Post AsIxQTS88TmslajeSW by foone@digipres.club
(DIR) More posts by foone@digipres.club
(DIR) Post #AsInrRViSvkn1JdLN2 by foone@digipres.club
2025-03-22T04:59:14Z
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I need to reverse engineer something but all the to-do deathgenerators are GBA hacking projects. I don't want to hack GBA games right now!I should just pick another random DOS game and start hacking it
(DIR) Post #AsIoKm1pG9f73Mdeoy by foone@digipres.club
2025-03-22T05:04:37Z
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I wrote a quick script to search through my DOS games files and randomly pick one.although a typo meant it actually just picked a random letter from the last game scanned, so my first run was "Z" and my second was "P", which is less than helpful
(DIR) Post #AsIoQtQkeTnNkQDPn6 by foone@digipres.club
2025-03-22T05:05:44Z
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Mission UFO - A Solar System Odysseyit's edutainment! a great choice.
(DIR) Post #AsIongeQKdJOm0Tmm8 by foone@digipres.club
2025-03-22T05:09:50Z
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it opens right up to COPY PROTECTION! this is getting better and better.
(DIR) Post #AsIp3cIcHMv7uTsJxA by kinsale42@mstdn.games
2025-03-22T05:12:40Z
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@foone the only kind of DOS game I was ever allowed to play
(DIR) Post #AsIp5fnAGRojK090hU by foone@digipres.club
2025-03-22T05:13:01Z
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boo it seems to be pre-cracked
(DIR) Post #AsIpCRWLirvJ5TVVnk by WestLawns@mastodon.social
2025-03-22T05:14:18Z
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@foone 1.057004e-13 light years.
(DIR) Post #AsIpEcBR3APOjhlDRg by foone@digipres.club
2025-03-22T05:14:24Z
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I'm off to Neptune
(DIR) Post #AsIpHCwnKlMRKv9ITg by foone@digipres.club
2025-03-22T05:15:13Z
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I am at neptune
(DIR) Post #AsIpOcrNOELnjK9Stc by foone@digipres.club
2025-03-22T05:16:32Z
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I have landed on Neptune, which sounds like a bad idea.
(DIR) Post #AsIpVTU0eRBefvUIym by foone@digipres.club
2025-03-22T05:17:46Z
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Is this a trivia game?Also, interesting that they said "russian" here. This is pre-1991 so I'm surprised they didn't say "soviet'
(DIR) Post #AsIpf6HDmogVb961Qm by foone@digipres.club
2025-03-22T05:19:31Z
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the other square says "A place visited by the american magellan spacecraft"You know what this is? this is a Where in the World is Carmen Sandiego! I'm tracking down clues to lead me to the next place.Interesting that it says Magellan. Magellan launched in '89, this is from '88. Supposedly.
(DIR) Post #AsIppr8mP1Ffq7HCNM by foone@digipres.club
2025-03-22T05:21:28Z
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I'm on venus. The hints are a picture of the sun and "A place visible during the day"I MEAN I GUESS. Also, I swear to god, if they make me LAND on the SUN...
(DIR) Post #AsIpvvLBhQacbTyPuy by foone@digipres.club
2025-03-22T05:22:33Z
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I have landed on the fucking sun
(DIR) Post #AsIq0xgwO1NJLIYC8m by Novyx@mastodon.social
2025-03-22T05:23:27Z
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@foone That sounds lovely right about now.
(DIR) Post #AsIq3G5ex3WOz5CwNs by foone@digipres.club
2025-03-22T05:23:40Z
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hints:somewhere with no moonsthe closest planet to the sunthe eighth largest planet
(DIR) Post #AsIqFCAXMB7OIVBHiy by foone@digipres.club
2025-03-22T05:25:32Z
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I have landed on Mercury.Hints: 9th planet from sun, smallest planet. off to definitely-a-planet Pluto!
(DIR) Post #AsIqHhpgbR8F50cpsm by DotMaetrix@chitter.xyz
2025-03-22T05:25:40Z
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@foone Huh. That makes it REALLY surprising that they went with "Russian" over "Soviet." I would have bet on that decision being made AFTER the Berlin Wall went down
(DIR) Post #AsIqM2MEEYP5tXuboW by foone@digipres.club
2025-03-22T05:27:18Z
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I'm on pluto. I wonder where they got this image? Because we definitely didn't have imagery of Pluto in '88. Hints: 6th planet, the planet with spectacular rings, and "*!*!\* SECOND *&'*!"
(DIR) Post #AsIqRvSultd2FyqbPU by bmartin427@techhub.social
2025-03-22T05:28:19Z
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@foone Where in the Solar System is Carmen Sandiego
(DIR) Post #AsIqWC8si23v8aVqTY by foone@digipres.club
2025-03-22T05:29:08Z
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I have landed on Saturn. I've definitely seen this artistic impression somewhere. There's an alien spaceship here too. That seems to be the Carmen Sandiego of this game.
(DIR) Post #AsIqabUcOkf4v3mYl6 by JennyFluff@chitter.xyz
2025-03-22T05:29:51Z
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@foone how exactly do you land on a gas giant?
(DIR) Post #AsIqhlc5AYRuKmgn2G by foone@digipres.club
2025-03-22T05:31:12Z
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YOU'RE GOING TO JAIL, THANJANO!
(DIR) Post #AsIqmBKrTbTpGijuEa by foone@digipres.club
2025-03-22T05:32:01Z
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I have been promoted to Astronaut.
(DIR) Post #AsIqqtsHp5iaYwcisC by foone@digipres.club
2025-03-22T05:32:51Z
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all the best games ask if you want to print your stats at the end.
(DIR) Post #AsIqwW4NF6A8TCxI1o by foone@digipres.club
2025-03-22T05:33:53Z
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main EXE was compressed with LINK V3.69 /EXEPACK, according to UNP.
(DIR) Post #AsIr3sYG3N0wDwRauu by foone@digipres.club
2025-03-22T05:35:12Z
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@JennyFluff carefully!
(DIR) Post #AsIr9ZXPet5IzXlP6m by foone@digipres.club
2025-03-22T05:36:15Z
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why the fuck did I still say it was from '88?https://digipres.club/@foone/114204356829816088 says 1992!
(DIR) Post #AsIrQDesGAFW3XBw12 by foone@digipres.club
2025-03-22T05:39:12Z
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the EXE mentions GX Engine, copyright Genus Microprogramming.It uses a GXL file, which looks kinda like this? I don't think it matches exactly. https://moddingwiki.shikadi.net/wiki/PCX_Library
(DIR) Post #AsIruu4r6xAQItyXZo by foone@digipres.club
2025-03-22T05:44:46Z
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this file and code successfully extracts it:https://www.ctpax-x.org/?goto=files&show=104
(DIR) Post #AsIs4MtTLFqYHaAEpU by foone@digipres.club
2025-03-22T05:46:27Z
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Here's the aliens.
(DIR) Post #AsIsMgIBxN17evSVRA by foone@digipres.club
2025-03-22T05:49:48Z
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the list of alien names: (I think going top-left to bottom right?)THANJANO,SCHEROD,ZAXXOR,ARTIUS,NYLIRAM,MONKONEARSTAR,MURFILL,NERAK,QUAJELINC,THANBER,WYJONHARDRICH,FARSTAR,PEEBO,NETSRIK,ZARDAX,YEVHARELISEL,ZORON,CHETHEEOUT,TREBOR,SCHNOOKMOID,DOC
(DIR) Post #AsIsXcNGrdw4h138U4 by foone@digipres.club
2025-03-22T05:51:46Z
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a couple of those are obviously just names reversed. TREBOR is ROBERT, ELISEL is LESILE, NETSRIK is KRISTEN, NERAK is KAREN, NYLIRAM is MARILYN
(DIR) Post #AsIsj4IBPFjeSq867s by foone@digipres.club
2025-03-22T05:53:50Z
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The in-game databank lists all spacecraft visits to planets (and dwarf planets and the moon and the sun) of our solar system. This is a tad outdated.
(DIR) Post #AsItwcVbbLcgIsQxLk by foone@digipres.club
2025-03-22T06:07:26Z
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There's two copies of the game out there (that I've found so far)one version has 1996 dates, one has 1992 dates. Identical EXE files, so both are cracked.
(DIR) Post #AsIuDuX5qFmD7vNHV2 by JennyFluff@chitter.xyz
2025-03-22T06:10:32Z
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@foone that sounds like a new quest just dropped to find the original release version #lostMedia
(DIR) Post #AsIuGbg4OxBZW7rJB2 by foone@digipres.club
2025-03-22T06:10:54Z
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@JennyFluff this happens so often!(I already checked ebay)
(DIR) Post #AsIuNgZAcjVqhr0Us4 by TomF@mastodon.gamedev.place
2025-03-22T06:12:20Z
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@foone Some obvious anagrams too:QUAJELINC = JACQUELINTHANJANO = JONATHAN
(DIR) Post #AsIuQ0LK47zwcbdTHM by JennyFluff@chitter.xyz
2025-03-22T06:12:39Z
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@foone I know, I know...
(DIR) Post #AsIuStalcbi8YLEphg by foone@digipres.club
2025-03-22T06:13:20Z
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@TomF oh good catch
(DIR) Post #AsIuVKgfqx9pAOABNI by foone@digipres.club
2025-03-22T06:13:35Z
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anagrams too:https://digipres.club/@TomF@mastodon.gamedev.place/114204602636174127
(DIR) Post #AsIubTFYvir1SdPPVo by foone@digipres.club
2025-03-22T06:14:52Z
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so I loaded the EXE into Ghidra and UH OH, look at these strings:RETURN without GOSUBno RESUMECASE ELSE expectedNo line number in THIS IS SOME KIND OF BASIC!
(DIR) Post #AsIuf98hduqCFNx9TU by TomF@mastodon.gamedev.place
2025-03-22T06:15:19Z
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@foone SCHNOOKMOID looks like it should be DOMINIC something (with an extra "I")
(DIR) Post #AsIuiscoz5BmBgoxzU by foone@digipres.club
2025-03-22T06:16:08Z
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Another text string: "QuickWindows v2.10"Quick sounds like QuickBasic. Maybe this is a library used with it? I'll have to go compile a QuickBASIC program and see if the EXE matches
(DIR) Post #AsIvCLO77jznn8zWDY by foone@digipres.club
2025-03-22T06:21:33Z
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looks like QuickBASIC 4.5 compresses the EXEs with LINK V3.69 /EXEPACK. sounds like I'm on the right track
(DIR) Post #AsIvHWCsKMjqnFCZlY by fullfathomfive@aus.social
2025-03-22T06:22:26Z
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@foone Space Nerak
(DIR) Post #AsIvOXd9QrE5EhqCcC by foone@digipres.club
2025-03-22T06:23:44Z
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yeah this is QuickBASIC 4.5. It seems to be two modules/libraries:UFOFIN6RUFOSUB9V
(DIR) Post #AsIvRd9hLZkXExXOMa by foone@digipres.club
2025-03-22T06:24:10Z
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@pare no! although it'd probably work if I bothered to tell dosbox where to find my networked printer
(DIR) Post #AsIvVqxhxLpnDdwW36 by JennyFluff@chitter.xyz
2025-03-22T06:25:02Z
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@foone now on my ebay watchlist too
(DIR) Post #AsIvg0aR1jYLxttpEu by kevinriggle@ioc.exchange
2025-03-22T06:26:53Z
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@foone famously, uh, possible *shifty eyes*
(DIR) Post #AsIw0pSbabNbXTAIls by NosirrahSec@infosec.exchange
2025-03-22T06:30:37Z
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@foone I just wanted to say, that I really love these threads and I read all of them.I just don't typically interact as I'm out of my depth half the time lol
(DIR) Post #AsIwFbNIF3OyCFizfE by fullfathomfive@aus.social
2025-03-22T06:33:17Z
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@foone HARDRICH = Richard YEVHAR = HarveyI think some of the others have initials or partial last names mixed in. Does it have credits? I know a lot of old games don't, but these are likely all anagrams of names of people who worked on the game.
(DIR) Post #AsIwIqrN7ntP5kLLxA by foone@digipres.club
2025-03-22T06:33:54Z
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this library is apparently called "Designer Quickwindows" by Software Interphase, Inc. It's mentioned on their website, which still runs (though it doesn't look like it's been updated since 2012) http://www.sinterphase.com/about.asp
(DIR) Post #AsIwxYsMtSPFBkDmvQ by foone@digipres.club
2025-03-22T06:41:15Z
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found an advert for it from a 1987 programmers journal. They're offering it for 59$ (165$ today), or 79$ (221$ today) if you want the assembly source too.
(DIR) Post #AsIxBDKdn3hSQPxJRo by foone@digipres.club
2025-03-22T06:43:44Z
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emailed them to see if they can get me a copy of QuickWindows and/or open source it.
(DIR) Post #AsIxGAOU8oBmlF7DYu by foone@digipres.club
2025-03-22T06:44:34Z
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@cazabon more like they tried to make a cheap carmen sandiego knock off, but weren't very good at it.But it turns out I was wrong about the date, it's 1992, not 1988. Magellan had launched by then
(DIR) Post #AsIxQTS88TmslajeSW by foone@digipres.club
2025-03-22T06:46:31Z
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this game has a ton of little text files (with no extension) in the directory. All the strings seem to be in there, so they're presumably just loading it all at runtime with simple line-by-line input
(DIR) Post #AsIyBKvfdyW7wRtlJo by hittitezombie@mastodon.me.uk
2025-03-22T06:54:52Z
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@foone Must have been the evening, everything cools down a bit by then.
(DIR) Post #AsIyFsXIdUa9KWfHU0 by foone@digipres.club
2025-03-22T06:55:46Z
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the few files that aren't text files appear to be BSAVE/BLOAD.I thought those were mode specific? but I guess this game only runs in mode 13h
(DIR) Post #AsIyXzxLmpgfYWURV2 by flaki@flaki.social
2025-03-22T06:58:23Z
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@foone Foooone, NO! You are *not* the people we wanted fired into the sun!!
(DIR) Post #AsIydr2XqkWxdkiDUe by foone@digipres.club
2025-03-22T07:00:04Z
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they specify that the Helios mission was a joint american/west german project. But this game is from 1992, when it was just Germany.
(DIR) Post #AsIyo4m9dU8D8Vv4y0 by foone@digipres.club
2025-03-22T07:01:59Z
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okay that's enough for now. I'll bring it back up if I hear from Interphase
(DIR) Post #AsIz9Ef64g3NsYhy7M by slothrop@chaos.social
2025-03-22T07:05:45Z
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@foone NETSRIK = Kirsten
(DIR) Post #AsIzEehWglds5OQeYK by slothrop@chaos.social
2025-03-22T07:06:43Z
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@foone I know this!
(DIR) Post #AsJ14q2XsLfoGXhtcu by jaxroam@social.vivaldi.net
2025-03-22T07:27:19Z
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@foone Barely. Missions take years, decades to complete.
(DIR) Post #AsJ1NiV28ReeNi2AT2 by barubary@infosec.exchange
2025-03-22T07:30:45Z
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@foone Fun fact: Technically, the Federal Republic of Germany (FRG), which was called "West Germany" pre-1990, is still the FRG ("Germany") of today. The former German Democratic Republic (GDR, "East Germany") dissolved and its territories were absorbed by the FRG. So ... semi-correct description?
(DIR) Post #AsJ5IkaLLx2nDcPAhs by bayindirh@mastodon.sdf.org
2025-03-22T08:14:37Z
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@foone Adding a $20 for the source, even if it's not redistributable, is a million times fairer deal when compared to today's software licenses.Getting a good library with its sources for $249 today? No way!
(DIR) Post #AsJ5xANCtPYcmZX49Q by flxtr@social.tchncs.de
2025-03-22T08:21:53Z
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@foone Lambert called the popular belief that the company was founded in the garage "a bit of a myth", although they moved some operations to the garage when the shed became too crowded.
(DIR) Post #AsJ83Ka03gqM5BaEUK by DrewNaylor@mastodon.online
2025-03-22T08:45:25Z
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@foone Therapist: "High Entia windows don't exist, they can't hurt you."High Entia windows:
(DIR) Post #AsJ8TtfcDOxCRXsTOy by momo@social.linux.pizza
2025-03-22T08:50:15Z
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@fooneWe became "officially" germany on October 3rd in 1992 (I remember because it's my moms birthday). So 3/4 of the year until that we were "still" western germany. 😅
(DIR) Post #AsJAIJz6kjzwUObSSm by VAdaPEGA@chitter.xyz
2025-03-22T09:10:35Z
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@foone They look like rejected Parappa background characters
(DIR) Post #AsJWBlu8kNc02tYsKm by nyrath@spacey.space
2025-03-22T13:15:48Z
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@foone Rings of Saturn by Chesley Bonestell
(DIR) Post #AsJWeLUY1o22WfDSSW by simonbp@social.linux.pizza
2025-03-22T13:21:02Z
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@foone Magellan (and Galileo) were scheduled to launch in 1986, but were delayed after the Challenger explosion.
(DIR) Post #AsK4Y1jVySMPwwNKW8 by foone@digipres.club
2025-03-22T19:40:18Z
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@nyrath ooh, good catch!
(DIR) Post #AsK4akywi87YrjtXX6 by foone@digipres.club
2025-03-22T19:40:45Z
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The Saturn image has been identified!https://spacey.space/@nyrath/114206267683050817
(DIR) Post #AsK51s1CepkOVWsZvs by foone@digipres.club
2025-03-22T19:46:19Z
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@Lady_Noremon cute!
(DIR) Post #AsK99RLc6PtZvHI75E by foone@digipres.club
2025-03-22T20:32:27Z
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@matt not yet, no!
(DIR) Post #AsKCoNlIdeacXNWIWe by nyrath@spacey.space
2025-03-22T21:13:33Z
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@foone Chesley Bonestell was famous for his astronomical paintings.Implication-> some of the other game art might be from Bonestell as well.
(DIR) Post #AsKD6JdygjSoyge9Uu by foone@digipres.club
2025-03-22T21:16:47Z
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@nyrath yeah this game has the vibe of "you lifted all this art". If they're lucky, they're using public domain NASA art. but they probably don't care. No one knows about this game, so no one is gonna sue them
(DIR) Post #AsKHn5ss7dIeZUGbcu by foone@digipres.club
2025-03-22T22:09:20Z
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Here's the Mars image. Look how flat this is?Hey, what planet has the largest mountain in the solar system, again?
(DIR) Post #AsKKU4uboNGDuvhgBs by bloognoo@retro.pizza
2025-03-22T22:39:28Z
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@foone you could land on the slope of olympus mons facing 'sideways' around the cone and see the horizon as flat from your ships perspective. I'm just glad it's not got water filled canals
(DIR) Post #AsKKiwB6ZAhLAnVMGm by mgleadow@mastodon.green
2025-03-22T22:42:09Z
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@foone wait, is this still Car Dealer Simulator?
(DIR) Post #AsKgCpq4nWHPEmlaC0 by foone@digipres.club
2025-03-23T02:42:39Z
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I heard back from someone at Interphase: The code for QuickWindows is long gone. That's a shame.
(DIR) Post #AsPFrcqwG5HLrYCArY by lime@aus.social
2025-03-25T07:41:12Z
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@fooneThis is from before we knew that about Mars.