English
Yes. We used to have freeware games as well, but we decided they were important enough to create a whole new site dedicated just to them. It is called Abandonia Reloaded and you can find it on http://www.reloaded.org. We also have exclusive rights to host some of the games on the site. Only the copyright holder can give this kind of permission.
Every game on this site is checked for viruses! Actually we try to make all games we supply appear just as they did in their original packagings!
Make sure you look at the compatibility info that is displayed for each game. If it says that the game can only be run using DosBox and doesn't have a WinXP compatibility icon, obviously it will not work under WindowsXP. Also, make sure you have read any technical notes or important information listed at the end of the game's review! There is also a link to "Discuss this game" in the extras section of each game. It often contains important information so read all the posts carefully. If you are trying to use DosBox but don't know how to work with it, read on, this is also covered in FAQ. However, if you have exhausted all the possibilities, and stil can't get the game to run, you can post your problem in the troubleshooting forum and make sure you state the following details:
- System Hardware Specification
- Game in question
- OS (e.g. Windows 98/XP)
- Whether or not you used Dosbox or VDMSound to run it?
- What error message you got
First of all, we only accept original games. We are well aware of all abandonware sites out there, so if you downloaded it from one of those - we don't need it. You can still suggest it by using the contact form if you think it would be a good addition to the site. Secondly, make sure that the game in question is abandonware (use our oldwarez search engine). When you have done that, send a message using the contact form and be sure to specify WHICH game you wish to contribute and give some details about it. After that, if the game you propose is appropriate for the site, you will soon be notified with the login info for the FTP server where you can upload it.
Since a lot of games are still sold or protected by ESA, we placed an icon that represents games' availability in the overall listing. You can see a legend of all icons further below.
If you have original extras that we don't have on the site already, then we are more than happy to add them. Just contact us using the contact form and state which extra you would like to contribute, and for which game. However, if you got an extra from another site, we cannot publish it on Abandonia, so we are not interested.
Take a look at the Abandonia's Official DosBox Guide written by Anubis, or read this guide on the DosBox homepage.
There's a special part of our forum called Requests where you can request games to be put on the site. It is advisable to check whether or not the game in question is abandoned before requesting.
Unfortunately the only way to get sound from DOS games is by downloading and using DOSBox or VDMSound from our programs section
There's a brown window titled "extras" on every game page (the one with review and screenshots) under the general info about the game, and above the Rate box. If there are no files in the 'extras', and you are certain that the game requires them, contact us via the contact form. Also there's special topic on our forums just for problems in adventure games, so you can ask for help there, too!
Unfortunately we can't distribute speech packs with most games. They are usually very big in size, and would consume huge amounts of bandwidth.
The game is protected by The ESA and cannot be downloaded. To learn more about what that means, please consult this page.
The game is still for sale by its producer. A link to the company's webshop will be provided and the game cannot be downloaded.
The game is available for download. Just click the "Get it" button and the download will commence!
The game is backed up with extras such as manuals, walkthroughs, codes etc.
The game features some kind of a multiplayer mode.
A link to box scans of the game can be found in the extras box on the game page.
Music from the game can be separately downloaded in the music section or by following a link in the extras box.
That depends on how you intend to run them. If you have a pure DOS environment set-up, just for playing old games, then you are probably not reading this FAQ.
With VDMSound, all recent computers should have no problems running the games. However, if you are using DOSBox, you will need at least a 2Ghz CPU in order to play resource hungry games.
Wikipedia: "Abandonware is computer software which is no longer being sold or supported by its copyright holder. Alternately, the term is also used for software which is still available, but on which further support and development has been deliberately discontinued." Since the software is no longer sold or supported, the copyright holders are not directly harmed in any way. This is why abandonware sites are, for the most part, ignored by the law. The distribution of copyrighted software however is, and will allways be, illegal!
V.I.P. section features exclusive content that cannot be given out to everyone because of bandwidth limitations. This includes things such as music, movies and large addons for abandonware games that we feature on the site. The content of V.I.P. section is changed monthly. It is accessible to all active forum members that consistently work on the creation of Abandonia. If you think you could also contribute in some way (music, manuals, games...), use the forum or contact form to get in touch with us!
Here's a list of things that can get you VIP status:
- Reviewng games.
- Contributing good old games (with your own reviews of course).
- Translating to other languages
- Helping out on the forums (technical support, writing manuals,...).
- Doing various tasks for the site.
You will become a member of ever growing comunity, that is warm, welcoming and offers help and support in numerous ways (technical, troubleshooting etc). By using the forums you will also learn how Abandonia breathes, what goes on, and you can get noticed for VIP memberships.