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Gold Box Gold Box & other SSI D&D classics released on Steam & GOG

octavius

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Encounter design is great, too, unless you boost all your abilities to 18.

Eh. The game starts with the slums that have over a dozen trash mob encounters playing out exactly the same, with low hit point enemies just running straight at you. The only somewhat memorable one was the hidden troll encounter.

No, they weren't just running straight to you. There were also archers, usually in the back ranks, so your own fighters couldn't run straight at them.
There was also the huge bar brawls.
Also, none of the encounters were random. There was a finite amount of wandering monsters, but the sequence in which you met them was random.

But yeah, the AI in the GB games sucks; the IE games are far superior in that regard.

 

KeighnMcDeath

RPG Codex Boomer
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You also must remember when the game came out. It was a pretty huge success back then. From the WC/ED crowd some of the game seemed a set back.

No prone, no blocking, magic system was standard D&D so no counter magic.

No hiding in the shadows.

Invisibility was not nearly as spooky as WC.

No decent combat placement for your crew other than order in roster.

No magical upgrading/enchanting.

Ai was meh.

No ultra quick combat.

Bleeding could have been shown on those down & dying.

Maybe some other minor stuff but all in all the game is great without GBC which I've never really used.

I should give GBC a chance and finish these games again. I need to rechart stats & abilities and how many mobs attack you with or without Bugbear commander.
 

octavius

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At least the GB had "sweeping" which enabled fighters to mow down several weak enemies in one blow. I really miss that ability in many other games.
 
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Codex Year of the Donut
https://store.steampowered.com/news/app/1882240/view/3320866312908354497
Quality of life update
Gold Box classics were always heavily relying on manuals, clue books, rule books and journals. Playing these games without them is close to impossible. Unfortunately, not all scans of the originals were in a quality we believe they should be. We kept on improving those, by going through each document one by one and re-scanning some of them (in case we have access to them), re-creating some of them from scratch to ensure they are easy to read, adding table of contents, etc. Hope you'll enjoy it.

Please let us know if such changes are what helps you to get a better experience.

On top of it we've improved a few technical aspects:
- added cloud saves
- updated ASE version
- fixed the option to make "Reset progress" while in the game
- showing exact error message in case game is not launching
- made UI improvements
- improved Gold Box launcher stability

Thanks,
SNEG Team
This appears to be for all the SSI-related products they released, not just Goldbox games.
 
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Desiderius

Found your egg, Robinett, you sneaky bastard
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Insert Title Here Pathfinder: Wrath
I’d play a full remake, with story, characters, and ruleset retained but with revamped UI and quirks of implementation smoothed out.
 

Infinitron

I post news
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Codex Year of the Donut Serpent in the Staglands Dead State Divinity: Original Sin Project: Eternity Torment: Tides of Numenera Wasteland 2 Shadorwun: Hong Kong Divinity: Original Sin 2 A Beautifully Desolate Campaign Pillars of Eternity 2: Deadfire Pathfinder: Kingmaker Pathfinder: Wrath I'm very into cock and ball torture I helped put crap in Monomyth
:(
GOG is only getting Silverboxes.

Hmm, links to non-existing GOG pages here: https://www.gamespress.com/en-AU/Sp...es-Classics-from-the-Dragonlance-Universe-and

They'll probably show up later.

Spelljammer, Fantasy Empires, Classics from the Dragonlance Universe, and More Dungeons & Dragons Titles Return to PC for the First Time in 20 Years​

SNEG is Bringing Back More Classic D&D Titles Through GOG and Steam This March


London (March 15, 2023) — It’s time to unearth some gems from the past as today, SNEG — boutique publisher of long-lost titles — is pleased to announce the return of eight long dormant Dungeons & Dragons games. The list features many of the first D&D video games, including Spelljammer: Pirates of Realmspace, Fantasy Empires, DragonStrike, and Deathkeep. Additionally, Heroes of the Lance, Dragons of Flame, War of the Lance, and Shadow Sorcerer will be made available in the Silver Box Classic Bundle. These titles are returning to PC, some for the first time in over 25 years, and will be available on GOG and Steam later this March.

Originally released in the ‘80s and ‘90s, many were able to enjoy these titles on classic gaming hardware including 3DO, Amiga, Atari ST, Commodore 64, NES, Apple II and even the SEGA Master System. Now, SNEG is excited to help players relive those memories on modern PCs.

“I’m an old D&D fan and It was always my dream to bring back all its video game classics,” said Oleg Klapovskiy, Director at SNEG. “Back in 2015, I started making that dream come true by bringing the Gold Box titles back to gamers, and now we are continuing with this dream by bringing back another portion of classics to both GOG and Steam."

Embark on epic fantasy adventures in these classic Dungeons & Dragons titles!

DragonStrike (1990)
GOG | Steam

Fly the mighty dragons of Krynn into combat in the first ever dragon combat simulator! Play through 20 missions set in the world of Dragonlance; intercept enemy dragons, destroy enemy ships, and protect the forces of good in order to advance in rank, gain magical items and hit points, and get better dragons!

Spelljammer: Pirates of Realmspace (1992)
GOG | Steam

Pirates of Realmspace leads the player into a fantasy world to pilot a ship (spelljammer) that may travel into Realmspace and visit eight worlds of inner and outer planets for exploration and trade. Experience spectacular first-person flight combat and classic tactical encounters as you uncover the terrible conspiracy that threatens to conquer Realmspace itself!

Fantasy Empires (1993)
GOG | Steam

In Fantasy Empires you play the ruler of a fledgling kingdom. Your objective: take over adjacent kingdoms one by one using magic, brute force, or strategic planning. Featuring real-time combat in an overhead view, as well as a computer-controlled Dungeon Master, who provides insight as well as comic relief. Form alliances, recruit armies, train heroes, send them on quests, cast spells, and manage resources.

DeathKeep (1995)
GOG | Steam

Deathkeep is a first-person single-player role-playing game with a touch of medieval AD&D gameplay in a full 3D environment of the 90s. Players must find and defeat an evil Necromancer located somewhere in the lower levels. Make your way through 25 dungeons filled with brain-busting puzzles and 30 types of horrific monsters who’ve never heard of dental care.

Included in the Silver Box Classic Bundle:

Heroes of the Lance (1988)
GOG | Steam

Based on the later parts of the Dragonlance book, Dragons of Autumn Twilight, the heroes descend into a ruined city in search of the disks of Mishakal. The gameplay consists of side-scrolling fighting with a maze-like map using doors to change the view. The party consists of the eight Heroes of the Lance, which the player can switch between at any time.

Dragons of Flame (1989)
GOG | Steam

Set in between the AD&D Dragonlance action games Heroes of the Lance and Shadow Sorcerer, Dragons of Flame follows the Heroes of the Lance formula with a side-scrolling, action-oriented view. Choose from 10 playable characters and use weapons, spells, and character specific abilities to battle Trolls, Griffins, Draconians and Zombies.

War of the Lance (1989)
GOG | Steam

Command armies, heroes, and special units against the evil Highlord Dragon Armies. Have your heroes search for magic to help in battle, use diplomats to gather nations to your side, and send armies out to the field to do battle or hunt down enemy heroes.

Shadow Sorcerer (1991)
GOG | Steam

Shadow Sorcerer is a tie-in with the Dragonlance series of novels. The player controls a party of four adventurers that have just rescued 800 slaves and must shepherd them through the wilderness before the evil Red Dragon army catches up with them. With real-time strategic, tactical, and political gameplay, danger is around every corner. Can you find a safe haven for your followers?

Spelljammer: Pirates of Realmspace, Fantasy Empires, DragonStrike, Deathkeep, and the Silver Box Classic Bundle will release on PC via GOG and Steam later this March. Fans can wishlist the games on their preferred platform today.

A press kit, including logos, screenshots, and key art for each game can be found here: https://uberstrategist.link/SNEG-Press-Kit.
 

octavius

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Birthright: Gorgon's Alliance is the only game mentioned recently in this thread that I would be interested in.
 

Radiane

Cipher
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Dec 20, 2019
Messages
366
Blood & Magic may not be terribly deep but it's relatively long and it has kind of a relaxing and soothing gameplay. Also you could play the various scenarious with both factions which adds to the experience. I think it's still a nice game still worthy to be played nowadays. In the end, it's a not that great rts game with D&D label slapped on but it has its own twists which can make it enjoyable
 

Infinitron

I post news
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Messages
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Codex Year of the Donut Serpent in the Staglands Dead State Divinity: Original Sin Project: Eternity Torment: Tides of Numenera Wasteland 2 Shadorwun: Hong Kong Divinity: Original Sin 2 A Beautifully Desolate Campaign Pillars of Eternity 2: Deadfire Pathfinder: Kingmaker Pathfinder: Wrath I'm very into cock and ball torture I helped put crap in Monomyth
The most famous RPG from a Sierra-owned company is of course Betrayal at Krondor. They also published Arcanum.
 

Mortmal

Arcane
Joined
Jun 15, 2009
Messages
9,202
Another setting, midkemia, that was forgotten despite the huge number of books.
 

KeighnMcDeath

RPG Codex Boomer
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Nov 23, 2016
Messages
13,143
I still have the one Dragon Dice from that dragon dice inspired game. I wish I would have had the capital to collect all the factory set cards, blood wars cars, spellfire card, and dragkn dice. A mint complete set would be worth a bit. Sadly, they didn't even make 3D print files or pdfs for replicating any of these.
HOTU even had an entry. Haven't visited that site in ages.

Sadly, no videos.
dragon_dice_screenshot2_grande.jpg


Few more pics & review: HERE
And HERE

Not looking good with a 3 star rating tops (probably generous).
 

KeighnMcDeath

RPG Codex Boomer
Joined
Nov 23, 2016
Messages
13,143




God, a fucking 2 hour playthrough....

I await new vids reviewing if they are worth it in 2023z
 
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