If you have a 3DS lying around, you can try it there too. Though the controls might be somewhat troublesome.

Begin 1.65, running in DOSBox, which is running in Ubuntu, which is running in Windows ("Windows Subsystem for Linux".)

Naturally you can skip the Ubuntu part, but then you would be playing Begin on the right thing, which is not the subject of this thread.

[img]https://i.imgur.com/v7fPeLN.png[/img]

I mean, Begin 1 also has a radar screen, the ships are just two-character text indicators instead of triangles.

It does.

I can take a better picture. Does "BEGIN2.exe" have anything like graphics, like a radar screen or something?

That's not where Begin goes!!

Well, we got another Begin on the wrong thing, pal!

[img]https://i.imgur.com/hQJ7T4N.jpg[/img]

By the way, last year, Tom Nelson promised us we'd be getting a 35th Anniversary Edition this year.

His two caveats were:

1. Technically he has until the end of 2019 to make it a 35th Anniversary Edition.
2. He didn't promise any specific features/updates for the 35th Anniversary Edition.

I have made one request for the 35th Anniversary Edition:

In the current edition, if you fumble-finger a command, or type an incorrect command, it costs you a turn. So you had an incoming torpedo, and you wanted to reinforce your rear-facing shield, so you typed "reni 6" instead of "rein 6" (for "reinforce 6"), and it says something like "I don't know 'reni'." -- [i]and then a turn passes[/i], and the torpedo hits you, and your un-reinforced rear shield collapses, and you die. My one request for the 35th Anniversary Edition was: Typos shouldn't cost you a turn.

Here are my hopes, expectations, and fears for the 35th Anniversary Edition:

WHAT I HOPE: He at least does that one thing I asked, which I feel is probably a one-line code change.
WHAT I EXPECT: Nothing.
WHAT I FEAR: Well, so far the Begin 2 source was wiped out, the Begin 3 wiki was wiped out, so I assume everything associated with the game will get wiped out for the 35th Anniversary.

For me, the best thing would be -- and I have no idea if it's possible -- to find a way to play Begin [i]inside[/i] another game. Like, you know how some games -- [url="https://store.steampowered.com/app/779590/Scavenger_SV4/"]even little-known indie roguelites[/url] -- have a computer monitor in the game where you can sit down and one of the choices is to play some sort of retro-style game on that monitor? Starcraft II did it, even.

There probably isn't, but it would be cool if one of those game-within-a-game thing used some sort of emulator or wrapper you could plug shit into.

It's probably not possible, but that would be cool.

Well, if anyone here wants to play Begin, they should get the latest, 3.0.1, which is a Windows version and looks/plays the best. Look at those fancy-ass graphics!

http://starfleetproject.com/begin/Begin301b151.zip

[img]http://www.starfleetproject.com/screen1.jpg[/img]

[quote=pinback post_id=101068 time=1556032278 user_id=5]
Let's BEGIN!!

...to play Quake.

[/quote]

Hahah I'm really trying it though! Messing in web browser atm and will try real DOSBOX later on I think. The startup sound made me jump haha.

Let's BEGIN!!

[img]https://vignette.wikia.nocookie.net/legendsofthemultiuniverse/images/d/d6/Captain_kirk_happy_2.jpg/revision/latest/scale-to-width-down/200?cb=20140519063142[/img]

...to play Quake.

[img]https://i.ytimg.com/vi/4ErkeFA-QWk/hqdefault.jpg[/img]

Dude. DUDE. The only reason I haven't been playing Quake II with you is because I keep forgetting your server is up. Let's start a thread and get on that!

If I try this in the VM of your choice will you guys finally play Quake II with me?

[quote="Ice Cream Jonsey" post_id=101055 time=1555978662 user_id=3]
You give your Commander's name, which should always be Kirk.
[/quote]
I used TDarcos, because, you know, Kingons.

Yeah, you just pick the ships you want, and if you've picked more than one kind, you have to specify which is the "Flagship". That will be the ship that you directly control. You can control allies by saying things like "tell reliant attack eagle" or whatever.

I would start out just 1v1, though. A good ol' Federation Heavy Cruiser vs. Klingon Battle Cruiser is a nice, traditional, easy to follow battle.

After picking name and sides, these three commands would do it (although as in most text adventures, you can shorten the commands as much as you want, as long as they're still unique:

[quote]
ally 1 heavy ("al 1 h" also works)
enemy 1 bat ("en 1 b")
begin
[/quote]

After that, load up some torpedoes, lock 'em on your enemy, lock the phasers on, tell the helm to do something, and start blasting away. Begin 2+ added different types of torpedoes -- in 1.65, you could just type "load all torps", but now you have to specify a class.

This is all in the library (which you can get by typing "lib" or by going to this handy website, which, [url="http://starfleetproject.com/wiki/index.php?title=Library"]you're welcome[/url].)

[quote]
load all torps mk7...
lock all torps on (whatever)
lock all banks on (whatever)
helm 270 5
fire all torps
[/quote]

Wheee, space battles.

So, starting it up, I sort of get it now. You give your Commander's name, which should always be Kirk. But you then sort of ... do you order ships?

Do you go SHOPPING at the beginning of Begin? If so - I love it. Begin and Keystone Kapers, the two 80s games that take place in a mall.

Great job! You are [i]playing Begin on the wrong thing![/i]

EDIT: [url="http://pinback.net/begin/wrong.html"][i]You're in the hunt![/i][/url]

We are finally through the capers in my life. I said that I would have more time for the people that are important to me, which you all are.

Here is my (first?) instance of Begin on the Wrong Thing - Begin being played on a RetroPie. The RetroPie is in a fake NES shell, not depicted, because I couldn't get the cord to reach. I had to plug in a USB keyboard in order to enter the name of my captain and which side I was on.

[url=https://flic.kr/p/2fxh2Zj][img]https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/47611627152_5a984ef8ba_b.jpg[/img][/url][url=https://flic.kr/p/2fxh2Zj]Begin[/url] by [url=https://www.flickr.com/photos/21475791@N03/]bluejays2017[/url], on Flickr

http://pinback.net/begin/wrong.html#mina