The Freeware Thread

[newt]

Hey, ZZrTers. Been thinking about maybe staging another ZZT game jam in the future, maybe this Fall, maybe not on an international holiday.

In the meantime, I released a freeware game that I spend most of last year working on. It's called Caverns of Khron and it's all NES and DOS-game inspired retro sensibilities and stuff.

WiL wrote the music for it.



Can be downloaded here: http://khron.bombdotcom.net/

[Commodore]

The lizardmen are real tough! I like the level design, a lot. Some cool puzzles and a good amount of action. Though it seems that later levels seem to favor action over puzzles. Haven't finished it yet.
The music is pretty great. I like the first level track and the lizard man level track the best so far.

Also: Thanking Sweeny for ZZT and Janson for STK in the manual is

[Svnthshd]

http://www.ultimaratioregum.co.uk/game/info/

[zadagado]

QWOP qwertyuiop asdfghjkl

the hardest game ever,
I managed -3 metres, and lent him on the wall.

[newt]

Hey, kids. I guess why not indulge in a little shameless self-promotion on this here quiet internet forum I still check a couple times a week? I did it five years ago!

Here is Explobers, a puzzle platformer inspired by things like Lemmings (still on that shit) and the Lost Vikings. I've spent probably more time on this game than any game I've made. The palette is the 16 EGA colors, because I'm a dork who grew up on ZZT.



Free download. I like donations but don't need them.

I even made a fucking trailer. God help me.

[Dark-Star2018]

Meet "Oolite", the fanmade sequel to Ian Bell's venerable Elite:

As-is it's a dang fine successor to the original but of all things it specifically supports mods. At last count there are well over 500 of them, including landing on planets to space communists to just random stuff happening in your day-to-day space life.

[Dark-Star2018]

Do formerly-paid games specifically released by the makers as free count as freeware?

I've been made aware that Epic Games and many other makers of DOS games have generously opened their archives, releasing a lot of stuff to the public.

[Commodore]

If it's free software it's freeware. One might be picky and say that's how it has to be released, but I will not. Things like ROM's which are in the sketchy abandonware/owned catagory not so much even if "free."

Also:

Explobers - Official selection at SAAM Arcade 2018 (July 22 in Washington DC)

Congrats Newt!

[Dark-Star2018]

If it's free software it's freeware. One might be picky and say that's how it has to be released, but I will not. Things like ROM's which are in the sketchy abandonware/owned catagory not so much even if "free."

Also:

Explobers - Official selection at SAAM Arcade 2018 (July 22 in Washington DC)

Congrats Newt!

I wouldn't dare post that on even the faintest possibility it might attract unwanted attention. But there are a lot of classics by the big names of the day being kindly released for free.

[Commodore]

By all means put such games here. I.e released (a while ago admittedly) by 3D Realms: Monuments of Mars/Pharaos' Tomb/Arctic Adventure.

https://3drealms.com/catalog/monuments-mars_43/

[Dark-Star2018]

Iter Vehemens ad Necem


Original sourceforge page
http://ivan.sourceforge.net/index.html

A rare example of resurrected freeware, IVAN is a roguelike with a dedicated fandom that has picked up where the original devs left and made 7 releases so far with more in the works. It's come quite a ways since I first stumbled across version 0.5!
Definitely worth a go...or ten, since like any other roguelike you'll rack up character deaths like they're going out of style.

New Github development page
https://github.com/Attnam/ivan

[Dark-Star2018]

Chopper Commando has been released by the author, Mark Currie, and is exceptionally rare for not only getting an UPDATE after its freeware release but also a complete remake in 2020 due to a talented fellow Chopper nostalgic.

Despite antiquated CGA graphics it has surprisingly high replay value due to a number of unique enemy units, multiple independent save-slots for different pilots, multiple difficulty levels, good/neutral/bad outcomes for mission endings (including being shot for treason if you destroyed your own base) and a couple genuine secrets that were worth the effort to find.

Absolutely worth your time to try. It's easy to learn but complex enough to master that anyone from 5 to 50 will have a good time. My personal favorite tidbit is the mission-failure message where the general asks your newly-widowed wife out on a date.

DOS Freeware release:
https://www.dosgamesarchive.com/downloa ... -commando/

Remake:
https://blog.loadzero.com/blog/chopper258/.

[Commodore]

Holy crap I loved that game! It suffered from overspeed on better processors pretty bad and didn't play nice with moslow IIRC. See also the SDL port of Sopwith, which is very good, but alas has not been updated in years.

[Dark-Star2018]

More good news on the freeware front: SkiFree, the iconic Windows 3.1 classic where your journey always ended with getting eaten by the Abominable Snowman, got an updated 32 bit release after the author lost-then-found the source code:

https://www.classicdosgames.com/game/SkiFree.html

Has its own official website here including the making-of :

https://ski.ihoc.net/

...and apparently an entire section on fanfiction.net
...and a very ODD fansite much in the vein of Fizzy Powers : https://web.archive.org/web/20090727121 ... earofblik/

[Dark-Star2018]

Ken's Labyrinth is not only freeware but has the source code available!

Basically a Wolfenstein 3D clone with a silly plot including a pet dog and functional vending machines. The shareware version was quite fun back in the day; watch out for the self-portable holes! Worth a playthrough or two - don't forget to shoot random walls to reveal hidden passages.

https://www.classicdosgames.com/game/Ke ... rinth.html