Dark Sun PC Games IBM PC MS-DOS 1993-94 SSI

Dark Sun Games PC

Strategic Simulations' Dark Sun games are cRPGs released in 1993 and 1994 for IBM PC MS-DOS.

Specifications for Dark Sun Games

The two Dark Sun games share the following specifications:

• 256-color VGA 320x200 display
• Icon-driven mouse control
• AD&D 2nd Edition ruleset implementation
• TSR's Dark Sun Campaign Setting of 1991 (Athas) 
• Tile-rigged area design
• Bird's-eye perspective
• Sprite-based objects and actors
• 320x200 (full-screen active drawspace)
• No separate flip-screen cRPG exploration (a good thing)
• Installation to HDD via diskettes

Dark Sun Shattered Lands 1993

Strategic Simulations released Dark Sun: Shattered Lands for IBM PC MS-DOS 5.0 in 1993. Dark Sun Shattered Lands is set in TSR's AD&D 2nd Edition Dark Sun Campaign Setting of 1991.

Dark Sun Shattered Lands is a good cRPG with a decent mouse-driven GUI, but its perspective and turn-based combat system are rough around the edges. In addition, there is no battlefield grid, no marquee selection, not enough feedback and the playfield is not isometric. Overall, 6½/10.

Dark Sun: Shattered Lands requires at minimum an i80386-33MHz CPU, 620,000 bytes of free conventional RAM and 1 meg of EMS/XMS RAM (2 megs of RAM). A VGA graphics card is also required.

Dark Sun: Shattered Lands was distributed on 5x 3.5" 1.44MB HD diskettes and extracts and installs to hard disk drive via Installer for Dark Sun: Shattered Lands, which employs Robert J. Jung's DearJ 2.30 rev.1859. The install size is 15 megs.

Dark Sun: Shattered Lands audio supports Roland SCC-1 or LAPC-1 MT-32 MPU 401 for music and Gravis, Aria, Sound Blaster, Sound Blaster Pro I-III, Media Vision PAS / Thunder Board or AdLib Gold for digital sound effects.

Dark Sun: Shattered Lands was lead-programmed by Russ Brown and lead-drawn by Maurie Manning. Dark Sun: Shattered Lands audio was composed by Cooksey and The Fatman.

Dark Sun Games Feature List

• Create a party consisting of up to four characters
• 6x Ability Scores: Strength, Dexterity, Constitution, Intelligence, Wisdom, Charisma
• 5x AD&D-stock Races: Human, Dwarf, Elf, Half-elf, Halfling
• 3x Dark Sun Races: Half-giant, Mul (Half-dwarf), Thri-kreen [1]
• Mul are male-only; Thri-kreen female only
• 5x AD&D-stock Classes: Cleric, Druid, Fighter, Ranger, Thief
• 3x Dark Sun Classes: Gladiator, Preserver, Psionicist
• Class omissions: Bard, Defiler, Templar
  
• Dark Sun characters start at 3rd level
• 3x Psi Disciplines: Psychokinesis, Psychometabolism, Telepathy
• 4x Clerical Spheres: Air, Earth, Fire, Water
• 44x unique monsters (denizens of the desert)
• Dual-classing and Double & Triple Multi-classing
• Alignment, Hit points, Experience Points (XP), Levels / Training
• Melee & Ranged Combat, Backstabbing
• Psionics and Arcane & Divine spellcasting
• Armor Class, THAC0, Damage, Saving Throws
• Spells have range, area and duration stats
• Commands: Walk, Attack, Look, Talk, Use, Pick Up
• Camping (to rest and regain spells and psionic strength points)

[1] Thri-kreen are carnivorous insectmen aka mantis warriors that predate Dark Sun CS of 1991 via the AD&D Monster Manual II of 1983.

• Dark Sun: Shattered Lands Manual aka Rule Book: 92 pages
• Dark Sun: Shattered Lands Clue Book: 126 pages
• Dark Sun copy protection: In-game check

Dark Sun: Wake of the Ravager 1994

Sequel to Shattered Lands, Strategic Simulations released Dark Sun: Wake of the Ravager for IBM PC MS-DOS 5.0 in 1994. However, Wake of the Ravager made no notable improvements over its predecessor, which was exceedingly disappointing in 1994. This is just more of the same: poor perspective and poor combat controls. Overall, 4½/10.

Dark Sun: Wake of the Ravager requires at minimum an i80386-33MHz CPU, 620,000 bytes of free conventional RAM and 2 megs of EMS/XMS RAM (4 megs of RAM). A VGA graphics card is also required.

 

Dark Sun: Wake of the Ravager was distributed on 7x 3.5" 1.44MB HD diskettes and extracts and installs to hard disk drive via Installer for Dark Sun: Wake of the Ravager, which employs Robert J. Jung's DearJ 2.30 rev.1859. The install size is 16 megs. Dark Sun: Wake of the Ravager was also distributed on 1x CD-ROM.

• Dark Sun: Wake of the Ravager Manual aka Rule Book: 77 pages
• Dark Sun: Wake of the Ravager Clue Book: 125 pages

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