quote:

Originally posted by Jolly-Joker:
Dosbox is strongly recommended - the latest version 0.72 is a 1.2 MB exe.file, while the basics of "getting the games to run" within that shell are fairly easy to handle and even to configure (since it emulates much slower processor performances of course you can tweak "processor output" with so simple commands as ctrl F8).

Most Windows based programs will run in the compatibility modes XP provides - however, some may require some additional tweaks, for example in the registry.

Edit: Hmmm, I just checked the titles out of curiosity. All three are DOS-titles fromn the 1st half of the 90s and due to the then fairly large amount of base RAM necessary it is VERY probably that they don't run in XP (not enough base ram).

You will need the Dosbox for them.

I just tried DOSBox and the Dark Sun game. It ran perfectly fine, but man I could not get into it at all. I loved this game back then, but the graphics were so bad that I found myself disgusted by it within 5 minutes. I know graphics aren't the be all/end all of games, but it's got to have some visual appeal. This was just awful. Great for early 90's, but horrendous 10-15 years later.

Yeah, that's a bit of a letdown with Master of Magic for me.

Well i can recommend the disciples series for a start.. and then things get hard, age of wonders.. though i felt a bit bored with age of wonders 2 and shadow magic..
I played the demo of fantasy wars and it was .. okay, but nothing special and nothing i would look further into i'm afraid.
Also there seems to be a remake of king's bounty underway that might prove to be interesting..

Civilization Series was good, I also enjoyed an older game (about 10 years old) weird science fiction game called Deadlock 2.

Lastly, I have always had a little place in my heart for the warlords series. the last one I really enjoyed was, warlords 3.

yeah, Warlords 4 sucks.

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Speaking of "space-based" strategy games and "Master of Orion".

Hey, i loved Moo2! It was a great game at the time. You need a very slow PC to run it nowadays. Try it on a Pentium 4 1.5, that would be about right. LOL- it was fun way back then!

Master of Magic can run under XP, without DOSBox, although I never got the sound to work right and eventually persuaded myself that a little peace & quiet isn't such a bad thing. Also had it ok (with sound) under Win-95 & Win-98SE.
Just requires careful tweaking of the shortcut, config.sys, autoexec.bat, etc. Its not on my current machine but I could look it up if anyone cares.

quote:

Originally posted by minigunn:
Hey, i loved Moo2! It was a great game at the time. You need a very slow PC to run it nowadays. Try it on a Pentium 4 1.5, that would be about right. LOL- it was fun way back then!

DOSBox is enough. At least I played it a lot during last year. It was direct IP multiplayer I might ad, because that is very easy with DOSBox.

Hi, I was trying to download some games on abandonia.com and it will say SOLD and won't let me download it. What's up with that? Why even have it listed? How do you buy these games?

It means, that someone did acquire the rights (again) and actually sells the game, so it's not abandonware (anymore). You have to check who and look things up there, if you are interested.

I have much love for MOM. While modern fancy graphics are seemingly wanted more by the masses I don't really care about such. MOM have so many races and ways to design your wizard.

I like the MOO series also. I recently have gotten the Galactic Civilizations Gold edition which can be had for price of what most expansions cost. I am enjoying it. It is interesting what Stardock did with the AI to make pretty much no time at all between human player turn and computer players turns. Well, I have nice computer and chose the maximum CPU usage option so maybe that makes big difference.

I think Stardock will probably do good job on new MOM game.

Thing about AOW (Shadowmagic) that I wish would change is ease of defeating computer by just going for opponent's tower. Otherwise I much enjoy it.

There are some other old fantasy kingdom simulation that I played a lot too.

I don't play the modern troop strategy game with exception of CIV series. But scifi game like UFO series I enjoy too.

Etherlords II is excellent! Especially for fans of CCG's.

Disciples II is amazing. There isn't really any "graphics" to speak of, but the art design is so beautiful it's like playing in a painting. I've been seeing the Gold edition in Target for under 10 bucks too. It's also on Steam. I can't wait for III!

GODS: Lands of Infinity Special Edition has made my list of all time favs. It has its quirks due to poor localization, but it is super fun! And the combat is all TURN-BASED! It's like the classic Final Fantasy style combat. The creatures and locations are interesting, and although it can't compare graphically to Oblivion, it has a very charming look. I highly recommend it. Especially if you aren't looking for anything too deep but just simple fun.

The Total War games blow my mind and suck the hours away from my life. This is what RTS should be like! I hate modern RTS games, but the Total War combat is much more realistic and tactical; you can pause to give orders anytime. If you haven't you must try them.

The Temple of Elemental Evil is a D&D game I just picked up, specifically because the combat is turn-based. I haven't delved too deep yet but I like what I've seen thus far.

I recommend going to developer 1C's website. They created Fantasy Wars and have King's Bounty and Ascension to the Throne coming soon. All three have turn-based combat and excellent graphics.

Massive Assault and its sequel Domination are pretty sweet too. There's also an MMO version of these games although I've never tried it. These games are a lot like the Advance Wars games that were on the GBA. They just made a new one too called Galactic Assault. I've seen it at Gamestop for 20 bucks.

Speaking of Advance Wars, there's an independent clone of this game called Brass Hats if you're into that sort of game. It is identical to the Advance Wars games. Very funand addictive, also good for old machines.

There's an independent game called Armageddon Empires that is also very sweet. It's a hex-grid turn-based game with CCG style combat, including all the cards with the price of purchase! No boosters to buy or anything, plus the developer will be adding more cards soon. Try the demo, it will hook you. It's also a good game for those who have aging dinosaurs for PCs.

Well, there's my two cents. I spend a lot of time trying to hunt down turn-based goodness and I love nothing more than stumbling upon something cool like GODS or Armageddon. I also think there may be a renaissance occuring in TBS. Russia is leading the way right now. I think we all owe them a debt of gratitude for pushing TBS games when no one else wants to touch them.

Speaking of Armageddon, why noone mentions Worms: Armageddon? It's hardly a strategy, but it's turn-based and addictive all right. And it sure is a tactical game.

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The Temple of Elemental Evil is a D&D game I just picked up, specifically because the combat is turn-based. I haven't delved too deep yet but I like what I've seen thus far.

ToEE could be too much for you if you're not familiar with the D&D system... Hell, it's difficult even if you are. Only the first Baldur's Gate is similarly problematic...

Any D&D game is problematic, at first. Although NWN 2 is incredibly easy to get into, far more so than any of the BG games (yet unlike that series it is not a masterpiece.) BG 2 was my introduction to D&D. TOEE at any rate is not a strategy game, except in the loosest sense.

The first half of NWN 2 is just a killing spree - and a dull one too. You have to *read* in the description that this is D&D game to be certain that it isn't some half-turn-based Diablo clone. The second half is another matter though - here you have tactics and bad pathfinding, which both are the trade mark of the computer incarnation of the D&D system.
Planscape: Torment is the masterpiece here - the difficulty is balanced, not ridiculously high like in Baldur's Gate 1, where often you replay a single battle over 10-15 times and still can't win and right after that you cut through a swarm of weaklings like some walking grinder.
BTW none of the D&D games is "strategy" - you "plan" only the current battle, which is tactics at most.

Strategy is such a braod thing though.
playing 3 horus, watching TV for 2 going to the toilet, eating and playing another 4 hours on the computer is a strategy.

The original X-Com game was brilliant and someone should make a modern version, updated graphics, but the gameplay (on Playstation) was perfect! So addictive and immersive...mind you I was 17 when I played it so...

well they made an updated version of sm pirates and that was pretty crummy right?

X-Com:UFO Defense,

will punch all of these strategy games in the face. X-Com is strategy perfection in 3 1.44MB disks. Do whatever you must to find this game.

Hey Phoenix, you are kidding about SM Pirates, right? Because that was a great game. I might go play it right now while I wait for HOMM 6.

Actually, I'm playing lots of HOMM 3 while I wait.