Dwarf Fortress, since 2008
ASCII no questions, I’ll tell you no lies
What are some old freeware PC games you've kept playing over the years?
Submitted 2 weeks ago by ALostInquirer@lemm.ee to retrogaming@lemmy.world
Comments
smeg@feddit.uk 2 weeks ago
I don’t know if it technically counts as freeware, but Space Cadet Pinball. Back on XP it was my go-to for something quick to play on the offline computer, and I just brought it with me to every new machine. Also it’s now been decompiled and will run on pretty much anything!
Empricorn@feddit.nl 2 weeks ago
Something about Castle of the Winds really seemed unique and even today it’s distinct from most roguelikes. I liked the fact that items could be enchanted or cursed. Simplistic graphics, but fun! I also liked the 3D pinball game (demo) that came with an old version of Windows…
tigeruppercut@lemmy.zip 2 weeks ago
I got it working on Mt last computer by running it through win 3.1, but I haven’t been able to make that work since I changed. How are you running it these days?
InvertedParallax@lemm.ee 2 weeks ago
Haven’t played recently, but this one came to mind’
skulblaka@sh.itjust.works 2 weeks ago
I missed the original, but Scorched 3D was a big hit at my high school.
Kolanaki@pawb.social 2 weeks ago
I always have to have Hover! on my PC. It’s hella dumb that it doesn’t just come with Windows as it did originally.
Die4Ever@programming.dev 2 weeks ago
I can’t believe someone else just mentioned Hover! I haven’t played it in decades lol but I did spend a lot of time on it as a kid
k0e3@lemmy.ca 2 weeks ago
Am I crazy or is there a browser based version now that had online multiplayer?
purplemonkeymad@programming.dev 2 weeks ago
Was it not part of the entertainment pack? I do remember spending so long on it and just never getting past one of the levels, turns out there was a platform that required a spring to get to.
not3ottersinacoat@lemmy.ca 2 weeks ago
Beneath A Steel Sky (though I kinda prefer the grungier aesthetic of the Amiga floppy version)
ace_garp@lemmy.world 2 weeks ago
AceFuzzLord@lemm.ee 2 weeks ago
I’ve been playing it off and on since maybe 2016-18 (somewhere within that range), so a pretty long time for me, but Pokemon Rejuvenation.
If you don’t mind swearing, death, and generally kinda edgy stuff, it’s a fun enough game with a lot of content. 15 out of 18 badges (one per type) are currently available, with a very long story to go with it.
Just started over on my Steam Deck, making this my umpteenth time starting over, because I felt like it and wanted to do a grass only run, similar to my fire only run. Also, unlike just about every other RPGMaker XP fangame, the devs have a Linux version available, which has an appimage instead of the .exe file and have made a bash script to update the game to replace the .exe file for that. Wine not required to play at all!
tigeruppercut@lemmy.zip 2 weeks ago
If we’re sticking strictly to free, I’m not sure Doom mods work if you only have the free version installed. Either way, people basically never stopped making wads since the game came out, and I try various ones out from time to time.
There are tons of them, so if you’re interested you can see what won the annual Cacowards throughout the years and start there.
sanglyon@jlai.lu 2 weeks ago
“Einstein puzzle” by Flowix games, copyright 2004-2005
I play it from time to time, to see if I can still complete it in under 4 minutes and my brain isn’t slowing down too much with age.
Technically, Dwarf fortress is the oldest game I still play, but I only got fully into it thanks to the non-free Steam version.
johsny@lemmy.world 2 weeks ago
OpenTTD
Redfeather@lemmy.world 2 weeks ago
One of my absolute favorites is a quirky strategy game named Lord Monarch. I found it on the Nihon Falcom website way back in the mid 90s when I was first starting to use the internet: Lord Monarch
It’s super tiny in modern terms, but I remember waiting a good 20-30 minutes for all it to download from a 33.6Kbps modem.
Another huge one for me was a game I actually got a full version of from a Gravis gamepad promo CD named Seek and Destroy. It’s a top down shooter where you can be either a helicopter or a tank: Seek and Destroy
The last on the comes to mind is a giant robot fighting game that also came on that same Gravis CD named One Must Fall: One Must Fall 2097
Binette@lemmy.ml 2 weeks ago
SRB2 !
Die4Ever@programming.dev 2 weeks ago
Sonic Robo Blast 2 is one of the best Sonic games ever!
Eyro_Elloyn@lemmy.zip 2 weeks ago
Man, I found this in 09 a few months before the 2.0 update. And it had a decade behind it even then. Man I miss those days of looking through random wads on 4shared. I couldn’t even begin to figure out how to find some of that stuff nowadays if I wanted to find it.
Romkslrqusz@lemm.ee 2 weeks ago
SVcross@lemmy.world 2 weeks ago
Lost Vikings
Waveform@lemmy.world 2 weeks ago
Clonk! It’s a 2D mining/strategy/base-building hybrid that was apparently more popular in Germany than other places. I actually paid to play it way back in '05, but it has since become freeware. It’s got a particle sim (similar to Noita, but not as extensive) that plays into the scenarios well.
clonk.de
ocasta@lemmy.blahaj.zone 2 weeks ago
UnReal World is a free, survival-focused roguelike rpg that came out in 1992 and is still actively being developed and improved. It’s got a lot of depth and a very cool fantasy setting heavily inspired by Finnish folklore (the developer is Finnish).
I highly recommend it if you’ve got the patience for an in-depth roguelike rpg.
verycoolusername@lemm.ee 2 weeks ago
Super Crate Box. An incredibly addictive, simple 2D shooting game! It’s free on Steam!
Krudler@lemmy.world 2 weeks ago
Squarez Deluxe
Makes Tetris seem like a children’s toy
cfi@lemmy.world 2 weeks ago
They’re shareware but I think Pocket Tanks and Super DX Ball have been on every computer I’ve owned since 2002
toxicbubble@lemmy.world 2 weeks ago
bubble tanks
Delta_V@lemmy.world 2 weeks ago
Not freeware, but currently $2.39 on GOG:
Master of MagicIts like Civilization with wizards and dragons.
Feathercrown@lemmy.world 2 weeks ago
Do flash games count? Motherload is great.
yabai@lemmy.world 2 weeks ago
It’s been a few years, but Armagetron Advanced was the best. Felt like you were riding the lightbikes from Tron.
megane_kun@lemmy.dbzer0.com 2 weeks ago
I’ve played Simutrans on and off ever since the mid 2010’s. I’m not any good at it, and usually play it without regard to a lot of its mechanics (especially managing finances), but I’ve spent countless of hours just connecting communities and cities with over-engineered roads, rail systems, ferries, and airplanes.
ClipperDefiance@lemmy.world 2 weeks ago
Irisu Syndrome! is a favorite of mine. It’s only from 2008, so I personally don’t consider it retro. It’s tricky to learn at first since it doesn’t tell you anything about how to play and I don’t recall there being a manual. It’s also one of those games that you can’t really say too much about without spoiling things.
avidamoeba@lemmy.ca 2 weeks ago
I play Shareware
ALostInquirer@lemm.ee 2 weeks ago
What shareware do you play?
Flagstaff@programming.dev 2 weeks ago
Different Lemmy denizen here: for a long time I was quite sucked into Soldat, though I haven’t touched it in a decade. Been thinking about it as of late, though…
MITM0@lemmy.world 2 weeks ago
Warzone-2100
afansfw@lemmynsfw.com 2 weeks ago
Nikujin by ikiki, and other games by the same developer. Not sure where to find them now, but they were some of the greatest freeware games I have played.
just_another_person@lemmy.world 2 weeks ago
OpenTTD is open source, so not sure that fits.
ALostInquirer@lemm.ee 2 weeks ago
Older? Check.
Free? Check.
Software/game? Check.
Checks out in my book!
oddspinnaker@lemm.ee 2 weeks ago
I happened upon the original for $20 in Wal Mart in 1995 and I’ve been playing it on and off ever since!
One of the best games ever made.