Possible Dos game port project

[spenoza]

I don't think the TG memory scheme uses any sort of security rules for saves, so I don't know that this would be a problem.

[Arkhan]

I voted for Ultimas, but I'm not familiar with too many computer games.

As for Zork, isn't its gameplay similar to the 100+ digital comic/adventure/dating games already on PCE? I'm guessing that Return to Zork for PC-FX doesn't require a keyboard. Wouldn't straight ports of Ultima require text input? No matter what, even if faithful non-upgraded ports are what some people have in mind, I'm guessing that some sort of compromising will have to be made.

Ultima 1, 2 and 3 can be done with no text input, and as it stands, Ultima IV, V, VI, and VII were all ported to NES/SNES and had no text input required.  They simplified the communication for console releases.

Ultima 3 and 4 for NES are pretty awesome ports of the game.  They got the Dragon Quest treatment to them.  They are worth the time.

Doesn't Wolfenstein 3D for SNES run without any special chips? A perfect port might not be possible for PCE, but a custom version should be possible for any hardware. It just depends on how much needs to be altered vs how worthwhile the endcresult would be. The Genesis did a decent job pulling off a few real time fps games.

Yeah Wolfenstein doesn't require special hardware.  It would be fairly doable on the PCE.  Look at faceball. It's practically Faceball.   I'd say it's doable ,but highly ambitious/time consuming.

Now wait just a minute! I LOVE Commander Keen! It's one of my favorite DOS game series! However, Keen is easily playable through DOSBox, and easily downloadable from almost every old game website.

The Gold Box games, are a little more hard to play, especially when you consider that they require a lot of pack-in materials that came with the game to play, much less appreciate them. I think that there is a lot that could be done to update them.

BTW, how hard would it be to make it so that if you beat Pools of Radiance for PCE, that it would save a file to memory that could be read by Curse of the Azure Bonds for PCE to import your characters?

It would be perfectly doable.  The games share an engine anyways, and have identical character data.  That's why you can just use a character disk for Curse, that you used in Pool. 

That would be an interesting setup

[BigusSchmuck]

Considering you can do this with the Wizardry games, I don't see much of a problem there. The biggest hurdle to any of this is finding the source for some of these games especially those gold boxed D&D games. Keen, Ultima, Civilization (Freeciv) however, are open sourced and shouldn't be too much of an issue.

[Arkhan]

The problem with Ultima is that the open source stuff uses the original data files, so you still have that issue to deal with.

But, like I said, Ultima ][ is a plan of mine for some day.  So maybe we can scratch that off the list for now


The goldbox games have Unlimited Adventures engine, that could be screwed around with maybe.

[spenoza]

The goldbox games have Unlimited Adventures engine, that could be screwed around with maybe.

By the time Unlimited Adventures had been released the engine had been upgraded somewhat. It would probably need to be stripped back down a little to work on the PCE, especially given that UA was a slightly larger game and might need to hold a bit much in RAM. I think if you work from the original Forgotten Realms or Dragonlance games (3 each) you've got a robust enough engine for basically 6 games.

[Keranu]

Other: Mysterious Song!

Maybe if you upgraded the gameplay, menus, music, battle bgs, rest of the tiles and sprites, extended the game and piled on a bunch of special features... But that would be a lot of work. 

Pfft, sounds like 5+ year project. Like anyone would go through that sort of effort!

[HercTNT]

I voted for other. Personally i would love to see the original simcity or even better simcity done up Bonk style.  Instead of a giant lizard stopping through your city it could be bonk. I dont think it would be to ambitious of a project, and the Pce could handle it nicely with better graphics and sound. Would love for it to support save game and mouse as well. Just my two cents.

[nat]

I voted for other. Personally i would love to see the original simcity or even better simcity done up Bonk style. 

SimCity has been done and done. The SNES has a perfectly fine version of SimCity already. But a BONK SimCity isn't a half-bad idea. I'd remake the entire game to take place in the Bonk universe. Bonk creatures, Bonk buildings, Bonk economics. As the game progressed into the future, the buildings/technology would evolve into the Zonk era.

[Mishran]

Hmm... Maniac Mansion?

[ParanoiaDragon]

I voted for other. Personally i would love to see the original simcity or even better simcity done up Bonk style.  Instead of a giant lizard stopping through your city it could be bonk. I dont think it would be to ambitious of a project, and the Pce could handle it nicely with better graphics and sound. Would love for it to support save game and mouse as well. Just my two cents.

How bout' instead of a giant lizard, it be King Drool?   And yeah, Maniac Mansion would be cool!

[Edmond Dantes]

Ultima 1, 2 and 3 can be done with no text input, and as it stands, Ultima IV, V, VI, and VII were all ported to NES/SNES and had no text input required.  They simplified the communication for console releases.

And by "simplified the communication" you mean "turned VI and VII into freaking Zelda games."

Although, a port of Ultima Eight would be interesting (that was practically a Zelda game anyway...)

[HercTNT]

Nat you have my vote on that. I know simcity has been done and done, but i'm a fool for the game. Redo it the way you said would be outstanding. Having king drool stomping through bonkville like down town tokyo would seal the deal for me as well. If i can't have that though, I will take a Halloween harry remake featuring Zonk characters.

[Arkhan]

Ultima 1, 2 and 3 can be done with no text input, and as it stands, Ultima IV, V, VI, and VII were all ported to NES/SNES and had no text input required.  They simplified the communication for console releases.

And by "simplified the communication" you mean "turned VI and VII into freaking Zelda games."

Although, a port of Ultima Eight would be interesting (that was practically a Zelda game anyway...)

I try to ignore the SNES releases of Ultima games.   They're tarded.




Spenoza: The only real upgrade to the engine over time was the graphics.  the rest of the engine stayed the same.  Pools of Darkness plays just like Pool of Radiance, except VGA is all over that motherbitch.

[incrediblehark]

Hmm... Maniac Mansion?

Would love to see this too, i loved the nes version but on pce at least I'd leave the kids cd players on instead of playing in silence.

[Arkhan]

Hmm... Maniac Mansion?

Would love to see this too, i loved the nes version but on pce at least I'd leave the kids cd players on instead of playing in silence.

screw that crap.

what's next? Zak McKraken and the Boringassgame. ?