Eye of the Beholder 3: Assault on Myth Drannor
| Eye of the Beholder 3: Assault on Myth Drannor | |||
|---|---|---|---|
 | |||
| Part 3 logo, US version | |||
| Studio | SSI | ||
| Publisher | SSI | ||
| Erstveröffent- lichung |
1993 | ||
| platform | DOS , PC-98 | ||
| Game engine | AESOP / 16 | ||
| genre | Computer role playing game | ||
| Game mode | Single player | ||
| control | Keyboard , mouse | ||
| medium | Diskette or CD-ROM | ||
| language | German | ||
| Age rating |
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Eye of the Beholder 3: Assault on Myth Drannor is, after Eye of the Beholder and Legend of Darkmoon , the conclusion of the role-playing trilogy by the American publisher SSI . Like its predecessors, it is based on the Advanced Dungeons & Dragons RPG set of rules , but was no longer developed internally by Westwood Studios , but by SSI. It first appeared in 1993 for DOS and was later ported to PC-98 .
action
The plot is very rudimentary and detached from the predecessors. After defeating Dran Draggore in the previous game, the heroes are approached by a mysterious man in the tavern. He asks her to free the ruined city of Myth Drannor from the Lich Acwellan's stranglehold. To do this, they have to get a code from his possession. The stranger teleports them to just outside the city gates.
development
The original developer Westwood Associates agreed to a takeover offer from Virgin Interactive in 1992 , among other things to better position itself for independent studios because of the increasing development costs and risks. Because the franchise after the declining success of gold boxing title for SSI was an important source of revenue, the publisher took over the development of continuing ado itself, while Westwood very similar Lands of Lore developed and also the same year as Assault on Myth Drannor published .
SSI used its self-developed AESOP / 16 engine to create programs, which, however, placed high performance demands on the executing computer. Although it made larger play areas possible, it also suffered from major performance problems when it was released, especially with memory management. To make it easier to use, an all-attack button has been introduced that allows all characters to attack at the same time. Polearms and weapons with longer shafts could now also be used from the second row. SSI also included a short story by Ed Greenwood entitled Moonrise over Myth Drannor with the manual .
The cover of the packaging shows an excerpt from the picture Gods Of Lankhmar by Keith Parkinson.
reception
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Compared to its predecessors, the reviews were more negative.
"[...] Eye of the Beholder is unfortunately only for beginners who can do without automapping and a complex story, or for old veterans. It's solid and without any frills. "
"Overall then, Assault on Myth Drannor is a disappointment. While a few much-needed improvements have been made, they aren't enough to balance out the rest of the game. Deficient in graphics and sound effects, monotonous in parts (especially the forest), and with a final confrontation, that is more fizzle than sizzle. EOB III just doesn't stack up against the previous two games. What started as a series with great promise has, alas, ended on a mediocre note "
“In summary, Assault on Myth Drannor is a disappointment. While a few much-needed improvements have been made, they don't outweigh the rest of the game. Poor graphics and sound effects, monotonous sections of the game (especially the forest) and a final fight that is more appearance than reality. EOB 3 just can't follow up on the previous two games. What began as a promising series, unfortunately ends on a mediocre grade. "
While Allen Rausch called the predecessor a classic example of a developer using the reactions and reviews to improve the game, he called Assault on Myth Drannor as an example of a quickly produced soulless successor. The larger levels without automapping and the increased level of difficulty would have ruined the balance of the predecessor. With its uninspired story, the game has also degenerated into an unimaginative hack & slay .
With around 50,000 copies sold, the sales figures were around 60 percent lower than for Eye of the Beholder and around a third lower than for Legend of Darkmoon . There are no indications that SSI had any further plans for the series. The sales box had the title “Grand Finale” and, unlike the predecessor, no final score was saved that could have been used to import the group of heroes in a subsequent game. Only the engine was used again in the rogue-like Hack 'n' Slay Dungeon Hack published at the end of 1993 - albeit with randomly generated levels.
Web links
- Eye of the Beholder 3 at MobyGames (English)
Individual evidence
- ↑ Michael Graf: The decline of C&C . In: IDG (Ed.): GameStar . March 2014, pp. 94-109.
- ↑ a b c Jimmy Maher: Opening the Gold Box, Part 5: All That Glitters is Not Gold. In: The Digital Antiquarian. March 31, 2017, Retrieved July 15, 2019 (American English).
- ↑ a b c Cory Brock: Eye of the Beholder III: Assault on Myth Drannor. In: Hardcore Gaming 101. November 20, 2011, accessed July 15, 2019 (American English).
- ^ A b Matt Barton, Shane Stacks: Dungeons and Desktops: The History of Computer Role-Playing Games . 2nd Edition. CRC Press, 2019, ISBN 978-1-351-27339-8 , pp. 264–267 ( google.de [accessed July 10, 2019]).
- ↑ ASM 07/1993
- ↑ a b PC Games 07/1993
- ↑ PC Joker 08/1993
- ↑ PC Player 07/1993
- ↑ Power Play 07/1993
- ↑ Scorpia: Eye of the Beholder III: Hit or Myth-Demeanor? . In: Computer Gaming World . August 1993, p. 66. Retrieved July 12, 2014.
- ^ Allen Rausch, Miguel Lopez: A History of D&D Video Games - Part II. In: Gamespy. August 16, 2004, accessed July 15, 2019 .
- ^ Allen Rausch: A History of D&D Video Games - Part III. In: Gamespy. August 17, 2004, accessed July 15, 2019 .