Forums > Game Talk > Will you help me identify these games?
MrMamen (11747) on 9/7/2012 7:56 PM · edited · Permalink · Report
Can you help me identify these games?
Game #1 Platform: DOS Possible filename: hmm.com (or hmm.exe) First played: Early 90s, but given the CGA graphics it was probably older.
I think it was CGA graphics, a kind of platformer with only three levels. There were no scrolling, the whole level was in view at the same time. The first had an elevator on the right side, and a trampoline on the left side which I seem to recall brought you one level up at a time, or down to first if you were at the top. I don't remember the goal, but I assume it was to collect some objects and/or reach an exit point.
I only remember the other levels vaguely, but one had a rotating elevator/platform kind of formed like a vertical conveyor belt with platforms on the edges.
I seem to recall that the game had something to do with building/construction.
Game #2 Platform: DOS Possible filename: fly.com (or fly.exe) First played: Early 90s, but given the CGA graphics it was probably older.
Also a CGA game. You controlled a plane. The objective was to destroy all buildings nearby. You could control the plane with only four commands: - Tilt plane upwards (relative to the plane) - Turn the plane upside down - Fire machine gun - Drop bomb
Given the controls, you had to turn the plane upside down if you wanted to go downwards. Most of the world was blue (cyan), and the edges of the level was uphill to the top of the screen. (At least) two difficulty levels. One with only the buildings, the other with enemy aircrafts (colored magenta). If the player completed the game, the plane flew into the sunset. The (text-based) menu also had a two-player version, but I was never able to get it to work. I believe it may have been unimplemented. But I had no network card at the time, only a serial link.
Game #3 Platform: DOS Possible filename: flight.com (or flight.exe) First played: Early 90s.
I have almost forgotten everything about this game, so this will be hard. As noted above I believe it had something to do with flying, possible that the player controlled an aircraft, but even that I am not sure of. I do however remember that is was a overview "map" with several challenges. One of these challenges was with motorcycles, where I believe the objective was to either destroy the bikes, or the driver. It may also be that the bikes had to be saved. I am not even entirely sure if the player controlled an aircraft. I don't remember much color here either, so I would bet it was CGA. If it was VGA it was at least very simple sprites.
Game #4 Platform: Windows (most probably, might have been DOS) First played: Last half of the 90s
I only played the demo, but I believe it was set in a child environment, probably a child's room. The game was basically a real-time version of Dots also known as Squares and Boxes. The player controlled some kind of marker on a grid based floor. When all four borders were colored in the same color, the square flipped over, (was captured.) I assume the objective was to end up with more squares then your opponents. The second demo level was based on a (toy?) space station formed as a torus. Otherwise identical gameplay. It think the perspective was third person with 3d view.
Thanks for any help.
lilalurl (733) on 9/7/2012 8:53 PM · Permalink · Report
Game #1 is probably Hard Hat Mack: http://www.mobygames.com/game/hard-hat-mack
vileyn0id_8088 (21040) on 9/8/2012 3:23 PM · edited · Permalink · Report
[Q --start MrMamen wrote--]Correct! So it was hhm not hmm. Thanks a lot! I am impressed! [/Q --end MrMamen wrote--]
Hard Hat Mack was fun... I recently hacked together a patch that adds 16-color graphics (composite CGA), which makes the color scheme somewhat less boring. Just something I did to try and teach myself some basic low-level hacking, but maybe some would appreciate the result:
Game Guesser (28) on 9/8/2012 1:07 AM · edited · Permalink · Report
[Q --start MrMamen wrote--]Game #4 Platform: Windows (most probably, might have been DOS) First played: Last half of the 90s
I only played the demo, but I believe it was set in a child environment, probably a child's room. The game was basically a real-time version of Dots also known as Squares and Boxes. The player controlled some kind of marker on a grid based floor. When all four borders were colored in the same color, the square flipped over, (was captured.) I assume the objective was to end up with more squares then your opponents. The second demo level was based on a (toy?) space station formed as a torus. Otherwise identical gameplay. It think the perspective was third person with 3d view.[/Q --end MrMamen wrote--] Interesting. This sounds kind of like the pseudo-adult arcade game "Dancing Eyes"...but of course that was never ported to anything.
Wikipedia gives a variety of names for the pastime
"Dots and Boxes (also known as Boxes, Squares, Paddocks, Square-it, Dots and Dashes, Dots, Smart Dots, Dot Boxing, or, simply, the Dot Game)"
Hmm....it's kind of surprising there isn't a category for games that feature this yet, there appears to be somewhere in the range of a dozen or so where it's either the focus or as a prominent minigame...
Oh, whoa! Looks like someone was already looking for the same game here at the forums!
Live Wire/Livewire!
Topic previously mentioning it with link to site hosting demo
Mobygames entry
Defunct game page hosted at archive.org
Youtube playlist of someone playing the Playstation version
*PSX Database entry
That look right to you, MrMamen?
Daniel Saner (3503) on 9/9/2012 5:37 PM · Permalink · Report
[Q --start MrMamen wrote--]The demo is gone though, so I have to find it somewhere else. [/Q --end MrMamen wrote--]
Here you go:
Fileplanet
AG.ru -- click the big yellow button ;)
Think that should be the one!
MrMamen (11747) on 9/9/2012 10:29 PM · Permalink · Report
[Q --start Daniel Saner wrote--] [Q2 --start MrMamen wrote--]The demo is gone though, so I have to find it somewhere else. [/Q2 --end MrMamen wrote--]
Here you go:
Fileplanet
AG.ru -- click the big yellow button ;)
Think that should be the one!
[/Q --end Daniel Saner wrote--]
Thanks
Actually still a concept that works. :-)