The Dig

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The Dig
Dig-logo.gif
Studio LucasArts
Publisher THQ
Erstveröffent-
lichung		 1995
platform Mac OS , Microsoft Windows , MS-DOS
genre Point-and-click adventure
Game mode Single player
control Mouse , keyboard
medium CD-ROM , download
language German
Age rating
USK released from 12
PEGI recommended for ages 7+

The Dig is a 1995 from the US game developer LucasArts in collaboration with Steven Spielberg realized point-and-click adventure . Originally the content was intended as the basis for a science fiction film, but this was never realized for reasons of cost in favor of the computer game.

Content and plot

In the present: An asteroid is on a collision course with Earth and threatens the future of humanity. The NASA decides it through nuclear explosions on a stable orbit to force and make them harmless. The player takes on the role of the commander of the mission, Boston Low, who, together with the reporter Maggie Robbins and the German (in the German version Danish) scientist Dr. Ludger Brink is supposed to carry out the mission. Two other crew members, the space shuttle pilot Ken Borden and the Senate candidate Cora Miles, are to remain on board the shuttle during the mission.

During the mission, upon closer inspection of the asteroid, the field team discovered that it was an alien spaceship. This is activated randomly by Low, Robbins and Brink, after which the trio is transported to a distant planet . Here the team comes across traces of an alien civilization that has inexplicably disappeared. In order to get back to earth, the three must solve the mystery of the ancient culture.

In an archipelago, Low and Robbins find evidence of a race of highly developed beings who had knowledge of space travel and mysterious crystals . The latter are particularly troubling for the team, as Brink, who died during the planetary exploration, can be revived through them, but becomes increasingly unpredictable due to the influence of the crystals. When the team finally wants to set a machine in motion that is important for their possible return, events roll over: There is a fight between the mad Brink and Low, in which Brink is killed. And Robbins also dies when activating the machine.

Low remains and after the resurrection of a leading planetary being comes on the trail of the disappearance of civilization: It was in search of immortality and developed a device for this. But this has transformed all planet dwellers into disembodied spirits and also transferred them to a parallel world . With the help of Low it is possible to bring the people back, after which the creature is resurrected as thanks to Robbins and Brink. The team then returns to Earth with one of the alien spaceships.

Technology and control

Technically, the title is based on version 7 of LucasArts' own SCUMM software. In this game, LucasArts once again simplified the operating concept introduced with Sam & Max Hit the Road and, as a result, reduced the options for action by automatically performing the correct action with the click of the mouse (one-click-does-it-all concept). The inventory was only shown when required. As is known from Sam & Max, the dialogues were also carried out with the help of icons, which showed the intention of the next statement.

Development history

The idea for the game came from Steven Spielberg in the 1980s, who originally wanted to use it for a film. Since the technological level of special effects at that time did not yet correspond to his ideas or the development of which would cause enormous costs, the idea was initially suspended for a few years, then later discarded entirely.

Development of the game originally began in the 1980s and was supervised by a total of three teams, one after the other. This is expressed in the game u. a. in three different graphic styles. But the story, the locations and the characters also changed from team to team:

  • In Noah Falstein's first version, four cities on the planet were to be explored: a half-sunken city on the ocean, a desert city blown by sand, a mountain city covered in ice and snow, and a city within an artificial life form. In addition, it should be necessary to manage the team's food supplies and replenish them with resources on the planet.
  • Brian Moriarty's second version was almost completely redesigned. The alien planet was to become a dangerous place that would also cost crew members their lives. In general, the game was designed to be much more violent than the final third version. So it should be necessary for Low to kill an eel and cut out an eye. In the second version, an additional character was planned: a Japanese businessman who should have contributed significantly to the financing and technical equipment of the shuttle mission. This version was originally supposed to appear on CD-ROM and floppy disks in 1993 , but missed its milestones several times.
  • After Brian Moriarty left LucasArts, Hal Barwood took over the second version and tried to save it by making a few changes, but this had little success, so that finally Sean Clark took over the project and the well-known third version could be published in 1995.

The last development team consisted of:

Since the game originally featured four main characters, the game's cover art initially showed four astronauts. One of them was later retouched to match the cover of the eventually released version of the game with only three main characters. However, this was forgotten for the cover of the novel and the audio book that was also available: There are still four astronauts to be seen there.

Publications

The game was released in 1995 for MS-DOS and Mac OS . It was later ported to Microsoft Windows in a limited edition. Since July 2009, the game has been available on the Steam platform for operating systems from Windows XP . The original is also supported by the ScummVM interpreter software .

Well-known German voice actors were hired for the German marketing of The Dig . Christian Rode speaks Commander Boston Low, while Franziska Pigulla (including Gillian Anderson in The X-Files ) lends her voice to Maggie Robbins.

To the story of the game was developed by Alan Dean Foster , a novel written.

Soundtrack

The original soundtrack of eleven pieces of music by Michael Land was released as an audio CD by Angel Records in 1996 , and a playable demo of the game was also included. The style of the soundtrack can be described as a mixture of Wagner - Preludes and Ambient describe -music.

reception

reviews
publication Rating
PC Games 89%

Reviews in gaming magazines

Awards from gaming magazines

In 2011, the trade magazine Adventure Gamers ranked The Dig 92nd in its Top 100 All-Time Adventure Games list .

Web links

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ a b Herbert Aichinger: The Dig: Urgestein . In: PC Games . No. 1/1996 , December 6, 1995, ISSN  0947-7810 , p. 46–49 ( archive.org [accessed November 13, 2018]).
  2. ↑ a b Test report The Dig by Power Play
  3. ↑ Top 100 All-Time Adventure Games. In: Adventure Gamers. December 30, 2011, accessed January 6, 2016 .