[d3Xt3r]

I wasn't allowed a soldering iron as a kid, so I ended up just chopping and splicing a regular serial cable and turned it into a null modem, all so that I could play OMF2097 with my friends without having to share the same keyboard (we would always fight over right side, which defaulted to using the arrow keys for movement - and so the person who got the right side generally had the advantage, as back then arrow keys were the default movement keys, unlike these days where WASD is default.)

[jacquesm]

I wasn't allowed one either so I soldered with a screwdriver heated up on the gas stove when my parents weren't home...

[orthecreedence]

"We need laws to keep children away from soldering irons"

Later that day...

[ggambetta]

That's pretty hardcore, respect :)

[jacquesm]

It also taught me valuable lessons about hardening.

[giantrobot]

Your parents: A soldering iron is dangerous!

You: I'll show you!

[pixl97]

I am not in danger.

I am the danger.

[Sticks glowing hot screw driver in molten lead]

[khafra]

Shared-keyboard OMF 2097 also had an overwhelming advantage for the first mover, since most keyboards had 2-3 key rollover--if you hit wd to jump forward, your opponent had to be fast to do anything before you hit your attack key.

[ukuina]

I wonder if OpenOMF has the same limits.

[c-hendricks]

It's a keyboard thing and less of a software thing.

[Reason077]

This must have been around the same time (1993 or so) when many organisations were upgrading old coax 10Base2 network equipment to modern 10BaseT (and eventually 100BaseT). My friends and I, strongly motivated by the incentive of being able to play multiplayer DOOM, managed to source some free ISA 10Base2 Ethernet cards and coax cable and T-connectors from someone's Dad. The only thing we were missing was the terminators which could be made yourself by cutting a coax cable and soldering a resistor between the conductors... fun introduction to LAN technology for us!