On Sat, 25 Feb 2023 20:01:32 -0500, Spalls Hurgenson
<spallshurgenson@gmail.com> wrote:

>Project 95 has taken one big step forward, and a few small steps back.
>Are we advancing or retreating? I'm not sure.

Finally shoved that TV tuner into the PC. It's a Haupauge WinTV-Go and
it does absolutely nothing. It only has a coax and s-video inputs, and
I don't have anything that uses that. Well, scratch that; I have some
old game consoles (XBox, PS2, Gamecube, etc.) and, in fact, my goal is
that if I ever decide to use those devices, I'll pair them up with
this computer. But the likelihood of that ever happening? It's pretty
low.

I thought this card also had a FM radio tuner too, but the software
(and model number) say otherwise. But I had several other 'tuner
cards, so maybe I'm thinking about those. Shame; it might have been
neat to use the thing as an FM radio. If I ever listened to radio
anymore. Or if I could hear anything over the noisy fans. I really
should get those replaced.

But with the addition of the TV tuner, now all my expansion slots are
occupied. Since the last PCI slot shares space with the ISA slot, that
pretty much puts to bed the idea of my using the GUS Max... unless I
give up one of the existing cards. Or switch motherboards.

I still have one potential upgrade to make: the addition of an
internal IDE Zip Drive. Again, this would be a fairly useless device,
since I don't have any other computers using zip-drives (and anyway,
USB flash drives are much faster and have larger capacities). But if I
only went for utility, this whole computer wouldn't even exist.
Instead, the main reason I haven't installed the 'drive is that the
front panel is white which (now that I've switched chassis) wouldn't
match the rest of the PC. Plus, I'd have to undo some of my cable
management.

Meanwhile, on the software front, I've added some new apps. I dug up
my "Kai's SuperGoo" disk. This was a photo-editing tool that let you
warp people's faces into ungodly shapes, which was a big thing in the
90s.

And I couldn't go without a utility suite. You remember the sort,
right? Whether it was "Norton Utilities" or "Cybermedia First Aid" or
- the one I chose - "Nuts N Bolts", their aim was to help you make
your PC run faster and with less errors. But usually they did just the
opposite; they took up so many resources that your PC started running
slower and slower, and added so many new dependencies that the number
of crashes increased. Still, you can't have a 90s PC without such a
suite, so I installed one. And my PC instantly started blue-screening.
Ah, 90s computing. (the software has since been removed. I can do
without that degree of versimilitude).

On Sat, 25 Feb 2023 20:01:32 -0500, Spalls Hurgenson
<spallshurgenson@gmail.com> wrote:

>Project 95 has taken one big step forward, and a few small steps back.
>Are we advancing or retreating? I'm not sure.

And so we come to the end of this project.

Well, not the for-ever-and-ever end. This PC will, I hope, stay with
me for a good long while, as a playable reminder of how awesome
computing in the late '90s really was. But as a work-in-progress? I
think I'm done.

I finally did as I threatened and slipped in that Iomega Zip 100
internal drive. I'm not entirely happy that it's faceplate - a garish
white - doesn't match up with the rest of the black chassis, but I
guess I'm going to have to live with. The Zip Drive replaces that
9-in-1 media-card reader that was previously taking up space in the
3,5" bay. Without internal USB headers, I couldn't use the card reader
anyway, so it's nice to have something functional in there. Installing
the drive did require me to almost entirely rework my cable
management.

While the Zip Drive is technically working, it's functionally as
useless as the card reader, since I don't have any other computers
with active zip drives installed. So all I can do is copy drives onto
the zip disk, and then right back off. But who knows, maybe one day
I'll actually have a use for the thing.

But with the installation of the Zip Drive, the computer is pretty
much maxed out; it has no open PCI slots, no open RAM slots, no more
open IDE... I've even used every single Molex power connector. If I
ever do make any upgrades to this machine, it will only be possible if
I remove something else first.

But that's okay, because I'm generally happy with this computer as it
is. Sure, I'm eternally disappointed that I couldn't get my Gravis
Ultrasound working, it's unfortunate that the AGP 2x Voodoo 3 is
slotted into an AGP 1x motherboard, the fans are a bit loud, and the
chassis isn't beige. But from a usability standpoint? It's fantastic.
It has /just/ the right performance for the games and apps I want to
use it on it. Honestly, if the computer were any faster, it wouldn't
have the same feel. It's a Windows9x-era computer; it needs a certain
amount of sluggishness to it.

And, oh, those apps and games. I've fallen in love with Office 97
again. I've never forgiven Microsoft for their atrocious 'ribbon', and
free alternatives have never quite had the same polish. But Office 97?
Perfection. I even like Clippy (I mean, I turn him off immediately,
but I like that he's there. He's a reminder that - even when working -
computers can be fun). Photoshop 5 isn't quite as compelling... but
Kai's PowerTools sure are. And thanks to a glut of third-party shell
replacements, I'm constantly discovering new things on this computer.

Of course, it's really games that pushed the creation of this PC; all
those older titles that just didn't run smoothly (or at all) on modern
hardware. Games I'd forgotten even existed until I started thumbing
through my CD-ROM library looking for things to install. I used to
love "Knight Moves" - a ridiculous chess-based puzzle game - but it's
been out of my mind for so long I had to look its title up on
MobyGames to see what it was. Or Looking Glass' "Flight Unlimited"
series. Or the old "Axis & Allies" game. Or the "Carnivores" hunting
games. So many lost classics, finally given another chance to prove
themselves.

So this machine isn't going away anytime soon. It's got - if not a
permanent position in my den - then an invitation to hang around for a
good long while. It's never going to be my 'go-to' machine; certainly
not for work, and equally not for gaming. But there's many a night
that I've no idea what I might want to play, and then my eye will be
drawn to the noisy beast in the corner.

"Come back," it says. "Let's play."

And I do.

On Sun, 19 Mar 2023 19:19:04 -0400, Spalls Hurgenson
<spallshurgenson@gmail.com> wrote:

So I said this project was 'closed'... and it is. Certainly from the
hardware side; I've got nothing more to add (actually, I've since
'removed' - or rather, unplugged - two of the case fans to bring some
sanity and quiet to the room when I use the PC. They weren't really
necessary anyway).

But on the software side? Look, the obscenely large (for 1999)
hard-drive still has 60GB free, and I gotta use it all SOMEHOW.

But what to add? I've dumped a lot of games and apps onto this system
already, but I could always use more. But I'm having a hard time
deciding (or even remembering) what to put on next. Hence this post.

So, I want games and apps that:

a) Were released for the Win9x platform between 1995 and
1999. Anything released earlier falls into DOS gaming
(and I have that well covered elsewhere), and anything
later the hardware won't run well enough to bother with.
Besides, games released in that period were often a lot
more experimental as hardware capabilities expanded in
leaps and bounds, and new gameplay mechanics started to
become possible.

b) Are somewhat unusual. Sure, there's the obvious stuff
like Quake and Unreal, or Half Life and Need for Speed,
or Sin. All classic games, sure but... well, maybe a
bit overplayed? How about some of the more unusual
games, the ones that - while good - we've all forgotten
about in the intervening decades. Stuff like "Hexplore"
or "Yoda Stories".

c) Make good use of the hardware. Something that shows off
90s PCs at their best. "Incoming Forces", for instance,
was all about the lens flare, and lens flare was so very
90s. Or the colored lighting in "Forsaken".

So I'm thinking games like "Nocturne" or "Independence War", or apps
like "Kai's Power Goo" or the "Yamaha XG-50 Soft-Synth". Games that
scream 'I'm from the 90s' that you remember fondly even though you
haven't played them in twenty years. Apps that once were considered
essential tools that we now get for free in the OS. Programs that
never make the top-10 list but still deserve another chance to shine.

Any ideas?

Spalls Hurgenson <spallshurgenson@gmail.com> writes:

> On Sun, 19 Mar 2023 19:19:04 -0400, Spalls Hurgenson
> <spallshurgenson@gmail.com> wrote:
>
> So I said this project was 'closed'... and it is. Certainly from the
> hardware side; I've got nothing more to add (actually, I've since
> 'removed' - or rather, unplugged - two of the case fans to bring some
> sanity and quiet to the room when I use the PC. They weren't really
> necessary anyway).

>
> But on the software side? Look, the obscenely large (for 1999)
> hard-drive still has 60GB free, and I gotta use it all SOMEHOW.

I can't think of much. The big games from late 90s for me are probably
SS2 and Deus Ex.

I remember Red Alert mostly because I installed Windows 95 when I hit
the infamous Red Alert's DOS version installer bug. I guess you've
covered RTS games and moving them into Windows hardly made a difference
from playing them in DOS.

Battlezone from 1998 comes to mind as a slightly less known game, a kind
of RTS/FPS hybrid. It did use 3D acceleration for graphics too as I
recall, I remember some pretty smoke effects.

Heavy Gear II? It even had a short mission where you were in free fall
with your gear. That was a somewhat unusual bit in an otherwise fairly
dull FPS.

What else, NOLF maybe? I remember one newish feature there was that it
showed stats of where you had hit your enemies as in head/torso/limb
shots. It lead to me trying for headshots in System Shock 2 even though
it was completely pointless there. I doubt it was the first game to do
that though. Well, the 60s secret agent vibe wasn't that common at the
time as I recall. But you probably have NOLF there already?

> But on the software side? Look, the obscenely large (for 1999)
> hard-drive still has 60GB free, and I gotta use it all SOMEHOW.

Maybe the 90's FMV titles, like Black Dahlia etc?

rms

On Tue, 28 Mar 2023 14:38:16 +0300, Anssi Saari <as@sci.fi> wrote:

>I can't think of much. The big games from late 90s for me are probably
>SS2 and Deus Ex.

I'm trying to avoid the 'big name' games largely because, due to their
status, most of them have been updated to run smoothly on modern
hardware; thus, there's no need to put them on the dedicated Win9x PC.

>I remember Red Alert mostly because I installed Windows 95 when I hit
>the infamous Red Alert's DOS version installer bug. I guess you've
>covered RTS games and moving them into Windows hardly made a difference
>from playing them in DOS.

I was never a fan of the Red Alert games; I always preferred the main
series. "Command & Conquer 2" was one of the first games installed on
the win98 computer. I loved its map art!

>Battlezone from 1998 comes to mind as a slightly less known game, a kind
>of RTS/FPS hybrid. It did use 3D acceleration for graphics too as I
>recall, I remember some pretty smoke effects.

Ooh, that's a good one. I need to dig out the CD for that game.

>Heavy Gear II? It even had a short mission where you were in free fall
>with your gear. That was a somewhat unusual bit in an otherwise fairly
>dull FPS.

That's another good suggestion; alas, one I had already thought of. I
had to decide between "Heavy Gear" and "Heavy Gear II"; eventually I
decided on the former, simply because it runs better on the hardware.
While HG2 was /mechanically/ a better game (better visuals, better
controls), and it had some memorable missions (the aforementioned
space missions) its gameplay wasn't as exciting, largely because it
nerfed the enemies. In the HG universe, the 'gears' (the giant robots)
fit realistically between infanty and proper armored units like tanks,
and the first game respected this. But in the second game, gears
became overpowered and tanks extremely squishy. This not only removed
a lot of the challenge, but much of the game's versimilitude.

Side note: another classic Activision game of the era is "Interstate
76", but I couldn't get that game to run; it crashed whenever I
started a mission. Still, I did get to see the awesome intro.

>What else, NOLF maybe? I remember one newish feature there was that it
>showed stats of where you had hit your enemies as in head/torso/limb
>shots. It lead to me trying for headshots in System Shock 2 even though
>it was completely pointless there. I doubt it was the first game to do
>that though. Well, the 60s secret agent vibe wasn't that common at the
>time as I recall. But you probably have NOLF there already?

NOLF is /very/ tempting but, having been released in 2002, I think it
would be a poor fit for the hardware. The game would probably run but
- with only a 300MHz CPU and a Voodoo 3, I'd likely have to compromise
on visual quality and, let's face it, 3D FPS games of that era were no
lookers to begin with.

Anyway, while I loved the setting the gameplay always left me cold (to
get maximum enjoyment, you'd have to slowly sneak through the level
and then freeze in one place for five minutes everytime an NPC started
talking to hear his humorous comments).

Still, I could try other Monolith games; "SHOGO" and "Blood II" are
the most obvious (since the share the same engine), but personally I
never found either of them that enjoyable. But perhaps "Rage of Mages"
or "Septera Core". So a good - if indirect - recommendation; thank you
;-)

Spalls Hurgenson <spallshurgenson@gmail.com> writes:

>>What else, NOLF maybe? I remember one newish feature there was that it
>>showed stats of where you had hit your enemies as in head/torso/limb
>>shots. It lead to me trying for headshots in System Shock 2 even though
>>it was completely pointless there. I doubt it was the first game to do
>>that though. Well, the 60s secret agent vibe wasn't that common at the
>>time as I recall. But you probably have NOLF there already?
>
> NOLF is /very/ tempting but, having been released in 2002, I think it
> would be a poor fit for the hardware. The game would probably run but
> - with only a 300MHz CPU and a Voodoo 3, I'd likely have to compromise
> on visual quality and, let's face it, 3D FPS games of that era were no
> lookers to begin with.

I sure don't remember exactly when NOLF came out but Wikipedia says the
Windows release was in late 2000 so it's in the window. NOLF2 was 2002.

> Anyway, while I loved the setting the gameplay always left me cold (to
> get maximum enjoyment, you'd have to slowly sneak through the level
> and then freeze in one place for five minutes everytime an NPC started
> talking to hear his humorous comments).

True. OTOH, it played decently as an FPS even if you didn't hear all the
comments or random chats. Although I remember one guard finding another
dead and calling me out to clean up the mess. That was pretty funny so
maybe I lost some of the enjoyment.

On Tue, 28 Mar 2023 08:58:49 -0600, "rms"
<rsquiresMOO@MOOflashMOO.net> wrote:

>> But on the software side? Look, the obscenely large (for 1999)
>> hard-drive still has 60GB free, and I gotta use it all SOMEHOW.
>
> Maybe the 90's FMV titles, like Black Dahlia etc?

Oooh, I hadn't heard of that one.
(checks games collection)
Or, apparently I did (since I have it, because OF COURSE I do!) but
I've no memory of it. But /exactly/ the sort of thing I want; Win9x,
acceptable quality, and relatively unknown (even to me! ;-)

Good tip, thanks!

On Wed, 29 Mar 2023 12:45:30 +0300, Anssi Saari <as@sci.fi> wrote:
>Spalls Hurgenson <spallshurgenson@gmail.com> writes:

>>
>> NOLF is /very/ tempting but, having been released in 2002, I think it
>> would be a poor fit for the hardware. The game would probably run but
>> - with only a 300MHz CPU and a Voodoo 3, I'd likely have to compromise
>> on visual quality and, let's face it, 3D FPS games of that era were no
>> lookers to begin with.
>
>I sure don't remember exactly when NOLF came out but Wikipedia says the
>Windows release was in late 2000 so it's in the window. NOLF2 was 2002.

hmm, I have it listed as 2002, but looking at mobygames it's Nov 9
2000. I'll correct my records. ;-)

Still, even a game from 2000 pushes it on the hardware. A 300MHz
Pentium II wasn't really competitive by then, and - as much as I live
my Voodoo card - it was behind the curve even when it was released.
It's great for games released before it hit the market, but it
struggles with stuff afterwards.

And that's fine. Like I said, I have an XP box already for more
'modern' games (2000-2010) so I'm not complaining. I just don't see
them as optimal on the Win9x PC. Maybe I'll put NOLF, NOLF2 (and poor
old forgotten Contract JACK) on that XP computer. They're due a
re-visit.

>> Anyway, while I loved the setting the gameplay always left me cold (to
>> get maximum enjoyment, you'd have to slowly sneak through the level
>> and then freeze in one place for five minutes everytime an NPC started
>> talking to hear his humorous comments).
>
>True. OTOH, it played decently as an FPS even if you didn't hear all the
>comments or random chats. Although I remember one guard finding another
>dead and calling me out to clean up the mess. That was pretty funny so
>maybe I lost some of the enjoyment.

The gameplay itself was... moderately fun. It wasn't ground-breaking,
but it had enough novelty here and there to be entertaining. But it
also had a bunch of annoying forced-stealth sections (I recall at
least one mission that instantly failed if you were seen) and,
compared to the polish of modern FPS games, its 90s-era gameplay can
be really hard to enjoy. This was back when a game wasn't considered
'good' unless it had really huge levels, and took you 30 hours to
finish, so there was a lot of filler.

So as a shooter, it was just okay. It only transcended its peers when
you soaked in the setting, which required a lot of patient listening
to random dialogues, and endlessly searching for all the hidden notes
and clues, which dragged out the already langorous gameplay.

Spalls Hurgenson <spallshurgenson@gmail.com> writes:

> Still, even a game from 2000 pushes it on the hardware. A 300MHz
> Pentium II wasn't really competitive by then, and - as much as I live
> my Voodoo card - it was behind the curve even when it was released.
> It's great for games released before it hit the market, but it
> struggles with stuff afterwards.

Come to think of it, I probably had an 800 MHz AMD Duron at the time so
I can see the point. Probably with a whiny TNT2 Ultra.

> And that's fine. Like I said, I have an XP box already for more
> 'modern' games (2000-2010) so I'm not complaining. I just don't see
> them as optimal on the Win9x PC. Maybe I'll put NOLF, NOLF2 (and poor
> old forgotten Contract JACK) on that XP computer. They're due a
> re-visit.

Was Contract JACK any good? I never heard of it before just reading the
NOLF Wikipedia page. I didn't like NOLF2 that much either to be honest.

On Thu, 30 Mar 2023 15:17:56 +0300, Anssi Saari <as@sci.fi> wrote:

>Spalls Hurgenson <spallshurgenson@gmail.com> writes:
>
>> Still, even a game from 2000 pushes it on the hardware. A 300MHz
>> Pentium II wasn't really competitive by then, and - as much as I live
>> my Voodoo card - it was behind the curve even when it was released.
>> It's great for games released before it hit the market, but it
>> struggles with stuff afterwards.
>
>Come to think of it, I probably had an 800 MHz AMD Duron at the time so
>I can see the point. Probably with a whiny TNT2 Ultra.

Yeah, the Win98 PC struggles with Quake II at 800x600; it's definitely
hitting its limits with anything released post 1999. But, like I said,
I'm okay with that. Older games run fine, and I love seeing that 3DFX
logo flash on the screen when it switches to 3D mode. ;-)

>Was Contract JACK any good? I never heard of it before just reading the
>NOLF Wikipedia page. I didn't like NOLF2 that much either to be honest.

It gots a bad reputation and worse reviews, but as I recall it wasn't
that terrible a shooter. Its gameplay and maps were fairly average for
the time; about on par with other B-list games. But it lacked all the
character and humor of its predecessors; it was pretty much a generic
FPS game with a replacable hero fighting off uninteresting enemies.

As I've stated earlier, I never got much enjoyment from the gameplay
of the earlier NOLF games, and it was the uniqueness of the setting
and characters of those games that made them memorable. The actual
mechanics were average. "Contract JACK" takes that already mediocre
gameplay, strips away all the interesting bits, and shoves it into an
unexciting story.

If you don't care about the setting and just want to run around
shooting stuff, 2000s style, then "Contract JACK" is acceptable, I
suppose. But it's definitely a step down from the NOLF games.