History of computer role-playing games

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The computer role-playing game (CRPG) genre began in the mid-1970s, inspired by role-playing games such as Dungeons & Dragons. A predominantly American and European genre, much as the console role-playing game was dominated by the Japanese, CRPGs gained in popularity during the 1980s to become a primary genre in computer games to the current day.

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[edit] Mainframe computers

The earliest computer role-playing games began in 1975 as an offshoot of early university mainframe text-based RPGs on PDP-10 and Unix-based computers, starting with Dungeon and graphical CRPGs on the PLATO system, pedit5 and dnd, games inspired by role-playing games. Other influences during this period were text adventures, Multiple-User Dungeons (MUDs) and roguelike games. Some of the first graphical CRPGs after pedit5 and dnd, were orthanc, avathar (later renamed avatar), oubliette, dungeons of degorath, baradur, emprise, bnd, sorcery, moria, and dndworld, all of which were developed and became widely popular on the PLATO system during the latter 1970s, in large part due to PLATO's speed, fast graphics, nationwide network of terminals, and large number of players with access to those terminals. These were followed by (but did not always lead directly to) games on other platforms, such as Akalabeth (1980) (which gave rise to the well-known Ultima series), and Wizardry.

[edit] Personal computers and graphical RPGs

In 1980, a very popular dungeon crawler, Rogue was released. Featuring ASCII graphics where the setting, monsters and items were represented by letters and a deep system of gameplay, it inspired a whole genre ("roguelikes") of similar clones. Of particular note was 1987's NetHack, an update of Rogue that arguably surpassed the original's popularity by its advanced complexity and sense of humor, as well as through continuous extensions and updates to the game for nearly two decades.

Early Ultima and Wizardry games are perhaps the largest influence on the later console RPGs that are now popular. Many innovations of Ultima III: Exodus (1983) eventually became standards of almost all RPGs in both the console market (if somewhat simplified to fit the gamepad) and the personal computer market. Later Dungeon Master (1987) introduced realtime gameplay and several user-interface innovations, such as direct manipulation of objects and the environment with the mouse, to first-person CRPGs.


The Might and Magic series has also had an important impact upon computer role-playing games. Beginning with the release of Might and Magic: The Secret of the Inner Sanctum in 1986, Might and Magic games featured a high complexity of statistics, many weapons and spells, and enormous worlds in which to play. The Might and Magic series has spawned nine games (the most recent of which was released in 2002) as well as the popular turn-based strategy series Heroes of Might and Magic.

Starting in 1988 with Pool of Radiance, SSI produced a series of "Gold Box" CRPGs based on the Advanced Dungeons & Dragons rules. These games featured a first-person display for movement, combined with an overhead tactical display for combat. The Gold Box series was published up until 1993, when the game engine had finally become outdated. The Forgotten Realms Unlimited Adventures game published in that year allowed users to create their own adventures that could be played using the Gold Box engine.

[edit] Online RPGs

The first CRPGs offered a single player experience. The popularity of multiplayer modes in these games rose sharply during the mid-1990s. Diablo (1996) was one of the games that heavily influenced this boost in popularity. It combined CRPG and action game elements, and featured an Internet multiplayer mode that allowed up to four players to enter the same world and fight monsters, trade items, or fight against each other. MMORPGs introduced huge worlds with open-ended gameplay and thousands of interactive characters (both player and computer-controlled).

In 1997, a new Internet fad began. Influenced by console RPGs, a large group of young programmers and aficionados began creating and sharing independent CRPG games, based mostly on the gameplay and style of the older SNES and Sega Genesis games. The majority of such games owe to simplistic software development kits such as the Japanese RPG Maker series.

A steadily increasing number of non-RPG video games have adopted aspects traditionally seen in RPGs, such as experience point systems, equipment management, and choices in dialogue. The blending of these elements with a number of different game engines and gameplay styles have created a myriad of hybrid game categories. These hybrid games are commonly formed by mixing popular gameplay elements featured in other genres, such as first-person shooters, platformers, and real-time strategy games.

[edit] Interplay

Standing before the Gecko power plant in Fallout 2 (1998).

In the late 1990s, Interplay Entertainment produced several RPG titles through two new developers: Black Isle Studios and BioWare. In 1997, Black Isle released the groundbreaking Fallout, set in an alternate history American post-apocalyptic future wasteland. The game was notable for its open-ended, largely non-linear gameplay and quest system. The player was afforded many moral choices to shape the world and how NPCs reacted to the player, reminiscent of the original Ultima games. One of the few successful video game RPGs not set in the swords-and-sorcery genre, Fallout was greatly inspired by Interplay's own Wasteland (1988). Black Isle followed up with a sequel and the critically-acclaimed Planescape: Torment (1999).

Bioware's Baldur's Gate series was no less important, as the most significant D&D games to be released since the Gold Box era. At the time, the games created the most accurate and in-depth D&D simulation to date, along with up to six-player co-op capabilities. Baldur's Gate provided an epic story that continued through both titles. Two games were produced, along with an expansion pack for each title. An even more combat-oriented series, Icewind Dale, was developed by Black Isle.

Interplay's games during this time period often shared engines to cut down on development time and costs, and all feature an overhead dimetrically projected third-person interface. Except for the two Fallout games, the rest of their titles used various versions of the Infinity Engine. The collapse of Interplay resulted in the shutdown of Black Isle and the cancellation of the third games in both the Fallout and Baldur's Gate series.

[edit] New millennium

The new century saw a trend toward ever-improving graphical quality, combined with increasingly detailed and realistic game worlds, particularly in the move to 3D game engines.

BioWare went on to produce Neverwinter Nights (2002) for Atari, which was the first CRPG to use the third-edition Dungeons & Dragons rules with a 3D display in which the user could vary the viewing angle and distance. New game content could be generated using the Aurora toolset, supplied as part of the game release. The game was very successful commercially, spawning three official expansion packs. Bioware also went on to produced the highly acclaimed Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic, which fused the d20 system with a very popular franchise.

During the production of Fallout 2, some of Black Isle's key members went on to form Troika Games, which released Arcanum: Of Steamworks and Magick Obscura (2001), followed by the highly anticipated The Temple of Elemental Evil (2003) based on the Dungeons & Dragons Greyhawk setting. The last game was Vampire: The Masquerade - Bloodlines (2004) based on White Wolf's Vampire: The Masquerade soon followed. Although these games developed a fanbase, none of them were financially successful or very popular. ToEE in particular being heavily criticized for shipping with numerous bugs, causing an outcry when Atari dropped early support for the game. 2005 saw Troika Games in financial trouble, and most of the developers left for other studios, rendering the group dead.

When Black Isle closed down, several employees formed Obsidian Entertainment, who in early 2005 released Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic II: The Sith Lords, the sequel to BioWare's successful game. Obsidian has created another BioWare game sequel, Neverwinter Nights 2 with 3.5 edition rules, which was released on Halloween in October 2006, then an expansion on the following year.

[edit] Bethesda

Since 1994, Bethesda Softworks was dedicated to developing CRPGs in The Elder Scrolls series, with 1996's Daggerfall being a notable 3D first-person RPG with an expansive world. The series began a focus on sandbox gameplay, focusing on the player's wide choices of free-roaming activities unrelated to the main game's storyline.

The series' popularity exploded with the release of The Elder Scrolls III: Morrowind (2002). This game became an award-winning and highly successful CRPG due to its open-ended play, a richly-detailed game world, and flexibility in character creation and advancement. The title's sandbox gameplay often inspired comparisons to Grand Theft Auto III. Two expansions were released: Tribunal in 2002 and Bloodmoon in 2003. The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion (2006) was a much-enhanced release featuring more realistic behavior by NPCs, as well as significantly improved graphics.

The decision by the original creators of Fallout to scrap plans for Fallout 3 (noted now as the Van Buren project) and Bethesda's subsequent acquisition of the Fallout brand, Fallout's significant fan community was left in high anticipation, yet with mixed feelings towards Bethesda working on the project. Bethesda released Fallout 3 in North America on October 28, 2008.

[edit] Enterbrain, Inc

Enterbrain released RPG Maker 2000 at the turn of the century, timed with the gaming industry's huge spike in user-generated content. MTVN's Dave Williams had this to say in an interview with gamedaily.com: "Games like this [user generated] have been sort of under the radar for something that could be the basis of a business. We have the resources and we can afford to invest more... I think it's going to be a great thing for the consumer." [1]

[edit] Influence of the Xbox

With the sixth generation of home gaming consoles, many PC game developers opted to develop primarily or exclusively for consoles. For instance, both the Fallout and Baldur's Gate series produced more console-friendly, Diablo-style action titles for the PS2 and Xbox as their respective PC series ended. In particular, the Xbox swayed developers to release PC ports of console-developed titles or Xbox ports to the PC, due to the system's similarities to the standard PC architecture and DirectX programming tools.

As a result, several major PC RPG releases were affected by the system, mostly due to console-exclusivity publishing deals with Microsoft. Following Neverwinter Nights, BioWare's Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic was developed primarily for the Xbox and ported to the PC after several months. Their followup, Jade Empire (2005) was also an Xbox exclusive, subsequently followed by a Windows version Jade Empire - Special Edition released on Feb 26, 2007 that included bonus content. Obsidian's KOTOR sequel similarly was released in December 2004 for the Xbox, followed by the PC version in February 2005. Fable (2004) by Lionhead Studios received the PC port at the same time it was being reprinted as a Platinum Hit. Bethesda's Oblivion, while released simultaneously for console and PC, was considered a major title for the Xbox 360.

Sequels to many of the above titles are in development for next-gen systems: Lionhead's Fable sequel and an unnamed project by Obsidian are slated for the Xbox 360. BioWare also continued to produce launch-exclusive RPG titles for the Xbox 360, such as Mass Effect[2].

Some have criticized the change of focus from the PC platform to console systems. One notable developer, Josh Sawyer, lamented the decline of high-profile computer-exclusive RPGs, claiming that there were "no pure CRPG developers left" anymore outside of small companies like Spiderweb Software following the collapse of Troika Games.[3]

However, this statement has yet to be proven correct as Polish developer CD Projekt released The Witcher in 2007 and a subsequent Enhanced Edition in 2008, selling over 1 million copies of the two versions. The Witcher was also notable for being a PC game whose popularity prompted a port to the Xbox 360 and Playstation 3 which is currently in development.

[edit] References

  1. ^ Video Game Features, PC Game Features
  2. ^ Dean Takahashi. ""Mass Effect is a Game Worth Waiting For From BioWare"". The Mercury News, A+E Interactive. http://blogs.mercurynews.com/aei/2005/10/x05_mass_effect.html. Retrieved on 2006-07-02. 
  3. ^ "Interview with JE Sawyer". RPG Codex. March 17, 2006. http://www.rpgcodex.com/content.php?id=127. Retrieved on 2006-07-15. 

[edit] See also

[edit] External links

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