Ravenloft: The Count's Curse
| Ravenloft: The Count's Curse | |||
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| Original title | Ravenloft: Strahd's Possession | ||
| Studio |
 DreamForge Intertainment
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| Publisher |
SSI
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| Erstveröffent- lichung |
1994 | ||
| platform | MS-DOS , FM Towns , PC-98 | ||
| genre | Computer role playing game | ||
| Subject | Dungeons and Dragons | ||
| Game mode | Single player | ||
| control | Mouse & keyboard , joystick | ||
| system advantages preconditions |
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| medium | Floppy disk , CD-ROM , download | ||
| language | English | ||
| Age rating |
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Ravenloft: The Count's Curse is the first part of the adaptation of the Ravenloft campaign world by Dungeons & Dragons published by SSI . The American development studio DreamForge Intertainment was entrusted with the development of the computer role-playing game . It was released in 1994 for MS-DOS and the FM Towns and PC-98 home computers . In 1995 the successor Ravenloft was also released by DreamForge : Stone Prophet .
action
The action takes place predominantly in the dimensional world of Barovia, a hilly, wooded area that is modeled after Transylvania in its main features . Barovia is ruled by the vampire and necromancer Count Strahd von Zarovich, who rules the country from his seat at Ravenloft Castle.
The game begins with Lord Dhelt being attacked by Elturel in his castle, whereby the intruder steals a sacred symbol of his god's helmet. The lord therefore instructs the characters created by the player to get the amulet back. But when they succeed in catching the assassin and taking the piece of jewelry away from him, the group is transferred to an unknown area. The amulet has disappeared again, poisonous fog blocks the way back and the player is therefore forced to explore Barovia and uncover the background to the attack. The traces eventually lead to the final confrontation with Graf Strahd.
Gameplay
Ravenloft: The Count's Curse is a group-based computer role-playing game that is presented from the first person perspective , similar to Ultima Underworld .
The player begins with a group of two heroes, which he can create himself according to the AD&D rules or put together from a group of pre-generated characters. The character generation is similar to Ultima 4 as a visit to a fortune teller, where the player can choose gender, race, class, disposition and character portrait. The character values are randomly rolled, but can still be modified afterwards. Additional characters can be added in the course of the adventure, the maximum group size is four people.
The environment is designed three-dimensionally and can be explored steplessly and freely. A “step mode” can be selected as an option. The control takes place either with the help of the keyboard or the mouse, the fights are also conducted in real time. As is customary in role-playing games, the player takes on various tasks ( quests ) in the course of the action . The main quest revolves around the stolen amulet and Count Strahd. There are also numerous side jobs with their own story. The game is quite combat-heavy and was sometimes referred to as hack and slay . Puzzles, on the other hand, play a subordinate role. Dialogues are conducted according to a multiple-choice procedure in which the player selects the desired, predetermined dialogue option.
In addition to the disk version, there is a significantly expanded CD-ROM version. While the graphics remained the same, it included voice output, additional quests, more types of monsters and pieces of equipment, as well as other companion characters. This version was also localized for the German-speaking market by the German distributor Softgold .
development
Ravenloft: The Count's curse falls in the late phase of the license agreement between SSI and D&D manufacturer TSR. After numerous titles that were set in the game worlds of the Forgotten Realms and the Dragon Lance (including the Gold Box series , Eye of the Beholder ) and the games in the Dark Sun series , SSI resorted to other, unused scenarios. It was also the first AD&D game from SSI in which the player could move freely in a 3D environment. The game uses high-resolution VGA graphics with 320 × 400 pixels (instead of the usual 320 × 200) and has an automapping system that allows the player to add his own notes and print them out or export them as a file.
reception
| MS-DOS | |
|---|---|
| publication | Rating |
| PC Games | 80% |
| PC player | 62% |
| Power play | 78% (disk) 84% (CD) |
| PC Gamer (UK) | 69% |
| PC review | 70% |
| PC zone | 78% |
Michael Hengst from the German game magazine Power Play praised the plot of the game, the scope of the game and the details of the character portraits and the cutscenes. Compared to Ultima Underworld, however, he described the rest of the graphics as out of date and roughly pixelated in places. He gave the floppy disk version a fun rating of 78%, while he gave the extended CD-ROM version 84%. In the report for the PowerPlay special issue "The best role-playing games of all times" (07/1994), tester Knut Gollert also praised the action, but also described the change to real-time 3D graphics as long overdue.
Petra Schlunk from the US game magazine Computer Gaming World criticized the fact that the magic system was a hindrance, as the fighters in the group idly wait for the player to enter the command while they are looking for the right spell. The artificial intelligence of the opponents is also bad and the operator guidance is cumbersome. She described the game's dialogues as always entertaining and one of the best features of the entire game. The map function also met with their approval. She praised the plot of the game as outstanding and described the game as a "valuable contribution to the world of computer role-playing games".
In a retrospective for the US online game magazine GameSpy , author Allen Rausch described the game as a "welcome return to its old top form for SSI", especially since the game was delivered comparatively flawlessly. In their GameSpot retrospective, the authors Andrew Park and Elliott Chin described Ravenloft: The Count's Curse as a good game that could not do justice to the atmosphere of the Ravenloft scenario, especially due to the limited technical possibilities. According to Matt Barton in an article for Gamasutra , there has been no great financial success compared to previous AD&D hit titles. He cited weak reviews as the cause, which could neither identify particular strengths nor weaknesses.
In addition to the successor , the game engine was also used in Menzoberranzan , another AD&D computer game in the Forgotten Realms . Like Ravenloft, it was developed by DreamForge Intertainment for SSI
Web links
- Ravenloft: Curse of the count at MobyGames (English)
Individual evidence
- ↑ a b c Matt Barton: The History of Computer Role-Playing Games Part III: The Platinum and Modern Ages (1994-2004) ( English ) In: Gamasutra . UBM plc . April 11, 2007. Retrieved January 28, 2013.
- ↑ a b c Petra Schlunk: Exorcising The Madness Of Strahd's Possession . (Article scan) In: Computer Gaming World . No. 119, June 1994, pp. 74-78. Test report CGW ( Memento from November 24, 1999 in the Internet Archive )
- ↑ a b c Michael Hengst : More bite: Ravenloft . (Article scan) In: Power Play . No. 07/1994, July 1994, p. 108.
- ↑ a b Allen Rausch: A History of D&D Video Games - Part III: 1994 ( English ) In: GameSpy . News Corp. . August 17, 2004. Retrieved January 28, 2013.
- ↑ a b c Michael Hengst : Müller Rogoff - Ravenloft: Strahd's Possession . (Article scan) In: Power Play . No. 06/1994, June 1994, pp. 30-31.
- ↑ Knut Gollert: With Cross and Garlic - Ravenloft: Strahd's Possession . (Article scan) In: Power Play special issue . No. 07/1994, July 1994, p. 30.
- ↑ Andrew Park, Elliott Chin: Gamespot's History of Advanced Dungeons & Dragons: Ravenloft: Strahd's Possession ( English ) In: GameSpot . CNET . Archived from the original on November 11, 1999. Retrieved January 28, 2013.