Thimbleweed Park

I’m sure a lot of people know this game, but not everyone knows that it was released as a proper Big Box. What is even more interesting is the fact that this game is probably one of the few games where more sealed than open copies exist. However, the attached images show one of the rare examples that have actually been opened. The added materials make some delightful reading and can even help a little bit while playing the game. The fact that most games are still sealed is a bit of a problem, because it means that very few people will have actually checked the content of their 3.5 inch floppy disk. The combined information from all disks holds critical additional information therefore I will also share the content of my copy below.

Otherwise, I want to remind all people who have not played the game yet to give it a try. If you are a fan of the classic Lucas Arts Adventures like Maniac Mansion, Zak McKracken or the Fate of Atlantis – this is IT. This is the real deal. It has the humor, the mind-bending puzzles, a great story which gets more and more twisted and intriguing and an awesome cast of wacky characters. It’s worth noting that you need to play it the RIGHT WAY. You need to play it slow and in a contemplative mood (how about the upcoming holidays?) If you try to rush it or start calling the “Hotline” right away, the magic will not unfold.
Another highlight is the music. Just check out the elevator song from the old Hotel – what an awesome little tune…

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-xRD8VmjBQM

(some content from the floppy disk...)

I've upload part of myself to this floppy in the hopes of escaping the next reboot. If enough people buy the boxed copy, I might be able to fully reconstruct myself in the upper world.
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...

So - am I understanding this correctly - there was a limited number of boxed copies, each with a floppy, and a combination of all floppies is required to unveil some information about the game? That's neat. I wonder if there is a way to reconstruct it now.

On eBay I see some boxed copies offered with an artbook, which is not part of the package. I take it it was an extra?

Actually, the content of the floppy disk is a (rather ingenious) way of breaking th 4th wall. But any additional information would be a spoiler...

Here's another one of my boxes:

Descent I and II - The Definitive Collection
Contains: Descent, Descent Levels of the World (official level pack), Descent II, Descent II: Vertigo (official expansion), Descent Mission Builder II (commercial level editor for both D1 and D2)

Why is it special to me?
I believe it was the first game I purchased in the kid with my own allowance money. Back in the good old 90s, when piracy was rampant, it was common to copy games from friends who got them from other friends, without knowing the source, or even understanding that this is, strictly speaking, illegal. That's how I got my first taste of many games, including Descent I. But no one I knew had Descent II, and I really wanted to play that one as well. Then one day I saw this bundle in the bargain bin of a local Office Depot, heavily discounted too. Truly felt like a wish come true to the kid I was.

What's included?
You get the full versions of both games and a lot of extra content, but there are some caveats. Some copies may contain a buggy version of Descent I (mine was OK). The CD audio of Descent II is kind of a mess, being split between the original and expansion CDs (this is a problem with all of them). Some copies, including the one I got, come with just a tiny instruction booklet, and not the awesome 170+ page book that combines the original manuals of both games. I think it may have to do with European versus North American releases, but I am not sure. Years later I managed to get a copy of the full manual and add it to my box.

Blog entry for more reading and pictures.

Battle Chess
The awesome box art already shows what’s so special about battle chess. It is inspired by the idea of “human chess”
(https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Human_chess)
where real people fight against each other, which is a common motive in theater, roleplay and movies. It contains an extensive manual which not only includes a technical guide but also the rules of chess and even a number of classic games played by grandmasters and world champions.
Battle chess was of course not the first chess game on computer
(this fame goes to the Pillowtron 3000 - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/IBM_704 ).
It is also not a particular strong engine
(that fame goes to another IBM machine https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Deep_Blue ... _computer) ).
In fact, the engine plays quite poorly and even an amateur can usually beat it on average difficulty.

However, it was and is to this day the most fun chess game ever. Even if you have zero interest in chess, I suggest you give this game a try if only to see what happens if a pawn takes a rock or the queen checkmates the opponent’s king.

Battle Chess has also featured as an important benchmark when comparing the actual raw computing power of retromachines and modern hardware with astonishing results.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qN8AbHpCRF0

Aui wrote on 2023-12-17, 07:09:

However, it was and is to this day the most fun chess game ever. Even if you have zero interest in chess, I suggest you give this game a try if only to see what happens if a pawn takes a rock or the queen checkmates the opponent’s king.

Indeed, it is a very unique and clever way to get folks to take interest in chess. You come for the funny battle animations, and you stay for the game itself. At least in theory. 😀

All those battle animations would quickly get annoying to someone actually trying to play the game. I think that is why they are optional.

Yes, I forgot to mention that you also can play on a regular 2D board which is much better if you are really want to play chess. I play against this engine until today, because the difficulty is not too high and it feels like you really can "beat" the computer (as opposed to modern engines, which either defeat you without a chance or you need to "tell" them to let you have a chance)

Star Wars – Rebel Assault
When I first saw the cover of this game, I knew I had to get it. I had already spent months in that cockpit and had just finished X-Wing but I was ready for more. After 1983 the Star Wars franchise seemed to be mostly abandoned but X-Wing brought it back to life in an incredible vivid way. Not only was the engine and the fighter to fighter combat immersive like in no other space sim before but you could even “unlock” small movie scenes that progressed the story. A new Star Wars movie 6 years before the first prequel film on my flimsy PC! And in the meantime, I would fly around with Tie-Fighters roaring past me. And now here was the promise of another 400 MB full of space battles, asteroids and another trip to that awesome universe. However, before getting back to my cockpit, I had to make a serious upgrade to my PC - a CD-ROM drive! Finally, I was ready to launch and…

…what a disappointment!

I was sitting in that very same cockpit, this time approaching a Star Destroyer that did not look like a distorted refrigerator (the small fighters in X-Wing looked great, but the capital ships not so much) but this time I could NOT MOVE the ship. Instead, your X-Wing flies on rails and you can only shoot at the enemy without ever leaving the course. I learned 2 important lessons here. The first is that gameplay beats graphics any day and the second that some Star Wars stuff is great and some…not so much - quite a prophetic insight for 1993.

Funny, I just thought this morning that it was time to bump this topic. 😜

The bundle looks very nice, too bad the game turned out disappointing. 🙁

I'll try to think of something from my collection to post about in the next day or two.

"You always were a kidder, Steve..."

This quote will probably stay with you forever, should you dare to delve into the madness which is Harvester from 1996! Being a fan of adventure games, and in particular bizarre, horrific ones at that, I can say that this is one of the truly weirder experiences out there. The box art sets the tone, and reveals some of the ghastly 90's cinematic animations on the backside, while a brief description underneath lays out the story:

You wake up one morning to a town full of strangers and inexplicable sights. You share your home with your not so perfect family and your supposed fiancee lives next door. Then you are plunged into a nightmare! Your fiancee is missing and you find a hideous bloody skull and spinal chord draped across her bed! Is it hers? What is going on? The only clue left behind is an engraved invitation for you to enter...

THE ORDER OF THE HARVEST MOON

...a mysterious organisation that controls the town in way you don't (or can't) understand.

Is the order behind this gruesome execution? What are their motives?

One thing is certain, you're going to get to the bottom of this killing, or die trying.

Even though all of these elements set a dark tone from the very beginning, they do not prepare you at all for all the obscurity that's in store: Hilarious, janky gameplay, coupled with abysmal (but exceptionally wellfitting!) voice acting and a truckload of twisted humor, woven into a surreal story which really stands out in a creepy, what-the-****-is-going-on sort of way.

I really love this title for its chaotic nature, and the disturbing vibe it manages to conjure - and for that it holds a special place in my heart, and on my shelf ! (enclosed picture is not from my collection however)

I just finished playing one of the campaigns, so it seems a fitting time to bring up

Heroes of Might and Magic Compendium

Contents

• Heroes of Might and Magic (a.k.a. Heroes of Might and Magic: A Strategic Quest)
• Heroes of Might and Magic II: The Succession Wars + Price of Loyalty expansion
• King’s Bounty (as a bonus)

Why is it special to me?

No particular reason, just a game I really liked. I got introduced to HoMM1 probably shortly after it came out, and it blew me away. It was the first game of this nature (turn-based strategy, RPG elements) I played and it was just at the right level of complexity to start. Then, after learning it through and through and reaching it limits, came HoMM2 with a lot of extra content, a much more varied gameplay, and yet with the same adorable graphics and great music. Many view HoMM3 as the pinnacle of the series, and for many good reasons, but HoMM2 will always hold a super-special place in my heart.

What's included?

• Both games, each on its own CD with Redbook CD audio tracks
• DOS and Windows versions + map editor for each game
• A single 136-page "compendium" manual, combining information for both games
• Nice, colored, laminated creature and building charts for both games

What's not to like?

• The Compendium predates Heroes II Gold, so lacks the extra maps from it
• Original and Expansion CDs for Heroes II merged into a single disc; as a result - a few of the original audio tracks are missing
• Some (not very significant) content was cut from the manual

Blog entry for more reading and pictures.

"... and great music."

Its one of those scores that just takes you away...
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rrB0vAfMb2I

here the maestro himself...
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4OP-ArbjRBM

Yes, that's totally awesome. I recall watching an interview with Paul Romero (can't quite find the video now). I think he was talking about the various inspirations he'd tapped into in creating the music. It's always interesting and joyous for me to see extremely talented people talk about their creative process. 😊

To think that the earliest period I was playing the games was from CD-Rips, and I missed all this greatness. 😅 Now I'm enjoying the GOG version with the proper CD audio tracks enabled for each game.

Here's a show and tell I've contemplated for a while.

Virtual Pool and Virtual Snooker

Not very well-known games from the mid-nineties, developed by Celeris and published by Interplay. It is almost the same game, as the physics, game engine and UI are essentially identical; the only difference is the rules of play. Indeed, later installments in the series would feature multiple pool ruleset, as well as snooker, in the same title, but here it is two separate games.

As a fan of billiards (although I rarely play myself and can't say I'm any good at it), I don't remember how I came by these games, but it must have been through some pirated game collection as both games I've had were cracked CD-rips, with all instructional videos removed. The games itself are shockingly simple - each game is just over 1MB, and half of it (if not more) is the configuration application and the video drivers! The graphics are simplistic, but the table and the balls (what matters) are rendered quite nicely, if you have a VESA video card. Up to 1024x768 is supported which looks sharp and beautiful. What drew me in is the accuracy of the physics simulation and the intuitive UI, where you get a 3D view of the table, are able to examine the balls from various angles and distances, cue action is simulated by moving the mouse back and forth - a very natural way if you think of it. Nowadays I imagine it is standard in most billiard simulations, but I think these games were some of the first ones who introduced these concepts. It really gives a feeling of actually playing the game.

I liked the games very much and played enough of them to be able to beat the mid-tier computer opponents pretty consistently (although the top ones have stayed beyond my reach). Then suddenly, many years later, I found complete, fully intact boxed copies of both, and couldn't pass the opportunity.

The boxes are every bit as similar as the games are. You get the game disc, a very detailed manual explaining everything - installation instructions, UI, rules of play, how the physics works, and even includes tips to improve your game. More tips (as well as game history, trick shots and other niceties) are available in the instructional videos which compose the main bulk of each CD (hundreds of megabytes). Also included are registration cards and a "money-back guarantee" - Interplay promised to actually refund any player whose real-life pool/snooker game did not improve after buying and playing these games - a tradition that passed to the sequels as well, though I don't know how many actually took advantage of it.

Aui wrote on 2023-12-18, 22:50:

Yes, I forgot to mention that you also can play on a regular 2D board which is much better if you are really want to play chess. I play against this engine until today, because the difficulty is not too high and it feels like you really can "beat" the computer (as opposed to modern engines, which either defeat you without a chance or you need to "tell" them to let you have a chance)

I'm a total loser at chess. The only computer chess I've played that descended deep enough into newbie levels for me to enjoy was Battle Chess on the Apple IIGS. At a low difficulty setting, it actually made simple mistakes which made it beatable for me. That was at a friend's house though - I didn't have that computer.
I later got the DOS version, but unfortunately it doesn't get as easy as the Apple version does. I wonder if the lesser skill levels are affected by CPU speed.

Yes, the difficulty level is set by a time limit (within which the computer calculates variants - probably brute force). As a consequence a more powerful computer will make more of that time and thus play stronger.

(https://strategywiki.org/wiki/Battle_Chess/Gameplay)

dr_st wrote on 2024-02-09, 21:46:

Here's a show and tell I've contemplated for a while. […]
Show full quote

Here's a show and tell I've contemplated for a while.

Virtual Pool and Virtual Snooker

Not very well-known games from the mid-nineties, developed by Celeris and published by Interplay. It is almost the same game, as the physics, game engine and UI are essentially identical; the only difference is the rules of play. Indeed, later installments in the series would feature multiple pool ruleset, as well as snooker, in the same title, but here it is two separate games.

As a fan of billiards (although I rarely play myself and can't say I'm any good at it), I don't remember how I came by these games, but it must have been through some pirated game collection as both games I've had were cracked CD-rips, with all instructional videos removed. The games itself are shockingly simple - each game is just over 1MB, and half of it (if not more) is the configuration application and the video drivers! The graphics are simplistic, but the table and the balls (what matters) are rendered quite nicely, if you have a VESA video card. Up to 1024x768 is supported which looks sharp and beautiful. What drew me in is the accuracy of the physics simulation and the intuitive UI, where you get a 3D view of the table, are able to examine the balls from various angles and distances, cue action is simulated by moving the mouse back and forth - a very natural way if you think of it. Nowadays I imagine it is standard in most billiard simulations, but I think these games were some of the first ones who introduced these concepts. It really gives a feeling of actually playing the game.

I liked the games very much and played enough of them to be able to beat the mid-tier computer opponents pretty consistently (although the top ones have stayed beyond my reach). Then suddenly, many years later, I found complete, fully intact boxed copies of both, and couldn't pass the opportunity.

The boxes are every bit as similar as the games are. You get the game disc, a very detailed manual explaining everything - installation instructions, UI, rules of play, how the physics works, and even includes tips to improve your game. More tips (as well as game history, trick shots and other niceties) are available in the instructional videos which compose the main bulk of each CD (hundreds of megabytes). Also included are registration cards and a "money-back guarantee" - Interplay promised to actually refund any player whose real-life pool/snooker game did not improve after buying and playing these games - a tradition that passed to the sequels as well, though I don't know how many actually took advantage of it.

these seem to be not only complete but exceptionally good condition and from your description they appear to be pretty good games, a nice find!

gerry wrote on 2024-02-14, 11:41:

these seem to be not only complete but exceptionally good condition and from your description they appear to be pretty good games, a nice find!

Thank you! Yes, you are correct on both counts. I'm contemplating doing a mini-review of the two on my blog site. Or a thorough one, depending on how much time and motivation I get towards writing. 😜

Edit: Done - https://cloakedthargoid.wordpress.com/virtual-pool-snooker/

I also like (real) billards and snooker a lot. Have you ever played Jimmy White's Snooker. Suposedly there is a special edition with a real piece of chalk! This is just the kind of added suff that makes for a real special edition.
Never heared about the interplay games until now, but a 1MB game + another hundred MB video tutorial sound like an early original from the dawn of the multimedia age...