Quarterstaff
| Quarterstaff | |
|---|---|
| Studio | Simulated Environment Systems |
| Publisher | Infocom |
| Senior Developer | Scott Schmitz, Kenneth Updike |
| Erstveröffent- lichung |
1987 |
| platform | Macintosh , PC-98 , Sharp X68000 |
| genre | Computer role playing game |
| Game mode | Single player |
| control | Mouse keyboard |
| system advantages preconditions |
1 MB RAM |
| medium | diskette |
| language | English |
| copy protection | Feelies |
Quarterstaff is a computer role-playing game from 1987. It was initially published by the Simulated Environment Systems development studio for the Macintosh , but sold poorly due to inadequate marketing. In 1988, the game manufacturer Infocom, which was already part of the Activision group, acquired the rights to the game, expanded it in terms of content and re-launched it under the title Quarterstaff: The Tomb of Setmoth .
action
Quarterstaff takes place in the fantasy world of Rhea, which is divided into five kingdoms and in magic has the same place as science in reality. Peace and prosperity in the realms are ensured by various religious movements formed by druids. Three months ago, the residents of the Tree Druid Movement Village, who live under the roots of a huge tree, disappeared without a trace. The general council of druids had already dispatched several respectable warriors as scouts to investigate the disappearance, but none returned. The player takes on the role of Titus, a blacksmith and adventurer, who is also sent out to solve the mysterious case. Over time, the player explores the cave system in which the village is located, and it turns out that behind the disappearance of the Tree Druids there was a demon called Setmoth, who must be found and defeated.
Game principle and technology
The game screen is divided into several windows that can be arranged as required. A schematic map of the game environment is displayed in a window, occasionally also a drawn still image underlining the situation. The map only shows rooms that have already been explored and develops independently as the game progresses ("automapping"). In other windows, the game is shown in text form from the perspective of the game pieces. The game characters can be controlled via text inputs, which are analyzed and evaluated by a parser , as in a text adventure , and via a graphical interface that is based on the look of the menus in the Macintosh user interface. Some actions were accompanied by sound effects.
In the course of the game, Titus meets people who then join him and who can now also be controlled by the player. As the game progresses, the characters in the playgroup gain experience and improve their skills. While most role-playing games assign certain roles to the characters, such as the melee, the magician or the healer, in Quarterstaff every character can take on any role.
Production notes
The Infocom version of the game differs from the original version in that it has an improved interface and (in the Mac II version) with color graphics instead of monochrome graphics. In addition, Infocom author Amy Briggs ( Plundered Hearts ) has changed the game texts significantly and expanded. Like almost all Infocom games, Quarterstaff also contained so-called "Feelies", objects designed and manufactured for the game that are intended to deepen the gaming experience. In addition to a poster, the game packaging from Quarterstaff was accompanied by a lettered parchment and a wooden coin, which were referenced in the game and thus served as copy protection.
Publisher Infocom announced portings of the game for the Apple IIGS and IBM PC systems , which however never appeared. An announced successor, Storm Giants , did not appear due to the settlement of Infocoms in 1989 either. In 1990 the Japanese publisher StarCraft released a version of Quarterstaff for the PC-98 system popular in Japan , followed by a version for the Sharp X68000 in 1991 . The cover of the Japanese editions was designed by the American illustrator Frank Frazetta .
reception
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The D&D magazine Dragon Magazine found Quarterstaff "without a doubt one of the best adventure role-playing games" and awarded it five stars out of five. Macworld magazine noted a "refreshing degree of flexibility" in the player's freedom of action and that they were allowed a "certain degree of tactical creativity", but noted several small bugs and a fatal one that blocked the goal of the game. The game designer Christopher E. Forman explained in the text adventure magazine SPAG that Quarterstaff reminded him from a technical point of view of a mixture of the Magnetic Windows Engine and the Mastertronic game Rogue (a rogue-like for the C64 ). He analyzed that, despite the text-focused interface, the game was essentially a role-playing game and that there were hardly any text-adventure-specific puzzles. He judged that Quarterstaff was visually of high quality and initially appeared interesting in terms of play, but that the feeling of the new quickly passed and the game was very tough towards the end. The adventure fanzine QuestBusters compared the original game version of Simulated Environment Systems with the one later published by Infocom and already attested the original to have "perhaps the most extensive and innovative application of the Macintosh interface" in a role-playing game, but complained about the slow reaction speed of the Game and numerous bugs. The magazine certified the Infocom version as having "significant improvements" and particularly pointed out the intuitive menu navigation, but stated that new, serious bugs had been incorporated during the revision.
Web links
- Quarterstaff at MobyGames (English)
- Quarterstaff Fact Sheet on Resonant.org
- Complete solution on InProgressGaming.com
Individual evidence
- ↑ a b The Status Line, Fall 1988, p. 3. Retrieved December 11, 2015 .
- ↑ Hardcoregaming101.com: Tracing the Influence - Stolen Images in Games. Retrieved December 11, 2015 .
- ↑ a b Dragon Magazine # 133, May 1988, p. 46. Retrieved December 11, 2015 .
- ↑ Macworld, February 1988, p. 205. (No longer available online.) Archived from the original on November 17, 2015 ; accessed on December 11, 2015 . Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice.
- ↑ SPAG # 9, June 1996. Retrieved December 11, 2015 .
- ↑ QuestBusters Vol VI # 2, February 1989, p. 1. Retrieved December 12, 2015 .
