LoL

[Khan]

Does anyone remember Lands of Lore. It was a great RPG by westwood. really great games. I ask because I was thinking about it yesterday and I thought I'd bring up a little nostalgia(sp?). One of you must of played it, it was a truly class game. Number 1 should be on Abandon Ware now. ;) ::)

[Terror]

no, unfortunately i have never played it.... I would have, if my pc could run LOL2 at that time

[Vanguard3000]

http://www.the-underdogs.org/game.php?id=1324

There is a link to an online store there, if you want it. Please note that age does not define what is abandonware.

[lowzeewee]

whoa $14.95,more than Empy which is almost 10 years newer????

[Khan]

So how do you work out if something is abandon ware. Please enlighten me.

Note: No sarcasm intended.

[Vanguard3000]

Quite simply: If it's still being sold, it's not abandonware.

Truth be told, abandonware is no more legal than warez. But the fact that some games can no longer be found in stores (online or in real life), makes it somewhat justifyable to put it up on the 'net, because the company no longer produces it. However, if a source of the game is found, then the download should be removed from the site.

The FAQ at Home of the Underdogs should fill you in.

www.the-underdogs.org

[Navaros]

abandonware is not illegal. no one is making money off of the property so there is nothing illegal or morally wrong with downloading and distributing abandonware

in fact, i am sure that developers ENCOURAGE it because they won't ever make anything off of their own abandonware any more, but at least by having their abandonware freely distributed they might attract new fans who will buy their other products

[Vanguard3000]

You'd think so, wouldn't you? But no matter how you look at it, abandonware is illegal. If the programmers want to make it free, they will do so, and it then becomes freeware.

To put your way of thinking (which does have merit; I agree that games should live on even after they've become "obsolete") to the test: Let's say Id Software plans to re-release Doom next year. Then, the game is being sold again, but everyone has downloaded it for free. Admittedly, it would be stupid of Id to do this, but it could happen.

Once again, I refer you to the HotU FAQ at http://www.the-underdogs.org/faq.php#a5 . It should take you straight to the "But isn't abandoneware legal?" section.

[Navaros]

no developer would ever re-release a game that is over 3 years old unless they knew it was headed straight for the bargain bin in which case they'd only ever get very few sales off of it anyways. but in the case of abandonware, that usually only ever happens when a Publisher goes under. in which case the developer, the ones who made the game, have no way to get the game re-released. as well, most games that are headed for the bargain bin make it there in a year or less; the rest just get abandoned before ever being repackaged for the bargain bin

if anything, dead games will be re-released as free legal downloads from the official developer or publisher site rather than re-packaged and sold in stores again

[Vanguard3000]

Err, you realize the Id Software homepage is still selling Wolfenstein 3D and Doom from their online store? Same goes for the Apogee games, IIRC. Games like Myst, Half-Life, and Unreal Tournament are still being sold in stores.

It's not a matter of whether developers would ever re-release a game, it's whether they can do so.

Listen, you may have your thoughts on the subject, and in some ways, I agree with you, but the simple fact is that abandonware is illegal. If you haven't already, please read the HOTU FAQ for info and, if you still have questions/complaints, post it at the HOTU forum, and ask the experts.