Company News Tactical Simulations Interactive founded by SSI alumni

[Alchemist]

Thunderscape seems like a plausible setting, since it was SSI's own property. Wouldn't mind going back to battle some nocturnals.

The Thunderscape / World of Aden setting IP is currently owned by Kyoudai Games: http://kyoudai-games.com/aden/ who are producing new PnP supplements for it. I suppose it would be possible for TSI to work with them on that. Might be an interesting alliance.

 

[Jaesun]

They cannot do a Thunderscape or Wizards Crown game because UBISoft owns the rights to those IP's.

Unless they negotiated that with them (like Fargo did with EA for Wasteland 2). They CAN use the name, neither is currently copyrighted.

 

[DaveO]

IF this company gets beyond just pipe dream status, then what could they sell? I doubt people would be interested in remakes of any of the classics(Gold Box, Phantasie, the Wizard's Crown series to name ones I know off the top of my head).

 

[jdinatale]

Do you think any of their games will be RTwP?

Spoiler

 

[SuicideBunny]

Kickstarter or not, I'm fucking hyped!

hype comes before the fall. we shall see if anything of value comes out of this.

 

[Cynic]

Cautiously fapping

 

[Cynic]

Seriously though, if they bring an updated Goldbox engine to all platforms they will have a winner. There's no reason an engine like that couldn't work on a phone, the games had limited inputs as it is and Heroine Dusk shows that first person exploration is perfectly fine on a mobile device. All you need to do is add in tile based combat maps/AI and you're engine is mostly done. This is exactly what my buddy Rohan is working on but if they beat him to it then that's all good. There's enough room in the market for more good TB RPGs at this point.

 

[octavius]

David Shelley was partially responsible for the design of Secret of the Silver Blades and Countdown to Doomsday which a lot of people say are really terrible.

Buck Rogers? That game was awesome!

I was thinking specifically of http://crpgaddict.blogspot.com/2013/12/buck-rogers-countdown-to-doomsday-final.html which says the combat content is pretty banal.

Still better combat than 90% of the other CRPGs.

 

[octavius]

Here's a little something for those not familiar with or haven't appreciated the work of Dave Shelley. This is written in regard to his post-adventure dungeon in Death Knights of Krynn:

One of SSI's game authors has earned a reputation for designing "killer" mazes and encounters. Do you remember the brain parasites in Buck Rogers, or the rescue of the nomad princess in Pool of Radiance? Customarily, we've toned down these encounters before publication of the games.

This time is different.

This time we encouraged him to go ahead and do his worst.

David Shelley was at his best when he tried to do his worst, and at his worst when trying to do his best (lead designer on Secret of the Silver Blades).

 

[Roguey]

IF this company gets beyond just pipe dream status, then what could they sell? I doubt people would be interested in remakes of any of the classics(Gold Box, Phantasie, the Wizard's Crown series to name ones I know off the top of my head).

M&MX and Blackguards seemed to do fine. They can do okay with a low budget.

 

[AbounI]

We secured an initial round of funding a while ago, and are taking steps soon to gain the remaining funding needed for our first project. Nothing is ever certain, but we do have planning in place

I guess the launch of a KS campaign is just a matter of time, perhaps at the end of the countdown

 

[Infinitron]

I guess the launch of a KS campaign is just a matter of time, perhaps at the end of the countdown

Source?

 

[set]

HQ version:

View attachment 3856
I... so... want to... get excited... must resist... the temptation... this just can't really turn out great... can it?!!

It looks unaligned, the left black margin is wider than the right one. Same with top and bottom margins. The fuck?

 

[AbounI]

I guess the launch of a KS campaign is just a matter of time, perhaps at the end of the countdown

Source?

It's just my own supposition from what they say on FB.After all, they seem to got at least minimal fund for building something to show (or even more to really start building a pre alpha), and plans how to collect money.Combined with the official countdown, it sounds like the KS is quite certain

 

[Crooked Bee]

Aside from the bit that AbounI quoted, this one (also from FB) also seems to suggest a crowdfunding campaign:

We're planning on forums sometime after our website comes up fully. We hope to interact closely with our supporters to help shape the final products.

"Supporters" sounds a lot like "backers" to me.

Also they're using Unity:

Not quite ready to say, beyond we are developing the first project in Unity.

 

[Dorateen]

Here's a little something for those not familiar with or haven't appreciated the work of Dave Shelley. This is written in regard to his post-adventure dungeon in Death Knights of Krynn:

One of SSI's game authors has earned a reputation for designing "killer" mazes and encounters. Do you remember the brain parasites in Buck Rogers, or the rescue of the nomad princess in Pool of Radiance? Customarily, we've toned down these encounters before publication of the games.

This time is different.

This time we encouraged him to go ahead and do his worst.

David Shelley was at his best when he tried to do his worst, and at his worst when trying to do his best (lead designer on Secret of the Silver Blades).

I think that is a fair assesment. It was his involvement with the various "challenges" that I most remember him. As far as SotSB, it's not the best of The Nine by any stretch, but he was lead designer, so I guess it has to go on his resume.

Wonder if they are going to get "the Fat Man" to do the music for this project.

 

[Jaesun]

Hopefully they will go FULLY old school....... and use MIDI for the music.

My Roland MT-32 stands ready.

 

[Dorateen]

Updated their facebook page (cannot wait for them to get their proper website up and running) about Phantasie and Shard of Spring, and customer service.

Phantasie

Perhaps a sign they intend to implement a 900-number hint line.

 

[commie]

Bring back the code wheel with runes and I'm in!

 

[Jaesun]

Bring back the code wheel with runes and I'm in!

And the maps done in red ink, where you needed those viewers with a red lens, in order to see the maps.

I *think* one of the gold box games came with that(?) Or I am confusing that with something else....

 

[commie]

Bring back the code wheel with runes and I'm in!

And the maps done in red ink, where you needed those viewers with a red lens, in order to see the maps.

I *think* one of the gold box games came with that(?) Or I am confusing that with something else....

Maybe, though not the GB games I had. Still, I wouldn't mind a nod to an adventurer's journal complete with red herring entries like we used to get.

Sigh...getting a bit spoiled now it seems. The first wave of KS RPG's are finished or about to be, so now we are dreaming of more eclectic tastes for the next wave, and why not? The first wave was mostly an enhanced late 90's. Now it's the turn for an enhanced early 90's!

 

[Shannow]

Bring back the code wheel with runes and I'm in!

Nah. I lost mine for Hilsfar, or spilled coke on it or something. Anyway, couldn't play Hilsfar anymore. (And nothing of value was lost.)
Seriously, the wheel might be nice as a gimmick for nostalgia-fags who back with 65$+ for a boxed version, but otherwise it's quite useless in this day and age.

 

[commie]

Bring back the code wheel with runes and I'm in!

Nah. I lost mine for Hilsfar, or spilled coke on it or something. Anyway, couldn't play Hilsfar anymore. (And nothing of value was lost.)
Seriously, the wheel might be nice as a gimmick for nostalgia-fags who back with 65$+ for a boxed version, but otherwise it's quite useless in this day and age.

I actually had this AD&D collection thing at the beginning of the 90's with POR, CoAB, Hillsfar, War of the Lance and those two side scrolling Dragonlance games, and as luck would have it, the wheels for the only two great games there(we know what we are talking about, right? RIGHT?) were missing! So I was reduced to playing Hillsfar and War of the Lance(couldn't really figure out anything with the extreme clunkiness of the Dragonlance stuff) until I wrote to the publisher about the missing wheels and they posted them to me with a signed letter of apology! They don't do that anymore!

This is the collection:

http://www.mocagh.org/loadpage.php?getgame=addlecollectors-alt

Though when I went back to Australia last I couldn't find it!

 

[General Maxson]

If they will stay true to old school D&D they will have my support. Can't wait to see what they have prepared, even if it's KS. Just hope they have enough fans left.

 

[tuluse]

Bring back the code wheel with runes and I'm in!

And the maps done in red ink, where you needed those viewers with a red lens, in order to see the maps.

I *think* one of the gold box games came with that(?) Or I am confusing that with something else....

I know Loom came with piece of red plastic you had to use to read the code to start the game. I'm guessing other adventure games did too.