Interview Matt Chat Interview with Joel Billings, Part 3: Gold Box RPGs, Dark Sun and Panzer General

[Crooked Bee]

Tags: Dark Sun: Shattered Lands; Gold Box; Joel Billings; Panzer General; Pool of Radiance; Strategic Simulations, Inc.

In the new part of his interview with SSI founder Joel Billings, Matt Barton asks Joel about the Gold Box series, Dark Sun's "disappointing release," and SSI's wargame Panzer General.

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Enjoy.

 

[Outlander]

Dark Sun

 

[Dorateen]

Good interview. The world would be a better place if there were more people like Joel Billings in cRPG development.

 

[Jaesun]

Dammit, he STILL didn't ask about the gold box games availability.

 

[Moribund]

Only three comments? That's just sad.

Seems crazy they made The Best Selling Strategy Game Of All Time almost on a whim like that, and in such a short time. They did copy parts(?) from another Japanese game but seems crazy to have it just materialize like that from thin air.

 

[Gozma]

Too bad about Dark Sun, if they'd had their development together they might have made a better engine and pumped out another three separate lines of three games each in glorious 320x200 256 color VGA.

I think I have a phantom video game limb of them, the No Box series

 

[Excidium]

Too bad about Dark Sun, if they'd had their development together they might have made a better engine and pumped out another three separate lines of three games each in glorious 320x200 256 color VGA.

They should have just used the Goldbox engine as a base instead of trying to reinvent the wheel. They spent more money and took more time to make something worse...game devs make some stupid decisions sometimes.

 

[Sceptic]

Dark Sun

 

[Excidium]

Dammit, he STILL didn't ask about the gold box games availability.

What?

 

[Crooked Bee]

I assume Jaesun means that Matt didn't ask Joel about the rights to the Gold Box games and why they aren't available on GOG.

 

[Bulba]

ssi was doomed with such a bad management from day one. They had sooo many uber successful titles that could be milked for money till this day and the way they gamble on making one title is just dumb. rule number one - spread your risks.

 

[Excidium]

I assume Jaesun means that Matt didn't ask Joel about the rights to the Gold Box games and why they aren't available on GOG.

Why not send Joel a bee-mail asking about it?

 

[Azalin]

Dark Sun