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Shareware, demo and freeware downloads

https://mail.dosgames.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=19149

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Shareware, demo and freeware downloads

Posted: Mon Apr 15, 2013 12:50 pm
by MrFlibble
This is a little spin-off of the classic gaming websites thread. While there are obvious places where game demo or shareware downloads can be found, like cd.textfiles.com, archive.org or FilePlanet, they are often tiresome to navigate, and may still lack the files needed. On the other hand, not every classic gaming website has a downloads section, leaving the users to find the games that have caught their attention on their own.

The alternative to this are file repositories that are more or less focused on a particular time period, genre and/or platform. These can be divided into several categories:

Active shareware developers and publishers from 90's
11th Dimension Entertainment
Adept Software
Alivesoft
Apogee Software/3D Realms
Arcanum Computing
Astral Entertainment (now Monkey with a Moustache Entertainment)
Awkward Software
Bluemoon Interactive
Bog Turtle Games LLC
Brainchild Design
Brain Block Interactive, Inc.
Carl Ericson's Computer Games
Carr Software
Clonk
Copysoft
Cornutopia
Dataware Software
Digital Nightmares
Everett Kaser Software
Free Lunch Design
Games By Eric Henson
Games By Scott
Gray Design Associates
Homebrew Software
Hungry Software
Inter-Active Arts
KnightSoft Technologies
Lexaloffle games
Longbow Games
Malfador Machinations
Midnight Synergy
Moraff's Games
Mountain King Studios Inc.
MVP Software
NecroBones Enterprises
ORT Software
Redwood Games
Ron Heuse Software Development
Sean O'Connor's Games
Shareware Hangvogel
Slicks'n'SLide
Soleau Software
Spiderweb Software
Star Wraith 3D Games
Tactical Soft
Terminal Studio
UnReal World
Viable Software Alternatives
Wendell Hicken Online
Wiering Software

Shareware developers and publishers from 2000's
300AD
Awem
Basilisk Games
Bitbliss Studios
BlitWise Productions
Choco Snow Creation
Codeminion
Divo Games
Heroic Fantasy Games
Jade Games
Jagged Blade Games
Mitorah Games
Niels Bauer Games
Phelios
Quest Engine
Rake in Grass
Redclaw Games
Sillysoft
Soldak Entertainment
Stormcloud Creations
Superluminal Inc.
VSBgames

Game developer and publisher FTP sites
ftp://ftp.atari.com/demos/
*ftp://ftp.bluebyte.com/demos/
*ftp://ftp.gtinteractive.com/demos/
ftp://ftp.idsoftware.com/idstuff/
*ftp://ftp.lucasarts.com/demos/pc/
ftp://ftp.team17.com/pub/t17/demos/pc
*ftp://ftp.ubisoft.com/Demos/
ftp://ftp.wizworks.com/demos/
http://largedownloads.ea.com/pub/demos/

Mirrors:
*ftp://ftp.games.skynet.be/spool1/games/ ... com/demos/
*ftp://ftp.games.skynet.be/spool1/games/ ... twood.com/
http://ftp.gameaholic.com/pub/mirrors/ftp.blizzard.com/

DOS games
*ftp://ftp.padua.org/pub/msdos/dos/games/local/
ftp://nic.funet.fi/pub/msdos/games/
http://ftp.icm.edu.pl/pub/coast/games/
*ftp://ftp.pgp.net/pub/msdos/dos/games/local/
http://ftp.sunet.se/pub/games/PC/
ftp://ftp.uni-potsdam.de/pub/systems/dos/games/
ftp://delphi.hs-niederrhein.de/pub/dos/games/
http://www.ftp.funet.fi/index/msdos/games/
http://www.gamers.org/pub/archives/uwp-uml/ [mirror]

Windows games
*ftp://ftp.icm.edu.pl/vol/rzm1/ntware/games/files/
*ftp://ftp.farlep.net/pub/clubix/demo/
*ftp://ftp.farlep.net/pub/clubix/demo2/
*ftp://ftp.farlep.net/pub/clubix/demo3/
ftp://ftp.fi.netbsd.org/.m/archive1l/ft ... n95/games/
ftp://ftp.gamers.org/pub/mirrors/ftp.ga ... .uk/demos/
*ftp://ftp.peliplaneetta.net/pelidemot/
ftp://ftp.uni-potsdam.de/pub/systems/win95/games/
*http://elektron-bbs.dyndns.org/files/win95/spiele/
http://ftp.gameaholic.com/pub/demos/

These lists are of course incomplete and any further suggestions are more than welcome :)

Posted: Mon Apr 15, 2013 2:19 pm
by dosraider
Nice list, THX. :)

.... and pinned.

Posted: Tue Apr 16, 2013 8:06 am
by MrFlibble
Thanks! ^_^

Posted: Sat Apr 27, 2013 11:22 am
by MrFlibble
Some original demo files are still available from archived copies of developer/publisher websites preserved by the Wayback Machine:

Beaucomm Interactive Bitmap Brothers Diversions Software Eidos Interactive Epic MegaGames GameTek Looking Glass Technologies Microforum Mission Studios Philips Media Psygnosis SW Games Webfoot Technologies Xtreme Games LLC

Posted: Sun Apr 28, 2013 11:43 am
by MrFlibble
21st Century Entertainment Epic MegaGames MVP Software ORT Software Ubi Soft Entertainment

Posted: Sun Apr 28, 2013 2:12 pm
by MrFlibble
Beaucomm Interactive Microforum Philips Media Sirtech Software Sunstorm Interactive WizardWorks

Posted: Sun Apr 28, 2013 2:26 pm
by emmzee
Thanks for compiling all of this info! If/when I get around to doing the next update I'll definitely pull some resources from here :)

Posted: Sun Apr 28, 2013 2:37 pm
by MrFlibble
Glad this is useful! ^_^

Posted: Mon Apr 29, 2013 11:50 am
by MrFlibble
Megamedia Corporation Mindscape

Posted: Mon Apr 29, 2013 7:38 pm
by dosraider
MrFlibble wrote: [*]Black Knight: Marine Strike Fighter: bkse12a.zip bkse12b.zip
Remember this one, was a fairly good flight game, must give it a try run in dosbox.

Posted: Tue Apr 30, 2013 12:55 pm
by MrFlibble
I've dug up v1.33 some time ago, no idea what the version differences are but the game feels good :)

Download v1.33: BKSE13A.ZIP BKSE13B.ZIP

It also gives some variety of missions in the shareware version but of course it's not a large percentage of the full game (I guess).

Posted: Tue Apr 30, 2013 2:16 pm
by MrFlibble
Ron Heuse Sami Maaranen

Posted: Tue Apr 30, 2013 3:14 pm
by dosraider
MrFlibble wrote:I've dug up v1.33 some time ago, no idea what the version differences are but the game feels good :)
THX again. :)

Posted: Tue Apr 30, 2013 3:28 pm
by Quadko
MrFlibble wrote:Sami Maaranen

UnReal World
URW is quite a game. I'm terrible at it, but that's one of those you could dedicate a year to playing and still be having fun. Glad that's in the links!

Posted: Wed May 01, 2013 1:31 pm
by MrFlibble
Here's some even older version of UnReal World: URW2051.ZIP

According to the readme, this is the first version that was released through the shareware model (I guess earlier versions were freeware but I'm not sure). The readme doesn't specify if there's a limitation in turns, or the Jim Knopf model where you can play as far as you want for the 30 day trial peroid.

Posted: Wed May 01, 2013 4:25 pm
by MrFlibble
Sleepless Software FormGen Inc. NOTE: Most of the file downloads that have been archived with the FormGen website can be also found on this ASP CD.

Posted: Thu May 02, 2013 8:03 pm
by MrFlibble
Broderbund Software

Posted: Fri May 03, 2013 6:38 am
by MrFlibble
Core Design Eidos Interactive Raven Software Ticsoft

Posted: Mon May 06, 2013 9:29 am
by MrFlibble
MrFlibble wrote:Also there's the Italian tiscali.it website that also has a huge collection of stuff but the tricky thing is that due to poor maintenance it only works if you copy-paste each link manually into the browser's address bar, and you can't navigate folders. Here's some known folders with Windows games (there's no real system behind dividing the games into the Win95, Win98 and WinNT folders, but anyway):
http://volftp.tiscali.it/pub/pc/windows/win3xx/games/
http://volftp.tiscali.it/pub/pc/windows/win95/games/
http://volftp.tiscali.it/pub/pc/windows ... es/arcade/
http://volftp.tiscali.it/pub/pc/windows ... mes/demos/
http://volftp.tiscali.it/pub/pc/windows ... games/rpg/
http://volftp.tiscali.it/pub/pc/windows ... /strategy/
http://volftp.tiscali.it/pub/pc/windows/win98/games/
http://volftp.tiscali.it/pub/pc/windows ... es/arcade/
http://volftp.tiscali.it/pub/pc/windows ... mes/demos/
http://volftp.tiscali.it/pub/pc/windows ... games/rpg/
http://volftp.tiscali.it/pub/pc/windows ... /strategy/

To download anything from that site, copy the download link for the file you want and change "ftp://ftp.volftp.mondadori.com/" in it to "http://volftp.tiscali.it/"
I've figured out this website can be browsed by means of the Wayback Machine too:

http://web.archive.org/web/*/http://volftp.tiscali.it/pub/pc/msdos/games/*
http://web.archive.org/web/*/http://volftp.tiscali.it/pub/pc/windows/win3xx/games/*
http://web.archive.org/web/*/http://volftp.tiscali.it/pub/pc/windows/win95/games/*
http://web.archive.org/web/*/http://volftp.tiscali.it/pub/pc/windows/win98/games/*
http://web.archive.org/web/*/http://volftp.tiscali.it/pub/pc/windows/winnt50/games/*

Posted: Mon May 06, 2013 10:58 am
by MrFlibble
Longbow Digital Arts
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