No but if you were to make the list and deliver it to Creo, I'm sure he would appreciate it...

What for?
It would actually not take longer than a minute, because it is a simple matter of doing the database query a little differently You still have to give me a good reason to do it.

Edited by Mr Creosote at 20:37 on March, 30th 2003

Um, it's pretty obvious: So that people that come to The Good Old Days to download games, and happen to either like a certain genre more than another or perhaps are searching for a sepecific game, could find what they want in a snap rather than going through game after game in the relatively wrong database.

People that come to TGOD just to download games are funny.

So? It's human computer-geek instinct. You see the word abandonware, you think downloads.

They can already do that: A listing 'by genre' exists as well as a keyword search which always gives out accurate results.

Huh? What is 'wrong' in the database? This list of downloadable games has been compiled from the database, too! So if the database is 'faulty', how should that list be any better?

Edited by Mr Creosote at 10:55 on March, 31st 2003

That's a stupid way of thinking. You probably see "abadonware" as "abadonwarez".
"Warez" = Free download
"Abadonware" = Old games that been abadoned by their owners. Or, if you really wish to get to the basic description, it's some old stuff that got lost.

I really don't see the link with the two. Abadonware doesn't equal free downloads.

Whoops, I meant "long", not "wrong".

Eagle of Fire: I agree, but the general public doesn't as the creator of this topic clearly shows.

But that doesn't only search through games that are downloadable.

Yes, of course not, but that is for a good reason: 'games being downloadable' is not a central point of the site, but an additional (secondary) feature of a selected few. For two years now, I've taken many steps away from being a 'download site' - and I'll continue this course. In fact, I got some good suggestions from a fellow webmaster concerning this yesterday which I plan to incorporate My goal is to have a site offering unique contents, i.e. as much information about the games as possible. Visitors should look around and if they find a download in addition to the information, they should be glad - not the other way round (being 'pissed' if a game is not downloadable).

Edited by Mr Creosote at 21:55 on March, 31st 2003

Oh yeah? As far as I can see, you're listed with 207 games and 60 apps, no mention of 'reviews only' - at http://www.aplaces.org/. What was your mysterious update they're talking about by the way?

Wow... That's really weird... I sent them the last update a month ago or so, with the correct number of games, no apps, and a "reviews only" note... I thought they were more reliable than this...

I think they had it right before, so I assume some joker sumitted a fake update for your site yesterday. I'm just surprised they listed it without actually confirming this huge update (150 new games, 60 new apps) actually happened...

I guess that's what happens when one doesn't even GO to the site that claims an update. I haven't really paid any attention to those sites, I've been quite a bit busy with other things.

Of course it your site centers around downloadable games, then it's more like a site that wants to give out free games rather than paint the game a picture and preserve it.

Well didn't read all the posts so hopefully I'm not repeating anything but is there any chance Mr Creosote that you could write next to each link which is not downloaded able, 'this game is not downloadable'? I doubt it would be that time consuming and would be helpful

What are you referring to? That is already the case: On Amiga dn C64 pages, the download links are striked through, on SNES, it says 'Download disabled' and on PC, the download buttons have a red stamp saying 'IDSA' on them. I think each of those is a pretty obvious sign that there is no download...

Nice avatar by the way

Edited by Mr Creosote at 00:58 on April, 14th 2003

I believe he means putting a "no download available" notice next to the "more info" button on the list of games (ie, when you click a letter, a year, or a category). Most people that come to these sites come here to DL games, they only use the reviews to help them decide which game to DL.


btw Does anyone else think it's extremely hypocrital of the IDSA to forbid downloading/making available for download of games because the company doesn't profit from them, but they don't mind if you buy a secondhand copy off of ebay even though the company doesn't profit from that either?

For that, I refer you to my post on March 31st 22:49. It is also not listed if a game has a manual or if we're offering a walkthrough - why should we list the availability of one thing, but not the other?

They do mind that. Have you ever read a 'modern' licensse agreement of a game?

1) I didn't say that you should list the availability of anything, I said that that's what crasher is talking about, and what many people want. Whether or not you list the availability of downloads, manuals, walkthroughs, etc depends on your goals for the site. Since you've stated on more than one occaision that your goal is to offer unique content, then you want to make people really look at the site to see what is here and not just jump straight to the downloads. Questions like crasher's and complaints along similar lines are proof that you're succeeding. :p

2) The ISDA doesn't care about second hand sales enough to try to stop them like they do with downloads. I have seen the ISDA killed messages on many downloads around the web, but never once on any second hand sales.

Sorry, I had an ambiguity in my post there. With 'you', I was actually addressing crasher - thanks for clearing that up though

They don't really prevent downloading those titles as well. Sure, they send out these 'cease & desist' letters, but it doesn't look as if they're keeping track of those for themselves. That is why they sometimes send identical letters more than once to the same people, why they target legal sites again and again (even the same ones more than once) and so on.
Also, you have to take into account that targetting big sites offering several hundred or even thousands of 'their' games is a lot more 'efficient' than going against second hand sales (where they have to pick on everyone and each single 'license' in circulation individually).