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So there is this thing called The Gold Box Companion. I'm pretty sure it works mostly with the second Forgotten Realms Archive.

http://personal.inet.fi/koti/jhirvonen/gbc/

On it's most basic level it functions as an auxiliary UI. It displays your character's hitpoints and XP in a tacked on UI that mounts itself above Dosbox. That alone is pretty fantastic since the UI in the game only shows the hitpoints of the active character during combat.

But, it also allows you to circumvent the pesky demihuman level limits, as well as edit your characters rather extensively. You know, if you are the cheaty sort. Or if you just screw up like an idiot. Like, maybe, theoretically, you'd been saving to the same slot like an idiot, and then got into a situation you couldn't get yourself out of, and the only way to not completely lose the playthrough was to cheat your characters back to full health. You know, hypothetically.

BTW, always keep one save that's you safe and at full health in town.
Great link. Also worth mention is "The All-Seeing Eye" automapper program for Eye of the Beholder games ( at least the first ones) made by the same guy. [url=]http://personal.inet.fi/koti/jhirvonen/ase/[/url] If you're not a fan of drawing your own maps or don't have the time for such things, it's a good alternative.
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Arykles: Great link. Also worth mention is "The All-Seeing Eye" automapper program for Eye of the Beholder games ( at least the first ones) made by the same guy. Fixed Link If you're not a fan of drawing your own maps or don't have the time for such things, it's a good alternative.
Fixed your link Not sure what happened there.

The automapper was one of my favorite features of Dungeon Hack. Especially liked the monsters and projectiles being displayed as well (I think they had to be in sight, hearing range, or visible via spell)
Post edited August 21, 2015 by PincushionMan
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Namrok: BTW, always keep one save that's you safe and at full health in town.
Ha. Back in the day, we couldn't save outside training halls at all.
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Namrok: But, it also allows you to circumvent the pesky demihuman level limits, as well as edit your characters rather extensively. You know, if you are the cheaty sort. Or if you just screw up like an idiot. Like, maybe, theoretically, you'd been saving to the same slot like an idiot, and then got into a situation you couldn't get yourself out of, and the only way to not completely lose the playthrough was to cheat your characters back to full health. You know, hypothetically.

BTW, always keep one save that's you safe and at full health in town.
Does it allow for the Monk class? It is coded in the Gold Box Engine, and I know I've seen it back in the day in Curse of the Azure Bonds. Multiclass Monks cannot use weapons, IIRC (which I probably don't).

By the way, as for that losing location bit - I would export my characters back to town and start over, and consider it a lesson learned. Plus I got the experience again ;) That's why I could have a Dual Class Fighter Cleric 11/21 that kicked some serious backside. Thanks for the tip, tho. +1s all around.
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PincushionMan: Does it allow for the Monk class?...
I've played all the Gold Box games and never found that class. As far as I know Monks didn't appear until Baldur's Gate 2.

Now to take this back to the original title. I have GBC on my computer but have never been able to get it to work. Maybe I've missed something in the readme, but I can't get any of my saves to open. Any help?

Edit: Maybe someone can pin this topic?
Post edited August 22, 2015 by grogerson
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Arykles: Great link. Also worth mention is "The All-Seeing Eye" automapper program for Eye of the Beholder games ( at least the first ones) made by the same guy. [url=]http://personal.inet.fi/koti/jhirvonen/ase/[/url] If you're not a fan of drawing your own maps or don't have the time for such things, it's a good alternative.
Tried this with an old DOS Copy of EOB1 run in Doxbox 0.74.
All-Seeing Eye recognizes my characters, but instead of a map shows me just a brown screen. I can still right-click on it and get menu with several options, but cannot see a map of the half-explored level.
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Namrok: BTW, always keep one save that's you safe and at full health in town.
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Starmaker: Ha. Back in the day, we couldn't save outside training halls at all.
Way back in the day (WIzardry 1), we couldn't make a safe save at all (without copying the disk). If you accidentally teleport into solid rock, that's it; must start all over with a new party. (Even worse, if this happens in Wizardry 2 (which has a floor that is about 50% solid rock), you have to start Wizardry *1* over, because Wizardry 2 expects you to have leveled up to at least level 13 in Wizardry 1.)

(By the way, anyone who enjoyed the early Wizardry games should check out Elminage Gothic.)
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Arykles: Great link. Also worth mention is "The All-Seeing Eye" automapper program for Eye of the Beholder games ( at least the first ones) made by the same guy. [url=]http://personal.inet.fi/koti/jhirvonen/ase/[/url] If you're not a fan of drawing your own maps or don't have the time for such things, it's a good alternative.
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PiercedEye: Tried this with an old DOS Copy of EOB1 run in Doxbox 0.74.
All-Seeing Eye recognizes my characters, but instead of a map shows me just a brown screen. I can still right-click on it and get menu with several options, but cannot see a map of the half-explored level.
This probably happens if you have explored part of the level without using All-Seeing-Eye at the same time, it can not know what areas you have already explored. In the right-click menu there's an option for revealing the whole map, you could try it to at least see that the program is working properly.
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PiercedEye: Tried this with an old DOS Copy of EOB1 run in Doxbox 0.74.
All-Seeing Eye recognizes my characters, but instead of a map shows me just a brown screen. I can still right-click on it and get menu with several options, but cannot see a map of the half-explored level.
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joonashgog: This probably happens if you have explored part of the level without using All-Seeing-Eye at the same time, it can not know what areas you have already explored. In the right-click menu there's an option for revealing the whole map, you could try it to at least see that the program is working properly.
You mean the Explore Level option? That only changes the window color to deep red.
I first tried the ASE with a freshly created party at the start of the first level, before doing the first step.
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PincushionMan: Does it allow for the Monk class?...
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grogerson: I've played all the Gold Box games and never found that class. As far as I know Monks didn't appear until Baldur's Gate 2.

Now to take this back to the original title. I have GBC on my computer but have never been able to get it to work. Maybe I've missed something in the readme, but I can't get any of my saves to open. Any help?

Edit: Maybe someone can pin this topic?
grogerson, are you running Gold_Box_Companion.exe as administrator?
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Starmaker: Ha. Back in the day, we couldn't save outside training halls at all.
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dtgreene: Way back in the day (WIzardry 1), we couldn't make a safe save at all (without copying the disk). If you accidentally teleport into solid rock, that's it; must start all over with a new party. (Even worse, if this happens in Wizardry 2 (which has a floor that is about 50% solid rock), you have to start Wizardry *1* over, because Wizardry 2 expects you to have leveled up to at least level 13 in Wizardry 1.)

(By the way, anyone who enjoyed the early Wizardry games should check out Elminage Gothic.)
I used an old utility called CopyIIPC that let me copy the non-standard Wizardry 5 1/4 save floppies :) Lots of cheating and magic item cloning :)))

It could also copy the Master disks!
I still have all the original boxed games and the maps I made. Same for all the Gold Box ones.

BTW Curse of the Azure Bonds was never released in a Gold Box in the UK. It was released by USGold in a box similar to the ones for Heroes of the Lance and Dragons of Flame (UK version)
I had to get a friend from the USA to send me Curse so I could have the full set in Gold boxes :)))
Post edited August 23, 2015 by gog295
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louitrilobite: grogerson, are you running Gold_Box_Companion.exe as administrator?
I'm running XP SP3. How do I set myself as administrator (never had to before)?
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louitrilobite: grogerson, are you running Gold_Box_Companion.exe as administrator?
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grogerson: I'm running XP SP3. How do I set myself as administrator (never had to before)?
Just right click on Gold_Box_Companion.exe or it's icon and then click on Run as Administrator, like in the attached image...

Also the following link might help : )

https://helpx.adobe.com/x-productkb/global/run-program-administrator-windows-7.html

OOPS! SORRY!

Just actually read your post, you are using XP, I'm not sure then : ) But maybe try this...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XByn6gdY80Y
Attachments:
Post edited August 23, 2015 by louitrilobite
Just a fair warning, this is more of a cheat program like Shadow Keeper for BG, more than a "companion" program. It does a few nice things like keep track of your HP and map, but I could also see it as being too much of a temptation to cakewalk the game.

Don't use this program if you want to play it as intended.