DOS
OK, so sticking this under 16-bit is a bit of a crude fit, but a great many of the PC’s pre-3D classics date from a heyday around the same time as the SNES and Sega Genesis. A variety of ways exist to get such old games running: many play nice with Windows, SCUMMVM will run the old LucasArts adventures, while DOSBOX (see below) is the fix for the stubborn leftovers. It’s trickier to use than the other emus in this feature, but hey, we’ve got confidence in you.
Getit working
1) Install DOSBOX, then copy the game you want to play to a short-named folder on the root of your drive, eg, C:\xcom.
2) Run DOSBOX and you’ll be met with the horror of a command prompt. Don’t worry - all you need to do is type “mount c c:\xcom.”
3) The game folder works as a drive: in this example, type c:, press Enter, then type “dir” to see what’s there. Look for a .bat, .com or .exe to run the game.
4) For speed problems, press Ctrl+F12 as many times as needed to increase emulated CPU speed. If that doesn’t help, try turning up frame-skipping: Ctrl+F8 will do that.
DOS
OK, so sticking this under 16-bit is a bit of a crude fit, but a great many of the PC’s pre-3D classics date from a heyday around the same time as the SNES and Sega Genesis. A variety of ways exist to get such old games running: many play nice with Windows, SCUMMVM will run the old LucasArts adventures, while DOSBOX (see below) is the fix for the stubborn leftovers. It’s trickier to use than the other emus in this feature, but hey, we’ve got confidence in you.
Getit working
1) Install DOSBOX, then copy the game you want to play to a short-named folder on the root of your drive, eg, C:\xcom.
2) Run DOSBOX and you’ll be met with the horror of a command prompt. Don’t worry - all you need to do is type “mount c c:\xcom.”
3) The game folder works as a drive: in this example, type c:, press Enter, then type “dir” to see what’s there. Look for a .bat, .com or .exe to run the game.
4) For speed problems, press Ctrl+F12 as many times as needed to increase emulated CPU speed. If that doesn’t help, try turning up frame-skipping: Ctrl+F8 will do that.
Above: Because nothing emulates ancient computer games like a PC
Essential games
Syndicate
Control a team of cyberpunk agents working for a corporatation-cum-terrorist outfit, managing a city and murdering people horribly.
X-COM
Melding isometric, turn-based team-combat with a smattering of RPG and strategy, the first X-COM is incredibly smart.
System Shock
SHODAN and that hybrid FPS-RPG approach was born here. You’ll need a decent CPU.
