== Overview ==
Unlimited Adventures was a role-playing construction kit, designed to allow users to create their own games similar to the D&D Gold Box releases.

This project, within eXoDOS, sought to take user modules and make them easy to launch.

== Process ==
The ability to access the user created modules is presented when the main Unlimited Adventures game is launched. If user designed modules are selected, DOSBox is booted into the mod folder and the following options will appear:
=== Sound Card Selection ===
A choice of SoundBlaster or Roland MT-32 is presented

=== Modules ===
Modules are split in series. The following series are available:
* [[#Forgotten Realms]]
* [[#Greyhawk]]
* [[#DragonLance]]
* [[#Planescape & Spelljammer]]
* [[#Ravenloft & Horror]]
* [[#The Realm Series]]
* [[#Compatible with "The Realm"]]
* [[#The Realms Olde Adventures Campaign]]
* [[#The Far West Series]]
* [[#Oriental Adventures]]
* [[#Superhero, Cartoons, & Anime]]
* [[#Modern & Sci-Fi]]
* [[#Sword & Sandal]]
* [[#Humorous]]
* [[#Through the Eyes of...]]
* [[#General Fantasy]]
* [[#Other]]
* [[#UA Serial Mod Project]]

==== Forgotten Realms ====
Modules include:
* Adventures in Tethyr
* Anarchy in Waterdeep
* AT1: Dark Alliance
* Crusade: Myth Drannor
* Dwelling in Darkness
* FR1: Night of the Basilisk
* Genesis Gate
* Hillsfar
* HOS1: The Heroes of Shadalar
* Kill the Heroes of Phlan!
* Avenge Dracandros!
* Lifegiver
* The Temple Of Elemental Evil
* One Neverwinter Night
* Neverwinter Nights Offline

==== Greyhawk ====
Modules include:
* Ghost Tower of Inverness
* Night Below: An Underdark Campaign
* Queen of the Demonweb Pits
* Expedition to the Barrier Peaks
* Scourge of the Slave Lords
* Secret of the Brotherhood
* The Hidden Tower
* The Goblins of Terady
* Tomb of Horrors

==== DragonLance ====
Modules include:
* Dark Wizardry Chapter 1: The Road to Gargath
* DL1: Dragons of Despair
* DLANCE1: Dragons of Despair
* The Royal Guard: Faithful Beyond Death

==== Planescape & Spelljammer ====
Modules include:
* A War Story
* Dead Gods: Out of the Darkness
* Hellbound: The Blood War
* Khin-Oin: The Wasting Tower
* March of the Machines
* Missions
* The Armageddon War
* The Devil You Know
* The Eternal Boundary
* The Quest for Power

==== Ravenloft & Horror ====
Modules include:
===== Ravenloft =====
* Book of Crypts #1: The Bride of Mordenheim
* Harvest of Sorrow
* Hunted: a Ravenloft Adventure
* Oddities
* Secret Nocturnes
* Ravenloft: Necessary Evil
* Reign of Terror
===== The Grand Conjunction Series =====
* Night Of The Walking Dead
* Touch Of Death
* Feast Of Goblyns
* Ship Of Horrors
* From the Shadows

==== The Realm Series ====
Modules include:
* Game00: Introduction to the Realm
* Game01, A1-4, Aerie of the Slave Lords (for lvls 6-8)
* Game02, B2, The Keep on the Borderlands (for lvl 1)
* Game03, B3, Palace of the Silver Princess (for lvls 3-5)
* Game04, B4, The Lost City (for lvls 3-5)
* Game05, B6, The Veiled Society (for lvl 1)
* Game06, B8, Journey to the Rock (for lvl 1-3)
* Game07, B10, Assault on Raven's Ruin (for lvls 1-3)
* Game08, B11-12, Harvest of Chaos (for lvls 1-3)
* Game09, C1, Hidden Shrine of Tomoachan (for lvls 6-8)
* Game10, C2, The Ghost Tower of Inverness (for lvls 5-8)
* Game11, C3, The Lost Tower of Castanamir (for lvls 3-5)
* Game12, C4-C5, The Prophecy of Brie Series (for lvls 4-7)
* Game13, Death's Ride (for lvls 12-15)
* Game14, The Endless Stair (for lvls 10-14)
* Game15, FA2, Nightmare Keep (for lvls 15-18)
* Game16, FRQ2, Hordes of Dragonspear (for lvls 10-12)
* Game17, G1-3, Against the Giants (for lvls 17-20)
* Game18, GA2, Swamplight (for lvls 6-8)
* Game19, GA3, Tales of Enchantment (for lvls 5-8)
* Game20, I2, Tomb of the Lizard King (for lvls 5-7)
* Game21, I6, Ravenloft (for lvls 5-7)
* Game22, I7, Baltron's Beacon (for lvls 4-6)
* Game23, S1, Tomb of Horrors (for lvls 10-14)
* Game24, S2, White Plume Mountain (for lvls 5-10)
* Game25, S4 + WG4, Tsojcanth and Tharizdun (for lvls 6-10)
* Game26, T1-4, The Temple of Elemental Evil (for lvls 1-9)
* Game27, U1, The Sinister Secret of Saltmarsh (for lvls 1-3)
* Game28, UK1, Beyond the Crystal Cave (for lvls 4-7)
* Game29, X1, The Isle of Dread (for lvls 3-7)
* Game30, X2, Castle Amber (for lvls 4-6)
* Game31, X3, Curse of Xanathon (for lvls 4-6)
* Game32, X7, The War Rafts of Kron (for lvls 9-12)
* Game33, X8, Drums on Fire Mountain (for lvls 5-8)
* Game34, B5, Horror on the Hill (for lvls 3-5)
* Game35, REF5, Lords of Darkness, "Skeletons" (for lvls 1)
* Game36, REF5, Lords of Darkness, "Lich" (for lvls 11-13)
* Game37, Dungeon! A Board Game (for lvls 12-14)
* Game38, H1-3, The Bloodstone Wars (for lvls 12-15)
* Game39, Pool of Radiance (for lvls 1-9)
* Game40, Curse of the Azure Bonds (for lvls 5-11)
* Game41, Knight of Newts (for lvls 1-3)
* Game42, Quest for the Silver Sword (for lvls 2-4)
* Game43, Rage of the Rakasta (for lvls 1-3)
* Game44, Red Hand Trail (for lvls 2-4)
* Game45, Trouble Below (for lvls 2-4)
* Game46, Palace of Dread (for lvls 4-6)
* Game47, The Haunted Tower (for lvls 4-6)
* Game48, Wild Dragon Den (for lvls 3-5)
* Game49, Wyrmhaven (for lvls 4-6)
* Game50, League of the Red Serpent (for lvls 5-7)
* GameR1, Raethor's Prize (for lvls 7-9)
* GameR2, Night in Daelwyn's Rest (for lvls 3-5)
* GameR3, Early Winter, Fires of Spring (for lvls 10-14)
* GameR10, A Series of Mysterious Events (for lvl 1)

==== Compatible with "The Realm" ====
Modules include:
* B9: Castle Caldwell and Beyond, Chapter 1 & 2 (for lvl 1)
===== Judge's Guild Series =====
* The Caverns of Thracia (for lvls 4-10)
* Tegel Manor (for lvls 5-7)
* Dark Tower (for lvls 8-11)
* Thieves of Fortress Badabaskor (for lvls 10-12)
* Citadel of Fire (for lvls 12-14)

==== The Realms Olde Adventures Campaign ====
Modules include:
* Olde Adventures
* Eldritch Adventures
* Arcane Trials
* The Ravens Return
* Legendary Descent
* Epic Ascension

==== The Far West Series ====
Modules include:
* West01: The Mystery of Greylorne
* West02: To Thee, I Bequeathe...
* West03: Iron, Mine
* West04: Grimm Tales
* West05: Tower of the Mad Hierophant
* West06: Catacombs of the Old One
* West07: The Long Journey Home
* West08: War
* West09: Brother's Keeper

==== Oriental Adventures ====
Modules include:
* Daimyo Okada: Special Edition
* Fire & Water
* The Topaz Championship
* Unspoken Dream
* An Oriental Alphabet Primer
* Grouchy Old Man
* Kitsune: A Fox's Revenge
* The Snow Woman's Daughters
* The Tale of Twin Dragons: Part I - Born of Water, Bathed in Flame
* The Tale of Twin Dragons: Part II - Flight of Fury
* Toudai-Oni

==== Superhero, Cartoons, & Anime ====
Modules include:
* Dark Day for Liberty
* Doom Patrol: Crawling from the Wreckage
* Guard-Aeon
* Major Mystery Serial Chapter 1: To Smell a Rat
* Man-Storm
* Marshal Mars: Mars In Misalignment
* Masters of the Universe: The Smell of Fear
* Superdead
* Superman Robot Number 6
* TMNT1: Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles #1
* The Adventures of Wonder Woman Ep. 1: A Ticklish Situation
* The Untimers, Issue #1: "ParadoXikill!"
* X-Anime
echo Press N for X-Men 1: Dark Phoenix
echo Press O for Yu-Yu Hakusho: Blood On A Red, Red Rose

==== Modern & Sci-Fi ====
Modules include:
* Buck Rogers XXV: The Chaos Factor
* The Crawling Chaos (Call of Cthulu)
* For the Glory of the Empire
* Fury
* G.P.C.P.
* G.P.C.P. 2
* GW1: Legion of Gold
* Leather Gear: Episode One - The Adventure of Gas
* Method to Madness
* Tales from the Empire Pt. 1: The Florine Incident
* The Last Days of Autumn
* The Stars are Right!
* Werewolf - The Apocalypse: Shadow of the Wyrm

==== Sword & Sandal ====
Modules include:
* The Adventures Of Machiste

==== Humorous ====
Modules include:
* A Serious Roleplaying Adventure
* A Tale of Two Cities : A Short Introduction to Neatsville
* Batteries Not Included: Chapter 1
* Batteries Not Included: Chapter 2
* Batteries Not Included: Chapter 3
* Batteries Not Included: Chapter 4
* Quest for the Final Unity
* Quest for the Sword of the Things
* Quest 3
* Ring of the Lords
* Save the Princess
* Spice Wars
* Test of the Paladins
echo Press N for The Curse of Yezukriis
echo Press O for Yezukriis II: Goosed by the Geas
echo Press P for Yezukriis III: Lifestyle of the Lich and Famous
echo Press R for Yezu 4: Scandal at Guano Gate

==== Through the Eyes of... ====
Modules include:
* Legacy of the Dragon
* Dragon Fodder Strikes Back!
* Four Evils
* Heart of Darkness
* The Long Nite
* World Domination
* The Guild (Second Edition)
* Discworld: All Along the Botchtower
* A Rich Man's Folly
* Child's Play
* The Whole Armour

==== General Fantasy ====
Modules include:
* Adventura I: Valley of Shadow
* A Mid-level Crisis
* Battle of the Djinns
* Beneath the Sorcerer's Tower
* Bridge Over Troubled Water (Shaun Hately)
* Bridge Over Troubled Water (Dorateen)
* Charr's Challenge
* Coming of the Overlords
* Curse Of The Fire Dragon
* The T'Aerrhym Host
* Hearkenwold
* Hearkenwold II
* One Last Hurrah
echo Press N for Paladin 1: The Restoration of Gundahab
echo Press O for Paladin 2: The Merchant League
* The Crumpton Uprising
* The Bell and the Staff
* The Goblins of the Shining Eye
* The Horrid Hag Of Hom
* The Ice Storm
* The Shades
* The Sect
* The Voice of Vengeance
* 'Tis the Season
* Tomb of the Overseers
* When Solitude Remains

==== Other ====
Modules include:
* The Library of Segrob
* Something's Cooking
* Nightmare
* House Of Shades
* A Story About a Couple of Towns
* The Preservation of Arthur's Seat
* Shimmer and Mote: Relics of Light and Shadow
* The Last Days of Sumeria
* Calling of the Winds, Chapter 1: Shadow Over the Lands
* Taelgar: The Awakening
* Mordenkainen's Adventure
* Temple of Votishal
* Mystery at Claystone by Troubador
* Escape from Zanzer's Dungeon
* Save The Gnolls
* Legendry -- Prelude to Glory
* Dark Minstrel
* To Catch A Thief
* Slave To The Imperials
* Quest for the Elven Blade
* The Death of Joan van Wyndham
* The Great Dark
* Haunted: The Belltower
* Ghost of Greyhawk Manor
* City of Gold

==== UA Serial Mod Project ====
Modules include:
* SM1: Memory Of Fallen Friends
* SM2: Heroes Are Born
* SM3: Mutiny!
* SM4: The Price of Gold
* SM5: A Summoning of Souls

== Gold Box Companion ==
The [[Gold Box Companion]] is compatible with Unlimited Adventures and can be used both with the packed in game module or any of the user modules.

Unlimited Adventures

2021-11-12T18:59:23Z

2021-11-12T18:42:48Z

2021-11-12T18:30:39Z

EXO: Created page with "== Overview == eXoZZT Title Screen eXoZZT is a collection of user generated ZZT worlds based on picks from the https://museumofzzt.com/..."

== Overview ==
[[File:Exozzt title.png|thumb|right|eXoZZT Title Screen]]
eXoZZT is a collection of user generated ZZT worlds based on picks from the [[https://museumofzzt.com/Museum of ZZT]].

File:Exozzt title.png

2021-11-12T18:29:32Z

EXO: eXoZZT Title Screen

== Summary ==
eXoZZT Title Screen

Main Page

2021-11-12T14:18:02Z

EXO: /* Game Specific Projects */

= <div style="text-align:center;">[[File:RetroeXo Logo.png]] '''Retro eXo'''</div> =
Project Goal 
The eXo projects' goal is preservation through playability. 

Project Resources 
'''[http://www.retro-exo.com www.retro-exo.com]''': Project Homepage. 
'''[https://www.youtube.com/c/eXoRetro YouTube Channel]''': Various videos about the project and how to use it. 
'''[https://discord.gg/37FYaUZ Discord]''': Project discussion, chat, & community. 
'''[https://github.com/exoscoriae/ Github]''': Bugs, submissions, and enhancements are tracked here. 

== Projects ==
=== Current ===
==== [[EXODOS]] ====
Current Version: eXoDOS v5 
Release Date: October 31st, 2020 
Number of Games: 7,200 
Upcoming Version: eXoDOS v6, ETA 2022 
 
==== [[EXOWin3x]] ====
Current Version: eXoWin3x v2 
Release Date: February 14th, 2021 
Number of Games: 1,138 
Upcoming Version: eXoWin3x v3, ETA 2022 
 
==== [[EXOScummVM]] ====
Current Version: eXoScummVM r2.2.0 
Release Date: June 20th, 2021 
Number of Games: 387 unique titles, multiple variations of each 
Upcoming Version: TBD 
 
==== [[EXORLP]] ====
Current Version: eXo's Retro Learning Pack 
Release Date: April 1st, 2020 
Number of Games: 667 titles, compiled from eXoDOS and eXoWin3x 
Upcoming Version: None. RLP Was a one time release. Upon merging eXoDOS and eXoWin3x however, a playlist appears that allows you to select all games that were originally included in the RLP 
 

=== Future ===
==== EXOWin9x ====
Current Version: None 
Release Date: ? 
Number of Games: ? 
Upcoming Version: ETA Unknown. Depends on progress in emulation 
 
==== Secret ====
Current Version: None 
Release Date: ? 
Number of Games: ? 
Upcoming Version: ETA 2022 
 

== History ==
The eXo projects originated from wanting to sit down and play MS-DOS games without spending hours trying to get them running. Games such as DiscWorld were notoriously difficult and had a fair number of forum posts and websites dedicated to attempts to get them running. However websites centered on the topic of DOSBox, the primary MS-DOS emulator, were generally less than welcoming. eXo's original goal was to get his collection of MS-DOS Adventure games setup in a front end and easily accessible. Posts regarding this project began to appear on Underground Gamer & Pleasuredome in 2007, eventually leading to the release of eXoDOS Vol. I: Adventure in early 2008. This first release had around 650 titles in it, with plans to continue on to a second volume dedicated to role-playing games after excitement was expressed by fellow members on Underground Gamer. It was during this time that eXo became concerned that the nature of DOS emulation was leading towards a scenario in which the number of people who had the technical knowledge to set games up on their own was dwindling. Meanwhile, only a handful of highly popular commercial games for the era were available on any store front. eXo decided to continue tackling volumes of games with the impossible goal of preserving all MS-DOS games. Fundamental changes to the structure of the project were made leading to the release of eXoDOS Version 2. Vol. I-II were re-released along with eXoDOS Vol. III: Strategy (2009). Some of these primary changes included moving the games conf files out of their archive and into the same folder as the launcher. This allowed the conf file to be modified without the need to repack the entire game. eXoDOS Vol. IV: Sim\Sports\Racing\Educational (2011) and eXoDOS Vol. V: Action (2012) were released using the same structure. Releases were originally split into volumes due to bandwidth and storage concerns, however it also helped to focus work on specific packs. 
Work on the first 2 versions of eXoDOS was primarily manual. Games were originally identified by hand typing metadata from [https://www.mobygames.com/ MobyGames] into a database. Each game's launcher, conf file, and install file was copied from a base template and then modified to fit that game, with information like folder names, game name, and other variables hard coded. Soon after the release of eXoDOS Version 2, eXo began to work on a Windows 3x project. This was a very slow process due to the rocky documentation and emulation of Windows 3x. Several improvements were made to the structure of the project during this time however, leading the the release of eXoDOS Version 3. The Windows 3x project was dubbed Win3xO, and released in 2015 with just over 1,000 games in it. eXoDOS versions 1-3 and Win3xO were powered by the [https://sites.google.com/site/meagrefrontend/ MEAGRE] front end, which was also originally posted as a member project on the UG forums. 
The release of Win3xO led to serious burnout, which resulted in a year long break in the project that coincided with the abrupt deletion of Underground Gamer's website, tracker, and forums. Eventually eXo began work on locating new games for the DOS project while addressing bug fixes within the Windows 3x project. Work continued alone during this time, however with the downfall of UG, discussion at this point was primarily limited to occasional posts on the Pleasuredome forums. During this time the author of MEAGRE, Donarumo, decided to cease development on the front end. He moved his personal collections over to [https://www.launchbox-app.com/ LaunchBox] and encouraged eXo to consider it for his projects as well. After a positive discussion with the author of LaunchBox, permission was granted to include it with the forthcoming eXoDOS Version 4 release. Changing to a new front end was a massive task however, as it meant that all metadata (release information, manuals, game images, etc...) had to be imported on a game by game basis. This time was used to begin scrubbing the project of all images that had watermarks, and replacing them with original screen shots and clean box scans. 
In response to the decline of participation of forums, a [https://discord.com/ Discord] server was started for the project on June 7th, 2018. The community quickly grew with various people who had been following the project for years. The ability to communicate in real time allowed others to find ways to contribute, which quickly led to the formation of the "eXoSquad". This led to a flood of improvements for eXoDOS Version 4, with one of the primary new features being the ability to select advanced sound card options. Since then, a steady flow of new features and improved modules have been created for each upcoming release. 
In March of 2020, in response the quarantine protocols and school closings, the RLP (Retro Learning Pack) was released. This pack of 667 games from the MS-DOS and Windows 3.x era was designed to give parents of children stuck at home a way to entertain and educate their children during lockdown. [https://kotaku.com/loads-of-awesome-old-pc-games-will-keep-your-damn-kids-1842632937 Coverage] of the pack extended into the media on sites like [https://kotaku.com/ Kotaku].

== Media ==
The project and/or creator have been featured in the following articles:

[https://blog.archive.org/2019/10/13/2500-more-ms-dos-games-playable-at-the-archive/ ''2,500 More MS-DOS Games Playable at the Archive.'' Scott, J. (2019, Oct. 13). Internet Archive Blog] 
[https://kotaku.com/one-mans-quest-to-collect-every-classic-pc-game-in-exis-1839432488 ''One Man's Quest To Collect Every Classic PC Game In Existence.'' Plunkett, L. (2019, Dec. 16). Kotaku.] 
[https://kotaku.com/loads-of-awesome-old-pc-games-will-keep-your-damn-kids-1842632937 ''Loads Of Awesome Old PC Games Will Keep Your Damn Kids Busy'' Plunkett, L. (2020, Apr. 4). Kotaku] 

== Technical Information ==
=== Emulated Hardware ===
[[3Dfx]] 
[[Sound Cards]] 
[[Video Modes]] 
[[Remote Multiplayer]] 

=== Common Core Systems ===
[[Project Setup]] 
[[Installer]] 
[[Launcher]] 
[[DOSBox Configuration File]] 
[[Updater]] 
[[Downloader]] 
[[EXO Plugin]] 

==== Emulators ====
[[DOSBox]] 
[https://wiki.scummvm.org/index.php?title=Main_Page ScummVM] 

=== Unique Modules ===
[[Gold Box Companion]] 
[[All-Seeing Eye]] 
[[Ultimapper 5]] 

=== Metadata ===
[[Images]] 
[[LaunchBox Platform XML]] 
[[Manuals]] 
[[Magazines]] 
[[Music]] 
[[Playlists]] 
[[Video Snaps]] 
[[Interactive Code Wheels]]

=== Database ===
[[Master Database]] 

== Game Specific Projects ==
DOOM - [[EXOWAD]] 
ZZT - [[EXOZZT]] 
[[Unlimited Adventures]]

== Language Packs ==

[[The Language Pack Concept]]

==== In Progress: ====
[[French Language Pack]] 
[[German Language Pack]] 

==== On Hold: ====
Polish Language Pack 

==== In need of a curator ====
Chinese Language Pack 
Italian Language Pack 
Korean Language Pack 
Russian Language Pack 
Spanish Language Pack 
 
If you have any interest in assisting with these language packs (or working on an unlisted language pack), please join our [https://discord.gg/37FYaUZ Discord] server.

== FAQ ==
For a list of frequently asked questions, please visit the [https://www.retro-exo.com/FAQ.html website FAQ].

== Contact ==

If you would like to contribute, please contact [[User:EXO|EXO]] for registration.

EXOWAD

2021-11-12T14:00:12Z

EXO: /* WAD Selector */

== Overview ==
[[File:Exowad title.png|thumb|right|eXoWAD Title Screen]]
eXoWAD is a collection of levels and total conversions (TC) for DOOM, DOOM 2, Heretic. WAD files were the container file that contained information for games which used the DOOM engine. Custom WAD downloads were ubiquitous in the days of dial-up modems. There were also dozens of shovelware commercial attempts to sell WADs to users, such as the D!Zone collections.

eXoWAD is a a collection of curated WAD lists, provided within an easy to navigate menu.

== Process ==
eXoWAD uses a custom menu known as jchoice. This allows for input with a keyboard, mouse, or gamepad.

=== Sound Selector ===
Upon starting eXoWAD and bypassing the title screen, the user is prompted with the ability to select a sound card.

Note: Sound card selection only applies to WADs run on the original DOOM ports. Some WADs rely on DOS based source ports, in which case they are typically Sound Blaster only

=== Mode Selector ===
Next the user is asked if they would like to play using remote multiplayer (via IPX emulation). It is important to note that this has not been tested on every single included WAD or TC. Some WADs were simply not designed to be played in multiplayer and don't spawn correctly. In other cases, there is no multi player due to the WAD relying on a source port.

=== WAD Selector ===
Currently, there are three lists to choose from:

* [[#DOOM World's top 100 WADs]]
* [[#Bonus WADs]]
* [[#Really Shitty WADs]]

==== DOOM World's top 100 WADs ====
This list is split into 10 pages. Each page represents a different year (from 1994-2003), and contains what they called the best 10 WADs of the year. Amazingly, 85 of these are still playable, even though many of the levels from the later years required windows based source ports.

Well known total conversions such as Alien's TC are included, as well as a fairly detailed Batman TC. The full list of [https://www.doomworld.com/10years/bestwads/ DOOM World's top 100 WADs can be read by clicking here]].

==== Bonus WADs ====
This section houses WADs that were included with other commercial releases. It is a work in progress, however over time more will be added. Currently, the only entry is for Stauf's Mansion. Included on the 11th Guest CD's was a bonus folder. Inside were these recreations of Stauf's Mansion within the DOOM engine. One of the programmers at Trilobyte fancied himself a DOOM creator, and created these in his spare time. The WAD includes secret passages, teleports, and other clever tricks to try and recreate the mansion within the technical limitations of the DOOM engine.

==== Really Shitty WADs ====
No pack of WADs is truly complete without a look at some of the worst. Downloading WADs in the 1990's was a roulette with a high percent chance of failure. The internet was flooded with half-assed levels that had been created by pre-teens who had spent 5 minutes in a level editor and spray painted their name and a dick on the wall. Many times these levels had fatal geometry flaws, enough bad guys to crash the engine, or just horrible garish color schemes. Or, worst of all, they were just.... boring.

10 WADs were selected to represent this flood of garbage.

2021-11-12T13:39:54Z

EXO:

= <div style="text-align:center;">[[File:RetroeXo Logo.png]] '''Retro eXo'''</div> =
Project Goal 
The eXo projects' goal is preservation through playability. 

Project Resources 
'''[http://www.retro-exo.com www.retro-exo.com]''': Project Homepage. 
'''[https://www.youtube.com/c/eXoRetro YouTube Channel]''': Various videos about the project and how to use it. 
'''[https://discord.gg/37FYaUZ Discord]''': Project discussion, chat, & community. 
'''[https://github.com/exoscoriae/ Github]''': Bugs, submissions, and enhancements are tracked here. 

== Projects ==
=== Current ===
==== [[EXODOS]] ====
Current Version: eXoDOS v5 
Release Date: October 31st, 2020 
Number of Games: 7,200 
Upcoming Version: eXoDOS v6, ETA 2022 
 
==== [[EXOWin3x]] ====
Current Version: eXoWin3x v2 
Release Date: February 14th, 2021 
Number of Games: 1,138 
Upcoming Version: eXoWin3x v3, ETA 2022 
 
==== [[EXOScummVM]] ====
Current Version: eXoScummVM r2.2.0 
Release Date: June 20th, 2021 
Number of Games: 387 unique titles, multiple variations of each 
Upcoming Version: TBD 
 
==== [[EXORLP]] ====
Current Version: eXo's Retro Learning Pack 
Release Date: April 1st, 2020 
Number of Games: 667 titles, compiled from eXoDOS and eXoWin3x 
Upcoming Version: None. RLP Was a one time release. Upon merging eXoDOS and eXoWin3x however, a playlist appears that allows you to select all games that were originally included in the RLP 
 

=== Future ===
==== EXOWin9x ====
Current Version: None 
Release Date: ? 
Number of Games: ? 
Upcoming Version: ETA Unknown. Depends on progress in emulation 
 
==== Secret ====
Current Version: None 
Release Date: ? 
Number of Games: ? 
Upcoming Version: ETA 2022 
 

== History ==
The eXo projects originated from wanting to sit down and play MS-DOS games without spending hours trying to get them running. Games such as DiscWorld were notoriously difficult and had a fair number of forum posts and websites dedicated to attempts to get them running. However websites centered on the topic of DOSBox, the primary MS-DOS emulator, were generally less than welcoming. eXo's original goal was to get his collection of MS-DOS Adventure games setup in a front end and easily accessible. Posts regarding this project began to appear on Underground Gamer & Pleasuredome in 2007, eventually leading to the release of eXoDOS Vol. I: Adventure in early 2008. This first release had around 650 titles in it, with plans to continue on to a second volume dedicated to role-playing games after excitement was expressed by fellow members on Underground Gamer. It was during this time that eXo became concerned that the nature of DOS emulation was leading towards a scenario in which the number of people who had the technical knowledge to set games up on their own was dwindling. Meanwhile, only a handful of highly popular commercial games for the era were available on any store front. eXo decided to continue tackling volumes of games with the impossible goal of preserving all MS-DOS games. Fundamental changes to the structure of the project were made leading to the release of eXoDOS Version 2. Vol. I-II were re-released along with eXoDOS Vol. III: Strategy (2009). Some of these primary changes included moving the games conf files out of their archive and into the same folder as the launcher. This allowed the conf file to be modified without the need to repack the entire game. eXoDOS Vol. IV: Sim\Sports\Racing\Educational (2011) and eXoDOS Vol. V: Action (2012) were released using the same structure. Releases were originally split into volumes due to bandwidth and storage concerns, however it also helped to focus work on specific packs. 
Work on the first 2 versions of eXoDOS was primarily manual. Games were originally identified by hand typing metadata from [https://www.mobygames.com/ MobyGames] into a database. Each game's launcher, conf file, and install file was copied from a base template and then modified to fit that game, with information like folder names, game name, and other variables hard coded. Soon after the release of eXoDOS Version 2, eXo began to work on a Windows 3x project. This was a very slow process due to the rocky documentation and emulation of Windows 3x. Several improvements were made to the structure of the project during this time however, leading the the release of eXoDOS Version 3. The Windows 3x project was dubbed Win3xO, and released in 2015 with just over 1,000 games in it. eXoDOS versions 1-3 and Win3xO were powered by the [https://sites.google.com/site/meagrefrontend/ MEAGRE] front end, which was also originally posted as a member project on the UG forums. 
The release of Win3xO led to serious burnout, which resulted in a year long break in the project that coincided with the abrupt deletion of Underground Gamer's website, tracker, and forums. Eventually eXo began work on locating new games for the DOS project while addressing bug fixes within the Windows 3x project. Work continued alone during this time, however with the downfall of UG, discussion at this point was primarily limited to occasional posts on the Pleasuredome forums. During this time the author of MEAGRE, Donarumo, decided to cease development on the front end. He moved his personal collections over to [https://www.launchbox-app.com/ LaunchBox] and encouraged eXo to consider it for his projects as well. After a positive discussion with the author of LaunchBox, permission was granted to include it with the forthcoming eXoDOS Version 4 release. Changing to a new front end was a massive task however, as it meant that all metadata (release information, manuals, game images, etc...) had to be imported on a game by game basis. This time was used to begin scrubbing the project of all images that had watermarks, and replacing them with original screen shots and clean box scans. 
In response to the decline of participation of forums, a [https://discord.com/ Discord] server was started for the project on June 7th, 2018. The community quickly grew with various people who had been following the project for years. The ability to communicate in real time allowed others to find ways to contribute, which quickly led to the formation of the "eXoSquad". This led to a flood of improvements for eXoDOS Version 4, with one of the primary new features being the ability to select advanced sound card options. Since then, a steady flow of new features and improved modules have been created for each upcoming release. 
In March of 2020, in response the quarantine protocols and school closings, the RLP (Retro Learning Pack) was released. This pack of 667 games from the MS-DOS and Windows 3.x era was designed to give parents of children stuck at home a way to entertain and educate their children during lockdown. [https://kotaku.com/loads-of-awesome-old-pc-games-will-keep-your-damn-kids-1842632937 Coverage] of the pack extended into the media on sites like [https://kotaku.com/ Kotaku].

== Media ==
The project and/or creator have been featured in the following articles:

[https://blog.archive.org/2019/10/13/2500-more-ms-dos-games-playable-at-the-archive/ ''2,500 More MS-DOS Games Playable at the Archive.'' Scott, J. (2019, Oct. 13). Internet Archive Blog] 
[https://kotaku.com/one-mans-quest-to-collect-every-classic-pc-game-in-exis-1839432488 ''One Man's Quest To Collect Every Classic PC Game In Existence.'' Plunkett, L. (2019, Dec. 16). Kotaku.] 
[https://kotaku.com/loads-of-awesome-old-pc-games-will-keep-your-damn-kids-1842632937 ''Loads Of Awesome Old PC Games Will Keep Your Damn Kids Busy'' Plunkett, L. (2020, Apr. 4). Kotaku] 

== Technical Information ==
=== Emulated Hardware ===
[[3Dfx]] 
[[Sound Cards]] 
[[Video Modes]] 
[[Remote Multiplayer]] 

=== Common Core Systems ===
[[Project Setup]] 
[[Installer]] 
[[Launcher]] 
[[DOSBox Configuration File]] 
[[Updater]] 
[[Downloader]] 
[[EXO Plugin]] 

==== Emulators ====
[[DOSBox]] 
[https://wiki.scummvm.org/index.php?title=Main_Page ScummVM] 

=== Unique Modules ===
[[Gold Box Companion]] 
[[All-Seeing Eye]] 
[[Ultimapper 5]] 

=== Metadata ===
[[Images]] 
[[LaunchBox Platform XML]] 
[[Manuals]] 
[[Magazines]] 
[[Music]] 
[[Playlists]] 
[[Video Snaps]] 
[[Interactive Code Wheels]]

=== Database ===
[[Master Database]] 

== Game Specific Projects ==
[[eXoWAD]] 
[[eXoZZT]] 
[[Unlimited Adventures]]

== Language Packs ==

[[The Language Pack Concept]]

==== In Progress: ====
[[French Language Pack]] 
[[German Language Pack]] 

==== On Hold: ====
Polish Language Pack 

==== In need of a curator ====
Chinese Language Pack 
Italian Language Pack 
Korean Language Pack 
Russian Language Pack 
Spanish Language Pack 
 
If you have any interest in assisting with these language packs (or working on an unlisted language pack), please join our [https://discord.gg/37FYaUZ Discord] server.

== FAQ ==
For a list of frequently asked questions, please visit the [https://www.retro-exo.com/FAQ.html website FAQ].

== Contact ==

If you would like to contribute, please contact [[User:EXO|EXO]] for registration.