Warlords II (1993): SSG’s Turn-Based Fantasy Sweet Spot
Refining a Surprise Hit The original Warlords was a surprise commercial success for the small Australian studio Strategic Studies Group, […]
Pool of Radiance (1988): The Game That Proved D&D Could Work on a Computer
The Game That Started the Gold Box Line Pool of Radiance, released by SSI in 1988, was the first video
Champions of Krynn (1990): Gold Box Goes to Dragonlance
Bringing Gold Box to a New World By 1990, SSI’s Gold Box engine had already proven itself in the Forgotten
Al-Qadim: The Genie’s Curse (1994): D&D Goes to Zakhara
A Different Corner of the D&D Map Published by Capstone and SSI in 1994, Al-Qadim: The Genie’s Curse set itself
Dungeon Hack (1993): SSI’s Roguelike Detour
An Unusual Choice for a Licensed AD&D Game Most of SSI’s AD&D catalog in the early ’90s was built around
Guides
EMS vs XMS: Why DOS Memory Drove Gamers Crazy
Ask anyone who set up games on DOS in the early 1990s about “memory management” and you’ll probably get a
Ravenloft: Stone Prophet (1995): Trading Gothic Horror for Desert Curses
Leaving Barovia Behind DreamForge Intertainment followed up Ravenloft: Strahd’s Possession with Stone Prophet in 1995, and the boldest decision the
CGA, EGA, VGA: The Hardware History of DOS Graphics
How IBM’s CGA, EGA, and VGA cards evolved from 4 colors to 262,000 — plus the Tandy/PCjr trick and composite color hack developers used to beat them.
AdLib vs. Sound Blaster: The DOS Sound Card War
How AdLib and Creative Labs fought for DOS gaming audio, and why Wolfenstein 3D sounded different depending on your sound card.
Warcraft II (1995): Blizzard’s Rise and the C&C Rivalry
How a twice-renamed studio called Blizzard beat Command & Conquer’s three-month head start to help define the real-time strategy genre.
Clouds of Xeen (1992): The RPG Built to Merge in Two
How Might and Magic IV: Clouds of Xeen was engineered to merge with its sequel into one world, plus DOSBox setup and early-game tips.
King’s Quest I (1984): Sierra’s IBM PCjr Showcase
IBM commissioned King’s Quest to sell its failed PCjr computer. Roberta Williams’ game outlived the hardware and invented the graphic adventure.