DOS Games Discussion

Platform(s): PC/DOS
Genre: RPG/Roguelike/Dungeon Master/Dungeon Crawler
Estimated year of release: Unsure but pre 2001
Graphics/art style: VERY similar to Dungeon Master
Notable characters: Bats and Orcs (I think there may have been a kid, or young orc), and I remember hooded enemies
Notable gameplay mechanics: I can't think of anything specific (though, and this isn't even 50%, there may have been a portrait that showed damage similar to the face portrait in Doom)
I do not believe there was a party. I think you were solo. (not 100%, but I really don't remember a party at all)

Other details:
It had trap doors, false walls, strawberries, vials of potions
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It looked like it was likely based on or a clone of Dungeon Master, but I'm fairly certain it was solo, and not a group.
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I know I played it prior to High School which I started in 2001.
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I remember there being vials you could find on the ground (and I think the word 'vial' was used, but I'm not 100% on this)
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I also have a strong memory of within the dungeon there being a bright grassy room that had a lot of strawberries lying around.

Games it was not: Dungeon Master, Eye of the Beholder, Might and Magic, Heretic, Catacomb


Finally found it, is Daymare for PC/DOS https://dosgames.com/game/daymare-1/


I would be eternally grateful if anyone knows what game this is.

Ultima Underworld?

Dungeon Hack is a Dungeon Master-like RPG with a single character instead of a party, however there are apparently no strawberries, only apples according to a FAQ.

It doesn't looks like it was Ultima Underworld, I don't recall there being any sort of class selection either.

It definitely wasn't Dungeon Hack. Of everything I listed, the strawberry thing is definite. That's the thing I'm most certain on out of every thing I remember.

JIC, check Hexx: Heresy of the Wizard and Amulets & Armor.

Otherwise you could try browsing the lists, like this one:
DOS » Role-Playing (RPG) » Fantasy » 1st-Person Perspective

[Edit] Also here's a neat list:
http://www.listal.com/list/rpg-world-do ... ic-edition

[Edit 2] Could it be ShadowCaster? It has those strawberry-like things in the first levels, although not for food.

Definitely wasn't Hexx, I played that recently, and Amulets and Armor is too 3D. The graphics were pretty much on part exactly with Dungeon Master (or worse) from what I'm remembering.

I don't think it's listed on Mobygames at all. I've been through that site constantly trying to find it.

Unfortunately it wasn't Shadowcaster, the strawberries were definitely food. I would always find them in this well lit bright grassy room in the middle of the dungeon. It was like a sanctuary area.

One other thing to add.

I don't know if this is the same game, as I can't tell if I'm remembering two different games as one or not, but it MIGHT be the same game.

I remember another "mode" where you end up on a space station and the first part you're in has a HAL robot on the wall (red circle, etc).

EDIT: Something else I remember for sure there were trap doors/portals that could drop or teleport you to other sections. (I don't recall if you could see them or not either)

EDIT2: This guy is/was looking for the same game
http://www.dosgames.com/forum/post-125450.html

Was it FPS style free movement, or Dungeon Master style 1 step, turn 90 degree style?

If that second, the middle Might and Magic series mixed fantasy and sci-fi. Something in the 3/4/5/6 (including Xeen) range might be worth a look. IIRC, those tended to start fantasy and get more scifi as it went along; the worlds were technology with fantasy terrariums on the surface.

7 & 8 were more free-motion; I didn't play them so don't know the exact plot/settings.

Quadko wrote:If that second, the middle Might and Magic series mixed fantasy and sci-fi. Something in the 3/4/5/6 (including Xeen) range might be worth a look. IIRC, those tended to start fantasy and get more scifi as it went along; the worlds were technology with fantasy terrariums on the surface.

Judging by the other thread, the game was shareware and had two scenarios, one of which is in a fantasy setting and another in a sci-fi setting.

Quadko wrote:Was it FPS style free movement, or Dungeon Master style 1 step, turn 90 degree style?

I remember it being the stop and step style.
I might be wrong, but that's how I remember it.

However, it wasn't Might and Magic, I mentioned that in the original post. I've tried to find this game before with other sites so I listed the ones that have definitely been ruled out.

IIRC, those tended to start fantasy and get more scifi as it went along; the worlds were technology with fantasy terrariums on the surface.

It was two distinct modes, not a progression from one to the other. So much so that I convinced myself that I had mentially combined two different games into one.

It was only when I just googled stuff on the second and found that guest's post, that realize I was right the first time.

However, I can say this, the shareware compilation he's talking about, I never had that particular one, so it likely wasn't exclusive to it.

stop and step style

That's a great name for it, I hadn't heard that before. I'll have to use that in future, thanks!

M&M in OP - oops, forgot that later in the thread.

Yeah, I'm seriously having no luck finding anything about it at all.

So far that one guest's post is the only thing I've found that suggests it ever existed at all.

Don't give up, old games can get really obscure, but it doesn't mean they can't be found.

I'm not giving up. I've asked on Reddit and Mobygame's forums too.
Though I am a bit disheartened.

But find that other guy asking did raise my spirits a tiny bit. At least someone else has heard of it!

What you can also do (if you haven't already) is try searching in the old newsgroup messages available at groups.google.com.

There's also Lord Soth's Games on the Internet, a large archive of downloadable games from the 90s (Wayback Machine copy).

I haven't given up yet, I haven't finished the DOS section but it's not in the windows on on Lord Sloth's site.

That other thread guy thought it was on a Softkey disk.

Long shot, but wikipedia lists a few known Softkey games:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/SoftKey

You might browse/exclude the list of games there, too.

I thought someone already pointed you to the textfiles archive, but maybe that was the other thread:
http://cd.textfiles.com/directory.html
Lots ofstuff there - maybe too much! - including such shareware release cds.

For example, Game Empire is from SoftKey (I think!): http://cd.textfiles.com/gameempire/

Jesus Christ!hehe

First I would like to give an over due credit to Quadko.

Before I was on the scene, Quadko taught me assembly a bit.

It was not much, and yet it gave me the start to catapault me way ahead!

Just like I am NOT the king of the Vietnamese people.

I don't like to take credits from others when it belongs to them.

I love my two parents dearly far more than God unfortunately.

Quadko wrote:That other thread guy thought it was on a Softkey disk.

Long shot, but wikipedia lists a few known Softkey games:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/SoftKey

You might browse/exclude the list of games there, too.

I thought someone already pointed you to the textfiles archive, but maybe that was the other thread:
http://cd.textfiles.com/directory.html
Lots ofstuff there - maybe too much! - including such shareware release cds.

For example, Game Empire is from SoftKey (I think!): http://cd.textfiles.com/gameempire/

Just wanted to update, sadly not good news. I haven't found anything at all yet.

Maybe one of the Lands of Lore by Westwood?
Stonekeep by Interplay?