Dragon Wars is a fantasy role-playing video game developed by Rebecca Heineman , published by Interplay Productions in 1989, and distributed by Activision .
39-401: The player starts the game with a party of four characters, who can be either the default characters or ones created by the player. Alternatively, the player may import characters from The Bard's Tale trilogy into Dragon Wars . During the game, the seven character slots can be filled with any combination of the starting characters, recruited characters, and summoned creatures. The story from
78-433: A formula or a table that maps one or more predetermined statistics to a specific choice for another. The decision may be made by the game master prior to character creation. Some games and campaign settings offer pre-generated character options for beginners or players who prefer to start playing more quickly. Random choices are made by rolling dice and either using the result directly or looking it up in
117-415: A gamemaster refereeing tabletop role-playing games . The player character functions as a fictional, alternate body for the player controlling the character. Video games typically have one player character for each person playing the game. Some games, such as multiplayer online battle arena , hero shooter , and fighting games , offer a group of player characters for the player to choose from, allowing
156-406: A playable character or PC ) is a fictional character in a video game or tabletop role-playing game whose actions are controlled by a player rather than the rules of the game. The characters that are not controlled by a player are called non-player characters (NPCs). The actions of non-player characters are typically handled by the game itself in video games, or according to rules followed by
195-408: A broad category of action games, referring to a variety of games that are driven by the physical actions of player characters. The term dates back to the golden age of arcade video games in the early 1980s, when the terms "action games" and "character games" began being used to distinguish a new emerging genre of character-driven action games from the space shoot 'em ups that had previously dominated
234-706: A category. Usually, there is an upper and lower limit for each score. Additional constraints may apply, depending on the game system. Examples for systems that use point distribution to determine statistics are the Hero System (including its predecessor Champions ), GURPS , the World of Darkness series, and the Amber Diceless Roleplaying Game with its unusual auction system. Some Dungeons & Dragons editions also have an optional point buy method for determining ability scores. As used for example in
273-419: A cesspool called Purgatory. Magic is your only salvation - a worldly possession in a world possessed. During the initial design process for Bard's Tale III: Thief of Fate , one of the designers came up with a list of enhancements and improvements for the game. With the possibility that Interplay would soon be parting ways with Electronic Arts , it was decided to save these for a future game and stick closer to
312-404: A fantasy setting may include traits such as race , class , or species . Character creation is the first step taken by the players (as opposed to the gamemaster ) in preparation for a game. Character advancement refers to the improvement of a character's statistics later in the game. The player modifies existing statistics and adds new traits, usually by spending experience points or gaining
351-552: A few attributes with an assigned value each, but a large number of customizable skills . Here are some examples of different methods: Some creation systems use a mix of point-distribution and random generation; most common among these are variant rules that allow, for instance, the alteration of the initially random stats by taking a reduction of one trait in order to increase another. Another form of adjustment are racial or occupational ("class") modifiers. In many games, certain statistics are slightly increased or decreased depending on
390-488: A larger number of player characters to choose from, with some basic moves available to all or most characters and some unique moves only available to one or a few characters. Having many distinctive characters to play as and against, all possessing different moves and abilities, is necessary to create a larger gameplay variety in such games. Similarly to MOBAs, hero shooters emphasize pre-designed "hero" characters with distinctive abilities and weapons that are not available to
429-406: A new experience level . Character advancement typically uses similar rules as character creation. Changes during character advancement are incremental. The process of creating a character requires making decisions about the character's attributes and skills. Each game includes its own procedures for making these decisions. The decision may be predetermined by the rules. This may be according to
SECTION 10
#1733084938166468-533: A new title and setting were needed for the game. It was derived in part from the Sumerian legends of Gilgamesh , with the chief villain of the game being named Namtar . Since to this point the game didn't feature any dragons, the new title meant that Heineman had to add one. Interplay advertisements displayed the slogan "Bard's Tale Fans Rejoice!" above the game's name, and mentioned Dragon Wars ' ability to import Bard's Tale characters. The designers all felt it
507-426: A particular occupation or dramatic role. For instance, a thief should know how to move quietly, pick locks, disarm traps, and climb walls. In some games, these templates are only an optional character creation aid that has no prescribed effect on the rest of the game. They can be flexibly modified according to the game's character creation rules or ignored altogether. This is generally the case in games that try to give
546-654: A player character is more properly an avatar as the player character's name and image typically have little bearing on the game itself. Avatars are also commonly seen in casino game simulations. In many video games, and especially first-person shooters , the player character is a "blank slate" without any notable characteristics or even backstory . Pac-Man , Crono from Chrono Trigger , Link from The Legend of Zelda , Chell from Portal , and Claude from Grand Theft Auto III are examples of such characters. These characters are generally silent protagonists . Some games will go even further, never showing or naming
585-413: A player typically creates or takes on the identity of a character that may have nothing in common with the player. The character is often of a certain (usually fictional) race and class (such as zombie , berserker , rifleman , elf , or cleric ), each with strengths and weaknesses. The attributes of the characters (such as magic and fighting ability) are given as numerical values which can be increased as
624-417: A race's "point cost", while in other systems, it is up to the race's designer to balance different races against each other (if this is desired). To speed up and simplify the character creation process, many games use character templates . These are sample characters representing genre -typical archetypes . Templates can be completely ready-made or only define the statistics necessary for a character to fill
663-685: A side-scrolling playfield. Examples include beat 'em ups like Kung-Fu Master and Double Dragon , ninja action games like The Legend of Kage and Shinobi , scrolling platformers like Super Mario Bros. and Sonic the Hedgehog , and run and gun shooters like Rolling Thunder and Gunstar Heroes . "Character action games" is also a term used for 3D hack and slash games modelled after Devil May Cry , which represent an evolution of arcade character action games. Other examples of this sub-genre include Ninja Gaiden , God of War , and Bayonetta . Fighting games typically have
702-476: A standard slicer/dicer". According to Heineman, the game sold well but two things were against it: the game being a blobber RPG and not being able to use The Bard's Tale name. The game eventually broke even . The game was later included in the Interplay's 10 Year Anthology Classic Collection released in 1993. Character creation Character creation (also character generation / character design )
741-443: A table, depending on the decision that is to be made. A random generation system allows the full range of values to be generated for each statistic, leading to diversity among newly generated characters. However, players have little control over the scores. For example, in some editions of Dungeons & Dragons the player rolls 4d6 and adds the highest three numbers to generate an ability score (attribute value) from 3 to 18. In
780-557: Is being given a mission briefing or debriefing; the player is usually addressed as "general", "commander", or another military rank. In gaming culture, such a character was called Ageless, Faceless, Gender-Neutral, Culturally Ambiguous Adventure Person, abbreviated as AFGNCAAP; a term that originated in Zork: Grand Inquisitor where it is used satirically to refer to the player. Character action games (also called character-driven games, character games or just action games) are
819-515: Is the process of defining a player character in a role-playing game. The result of character creation is a direct characterization that is recorded on a character sheet . This may include a representation of the character's physical, mental, psychological, and social attributes and skills in terms of the specific game's mechanics . It may also include informal descriptions of the character's physical appearance , personality , personal back-story ("background"), and possessions . Games with
SECTION 20
#1733084938166858-526: The Traveller , Empire of the Petal Throne and Harnmaster RPGs or some cRPGs such as Mount & Blade and Darklands , this technique models a character's life prior to becoming an active adventurer. The player chooses family origin then makes further decisions at specific life "checkpoints" such as early education, young adulthood, or "tours of duty" in various careers. Each stage applies modifiers and gives
897-465: The arcades in the late 1970s. Classic examples of character action games from that period include maze games like Pac-Man , platformers like Donkey Kong , and Frogger . Side-scrolling character action games (also called "side-scrolling action games" or "side-scrollers") are a broad category of character action games that were popular from the mid-1980s to the 1990s, which involve player characters defeating large groups of weaker enemies along
936-451: The back of the original box states: The designers of the Bard's Tale series, Wasteland , and Battle Chess pooled their talents to create the ultimate role-playing fantasy. They knew it had to be a first-rate story with sophisticated graphics. The result was Dragon Wars . Sailing across uncharted seas, you and your party are in search of a legendary paradise called Dilmun — a place where
975-492: The character the opportunity to develop skills, advantages, and possessions, or to suffer setbacks and disadvantages. In some cases, a player may run through repeated career cycles to sacrifice character youth for additional skills, experience and material advancement. Levels of randomization and player agency vary depending on the specific system. Determining numerical values comprises several steps that are not always distinct: Example: In Castle Falkenstein , abilities are
1014-529: The character's race and sometimes profession. In Dungeons & Dragons , for example, non-human races typically increase one ability score by two (on a scale of 3 to 18) while another is lowered by the same amount. In Stormbringer 3 rd edition, nearly all nationalities (subraces) cause adjustments of some or all attribute scores by an amount that is usually randomly determined and has a range of up to two-thirds of an attribute's initial value. In point-distribution systems, these modifiers generally contribute to
1053-535: The first editions of the Stormbringer role playing game, the character's race and class both are determined by rolling 1d100 and looking up the result in the appropriate table. The player makes decisions within defined restrictions. These restrictions may allow players to distribute a number of character points among various statistics. In a point distribution system, higher scores cost more points per level than lower ones, and costs may vary between statistics within
1092-511: The game 5 out of 5 stars. Scorpia gave the game a positive review in Computer Gaming World in 1989, noting improvements over the Bard's Tale series, saying that "tighter design, attention to detail, balanced combat, and a carefully constructed plotline all combine to produce a CRPG well worth playing". In 1993 she wrote that the game was "a good choice when you want something a bit more than
1131-556: The game play style different. Characters can learn new abilities or augment existing ones over the course of a match by collecting experience points. Choosing a character who complements the player's teammates and counters their opponents opens up a strategy before the beginning of the match itself. Playable characters blend a variety of fantasy tropes, featuring numerous references to popular culture and mythology . In both tabletop role playing games such as Dungeons & Dragons and role-playing video games such as Final Fantasy ,
1170-413: The gamer progresses and gains rank and experience points through accomplishing goals or fighting enemies. In many sports games , player characters are often modelled after real-life athletes , as opposed to fictional characters. This is particularly the case for sports simulation games , whereas many arcade-style sports games often have fictional characters instead. A secret or unlockable character
1209-401: The only type of statistic. Each player gets the same pre-defined set of scores (1a) and can freely choose (1b) which abilities to assign them to (2). In addition, higher scores can be bought by balancing them with a number of low scores (3). Games that don't use point distribution to determine all statistic values use different methods for different types of statistic. For instance, there may be
Dragon Wars - Misplaced Pages Continue
1248-456: The original engine , though the auto-mapping feature did make it into Bard's Tale III . These design improvements came in this next game, Dragon Wars . In essence, the game was a fusion of Bard's Tale and design philosophy pioneered in Wasteland . Until a month before release, the game was developed as Bard's Tale IV , but the rights to the title were still held by Electronic Arts; thus,
1287-420: The other characters. Hero shooters strongly encourage teamwork between players on a team, guiding players to select effective combinations of hero characters and coordinate the use of hero abilities during a match. Multiplayer online battle arena games offer a large group of viable player characters for the player to choose from, each of which having distinctive abilities, strengths, and weaknesses to make
1326-512: The player as much control over the character creation process as possible. (Examples are Shadowrun or GURPS .) Other games use templates as a mandatory tool to provide direction and limitations to character creation and development. This character class concept was introduced by Dungeons & Dragons. It is now used in all d20 System games and has been adopted by many others, such as Palladium Books ' Megaversal system . Player character A player character (also known as
1365-445: The player character at all. This is somewhat common in first-person videogames, such as in Myst , but is more often done in strategy video games such as Dune 2000 , Emperor: Battle for Dune , and Command & Conquer series. In such games, the only real indication that the player has a character (instead of an omnipresent status), is from the cutscenes during which the character
1404-547: The player to control one of them at a time. Where more than one player character is available, the characters may have distinctive abilities and differing styles of play. A player character may sometimes be based on a real person, especially in sports games that use the names and likenesses of real athletes. Historical figures and leaders may sometimes appear as characters too, particularly in strategy or empire building games such as in Sid Meier 's Civilization series. Such
1443-570: The printed material. The game is very difficult to play without references to the paragraphs, and many parts become meaningless. This form of security was widely used at the time. A sequel, Dragon Wars 2 , was in the concept stage of development around the mid-1990s but was cancelled because of the original's tepid sales figures and RPGs being out of style at the time. Dragon Wars was reviewed in 1989 in Dragon #152 by Hartley, Patricia, and Kirk Lesser in "The Role of Computers" column. The reviewers gave
1482-513: The streets are paved with gold and no one wants for anything. However, King Drake of Phoebus has declared all magic illegal - magickers have been slain or fled into exile. In retaliation, enemy islands have threatened to unleash their guardian dragons, the most destructive force in the world. While docked at a harbor in Dilmun, you are arrested on suspicion of spellcasting. Imprisoned and stripped of everything but your wits, you are sentenced to life in
1521-441: Was a better game than Bard's Tale III , and indeed, better than any of the Bard's Tale series, but without the tie-in to the old title and without Electronic Arts' marketing muscle, the game did not fare as well. To defend against pirated copies of the game, Dragon Wars included a collection of numbered paragraphs within their manual. Players would receive an in-game message (i.e. "Read paragraph 23"), and have to refer back to
#165834