Windows Internet Games to be discontinued
On July 31, Internet Games on Windows Me and XP will stop functioning. Windows 7 users will have until January 22.
Looks like I'm gonna install Me on my 300GL so I can be the last Internet game-player using the OS. I have a bad feeling about it because it looks to be a nasty mix of WDM and VxD drivers (though the OS is new enough to possibly include drivers for all of my devices).
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When I installed Windows Me a few months ago, I was shocked to find that those games still work. I figured support would have been pulled years ago. Kudos to Microsoft for keeping them around for so long.
I wonder if they were popular enough for homebrew servers to appear, like what happened with AOL Instant Messenger.
TIL third party AIM servers are a thing.
AIM Phoenix
https://planet-source-code.com/vb/scripts/ShowCode.asp?txtCodeId=62118&lngWId=1
They're a bit buggy, but I had the server on Planet Source Code working, and AIM Phoenix is using a modified version of the code.
I remember all the memories that I had when playing those Internet games when I was young. All I did was play Spades and quickly learned how to play Spades properly. That was the only game I mostly touched. I also attempted this on builds 4015 and 4020 and to my surprise they actually work there too. Someone should try to play Internet Games on build 2404, the earliest build Windows ME build with Internet Games.
These are still around? I thought they shut down forever ago.
Back in April/May there was an extended period of time where these games didn't work on all those platforms. Then they suddenly resurfaced on May 25.
You can also add Internet Games to Windows 98SE if you select options 1 or 2 in 98SE2ME.
They're still going strong as of 10:35 pm EDT (UTC -5), Looks like only a few hours left!
The servers went offline at either 12:45 or 1:05 pm EDT.
Windows Millennium Edition: the endless possibilities start end now.
Rest in peace... :(