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RabidChild
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icon Atanak DROD? (+7)  
After 25 years, I finally managed to get my hands on a physical copy of Webfoot DROD.
Click here to view the secret text

Well, sort of. This particular copy was published by Atanak Software, which was, apparently, a Canadian shareware distributor. The sleeve is lightweight paper and not the heavier cardstock I was expecting and it seems Atanak didn't believe in useless frills like diskette labels. I'm actually not sure what my favorite part is - the text on the back that refers to "Bethro" and the "Nether," or the fact that the cover art is clearly just a screenshot of the title screen with somebody's mouse cursor smack in the middle of it.

Surprisingly, the disk still works and I was able to install and run the game with no problem. Sadly, it's only the demo. Still, I think it's an interesting curiosity.
04-02-2021 at 12:46 AM
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ErikH2000
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icon Re: Atanak DROD? (+7)  
RabidChild wrote:
After 25 years, I finally managed to get my hands on a physical copy of Webfoot DROD.
Wow! This is one I've never seen before. That belongs in a museum. Not a successful or popular museum, but still...

I want to clear up any ambiguity on one point - Webfoot DROD will definitely not run on DOS or even DOSOD (Deadly Operating System of Death). For best results:

* install Windows 3.1 on a FAT partition (you may need to run FDISK or FDISKOD)
* scrape the scum off the rubber rollers inside your non-optical mouse.
* mouse should go on top of a Dilbert mousepad
* make sure your SoundBlaster AWE16 is installed correctly with no IRQ conflicts
* open your computer and mess around with jumper pins. If you smell smoke, put them back how they were before.
* KEEP THE DISTRIBUTION OF ROACHES WELL BALANCED. If there are two many roaches on one side of the screen, it will fry out pixels on your cathode ray tube. YOU WILL NEVER GET THOSE PIXELS BACK

Yes. I am old.

-Erik

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The Godkiller - Chapter 1 available now on Steam. It's a DROD-like puzzle adventure game.
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04-02-2021 at 01:40 AM
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Insoluble
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icon Re: Atanak DROD? (+1)  
RabidChild wrote:
... it seems Atanak didn't believe in useless frills like diskette labels.
I don't know about that. They made sure to get that diskette certified as virus free. Now that's quality! In all seriousness though, this is super cool! Thanks for posting screen shots. Where on earth did you manage to find this?

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04-02-2021 at 04:28 PM
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Illusionist
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icon Re: Atanak DROD? (+1)  
90s were a wild time. In my country we also had a company (that I shall not name
Click here to view the secret text
) which also did so-called "shareware distribution" *cough cough*legal bootlegging*cough cough*

I did mention somewhere that I remember an early beta version of webfoot drod floating somewhere on the market. But instead I'll tell you the story about the infamous Dos version of Mario
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jxwRQKmin-E
This game was made for fun by some guy, and somehow the beta version of this game was being distributed by the aforementioned shareware companies like it was a legitimate product. Years later the guy who created the game, explained the whole matter and released the finished version of his mario game he did for fun, but for years the original unfinished version of the game was not only floating on the internet, it was being legitimately sold to people. I even remember seeing it being sold with a complete package, which probably costed more than the actual game.

But then again, back then you could buy Mortal Kombat X with over 100 characters playable (most of them either recolors, characters from different games, or alt costumes). So yeah, a wild ride indeed. I of course miss these times, but I wish I had the wisdom and knowledge back then, because it was a goldmine of rarities, and many of the stuff that is nowadays considered lost media.

What I try to say is that it was certainly similar with DROD. I do remember that the game had a cult fanbase as far as 1998 (I hated the game back then and couldn't understand the hype, it seemed like people who were programmers themselves liked the game more than casual players), so it's possible that it was being spread around here and there.

And now, the best part, because I wouldn't be surprised if someone did a mod version of the demo of the webfoot drod (demo version with different color scheme). I'm not saying there is one, buuuut don't be surprised if some day it surfaces

[Last edited by Illusionist at 04-03-2021 05:08 PM]
04-03-2021 at 05:03 PM
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