With the recent flux of decompiled and recompiled projects for retro games to play them natively on PC, which game do you want see tackled on? And why? Or do you rather want Mods and Romhacks for the actual Rom for emulation?

  • SabinStargem@lemmy.todayEnglish
    2·
    2 days ago

    I definitely prefer recompilation over ROMs. For me, I want to play the best version of a game possible - be it content, QOL, modding, or technical compatability.

    Right now I have an small experiment running with my local AI (Qwen-Next, via Strata+Hermes Agent), to attempt recompiling a Windows v3.1 game into being a native modern application. Whether it works, and how much QA is required to get the gameplay and aesthetic into good order, remains to be seen. Personally I expect this AI model to fail, but this is more about seeing how many months I should wait before trying again.

    As to games I want recompiled, the Magic Carpet games could use modern technicals and interface, maybe a progression checklist for goodies in Vampire Survivors fashion. A shortlist of other games needing love:

    • The Jupiter Incident
    • Solo Joe
    • Star Trek: 25th Anniversary & Judgment Rites
    • Tyrian 2000
    • The Quest for Glory series, with AGDI’s QfG2 as a blueprint.
    • …and more.

    There are many games ignored by the retro community, so it is up to me and fellow AI advocates to give them TLC. Frankly, “soul”, “humanity”, “suffering for art” and other such bullshit doesn’t deserve respect. That is elitism designed to gatekeep and make people feel like special snowflakes.

    Results are what matter, not the pain of the process.

  • boletus@sh.itjust.worksEnglish
    101·
    7 days ago

    Do note the recent flux is mostly ai slop decompilations. Unlike decompilations made by hand, the output code is not intended to be human workable and nobody really knows what’s going on in that codebase.

  • ChocolateFrostedSugarBombs@lemmy.worldEnglish
    61·
    6 days ago

    If it’s going to be more AI slop, I don’t want it. I don’t care how much or how little the predictive plagiarism machine “helped”.

    If no AI was involved, I would want Parasite Eve 1 and 2 decomped.

  • VerdantTome@programming.devEnglish
    5·
    7 days ago

    Windows games for versions of Windows from Windows 95 to Windows 2000/NT.

    For PC games before Win95, pretty much everything can be emulated properly with DOS PC emulators. And from Win7 on, the software and hardware standards had mostly restabilized and WINE/Proton usually works well. But in between, there was a real Wild West of third-party libraries and official patches that were constantly being updated with compatibility-breaking changes. You can go through the hassle of setting up a whole virtual machine that really taxes your computer and still not get some games to work.

    Most recomps seem to be of popular console games that already run quite well through easy-to-use emulators. It’d be nice to see more recomp efforts for less-well-known games that are harder to play at all on modern hardware. I know it’s unlikely to happen, though; who wants to spend their efforts on niche games that most people haven’t heard of, much less care about? Only someone who has a personal interest in that game.

    • I Cast Fist@programming.devEnglish
      2·
      7 days ago

      Reminds me of the Hogs of War game on PC, which apparently only works if you run on Win98 or Win2000? There is a game breaking bug that made every AI enemy unable to move. Gotta play the PSX version instead

    • thingsiplay@lemmy.mlOPEnglish
      1·
      7 days ago

      There is one I would suggest immadiately: Software Manager, Screenshots, manager game with origin and only released in Germany.

      Most recomps seem to be of popular console games that already run quite well through easy-to-use emulators.

      True, but it’s not just to run the games; the games run much better, as they are no longer tied to the CPU and power of the console output. There are things which cannot be achieved by just modding the games or to change the emulators. In example I was dreaming of to play Wave Race 64 to play at 120 fps. Now with PC port it is 120 fps, higher resolution and wide-screen without any technical problems. Native support for all PC inputs, without emulation quirks and trying to map the controls to gamepad (as the consoles understand them). The possibilities to mod those PC versions is basically endless.

      It’d be nice to see more recomp efforts for less-well-known games that are harder to play at all on modern hardware.

      I agree, it would be nice to have less-well-known games too, but not in cost of popular games. Because popular games are popular for a reason and it makes sense to deliver what most want to have. But I don’t mind a mixture, because just playing popular games that are well emulated already is also a bit of missed opportunity.

    • thingsiplay@lemmy.mlOPEnglish
      1·
      6 days ago

      Wow I missed that one! The game was a surprise back then. It was so ahead of its time, graphically speaking, but held back by the technical issues of PS1. I would also love to see some sort of Roguelike elements integrated.

  • the_joeba@lemmy.worldEnglish
    2·
    7 days ago

    Gladius from Xbox or PS2. It emulates OK, but the heavy reliance on button input prompts makes it hard for my brain to map PS controls to letters.

  • emb@lemmy.worldEnglish
    193·
    7 days ago

    I used to think the decomp projects were really cool, even tho I didn’t really play them. But lately, the influx of AI-driven decomp projects, the whole concept has lost its luster to me.

    • B0NK3RS@lazysoci.alEnglish
      62·
      7 days ago

      They are still cool. Even with AI help the good decomps will rise to the top but it will take time to filter them out from the slop.

    • thingsiplay@lemmy.mlOPEnglish
      42·
      7 days ago

      Yeah, it definitely leaves some sour in the mouth feeling with Ai involved. Especially if its vibe coded without the code fully documented and understood by humans. Those efforts aren’t going away and people still do the time consuming and well thought out decompilation projects. I see the new flux of Ai driven recompilation as a bonus. At least it works, I mean i was waiting decades to play Wave Race 64 with 120 fps. Without these Ai tools, it could probably take another decade if anyone else than me was interested into it at all.

      So I understand your point and I’m not the biggest fan of Ai too (but I’m not the biggest hater as well). But at least this is used to give it to us for free, its not a commercial project we pay for (the ports).

      • emb@lemmy.worldEnglish
        73·
        7 days ago

        For sure, I get that. I started off very much in the “it’s just a tool” and “AI as normal technology” camps, and over time I’ve become more and more jaded.

        Ultimately what I appreciated about decomps was moreso the effort that went into it, rather than the result. But it totally makes sense if sometimes people care more about the result.

        • thingsiplay@lemmy.mlOPEnglish
          2·
          7 days ago

          Those efforts aren’t going anywhere. It’s only a problem if everything is replaced. What I mean is, figuratively speaking: In the past we had 5 decomps done by human hand. Now with Ai we have 5 decomps done by humans, plus 25 done by Ai agents (with human oversight). So we do not lose much actually. This is my thinking.

          • zod000@lemmy.dbzer0.comEnglish
            62·
            7 days ago

            On the other hand, I can see a lot of people no longer finding the decomp projects enticing when most of what they see are vibecoded projects. The people that may have been interested in those projects in the future could be totally put off by it now.

            • thingsiplay@lemmy.mlOPEnglish
              31·
              7 days ago

              I can see a lot of people no longer finding the decomp projects enticing when most of what they see are vibecoded projects

              I agree with you here. In fact I wanted to express this issue first. But it made my previous reply complicated to understand, so I left it out. So yes, that’s one of the issues. Also if a game is already vibe coded into a recomp, then someone else might find it less interesting to tackle that project, because most people probably wouldn’t find it interesting anymore (as there is already a port). Which would be a shame to be honest. So yeah it’s not all good only.

  • RightHandOfIkaros@lemmy.worldEnglish
    12·
    7 days ago

    Basically every Nintendo DS and 3DS game, to make them playable on a single screen with a regular controller.

    I have a DS Lite and New 3DS XL (the Metroid edition), and I am over the touch screen. It gets scratched up, is discolored, and makes using the device annoying and uncomfortable because of its weight. Would much rather be able to play the games on a single screen without those elements. Yes, that would mean some heavy changes for some games, but I would consider it worthwhile.

    • emb@lemmy.worldEnglish
      7·
      7 days ago

      Good call out! The touch screen is generally pretty unpleasant to me now as well.

      Wii and some Wii U stuff too, there’s a whole era of games on Nintendo platforms where devs felt it was necessary to use input or display gimmicks. Once in a while it was essential to a game, but frequently it was shoehorned into an otherwise pretty traditional game.

      Some of that could be fixed by smaller scale mods or cheat codes, but you’re right that some might take big changes that need a decomp.

    • Die Mart Die@sh.itjust.worksEnglish
      4·
      7 days ago

      Oh yes! Most DS games would be perfectly fine without the touch screen.

      I don’t know much of its library, but most games I played can be perfectly ported to a system with regular gamepads. I could see an RTS benefitting from a touch screen, but those are rare and can perfectly be a virtual pointer like in e.g. Warcraft 2 for the PSX.

      Edit: if ported to PC, a mouse is the superior choice for real time strategy

  • I Cast Fist@programming.devEnglish
    101·
    7 days ago

    Black and White 1 and 2. Not quite the same thing, but might be worth a shot, all in all.

    I was gonna list Jak and Daxter, but apparently OpenGoal already managed to do that.

    Tekken 5 and Soul Calibur 3 would be nice to have, as they’re currently PS2 exclusives. I wonder if Dreamcast version of games could be easier to decompile, being kinda-sorta Windows games?

    Also a useful link for this thread. Might not be fully up-to-date with existing projects, but it’s a good starting point - https://decompbuddy.com/games

  • Die Mart Die@sh.itjust.worksEnglish
    5·
    7 days ago

    I would love:

    • a custom level editor/mods for Krusty’s Fun House (NES) and the Adventures of Lolo trilogy (NES)
    • Adventure Island 4 (NES) remake with support for multiple items in extra buttons like in Ocarina of Time
    • Gargoyle’s Quest 2 (NES) without the horrid slowdowns
    • Megaman Legends (PSX) and Syphon Filter trilogy (PSX) with better controls and bugfixes (SF grenade logic is horrible: may kill you from a kilometer away or ignore you if you’re hiding behind a paper-thin object)
    • thingsiplay@lemmy.mlOPEnglish
      2·
      7 days ago

      I love level editors. Every game (where it makes sense) should have a level editor and possibly a randomizer / roguelike mode. I wish someone did a simple level editor for Wave Race 64, just to place the buoy (not sure if that is the right word BTW).

      I have seen level editors for Adventures of Lolo games. One example is for 3: https://www.romhacking.net/utilities/759/ The Syphen Filter games would definitely profit a lot from such enhancements, generally speaking the 32-bit and N64 era of gaming.