Karoshi MSX Community

My idea is a port of the Intellivision game AD&D to msx

The game is almost an arcade, not a RPG, but there are many aspects able  to give strong emotions to the player.
The port shouldn't be "accurate" in the sense that the game inty game AD&D should be only a starting point.

The main part of the game is in dungeons; the whole intellivision game is 16Kbyte so the strength of the game is in
the AI of monsters, in the AI of  the maze generator (not stored but generated at each play) and in the game  mechanisms.

The player in the dungeon is alone and  has a bow and a limited number of arrows.
The player can walk (no noise) or run (doing foot step noise).
The player can count the remaining arrows.
The player can collect items from the ground (no auto pick up).
The player can run/walk in 8 direction and hit arrows in 8 directions independent from the movement direction
using the keyboard and joypad of the controller at the same time.


In the dungeon:

 1) the player sees only the explored part of the dungeon, the unexplored part is in the dark
 2) in the dark you can find monsters of many kind, that can run much faster than you and  depending on the kind
of monster could need many arrows to be killed
 3) the monsters see you and attack when
             a) you unveil the dark where they are and see them,
             b) you send an arrow in the dark and hit them
             c) you do noise by running (maybe because another monster is already hunting you)
 4) the player can find hints on the floor which say that a monster is close, but the hint doesn't say in which direction the monster is. Some
 kinds of very armful monsters leave no hints.
 5) in some cases the player can hear sounds from monsters laying in the dark (depending on the kind of monster)
 6) some monsters are armless (bats and spiders) but bats cover sounds from other monsters in the dark and spiders steal arrows from the your backpack
 7) in the rooms of the dungeon (usually where you have found a monster) the player can find:
             a) new arrows
             b) axes to be used outside the dungeon to pass forests
             c) boat to be used outside the dungeon to pass rivers
             d) fortress keys to be used outside the dungeon to pass fortress ports
             e) the way out from the dungeon

Outside the dungeon the game has a "strategic" part:
 1) the dungeons are caves in mountains
 2) only mountains with dungeons can be passed (going into the dungeon)
 3) between mountains there are
             a) grasslands (you can pass)
             b) forests (you need an axe)
             c) rivers (you need a boat)
             d) walls of abandoned fortresses with ports (you need a fortress key)

The goal is to go from your village to the volcano mountain (very well defended by forests, walls, rivers, and other mountains)
 In the volcano mountain there are two dragons that hold two part of a crown. You need to collect both parts and join them

 Do you like the idea?

PS
In the dungeons there is no music but only sound effects but each noise make you jump from the seat.

First of all, welcome the the forum ARTRAG! (my eyes are still turning around after read your MRC post about PSG sampling...)

Sure I like the idea!, no one has say a word about programming a RPG (or so) game. Maybe it's time to do something about that...

Some questions:

• Outside the dungeons, there're some kind of battle like in Zelda or maybe Final Fantasy?
• The dungeons are mazes generated by algorithm (hard to do if you want rooms inside) or predesigned (boring after some playing)?
• I like the idea of lightning only the player surroundings. I've think about the routine several times and never found a clever way to implement, any ideas?

I'm thinking about convert to SC2 some RPGish tiles from an old unfinished project by Wolf_. Being SC5 and SC2 there're no MSX machine uncovered then. :)

We are planning a Zelda-like action RPG. But for now, we are focused on the design stage and to build a proper engine to handle all animations, events, items, maps and the huge amount of texts. The same goes for the storyline. An RPG is a huge work...  :(

o_O

O_o

O_O?

 :D
I know, I know, maybe you're not involved in the project (called "Prophecy" IIRC); but the graphist was a friend of yours, isn't it?

I'm talking about that old one:

(http://www.telefonica.net/web2/msxpage/others/prophecy1.png)

Maybe someday, someone will finish it... ::)


Great news!; but I'm afraid that you're right, lots of work and time behind such games!. Maybe an easier approach like the suggested by artrag?

Seen those @ maggoo's page ... *I* didn't draw them for sure :P

And yes, I've quite some friends and at least a lot of nice semi-friends in the scene.. but I've no idea who made those gfx .. ^_^

Oh, my.. :-X!!

Sorry Wolf_; but I'm afraid that I've pointed to the wrong person!, you're right, it's Magoo the owner of the gfx!

I'm getting old and old, every day, every hour...  :'(

The game I mean has no RPG elemets, outside the dungeons, there is no strategic/turn of battle
the strategy consists in finding the best path for reaching the final volcano with the two dragons.
As i told yu sone mountaions has some objects, and only a given object allows you to pass a given
kind of barrier (boat/river, axe/forest,key/door etc.etc).

The maze are very cleverly generated by an alghorithm, also the "startegic map" is generated
each time you play you get a completely new game.
note that in order to reach the last mountain (the volcano) you need to pass from 5 to 8 "normal" mountains
The difficulty level (actually three) regulates
1) the speed of the monsters
2) the number of arrows you find and the frequency they occur in the dungeon

The light/dark sistem is a key element.

If you walk normally you discover/can see a monster when it is so close that you cannot kill him
without being hit. The surprise effect creates expectation and atmosphere, at each step you
ask yourself if something is going to attack you.
The clever player can "read" the hints and the clues left by monsters like footsteps or bones on te ground,
noise in the dark, and so on. The cleverer player is able to uderstand in which direction the monster is
by observing two o more clues on his path.
The monster clue system joint with the dark/light maze and monster surprise attack is the CORE of the game.

About the lightning system, the implementation can be very easy, depends on the vdp screen you want to use
 

I sure do like artrag´s idea!! I am fan of "Gateway to Aphsai", which sounds simpler than mattel´s game. Aphsai is real time rpg arcade game, where spells are used via Function keys.

(http://62.168.142.47/~lemon/covers/full/gateway_to_apshai.jpg)
(http://62.168.142.47/~lemon/games/screenshots/full/gateway_to_aphsai_01.gif)

Cover picture looks cool, looks like game is based on vector graphics.

I like "Gateway to Aphsai", I had colecovision and it was very very nice.
but...
AD&D on intellivision was more appealing, even if it had simpler graphic and sound.

The ideas are similar, the fun comes from the use of the darkness in the
"hunt / be hunted" maze exploration.

In "Gateway to Aphsai" there were swords, in AD&D only bows and arrows.
In "Gateway to Aphsai" there was some spells, in AD&D only items to be used outside the dungeons and extra arrows.

I whould poropse a merge of the two games, keeping the AD&D mazes and
monsters, adding GtA spells and items
AR

(http://intvfunhouse.com/intellivisioninc/box/dndc-100.jpg)

Some screens of the original game:

(http://intvfunhouse.com/mattel/games/dndc-01.png)

(http://www.videogamecritic.net/images/intel/advanced_dungeons_and_dragons.png)

(http://www.uvlist.com/img.asp?*intv/advanceddungeonsanddragonscartridge_intv.gif)

(http://intvfunhouse.com/mattel/games/dndc-02.png)

Maybe this one?

http://www.mobygames.com/game/intellivision/advanced-dungeons-dragons-cartridge/screenshots

Seems that they are blocking the images... :(

yes

http://www.intellivisionlives.com/bluesky/games/credits/action.html#cloudy

AD&D game description by Intellivision  ;D

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
ADVANCED DUNGEONS & DRAGONS CLOUDY MOUNTAIN Cartridge
Cartridge Instructions
(For 1 or more players)

You control a 3-man expedition of adventurers.

Your object is to acquire the two halves of the ancient Crown of
Kings, hidden deep within the caverns of the legendary Cloudy
Mountain. To reach the treasure you must cross a hostile land. The
obstacles are numerous. Your resources are courage, cunning and
three arrows. The rest you must find and fight to obtain. If you
survive the wasteland and the creatures of the caves, you will have
traveled out of danger into even greater peril. For each half of the
Crown of Kings is guarded by terror - the Winged Dragons keep their
endless watch.

ADVANCED DUNGEONS & DRAGONS Cartridge is designed to be played
by one person against the computer. Two or more can play, however,
by taking turns leading the expedition through each mountain.

CHECK YOUR CONTROLS

CONTROLS USED IN STRATEGY MAP
Move Expedition Up: [2]
Move Expedition Down: [8]
Move Expedition Left: [4]
Move Expedition Right: [6]
Move Expedition Diagonally: [1], [3], [7], [9]
Check Number of Arrows:

CONTROLS USED IN CAVES
Shoot Arrow Up: [2]
Shoot Arrow Down: [8]
Shoot Arrow Left: [4]
Shoot Arrow Right: [6]
Shoot Arrow Diagonally: [2], [3], [7], [9]
Run (in direction pressed on disc): Lower Action Keys
Pick Up Object: [CLEAR]
Count Arrows:

Exit Mountain: [ENTER]
Walk: DISC

USE OF DIRECTION DISC
Press outside edge of Disc in direction you want the man to WALK.
Hold down ANY side action button, while pressing the Disc in the
direction you want the man to RUN.

IMPORTANT: RELEASE THE DISC, SIDE BUTTONS AND ANY OTHER KEY,
BEFORE PRESSING A KEY TO SHOOT AN ARROW!

WHEN YOU SEE THE GAME TITLE, SELECT A SKILL LEVEL.
[3]: Sightseer (Easy)
[2]: Weekend Adventurer (Medium)
[1]: Soldier of Fortune (Medium Hard)
DISC: Hero (Hard)

As the skill level gets harder, monsters move faster and there are
fewer arrows in each quiver that you find (from 11 on easy level to
5 on hard level).

Only by mastering the art of monster tracking can you easily win at
the hardest level.

AFTER YOU SELECT A SKILL LEVEL, THE STRATEGY MAP APPEARS.

Your expedition is represented by 3 BLINKING SQUARES.
You start out at home. In the background you can hear the Winged
Dragons of Cloudy Mountain snoring as they wait for their next meal
to arrive.

The COLOR of Cloudy Mountain reflects the skill level of the game:
GRAY - Easy
BLUE - Medium
RED - Medium Hard
PURPLE - Hard

OBSTACLES between your expedition and Cloudy Mountain include:
BROWN MOUNTAINS - Impassable
BLACK MOUNTAINS - Contain caves that permit passage
RIVERS - Can be crossed by BOAT
FORESTS - Can be cleared by AXE
WALLS - Contain gates that can be opened by KEY

A TOOL (boat, axe or key) can be used REPEATEDLY. ONCE ACQUIRED,
it stays with you, appearing when you start to cross the
corresponding obstacle. Without the right tool, you are unable to pass
an obstacle.

BLACK MOUNTAINS contain:
Monsters and other nasty creatures
Tools needed to cross obstacles (one per cave)
Arrows needed to slay monsters
One exit

MOVE YOUR EXPEDITION OUT!
Use the ARROW keys on the keypad, to move your 3-man expedition.
As you move next to a black mountain, it changes color to reflect the
type of cave and its contents.

GRAY - EASY. Quivers of arrows only
BLUE - MEDIUM. Boat and arrows
RED - MEDIUM HARD. Axe and arrows
PURPLE - HARD. Key and arrows

ENTER THE MOUNTAIN!
Move your expedition ON TOP OF a colored mountain. Screen changes
to the CAVE SYSTEM. Only one warrior enters at a time.

There are 2 sizes of cave systems. One is 4 rooms vertically by 8
rooms horizontally. The other is 4 rooms by 4 rooms. Rooms are
different sizes and are connected by winding passages of different
sizes. A cave system is like the surface of a sphere. If you walk long
enough in any direction, you wind up back where you began.

Use the Disc to move your warrior through the cave system. Rooms
and passageways light up as the warrior moves into them, and
remain lit behind him. As a rule, you cannot see very far ahead of
the warrior, so move carefully.

ARROWS
Each warrior is armed with a bow. This is his only weapon. The group
starts with a TOTAL of 3 arrows. The warrior in the cave has all 3
arrows. Quivers of arrows must be found in the caves and picked up,
for additional ammunition.

TO PICK UP A QUIVER, move your warrior to cover it, then press the
PICK UP key [CLEAR]. To find out how many arrows you have, press
the COUNT ARROWS key

• and count the number of clicks that you

hear.

TO SHOOT AN ARROW
Press the ARROW key [1 - 4, 6 - 9] that points in the direction you
want to shoot. Arrows follow corridors and bounce off cave walls,
even in the dark. This allows you to shoot around corners. It also
allows you to shoot a monster without ever seeing it or waking it up,
once you determine where it is. Be careful! A bouncing arrow can
ricochet back and shoot your own warrior.

LOOK FOR TOOLS (BOAT, AXE, KEY)
A tool is always guarded by a dangerous monster. When you find a
tool, kill the monster. Then move your warrior to cover the tool and
press the
PICK UP key [CLEAR].

WATCH OUT FOR MONSTERS!
Different TYPES of monsters have different natures. A monster may
or may not make noise, may or may not sleep, may or may not leave
clues to its presence (tracks or bones); and may or may not kill or
wound.

A MONSTER ALWAYS BEHAVES ACCORDING TO TYPE. All bats behave
alike; all dragons behave alike, etc.

A bat, spider or rat can be killed with one shot. A dragon, demon or
snake takes two shots. Blobs are indestructible (but slow). And a
Winged Dragon takes three shots to kill. (Game Hint: In general, the
harder a monster is to kill, the more dangerous it is.)

A monster must be on screen (but not necessarily visible) to be
heard or shot. If you hit but do not kill a monster that is not visible,
it will come after you. A sleeping monster may be awakened by
shooting an arrow nearby. Watch and listen as you move through the
cave system. With practice, you will learn the unique characteristics
of each monster type.
This is critical to winning the game.

ATTACK ON A WARRIOR
A warrior can be wounded or killed by monsters or by ricocheting
arrows. The degree of a warrior's injury is indicated by his color.
Black means strong. Blue means wounded. Red means seriously hurt.
If killed, a warrior disintegrates.

If a warrior is killed, another takes his place (unless he was the last
warrior left in the party). The new man appears at the point where
the first warrior entered the cave system. He automatically gets
possession of any tools or arrows that the previous warrior had.

If all 3 warriors are killed, the game ends. The Strategy Map appears
with a tombstone on the spot where the last warrior died.

EXIT
A warrior cannot get out of a mountain the same way he got in. You
must find the exit. The SINGLE exit in each cave system is marked by
a LADDER and guarded by a dangerous monster. To get out, kill the
monster, move your warrior over the ladder, then press the EXIT key
[ENTER].

RETURN TO STRATEGY MAP
After you have fought your way through a mountain, the Strategy
Map appears. The entire expedition automatically joins your warrior
on the other side of the mountain. This mountain remains clear of
monsters, until you pass through 4 more mountains. After that,
monsters re-claim the first mountain.

When a mountain is clear, you can cross it without re-entering its
cave system. This mean you can retreat if the way ahead is blocked.
Or you can return to a mountain along the way, that you did not
enter before, to get the tool inside. You CANNOT re-enter the cave
system of a clear mountain, until it is re-claimed by monsters again.
If you need a tool contained in a mountain, get it while you are
inside that mountain the first time around.

THE LAST 4 MOUNTAINS YOU HAVE PASSED THROUGH are always
clear. However, they do not remain colored. Type information is lost
when you return to the Strategy Map, but can be regained by
backtracking.

CLOUDY MOUNTAIN
When you have fought your way to Cloudy Mountain, enter its cave
system by moving onto the mountain. Find the TWO SEPARATE
HALVES of the Crown of Kings and you win! No need to find an exit.
You are magically returned to the Strategy Map, with the Crown.

Beware! Each half of the Crown is guarded by one of the deadliest
monsters of all - the Winged Dragons!

STRATEGY TIPS
1 - Start with an Easy game, until you learn the characteristics of
different monster types. Learn which sight and sound clues go with
which monsters.
2 - Approach all the accessible black mountains, before entering any
of them, to find out which tools are in which mountains.
3 - After entering your first cave system, look for arrows before
taking on any of the really nasty monsters. 3 arrows do not last long
against dragons and snakes.
4 - Move slowly in the caves and LISTEN. Many beasts can be heard
as you approach.
5 - When you find a monster guarding a tool or exit, be prepared to
RUN in retreat, until you reach a place where you can get off a clear
shot or two.
6 - Practice bouncing arrows off cave walls, to learn how they
ricochet. The ability to shoot around corners gives you a distinct
advantage over the monsters.
7 - Learn to find and shoot monsters in the dark. Remember that
arrows follow corridors and bounce off walls in the dark. Only by
shooting dangerous monsters from a safe distance, can your warrior
avoid being eaten, especially on the harder levels.
--------------
©1982, 1998 Intellivision Productions Inc.

Overview
The aim of ADVANCED DUNGEONS & DRAGONS Cartridge is to lead a warrior across the overworld map to Cloudy Mountain and recover the Crown of Kings. Along the way, players will need to enter caves and find their way around the maze-like interiors, fighting monsters and hopefully finding useful items and extra arrows along the way. There are four selectable difficulties of play in AD&D Cartridge, reflected by the color of the large Cloudy Mountain. Grey is the easiest, while purple is the most difficult.

ADVANCED DUNGEONS & DRAGONS Cartridge was later known as ADVANCED DUNGEONS & DRAGONS CLOUDY MOUNTAIN Cartridge, to discern itself from future AD&D titles such as ADVANCED DUNGEONS & DRAGONS TREASURE OF TARMIN Cartridge. Despite the innate silliness nowadays, the completely capitalized game titles and the world "cartridge" were required in the licensing agreement.

Since AD&D CLOUDY MOUNTAIN Cartridge binds its weapon fire to the controller's keypad and movement to the controller's disc, it is one of the few games for the Intellivision that experiences the glitch of being unable to use the keypad and disc input at the same time. This means that a player cannot run and fire arrows at the same time on a single controller, and must stop movement to fire. However, if the player uses both of the system controllers at the same time, one for the disc and movement, and the other for the keypad and firing, this glitch can be overcome (albeit in an awkward manner).

The World
ADVANCED DUNGEONS & DRAGONS CLOUDY MOUNTAIN Cartridge is split between two segments -- navigating towards Cloudy Mountain on the overworld map and searching for items in caves.

In either segment, pressing the inventory button (the zero key on the controller) will emit a series of clicks, one for each arrow the warriors hold (or in the case of no arrows, no sound will emit at all).

Overworld

Players start out at a house on the overworld map, located on the far left side of the screen. The three warriors hold three arrows, and are symbolized by three dots; if a warrior dies, the dots will accurately decrease by one to reflect the new party size. If all three warriors die, a tombstone will display at the cave they died in.

From here, warriors can use the controller keypad to move in any direction, including diagonals, with the intent of reaching Cloudy Mountain on the far right side of the screen. Brown mountains prohibit travel, and can never be crossed. In addition, rivers, forests, and gated fences cannot be crossed until players find appropriate items to bypass these obstacles. Black caves contain cave mazes, and will change color when the warrior are within on step of them. Grey is the easiest difficulty of cave, blue is medium difficulty, red is high difficulty, and purple is considered an extremely high difficulty.

Once a player steps onto a black mountain, the overworld map freezes, and the warriors are taken into the cave.

Caves

One warrior at a time, players navigate the cave, revealing new passages as they move along. Arrows are fired in one of eight directions by using the controller keypad much like navigating the overview map. Walking around the cave is accomplished with the controller's disc. Monsters in unrevealed portions of caves are usually asleep, although firing an arrow into an unrevealed room will often awaken any sleeping monsters within. The main goal is to get a warrior to the cave exit, which is a green ladder often guarded by a monster. If one warrior is killed, he vanishes in a whirlwind of smoke and another warrior enters the cave. Along the way, helpful items may be discovered, and various enemies will be encountered.

Enemies
All enemies are encountered within caves. The danger discussed therein assumes the hardest difficulty of play; for this reason, all enemies will be slower and less threatening than described if encountered on easier difficulties.

Blobs
Blobs are extremely slow piles of purple goo. They are always visible in a cave (even in hidden sections), and can be easily outrun. However, blobs can instantly kill a warrior upon contact, so care must be taken not to be cornered by one.

Bats
Bats can be heard on-screen as flapping wings before they're actually visible, and are almost entirely harmless. They do not damage the warriors, and appear to have no other side effects beyond being a nuisance. Bats take one arrow to kill.

Spiders
While almost entirely silent, spiders steal arrows upon touching the warrior. While otherwise harmless, they should be killed quickly to prevent a deficit of arrows in crucial monster battles. Spiders are killed with a single arrow.

Rats
Despite their size, rats can be problematic if not dealt with quickly. They make a squeaking sound once awakened, and will bite and cause moderate damage to the warriors upon contact. Rats take one arrow to kill.

Dragons
Dragons look like purple lizard men, and will roar and charge the player once awakened. They are reasonably dangerous and hard to evade, so killing them quickly with two arrows is advised.

Demons
Demons are blue and quite fast once awakened. They take two arrows to kill.

Snakes
Snakes are colored red, and move about partially coiled. They may make a slithering sound when hidden on-screen. Once visible, snakes make a hissing sound and charge the warrior quickly upon sight. Snakes do moderate damage and take two arrows to kill.

Winged Dragons
Two purple winged dragons guard the pieces of the Crown of Kings, and can be heard snoring when nearby. They are extremely swift and dangerous, and take three arrows to kill.

Items
Items are usually guarded by monsters, and vary depending on the cave's difficulty. All caves contain arrows.

Quiver of Arrows
Quivers contain more arrows for monster fighting or ricocheting against walls for fun. The number of arrows a quiver contains varies, and could be as high as ten or so arrows.

Boat
Holding a boat will allow the warriors to travel across river squares on the overworld map. Boats are found in blue caves.

Axe
Having an axe allows warriors to move across forest squares on the overworld map. Axes are found in red caves.

Key
Holding a key allows warriors to cross the locked fences on the overworld map. Keys are in purple caves.

Crown of Kings
Divided into two pieces, each guarded by a Winged Dragon, the Crown of Kings is necessary to complete the game. It is only found in Cloudy Mountain. Upon grabbing both pieces, a dramatic bass sound is heard, and the overview map appears with the full crown appearing outside Cloudy Mountain.