The llamas are singing again. Then again, the llamas are *always*
singing. But they tend to sing louder during the Christmas holiday
season. Have you ever heard a llama sing? It's... unpleasant.

Today, their shrill carols speak of another game to give-away.
Specifically:

* Dear Esther Landmark Edition
https://store.steampowered.com/app/520720/Dear_Esther_Landmark_Edition/
By this point, I'm pretty sure everybody here has a copy of this game.
I don't think a ELBPZ year has gone by that I /haven't/ had a copy of
"Dear Esther" on offer. What IYBA9 can I say, it's just one of those
games that shows up in bundles... in /a lot/ of HQX06 bundles. So if
you already have this, I'm sorry. If you don't, take the game so I can
stop offering it. Think of it as a c.s.i.p.g.a shibboleth; if you have
this game in your library, we'll know you belong here ;-)

Oh God, the llamas are trying to sing "Bohemian Rhapsody". Serves me
right forgiving them that Queen CD. I'd better put a stop to it before
the neighbors complain. Until tomorrow.

Ho-ha-hee-ho-hee-ha-ho!

On Wed, 07 Dec 2022 21:16:19 -0500, Spalls Hurgenson
<spallshurgenson@gmail.com> wrote:

>* Dear Esther Landmark Edition
>https://store.steampowered.com/app/520720/Dear_Esther_Landmark_Edition/
>By this point, I'm pretty sure everybody here has a copy of this game.
>I don't think a ELBPZ year has gone by that I /haven't/ had a copy of
>"Dear Esther" on offer. What IYBA9 can I say, it's just one of those
>games that shows up in bundles... in /a lot/ of HQX06 bundles. So if
>you already have this, I'm sorry. If you don't, take the game so I can
>stop offering it. Think of it as a c.s.i.p.g.a shibboleth; if you have
>this game in your library, we'll know you belong here ;-)

Yeah, I have this one already.

"Dear Esther: Landmark Edition is already in your Steam library". I
don't remember how I got it too. Where was it from?

On 12/7/2022 6:16 PM, Spalls Hurgenson wrote:
>
> The llamas are singing again. Then again, the llamas are *always*
> singing. But they tend to sing louder during the Christmas holiday
> season. Have you ever heard a llama sing? It's... unpleasant.
>
> Today, their shrill carols speak of another game to give-away.
> Specifically:
>
>
> * Dear Esther Landmark Edition
> https://store.steampowered.com/app/520720/Dear_Esther_Landmark_Edition/
> By this point, I'm pretty sure everybody here has a copy of this game.
> I don't think a ELBPZ year has gone by that I /haven't/ had a copy of
> "Dear Esther" on offer. What IYBA9 can I say, it's just one of those
> games that shows up in bundles... in /a lot/ of HQX06 bundles. So if
> you already have this, I'm sorry. If you don't, take the game so I can
> stop offering it. Think of it as a c.s.i.p.g.a shibboleth; if you have
> this game in your library, we'll know you belong here ;-)
>
>
>
> Oh God, the llamas are trying to sing "Bohemian Rhapsody". Serves me
> right forgiving them that Queen CD. I'd better put a stop to it before
> the neighbors complain. Until tomorrow.
>
> Ho-ha-hee-ho-hee-ha-ho!
>
>

--
[Jesus said,] "I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in me
will live, even though he dies; and whoever lives and believes in me
will never die. Do you believe this?" --John 11:25. Boo 2 my dropped
iPhone's finger holder & window blind's string broke.
Note: A fixed width font (Courier, Monospace, etc.) is required to see
this signature correctly.
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/ /\ /\ \
| |o o| | Axe ANT from its address if shown & e-mailing privately.
\ _ / Please kindly use Ant nickname & URL/link if crediting.
( )

On 12/7/2022 8:05 PM, Ant wrote:
> "Dear Esther: Landmark Edition is already in your Steam library". I
> don't remember how I got it too. Where was it from?
>
Probably some llama snuck it into your account.

>
> On 12/7/2022 6:16 PM, Spalls Hurgenson wrote:
>>
>> The llamas are singing again. Then again, the llamas are *always*
>> singing. But they tend to sing louder during the Christmas holiday
>> season. Have you ever heard a llama sing? It's... unpleasant.
>>
>> Today, their shrill carols speak of another game to give-away.
>> Specifically:
>>
>>
>> * Dear Esther Landmark Edition
>> https://store.steampowered.com/app/520720/Dear_Esther_Landmark_Edition/
>> By this point, I'm pretty sure everybody here has a copy of this game.
>> I don't think a ELBPZ year has gone by that I /haven't/ had a copy of
>> "Dear Esther" on offer. What IYBA9 can I say, it's just one of those
>> games that shows up in bundles... in /a lot/ of HQX06 bundles. So if
>> you already have this, I'm sorry. If you don't, take the game so I can
>> stop offering it. Think of it as a c.s.i.p.g.a shibboleth; if you have
>> this game in your library, we'll know you belong here ;-)
>>
>>
>>
>> Oh God, the llamas are trying to sing "Bohemian Rhapsody". Serves me
>> right forgiving them that Queen CD. I'd better put a stop to it before
>> the neighbors complain. Until tomorrow.
>>
>> Ho-ha-hee-ho-hee-ha-ho!
>>
>>

--
I've done good in this world. Now I'm tired and just want to be a cranky
dirty old man.

On Wed, 7 Dec 2022 20:05:02 -0800, Ant <ant@zimage.comANT> wrote:

>"Dear Esther: Landmark Edition is already in your Steam library".

It's in EVERYBODY'S Steam library. That's the problem.

> I don't remember how I got it too. Where was it from?

It was a freebie back in February this year. You may have picked it up
then.

(if you're /really/ interested, go into the Steam client, click on
your username in the upper right corner, select 'account details',
then 'view licenses and product key activations' and search that list
for "Dear Esther". It'll show the date you added the game to your
Steam library)

(Interesting; TIL that you could use that screen to remove
complimentary - e.g., free - games from your library. Not games you
paid for, though; those you gotta keep forever. I guess that's part of
the price you pay for... um... paying the price).

* three llamas were involved in creating this post.

Speaking of llamas, remember they were popular during the 1990s in
gaming community? ;)

On 12/7/2022 6:16 PM, Spalls Hurgenson wrote:
>
> The llamas are singing again. Then again, the llamas are *always*
> singing. But they tend to sing louder during the Christmas holiday
> season. Have you ever heard a llama sing? It's... unpleasant.
>
> Today, their shrill carols speak of another game to give-away.
> Specifically:
>
>
> * Dear Esther Landmark Edition
> https://store.steampowered.com/app/520720/Dear_Esther_Landmark_Edition/
> By this point, I'm pretty sure everybody here has a copy of this game.
> I don't think a ELBPZ year has gone by that I /haven't/ had a copy of
> "Dear Esther" on offer. What IYBA9 can I say, it's just one of those
> games that shows up in bundles... in /a lot/ of HQX06 bundles. So if
> you already have this, I'm sorry. If you don't, take the game so I can
> stop offering it. Think of it as a c.s.i.p.g.a shibboleth; if you have
> this game in your library, we'll know you belong here ;-)
>
>
>
> Oh God, the llamas are trying to sing "Bohemian Rhapsody". Serves me
> right forgiving them that Queen CD. I'd better put a stop to it before
> the neighbors complain. Until tomorrow.
>
> Ho-ha-hee-ho-hee-ha-ho!
>
>

--
"Jesus answered, 'I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes
to the Father except through me.'" —John 14:6. Boo 2 my dropped iPhone's
finger holder, window blind's string broke, biological vir(uses/i)
spreading again, etc.
Note: A fixed width font (Courier, Monospace, etc.) is required to see
this signature correctly.
/\___/\ http://aqfl.net & http://antfarm.home.dhs.org
/ /\ /\ \
| |o o| | Axe ANT from its address if shown & e-mailing privately.
\ _ / Please kindly use Ant nickname & URL/link if crediting.
( )

On Thu, 8 Dec 2022 11:38:26 -0800, in comp.sys.ibm.pc.games.action, Ant
wrote:

>Speaking of llamas, remember they were popular during the 1990s in
>gaming community? ;)
>

WinAmp really whipped the llama's ass, too.

--
Zag

No one ever said on their deathbed, 'Gee, I wish I had
spent more time alone with my computer.' ~Dan(i) Bunten

On 12/8/2022 1:01 PM, Zaghadka wrote:
> On Thu, 8 Dec 2022 11:38:26 -0800, in comp.sys.ibm.pc.games.action, Ant
> wrote:
>
>> Speaking of llamas, remember they were popular during the 1990s in
>> gaming community? ;)
>>
>
> WinAmp really whipped the llama's ass, too.

WinAmp still lives too with new features (e.g., NFT -- ew) and updates.
I prefer its old WACUP with better updates and fixes: https://getwacup.com.
--
"Jesus answered, 'I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes
to the Father except through me.'" —John 14:6. Boo 2 my dropped iPhone's
finger holder, window blind's string broke, biological vir(uses/i)
spreading again, etc. Slammy Thursday after sleeping 7 hrs.
Note: A fixed width font (Courier, Monospace, etc.) is required to see
this signature correctly.
/\___/\ http://aqfl.net & http://antfarm.home.dhs.org
/ /\ /\ \
| |o o| | Axe ANT from its address if shown & e-mailing privately.
\ _ / Please kindly use Ant nickname & URL/link if crediting.
( )

On Thu, 8 Dec 2022 13:13:20 -0800, Ant <ant@zimage.comANT> wrote:
>On 12/8/2022 1:01 PM, Zaghadka wrote:

>> WinAmp really whipped the llama's ass, too.

>WinAmp still lives too with new features (e.g., NFT -- ew) and updates.
>I prefer its old WACUP with better updates and fixes: https://getwacup.com.

(now you gone done it!)

Did somebody mention NFTs? ;-)

Oh, so much NFT news to talk about. This being a gaming newsgroup and
not an NFTs or scams newsgroup, I wasn't going to talk about any of
that, but seeing as Ant brought it up first, I guess it's okay, right?

Right?

Hey, where are you all going? We're talking NFTs! Who doesn't wanna
talk NFTs!

EN EFF TEEEEEES!!!!!!!

I'll see myself out.

(Side note: I still use WinAmp v5.6. I like its interface, and didja
know it can play tracker files too? What's not to love?)

On 12/8/2022 4:49 PM, Spalls Hurgenson wrote:
....
> (Side note: I still use WinAmp v5.6. I like its interface, and didja
> know it can play tracker files too? What's not to love?)

Have you tried WACUP, that's based on v5.666 b3516, yet? It has fixes
and updates. And yes, it can still do tracker files. Even MIDIs
(remember those?).
--
"Jesus answered, 'I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes
to the Father except through me.'" —John 14:6. Boo 2 my dropped iPhone's
finger holder, window blind's string broke, biological vir(uses/i)
spreading again, etc. Slammy Thursday after sleeping 7 hrs. Dang cut lip
from dryness again.
Note: A fixed width font (Courier, Monospace, etc.) is required to see
this signature correctly.
/\___/\ http://aqfl.net & http://antfarm.home.dhs.org
/ /\ /\ \
| |o o| | Axe ANT from its address if shown & e-mailing privately.
\ _ / Please kindly use Ant nickname & URL/link if crediting.
( )

On 08/12/2022 02:16, Spalls Hurgenson wrote:
> * Dear Esther Landmark Edition
> https://store.steampowered.com/app/520720/Dear_Esther_Landmark_Edition/
> By this point, I'm pretty sure everybody here has a copy of this game.
> I don't think a ELBPZ year has gone by that I/haven't/ had a copy of
> "Dear Esther" on offer. What IYBA9 can I say, it's just one of those
> games that shows up in bundles... in/a lot/ of HQX06 bundles. So if
> you already have this, I'm sorry. If you don't, take the game so I can
> stop offering it. Think of it as a c.s.i.p.g.a shibboleth; if you have
> this game in your library, we'll know you belong here 😉

It's one of those games I keep meaning to get but never have, well I
have now. Ta!

On 12/9/2022 3:17 AM, JAB wrote:
> On 08/12/2022 02:16, Spalls Hurgenson wrote:
>> * Dear Esther Landmark Edition
>> https://store.steampowered.com/app/520720/Dear_Esther_Landmark_Edition/
>> By this point, I'm pretty sure everybody here has a copy of this game.
>> I don't think a ELBPZ year has gone by that I/haven't/  had a copy of
>> "Dear Esther" on offer. What IYBA9 can I say, it's just one of those
>> games that shows up in bundles... in/a lot/  of HQX06 bundles. So if
>> you already have this, I'm sorry. If you don't, take the game so I can
>> stop offering it. Think of it as a c.s.i.p.g.a shibboleth; if you have
>> this game in your library, we'll know you belong here 😉
>
> It's one of those games I keep meaning to get but never have, well I
> have now. Ta!

Where were you back then? ;)
--
"[Jesus said,] 'I am the vine; you are the branches. If a man remains in
me and I in him, he will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do
nothing. This is to my Father's glory, that you bear much fruit, showing
yourselves to be my disciples.'" --John 15:5,8. Boo 2 my cut dry lips,
dropped iPhone's finger holder, window blind's broken string, spreading
biological vir(uses/i), cold temperatures, etc. Slept over 7 hrs 2 days
in a row so far.
Note: A fixed width font (Courier, Monospace, etc.) is required to see
this signature correctly.
/\___/\ http://aqfl.net & http://antfarm.home.dhs.org
/ /\ /\ \
| |o o| | Axe ANT from its address if shown & e-mailing privately.
\ _ / Please kindly use Ant nickname & URL/link if crediting.
( )

On Thu, 8 Dec 2022 17:17:34 -0800, Ant <ant@zimage.comANT> wrote:

>On 12/8/2022 4:49 PM, Spalls Hurgenson wrote:
>...
>> (Side note: I still use WinAmp v5.6. I like its interface, and didja
>> know it can play tracker files too? What's not to love?)
>
>Have you tried WACUP, that's based on v5.666 b3516, yet? It has fixes
>and updates. And yes, it can still do tracker files. Even MIDIs
>(remember those?).

I'm aware of WACUP but don't really see the point of it (at least for
my use), since the original WinAmp does everything I want. Presumably
WACUP can do streaming better, but since all I do is play MP3s from a
local network, that's not really an issue for me.

As to MIDIS, have the files, ran the website, and still listen to them
(most often on TiMIDIty, because I'm an unabashed Gravis Ultrasound
fan ;-). Do I remember MIDI? I'm usually the one people ask 'please,
please, PLEASE stop talking about MIDI!' ;-)

Half the reason I adore DOS games is because MIDI was such a common
music format. Sierra games were some of the best in that regard.

Look, now you've gone and got me started...

On Fri, 09 Dec 2022 12:04:04 -0500, Spalls Hurgenson

>Half the reason I adore DOS games is because MIDI was such a common
>music format. Sierra games were some of the best in that regard.

Especially if you have a MT-32. Sierra really knew how to make that
module sing. Of course, they sold it directly from them, so they had
better know how to utilize it properly.

On 12/9/2022 9:04 AM, Spalls Hurgenson wrote:
> On Thu, 8 Dec 2022 17:17:34 -0800, Ant <ant@zimage.comANT> wrote:
>
>> On 12/8/2022 4:49 PM, Spalls Hurgenson wrote:
>> ...
>>> (Side note: I still use WinAmp v5.6. I like its interface, and didja
>>> know it can play tracker files too? What's not to love?)
>>
>> Have you tried WACUP, that's based on v5.666 b3516, yet? It has fixes
>> and updates. And yes, it can still do tracker files. Even MIDIs
>> (remember those?).
>
> I'm aware of WACUP but don't really see the point of it (at least for
> my use), since the original WinAmp does everything I want. Presumably
> WACUP can do streaming better, but since all I do is play MP3s from a
> local network, that's not really an issue for me.

For one, it has a better tracker file plugin. They sound way better. Not
good as old ModPlug Player (remember that?).

> As to MIDIS, have the files, ran the website, and still listen to them
> (most often on TiMIDIty, because I'm an unabashed Gravis Ultrasound
> fan ;-). Do I remember MIDI? I'm usually the one people ask 'please,
> please, PLEASE stop talking about MIDI!' ;-) >
> Half the reason I adore DOS games is because MIDI was such a common
> music format. Sierra games were some of the best in that regard. >
> Look, now you've gone and got me started...

Look at old X-Wings, TIE Fighters, etc. for DOS! Real-time music changes
when you play! It was amazing back then even if it was crappy FM MIDI
with tiny speakers! IIRC, I played them with the original Creative Labs'
Sound Blaster v1.0 card that I bought from my local Egghead Software
(RIP -- miss that place when I was young). I never had a GUS card. I
almost bought one, but ended up with a SB16 IIRC. I did listen to DOOM
1's GUS MIDI soundtracks in my college dorm's neighbor's PC (DOS) who
does music. OMG! The chorus track in E1 M8 (boss level)! Speaking of
DOOM 1, it will turn 29 yrs. old tomorrow. Next year will be 30! OMG
again! I wonder if Bethesda and id Software will do give aways like it
did for Quake 1 (and then 2 and 3 when enough people voted or something
-- forgot it was -- I got all even though I have those games already on
their client and then migrated to Steam)!

"Look, now you've gone and got me started..." --Spalls. ;)
--
"[Jesus said,] 'I am the vine; you are the branches. If a man remains in
me and I in him, he will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do
nothing. This is to my Father's glory, that you bear much fruit, showing
yourselves to be my disciples.'" --John 15:5,8. Boo 2 my cut dry lips,
dropped iPhone's finger holder, window blind's broken string, spreading
biological vir(uses/i), cold temperatures, etc. Slept over 7 hrs 2 days
in a row so far.
Note: A fixed width font (Courier, Monospace, etc.) is required to see
this signature correctly.
/\___/\ http://aqfl.net & http://antfarm.home.dhs.org
/ /\ /\ \
| |o o| | Axe ANT from its address if shown & e-mailing privately.
\ _ / Please kindly use Ant nickname & URL/link if crediting.
( )

On Fri, 9 Dec 2022 10:57:42 -0800, Ant <ant@zimage.comANT> wrote:
>On 12/9/2022 9:04 AM, Spalls Hurgenson wrote:
>> On Thu, 8 Dec 2022 17:17:34 -0800, Ant <ant@zimage.comANT> wrote:

>>> Have you tried WACUP, that's based on v5.666 b3516, yet? It has fixes
>>> and updates. And yes, it can still do tracker files. Even MIDIs
>>> (remember those?).

>> I'm aware of WACUP but don't really see the point of it (at least for
>> my use), since the original WinAmp does everything I want. Presumably
>> WACUP can do streaming better, but since all I do is play MP3s from a
>> local network, that's not really an issue for me.
>
>For one, it has a better tracker file plugin. They sound way better. Not
>good as old ModPlug Player (remember that?).

Yup. In fact, it remains my default tracker player since it too works
well in modern versions of Windows. But sometimes I mix'n'match files
and then WinAmp tracker ability is nice to have.

>> As to MIDIS, have the files, ran the website, and still listen to them
>> (most often on TiMIDIty, because I'm an unabashed Gravis Ultrasound
>> fan ;-). Do I remember MIDI? I'm usually the one people ask 'please,
>> please, PLEASE stop talking about MIDI!' ;-) >

>> Half the reason I adore DOS games is because MIDI was such a common
>> music format. Sierra games were some of the best in that regard. >
>> Look, now you've gone and got me started...

>Look at old X-Wings, TIE Fighters, etc. for DOS! Real-time music changes
>when you play! It was amazing back then even if it was crappy FM MIDI
>with tiny speakers! IIRC, I played them with the original Creative Labs'
>Sound Blaster v1.0 card that I bought from my local Egghead Software
>(RIP -- miss that place when I was young). I never had a GUS card. I
>almost bought one, but ended up with a SB16 IIRC. I did listen to DOOM
>1's GUS MIDI soundtracks in my college dorm's neighbor's PC (DOS) who
>does music. OMG! The chorus track in E1 M8 (boss level)! Speaking of
>DOOM 1, it will turn 29 yrs. old tomorrow. Next year will be 30! OMG
>again! I wonder if Bethesda and id Software will do give aways like it
>did for Quake 1 (and then 2 and 3 when enough people voted or something
>-- forgot it was -- I got all even though I have those games already on
>their client and then migrated to Steam)!

If I had to be completely honest, the GUS wasn't so great. Its
somewhat shoddy Soundblaster compatibility limited it somewhat, and it
was quickly superceded by cards with better MIDI capabilities. Still,
it was great for playing tracker files, and its use of on-the-fly
swappable disk-based patches allowed some very impressive sound. But
getting it to shine was often more effort than it was worth. Still,
the GUS rendition of the Doom soundtrack has always been the
'official' rendition for me, with neither the brassier, retro-tinged
FM soundtrack of OPL3 cards or the (arguably) more realistic music
coming from SoundCanvas or AWE32 quite matching it.

But, like I said, I'm an unabashed fan of the hardware so take my
opinion for what it's worth. ;-)

>"Look, now you've gone and got me started..." --Spalls. ;)

"I warned ye! Didnae I warn ye? Big nasty MIDI. Look at all the text!
That's no ordinary poster... 'tis the most fannish GUS lover you've
ever set eyes on! But oh no no, you knew better, didn't you?. No, it's
just an ordinary nerd, isn't it? Well, don't say I didn't tell you."

On 12/9/2022 1:08 PM, Spalls Hurgenson wrote:
....
> If I had to be completely honest, the GUS wasn't so great. Its
> somewhat shoddy Soundblaster compatibility limited it somewhat, and it
> was quickly superceded by cards with better MIDI capabilities. Still,
> it was great for playing tracker files, and its use of on-the-fly
> swappable disk-based patches allowed some very impressive sound. But
> getting it to shine was often more effort than it was worth. Still,
> the GUS rendition of the Doom soundtrack has always been the
> 'official' rendition for me, with neither the brassier, retro-tinged
> FM soundtrack of OPL3 cards or the (arguably) more realistic music
> coming from SoundCanvas or AWE32 quite matching it.
>
> But, like I said, I'm an unabashed fan of the hardware so take my
> opinion for what it's worth. ;-)

Didn't Future Crew's Second Reality and other PC demos sounded better
with GUS over SB?

>> "Look, now you've gone and got me started..." --Spalls. ;)
>
> "I warned ye! Didnae I warn ye? Big nasty MIDI. Look at all the text!
> That's no ordinary poster... 'tis the most fannish GUS lover you've
> ever set eyes on! But oh no no, you knew better, didn't you?. No, it's
> just an ordinary nerd, isn't it? Well, don't say I didn't tell you."

I love it though. Keep going!
--
"[Jesus said,] 'I am the vine; you are the branches. If a man remains in
me and I in him, he will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do
nothing. This is to my Father's glory, that you bear much fruit, showing
yourselves to be my disciples.'" --John 15:5,8. Boo 2 my cut dry lips,
dropped iPhone & its finger holder, window blind's broken string,
spreading biological vir(uses/i), cold temperatures, etc. Slept over 7
hrs. 2 days in a row so far.
Note: A fixed width font (Courier, Monospace, etc.) is required to see
this signature correctly.
/\___/\ http://aqfl.net & http://antfarm.home.dhs.org
/ /\ /\ \
| |o o| | Axe ANT from its address if shown & e-mailing privately.
\ _ / Please kindly use Ant nickname & URL/link if crediting.
( )

On Fri, 09 Dec 2022 16:08:57 -0500, in comp.sys.ibm.pc.games.action,
Spalls Hurgenson wrote:

>On Fri, 9 Dec 2022 10:57:42 -0800, Ant <ant@zimage.comANT> wrote:
>>On 12/9/2022 9:04 AM, Spalls Hurgenson wrote:
>>> On Thu, 8 Dec 2022 17:17:34 -0800, Ant <ant@zimage.comANT> wrote:
>
>>>> Have you tried WACUP, that's based on v5.666 b3516, yet? It has fixes
>>>> and updates. And yes, it can still do tracker files. Even MIDIs
>>>> (remember those?).
>
>>> I'm aware of WACUP but don't really see the point of it (at least for
>>> my use), since the original WinAmp does everything I want. Presumably
>>> WACUP can do streaming better, but since all I do is play MP3s from a
>>> local network, that's not really an issue for me.
>>
>>For one, it has a better tracker file plugin. They sound way better. Not
>>good as old ModPlug Player (remember that?).
>
>Yup. In fact, it remains my default tracker player since it too works
>well in modern versions of Windows. But sometimes I mix'n'match files
>and then WinAmp tracker ability is nice to have.
>
>>> As to MIDIS, have the files, ran the website, and still listen to them
>>> (most often on TiMIDIty, because I'm an unabashed Gravis Ultrasound
>>> fan ;-). Do I remember MIDI? I'm usually the one people ask 'please,
>>> please, PLEASE stop talking about MIDI!' ;-) >
>
>>> Half the reason I adore DOS games is because MIDI was such a common
>>> music format. Sierra games were some of the best in that regard. >
>>> Look, now you've gone and got me started...
>
>>Look at old X-Wings, TIE Fighters, etc. for DOS! Real-time music changes
>>when you play! It was amazing back then even if it was crappy FM MIDI
>>with tiny speakers! IIRC, I played them with the original Creative Labs'
>>Sound Blaster v1.0 card that I bought from my local Egghead Software
>>(RIP -- miss that place when I was young). I never had a GUS card. I
>>almost bought one, but ended up with a SB16 IIRC. I did listen to DOOM
>>1's GUS MIDI soundtracks in my college dorm's neighbor's PC (DOS) who
>>does music. OMG! The chorus track in E1 M8 (boss level)! Speaking of
>>DOOM 1, it will turn 29 yrs. old tomorrow. Next year will be 30! OMG
>>again! I wonder if Bethesda and id Software will do give aways like it
>>did for Quake 1 (and then 2 and 3 when enough people voted or something
>>-- forgot it was -- I got all even though I have those games already on
>>their client and then migrated to Steam)!
>
>
>If I had to be completely honest, the GUS wasn't so great. Its
>somewhat shoddy Soundblaster compatibility limited it somewhat, and it
>was quickly superceded by cards with better MIDI capabilities. Still,
>it was great for playing tracker files, and its use of on-the-fly
>swappable disk-based patches allowed some very impressive sound. But
>getting it to shine was often more effort than it was worth. Still,
>the GUS rendition of the Doom soundtrack has always been the
>'official' rendition for me, with neither the brassier, retro-tinged
>FM soundtrack of OPL3 cards or the (arguably) more realistic music
>coming from SoundCanvas or AWE32 quite matching it.
>
>But, like I said, I'm an unabashed fan of the hardware so take my
>opinion for what it's worth. ;-)
>
>>"Look, now you've gone and got me started..." --Spalls. ;)
>
>"I warned ye! Didnae I warn ye? Big nasty MIDI. Look at all the text!
>That's no ordinary poster... 'tis the most fannish GUS lover you've
>ever set eyes on! But oh no no, you knew better, didn't you?. No, it's
>just an ordinary nerd, isn't it? Well, don't say I didn't tell you."

For some reason, I got a Turtle Beach Rio daughtercard for my SB16, and
that is the definitive MIDI wavetable for me. It was made of awesome.

It was amazing what they did with 2MB.

--
Zag

No one ever said on their deathbed, 'Gee, I wish I had
spent more time alone with my computer.' ~Dan(i) Bunten

On 12/9/2022 4:22 PM, Zaghadka wrote:
....> For some reason, I got a Turtle Beach Rio daughtercard for my SB16, and
> that is the definitive MIDI wavetable for me. It was made of awesome.
>
> It was amazing what they did with 2MB.

I bought a WB(2?) daughter card for my SB16 according to my
http://zimage.com/~ant/antfarm/about/toys.html log/history's "December
1993: New Tower Machine -- Intel 486 DX2/66 MHz (Custom-built), 8 MB of
Memory, 15" OptiQuest monitor, Creative Labs Sound Blaster 16 (also got
a Creative Wave Blaster II/2(?) to add on for it later on [unknown date]
to improve MIDI music], 2x CD-ROM drive, Diamond SpeedStar Pro (VLB),
3-buttons Genius CLIXes mouse, and a Conner Peripherals IDE 340 MB HDD
etc. Ran Microsoft DOS v6.x and Windows v3.1." Ahh, my very first custom
built PC. I remember how smooth Dune 2, DOOM 1, etc. were on it.

Speaking of history/log, do any of you do the same like mine? I can't
remember all the details so I just type them down for kicks. ;)
--
"[Jesus said,] 'I am the vine; you are the branches. If a man remains in
me and I in him, he will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do
nothing. This is to my Father's glory, that you bear much fruit, showing
yourselves to be my disciples.'" --John 15:5,8. Boo 2 my cut dry lips,
dropped iPhone & its finger holder, window blind's broken string,
spreading biological vir(uses/i), cold temperatures, etc. Slept over 7
hrs. 2 days in a row so far.
Note: A fixed width font (Courier, Monospace, etc.) is required to see
this signature correctly.
/\___/\ http://aqfl.net & http://antfarm.home.dhs.org
/ /\ /\ \
| |o o| | Axe ANT from its address if shown & e-mailing privately.
\ _ / Please kindly use Ant nickname & URL/link if crediting.
( )

On Thursday, December 8, 2022 at 4:49:35 PM UTC-8, Spalls Hurgenson wrote:
> On Thu, 8 Dec 2022 13:13:20 -0800, Ant <a...@zimage.comANT> wrote:
> >On 12/8/2022 1:01 PM, Zaghadka wrote:
>
> >> WinAmp really whipped the llama's ass, too.
>
> >WinAmp still lives too with new features (e.g., NFT -- ew) and updates.
> >I prefer its old WACUP with better updates and fixes: https://getwacup.com.
> (now you gone done it!)
>
> Did somebody mention NFTs? ;-)
>
> Oh, so much NFT news to talk about. This being a gaming newsgroup and
> not an NFTs or scams newsgroup, I wasn't going to talk about any of
> that, but seeing as Ant brought it up first, I guess it's okay, right?
>
> Right?
>
> Hey, where are you all going? We're talking NFTs! Who doesn't wanna
> talk NFTs!
>
> EN EFF TEEEEEES!!!!!!!
>
>
> I'll see myself out.
>
>
> (Side note: I still use WinAmp v5.6. I like its interface, and didja
> know it can play tracker files too? What's not to love?)

I use XMplayer when I want to play my old songs on PC, which I think can
play trackers too. It plays .mods for sure.

My wife got the apple sub so I've downloaded a lot of songs with that
to my phone, though I usually listen to podcasts on my phone vs.
music.

I've made a little bit of a list on youtube of music videos too.

It used to be getting a tape or record was a big deal, now you can
play music free or almost free so many ways.

- Justisaur

On 12/9/2022 7:07 PM, Justisaur wrote:
> On Thursday, December 8, 2022 at 4:49:35 PM UTC-8, Spalls Hurgenson wrote:
>> On Thu, 8 Dec 2022 13:13:20 -0800, Ant <a...@zimage.comANT> wrote:
>>> On 12/8/2022 1:01 PM, Zaghadka wrote:
>>
>>>> WinAmp really whipped the llama's ass, too.
>>
>>> WinAmp still lives too with new features (e.g., NFT -- ew) and updates.
>>> I prefer its old WACUP with better updates and fixes: https://getwacup.com.
>> (now you gone done it!)
>>
>> Did somebody mention NFTs? ;-)
>>
>> Oh, so much NFT news to talk about. This being a gaming newsgroup and
>> not an NFTs or scams newsgroup, I wasn't going to talk about any of
>> that, but seeing as Ant brought it up first, I guess it's okay, right?
>>
>> Right?
>>
>> Hey, where are you all going? We're talking NFTs! Who doesn't wanna
>> talk NFTs!
>>
>> EN EFF TEEEEEES!!!!!!!
>>
>>
>> I'll see myself out.
>>
>>
>> (Side note: I still use WinAmp v5.6. I like its interface, and didja
>> know it can play tracker files too? What's not to love?)
>
> I use XMplayer when I want to play my old songs on PC, which I think can
> play trackers too. It plays .mods for sure.
>
> My wife got the apple sub so I've downloaded a lot of songs with that
> to my phone, though I usually listen to podcasts on my phone vs.
> music.

In iPhones, I just use VLC's file sharing to copy from my PCs' iTunes.
It's too bad VLC can't play MIDI files. Only on computers. :( Also,
http://zimage.com/~ant/antfarm/files/music/music.html for my favorite
tunes I collected before I discovered MP2s (yep, before MP3), MP3s,
OGGs, etc. ;)

Getting back to this newsgroup's action games theme, do any of you
listen to old action computer games' soundtracks like me? I have old
DOOM 1 & 2, Duke3D, R-Type 1, Golden Axe 1, Air Busters and Aero
Blasters, BF1942, Portal's Still Alive, Cannon Fodder, Prince of Persia
- Sand of Times, Day of Defeat Source's theme, Rastan, etc.

Also, non-action games: Tetris, Command & Conquer, Emperor: Battle for
Dune, No One Lives Forever 2's theme, Lemmings, Christopher Tin - Baba
Yetu (Civilization 4 Opening Menu) [hearing it and others' live in Video
Game Live's concert was awesome!), etc.
--
"[Jesus said,] 'I am the vine; you are the branches. If a man remains in
me and I in him, he will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do
nothing. This is to my Father's glory, that you bear much fruit, showing
yourselves to be my disciples.'" --John 15:5,8. Boo 2 my cut dry lips,
dropped iPhone & its finger holder, window blind's broken string,
spreading biological vir(uses/i), cold temperatures, etc. Slept over 7
hrs. 2 days in a row so far.
Note: A fixed width font (Courier, Monospace, etc.) is required to see
this signature correctly.
/\___/\ http://aqfl.net & http://antfarm.home.dhs.org
/ /\ /\ \
| |o o| | Axe ANT from its address if shown & e-mailing privately.
\ _ / Please kindly use Ant nickname & URL/link if crediting.
( )

On Fri, 9 Dec 2022 15:07:03 -0800, Ant <ant@zimage.comANT> wrote:
>On 12/9/2022 1:08 PM, Spalls Hurgenson wrote:

>> But, like I said, I'm an unabashed fan of the hardware so take my
>> opinion for what it's worth. ;-)

>Didn't Future Crew's Second Reality and other PC demos sounded better
>with GUS over SB?

Yes. Beyond its MIDI capabilities, the GUS had some advantages over
the original Sound Blaster / Sound Blaster Pro line. It output at
higher frequencies (48KHz Stereo vs 22Khz stereo) and had a full
16-bit DAC (versus the 8-bit DAC of its competitors). Its architecture
also required a lot less CPU processing power to play tracker files.
In an era when many tracker files could max out a CPU (which resulted
in slow-downs, dropped notes, or static-like noise, depending on how
bad it got), all this gave the GUS line a noticeable advantage.

That advantage, however, was fleeting. Competitors, including the
Soundblaster-16, quickly matched the Gravis cards on frequency and
DAC, and CPUs were becoming more powerful. AFAIK, there was no other
soundcard that ever utilized the same architectural tricks that
allowed the GUS to play tracker files so effortlessly, but between the
increased processing power and the (generally) niche presence of
tracker music, it was a moot point.

Meanwhile, outside of tracker music, it was really hard for the
end-user to see the advantage of the Gravis Ultrasound. Most games -
those few that actually had digital sound - output at fairly low
bit-rates, simply because higher-quality sound files were too large.
And, anyway, everybody was listening to music on cheap aftermarket
'computer speakers' anyway, so even if a game DID utilize
higher-quality sound, it still came out filled with static and noise
(let's also not forget that there was very little in the way of
shielding from the computer's internal electronics either, which added
more noise).

The wave-table MIDI was undeniably superior to Soundblaster/Adlib's FM
synthesis (but - arguably - not as good as Roland's SoundCanvas, which
had worse patches but better MIDI playback capabilities), but required
the developer to specifically code for the GUS, and you had to run a
TSR to pre-load the patches (and this was back when every byte of RAM
was precious). Even without, the soundblaster emulation (if you could
get it working) usually offered better music than regular FM
synthesis... but without tailoring the music to the GUS's
capabilities, it was never /so/ much better as to make the added cost
and effort of getting everything to run worth it.

When you got everything running just right - all the drivers loaded,
the games programmed specifically for the card, high-quality patches,
etc. - the Gravis Ultrasound offered some truly exceptional sound for
the time, both with regards to MIDI and digital. But its time in the
sun was limited; very quickly its competitors matched - and then
exceeded its capabilities and Gravis started its long decline. Coupled
to a 286/386 PC (early to mid 1990s), the Gravis was an excellent
balance of cost and performance, but after that? Almost every
competitor matched it on digital, and Sound Canvas and AWE32 offered
(arguably) superior MIDI.

And then on-board sound killed them all. ;-/

I still love my GUS, though. The /primary reason/ I'm building my
"Win95" retro-computer is to give my Gravis Ultrasound Max a new home.
It deserves better than moldering away in the closet.

(I /told/ you not to get me started!)

On Friday, December 9, 2022 at 8:47:18 PM UTC-8, Ant wrote:
> On 12/9/2022 7:07 PM, Justisaur wrote:
> > On Thursday, December 8, 2022 at 4:49:35 PM UTC-8, Spalls Hurgenson wrote:
> >> On Thu, 8 Dec 2022 13:13:20 -0800, Ant <a...@zimage.comANT> wrote:
> >>> On 12/8/2022 1:01 PM, Zaghadka wrote:
> >>
> >>>> WinAmp really whipped the llama's ass, too.
> >>
> >>> WinAmp still lives too with new features (e.g., NFT -- ew) and updates.
> >>> I prefer its old WACUP with better updates and fixes: https://getwacup.com.
> >> (now you gone done it!)
> >>
> >> Did somebody mention NFTs? ;-)
> >>
> >> Oh, so much NFT news to talk about. This being a gaming newsgroup and
> >> not an NFTs or scams newsgroup, I wasn't going to talk about any of
> >> that, but seeing as Ant brought it up first, I guess it's okay, right?
> >>
> >> Right?
> >>
> >> Hey, where are you all going? We're talking NFTs! Who doesn't wanna
> >> talk NFTs!
> >>
> >> EN EFF TEEEEEES!!!!!!!
> >>
> >>
> >> I'll see myself out.
> >>
> >>
> >> (Side note: I still use WinAmp v5.6. I like its interface, and didja
> >> know it can play tracker files too? What's not to love?)
> >
> > I use XMplayer when I want to play my old songs on PC, which I think can
> > play trackers too. It plays .mods for sure.
> >
> > My wife got the apple sub so I've downloaded a lot of songs with that
> > to my phone, though I usually listen to podcasts on my phone vs.
> > music.
> In iPhones, I just use VLC's file sharing to copy from my PCs' iTunes.
> It's too bad VLC can't play MIDI files. Only on computers. :( Also,
> http://zimage.com/~ant/antfarm/files/music/music.html for my favorite
> tunes I collected before I discovered MP2s (yep, before MP3), MP3s,
> OGGs, etc. ;)
>
> Getting back to this newsgroup's action games theme, do any of you
> listen to old action computer games' soundtracks like me? I have old
> DOOM 1 & 2, Duke3D, R-Type 1, Golden Axe 1, Air Busters and Aero
> Blasters, BF1942, Portal's Still Alive, Cannon Fodder, Prince of Persia
> - Sand of Times, Day of Defeat Source's theme, Rastan, etc.
>
> Also, non-action games: Tetris, Command & Conquer, Emperor: Battle for
> Dune, No One Lives Forever 2's theme, Lemmings, Christopher Tin - Baba
> Yetu (Civilization 4 Opening Menu) [hearing it and others' live in Video
> Game Live's concert was awesome!), etc.

Not many and haven't listened to them in awhile.

Diablo I music at the D&D table sometimes (online or offline)

Just for myself Parallax is my favorite game music. Also played
Powermonger theme a bit.

I had the whole soundtrack from some quest/adventure game that was
encoded as a CD on it, so I could play it from a CD player. I don't remember
the name of it unfortunately. It had very good atmospheric music,
which was frankly far better than the game itself. It was a bit silly as I
remember, had some young guy celeb voice actor on it as the main
character as a major selling point. The swamp music from that was my
favorite, it had bloop noises in it.

I thought the game might be by bullfrog, but I don't see anything that
would fit. I thought it might be called legend or legend of something?
That's too oft used to find anything. My google fu is failing me. I really
want to find it now.

- Justisaur

On Fri, 9 Dec 2022 20:47:14 -0800, Ant <ant@zimage.comANT> wrote:

>Getting back to this newsgroup's action games theme, do any of you
>listen to old action computer games' soundtracks like me? I have old
>DOOM 1 & 2, Duke3D, R-Type 1, Golden Axe 1, Air Busters and Aero
>Blasters, BF1942, Portal's Still Alive, Cannon Fodder, Prince of Persia
>- Sand of Times, Day of Defeat Source's theme, Rastan, etc.

Yes.
(https://downloads.khinsider.com/game-soundtracks/browse)
Also, for MIDI goodness
http://www.midimusicadventures.com/queststudios/midi-soundtracks/complete-soundtracks/

Games that specifically stand out for me (in that they hit my playlist
more often than other games): Planescape; AMOK; Mechwarrior 2, 3 &
Mercenaries; Interstate 76, Legends of Kyrandia; Empire of the Fading
Suns; Mission Critical; Wheel of Time; Gabriel Knight 1; M-25 Racer;
Advent Rising; Hitman 1; Need for Speed 3; Lemmings; System Shock 2;
Novastorm; Silpheed

On Sat, 10 Dec 2022 10:31:19 -0500, Spalls Hurgenson
<spallshurgenson@gmail.com> wrote:

>I still love my GUS, though. The /primary reason/ I'm building my
>"Win95" retro-computer is to give my Gravis Ultrasound Max a new home.
>It deserves better than moldering away in the closet.
>
>
>
>(I /told/ you not to get me started!)

I thought the GUS was a piece of crap. I had trouble getting it to
work in games that did not directly support it and I did not think the
midi was that much better then the FM synthesis of the SoundBlaster to
justify keeping it. It still sounded very fake to me. So I returned
it.

I eventually purchased several Roland products to go with the
SoundBlaster card. That is the combination I use to this day for DOS
gaming.