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What is the definitive way to play certain games? (kbin.melroy.org)
submitted 3 days ago by fyrilsol@kbin.melroy.org to c/games@lemmy.world
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To clarify, if I was introducing someone to the Diablo series for the first time and told them they'd have to start on the first one. I wouldn't want them playing the bare vanilla version. There is a Bezelbub mod out there that gives the game lots of QoL improvements, you'd be thinking you're playing a build of Diablo 2 before its final version.

So, if I had to tell anyone what the best way to play that game would be, it is the Bezelbub mod. That was how I've beaten the first game anyways.

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[-] Quetzalcutlass@lemmy.world 44 points 3 days ago* (last edited 3 days ago)

There are a host of open source remakes of old game engines that fix bugs and update them for modern systems as well as add support for higher resolutions and widescreen aspect ratios. Here's a few off the top of my head:

  • OpenMW for The Elder Scrolls III: Morrowind. This is probably the most famous one.
  • Daggerfall Unity for The Elder Scrolls II: Daggerfall.
  • OpenRA for Red Alert, Tiberian Dawn, Dune 2000, and (in pre-alpha form) Tiberian Sun and Red Alert 2 (the latter requiring extra fiddling with Github repositories).
  • KeeperFX for Dungeon Keeper.
  • OpenRCT2 for Roller Coaster Tycoon 2.
  • OpenTTD for Transport Tycoon Deluxe.
  • OpenJKDF2 for Dark Forces 2 and its standalone Mysteries of the Sith expansion.
  • Arx Libertatis for Arx Fatalis, though IIRC the version sold now integrates an older build of it; one without the fixes for glyph drawing - it's worth upgrading for that alone as spellcasting is a nightmare without the fix.
  • TRX for Tomb Raider I and II.
  • Tfix, T2Fix, and the Sneaky Upgrade for Thief 1/2/3 respectively. These are mods, not wholesale engine replacements, but serve the same purpose.

These are just the ones I know of. There are probably loads more.

Edit: the Ur-Quan Masters for Star Control II. I can't believe I forgot about this! Star Control II is one of the best and most influential games that most people have never heard about.

[-] Kjell@lemmy.world 3 points 2 days ago

Really nice list. One can spend many hours on these games.

[-] DGen@piefed.zip 3 points 2 days ago

Speaking of Dark Forces 2 and Not about the Force Engine for the first Game? :0 you barbaric! Joking.

Yeah. Force engine fornthe First Game is top notch.

[-] Quetzalcutlass@lemmy.world 2 points 2 days ago

My bad! Every time I think about replaying Dark Forces I remember the sewer level with the dianogas and change my mind.

[-] DGen@piefed.zip 2 points 2 days ago

Oh god. I forgot..

[-] Peffse@lemmy.world 8 points 3 days ago

OpenRCT2 is 100% the definitive way to play Roller Coaster Tycoon 1 & 2.

But I would never recommend a new player try OpenRA. The game has stellar multiplayer support but they just can't figure out the campaign scripting at all. Go with the remaster collection instead.

[-] Quetzalcutlass@lemmy.world 5 points 3 days ago

Still? I haven't played OpenRA in several years and assumed they would have fixed it by now.

Then again Red Alert 2 is even less supported than it was the last time I checked, so I'm guessing their focus is mostly on the multiplayer side of things.

[-] wax@feddit.nu 4 points 3 days ago
[-] LunarLoony@lemmy.sdf.org 1 points 1 day ago

OpenJazz is okay, but even after all these years still doesn't quite feel right

[-] wax@feddit.nu 1 points 15 hours ago

Ah, too bad. I tried it briefly a few years ago, but ended up playing the GOG original version

[-] bjoern_tantau@swg-empire.de 2 points 2 days ago

XWVM to play X-Wing and TIE Fighter.

[-] Jesus_666@lemmy.world 14 points 3 days ago

OpenXcom for the first two X-Com games (UFO: Enemy Unknown and X-Com: Terror From The Deep). This reimplementation is insanely good.

  • It fixes all known bugs of the original X-Com engine.
  • It works on modern systems, including Linux, macOS, Windows, and even Android.
  • It has support for modern resolutions and aspect ratios.
  • It allows you to use soundtracks from other versions of the game (e.g. look at the website's "Extras" tab).
  • It has mod support including a basic mod manager. And some of those mods are damn good.
  • It runs flawlessly.

There's really no reason to play the original DOS versions anymore.

[-] mech@feddit.org 2 points 2 days ago

Sounds good, but is it really still X-Com without the bugs?

[-] Jesus_666@lemmy.world 3 points 2 days ago

I could argue that experiencing the Groundhog Day bug builds character but... no. Nobody should have to deal with that.

Admittedly, a few tactics like filling your base with laser rifles to make attacking aliens spawn unarmed no longer work. But honestly, an experienced player treats base attacks like bonus levels anyway so it's not like much of value was lost. Besides, you also now get all the loot from big missions and not just the first 128 items.

Also, UFO now actually remembers your difficulty setting and doesn't revert you to Beginner after the first mission. That's different but better. I probably should've mentioned that separately in my first comment.

this post was submitted on 02 Feb 2026
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