Freeware

[evilded]

I think that some freeware games are comparable to commercial ones. But thats just me... :whistle:

[Eagle of Fire]

I voted "depend" due to the fact that Freewares and Sharewares are not the same thing at all!

Freewares are games that are legal to distribute freely. On the other hand Sharewares are only a glorified "demo" game and is not worth at all our attention. I prefer to go for whole completed games instead.

[Iron_Scarecrow]

I agree. No Sharewares. But Freewares if they worth it.

[Puffin]

Yeah, many freeware games are good, and deserve to be here, in my opinion..
But i'm not into the idea of sharewares....

[evilded]

ive seen pretty fancy freeware games... but its up to kosta pretty much

[Omuletzu]

I think we should keep it simple:
No warez, no oldwarez, no demos, no shareware, no freeware, and no demonware(whatever that means!) just old gems :ok: :angel:

[Iron_Scarecrow]

Well there are already at least two Freewares game on the site. 5 Days a Stranger and 7 Days a Skeptic.

[Omuletzu]

We make mistakes, we're only human after all... :crazy:

[Iron_Scarecrow]

Are you kidding they deserve their place on here more than the majority of the games already on here.

[Omuletzu]

Hey it's just my opinion
Freeware(made in our time) just hasn't that old feeling to it

[Iron_Scarecrow]

I think you're wrong there. 5 Days and 7 Days have the graphics and the gameplay of the old style adventure games, even though they were made 3 years ago or something, they feel like they were made 13 years ago during the time of Monkey Island.

[Omuletzu]

I'm talking about gameplay, not graphics.

[Iron_Scarecrow]

I was also talking about gameplay, while also including graphics.

[Omuletzu]

I meant that graphics might look old(but they don't imo, just compare them to LoK), but gameplay hasn't that old feeling.I can't describe it.Just play LoK, or any sierra classic, and then play 5 days a stranger or that other title, and you'll notice the difference!

Just my imo :ok: :bye:

[Iron_Scarecrow]

If you are referring to Legend of Kyrandia when you say LoK, then yes I have played it and the second, and I have played 5 Days and 7 Days and personally I felt or saw no differences.

But that is my opinion. :ok:

[Omuletzu]

Subject closed then :ok:

[Iron_Scarecrow]

:ok: Glad we sorted that out. :ok:

[mouse31e]

Freeware: Yes as long as we stick to the best games. There is a lot of bad freeware out there that just doesn't need to be on the site. There are enough sites already that offer a huge range of freeware games of all standards!

Shareware: :sniper: :sniper: :sniper: :sniper: :sniper:
It's evil and unnecessary.

[auhsor]

Originally posted by mouse31e@Nov 19 2004, 09:47 PM
Freeware: Yes as long as we stick to the best games. There is a lot of bad freeware out there that just doesn't need to be on the site. There are enough sites already that offer a huge range of freeware games of all standards!

Shareware: :sniper: :sniper: :sniper: :sniper: :sniper:
It's evil and unnecessary.
Agrred with this entirely. Some freeware = good. Most shareware = bad.

[FreeFreddy]

Well, would you rather prefer to buy games / programs without knowing good enough if they're worth it? ;)
I don't have anything against shareware on my own, but I'm still against it be put on this site. About Freeware games, I agree, only the best of them if at all.

[Iron_Scarecrow]

And correct me if I'm wrong but aren't the VGA remakes of King's Quest and Leisure Suit Larry Freewares?

[Tom Henrik]

Freewares are welcome on the site. We have indeed placed up a LARGE number of freewares on this site, and NONE of them was placed up by a mistake.

The good freewares deserves to be on the site. That means 5 Days a Stranger, 7 Days a Sceptic, Head over Heels, King's Quest 1 and 2 VGA remakes, and the list goes on and on....

(I am still waiting for the review of Enclosure, by the way... :whistle: )

[Iron_Scarecrow]

Originally posted by Tom Henrik@Nov 19 2004, 02:14 PM
(I am still waiting for the review of Enclosure, by the way... :whistle: )
I will take it if you don't mind. Unless someone else has taken it.

[Yamcha]

Well Dink was good game and it was freeware.But not all games are like that

[wormpaul]

I like to see GOOD freeware on the site :ok:

[Sebatianos]

But who decides what's good and what not?
If anyone plays a freeware game and really likes it, then the game might be recomended and the people would decide. Let's just go on case to case basis here.

[evilded]

But who decides what's good and what not?


Everyone knows a good game when they see one. Dink smallwood for instance, is a GREAT freeware.

Theres a few top down shooters that i like as well... but they are all about the same :bleh:

[Eagle of Fire]

Well, I personnaly would not give Dick Smallwood more than 3 because it's amateurly (is that a word?) made. But anything higher than 2 deserve to be on the site! :ok:

[Iron_Scarecrow]

Originally posted by Eagle of Fire@Nov 22 2004, 06:26 AM
Well, I personnaly would not give Dick Smallwood more than 3 because it's amateurly (is that a word?) made. But anything higher than 2 deserve to be on the site! :ok:
Are you saying any Freeware above 2 or any old dos game above 2.

[evilded]

a 2 can be pretty bad, LOL...

[Eagle of Fire]

Iron Scarecrow: I was refering to all games. I think that Abadonia is still far from having all games above than 2 on it's list. When this is done then I guess we'll be able to concentrate on the worse ones... ;)

[Iron_Scarecrow]

Yes but still there are many, many games above 2. I think we should be aiming for all games 3 or above for the moment. There are still many games that we don't have that deserve 3 or higher.

[wormpaul]

Indeed...

But we cant all doing them on 1 time...

So have patience...1 day we will get there...

[mouse31e]

I think freeware has to be rated on a slightly different scale because in most cases the best freeware games are not going to compare with the best commercial games.

[Iron_Scarecrow]

Then we'll have two completely different sections. One for old dos games and one for freeware, both with their own different rating systems. LOL LOL LOL

[mouse31e]

Maybe not then. But I think when we rate freeware games we should look more at how good they are to play than how preofessionally made they are. That way you wouldn't end up with all the freeware games getting 2s and 3s.

[FreeFreddy]

It's ok actually, if freeware games are just rated 1 note below the note of other games. So 4 max for freeware as editor's note and the rest of people as they see it fit.

[Iron_Scarecrow]

I think Mouse is right, rate them on how much fun they are. And they could be anywhere from 1 to 5. But then also note that they are Freeware and explain it is not rated on quility.

[Tom Henrik]

I always rate on the quality - fun ratio of any game.

I am currently working on another freeware game that I will place on the site (if the creator allows it), and it will get a full 5 point of of 5!

Some of you might complain that the game is not good enough to get a five point score, but I will give it that score nevertheless. Because only one man has created a whole new world, complete with history, map, monsters, dialogue and characters. AND he is placing up newer versions as well, with bugs repaired, new quests, new characters, more music scores... and so on, and so on.

The graphic may not be as good as could have been, but he has done a remarkable job with the game, and it is immensly fun and addicive to play.


So just you wait :evil:

[Iron_Scarecrow]

Sounds like it's going to be big. How big?

[Tom Henrik]

A couple of megs.

[Iron_Scarecrow]

Good. From the way you described it with the whole new world and map and history and monster and so on, it sounded like 15 megs or something.

[Wael]

Would it happen to be a roguelike?

If not,
I´ll be waiting impatiently...

[Tom Henrik]

Let me just say that if you like Adventures, RPG's or Action... you are going to LOVE this one! :sneaky:

[Iron_Scarecrow]

Well you've built the suspense up for this game. Hope it lives up to it.

[Wael]

That certainly sounds something worth of waiting for...

Oh,
and please say that it isn´t first person 3d...

[Tom Henrik]

It isn't. Well, not most of the time.

It is top-down, whenever you are moving, and it goes into a sort of first-person view mode when you are fighting monsters and such.

[Wael]

The fighting mode is something like the battles of "Dungeon Master"?

or better example,
the game system is something like the Wasteland?

Sounds good...

[evilded]

What is it going to be called?

[Iron_Scarecrow]

Well that would ruin the surprise now wouldn't it.

[Tom Henrik]

The game is currently in version 2.0 (which was released in 2002), so it has a name. I am just not going to tell you all.

[Iron_Scarecrow]

Now I can't wait. Dying to play it now.

[punch999]

ooh goody goody i cant wait.

[TheVoid]

Yeah I must say that it really looks great. :ok:

[Eagle of Fire]

At first I was sure Tom was talking about Dink Smallwood, but you don't get into a 3rd person shooter when fighting in that game...

[Unknown Hero]

Try this (http://www.downseek.com/download/get/?id=10269&url=http://downloads.downseek.com/10269/snowcraft.exe) game! You will surely like it (and it's freeware)!
I still didn't vote, but as this is an old games' site, I will agree that no Freeware or Shareware or something third will be good!

[Iron_Scarecrow]

If that is the Snowcraft I am thinking of then I already played it. It is so easy, I played over and over and over again, I must have gone through every level like 10 times. Looking back now I don't see how I could have had the patience to do that.


BTW Has this game of Tom's come up yet?

[wormpaul]

That Snowball game is funny...

But way too easy to come on the site as a real game :not_ok:

[Tom Henrik]

Originally posted by Iron_Scarecrow@Nov 28 2004, 01:35 PM
BTW Has this game of Tom's come up yet?
Nope.

I began the review yesterday.

[Iron_Scarecrow]

Great. :ok:

Can't wait.


Originally posted by wormpaul@Posted on Nov 28 2004, 01:44 PM
That Snowball game is funny...

But way too easy to come on the site as a real game

I reckon if it was remade with levels that were absolutely physically impossible and other weapons like snowball grenades, and other types of units. It would be realy nice. :ok:

[Rinforzando]

Why is there such opposition against shareware? :blink:

I don't think that it should be hosted on this site, but shareware wasn't a bad idea. Back in the golden era of shareware, there were many high quality games available. The shareware episodes of Duke Nukem, Blood, or Doom were great games in themselves. You could have a great gaming experience without having to pay a penny. :ok:

[Flop]

Originally posted by Rinforzando@Jun 15 2005, 03:13 PM
Why is there such opposition against shareware? :blink:

I don't think that it should be hosted on this site, but shareware wasn't a bad idea. Back in the golden era of shareware, there were many high quality games available. The shareware episodes of Duke Nukem, Blood, or Doom were great games in themselves. You could have a great gaming experience without having to pay a penny. :ok:
In a way you can with newer games too. Many companies release demos of their games, which imo is very similar to the concept of shareware.

[Tom Henrik]

We might start hosting Sharewares in the future. As some of these have become abandoned, and are complete games in themselves. It is not high on our priority list, though.

[Sebatianos]

Originally posted by Flop@Jun 15 2005, 03:28 PM
In a way you can with newer games too. Many companies release demos of their games, which imo is very similar to the concept of shareware.
Not demos!
That's so unworthy of us (anybody really). Demo is just to tease you, to erouse you and then leaves you cold and alone :cry:

No demos!

[marko river]

I thought that AR was the place for freeware. Or AR is just for remakes?

[BeefontheBone]

Nope, we do freeware and remakes - it's "Dedicated to high-quality freeware and community remakes" we are. Not so much about the shareware though.

[Flop]

Actually, I guess you could say that term shareware relates to the distribution method of the game and not the copyright status. A shareware game that is released as freeware, can't really be said to be shareware anymore. And a shareware game can be abandoned just as well as any other game.

[Titan]

Shareware is free to be destributed by ANYONE as long as the data isn't modified in any way.

Perhaps we should start looking for a shareware/demo-site next? ;)

(I know Rinforzando did a necro-post, but in this case, it was valid :ok: )

[Flop]

I know that shareware can be distributed by anyone, but surely the unlocked/full version of a shareware game can become abandonware (or freeware).

[BeefontheBone]

Freeware would generally be more restrictive than shareware surely? A full version which was shareware is fine for anyone to distribute without modifying the code (which is where it differs from open source and open software projects, mainly for non-proprietary OSs like Linux, where the code can be modified freely) whereas a full game released as freeware would usually be available free from the copyright holders but not to distribute (like GTA is now, and things like Wolfenstein: ET or Tribes are).

Shareware demos (like the first episodes of Doom, Raptor etc you used to get on shareware collections back in the day) are different in that they were released as shareware as a demo for a commercial product (which may since have become "abandoned," remembering that that's not a technical term but a vaguely defined idea, in which case the demo would be pretty redundant).

[DakaSha]

im for

shareware: NO!

freeware: YES! (if its good)

ADOM is on the site so i guess that freeware isnt a no-no

(ADOM is GREAT by the way :ok: waitin for JADE )

[BeefontheBone]

sorry, don't think you quite followed this there - this thread was resurrected yesterday and it's slightly out of date since AR (http://www.reloaded.org) is now dealing with freeware, so we're only talking about shareware here now.

[ReamusLQ]

Isn't the entire point of Abandonia Reloaded for freeware?

[lgonggr]

My $0.02:
I guess there are a very small number of good freeware games, but I've never played one longer as 5 minutes or so. Oh yeah, once, but that was the holy flash-game whack-the-pinguin-with-the-baseball-bat. God, I 'm a sick person.
Anyway, freeware is fine by me, but I really hate demos and thus I'm not a big fan of shareware either.

Cheers,
Lodewijk

[Titan]

Originally posted by lgonggr@Jun 17 2005, 12:19 AM
My $0.02:
I guess there are a very small number of good freeware games, but I've never played one longer as 5 minutes or so. Oh yeah, once, but that was the holy flash-game whack-the-pinguin-with-the-baseball-bat. God, I 'm a sick person.
Anyway, freeware is fine by me, but I really hate demos and thus I'm not a big fan of shareware either.

Cheers,
Lodewijk
Take a look at our other site www.reloaded.org and you'll find ONLY freeware :)

[marko river]

So i guess that Soalr Winds or Vinyl Goddess is out of question, or they became abanodned?

I would really like to do review on those games.

[Yobor]

Isnt Freeware what Reloaded is for?

[Tom Henrik]

Originally posted by Yobor@Jun 19 2005, 11:48 PM
Isnt Freeware what Reloaded is for?
Yes.

This discussion has evolved into Shareware. :ok:

[vipin]

You guys seem very serious about this topic. So, if a game is shareware like Biomenace(Apogee software game), then it can be included. I remember playing this game. This game had 3 Episodes with each 1st Episode being released as a shareware. It had nice 13 levels of play. The game was quite addictive and so I think, If a game is released like this, It can be included.
Moreover, I remember playing Vinyl Goddess from Mars, it also had many levels in the Shareware version!
In my opinion, if shareware games have that much stages, then there is no harm in including them on Abandonia.

[anyb]

i've voted tor "depends" 'cause shareware and freeware an NOT the same!!!!

c'mon at least i hope you understand the differences...

by the way, many, i realy mean MANY shareware games ar not that good as the full version!!!

p.s. do you mean that demos are included in shareware too??? this is what i think about demos :sick:

[Kearnsy]

I have no problem with it what so ever. I think that shareware has its place and even some demos can be worth while.

[Frodo]

I like the concept of Shareware, but most of it seems to be

'If you like this game, change your money into American dollars and send it to America'.



Being in the UK, I don't want to pay to change my money to dollars, then pay to send money to America every time I want to registar a shareware game. :hairpull:

[Lonely Vazdru]

I voted depends because i too think that shareware are a waste of time (if you don't like it you loose, if you like it you have to pay for it) but freeware are OK.
But i do understand that that sites devoted to freeware and sites devoted to abandonware maybe should stay separate. Anyway this site rocks as it is and abandonware alone is enough for a lifetime of enjoyment (given the fact that there actually are other sources of enjoyment like books, movies, friends and women). :bleh:

[punch999]

freeware shouldnt be included because....THATS WHAT ABANDONIA RELOADED IS!!!!!

and shareware.... :sick:

[Microprose Veteran]

It depends... Personally, I hate shareware if it's limited. I may like it if it's a first level or something like that.

[vipin]

Originally posted by Microprose Veteran@Jul 4 2005, 01:42 PM
It depends... Personally, I hate shareware if it's limited. I may like it if it's a first level or something like that.
I am sorry I could not understand you :blink: . You would hate shareware if its limited but you would like it if its first level? I think shareware are do offered as a demo of first few stages so they are almost limited. And what you would like if its only first stage of a ten stage game?

[A. J. Raffles]

I think what he means is that it makes a difference whether shareware can be played as if it were a 'real' game or whether it has 'SHAREWARE' written all over it and you keep getting messages along the lines of "sorry, this feature is only available in the full version". That sort of thing can be very annoying.

[vipin]

ya, that;s really very very annoying. I remember when I played Biomenace Episode 1. First 5 stages were fine, after it I started getting a 30 second message to buy the game before the start of every new stage which kept on increasing by 5 seconds as I progeressed in the game.

[tazzy_s]

freeware games in some instances are much better than the commercial games , graphics aren't the major issue , the playability and the total fun of the game would be what would want you to keep playing the game ,

[Frodo]

Yes, there are a lot of good freeware games, but that is what Abandonia Reloaded is for. :ok:

[tazzy_s]

yeah so we can stick to the oldies but goodies LOL

[Danny252]

Ports of call is shareware and Betrayal in Krondor is freeware. they're on the site.