Mirkwood BBS

I had my own BBS once. A long time ago. It was in the tradition of Lothlorien BBS, where people can come to exchange views. It was started with the aim of continuing the good tradition of Lothlorien, but somehow, it was started when the time of BBSs was at an end. It was the beginning of the age of Internet. Thus, Mirkwood never really did take off.

It was a dabble in setting up and running my own BBS. Together with my brother, we set up RemoteAccess (check out what Wikipedia has on this) as the BBS software, and installed the BlueWave maildoor to enable offline mail reading. My brother did the ANSI graphics for the BBS, since he was good in art. The BBS was open to only our friends, since it was still in an experimental stage and still doing a lot of testing. But before it took off, most people had lost interest in BBSs and were moving on to the Internet. And thus, Mirkwood died from neglect.

All that was more than 10 years ago. The ANSI graphics for Mirkwood has since been lost, as the old computer which Mirkwood resided on was discarded... or is it still lying somewhere?

DOSBox

DOSBox (see Wikipedia for more info) is a x86 emulator with DOS. It allows people to run their old DOS programs and games on their new operation systems, including Linux, Windows XP and Mac OS. For those who do not know what DOS is, you probably won't be interested in DOSBox. But for those who remember the days of typing "dir" and "cls", DOSBox allows you to relive those old memories.

DOSBox is compatible with many older DOS games. Check out the DOSBox page for a list of games and their compatibility with DOSBox. For myself, I had no trouble running the old Koei games, such as Romance of the Three Kingdoms 2 and Uncharted Waters, on DOSBox. Games like Dune 2, Warlords, Daggerfall and Eye of the Beholder ran well too.

Installing DOSBox is easy. Just download the correct version for your OS, install it as you would any other software. You may need to use a text editor to change some of the settings for your DOSBox configuration file, though. What usually needs to be changed is the settings for CPU cycles, sound and graphics. There are some DOSBox GUI frontends out there, you can find out more about them from the DOSBox download page.

My Linux Journey

I started using Linux back in 1999. This was back in my university days, when I was a computer science student and looking around for a good programming environment. Linux offered me a no-frills environment for C programming. I had tried to look for a free C programming tool on Windows, being the poor university student. Sad to say, most Windows C programming tools require you to install this and that and if you wanted GUI, it gets even more complicated.

Linux? Linux comes with a C programming environment in-built. GUI? I was spoilt for choices. I could of course stick with the basic X Windows. There was TK and TCL. KDE was available too, though it wasn't 100% open source. GNOME, using GTK, was yet another choice. Since most of these came as part of the standard Linux distribution, I didn't really need to download and install them separately. All I had to do was install them as part of the initial set-up.

My first Linux distribution was Debian. It sounded all so powerful and mighty back then. Back in 1999, installing Linux on a laptop was a pain. Hardware support for laptops was lacking, and getting X Windows to work was a challenge. But I managed to do it anyway, playing with configuration files and spending hours troubleshooting. However, I soon hit a wall with Debian. It was language support. Being in Japan at that time, I needed Japanese language support, which somehow I was unable to get to work with Debian.

In the end, I installed a Japanese version of Turbolinux. It offered me language support, and at the same time still providing the basic Linux programming environment that I needed. Gaming support was primitive, as Wine wasn't working that well yet, but I was not a game person anymore at that time, since I was busy studying! It was also at this time that I switched to playing MUDs, which worked well enough on Tintin++ running in a terminal window. Limitations with Wine meant that I couldn't run MS Office, though, and thus I started looking for an alternative. I came across StarOffice, which later became OpenOffice.org.

By the time I finished my university studies, I had become a Linux person. I no longer needed native Japanese language support, so I started to look for something else. And found Fedora Core. It had the things I was looking for. The in-built programming environment. The GUI (GNOME and KDE are both available). OpenOffice.org was there, and I needed it since most of the people at work still used MS Office. Support for running Windows games was still laggy, but I didn't play much games by then. Instead, I switched to playing old DOS games on DOSBox, which ran well in Fedora Core.

Over the years, installing Linux has become easier. My first installation of Linux back in 1999 required me to do manual partitioning of my harddisk, and some tweaking to allow dual-booting of Linux and Windows. Running on a laptop, I had to configure X Windows manually too. Now, Fedora Core allows you to partition your harddisk during installation and set up dual-booting easily. X Windows can easily be configured for desktops and laptops without having to go down to writing your own configuration files. Upgrading software is as easy as running yum. And upgrading the whole distribution is easy too. Just boot up using the new distribution CD-ROM or DVD, and select the upgrade option.

For those who think that Linux belongs to the geeks, think again. The geeks have made Linux so easy to use, the average home user no longer has any challenges installing and using Linux at home. And best of all, Linux is free!

Old Games Blogs

Some sites and blogs related to old games:

tungwaiyip.info
Hypercubed Blog
Gamener
The Games of my Life
71/78: A Gamer's Blog
DOSBox (The ultimate open source software for running DOS games)
The Good Old Days
Abandonia
http://www.alex-soft.net/
Justin's site on games
Virtual PC's Guy Weblog (Virtual PC can be used to run DOS games)

Romance of the Three Kingdoms 2

Today I shall talk about this great game that I played for a year. A friend of mine lent me this game, and I ended up hogging on to it for a year before returning it. Romance of the Three Kingdoms 2 (aka RTK2) was my first Koei game. Like other Koei games, it was turn-based. It involved building up the civil resources of your state. It required you to train your armies. You needed to recruit able people to lead your armies and help you administer your states. You go into battles to gain more territory. The ultimate aim was to conquer all the states and become the next Emperor of China.

The game was set in the later period of the Eastern Han dynasty of ancient China, around the period known as the Three Kingdoms period. The Eastern Han dynasty was falling, and warlords started to rise and claim territories for themselves, as they proceeded to war against each other in the name of "bringing peace to the country in the name of the Emperor". But what they were really after was the throne. In the game, you start out as a warlord with some generals under you and a piece of territory. Through good administration and skill in warfare, you will slowly gain more territory as you expand into empty states or conquer those of other warlords. Diplomacy allows you to form alliances with other warlords, but alliances are as easily broken as they are made.

San Guo Zhi 三国志 is the historical work that documents this period. Romance of the Three Kingdoms (aka San Guo Yan Yi 三国演义) is actually the title of a book written by Luo Guanzhong 罗贯中, a Ming dynasty author. His work is a novel based on the historical events of the period. As with Dune 2 and Flight of the Intruder, I ended up reading the book too, my interest in the Three Kingdoms period now stirred up by the game.

Some sites related to RTK:
Romancing Cathay (information on Three Kingdoms period and related games)
Kurakat's blog (plays RTK series)
D_luaz's blog (has a review on RTK2 and Dune 2)
Kongming's Archives (lots of stuff relating to RTK series of games)
Romance of the Three Kingdoms Frontier

New Car! Part 2

Yesterday, I came back home to see my neighbour washing his car. It immediately warranted a closer look. New car! I had just booked a new car (Honda Airwave) the day before, and here was my neighbour, washing his brand new gold colour Jaguar! When would I even afford something like that?

At work today, a colleague of mine was asking around about cars too. Seems like he is interested in getting a new Honda Accord to replace his Beetle. Its either the bonus, or the still-low COE prices. Car dealers must be enjoying themselves now.

New Car!

Just booked a new car from Hua Yang yesterday, a silver colour Honda Airwave 1.5G with skyroof. Heard from my friend that Hua Yang is a bit expensive, and the price they offered me for my existing Vios is not that great either, but in the end, I decided to book the car due to their reputation and long history. I am expecting to get my new car by the end of Jan 2007, so be on the lookout for a car review then!

Blue Wave Offline Mail Reader

A special note needs to be made here to this wonderful software. Blue Wave was one of the more popular offline mail readers used in Singapore back during the days of BBSes, before the Internet gained popularity. A BBS would configure a Blue Wave mail door for users to access. Through the mail door, users were able to select the discussion boards that they wish to download, including filters, etc. The mail door would then compile the mails into a mail packet for download.

Once the mail packet has been downloaded, the user can then read the mails and reply to them offline using the Blue Wave offline mail reader. Replies can be crafted and consolidated into a reply mail packet. This packet is uploaded to the BBS through the Blue Wave mail door.

The offline mail system meant that users do not need to stay online to read and reply their mail. For BBSes which had large mail traffic and limited phone lines (most BBSes operated only one phone line for remote access), Blue Wave allowed more users to exchange mail as users no longer need to hog the precious phone line to read and reply. It allowed BBSes like Lothlorien BBS to see mail traffic averaging 150 to 200 mails daily with a single dedicated phone line.

Sad to say, with the rise of the Internet, the mail door and offline mailer has lost its grounds, but the Blue Wave graphic shall remain part of the fond memories I have of my teenage years.

(Image source)
 

 

Lothlorien BBS

I was surfing the Net yesterday, and was wondering about this BBS that I used to frequent back in the 90s, when BBSes were in and the Internet belonged to the universities. I found, to my surprise, that someone has decided to set up a forum to try and revive the old Lothlorien BBS. This new Lothlorien BBS can be found here.

The old Lothlorien BBS was run by a sysop going by the handle of Celeborn. In real life, I think his name was Marc Tan. It was a very different BBS from the rest in Singapore during its time. Most other BBSes focused on exchange of files, with upload and download ratios. Others focused on door games, such as Legend of the Red Dragon (aka LORD) and Barren Realms Elite (BRE). Lothlorien was different. It focused on people and their thoughts. People were known by their handles (aka aliases) such as Darkness, Midnight, Cipher, Modeus and Prim & Proper. There was a main discussion section, where everyone can read the messages that someone wrote to someone else. There was another private mail section known as Les Liaisons Dangereux (LLD in short) for times when you didn't want others to see you messages to one another. The syspop Celeborn had his own section too, and Cipher had her own too. There were a few door games, but most people logged in for the mails, not the door games.

At its peak, Lothlorien BBS (affectionately known as Lothy) had more than 300 mails a day in the main discussion area. On an average day, there would be 150 to 200 mails a day. Most of us would log in, download the mail packets, and read them offline with an offline mail reader such as BlueWave. With 300 mails, it takes around 3 hours to go through the mails and reply to those that interest you. Topics were varied; everything under the sun was discussed. For a teenager that I was then, Lothy introduced me to people from all walks of life, people whom I would otherwise not meet had I stayed in my little well. It allowed me to learn the viewpoints of others, to learn the fact that everyone has their own opinions. No one is always right, and in most cases, no one is ever right or wrong. The denizens of Lothlorien also had gatherings, where we were able to put a face to a name. It was through them that I learnt about the card game Magic: The Gathering.

Lothy started to go down with the rest of the BBSes when the Internet became more popular. With Singnet offering connection to the Internet, more and more online users started migrating from BBSes to the Internet.

I have yet to really join in at the new Lothlorien BBS, but it lacks the familiar feel of the old Lothy. Maybe it is because the discussion areas are not named the same. Maybe it is because the user base is not the same. I don't know. Lothy was to me a great board, one that deserves to be remembered as one of the fond memories of teenage years. I really miss the trees of Lothlorien.

Flight of the Intruder

This game was based on the novel by the same name written by Stephen Coonts. The story is set during the Vietnam War. It is a flight simulation that allowed you to fly A-6 and F-4 off a carrier for missions over the Gulf of Tonkin and into Vietnam. It was my very first flight simulation game, and I had many hours of fun flying the various missions and trying out different weapon loads. It got me interested in flight simulations, not the hardcore type of flight simulations based on very detailed flight models, but rather the average flight simulation that balances reality with gameplay.

It also introduced to me the author Stephen Coonts and his series of books, with the main character Jake Grafton. I went on to read every Jake Grafton novel, and have in my collection every novel written by Stephen Coonts. Talk about the positive effect that games can have. Playing games got me more interested in reading books.

So for those parents who worry that your children are not reading enough, it is time to introduce them to computer games! But off course, find those games that have some links with books.

Sword of the Samurai

This great game by Micropose brings RPG, strategy and action into one game. You play the game as a young samurai, get married, have children who will succeed you. You get to go to war against rebels and rivals, which brings in the strategy aspect of the game. You get to duel with Japanese swords, and also go against multiple opponents with sword and bow. The game was great because you get to play different genres in one game. There is a role-playing element. The battles fought require some use of strategy. And the duels and melees bring action. And all the while, you are advancing through the ranks, gaining more troops, progressing towards you eventual goal of becoming the Shogun.

 

Update 10 December 2022: Oh my!!! This game is actually available on Steam!

Sunset over Singapore City

Taken while fishing at Bedok Jetty

Dune 2 - The Building of a Dynasty

Anyone remembers Dune 2?

While most people will remember Command & Conquer as the hit real-time strategy PC game, not as many will remember Dune 2, which was actually the granddad of RTS games. Based on the sci-fi world created by Frank Herbert for his Dune series of novels, the player gets to play as one of the three Houses, Atreides, Harkonnen or Ordos. Each House comes with similar basic units, and special units peculiar to each House. The standard units of foot soldier/infantry, fast scout, tank and resource gatherer have made it in one form or another into future RTS games. The basic concept was simple: gather resources, build up a base, create an army, destroy the opponent's army and base. Sounds familiar?

I got so hooked to the game, I used to play 10 hours straight during the weekends. I was still a student then, else I would have been playing 10 hours straight on weekdays too. The result? My CRT monitor decided it had enough abuse, and burnt out on me. But that didn't stop me. I took out an older CRT monitor (from a previous computer) and continued to play.

The game got me interested in the world of Dune. I went on to read the whole Dune series by Frank Herbert, all six books. The interest in Dune did not stop there. When Frank Herbert's son Brian decided to expand on the world created by his father, I read the books written by him and Kevin J. Anderson. It was a computer game that drew me into the intriguing world of Dune.

New Blogs!

I have decided to move my entries on fishing and taiji away from this blog. This will make my blogs more focused, each will be around a central theme. Do check out my thoughts on taijiquan at "My Taiji Journal" and my experiences in learning to fish at "Learning to Fish in Singapore".

As one grows older...

Today, I went to extract my wisdom teeth. Yes, all four of them, both lower and upper. This is an operation that needs to be performed under GA at day surgery.So I woke up early and hungry (had to fast since last night) and made my way to the hospital. I had to wait a while for the dentist to arrive. But once wheeled into the operating theatre, things happened real fast. After being told to take a few deep breaths, I woke up to someone calling my name and telling me the operation is over. Wow! Modern medicine really is wonderful. But no matter how wonderful medicine can be, it still didn't really get rid of the swelling (my jaws are much broader now...) and the sore-pain. Right now I can't chew, so I am on a soft-food diet (read "porridge", "cereal") but hopefully, I will be able to chew a bit by mid of next week. Anything hot is out too, so I have to let my food cool down. The sore-pain is a bit of trouble, but I guess it doesn't hinder much. Except that I can't go to work, being on medication and having to bring my own meals if I do.