Dungeon Master Original Version
FTL Games released the original version of Dungeon Master for the Atari ST on December 15 of 1987. Dungeon Master is technically notable for its icon-driven interface, mouse-driven control and rapid flip-screen updating of a 224x136 drawspace. Dungeon Master is also notable for its high-quality graphics, atmospheric sound effects and resource management.
Dungeon Master is correctly referred to as a flip-screen cRPG or dungeon-crawler.
Dungeon Master updates pre-drawn static screens that players "flip through" by clicking directional icons. Sprite-scaled objects and actors appear in the dungeon; the actors move about and fight the player's four-person party in real-time. In addition, players can interact directly with the environment. For example, in order to solve puzzles and progress players pick up and put down objects, flick switches, insert keys into locks, stand on pressure plates, put items on pressure plates, drink from fountains, refill bottles at fountains, bash down doors and so on. The mouse-cursor seamlessly transitions from icon cluster to the active drawspace.
The player chooses four champions from a pool of 24 in the Hall of Heroes. Champions can be reincarnated or resurrected. Each champion is constituted by 11 stats. Champions can cast spells and attack in melee or from range. Champions learn by doing: by attacking and casting spells they eventually level up, which means their stats and specializations(s) increase.
Actions such as movements, attacks and spellcasting are executed in real-time, with each attack having a "cooldown" dependent on the action. Clicking the attack icon switches the icon to a menu consisting of attack-types based on the weapon wielded. Expending mana, spells are cast by clicking on symbols in the correct order. Healing potions and antidotes can be concocted by casting a spell onto an empty flask. Champions must also eat food and drink water to survive. Resting is used to recover health, mana and stamina.
As for resource management, in addition to eating food and drinking water, spells and torches can be used as light-sources; and there are intensities of light -- from brightly lit to all but pitch-black darkness.
Sound plays an important part in DM. In addition to stock-standard combat sound effects one can hear clanking old iron gates as well as mummies shambling around in the darkness.
Dungeon Master was designed by Doug Bell, Mike Newton and Dennis Walker; its graphics were drawn and animated by Andy Jaros; its audio composed by Wayne Holder.
Dungeon Master requires an Atari 520 ST with 512kB RAM. Distributed on 1x 3.5" 360kB single-sided diskette, Dungeon Master was infamous for its long load-times due to its heavily-packed data-files. Dungeon Master displays in 16-color 320x200.
The 1988 Amiga version of Dungeon Master requires 1 meg of RAM. The Amiga version has faster load-times, a smoother framerate and features 512kB of extra audio samples.
Dungeon Master and its sequel, Chaos Strikes Back of 1989, were the best flip-screen cRPGs until the advent of Captive of 1990.
Dungeon Master IBM PC 1992
FTL Games and Software Heaven ported Dungeon Master to IBM PC MS-DOS 3.3 in 1992.
Yes, IBM PC Dungeon Master came out five years after the original Atari ST version and is therefore historically irrelevant, but nevertheless IBM PC Dungeon Master was the fastest version to play from 1992 onwards, assuming a decent Intel CPU. In addition, IBM PC Dungeon Master includes intro music and an outro.
IBM PC Dungeon Master displays in 16-color EGA 320x200 or 16-color VGA 320x200. IBM PC Dungeon Master audio supports PC Speaker, FTL Sound Adapter, Tandy 1000 TL/TS Sound, Disney Sound Source, Sound Blaster and AdLib.
The IBM PC version of Dungeon Master was distributed on 1x 3.5" 1.44 MB HD diskette or 2x 5.25" 1.22MB HD floppy disks and installs to hard disk drive via Dungeon Master Installer with an install size of 1,205,591 bytes or 1 meg (16 files).
cf. Dungeon Master games:
cRPG Indexes:
- Amiga Games Reviews (Index to all Amiga game reviews)
- Computer Game Reviews (Index to all computer game reviews)
- Flip-screen cRPGs
- cRPG List
- History of Computer Games (Master Index)
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