DF-21 Forums

[BD Hopkins]

http://lucasarts.com/company/release/news20090706.html

Some of the first LEC games coming to Steam were originally available on DOS. I don't know if this signifies a push by LEC to release all of their popular, old DOS titles. To my limited knowledge, the DOS games on their initial list are based on some version of the SCUMM engine and can ultimately benefit from ScummVM. I don't know whether LEC used ScummVM for this Steam release.

I recall that another otherwise-free program, DOSBox, was used to release DOS-based games in the "iD Super Pack," so there is a precedent for Steam games using a program that also runs Dark Forces quite well. I'd rather not see a DOSBox-based release of DF on Steam stealing DarkXL's thunder. While DarkXL will be superior to anything DOSBox can do for Dark Forces, I can imagine people being less willing to try DarkXL if they've already played DF recently on modern hardware.

edited for typo

[Burning Gundam]

I have to disagree just because Steam would release it in it's older form. It's just like with Ultimate Doom and other old games on Steam, it doesn't take away too much from those who use superior open source engines like Doomsday or Doom Legacy. If anything, this could be a good thing because it would give those who never owned the game to legally obtain it electronically, thus allowing them to use it outside of steam for DarkXL. I don't see it as much a bad thing if it were to happen. Now, if they released Jedi Knight and MotS and fixed the DirectX bug for newer cards, I'd be totally up for that.

Another thing is the fact that Lucas Arts is starting to pay attention to there classics again is signs it's headed in a good direction. I mean, I haven't played The Dig for many years now and the fact that I have an opportunity to play this game again is just fantastic.

I honestly hope this trend continues.

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I don't think outside the box... I customize it.

[lucius]

When Doom became available on Steam it only helped the source ports. As Burning Gundam says, it will allow people to get legal copies of the game and then try it out on DarkXL. I hope they do release it on DosBox, although I'm not convinced they will.

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DarkXL....http://darkxl.wordpress.com

[BD Hopkins]

I had no idea that those old iD games on Steam can be played outside of Steam and are also compatible with source ports. Nice.

[Burning Gundam]

Well when you think about it Steam is merely just a frontend for different games and media that you can purchase online. Just because it exists on Steam doesn't mean it can't exist outside of it. If this were so, there would be no way to make mods and stuff for games such as Counter Strike or Half Life. In other words, the data is loosely bound to it.

That may not be entirely correct, but that's how I understand it.

Steam also has an option to install games to it that don't exist in the marketplace at all.

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I don't think outside the box... I customize it.

[sheepandshepherd]

I don't use Steam, but I've heard a lot about it lately. Is it true that it installs games in its own directory instead of in the original game's default one?
If that's the case, lucius, you may want to add an option in DarkXL to automatically detect this directory when Dark Forces isn't installed in C:\dark\. (Just for those that don't have much technical skill, since some of those types might get involved here when/if Lucasarts revives DF )

I agree though, this might help DarkXL out a little. More community means more testing, and faster progress. As long as Lucasarts doesn't try to make its own modernized DF engine, we shouldn't have a problem . . . because, you know that with their money and multiple developers, they'd be faster. (I'll always still support a (future) open-source project with much more modding potential though.)

[BD Hopkins]

[Burning Gundam]

I was trying to get at that, I just didn't word it right. You can't play the games independently, but you can still access the data.

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I don't think outside the box... I customize it.

[lucius]

With Doom source ports, since they just require the WAD files, Steam doesn't get in the way at all. Just point the port to the data and you're done. I know because I occasionally play doom with GZDoom or JDoom this way.

DarkXL would be the same way. Really I can't see Dark Forces on Steam as anything but good. Better would be what Bethesda did today, though: http://www.elderscrolls.com/downloads/downloads_games.htm

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DarkXL....http://darkxl.wordpress.com

[The MAZZTer]

[sheepandshepherd]

[lucius]

No I didn't, although its a weird coincidence isn't it.

Several months ago, long before I coded anything for DaggerXL, I sent Bethesda an e-mail of my intent and talked about the desire to preserve Daggerfall and make it playable for new people as well. At the time I got a canned response, basically they said it would never be released, they would never do a remake, etc. So I assumed they didn't take me seriously and later started DaggerXL. The free download is ready just in the for the first demo (which is a few days away).

Anyway, most likely, them releasing the game for download is just coincidence and has nothing to do with DaggerXL. But it is a strange coincidence.

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DarkXL....http://darkxl.wordpress.com

[BD Hopkins]

[Jon`C]

[The MAZZTer]