Ask MetaFilter questions tagged with game

How to safely mod minecraft?

H. Roark — Mon, 20 May 2013 21:35:17 -0800

My kid wants me to install a bunch of mods to minecraft, I'm confused about the process. Installing mods seems much different then say on Steam games where its integrated into the application. I'm uncomfortable just following sketchy links on message boards to download and install jars/executables, but thats the process as I've seen it described. Is there a more obvious way to do this? Given a named mod like the "more animals mod" are you really supposed to go to a place like this and just trust the links? Is there some kind of registry where you know you are getting some non-malware code? Some examples that seem overly complicated: how to mod 1, example2. Thanks.

Is this a real game? Or is it just fantasy?

Skybly — Wed, 15 May 2013 01:01:09 -0800

While shopping for a case for my new Android tablet I came across this photo. I like the cutesy look of the game on screen - can anyone identify it (if it's not just a mockup for marketing purposes)? Thanks!

Searching for title of a 90's FPS game for PC

madcow20 — Thu, 09 May 2013 02:55:14 -0800

I used to play a FPS on my PC back in the 90's. I can't remember the title of it, however I remember one of the weapons. One of the weapons is: A right hand where the thumb, index finger and pinky are apart but the middle and ring finger are together. The player then shoots like a white ball and the hand has a white aura or something like that. It wasn't the only weapon in the game, but it was the weapon that didn't require any ammo (Like the knuckles and chainsaw in Doom).

I remember the beginning of the game, which had a brown floor. The graphics were like Doom, I believe.

Pandemic: On The Brink - petri dish dimensions?

obiwanwasabi — Tue, 30 Apr 2013 04:08:41 -0800

What are the dimensions of the plastic petri dishes used to store disease cubes that ship with the Pandemic expansion, On The Brink?

Searching for an old car-game I played in the 90's

madcow20 — Sun, 28 Apr 2013 23:10:30 -0800

In the 90's I borrowed a demo-CD from a friend, who had a car combat-like game, where you drove around in a futuristic environment. The game was a demo, so it only had one level and only one car. The only mission that was available was where one had to collect two pieces of a device located in two different parts of the map. Most of the stuff was blue. The setting was like this: You drove around in a futuristic enviroment. There were no enemies, no stuff to do except find the two devices (I think it was because it was a demo). The car was hovering and it was blue. The roads were these highway-platforms you drove on. I remember that you started in a garage of sorts, where if you drove forward, you would have to drive left or right. If you drove left, you would still drive on the highway-platforms, however if you went right, you would end up in a city of some sorts. The car one drove looked like a blue taxi. And there was a radar in the car, that directed one to each of the devices in order. I remember that one of the devices was placed at the edge of a highway-platform road that stopped. You couldn't go any further. After you picked up both devices, the game would stop and it would tell you to buy it.

Is this game the right birthday gift?

MinusCelsius — Thu, 25 Apr 2013 07:12:22 -0800

Game: Benoît Sokal's Sinking Island. Unknowns: Mother, potentially her laptop. My mother loves thrillers and murder mysteries and likes PC games with easy controls. I'm considering to get her Sinking Island (a disc version tho).

My questions:

Will the game run without issues on her laptop? Win 7 Home Premium, Service Pack 1, Easynote LS 13 HR, Intel-Core i5 2430 M, Cpu 2,4 Ghz, RAM 3,85 MB, 64 bit, which doesn't match the game recommendations.

Reviews I read recommend the game for "beginners and casual gamers" - how beginner friendly is it really? This about controls/interface, not the riddles or story.

Help I'm stuck inside a computer!

Jehan — Wed, 17 Apr 2013 15:20:27 -0800

Looking to learn the name of a BBC Micro (?) game where you went inside a computer and solved various puzzles to free (?) the computer from bugs or aliens. The game imagery was very "microchips and copper tracks" heavy, and I think you could select a new puzzle by choosing one chip or another. The game screen was mostly black, blue, and red. I recall that at about six to eight years old some of the puzzles were above me, so I think the target players would be more 11 to 12.

I must have played this game some time between 1988 and 1992, if that helps. Also, I think it was clearly meant to be educational first with game elements added, not the other way around.

Thanks!

Dominion for iPhone alternative

Brent Parker — Tue, 09 Apr 2013 19:48:20 -0800

Dominion (the card game) doesn't seem like it's ever likely to come out for iOS. What are some alternative iPhone games that riff on Dominion style play that are can be played thru game center and are turn based (able to take hours to make a turn.) Thanks!

Looking for 2-player android games that reproduce the board-game feeling

primer_dimer — Fri, 05 Apr 2013 04:55:13 -0800

A favourite evening activity for my wife and I is playing board games. I've been thinking for a while now that a lot of the things that are fun about board games ought to translate very well to tablet games. So I'm looking for suggestions for Android games that fit a few criteria: - fun for two players
- will happily run on an ASUS transformer tablet
- allow two people to play on the same device (i.e. we only have one Android tablet! though we do have two android phones, if there are any games that fit the criteria....)

and that contain some of the elements that we find appealing about board games:

- strong themes (history, spaceships, pirates, etc. etc.) that allow for a little bit of roleplaying
- plenty of player interaction
- don't involve quick reaction / reflexes (i.e. probably turn-based or similar)

Here's what we are not looking for:

- first person shooters
- long, involved military strategy wargames
- driving/racing games

Obvious good candidates are android versions of board games, but please don't limit answers to these - I am sure that there are great categories of games that I've not thought of. For example, I'm reasonably sure that we would enjoy playing an RPG dungeon-explorey kind of game, but I have no idea which ones would be suitable.

Paid games are fine.

For readers familiar with euro-style board games, our current favourites are Agricola/Race for the Galaxy/Carcasonne/Morels/Catan.

An early- to mid-90s computer game about mystery-solving kids?

flibbertigibbet — Thu, 04 Apr 2013 13:18:42 -0800

I'm trying to remember the name of a computer game I used to play in the early- to mid-90s. I think it was a series set in suburbia with two kids (possibly brother and sister?) tasked with solving crimes. It had suspects, a map with possible locations, and it was probably vaguely educational. It was not Carmen Sandiego-related. What was the name of the game?

Has anyone played this pen-and-paper drawing game?

moonroof — Wed, 03 Apr 2013 14:12:07 -0800

About a decade ago, in high school, I remember playing a pen-and-paper drawing game, where players take turns drawing things to stop or start a cartoon-y situation. We called it "The Awesome Game," but I wonder if it has another name? To start the game, a situation is drawn on the paper, for example, an anvil about to fall on a duck. Taking turns, one player tries to stop the situation from happening, while the other player draws things to make sure the situation goes forth. In the above example, the first player might draw a brick wall in-between the anvil and the duck. Then the second player might draw a bomb to blow up the brick wall. Then the first player might draw a rain cloud to put out the fuse on the bomb. This kept going until one of the players, mentally exhausted, gave up.
It wasn't really a "game," it was more like a collaborative drawing activity, because the final images were so fun to look at. We called it "The Awesome Game," but, predictably, my google searches for this name are not returning what I'm looking for. I'm wondering if the game has another name? I want to see if anyone else on the internet has played the game, and has uploaded images of their final drawings.

You can answer, but you can't reply.

Obscure Reference — Mon, 01 Apr 2013 08:58:37 -0800

Years ago, my friends and I used to play this game where we'd make sentences with apparent synonyms but negate one of them. For example: "He's honest but he's not truthful." or "He's intelligent but he's not smart." Hearing these sentences would create a sense of difference between the two words that previously wouldn't be visible, or even necessarily exist. We didn't invent this game but I can't remember where we got it. Has anyone heard of it or something like it? Does it have a name? Where does it come from?

Need an iPhone game that's like Civilization, SimCity, or Age of Empires

Afroblanco — Thu, 28 Mar 2013 13:39:45 -0800

Need some iPhone games that are as engrossing as Civilization, SimCity, and Age of Empires. (Yes, I already have Civilization Revolution and SimCity DLX.) For the most part, I am not much of a gamer. The only games I've ever gotten into were Civilization (original, Civ 5, and Civ Rev), SimCity (every version), Command and Conquer, and Age of Empires. However, I've found that if I play Civ Rev while working out on the elliptical, the time just flies by. Sadly, I've now beaten Civ Rev on the hardest level, fulfilling every possible victory condition, and haven't found a game to replace it. Do you have any suggestions? I'm not into action games or puzzle games, and am not looking for a game like Go or Chess. The closer a game is to Civ, SimCity, or Age of Empires, the more likely I am to get addicted to it.

The game has to work on the iPhone; I don't have an iPad, and I work out at a gym, so I can't use a proper computer. Also, I would prefer a game I could purchase for an up-front fee, not a game that's always trying to weasel money out of me in the form of in-game purchases.

Resources for public domain/CC vector art

ignignokt — Wed, 20 Mar 2013 05:03:46 -0800

I'm looking for something akin to Rpg Maker VX Resource Planet, except with vector art. I'd like resources for public domain or CC-licensed vector art assets for use as placeholders in games. I'd prefer SVG format and paths that are as simple and small as possible, but anything convertible to SVG is cool.

Looking for the name of a board game.

aftermarketradio — Mon, 11 Mar 2013 11:41:20 -0800

I played a board game with some friends a few years ago, and I can't remember the name of it. Can someone help me figure out what it is? I can tell you as much about the game as I can remember, inside. Here are the details I can remember:

1. Each player has a set of monochromatic blocks of various shapes and configurations, similar to Tetris blocks.

2. You play the game by taking turns putting your blocks down on a fixed grid, so the pieces stay in place.

3. The goal of the game is to be the player with the most blocks of your color showing when you view the game board from the top, and the blocks are designed in such a way where you may cover your opponents' blocks with your own as part of the strategy (as long as it's a legal play).

4. If I recall correctly, you can't place a block that forms a column more than 4 units high, and each player's "set" contains a single block that's a line 4-units long (again, similar to Tetris).

That's basically all I can recall. It really is like a multiplayer Tetris game, where the goal is to have your blocks come out on top.

We played this game in the early 2010s, and it looked fairly modern.

I'd appreciate any suggestions!

Help me identify a video game

signsofrain — Tue, 26 Feb 2013 18:16:48 -0800

I remember an RPG... I think it was for DOS or Windows. It was a kind of puzzle/mystery genre game, and it was like all video? Like your character walking around was sort of a mortal kombat video captured sprite walking around realistic (also kind of grainy video-y) backgrounds. The main character was a woman, I think she was asian, pretty sure she had long black hair. Can you identify the game?

A New Door to Kick Open?

dragonplayer — Tue, 26 Feb 2013 08:17:20 -0800

We started off with Munchkin, then picked up Munchkin Zombies. Which Munchkin expansion should we try next?

PS3 game recommendation for 15-yo girl and her old lady

drlith — Fri, 22 Feb 2013 19:14:40 -0800

A trip to Game Stop tonight looking for a PS3 game that I can enjoy with my 15 yo daughter was less than satisfactory. My daughter is pretty open as far as genre goes but I would prefer something not too graphic, and ideally would like a game that doesn't focus on killing at all. I'd also prefer something that doesn't require special equipment. Must have a 2 player mode but either cooperative or competitive is fine. Any great titles with these specifications?

Work Productivity as a Game

SpacemanStix — Fri, 22 Feb 2013 07:18:27 -0800

Is there software that allows you to treat work productivity like a game? I'm thinking along the lines of keeping track of email, phone calls, to-do items completed, etc. I'm not thinking of anything really specific, but something that is stats or RPG-like would be pretty cool.

How do you go about finding copyright information for old computer game?

gb77 — Wed, 20 Feb 2013 10:15:25 -0800

Trying to find out copyright information on 20 year old game. (more below) Details: Macintosh game called "Strategic Leap" 1994. Publisher: Wizardworks, Label: MacSoft.

In 1996, WizardWorks was acquired by GT Interactive Software, then by Infogames, before being rolled into Atari.

Bottom line: I'd like to look into ownership issues with an eye to taking the game to mobile platforms. I fear I'm way out of my depth on the copyright issues.

Thoughts? Thanks.

G

Load Runner for modern Mac OS?

LizardOfDoom — Tue, 19 Feb 2013 07:44:52 -0800

Hi all, I have a project I'd like to do that involves the use of Broderbund's Load Runner game. I have a 4 year old Macbook Pro running Mountain Lion. I have found various sites to download the game, but so far none of the downloads work. I do have an older pre-unix Macbook that is still (barely) functional, but I'd rather use the MBP if at all possible.

I am open to a clone or other very similar game; graphics are less important than actual gameplay in similarity.

"N" is a superfun game, but will not work for this project.

The project is just for my own use playing around with physical computing and alternate control mechanisms.

Thanks!

Old dos gold mining game

fimbulvetr — Sun, 17 Feb 2013 21:01:14 -0800

I'm trying to remember an old gold mining video game (probably mid to late 80s). I think it was dos. It was similar to Miner VGA, but after playing that a few times it was definitely not that game. Similar to Miner VGA, you dug around looking for minerals, but in this case I think it was only gold. The mine would flood, there could be rockfalls, and you would light dynamite fuses and run for it. Sound familiar to anyone?

help with name of 1990s single-player game of spaceship combat

Perifferol — Sun, 17 Feb 2013 16:21:32 -0800

Hello, I was hoping that someone could name the turn-based space strategy game I played as a demo on my PC back around 1995. I offer these sketchy details: --it was a turn-based game where you piloted and battled using one or more spaceships --the game offered the intriguing feature of allowing you to design new spaceships --I remember learning the word "chassis" from the game, since you could choose what type of chassis you wanted in ship design, among other choices --the GUI was predominantly a gray-colored menu with text and options that you could interact with using the mouse, along with some more-or-less static images of planets and spaceships --I don't recall much in the way of storyline or even characters --I think you didn't see faces of characters much at all, or much of them otherwise. Thank you for trying to help me penetrate the obscurity.

What was this "Game"?

Admiral Haddock — Wed, 13 Feb 2013 08:56:17 -0800

When I was in college in the mid-90s, I had a "game" (broadly defined) for my Macintosh Quadra 650 (aw yiss!) that was labeled ITA Choco. Here's what seems to be a site by the creators (partially in Japanese, partially in 404 errors). What was the point of it? And what does the site say? The game was sort of like an early predecessor to QWOP, in that you controlled the limbs of (maybe) a woman, and there was a little garden gnome bopping about. By moving her arms, you could make the gnome climb on your shoulders or head. The woman may have been sitting at a table with a cup of coffee on it. The game was essentially black and white, with a painterly look to it, much like the home page image on the site I linked to.

I can't remember getting it to do anything in particular. I'd move her arms, and the gnome would bop about. And then I'd get bored and play Blobbo or Snood.

Does anyone else remember this game, or know what I was supposed to be doing? I do actually still have a copy of it on a backup disc, but I can't play it on my Mac Pro.

Resources on Polynesian myth.

cthuljew — Mon, 11 Feb 2013 00:25:13 -0800

For a friend: I’m writing about a fictional, Polynesian-inspired trickster god for a game. What are some resources I can consult so my storylines are respectful and grounded in authentic myth? Ideally, these sources will be fun to read as well.