Best Windows 3.x games?

[aberu]

I'm interested in getting this ball rolling to make an image for this.

What are your favorite Windows 3.x games (aka Win16 games)? I'm looking for games that would likely run on the MiSTer core, and especially games that don't have an MS-DOS counterpart. Once Windows 95 came around too many games required a GPU or a math coprocessor, so leave those out.

Thanks!

[Newsdee]

It's not a "best" game by any stretch, but I have soft spot for Castle of Winds because I played it back in the day.

[chimaera]

I'll second Castle of Winds and add:
Sim Tower
Civilisation
Shadowgate

[Pepeart]

Im happy with duke nukem episode 1

[hscorpio]

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rodent's_Revenge

If you have nostalgia for it

[elvis]

In case anyone wasn't aware, eXo is yet again putting in the incredible effort to preserve the chaotic world that is PC software.

https://www.retro-exo.com/win3x_M.html

Plucking out a "top 100" from there will be interesting.

[aberu]

Nice, I enjoyed Castle of the Winds too, I forgot about that game!

SimTower is a great suggestion, I used to play that a lot.

Civilization was available in MS-DOS so I'm going to skip over that, however... Civilization II was only available on windows. I might try to get that working, but I wonder if ao486 will be able to handle it.

Shadowgate is an MS-DOS game so not going to include it, sorry. Don't want overlap with the DOS-available games.

Duke Nukem Episode 1 is also an MS-DOS game, so not going to include it, sorry!

Yup, I'm using eXoWin already to make the list.

[Newsdee]

Some more that come to mind:
- Klik N' Play
- Indiana Jones Desktop Adventures
- Yoda's Stories
- Spaceward Ho!
- WinRisk
- WinTrek
- Uninvited (there's a DOS version but Win version has better graphics)

[aberu]

Here's what I have so far (didn't see Newdee's reply before writing this so going to update it with that in a bit).

After Dark 3.2 (1995).zip
Burn -Cycle (1995).zip
Castle of the Winds (1993).zip
Chaos - A Fantasy Adventure Game (1996).zip
Dark Seed II (1995).zip
Dogz - Your Computer Pet (1995).zip
Endorfun (1995).zip
Exile - Escape from the Pit (1995).zip
Exile II - Crystal Souls (1996).zip
Exile III - Ruined World (1996).zip
Fox Hunt (1996).zip
Freddi Fish 2 - The Case of the Haunted School House (1996).zip
Freddi Fish 3 - The Case of the Stolen Conch Shell (1998).zip
Freddi Fish and the Case of the Missing Kelp Seeds (1995).zip
Fury3 (1995).zip
Gahan Wilson's The Ultimate Haunted House (1994).zip
GayBlade (1992).zip
Indiana Jones and his Desktop Adventures (1996).zip
Jonny Quest - The Real Adventures - Cover-Up at Roswell (1996).zip
Journeyman Project 2, The - Buried in Time (1995).zip
Journeyman Project, The (1993).zip
Journeyman Project, The - Turbo! (1994).zip
Kiyeko and the Lost Night (1995).zip
Kye (1992).zip
Last Dynasty, The (1995).zip
Leisure Suit Larry 6 - Shape Up or Slip Out! (1994).zip
Microsoft Entertainment Pack 2 (1991).zip
Microsoft Entertainment Pack 3 (1991).zip
Microsoft Entertainment Pack 4 (1992).zip
Microsoft Entertainment Pack for Windows (1990).zip
Microsoft Solitaire (1990).zip
Mind Games Entertainment Pack for Windows (1997).zip
Minesweeper (1992).zip
Missile Attack! (1992).zip
Monty Python and the Quest for the Holy Grail (1996).zip
Monty Python's Complete Waste of Time (1994).zip
Nanotank (1993).zip
Operation - Inner Space (1994).zip
Rodents-Revenge_Win-3x_EN.zip
Savage - The Ultimate Quest for Survival (1996).zip
Second Conflict (1991).zip
Sid Meier's Civilization II (1996).zip
Sid Meier's Civilization II - The Collector's Edition (1996).zip
SimTower - The Vertical Empire (1995).zip
SkiFree_Win-3x_EN_For-Windows-3x.zip
Space Bucks (1996).zip
Space Quest 6 - Roger Wilco in the Spinal Frontier (1995).zip
Take a Break! Pinball (1993).zip
Take Your Best Shot (1995).zip
Terror T.R.A.X. - Track of the Vampire (1995).zip
Total Distortion (1995).zip
Trap Shooting (1994).zip
Vikings - The Strategy of Ultimate Conquest (1996).zip
Warhammer - Shadow of the Horned Rat (1996).zip
You Don't Know Jack (1995).zip

I still have to double check all this stuff, and then do the long hard task of trying to get things working (if they will at all.).

[aberu]

Some more that come to mind:
- Klik N' Play
- Indiana Jones Desktop Adventures
- Yoda's Stories
- Spaceward Ho!
- WinRisk
- WinTrek
- Uninvited (there's a DOS version but Win version has better graphics)

Klik N' Play - Added!
Indiana Jones - I was right there with ya, I already added it a bit ago
Yoda's Stories - This doesn't look like a Win16 game, I think it's a Win32 game (meaning it would require windows 95).
Spaceward Ho! - MS-DOS game ported to windows. Probably not going to include it.
WinRisk - Added!
WinTrek - Live long and prosper. Added! I also added 2.0 just in case, going to compare them.
Uninvited - Hrm. I'll try it out and see if the differences are worth including over. Sometimes a game can be very distinct in the Win16 version which could make it worth it.

[MiSTer_Kirk]

Journeyman Project, The

That was my very first Windows CDRom game, purchased in the UK in PC World, 1994 - just after I got my first CDRom drive, Soundblaster card, and an Intel Pentium 60 - for the time this was as fast as it got. The game always gives me that early 90's PC multimedia feeling.

Castle of the Winds

Is this a game about flatulence ?

[aberu]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kpxs7m_xmj0

It's a pretty cool game.

[MrX_Cuci]

A few come to mind:
Ace Ventura
Battle Beast
Arcade America
Battle Chess enhanced
Bad Mojo

[zakk4223]

Not that you shouldn't make a list, but isn't the lack of cd audio support going to compromise the experience on a ton of these games?

[jrronimo]

I always thought Mordor: The Depths of Dejenol was a pretty interesting rogue style game for Win3.11.

[aberu]

Not that you shouldn't make a list, but isn't the lack of cd audio support going to compromise the experience on a ton of these games?

I thought that got resolved already and it's driver dependent? Ah well, doesn't hurt to start working on this just in case something does get worked out.

[grizzly]

About DOS games that also have a 3.x port.
Some do as already said have better "stuff", some are practically the same.

So WHAT should be on the 3.x list and what should not be on it?
One way is there has to be a big difference in graphic/sound/etc, another is it has to be a small change.
No change should according to me not be on the list though.

Or maybe they should be on another list named "Best 3.x enhanced DOS games" or something like that?

[ToothbrushThreepwood]

Lot’s of childhood gems in this thread! The only additional game I can think of is Rattler Race.

[aberu]

Apparently the redbook audio stuff still isn't totally resolved... I don't have a whole lot of motivation of knocking this out until that works, but this list is still helpful for the future regardless. I was able to get a handful of lower-end games working, it was fun learning about it. It's not super hard to do this, but it wouldn't be as automated a pack as Flynnsbit has setup, that's for sure.

[SkinnyV]

Sim Ant would be a cool one!

[bikerspade]

Could I recommend Glider 4.0 for Windows 3.x?
I'd love to see SimTower too.

[flynnsbit]

FYI the latest ExoDOSConverter has eXoWin3x preliminary support and you can select Mister as a target option. It "should" get you close to a workable solution with auto cd mounting and the launcher. I have not tested any of that yet so someone else is going to have to take that on and submit PRs or issues to the converter github as you work through the issues. I see one that stands out where the path will need to be changed for the win.com reference in the 1_start.bat file that is created for each game...

Good luck.

[flynnsbit]

And here is the eXoWin3x Favorite list. Put all of these and any additions that you all added in a txt file and load it into the converter.

Code: Select all

101 Dalmatians - Escape From DeVil Manor (1997)
3-D Ultra Minigolf (1997)
3-D Ultra Pinball (1995)
3-D Ultra Pinball - Creep Night (1996)
9 - The Last Resort (1996)
Arcade America (1996)
Baba Yaga and The Magic Geese (1995)
Battle Beast (1995)
Battle Chess (1991)
Battle Chess Enhanced (1991)
Battle Isle 2220 - Shadow of the Emperor (1996)
Bermuda Syndrome (1996)
Betrayal in Antara (1997)
Bizarre Adventures of Woodruff and the Schnibble, The (1995)
Burn -Cycle (1995)
Castle of the Winds (1993)
Chip's Challenge (1991)
Cosmology of Kyoto (1995)
Creatures (1997)
Dagger of Amon Ra, The (1993)
Dare to Dream 2 (1993)
Dare to Dream 3 (1993)
Dare to Dream Part One - In a Darkened Room (1993)
Dark Eye, The (1995)
Dark Seed II (1995)
Day The World Broke, The (1998)
Deadlock - Planetary Conquest (1996)
Deja Vu I and II - The Casebooks of Ace Harding (1992)
Disney's Animated Storybook - Hercules (1997)
Disney's Animated Storybook - The Hunchback of Notre Dame (1996)
Disney's Animated Storybook - Toy Story (1996)
Disney's Timon and Pumbaa's Jungle Games (1995)
Dust - A Tale of the Wired West (1995)
EarthSiege 2 (1996)
Even More! Incredible Machine, The (1993)
Exile - Escape from the Pit (1995)
Freddi Fish 2 - The Case of the Haunted School House (1996)
Freddi Fish 3 - The Case of the Stolen Conch Shell (1998)
Freddi Fish and the Case of the Missing Kelp Seeds (1995)
Full Tilt! 2 Pinball (1996)
Full Tilt! Pinball (1996)
Fury3 (1995)
Gabriel Knight 2 - The Beast Within (1995)
Gabriel Knight Sins of the Fathers (1993)
Gadget - Invention, Travel and Adventure (1995)
Harry and the Haunted House (1994)
Imo and the King (1995)
Incredible Machine Version 3.0, The (1995)
Incredible Toon Machine, The (1994)
JezzBall (1992)
Journeyman Project 2, The - Buried in Time (1995)
Journeyman Project, The - Turbo! (1994)
Just Grandma and Me (1993)
King's Quest V - Absence Makes the Heart Go Yonder! (1992)
King's Quest VI - Heir Today Gone Tomorrow CD (1992)
King's Quest VII - The Princeless Bride (1994)
Leisure Suit Larry - Love for Sail! (1996)
Leisure Suit Larry 6 - Shape Up or Slip Out! (1994)
Liam Finds a Story (1996)
Lighthouse - The Dark Being (1996)
Little Monster at School (1994)
Little Samurai, The (1996)
Lost Mind of Dr. Brain, The (1995)
Manhole, The - CD-ROM Masterpiece Edition (1994)
Marble Drop (1997)
Maui Mallard in Cold Shadow (1996)
Microsoft Arcade (1993)
Microsoft Golf 2.0 (1995)
Mixed-Up Mother Goose Deluxe (1995)
Monty Python and the Quest for the Holy Grail (1996)
Monty Python's Complete Waste of Time (1994)
Mordor - The Depths of Dejenol (1995)
Muppet Treasure Island (1996)
Myst (1993)
New Kid on the Block, The (1993)
Nitemare-3D (1994)
Opera Fatal (1996)
Oregon Trail II - 25th Anniversary Limited Edition (1996)
Oregon Trail, The (1993)
Out of This World (1994)
Outpost (1994)
Pajama Sam - No Need to Hide When It's Dark Outside (1996)
Pajama Sam 2 - Thunder and Lightning aren't so Frightening (1998)
Phantasmagoria (1995)
Pirates! Gold (1994)
Princess and the Crab, The (1996)
Putt-Putt Enters the Race (1998)
Putt-Putt Goes to the Moon (1993)
Putt-Putt Joins the Parade (1992)
Putt-Putt Saves the Zoo (1995)
Putt-Putt Travels Through Time (1997)
Quest for Glory IV - Shadows of Darkness (1993)
Rise and Rule of Ancient Empires, The (1996)
Scholastic's The Magic School Bus Explores Inside the Earth (1996)
Scholastic's The Magic School Bus Explores the Human Body (1994)
Scholastic's The Magic School Bus Explores the Ocean (1995)
Scholastic's The Magic School Bus Explores the Solar System (1994)
Shadowgate (1993)
Sheila Rae the Brave (1996)
Shivers (1995)
Sid Meier's Civilization (1993)
Sid Meier's Civilization II (1996)
Sid Meier's Civilization II - The Collector's Edition (1996)
SimCity (1992)
SimCity 2000 - CD Collection (1993)
SimEarth - The Living Planet (1990)
SimLife (1992)
Sleeping Cubs Test of Courage (1996)
Space Quest 6 - Roger Wilco in the Spinal Frontier (1995)
Space Quest IV - Roger Wilco and the Time Rippers (1992)
Spaceward Ho! (1992)
Spy Fox in Dry Cereal (1997)
Super Solvers Mission - T.H.I.N.K. (1999)
Time Warp of Dr. Brain, The (1996)
Timelapse (1996)
Titanic - Adventure Out of Time (1996)
Torin's Passage (1995)
Tortoise and the Hare, The (Living Books)(1993)
Uninvited (1993)
Warhammer - Shadow of the Horned Rat (1996)
Where in Time is Carmen Sandiego (1997)
Where in the USA is Carmen Sandiego (1996)
Where in the World is Carmen Sandiego (CD-ROM)(1995)
You Don't Know Jack (1995)
You Don't Know Jack - Volume 2 (1996)
You Don't Know Jack - Volume 3 (1997)

[Glaurung]

I always thought Mordor: The Depths of Dejenol was a pretty interesting rogue style game for Win3.11.

The most brutal RPG that exists in the history of humanity Dungeon crawler in its purest form. The game that you would take on a desert island. The pure essence of the addictive old school dungeon crawler. An authentic hidden gem of 3.11 , although it also works in w95 I think.

Lovely music.Cool not outdtaed grapfhics.Perfect level design.

No for people that was born after 1985

[Televicious]

Metal Marines and CivNET should be in that list too.

[Vic20-Ian]

Flight Sim Toolkit - lots of win3.1 apps to design maps, terrain, flight models and aircraft then fly them with the same engine used for AV8B if I remember correctly in VGA and SVGA

I spent a lot of hours having fun building my own flight sim and testing planes.

From memory not always the most stable but it was fun.

[dickhardpill]

How do I play skifree? I want to get eaten by a yeti.

[lordelan]

I can highly recommend Magnetic Planet but while it's compatible with W3.x, I'm not sure whether the AO486 core is good enough to run it.

https://www.spieleforum.de/attachments/ ... ng.153003/

Also MAMBA, a great QIX clone for W3.x:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ggVYpAX0IBM

[thorr]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kpxs7m_xmj0

It's a pretty cool game.

Never played that as far as I remember, but it looks great, and very much like Rogue, another great DOS game. It can be played online here: https://www.myabandonware.com/game/rogue-4n/play-4n Push ? to see the commands while playing.