[Wesbat]

in reply to: New Rendering Options? #9068

I agree @dr_st, I enjoy the pixelated fun in DOSBox too!

FYI I also use the novert TSR which gives you better mouse control.

https://www.doomworld.com/idgames/utils/misc/novert

[Wesbat]

in reply to: Final thoughts? #9036

This wasn’t my first time playing BASS, I’ll always be a fan of this game. It does have some flaws.

The most obvious is the varying quality of voice acting – the sound levels are all over the place, and start grating your ears after many hours.

The most frustrating is hunting for that one pixel in the subway puzzle, it is cruel and unforgiving.

What I love:

– the story
– the artwork
– the puzzles (most of them)
– the characters, and interacting with them
– LINC space, how it looks and your inventory inside it
– the ending

[Wesbat]

in reply to: Magazine Reviews #9014

These are great, thank you for sharing, @Pix!

[Wesbat]

in reply to: GOG Friends #8987

Thanks @Dreamkid, I sent a request and hopefully that is your GOG name 🙂

[Wesbat]

in reply to: BASS Sequel #8975

Thanks for sharing firefyte! I am definitely getting this for my play list.

[Wesbat]

in reply to: New Rendering Options? #8972

An alternative for modern systems, while keeping true to vanilla rendering, is Crispy Heretic (via the Crispy Doom project).

– Enhanced 640×400 display resolution.
– Widescreen rendering.
– Uncapped frame rate.
– Removal of static limits.
– Mouselook.
– Increased number of sound channels.
– Brightmaps.
– … and others!

(scroll to “Assets”)
https://github.com/fabiangreffrath/crispy-doom/releases/tag/crispy-doom-7.0

[Wesbat]

in reply to: But… maybe Hexen too? #8951

My first reaction is to say “Yes”.

But after stepping back and taking a moment, I realized my knee-jerk reaction is foolish.

Although it would be great to keep the pair together in one month, I feel the scope of them combined would mean neither will get the time they deserve.

Some factoids:

1) Hexen was developed as “Heretic II”, this is evidenced in the source code where each file header has the line “Heretic 2 : Raven Software, Corp.”

2) In Heretic we have the hero taking on the first of the Serpent Riders, whereas in Hexen the second rider is dealt with – albeit in another dimension, with a different hero.

3) The Heretic engine was based off DooM while adding flying, looking up-down, inventory, translucency and varied monster attack types and drops.

4) Hexen is based off Heretic, while adding character classes, falling damage, fog and a hub-based level design.

5) Hexen introduced the ACS scripting language.

6) The player can move back-and-forth between levels and items/monsters are persisted. Something that Heretic and DooM did not support.

https://doomwiki.org/wiki/Hexen

[Wesbat]

in reply to: Favorite racer character? #8659

I have been racing with all of them but leaning towards the Hefelump. I like how each has their own sound and win animation.

[Wesbat]

in reply to: Magazine Reviews #8443

That’s a great review, thanks @watchful!

It’s fun that they mention the novelty of the bodies that remain on the floor, and the mention of the map and sprite editors is a nice glimpse into the popularity of those from the start.

[Wesbat]

in reply to: Magazine Reviews #8422

Here is a shareware review I found, this one is from PC Review issue 12 (October 1992).

This write-up is short and mostly positive, but it doesn’t strike me as that well written.

It really is a shame that there isn’t a full game review to peruse.

https://archive.org/details/pc-review-12/page/109/mode/1up

Attachments:

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   PC-review-Issue-12-Wolf-3D-pg-109.png
   

[Wesbat]

in reply to: What control scheme are you using? #8419

A joystick sounds like an interesting idea @Martli. Do let us know how that goes.

I play with the default controls and mouse – arrow keys to move forward/backward and mouse to turn and strafe (hold the RMB). I do not used the RUN key, but think I might have to for the harder levels later.

The game manual actually recommends playing with the mouse (Hints and Strategies section).

[Wesbat]

in reply to: Book Suggestions #8348

Hi @tleilax. It makes me happy to see others interested in DOS development too! I am a DOS dev newbie, but aspire to create a real game one day.

Abrash’s Big Black Book is fantastic if you want to get into the nuts-and-bolts of the VGA machinery, but it reads very much like a technical manual, with a focus on assembly language. I found it a hard entry point into DOS programming. It’s on my reading list for the future, but until then I have to accumulate more experience.

I have a copy of Jonathan S. Harbour’s “Game Programming All in One 2nd Edition”. The writing is easy to read, and follows a tutorial style of building a demo game, spanning the chapters. I should note that the book is tied to the Allegro DOS game library. Available Amazon.

David Brackeen’s C VGA tutorial really helped get me started. It covers the basics in C – Entering video mode, drawing primitives and bitmaps, palette manipulation and double buffering.

Then if you want to get into a little more advanced techniques, I can recommend Lode Vandevenne graphics tutorials – flood fills, plasmas, fires, raycasting, image filtering and procedural texture generation.

I can also recommend Root42’s Let’s Code video tutorials. I find these a pleasure to watch.

http://www.brackeen.com/vga/index.html
https://lodev.org/cgtutor/
https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLGJnX2KGgaw2L7Uv5NThlL48G9y4rJx1X

[Wesbat]

in reply to: Lunar Lander mini game #8347

Lander now has a home on Codeberg

https://codeberg.org/wesbot/doslander

[Wesbat]

in reply to: First Impressions #8336

I might revise my previous statement 😉

Games do take a long time to complete, don’t they? I’m still on my first game. I can only afford one or two hour sittings, but still it’s a long game.

I think there’s an enemy ship hiding somewhere, there are no enemy cities left in the 87% of the map I’ve explored – save for the 13% of the map yet unexplored.

Edit: I found the last enemy city, mission successful!

I actually don’t have the will to finish this game today. I’ve run out of time and will continue next week 🙂

Great game, but it’s a major time sink. No doubt about it.

[Wesbat]

in reply to: First Impressions #8293

I am having a good go at the 1987 version, Empire: Wargame of the Century.

This is my kind of game. I’m not particularly great at it, but it infects me with brain worms. I keep thinking about my strategy even while not playing.

I find keyboard-only play is the easiest for this version. The use of the SHIFT key to move and scroll in larger increments is a nice quality-of-life touch. The small things make a difference, you know? Like the WAIT and SKIP TURN commands, and being able to issue orders to a group of units.

I have never PBEM before and have always been curious about this mode of play. This game would be the one, if I ever tried play by email. Yes I’m aware a game with dozens of exchanges could take months. That prospect intimidates me… yet I’m still curious.

Aside: Relocating my home later this month so my playtime will be reduced. I will keep on playing this game into the year though, the addiction is taking hold.

[Wesbat]

in reply to: How Far Did We Get in January? #8288

I reached Level 7, Wishvale. At that point I started to feel the repetition set in, but play was still engaging enough. Not sure for how much longer, however.

I should probably mention that I wasn’t able to play with the rotating 3d view, I used the fixed top-down setting.

Regrettably, I didn’t reach the secret disk defragment level 😁

[Wesbat]

in reply to: Hi from Hungary/Finland! #8248

I know I am late to the party, but welcome!

[Wesbat]

in reply to: Original or ECWolf #8247

Ditto for playing the original. I am a big fan of Wolf3D and DooM, and play them in their original forms regularly.

I would like to echo what @TigerQuoll said – It’s great to have actively development fan ports and mods, those are all good things!

[Wesbat]

in reply to: Thumbs down #8213

First time playing and I am enjoying it, mostly.

The limit of monsters you can pick up at once bugs me a little, it makes for tricky micro-management.

Currently on map 7 (Wishvale), just cannot get past those two lightning traps. They utterly decimate my imps. Guess I can just send in imps until the traps are exhausted.

For advancement I learned these useful tips – just my observations, don’t assume I know what I’m talking about 😉

– Don’t bother with beetles or flies. Drop them on the portal to remove them from play, saving resources for better fighting creatures.

– For a “crush your opponent” strategy: a large lair and training areas to start. Once a creature is level 4 build a small library and put it on research. Don’t bother with workshops.

– Monsters fight best when rested. When most are level 4 I move them to the Lair for a bit. Some will go back to train or research, I sell these areas to force them to rest.

– The Call to Arms spell is most useful for coordinating large groups. It costs nothing when cast on your own tiles. Cast it in the Lair to grab their attention, then cast it further away toward your battle-ground.

[Wesbat]

in reply to: What is this? #8079

Just popping in to say I really enjoyed the Hadrosaurus interview. I am saving the podcast episode until I played the game this weekend – I’d like to experience it spoiler free!

[Wesbat]

in reply to: Hello from Austria :) #7963

Welcome to the forums @sky76, nice to meet you!

[Wesbat]

in reply to: Which DOS games do you have on your Topsters 25 list? #7946

What fun is this?

Nice Top 25 @jefklak! I see your console versions, makes sense they superseded the DOS versions – some games are just better with a game controller.

I see we have quite a few in common @TigerQuoll 🙂

I never gravitated toward the flight sims @Pix, but I totally understand the appeal of them! Now the adventure games I get completely.

My top 25 just so happens to contain mostly DOS games. These are in no particular order.

If there was one game I would be stranded with for the rest of time, it would have to be DooM – the original 1993 and it’s sequel the following year.

1. Doom
2. Warcraft II: Tides of Darkness
3. The Secret of Monkey Island
4. Stunts
5. Prince of Persia
6. Heretic
7. Dune II: The Building of a Dynasty
8. The Legend of Kyrandia
9. Grim Fandango
10. Lost Pig (And Place Under Ground)
11. Wolfenstein 3D
12. Dune
13. Bio Menace
14. Duke Nukem I
15. Carmageddon
16. King ‘s Quest I: Quest for the Crown
17. Simon the Sorcerer
18. Beneath a Steel Sky
19. Diablo I
20. Quake I
21. Police Quest I: In Pursuit of the Death Angel
22. Sid Meier’s Civilization I
23. Monster Bash
24. Where in the World is Carmen Sandiego?

Attachments:

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   top-25-games-2023.jpg
   

[Wesbat]

in reply to: Christmas Lemmings #7938

Ooh yay! I am excited for Lemmings 😁

[Wesbat]

in reply to: Things to Watch Out For #7909

Those are great tips, thanks Mike.

I save a new slot at the start of each chapter, and use f9/f10 to quick save/load in between action. Quick save uses slot 0, which is not listed in the menu, so it won’t overwrite your last slot-save.

[Wesbat]

in reply to: Magazine Reviews #7882

Thanks for those scans @Pix!

I haven’t played ROTH before but am looking forward to it! I bought a copy from GOG.com and read other magazine reviews, which can be found on the wiki[1].

Also noteworthy is an unofficial fan site[2] I came across. It provides maps, a walkthrough and other bits of interest. I tip my hat to it’s owners who have kept it online since 2002!

[1]: https://tales-from-the-tower.fandom.com/wiki/Magazine_Scans
[2]: https://realmsofthehaunting.com (spoiler warning)

[Wesbat]

in reply to: Hello, World! #7838

Thanks Spoonboy!
Funny you should say that, episode #79 inspired me to try Alien Legacy. Had a blast with that game!