- Ancient Domains of Mystery
Infobox_Software
name = "Ancient Domains of Mystery"
caption = "ADOM" Title Screen
developer = Thomas Biskup
latest_release_version = 1.1.1
latest_release_date = 2002
operating_system =AmigaOS ,BeOS , DOS,Linux ,Mac OS X ,OS/2 , Windows
genre =Roguelike
license =Postcardware
website = [http://www.adom.de/ www.adom.de] |"Ancient Domains of Mystery", or "ADOM", is a
roguelike game by Thomas Biskup first released in 1994. The player's aim is to stop the forces ofChaos that invade the world of Ancardia.Like most roguelikes, "ADOM" uses
ASCII graphics to represent the game world. It features a wilderness map that connects different types ofdungeon s. The dungeons are randomly generated on first entering and — with the exception of the Infinite Dungeon — do not change when re-entered during play.Story
"ADOM" takes place in the fictional world of Ancardia, in the mountainous Drakalor Chain. For 6,000 years, it has known relative peace, but recently reports have spread of the appearance of dangerous dungeons and frightening monsters. Khelavaster, a wise sage, discovers an ancient prophecy regarding the Coming of Chaos and propagates it to the peoples of the world. It speaks of a champion who will defend the world from the forces of Chaos in the Drakalor Chain. Hearing of this prophecy, many would-be heroes set out. The player assumes control of one such adventurer.cite web |url=http://www.adom.de/adom/story.php3 |title=The Background Story: The Coming of Chaos |accessdate=2007-11-29 |author=Biskup, Thomas |date= ]
Gameplay
"ADOM" presents an initial choice of one (
male orfemale ) player character from ten races and twentycharacter class es, the combination of which strongly affects gameplay. Among other traits, character development includes experience levels, statistics, and skills. Version 1.1.0 introduced a talent system.cite web |url=http://www.adom.de/adom/history.php3 |title=The "ADOM" Version History |accessdate=2007-11-29 |author=Biskup, Thomas |date= ]During adventures, a player is likely to explore many areas and complete multiple
quest s. Which quests are available may depend on character experience level or alignment (lawful, neutral, or chaotic). Alignment also affects NPC and deity interaction with the character."ADOM" offers multiple ways of winning, which vary in difficulty. Its quest-centric, plot-driven structure owes as much to
adventure game s like "Zork " as to the hack-and-slash of sibling games like "Angband".Death of player characters is meant to be permanent. The game exits after saving, effectively limiting savefiles to one per character, and the savefile is erased upon loading.
Significant features
* Vulnerability of high-level characters to specific monsters
* Deity relation system with religious championship
* Character improvement of items
* 'Monster Memory' that records the player's knowledge about creatures in the gameDevelopment
Core development on the game has slowed since the release of version 1.1.1 in 2002. Beta-quality ports to
Mac OS X of this version appeared in 2006.cite web |url=http://www.adom.de/misc/news.php3?show=83 |title="ADOM" 1.1.1 available for Macintosh users! |accessdate=2007-11-29 |author=Biskup, Thomas |date= ] Plans for future versions have not been announced, yet a next-generation successor to "ADOM", called "JADE", is in development.Although "ADOM" is available free of charge, unlike most roguelikes its
source code is unavailable. Biskup chose to reserve it for himself in order to retain some mystery about game operation and to curtail the spread of unsanctioned variants.cite web |url=http://www.adom.de/adom/readme1st.php3 |title=The "ADOM" Fluff FAQ |accessdate=2007-11-29 |author=Biskup, Thomas |date= ] Despite this stance, he is open to licensing the source to capable developers to form a commercial venture. Players meanwhile have deduced underlying mechanics through careful experimentation.References
External links
* [http://www.adom.de/ Official Site]
* [http://www.adomgb.info/ The "ADOM" Guidebook] , with detailed plot
* [http://groups.google.com/group/rec.games.roguelike.adom/topics rec.games.roguelike.adom] atGoogle Groups
*
* [http://rpgvaultarchive.ign.com/features/interviews/adom.shtml Interview with Thomas Biskup] at RPG Vault
* [http://adom.wikia.com Adom Wiki] atwikia
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