Help us remember the name of a game!!!! Or perish!!

The Something Awful Forums > Discussion > Video Games > Help us remember the name of a game!!!! Or perish!!

Shady Amish Terror: Oct 11, 2007; I'm not Amish by choice. 8(

someone awful. posted:

sort of asking for my dad; between us both we can't remember what the heck this game was called. he played it a ton in the 90s, it was a turn-based strategy map game kind of thing, with online multiplayer -- i'm pretty sure it was play-by-email and games would go for multiple days. it was historical i think (like, as opposed to fantasy/scifi i mean -- i remember there were tanks) i'm pretty sure it was a free game he downloaded, and not something he bought. iirc the graphics were a little primitive, or at least 2d/flat.

i know this is barely anything to go off of. i was pretty young.

Understandable, but do any other details come to mind? Play-by-email was intensely popular throughout the 80's and 90's, and while it's not difficult to pull up listings of PBeM games from devotees then and now, I believe from scant memory and perusing a couple such lists that there are probably literally dozens of military sims that might fit the description of turn-based, simple graphics, and having tanks. I'm assuming a DOS or Windows system?

Fake edit for context:
Here's a small list of a handful of abandonware PBM titles that have thumbnail previews which might help to at least contextualize the spread of options. https://www.abandonwaredos.com/abandonware-list.php?tp=1&kword=318
Do any of those at least capture the general vibe?

Meanwhile, a late 90's text fanzine, unchanged from the pre-WWW days, had a list of over 200 fairly popular PBM games with about 20 of them being directly war strategy games, and wikipedia has a list of PBM games...that's in the low thousands, I think. Dads playing war by e-mail was pretty popular for a couple of decades.

# ? Jan 21, 2024 09:24

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# ? Apr 27, 2024 12:23

BaronVanAwesome: Sep 11, 2001; I will never learn the secrets of "Increased fake female boar sp..."

Never say never, buddy.
Now you know.
Now we all know.

someone awful. posted:

sort of asking for my dad; between us both we can't remember what the heck this game was called. he played it a ton in the 90s, it was a turn-based strategy map game kind of thing, with online multiplayer -- i'm pretty sure it was play-by-email and games would go for multiple days. it was historical i think (like, as opposed to fantasy/scifi i mean -- i remember there were tanks) i'm pretty sure it was a free game he downloaded, and not something he bought. iirc the graphics were a little primitive, or at least 2d/flat.

i know this is barely anything to go off of. i was pretty young.

Pretty sure I�ve posted this guess a couple times successfully before, I think you played Metal Knights/NetMetal.

https://metalknights.com/TheGame.html

# ? Jan 21, 2024 09:45

RVT: Nov 5, 2003

There was an American civil war game my dad played, mid, maybe early 90s. In my mind it was grayscale, but maybe it was in color and that's how poo poo the computer/laptop monitor was.

You could play as either the Union or the Confederates, and it was a risk type system, you built up your armies then moved them into an enemy, maybe on a node type map and the battle results were generated based on your army size and the one you attacked.

I can't remember much else, other than I think they had the real generals leading the various armies, Robert E Lee, and Sherman, Grant et al were all in the game.

# ? Jan 21, 2024 10:44

someone awful.: Sep 7, 2007

oh my god it was Metal Knights. Thank you so much, this was going to bug me for a million years.

# ? Jan 21, 2024 10:45

westborn: Feb 25, 2010

RVT posted:

You could play as either the Union or the Confederates, and it was a risk type system, you built up your armies then moved them into an enemy, maybe on a node type map and the battle results were generated based on your army size and the one you attacked.

Just getting the obvious North & South out of the way.

# ? Jan 21, 2024 19:04

Pulsarcat: Feb 7, 2012

This was a browser game.

You play as stickmen and you chose a class at the start and you went through levels fighting guys.

I think it had RPG elements and if I remember right one of the classes had a halo it could toss at enemies.

# ? Jan 22, 2024 01:29

CrazySalamander: Nov 5, 2009

Pulsarcat posted:

This was a browser game.

You play as stickmen and you chose a class at the start and you went through levels fighting guys.

I think it had RPG elements and if I remember right one of the classes had a halo it could toss at enemies.

Probably kingdom of loathing.

# ? Jan 22, 2024 01:38

Shady Amish Terror: Oct 11, 2007; I'm not Amish by choice. 8(

BaronVanAwesome posted:

Pretty sure I�ve posted this guess a couple times successfully before, I think you played Metal Knights/NetMetal.

someone awful. posted:

oh my god it was Metal Knights. Thank you so much, this was going to bug me for a million years.

Amazing called shot.

# ? Jan 22, 2024 06:03

credburn: Jun 22, 2016

We used to live across the street from this grocery store that had a selection of NES games that one could rent for two bucks each, which happened to be my allowance! So every weekend I'd go across the street and rent a game. Games like Rad, Two Rude Dudes, Wall Street Kid, and other just awful goddamn games. There was one I remember accidentally renting several times, fooled each time by the box art or the cool name or something.

All I remember from it, was that it was an NES game, top-down, probably a strategy game. I think it took place in a desert? I seem to think it was a desert, because of all the yellow. I think it was turn-based. I seem to recall seeing things that I could identify were walls. Pretty sure it was on a grid. I think you could maybe identify rivers and bridges? Sort of maybe like a Fire Emblem kind of look. But it was very complex for little 6 or 7 year-old credburn. I don't think I ever even figured out how to play. But I really wish I could figure out what this game was, just so I could play it and find out what it was even about.

# ? Jan 22, 2024 07:08

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credburn posted:

We used to live across the street from this grocery store that had a selection of NES games that one could rent for two bucks each, which happened to be my allowance! So every weekend I'd go across the street and rent a game. Games like Rad, Two Rude Dudes, Wall Street Kid, and other just awful goddamn games. There was one I remember accidentally renting several times, fooled each time by the box art or the cool name or something.

All I remember from it, was that it was an NES game, top-down, probably a strategy game. I think it took place in a desert? I seem to think it was a desert, because of all the yellow. I think it was turn-based. I seem to recall seeing things that I could identify were walls. Pretty sure it was on a grid. I think you could maybe identify rivers and bridges? Sort of maybe like a Fire Emblem kind of look. But it was very complex for little 6 or 7 year-old credburn. I don't think I ever even figured out how to play. But I really wish I could figure out what this game was, just so I could play it and find out what it was even about.

Perhaps Romance Of The Three Kingdoms or Nobunaga's Ambition?

# ? Jan 22, 2024 07:40

Mierenneuker: Apr 28, 2010; We're all going to experience changes in our life but only the best of us will qualify for front row seats.

There also is a Gengis Khan game by Koei that was released in North America.

The most straightforward answer for this query however is Desert Commander. It is Advance Wars style, offering turn-based strategy on a square grid.

An alternate suggestion is Conflict, but that is hex-based. I think that one hits the "cool boxart" scenario more.

Mierenneuker fucked around with this message at 09:46 on Jan 22, 2024

# ? Jan 22, 2024 09:01

Jinkeez: Dec 31, 2008

credburn posted:

All I remember from it, was that it was an NES game, top-down, probably a strategy game. I think it took place in a desert? I seem to think it was a desert, because of all the yellow. I think it was turn-based. I seem to recall seeing things that I could identify were walls. Pretty sure it was on a grid. I think you could maybe identify rivers and bridges? Sort of maybe like a Fire Emblem kind of look. But it was very complex for little 6 or 7 year-old credburn. I don't think I ever even figured out how to play. But I really wish I could figure out what this game was, just so I could play it and find out what it was even about.

Maybe Desert Commander? It was pretty yellow-looking and turn-based.

# ? Jan 22, 2024 11:10

credburn: Jun 22, 2016

Thanks for the help, gang!

I think the game must have been Desert Commander. In my blurry hazy memory, I don't recall there being modern combat units like tanks and such, but the color palette is definitely what was in my mind, and the rest of it looks like what I was talking about. And it looks like a game that would have excited 7 year-old-me until I started playing it and realized how complicated it gets.

# ? Jan 22, 2024 21:17

Hannibal Rex: Feb 13, 2010

someone awful. posted:

sort of asking for my dad; between us both we can't remember what the heck this game was called. he played it a ton in the 90s, it was a turn-based strategy map game kind of thing, with online multiplayer -- i'm pretty sure it was play-by-email and games would go for multiple days. it was historical i think (like, as opposed to fantasy/scifi i mean -- i remember there were tanks) i'm pretty sure it was a free game he downloaded, and not something he bought. iirc the graphics were a little primitive, or at least 2d/flat.

Warlords 2 Deluxe had a whole lot of different maps, some of which had modern units (that looked primitive.)

# ? Jan 24, 2024 22:28

WHY BONER NOW: Mar 6, 2016; Pillbug

I'm thinking of a 3d platformer. Only thing I can remember is you could grab horizontal poles and swing on them, all the way around, doing loops around the pole, and launch yourself to the next platform by pressing a direction and hitting jump. But if you were swinging and decided to jump the other direction, you'd press in the opposite direction and the character would stop their swing at the top so they were basically doing a handstand on the pole, then switch their hand positions so their body turned to face the correct direction.

This feels like it has to be a prince of Persia game but I'm not sure

# ? Feb 6, 2024 18:45

Sakurazuka: Jan 24, 2004; NANI?

Pretty much any semi-modern game with swinging on poles likely did that, including PoP Sands of Time and onwards.

# ? Feb 6, 2024 18:55

WHY BONER NOW: Mar 6, 2016; Pillbug

Yeah that seems likely. I recall it being a cool noteworthy detail in the game I played, it was novel at the time

# ? Feb 6, 2024 19:05

Sakurazuka: Jan 24, 2004; NANI?

I feel like the original Tomb Raider games did it when that sort of attention to detail in animation would still have been notable.

# ? Feb 6, 2024 19:10

WHY BONER NOW: Mar 6, 2016; Pillbug

Thats a good lead, thanks. Off to youtube

# ? Feb 6, 2024 19:22

Squiggly Beast: Apr 29, 2009; _orksorksOrksORKS!; Gravy Boat 2k

WHY BONER NOW posted:

I'm thinking of a 3d platformer. Only thing I can remember is you could grab horizontal poles and swing on them, all the way around, doing loops around the pole, and launch yourself to the next platform by pressing a direction and hitting jump. But if you were swinging and decided to jump the other direction, you'd press in the opposite direction and the character would stop their swing at the top so they were basically doing a handstand on the pole, then switch their hand positions so their body turned to face the correct direction.

This feels like it has to be a prince of Persia game but I'm not sure

Psychonauts I'm guessing. I recall Raz having lovingly-detailed animations for swinging around, since he's a trapeze artist after all.

# ? Feb 6, 2024 19:52

Mak0rz: Aug 2, 2008; 😎🐗🚬

WHY BONER NOW posted:

I'm thinking of a 3d platformer. Only thing I can remember is you could grab horizontal poles and swing on them, all the way around, doing loops around the pole, and launch yourself to the next platform by pressing a direction and hitting jump. But if you were swinging and decided to jump the other direction, you'd press in the opposite direction and the character would stop their swing at the top so they were basically doing a handstand on the pole, then switch their hand positions so their body turned to face the correct direction.

This feels like it has to be a prince of Persia game but I'm not sure

Seconding Tomb Raider. Sounds like it could be Legends?

# ? Feb 6, 2024 19:59

Velocity Raptor: Jul 27, 2007; I MADE A PROMISE
I'LL DO ANYTHING

Nthing that it's probably one of the classic Tomb Raiders you're thinking of (Maybe Legends?)

(ignore the text, I made the gif from a really annoying short I found on youtube)

# ? Feb 6, 2024 20:20

FutureCop: Jun 7, 2011; Have you heard of Fermat's principle?

WHY BONER NOW posted:

I'm thinking of a 3d platformer. Only thing I can remember is you could grab horizontal poles and swing on them, all the way around, doing loops around the pole, and launch yourself to the next platform by pressing a direction and hitting jump. But if you were swinging and decided to jump the other direction, you'd press in the opposite direction and the character would stop their swing at the top so they were basically doing a handstand on the pole, then switch their hand positions so their body turned to face the correct direction.

This feels like it has to be a prince of Persia game but I'm not sure

I think you're already on the money: I'm like 99% sure you're talking about Prince of Persia The Sands of Time.

# ? Feb 6, 2024 20:25

Pneub: Mar 12, 2007; I'M THE DEVIL, AND I WILL WASH OVER THE EARTH AND THE SEAS WILL RUN RED WITH THE BLOOD OF ALL THE SINNERS

I AM REBORN

It's probably not Sonic Unleashed, but it would be funny if you were thinking of Sonic Unleashed.

# ? Feb 7, 2024 01:47

WHY BONER NOW: Mar 6, 2016; Pillbug

Thanks for the suggestions, guys. I don't think it's Tomb Raider, seeing the gif. I have a feeling it really was Prince of Persia Sands of Time (the more I think about it, the more I'm sure it was Gamecube era). I checked a few youtubes, and the aesthetic and sound is in line with my memory, but I didn't find a video where the player actually did the thing I'm describing. Rather than look for that needle in a haystack, I'm willing to accept it was PoP

# ? Feb 7, 2024 02:55

Rupert Buttermilk: Apr 15, 2007; 🚣RowboatMan: ❄️Freezing time🕰️ is an old P.I. 🥧trick...

I'm assuming it's not Montezuma's Return?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GyyYih9zHz8

# ? Feb 7, 2024 03:21

FutureCop: Jun 7, 2011; Have you heard of Fermat's principle?

WHY BONER NOW posted:

Thanks for the suggestions, guys. I don't think it's Tomb Raider, seeing the gif. I have a feeling it really was Prince of Persia Sands of Time (the more I think about it, the more I'm sure it was Gamecube era). I checked a few youtubes, and the aesthetic and sound is in line with my memory, but I didn't find a video where the player actually did the thing I'm describing. Rather than look for that needle in a haystack, I'm willing to accept it was PoP

Found it in Prince of Persia Sands of Time, check out this video around 1:39:10 for an example https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JzbEWbEzKyA

# ? Feb 7, 2024 04:08

WHY BONER NOW: Mar 6, 2016; Pillbug

FutureCop posted:

Found it in Prince of Persia Sands of Time, check out this video around 1:39:10 for an example https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JzbEWbEzKyA

holy poo poo man, how did you have the patience to find that??

Having said that... :negative:

the game I'm thinking of has the character move one hand closer to the other, then crossing the second hand over the first and twisting their body. I remember a distinct pat-pat sound of the hands hitting the bar one after the other. The prince in this video does a hop and twist to change position.

Thank you for finding this...I can cross PoP SoT off the list. But seriously, this is a needle in a haystack, please don't waste any more of your time on this. I appreciate the effort :unsmith:

# ? Feb 7, 2024 04:16

FutureCop: Jun 7, 2011; Have you heard of Fermat's principle?

WHY BONER NOW posted:

holy poo poo man, how did you have the patience to find that??

Having said that... the game I'm thinking of has the character move one hand closer to the other, then crossing the second hand over the first and twisting their body. I remember a distinct pat-pat sound of the hands hitting the bar one after the other. The prince in this video does a hop and twist to change position.

Thank you for finding this...I can cross PoP SoT off the list. But seriously, this is a needle in a haystack, please don't waste any more of your time on this. I appreciate the effort

Haha, don't worry, I wasn't searching that long! I was surprised how lucky I got just randomly scanning, and it was fun. Surprised that's not it, though, wonder what it could be...

# ? Feb 7, 2024 06:25

Pierzak: Oct 30, 2010

What was that point&click adventure game where you had a computer that was a blob of blue goo that you had to use to hack someone's brain at one point?

# ? Feb 7, 2024 12:39

Two Owls: Sep 17, 2016; Yeah, count me in

Technobabylon?

# ? Feb 7, 2024 14:01

Hwurmp: May 20, 2005

Pierzak posted:

What was that point&click adventure game where you had a computer that was a blob of blue goo that you had to use to hack someone's brain at one point?

MO:Astray is a sidescrolling platformer where your character is a blob of blue goo that hacks people's brains

# ? Feb 7, 2024 14:04

Pierzak: Oct 30, 2010

Two Owls posted:

Technobabylon?

Pretty sure it was this, thanks.

Hwurmp posted:

MO:Astray is a sidescrolling platformer where your character is a blob of blue goo that hacks people's brains

This, however, is definitely not it but does look interesting and I'll take it as an unexpected windfall rec.

# ? Feb 7, 2024 14:11

Xenomrph: Dec 9, 2005; AvP Nerd/Fanboy/Shill

I�m trying to remember a game I played circa 1995 (although I�m not sure what year it came out). I think it was a puzzle game along the lines of Pipe Dream/Pipe Mania, but I remember the aesthetic being, like, dark and creepy? I�m not sure how else to describe it. I think it had bubbling tanks of liquid off to one side.

# ? Feb 13, 2024 20:34

Genpei Turtle: Jul 20, 2007

Xenomrph posted:

I�m trying to remember a game I played circa 1995 (although I�m not sure what year it came out). I think it was a puzzle game along the lines of Pipe Dream/Pipe Mania, but I remember the aesthetic being, like, dark and creepy? I�m not sure how else to describe it. I think it had bubbling tanks of liquid off to one side.

Could it be Troubled Souls for Mac? A pipe-related puzzle game from about that time with a dark and creepy atmosphere. It had tanks off to the side representing your life but with beating hearts in them, not bubbling liquid though.

Genpei Turtle fucked around with this message at 20:42 on Feb 13, 2024

# ? Feb 13, 2024 20:37

Velocity Raptor: Jul 27, 2007; I MADE A PROMISE
I'LL DO ANYTHING

Xenomrph posted:

I�m trying to remember a game I played circa 1995 (although I�m not sure what year it came out). I think it was a puzzle game along the lines of Pipe Dream/Pipe Mania, but I remember the aesthetic being, like, dark and creepy? I�m not sure how else to describe it. I think it had bubbling tanks of liquid off to one side.

There's a genesis game from 1990 called Junction that kinda sounds like what you're describing. You moved tiles with grooves on them to allow a ball to navigate and cross over all the "wings" on the board. There was also a weird 3d reverse drip thingy in the bottom right corner.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y7FORTv6woU&t=160s

# ? Feb 13, 2024 20:40

Xenomrph: Dec 9, 2005; AvP Nerd/Fanboy/Shill

Genpei Turtle posted:

Could it be Troubled Souls for Mac? A pipe-related puzzle game from about that time with a dark and creepy atmosphere. It had tanks off to the side representing your life but with beating hearts in them, not bubbling liquid though.

I think this might be it! Thanks!

The gameplay you linked didn�t seem to show tanks with beating hearts, though.

# ? Feb 13, 2024 20:53

Paying2Lurk: Sep 15, 2023; I'd take a bullet
for a bud any day.

WHY BONER NOW posted:

holy poo poo man, how did you have the patience to find that??

Having said that... the game I'm thinking of has the character move one hand closer to the other, then crossing the second hand over the first and twisting their body. I remember a distinct pat-pat sound of the hands hitting the bar one after the other. The prince in this video does a hop and twist to change position.

Thank you for finding this...I can cross PoP SoT off the list. But seriously, this is a needle in a haystack, please don't waste any more of your time on this. I appreciate the effort

Total shot in the dark, but maybe the Catwoman game? This video should be timestamped to where she's swinging on a pole.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VucjsV5k8Cs&t=1081s

Other possibilities: Pitfall 3D or Pitfall The Lost Expedition. Either of the Kid Chameleon games.

# ? Feb 13, 2024 21:05

Genpei Turtle: Jul 20, 2007

Xenomrph posted:

I think this might be it! Thanks!

The gameplay you linked didn�t seem to show tanks with beating hearts, though.

It�s actually there to the right of the screen now that I check it�they�re being held by hands. More like a test tube though now that I see it again.

# ? Feb 14, 2024 00:39

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# ? Apr 27, 2024 12:23

WHY BONER NOW: Mar 6, 2016; Pillbug

Paying2Lurk posted:

Total shot in the dark, but maybe the Catwoman game? This video should be timestamped to where she's swinging on a pole.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VucjsV5k8Cs&t=1081s

Other possibilities: Pitfall 3D or Pitfall The Lost Expedition. Either of the Kid Chameleon games.

Unfortunately I've never played any of the games you mentioned, and checking youtube confirms they aren't what I'm looking for. I have to admit, the catwoman animations are kinda cool--I love how she swings up and perches on the pole.

Thanks for trying :shobon:

# ? Feb 14, 2024 00:49

The Something Awful Forums > Discussion > Video Games > Help us remember the name of a game!!!! Or perish!!

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