Remember Classic PC Games - Not Ready Reading Drive A; Abort, Retry, Fail?

Blackhawk1313 · October 2011

Nostalgia Alert!

For many people computer games were their first experience of the gaming world, specifically PC games. Despite my first computer being an Apple IIE, and my first games played were educational national park games on floppy disks on said IIE, I have some amazingly fond memories of old PC games. Herein, I say we jump on the nostalgia train and ride the rails back in time to remember fondly these classics. I'll start:

No thoughts on games I played on the computer early on would be complete with out giving a shout out to these early education gems in my gaming career:

Treasure Mountain

Number Muncher

As for other gaming classics I enjoyed:

King's Quest

Tie Fighter - Best Star Wars Game Ever, this is not opinion, this. is. fact.

Discuss!

Indie Winter · October 2011

there was this game I played on one of those really big floppy disks when I was little

it was a platformer, you were an explorer who went inside some ruins, you had a little mirror on your hat you could use to shoot rays of light at bats that would attack you, and every once in a while you had to solve a puzzle that would show you some ancient artifact, like the sculpted figures in Hammurabi's code.

can't for the life of me remember its name though

Moriveth · October 2011

Oh shit, Treasure Mountain! That game was the shit! Also, Midnight Rescue.

My favorite of those games was... Challenge of The Ancient Empires, I think it was called?

joshofalltrades · October 2011

Yes yes now all the good games can go here and we don't have to sully their great names by discussing them in the bad games thread

Indie Winter · October 2011

mori you are a genius

Brolo · October 2011

Ledneh · October 2011

Treasure Mountain owned but Midnight Rescue was better

edit Oh fuck you Moriveth :x

edit again wow time on these forums is really wishywashy

joshofalltrades · October 2011

Man Sierra owned my childhood

I played and beat every Space Quest, King's Quest, Quest for Glory and Police Quest (okay, not every Police Quest I admit) without the help of a guide

I was

Sierra Nerd

With the power to type commands into the parser really fast

Moriveth · October 2011

joshofalltrades wrote:

Man Sierra owned my childhood

I played and beat every Space Quest, King's Quest, Quest for Glory and Police Quest (okay, not every Police Quest I admit) without the help of a guide

I was

Sierra Nerd

With the power to type commands into the parser really fast

I was a Lucasarts kid

I think we have to fight.

joshofalltrades · October 2011

I loved Lucasarts too it's just that they didn't really have much to offer outside Maniac Mansion and Zak McKracken until the first Monkey Island game

I definitely loved their design philosophy more than Sierra's, but I liked finding all the ways to die in Sierra games

ACSIS · October 2011

I was an Elite pilot.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ffQ_Uw55S3o

Bedigunz · October 2011

Thread lacks Oregon Trail

Brolo · October 2011

The Lucasarts games were so much better than the Sierra games

Dying in an adventure game was bullshit.

joshofalltrades · October 2011

Bedigunz wrote:

Thread lacks Oregon Trail

Meh

It was a slot machine for whether or not you caught a disease before you won

Peen · October 2011

I remember this big floppy we had with like 30 dos games on it that were all shit, back when all we had was a dos machine. Those things seemed like the holy future back then and looking back on them they were whoa nelly bad.

Brolo · October 2011

Indie Winter · October 2011

RIP, big floppies

you'll always have the B drive of our hearts

joshofalltrades · October 2011

Rolo wrote:

The Lucasarts games were so much better than the Sierra games

Dying in an adventure game was bullshit.

Well now, it really depends

At a certain point a player deserves to die if they're doing something hella dumb

Like if there's a big laser fence that says, "YOU WILL BE KILLED BY THE LASER FENCE IF YOU TOUCH IT" right there, and the player walks into it, yeah you deserve your cute little death animation

But there are some really egregious deaths from that era, I admit

Blackhawk1313 · October 2011

(Yukon Trail, also totally awesome.)

Brolo · October 2011

joshofalltrades wrote:

Rolo wrote:

The Lucasarts games were so much better than the Sierra games

Dying in an adventure game was bullshit.

Well now, it really depends

At a certain point a player deserves to die if they're doing something hella dumb

Like if there's a big laser fence that says, "YOU WILL BE KILLED BY THE LASER FENCE IF YOU TOUCH IT" right there, and the player walks into it, yeah you deserve your cute little death animation

But there are some really egregious deaths from that era, I admit

Well both the needless deaths and just generally poor design:

As in many of the earlier KQ games, there are several ways to make the game unwinnable (in general forcing the player into a death situation). In the floppy version if you fail to cast spells properly (such as the sleep spell on the bandit, or strength spell on the boat) you cannot proceed further, and further attempts to move on may lead to death. Waiting to long to enter the desert temple and picking up the two items, will prevent you from solving later puzzles. If you miss saving the rat (with the stick or the shoe), you will not be able to gain freedom in the celler. If you enter the forest with amulet, but lack items needed to defeat the witch or escape the forest you will cause the player to become lost forever, or be eaten by a giant spider or man-eating plants. It's possible to lose the three emeralds without capturing the elf, again trapping you in the woods. If you eat the custard pie at any time, you will be unable to replace it, thus rendering yourself defenseless against the yeti. The same goes for eating the entire lamb leg or fail to give the leg of lamb to the eagle (you will die in the nest, as the eagle will not save you). If you miss out on saving the rat, he will be unable to rescue you from the cellar. If you rescue the rat but forget to help the cobbler, you will be rescued in the cellar but with no way to destroy the padlock. If you forget the conch, while leaving the island, you will not be able to help the old man to hear (you will be killed the moment you return to the island). Its possible to forget the crystal needed to get past the twin statues. In the giant bird's nest, you have only a few seconds to grab the locket, required to befriend Cassima. Not getting the locket will result in Graham trapped in the cell forever. The golden needle or the gold coin can be traded for other items, but it may prevent you from trading for the items specifically needed using those items. Throwing the rope onto the branch will result in death if you try to climb it (if you saved you can't go any further). If Graham does not examine the tome in Mordack's library before the end battle, he cannot change himself into anything. Its possible to miss getting the cheese (or the hook needed to get the cheese) which will prevent activation of the machine later in the game. Failing to rescue Cedric, will cause Graham to be hit by magic and die shortly before the final battle. Failing to capture Manannan will cause him to alert Mordack, causing the wizard to appear later and kill you. It's possible to forget the crowbar needed to open the gate into the labyrinth.

Some of this shit you won't realize you did wrong until several hours of gaming later, especially that fucking Custard Pie.

tsplitter · October 2011

I have had the Burn:cycle commercial in my head for over a decade now

I never even played it

TrippyJing · October 2011

Rolo wrote:

The Lucasarts games were so much better than the Sierra games

Dying in an adventure game was bullshit.

I hated Sierra games.

Why am I suddenly lost in a desert?!

neville · October 2011

Rolo wrote:

I loved Betrayal at Krondor.
Then I went years later and worked at Big Fish Games and my boss was the guy who designed it.

Pretty badass.

Abracadaniel · October 2011

Odell Lake

Brolo · October 2011

neville wrote:

Rolo wrote:

I loved Betrayal at Krondor.
Then I went years later and worked at Big Fish Games and my boss was the guy who designed it.

Pretty badass.

Oh wow, that is awesome. I just loved how much depth and scope the game had, but the writing kept it from feeling generic like the early Elder Scrolls Arena/Daggerfall games.

joshofalltrades · October 2011

Okay, so the worst example I can think of is from King's Quest IV, which is an otherwise great game (probably my favorite of the series, aside from this huge flaw).

The whole goal of this game is to get this magic fruit that only grows in a swamp that's across a mountain range from you, so you need to go through these caves to get the fruit. You need a magic crown to turn into a frog to get through the waterfall to get to the caves that lead to the swamp that has the hillocks that lead to the magic fruit. But you're not told any of that; it's just, "Cross mountains, get fruit, make your way back home somehow -- oh, and the fairy who teleported you here is too weak to bring you back, so yeah better heal her before she dies or you're stuck."

So anyways, you get the crown you need. Marvelous. You get through the waterfall, sweet. Now you're in the entrance to the caves. Oh man, it looks dark in there. Well, whatever man. We gotta make our way through somehow and there's no way to get a torch or anything bigger than a tiny little light so on we go.

Nothing but darkness in these here caves... tum te dum

"GRRRRRRRRRRRRRR!!!!"

What the fuck!?

You're dead!

So here's why you died:

There's a troll in the caves, but you are not told this before you go in. The troll has a random chance of appearing on any screen in the dark caves, and it's a maze (oh joy). So you walk into the caves, and you save if the troll does not appear. You keep moving and saving every step of the way until the troll shows up, and then you desperately try to flee the screen before the troll gets to you. Which is a crap shoot, especially if the troll shows up on the screen you are fleeing to and you are not prepared for it. So you basically have to save and walk and save and walk and save and AHHHHHHH I'm dead, load, save and walk and save and walk and AHHHHHH ad nauseum.

Okay, wow that was a nightmare but you're past it now. So you get to the swamp and you get the fruit (which is it's own little bit of bullshit but I won't go into it because this post is already way longer than I wanted it to be originally).

The only way to get back to the rest of the game is... you guessed it... back through the caves with the troll still in them.

Save and walk and save and walk and AHHHHHH I'm dead, load, save and walk...

Indie Winter · October 2011

joshofalltrades · October 2011

Rolo wrote:

Well both the needless deaths and just generally poor design:

As in many of the earlier KQ games, there are several ways to make the game unwinnable (in general forcing the player into a death situation). In the floppy version if you fail to cast spells properly (such as the sleep spell on the bandit, or strength spell on the boat) you cannot proceed further, and further attempts to move on may lead to death. Waiting to long to enter the desert temple and picking up the two items, will prevent you from solving later puzzles. If you miss saving the rat (with the stick or the shoe), you will not be able to gain freedom in the celler. If you enter the forest with amulet, but lack items needed to defeat the witch or escape the forest you will cause the player to become lost forever, or be eaten by a giant spider or man-eating plants. It's possible to lose the three emeralds without capturing the elf, again trapping you in the woods. If you eat the custard pie at any time, you will be unable to replace it, thus rendering yourself defenseless against the yeti. The same goes for eating the entire lamb leg or fail to give the leg of lamb to the eagle (you will die in the nest, as the eagle will not save you). If you miss out on saving the rat, he will be unable to rescue you from the cellar. If you rescue the rat but forget to help the cobbler, you will be rescued in the cellar but with no way to destroy the padlock. If you forget the conch, while leaving the island, you will not be able to help the old man to hear (you will be killed the moment you return to the island). Its possible to forget the crystal needed to get past the twin statues. In the giant bird's nest, you have only a few seconds to grab the locket, required to befriend Cassima. Not getting the locket will result in Graham trapped in the cell forever. The golden needle or the gold coin can be traded for other items, but it may prevent you from trading for the items specifically needed using those items. Throwing the rope onto the branch will result in death if you try to climb it (if you saved you can't go any further). If Graham does not examine the tome in Mordack's library before the end battle, he cannot change himself into anything. Its possible to miss getting the cheese (or the hook needed to get the cheese) which will prevent activation of the machine later in the game. Failing to rescue Cedric, will cause Graham to be hit by magic and die shortly before the final battle. Failing to capture Manannan will cause him to alert Mordack, causing the wizard to appear later and kill you. It's possible to forget the crowbar needed to open the gate into the labyrinth.

Some of this shit you won't realize you did wrong until several hours of gaming later, especially that fucking Custard Pie.

The rat/cat/boot got me in KQ5 back in the day.

The worst example of this ever is the plant from Return to Zork, and if you don't know what I'm talking about I will be happy to explain to you just how lucky you are in this age of generally comparatively high standards for video games.

TrippyJing · October 2011

I wish I could remember what it was like when Lucasarts games suddenly started talking at me.

darleysam · October 2011

ACSIS wrote:

I was an Elite pilot.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ffQ_Uw55S3o

Yeaaaaaaaaahhhhhhh!

Brolo · October 2011

TrippyJing wrote:

Rolo wrote:

The Lucasarts games were so much better than the Sierra games

Dying in an adventure game was bullshit.

I hated Sierra games.

Why am I suddenly lost in a desert?!

In the desert near the temple, bandits come out of nowhere to kill you quickly (unless you hide behind a nearby rock).
Also in the desert, Graham cannot go for more than five screens or about 20 seconds without water.
In the bandit camp, if you walk in front of the larger tent, you will be killed quickly.
In the cliffs, there is a gap you must cross using protruding steps. One of them will send you falling to your death. However, this step is not distinguishable from the others.

really the entire desert was trial-and-error mapping as your character died over and over again while you frantically clicked the mouse button

it was still better than the maze at the end of the game, which you can't even map since your perspective shifts with each screen

roberta williams you are shit at designing games

Staleghoti · October 2011

x

fucking

COM

<micdrop>

joshofalltrades · October 2011

Rolo wrote:

TrippyJing wrote:

Rolo wrote:

The Lucasarts games were so much better than the Sierra games

Dying in an adventure game was bullshit.

I hated Sierra games.

Why am I suddenly lost in a desert?!

In the desert near the temple, bandits come out of nowhere to kill you quickly (unless you hide behind a nearby rock).
Also in the desert, Graham cannot go for more than five screens or about 20 seconds without water.
In the bandit camp, if you walk in front of the larger tent, you will be killed quickly.
In the cliffs, there is a gap you must cross using protruding steps. One of them will send you falling to your death. However, this step is not distinguishable from the others.

really the entire desert was trial-and-error mapping as your character died over and over again while you frantically clicked the mouse button

it was still better than the maze at the end of the game, which you can't even map since your perspective shifts with each screen

roberta williams you are shit at designing games

Also the voice acting was laughably bad in that game

LOOK OUT GRAHAM

A POOOOOISONOUS SNAKE

Brolo · October 2011

I don't even know why I needed Cedric the Owl

he just got his useless ass in trouble and told me I was going to die AFTER I WAS ALREADY DEAD

joshofalltrades · October 2011

Rolo wrote:

I don't even know why I needed Cedric the Owl

he just got his useless ass in trouble and told me I was going to die AFTER I WAS ALREADY DEAD

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Pruf8aLV45Q

Brolo · October 2011

joshofalltrades · October 2011

That cutscene is just as dramatic as the very first time I ever saw it

Are you coming back from this one? Who knows!

Blackhawk1313 · October 2011

Too bad its legacy is being sullied by being remade as an fps. I'd love to sit in on some of these meetings where shit decisions like that are made:
CEO: Ok, what classics haven't we looked at lately.
Design Lead: Well, we do have X-Com, widely regarded as one of the best games ever made.
CEO: Hmm, looks boring no one will buy it, hey Call of Duty practically creates money, why don't we do it like that?
Design Lead: You mean turn a classic strategy game into a dime-a-dozen fps?
CEO: That sounds like a great idea! Make it happen!
Design Lead: Sir, I really think you should reconsider...
CEO: Nope, it's brilliant! Call of Duty makes millions, this is foolproof. Now get to work, I need to go violate some other treasured classics...
Design Lead: (Darth Vader Noooo...)

joshofalltrades · October 2011

I'm probably alone here but

SSi: You pretty much know it's going to be completely awesome

joshofalltrades · October 2011

Rolo after this and the other thread I'm starting to wonder a little bit if you are me

Snicketysnick · October 2011

This game, so many hours.

11146-god-of-thunder-dos-screenshot-god-of-thunder-promo-art-used.jpg

Also this gem.

Does anyone else miss getting Shareware games for a fiver at a carboot sale?

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