GOG.com posted:

Guys, it turns out that getting the rights for the expansions for the EA games is very, very, very complicated. While we are (of course) working on them, the rights clearance will not be resolved any time soon. In the mean time, though, two classic games that helped define the space shooter genre for $6 is nothing to sneeze at.

WiredStnkyPusyLuvr posted:

MIDI DOES NOT HAVE TO SOUND LIKE CHEESY poo poo. HERE IS A GUIDE TO MAKE YOUR MIDI NOT SOUND LIKE CHEESY poo poo.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Okb0JP3xpWA
(note that if you're using a Creative Labs card, you don't need to do any of this - you can load SoundFonts using Creative Labs' built-in Sound Bank Manager. See this post for details (thanks, Don Sultan, for reminding me of this and finding that tutorial).

As we all know, the standard Microsoft GS Wavetable SW Synth loving eats. DOSBox uses an emulated Sound Blaster for its MIDI, which is probably better than the Microsoft default, but standard Sound Blasters weren't exactly known for their MIDI capabilities even back in the day (relying on backwards-compatibility with AdLib cards), and even the Sound Blaster 16 wasn't really top-of-the-line back in the 90s, and none of these options are exactly top-of-the-line today.

This is a guide to set up a SoundFont-capable MIDI driver in your Windows installation, thus giving all your MIDI - be it DOSBox games or Angelfire webpages from the 90s - a substantial boost in music quality.

1. Click this link. Yes, I know it's an offsite forum. Yes, I know it's a Doom forum. Doesn't matter. This guide is basically perfect and my rewriting it would be superficial and redundant. Click that link and follow the tutorial - it includes links to everything you need.
   
2. People on 64-bit Vista/7 systems:

   Al Baron posted:

   You need to put the PLWMidiMap.cpl in the SysWOW64 folder, not system32.
   
   You also need to switch to Classic view in the Control Panel by changing 'View by' to icons, not categories.

3. An optional, but highly recommended step is to open up the TiMidity++ .cfg file (it's in C:\WINDOWS\timidity.cfg by default, or you can open TiMidity++ Setup and click the button in the lower-left corner that says "edit timidity.cfg") and add "#extension opt -EFreverb=0" (without the quotes) on a new line at the bottom. This will get rid of all the artificial reverb, which can kinda obscure the instrumentation. Feel free to leave it if you really like that 1980s reverb-drenched sound! See below for a comparison video.
   
4. Most GOG.com games, by default, are configured to use "Sound Blaster" (or Pro or 16) as their Music Device. This means that they'll be using DOSBox's emulated Sound Blaster, and not your brand-spankin' new sleek-rear end TiMidity++ setup. This may be the way you remember the games sounding (and in fact likely is), but it sorta defeats the purpose of installing TiMidity++. So, to rectify this, you'll need to go into the game's SETUP.EXE (or SOUNDSET or INSTALL, it varies from game to game), and change the "Music" (NOT the "Sound Effects", remember, in the days of DOS these were different things) to "General MIDI". A few examples of where to find this:
   
   • Duke Nukem 3D: Start > Programs > GOG.com > Duke Nukem 3D > Setup, then Sound Setup > Choose Music Card > General MIDI.
     
   • Tyrian 2000: Start > Programs > GOG.com > Tyrian 2000 > Setup, then choose "Midi 330h".
     
   • Rise of the Triad: Start > Programs > GOG.com > Rise of the Triad > Setup, then choose "Configure Sounds" and "Setup Music", and choose "General MIDI".
     
   • Simcity 2000: You need to go to the directory where you installed the game (C:\Program Files\GOG.com\Simcity 2000 Special Edition by default) and run INSTALL.EXE (at least in XP Pro, you do not need to be in DOSBox to run this). Ignore the warning about RAM, then choose "Change Music" and choose "MPU-401 General MIDI". You can also edit the SC2000.CFG file manually - under [Music], delete everything, and replace with
     

     code:

     MUSICNAME=MPU-401 General MIDI
     MUSICDRIVER=A32MT32.DLL
     MUSICADDRESS=*
     MUSICIRQ=*
     MUSICDMA=*
     MUSICDRQ=*

5. You're ready to rock!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F-8P2PmTxxM
That's a video I made to highlight a few different SoundFonts, starting with the lovely Microsoft SW Synth and moving through in no particular order - WeedsGM3 (my favorite of the lot) is at the 7:25 mark. And here's a 168MB .RAR file with all those SoundFonts included. You can find these elsewhere on the web, but download speeds can be ridiculously slow (17KB/sec on one particular site) and you sometimes have to muck about with special SFARK/SFPAK decompressors - this eliminates the need for that.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3tA5Jq_z_Zk
And there's a brief video comparing the default TiMidity++ reverb with the #extension opt -EFreverb=0 dry sound.

That's all, folks! Remember:

thedouche posted:

Damnit, I really need to get around to playing through Fallout 1 and 2.

Outrespective posted:

Are the games patchable/Fan-patchable/moddable?

Or are you locked into a patched version and unable to install any fan-mods etc?

Indoor Plumbing posted:

Okay just bought Redneck Rampage. Thanks for letting me relive my past for $6

rockinricky posted:

Another good thing about GOG is that they're not limited to selling in the US.

SnatchRabbit posted:

Has there been any word of the GoG crew supporting Anachronox? I never played it, but it keeps popping up in old PC gaming threads as a pretty cool sci-fi title. Would definitely drop $10 on that.

SixOhSix posted:

Do note that you can't base not being in the Coming Soon as it never happening though. If I recall, 3DRealms said not even a year ago that they had no interest in digital distribution on PC, and now as of this month they have unveiled a progressive release of the Apogee catalog. Plus, GoG LOVES surprises, and on occasion out of the blue they just sort of go "hey, you know that game y'all really liked? WELL HERE IT IS!"

Vidmaster posted:

I heard it's actually just because compression has come a long way between when the game was released and the re-release. By way of comparison, BG2 is a lot bigger than BG1, but is on 4 disks instead of 5. I think if you look at the contents of the disks you'll see folders for CD 1, 2, 3, and 4 on there.

Velociraper posted:

I can't decide between Fallout, Giants, and Capitalism 2, can someone make the decision for me?

Yodzilla posted:

The two games I really want to see on there is Raptor: Call of the Shadows and Rocket Jockey. Come on now both are well deserving. Also I'd like to see an Alone in the Dark anthology thrown up for good measure.

Casao posted:

I make plenty of sense. I was referring to the DRM situation in general, I guess it just wasn't clear.

The GoG Team posted:

Next Tuesday will bring Blake Stone: Aliens of Gold and a new publisher!

Blodskur posted:

It seems you have to pay $20 to join that site. I'd rather spend that on GOG directly.

The Skeep posted:

EDIT:wow, I did not realize how dated this game is. oh well, $6 ($9 after currency conversion) isn't too bad.

The GoG Team posted:

Next Tuesday will bring Blake Stone: Aliens of Gold and a new publisher!

El Nath posted:

I bought Redneck Rampage but it runs like complete rear end on my Win XP netbook. The framerate is so bad it's unplayable. I've tried messing around with all the graphic options (direct3d, directdraw, opengl) but nothing helped. I can't open the original setup file for some reason. I want to get duke3d as well but since it's also a build game I'm holding off. Has anyone else had this problem as well and know how to fix it?

Mr Pepper posted:

What happened to the new publisher announcement? Or is that on thursday?

A Fancy 400 lbs posted:

EDIT: Twitter says THREE new publishers, hell yeah.

GOG's Latest Twitter Teaser posted:

Three (3) new publishers coming to http://gog.com in the next few weeks. Yes, I am a tease. -T

guppy posted:

Took a little looking to find, here's the Twitter feed if people are interested:

http://twitter.com/GOGcom

Charlie Mopps posted:

Meh, chess and pinball games. Was hoping for something a bit more spectacular.

Mein Eyes! posted:

Blake Stone!

Nanpa posted:

Also, I'd like to ask how good Painkiller, Arx Fatalis, and Gothic 2 are.

Sheep posted:

Does Castles 1 + 2 include the expansion for Castles 1? If so, I might have to spring for this.

Edit:


So much for that The new events and stuff were what made Castles 1 amazing.

Anonononomous posted:

Also, you can get Painkiller for $9 by entering the code PCG1 at checkout.

Vidmaster posted:

Bullfrog and Origin/Looking Glass also need this treatment, I'd love to play Magic Carpet and System Shock again.

GoG's Twitter Feed posted:

Maybe some day we'll do an action-game promo for next week's new publisher! Lots of great stuff in there.

kode54 posted:

I suppose I could make an installer that requires all of the original files to be present.

Twitter Feed posted:

@Maevvy We have a pretty swell release coming up tomorrow and it's not even from a new publisher

GreenNight posted:

Plavski posted:

http://www.eurogamer.net/articles/good-old-games-interview

GoG.com posted:

If the free game for the 100th release on GOG.com wasn't enough of surprise for you, we're giving you a sneak peek at our new feature - Virtual Game Shelf 2.0

From time to time, Destro is tossing some info about the upcoming "Update 2", but it seems we'll see a cool, new feature before the big update will launch. GOG.com's Design&Development Team is proud to give you the first look at brand new Virtual Game Shelf in version 2.0. Now your shelf will get covered in dust and litter with trash, the games you play the most will get your fingerprints on their boxes and if you won't look after your shelf, spiders will spin their webs. Luckily you'll have an anti-dust spray to keep everything fresh and clean and you'll be able to add a personal touch by placing your favourite action figure or a teddy bear from your girlfriend.

Fallom posted:

There can't be any reason the GOG guys would have a problem with Alpha Centauri + Alien Crossfire would they? Are the rights still owned by Firaxis, some of the coolest dudes in the business?

Halibut Barn posted:

There's a new Alpha Centauri Complete pack, so somebody else might have the distribution rights for now. Then again, this looks like a UK-only thing, so maybe GoG can still grab the worldwide rights or something.

The GOG Team posted:

The small package with GOG.com stickers will be sent to your address soon. Don't forget to send us some photos where did you manage to paste the stickers and please don't hurt yourself or anyone else