cross-posted from: https://lemmy.ninja/post/22114

I get it. You hate “boomer shooter.” Why have people spent years using the term without checking with you, the consumer? Maybe you just hate the idea of remakes. Maybe you prefer to play the standards that boomer shooters are built on. Buying old hardware can get expensive so I offer a way to go retro without breaking the bank.

PCem, a vintage PC emulator, while no longer maintained by its original creator, remains highly usable. As the author is open to delegating maintenance to a new individual, it’s possible that updates may occur in the future. For Windows users, backwards compatibility support is robust, suggesting that existing Windows versions of PCem should operate smoothly for the foreseeable future. Despite a lack of recent enhancements, PCem’s existing binaries are reliable and accessible, offering an excellent option for those interested in PC emulation.

UniPCemu, another full PC emulator, originally developed for PSP but now available on multiple platforms including Windows, is also an active project. It provides near cycle-accurate emulation of 8086/8088 chips, with only a 4% discrepancy, according to the UniPCemu wiki. This makes it a promising choice for those seeking an accurate emulation experience.

DOSBox, another popular emulator focused on DOS-based games, is still actively maintained, with a significant number of changes accumulating in its development repository. However, new releases have been sparse, as the development team emphasizes ensuring minimal regressions before rolling out new versions. The existing releases, referred to as 0.74-x, are primarily focused on bug fixes and don’t incorporate any new features from the development branch. Nonetheless, the developers have plans for a new release in the future.

Contrastingly, DOSBox-X has a distinct focus and is subject to frequent updates. Originally aimed at enhancing fidelity for running demoscene productions, DOSBox-X has now expanded its focus to improving fidelity in general. This active maintenance and the unique value proposition makes DOSBox-X a worthy emulator for those interested in high fidelity PC emulation.

Moreover, MAME is worth exploring for PC emulation. Its developers prioritize accuracy in their emulation, making it another strong choice for enthusiasts. Other options such as WeeCee, an actual miniature PC, could provide an authentic experience within a modern PC environment. Despite its size, WeeCee is capable of running a wide array of speed-sensitive games proficiently, making it another viable option for those interested in vintage PC gaming.

#hardware #emulation #retrofps #boomer_shooter

    • Toxic_Tiger@beehaw.org
      8·
      1 year ago

      I remember just being absolutely stumped by Riven when I was 13. It was pretty to look at, but I had no clue about how to solve the puzzles. When I did finally make progress, the sequence would start again.

      I’d probably get bored and go play something different these days.

      • BrooklynMan@lemmy.ml
        4·
        1 year ago

        every once in a while, i’ll replay them, and I’m still amazed at what amazing games they are. Other games that still knock my socks off are Ultima Underworld I & II.

    • MrEUser@lemmy.ninjaOPEnglish
      3·
      1 year ago

      My ONE claim to fame is beating Myst in 19 hours of straight game play the day after it came out without reference material…

      • BrooklynMan@lemmy.mlEnglish
        2·
        1 year ago

        wow. took me at least a week and a half to beat that game once I finally was determined to get through it!

    • Pigeon@beehaw.org
      3·
      1 year ago

      Uh… Just look at how wildly popular minecraft is, and all the mods they stack on top of it, and the ridiculous redstone contraptions they build. And they play the Portal games and so on. Somehow I think they’d be fine with Myst and Riven.

      Kids don’t get dumber over time. Adults just forget what it was like to be kids and having adults look down their noses at you for your age.

      • BrooklynMan@lemmy.ml
        3·
        1 year ago

        comparing Minecraft to the Myst games is… heh… i’d like to see examples of where in Minecraft you’d have to decode a base-25 numbering system to beat the game or where any of the puzzles are as complicated to solve as the fire marbles puzzle in Riven. Musical patterns? Decoding hints in a different language? C’mon…

        And I didn’t say the kids now are dumb. But today’s games sure are because today’s kids have the attention span of a gnat.

        • Serenus@beehaw.org
          3·
          1 year ago

          I’d suggest you look into some of what’s possible in Minecraft before dismissing it. The basics are simplistic, but the moment you start dipping into redstone builds you’re opening up an entirely different, entirely more complicated can of worms. Some of the mods available also expand that complexity greatly - Create, for example. It’s a different genre of difficulty than what’s offered by puzzle-based games, but I don’t think it’s possible to argue that there isn’t depth to it. Factorio’s another one which I’d name as offering significant complexity in the same vein.

          I’d also note that Myst is almost generation defining in terms of its complexity. I’d be hard pressed to point towards many other games that were on par with it from its time (and I’m intentionally excluding some of the classic text adventures here, which were difficult in ways unfair to the player).

          • BrooklynMan@lemmy.ml
            3·
            1 year ago

            I’m not dismissing Minecraft. I’m just saying that comparing it to the Myst games is… a bad comparison.

            • Serenus@beehaw.org
              1·
              1 year ago

              I think it’s reasonable in that the same kids who get into the difficult, complex parts of Minecraft are likely the same sort who would enjoy something like Myst. You’re right that it’s far from a perfect comparison (two very different genres, after all), but there’s something in it as well.

              • BrooklynMan@lemmy.ml
                1·
                1 year ago

                possibly, although the old Myst games lack the sort of dopamine-inducing instantly-gratifying interactions that modern games do, so I suspect they’d quickly grow bored of it. And, as you mentioned, some of the puzzles, especially one in Riven, are almost impossibly hard. I remember, during a replay a few years ago, a friend once referred to it as, “like doing homework” when he saw all the notes I had to take regarding the puzzle codes and numbering system and mapping out the different Ages. And the reading… so much reading with all those journals. It’s not just the puzzles, but the amazing amount of patience it took to play the game and get through the story. and if you screwed one thing up way earlier, you were screwed. and you wouldn’t know how because it wouldn’t tell you.

                those games were just in a different league.