The Spam Thread!

[Stella Grapes]

Guys, Prudie's birthday is January 17th. April 1st is the birthday of the character Sour Grapes. Well, at least she said so in one episode.

So yeah, happy birthday to the motherly "villain" of the 2003-2007 Strawberry Shortcake universe.

We go through this every year I bring it up, guys. :lol:

[cpd2009]

We go through this every year I bring it up, guys. :lol:

We do? I don't remember this happening last year, but I can't remember if I replied or not. Ah well.


Earlier this evening, I took a chance at the classic 1994 game "The Lion King", one of the rare instances of a good movie-based game. I'm getting better and I can get past the second stage without issue now, but it took time. I played the SNES version overall, but for fun, I played the Sega Genesis version for a few rounds.

My observations of the SNES and Genesis version of The Lion King are as follows...

The SNES version has bright colorful graphics and sweet sounding music tracks that set the mood.

The Genesis version has slightly inferior graphics... sprites are a tad smaller and aren't as colorful, which is really evident in the "Can't Wait To Be King" stage. The audio has the same melodies, and for a Genesis game, sounds good. But, it lacks nearly all the voice samples and ambient sound that the SNES version has and thus the Genesis music track is of lower quality.

Despite that, both games play nearly the same way. Quite amazing since the SNES and Genesis are two entirely different systems, and those weren't the only platforms the game was made available on. The PC version is the best of all, but it doesn't run on modern OS'es without using Dosbox. Lion King + Dosbox = no high quality sound AFAIK.

[huckleberrypie]

The PC version is the best of all, but it doesn't run on modern OS'es without using Dosbox. Lion King + Dosbox = no high quality sound AFAIK.

Unless if you fiddle with the DOSbox config, of course.

[RAMChYLD]

DOSBox emulates a Gravis Ultrasound, the original one with the ForteMedia-made GF1. All it takes to get high quality sound in DOSBox is to tweak the config, then install the Gravis TSR.

However, I've never had much luck with DOSBox. Usually end up with stuttering, framerate and speed issues.

Btw, calling the PC version the best of all isn't really right. The PC version has a game-breaking bug during the Be Prepared level, which gets worse the faster your CPU is. Also, it uses only Mode X graphics, whose resolution is somewhere between the SNES and Genesis' color quality and resolution.

[cpd2009]

DOSBox emulates a Gravis Ultrasound, the original one with the ForteMedia-made GF1. All it takes to get high quality sound in DOSBox is to tweak the config, then install the Gravis TSR.

However, I've never had much luck with DOSBox. Usually end up with stuttering, framerate and speed issues.

Btw, calling the PC version the best of all isn't really right. The PC version has a game-breaking bug during the Be Prepared level, which gets worse the faster your CPU is. Also, it uses only Mode X graphics, whose resolution is somewhere between the SNES and Genesis' color quality and resolution.

Hmm... noted. I just guessed that since PC versions of other games tend to be the best of all even back then. But the music is the best of all provided you have Gravis Ultrasound be it Dosbox or real hardware.

[cpd2009]

As some members here might be aware, my father has been battling cancer for the past few years.

Sadly, my father lost that battle today. He passed on this morning while I was still sleeping in. My mom woke me up not long after it happened.



I'm not sure how to feel at this stage. I didn't get a lot of sleep the previous night and my dad, while very sick, seemed fine. I guess things quickly went south this morning. So, I am somewhat tired right now.

I guess one thing I can say at this stage is.. do I lack empathy? I did well up with tears a little bit during the initial shock, but I haven't cried much at all. I ask this question since I have seen some sad moments in cartoons like that Harold and the Purple Crayon episode that deals with death of a pet. I didn't cry at all. I don't know if it's just my autism causing me to react in a way that is very different from others.

I mean, I loved my dad. We had our occasional quarrels and disagreements, but we got along most of the time. I have shown genuine concern when his sickness reached low points, so I know I have genuine love present in me.

Maybe reality hasn't completely settled in yet. Maybe it will settle in once I get into bed later and think things over.

So.... yeah. Difficult times ahead, but I know it won't last long and at some point I will have to move on with life. If I do get very sad and cry eventually, I know I can't keep being sad forever and I need to start thinking about the good times we had together, and also the fact that he is in a better place now, free of pain and suffering.

I love you Dad.... I always will, wherever you are.

[huckleberrypie]

My sympathies and sincerest condolences to you and your family, dear, as my friend and I posted on your Facebook profile not too long ago.

*big hugs*

[RAMChYLD]

I'm sorry to hear what happened Wade. My deepest sympathies and condolences to you and your family.

[Blackberry Bun]

You have my sympathies, Wade. Don't worry about how you feel. Each person has a different way to accept such devastating news. You just happen to be more stoic than average person.


David, I think I need your help a bit because I kinda suck at this and you seemed to be very well informed. What's the latest news about the DDR4 CPU, RAM, and MB? Any specific date of them coming out?

[huckleberrypie]

DDR4's already out from what I watched and read. Of course it's going to be expensive compared to the more widely available DDR3 parts, and according to an article from PC Gamer, DDR4 is currently limited to Intel's X99 chipset and Extreme processors, plus there's not much of a benefit to it yet compared to the previous generation. Socket-wise, expect either LGA1150 or 2011 on the Intel side, or AM3/FM1/FM2 for AMDs.