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/vr/ - Retro Games

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File: 52 KB, 425x423, 51QaidUqiXL._SX425_.jpg [View same] [iqdb] [saucenao] [google]
3103223 No.3103223 [Reply] [Original]

ITT: weird/obscure commercial expansion packs and mods

Pic related is D!Zone, a series of CD's that were purported to contain a shit ton of levels (mostly around 150, and some between 1000 and 3000). According to the wiki, these numbers were rounded up, included duplicates (separate maps for Doom 1 and Doom 2), often crashed, and were generally just shitty amateur maps.

The company is WizardWorks, they made some more of these weird disks.

>> No.3103224
File: 99 KB, 640x741, 592390_front.jpg [View same] [iqdb] [saucenao] [google]
3103224

Apparently they also made:
>H!Zone for Heretic/Hexen
>Duke!Zone for Duke 3D
>Q!Zone for Quake

>> No.3103227
File: 18 KB, 183x275, 41nvvb9xGBL.jpg [View same] [iqdb] [saucenao] [google]
3103227

They also made F!Zone, an expansion to Fury3. I played it not too long ago, it was fine. It had a kind of level editor, too.

>> No.3103228
File: 42 KB, 392x460, W!Zone_II_Retribution_for_Warcraft_II_Tides_of_Darkness.jpg [View same] [iqdb] [saucenao] [google]
3103228

They made a couple W!Zone's for Warcraft 2.

>> No.3103239
File: 39 KB, 480x360, hqdefault.jpg [View same] [iqdb] [saucenao] [google]
3103239

Oh, apparently WizardWorks also made Starcraft: Retribution, which contained a campaign and was authorized by Blizzard.

Another add-on called Starcraft: Insurrection was made by Aztec Media Group.

I forget which, but I played the first mission of one of them and it was awful. I also read that some missions were not completeable without cheats.

>> No.3103776
File: 109 KB, 640x739, DukeXtremebigbox.jpg [View same] [iqdb] [saucenao] [google]
3103776

>> No.3104061

Not retro, but reminds me of Portal: Still Alive. It's a level set on sale on XBox marketplace. Also Portal 2 has the Razer controller levels.

>> No.3104741

>>3103239
I remember getting Insurrection.

Literally the only thing I can remember about it was that there was a firebat hero name Jack Frost and there was a female protoss who used Fenix's sprite and soundset, which was weird.

>> No.3106447
File: 2.21 MB, 704x1736, dukedisc.png [View same] [iqdb] [saucenao] [google]
3106447

Some OC here, found this in a bargin bin in the late 90s.
Cant find any info on the internet about it execpt this case cover so it must be pretty rare..

Its basically a compilation of duke3d mods and levels from 1997, seems to be about 950~ maps on it and ive only played a couple, some are OK some are shit.

Im happy to upload it if anyones interested, if you want to trawl through it yourself, might be some cool shit on there for a hardcore duke fan.

>> No.3106460

>>3103223
>cd needed for a wad file
jews

>> No.3107927

>>3103223
Don't know why but there's something about the cover art on those unofficial expansion packs that always fascinated me.

>> No.3107939

>>3106447
Duke3D came out years after the Soviet Union collapsed. Why is the USSR flag on it?

>> No.3108293

>>3103223
Not to keep the doom heme or anything but: ISO from an old doom thing
http://www.mediafire.com/download/scpmwn6p8wetqyg/Doom+1+and+2+Collection.zip
Had the CD floating around for years for some reason.

>> No.3108307
File: 167 KB, 571x735, doomsday.jpg [View same] [iqdb] [saucenao] [google]
3108307

>>3103223
Really? I had gotten Doomsday instead, it was all good!

>> No.3108319

>>3106447
Sure, upload it to MEGA or something - ill try to go through it while Im on my work
And pick out the best stuff.

>> No.3108323

>>3108307
First time I see that one. I have D!Zone and H!Zone. Can you upload this one somewhere as well?

>> No.3108362
File: 72 KB, 407x361, demon gate.jpg [View same] [iqdb] [saucenao] [google]
3108362

I bought one at a thrift store a few weeks ago called Demon Gate, over 600 levels for Doom 1 and 2 it claims but I haven't tried it yet

>> No.3108404

>>3106460
You gotta keep in mind not everyone had internet back then let alone a connection speed to download 600 maps in one day.

>> No.3108417

Is there anywhere I can DL all these old !Zone CD's?

>> No.3108440

I remember buying D!Zone when I was young. We found out it was an expansion and required doom 2. So somehow I convinced my parents to buy it for me. I was allowed to buy only one non-educational game ever, and I had to save up my allowance. My mother thought it was a dirty trick to get two games, my father secretly wanted it as an excuse to get doom.
I never figured out how to use it except for the ranomizer program.

>> No.3108445

>>3108417
There's on 3D Shooter Legends.

>> No.3108464

>>3108319
Sure, here you go

https://mega.nz/#!yNtCwS4a!EQZRHuAXqj3pZJg4IdHZ7jfPQI2oZwyvCWepfWdFFEA

>> No.3108669 [DELETED] 

>>3103223
>Unofficial packs
Guys I'm writing something up about the controvery that took place at the time at Id Software around those unofficial releases. I've read in Kushner's Masters of Doom that there were a lot of illegal releases of Doom/Hexen modded maps, but i'm lookinf or a reliable source that can tell me the numbers. How many of these obscure CD has been released exactly ? How much did it cost to Id Software at the time ? Did they go to court to beat WizardWorks's ass (or whoever tried to resell these unofficial maps) ?

>> No.3108675

>>3103223
>Unofficial packs
Guys I'm writing something up about the controversy that took place at the time around those unofficial releases. I've read in Kushner's Masters of Doom that there were a lot of illegal releases of Doom/Hexen modded maps, but i'm looking for a nother reliable source that can supply me with the numbers. How many of these obscure CDs has been released exactly ? How much did it cost to Id Software at the time ? Did they go to court to beat WizardWorks's ass (or whoever tried to resell these unofficial maps) ?

>> No.3108920

>>3108675
Not many people back then could download the maps, and craving for extra content was great.

Some minor companies liked the idea and cared little about the copyright. They thought that just because the maps and content were distributed on the bbs for free, they could take and release it, and so they did.

Some modders even outright began to write in the readmes that "whoever paid money this got screwed", but were still included in the showelvare CDs anyway.

AFAIK WizardWorks were not sued, but were in fact bought by GT Interactive, and then Atari.

>> No.3108991

>>3106447
>>3108464
Thank you very much.
Started playing it through, most of the maps seem to be multiplayer.

2009map - It actually makes an attempt at being a map, with some layout, some annoying mobtraps, but eh, it's early stuff.

Aliens- Also attempts at being a proper map, but turns into a set of rectangular rooms with mobs and some mapping errors.

Alley - a short map with 25 mobs and a bossfight, but no exit

>> No.3109015

https://archive.org/details/doom-cds&tab=collection

Many of these are on Archive.org.

>> No.3109094

>>3108991
Yeah most are duke match maps, its still cool to look at the file dates and explore the levels, from a time capsule sort of approach.

>> No.3109104

Oh, I just love these kinds of things.

I have questions though.

>Were these released in Big Boxes or just in CD cases?

>Where the fuck can I find these now!?

>> No.3109109

>>3106447
More pics on the case and CD n' shit. Did it come on a Big Box or just the CD case?

>> No.3109132

>>3107927
Yes!
I can not agree more.

>> No.3109201
File: 127 KB, 800x686, 170290-chartbusters-9-windows-back-cover.jpg [View same] [iqdb] [saucenao] [google]
3109201

>>3109109
Just jewel case as far as i know, i think they have other series of discs for quake and doom but ive never seen them.
Quite cheeky as they have just ripped other peoples work from the internet and compiled it on a disc and sold it, would never get away with that greasy stuff nowadays.

>> No.3109223

>>3103776
>DukeXtreme

I have that. It came with a shirt. Correct me if I'm wrong, but wasn't it actual original content and not just a pack of downloaded levels?

>> No.3109234

>>3109201
>Pictures with viewers included!?
Gee willikers!

I know, the buisness idea is completley nuts. But I dont think the companies cared. They just did this for a quick buck.

How much did it cost ya?

>> No.3109238

>>3109223
Looks like I actually had Duke Apocalypse, which was Xtreme + one of the Duke!Zones.

Yeah, it was shitty as hell that companies made these using other people's free maps, but I kinda miss stuff like this. The promise of 500 NEW LEVELS or whatever seemed so appealing as a kid.

>> No.3109298

>>3109234
i think about $2 in a thrift store i think

>>3109223
I saw it in a store once, i wanted that shirt real bad.
To their credit it was a pretty good incentive, a free t-shirt, and all the levels and mods you could play..

>> No.3109318

>>3109104
I dunno how they were released. You can find a bunch on: >>3108445

>> No.3109336
File: 37 KB, 300x400, 51iE3w9zceL.jpg [View same] [iqdb] [saucenao] [google]
3109336

There was this reseller at my local flea market who I would always ask about doom stuff with and he flat out gave me this "Tricks of the Doom Gurus" book one day. It was still in the box with the cd and everything. Really nice of the guy, I'm always excited to find unlicensed 90s fps addons like this. I'm still holding out hope to stumble across a copy of Perdition's Gate or Hell to Pay.

>> No.3109391

>>3109336
That's sweet dude. What does it include?

>> No.3109421
File: 121 KB, 1280x1024, quag.gif [View same] [iqdb] [saucenao] [google]
3109421

>>3103227
care to elaborate the "kind of level editor"-part?

>> No.3110065
File: 70 KB, 800x594, 100_0757.jpg [View same] [iqdb] [saucenao] [google]
3110065

>>3108323
There's is such a category of shareware CDs on archive.org, and it does happen to include the closely related deathday:

https://archive.org/details/cdrom-deathday-collection

So, it should be possible to get some actually-solid perspective on how they compared.

Case in point, I had also gotten the microforum "complete encyclopedia of games" (a 2 cd set), and I was quite satisfied with that too. It compared very favorably to gamefest. Each of those two only was like 127 megs. Now, gamefest was earlier, so maybe not a fair comparison, but I do think it jumped the gun, particularly in how it was two tiny CDs in quick succession.

>> No.3110079
File: 109 KB, 775x761, maabus mobygames_disc2.jpg [View same] [iqdb] [saucenao] [google]
3110079

>>3110065
(yes, that pic is just a floppy version of gamefest 2, but it does have the same graphic)

How odd, there's a title associated with both microforum and monolith productions!

>> No.3110109

I have a copy of D!Zone on CD somewhere. is this uploaded anywhere online? if not I can

>> No.3110171

>>3110109
apparently yes
http://www.wad-archive.com/search?q=D%21Zone+

>> No.3111035

>>3109104

It was generally both back in the day. It's just shit trawled from old newsgroups. I have one or two for Quake where they didn't even bother removing the txt file saying 'do not sell this if you bought it you got ripped off' and shit.

>> No.3111040

>>3111035
I find that amusing, though with most buyers it probably didn't even make much sense. In the mid-90s I'd have had no clue what a newsgroup was.

>> No.3111056

>>3111040
The interface on disc was some odd little dos app trying to be user-friendly in that it would try to automate the file copy process for you and even launch quake with the appropriate arguments to load the levels/mods, but if you knew your shit it all it was much easier to do it manually, especially when some of them were big enough to require launching outside of windows. Our old box at the time had 32MB RAM(!) and it would choke on one or two of the more full-featured mods.

>> No.3111319

>>3109391
a bunch of editors and resources and like 1000 levels, some of which are decent fun. The book itself is awesome too, tons of tutorials with screenshots, there's even a full color section. If I would have gotten this as a child, this book would have been thrashed to shit from me constantly reading and rereading it.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tf9dcUPZ-J0
Not my video by the way.

>> No.3111347

I wish I could find a DL for both W!Zone CD's

>> No.3111354

>>3111347
Some google-fu dug this up.
http://legendsworld.net/adventure/game/9870

>> No.3111365

I had D!ZONE 2. I started going through and writing out (very short) reviews for each .wad that was included in it that wasn't just a deathmatch .wad.

My hard drive gave out after a couple of months of me sitting on it, haven't bothered to go back.

Very hit or miss, mostly bad and ripped off of other creators without any actual credit to them within the program. I remember as a kid though, it had a level editor included. I never got it to work.

>> No.3111379

>>3106447
>continuing >>3108991

Allwest - first map that actually shows some thought put into balance, encounters and layout. Texturework is poor though.

ALSDMCIT - Looks decent, byut also looks like an MP map with monsters.Could not find exit.

Anarchy - decent details and texturework combined with bland square room/corridor layout and "ill just dump squad of aliens here" encounters.

>> No.3111387

>>3111354
Thanks. Sadly it's a 4shared DL.

>> No.3111806

Does anyone have any idea where I can buy these things?

I dont care if they're in a CD case or a big box.

>"Just download them dude"
No, I want the physical things.

>> No.3111846

>>3111806
Ebay and Amazon are probably the only places online i can think of,or go trawl through some thift/goodwill stores you might get lucky.

http://www.amazon.com/Duke-Zone-Nukem-3D/dp/B0002T6MSI

http://www.amazon.com/Wizard-Works-Duke-Extreme/dp/B0002T35J2


http://www.amazon.com/D-Zone-Gold-3000-PC/dp/B001LYS85S/ref=sr_1_1?s=software&ie=UTF8&qid=1459677517&sr=1-1&keywords=d+zone

Not too hard to find some, not cheap though.

>> No.3111908

>>3111806
Why would you want physical things of pirated content, authors of which did not give permission to distribute, and that directly contradicts game's EULA of not putting up mods for sale?

>> No.3111989

>>3111908
because there's the interest to have the full product with cool box case and stuff.
aniway, i don't think it's easy to find such a thing.

>> No.3112014

>>3111846
Sweet thanks dude.
I didnt even know Amazong sold these old stuff.

>>3111908
Cause this intrests me. I never liked owning games digitally. Hell, I never liked owning anything digitally. (That's why I have only three games on my Steam)

>> No.3112110
File: 95 KB, 426x615, Cartoons.jpg [View same] [iqdb] [saucenao] [google]
3112110

This reminds me of the Strange PS2 Bootlegs that were released in South America and the Middle East.

They were essentially just GTA San Andreas with a few shitty mods burned into a PS2 disc.

>> No.3112196

>>3112110
Here in Rusia we still have this shit, for GTA, Stalker, Doom 3, Minecraft etc. Stupid kids 12-15 see this and go like "OMG Minecraft Batman! Mom, buy!"

>> No.3112216

>>3112196
that's not much different with famicom bootlegs we had before when we were stupid kids

>> No.3112248

>>3112110
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KPFnsEfC8dY

>> No.3112269
File: 441 KB, 1134x1323, authorized edition.jpg [View same] [iqdb] [saucenao] [google]
3112269

>>3108920
>some companies (...) cared little about the copyright.

but as we see here (>>3111846) pic related, WizardWorks eventually started to produce "authorized edition" of the maps.

>> No.3113835

>>3112196
Wouldn't games like that with mods likely be better than many licensed games?

>> No.3114278

>>3112196
Do you have pics ?

>> No.3114297

>>3113835
the problem is that the mods they put are shitty mods and half-assed reskins.
shit like this for example:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x3CHVKjEca8

>> No.3114359
File: 65 KB, 528x417, 1335616939127.jpg [View same] [iqdb] [saucenao] [google]
3114359

>>3114297
who made this mod ?

>> No.3114417

>>3114359
i don't know, it's a channel that shows these kind of mods, but no names are provided.

>> No.3114475

>>3112196
Dude. Do you have any pics?
Do they work for the PC or the consoles?
How are they packaged?

>> No.3115002
File: 33 KB, 400x400, i certainly hope you comarades don't do this.jpg [View same] [iqdb] [saucenao] [google]
3115002

>>3112196
Damn, you crazy Russians should focus more on doing your own thing, and instead do stuff like sell pirate versions of Quake2 with the Space Odysseys campaign.

>> No.3115016

>>3115002
Oh yeah, and that should be combined with a modded AQ2 with the AK from Terror Quake, and a Dragunov.

>> No.3115298

>>3112248
Alright, Vegeta in the gym riding the exercise bike to Head Cha-La made my sides go orbital

>> No.3115887
File: 43 KB, 666x666, 1454101869645.png [View same] [iqdb] [saucenao] [google]
3115887

bump

>> No.3116425

>>3112248
Hm I never actually watched Vinesauce until now, but if it's all done by that one guy, I don't think I ever will again...

>> No.3117115
File: 84 KB, 640x810, unreality.jpg [View same] [iqdb] [saucenao] [google]
3117115

>>3103223
A semi-related collection of user made maps during the early days of Unreal, rounded up and sold on store shelves.

>> No.3117136

>>3117115
>You'r

Something tells me they threw that box together in 10 minutes. Wonder where they stole the monster image from.

>> No.3117158

>>3117136
I've managed to find a couple of videos documenting some of the pack's contents on YouTube.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dpmy89v0KIQ

and

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0mM8mduhrlA

>> No.3117286

>>3117115
Do you have it?
Id like a link to that.
Not many Unreal stuff there is.

>> No.3117337
File: 3 KB, 100x100, 1455474592375.jpg [View same] [iqdb] [saucenao] [google]
3117337

>>3116425
you're a huge flaming fucking faggot I'll tell you what

>> No.3117359
File: 57 KB, 343x432, 1455500497242.jpg [View same] [iqdb] [saucenao] [google]
3117359

>>3103224
>H!Zone

>> No.3117361

>>3117286
Holy Shit.

Someone spent the time to fix up the pack's broken assets and make it work in Unreal Gold. A link to the download and important instructions on how to play are available at:

https://unrealbyfusilade.wordpress.com/unreal-projects/unreality/how-to-install-play-unreality/

I'm astonished that someone would put the effort into doing this.

>> No.3117392

>>3117361
This is great, thanks!

>> No.3117428

>>3103224
There's a thread on /h/ with that picture in the OP

>> No.3117430
File: 797 KB, 2048x1350, dzone.jpg [View same] [iqdb] [saucenao] [google]
3117430

Believe it or not, I found a factory sealed (albeit cracked) copy of D!Zone 150 at a Goodwill about a year ago. Sorry for the shitty camera quality.
(insert joke about "cracked software" here)

>> No.3117514

>>3117430
Is this shit super rare or something? I have a copy at home, and somewhere on a HDD I have all the files I ripped off the disc...

>> No.3117547

>>3117514
No idea if the product itself is rare, but I doubt you'd see too many of these factory sealed nowadays

>> No.3117552

>>3117430
AHHHHHH
Gimme!

I love this kind of stuff.

They're impossible to find here in Sweden.

>> No.3117567

>>3117514
Nah, not really. You an still buy some of these types of things new from Amazon marketplace sellers.

They do look kinda cool, though.

>> No.3117606
File: 559 KB, 262x200, 1411643549601.gif [View same] [iqdb] [saucenao] [google]
3117606

>>3117430

>> No.3119302

>>3112269
>Duke!Zone

I saw that box in fleamarket some years ago. I still regret for not buying it.

>> No.3119391

>>3117359
here's a video which shows a bit of gameplay of H!zone:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xSzT23veg_g
actually they don't look that bad as maps, compared to D!Zone ones, but the Undead Warrior replacement looks like a cheap halloween costume.

>> No.3119493
File: 331 KB, 800x730, 84.jpg [View same] [iqdb] [saucenao] [google]
3119493

Warcraft 2000: Nuclear Epidemic

An unofficial WC2 expansion that expanded the unit limit to several thousands and allowed the player to control an unlimited amount of units, massively increasing the scale of the game that used to only allow you to control 9 units at a time at most. What's even more notable, the expansion featured new buildings and units such as nuclear silos and bombers, and had a plot that revolved around a race of aliens that sparked the human-orc war for their own entertainment and supported both sides with futuristic armaments

The small group of Ukrainian programmers responsible for this mod would a decade later go on to create the renowned Cossacks RTS series and the S.T.A.L.K.E.R. series

>> No.3119510

>>3119493
>Warcraft 2000: Nuclear Epidemic
The concept is honestly pretty cool.
Mideival factions with nukes.

But is the intro only in "cyka blyat"?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C-hd2eAlZ9U

>> No.3119949

>>3119510
Because before 2007 most Ukrainians spoke russian, and this expansion was made by same Ukrainian team who later made Venom: Codename Outbreak and eventually, STALKER.

>> No.3120114

>>3119949
Just strange seeing it had an international release but the intro was only in Russian...

>> No.3120143

>>3120114
What did you expect form a bootleg? One of the best, but a bootleg none the less.

>> No.3120170

>>3119493
>An unofficial
You don't say

>> No.3121318

>>3117606
Someone should tre/vr/ify this and made one of the pair of glasses 3D specs.

>> No.3121331
File: 64 KB, 427x500, QuakeXmenRavages.jpg [View same] [iqdb] [saucenao] [google]
3121331

This was such a strange product of its time.

>> No.3121761

>>3119493
Holy Gods so much AESTHETIC in this cover

>> No.3123714 [DELETED] 

>>3121761
Fuck off /mu/. And stop trying to make chiptune music, it's garbage and you know it.

>> No.3123763

>>3123714
>chiptune
You must be new here.

>> No.3125106

>>3123714
/mu/ has good taste you plebe.

>> No.3126279

>>3125106
/mu/ likes shitty meme music like vapourwave, until it becomes mainstream like that stupid drum face over the ocean or whatever.

>> No.3126875

>>3126279
>tfw you genuinly enjoy that album.
>tfw you can't properly discuss that album without the thread turning into meme-tier shitposting.

Thank fuck that /vr/ ain't like that, right?
Right?

>> No.3127137
File: 35 KB, 213x200, image.jpg [View same] [iqdb] [saucenao] [google]
3127137

>>3125106

>> No.3128272

>>3126875
>Generic shitpost response
(Did you know Super Mario Bros 2 etc etc)

>> No.3128410

>>3126279
In before extended periods of silence with an occasional hum or ringing sound.

>> No.3128770

>>3127137
>>3126279

Plebes.

>> No.3131785

>>3112269
I have this lying around in a CD folder somewhere.

>> No.3133653

>>3117514
>>3131785
Why not rip and upload it then?

>> No.3133760

>>3108307
Doomsday? More like Doom S. Day.

>> No.3134795

>>3103227
I had that, I could never get the new planets to work but the level editor was pretty fun. Maybe I was just a stupid kid.

>> No.3136085

found a bunch of these at a thrift store a while ago, I'll have to check which ones I have

>> No.3136145
File: 17 KB, 298x400, $_1.jpg [View same] [iqdb] [saucenao] [google]
3136145

>>3103223

I have 2 relevant items, firstly this very similar (and probably samey content-wise, I reckon) Doom addon. I got it for the level editors, and was duly disappointed.

>> No.3136149
File: 16 KB, 432x351, resurpk.jpg [View same] [iqdb] [saucenao] [google]
3136149

>>3136145

Secondly I bought this on sale once. Especially that Malice mod/conversion is interesting, to say the least. Never really bothered with the Q!Zone content but now that this thread came floating by I'm sort of intrigued.

>> No.3137508

>>3136085
okay so after double checking I have(all of these are for Quake 1);

Q!ZONE
Aftershock For Quake
Aftershock Toolbox(there's a third Aftershock product called Aftershock Deathmatch 300 that I don't have)
SHRAK

>> No.3140445

>>3126279
>meme music

I weep for your bleeding vagina.

>> No.3140452

I remember id tried to get into the wad cd game with Maximum Doom. I think that came with Master Levels.

>> No.3140452,1 [INTERNAL] 

Thanks for linking my work/sITE. I hope you enjoyed it.

- TKBS