04-11-2012, 03:39 PM
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    Join Date: May 2009
Location: Weiherhof, Germany
Posts: 533
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Free alternatives to classic games
Just as the title suggests, this is an attempt to list free games that very closely follow a well-known product or franchise and can thus serve as an alternative to that particular game. These are mostly non-commercial projects, but some shareware games are also included.
What I have not included on the list are multiplayer-only games, browser-based games, and all kinds of free-to-play and "freemium" online products. I have also tried not to include projects that make use of original assets like graphics and sounds (unless authorized by original copyright holders, as is the case of T2002), so games like Mortal Kombat Project, Gods Deluxe or Return of the Triad are not on the list. Another thing out of the scope of this list are engine recreations that require original game assets to work. Any further suggestions as to what games qualify as free alternatives are more than welcome  Update from 2022/02/10: A complete overhaul of the lists, using new groupings, which are hopefully more informative. 1. Original engine + free/libre game data These are games based on the original code of their inspirations. Often, a free/libre game data set (levels, graphics, music) is created as a replacement for the original proprietary game data, while the playing mechanics remain the same, but sometimes, other aspects of gameplay undergo considerable alterations, which is reflected by the [mod] suffix in the list below. In some cases, the source code/engine is still not public, but has been provided by owners to the community so that new free games or mods may be created. Yet another case when the code is not available are various game construction sets that allow users to freely distribute games created with them. These are marked with the [toolkit] suffix. AbuseAlien ShooterThe Bard's Tale
2. Engine recreation + free/libre game data Very similar to the above, but the original game source is not available in any form, so an attempt is made to recreate it from scratch and/or by means of reverse engineering. Usually such projects start by requiring the original game's data, and then a free/libre replacement data set is created by the community. In some rare cases, the author of a recreation received permission from the copyright holders of the emulated game to use original proprietary game data, characters, title etc. These projects are marked with the [authr] suffix in the list. Atomix
3. Clones and remakes that faithfully recreate original mechanics This is likely the most common type, with many projects being not only accurate reproductions of the original game mechanics, but often also trying to follow the original "look & feel" of their inspirations. At least some of these projects are motivated by the desire to create a FOSS alternative to a proprietary game for Linux users, or to fill in what is perceived as an empty niche for modern platforms. Note that some of these games actually make rather drastic changes compared to the original titles they emulate, such as the transition to 3D graphics from 2D, or a cosmetic/thematic overhaul by using free software mascots as game characters for example. A-TrainAge of EmpiresAlien BreedAnno seriesArkanoidBattle Isle IIBlockOut
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FED2k Forums - Westwood Studios' Dune games and more Last edited by MrFlibble; 10-02-2022 at 01:09 PM. Reason: major update/overhaul of the lists |
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