Dungeons & Dragons Computer Fantasy Game

Last updated
Dungeons & Dragons Computer Fantasy Game
Dungeons and Dragons Computer Fantasy Game box.png
Publisher(s) Mattel
Designer(s) Peter Oliphant
Platform(s) Handheld
Release1981
Genre(s) Adventure

Dungeons & Dragons Computer Fantasy Game is a handheld electronic game released by Mattel in 1981. [1] Designer Peter Oliphant claims that it was one of the more basic projects he worked on during his career. [2]

Contents

Release

The Dungeons & Dragons Computer Fantasy Game was released in the fall of 1981. [3] Mattel stated that the game immediately sold out, setting it apart from some of Mattel Electronics' more well-known sports-themed handhelds. [4]

Display

The game unit is a portable game with an LCD screen, and is powered by watch batteries. [5]

The game opens with an isometric view of a simple 3D dungeon. The player is represented by a minor character who appears to be holding a sword aloft. The protagonist is at a crossroads in four passageways. The character's placement is indicated by an expanded letter and number, which always starts at A0. A cursor button moves a black arrow in one of four directions, while a move button moves the surface in the same way.[ citation needed ]

The character that the player would be controlling and the maze are depicted in the bottom left corner of the tiny screen, giving room for other icons that indicate when other items and monsters are nearby in one of the four directions. This contains a bat that can randomly pick the character up and place the character elsewhere in the maze. There is also a pit that will kill the character if the character does not have a rope to pull the character out of the pit. The rope occurs at the beginning of the game's most accessible setting, in the dungeon in the intermediate location, and there is no rope in the most challenging environment. [6]

Gameplay

The LCD screen displayed a dungeon junction in quasi-three dimensions, coupled with hints of routes that the player may explore further. Each intersection also featured a number and letter designation, allowing the player to create a map while searching. The dungeon itself was made up of 100 squares laid out in ten rows of ten, but because the dungeon circled around itself, if the player were to walk beyond the edge in any direction, the character would resurface at the other edge. [7]

The gameplay is similar to Hunt the Wumpus , in that the player moves through a maze, must beware of bats and pits, and must find an arrow and shoot it at the dragon without entering its lair directly. [8] To win, the player must first find the magical arrow, then the dragon, and then shoot it with the weapon while in another room.

Every few seconds, an ominous four-tone piece of music plays as the player navigates through the maze. Each movement is accompanied by a tapping sound that is meant to indicate movement. The player will hear a descending sound followed by a few notes from a death dirge if the character falls into a pit. Unlike Hunt for the Wumpus, D&D's gameplay takes place on a ten by ten grid, with each square representing a different room. [9]

The positioning of the dozen pits, the magical arrow, rope, and dragon are determined at random in each game. When the player wins, the player is given a score based on how long it took to complete the game, with one point provided for every five seconds. With its off-set LCD screen and weird graphic of white-outlined cobblestones, the entire game is approximately the size of an inch-thick or so credit card. According to Oliphant, the game was much easier to code because it was turn-based and followed a set of rules rather than relying on real-time activity. [10]

Oliphant felt that the layout and LCD art were fantastic for a turn-based game, and was pleased with the final product. [11]

While he was working on the prototype, another group was in charge of programming the production version that was presented to the market. He does recall, though, that it was a system with limited memory that made full use of it. [12]

Oliphant said that the game was not as difficult to make in comparison to some of his past projects. [13]

Oliphant believes Mattel Electronics sought to venture out from its usual sports games for this handheld in order to get numerous different licenses for new properties in order to widen the type of games they were developing. As a result, licensed games like Battlestar Galactica, Flash Gordon, and Masters of the Universe were developed, as well as non-licensed oddities like Chess, Backgammon, and the Horoscope Computer. [14]

Reception

Electronic Games in 1983 wrote that Dungeons & Dragons "is sure to win your heart". The magazine liked the gameplay and sound effects, and concluded that it "is an exciting and novel approach to the famous fantasy game". [15] [16]

Reviews

See also

Related Research Articles

<i>Dungeons & Dragons</i> Fantasy role-playing game

Dungeons & Dragons is a fantasy tabletop role-playing game (TTRPG) originally created and designed by Gary Gygax and Dave Arneson. The game was first published in 1974 by Tactical Studies Rules (TSR). It has been published by Wizards of the Coast, later a subsidiary of Hasbro, since 1997. The game was derived from miniature wargames, with a variation of the 1971 game Chainmail serving as the initial rule system. D&D's publication is commonly recognized as the beginning of modern role-playing games and the role-playing game industry, which also deeply influenced video games, especially the role-playing video game genre.

<i>Pool of Radiance</i> 1988 video game

Pool of Radiance is a role-playing video game developed and published by Strategic Simulations, Inc (SSI) in 1988. It was the first adaptation of TSR's Advanced Dungeons & Dragons (AD&D) fantasy role-playing game for home computers, becoming the first episode in a four-part series of D&D computer adventure games. The other games in the "Gold Box" series used the game engine pioneered in Pool of Radiance, as did later D&D titles such as the Neverwinter Nights online game. Pool of Radiance takes place in the Forgotten Realms fantasy setting, with the action centered in and around the port city of Phlan.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Dave Arneson</span> American game designer (1947–2009)

David Lance Arneson was an American game designer best known for co-developing the first published role-playing game (RPG), Dungeons & Dragons, with Gary Gygax, in the early 1970s. Arneson's early work was fundamental to the role-playing game (RPG) genre, pioneering devices now considered to be archetypical, such as cooperative play to develop a storyline instead of individual competitive play to "win" and adventuring in dungeon, town, and wilderness settings as presented by a neutral judge who doubles as the voice and consciousness of all characters aside from the player characters.

<i>The Bards Tale II: The Destiny Knight</i> 1986 video game

The Bard's Tale II: The Destiny Knight is a fantasy role-playing video game created by Interplay Productions in 1986. It is the first sequel to The Bard's Tale, and the last game of the series that was designed and programmed by Michael Cranford.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Handheld electronic game</span> Device for playing interactive electronic games

Handheld electronic games are interactive electronic games, often miniaturized versions of video games, that are played on portable handheld devices, known as handheld game consoles, whose controls, display and speakers are all part of a single unit. Rather than a general-purpose screen made up of a grid of small pixels, they usually have custom displays designed to play one game. This simplicity means they can be made as small as a smartwatch, and sometimes are. The visual output of these games can range from a few small light bulbs or LED lights to calculator-like alphanumerical screens; later these were mostly displaced by liquid crystal and vacuum fluorescent display screens with detailed images and in the case of VFD games, color. Handhelds' popularity was at its peak from the late 1970s into the early 1990s before declining. They are the precursors to the handheld game console.

<i>Queen of the Demonweb Pits</i> Dungeons & Dragons adventure module

Queen of the Demonweb Pits (Q1) is an adventure module for the Dungeons & Dragons roleplaying game written by David Sutherland. The "Q" in the module code is an abbreviation for "queen". The module, a sequel to the D series of modules, was novelized in 2001.

<i>Empire of the Petal Throne</i> Fantasy roleplaying game

Empire of the Petal Throne is a fantasy role-playing game designed by M. A. R. Barker, based on his Tékumel fictional universe. It was self-published in 1974, then published by TSR, Inc. in 1975. It was one of the first tabletop role-playing games, along with Dungeons & Dragons, and was the first published RPG game setting. Over the subsequent thirty years, several new games were published based on the Tékumel setting; however, to date, none have met with commercial success. While published as fantasy, the game is sometimes classified as science fantasy or, debatably, as science fiction.

<i>Dungeons & Dragons: Tower of Doom</i> 1994 arcade game

Dungeons & Dragons: Tower of Doom, published in 1994, is the first of two arcade games created by Capcom based on the Dungeons & Dragons tabletop role-playing game and set in the Mystara campaign setting. It is a side scrolling beat 'em up with some role-playing video game elements for one to four players. The game was also released on the Sega Saturn, packaged with its sequel, Dungeons & Dragons: Shadow over Mystara, under the title Dungeons & Dragons Collection, although the Saturn version limited the gameplay to only two players. In 2013, both games were re-released for PlayStation 3, Windows, Xbox 360 and Wii U as Dungeons & Dragons: Chronicles of Mystara.

<i>Advanced Dungeons & Dragons: Treasure of Tarmin</i> 1983 video game

Advanced Dungeons & Dragons: Treasure of Tarmin is a video game for the Intellivision video game console and the Mattel Aquarius computer system. This game was a licensed Dungeons & Dragons adaptation. It is a successor game to Advanced Dungeons & Dragons: Cloudy Mountain (1982).

<i>Against the Cult of the Reptile God</i> Dungeons & Dragons adventure module

Against the Cult of the Reptile God is an adventure module for the first edition of the Advanced Dungeons & Dragons fantasy roleplaying game, set in the game's World of Greyhawk campaign setting. It is designed for novice players and gamemasters. The suggested party size is 4-7 characters of level 1-3.

<i>Advanced Dungeons & Dragons: Cloudy Mountain</i> 1982 video game

Advanced Dungeons & Dragons is an Intellivision game and was one of the first Advanced Dungeons & Dragons games to be licensed by TSR, Inc. It was later retitled to Advanced Dungeons & Dragons: Cloudy Mountain to distinguish it from the sequel, Advanced Dungeons & Dragons: Treasure of Tarmin. It is the first Intellivision cartridge to use more than 4K of ROM.

<i>To Find a King</i> Dungeons & Dragons adventure module

To Find a King is an adventure module for the first edition of the Advanced Dungeons & Dragons fantasy role-playing game. It was written by Bob Blake and published in 1985 by TSR. As part of the Competition, or C-series of modules, it contains material that was first used as a tournament adventure at Gen Con XVI. The module is designed for a party of ten characters at levels 4–7 and can be run as either a competition module or as part of a campaign.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">James M. Ward</span> American game designer and author (1951–2024)

James Michael Ward III was an American game designer and fantasy author who worked for TSR, Inc. for more than 20 years, most notably on the role-playing game Dungeons & Dragons. He wrote various books relating to Dungeons & Dragons, including guidebooks such as Deities & Demigods, and novels including Pool of Radiance, based on the computer game of the same name.

<i>Pharaoh</i> (module) Dungeons & Dragons adventure module

Pharaoh is an adventure module for the Dungeons & Dragons fantasy role-playing game. The module was published in 1982 by TSR, Inc. for the first edition Advanced Dungeons & Dragons rules. It formed the first of the three-part Desert of Desolation module series. The module was written by Tracy and Laura Hickman; Tracy Hickman would later go on to help create the Dragonlance campaign setting.

<i>Queen of the Spiders</i> Dungeons & Dragons adventure module

Queen of the Spiders is an adventure module for the Dungeons & Dragons fantasy role-playing game. It was published by TSR, Inc. in 1986 and is a compilation of seven previous related modules, often referred to as a "supermodule." Together, the seven adventures form an integrated campaign that begins in the World of Greyhawk, continues underground into the Underdark, and concludes in the Demonweb Pits, the abyssal lair of the demonic goddess Lolth. The campaign was originally intended for use with the rules from the first edition of Advanced Dungeons & Dragons.

<i>Dungeons & Dragons Basic Set</i> Boxed set for tabletop role-playing game Dungeons & Dragons

The Dungeons & Dragons Basic Set is a set of rulebooks for the Dungeons & Dragons (D&D) fantasy role-playing game. First published in 1977, it saw a handful of revisions and reprintings. The first edition was written by J. Eric Holmes based on Gary Gygax and Dave Arneson's original work. Later editions were edited by Tom Moldvay, Frank Mentzer, Troy Denning, and Doug Stewart.

<i>Dungeons & Dragons Computer Labyrinth Game</i>

The Dungeons & Dragons Computer Labyrinth Game is an electronic board game released by Mattel in 1980.

<i>Dungeons & Dragons Expert Set</i> Tabletop role-playing game supplement for Dungeons & Dragons

The Expert Set is an expansion boxed set for the Dungeons & Dragons fantasy role-playing game. It was first published in 1981 as an expansion to the Basic Set.

<i>What Is Dungeons & Dragons?</i>

What Is Dungeons & Dragons? is a book by John Butterfield, Philip Parker and David Honigmann published by Penguin Books (UK) in 1982 that gives a detailed explanation of how to play the fantasy role-playing game Dungeons & Dragons.

References

  1. "Mattel's Dungeons and Dragons". Hand Held Museum. Archived from the original on 2012-09-01. Retrieved 2009-12-23.
  2. Unknown, Unknown (23 May 2021). "The Inspiration Behind Mattel's Handheld D&D Game". PadandPixel.
  3. Stewart Alsop II (1982-02-01). "TSR Hobbies Mixes Fact and Fantasy".
  4. "Why Tsr Hobbies Is So Profitable". Inc . Retrieved 2013-04-24.
  5. Hall, Kevin (2008-03-18). "The 13 best electronic versions of Dungeons & Dragons". Dvice. Archived from the original on 2012-08-06. Retrieved 2013-04-24.
  6. Unknown, Unknown (23 May 2021). "The Inspiration Behind Mattel's Handheld D&D Game". PadandPixel.
  7. Unknown, Unknown. "What is the History of Dungeons & Dragons?". Wonderopolis.
  8. Mattel Electronic Dungeons & Dragons Computer Fantasy Game. Mattel. 1981. p. 1. Archived from the original on 2012-09-01. Retrieved 2019-12-02.
  9. Unknown, Unknown (23 May 2021). "The Inspiration Behind Mattel's Handheld D&D Game". PadandPixel.
  10. Mattel Electronic Dungeons & Dragons Computer Fantasy Game. Mattel. 1981. p. 1. Archived from the original on 2012-09-01. Retrieved 2019-12-02.
  11. Unknown, Unknown (23 May 2021). "The Inspiration Behind Mattel's Handheld D&D Game". PadandPixel.
  12. Unknown, Unknown (23 May 2021). "The Inspiration Behind Mattel's Handheld D&D Game". PadandPixel.
  13. Unknown, Unknown (23 May 2021). "The Inspiration Behind Mattel's Handheld D&D Game". PadandPixel.
  14. Alsop, Stewart. "Tsr Hobbies Mixes Fact And FantasyBusiness is a game to the managers of TSR -- and they keep winning".
  15. Worley, Joyce (June 1983). "Stand Alone Scene". Electronic Games. p. 102. Retrieved 7 January 2015.
  16. Hall, Kevin. "The 13 best electronic versions of Dungeons & Dragons". DVICE. Archived from the original on 6 August 2012.
  17. "Jeux & stratégie 18". December 1982.
  18. "Polyhedron 105".