"Better" and "boring" are quite subjectives. To me, Torment is the best of IE games, because I love the Planescape settings (and its weirdness) and the more dialogue-based, less combat-based Torment (among many other things).

But Baldur's Gate 1 is still an awesome game, one of the best CRPG ever, and I do like BG1 more than BG2 actually (BG2 is still well worth playing).

For the graphical issue, BG1 is th first of all the IE games, so it's the one with the lowest graphical quality "vanillia". But if you want some improvement, you can either try to use tutu/bgt (to run BG1 in the BG2 engine), or play the EE.

I don't know. Some games probably use DLL's provided by Internet Explorer (for displaying CHM help files, for example). Those games may break. Ironically, in the future, Linux may be the best bet to keep older games running, through WINE. We can't expect MS to keep supporting old software for even longer than two decades.

Basically, I will keep my current computer, which runs Windows 7. When it reaches EOL in 2020, I'll reïnstall this computer, do a full update, and then make an image. It will be and old system to run legacy games. (If still possible, I'll also replace the hard disks first. The oldest one now has 24.000 hours of running time.)

Assuming all my current games will also run on Windows 10, I'll also have that computer available, which will be supported up until 2025. From that time onward, I'll have at least two computers able to run my old games. If all else fails, I can either run an old game under WINE, or create a virtual machine running XP for the old games such as Baldur's Gate. (I have a retail XP license, and downloaded all of the last updates using WSUS Offline.)

The biggest hurdle will be the ever increasing resolution of LCD monitors. CRT monitors could display every resolution they supported without blurring, which is not true for LCD's. Baldur's Gate in 640x480 runs fine on 1280x1024, doing a 2x stretch to 1280x960. It also runs fine on 1920x1200, if modded to run in 800x600. When monitors with >=2560 resolutions start to become common, these old games will become a huge mess of smeared pixels. The only way to run them is to use an old monitor, or run them in a window (which will make everything very tiny...).

Interesting... seems like you got it 'going on' with your setup!

:)

Over the years, I have come to accept when home PCs get older, I simply dedicate them to specific computer games & applications, instead of throwing them out. It would be great if I could merge everything onto just one, fast machine but due to technical difficulties in the Windows OS, it is just not possible.

Linux is a total mystery to me; If I wanted to install Linux, it would be horrendous for me to research where to begin.
Please don't post any suggestions!

:)

Thanks :)

It's not been very difficult to keep everything running, to be honest; I just moved from Windows NT4 (which did run Baldur's Gate 1, by the way) to Windows 2000, XP, Vista x64, and now, 7 x64. The next step will be Windows 10 x64. The thing it costs the most is time: finding and trying fixes if a game doesn't run. It also takes some perseverance to keep searching and trying, sometimes.

At each move, I've researched what would be necessary to keep my old games running, and created a CD for each game, containing the latest patches up to that date, and a document on needed tweaks or compatibility settings.

Then, in 2010, I discovered GOG. Starting out with Baldur's Gate, I replaced all my CD-based games, giving each one away when replacing it. The replacement did cost some money, but it gained me a lot of goodies, such as soundtracks, but I also don't need to patch-patch-patch each game any longer, and many of the GOG versions require much less tweaks (if any) at all, for some reason. For those instances, I still keep a folder with mods and a document inside the games folder.

I'm sure that, even if GOG hadn't come along, most or all of my CD-based games would still be running.

At this time, the game requiring the most tweaks is Planescape: Torment. It actually needs some very specific settings, using the Microsoft Application Compatibility Toolkit to make it run stable. Even the other Infinity Engine games require some tweaks or mods (Such as DirectDraw Fix) to be able to run without graphical glitches on new hardware. (I've seen that GOG now includes the DirectDraw Fix in its Infinity Engine installations, but I replace it with a newer version, and use Direct Draw Emulation instead of the Wine Libs like GOG does.)

In short:

- Keep all patches
- Keep a document of all tweaks you make after moving a game.

It does take some time to get started, but then you have a stable starting position from there at the next move. Then you'll be able to run these for a very, very long time, adding tweaks as you go.

The only time a game will probably break in an non-fixable way is when Windows drops a technology, such as the ability to execute 16-bit programs in the move to Windows x64. Some games require DirectX 9 to be installed alongside Dx 10 or 11 to run properly; Dx 10 and 11 are very compatible, but not 100%; installing DirectX 9 fixes this. If the DirectX version in Windows 10 not 100% compatible either, and it doesn't allow Dx 9 to be installed, many games will break, probably never to be fixed.

I've been moving games for about 20 years now, utilizing each tweak, fix, and emulator (such as DOSBOX) that I can find; sometimes I find out things on my own, sometimes I need stuff done by other people, but everything I have *STILL* runs, one way or another, on Windows 7 x64.

Some days, I feel old.

I disagree so completely.

BG1 is amazing, better than those, particularly far better than any and all Dragon Age.

The problems with it are all fixed with Tutu or at worst, you just use the EE editions.

In any case, I don't appreciate troll topics. One can not like the game, fine. Dumb ass statements like "Is the problem with me, or is this game really not as good as they say it is?" on such a classic is just trolling.

Thanks for the detailed explanation!

:)

Let me write this about DOSBOX:

This application made me cry the first time I used it a DOS/semi-Windows 95 game I've been itching to play for years and years after Windows 2000, Vista and XP was introduced. An online 'friend' recommended the program to me when I saw a demonstration on YouTube. This person was running M.A.X. through DOSBOX. I don't usually download 3rd party programs but I was desperate... I wanted to play M.A.X.! I followed all the directions on how-to install DOSBOX and when the game launched the intro on XP, I just stared at the monitor in disbelief... a tear ran down my eye.
:)
I went to the website where the DOSBOX program was being worked on and hit the discussion forum and personally thanked all those responsible for writing this wonderful program that opened up this incredible strategy game when all of my other attempts had failed. this was back in 2010. I think I played that game thoroughly since then.

DOSBOX should be packaged with the next version of Windows.

Seriously.

...and I strongly recommend that an updated version of M.A.X. should be in development. Now is the time.

I'm guessing no one saw this thread was a necro from 2012 :)

Still, on topic, BG1 isn't boring, but it is run-of-the-mill fantasy

I first played Baldur's Gate in 1999. The awesome-looking box, game description, and $20 price tag convinced me to buy it. I knew nothing about the game or D&D. I tried getting into BG but I didn't really understand how to play it so I set it aside. I started playing it again in 2001 (I think) and I ended up loving it. I went out to buy BG2 after finishing BG1.

Fast forward to 2008. I always felt guilty for never finishing BG2 so I decided to replay the first game before tackling its sequel. After all these years of playing all sorts of action heavy games on various PC builds and consoles, I still found the gameplay, story, & world of BG to be very fun and addictive.

I did. I also saw that an awful lot of people who apparently don't like Baldur's Gate are spending a lot of time in a Baldur's Gate forum. Peculiar, to say the least.

Same thing is happening in the Fallout forum somewhat. Then there's the Korean spammer in the French general discussion forum. Make's me wonder what's happened to the forums lately :/

I was a different time. You had to have much more patience and time. :P

BG 1 just has an atmosphere about it that I love so much. Walking through the forests in the rain... ahhh.

I haven't played Planescape Torment, but I would love to get it one day, I only hear good about it.

In my opinion Baldur's Gate is worth a try for anyone who enjoys fantasy role-playing games. To say it's better or worse than any of the other Infinity Engine games -- or to assume that someone who's played one of the IE games will also enjoy the others -- is pointless because that all comes down to personal preference.

I have done more BG playthroughs than BG2 playthroughs, I have never beaten Torment, I've only beaten Icewind Dale II once, and I've beaten IWD more times than all the others... That pretty much completely contradicts what is considered the general opinion regarding the quality of these games but hey, that's just my preference. And even though I recognize that BG2 is a much better game than BG on almost every level, I somehow still enjoy BG more! Maybe it's because it does such a hell of a job at making me feel like an aspiring, still-wet-behind-the-ears adventurer exploring a wide open, strange and dangerous world. Or maybe I just enjoy collecting bandit scalps?

My point is, the why doesn't really matter -- it's my experience, my preference and my opinion. Don't feel bad if you don't like a game your friends are raving about, and don't feel weird if you like a game they all think is a snooze-fest.