Since then i have played, obsessed, and loved many games, but there is a special warm place in my heart for the gold box games from ssi. The interface on por leaves something to be desired. Looking for the best introduction to games that use the. The gold box name comes from the gold colored boxes in which the games of the series were sold.
These games shared a common engine that came to be known as the gold box engine after the gold colored boxes in which most games of the. Pool of radiance my abandonware download old video games. The computers of the day were simply not powerful enough to do more than represent the mere basics. These were the great rpgs of all time, giving us dungeons and dragons in a fullfledged though clumsy by the standards of modern games form for the first time, and also giving us the opportunity to get both. Gold box series group description the lions share of games so named due to their initial distinctive golden packaging, and later due to a shared engine published by ssi under an exclusive 1987 licensing deal with tsr ran under a distinctive engine first utilised in 1988s pool of radiance and extensively thereafter through 1993. While we might enjoy the roleplaying aspect, the idea of roaming a.
Actual game forgotten realms classics complete games pool of radiance. Nov 29, 2014 the gold box games implemented the adnd rule where you got xp for the gold value of the loot you found. Looking for the best introduction to games that use the pool of radiance engine, but not necessarily por itself. Gold box ssi abandonware games sorted alphabetically by title. Then i discovered gold box companion and downloaded v2. This, combined with the fact that ssi could also use the official and popular settings such as forgotten realms, dragonlance and ravenloft it should be noted that ssi produced the only games ever to use two latter settings, and the fact that the engine used in the gold box games was truly innovative, contributed to make the gold box game. The second in the gold box series of roleplaying games, curse of the azure bonds is a sequel to pool of radiance. These versions emulate the msdos versions, which are faster, prettier relatively speaking, and easier to play than the commodore 64 originals. Ssi gold box silver box series retrospectives posted by buckgb at 11.
Pool of radiance forgotten realms, savage frontier forgotten realms. Unfortunately, ssis catalog is largely missing from modern direct download sites, so all their classic wargames and roleplaying games, particularly the gold box games, are difficult to acquire. It offers automapping, easytouse journal entries and helps with some of the interface issues to make playing a little less tedious. Those games, champions of krynn, death knights of krynn, and dark queen of krynn, suffered from a problem endemic to the license. Ive been looking into playing pool of radiance recently, but i keep seeing that despite being a good game, there are a lot of quality of life elements that came in. But now a handful of ssi veterans, including paul murray and producer david shelley, have formed a new company, tactical simulations interactive tsi, to produce brand new titles in the spirit of the gold box games. Basically, the software company that created the gold box games strategic simulations incorporated or ssi created an rpg maker that never really took off, but had a lot of capability. Published by strategic simulations, inc ssi in 1988, pool of radiance was the first gold box game. How gog rescued forgotten realms games from licensing.
The plan is develop a sandbox adventure development tool like the ones available for the 2nd edition of the game. I want a new gold box game in style anyway rpgnet forums. Ssi was eventually sold to mindscape, and the era of the gold box games came to and end. Unfortunately, rarely do you get more than one supernifty thing. Jul 26, 2011 basically, the software company that created the gold box games strategic simulations incorporated or ssi created an rpg maker that never really took off, but had a lot of capability. Astounding graphics for 88 probably helped make it really popular, but was certainly not the only thing. Pool of radiance is also part of the pool of radiance. And they were available on bbs to download as early as 1980. Throughout all of these games, youre going to get some cool stuff. Whats a good ssi gold box game to get a feel for the experience. The package includes the three forgotten realms collections, spanning releases from strategic simulations, inc. So gog went to ssi, and hence to ubisoft, who were also the publisher of the.
Characters can be transferred into curse of the azure bonds, although they will lose all their items. The awardwinning game system used throughout ssis famous gold box series continues to evolve new features abound. Players can now interact with npcs the can even have romances. For anyone not familiar with the intimate details of the games packaging. This site is hosting old computer wargames done by companies such as ssi. Movement and combat are now subject to the unpredictable effects of weather. Gold box companion and the allseeing eye tools for ssi. The gold box engine added more and more new features over time, with only the last few games offering decent music and sound support. Barring two buck rogers xxvc games also part of the tsr. The gold box engine was used in a series of roleplaying video games, all of them produced by s. The gold magic 800 game the gold magic 800 is a simple puzzle game.
I bought pool of radiance and other gold box games on gog. Would it be possible to convert or update the data files from earlier games, so they could be used with game engine from a later game. Ssi may have gotten the deal with more thanks to its wargaming experience than any financial incentives it could offer. Using dosbox and ssis games to play dnd modules morrus. Ssi gold box rpgs 14 games from the golden age youtube. The following ssi games were available for the commodore 64 family of personal computers which included, besides the erstwhile c64, th. Ssi gold box rpgs 14 games from the golden age duration. The original webpage wasnt signed and i cant credit him for the job. Ssi gold boxsilver box series retrospectives posted by buckgb at 11. Ssi c64 games \u000b please note that this document has been republished from another author. Matrix cubed, champions of krynn on abandonware dos download 2009 dos and windows abandonware games. It usually tops surveys for favorite gold box game. Jul 27, 2014 i showcase the classic gold box pool of radiance through gameplay footage. How gog rescued forgotten realms games from licensing hell.
Those games, champions of krynn, death knights of krynn, and dark queen of krynn, suffered from a problem endemic to the. Gold box games are games produced by strategic simulations inc. And they were available on bbs to download as early as. The game is based on moving your box around to get gold.
The game that really put strategy rpg on the main stream, the original gold box game by ssi. Ssi s computer game catalogue from 1991, from the classic gold box era. They have been a favorite amongst the generationx crowd for years and are still played to this day. I showcase the classic gold box pool of radiance through gameplay footage. Gold box explorer is a labor of love and was created to decrypt and view information stored in the files for these games. Ive seen it on other abandonware sites for download, granted you cant save the game. Had this and eventually the other gold box games on the c64 and wore the disks out playing so much. The awardwinning game system used throughout ssis famous goldbox series continues to evolve new features abound. Pool of radiance is the first rpg role playing game in a long series from ssi. Aug 24, 2012 unfortunately, ssis catalog is largely missing from modern direct download sites, so all their classic wargames and roleplaying games, particularly the gold box games, are difficult to acquire.
The gameplay is nearly identical to that of the predecessor and other gold box games. Ssis computer game catalogue from 1991, from the classic gold box era. Yet only the gold box titles really caught on as a named thing, and i dont believe ssi even ever called them that officially. Computer game museum collections ssi gallery tsr gold box. Krynn and other gold box games debate continues to rage about which ssi games could truly be considered gold box games. I stumbled onto them at age 11, around 1987 when my family moved to a new house. Designers don daglow, mark buchignani, mark manyen and david bunnett recognized that the gold box engine was past its prime and needed some kind of story or character enhancements to feel like a new game and not a tired sequel although they added many small enhancements to the game in addition to its allnew story, the largest feature was the firstever option for either of two npcs to fall. Whats a good ssi gold box game to get a feel for the. Now i am having great difficulty in getting gbc to work on my por saved games.
Pool of radiance c64 contains alternate parts, clue book curse of the azure bonds. Gold box companion is a tool for all the gold box games plus unlimited adventures and the two ssi s buck rogers games. Pool of radiance and its three sequels are now available on along with all the other gold box games, ready to run on modern computers. Theres no separate xp reward for completing missions, you get money, gems and jewelry, and the xp value for those. Aug 26, 2015 how gog rescued forgotten realms games from licensing hell. Before using gbc you should first start the game, create a party of characters, begin adventuring and save the game.
We are pleased to offer highquality, costeffective products with the most demanding specifications. This guide is for the versions of the gold box games. Well here we are some years later and there are now a ton of modules that have been created for frua forgotten realms. Saved games you can download and use these even if no plan to use. The gold box games all ran on the same engine and came in gold packaging. Hud above dosbox window with hit points, character icons, xp meters and effects. Ssi creates products for marine and recreation, commercial and industrial, home and garden and many more applications. Who is eligible for supplemental security income ssi. Gold box companion is a tool for all the gold box games plus unlimited adventures and the two ssis buck rogers games. Download pool of radiance rpg for dos 1988 abandonware dos.
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