Have a win 7 mouseless laptop I’d like to put a game on and play for funs. Typically my go to game for olden computers is Heroes of Might and Magic 3 or maybe Civ 4. Any recommendations?

Diablo2, WC3, and RTSs would be tricky because lack of mouse and I’d prefer no rush to my actions so I can simultaneously be coding and just do minibreaks taking a turn or part of a turn here and there

You are viewing a single thread.
View all comments View context
9 points

Back in the olden days, when we used kerosene-powered computers and it took a three day round trip to get IP packets via the local stagecoach mail delivery, we still had games even though Steam didn’t exist yet. :b

We used to transfer software on these things called disks. Some of them were magnetic, and some of them used lasers (you could tell them apart because for the laser ones it was usually spelled “disc” with a “c”).

Anyway, those dis(k/c)s mostly still work, and we still have working drives that can read them, and because the brilliant idea of making software contact the publisher to ask if it was OK to run had only just been invented, we can generally still play games from the period that way. Some people kept their old games, but others sell them secondhand, which I believe the publishers still haven’t managed to lobby successfully to be made illegal, unless I missed a news report.

Even if you can’t get the original physical media for a game, sites like GOG sell legal digital downloads of many old games, which are almost always just the actual old software wrapped in a compatibility layer of some kind that is easy to remove, so you can usually get the games running natively on period hardware/software. Finally, some nicer developers and publishers have officially declared some of their old games as free for everyone to play.

There are still legal options for playing old games on old systems.

permalink
report
parent
reply

Love GoG. 100%

permalink
report
parent
reply
2 points

those dis(k/c)s mostly still work

Yeah dude I’m not that young LOL where are you getting the discs though?

permalink
report
parent
reply
3 points

The same places you get old console games. Online auction and classifieds sites, and thrift stores, mostly. Flea markets and garage sales too, but they’re more hit-and-miss.

permalink
report
parent
reply
1 point

Got it.

permalink
report
parent
reply

Patient Gamers

!patientgamers@sh.itjust.works

Create post

A gaming community free from the hype and oversaturation of current releases, catering to gamers who wait at least 12 months after release to play a game. Whether it’s price, waiting for bugs/issues to be patched, DLC to be released, don’t meet the system requirements, or just haven’t had the time to keep up with the latest releases.

(placeholder)

Community stats

  • 793

    Monthly active users

  • 279

    Posts

  • 9K

    Comments