy game (coded by Sid MEIER).Now that I am talking of Sid MEIER I remember of Civilization, I mean CIV 2, I was so disappointed by call to power that I didn't bother installing the next versions.

[Fry Crayola]

Now that I am talking of Sid MEIER I remember of Civilization, I mean CIV 2, I was so disappointed by call to power that I didn't bother installing the next versions.

That's a bit harsh, as Sid Meier had nothing to do with Call to Power 1 or 2, they were a breakaway for the name developed by others.

[gpetersz]

Yes, the OS-s have changed, and I have to use DosBOX now on XP to have dos games run, but they are still here. :)

[bignobody]

You are definitely not alone :D

I regularly fire up my trusty C64 emulator (CCS64 rocks! http://www.computerbrains.com/ccs64/) for some old school nostalgia.

I also regularly look through the treasure trove of goodness at the underdogs ( http://www.the-underdogs.org/ ).

And of course, NetHack will never die! (http://www.nethack.org).

Cheers,

[chanon]

Master of Orion 1 and X-Com 1 are two games that I can still have lots of fun and spend lots of time playing even today.

[Coyote]

DOSBOX RAWKS!

Lesseee... oldies but goodies I still like to play:

Epic Pinball (before there was Unreal, before Jazz Jackrabbit, there was Jill... well, and after Jill there was Epic Pinball)

Master of Orion 2

Civilization 2

X-Com

Ultima Underworld I and II

Ultima 6 and Ultima 7 (Through the "Exult" emulator)

And I've been cycling through a few older games as well.

[soniCron]

Epic Pinball (before there was Unreal, before Jazz Jackrabbit, there was Jill... well, and after Jill there was Epic Pinball) And before it all, there was ZZT (http://www.autofish.net/creation/video_games/zzt/index.html). This game inspired me to consider game development as a hobby, and then a career. I still make adventures for ZZT every so often. Totally worth checking out. (Don't let the screenshots fool you!)

[gosub]

I thought my old video arcade games were lost to history. But they made an emulator, and you can play them on a PC today:

http://gosub.com/Jeremy/CocoVideoGames.htm

-Jeremy

[Abscissa]

And before it all, there was ZZT (http://www.autofish.net/creation/video_games/zzt/index.html). This game inspired me to consider game development as a hobby, and then a career. I still make adventures for ZZT every so often. Totally worth checking out. (Don't let the screenshots fool you!)
Ah yes, the old text-mode action games. Good stuff :) Apogee had a similar game called Kroz.

[soniCron]

Ah yes, the old text-mode action games. Good stuff :) Apogee had a similar game called Kroz. And this whole time I thought ZZT was the first! I remember MegaZEUX, but it didn't really have that magic ZZT did. I've gotta check out Kroz now! (Is that "Zork" spelled backwards?) :)