Spelljammer: Pirates of Realmspace
| Spelljammer: Pirates of Realmspace | |
|---|---|
| Studio | Cybertech Systems |
| Publisher | Strategic Simulations, Inc. |
| Senior Developer | Al Escudero |
| Erstveröffent- lichung |
1992 |
| platform | DOS |
| genre | Computer role playing game |
| Subject | Dungeons and Dragons |
| Game mode | Single player |
| control | Game controller |
| system advantages preconditions |
|
| medium | diskette |
| language | English |
Spelljammer: the Pirates of Realmspace is a computer role-playing game developed by Cybertech Systems for MS-DOS that was released in 1992. It is one of the licensed games from the American publisher SSI , which are based on the role-playing license Dungeons & Dragons , and uses the Spelljammer campaign scenario from the second set of rules, Advanced Dungeons & Dragons .
action
The Spelljammer campaign set enables travel between different worlds. Spelljammers are ships that can travel between the planets with the help of magic through space known as wild space. This space is not endless, but limited by a crystal sphere. Behind it is the phlogiston, an area that the spelljammers cannot fly through.
The spelljammer ships are reminiscent of sailing ships enveloped in large oxygen bubbles. The player takes on the role of a young spelljammer captain who has only recently acquired the ship from an old captain and is now setting off from Toril to make a name for himself in his crystal sphere with the eight travelable worlds. He can do free trade between the planets or take on simple jobs, such as B. Transporting people and goods, fighting pirates and guarding flight routes. The player gradually builds up a reputation in the game world, which can lead to the fact that he is asked to prevent a campaign of conquest by the spider-like Neogi, which represents a great danger for the realm space.
Gameplay
At the beginning, the player creates a male or female spelljammer captain of character level 5. The class can be chosen from clerics, fighters, rangers, paladins, magicians and thieves. As a race, the player can choose between human, halfling, half-elf, gnome, elf and dwarf. The character values are automatically rolled, the player can only completely re-roll them.
All other companions of the hero group must be recruited during the game. The game has three phases at its core, space flight including ship battles, boarding combat and staying on planets. On planets, the player can buy and sell goods via text menus, repair his ship and purchase another of twelve ship types or add equipment and accept orders. Trading is an important part of the gameplay to make money.
The player flies through space to the next planetary destination in a 3D cockpit view. The flight can either be automated with the help of an autopilot or the player controls his ship directly through space. If he comes across other ships, he can communicate with them, trade or fight in real time. Although located in three-dimensional space, the ship cannot ascend or descend in space, but rather moves on a plane similar to a sea battle. Ballistae and catapults are used in combat to equip your ship with. With them, the player can aim at different targets like the rigging, the hull or the crew. The reduction in the number of crews facilitates the possible boarding battle; to board your own ship must be brought close enough to the opposing ship.
When boarding, the game switches to an overview perspective and the fight is carried out turn-based. The player controls his captain and the officers, the fight corresponds to that of the gold box series and other turn-based role-playing game combat systems.
reception
| ||||||||
“ Spelljammer is an explosive mix of some real classics. At Spelljammer, for example, we find game elements from Elite , borrowings from Pirates and a large portion of AD&D . Fortunately, the programmers found exactly the right mix. "
"As it stands, SJammer is a product with a good deal of promise, thwarted by an unfortunate number of defects."
"As it currently stands, SJammer is a very promising product that is being thwarted by an unfortunate number of mistakes."
Both Allen Rausch from GameSpy and Andrew Park & Elliott Chin from Gamespot highlighted in their retrospectives the numerous technical problems that would have significantly restricted the fun of the game.
Web links
- Spelljammer: Pirates of Realmspace at MobyGames (English)
- Spelljammer: Pirates of Realmspace on Beyond the Moons
Individual evidence
- ↑ a b PowerPlay
- ↑ PC Joker
- ↑ Jeff James: SSI's Spelljammer: Pirates of Realmspace . In: Golden Empire Publications (Ed.): Computer Gaming World . 104, March 1993, pp. 62-64.
- ^ Gamespot's History of AD&D: Spelljammer . In: Gamespot . Golden Empire Publications. March 1993. Archived from the original on October 28, 2004.
- ^ Allen Rausch & Miguel Lopez: A History of D&D Video Games - Part II . In: Game Spy . August 16, 2004.