Advanced Dungeons & Dragons: Treasure of Tarmin
| Advanced Dungeons & Dragons: Treasure of Tarmin | |
|---|---|
| Original title | Advanced Dungeons & Dragons |
| Studio | APh Technological Consulting |
| Publisher | Mattel Electronics |
| Senior Developer | Tom Loughry |
| Erstveröffent- lichung |
1983 |
| platform | Intellivision , Mattel Aquarius |
| genre | Computer role playing game |
| Subject | Dungeons and Dragons |
| Game mode | Single player |
| control | Game controller |
| medium | Cartridge |
| language | English |
Advanced Dungeons & Dragons: Treasure of Tarmin , developed by APh Technological Consulting and published by Mattel Electronics , is a computer role-playing game from 1983 for the Intellivision game console and the Mattel Aquarius home computer . It is a licensed product for the role-playing set of rules Dungeons & Dragons .
Gameplay
In Treasure of Tarmin (German: The Treasure of Tarmin ) wanders through the player one divided into several levels dungeon , consisting of mazes à 11 x 11 fields plus the surrounding corridor. The aim of the game is to slay the Minotaur who guards the eponymous treasure of Tarmin, and then to take the treasure.
The gameplay is largely based on combat. While the battles were turn-based , Treasure of Tarmin differs from most contemporary games in that it uses first-person perspective , which gives it a three-dimensional feel. A compass in the lower left corner of the screen helps the player navigate. A ladder in the dungeon symbolizes a passage into a lower level.
The player starts with the simplest bow, a small supply of food, a number of arrows depending on the chosen difficulty level, as well as low "spiritual" and "war strength" (for example: spiritual and combat strength). They symbolize two different types of attack, regular and magical attacks, with which opponents can be attacked. New weapons, armor, magical objects and treasures are randomly distributed across the entire labyrinth. These treasures, with the exception of the eponymous treasure of Tarmin owned by the Minotaur, either increase the player's score visible on the screen, contain potions (blue, pink or purple, in different sizes) or hidden bombs that increase the value of the war / Lower the player's spiritual strength. A bomb can lead to death, depending on the strength of the player at the time it is triggered. In total, the player can equip two items and have six other items in their inventory.
If the player meets an opponent, a turn-based fight begins, which ends either with the death of the monster, the player character or a retreat triggered by the player. The player can only attack creatures that are immediately in front of him. He deals damage according to his war and spiritual strength. If your own War or Spiritual Strength drops to zero, the player character dies and is awakened without equipment at a random point in the labyrinth. If the player wins a fight, he can rest afterwards and regenerate with the help of the food packages War and Spiritual Strength found in the labyrinth.
There are ten regular monster types spread over the course of the game. All of these opponents exist in three color variants, which symbolize different degrees of challenge. It is one of the first games to use color coding to symbolize different monster strengths. Enemies usually deal either Spiritual or War Strength damage. Only a few can switch between the types of damage. In particular, the player meets:
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Usually on the last level there are also three so-called door monsters in the colors blue, pink and purple, each guarding a magic book. Also on the lowest level is the Minotaur, the final boss of the game. The Minotaur deals damage to both Spiritual and War Health. If the player defeats the Minotaur, the latter drops the treasure of Tarmin. The game is over when the treasure is picked up. The player can, however, leave the treasure lying around and continue playing. In this case, other minotaurs can appear as opponents. There are a total of 52 different types of opponents.
Development history
The development of Treasure of Tarmin began in 1981, the game was programmed by Tom Loughry . It was finally released in 1983 by Mattel in the United States. After Advanced Dungeons & Dragons: Cloudy Mountain, it was the second AD&D game for the in-house game console Intellivision . In the same year, the game was launched in Germany together with its predecessor Cloudy Mountain , at the same time as the German translation of the pen & paper set of rules .
In 1983 Mattel Electronics commissioned a port of the title for the Atari 2600 . The port was taken over by the Synth Corporation in Chicago, where the two software developers Michael Bengtson and Neal Reynolds transferred the gameplay of the Intellivision version to the competing console in great detail. Although the port was completed, there was no release and Mattel Electronics was closed.
reception
In the German computer game magazine TeleMatch , Treasure of Tarmin received a grade 1 from tester Helge Andersen:
“ Treasure of Tarmin is a super game that can also be called tactical, which goes far, far beyond simple shooting. If you don't like fantasy in the game - you should keep your distance from this game. But let me tell everyone else that a simple recommendation would be a cautious formulation. A game of superlatives! "
Web links
- Advanced Dungeons & Dragons: Treasure of Tarmin at MobyGames (English)
- Advanced Dungeons & Dragons: Treasure of Tarmin , entry on Intellivision Lives (English)
- Manual on Intellivision Lives
- fan page
- Videos of the Aquarius and Intellivision versions
Individual evidence
- ^ Brett Weiss: Classic Home Video Games, 1972-1984: A Complete Reference Guide . McFarland, Jefferson (North Carolina) 2007, ISBN 978-0-7864-3226-4 , pp. 211 ( online view [accessed March 18, 2011]).
- ↑ http://www.zebeth.com/playplanet/nonenemies.html
- ↑ http://www.zebeth.com/playplanet/enemies.html
- ↑ Michael J. Tresca: The Evolution of Fantasy Role-Playing Games . McFarland, Jefferson (North Carolina) 2010, ISBN 978-0-7864-5895-0 , pp. 138 ([online view]). , with reference to
- ↑ a b Helge Andersen: Intellivision: Perfect game . (Article scan) In: TeleMatch . No. 7/83, December 1983, pp. 38-40. ISSN 0177-4336 .
- ↑ http://www.atariprotos.com/2600/software/treasureoftarmin/treasureoftarmin.htm