(Almost but not quite) classic gaming on a 1995 Mac

[Ed Oscuro]

So I got a new computer, but it's not a classic and it's not really new...it's a Performa 6290CD (http://www.everymac.com/systems/apple/mac_performa/stats/mac_performa_6290cd.html) with 40MB RAM.

First off I had to buy it. Didn't think about it but I didn't get power cables (you need two, one for the monitor) or a mouse, and didn't want to get a printer. The monitor is an old 14' Multiscan with speakers in it; oddly I wasn't able to get them to deactivate when I put my headphones in the speaker port but had to jack 'em in the back of the computer, even though the monitor's speakers were giving the sound. Odd that.

After getting out of there with my (slightly spendy) prize, I went home and disassembled the thing. Lots of plastic pieces and metal; when I went to put it back together I spent about ten minutes with a little metal piece that goes in front of the hard drive, and had to take the face plastic shell off three times to get it on completely right. Even so, I put everything back in place, right down to the last screw, all after I washed off the various bits of shell (yes, washed, it's just plastic and metal), disassembled/dusted the floppy drive and washed the pieces of metal casing, dusted out its insides, washed (yes again) the main fan and used a fan to clear dust out I couldn't reach out of the machine's insides. I find it odd that the machine's held together by Philips head screws when the thing's so damned hard to get apart and back together...all the drives slide out through the front but even so I had to use a screwdriver as a wedge to wiggle out the IDE connector for the hard drive. The only thing in the hardware (aside from drives) that seems upgradeable would be the RAM.

This system's minimum RAM is 8MB; mine must've had a 32MB chip thrown on since it's at 40. It'd odd, but the one game on the system (some "classic version" of Lode Runner by Sierra or something) runs and controls somewhat badly, with pauses in the MIDI soundtrack now and then. The speed of your runner guy seems right in 2 player mode but nearly doubles in single player which is...wow, bad speed issues. Still can be a fun game and there's a nice eye pleasing 256 color jungle image in the background. I'm baffled as to why a game with tiny characters and few tiles runs like this, though.

On another note, there's a few pieces of software installed including AIM, with the last user's name still in the system, and some documents left on the desktop. I believe the system was last used in 2000 or so. I feel like getting ahold of that person's S/N and asking them if they want their files back ;0 Not about to open them though.

Oh yeah, and that damned Eric's Solitare Sample. Appears somebody spent 38 hours with it, had a winning streak of 2 games and lost 103 straight. o_O

Anyhow, outside of the Bungie 3D titles (Marathon, Pathways into Darkness) which I hope will run decently on the system (have to check that out), what sort of Mac software do you all think I should buy for this thing? The OS is currently version 7.5.1.

[le geek]

Hope you enjoy your old mac! My IIlc is in need of a new motherboard battery at the moment :(

I recommend getting Fool's Errand and 3 in Three (now free)
http://www.thefoolsgold.com/downloads/games-macintosh.htm

tracking down a copy of Spectre VR

and downloading Swoop and Maelstrom
http://www.ambrosiasw.com/games/arcade.html

Some of these links may be of use as well.
http://www.abscape.org/legeek/re_mac.htm

Cheers,
Ben

[chrisbid]

I love Glider Pro and Spaceward Ho! myself :)

[Ed Oscuro]

Thanks for those links, I'm going to check them out.

Unfortunately I'm not a big fan of Space Invaders and Asteroids! clones; I'm looking for stuff with higher production values. Not that they aren't great games, but that's pretty much the stuff homebrews are for. Damn folks for not producing better games on the Mac :P

That does remind me that Bungie made a sort of Gauntlet clone (I think) in the early 1990s...heh, whenever I think about good Mac games I end up going back to Bungie. Funny that :P There's more out there like an atmospheric (and cheesy) platformer in black and white where you had to go through a dungeon, dodge swinging blades and stuff like that - can't remember the name of it.

There's also a classic tank/FPS action game that I know was on the Mac; I don't remember the name but I know it's in one of my Nintendo Power magazines for the SNES release (which I would like to get).

Maybe I can find a compatible Ultima title as well.

Hopefully I'll be able to report back later with some shiny new (old) Mac software in hand :)

[le geek]

Unfortunately I'm not a big fan of Space Invaders and Asteroids! clones;

I hear ya. I do recommend trying Swoop though, if only once, as its random old action movie soundtrack cracks me up.

And if you like mind puzzle games, the Fool's Errand is one of my favorites of all time...

[davidbrit2]

Go get Bolo. Now. It's an overhead tank game, and you can play huge network games over Appletalk.

Avara is nice, too. Imagine a variation of Mech Warrior.

And also look for System's Twilight. It's a sort of adventure game.

[Cheese]

i'm pretty sure you could get marathon to run on that, that game was amazing.

[Ed Oscuro]

Go get Bolo. Now. It's an overhead tank game, and you can play huge network games over Appletalk.
Eh.

By the way, the flatshaded tank game I was thinking of - Spectre. It's an update of sorts to Battlezone.


Avara is nice, too. Imagine a variation of Mech Warrior.
On a 100MHz system? Well, I'll look for it.


And also look for System's Twilight. It's a sort of adventure game.
That too.

I've found a copy of Marathon Infinity (or two) on eBay, which I will be picking up promptly.

That Lode Runner I mentioned? It's called "Lode Runner: The Legend Returns (http://mac.the-underdogs.org/index.php?show=game&id=83)" and is different from Lode Runner 2 (also playable on the Mac and also quite colorful) which has a Congo Bongo-esque isometric view, as seen Here (http://www.game-revolution.com/download/mac/action/load_runner2.htm).

I see some other Mac titles of interest:

Blackthorne, Kung Fu Chivalry, lots more Lode Runner, what else. Oids and other stuff. ;P

[davidbrit2]

Avara is nice, too. Imagine a variation of Mech Warrior.
On a 100MHz system? Well, I'll look for it.

Don't worry, it's not at all resource intensive. You can run it fairly well on a IIsi, with a 20 MHz 68030.

And it looks like you can get yours up to 64 MB of RAM with a pair of 32 MB SIMMs.

[Ed Oscuro]

Yep, I can add 24MB more if I get rid of the 8MB stick. I'm not going to open that critter again unless I really have to, though :P

It's pretty much at a dead end for upgrades outside of RAM upgrades - the processor (from what I could tell) appears to be a surface mount and has a funky heatsink that looks bent from a single piece of metal (high quality stuff!), don't imagine it can dissipate heat that well. All the same I see nothing online that suggests I can upgrade the processor, that's a shame 'cuz the 603a PPCs aren't that powerful. I might think about replacing the fan if I can find something of the same size but quieter...it's pretty loud.

[Jibbajaba]

That computer may not be in and of itself a classic gaming machine but you can use it to make Apple ][ disks out of disk images if you hook it up to an apple ][ computer. I keep an older mac around for just that reason.

[Lady Jaye]

Hmm, a Performa... if you like RTS, you can go for the WarCraft II battlechest (they cost next to nothing and will run fine on your computer). I know because I used to run my copy of WC II on a Quadra 650 (which was upgraded to a PPC chip). If you can get your hands on the first WarCraft, that's even better. There are actually two versions of the Warcraft BattleChest. The first edition had WC, WC II and WC II's expansion set. The second (and current) edition has WC II, its expansion set and strat guides, plus they're upgrated to run on Battle.net (which the earlier version can't do). The old Battlechest game is pretty nice and runs well under System 7.

You already know Eric's Solitaire Sample (it is an addictive little bugger!) and the Bungie titles (when you're talking of a Gauntlet clone, I'm not sure what you're talking about... You already are familiar with the Pathways into Darkness game and the Marathon series... you might be thinking of Minotaur (which is multiplayer only, and doesn't run well on System 7, as it was made for System 6), or of Myth...

In any case, if you're looking into getting Bungie games and don't have any yet, I suggest you go for the Bungie Action Sack. It's still available at the Bungie online store (http://shop.ecompanystore.com/bungie/BNG_productdetail.asp?catalog=BUNGIE&ID=1&index=&TYPE=Games&PRODUCT=BNG20000500) for a mere $10...

Now you remind me... I oughta open my IIcx one of these days and see if replacing the backup battery will salvage it.

[Ed Oscuro]

Yeah, I was thinking of Myst. I wouldn't know how most games on Mac play from version to version, since I haven't had a lot of experience with most and of that just about all on 7.5.1...

[Lady Jaye]

Myst or Myth? It's not the same thing. The original Myst will run just fine on your computer.

You can run Myth and Myth II without problem (I just looked at the specs for Myth II, and your computer matches it borderline).

Just know that neither Myth games are included in the Bungie Action Sack (although there is a demo of Myth II on the CD-ROM).

BTW, if you ever have Myth II, let me know, and I'll forward you its expansion pack (it was a freeware, but Bungie removed it from its site after Take Two took over the rights for the Myth series).

[Lady Jaye]

Well, running System 7 is maybe the most limitative Mac OS out there: most System 6 software won't run on it (the jump from Systems 6 to 7 was almost as big a deal as the passage from OS 9 to OS X), and of course, OS 8 and 9 software won't run on it either. It's even worse when you're using a pre-PPC Mac. The only good thing really is that System 7 was on the market for several years (in comparison, OS 8 and 9 didn't last as long... unless you count the current Classic emulator under Jaguar and Panther as keeping OS 9 current)...

[tom]

I love older Mac stuff:

Quarterstaff (only available on Mac)
Journey
many other Infocom titles

Prince of Persia 1 and 2

Carmen SanDiego games

Try and get those Peter Gabriel CDs (eve, Explora), especially in collectors box

These are a must have: Activision's Atari 2600 Action Packs

Muppet Pirate game (forgot the title)

Star Control 3 (Macsoft)

Panzer General
many other SSI titles

[tom]

I forgot: Cosmic Osmo and the Worlds beyond the Mackerel

[davidbrit2]

Yeah, the machine isn't terribly upgradable, and thanks to the most bizarre mainboard design I've ever seen in a modern PC, it's not exactly a supercomputer. I don't think the issues will cause you too much trouble, though, since it doesn't sounds like you'll be using it for some distributed computing task. ;-)

Here are a few articles about it:
http://www.lowendmac.com/ppc/6200.shtml
http://www.lowendmac.com/tech/x200.shtml

Oh, see if you can find a copy of Widget Workshop. It's sort of aimed at kids, but it's an amusing digital logic simulator, and you can create all sorts of pointless stuff.

[Cantaloup]

The monitor is an old 14' Multiscan with speakers in it; oddly I wasn't able to get them to deactivate when I put my headphones in the speaker port but had to jack 'em in the back of the computer, even though the monitor's speakers were giving the sound. Odd that.

Is this one of Apple's AV monitors? If so, you should be able to adjust the output in the Sound control panel (or there may be a special control panel for the monitor, I don't remember).


It'd odd, but the one game on the system (some "classic version" of Lode Runner by Sierra or something) runs and controls somewhat badly, with pauses in the MIDI soundtrack now and then. The speed of your runner guy seems right in 2 player mode but nearly doubles in single player which is...wow, bad speed issues. Still can be a fun game and there's a nice eye pleasing 256 color jungle image in the background. I'm baffled as to why a game with tiny characters and few tiles runs like this, though.

Did you try installing a clean system folder? If you didn't get the install CD with the computer, you can download the disk images for System 7.5.3 for free from Apple:

http://download.info.apple.com/Apple_Support_Area/Apple_Software_Updates/English-North_American/Macintosh/System/Older_System

Other tricks to improving game performance include holding down the shift key during boot-up (which turns off all extensions), using the Extensions Manager to create a minimal "Games" set of extensions and control panels, and turning off virtual memory.

EDIT: I just thought of one other thing. Older games and applications, which were written for the 680x0 processor family used in older Macs, will run in emulation (more slowly) on a Power Mac. After the introduction of the PowerPC, programs had to be recompiled to "native" PPC code to realize a speed benefit. This could be one reason for bad performance. However, Power Macs, even the slowest ones in emulation, should be as fast or faster than 68030-based Macs. The time between the introduction of the 68040 Macs and the Power Macs was short, and I'm not aware of any games that will run better on an 040 Mac than a Power Mac. You might look to see if you can find any updaters for your programs that add PPC support.


Anyhow, outside of the Bungie 3D titles (Marathon, Pathways into Darkness) which I hope will run decently on the system (have to check that out), what sort of Mac software do you all think I should buy for this thing? The OS is currently version 7.5.1.

I didn't have this model, but I did own a Power Mac during the time. Most 3D games from that time which do not require hardware acceleration support should work, although you may need to tweak the options (reduce screen size, turn off certain options, etc.). This includes games like Super Wing Commander, Doom, Hexen, Descent, Dark Forces, X-Wing, Mech Warrior II and so on. Games like Warcraft II, Civilization, and Diablo (the first one), the various Sim games (Sim City, Sim Ant, etc.) should also work. Many system requirements just say "Power Macintosh". I have some of the above games, so if you want the official system requirements off the box, please let me know.


That does remind me that Bungie made a sort of Gauntlet clone (I think) in the early 1990s...heh, whenever I think about good Mac games I end up going back to Bungie. Funny that :P

I think the game you're thinking of was called "Minotaur" or something like that. Two player head-to-head over a modem, where players in a maze try to kill each other using various items.


There's more out there like an atmospheric (and cheesy) platformer in black and white where you had to go through a dungeon, dodge swinging blades and stuff like that - can't remember the name of it.

I think this would be the Dark Castle series.


There's also a classic tank/FPS action game that I know was on the Mac; I don't remember the name but I know it's in one of my Nintendo Power magazines for the SNES release (which I would like to get).

Spectre or Spectre VR


Maybe I can find a compatible Ultima title as well.

Ultima III was released as shareware at some point, officially licensed. You should be able to download it from any place that has older Mac shareware. Another shareware game similar to Ultima was Exile, if I'm remembering right.

[Epicenter]

Don't worry, [Avara]'s not at all resource intensive. You can run it fairly well on a IIsi, with a 20 MHz 68030.

My IIsi chokes enough on it .. even when I had a 68040-40 upgrade card in there, overclocked to 48 MHz, it was slow.. Maybe I'm doing something wrong. Could be OS-related.. I was using 7.0.1 at the time. That or 7.5.3. Or it could just be a perspective thing, but it seemed pretty laggy for me, even on my 10mbps network connection.. plus whenever I got in a bloody server people would scream at me for lagging them because they were using 500 MHz G3's. Fuckin' whining bastards. :P also the endless exchanges like:

OK LEVELS?????????? ALL
BEZKR FURY
K
NO BZERKER SUX
STFU GO READY
READY
KOOLDUDE696969 GO READY!!!!!
STFU FAG!!!!!!!!! UGO READY

But I did love the game. I am a big fan of it, Wolf3D, Spectre Challenger, Glider Pro, Dark Seed and I like Bolo quite a bit too. Great stuff!

[Ed Oscuro]

Thanks for the heads-up on the name for Dark Castle, Cantaloup; that's something I couldn't have found out otherwise.

Also it looks like there's a possibility I can upgrade the machine to a 300MHz processor with p/n 661-1508, the logic board for Power Mac 6500s.

I never really messed around with Macs before but I managed to clean up the extensions folder (lots of duplicates and tons of printers listed) and some other stuff.

There's some wacky files in there the previous owner dumped and I'm trying to see if they're just for show or what. Sort of odd. I might post the details later.

I'm certainly going to make some floppies on my PC with some software upgrades and see if I can put them on the computer. I want to take a look at a piece of diagnostic software Apple posted on their service site.

I also managed to rebuild the desktop file. It's been years so I forgot the combination, but I finally just pressed down all the Control/Alt/Apple buttons at once, that did the trick :P

Also read how to zap the PRAM, which I'm not about to do. :P

Looks like I could easily invest a lot of money in this thing bringing it up to speed with a better mainboard, various software titles, and OS 8.1 (well, maybe OS 8.1).