Information AboutDungeon Siege |
''Dungeon Siege'' is a Real Time Computer Role-playing Game Developed by Gas Powered Games and Published by Microsoft . Is a game of Chris Taylor (from Total Annihilation ) being years in production, was shown for the first time at E3 2000 . The game was released in 2002 and later bundled with HIS line of X800 video cards on the DVD medium in 2005 . A sequel, '' Dungeon Siege II '' was released in 2005 . A Movie based in the game is in production and set to be released in 2007 with the title '' In The Name Of The King ''. Later an official and Mad Doc Software and published by Microsoft in November 2003 . This expansion is sold including the original game. In March '''''. The end of Microsoft partnership opens the franchise to all platforms. INTRODUCTION The player follows a Quest to save the world from the forces of evil. The player controls the main character from humble beginnings as a Farmer to a powerful Hero or heroine. As the game progresses, the main character may be joined by other adventurers, who the player also controls. The background is based in a Fantasy Medieval world with a great Geographic variety in open and closed environments ( Dungeon s). Is very detailed with intelligent environment changes. STORY In the kingdom of Ehb , a humble farmer's life is turned upside down when a race of evil Goblin -like creatures attack the community. The Krug , as they are known, must be stopped and the player's character is tasked with seeking help from a neighboring town. Along the way, the player may meet others willing to help. The player soon discovers, however, that the quest does not end at reaching the town. FEATURES Gas Powered Games developed the 3D Engine for ''Dungeon Siege'' from the ground up—it did not license a pre-existing engine as is often done in today's Game Industry . This gave them the benefit of adding features tailored to their game. Another innovation was the game content Streaming , thus almost completely eliminating the need for "level loading" and it also made possible the creation of enormous worlds, which do not need to fit in computer memory. In most role-playing games (RPG), a player chooses a class for their character and when the character gains enough experience, they "level up" and become more powerful in that class. Gas Powered did away with this classification and, instead, made characters more powerful based on what they ''do'' instead of what they ''are''. For example, if the character uses Mêlée weapons (e.g. Sword s or Mace s), they become better at fighting with weapons. On the other hand, if the character casts spells a great deal, they become better at that. Other games have built engines on this premise, most notably Final Fantasy 2 The game keeps track of the character with four skills, all of which can be developed independently.: Mêlée , ranged, nature Magic , and combat magic. Mêlée includes all hand held Weapon s ( Sword s, Staffs , Mace s etc). Ranged includes projectile weapons, such as Bow s and Crossbow s. Combat magic and nature magic, although different in principle, have many of the same Spell s just by different names, levels, and power. Combat magic has stronger offensive and weaker defensive spells, while nature magic has stronger defensive spells and weaker offensive spells. Both schools of magic can summon creatures of equivalent power and have the ability to heal damage, although nature mages are more effective healers. ''Dungeon Siege'' is mainly a single-player game, but it also has a multiplayer mode that delivers a different gaming experience, including a secret area that can only be reached in multiplayer mode. The setting of ''Dungeon Siege'' is a marriage of Fantasy and Steampunk genres, with foes consisting of dragons, goblins and other creatures of fantasy to the steam-powered machinations of mechanical spiders and steam-powered goblins and other more uncommon, steampunk-influenced adversaries. The expansion Legends of Aranna includes such upgrades as a new pack animal capable of combat to replace the mule, additional spells, additional weapons, a global Map tool, a new teleport portal system, and a new campaign. Other many minor changes were implemented in the interface facilitating the management of the inventory. Gameplay The Gameplay is widely based in the automated Diablo "point-and-click" being highly Linear and constant Hack And Slash battle. It's a Party -based RPG, players can have up to 8 characters in a party. It has a very simplified game system, without Classes and Skill Tree s. The game has been criticized for being too automated and lacking replay value for its repetitive gameplay . On another hand, this high automation has the potential to help players concentrate on other aspects of the gameplay (granted, the game doesn't offer such opportunity, but the underlying technology could be re-used on a game which would offer such a thing). The party system is automated but efficient with basic formations resources and action-response. In addition to being able to recruit Non-player Characters (NPCs) that function much like the player's own character, it is possible to buy a Mule to help carry more items being a part of the group. Multiplayer Dungeon Siege supports Multiplayer cooperative gaming over LAN and the Internet (direct TCP/IP connect) in Story mode. Multiple players can play together as separate-but-allied parties. There is an overall limit of 8 characters, regardless of whether they're player-controlled or NPC s. Players can also import their character from the single-player game to play in the Multiplayer game. On the Internet, players can also engage in PvP fighting against other players and teams. They can play in the Zonematch , a Free online gaming service. An exclusive map is included for online play, called ''Utraen Peninsula''. The Macintosh port of the game has an incompatible multiplayer protocol to the original. BONUS PACKS Gas Powered Games released some promotional mods called as "Bonus Packs" Return to Arhok Return to Arhok continues the story of ''Legends of Aranna''. This mod is a promotional release of GPG and requires Windows XP and the Legends of Aranna expansion installed. It's also called "XP Level." Yesterhaven Yesterhaven is a Multiplayer -only short story that can only be played Online . This bonus pack does not require a pre-existing character, nor any previous experience with Dungeon Siege. This official mod can be downloaded at GPG and requires the original Dungeon Siege game. MODS The Game Engine allows content creation and modification through a released toolkit. New content and modifications are called Mods or siegelets. There are many Mod s available created by amateurs with features ranging from new graphics to a completely new character development system. Dungeon Siege is currently kept alive by modders communities and Ultima series fans. Ultima , a DS mod remake of Ultima V , was released at the end of 2005 . Development of the mod tooks three years. A project to remake Ultima VI using the same DS engine is currently ongoing at: U6 Project . Copperhead: Retaliation Maybe one of most notable DS mods, Copperhead: Retaliation changes the game dramatically into a Sci-fi futurist adventure: weapons, environments and characters are all heavily modified. The Lands of Hyperborea The Lands of Hyperborea is a Dungeon Siege Siegelet created by Jim Farris . It is noted for its intense characterization, story line, and unique music. It added Minions (summonable servants that could be controlled by the player), altered the mechanics for casting spells (spells cost health as well as mana to cast), complex race relations, and a crafting system that allowed you to create up to 80 different kinds of items within the game. Gameplay requires much more skill than DS, but serves up a very rich and satisfying world. Mageworld Mageworld is a Dungeon Siege Total Conversion created by Jim Farris . The map is enormous, larger than Manhattan Island, and based on a chess board. You play an anthropomorphic female equine-warrior (A White Knight), who travels across the board (via flying ships) with her pawn companion Mantri, doing battle against all of the pieces of the Black King. Mageworld has all new spells, new art, new music, and most of the combat system has been rewritten. The crafting system in Mageworld is very detailed, and has dozens of hidden "easter eggs." Virtually everything in the game that can be used by the player is crafted by the player, and crafting is the major (sometimes only) means of obtaining better equipment. The expected time to complete the single-player game is no less than one month for most players, with many taking longer. Players can expect a detailed story line and intense gaming experience that will keep them occupied for months. Gameplay is significantly more challanging than the original game and includes mental puzzles to be solved by the player. In addition, as with most Total Conversions, many of the basic game mechanics have been changed. Players will no longer have characters with health and mana pools in the hundreds or thousands (as in the original) and magic has been altered similar to the Lands of Hyperborea - spells now cost health as well as mana to cast. The Road to Allysium One of the most waited mods by DS fans, TRA is a professional mod made by Mystical Productions . It will come with more than 500 MB of modifications. It has been in development since 2002. BONUS LEVEL Dungeon Siege has a unlockable game on the map ''Utraean Peninsula''. Choose the town of ''Quillrabe'' to start in. SCREENSHOTS SEE ALSO '', the movie based on Dungeon Siege.]] EXTERNAL LINKS Official websites
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