Tex Murphy, DOSBox, and the Gravis UltraSound 16
I had just purchased my first PC after years of loving my Amiga. It was 1992, and after much pouring over the Sunday BestBuy inserts, I finally purchased. At over $3000, I received an IBM4019 laser printer, a 14″-ish monitor, and an IBM 486DX/33 PS/1 with 8MB of RAM (standard was 2 or maybe 4) and a 210MB hard drive. Naturally, this machine was preloaded with OS/2, and didn’t come with drivers for the printer (which was part of the package). And, as was common, there was no sound card. So, back to BestBuy I go…and based upon specs alone, I purchased a Gravis UltraSound. I was a clean slate–I had no knowledge or preconceptions about the PC sound card market of the time. I didn’t even realize how lame OS/2 2.1 was, either, I guess...
Tex Murphy Under a Killing Moon – DOSBox Guide (No CDs)
When last we met our hero, he was struggling in vain to hear the sweet jazz stylings of James Earl Jones as the Great Detective in the Sky. “Why, oh, why aren’t DOS legacy sound drivers a requirement of WQHL certification?” he lamented… I was working 3rd Shift (11:00pm to 7:00am) when I first saw Under a Killing Moon. And, as one might imagine, I had a great deal of spare time on my hands. A perfect situation for an adventure game that was fun, and most importantly, had serious plot-depth. I can even remember the PC Gaming articles, remarking that it was a game with chuztspa to recommend 4 CDROM drives and a 486DX/66 just to get the full experience. And really, it has only been out-paced by hardware in the last 4 or 5...
Tex Murphy Overseer Install Guide
I remember walking into my new Software Etc store in the late 90′s and wondering where it would all end. Who and how were they going to top this one? The box on the rack that contained Tex Murphy Overseer had a little, flashing, red light to highlight the box art. Right at the top of the building in picture was a miniature LED driven by a watch battery. Definitely eye-catching. And the MMX badge prominently displayed–it was Intel, in fact, that played a large role in financing this fifth entry into the Tex Murphy Universe. And if you read the interviews with Access muckity-mucks, the imposed development time-line necessary to get the game done at the same time the Pentium MMX processors shipped is somewhat to blame for Overseer’s rough...
Sunlight, on my shoulder, makes me happy…
I’ve updated the Sirius project with a new page of pictures. I have only two or three challenges to solve before I can finish it up. AND then, we’ll launch this puppy! Ok, five. Rail buttons–not really a challenge, I just have to order them. Motor retention clip. I think I can probably fabricate this…we’ll see. Upper shock cord attachment…I want to be able to change out the cords if one gets damaged. Parachute design–build or buy? Paint scheme–I have some ideas here. I’m teaching myself Blender, so I can work up some 3D models of the rocket. That way, I’ll be able to play with some of the color schemes I have in mind. And Blender is just awesome, btw. Oh, and the...
3 New Laws
How could I neglect three other semi-famous laws, those of Arthur C. Clarke. When a distinguished but elderly scientist states that something is possible, he is almost certainly right. When he states that something is impossible, he is very probably wrong. The only way to discover the limits of the possible is to go beyond them into the impossible. Any sufficiently advanced technology is indistinguishable from magic. In any case, if you are planning on backpacking through Europe, and I know you are, check out www.ebags.com for some great deals on packs. However, find one you like, then do a search on google or froogle for that model’s name. Sooner or later you will find a link back to ebags that plugs in a 10% discount. I got...
R is for Ray Bradbury
I started working on a short story based upon the work of Ray Bradbury about 10 years ago. I never could quite get the feel right…but now, I’ve finally finished it. Or abandoned it. There were alot of references that wanted to put in which simply would not fit, and there were a few that stayed in that I probably slighted. And then there are those few out-and-out blatant references. The funny thing is, I don’t even know how many there are now after so many years. Maybe you could tell me. It is entitled “Those Who Live by the Sword” and is posted on the main site. Please check it out and tell me what you...
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