Would I need sourceports for Duke Nukem 3D World Tour, Serious Sam Classic First Encounter, or Daikatana?

[Dweller Dark]

Thanks to some recommendations from people here, I've picked out those games to buy when I'm able to. But I'm interested what sourceports or programs I'd need to run one or all of them, since I imagine some might have problems on modern systems.

[ReaperAA]

I can't say anything about Serious Sam, but for Duke3D, i absolutely recommend a source port like Raze, EDuke32 or BuildGDX (try these and see which of the 3 suits you best). All 3 provide many QoL features over DOS Duke like wide-screen res, better mouse input, bug fixes etc.

 

As for Daikatana, I recommend the unofficial 1.3 patch which fixes many bugs and has many QoL features, including the ability to turn off savegems(and play with unlimited saves) and turn off sidekicks(no longer need to babysit them). I recommend turning of both of them because i think the game is much more enjoyable this way.

[Jello]

Reaper's right about Duke3D and Daikatana, although even with the 1.3 patch on Daikatana I would still say it's not worth the money. But I get it, curiosity will get the best of people. I went and bought a boxed copy of it years ago for around $5.00. Still feels like I got ripped off.

 

As for Serious Sam, are you referring to the original Serious Sam: The First Encounter and Second Encounter, or the HD versions? 

 

It doesn't really matter either way, just out of curiosity I put in my CD for the original Serious Sam: The First Encounter that I bought back in 2001, installs and runs without any problems on Windows 10. So the original "classic" versions run fine, just with limited resolution and they aren't quite as pretty, due to coming out in 2001, but gameplay is pretty much the same as the HD versions. And there's really no reason not to buy the HD versions unless you're picky, there were a few things in the original games that had to be taken out due to changes in the engine, nothing really noteworthy though and you wouldn't miss them if you've never played the original versions.

 

But yeah, Serious Sam doesn't need any sort of sourceport or special program to run, regardless of whether it's classic or HD.

 

 

[Ukikomori]

Serious Sam: TFE and TSE lack any source ports as far as I know, but the classic version should work fine on modern hardware. You can also go with the HD edition for a more polished experience.

[Dweller Dark]

43 minutes ago, Jello said:

Reaper's right about Duke3D and Daikatana, although even with the 1.3 patch on Daikatana I would still say it's not worth the money. But I get it, curiosity will get the best of people. I went and bought a boxed copy of it years ago for around $5.00. Still feels like I got ripped off.

 

As for Serious Sam, are you referring to the original Serious Sam: The First Encounter and Second Encounter, or the HD versions? 

 

It doesn't really matter either way, just out of curiosity I put in my CD for the original Serious Sam: The First Encounter that I bought back in 2001, installs and runs without any problems on Windows 10. So the original "classic" versions run fine, just with limited resolution and they aren't quite as pretty, due to coming out in 2001, but gameplay is pretty much the same as the HD versions. And there's really no reason not to buy the HD versions unless you're picky, there were a few things in the original games that had to be taken out due to changes in the engine, nothing really noteworthy though and you wouldn't miss them if you've never played the original versions.

 

But yeah, Serious Sam doesn't need any sort of sourceport or special program to run, regardless of whether it's classic or HD.

 

 

 

I was referring to the original, but I'm going to get the HD version and discard Daikatana for now.

[Jello]

13 minutes ago, DavetheDoomguy said:

 

I was referring to the original, but I'm going to get the HD version and discard Daikatana for now.

Not a bad idea. If you have to choose between The First Encounter and The Second Encounter, I personally would go for TSE. You're not going to miss anything storywise, and while I loved TFE when it came out, as soon as TSE came out I never really went back to it.

 

It was fun, but the levels became pretty repetitive since they were all the exact same Ancient Egypt theme. TSE varied it a bit by adding Peruvian, Sumerian, and Medieval levels. Plus new enemies and weapons. Just my two cents, and if you can get both do, looks like they're both pretty cheap on Steam right now. But I think TSE is the more enjoyable one.

[Dweller Dark]

3 minutes ago, Jello said:

Not a bad idea. If you have to choose between The First Encounter and The Second Encounter, I personally would go for TSE. You're not going to miss anything storywise, and while I loved TFE when it came out, as soon as TSE came out I never really went back to it.

 

It was fun, but the levels became pretty repetitive since they were all the exact same Ancient Egypt theme. TSE varied it a bit by adding Peruvian, Sumerian, and Medieval levels. Plus new enemies and weapons. Just my two cents, and if you can get both do, looks like they're both pretty cheap on Steam right now. But I think TSE is the more enjoyable one.

 

I'm probably gonna try to get both along with what I already have picked out. I have the Hexen/Heretic collection, Duke Nukem World Tour, Serious Sam 1 & 2 HD, all the Half Life 1 & 2 chapters/expansions, and KOTOR 2. So, not a bad set for about $20USD.

[Jello]

29 minutes ago, DavetheDoomguy said:

 

I'm probably gonna try to get both along with what I already have picked out. I have the Hexen/Heretic collection, Duke Nukem World Tour, Serious Sam 1 & 2 HD, all the Half Life 1 & 2 chapters/expansions, and KOTOR 2. So, not a bad set for about $20USD.

Shit, yeah for $20 that's a steal, and it should keep you busy for quite a while. Happy gaming!

[Khorus]

Owning Serious Sam classic on steam should open up the option to download "Serious Sam Classics: Revolution" which is the old engine further developed by community members. It lets you run FE or SE, adds a new campaign (rather hit or miss but it's there) and allows for higher resolutions.

 

EDIT: Thinking about it, I'm not so sure if buying the old games gives you Revolution now as I've had the old titles for so long, it has a seperate steam listing anyway.

 

https://store.steampowered.com/app/227780/Serious_Sam_Classics_Revolution/

Edited December 23, 2020 by Khorus

[SgtGhost Pepper]

Daikatana is playable more or less with the 1.3 fan patch. As for Duke 3D, if World Tour comes with the .GRP files then you can run it in eDuke32 which is my preferred and recommended method for that. As for Serious Sam, get Classics Revolution as it's more or less a re-up with a spiffier engine for modders and it more or less unifies those mods as well. At least last I had played.

 

[Maes]

4 hours ago, Jello said:

I went and bought a boxed copy of it [Daikatana] years ago for around $5.00. Still feels like I got ripped off.

 

Well, can't say you weren't duly warned....

 

[seed]

For Daikatana, yes definitely install the 1.3 patch, but there is no guarantee you will like the game even afterwards. First episode is pretty much the weakest part of the game no matter what.

 

Serious Sam, I don't know, while for Duke 3D WT, definitely go for GDX or Raze, both offer an experience far superior to the crappy port Gearbox has developed, with insufferable input lag.

[TheNoob_Gamer]

2 hours ago, Khorus said:

Owning Serious Sam classic on steam should open up the option to download "Serious Sam Classics: Revolution" which is the old engine further developed by community members. It lets you run FE or SE, adds a new campaign (rather hit or miss but it's there) and allows for higher resolutions.

 

EDIT: Thinking about it, I'm not so sure if buying the old games gives you Revolution now as I've had the old titles for so long, it has a seperate steam listing anyway.

 

https://store.steampowered.com/app/227780/Serious_Sam_Classics_Revolution/

I think now buying Revolution gives you both of Serious Sam 1 chapters instead - both First and Second Encounter. I would actually recommend OP to grab that.

[ReaperAA]

Seriously Daikatana is not "that" bad, just make sure to play with 1.3 patch and disable save gems and sidekicks. Episode 1 is bad but the game becomes much better after that. If you can get it for under 3$, I think it is a decent buy.

[ZeroTheEro]

Serious Sam Classics Revolution is what you're looking for if it's about the classic Serious Sam releases.

28 minutes ago, ReaperAA said:

 Episode 1 is bad but the game becomes much better after that.

This, Civvie even admits this is the case.

[ReaperAA]

5 minutes ago, ZeroTheEro said:

This, Civvie even admits this is the case.

 

Now that you mentioned Civvie, I would say that I am not a huge fan of his Daikatana review (even though I like him otherwise). His review makes Daikatana look worse than it actually is because he decided to play the game in the worst possible setting (other than the 1.3 patch) like having both save gems and sidekicks enabled.

[hybridial]

40 minutes ago, ReaperAA said:

 

Now that you mentioned Civvie, I would say that I am not a huge fan of his Daikatana review (even though I like him otherwise). His review makes Daikatana look worse than it actually is because he decided to play the game in the worst possible setting (other than the 1.3 patch) like having both save gems and sidekicks enabled.

 

 

Well he did acknowledge doing that because that is the way it was intended to be played, so I don't think him doing that was at all unfair to what the game was intended to be like. And I would say it doesn't really make Daikatana "better" that its less annoying to play by turning off intended features. I mean fine if someone wants to play it that way and has a good time with it, and by all means, let people know that, but in assessing the game properly it really should be by how it was designed. 

[Master O]

6 hours ago, Jello said:

Not a bad idea. If you have to choose between The First Encounter and The Second Encounter, I personally would go for TSE. You're not going to miss anything storywise, and while I loved TFE when it came out, as soon as TSE came out I never really went back to it.

 

It was fun, but the levels became pretty repetitive since they were all the exact same Ancient Egypt theme. TSE varied it a bit by adding Peruvian, Sumerian, and Medieval levels. Plus new enemies and weapons. Just my two cents, and if you can get both do, looks like they're both pretty cheap on Steam right now. But I think TSE is the more enjoyable one.

 

TSE has one of my all-time favorite Serious Sam enemies (besides the Headless Suicide Bombers):

 

https://serioussam.fandom.com/wiki/Cucurbito_the_Pumpkin

[ReaperAA]

1 hour ago, hybridial said:

Well he did acknowledge doing that because that is the way it was intended to be played, so I don't think him doing that was at all unfair to what the game was intended to be like.

 

Was it the intended way? Yes

 

Is it the ideal way nowadays? No. If I was in Civvie's boots, I would try to play the games (whether good games or bad games) in best possible options so that anyone who really want to try those games would know what are the best possible options to get most enjoyment out of the games.

 

1 hour ago, hybridial said:

but in assessing the game properly it really should be by how it was designed. 

 

And this is where me and you differ. Whenever I assess a game, I tend to look at what the game is like now instead of what the game was (or intended) at launch. I believe in retrospective review. Most reviewers only judge how a game is at launch and rarely ever do a retrospective review of that game, which is a shame if you ask me.

[ReaperAA]

And I pretty much apply this in case of Doom wads as well.

 

For example, old wads like Memento Mori, Icarus, Requiem etc. were great for their time, but now they don't hold up as well against modern wads. This is why I place/rank them lower compared to most modern wads as I judge things according to how they hold now compared to how they held up before.

Edited December 23, 2020 by ReaperAA

[[McD] James]

5 hours ago, ReaperAA said:

Seriously Daikatana is not "that" bad, just make sure to play with 1.3 patch and disable save gems and sidekicks. Episode 1 is bad but the game becomes much better after that. If you can get it for under 3$, I think it is a decent buy.

 

Agreed.

[Dweller Dark]

I couldn't get Serious Sam and chose not to get Daikatana, but I'm having a problem with not being able to find the Hexen 2 IWAD (if there is one, I'm not experienced with Hexen 2).

 

 

Also, I assume Deathkings of the Dark Citadel's IWAD is HEXDD?

 

Edit: Had barely enough left over to get Daikatana, so I did.

Edited December 23, 2020 by DavetheDoomguy
Added info +2

[Gez]

47 minutes ago, DavetheDoomguy said:

I'm having a problem with not being able to find the Hexen 2 IWAD (if there is one, I'm not experienced with Hexen 2).

Hexen II uses the Quake engine, so it's a different setup. Just like Quake, it's not using an IWAD but a base folder (called "data1") containing various .pak and .dat files.

 

47 minutes ago, DavetheDoomguy said:

Also, I assume Deathkings of the Dark Citadel's IWAD is HEXDD?

Yes, although it only contains level data. Normally, Deathkings actually ships with the full HEXEN.WAD IWAD because it needs to read it too in order to have all the sounds, textures, sprites, etc.

 

Also, did you get the Steam or the GOG version? The Steam version of Deathkings needs to be patched if you want to hear MIDI music in the levels. And the Steam version also doesn't come with the CD soundtrack, contrarily to the GOG version, so you won't get CD music either.

Edited December 23, 2020 by Gez

[Dweller Dark]

3 minutes ago, Gez said:

Hexen II uses the Quake engine, so it's a different setup. Just like Quake, it's not using an IWAD but a base folder (called "data1") containing various .pak and .dat files.

 

Yes, although it only contains level data. Normally, Deathkings actually ships with the full HEXEN.WAD IWAD because it needs to read it too in order to have all the sounds, textures, sprites, etc.

 

Also, did you get the Steam or the GOG version? The Steam version of Deathkings needs to be patched if you want to hear MIDI music in the levels. And the Steam version also doesn't come with the CD soundtrack, contrarily to the GOG version, so you won't get CD music either.

 

I got both off Steam along with the rest of the collection. Do I need a sourceport for Hexen 2?

[Gez]

Hammer of Thyrion is basically the source port for Hexen II.

[Dweller Dark]

7 minutes ago, Gez said:

Hammer of Thyrion is basically the source port for Hexen II.

 

Thanks, and what would I use to run Deathkings? I have GZDoom and DoomLauncher, but I don't know if I just run the HEXDD WAD or something else.

[Gez]

GZDoom should run just fine; it detects the Steam installs and loads both HEXEN.WAD and HEXDD.WAD without issue.

[Dweller Dark]

24 minutes ago, Gez said:

GZDoom should run just fine; it detects the Steam installs and loads both HEXEN.WAD and HEXDD.WAD without issue.

 

Do I run Hexen and HEXDD together? 

(Edit: Nevermind that, I figured it out.)

 

How do you get Hammer of Thyrion working?

Edited December 24, 2020 by DavetheDoomguy
Added info

[Jello]

29 minutes ago, DavetheDoomguy said:

How do you get Hammer of Thyrion working?

Just download it from Sourceforge.net

http://uhexen2.sourceforge.net/

And unzip the contents directly to your Hexen 2 install folder. If you got it off Steam, it'd be in your steamapps/common/hexen 2 folder. Overwrite any files that pop up, then launch with glh2 or h2.exe's. If you want the full range of resolutions, use glh2.exe. If you got it off GOG, I'd imagine it'd be in GOG/Hexen 2. Pretty straight forward.

[Dweller Dark]

Thanks guys, I pretty much have everything working now.