Software:Telengard

From HandWiki

Telengard is a 1982 role-playing dungeon crawler video game developed by Daniel Lawrence and published by Avalon Hill. The player explores a dungeon, fights monsters with magic, and avoids traps in real-time without any set mission other than surviving. Lawrence first wrote the game as DND, a 1976 version of Dungeons & Dragons for the DECsystem-10 mainframe computer. He continued to develop DND at Purdue University as a hobby, rewrote the game for the PET 2001 after 1978, and ported it to Apple II+, TRS-80, and Atari 8-bit computers before Avalon Hill found the game at a convention and licensed it for distribution. Its Commodore 64 release was the most popular. Reviewers noted Telengard's similarity to Dungeons and Dragons. RPG historian Shannon Appelcline noted the game as one of the first professionally produced computer role-playing games, and Gamasutra's Barton considered Telengard consequential in what he deemed "The Silver Age" of computer role-playing games preceding the golden age of the late 1980s. Some of the game's dungeon features, such as altars, fountains, teleportation cubes, and thrones, were adopted by later games such as Tunnels of Doom (1982).

Gameplay

A player navigates the dungeon in the IBM version.

In Telengard, the player travels alone through a dungeon fraught with monsters, traps, and treasures in a manner similar to the original Dungeons & Dragons.[1] The game has 50 levels with two million rooms, 20 monster types, and 36 spells.[lower-alpha 1] It has no missions or quests, and its only objective is to survive and improve the player character.[3] The game is set in real-time and cannot be paused,[3] so the player must visit an inn to save game progress. In the early releases such as Apple II, the game world has no sound and is represented by ASCII characters, such as slashes for stairs and dollar signs for treasure.[1] Unless the player enters a special cheat code, progress is lost upon dying.[1]

The single-player adventure begins by personalizing a player character. Each character has randomly generated values for their statistical character attributes: charisma, constitution, dexterity, intelligence, strength, and wisdom.[lower-alpha 2] The algorithm never changes, but the player can randomize repeatedly for new character attribute distributions until satisfied. The player begins with a sword, armor, shield, and no money, and can only see the immediate surroundings, rather than the whole level.[5]

Monsters spawn randomly, and players have three options in battle: fight, use magic, or evade. Magic includes combative missiles, fireballs, lightning bolts, turning the undead, health regeneration, and trap navigation. The effects of the game's most complex spells are not outlined in the instruction manual and must be learned by trial and error. Like the game, the battle events are carried out in real-time instead of in turns.[6] Enemies increase in difficulty as the player progresses through the dungeon.[1] They include both living and undead monsters such as elves, dragons, mummies, and wraiths. Defeating enemies awards experience points, which accrete to raise the player's experience level and increase player stats.[4] The player is rewarded with treasures that include magical weapons, armor items, and potions. Players can code their own features into the game.[6]

Development

While a computer science student at Purdue University, Daniel Lawrence wrote several games for the university's PDP-11 RSTS/E mainframe computer, and one grew into Telengard.[7] In his 1976/77 college summer breaks at home, he worked at BOCES in Spencerport, New York, where he wrote a dungeon crawl game called DND in the BASIC programming language for the DECsystem-10's TOPS-10 operating system.[8][9] He had been influenced by the pen and paper role-playing game Dungeons & Dragons.[10] At college, he ported the game to Purdue's PDP-11 RSTS/E.[8][lower-alpha 3] The game's mechanics grew from conversations at the Purdue engineering building. Part of its real-time nature descended from the need to not have players monopolize the few shared computer terminals.[10]

In 1978, Lawrence purchased the PET 2001 and no longer needed the university's computer, though the microcomputer's lack of memory was his primary design obstacle.[10] He rewrote DND as Telengard within eight kilobytes of memory[8] and designed the dungeon to be procedurally generated based on the player-character's position so the maps would not have to be stored in memory. The final version almost completely used 32 kilobytes of memory. It was easily ported to the Apple II+ and TRS-80 platforms due to their similar usage of the 8K BASIC programming language. The port to Atari 8-bit computers required more complicated handling of string variables.[8] Movement is not by WASD keys (S is stay and X is south), perhaps the first video game to use them.[11]

The three ports were finished before Avalon Hill saw the game at a gaming convention and licensed it in 1982 as one of its first computer games.[10] The IBM PC port required a rewrite into the C programming language; the source code for this version was later lost.[8] The Heath/Zenith CP/M version requires MBASIC.[12] The VIC-20 version requires 24K memory expansion.[11] The Commodore 64 port was the most popular.[3]

Matt Barton of Gamasutra reported that Lawrence's DND (and consequently, his Telengard) was directly inspired by Whisenhunt and Wood's dnd for PLATO, with its randomized dungeons and minimalist graphics,[3] though Lawrence recalled in an interview that he had not seen or known of their game.[10] Computer Gaming World's Scorpia wrote that Telengard was based on the earlier, public domain software Castle Telengard.[13]

The game's BASIC source code was available, so ports and remasters were made by the fan community.[14][15][16]

Reception and legacy

Norman Banduch provided an early review for Telengard in the December 1982 issue of The Space Gamer,[17] saying that "Telengard could have been a good game, but is marred by poor programming and lack of polish. If you don't want to rewrite it yourself, wait for the second edition".[17]

Troy Christensen reviewed Telengard for Different Worlds magazine and stated that "Telengard is one of the finest computer games around today, it is inexpensive, full of excitement and it has the ability to intrigue both the inexperienced and experienced alike. Telengard reminds me of a mixture of adventure games like Dungeons & Dragons, RuneQuest, and the boardgame Dungeon. I would strongly recommend this game to anyone who has a Commodore 64 and who enjoys adventure gaming. I don't think anyone will find this game disappointing or boring."[18]

RPG historian Shannon Appelcline identifies Telengard as one of the first professionally produced computer role-playing games.[9] Gamasutra's Barton described the game as a "pure dungeon crawler" for its lack of diversions, and noted its expansive dungeons as a "key selling point".[3] AllGame's Earl Green remarked that the game's mechanics were very similar in practice to Dungeons & Dragons,[1] The Commodore 64 Home Companion described it to have Dungeons-and-Dragons style,[19] Computer Gaming World's Dick McGrath also said the game "borrowed heavily" from the original such that he expected its creators to be thanked in the end credits,[5] and Scorpia cited four specific similarities with Dungeons & Dragons.[20]

Green described the game as "exceedingly simple ... yet very addictive" and rated it four of five stars.[1] McGrath wrote that he wanted to have more control over his money, and added that a store for purchasing upgrades would have been useful. He thought that games such as Dunjonquest and Maces and Magic handled this aspect better. McGrath suggested that the player draw their own map in the absence of an overview mapping system.[5] He said that his appreciation for the game grew with time and that it had the necessary hook to make him continually return and play again.[6] Tony Roberts of Compute! considered the Commodore 64 version of the game best for its enhanced graphics.[4] The Commodore 64 Home Companion agreed, stating that it "has some fine sprite graphics and sound effects not found in other versions of the game".[19] Scorpia in 1993 stated that while Telengard was "interesting for its time, the game would be pretty dated today" compared to the Gold Box games; "back then, however, it was hot stuff, and a fun way of passing the time".[20]

Barton of Gamasutra placed Telengard alongside Wizardry and the early Ultima series in what he deemed "The Silver Age" of computer role-playing games that preceded the golden age of the late 1980s.[3] Yet in 1992, Computer Gaming World's Gerald Graef wrote that Telengard and Temple of Apshai were "quickly overshadowed" by the Wizardry and Ultima series.[21][lower-alpha 4] Some of the game's dungeon features, such as altars, fountains, teleportation cubes, and thrones, were adopted by later games such as Tunnels of Doom (1982), and Sword of Fargoal (1982) has similar features. Barton wrote in 2007 that Telengard "still enjoys considerable appreciation today" and questioned whether the Diablo series was "but an updated Telengard".[3]

Notes

  1. ↑ The game's program allows an exception to go below level 50, with a gamer in 2021 reaching level 9,949 before being defeated by a level 27940 Ogre.[2]
  2. ↑ Charisma changes how enemies respond to the player's presence. Constitution determines the degree of damage taken in battle. Dexterity is a measure of ability to evade when in battle. Intelligence affects magical spell ability. Strength affects combat ability. Wisdom lets the player use healing and undead spells.[4]
  3. ↑ He was later asked by Digital Equipment Corporation to port DND to DECsystem-20.[8]
  4. ↑ Computer Gaming World's Roy Wagner wrote that Telengard and Temple of Apshai were "very similar".[22]

References

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 1.5 Green, Earl. "Telengard – Overview". AllGame. All Media Network. http://www.allgame.com/game.php?id=38765. 
  2. ↑ Igor Takes a Bride (December 3, 2021). "Telengard World Record Challenge!". Youtube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=64mslYI1P0c. 
  3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3 3.4 3.5 3.6 Barton, Matt (February 23, 2007). "The History of Computer Role-Playing Games Part 1: The Early Years (1980-1983)". Gamasutra. UBM Tech. http://www.gamasutra.com/features/20070223a/barton_pfv.htm. 
  4. ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 Roberts, Tony (September 1983). "Review: Telengard". Compute!. p. 176. http://www.atarimagazines.com/compute/issue40/review_telengard.php. 
  5. ↑ 5.0 5.1 5.2 McGrath, Dick (May–June 1983). "Route 80: The Road to TRS-80 Gaming". Computer Gaming World 3 (3): 35. http://www.cgwmuseum.org/galleries/index.php?year=1983&pub=2&id=10. Retrieved August 30, 2014. 
  6. ↑ 6.0 6.1 6.2 McGrath, Dick (May–June 1983). "Route 80: The Road to TRS-80 Gaming". Computer Gaming World 3 (3): 43. http://www.cgwmuseum.org/galleries/index.php?year=1983&pub=2&id=10. Retrieved August 30, 2014. 
  7. ↑ Lawrence, Daniel. "About Dan". http://www.aquest.com/author.htm. 
  8. ↑ 8.0 8.1 8.2 8.3 8.4 8.5 Lawrence, Daniel. "Telengard". http://www.aquest.com/telen.htm. 
  9. ↑ 9.0 9.1 Shannon Appelcline (2011). Designers & Dragons. Mongoose Publishing. pp. 20,176. ISBN 978-1-907702-58-7. 
  10. ↑ 10.0 10.1 10.2 10.3 10.4 Barton, Matt (June 22, 2007). "Interview with Daniel M. Lawrence, CRPG Pioneer and Author of Telengard". Armchair Arcade. http://armchairarcade.com/neo/node/1366. 
  11. ↑ 11.0 11.1 Harbron, Robin (2020-10-29). Time Machine? Or VIC-20 24KB RAM 7 Cartridge Expander? (YouTube). 8-Bit Show and Tell.
  12. ↑ Loguidice, Bill (2012-07-25). "Avalon Hill's Telengard for Z-90 or H/Z-100 with CP/M-85 and MBASIC: A casual tale of making it work in photos and videos". Armchair Arcade. http://www.armchairarcade.com/neo/node/4827. 
  13. ↑ Scorpia (June–July 1987). "Computer Role-playing Games: Now and Beyond". Computer Gaming World (38): 28. http://www.cgwmuseum.org/galleries/index.php?year=1987&pub=2&id=38. Retrieved August 30, 2014. 
  14. ↑ Telengard on atarihq.com
  15. ↑ TelengardListing.pdf commented listing on atarihq.com
  16. ↑ Telengard Remaster 1.1 on the C-64 scene database (2016)
  17. ↑ 17.0 17.1 Banduch, Norman (December 1982). "Capsule Reviews". The Space Gamer (Steve Jackson Games) (58): 46, 48. 
  18. ↑ Christensen, Troy (July–August 1985). "Game Reviews". Different Worlds (40): 34. 
  19. ↑ 19.0 19.1 "Avalon Hill Game Company". The Commodore 64 Home Companion. 1984. p. 166. https://archive.org/stream/The_Commodore_64_Home_Companion#page/n167/mode/2up. 
  20. ↑ 20.0 20.1 Scorpia (October 1993). "Scorpia's Magic Scroll Of Games". Computer Gaming World: 34–50. http://www.cgwmuseum.org/galleries/index.php?year=1993&pub=2&id=111. Retrieved 25 March 2016. 
  21. ↑ Graef, Gerald (March 1992). "Public Domain Computer Role-playing Games". Computer Gaming World (92): 64. http://www.cgwmuseum.org/galleries/index.php?year=1992&pub=2&id=92. Retrieved August 30, 2014. 
  22. ↑ Wagner, Roy (June 1984). "The Commodore Key". Computer Gaming World 4 (3): 38. http://www.cgwmuseum.org/galleries/index.php?year=1984&pub=2&id=16. Retrieved August 30, 2014. 
  • Template:Archive.org. Play in your browser!
  • Official website
  • MobyGames is a commercial database website that catalogs information on video games and the people and companies behind them via crowdsourcing. This includes over 300,000 games for hundreds of platforms.[1] Founded in 1999, ownership of the site has changed hands several times. It has been owned by Atari SA since 2022.

Features

Edits and submissions to the site (including screenshots, box art, developer information, game summaries, and more) go through a verification process of fact-checking by volunteer "approvers".[2] This lengthy approval process after submission can range from minutes to days or months.[3] The most commonly used sources are the video game's website, packaging, and credit screens. There is a published standard for game information and copy-editing.[4] A ranking system allows users to earn points for contributing accurate information.[5]

Registered users can rate and review games. Users can create private or public "have" and "want" lists, which can generate a list of games available for trade with other registered users. The site contains an integrated forum. Each listed game can have its own sub-forum.

History

Logo used until March 2014

MobyGames was founded on March 1, 1999, by Jim Leonard and Brian Hirt, and joined by David Berk 18 months later, the three of which had been friends since high school.[6][7] Leonard had the idea of sharing information about computer games with a larger audience. The database began with information about games for IBM PC compatibles, relying on the founders' personal collections. Eventually, the site was opened up to allow general users to contribute information.[5] In a 2003 interview, Berk emphasized MobyGames' dedication to taking video games more seriously than broader society and to preserving games for their important cultural influence.[5]

In mid-2010, MobyGames was purchased by GameFly for an undisclosed amount.[8] This was announced to the community post factum , and the site's interface was given an unpopular redesign.[7] A few major contributors left, refusing to do volunteer work for a commercial website.{{Citation needed|date=June 2025} On December 18, 2013, MobyGames was acquired by Jeremiah Freyholtz, owner of Blue Flame Labs (a San Francisco-based game and web development company) and VGBoxArt (a site for fan-made video game box art).[9] Blue Flame Labs reverted MobyGames' interface to its pre-overhaul look and feel,[10] and for the next eight years, the site was run by Freyholtz and Independent Games Festival organizer Simon Carless.[7]

On November 24, 2021, Atari SA announced a potential deal with Blue Flame Labs to purchase MobyGames for $1.5 million.[11] The purchase was completed on 8 March 2022, with Freyholtz remaining as general manager.[12][13][14] Over the next year, the financial boost given by Atari led to a rework of the site being built from scratch with a new backend codebase, as well as updates improving the mobile and desktop user interface.[1] This was accomplished by investing in full-time development of the site instead of its previously part-time development.[15]

In 2024, MobyGames began offering a paid "Pro" membership option for the site to generate additional revenue.[16] Previously, the site had generated income exclusively through banner ads and (from March 2014 onward) a small number of patrons via the Patreon website.[17]

See also

  • IGDB – game database used by Twitch for its search and discovery functions

References

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 Sheehan, Gavin (2023-02-22). "Atari Relaunches The Fully Rebuilt & Optimized MobyGames Website". https://bleedingcool.com/games/atari-relaunches-the-fully-rebuilt-optimized-mobygames-website/. 
  2. ↑ Litchfield, Ted (2021-11-26). "Zombie company Atari to devour MobyGames". https://www.pcgamer.com/zombie-company-atari-to-devour-mobygames/. 
  3. ↑ "MobyGames FAQ: Emails Answered § When will my submission be approved?". Blue Flame Labs. 30 March 2014. http://www.mobygames.com/info/faq7#g1. 
  4. ↑ "The MobyGames Standards and Practices". Blue Flame Labs. 6 January 2016. http://www.mobygames.com/info/standards. 
  5. ↑ 5.0 5.1 5.2 Miller, Stanley A. (2003-04-22). "People's choice awards honor favorite Web sites". Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. 
  6. ↑ "20 Years of MobyGames" (in en). 2019-02-28. https://trixter.oldskool.org/2019/02/28/20-years-of-mobygames/. 
  7. ↑ 7.0 7.1 7.2 Plunkett, Luke (2022-03-10). "Atari Buys MobyGames For $1.5 Million". https://kotaku.com/mobygames-retro-credits-database-imdb-atari-freyholtz-b-1848638521. 
  8. ↑ "Report: MobyGames Acquired By GameFly Media". Gamasutra. 2011-02-07. https://www.gamedeveloper.com/game-platforms/report-mobygames-acquired-by-gamefly-media. 
  9. ↑ Corriea, Alexa Ray (December 31, 2013). "MobyGames purchased from GameFly, improvements planned". http://www.polygon.com/2013/12/31/5261414/mobygames-purchased-from-gamefly-improvements-planned. 
  10. ↑ Wawro, Alex (31 December 2013). "Game dev database MobyGames getting some TLC under new owner". Gamasutra. https://www.gamedeveloper.com/business/game-dev-database-mobygames-getting-some-tlc-under-new-owner. 
  11. ↑ "Atari invests in Anstream, may buy MobyGames". November 24, 2021. https://www.gamesindustry.biz/articles/2021-11-24-atari-invests-in-anstream-may-buy-mobygames. 
  12. ↑ Rousseau, Jeffrey (2022-03-09). "Atari purchases Moby Games". https://www.gamesindustry.biz/atari-purchases-moby-games. 
  13. ↑ "Atari Completes MobyGames Acquisition, Details Plans for the Site's Continued Support". March 8, 2022. https://www.atari.com/atari-completes-mobygames-acquisition-details-plans-for-the-sites-continued-support/. 
  14. ↑ "Atari has acquired game database MobyGames for $1.5 million" (in en-GB). 2022-03-09. https://www.videogameschronicle.com/news/atari-has-acquired-game-database-mobygames-for-1-5-million/. 
  15. ↑ Stanton, Rich (2022-03-10). "Atari buys videogame database MobyGames for $1.5 million". https://www.pcgamer.com/atari-buys-videogame-database-mobygames-for-dollar15-million/. 
  16. ↑ Harris, John (2024-03-09). "MobyGames Offering “Pro” Membership". https://setsideb.com/mobygames-offering-pro-membership/. 
  17. ↑ "MobyGames on Patreon". http://www.patreon.com/mobygames. 
  • No URL found. Please specify a URL here or add one to Wikidata.

Template:Atari






Retrieved from "https://handwiki.org/wiki/index.php?title=Software:Telengard&oldid=4140347"