Stronghold (computer game 1993)
| Stronghold | |
|---|---|
| Studio |
 Stormfront Studios
|
| Publisher |
Strategic Simulations, Inc.
|
| Senior Developer | Don Daglow |
| Erstveröffent- lichung |
4th December 1993 |
| platform | PC ( MS-DOS ), FM Towns , PC-98 |
| genre |
Real-time strategy building strategy |
| Subject | Dungeons and Dragons |
| Game mode | Single player |
| control | Keyboard , mouse |
| system advantages preconditions |
|
| medium | 3.5 " floppy disk |
| language | English |
| copy protection | Manual query |
Stronghold is a system developed by Stormfront Studios on behalf of SSI building strategy game in real time for the PC , FM Towns and PC-98 . It is based on the role-playing game rules Dungeons & Dragons and appeared in 1993. Due to the game principle, it was also referred to as the fantasy version of SimCity . Stronghold is considered the first real-time strategy game with a three-dimensional representation of the game.
Gameplay
The basic idea of the game is the conquest, expansion and administration of a kingdom by the player. For this purpose, troops from different characters of the well-known D&D classes (humans, dwarves , halflings and elves ) can be recruited. The struggles for the conquest and defense of colonizable land are based on the D&D rules .
The game begins with the construction of a central castle. Then the player creates a main character with race, class and ethos according to the AD&D rules. In the dominated areas, the player must now build an economic infrastructure to support further conquests and raise troops. There are also four so-called vassal characters available to him, which are created by the player like the main character. Each character type, including the main character, has certain advantages and disadvantages for managing the land. These can be used specifically in certain areas of the domain to increase production.
The game is illustrated three-dimensionally in the main view window, while unit management and the organization of the infrastructure are mostly carried out in hand-drawn 2D menus and interfaces. The game landscapes are generated randomly; five pre-generated maps are also available.
The victory condition for the game depends on the character's alignment chosen at the beginning. Righteous characters must climb nine ranks through carefully planned economics before they are appointed emperor. Chaotic characters, on the other hand, have to eliminate all computer-controlled competitors. Neutral characters must achieve both goals.
development
Stronghold is the first real-time strategy game in which the game was presented in 3D. However, the game used two-dimensional bitplane graphics for this, which only conveyed the impression of three -dimensionality through scaling, the arrangement in levels and a clever choice of perspective. Developer Don Daglow said he had the idea for the perspective effect of the point of view after attending a performance of the musical Les Misérables .
reception
Stronghold was given very good marks by various game magazines. In the test report of issue 10/93 of the game magazine PC Joker , tester Michael Schnelle certified the game as a successful presentation with solid mouse control, whose game principle , which is reminiscent of Sim City in a positive sense, ensures long-lasting motivation. In his test for the US game magazine Computer Gaming World , tester HE Dille summed up that Stronghold offers players from SSI's other AD&D titles ( Gold Box series , Eye of the Beholder ) a new perspective and is highly recommended.
Rating table:
- PC Games (10/93): 83%
- PC Joker (10/93): 87%
- Power Play (10/93): 85%
In a retrospective, GameSpy author Allen Rausch described the game as an “unbelievably pleasant surprise for the few players who actually bought the game”, even if it was a “developed affection” because of the sometimes difficult gameplay. In a retrospective for GameSpot , the authors Andrew Park and Elliott Chin described the game as "a respectable strategy game with enough depth to keep the player entertained".
Web links
- Stronghold (computer game 1993) at MobyGames (English)
Individual evidence
- ↑ Levi Buchanan: Dungeons & Dragons Classic Videogame Retrospective ( English ) In: IGN . News Corp . March 6, 2008. Retrieved October 7, 2011.
- ↑ Jon "BuckGB" Birnbaum: Stormfront Studios Interview ( English ) In: Gamebanshee . UGO entertainment. April 16, 2005. Retrieved on February 28, 2011: " [...] with Stronghold we were the first to do a 3D display ... although in our case the 3D was an optical illusion created in 2D with display planes and careful use of camera angles! "
- ↑ Snezana N .: Interview Don Daglow: The first console wars, and how he survived it ( english ) In: Critical Gamer . June 7, 2010. Retrieved October 9, 2011: “ The first time I saw 'Les Miserables', when they're marching with the big flag on the turn-table and the wind is blowing because of the big fan on stage. And it looks like the stage is so huge and deep and there's all this emotion and music and everything. And really, that turn-table isn't very large. And there weren't that many people marching on the turn-table. But the signing, the music and the set design and the angle at which you can see the theater made it feel so much bigger. And so much farther, yet so much closer. "
- ↑ www.pcgamesdatabase.de
- ↑ Michael Schnelle: Stronghold - A kingdom for do-it-yourselfers . (Article scan) In: PC Joker . No. 10, 1993, p. 28. Retrieved October 7, 2011.
- ^ HE Dille: City Planning And The Sword . (Article scan) In: Computer Gaming World . No. 132, November 1993, pp. 134-136. Retrieved December 12, 2012.
- ↑ Allen Rausch: A History of D&D Video Games - Part III ( English ) In: GameSpy . News Corp. . August 17, 2004. Retrieved December 10, 2012.
- ↑ Andrew Park, Elliott Chin: Gamespot's History of Advanced Dungeons & Dragons: Stronghold ( English ) In: GameSpot . CNET . Archived from the original on November 11, 1999. Retrieved December 12, 2012.