Cyberdyne wrote on 2020-11-10, 14:25:

Dominus wrote on 2020-11-10, 14:08:

Please do not link to warez!

It is the same link that was few posts back, i just changed the release year from 1997 to 1996. Total Dos collection.

Thanks, didn't look to closely further up, removed those links as well

I happen to own an original CD-ROM copy of "2 Fast 4 You". Bought it some time ago on a flea market, so I can't say for certain if this CD was actually sold for money at any point. What I have is just the CD in its original jewel case. There is no bar code anywhere on the case, and it actually says that the game is freeware on the back of the cover and encourages you to copy the game onto a floppy disk and give it to your friends.

I could attach the files of the floppy disk installer if you're interested.

There are some additional animation files and CD audio tracks on that disc, which means the full CD image would be over 180 megs. I don't want to upload the entire thing if it's not necessary.

K1n9_Duk3 wrote on 2020-11-10, 23:17:

I happen to own an original CD-ROM copy of "2 Fast 4 You". Bought it some time ago on a flea market, so I can't say for certain if this CD was actually sold for money at any point. What I have is just the CD in its original jewel case. There is no bar code anywhere on the case, and it actually says that the game is freeware on the back of the cover and encourages you to copy the game onto a floppy disk and give it to your friends.

Thanks for the info! I believe these German advergames were sold in a way similar to shareware titles, i.e. the buyer only paid for the medium + possible shipping and handling. I think you could also order/purchase a physical copy of Tricky Quiky Games or Toffifee Fantasy Forest but both games explicitly say they're free to distribute on the loading screen.

K1n9_Duk3 wrote on 2020-11-10, 23:17:

I could attach the files of the floppy disk installer if you're interested.

Oh, please do if that would not be too much trouble for you!

K1n9_Duk3 wrote on 2020-11-10, 23:17:

There are some additional animation files and CD audio tracks on that disc, which means the full CD image would be over 180 megs. I don't want to upload the entire thing if it's not necessary.

I have found a CD demo of the game on a German coverdisk from Hallfiry's collection. Swizzle uploaded it here. I guess these animations are the same as in the full version, and frankly the CGI intro does not make much sense, and is overly dragged. Almost as if they just wanted to show off what they could do with CGI graphics.

And the audio tracks only play in the Jukebox I think, a feature only present in the CD demo (but the coverdisk I found had no tracks so the jukebox was useless too).

BTW, I read somewhere that the code 2FAST4U is based on is actually the same as in the bonus stages of Jazz Jackrabbit since the developer is the same (Digital Dimensions BV).

cyclone3d wrote on 2020-11-09, 21:33:

Found a copy of the DOS demo on archive.org:
(edit by Dominus: link to this collection removed as it is offering a lot of warez there)

File name is not the same, but I am guessing that they may have just renamed the original zip when that collection was made.

I've re-uploaded that file here:
https://www.dosgamesarchive.com/download/drone/

Alright then, here is the floppy disk installer for "2 Fast 4 You", zipped straight from the CD:

On a related note, this archive seems to be not quite the same version that's on my CD. Except for a missing README.TXT file and the DISK subdirectory I attached in the ZIP file, all the files from my CD version seem to be present in that archive, but some files differ. BIFI.OVL is dated 1995-07-18 15:16 and has a size of 207957 bytes on my CD. The BIFI.EXE file you get from installing the floppy version I attached is the same file as the BIFI.OVL found on my CD.

K1n9_Duk3 wrote on 2020-11-11, 21:46:

Alright then, here is the floppy disk installer for "2 Fast 4 You", zipped straight from the CD:
BIFIDISK.ZIP

Many-many thanks!!!

K1n9_Duk3 wrote on 2020-11-11, 21:46:

On a related note, this archive seems to be not quite the same version that's on my CD. Except for a missing README.TXT file and the DISK subdirectory I attached in the ZIP file, all the files from my CD version seem to be present in that archive, but some files differ. BIFI.OVL is dated 1995-07-18 15:16 and has a size of 207957 bytes on my CD. The BIFI.EXE file you get from installing the floppy version I attached is the same file as the BIFI.OVL found on my CD.

The binary is likely different because it's the demo. The demo only allows to play the "Adventure Cup" and has some other limitations. As for the EXE and OVL files, I noticed that too when comparing the floppy demo with the full floppy version I found at the Werbespiel Archiv. I have no idea what the purpose of this could be though.

Cyberdyne wrote on 2020-11-10, 11:08:

Interpose large demo. I have a full game, and got a hold of cristmas special and tiny demo, but there is a large demo, with more levels and full cutscenes. Have not find it in the wild.

Using Hallfiry's catalogue I just found the original zipped installer as it was available from Twilight Zone Software's website (wt_ipdem.zip). You can get it on this Polish magazine coverdisk (JIC - you don't need to download the whole ISO, use the ISO viewer to get the individual file).

I also uploaded it here:
https://www.dosgamesarchive.com/download/interpose/

This is demo v1.01. But apparently there's also an earlier demo v1.0 which is found on this CD. However, this one was repacked by magazine editors into an SFX RAR archive. Haven't noticed any major differences between the two versions though.

Wow thanx MrFlibble 😀

Demineur (Pack 2)
Type: Freeware
Version: 2.0
File name: e_mines2.zip
File size: about 600 KiB
Status: file not found, contents available in repacked form
Original location: http://www.eclipse-game.com/files/games/e_mines2.zip
Reference: http://www.eclipse-game.com/htm/games.htm

NOTE: You can grab the files at achive.org but what they have is not the original ZIP.

Trugg
Type: Shareware
Version: 1.01
File name: trg101e.zip
Status: file and contents not found
Original location: ftp://ftp.digitalworkshop.co.uk/pub/trg101e.exe
References: http://www.steffest.com/dxboulder/DXClones.htm http://www.digitalworkshop.co.uk/trg.htm

Here's a little something. One would think there'd be no problem finding the shareware version of this game, it's at RGB Classic Games and that would likely mean as clean and original as possible, right?

But it turns out that the ZIP has PKZIP's Authenticity Verification built in, and it reports that the ZIP has been tampered with:

I found a different archive (same contents plus one more file that also seems legit) on this Computer Shopper CD, again with PKZIP AV, and again it reports that verification failed upon extraction or testing (the -t command). Individual files pass the AV test so it seems to imply that either some other kind of damage has been sustained, or more files were removed from the archive.

The problem is, so far I only found the same copies as the Computer Shopper ZIP, or complete repacks with the same contents but no AV routine at all.

UPD: Apparently there was a newer version of the shareware, available from Digital Workshop's website, with the file name being trg101e.zip.

Great Air Battles: 1941-1942
Type: Demo/Shareware
Version: 1.5a
File name: gab-d15a.arj
File size: 749 488 bytes (?)
Status: file and contents not found
Original location: http://www.flight-sim.iup.edu/files/UPLOADS/G/
Reference: http://www.mcnett.org:80/fst/ferret/sims/gab-d15a.arj (file downloads but archive is damaged)
NOTES: Great Air Battles is a shareware WWII flight sim created with Domark/Simis' Flight Sim Toolkit.

Wings of Thunder
Type: Freeware/Cardware
Version: Full version
File name: wotsetup.exe
File size: unknown
Status: file not found, contents available in unpacked and/or repacked form
Reference: http://www.mcnett.org/fst/ferret/sims/
NOTES: Another Flight Sim Toolkit game. It is available from several magazine coverdisks in unpacked form, but the original download (wotsetup.exe) has not been found yet.

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

Update from 2024/06/23: The version has been found at archive.org by liqmat:
https://archive.org/details/blackshrapnelA045

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.

Here's what the archived page says:

Unfortunatly development on the game Black Shrapnel has been suspended due to lack of prospective financial support. This basica […]
Show full quote

Unfortunatly development on the game Black Shrapnel has been suspended due to lack of prospective financial support. This basically means that putting the time and effort into finishing it off and publishing it will not make it worthwhile. You can thank the greedy and unreliable attitude of today's comercial software publisher for this.

I have decided to release what has been made so far of the game in it's alpha development stage. It's playable in this form and you can download it for DOS by clicking here (Black045.zip - 525k).

You can see some Screen Shots too.

Current features:

Simultaneous 3 player mode
Silky-smooth animation and game play
Thousands of frames of animation
Ear-blasting digital stereo sound
Full colour rendered graphics
Robust and dynamic code gives reliable game play
Infinate levels of parallax
Multi directional scrolling
And lots more planned

MrFlibble wrote on 2021-02-03, 12:44:

Great Air Battles: 1941-1942 Type: Demo/Shareware Version: 1.5a File name: gab-d15a.arj File size: 749 488 bytes (?) Original lo […]
Show full quote

Great Air Battles: 1941-1942
Type: Demo/Shareware
Version: 1.5a
File name: gab-d15a.arj
File size: 749 488 bytes (?)
Original location: http://www.flight-sim.iup.edu/files/UPLOADS/G/
Reference: ttp://www.mcnett.org:80/fst/ferret/sims/gab-d15a.arj (file downloads but archive is damaged)
NOTES: Great Air Battles is a shareware WWII flight sim created with Domark/Simis' Flight Sim Toolkit.

Wings of Thunder
Type: Freeware/Cardware
Version: Full version
File name: wotsetup.exe
File size: unknown
Reference: http://www.mcnett.org/fst/ferret/sims/
NOTES: Another Flight Sim Toolkit game.

Wings of Thunder (floppy disk version) is available here though it is just a rar of the files from the floppy:

https://www.old-games.ru/game/download/5533.html

Nevermind.. I see you mentioned the "not original installer" in another thread.

cyclone3d wrote on 2021-03-06, 23:36:

Wings of Thunder (floppy disk version) is available here though it is just a rar of the files from the floppy:

Apologies, I have updated the description to include the information that the game itself is not rare, just the exact file from Cactus FTP has not been found.

Also AFAIK there's no such thing as the "floppy disk version" of Wings of Thunder, it's just a misleading definition provided by that website you linked to. From what I know, the game was distributed online (certainly not sold). Whether its author actually made an updated version for users who sent donations is unclear.

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 found (see below)
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.

UPD 2024/10/30: Found by @liqmat here and also uploaded here.

Here's a game that might very well be lost for good:

Pebbles
Type: Freeware
Version: 1.0
File name: pebbles.zip
File size: 292 KiB
Original game page: http://members.xoom.com/escp/pebbles.htm

This is a freeware Boulder Dash clone created with the Allegro library. The Wayback Machine has preserved neither the game build nor the source code. The developer's site later moved here, but still nothing downloadable is preserved either.

Edit: I was able to find a repacked version with added CWSDPMI in an, ah, collection of DOS software. It looks like the original download was just the binary with no documentation (I zipped up pebbles.exe again and the size in kilobytes is roughly similar to the reported size of the original download).

Brány Skeldalu
Type: demo (English)
File name: SKELDAL.ZIP
File size: ca. 30 MiB

NOTE: Although the game never had an official English language release, the official page mentions an English demo - presumably, made among other purposes for prospective publishers.

I've only found a Czech language demo so far on this coverdisk, thanks to Hallfiry's catalogue.

Just want to ask...

Is there really a demand want/need of game demos within the vintage/retro scene? I frequently walk through archive.org saved pages, find some demos and leave it alone. If this is really true, I could add good old game demos to my website (soggi.org)... Just let me know if this is wanted.

kind regards
soggi

soggi wrote on 2021-11-16, 11:00:

Is there really a demand of game demos within the vintage/retro scene?

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. But there are people who are interested in and collect demo versions and information about them. It's a (supposedly) legal way to familiarise yourself with an old game without having to download an "abandonware" copy if it is no longer commercially available. Additionally, some demos have unique levels or other differences compared to their respective release version counterparts.

Recently, user gaffa2002 released a DOS Shareware Collection CD.

If you happen across working Wayback Machine download links of demo or shareware stuff, please feel free to post them somewhere. I keep a thread for exactly this purpose in the dosgames.com forum.

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 😀

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.

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

Additionally, some demos have unique levels or other differences compared to their respective release version counterparts.

Yeah, I know. Because of this I already considered to add game demo downloads to my website.

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

If you happen across working Wayback Machine download links of demo or shareware stuff, please feel free to post them somewhere. I keep a thread for exactly this purpose in the dosgames.com forum.

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!

kind regards
soggi