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        riddles >> general problem-solving / chatting / whatever >> X-COM anyone?
        
(Message started by: alien on Oct 2^nd, 2006, 6:56am)

Title: X-COM anyone?
Post by alien on Oct 2^nd, 2006, 6:56am

You know, I am nostalgic about X-COM series, particularly Apocalypse. So I called game dealers, seven of them, and all of them said X-COM is history. They said, that it doesn't even work on Windows XP, maybe not even on Windows ME. So I went to a store, mentioned my nostalgia to a computer geek, who then mentions Quake 4, even though I didn't asked him about Quake. So I repeat my X-COM nostalgia, and then he says, that there is a brand new X-COM game, currently distributed only in USA. And even though it is a long shot, I asked him about X-COM: Apocalypse. Amongst other pessimistic things, regarding the game, he says: 'That game is old.' I say: 'Hey wait a minute.. I am an alien. I am green. So don't you be telling me, that X-COM: Apocalypse is old. When alien X-COM technology is issue, there is no such thing as old: plasma gun, food replicators, atmosphere processors, fully automated, teleporters, warp speed.. So don't you be telling me that X-COM: Apocalypse is old.' He says again: 'X-COM: Apocalypse is old.' I say: 'Hey wait a minute.. Earthling technology is old, not alien technology.' He says: 'X-COM: Apocalypse is old.' I say: 'Hey wait a minute.. I am not even going to debate with you no more, because I see you are the last word freak. Eat your Quake 4, regurgitate it after a month, and asta la vista, geek.' Anyway, it is my birthday soon, well, in about five months, but time passes fast if I have my X-COM. So I would like that one of the riddlers sends me one of the three X-COM games, be it the newest, Apocalypse, or Terror from above. If I receive this fine X-COM gift, I will post brand new X-COM riddles. Hm............. :'(

Title: Re: X-COM anyone?
Post by Grimbal on Oct 2^nd, 2006, 7:14am

Can't you just download it?

http://www.abandonia.com/games/307/X-Com-Apocalypse

Title: Re: X-COM anyone?
Post by towr on Oct 2^nd, 2006, 7:54am

I've played some X-com game recently, I think it needed som emulator software to run properly though. And of course abandonia is even nice enough to mention which: dos-box. Works for both windows and linux (and possibly mac, but who cares).

Title: Re: X-COM anyone?
Post by alien on Oct 2^nd, 2006, 12:33pm

Good tip. Need to do some things first, but I will download it soon. Go Grimbal! :-* Well, don't go, because I will miss you. Just go.

Remember when I said that I would post brand new riddles if I get X-COM: Apocalypse? Forget about it. Apocalypse is so good, that if I get it running on my PC, I will have no time for anything else, really. See you in about two months, when I might finish the game. Courtesy of my amigo Grimbal.. ;)

Title: Re: X-COM anyone?
Post by Icarus on Oct 2^nd, 2006, 5:18pm

on 10/02/06 at 06:56:44, alien wrote:

...it doesn't even work ... not even on Windows ME.

Ummm, isn't that a tautology?

Title: Re: X-COM anyone?
Post by THUDandBLUNDER on Oct 3^rd, 2006, 4:36am

on 10/02/06 at 17:18:34, Icarus wrote:

Ummm, isn't that a tautology?

No, the 'even' makes it oxymoronic. ::)

Title: Re: X-COM anyone?
Post by Iceman on Oct 23^rd, 2006, 5:07am

Forget about X-COM. Now I want to cut a part out of an MP3 file. This is driving me crazy. I just want to edit one file, one file alone, but I guess I am allergic to Cakewalk interface. Maybe someone here can give me a suggestion about which audio editor is easy to use, where cutting and saving like that is no problem at all, and where I can download it..

Title: Re: X-COM anyone?
Post by SMQ on Oct 23^rd, 2006, 5:20am

I use GoldWave (http://www.goldwave.com/). Open the file, highlight the section you want to remove, select Edit/Cut, and save the file.

--SMQ

Title: Re: X-COM anyone?
Post by Iceman on Oct 23^rd, 2006, 8:33am

Good tip. ;)

Title: Re: X-COM anyone?
Post by Iceman on Dec 5^th, 2006, 10:16am

I asked local game dealers about computer game Puzzle Inlay, but no one heard of it. It is a fine little game, and maybe someone here can give me the password for shareware version? I am a desperate puzzler.. :'( ;)

Title: Re: X-COM anyone?
Post by flamingdragon on Dec 5^th, 2006, 12:02pm

You are talking about the gamehouse one right?
I can get u that if thats what your talking about.

Title: Re: X-COM anyone?
Post by flamingdragon on Dec 5^th, 2006, 12:41pm

Ok, I have something that will use legal "magic" to get the game to work.. Give me your email so I can email it to you, or tell me how to convert files to .zip, the forum doesn't take .rar's. :-/

And let me know if you need the game to.

Title: Re: X-COM anyone?
Post by towr on Dec 5^th, 2006, 1:39pm

Errmm.. I, uh, suppose being a moderator I should protest that cracks and such are illegal and not allowed on the site. Lest someone finds out and gets us in trouble for allowing illegal dealings and such.

There's private messages for a reason, my dear friends.. ::)

Also, you can just rename the extention of the file, without converting a file.

Title: Re: X-COM anyone?
Post by flamingdragon on Dec 5^th, 2006, 3:06pm

How do u rename it so that it will upload?
Just right-click, rename changed the name but it would still not upload.

Title: Re: X-COM anyone?
Post by flamingdragon on Dec 5^th, 2006, 3:07pm

on 12/05/06 at 13:39:41, towr wrote:

Is that better? ;D

Title: Re: X-COM anyone?
Post by THUDandBLUNDER on Dec 5^th, 2006, 5:58pm

on 12/05/06 at 13:39:41, towr wrote:

Errmm.. I, uh, suppose being a moderator I should protest that cracks and such are illegal and not allowed on the site.

Poacher turned gamekeeper? :D

Title: Re: X-COM anyone?
Post by flamingdragon on Dec 5^th, 2006, 6:11pm

He said he should protest, not that he is. ::)

Title: Re: X-COM anyone?
Post by Whiskey Tango Foxtrot on Dec 5^th, 2006, 6:21pm

Actually the cracks themselves aren't illegal so long as you own an original copy yourself. It's the pirated copy and not the cracked .exe file or image that is illegal. Many people choose to download cracks that allow them to play a game without fishing around for a disk.

Title: Re: X-COM anyone?
Post by towr on Dec 6^th, 2006, 1:05am

on 12/05/06 at 15:06:13, flamingdragon wrote:

How do u rename it so that it will upload?
Just right-click, rename changed the name but it would still not upload.

Renaming the extension to zip, or one of the other allowed extensions ought to work. I'm pretty sure the board doesn't actually check the integrety of the file.
It's possible that it is too big though. There's a limit to the file size as well; otherwise the attachment folder would fill up much too quickly.

on 12/05/06 at 18:21:11, Whiskey Tango Foxtrot wrote:

Actually the cracks themselves aren't illegal so long as you own an original copy yourself.

I think they are if you share them with the express intent of pirating. And it may depend on the country your in.
Anyway, shady dealings should be done in the shade ;)

Title: Re: X-COM anyone?
Post by rmsgrey on Dec 6^th, 2006, 7:18am

on 12/05/06 at 18:21:11, Whiskey Tango Foxtrot wrote:

There's a difference between a crack that allows you to play a full, bought-and-paid-for game without physically putting the CD in the drive (though you may still technically be in breach of the license you agreed to when you installed the game) and a crack that turns a free shareware version of a game into the full thing.

In the first instance, there is at least an argument that the copy protection you are bypassing infringes on your consumer rights, and, provided you don't then use that as a way to commit piracy, there's no significant moral problems.

In the second case, there are definite moral issues with turning a free sample into the full game - in that situation, what's being sold is the password and license to use the full version, and bypassing that is decidedly dodgy at best.

Title: Re: X-COM anyone?
Post by flamingdragon on Dec 6^th, 2006, 3:34pm

on 12/06/06 at 01:05:49, towr wrote:

Renaming the extension to zip, or one of the other allowed extensions ought to work. I'm pretty sure the board doesn't actually check the integrety of the file.
It's possible that it is too big though. There's a limit to the file size as well; otherwise the attachment folder would fill up much too quickly.

I think they are if you share them with the express intent of pirating. And it may depend on the country your in.
Anyway, shady dealings should be done in the shade ;)

How big a size limit? It's only 60kb.
Renaming doesn't work.
And u can't attach things in a pm.
And Iceman seems to have lost interest in the game as he has not posted yet since I said I had it.

Title: Re: X-COM anyone?
Post by towr on Dec 6^th, 2006, 3:43pm

Well, he knows you have it now. Just wait for him to PM you with an email adress, and otherwise it's his loss.

Not sure why the attachment won't work though. Maybe I'll have a look at it tomorrow (it's getting excessively late here).

Title: Re: X-COM anyone?
Post by flamingdragon on Dec 6^th, 2006, 3:57pm

It is a really fun game, I just played it to see what it was.

Title: Re: X-COM anyone?
Post by Iceman on Dec 12^th, 2006, 7:14pm

God damn.. I try to play Magic Inlay, great puzzle game if you ask me, but it crashes because of my notorious Windows ME. The problem is connected to Rundll32.dll, or something like that. What can I do, if anything? Can I delete this DLL file, or this will mess up everything? Anyway, the game is fun, better than Puzzle Inlay, so here is the link if you are interested:

http://www.gamehouse.com/gamedetails/?game=MagicInlay&navpage=downloadgames&AID=1571

Title: Re: X-COM anyone?
Post by flamingdragon on Dec 12^th, 2006, 8:21pm

I get a game for u and u find a better one. ::)

Hey, this one is better. ;D

Title: Re: X-COM anyone?
Post by towr on Dec 13^th, 2006, 1:00am

on 12/12/06 at 19:14:25, Iceman wrote:

The problem is connected to Rundll32.dll, or something like that. What can I do, if anything? Can I delete this DLL file, or this will mess up everything?

You need rundll32.dll for a lot of programs. But perhaps you can find an updated version.

Title: Re: X-COM anyone?
Post by Iceman on Dec 13^th, 2006, 1:46pm

Like where? I doubt it. But I think I am going to reinstall Windows Me, just so that I play the Magic Inlay DEMO, which can be played for no more than 60 minutes.. ;)

Title: Re: X-COM anyone?
Post by Iceman on Dec 25^th, 2006, 4:18pm

I have XP now, but this XP has bugs like ME. :'( ???Anyway, my sound card is not installed. I do not have the appropriate CD, nor do I know the name of this sound card. :-[ Can I install it over the Internet, look there for the appropriate driver, and if so, how? Detailed instructions please, if you know.. I dont want to mess something up, even though this XP version is quite annoying sometimes. Reminds me of Windows ME.

Title: Re: X-COM anyone?
Post by Whiskey Tango Foxtrot on Dec 25^th, 2006, 9:12pm

What type of sound card, Ice? You can check the manufacturer's website. Or you can try here (http://driveragent.com/?PHPSESSID=42f27d8d633a1b3a73487073e61d6411).

Title: Re: X-COM anyone?
Post by Iceman on Dec 28^th, 2006, 8:06am

Sound card works now, but guess what? It seems that my new PC, real fast, is too fast. I played not the newest games, but not the oldest games either, Quake 3 and Magic Inlay. I can tell you right now, that I played M. Inlay on my old PC before, 400 Megahertz or whatever, and the speed was significantly less fast. In fact, it was just fine, an appropriate decent speed. And now, it is a lot faster. Luckily I have good hand/eye coordination, but this speed is insane. And Quake 3 is to fast as well! It is so fast, that I am not that interested to play anything at all. Does this have something to do with DVD and all, since this Quake 3 is not on DVD, rather normal CD, or whatever it is called? What can I do? Can I reduce, somehow, the speed of my computer in Control Panel? I am clueless.. And angry. I buy one of the fastest computer in the world, but it is too fast. Who is crazy here!? Shell I ask those bastards who sold it to me, to give me back my money, or what? Oh man.. : ::)

Title: Re: X-COM anyone?
Post by THUDandBLUNDER on Dec 28^th, 2006, 3:37pm

I think what has happened is you have got used to playing the game at a slow tempo and now find it difficult to adjust. Quake3 is meant to be fast. But it shouldn't be too fast for someone with such a badass avatar.

:D

Have you tried Trackmania Nations? It is now free to download.
http://games.softpedia.com/get/Games-Demo/Trackmania-Nations-Full-Free-Game.shtml

Title: Re: X-COM anyone?
Post by Iceman on Dec 28^th, 2006, 3:59pm

I suppose you are right, although I clearly remember that Magic Inlay was a lot slower before. About best graphics, can I alter screen resolution within the game on maximum, and set like that everything else regarding best graphics? I do not want my graphic card to explode then, or my computer for that matter. What I am asking is, can I make serious damage to anything when I change screen resolution? This probably sounds silly, but better safe than sorry. And what is GL? I saw it in Quake3. Should I modify GL, or best thing to leave it as it is? Game troubles, eh? :-[ ;)

Title: Re: X-COM anyone?
Post by THUDandBLUNDER on Dec 28^th, 2006, 5:25pm

Quake3 is several years old (there is now Quake4), so your graphics card should not be overstretched, even on max resolution.

Title: Re: X-COM anyone?
Post by Icarus on Dec 29^th, 2006, 7:17am

:D As someone who has watched video games grow from their infancy, I have to laugh. I have seen this happen so many times! Personal computers didn't used to have clocks in them. They would keep time by CPU clicks - very dependent on the hardware. You get an upgrade, and suddenly a game which was sluggish now whips by so fast you have no idea at all what happened. It looks like you are having the same problem now with the video card that we had then with the CPUs.

Title: Re: X-COM anyone?
Post by Whiskey Tango Foxtrot on Dec 29^th, 2006, 8:20am

on 12/28/06 at 15:59:00, Iceman wrote:

And what is GL? I saw it in Quake3. Should I modify GL, or best thing to leave it as it is? Game troubles, eh? :-[ ;)

OpenGL or just GL for short is an application programming interface (API). It's a decent tool for modifying the way you play your games but unless you're planning on using multiple monitors it probably won't be very useful.

Out of curiosity, what kind of computer did you upgrade to? A lower end CPU runs at about 2.5 GHz now. A change from 400MHz to even 2 GHz is a huge difference, not to mention increases in your RAM and GPU speeds. I'd be interested in a before and after comparison.

Title: Re: X-COM anyone?
Post by Iceman on Dec 29^th, 2006, 9:10am

on 12/28/06 at 17:25:16, THUDandBLUNDER wrote:

Quake3 is several years old (there is now Quake4), so your graphics card should not be overstretched, even on max resolution.

What does that mean? That I can o overstretch my card all I want when I play Quake 4!?? Nothing will happen to the card like that, regarding Quake 4, even though my video card is not that great?

on 12/29/06 at 07:17:28, Icarus wrote:

I know that my video card is not that great, I know that, but I would be clueless about the warp speed of games, if you did not said anything about it. So thanks. A lot. I think. I trust you, you know. So, you are quite certain that not that a great video card is the source, and the only source of my warp troubles? If so, then I know what I got to do. Or do I? I guess I have to buy one of the best video cards out there. Right? If that will not reduce the warp speed, I guess nothing will. I suppose I will play Quake 4 at warp speed for now, but as soon as I get more money, I will buy this card.

on 12/29/06 at 08:20:09, Whiskey Tango Foxtrot wrote:

Out of curiosity, what kind of computer did you upgrade to? A lower end CPU runs at about 2.5 GHz now. A change from 400MHz to even 2 GHz is a huge difference, not to mention increases in your RAM and GPU speeds. I'd be interested in a before and after comparison.

Pentium 4: 3000/1024/80. My computer is 16th in the world, because it is not optimized. If I employ a computer geek, he can optimize my computer for 50%. But this computer is quite fast, so I will do this only if I want to play some really demanding game. Until then, me on my own, the Quake 4 bots, we are going to party on the boardwalk.

Title: Re: X-COM anyone?
Post by Iceman on Dec 29^th, 2006, 9:13am

.....my old computer was about 400 Megahertz, 64 RAM, and 6 Gigabits.

Title: Re: X-COM anyone?
Post by Whiskey Tango Foxtrot on Dec 29^th, 2006, 9:55pm

on 12/29/06 at 09:10:27, Iceman wrote:

Pentium 4: 3000/1024/80. My computer is 16th in the world, because it is not optimized. If I employ a computer geek, he can optimize my computer for 50%.

on 12/29/06 at 09:13:48, Iceman wrote:

.....my old computer was about 400 Megahertz, 64 RAM, and 6 Gigabits.

I believe you mean Gigabytes. ;) That's a pretty major change. And good idea not paying a geek. You can do the same job he would in about 20 minutes and you won't have to spend a dime.