soggi wrote on 2021-11-17, 02:17:

MrFlibble wrote on 2021-11-16, 18:11:

I'm not sure what "demand" might mean in this case, as the term describes an aspect of market balance while demos are usually free.

Oops, sorry...it was getting late. Replaced it with "want/need", while I'm not completely satisfied with these words. Hopefully it's understandable now.

Never mind! I did not want to be critical of your words per se, but sometimes I myself am not sure about the entire picture when it comes to the preservation of demo content. In fact, I cannot tell what scale the general interest in demos could actually be. It seems to me that there are much larger initiatives aimed at preserving full versions (even if illegal) compared to demos, making the latter increasingly rare in some cases, even though originally they were easier to obtain, at least in theory.

I know several people who are or have been interested in demos and shareware, for variety of reasons, including pure historical interest (sometimes limited to several particular games) and the desire for a legal alternative to "abandonware". Here's a small list of related websites:
Classic PC Games - demo/shareware collection, originally created as the DOS Museum/DEMU.org
Kult Cover Disks - focussed on magazine coverdisks and has a coverdisk catalogue
RGB Classic Games - preservation of anything that is legal to distribute
DOS Games - the focus is on free or shareware stuff
Theodor Lauppert's Game Gallery - documentation of various games, legal downloads; unfortunately, the author passed away
Smush The Cat - shareware/freeware, hasn't been updated in a long time

Additionally, pre-release demo discussions crop up at the Beta Archive forums, but that site does not really differentiate between legal releases and leaks etc.

I also forgot to mention that I posted some Wayback Machine findings here at VOGONS in this thread. So I guess if you find any working demo etc. downloads via the WM, it would not be off-topic to post there as well.

soggi wrote on 2021-11-17, 02:17:

Game demos will be incidental catches while searching for other stuff like game patches, BIOSes, drivers, ... I'll consider to add a sub-page.

Nice thread @dosgames, some links might be also useful for me, thx!

There were also some discussions concerning game patches and utilities at RGB Classic Games forums, but it's pretty quiet there now.

WolverineDK wrote on 2021-11-16, 19:42:

MrFlibble: You are doing an amazing piece of work , I have followed this thread and other threads you have made. And I respect the digital archaeology, you are doing. So much respect from me, sorry if it sounds like an arse-kissing. But I am indeed serious, you are doing an amazing piece of work with it. Thumbs up from me 😀

Thank you for the kind words, WolverineDK!

Euro Racer
Type: Shareware
File names and sizes (if available): euro11.zip 269kb

Looking for a finnish 90's shareware game Euro Racer. I found a mention about it on http://www.kolumbus.fi/helena.muttonen/pelit.htm but download link "euro11.zip" is dead. Tried archive.org and Wayback machine but no luck, only dead links. It's a primitive slicks'n'slide type driving game.

Found it. Thanks to Aegis (one of the game developers) for sending it.
https://archive.org/details/euro-111x

Alfh wrote on 2022-01-31, 17:59:

Looking for a Finnish 90's shareware game Euro Racer. I found a mention about it on http://www.kolumbus.fi/helena.muttonen/pelit.htm but download link "euro11.zip" is dead.

I looked up that site you've mentioned, and found another interesting (but possibly lost) game:

Dynaguy
Type: Freeware (?)
Version: beta v1.1.13
File name: dynaguy.zip
File size: 548 KiB (?)
Original location: http://www.dynaguy.demon.nl/

Apparently it was a nice-looking Bomberman clone:

Found a few more potentially interesting games with missing downloads:

Pharao 1
Type: Freeware (?)
Version: Unknown
File name: pharao_1.zip
File size: 42 KB
Original location: http://www.scherfgen-software.net/index.php?action=software&title=pharao_1

NOTES: Looks like a game inspired by Pharaoh's Tomb. The author, David Scherfgen, has an active website but the game is not available from there. Perhaps it is possible to contact him and ask.

Ammazza l'insetto
Type: Freeware (?)
Version: Unknown
File name: Ammazins.zip
File size: 74,9 KB
Original location: http://www.samgames.it/downc.htm

NOTES: "a Dyna Blaster-like game for 1 or 2 players" -- description from the site.

Mission X
Type: Freeware (?)
Version: Unknown
File name: missionx16kfnt.zip
File size: 10.1 MB
Original location: http://www.deamon.btinternet.co.uk/games.htm

NOTES: A side-scrolling shooter with hand-drawn graphics.

A few games by Martin Paucula have not been archived by the Wayback Machine, possibly lost:

Chaos Emeralds
Type: Freeware
File name/size: eme.zip (22kB)

Miny
Type: Freeware
File name/size: miny.zip (16kB)

SWar
Type: Freeware
File name/size: swar.zip (42kB)

Original location: http://martinp.host.sk/gamesen.htm

Some of you might probably know that Frédérick Raynal, one of the original creators of PopCorn (and probably much more well known for games like Alone in the Dark and Little Big Adventure), has a browser version of the game on his site.

However, past snapshots reveal that he also used to offer a free download of a Windows-native version (I'm not sure if this is a port or a recreation; the original was programmed by Christophe Lacaze while Raynal made the graphics). He would also sell Android and iOS ports of the game.

This Windows version seems no longer available from Frédérick's site, and I was unable to track it down anywhere. Does anyone have it? It seems pretty cool.

The Windows version used to be free but is now paid software I believe.

The 1988 DOS CGA version of Popcorn may be found all over and is apparently free to download. A simple Google search for "popcorn 1988 dos download" will yield the freeware version.

zyzzle wrote on 2023-05-02, 01:13:

The 1988 DOS CGA version of Popcorn may be found all over and is apparently free to download. A simple Google search for "popcorn 1988 dos download" will yield the freeware version.

Thank you Captain Obvious, I was specifically asking for the Windows port with the extra bells and whistles similar to the browser version.

I was browsing this site and found a link to a Spanish (?) developer called Traperic Software, who had several DOS-based projects that at least look interesting. Unfortunately, the Wayback Machine has not preserved the actual downloads.

Pump, el gran calabazo
Type: Freeware
File name: pump.zip
File size: 272.4 KiB
Author's description: "This game was my first serious attempt at making something 'big' with C, I wanted to know how far I could go with the compiler Turbo C++ 1.01, which is why the code is so badly designed 😀. It's a game that's almost finished and very long, the only problem that I'll mention is that when I drew the sprites I was still using that fucking XOR system."

Juicio Final
Type: Freeware
File name: jfinal.zip
File size: 191.6 KiB
Author's description: "A space-shooter game (well, in this case you don't kill martians but humans), it was the first for which I used the double buffer successfully and since a friend of mine made the graphics really well, it turned out to be a pretty good game. I've only made one level, but it has a level editor."

Xinnomb
Type: Freeware
File name: xinbinms.tar.gz
File size: 202.9 KiB
Author's description: "Xinnomb is the first game that I made with Allegro, I did it to experiment with the possibilities of this library and to familiarize myself a bit with its functions and the programming environment, it isn't a great game, but i learned a lot in making it. It's for two players."

The Puzzle Pits
Type: Level editor
File name: pitsedit.zip
File size: Unknown
Original location: http://plasmaworks.com/pits/pits.html (Wayback Machine link)
Comment: The Puzzle Pits is an originally shareware/commercial Soko-Ban-style puzzle game for Amiga and DOS. It was made freeware sometime around 2000, and the level editor was available for download from the author's website. While the game itself has been preserved by the Wayback Machine, the editor, sadly, was not.

Rooster
Type: Freeware (former commercial)
File name: rooster.zip
File size: probably around 2-3 MiB
Original location: http://www.mirage.com.pl:80/index.php?id=retroattack (Wayback Machine link)
Comment: This was a Polish overhead shooter apparently similar to Alien Breed, which was made a free download by publisher Mirage Software. Unfortunately, the Wayback Machine has not preserved the file.

I have used Hallfiry's coverdisk catalogue and identified what could be the full version of the game on two Polish coverdisks:

PGPL 04/99-K
PCGPL 10/98-K

I correctly guessed that PCGPL is Polish PC Gamer, and was able to find this CD image at archive.org. The game is indeed there, and even contains ways to bypass manual copy protection in the readme. I have no idea if this is the same version as the one available from the Mirage website, or some other one.

The PGPL coverdisk seems to come from a different Polish magazine that I've not deciphered yet. The catalogue shows an installer that was likely originally placed on several floppy disks. If that version is the same or not I've no idea.

In looking, I can only find Poilish PC Gamer for 8/98 (issue 24) not 10/98 (issue 26) at archive.org. Is rooster.zip on some other coverdisk CD besides 10/98? All of the issues seem not archived there, only some.

zyzzle wrote on 2024-04-16, 23:11:

Is rooster.zip on some other coverdisk CD besides 10/98? All of the issues seem not archived there, only some.

I've not found the actual rooster.zip on any CDs in Hallfiry's catalogue. PC Gamer PL issue 10/98 contains a self-extracting DOS RAR archive (of the command-line only variety, no install menu) with a readme that contains some basic info about the game and a verbatim copy of a section of the original printed manual with numerated lines, to aid in bypassing manual copy protection.

The mysterious PGPL 04/99 -- I can only tell that this is not PC Gamer PL 04/99, at least unless I downloaded the wrong CD image -- seems to contain the original floppy disk installer for the game. I have not identified any other files related to this game in the catalogue. What the freeware ZIP from Mirage's site contained is anyone's guess, especially since they released Franko as a Windows installer. But I think that it was either the same unmodified game as on PC Gamer 10/98, possibly unpacked and zipped, and with the same readme to facilitate manual protection bypass, or a version with a modified EXE that removed copy protection altogether.

UPD: I looked into the catalogue once again and spotted another RAR'd version on CD Action 03/97 disk A. Haven't checked it out yet, it could be a demo?

A while ago I found a DOS vertical-crolling shmup called Firecrow. Looks like it was originally written as freeware game, and then reworked into a commercial version that was available only in France (?).

Sometime later I tracked down a different site for a project called Firecrow 2 by the same developers, which boasted both DOS and Windows as supported platforms, and had a demo which has not been preserved by the Wayback Machine. The filename was fire2.exe. Does anyone have it perchance?

It looks like there was some kind of advergame for a German brand of fruit drink called fruit'n fun:
http://www.fruit-n-fun.de:80/Spiele.htm

File name: spiel.exe
File size: ~550 KiB

The Werbespiel Archiv (a database of German advergames) does not seem to list it.

MrFlibble wrote on 2021-03-06, 21:56:

Black Shrapnel Type: alpha demo Version: 0.45 (?) File name: black045.zip File size: 545 KiB Status: file and contents not found […]
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Black Shrapnel
Type: alpha demo
Version: 0.45 (?)
File name: black045.zip
File size: 545 KiB
Status: file and contents not found
Originally available at: http://web.ukonline.co.uk/ant-man/black/index.html

Notes: This is an unreleased side-scrolling shoot-'em-up by the creator of PowBall, Anthony P. Hamilton. At some point he uploaded the alpha demo at his website, but the Wayback Machine has not preserved the link. I have not yet attempted to contact Anthony to ask about this game.

This was uploaded to Archive.org with the author's permission according to the description.

https://archive.org/details/blackshrapnelA045

liqmat wrote on 2024-06-23, 00:29:

This was uploaded to Archive.org with the author's permission according to the description.

https://archive.org/details/blackshrapnelA045

Thank you very much for finding and sharing this!!! Cheers!

LANDER!
Type: Free & Open Source
Platform: DOS
Author: Steven Wallace
File name: land_12.zip
File size: 2.62MB
Comments: This is a Jupiter Lander clone/remake made with Allegro and running in DOS. The author later wrote Lander 2, which is for Windows, again, using Allegro, and then a Windows remake. So far I've not been able to track down a working download of the original DOS version.

MrFlibble wrote on 2021-03-09, 21:26:

Conquest of Elysium II Type: shareware/demo Version: 2.2 File name: coe22pcd.zip or coe22demo.zip File size: 1.8 MiB Status: fil […]
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Conquest of Elysium II
Type: shareware/demo
Version: 2.2
File name: coe22pcd.zip or coe22demo.zip
File size: 1.8 MiB
Status: file and contents not found
References: http://www.efd.lth.se/~d92jk/coepc.htm and http://www.strategygames.net/games/COE/ConquestofElysium.html

NOTES: I did not realise that the original PC version of the game was for DOS, not Windows, but I found the DOS shareware demo v2.0 at the GamesDomain FTP mirror (coe20pcd.zip). I have reasons to believe that v2.2 was also still for DOS before a newer Windows/Linux/Solaris release was made in 2001.

I believe we have a winner.