Myst

[Griffin NoName]

A friend gave me the Myst Collection - Masterpiece etc - loads of discs...... it's the type of game I really like. But, it's a Windows 95 version and wouldn't play on Vista. However, fiddling around - compatability settings, admistrator run as, screen size, etc, uninstalling QuickTime, re-installing a very old version of Quicktime (eventually found on Apple site), still won't work - Quicktime error, uninstalling Quicktime again, massive clean up after uninstall deleting rogue Quicktime files, re-install, umpteen reboots, well, you get the picture, eventually I got it working, and oh the delight when the graphics loaded and that particular kind of music they use for this type of game all started up..............

Anyone out there a Myst fan?

[Roland Deschain]

It's a game i've wanted to play for a while due to the love that many of my friends had for it in the past, but i've never gotten around to actually searching for a copy, and it appears that i'll not be bothering due to the compatibility issues. Maybe when I finally get around to upgrading to Windows 7 with the XP install, i'll try it then. Yeah, it's considered a classic.

[Bob in a quantum-state-of-faith]

It's a game i've wanted to play for a while due to the love that many of my friends had for it in the past, but i've never gotten around to actually searching for a copy, and it appears that i'll not be bothering due to the compatibility issues. Maybe when I finally get around to upgrading to Windows 7 with the XP install, i'll try it then. Yeah, it's considered a classic.

If you really want to play it?  Here's a cheap, legitimate copy, already re-rendered to work on the current Windoze machines:

http://www.gog.com/en/gamecard/myst_masterpiece_edition

I have purchased several games from GOG before, they are legit.   In fact?  For a measly 6 bucks, I may just buy this and start playing again... I never did play Riven (the sequel to Myst).

Here's a later version of the classic-- with more free movement, re-rendered in a later, higher resolution:  http://www.gog.com/en/gamecard/real_myst

And the sequel, naturally:  http://www.gog.com/en/gamecard/riven_the_sequel_to_myst

These are allegedly compatible with Win7 according to the blurb on GOG's site.

Edit:  Steam.

If you have a Steam account?  You can also get Myst, including the latest Myst V, for pretty cheap-- and I find the Steam versions are usually much more compatible than the GOG ones, and have better support.  Prices are similar, but you must allow the Steam client to run to play their games...

If you are going to want to play the whole thing?  Steam has "Cyan Complete Pack" which is the cheapest way to get them all in one go, including several titles (in the series) not available any other way.  If you can stand having STEAM client running, it's definitely the way to go.

I know I re-purchased Deus Ex 2 from Steam, even though I had a legit copy from elsewhere (the now defunct Direct2Drive-- which was eaten by the horrid monster "gamefly" which I refuse to patronize), precisely so I could use the 3rd party mods to let it play on my 3-screen setup, in ultra-wide screen 180 degrees field of view.   It played beautifully.

I may just purchase the Cyan pack, now that you've got my interest up here...

[Roland Deschain]

Thanks for the links. That's perfect it being available on Steam. I may even have browsed a page for one of the versions before now, but not taken the plunge. Soon, I shall be purchasing. Soon.

I have Steam installed, and have no issues with allowing it to run whenever my PC is switched on. I've had it since Half Life 2 came out all those years ago, and love it. Just need to find the time to play the games I already have, after getting a new graphics card, as my current one is dead.

[Griffin NoName]

I eventually ditched Myst, after all that effort to make it work. It did work, fine, no problems. But running it upset my laptop afterwards. At least I thought it did. I was getting BSODs constantly, like several times a day. Actually dumping Myst made no difference. Eventually traced the BSOD's being caused by interaction by rogue Apple programs and Norton. Had previously uninstalled a couple of Apple programs but they didn't clean uninstall, which I hadn't noticed, why would I? they left behind 3 stupid useless Apple services launched at Startup. Uninstalling these rogue services solved the BSOD. At least I thought it had. Haven't had any for over a month, then suddenly had one today. <sigh>

[Bob in a quantum-state-of-faith]

I eventually ditched Myst, after all that effort to make it work. It did work, fine, no problems. But running it upset my laptop afterwards. At least I thought it did. I was getting BSODs constantly, like several times a day. Actually dumping Myst made no difference. Eventually traced the BSOD's being caused by interaction by rogue Apple programs and Norton. Had previously uninstalled a couple of Apple programs but they didn't clean uninstall, which I hadn't noticed, why would I? they left behind 3 stupid useless Apple services launched at Startup. Uninstalling these rogue services solved the BSOD. At least I thought it had. Haven't had any for over a month, then suddenly had one today. <sigh>

I would also point a finger at Norton (you know which one, right? It ain't the ring finger here...), which is a known "cannot play well with others" daemon.  I refuse to permit it access to anything I have control of-- not even the "trial" wear (which you cannot get rid of normally).

I use MicroSquish Security Essentials myself-- it also has the side-effect of being free.  

I like free.



I've never had a virus infection in all the years of running PC's dating to 1981.  I frequently ran for years without any anti-virus programs of any kind installed-- I'd occasionally run a "rescue disk" to scan the PC for problems, and never had any.

But of course, I'm anal-retentive about what gets to run on my systems... and had learned how to disable autorun sh-- from the outset.   I don't mind manual installs-- in fact, I prefer them, that way I know what things were put, where.

(Point in case:  I always choose "custom" setting on the installation, but seldom change the defaults-- but I am now aware of where things are going, which the default install would not tell me about.)

Okay, enough of that-- I, personally, blame your Norton program for your BSOD problems.  It would be the first thing I would scrub from your system-- probabily by doing a re-install of Windoze-- but that's just me, being thorough.

/End Rant

(sorry about that, chief...)  

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Edit:

Thanks for the links. That's perfect it being available on Steam. I may even have browsed a page for one of the versions before now, but not taken the plunge. Soon, I shall be purchasing. Soon.

I have Steam installed, and have no issues with allowing it to run whenever my PC is switched on. I've had it since Half Life 2 came out all those years ago, and love it. Just need to find the time to play the games I already have, after getting a new graphics card, as my current one is dead.

That's too bad about your card.

But look at the various offerings by Steam-- I'm probably going to get the package deal, it's only $20 here, and has most of the Myst games in it already.

[Griffin NoName]

It was Norton clashing with Apple. Since I didn't need or want Apple, I got rid of that, which cured the problem.

I don't as yet know if this new BSOD is the same bcode - I forgot to look at the time - and just haven't bothered since. It may be a one off and I don't want to waste energy.

I am quite happy with Norton. I did an uninstall/clean/re-install with boots just to be thorough.

[Roland Deschain]

I haven't paid for anti-virus or firewall software for over 5 years now, and they've been fine for me. I used to have Norton, but gave it up after a few years of using it, then when I switched to AVG and Comodo, i've never looked back.

On the UK's version of Steam, we have the Cyan Complete Pack for £14.99, which includes:-

Cosmic Osmo and the Worlds Beyond the Mackerel
Myst: Masterpiece Edition (£3.99 separate price)
realMYST (£3.99 separate price)
Riven: The Sequel to MYST (£3.99 separate price)
Spelunx and the Caves of Mr Seudo
The Manhole: Masterpiece Edition
URU: Complete Chronicles (£6.99 separate price)

The only other game in the Myst franchise is Myst V: End of Ages for £6.99.

[pieces o nine]

*  recoils, hissing like a vampire, as Grif and Roland invoke ... THE NORTON  *       

[Griffin NoName]

: GUILT :   ......I think it was only me who was invoking the Norton........ 

[pieces o nine]

 

Thanks to the suggestions from the geeks here regarding Kaspersky, I've never looked back at THE SOFTWARE WHICH MUST NOT BE NAMED, and have had *no* problems since.

[Bob in a quantum-state-of-faith]

I haven't paid for anti-virus or firewall software for over 5 years now, and they've been fine for me. I used to have Norton, but gave it up after a few years of using it, then when I switched to AVG and Comodo, i've never looked back.

On the UK's version of Steam, we have the Cyan Complete Pack for £14.99, which includes:-

Cosmic Osmo and the Worlds Beyond the Mackerel
Myst: Masterpiece Edition (£3.99 separate price)
realMYST (£3.99 separate price)
Riven: The Sequel to MYST (£3.99 separate price)
Spelunx and the Caves of Mr Seudo
The Manhole: Masterpiece Edition
URU: Complete Chronicles (£6.99 separate price)

The only other game in the Myst franchise is Myst V: End of Ages for £6.99.

Same list as the US market-- apart from the higher US$ prices, naturally. 

Norton?  If someone, without my knowledge installed that on my machine?  I'd have to re-install Windoze to get rid of all it's nefarious traces-- as I have done to other's previously.   It simply will not go away, once installed.

And once I figured that out?  Never again--

-- I am utterly unforgiving of software that does not play well-- there are simply too many choices out there, there is no need to forgive a software company that plays dirty. 

Same goes for McCaffe[sp]-- I used to be a long-term subscriber to their stuff-- but when I tried to un-subscribe, and un-install?  It "helpfully" left a reminder on my machine after un-installing all traces (or so I'd thought)-- I even deleted the directory over in the "Programs" section-- but no, that piece of **** had left a little nag in my Windows system folder!  And cleverly not named "mcaffe" or anything like any of their other files... rather, it's name was very similar to an actual window's file, so you'd not notice it was there... until the timer went off-- and it put a huge screaming message, "WARNING! YOU ARE NO LONGER PROTECTED BY (mcaffe) ANTI-VIRUS".... with the word "mcaffe" so small you really didn't see it...

... if you clicked the "No", or the little red X?  It was the same as clicking "re-subscribe"....!

Nasty piece of work. 

Nortons was just as bad, back in the day-- it'd only remove the visible bits-- leaving all sorts of traces, file-fragments, DLL's and other nefarious things here and there-- mostly, in the windows SYSTEM folder.  If you examined the background-running processes?  You'd see these traces of the old Nortons' running-- NOT protecting your computer, naturally-- those actually did un-install-- but the supportive background processes it needed to do it's job, were ... still running.   And it was these background processes that all to often conflicted with Other Things. 

meh....

... I suspect both companies have cleaned up their act-- but I Do Not Forgive Bad Software¹. 



______________________

_{¹ okay, okay, the irony is duly noted, and everyone can laugh and laugh and laugh... yes, I'm still running Windoze... but under protest.}

[Roland Deschain]

Norton is evil. When I built my current PC, which uses Windows due to my heavy game playing, every single thing entering it was carefully monitored. It's shocking what some programmes get up to when you aren't looking, especially in regards to phoning home. Comodo sorts them out though, giving them a well-deserved smack on the behind.

[Bob in a quantum-state-of-faith]

Yes-- it is amazing what you can find lurking under the hood of bad software.

I'm like you-- my PC is used for gaming as often as not-- so Windoze it is. 

I tried to like Linux, I really wanted to like it-- but alas, I did not, and gave it up for the present.   The learning curve was(is) still too steep, and most of my most treasured games simply refuse to run on Linux.

And I refuse to give up my 3 screens..... 

[Roland Deschain]

I looked into Linux, too. Like you found, it appeared to be far too much work just to get my games working, so gave up before i'd even started. If I had the money to build another rig, then maybe i'd dedicate one to gaming, using the other one to get to grips with a Linux distro, and finding out what part of my life could be transferred to it. Until then, i'm sticking with the evil that is Microsoft.