Gog.com

[Sky]

Started playing Ultima 7 again last night. Funny how completely awesome those old games are. And I admit the nostalglic part, the music takes me right back.

I got it running pretty decently, but I went to tweak some settings and it went from maybe 3/4 of the screen to 1/2, tiny little rectangle. So I nuked the changes and put my backup config in and I guess I'll live with a less than perfect config. It's running just a wee bit fast (but it did on my 486/DX 16MB, too) and I'd like to at least get it to full screen/pillarbox. Ah, well.

The theme for this month's painting is CRPG characters and I'm painting the Avatar. It's really a non-contest, just for fun, but I like having the theme for inspiration. I'm hoping in April to start working on a diorama 'The Avatar and Companions confront Batlin'.

[Mrbloodworth]

Started playing Ultima 7 again last night. Funny how completely awesome those old games are. And I admit the nostalglic part, the music takes me right back.

I got it running pretty decently, but I went to tweak some settings and it went from maybe 3/4 of the screen to 1/2, tiny little rectangle. So I nuked the changes and put my backup config in and I guess I'll live with a less than perfect config. It's running just a wee bit fast (but it did on my 486/DX 16MB, too) and I'd like to at least get it to full screen/pillarbox. Ah, well.

The theme for this month's painting is CRPG characters and I'm painting the Avatar. It's really a non-contest, just for fun, but I like having the theme for inspiration. I'm hoping in April to start working on a diorama 'The Avatar and Companions confront Batlin'.

I got this too. Don't just run the EXE, there is a Config/setup thingy that installs with it, in that, is a "Keep aspect ratio" setting. This will make it so the game takes your entire screen. Launch using that tool.

[cironian]

I'd like to at least get it to full screen/pillarbox. Ah, well.

Why u no Exult?

[Yegolev]

What Cironian said.  I mean, I love GoG and all, but there's no reason to not use Exult.

[Mrbloodworth]

That looks a bit better than the outputs I can get with the Dosbox, gog tool. Most options scale things up, but the side effect is a huge pixel mess.

Is that a tool for the game, a whole package..or, what?

[cironian]

http://exult.sourceforge.net/

New engine written from the ground up. It makes the graphics look right, makes sure everything runs at the right speed at all times and even gives you some of the minor Serpent Isle improvements (Paperdolls!) in Black Gate.

Oh, also mod support, so you can get the SI keyring in Black Gate.

[Sky]

Ah, shit. I forgotted.

[Sky]

Ah, yes. Much better. Trying it with the Roland synth this time, though I do miss my old SB sounds a little.

And the hq4x sampling works perfect at 1080p with 10fps set.

Is the SI keyring native to Exult (in Black Gate) or is that a mod?

[cironian]

It's a mod: http://exult.sourceforge.net/forum/read.php?f=1&i=385776&t=385776


I'm 90% sure that you need the 1.5 snapshot release for mod support to work properly, since the last full release is quite old: http://exult.sourceforge.net/snapshots/Exultwin32.exe

[Sky]

They disabled the last full release, you can only download the 1.5.x snapshot right now.

Also, forgot to mention I'm playing full screen 1080 without extra map, no cheaty! It might be a little vert- or hor+, I didn't test it. Looks really nice, though.

[Yegolev]

There is a key inside a dead animal on the lake shore.  Does that get cleaned as well?

[cironian]

Unsurprising for people putting that much effort into an almost 21 year old game (doesn't that make you feel old?), they thought of that. It's in the spoiler section of the readme.

[Lucas]

yesss 

 

http://www.gog.com/gamecard/strike_commander

[Ironwood]

Oh God, the memories.  I had literally forgotten that one.

[HaemishM]

I was working at Electronics Boutique when that came out. It had SO MUCH HYPE because it was Wing Commander but in the same arena as Falcon and the other flight sims that were big at the time. Then it came out and shit on the specs for everyone's current computer and require hellacious memory management DOS workarounds to get working worth a shit. You know, like every other Origin game released in that time period.

[Shannow]

Big sale on all D&D titles.

[HaemishM]

Ok, so convince me that buying Baldur's Gate 1 & 2 and modding the fuck out of them like they recommend on Gog is a better idea than getting the BG Enhanced Edition that just came out. ANNNNNNNDDDD... GO.

[Shannow]

Who the fuck doesnt own BG 1 and 2 already? 

[HaemishM]

Never played them or owned them. I think I was deeply immersed in EQ1 when they came out.

[Goreschach]

Never played them or owned them. I think I was deeply immersed in EQ1 when they came out.

Get out.

[HaemishM]

I am trying to remedy this failing, but I need some guidance... thus the question. 

[Goreschach]

From what I heard, the Enhanced Edition was buggy. Maybe it's been fixed, I don't know.

[Shannow]

I am trying to remedy this failing, but I need some guidance... thus the question. 

Never owned them? I'm not sure any amount of guidance will save you. Heretic.

Seriously, I've heard some bad things about EE with all the bugs and the like. Maybe they have ironed them out? However to get 1 and 2 for like 5 bucks and then apply the BG2 mod (whatever its called) to BG 1 wasn't that much work and obviously much cheaper.

[Rasix]

Never played them or owned them. I think I was deeply immersed in EQ1 when they came out.

Yah, then you bought a Wii.  How'd that work out for you, Huckleberry?

You don't need convincing.  Buy them and play them or swallow a jar full of scorpions. This is your choice.

[Ingmar]

I think the big reason to do the modded BG1+2/TOB over the EE is that it lets you play BG1 in the BG2 engine, which really improves the interface a lot.

[koro]

Ok, so convince me that buying Baldur's Gate 1 & 2 and modding the fuck out of them like they recommend on Gog is a better idea than getting the BG Enhanced Edition that just came out. ANNNNNNNDDDD... GO.

For a first-time BG1 player, the Enhanced Edition pretty much has everything you'd want out of the box anyway. BG1 in the BG2 engine, improved interface, BG2 spells in BG1, bug fixes, some mod-added QOL improvements baked in...

Of course, there's the slight problem of there being no BG2EE yet as well as that other little thing where BG1+2 on GOG with this sale is half the price of BGEE.

So really it comes down to how much effort you're willing to expend. If you don't want to spend the couple hours it takes to read a mod guide and bring vanilla BG1 up to the EE's level, then by all means get BGEE and either export your characters to vanilla BG2 or wait however many months it takes for Overhaul to release BG2EE.

[HaemishM]

Of course, there's the slight problem of there being no BG2EE yet as well as that other little thing where BG1+2 on GOG with this sale is half the price of BGEE.

So really it comes down to how much effort you're willing to expend. If you don't want to spend the couple hours it takes to read a mod guide and bring vanilla BG1 up to the EE's level, then by all means get BGEE and either export your characters to vanilla BG2 or wait however many months it takes for Overhaul to release BG2EE.

GOG has a handy guide to do just that and I don't mind putting in the time. I just wanted to make sure the EE wasn't some transcendent experience over the modding part. For half the price and twice the game, I was leaning that way anyway. SOLD.

[koro]

The EE's not bad, and some of the new features (like the clean breakdown of attack and defense stats) are nice, but not quite "can't go back to the original"-worthy.

The new Blackguard kit and NPC it adds in is absurdly overpowered though.

[Xilren's Twin]

Big sale on all D&D titles.

The stacking promotion is an odd one; you can buy all 10 titles for $21.10  Take off Demonstone, the price  drop 7 cents to $21.03; remove Dragonshard it drops 50 cents to 20.53.  Take out the temple of elemental evil, the price becomes 21.53 which is more than the original 10 game bundle...

I still have most of these games on CD so if choose just the 4 i actually want (BG BG2 NWN1 and NWN2), the price is still $20.96.  Heck just NWN1 and 2 as pair is $16.48; might as well spend the extra $5 and get 8 more games...

[Sky]

For me, GOG is more about de-disking and modern OS compatibility than anything else. I have discs for almost everything on my shelf there.

[Phred]

For me, GOG is more about de-disking and modern OS compatibility than anything else. I have discs for almost everything on my shelf there.

Ya I just bought divine divinity from them dispite having the cd version already. Just for the convenience of running it on my monitor in wide screen (and damn does it show a ton more ground.)

[Ratman_tf]

For me, GOG is more about de-disking and modern OS compatibility than anything else. I have discs for almost everything on my shelf there.

I would strangle a nun if it meant Gog got ahold of Missionforce Cyberstorm. I bought the CD off of ebay, and it just won't run on Win7. I have my old 95 disk, and could try a dual boot, but I haven't done that before, and have no clue how 95 would need to be rejiggerd for modern hardware.

[Thrawn]

http://www.gog.com/promo/ea_weekend_promo_030513

Classic EA Convoy

On sale until Tuesday, May 7, at 3:59AM GMT are:

* Ultima Underworld 1&2
* Ultima 1-3
* Ultima 4-6
* Ultima 7
* Ultima 8
* Ultima 9
* Wing Commander Privateer
* Wing Commander 1-2
* Wing Commander 3
* Wing commander 4
* Theme Hospital
* Dungeon Keeper 1
* Dungeon Keeper 2
* Sid Meier's Alpha Centauri (including Alien Crossfire)
* Syndicate
* SimCity 2000 Special Edition
* Nox
* Crusader: No Remorse
* Crusader: No Regret
* Populus I
* Populus II
* Populus: The Beginning
* Magic Carpet
* Lands of Lore 1-2
* Lands of Lare 3
* Starflight 1-2
* Medal of Honor: Allied Assault War Chest
* Bioforge

[Thrawn]

I've heard of nearly every game in that list and only ever played three of them I think.

Anyone care to recommend the best ten or so games out of that list if I was only looking to spend about twenty on games I won't likely actually get around to playing?  

[raydeen]

I've heard of nearly even game in that list and only ever played three of them I think.

Anyone care to recommend maybe the best ten games out of that list if I was only looking to spend maybe twenty or so on games I probably won't actually get around to playing?  

Ultima Underworld 1 and 2
Any or all of the Wing Commanders and Privateer
StarFlight 1 and 2
Populous 1 and 2 (3 might be good but I haven't tried it yet)
Magic Carpet

edit: I'd also recommend Lands of Lore 1 and 2. LoL 1 was a great game in the spirit of the old Eye of the Beholder games (it was done by Westwood). I haven't played 2 and 3 yet (I have them but haven't gotten around to them).

Honestly, with maybe a couple exceptions, they're all really good games (or at least have been reviewed favorably in the past). There's a few I've never played (Crusader, Bioforge, Theme Hospital, Nox) so I can't speak for them, but I don't ever recall them being panned.