Does anyone keep an ancient computer for the sole purpose of playing old games?

[Markus The Mighty]

My computer is ancient enough (PII/300, but lotsa RAM ), so games like MoM don't pose problems.

However, I recently had problems with Machiavelli because I am not supposed to have a VESA driver. (I had reinstalled the game,but before it didn't seem to require one )

Overall, I'm quite content. Who needs those flashy new 3D graphics when one can play the true gems of PC game industry?

(and besides, I have a brother with a cool PIII around to play Morrowind )

[Richard Bruns]

Re: Thrift stores

Originally posted by Father Beast
I've been thinking about going around to the thrift stores and scouting for old computers. You have to do some digging, because some of them have them and some don't, but between a handful of old PC's I should be able to get something working...

In my experience, thrift store computer equipment is good for low comedy and little else. One time I saw something that looked like a computer case. On closer inspection, however, I discovered that it was an ancient external CD-ROM drive designed to be attached via serial cable. The thing was literally as big as my computer. It even had the buttons on the front like fast forward and play that normal CD players have. I was almost tempted to pay the ten dollars and take it home just for the humor value.

More recently, I paid $20 for an old computer that seemed like it would be a good upgrade for my family´s old computer. It came not from a thrift store but from my mom´s office. My mom is a nurse, and the office wiped all the software off the computers before they sold them, to prevent anyone´s confidential medical information from getting out. First I tried to simply move the hard drive from our old computer into the new one, but that didn´t work. Then I tried various other things to make it work, to no avail. It turned out that the CD drive was shot, and the drive from the other computer didn´t work in it either. All the OS software I have now is on CD-rom, so my only hope now is to find an ancient copy of DOS, or perhaps a Linux distribution on floppy disks. If I can´t do that the only use for it is its small hard drive to add as a slave.

[DarkCloud]

I had one- but it's battery failed last month

[LDiCesare]

I kept a 486 to play civ, Moo and MoM until its alim/battery failed too. I managed to play MoM on Win98 somehow on my next computer, but I no longer use it either because it is a laptop whose screen is slowly falling apart. I still have MoM on it (and the early versions of Clash of course!).
In fact, I now buy laptops because I can keep them long after they become obsolete without wasting space. There's the fact that I never spend more than 4 days in the same place, too.

[child of Thor]

I've got an Amiga1200 that is working fine and i use nearly everyday - it has some great games.
Also in a friends attic,an old 8bit Atari that also still impresses me,when i get it out, with the quality of some of the games made for it.
Old school games are great(....but when they are bad, they are very very bad!), and everyone should own an 'antique' computer ,on ebay you can get a real bargin to play those classics on.

[statusperfect]

Yes. Old 486.

[Father Beast]

Re: Re: Thrift stores

Originally posted by Richard Bruns


In my experience, thrift store computer equipment is good for low comedy and little else.

You really have to do some looking. some thrift stores will never have anything, and some others will periodically have equipment. I have about 15 thrift stores within about an hour's drive of my place, and only 3 of them ever have any decent stuff. it seems that some places never put anything out, and just throw donated parts and systems away.

one of the thrift stores i like going to even has a rack where they put all the odd cards they get - $1.00 each. that's where I got my first vga card for my 386 5 years ago.

it goes the other way sometimes, too. one of the stores that used to have stuff has stopped putting it out. new management, I guess..

[War4ever]

yeah the computer i currently use !!!!!!

[CapTVK]

Originally posted by Lars-E
I have a Commodore 64 in the attic. I even bought a floppydisc and a taperecorder for it - years after C64 was old news.

I found out it's possible to play those old C64-games on the PC with an emulator. So I finished Maniac Mansion which I never did on C64.

What I'd like now is to use those old C64 joysticks on my PC. An interface has to be developed for that purpose. Sadly the engineers at my church who do stuff like this had no time.

Lars-e
You should check out the Catweasel floppy controller card. It also features a special connector for those old digital joysticks controllers.

[Andemagne]

I trouwed(sp?) my old C64 away a year ago. current converter was broken and I didn't room for the machine, since I'm living in a small student box rigth now. have regretted it since then. *sigh*

[CapTVK]

I keep an old 386SX 2Mb RAM with Soundblaster and Roland MT-32 around, for old times sake...

[CapTVK]

Originally posted by Andemagne
I trouwed(sp?) my old C64 away a year ago. current converter was broken and I didn't room for the machine, since I'm living in a small student box rigth now. have regretted it since then. *sigh*

Cheer up, they're plenty of old C64's floating around on the 2nd market. And wait, what do I see there in the distance? It's a glimmer of HOPE !

[Panda]

I still have my old P120 for classics like Shandalar, Syndicate (again), and Colonization which won't run on my current computer. Sometimes its a matter of OS, but some games like Shandalar can't be played on a high-spec PC because the games moves too fast for you to react.

On that note I kept the old family PC (IBM 386) tuned up so I could occasionally play Wing Commander.

[Richard Bruns]

Originally posted by Andrew Livings
On that note I kept the old family PC (IBM 386) tuned up so I could occasionally play Wing Commander.

I have a copy of two wing commander games that I got in bargain packs, but I have been entirely unable to get either one to run, even on the old machine. That really annoys me, because they are supposed to be really good, and I own them but can't play them.

I have the same problem with Ultima 7. I get other games like Savage Empire to run, but not that one. It is kind of sad that I already own more good games than I have time to install properly and enjoy playing, but I keep getting new ones. Granted, most of the games I get are free or nearly so, but still...

[aaglo]

Richard -
I have had similar problems with ultima 7a (black gate & forge of virtue) on my old pc (AMD 200Mhz MMX processor). With a shareware version of a program called moslo I was able to play it though.

Ultima 7b (serpent isle & silver seed) had a slow-down option in itself (I think it was Alt-8 or Alt-F8.... well, read the manual), which was quite handy.