3 ms·

A part of me still feels like I could still jump right in, like it would be the most natural thing for me to quickly juggle around some config.sys and autoexec.

by usrusr 3y ago

A part of me still feels like I could still jump right in, like it would be the most natural thing for me to quickly juggle around some config.sys and autoexec.bat lines to get that balancing act between conventional and extended right for a given game. Iirc for wing commander the amount of one or the other was even key to adjusting simulation speed relative to CPU, more memory allowing more debris particles, slowing down in-game time? The other part of me is fully aware that I have forgotten just about everything, even the filename of config.sys was only resurfaced by other posts here.

saulpw 3y ago
I'm guessing you were between the age of 10-20 at that time? Whatever tech minutiae you learned as a tween/teenager will be with you the rest of your life. I still can code in real-mode x86 assembly even though I haven't done so in years. That said, the other reason you could still jump right in, is that these systems were accessible. Small enough to be understandable by a child's brain, a couple of text files you edited by hand, tinkering among a small number of parameters each of which you could test within a few minutes at most, so that worst case you spent a day dinking around with your setup. And without the distractions of the internet or thousands of free ad-supported dopamine pumps to displace your main purpose of getting this game to work. Contrast this with today: you buy a game on Steam for $30, it doesn't work. What do you do? You have to search the internet or go to the forums, and try any number of random things that are in no way contained or enumerable and the knowledge isn't transferable. Our systems are 100x bigger than any single person can conceivably know.
- RandomGuy456 3y ago
  I totally agree! I was 15 years old at that time. Just edit and reboot until the game run the way I like it. No internet, no distraction. As much a phone call (line phone) to a friend to discuss possible configurations. Golden days!
- usrusr 3y ago
  Second paragraph is gold, both parts. First unfortunately not true (the rest of your life part, not the numbers)
nwellinghoff 3y ago
I am pretty confident you and I could do it with no manual and just vibes. The satisfaction when you got it all running and star control II finally ran is perm burned into my base brain programming.

by usrusr 3y ago

saulpw 3y ago

I'm guessing you were between the age of 10-20 at that time? Whatever tech minutiae you learned as a tween/teenager will be with you the rest of your life. I still can code in real-mode x86 assembly even though I haven't done so in years. That said, the other reason you could still jump right in, is that these systems were accessible. Small enough to be understandable by a child's brain, a couple of text files you edited by hand, tinkering among a small number of parameters each of which you could test within a few minutes at most, so that worst case you spent a day dinking around with your setup. And without the distractions of the internet or thousands of free ad-supported dopamine pumps to displace your main purpose of getting this game to work. Contrast this with today: you buy a game on Steam for $30, it doesn't work. What do you do? You have to search the internet or go to the forums, and try any number of random things that are in no way contained or enumerable and the knowledge isn't transferable. Our systems are 100x bigger than any single person can conceivably know.

RandomGuy456 3y ago
I totally agree! I was 15 years old at that time. Just edit and reboot until the game run the way I like it. No internet, no distraction. As much a phone call (line phone) to a friend to discuss possible configurations. Golden days!
usrusr 3y ago
Second paragraph is gold, both parts. First unfortunately not true (the rest of your life part, not the numbers)

nwellinghoff 3y ago

I am pretty confident you and I could do it with no manual and just vibes. The satisfaction when you got it all running and star control II finally ran is perm burned into my base brain programming.