I am thinking about the Champ (arcade game clones) games, for instance. Not sure why these games did not have a DOS installer, especially since you're asking for problems by inviting people to start via Windows 95. My Win98SE system did not play the sounds correctly until I started from DOS. Perhaps the rationale was to carve out some real estate on the Windows 95 desktop?
How else are they going to give you that AOL/AT&T Worldnet offer?? 😀
DISCLAIMER: Didn't check out Champ at all, i'm assuming late budget rereleases. Chex Quest for example was technically an AOL CD with a Doom TC tacked on it and then there's those Softkey Smartsaver releases and EA Classics. Remember that even some DOS game demos came nonsensically exclusive within Win32 installers (Rayman Designer, Terrafire, Axia, Man of War, etc) often with the intent for internet shortcut convenience.
Laziness. Easier to use Windows installer for packaging.
I doubt new releases came with a Windowsonly installer. But collections and similar often did, probably lazyness or not having a true Dos programmer on hand anymore...
I remember that Return to Zork (DOS) had a windows installer.
Funny thing is that it worked fine in DOS, but I just couldn't get sound when started from Windows. Same PC, same Config.sys/Autoexec.bat. Never found out why.
The more sound cards, the better.
AdLib documentary : Official Thread
Youtube Channel : The Sound Card Database
Return for Zork as well as others like original C&C the Windows installer also added a program group/Start menu items for you.
If you ran the dos installer even if from within windows you had to create the shortcut yourself.
Maybe this remark helps explaining it...
The delays were very unfortunate, as they pushed us past the release of Microsoft Windows 95 and many companies were no longer interested in MS-DOS based games by the time Princess Maker 2 was ready (Debbie Minardi of SSI actually said "MS-DOS?! Ewwwww!" I'm not kidding!)
http://www.softegg.com/products/pm2/index.html
I'm pretty sure the guy knows what he's talking about and he provides great insight about this matter.
Bottom line, as Windows started to spread into PC's, publishers/developers wanted to get into the Windows bandwagon so they created such cludges to market their products as Windows compatible, even though at the core some being pure DOS products.
Just my 2 cents, FWIW...
Princess Maker 2? I've never played it myself, but it has plenty of fans who are not pervy at all. It supposedly has genuine depth, once you get past the idea of bust pills.
Well, in case it went unnoticed, my point was not about the actual game itself, but the inherent story behind its making... There are most likely much better examples out there, but this one was at hand at the moment and IMHO perfectly illustrates the gaming industry's stance towards DOS games in the early Windows era, which is what the topic is all about.
About the game itself, let's just say it's not on my top rated list... 😐
Don't quote me on this, but I remember like a decade ago or so, ID's ftp had copies of the original registered DOS Doom games available as protected/encrypted Windows-only installers.
