Creature of Kapu Cave not responding

[Sandra Whiting]

I was downloading Creature of Kapu Cave on Gamehouse and it needed Disk 1 to start playing. Once I tried to get it to play, it went to the desktop and it’s not playing.

[Spalls Hurgenson]

I had to look this one up. Apparently it's a 2006 Nancy Drew computer
game. It garbered fairly average reviews, not being seen as an
exceptional game but neither being a terrible experience. "Acceptable
for kids, but nobody else" seemed to be the general thesis. But fans
of the franchise - or adventure-game diehards - probably have a more
positive opinion of the game. But what do I know? I still think
DOS-era games are worth playing, so my opinions are obviously warped.
;-)

Anyway, it's not a game I've played (or even own). However, given its
age I suspect compatibility issues with modern hardware/software. Try
running the game as administrator, in XP compatibility mode, and/or
with fullscreen optimizatitons disabled. A lot of games from that era
- especially those made by smaller developers - took shortcuts that
don't play well with modern versions of Windows.

[kyonshi]

On 12/21/2023 6:40 PM, Spalls Hurgenson wrote:
> On Wed, 20 Dec 2023 12:49:18 -0800 (PST), Sandra Whiting
> <sandrarw...@gmail.com> wrote:
>
>> I was downloading Creature of Kapu Cave on Gamehouse and it needed Disk 1
>> to start playing. Once I tried to get it to play, it went to the desktop
>> and it’s not playing.
>
> I had to look this one up. Apparently it's a 2006 Nancy Drew computer
> game. It garbered fairly average reviews, not being seen as an
> exceptional game but neither being a terrible experience. "Acceptable
> for kids, but nobody else" seemed to be the general thesis. But fans
> of the franchise - or adventure-game diehards - probably have a more
> positive opinion of the game. But what do I know? I still think
> DOS-era games are worth playing, so my opinions are obviously warped.
> ;-)
>

Nostalgia is a big force in our lives. Although some DOS games are
genuinely good.

> Anyway, it's not a game I've played (or even own). However, given its
> age I suspect compatibility issues with modern hardware/software. Try
> running the game as administrator, in XP compatibility mode, and/or
> with fullscreen optimizatitons disabled. A lot of games from that era
> - especially those made by smaller developers - took shortcuts that
> don't play well with modern versions of Windows.
>
>
>
>

It might be the easiest to install a virtual machine for it I guess.
Although that always is a bit of a hassle.

[Spalls Hurgenson]

On Wed, 10 Jan 2024 10:06:32 +0100, kyonshi <gmk...@gmail.com> wrote:

>Nostalgia is a big force in our lives. Although some DOS games are
>genuinely good.

Some are. Most are not. And even the best, I'd be hard pressed to
recommend to gamers who haven't lived through that era. I mean, I
/love/ games like "Full Throttle" but is it really worth it to a
non-fan to play it over other modern games? I'm not sure it is. It's
not like older movies or books from a previous era, where the message
being told is so universal or important that it transcends the medium.

A great game from the 90s isn't really saying or doing anything a
great game from 2010 isn't doing too. Sure, if you're a fan of a
certain genre and have played all the rest (or have a historical
interest in the hobby), the older games are important. But if you're
just a gamer who wants a fun time, is it really worth the hassle of
playing a 30-year old game with subpar visuals and controls? As much
as I love the classics, I'd be hard pressed to argue yes.

Not that I'm giving up my collection of hundres of DOS games anytime
soon. I love those clunky old titles. But I totally understand why
most people look askance at my hobby (and politely excuse themselves
when I boot one up to 'show them how cool it is'. ;-)

>It might be the easiest to install a virtual machine for it I guess.
>Although that always is a bit of a hassle.

I've found virtual machines to be /very/ hit or miss for games of that
era. Whether it's hardware & software incompatibilties or just
performance, there's a whole bunch of games from roughly 97 to 2010
that just aren't easily playable anymore except on native hardware.

Fortunately, I have native hardware (although even that isn't a
panacea, since - if the game was only available on Steam or a similar
service - you still may not get it running because the older OS is no
longer supported).

[kyonshi]

On 1/10/2024 8:21 PM, Spalls Hurgenson wrote:
> On Wed, 10 Jan 2024 10:06:32 +0100, kyonshi <gmk...@gmail.com> wrote:
>
>> Nostalgia is a big force in our lives. Although some DOS games are
>> genuinely good.
>
> Some are. Most are not. And even the best, I'd be hard pressed to
> recommend to gamers who haven't lived through that era. I mean, I
> /love/ games like "Full Throttle" but is it really worth it to a
> non-fan to play it over other modern games? I'm not sure it is. It's
> not like older movies or books from a previous era, where the message
> being told is so universal or important that it transcends the medium.
>

I think it depends on genre here. Adventure games of the time have the
benefit of having ScummVM as an easy way to play them. Other games are
noticeably harder to get running.
The question then is: are adventure games what that particular player
actually wants? They have kind of died after that golden era, because
they couldn't really transform into 3D in the same way that other genres
did. On the other hand that makes them kind of timeless.
But they also come from a design perspective that does not gel with
modern gamers AND modern gamers might not have the context to deal with
them properly.
I am looking forward to seeing my kid take his chances on one once he
gets old enough to read.

> Not that I'm giving up my collection of hundres of DOS games anytime
> soon. I love those clunky old titles. But I totally understand why
> most people look askance at my hobby (and politely excuse themselves
> when I boot one up to 'show them how cool it is'. ;-)

I had some success with some DOS games with my kid. He is turning a bit
into a gamer and some stuff (that he can do without reading) he already
can work out on his own. There are some that are built in a way they
keep his interest (e.g. The Settlers)