grok wrote:

Though I am by no means a computer wiz this is odd because I downloaded the file from Myabandonedware and two other games from there work fine for me (Steel Panthers and Dark Sun: Shattered Sun).

Support for illegally downloaded programs is not provided here. The copy they have for download might well be missing important parts of the program, such that attempting to diagnose the problem would be futile.

You should either inquire with the people running the site in question, or buy a complete copy (which is much more likely to work properly, one way or another) off eBay.

There are copies for this game for $20 or less on ebay. I would jump on that if I were you.

thanks for the help. I'll be honest I was under the impression that many old DOS game's copyright had expired and thus fell under shareware, making it legal to download them. Is that not the case?

no

grok wrote:

thanks for the help. I'll be honest I was under the impression that many old DOS game's copyright had expired and thus fell under shareware, making it legal to download them. Is that not the case?

That is not how copyright works. Here in the US, as a general rule, for works created after January 1, 1978, copyright protection lasts for the life of the author plus an additional 70 years. For an anonymous work, a pseudonymous work, or a work made for hire, the copyright endures for a term of 95 years from the year of its first publication or a term of 120 years from the year of its creation, whichever expires first.

As a general rule: in the event "the company no longer exists", corporate assets are often sold at bankruptcy, or during company acquisitions (if the company was acquired by another company). It's actually very uncommon that copyrighted works are no longer owned by someone. Even when the company folds without bankruptcy protection or acquisition, the intellectual property might be owned by the authors who worked on the title, or the former company president, depending on the rules of the company. And as above, they would have copyright for life and longer.

Occasionally, after many many years, game companies have made old games free for personal, non-commercial use. There are websites that track lists of these. In the PC world, this is only a few hundred titles if that.

(As for my credentials, I've been a research assistant and project support consultant on the MAME project since 1999-2000, so I know a thing or two about abandoned software.)

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