SSI - The Roots of CRPGs @ Bitmob

kuki said:

Anyhow, my first computer was ZX-81 with 1 KB ram!!! I later got memory expansion, additional 16K!!!!

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Same here.

I think my first computer was a Commodore Vic-20. I only had it a month or so before the C64 came out, so I switched pretty quickly. I still have fond memories of the SSI games on the C64. I also loved Dino Eggs, Miner 2049er, Jumpman, and Jumpman Junior I belonged to a C64 club and I was about the only weirdo who bought his own games. People would borrow my manuals and go down to the library to copy them at 10¢ a page There were just tons and tons of games that you couldn't buy anywhere though. I remember that there was an Epyx Fast-Load cartridge that you could install in the back of the C64 that would speed up the loading up to 5X faster. It'd only take 3 minutes to load some of the SSI stuff.

The biggest "won't load" culprit was EA games. Most of their disks were terrible and it was a crapshoot to load a game. Still Legacy of the Ancients is just a wonderful little game that I still enjoy playing via emulators. I loved all those types of games (Questron I, II, Legacy, Legend of Blacksilver). If anyone knows of a game of the type that I didn't list let me know. I'd download an emulator and play it today.

I've extolled the virtues of the gold box Pool of Radiance many time on these forums. Fantastic game.

I loved the fact that you started the game as mercenary adventurers trying to make money on the contracts posted by the city council. Not a chosen prodigal son, not trying to save the world, just a group of schmoes looking to make a buck.

JDR13 said:

I would have really liked to have seen that done with the Infinity Engine. Imo, there could have been at least 3-5 more games made with it. Some different campaign settings would have been nice.

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Agree 100%. Only issue is of course that the development cycles are so much longer now, even when reusing an engine. All those pre-rended backgrounds took time to make!

You guys are fuckin' OLD!

toltec7 said:

You guys are fuckin' OLD!

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Lol! I'm waiting for a guy posting that this was his first gaming computer…

toltec7 said:

You guys are fuckin' OLD!

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What did you say?!? I can't hear you.

or this



The first computer I played a game on was an HP 3000



I played the Star Trek text game - which was very old even at that time, yet very fun!

http://meatfighter.com/startrek1971/

First computer was an Apple IIe. My first game was called Deathmaze 3000 I think. Was mostly a text based game. Then I fell in love with Wizardry and Bards Tale. Though I have to say I must have spent the most time on Might and Magic 1 and 2. Played those damn games for like a year each

Hastar said:

First computer was an Apple IIe. My first game was called Deathmaze 3000 I think. Was mostly a text based game. Then I fell in love with Wizardry and Bards Tale. Though I have to say I must have spent the most time on Might and Magic 1 and 2. Played those damn games for like a year each

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YAY! Finally someone mentions my first toy. I played a lot of games on the Apple IIe as well. I remember the floppy drives - I can recall a trick in the SSI games to save a game on one disk and be able to reload a character with a full inventory of loot you can then spread around, reload, repeat lol. I just recall me and a friend playing side by side every afternoon. I loved those games.

Is funny what you put up with back then compared to now.

Hastar said:

First computer was an Apple IIe. My first game was called Deathmaze 3000 I think. Was mostly a text based game. Then I fell in love with Wizardry and Bards Tale. Though I have to say I must have spent the most time on Might and Magic 1 and 2. Played those damn games for like a year each

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Ahhh now that you mentioned Apple i remember playing some games on Apple IIc.

The game was text based game but I cannot remember the name. Something like War Game?... It was about conquering parts of the world by sending units hmm

Players would take turns in making decision what to do next.

maybe someone knows the game?

It was so mystical for me looking at the older guys playing it and letting me chose what moves to make (I was 9 or 10 years old then...)

kuki said:

Ahhh now that you mentioned Apple i remember playing some games on Apple IIc.

The game was text based game but I cannot remember the name. Something like War Game?… It was about conquering parts of the world by sending units hmm

Players would take turns in making decision what to do next.

maybe someone knows the game?

It was so mystical for me looking at the older guys playing it and letting me chose what moves to make (I was 9 or 10 years old then…)

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Sounds like somkind of risk.

BillSeurer said:

I thought they went downhill a bit from the first one.

One of the first 2 Dragonlance ones was quite good plot and story wise. The game was totally flawed though because if you ran into dragons and if they went first then half your party would die every time. 2e AD&D dragons were silly.

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As long as you have casted the appropriate resist spells before combat that you stand a chance if they go first. When I replayed all 3 last year I thought it was only the 3rd one that had bad dragon fights. The first is certainly the best though.