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90's PC Gaming Appreciation Thread: From Boot Disks to 3dfx Voodoo cards

derExperte

Member
Just curious; Did anyone else have a Roland SCC-1 midi sound card..? Arguably the best PC midi sound cards for its time, ever....

Had a Roland SoundCanvas SCD-15 board that you had to put onto a SoundBlaster card. I might've peed a little after installing it and booting up Doom.
1280px-Roland_SCD-15_on_Diamond_MX300.jpg
 

Anim

Member
Just noticed this thread and immediately had to subscribe. 90s (and early 2000s) PC gaming was a big part of my childhood. I have a few hundred demo CDs (which also feature full versions of older titles). At one point I was buying 4 magazines that featured such CDs every month, so I managed to amass quite a collection over the years.

I'd also like to recommend a youtube channel dedicated to first person games (mainly shooters), both old and new: Gggmanlives.
 

Teknoman

Member
Really like LGR's stuff. Even the music he uses goes right along with everything...and for some reason his reviews feel like...I dunno...watching a PBS travel documentary or Autoweek. Thats a compliment.
 

ekgrey

Member
Man, this thread is cool as hell. (Heh) I just inherited several older PCs and laptops, none from the 90s I don't think, early to mid 00s. I haven't had time to really look at everything yet, so we'll see what I find. Two of the laptops are from an architect who used CAD and other intensive software, so I know they have discrete GPUs. I only played with the most modern of them (probably about 2009) to pull out the SSD to use as the boot drive in my son's PC. Excited about the prospect of some retro PC gaming!
 
FYI for anyone interested, it turns out the Socket 370 & Socket A used the same heatsink mounting brackets. Someone put a beefy Socket 370 cooler on a K6 and it was mostly fine, just have to be careful with any nearby capacitors.

There are some other coolers for Socket A still available for sale on like newegg, so that's an option.

Oh, good to know. I think I have a Cooler Master branded Socket A heatsink and fan still somewhere. Socket A heatsinks should be rather easy to find.
 

Teknoman

Member
Yeah his tips about checking the puzzle/board game section for PC games helped me net a big box copy of The Ultimate DOOM.
 

Khaz

Member
Do General MIDI compatible sound cards work with games programmed for only MT-32, like say Indiana Jones and the Fate of Atlantis?

No, they have different instruments programmed for the various channels. Where GM calls for a guitar, MT32 would play like a sax or something. If you were to send music meant for GM to an MT32 synthesiser, or the other way around, it would sound super weird.

Some cards have an emulation mode for the MT32, but apparently it's not super good.
 
I've been reading about sound cards. I didn't realize how complicated this all is and I have a quick question.

I understand that MIDI is a considerable step up from the Sega Genesis-sounding OPL FM synths in SoundBlaster cards & compatibles. But it seems that before a standard (General MIDI) was adopted, it was a bit of a mess with most games seeming to prefer the Roland MT-32, including the more popular LucasArts games.

Do General MIDI compatible sound cards work with games programmed for only MT-32, like say Indiana Jones and the Fate of Atlantis?

The best bet you would have for both great MT-32 compatibility and GM compatibility would be something like a Roland SC-55 or SC-88 they had amazing MIDI sound banks and from what I understand, pretty much perfect MT-32 emulation as Roland made both units. Of course both of them are external, so you will still need a sound blaster to plug them in.

Edit: And apparently I was wrong. So looks like instead, you need a GM compatible card, AND an Mt-32 or LAPC-1. If you don't care about having the best MIDI out there, you could then get like an AWE-32 and have an MT32 plugged in.
 

Khaz

Member
wSguiK0l.jpg


While it's true there is way to much combat in it, to the point you start running around with the guns out expecting enemies around the corner, I really enjoyed Tomb Raider II. The new environments are cool (except for the oil rig / boat, because they last way too long), the puzzles weren't particularly difficult (I never got really stuck not knowing what to do), and save for the last couple of levels there isn't tricky platforming. It's really more of the same, and anyone who enjoyed the first one should like this.

The ending though
is a cool idea, but has crap implementation. Running around the mansion trying to find the one baddie who got lost, gunning down the slightly tougher last one, then the random last scene wtf?
 
Status check:

Mobo, RAM, CPU -> Check
Case, PSU -> Check
Souncard, DreamBlaster -> Check
CD Swap from other PC -> Check
Voodoo3 -> Check, finally

Still missing:
Floppy Emulator
SD->IDE adapter
CD Audio cable :(

Finally booted the damn thing at least to the BIOS and it's working, USB keyboard supported, lots of options in the BIOS.

I ended up ordering the CPU and RAM upgrade, along with a cooler. RAM and cooler showed up, CPU still on it's way. Hopefully my GOTEK or SD adapter show up soon so I can actually run something.
 

Khaz

Member
I had a similar idea, except I want to use CF cards. They're bigger and I like the feel more, but finding cases is impossible.
 
This thread brings so much memories...
We used to play a lot of Half-Life deathmatch in computer class. We had Counter-Strike installed too, but it took like 10 minutes to load a map, so we mostly focused on HL.
Would HL1 version on steam be enough if I want to dive in the mp once more?
 

FlyinJ

Douchebag. Yes, me.
I bought Quake over the phone using my mom's credit card. Some nice lady read me a cd-key that unlocked the full game (which was already on the demo disc!)

There was a HUGE uproar over the fact that the Quake demo disc had the full game on it, but it was encrypted and you needed to pay to unlock it.

It was the first time there was ever "locked content" on a disc, and the uproar was mainly based on the fact that the demo disc was sold at 7-11s for like a dollar.

People were screaming "I PAID FOR THE DISC, HOW DARE YOU KEEP THE CONTENT ON IT FROM ME!"
 
Played through Titanic Adventure out of Time this weekend. I'm not sure why but I really love this game. Maybe because I played it when I was 9. It's more or less a C-tier adventure game with Myst style FMV navigation + some cheesy taking head dialog. I really wanted to find an animated gif of these people talking, it's really dumb but somehow the animation works really well:
I went through with a walkthrough to get the perfect ending that I never could when I was a kid but after finishing I kind of wish I had done a blind run and just found things as I went.

I really liked how grounded in history the game is. They did a really good job of making sure the context of the times was clear, and set you up to alter the course of history by your actions on the Titanic. The setting for this is kind of ridiculous, like of course none of these extremely vital items would be on the Titanic, but it helps setting up an environment that is time boxed, and if you aren't aware of everything to do you'll end up not finishing all the threads before you have to hop in a lifeboat.

Some of the alternate endings (I watched on youtube) are kinda crazy... like your actions influence the course of history, whether or not WW1 happens, how Hitler influences Germany, and communist takeovers of Europe by several different paths.

Also Zeitel's a dick.
 

Daffy Duck

Member
I'm use to low res Tomb Raider from the PS and Saturn version so on PC it was all about running them as high res as I could. Luckily some mods out there can help getting 1080P and a correct aspect ratio.

TR: https://youtu.be/RImTXqKl72g?t=3m43s

TR II:



3D space cadet brings back some memories. I can't find it but I remember playing a game where you play a snowball battle.

How do you do this??? Is it on modern hardware? I'd love to replay these games at a high res.
 

Teknoman

Member
Why does he have like 3 copies of Heart of Darkness among other dups?

EDIT: I really wish whoever composed for Unreal 1 would come back to gaming.
 

GoaThief

Member
Kingpin: Life of Crime crew checking in.

Remember using my first proper GFX card in Quake for the first time quite as well. The smoothness from increased FPS and resolution bump was crazy. IRQ and messing around trying to get Duke 3D 14k modem/dial up stuff working at the expense of my poor parents phone bill.

Good times.
 

Khaz

Member
Not quite retro, but there was a lot of fuss about upgrading from Windows XP to 7, with concerns for games and drivers compatibility. Now that the dust has settled, what is the consensus? Is Windows XP necessary for XP-generation software and hardware? Or is Windows 7 completely backwards compatible?
 
So question for folks. Any recommendations of ISA sound cards? I've got a couple Sound Blaster 16s, one with the OPL3 chip, and one without, but I didn't know about the hanging note issue with them until after I'd bought them. I've looked at the AWE64 gold, but they're a bit pricey and it lacks a wave table header.


Not quite retro, but there was a lot of fuss about upgrading from Windows XP to 7, with concerns for games and drivers compatibility. Now that the dust has settled, what is the consensus? Is Windows XP necessary for XP-generation software and hardware? Or is Windows 7 completely backwards compatible?

There doesn't seem to be a huge reason to build an XP machine for most games, however if you want to use EAX sound then it's considerably easier to do in XP. There's also a handful of games that have slight issues in newer versions of Windows, but for the most part they're things that I've never noticed until they were pointed out to me.
 
So question for folks. Any recommendations of ISA sound cards? I've got a couple Sound Blaster 16s, one with the OPL3 chip, and one without, but I didn't know about the hanging note issue with them until after I'd bought them. I've looked at the AWE64 gold, but they're a bit pricey and it lacks a wave table header.

You could get a Yamaha Audician 32 Plus NIB for <$20 USD. Has a real OPL3 chip and a waveblaster header.
 

Khaz

Member
Hmm, hadn't heard of that one. Looks like it has potential. Thanks!

It's the one I would have got if I didn't find an old ESS 1868F in my stash. With its wavetable header, I feel it's a much more interesting card than the big names like the AWE64.
 
It's the one I would have got if I didn't find an old ESS 1868F in my stash. With its wavetable header, I feel it's a much more interesting card than the big names like the AWE64.


I ended up getting it, and I'm pretty happy with it. It has way WAY less noise than the SoundBlaster 16s that I've tried. Ii picked up one of those Dreamblaster S1 MIDI boards and I love it.

Now my goal is to find a decent CRT monitor. I was going to use the one I had as a kid, since it's just been sitting in the shed at my mom's house all these years, but apparently squirrels got in and ruined it. :/
 
I ended up getting it, and I'm pretty happy with it. It has way WAY less noise than the SoundBlaster 16s that I've tried. Ii picked up one of those Dreamblaster S1 MIDI boards and I love it.

I have the same and it's a pretty good setup -- really nice sound in Adlib/Soundblaster/General-MIDI games. The only thing I kinda miss is the lack of a PC beeper line-in.
 
I have the same and it's a pretty good setup -- really nice sound in Adlib/Soundblaster/General-MIDI games. The only thing I kinda miss is the lack of a PC beeper line-in.

Yeah. I've got mine in a modern-ish case that doesn't have a very good beeper, and it's stilling on the floor, so games that use it sound like butts.

I wonder if the speaker signal could be converted to a standard headphone jack to go in the line-in jack.
 
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