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PCem, a vintage PC emulator, while no longer maintained by its original creator, remains highly usable.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

  •  Serenus   ( @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).

      •  Serenus   ( @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   ( @BrooklynMan@lemmy.ml ) 
          3•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.