Gold Box

Last updated
Gold Box
Gold Box engine samples.png
Clockwise from upper left: overland map exploration; plot cut scene; overall combat interface; dungeon exploration view/battle encounter approach
Developer(s) Strategic Simulations
Westwood Associates
Stormfront Studios
MicroMagic
Cybertech
Marionette
Platform(s) Amiga, Apple II, Mac, Atari ST, Commodore 64, MS-DOS, PC-98, NES, Genesis
Original releaseJune 1988;36 years ago (1988-06)

Gold Box is a series of role-playing video games produced by Strategic Simulations from 1988 to 1992. The company acquired a license to produce games based on the Advanced Dungeons & Dragons role-playing game from TSR, Inc. [1] These games shared a common game engine that came to be known as the "Gold Box Engine" after the gold-colored boxes in which most games of the series were sold. [2]

Contents

History

Licensing and development

In the mid-1980s TSR, after seeing the success of the Ultima series and other computer role-playing games (CRPGs), offered its popular Advanced Dungeons & Dragons (AD&D) property to video game companies. Ten companies, including Electronic Arts, Ultima creator Origin Systems, and Sierra Entertainment applied for the license. [3] [4] Strategic Simulations, Inc. (SSI) president Joel Billings had, along with many other companies, earlier contacted TSR about licensing AD&D, but TSR was not interested at that time. Although smaller and less technically advanced than other bidders, SSI unexpectedly won the license in 1987 because of its computerized wargaming experience, and instead of releasing a single AD&D game as soon as possible, the company proposed a broad vision of multiple series of games and spinoffs that might become as sophisticated as TSR's tabletop original. [3] [4]

After winning the AD&D license, the number of SSI's in-house developers increased from seven to 25, including the company's first full-time computer-graphic artists. TSR significantly participated in the games' development, including designing a tabletop module that the first SSI game would be based on. Using Wizard's Crown 's detailed combat system as a base for their work, [4] the development of the Gold Box engine and the original games was managed by SSI's Chuck Kroegel [5] and George MacDonald. [6] Later versions were led by Victor Penman [7] and Ken Humphries. [8]

The series

SSI's 1991 catalog cover, showing some of the Gold Box titles. Cover art for the SSI 1991 catalog.jpg
SSI's 1991 catalog cover, showing some of the Gold Box titles.

The first game produced in the series was Pool of Radiance , released in 1988. This was followed by Curse of the Azure Bonds (1989), Secret of the Silver Blades (1990), and Pools of Darkness (1991), [2] the games forming one continuous story rooted in the once-glorious city of Phlan, later encompassing the entire Moonsea Reaches [9] and four outer regions: Dalelands, Cormyr, Cormanthyr (where Myth Drannor is located), [10] and Thar. [11] The original four titles were developed in-house at SSI, and the first three titles were the best selling Gold Box games. [12] A series of TSR novels paralleled the stories in the games. [13] [14]

Released in 1990, Champions of Krynn was the first of SSI's Gold Box spin-offs based on TSR's very popular Dragonlance universe, and roughly in the novels by Margaret Weis and Tracy Hickman. Chronologically, it was the third Gold Box game and employed some innovations that showed up in later games, like the moon phases for mages, the choice of deities for clerics, and the level difficulty selector. The following titles were Death Knights of Krynn (1991) and The Dark Queen of Krynn (1992). [15] : 139–159  While the games give players a chance to meet Dragonlance characters like Tanis Half-Elven and Raistlin Majere, the gameplay is far more linear. [2]

When SSI began working on the Dark Sun game in 1989, all the programmers in-house had to stop the development of Gold Box games and start working on the Dark Sun engine. After Secret of the Silver Blades came out, Chuck Kroegel passed the Gold Box engine and the Forgotten Realms location to Beyond Software (later Stormfront Studios). [16] [17] They set their first Forgotten Realms Gold Box title, Gateway to the Savage Frontier (1991), in the Savage Frontier, an area to the extreme west of the previous games location. Following the events of the first game, Treasures of the Savage Frontier (1992) added a weather system and an innovative romance system between party members and NPCs. [15] : 139–159 

SSI also adapted the Gold Box engine from fantasy to science fiction for a pair of Buck Rogers games: Countdown to Doomsday (1990) and Matrix Cubed (1992). They were based on the Buck Rogers XXVc tabletop RPG by TSR, with rules heavily based on those of the company's flagship game. [12] According to Keith Brors (former technical director of SSI), the company was pressured by TSR into developing their Buck Rogers computer game against their better judgment, due to TSR president Lorraine Williams personally owning the Buck Rogers IP. The games did not perform as well as the fantasy settings, but they do represent some enhancements to the Gold Box engine. [15] : 139–159 

Apart from the main games, Spelljammer: Pirates of Realmspace was launched in 1992. Based on the 2nd edition's Spelljammer rule set, it combined real-time ship combat, turn-based melee battles, and interplanetary trade. Besides the innovations, many gamers and critics took issue with its occasional bugs and lengthy load times. [18]

Sales declined over time, as the engine—originally designed for the Commodore 64—aged, and SSI released too many games (11 Gold Box games over four years). When SSI and TSR extended the original contract expiring in January 1993 for 18 months, SSI was required to discontinue the engine, moving to new developing technologies. [12] In March of the same year, SSI's last release was Forgotten Realms: Unlimited Adventures , an editor that allows players to create their own games using the Gold Box engine. [12] Game developers had access to 127 different monsters, 100 different event triggers, and a framework that could hold an adventure consisting of four different wilderness areas or 36 dungeon levels. [19] It also included a mini-adventure called The Heirs to Skull Crag. [15] : 139–159  An active community grew up around this game, including hacks that expanded its powers and its graphical capabilities. [20]

Spin-off to MMO

All of the online RPGs of the 1980s were text-based MUDs, describing the action in the style of Rogue or Will Crowther's original Adventure game. Stormfront's Don Daglow had been designing games for AOL for several years, and the new alliance of SSI, TSR, America On-Line, and Stormfront led to the development of Neverwinter Nights , the first graphical MMORPG, which ran on AOL from 1991 to 1997. NWN was a multi-player implementation of the Gold Box engine, [21] and was the most popular features on AOL's service, [22] raising between US$5 million and US$7 million annually to the company from 1992 to 1997. [23] It paved the way for later hits such as Ultima Online (1997) and EverQuest (1999). [16]

Closure and legacy

When SSI and TSR announced in 1994 that the latter would not renew the former's AD&D license, the two companies described the end of the relationship as amicable. A SSI spokesperson said that the company disliked the license's restrictions. [24] With the Gold Box engine's sales finally fading after a six-year run, the losses SSI absorbed during those two years of delays played a critical role in the sale of SSI to Mindscape in 1994. [25] [15] : 271–279 

Although the interest in the series eventually waned, the mantle of this genre was later assumed by more recent role-playing games such as Baldur's Gate , Planescape: Torment and Neverwinter Nights . [3]

Features

Interface

The "Gold Box Engine" had two main game play modes. Outside of character creation, game play took place in a screen that displayed text interactions, the names and current status of your party of characters, and a window which displayed images of geography, pictures of characters or events. [26] When combat occurred, the screen would change to a top-down mode resembling the one found in Wizard's Crown, in which player character icons could move about to cast spells or attack icons representing the enemies. [15] : 143–144  All the games typically involved long dungeon crawls, and were heavier on combat than on role-playing. [27]

The Gold Box games formed a number of series in which you could move characters who had finished one game to the next one in the series. [28] In addition, characters from Pool of Radiance could be imported into Hillsfar , a game based on an entirely different engine, and then exported into Curse of the Azure Bonds. [15] : 168–169  The system was improved over time, adding better colors, graphics, more player-class levels, new story lines, and real-time multiplayer gameplay. [15] : 139–159 

Platforms

Games were released for the Amiga, Apple II, Mac, Atari ST, Commodore 64, MS-DOS, PC-98, Nintendo Entertainment System, [18] and Genesis. [29]

Languages

The C64 and Apple II versions were written completely in 6502 assembly, and were extremely advanced for the time, since those computers had around 64 KB of RAM. [30] Most of the later ports and releases were written in Pascal. The latest official releases, Pirates of Realmspace and Unlimited Adventures were C/C++ based. [31]

Developers and ports

Although the engine creation and most of the games were initially developed by SSI, there were many official ports and titles from other companies. Westwood Associates was in charge of some ports for the Amiga, which added mouse support and improved the graphics well before SSI's own MS-DOS versions going to VGA display mode. [12] MicroMagic made the only port of the series for the Atari ST home computer, Curse of the Azure Bonds; [32] following this, they developed The Dark Queen of Krynn and the Unlimited Adventures for SSI. [15] : 139–159  Stormfront Studios did all the development for the Savage Frontier series and also the remarkable Neverwinter Nights. [16] Also mentionable, Cybertech was responsible for the development of Spelljammer: Pirates of Realmspace. [33] For video game consoles, there were only two ports: Buck Rogers: Countdown to Doomsday for the Sega Genesis [29] and Pool of Radiance for the Famicom/NES (from the Japanese company Marionette). [34]

Games

Original

Collections

Reception

With 264,536 copies sold for computers in North America, Pool of Radiance became by far the most-successful game in SSI's history, [4] outselling Ultima V and Bard's Tale III . [12] It was given a score of 90% by Commodore User . The reviewer Tony Dillon was impressed with the features. [35]

The next game in the series, Curse of the Azure Bonds, was also well received. It was given a score of 90% by magazine The Games Machine , [36] and 89% on CU Amiga-64 . [37] Dave Arneson, one of the creators of Dungeons & Dragons , expressed his disappointment that the Gold Box games did not innovate enough from previous CRPGs, comparing them to "a cross ... between Questron and Wizard's Crown presented in a new setting". [38]

The final Gold Box game, The Dark Queen of Krynn (1992), sold 40,640 copies. [12] SSI had sold over 1.5 millionAD&D products by 1992, [39] and more than two million AD&D-licensed games when it announced the end of the TSR license in 1994. [24]

On modern systems

The games run well in DOSBox on modern operating systems. [40] Also the Gold Box Companion has been developed to smooth out some of the rough edges in the programming of some of the games. Some of the early games, for instance, do not allow turning off Quick Fight, which sets characters to automatic in combat. [41] The Gold Box Companion was included in the 2022 Steam release of the Gold Box games. [42]

GOG.com released the Pool of Radiance and Savage Frontier Gold Box series digitally on August 20, 2015, as a part of "Forgotten Realms: The Archives - Collection Two". [43] [9] Later on October 27, they released the Dragonlance series as part of "Dungeons & Dragons: Krynn Series". [44] [45]

SNEG released the Gold Box Classics digitally through Steam on March 9, 2022. [46]

See also

Related Research Articles

Forgotten Realms is a campaign setting for the Dungeons & Dragons (D&D) fantasy role-playing game. Commonly referred to by players and game designers as "The Realms", it was created by game designer Ed Greenwood around 1967 as a setting for his childhood stories. Several years later, it was published for the D&D game as a series of magazine articles, and the first Realms game products were released in 1987. Role-playing game products have been produced for the setting ever since, in addition to novels, role-playing video game adaptations, comic books, and the film Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves.

<i>Pool of Radiance</i> 1988 video game

Pool of Radiance is a role-playing video game developed and published by Strategic Simulations, Inc (SSI) in 1988. It was the first adaptation of TSR's Advanced Dungeons & Dragons (AD&D) fantasy role-playing game for home computers, becoming the first episode in a four-part series of D&D computer adventure games. The other games in the "Gold Box" series used the game engine pioneered in Pool of Radiance, as did later D&D titles such as the Neverwinter Nights online game. Pool of Radiance takes place in the Forgotten Realms fantasy setting, with the action centered in and around the port city of Phlan.

<i>Curse of the Azure Bonds</i> 1989 video game

Curse of the Azure Bonds is a role-playing video game developed and published by Strategic Simulations in 1989. It is the second in a four-part series of Forgotten Realms Advanced Dungeons & Dragons Gold Box games, continuing the events of Pool of Radiance.

Jeff Grubb is an author of novels, short stories, and comics, as well as a computer and role-playing game designer in the fantasy genre. Grubb worked on the Dragonlance campaign setting under Tracy Hickman, and the Forgotten Realms setting with Ed Greenwood. His written works include The Finder's Stone Trilogy, the Spelljammer and Jakandor campaign settings, and contributions to Dragonlance and the computer game Guild Wars Nightfall (2006).

<i>Pools of Darkness</i> 1991 video game

Pools of Darkness is a role-playing video game published by Strategic Simulations in 1991. The cover art and introduction screen shows a female drow. It is the fourth entry in the Pool of Radiance series of Gold Box games, and the story is a continuation of the events after Secret of the Silver Blades. The novel loosely based on the game was released in 1992. Like the previous games in the series, it is set in the Forgotten Realms, a campaign setting from Dungeons & Dragons. Players must stop an invasion from an evil god, eventually traveling to other dimensions to confront his lieutenants.

<i>Ruins of Adventure</i>

Ruins of Adventure is a Dungeons & Dragons module that was based on the "Gold Box" role-playing video game Pool of Radiance, published in 1988 by Strategic Simulations, Inc. (SSI). Mike Breault stated that TSR chose him, Winter, Cook, and Ward to work on the design and writing for Pool of Radiance, indicating that the material was originally created for the game. However, according to the editors of Dragon magazine, Pool of Radiance was based on Ruins of Adventure, and not vice versa. The plot loosely tracks that of the computer game.

<i>Secret of the Silver Blades</i> 1990 video game

Secret of the Silver Blades is the third in a four-part series of Forgotten Realms Dungeons & Dragons "Gold Box" adventure role-playing video games. The game was released in 1990.

<i>Hillsfar</i> 1989 video game

Hillsfar is a role-playing video game for MS-DOS compatible operating systems, Amiga, Atari ST, and Commodore 64. It was developed by Westwood Associates and published by Strategic Simulations in 1989. It combines real-time action with randomly generated quests and includes elements of the Advanced Dungeons & Dragons fantasy role-playing game. A port to the Nintendo Entertainment System was released in 1993. Hillsfar received mixed reviews from critics.

<i>Gateway to the Savage Frontier</i> 1991 video game

Gateway to the Savage Frontier (1991) is a Gold BoxDungeons & Dragons computer game developed by Beyond Software and published by SSI for the Commodore 64, PC and Amiga personal computers.

<i>Treasures of the Savage Frontier</i> 1992 video game

Treasures of the Savage Frontier (1992) is a Gold Box Dungeons & Dragons role-playing video game. It was developed by Beyond Software and published by SSI for the Amiga and DOS.

<i>The Forgotten Realms Archives</i> 1997 video game

The Forgotten Realms Archives is a compilation of the AD&DForgotten Realms series from the beginning of the series in 1988 through 1994, including 12 complete games. It was released in April 1997, and re-released a year later as a Silver Edition, which included an interactive demo for 1998's Baldur's Gate, and republished in 2001 as part of the Gamefest Interplay collector's series, Gamefest: Forgotten Realms Classics.

<i>Champions of Krynn</i> 1990 video game

Champions of Krynn is role-playing video game, the first in a three-part series of Dragonlance Advanced Dungeons & DragonsGold Box games. It was published in 1990 by Strategic Simulations. The highest graphics setting supported in the MS-DOS version is EGA graphics. It also supports the Adlib sound card and either a mouse or joystick.

<i>Death Knights of Krynn</i> 1991 video game

Death Knights of Krynn is the second in a three-part series of DragonlanceAdvanced Dungeons & Dragons "Gold Box" role-playing video games, published by Strategic Simulations. The game was released in 1991.

<i>The Dark Queen of Krynn</i> 1992 video game

The Dark Queen of Krynn is the third in a three-part series of Dragonlance Advanced Dungeons & Dragons "Gold Box" role-playing video games. The game was released in 1992.

<i>Azure Bonds</i> 1988 novel written by Kate Novak and Jeff Grubb

Azure Bonds is a 380-page paperback fantasy novel written by Kate Novak and Jeff Grubb, with cover art by Clyde Caldwell, and published by TSR Inc. in 1988. It is the first novel of the Finder’s Stone Trilogy which is set within the world of the Forgotten Realms. It served as the basis for the computer game, Curse of the Azure Bonds. One of the co-authors, Jeff Grubb, stated that of the novels he has written, Azure Bonds is one of his favorites.

The DL series is a series of adventures and some supplementary material for the Advanced Dungeons & Dragons role playing game. These modules along with the Dragonlance Chronicles trilogy of novels, which follow one possible adventure series through the modules, were the first published items that established the Dragonlance fictional universe. The original DL series was released from 1984 to 1986, with the final two modules added to it in 1988. In the 1990s these roleplaying adventures from the original series were collected and revised for 2nd Edition AD&D as the three DLC Dragonlance Classics modules. There were also versions of the module series released in 1999, 2000 and 2006.

Michael Breault is a game designer and editor, and an author of multiple products for the Dungeons & Dragons fantasy role-playing game from TSR.

Pool of Radiance is a series of role-playing video games set in the Forgotten Realms campaign settings of Dungeons & Dragons; it was the first Dungeons & Dragons video game series to be based on the Advanced Dungeons & Dragons rules.

References

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  7. ↑ Pools of Darkness Adventurer's Journal. US: American Lithographers. 1991. p. 1.
  8. ↑ Buck Rogers: Matrix Cubed Log Book. US: American Lithographers. 1992. p. 1.
  9. 1 2 Forgotten Realms: The Archives - Collection Two on GOG.com
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  11. ↑ Pools of Darkness Adventurer's Journal. 1991.
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  23. ↑ Mulligan, Jessica; Patrovsky, Bridgette (2003). Developing Online Games: An Insider's Guide. New Riders. p. 12. ISBN   1-59273-000-0.
  24. 1 2 "SSI Advances Beyond AD&D With Divorce From TSR". Read.Me. Computer Gaming World. April 1994. p. 12.
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  29. 1 2 "Buck Rogers: Countdown to Doomsday". GameSpot. 2014-09-13. Retrieved 2018-08-11.
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  36. ↑ The Games Machine 22 (Sep 1989), Paul Rigby p:80
  37. ↑ CU Amiga-64 (Aug 1989), Tony Dillon p:33
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  41. ↑ Birnbaum, Jon (2017-01-16). "Gold Box Companion and The All-Seeing Eye Tools for SSI Enthusiasts". GameBanshee. Retrieved 2018-08-18.
  42. ↑ Macgregor, Jody (20 April 2022). "The classic Gold Box D&D games are on Steam, but what's special about them?". PCGamer. Retrieved 28 April 2022.
  43. ↑ Forgotten Realms: The Archives brings 13 D&D classics to GOG on PC Gamer Jordan Erica Webber (Aug 20, 2015)
  44. ↑ GOG adds D&D: Ravenloft, Dark Sun and Krynn on PC Gamer Tom Sykes (Oct 27, 2015)
  45. ↑ Dungeons & Dragons: Krynn Series on GOG.com
  46. ↑ Macgregor, Jody (2022-04-20). "The classic Gold Box D&D games are on Steam, but what's special about them?". PC Gamer. Retrieved 2022-04-24.
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