'Turok: Dinosaur Hunter' source code found on old hardware

[Shawn Knight]

YouTube channel SiliconClassics recently published a video showcasing what appears to be the source code for Turok: Dinosaur Hunter, a first-person shooter that missed the Nintendo 64’s launch window by roughly six months.

The man in the video, a lawyer named Aaron, explains that he purchased a lot of old SGI Indy computers that came from the Acclaim Entertainment bankruptcy sale way back in 2004. The original buyer, described as a “Russian” in Brooklyn, reportedly stored the machines in a warehouse where they sat for more than a decade.

After buying the systems from the “tech reseller” last summer, Aaron is just now getting around to checking them out in detail. The first major find is what appears to be the source code for Turok: Dinosaur Hunter.

As a lawyer, Aaron made it clear that he will not be dumping the source code online as to not violate copyright law on a massive scale on the Internet. After all, Night Dive Studios recently remastered the game and is actively selling it on Steam.

That said, he will be auctioning off the machines on eBay under the first sale doctrine and thus, legally divesting himself of the machines. Any liability would then fall upon the new owner. This method, Aaron says, allows him to make a little money off the systems he bought and as an added bonus, he will be donating 20 percent of the haul to charity.

Auctions are expected to go live in the coming weeks and it’s worth noting that there are files for several other games on the machines as well. This could be really interesting for the retro gaming scene depending upon who ends up buying the old computers.

Permalink to story.

https://www.techspot.com/news/67796-turok-dinosaur-hunter-source-code-found-old-hardware.html

 

[psycros]

Why would this guy even have bought this ancient crap, which is less capable than a modern I7 desktop machine? I think the answer is pretty clear that he had some idea of what was on those machines and was hoping to profit from it by using his legal skills to circumvent any copyright issues. Obviously his gamble didn't pay off so now he's trying to make it a PR victory while doing little more than breaking even.

 

[kapital98]

Why would this guy even have bought this ancient crap, which is less capable than a modern I7 desktop machine? I think the answer is pretty clear that he had some idea of what was on those machines and was hoping to profit from it by using his legal skills to circumvent any copyright issues. Obviously his gamble didn't pay off so now he's trying to make it a PR victory while doing little more than breaking even.

He might win out pretty big. The #1 buyer for these systems would be whoever currently owns the rights to Turok (Night Dive Studios). In order to drive up the price he needs to make a press release and allude that whoever buys it will leak the source code to the public. Even if Night Dive doesn't bite, he'll likely make far more than he paid at a bankruptcy auction.

 

[kapital98]

Also keep in mind that he made a backup of everything on those machines. He still has all the data and we'll never know if he does anything with that through grey/black markets.

 

[Pinkie Pie]

Why would this guy even have bought this ancient crap, which is less capable than a modern I7 desktop machine? I think the answer is pretty clear that he had some idea of what was on those machines and was hoping to profit from it by using his legal skills to circumvent any copyright issues. Obviously his gamble didn't pay off so now he's trying to make it a PR victory while doing little more than breaking even.

This might sound hard to believe but people do collect old computers like this. Old Indigo machines are very valuable now, they go for hundreds and for some models even thousands of dollars.

 

[mcborge]

I would love to get my hands on one of those units but I bet they will go for a premium as I bet many others would love to get one too.
Also does anyone know if Night Dive Studios has the rights to remaster any more Acclaim titles other then Turok 1&2...
If they do, here's hoping for a Shadowman remaster.

 

[Kibaruk]

Why would this guy even have bought this ancient crap

Why would you want to buy old outdated hardware from a SOFTWARE DEVELOPER company?? Geez... I can't think of a single reason.

I don't know it's really really really a hard question to make............ maybe the reason why this topic was made?

 

[Yynxs]

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Why would this guy even have bought this ancient crap, which is less capable than a modern I7 desktop machine? I think the answer is pretty clear that he had some idea of what was on those machines and was hoping to profit from it by using his legal skills to circumvent any copyright issues. Obviously his gamble didn't pay off so now he's trying to make it a PR victory while doing little more than breaking even.

<><>;<t>
Really? Well I buy old warehoused machines because of the gold and precious metal content. The older the better. In the '0's you could get about 230 oz gold per ton, not to mention silver and 'clean lead'. These days it's much lower but pre-2000 and pre-90 machines are well worth the bulk purchase for metal extraction. There's youtube videos for the simple minded and web pages for ex-college chemistry flunkers that tell you how to get it out and wind up with clean water to return to the sewage people. If you don't mind getting your hand's dirty and have some space and time, it's a very lucrative hobby. More so because the pro's generally figure they can pay nearly zero for the stuff and bid accordingly at closed auction.