Looking for WIN7 software

FrugalNinja250 · January 17th, 2011, 03:29 PM

I built a video editing box last December, I7-950/12G DDR3/Radeon HD 6870 w/ 24" HD monitor. It's nice. I'm looking for recommendations on some games and such to run on it. A flight simulator, maybe helicopter simulator, some shooters, etc. The hitch? I don't have internet. That rules out Half-Life and anything else requiring an internet connection to validate/run. Also, it's Win7 64bit Home Premium so no XP mode.

(If I'd known the implications of that I'd have gone with Professional, or maybe even XP Pro 64 bit).

Basically, I'd like something more fun than Spider Solitaire and Minesweeper...

kevlarorc · January 17th, 2011, 03:44 PM

Flight Sims:
IL2 1946 - best WW2 sim on the market especially if you get the newer mods.
Rise of Flight is a WW1 flight sim that is also pretty nice but it requires you to buy a bunch of planes if you want to play any more than like 4 planes. <- actually I think RoF might require an internet connection so I'm not sure on that one.
Both RoF and IL2 benefit greatly from TrackIR

The only helicopter sim I'm mildly familiar with is DCS: Blackshark but it's pretty hardcore.

Half-life doesn't require an internet connection btw. You can play offline mode in Steam.

- Portal
- Left 4 Dead 2
- Half Life 2
- Amnesia: The Dark Descent <- this game is a first-person horror game that is scary as all get-out. I still haven't finished it.
- Mirror's Edge <- a first-person parkour game, although the campaign is pretty short.
- ArmA II <- first person mil-sim shooter. This one's hard to describe, best to just youtube it.
- Crysis
- Mass Effect / Mass Effect 2 < - these are 3rd-person RPG games but they're pretty damn awesome (this coming from an fps gamer) so I figured I'd throw them in.

I honestly can't recommend many of the so-called "tac shooters" these days as they are all consolized crap but lots of people play the COD and Battlefield series still, most notably Modern Warfare 2, Black Ops, and Bad Company 2.

- Starcraft 2 if you're in to RTS
- Dirt 2 if you're in to racing

CZroe · January 18th, 2011, 10:26 AM

OK, at first I thought this thread was asking for Win7 itself.

Anyway, Steam games like the Half-Life series no longer need to be online to enter offline mode. Perhaps you can tether with a cell phone or something to get them initially activated and make a Steam backup on another PC that you downloaded the data files too (retail discs help avoid a large amount of the download). I use an Alienware M11x that I carry around in my tank bag with no disc drive so I use GameCopyWorld.com guides and disc cracks to install games with an external drive and then leave the drive/disc at home, but even then, I've re-purchased a lot of them through Steam because they were on sale and it's much more convenient. I know that this is a desktop system with a built-in disc drive, but because I often don't have Internet access for Steam, I share your access issue. I always enabled unofficial tethering on my various iPhones (3G, 3GS, and iPhone 4) and use that for the rare occasion that I need something online for a moment (not long enough for AT&T to notice!).

FWIW, XP 64 bit is much worse than Vista/7 as far as compatibility goes. It was never meant to be mainstream and the driver requirements alone limit it much more than Vista/7.

FrugalNinja250 · January 19th, 2011, 08:14 AM

Yeah, I should have said applications instead of software...

My phone is a basic Razor on Verizon, which means no internet through it unless I want to pay by the kilobyte. Even if I wanted to get fleeced by Verizon I wouldn't know where to start. I'm fairly technologically impaired, having lost a tremendous amount of ground since I got out of the scene in early 2006.

I was planning on buying retail box versions of whatever I choose, the main issue being that I can't use any kind of internet activation/registration. That limitation created a big problem with getting Win7 installed, let me tell you.

I'll probably hop over to Fry's this weekend and buy Half Life, that's a game that I've got several thousand hours into and really enjoyed. I'd also like to get Quake installed, maybe Unreal Tournament if it has single player mode. Ultimately I'd like to make a run through DooM II again, but I suspect I'll have to wait until someone does a source port (I think that's what it's called) for Win7.

On the simulation side of things, I've got Flight Simulator X on the way, and need to order a joystick or yoke. I'm more interested in simulating actual flight than I am in flight games, so I'll get rudder pedals and throttle quadrant too. I'd also like to try building a function-accurate helicopter control set with collective and rotor pitch control. I had built one for my PC a long time ago using pots and the joystick interface for a DOS simulator, but doubt any of that will work with 7.

Meanwhile I'm getting way too good at Spider Solitaire.

CThunder-blue · January 19th, 2011, 08:52 AM

Definitely pick up Crysis. One of my all time favorites. I bought the orange pack of Half Life, Half Life 2, and portal and don't play it at all.

Bleak21 · January 22nd, 2011, 01:18 PM

Another thumbs up for IL2

If you're looking at games without internet go for the Fallout franchise or Bioshock. Or (if you're into strategy/grand strategy games) look at games made by paradox interactive (Hearts of Iron, EU). These play great w/o a connection.

January 17th, 2011, 03:29 PM	#1
FrugalNinja250 ninjette.org certified postwhore Name: Frugal Location: Dallas/Fort Worth (DFW) Join Date: Mar 2010 Motorcycle(s): Several Posts: A lot.	Looking for WIN7 applications I built a video editing box last December, I7-950/12G DDR3/Radeon HD 6870 w/ 24" HD monitor. It's nice. I'm looking for recommendations on some games and such to run on it. A flight simulator, maybe helicopter simulator, some shooters, etc. The hitch? I don't have internet. That rules out Half-Life and anything else requiring an internet connection to validate/run. Also, it's Win7 64bit Home Premium so no XP mode. (If I'd known the implications of that I'd have gone with Professional, or maybe even XP Pro 64 bit). Basically, I'd like something more fun than Spider Solitaire and Minesweeper... Last futzed with by FrugalNinja250; January 19th, 2011 at 08:31 AM. Reason: Yay for the ability to edit!

January 17th, 2011, 03:44 PM	#2
kevlarorc noob motovlogger Name: Gareth Location: Austin, TX Join Date: Dec 2009 Motorcycle(s): Black 2009 250r Posts: 328	Flight Sims: IL2 1946 - best WW2 sim on the market especially if you get the newer mods. Rise of Flight is a WW1 flight sim that is also pretty nice but it requires you to buy a bunch of planes if you want to play any more than like 4 planes. <- actually I think RoF might require an internet connection so I'm not sure on that one. Both RoF and IL2 benefit greatly from TrackIR The only helicopter sim I'm mildly familiar with is DCS: Blackshark but it's pretty hardcore. Half-life doesn't require an internet connection btw. You can play offline mode in Steam. - Portal - Left 4 Dead 2 - Half Life 2 - Amnesia: The Dark Descent <- this game is a first-person horror game that is scary as all get-out. I still haven't finished it. - Mirror's Edge <- a first-person parkour game, although the campaign is pretty short. - ArmA II <- first person mil-sim shooter. This one's hard to describe, best to just youtube it. - Crysis - Mass Effect / Mass Effect 2 < - these are 3rd-person RPG games but they're pretty damn awesome (this coming from an fps gamer) so I figured I'd throw them in. I honestly can't recommend many of the so-called "tac shooters" these days as they are all consolized crap but lots of people play the COD and Battlefield series still, most notably Modern Warfare 2, Black Ops, and Bad Company 2. - Starcraft 2 if you're in to RTS - Dirt 2 if you're in to racing __________________________________________________ My Motovlog "Damn, either shimming the needles fixes 90% of any problems with the 250Rs, or kkim owns stock in a washer manufacturer." -DmbShn41

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January 18th, 2011, 10:26 AM	#3
CZroe CPT Falcon Name: J.Emmett Turner Location: Newnan, GA Join Date: Apr 2009 Motorcycle(s): '08 CP Blue EX250J, '97 unpainted EX250F, 2nd '97 unpainted EX250F (no engine), '07 black EX250F Posts: A lot.	OK, at first I thought this thread was asking for Win7 itself. Anyway, Steam games like the Half-Life series no longer need to be online to enter offline mode. Perhaps you can tether with a cell phone or something to get them initially activated and make a Steam backup on another PC that you downloaded the data files too (retail discs help avoid a large amount of the download). I use an Alienware M11x that I carry around in my tank bag with no disc drive so I use GameCopyWorld.com guides and disc cracks to install games with an external drive and then leave the drive/disc at home, but even then, I've re-purchased a lot of them through Steam because they were on sale and it's much more convenient. I know that this is a desktop system with a built-in disc drive, but because I often don't have Internet access for Steam, I share your access issue. I always enabled unofficial tethering on my various iPhones (3G, 3GS, and iPhone 4) and use that for the rare occasion that I need something online for a moment (not long enough for AT&T to notice!). FWIW, XP 64 bit is much worse than Vista/7 as far as compatibility goes. It was never meant to be mainstream and the driver requirements alone limit it much more than Vista/7.

January 19th, 2011, 08:14 AM	#4
FrugalNinja250 ninjette.org certified postwhore Name: Frugal Location: Dallas/Fort Worth (DFW) Join Date: Mar 2010 Motorcycle(s): Several Posts: A lot.	Yeah, I should have said applications instead of software... My phone is a basic Razor on Verizon, which means no internet through it unless I want to pay by the kilobyte. Even if I wanted to get fleeced by Verizon I wouldn't know where to start. I'm fairly technologically impaired, having lost a tremendous amount of ground since I got out of the scene in early 2006. I was planning on buying retail box versions of whatever I choose, the main issue being that I can't use any kind of internet activation/registration. That limitation created a big problem with getting Win7 installed, let me tell you. I'll probably hop over to Fry's this weekend and buy Half Life, that's a game that I've got several thousand hours into and really enjoyed. I'd also like to get Quake installed, maybe Unreal Tournament if it has single player mode. Ultimately I'd like to make a run through DooM II again, but I suspect I'll have to wait until someone does a source port (I think that's what it's called) for Win7. On the simulation side of things, I've got Flight Simulator X on the way, and need to order a joystick or yoke. I'm more interested in simulating actual flight than I am in flight games, so I'll get rudder pedals and throttle quadrant too. I'd also like to try building a function-accurate helicopter control set with collective and rotor pitch control. I had built one for my PC a long time ago using pots and the joystick interface for a DOS simulator, but doubt any of that will work with 7. Meanwhile I'm getting way too good at Spider Solitaire.

January 19th, 2011, 08:52 AM	#5
CThunder-blue ModMy250.com Name: Tri Location: St, Louis Join Date: Sep 2010 Motorcycle(s): 2009 Ninja 250R, 2005 R6 Posts: A lot.	Definitely pick up Crysis. One of my all time favorites. I bought the orange pack of Half Life, Half Life 2, and portal and don't play it at all.

January 22nd, 2011, 01:18 PM	#6
Bleak21 ninjette.org member Name: Dan Location: JerZ Join Date: Sep 2010 Motorcycle(s): 05 Ninjette Posts: 131	Another thumbs up for IL2 If you're looking at games without internet go for the Fallout franchise or Bioshock. Or (if you're into strategy/grand strategy games) look at games made by paradox interactive (Hearts of Iron, EU). These play great w/o a connection.