Software Downloads
Over time, I have acrued many a useful file. I here now, share them with you, my readership so as that they may be used by all. Some of these files I will actually host here. Others I’ll just link to the free download. As far as I know, anything I host here is abandonware and is difficult to find anywhere else.
The programs I host and link to are for Windows though if you search around, you might find Mac or Linux versions. No guarantees though.
2D GRAPHICS EDITORS
This useful utilitiy is a GIF animator. (It doesn’t have drawing tools, you paste in the frames) Its great for converting to the GIF format or making budd icons or things like that. I don’t use it so much these days now that I have PaintShopPro 7 to do this job. I know its an old version, but the newer versions removed the nice palette control features I loved. This however, is really a wonderous tool and its kinda rare.
This is a program designed for making sprite sheets for use in games. Of course, you can also use it for making icons, or tiny graphics or whatever. The GUI has some neat features, but mostly its ass-awful and kinda buggy. However, a friend of mine used to really like this program. (I’m not sure if he still does though) So I figure, if one person can overlook that, then probably more people can. Personally though, I can’t.
The GIMP or Download Source Code From Here
This program is considered to be as powerful as Photoshop, however it is marred by a far less well-organized interface. It also lacks my precious layer blending options and this is one of only 2 reasons why I don’t use it myself. Still, its pretty wonderful. Its especially good if you’re making fancy textures for 3D models. They’ve got the best Normal Map plugin you’ll find anywhere.
If you still use MSpaint for anything, I ask you, what’s your excuse? There is a free program for Windows that gives you all its features, more features, and the friendliest user interface you’ll probably ever find in a serious graphics program. If you still use MSpaint and you know that Paint.NET exists. For shame! If you’re using Photoshop though, I can understand resisting. There is no automatic gradient tool and no layer blending options, so then I can understand a resistance to use this.
3D Editors
I use this for my 3D mesh editting and my UVmapping. Its like working with clay once you get the hang of it. Only, since you don’t get to use your actual hands, its a lot harder than working with clay so don’t think it’ll be easy to make humanoids. However, something abotu the UI makes it really fun and easy to model spaceships.
This is an open source 3D modelling application where you can paint onto a sphere or cube and it’ll take the painting and morph the image. Its really really really neat. However, its still kinda buggy so caveat downloader.
Often, this is listed as the only 3D application in these kinds of lists, so I am giving it a bit of a backseat, making it the last on my list here. It featuers a powerful toolset for the entirety of 3D functions. However, its user interface was created by aliens in the year 9000 ad and transported back in time to baffle humans today. I mainly use it for its rendering features. It generates some really pretty images.
Bit Torrent
This is what most people recognize for bit-torrent. I used to use it but then I realized that it was kind of system hoggy and it wasn’t downloading my torrent. However, it is feature packed, and written in Java. As it is written in Java, then you can easily run it on any platform like a Mac or Linux or Solaris or anything like that.
uTorrent is also popular for being the exact opposite of a system hog. This thing is small, efficient, and incredibly amazing as a program. However, for some reason I don’t use it. Why? Because I use ABC.
ABC is based on the BitTornado protocol. What that means, I don’t know, but what I do know is that this gives you nice control over automation and it’ll download your torrent even when other programs won’t.
Games
Open Arena is based on the Quake 3 GPL Source Code release and is an effort to replace all the game content with new content that has almost no copy-restriction. Its not finished (far from it to be honest) but it is still quite playable. Also, the game is a portable application, which is great. Its also really easy to make this work on non-Windows operating systems.
This is probably the most evolved of all open-source games out there. Its some incredible, crazy coolness in the area of graphics. It has some neat gameplay elements and things, but there is something intangibly imperfect about it. Its still really amazing, cross-platform, and a portable application.
I play this on my laptop all the time. I like it. Its a great distraction for when you have only a few minutes. Its ugly, but its totally cross-platform and its a lot of fun to play.
Tribes was a big hit game for a while, but then, for some reason, Vivendi Univeral decided to re-release it as a free download. I took that free download version (which required the user to patch it) and compiled it into a zip format for easy use and download. This zipped format also makes the application a portable app which can be unzipped to any computer and played without the need of a true install. This is all pretty badass in my opinion, so be thankful. Of course, the official releases can be downloaded, here if you’d like to not use up my bandwidth (which would be nice.)
Cave Story is a game that was developed over the course of five years by an individual Japanese guy under the pseudonym of Pixel. I don’t know who translated the English version but it was not Pixel. Normally, the English version is done through a catch, but in this version, zipped up in my web-space, the English patch comes pre-installed. Cave Story is a great game featuring pixel art which varies between meh-ish and above average. It features a storyline which keeps things moving, and gameplay that feels classic almost instantly. It hearkens back to Metroid games or the new-ish 2D Castlevania games. If you like 2D games, you’ll really love Cave Story. It’s a good game. And also, you can find a little more info about it here.