[sigtau]

Just recently, I got my hands on an older Windows 98 computer, with some spare hardware parts such as a SoundBlaster Live! card, and an ethernet card, all contained in a machine with a Pentium MMX (233MHz) processor, a 40GB hard drive, and 64MB of RAM (unfortunately the case contains SIMM-style RAM sticks, so I may not be able to go higher than 96MB anytime soon--also not sure of the maximum amount of RAM that a SIMM motherboard can support).  With all of this, I am setting out to do something I've wanted to do for many years--create the ultimate Windows 98 gaming machine.

Unfortunately, the case form factor doesn't permit AGP style graphics cards, so it isn't really the 'ultimate' machine, it's just what I want to use as a substitute for emulation of these old systems.  I suppose I could always hunt for a PCI graphics card, however.

The purpose of this topic is to ask you guys what old Win9x games you think I should get for this machine.  Also bearing in mind that Windows 98 has excellent compatibility with DOS games (allowing for the authentic experience, given that it has the DOS kernel at its core), I can take those into account as well.

The list as it stands now:

- SimCity 2000 Special Edition
- SimCity 3000 Unlimited
- RollerCoaster Tycoon (+ Expansion Packs)
- Transport Tycoon Deluxe
- Raptor: Call of the Shadows
- DOOM 1 and 2
- Descent 1, 2, and 3
- Descent: FreeSpace and FreeSpace 2
- The Best of Entertainment pack (Chip's Challenge, SkiFree, etc.)

I'll also have the Windows 98 Plus pack and the Second Edition update, which both contain themes and additional utilities in case I need them.

And yes, I'll be getting a flight stick.

Any other games you guys might recommend?

[Androgeos Exeunt]

Consider adding Stargunner, Death Rally, Terminal Velocity, Carmageddon, Sango Fighter, Duke Nukum v2.0, Duke Nukem II, Duke Nukem 3D, Shadow Warrior and Balls of Steel to the list.

[Angelus]

Geoff Crammonds Grand Prix 2, Soulreaver, AoE 1 (and maybe 2), MW2 + MW2 Mercs, Crimson Skies.

[Nohiki]

Worms 2(!), Fish fillets, GTA 2, Wolfenstein 3-D

[Androgeos Exeunt]

BioMenace and Liero, maybe.

[headdie]

If you can be bothered with memory management, One Must Fall (it requires XMS rather than ems), also  X-Wing/TIE/X-wing vs TIE, Wing Commander, X-Com 1 (also TFTD if you find the first one easy) Dune, Dune 2 (very different games)

[CP5670]

I had kept a machine like this around for many years but it eventually fell into disuse as Dosbox matured. Dosbox on a modern PC will actually run DOS games better and more accurately today, and runs Windows 3.1 games as well. For a long time I still kept mine around for Descent 2, but now we have D2X-XL and DXX-Rebirth for that. The only things it's good for now are early Windows 95 games that use D3D (Glide can usually be made to work on modern PCs with wrappers).

[Androgeos Exeunt]

Tyrian 2000. Do NOT forget Tyrian 2000.

[redsniper]

Ctrl-F
MW3
No results

WTF, guys? MW3 was best mechwarrior and it has all kinds of trouble on modern OSes. Definitely get MW3 man.

[rscaper1070]

redsniper beat me to it.

[headdie]

can't have Raptor and not Tyrian 2000good spot Androgeos Exeunt

the control scheme is much easier on MW3 but I actually prefer 4 

[JGZinv]

add tachyon the fringe!

[BloodEagle]

Magic Carpet

[achtung]

Comanche Gold

[Nuke]

my rig from '99 was better. 500mhz, 128 megs ram and a voodoo3. i miss that box, it just ran so many games and it ran them well.

[Davros]

Off hand the only games i can remember that run under 9x but not xp are janes iaf + usaf
oh and iwar doesnt have the shift-Q ctd

[Thaeris]

Comanche Gold

Never played that one, but Comanche: Maximum Overkill is easy enough to find. VoxelSpace FTW!

In general, searching about Abandonia is a good idea if you're looking for DOS games, but you're more than sharp enough to figure anything out from here. Yep. Just recall that the 90's were the age of the popular flight sim, where each (good) sim was aimed at realism, and simmers/gamers liked it, and strived for it in fact. In that regard, see if you can find A-10 Cuba! for Windows. It's not as good as the Mac version, but it still packs a pretty realistic flight model, a great damage model for your aircraft, and the most authentic simulation of the A-10A's armament control system I've ever seen in a flight sim. TFX is pretty old, but is very neat for its age. If it had better resolution settings, it would be much, much cooler. The developer who made it went on to make the Eurofighter 2000 sims, and I've only ever heard good things about those.

Don't forget about X-Wing, TIE Fighter, and the rest of that lot, either.

[BlueFlames]

MechWarrior 3 is a must, since it absolutely will not run playably on modern hardware.  That's about all I have that absolutely needs a Win98/DX6/super-old-hardware environment to run.

If you're just looking for throwbacks to the era, then don't miss out on the Infinity Engine RPGs - Baldur's Gate, Planescape - Torment, and Baldur's Gate II.  (Icewind Dale is a bit of the redheaded stepchild of the group, being that it's much too combat heavy.)  Breaking away from the D&D license, there's Arcanum, which is positively amazing.  Oh, and we mustn't forget the proper entries in the Fallout series, which is to say Fallout 1 and Fallout 2.  The early C&C games are probably worth revisiting, though Red Alert 2 and Renegade might be pushing a 233MHz system's limits a little hard.

Actually, nearly all of the titles I've listed might push your particular legacy box a little hard.  That's kind of a tricky era for which to target hardware, though.  If you get a 400-500MHz box with a Voodoo3/GeForce 1-era video card, the older, framerate-dependent games, like the early Descent games, will run much too quickly.  If you get a 200-250MHz with an earlier (or no) 3D accelerator, then you're right on the threshold for dropping below the minimum requirements for the games released around 1999/2000.

Either way, though, I wish you luck and joy in your adventures in legacy gaming!

[PsychoLandlord]

Mechwarrior 3 is mandatory. Can't have Mechwarrior 3 without Pirates Moon either. Get ready to rage though.

Terminal Velocity and the Wing Commanders as well. And the first System Shock.

[sigtau]

Thanks for the suggestions, I'll try as many of these as I can.

It's likely that I'll have to do some crazy things with the partitioning (since the BIOS refuses to recognize the 40GB drive, resulting in me falling back on the only smaller drive I had--2.5GB) if I upgrade again.

Also, Windows 98SE Setup refuses to believe its own CD-ROM is in the drive while formatting C:, so I've been forced to format to DOS and install Windows 3.1 as a stepping stone to assist in the installation (and believe it or not, I legitimately own all of this software).  Currently in the installation process now, which seems to be proceeding as it should.

Once I get past the OS setup, the new GPU comes in the mail.  Since I needed a low power usage and low profile dedicated GPU that would work well with Windows 98, I chose a GeForce 2 MX 400, which should arrive in the mail along with the Sidewinder Pro I also ordered for Descent and the like.

Now, with all this in mind, I will have to ration out games that I want (the above games already get a reserved spot, regardless) and among the ones you guys have picked I'll have to filter through and see exactly what I want, because of limited drive space.  More on this later, I'll be making a list of games to try and narrow it down from there.

With that said, any further suggestions?