Gold Box SSI's Gold Box Series Thread

[DragoFireheart]

Are Gold Box games still being sold? Where can I buy myself a copy?

 

[empi]

Second hand from ebay or somewhere? There were several collections with some/all of the games

Or just don't remove them from an inventory

 

[Jarpie]

I'm kinda surprised that there haven't been "reimagining" of Goldbox engine by some indie-devs, I kinda liked the engine they used. Wouldn't mind some new indie-rpg to use similar "move in first person and fight in separate map"-system.

Define "reimagining".

Basicly taking the "wireframe" (like how the battles were done in Goldbox games) of the Goldbox games, making the UI a bit more modern and mouse friendly, adding more support for interacting with the NPCs (such as dialogues), high resolution support with well done 2D graphics and sprites.

There is this in cased you missed it? http://www.rpgcodex.net/forums/index.php?threads/the-realm-series-in-dungeon-craft.64440/

Though it doesn't fill all your criteria. What it basically is: take the fucking horrible GoldBox/FRUA engine limitations and remove that and make it playable to the latest windows OS.

Ah, I've missed that one. Yeah, something like that but I'd like to see a game using art-style what those Goldbox games had but with modern resolutions but I guess that's futile hope.

 

[Jaesun]

Ah, I've missed that one. Yeah, something like that but I'd like to see a game using art-style what those Goldbox games had but with modern resolutions but I guess that's futile hope.

Talk about wierd fucking timing (via twitter):


Jeremy Smith ‏@slowdive_fan
rpgcodex could you please help us with a RT? Solenttar, a story, party and turn-based RPG and Toolset http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/1719196889/solenttar-by-jeremy-slowdivefan?ref=card

It IS basically the GoldBox games (combat) but update the interface to IE/NWN + toolset. Jebus chris! 2012 the year of fucking incline.

 

[DragoFireheart]

It's sorta ironic that the supposed end of the world year (2012) is the year of incline for RPG Codex. Hidden meaning much?

 

[Jarpie]

Ah, I've missed that one. Yeah, something like that but I'd like to see a game using art-style what those Goldbox games had but with modern resolutions but I guess that's futile hope.

Talk about wierd fucking timing (via twitter):


Jeremy Smith ‏@slowdive_fan
rpgcodex could you please help us with a RT? Solenttar, a story, party and turn-based RPG and Toolset http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/1719196889/solenttar-by-jeremy-slowdivefan?ref=card

It IS basically the GoldBox games (combat) but update the interface to IE/NWN + toolset. Jebus chris! 2012 the year of fucking incline.

Hopefully they'll replace the placeholder art with the real art which isn't A) ripped from cartoons (such as Howling Castle etc.) or B) some fucking animu-style graphics. I want to see game with graphical style resembling old VGA games (such as the last Goldbox games) but made with higher resolution.

That projects looks like a very much of incline. RPGCodex better start promoting them.

 

[Jaesun]

Yeah I just backed them. I'm sure our resident news INCLINE person Ms. Bee will have something shortly. Or one of the other news people. Actually I should split this into its own thread...

 

[empi]

only 3 dollars, who could resist?

 

[octavius]

Second hand from ebay or somewhere? There were several collections with some/all of the games

Or just don't remove them from an inventory

Last time I checked all the GB games were available at abandonware sites.
Hopefully they'll end up on GOG sometime, since they really deserve a larger audience.

 

[Jaesun]

Hopefully they'll end up on GOG sometime, since they really deserve a larger audience.

I believe ALL the GB games (owned by Ubisoft) are in some kind of COPYRIGHT HELL, similar with the System Shock rights (as in it's a complicated fucked up mess). I doubt we will ever see them on GOG, as much as a LARGE number of us wish it would.

 

[Luzur]

Hopefully they'll end up on GOG sometime, since they really deserve a larger audience.

I believe ALL the GB games (owned by Ubisoft) are in some kind of COPYRIGHT HELL, similar with the System Shock rights (as in it's a complicated fucked up mess). I doubt we will ever see them on GOG, as much as a LARGE number of us wish it would.

i know they retired the whole SSI/Golden Box franchise, but i guess Ubi got it locked tight regarding the license deals etc.

 

[SlowTurns]

Yeah that change makes me a little nuts too. You do start getting used to it but still it seems far clunkier.

I decided to shelve Silver Blades for now and started up PoD... Wow! They've made some great enhancements to UI/Graphics/Targeting, lots of nice little features that I don't even mind the M to move as much anymore... I had never played PoD before but after just a few battles in I see what it is one of the jewels in the Gold Box series...

 

[kmonster]

I have a question, have any of you actually finished Pools of Darkness with more than one demi human on your party? I remeber it beign too hard for them because of the level cap and I had to bag my beloved elven fighter/mage

The game has been soloed

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N-pbzmXz3o0&feature=bf_prev&list=PL90E30980563C6291

, taking along up to 5 non-humans is even easier.


An elven fighter/mage (although fighter/mage/thief is preferable because of the HP, thac0 and saving throw improvements from the thief side) shouldn't be too bad to have in your party if the other characters fulfill the necessary roles. Self protection with blink and other spells, hold monsters can be cast versus opponents without magic resistance, fighter allows wearing all armor and using all weapons like fine long bows. Most of the time it doesn't matter who watches your 2 high level mages fireballing everything into oblivion.

 

[Jaesun]

That is pretty cool, although either the guy rolled his char a 1000 times to gte those stats (I had huge stats for my Baldur´s Gate mage too so I know) or he modified them with the console....ahhh makes me want to play PoD again!

So basically you have never played a goldbox game then?

 

[kmonster]

You don't need perfect stats to play like in the videos. Any roll with 18 dex (initiative), 17 int, 15 strength and 15 wis (for being able to dual to mage) is sufficient even at the hardest difficulty. Considering how character generation works you'll get a better roll in less than 1 minute, the pregenerated characters have far better stats.
Strength doesn't matter since there are a girdle of giant strength, potions and the enlarge spell, even with minimal con you get more than enough hitpoints and 18 int for level 9 mage spells isn't needed either.

 

[Turjan]

Are Gold Box games still being sold? Where can I buy myself a copy?

Personally, I have this Gamefest: Forgotten Realms Classics collection, published 2001. It comes with two code wheels. It still regularly shows up on ebay.

 

[bussinrounds]

I finished PoR months ago (DOSBox) and soon I'll be looking to import some of my party members into CotAB. How do I go about doing this ?

 

[Jaesun]

Read the fucking manual?

 

[bussinrounds]

Read the fucking manual?

Cool, I didn't know it was in there.

 

[Daemongar]

Are Gold Box games still being sold? Where can I buy myself a copy?

Personally, I have this Gamefest: Forgotten Realms Classics collection, published 2001. It comes with two code wheels. It still regularly shows up on ebay.

Thats a good set, and alternatively I would encourage this collection. It's the Forgotten Realms Archive, and it has everything you need to play the PoR series and a few others.

 

[Infinitron]

I can see there were three separate "Forgotten Realms Archives" packs:

Collection 1: http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00001SHN2/
Collection 2: http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00001SHN0/
Collection 3: http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00001SHMY/

Then there seems to have been one big package that included all of them, I think:
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0006J0IZM/

And also a "Silver Edition" with a demo of Baldur's Gate:
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00001QEP7/

And finally an ultra-cheap "Gamefest: Forgotten Realms" re-release:
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00005JGR4/

It would be cool if anybody who has owned any of these compilations could provide some information on what they contain and how they differ from each other.

 

[Infinitron]

sup drog

http://www.mobygames.com/search/quick?game=Forgotten Realms Archives&p=-1&search=Go

Typical fucking retard. Racetraitor, patron. Moron.

I've already looked at Mobygames and I have reason to believe their information is inaccurate. Try again.

 

[Luzur]

well, theres also:

AD&D Masterpiece Collection

WizardWorks AD&D Collectors Edition

WizardWorks AD&D Collectors Edition Vol 1-3

WizardWorks AD&D Special Collectors Edition

DragonLance Limited Collectors Edition

Phantasie Bonus Edition

Three Worlds of AD&D

SSI Fantasy Fest!

Eye of the Beholder Trilogy

and a never seen Dark Sun Trilogy Collection, some years ago someone in the SSI collector business claimed to have seen such a thing, but AFAIAOK not a single photo have surfaced.

 

[Infinitron]

well, theres also:

AD&D Masterpiece Collection

WizardWorks AD&D Collectors Edition

WizardWorks AD&D Collectors Edition Vol 1-3

WizardWorks AD&D Special Collectors Edition

DragonLance Limited Collectors Edition

Phantasie Bonus Edition

Three Worlds of AD&D

SSI Fantasy Fest!

Eye of the Beholder Trilogy

and a never seen Dark Sun Trilogy Collection, some years ago someone in the SSI collector business claimed to have seen such a thing, but AFAIAOK not a single photo have surfaced.

I suppose those are all from the years before Interplay got the D&D license.

 

[ScottishMartialArts]

I bought the Forgotten Realms Archives Silver Edition 12 or 13 years ago. It came in an oversize box, about 1.5x as large as the standard box size then, and included three discs in a cardboard foldout cd-case. The first disc contained the bulk of the games, the second disc contained Blood and Magic, a pretty weak game but also notable as one of the first RTSs, and finally a demo of Baldur's Gate (Chapters 1 and 2) on disc 3. There was a quite thick manual, that included documentation for all of the games, however this manual was NOT complete. For example, Pool of Radiance originally came with a rule book, a story book, and a quick reference card: in the Silver Edition manual, you just get the story book and the quick reference card. The package also contained two double sided code wheels, for PoR, CotAB, and Hillsfar. Finally, I think there was a tech support card and maybe a catalog of Black Isle's current offerings at the time.