The Oregon Trail

Susie Ochs — Tue, 16 Jun 2009 06:10:00 -0500

This eagle is about to steal my baby.

What better way to spend a commute than reliving the ultimate commute, pioneers’ deadly journey from Independence, Missouri, to Oregon? Now that Gameloft’s brought adventure classic The Oregon Trail to the App Store, you can.

The game is pretty straightforward and linear, requiring nearly no skill. Minigames have you tap the screen to hunt game, catch fish, pick berries, send telegrams, pan for gold, and maneuver your wagon down raging rivers, but mostly you just trudge down the trail, balancing your desire to go faster against the risk that little Timmy will break his leg again. There’s only so much you can do to succeed, too—we tried to be ultra-cautious, and our baby was carried away by an eagle. Seriously, an eagle.

You do get to make some choices, mostly in resource management, and the game has two endings for some replay value. The graphics and sound are pretty adorable, down to funny details like the kids whining, “Are we there yet?” And the loading screens include some educational trivia, but the sheer number and length of the loading screens turned us off. By the time we got to Oregon we weren’t exactly eager to start the trek again. (Pretty realistic in that sense, huh?)

He sure was.

In the fishing minigame, you can hook supplies as well as fish. The boots aren't considered useful, which is silly since we're, um, walking to Oregon here.

When you stop at forts, you can play this telegraph minigame (repeating the pattern, like Simon) for cash money.

Fix your wagon by tapping the nails when the circle around them in green. Nice 'stashe, by the way.

The quintessential dilemma we remember from playing this in the '80s: Ford the river? Or...

...take the ferry? Or...

...float down the river, using the currents to guide you and watching out for obstacles? Or...

...just hire a nice man to help?

Myth Series: Then and Now - Play Myth II on Your OS X Mac

Zack Stern — Thu, 19 Feb 2009 13:32:53 -0600

He's got soul, and he's super-bad.

Then:
Bungie's Myth and Myth II were the best Mac games of all time, introducing players to a new style of action with innovative, 3D graphics. Back in 1997, you controlled just a squad of troops for the first time, issuing them commands and formations without worry for resources. There was no gold, trees, or food to gather; Myth outfitted you with a full group of medieval and fantasy units to instantly lead to battle.

While showy and new, the 3D perspective affected the game outcome. Dwarfs tossed Molotov cocktails further downhill, while warriors had a harder time fighting similar units that stood on higher ground. Gorgeous weather effects and terrain ushered in the age of 3D-accelerated games; I bought a 3dfx Voodoo card primarily for the nights playing on my college network.

Those multiplayer modes made the series legendary, fostering a massive community. Then-young game types are still popular: King of the Hill, Territories, Assassin (read: V.I.P.), and more. With free toolsets let that community created numerous maps and conversions, remixing Myth in creative ways. And thanks to those creative, obsessive gamers, you can still play Myth today in OS X.

Which way to the zombie jamboree?

Now:
Much of Myth looks dated today, with the animated units not even technically shown in 3D. (They're clever-but-flat cutouts, redrawn as you move the camera.) But Myth's long-lasting core of strategy, action, and humor are matched by few others. Myth II is my favorite for refinements over the original, while Myth III cut much of the tactical strategy to try a new direction. Developed outside of Bungie, Myth III is an okay game but not a true part of the Myth core.

So I'll focus on the best; here's how to get Myth II running again. Its low system requirements make it a great game for nearly any Mac you have lying around, especially MacBooks.

Your initial challenge comes from tracking down a copy of this title, but it shouldn't be too difficult. Check Amazon, eBay, used software stores, and your closets for the software. I found a bunch of options to buy the game for about $5, and you'll easily get your money's worth.

These are the important files; nest them on your hard drive inside that Myth II f folder.

Pop the disc in your Mac, but don't bother with the installer application; it's an OS 9-only affair. Instead, first copy the Myth II f folder into your Applications folder. Then copy most of the other CD files into that hard drive folder, specifically: cutscenes, Myth II Manual, Read Me, setup, tags, and Tool Docs. Note that you'll be prompted to replace a tags folder; approve the process to write over the original, empty one. (If the game requires the CD in the drive later, retry this process.) Eject the CD.

Launch Myth II 1.6(Universal) for squad-based action. Click to embiggen

Update the game to the latest, OS X-friendly version, thanks to fan support from Project Magma. Download the Myth II 1.6 files, and copy the contents of "put in plugins" into the plugins folder. Move the rest into the Myth II f folder. Launch Myth II 1.6(Universal). It'll open in a windowed mode, but it'll follow the in-game preferences to play in full screen.

After you remember the basics of the single-player levels, take your battles online. You can directly challenge friends or meet new ones in the small-but-consistent Myth II community; on a random, Wednesday morning, I found more than two-dozen players online.

Vikings colors always looked good on the battlefield.

Bungie's multiplayer server has long been closed, but you can select a fan-operated alternative. Click Multiplayer Game, and choose Servers. Select MariusNet, and click Save. Register on the forums at Mariusnet, and use that login and password in the Multiplayer Setup. (Check your email to approve the final registration step.) Remember to change your Player Name and colors, too. Click Login. If the first room is deserted, click the Crow's Nest name in the upper-left to find a new one. Practice up; anyone who still plays this classic has to be good.

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The Oregon Trail

Myth Series: Then and Now - Play Myth II on Your OS X Mac