Abandonware DOS in 2024: more of the same
As I do every year, before the end of it, I take stock of the updates to AbandonwareDOS. The main focus has been revising content, adding biographies of notable designers, more demos, descriptions, excerpts from game reviews, and, of course, games. The focus remains on abandoned DOS games, though I occasionally include some titles released for Windows, Mac, or even Linux.
A note: as a non-native English speaker, I’ve started having my texts reviewed and assisted by ChatGPT. I’m not a fan of AI and would prefer not to use it, but my time is limited, and the way I use it is restricted to texts that, in any case, aren’t of huge importance to you, the users, on a site primarily created to let you download old games.
Here’s a summary of what’s been accomplished on AbandonwareDOS in 2024:
- I’ve added quite a few demos, especially for "protected" point-and-click adventure games.
- Well-known designers now have biographies often created, I admit, with the help of ChatGPT.
- I’ve revised the pages dedicated to game series, ensuring they now include at least a general description.
- I’ve started adding “tips & tricks” and “how to play” sections directly beneath some of the games that can be played online in the browser.
- The page with links to third-party websites has been completely revamped. Not that it was crucial, but it looked quite bad.
- I’ve created a dedicated page for applications, with a menu to facilitate navigation between the various genres.
For the upcoming year, as with this one, I’ll focus on enriching the site with content, particularly written material, but not exclusively.
One feature I’m especially passionate about and currently working on is enabling users to play the soundtracks of old games directly from the site. It’s not particularly complicated, but it does require some time to do properly—and, most importantly, some material to work with.
And that’s all for this year. Happy 2025!