Giveaway of the Day Forums

1. 

   Whiterabbit-uk
   Games Guru

   Quake (83Mb)

   I thought I’d post an old Classic FPS for Monday’s free game, that still has a following to this day; I actually have a hard copy of it myself, though I’ve not played it since before XP came out. The latest installment Enemy Territory: Quake Wars was perhaps one of the most eagerly awaited multiplayer only games of last year (apart from Crysis Unreal 2007 and COD4), though not by me, lol. The multiplayer part of the original game is no longer supported.

   I’d hoped to post a great little game called Emergency: Fighters for life a game released nigh on 10 years ago as I found the full version on what I presumed to be a reputable abandonware site, but after searching the net for more information, I discovered that the original games rights had been bought up by a particular company who are still selling the game, so I’ve contacted that site to let them know that it’s not abandonware as yet. Pity as I played the game for awhile when I first downloaded it and was really impressed with the concept and game play.

   Still, if the game appealed to you, can buy it for around half the price of an arcade game. Here’s a link to a downloadable demo:

   http://www.download.com/Emergency-Fighters-for-Life-demo/3000-7551_4-10017762.html

   If you’ve played Doom and Doom 2 (both of which are also free now) you’ll be familiar with the game play; that is, run and gun game play with secret areas to discover, keys to find and lots of ammo and health packs to pick up.

   The graphics are understandably dated now, but that doesn’t stop this from being an okay shooter. Despite having the latest shooters including COD: World at War, Highway to Hell, Farcry 2, Crysis Warhead and others I found I was enjoying few hours of game play with this game when I tested it out to see if it was suitable for this project. It may be a little large for dial up users, but if you’re willing to leave your computer on overnight you should get yourself a decent game. I will give away my hard copy totally for free with no obligations to anyone who has problems downloading it as I realize that if you’re living out in the ‘wilderness’ sometimes dial up connections can be very hit and miss. I do recommend to those with poor connections using one of the many freely available download managers, though some download sites don’t like you using them. If anyone is interested in the old Quake disc I’ll send the disc without a case to save on postage; (especially if I’m sending it out of the UK). Just send a PM and we can sort out the arrangements.

   Sharpen that ax blade and get ready to chase demonic creatures in this first-person shooter. Creatures from different planes are infiltrating our world through "Slipgates," and only you can save it from falling into the hands of these bloodthirsty monsters. You can wield an ax or hurl the Thunderbolt, the most formidable weapon in your arsenal, as you travel through dark mazes, secret areas, and dangerous passageways. Enjoy the thrill of the hunt and fight the good fight as you hack away at fiendish monsters!

   Reference: same as download link accessed Oct 08

   Download Link

   http://www.abandonline.com/gameinfo.php?id=107

   I realize that the size of this game will put off lots of community members, so I thought I’d post an alternative game for those who wont download such a size (though in relative terms when comparing to most modern downloads 83Mb is nothing. You can end up downloading upwards of 2Gb just for a demo these days.

   ========================================================================

   Amazing JigSaw (18.59Mb)

   Have fun solving over 35 lifelike puzzles. With a variety of features such as simple and rgb rotation Amazing Jigsaw will challenge any hardcore jigsaw fan. Train your brain and have fun with Amazing Jigsaw.

   Download Link

   http://www.download.com/Amazing-Jigsaw/3000-18536_4-10829362.html?tag=mncol&cdlPid=10964489

   ========================================================================

   Star Racing:

   I don’t normally post games from sites such as Gametop, partly because I’ve posted so many links to this site over the last 18 months since I’ve been regularly posting here, and because…. Well I don’t know actually. There’s certainly enough games to last for a couple of months if one was posted every day and these are actually up to date (within a few years at the most), commercial games, that are being given away but at the price of your browser being opened up. I’ve also noticed recently that there has been pop ups as well, but this may be that I’ve not re-configured my firewall since doing a fresh windows install after my last recent format. Anyway, I mentioned Star Racing yesterday when Mad Racers was given away, but that shouldn’t take away from adding it to today’s free games.

   Star Racers is a space orientated racing game. It’s just like your usual racing game except that the cars are floating out in space, but they still run along race tracks, but these are suspended in air. It’s actually a really cool racing game in my opinion, and well worth downloading if you haven’t already.

   Download Link

   http://www.gametop.com/download-free-games/star-racing/

   ========================================================================

   My next game will be posted on Wednesday. This week Wizzard of Oz is joining my one man team and will be sharing the responsibility for posting free games during the weekdays from now on. ( We intend to take weekly turns after this first week, but for this week Wizzard of Oz will be posting games on Tuesday, Thursday and Friday (on the last day we will both post a game to give Friday night gamers something extra)

   . :) Please read the announcement about the collaboration by following the link below:

   http://www.giveawayoftheday.com/forums/topic/4247#post-45665

   Posted 16 years ago #
2. 

   wizzard_of_ozz2004
   Games Master

   I put Star Racing right up there with Trackmania in freeware racers. I highly recommend Star Racing to any racing fan. As for Quake, this game is a must download for any fps fan. I can't speak much about the jigsaw because I don't do well with puzzles lol.

   AH

   Posted 16 years ago #
3. 

   Spiritturner
   Member

   This is the 1st time ive posted on this site though i check it whenever stephen leaves a comment on the gaotd site. Stephen i noticed you said doom and doom 2 are now free - is there anyway that you could post or send me a link to those 2 games. Also im not sure if you remember another old favorite of mine which is wolfstien (spelling?) but ive been trying to find that game link as well. Keep up the good work I enjoy your games you post as well as your in depth reviews of the games posted here and on the ggaotd site.

   spirit, aka ~shorty3963~ on ggaotd site

   Posted 16 years ago #
4. 

   wizzard_of_ozz2004
   Games Master

   I believe wolfenstein is also free now. If you're talking the original that is.

   Doom:
   http://www.fileplanet.com/122790/download/Doom-95
   Doom 2:
   http://www.fileradar.net/files/view/Doom--Doom-2_Doom-2---Full-Free-Game/1183
   Wolfenstein:
   http://abandonia.com/en/games/390/Castle+Wolfenstein.html

   You would need dosbox for these, so if you haven't yet you should download.

   Posted 16 years ago #
5. 

   wizzard_of_ozz2004
   Games Master

   I wanted to do a quick run through on how to mount your dosbox using norton commander. I read on an earlier post that Stephen wished that he could make dosbox run easier for him, so I will show him and everyone else how to do this. So here goes...

   1.) Download and install Dosbox http://www.dosbox.com/download.php?main=1
   2.) Setup a file in your C Drive, mine is C:\DosGames
   3.) Download Norton Commander and unzip it to the file you just created as NC http://abandonia.com/en/node/23027
   4.) Open DosBox and type in mount c c:\(file name)
   5.) Type in c:
   6.) Type in cd nc
   7.) Then type in install exe
   8.) Choose color, continue, full install, and hit continue..don't change the directory
   9.) Open the DosBox file and open dosbox.conf
   10.) Scroll down to the very bottom and type in:

   mount c c:\(file name from step 2)
   c:
   cd nc
   nc exe

   11.) Save the file and open DosBox

   You have now installed your first program, Norton Commander. At the top of the right hand side you will see ".." under C Name. If you double click this, it will take you into your file that you created for all of your dos games. From here, you can play any game that you have saved to your file. Norton Commander is now saved as your starting screen, so you never have to mount again.

   Posted 16 years ago #
6. 

   Whiterabbit-uk
   Games Guru

   Thanks for the tutorial. That's a cool way of running DOSBox and may persuade me to run more games using the box. Because of the difficulties I'd been experiencing (with sporadic running of games)I've shied away from posting too many games requiring DOSBox. Hopefully this solution that Wizzard of Oz has posted will stop that. :)

   For those who wish to learn more about DOSBox and it's workings check out the tutorial by following the link below. It's in depth and gives you loads of useful commands that shyould improve your playing experience:

   http://www.dosbox.com/wiki/Basic_Setup_and_Installation_of_DosBox

   My next game on Wednesday will be a DOSBox based game...... ;)

   Posted 16 years ago #
7. 

   JoeMommaSan
   Member

   As far as I know, none of the iD games (Quake, Doom, etc.) are free. They're still selling them on Steam, so someone still owns the rights to them.

   Posted 16 years ago #
8. 

   wizzard_of_ozz2004
   Games Master

   Upon checking, Quake and Doom 2 are not free. Doom and Wolfenstein are freeware, but Quake and Doom 2 are still being sold at idsoftware.com

   Posted 16 years ago #
9. 

   wizzard_of_ozz2004
   Games Master

   However, I think these versions being sold are not the original dos versions which I would think makes them abandonware. I'm not sure about this though so don't quote me.

   Posted 16 years ago #
10. 

    ornithos
    Member

    Hi Wizzard and other interested parties,

    Thank you for your description on how to use DOSBox together with Norton Commander; I'll definitely give that a try.

    For completeness sake I thought I'd post an alternative method to the one you describe. This method centres on the use of (simple) DOS batch files.

    I have previously done the following:

    (ALL - please refer to Wizzard's step 1 above if you haven't already installed DOSBox)
    1. In Windows - create a folder on your C: drive called "dosgames"

    2. Now create a new folder inside the "dosgames" folder called, e.g., "batfiles"

    3. While still in Windows - navigate to the DOSBox folder and find a file called "dosbox.conf"; by default you will find this folder in "C:\Program Files"

    4. Right-click on this file and select "Open With" from the pop-up menu; the Open With dialog box will open showing (by default) the Notepad editor highlighted; click on OK

    5. Once Notepad has started, Scroll down to the end of the "dosbox.conf" file, to below where is says [autoexec] and Lines in this section will be run at startup.

    6. Leave one line blank and type:

    mount c c:\dosgames
    c:
    cd batfiles

    each typed on a separate line

    7. Now go to the file menu and click on save; then close Notepad

    8. Start up DOSBox; this will open up a DOS session inside a separate window
    Thanks to the settings added to the "dosbox.conf" file the c: drive will have been mounted and you will find yourself in the batfiles folder (directory in DOS speak)
    This will be the starting point for all your DOS gaming adventures.
    Here you can start up any number of DOS games using batfiles that have simple, short names

    How to make a batchfile:
    (Note: on my PC I have been re-playing Dungeon Master, the classic game from FTL.
    I'll be using this game as an example on how to run it using a simple batch file)

    1. Start up Notepad

    2. Type the following:

    cd dunmast1 (edit the name of the directory where your DOS game is located)
    dm (edit the name of the game's .exe file as appropriate to your DOS game)

    3. Go to the file menu and click on Save As; I've previously called my batch file for Dungeon Master "dm.bat", as it is nice and short; make sure that you save your batch file into the "batfiles folder"; now close Notepad

    4. Repeat this process for all the DOS games that you have on your system

    The next time you start DOSBox, all you need to do is type a few letters ("dm" in my example) to start your game.

    This may seem like a long process, but it's actually very quickly and easily done.

    Good luck

    Posted 16 years ago #
11. 

    Spiritturner
    Member

    Thanks wizzard for the links to both games and yes it was the original version of wolfenstien i was after. I believe i already hve dosbox from a previous dl that stephen had posted. I have a question for ornithos it concerns the 2nd part of his instructions on making a batchfile. You said to open notepad, is it the dosbox.conf file that we type the names into? Sorry to sound like im a little stupid here but i just want to make sure and not to mess it up.

    Thanks,
    Spirit

    Posted 16 years ago #
12. 

    albesir
    Member

    Hey guys! Glad to see Whiterabbit getting some help with the project. And yes, I did end up trying DOSbox again, but remembered why I disliked it so much to the point I got rid of it(again). While I was looking around, I found a program that's supposed to help with DOSbox configurations, and its supposed to have some extra features with it. I haven't tried it since I'm on my "DOSbox stinks" trip right now :P, but I'll probably give it a try eventually. It's called D-fend Reloaded and can be found here: http://dfendreloaded.sourceforge.net/

    Let me know if anyone tries it and finds it easier to deal with than DOSbox by itself. :)

    Posted 16 years ago #
13. 

    ornithos
    Member

    Hi Spiritturner,

    Editing the "dosbox.conf" file - as decribed in the first part of my instructions - provides you with an easy way to A) mount the C: drive and B) "move into" a "batfiles" directory (folder) as a convenient starting place within DOSBox.
    No further editing of this file is required!

    Using the method described in the second part of my instructions above, you need to create a (one-off) separate batch file for EACH DOS game that you have installed on your hard drive. Just to reiterate how to do this:

    1. Open Notepad (to start creating a new batch file)
    2. Type your text (DOS commands) in the text window; your lines of text will:
    A) contain a cd command (i.e. change directory) to move into the directory where your DOS game is located; check the web for information using the DOS cd syntax
    B) contain a command using the name of the .exe (for executable) file that runs your DOS game. In my example for running Dungeon Master for PC this is "dm"
    C) When you've finished, go to the file menu and click on Save As; give your batch file a short, easy name followed by .bat, as it saves typing later on, two or three letters is enough; make sure that you save your batch file into the "batfiles folder"; now close Notepad
    3. Run DOSBox - it will start up, mount the C: drive and move you into the "batfiles" directory
    4. Now type the first letters of your batch file, excluding the .bat part!
    5. Your DOS game should now start up

    Note that batch files offer you many other options, including the ability to e.g. input start-up options into DOS games, using an additional program (I believe I used to use a program called Keyfake, but I need to look into this further).

    Once again, good luck with your configurations

    Posted 16 years ago #
14. 

    MusicalRabbi2k
    Member

    I've had a couple of problems with the Steps that Wizard of OZ gave as much as I appreciate it. There are many games that have been recommended here that I have had trouble installing. I don't know whether it's because they are abandonware work with dosbox or have other problems. When I tried downloading Norton Commander as in anything that I've downloaded from Abandonware, It came in a zipped file. Part of the problem was that there were many files in that zipped file. Was Norton Commander supposed to be like that. My computer also wouldn't let me save the new dosbox configuration file after I had typed in the new directions.

    Posted 16 years ago #
15. 

    Whiterabbit-uk
    Games Guru

    Hi MusicalRabbi2,

    If memory serves me correctly you need to unzip the Norton Commander files into a pre created folder. With respect to the configuration file not saving maybe you could try one of the freeware text editors. I used one of the ones given away via the giveaway project (hippo edit), but you could try one of the following from the freeware library:

    Freeware Text Editors

    http://www.giveawayoftheday.com/freeware/2008/07/20/apex-text/

    http://www.giveawayoftheday.com/freeware/2007/12/11/agpad/

    http://www.giveawayoftheday.com/freeware/2005/11/23/ygen/

    http://www.giveawayoftheday.com/freeware/2005/11/01/econtrol-syntax-editor/

    http://www.giveawayoftheday.com/freeware/2005/10/19/notetab-light/

    http://www.giveawayoftheday.com/freeware/2005/09/04/context/

    http://www.giveawayoftheday.com/freeware/2004/10/25/linspect-editor/

    I hope the above help.

    ====================================================================

    I really did find trying to play most of the DOS based games problematic before using the set up suggested by Wizzard. Of the ones that require DOSBox, Darklands comes to mind, a game that I was determined to play, but 90% of the time that I tried to mount the game, I couldn't get it to work; whereas following the instructions I can now play it anytime with only a few clicks of my mouse. Once you have succeeded in setting it up, the rest is easy because all you need to do is install each DOS game into the folder you create that has been added to the configuration file.

    There are hundreds of old DOS games that are freely available now, many of which are classics. So in my opinion it's worth persevering withh the set up until you get it to work. If you have any problems just ask. :)

    Posted 16 years ago #
16. 

    midori
    Member

    With much respect and admiration for "Wizzard's Way," plus the other ways people have personally gotten their setup to a way they understand it best, I must say that I tried albesir's link for dfendreload (for DosBox FrontEnd Reloaded), and it does seem to make a breeze of things. It sets up DosBox, all the necessary (and extra) folders, plus gives you sample packs of groups of Dos games to download also if you like. It all automatically works together, linking what needs to be. I didn't even read any instructions, though there's lots of help there to arrange things exactly to your liking if need be.
    I know how easy it is to become very fond of your own way of doing things in your own order (having spent many years as a graphics artist having to figure things out on my own), and you can tend to bulk at programs that seem to make your tried and true procedures seem unnecessary. Not that this program does that... but it is worth a look-see for those who just want something to "do it for them." And all I did was download this and briefly check it out, so I can't fully judge it. And yes, I'm the type that likes to take the extra steps to do things to my own liking, but this program may be an alternative for some.

    Posted 16 years ago #

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