A free game while I'm away!

This one. One copy's available here - redeem or share. ;)

How'd you like a free copy of this good title? First come first get! ;)

Have a grand adventure you lucky recipient you! Enjoy.

It's good to try new things.

I was feeling somewhat apathetic and low the other day. On the grind, and the gruel of life and all. On not having been outside in a while maybe. Kept in by the rain that kept pattering the windows - something I feel is calming when I'm in a better place and state of mind. Summer's coming up and I'm not done with all, or content with all, time wanders as my mind does...

I intended to jump into a game I'd played before initially.

I pondered Serious Sam. I've been recording runthrough's of the first two encounters that I'll be uploading eventually, but it just didn't feel... fun.

I skimmed through the list of games I own on GOG in search of something that seemed better. Something that'd distract me enough. Something with an imaginative world I could truly escape into for a moment or two. Alan Wake lured, but I've played it before, and I wasn't really looking for horror.

I've had a few games bookmarked there for a while now; intending to play.

There's Mirror's Edge - that parkour action game that reminds me a bit of Oni - which I love. Saint's Row 2 - which is a clear rip-off on the GTA games of the time - which I love. Sudeki - a more family-friendly kind of adventure. And Jade Empire, and Konung - games both one and two (Konung = King in Swedish)... but Konung didn't feel simple enough. I started pondering Diablo 2 instead. But that too felt overly complicated to get into.

And then there was Venetica, a hack and slash adventure that at least visually looked pretty promising...

I started watching trailers. Then screenshots. I skimmed through all those aforementioned games again, but wasn't sure any one really would let me get away as well as I wanted to. And then I started checking filesizes, since download speed is limited, and I did not want to wait too long, and Venetica was maybe the most promising of the contenders I still pondered in that regard. Konung was though smaller out of the picture, and Saint's Row felt a bit over-the-top, so Venetica it was...

And what a game Venetica was! So far. I chose right. I really got away. I played just two hours but it felt like much longer. In a good way.

I went to bed feeling content, and relaxed, and enveloped in the mysteries of the monsters and assassins of San Pasquale - a fictional mountainside town, and the comfort of companionship, the armor of love, the subtle grind and discovery, the winding pathways, and puzzles, the simple and noble sword-to-sword combat, the steep ravines and edges that for some reason you couldn't jump down, the pros and cons and the beautiful Venice lingering beyond the long bridge and pond...

So far I'm high on this one. It's lively. It's lovely.

The main character's lovely too. She copes with her tragic loss admirably - as do the rest of the villagers - who you can sometimes drag a couple assassins towards if you need some help fighting them.

You can hone your skills, you can battle and level up, you can learn new things, you can traverse the path between life and death with an intriguing kind of twilight energy - and you speak to a stranger that reminds me of the mysterious one in Dishonored - which I was actually considering playing again whenst looking for a game now too.

The character enhancements, the items, the pick-ups and missions are simple, but seemingly plentiful. The world so far is small, but with a promise that it'll grow, and it seems I'll soon be at the big city, just a couple hours into the game...

The visuals aren't totally up-to-date, but they're good enough, movements feel more outdated than the visuals. The characters are expressive, rich in personality and beauty, and the sceneries are a fantasy.

It's not all utopian but it definitely is adventurous, wild and wonderful, and exactly the kind of game world I was hoping to get lost in for a while as I traverse my ongoing existential crisis/off-spring Spring and figure things out otherwise.

The game menu's a little basic. The transition effects and sounds are an odd choice. First impressions get lowered straight away, but once you get into the game itself it's amazing.

I wish there was a quicksave feature, and for a while I wish I could jump - I get over that though, and it does seem like the game saves automatically at key locations. When you enter new places maybe. Not sure yet.

It seems like saves are possibly a feature you don't even have to worry about. I've died a few times so far, but thanks to that mysterious twilight energy I haven't stayed dead yet, I'm starting to wonder if you ever do, might find out soon...

I appreciate how there's no superfluous words or grind involved in the game either thus far - though plenty of interactions. Both interface and story seems perfected. You pick up items, loot, trade, upgrade, hone yourself and learn a little along the way, but it's never excessive. It's easy to get into. It's homely. It's familiar and fun but also a real fantasy.

It's an adventure, pure and simple. Another age. Another face. An intriguing world and story thus far.

Might not have much more time to play right now, but I'm looking forward to jumping into this world and venture once again soon.

Venetica - it's a boon.

Here are six games I'm really looking forward to this year!

Had intended to write up a way more in-depth post about 'em, but this shall suffice, before the year's over or they're out.

They're all either story-wise a sequel, or part of a bigger; ongoing franchise.

In order of anticipation...

1. Alan Wake 2
2. Advance Wars™ 1+2: Re-Boot Camp
3. RoboCop: Rogue City
4. Diablo 4
5. Metal Slug Tactics
6. Pokémon Sleep

I've played plentiful prequels for all of these but RoboCop.

RoboCop: Rogue City

With RoboCop I just loved the movies. The early ones. And it seems they're bringing back the grittiest; greatest aesthetic they had with this particular game.

There have been RoboCop games in the past, but apart from the one that came out along with the last movie (which was not like the old movies) they've all been platformers, and both visually and functionally very basic.

This is new. This is both shoot-em-up and cinematic experience all in one. A game that both plays on the movies and seems to stay true, truly.

Alan Wake 2

I played through Alan Wake recently, and it was great, but ended disappointingly. Without resolution - though maybe that's the only way a good horror game can end. It certainly left a lasting impression.

I'm hoping the sequel remedies that end though! Or if naught else provides a similarly dark, dreamy and exhilarating experience.

Advance Wars™ 1+2: Re-Boot Camp

I've spent way too much time on the portable Advance Wars games for GBA and NDS. After that the franchise kind of ran into the mud, jumping to both the wrong form and the wrong visual style; interfaces.

The last truly good one came out in 2005. I'm hoping this is the reboot that spectacular story-based strategy game deserves.

Metal Slug Tactics

The old Metal Slug games were awesome. Visually so meticulous. Functionally so scrappy and fun to play.

Haven't kept up with the franchise but I'd like to try this one too.

Diablo 4

I have fond memories of Diablo 2 in particular - don't think I've played neither the first nor the third.

They recently came out with a remake on the second one - hands down the most popular (and thus possibly best one) of all - and one that hasn't been easy to play the original version of with modern hardware.

Since the remake I have a feeling maybe they've been going back to origins a bit, and maybe this one will evoke a similar sensation of grand, gritty adventure and grind. If so definitely worth a play then too.

Pokémon Sleep

As for Pokémon Sleep? Well I like Pokémon. It's a fun idea. The first true idle game for a console? Don't think I'll play this one but it's definitely interesting.

Let's see if any of these actually make it out this year though for starters!

And that none succumb to the budgetary restrictions or production issues that lead to some games not seeing the light of day they're intended to. But these are all big names so...

Here's hoping that doesn't happen to any of these.

Looking forward.

This is about TaskMaker. *in booming voice with excessive reverb*

Where to find a shovel? Can you buy a shovel? Can you kill somebody for a shovel? Would any kind of vicious foe wield one in the latter stages of the game? Maybe in the King's Tomb - at the dawn of all adventure - right before the end of the game?

Cause I'm out of shovels. I have no shovel. And certain things in this game you cannot get without one, I believe.

I sold one, cause I had two at one point. Maybe even three.

The one in the graveyard was easy to find.

They had one in one of the first levels too.

Was there another? I'm pretty sure there was at least one more...

Then suddenly I'm entirely out of shovels, and no matter where I go it doesn't seem there are more of them lying around.

I've tried all shops. I've tried the garden, I've made it through a few more tasks. I'm at the Fierce Fold now, and there are still a few locations I've yet to venture to or explore fully - at least one which I cannot gain access to until the very end of the game - but I'd really like a shovel NOW, before I forget where I need to use it. Some treasures need some digging up...

There are at least a few spots in the garden, by the grave.

There are a bunch of graves in that sinking village too.

There may have been some soft sand in that strange village with all the smiley faces...

Maybe elsewhere too.

I think I dug my way through all of the sandy areas in the first two villages at least, when I still had a shovel to spare. Maybe the first three. Not sure I explored the silver place fully. I even found a place to dig up in the outside world, at that sandy expanse towards the top of the map.

But now I'm out of shovels, and I can find no more to aid me in my task.

My god. Be careful with the shovels y'all.

Don't sell any unless you have to.

And you don't have to.

Big mistake.

I've started emulating Mac games all of a sudden (a while back - as usual I'm late posting this)! Unexpectedly. Spontaneously. As seems to be the case with most pastimes that peak my interest...

I've played TaskMaker before, in the old days.

I have it on an old Performa 630, which you can read about here. Unfortunately it no longer boots. I suppose I'll update that page eventually if I can't fix it, but there is hope. I reached out to a service shop in Stockholm a while back and they said they'd have a look if I bring it in. They have plenty of spare parts.

Though they're focused on new computers it seems like the legacy with Apple in particular is similarly uncompromising for all. You just don't abandon the classics. Even their official company support's dedicated to serving customers with older models. There's no end-of-service, it seems.

You wonder if it's a sustainable business model when companies like Microsoft keep forcing you to upgrade, and leaving perfectly good things behind for the sake of profit, but then again Apple stocks are going pretty well these days... turns out there may be a benefit to being genuine, and believing in your products! And caring for your customers!!!

It's a long way to Stockholm City though, and old computers are HEAVY - the old monitor won't start either - it smells like burnt plastic if you turn it on - hope it's just capacitators that need replacing. So, when my nephew came over a week or so ago we dug out this other Mac I have lying around. This one. A slightly newer and more readily maintained model. It's not one I have a personal history with, it doesn't have the OS I grew up on, but it plays the same games, and it works, and we managed to delve into the realms of not just Factory (as we usually do), but also MacSki, MacPipes, Farm Patrol aaand even a little TaskMaker!

He tried the game real quick, walked into a few walls, and abandoned it. But it woke within me fond memories, of days long gone when I first discovered these games, and spent an abundant amount of time
playing them.

We played some of the other games after that, and then he left, and I stashed away that computer again, yet I couldn't stash away those good memories...

I first decided to create .iso image files of all old CDs I have for my old computer - all the ones with those games I remember fondly, if like my oldest computer they unexpectedly wear down with time and stop working. A lot (maybe all) of these games are probably available online too, in various formats and versions, but I haven't made an effort to make sure, and it wouldn't be quite the same thing without those old CDs after all, so I made those copies.

I burned one of the .iso files I'd created to a blank CD and tried booting it on that old computer before I stashed it away... and it worked! Seems the format's cross-platform compatible. I processed 'em all via CDBurnerXP on Windows 10. Something like twenty discs - mostly ones that came with The MAC magazine back in 1996, chockful of shareware games and other odd utilities, some of which I've just been starting to delve into the histories of...

For example Exile (and Exile 2) - other RPGs I have fond memories of - but have never completed, were made by Spiderweb Software, who are actually still around, and remade said game under a new title years later, which I'm pretty sure I actually have a copy of on GOG! Or have seen there, at least. Avernum, and Avernum 2: Crystal Souls.

There's also a third Exile game available from back in the day that I'd never heard of - just like there's a third Avernum game now. May play eventually. Those games are HARD - as I experienced again when I tried getting back into the first one just recently - but maybe not as hard as I remember them if I just fine-tune my strategies a bit.

Back in the day these games weren't as instantly gratifying as they are now. You had to explore a bit to figure things out. You had to talk to people, and find items, and walk around, and apparently the world of Exile is HUGE, with something like a hundred towns, and desolate caverns filled with monsters and fairy tail figures of varied sort. Even dragons! I never got that far back in the day.

All of this in a game less than a thousand KB big!

The game-making capabilities they had in the old days - making gems as grand as this with such limited resources, still blow me away. Looking at the hundred GB blockbusters of today I'm impressed so much more with these old ones than with the new.

I'm impressed with what they managed not just with the restrictions they had back then, but without templates and earlier examples of successful titles to guide them as well.

The mechanics between titles varied greatly, and yet so many of them seemed to get things just right. When developers now speak about how many months it'd take to build an engine from scratch - and often use existing engines instead, and you know developers in the old day always did build from scratch, and did so with much more limited teams - sometimes just the one hobbyist working his passion project - you feel like something's gone missing with newer titles.

Cinematic though they may be, they're rarely as quirky or charming as the olden; golden ones. I feel, looking back now...

Let's cut the nostalgia though and get into the technical! Or practical. My gaming adventures with old Apple games on Windows 10.

I could talk about good old games forever.

My first thought was to get into Exile again.

I tried it for a while on the old computer before I stashed it away, but I died - more than once, and lost interest, remembering how difficult it was.

So I stashed away that computer, soon regretted it, and wondered how easy it'd be to emulate some other old games on my newer computer, which is always available, which stands readily on my desk and should have (in terms of hardware and performance) no issues running games of this age, even if they're emulated...

I settled on Basilisk II, which seems to be the goto emulator if you're looking to run games from the Performa 7xx generation (I forgot my old computer's the 6xx generation - think the OS might've been upgraded to 7xx though). Apparently it's a part of the 68k generation, whatever that means.

To get started you need a system image of the OS you're looking to run, a ROM file for the computer itself (think of this as the hardware - the actual device), and of course whatever files you wish to run on said system!

It started out difficultly. I didn't get it. I toggled options and tried different images and couldn't get it to work - even with the tutorial they provide on their own Wiki - but then I found this video and it all fell into place!

Protip: Don't tweak your system too much!!!

I installed my OS, installed my games, went through old menu items and had some fun with it - even managed to transfer files from Windows via the emulator itself - there's an option to allow access to the external OS environment via a 'My Computer' link within the emulated environment - and it worked perfectly! It's an easy way to move files in and out if you don't have Internet access via the emulator itself - which even if possible seems like a potential security issue with an OS this old (I did try - it at least didn't work out of the box).

And I played for a few hours - TaskMaker this time - caught up in the game just as I was in the old days - and then decided to tweak my OS a little further... and it crashed. And couldn't be booted.

Corrupt HDD? I tried toggling the Basilisk boot options but to no effect.

Fortunately I had saved a copy of my savefile at least an hour or so earlier, as well as a complete copy of the emulator environment. I replaced the HDD file in the Basilisk folder with the one from my earlier copy - this is basically the entire installation of the emulated system - and booted, and it worked again! Copied in my savefile duplicate too, and though I'd lost an hour or two of good progress it at least wasn't that severe a loss, so...

Protip 2: Backup the HDD file if you do tweak your system!!! Or if you don't. Just make backups.

With a system this ancient (it's actually thirty years old next year - pretty crazy crazy) the installation file does not need to be that big either. I'm pretty sure I set the HDD size to something like 50MB, though maybe Basilisk has it's own default, or files, since the created one is 500 MB.

If you have a decent-sized drive though that's not too much to make a copy of every once in a while.

Best practice would be to make the copy before you boot the system, when it's not in active use, and if you don't want more than one copy at a time you can replace that backup the time after that. Simple safing process to prevent further catastrophic corruption or system failure...

Emulators usually aren't without their quirks, and this is no exception.

For example (apart from the corruption example above - all I was trying to do was adjust name and time and all for the installed OS via the built-in guide) it seems that sound cuts out in the game after a certain game time. This time differs. Seems to be a thing just with this one game too.

I haven't been able to discern the pattern here yet. Going by official bug reports it seems to be an issue with any game that has constant background sound - though this one doesn't.

It has sound effects, it has no music.

The sound effects do come into play with each step you take, however, so maybe if you're good enough it does come across a continual stream, and maybe that's an issue.

The sound started cutting off pretty far into my game. At that point maybe I was moving continually. Maybe that's it.

I haven't tried troubleshooting this yet, but so far it seems sound for the emulated OS cuts out entirely when this happens. I don't think it'll make a difference - going by forum posts regarding the same issue - but I shall try tweaking my sound settings a bit.

It's also possible to mute the game itself, so maybe I can try that every once in a while, as to not have sound play too continuously in the background, if continuum is an issue. Or - as I did yesterday - I can simply keep on playing and have a podcast in the background if and whenever the sound does cut out. The game sounds do contribute to the atmosphere, but it's fun either way. It's no central component. It's a slight amplifier. Hopefully it'll work fine like this.

Also notable shout-out to this site, that lets you actually emulate both this and any other old Apple system immediately, online! You can transfer files in and out of your emulated system there too, and even save files between sessions - though I'd backup anything important just in case.

For something like TaskMaker, that'd work perfectly too, though it seems the hardware use is a little higher with emulation via browser. Local seems to be the most efficient (and lag-free) way, but this is by far the easiest alternative if you just want to get into it right away.

Instructions for how to transfer files are available as soon as you boot.

Now back to TaskMaker. *in booming voice*

Time to pick off where I left off, a couple hours before that savefile corrupted...