To all retro game enthusiasts:


Electronic Arts has exhumed the complete(*) DOS-era "Wing Commander" and
"Ultima" series of games, and is currently offering them on their Origin
store.

(* Well, /almost/ complete that is. The "Ultima" series does not seem to
include the "Worlds of Ultima" spin-offs like "Martian Dreams", for
instance.)

I've just tried out "Ultima Underworld 1" (aka "Ultima Underworld - The
Stygean Abyss"), and it seems to run fine on 64-bit Wndows 10.
Apparently they're using DOSBox with a custom-tailored configuration to
get the old games to run.

There's a little catch though: For 20+-year-old games they're quire
pricey, about 5 EUR apiece.

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On 3/13/2017 5:43 PM, clipka wrote:
> To all retro game enthusiasts:
>
>
> Electronic Arts has exhumed the complete(*) DOS-era "Wing Commander" and
> "Ultima" series of games, and is currently offering them on their Origin
> store.
>
> (* Well, /almost/ complete that is. The "Ultima" series does not seem to
> include the "Worlds of Ultima" spin-offs like "Martian Dreams", for
> instance.)
>
> I've just tried out "Ultima Underworld 1" (aka "Ultima Underworld - The
> Stygean Abyss"), and it seems to run fine on 64-bit Wndows 10.
> Apparently they're using DOSBox with a custom-tailored configuration to
> get the old games to run.
>
> There's a little catch though: For 20+-year-old games they're quire
> pricey, about 5 EUR apiece.
>


A lot of these games are also available at https://www.gog.com/, for a 
dollar more, but minus the intrusive digital rights management (DRM) 
software.


Mike

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Am 13.03.2017 um 22:52 schrieb Mike Horvath:
> On 3/13/2017 5:43 PM, clipka wrote:
>> To all retro game enthusiasts:
>>
>>
>> Electronic Arts has exhumed the complete(*) DOS-era "Wing Commander" and
>> "Ultima" series of games, and is currently offering them on their Origin
>> store.
>>
>> (* Well, /almost/ complete that is. The "Ultima" series does not seem to
>> include the "Worlds of Ultima" spin-offs like "Martian Dreams", for
>> instance.)
>>
>> I've just tried out "Ultima Underworld 1" (aka "Ultima Underworld - The
>> Stygean Abyss"), and it seems to run fine on 64-bit Wndows 10.
>> Apparently they're using DOSBox with a custom-tailored configuration to
>> get the old games to run.
>>
>> There's a little catch though: For 20+-year-old games they're quire
>> pricey, about 5 EUR apiece.
>>
> 
> 
> A lot of these games are also available at https://www.gog.com/, for a
> dollar more, but minus the intrusive digital rights management (DRM)
> software.

What "intrusive digital rights management software"?

The game I've tested appears to run fine with the DSL cable pulled. (I
do get a message window saying that I'm offline, but that seems to be
from the "Origin in game" feature, and does not stop me from playing.)

More relevant, I guess, is the fact that GoG sells them not at "a dollar
more", but effectively for less than Origin (e.g. GoG sells Ultima
Underworld 1+2 as a bundle for approx. 5.69 EUR, while on Origin both
episodes cost 4.99 EUR each).

OTOH I'm reluctant to sign up to yet another game distrubution platform.

Post a reply to this message

On 3/13/2017 7:29 PM, clipka wrote:
> Am 13.03.2017 um 22:52 schrieb Mike Horvath:
>> On 3/13/2017 5:43 PM, clipka wrote:
>>> To all retro game enthusiasts:
>>>
>>>
>>> Electronic Arts has exhumed the complete(*) DOS-era "Wing Commander" and
>>> "Ultima" series of games, and is currently offering them on their Origin
>>> store.
>>>
>>> (* Well, /almost/ complete that is. The "Ultima" series does not seem to
>>> include the "Worlds of Ultima" spin-offs like "Martian Dreams", for
>>> instance.)
>>>
>>> I've just tried out "Ultima Underworld 1" (aka "Ultima Underworld - The
>>> Stygean Abyss"), and it seems to run fine on 64-bit Wndows 10.
>>> Apparently they're using DOSBox with a custom-tailored configuration to
>>> get the old games to run.
>>>
>>> There's a little catch though: For 20+-year-old games they're quire
>>> pricey, about 5 EUR apiece.
>>>
>>
>>
>> A lot of these games are also available at https://www.gog.com/, for a
>> dollar more, but minus the intrusive digital rights management (DRM)
>> software.
>
> What "intrusive digital rights management software"?
>
> The game I've tested appears to run fine with the DSL cable pulled. (I
> do get a message window saying that I'm offline, but that seems to be
> from the "Origin in game" feature, and does not stop me from playing.)
>
> More relevant, I guess, is the fact that GoG sells them not at "a dollar
> more", but effectively for less than Origin (e.g. GoG sells Ultima
> Underworld 1+2 as a bundle for approx. 5.69 EUR, while on Origin both
> episodes cost 4.99 EUR each).
>
> OTOH I'm reluctant to sign up to yet another game distrubution platform.
>

Are you able to download and install the game without Origin's special 
software? I bet they won't let you.

Can you uninstall the Origin software and still play the game? This may 
work with DOSBOX games, but you are taking chances.

With GOG on the other hand, you download the game's installer from the 
website, and never need worry about dealing with the company again from 
that point on if you don't want to, as long as you back up the file you 
initially downloaded to somewhere safe.


Mike

Post a reply to this message

On 3/13/2017 7:29 PM, clipka wrote:
> What "intrusive digital rights management software"?
>
> The game I've tested appears to run fine with the DSL cable pulled. (I
> do get a message window saying that I'm offline, but that seems to be
> from the "Origin in game" feature, and does not stop me from playing.)
>
> More relevant, I guess, is the fact that GoG sells them not at "a dollar
> more", but effectively for less than Origin (e.g. GoG sells Ultima
> Underworld 1+2 as a bundle for approx. 5.69 EUR, while on Origin both
> episodes cost 4.99 EUR each).
>
> OTOH I'm reluctant to sign up to yet another game distrubution platform.
>

GOG also has seasonal sales where they mark down games up to 80%. you 
just missed one a few weeks ago.


Mike

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