Trying To Run An Old Game? This Is The Thread For You!

If you're like me, you've probably come across a lot of old games from the late 1980s and early 1990s that you really want to play. Playing them on newer computers can be pretty hard, however!

A number of these old games were created for MSDOS, which newer computers have long since stopped using. Fortunately, there is DOS Box, which is very important to playing those DOS games! In a lot of cases, you can just simply play the game through DOS Box without any problems.

There are still some games that you might run into some problems. For instance, there is this one old game called Executioners. At least one person has had a hard time running the full version (which is free), because they get stuck at the title screen.

To get past the title screen, follow these steps:

1. At the DOS Box prompt, type "xcute config" without the double quotes and press Enter.
2. You must select a sound source. I pick 5 for Soundblaster Pro.
3. For the IRQ number, I type 7 and press Enter.
4. For the DMA channel, I type 1 and press Enter.
5. For player 1 input device, I pick 3 for Keyboard.
6. For player 2 input device, I pick 0 for None.
7. Now the game should run properly!

Like I said, those old Video Games can be tough to run. Hopefully, this thread can help you out!

edited 19th Apr '12 6:17:23 AM by TiggersAreGreat

This topic should really be stickied for the sake of both the helpers and those needing help.

I can help out, if anyone has an old game that's giving them problems.

How do you sticky a topic? There must be some way to do it!

Out of curiosity, have you played the full version of Zone 66, as I have? If you have, then you would have to agree that the second level of the game is totally That One Level. Why? Simply because there's a bug in that level in which there's one white dot on the map that you're trying to blow up, but there is nothing to blow up in that one spot, making the level unwinnable.

Fortunately, there is solution to this bug. On the website Game FA Qs, there's a strategy guide for Zone 66 that explains how to address this bug. It involves copying, deleting, and renaming 3 files. Now you know why most people prefer installing patches into a game...And Knowing Is Half the Battle!

edited 20th Apr '12 8:12:02 AM by TiggersAreGreat

Never played Zone 66.

And the only way to sticky a topic is to ask a mod to do it.

I love how playing VERY OLD games is actually harder than playing just somewhat old games even with a high end pc.

Its awesome.

Anyone know a good page with loads of old games, preferably not the SHAREWARE version???

@LOEADITO Ox: Well, technically, that's piracy, and therefore I don't think I can tell you where to look as that's against TV Tropes policy (not that I'm not guilty of occasional piracy myself, but rules are rules). GOG.com has quite a few old games for sale, all DRM-free and guaranteed to work with newer systems. If you prefer physical boxes/discs/floppies, either look on eBay or Amazon, or if you prefer, check out places like nearby thrift stores or retro-gaming stores if any are nearby; you'd be surprised what you can find with a little bit of searching!

Also, is this thread just for stuff from the DOS era or can any older game that has trouble running on newer operating systems qualify? I've got a brief guide on getting Carmageddon II to work with Windows 7 if anyone's interested.

edited 20th Apr '12 1:52:56 PM by DemonSharkKisame

Not really an old game, but I'm unable to run Noctis IV on DOS Box (and can't run on Windows too, it only runs on 32-bit systems)

I believe in trying to be as flexible as possible, so I'll say any older game that has trouble running on newer operating systems qualifies!

@ Moe Dantes: I spoke with one of the moderators of TV Tropes about this thread, and this is what I was told:

To request that a thread be pinned in a forum, use the Holler button (the exclamation point in the yellow triangle). This posts in a common thread that all the mods read.

We typically pin only policy threads and ones related to the core organization of each forum. Your thread may be useful for a limited number of people, but it probably doesn't meet the criteria for pinning. Instead, interested parties should add it to their forum watchlist.

Something tells me this thread is not going to get a sticky put on it. If you are reading this and you are an interested party, I request that you add the thread to your forum watchlist.

If you have Windows Vista or Seven and want to play Need For Speed III and/or High Stakes again, there are unofficial patches made by one guy. You can find the link to the Hot Pursuit one in the description of this video:

Alrighty then, my quick guide to getting Carmageddon II to run in Windows 7:

• Install the game as normal from CD, do not install Quicktime or Direct X!
• Download the patch for CARMA2_HW.EXE from here (back up your original first!). It's an official patch from SCI, so don't worry.
• Install nGlide from here, nGlide translates Glide 3 D instructions to Direct 3 D so older games that use the Glide instruction set can run on modern systems (why the Glide instruction set hasn't yet been assimilated into Open GL or something is beyond me).
• Next (important): right-click CARMA2_HW.EXE and select Properties. Under "Compatibility", select "Run this program in Windows 98/Me mode" and check the "Run in 640x480 resolution" box, and click OK.
• Recommended: create a shortcut to CARMA2_HW.EXE on your desktop, as it won't run properly if run from the Start menu.

Happy smashing!

edited 20th Apr '12 4:04:15 PM by DemonSharkKisame

OMG my childhood!

Just so everyone knows, the VOGONS forum is dedicated to this sort of thing, though if new systems still don't work out, they also discuss exactly what old PC parts are most ideal for a gaming PC of the DOS or Win9x eras.

Anyway, if someone wants to run the old Thief games from Thief: The Complete Collection, here's what you need to do:

• Thief Gold: Install DDfix.
• Thief 2: The Metal Age: Install Tafferpatcher, and optionally install a newer version of DDfix.
• Thief: Deadly Shadows: No patches should be necessary for it to work, thankfully.
• (all games) Use a DirectSound3D-to-OpenAL wrapper (ALchemy, DS3DGX/Xear3D, 3DSoundBack, etc.) if you don't want the sound to feel all lifeless and nondirectional on Windows Vista onward. These games deserve it.

Also, for Crimson Skies, you need CSfix. Expect a glitched-out menu and crashes without it.

Now, if ANYONE out there can get the likes of Heavy Gear II (frequent crashes + polygon culling issues) and Terracide (won't get past the developer logo) running on a modern system, that would be great...and before you ask, compatibility mode isn't enough.

edited 21st Apr '12 7:01:33 AM by NamelessFragger

I hear Mechwarrior 3 is a bitch to get running on XP, Vista, and 7.

MekTek's website has a link to another website (that I forget the name of) which presumably would have help for that.

@ NEO: I got my hands on a copy of this Noctis game. Here's a question I need to ask you...were you trying to run the game through the application "GO!"? From what I found out, it seems that you're supposed to go into the "modules" folder through DOS Box and then type in "noctis" without double quotes at the prompt and press Enter. Is that the problem you were having with running this game?

Anyone know if this works for Chip's Challenge?

Chip's Challenge runs OK under XP... and you better get Tile World instead. Find chips.dat (the level file) and then put it into Tile World. Perfect emulation of Chip's Challenge with better graphics and also allows you to play under the Lynx ruleset, which is a bit different from the MS one.

But I liked the original =/

Hey, has anyone played Diablo recently? As shocking as this may sound, I played it about a week or so ago!

I am happy to say that the very first game runs just fine on my Windows Vista, which is impressive when you consider that it was released in 1996-1997, which is 16 or 15 years ago by now!

With that said, I did run into what some people call "The Rainbow Bug" while playing the game. Apparently, the colours in the game will suddenly and unexpectedly turn into a colourful array of dots, which can be described as rainbow-like.

Fortunately, there is a way to fix this. Just set the screen resolution to 800x600 before playing the game, and you shouldn't have this bug happen to you. It does make sense when you consider that at the time of the game's release, a screen resolution of 800x600 was considered normal or even cutting-edge. But thanks to Technology Marches On, 800x600 has become the bare minimum, while screen resolutions can go up to 1600x900!

The only one I want to know how to play is System Shock 2. Any suggestions for how to get it to run with this Windows 7 system?

Rating: 3.0

Processor: AMD Athlon(tm) 64 X2 Dual Core Processor 4200+2.20 G Hz

RAM: 2.00 GB

System type: 32-bit Operating System

I just wanted to enter this thread to say there is an even easier solution for DOS games.

D-Fend Reloaded. You just take the ZIP folder and drag it over to the library of games and it runs it. Only works with DOS and is more user friendly.

You can also use a virtual machine to run Windows 95/98/2000/XP on your computer, and play older games that way. Or dual booting.

SS2Tool.

edited 29th Jun '12 2:32:49 PM by Shaggy

Virtual Machines work for some games, especially if the game doesn't require any sort of 3D Acceleration (I've heard virtualizers are getting around to that too, but for the time being we can all play The Journeyman Project Turbo)