Dungeon Master: Final Ranking

 

Dungeon Master

United States

FTL Games (developer and publisher)

Released 1987 for Atari ST, 1988 for Amiga, 1989 for FM Towns, 1990 for PC-98 and Sharp X68000, 1991 for SNES, 1992 for DOS

Date Started: 9 November 2010

Date Ended: 6 December 2010

Total Hours: 32

Difficulty: Moderate (3.0/5)

Final Rating: 47

Ranking at Time of Posting: 29/33 (88%)

Ranking at Game #453: 412/453 (91%)

      

Dungeon Master is a seminal game, no doubt. As the first real-time 3D game, its influence can be seen in countless later games, particularly the Eye of the Beholder series and Ultima Underworld. It shepherds in a new era of gaming, and in the minds of many players, I'm sure that turn-based 3D games like Wizardry and Might & Magic were suddenly lacking. I can't quite jump on that bandwagon. While I admire the technical innovations of Dungeon Master, I can't honestly say that I enjoyed it more than turn-based CRPGs. The constant frantic clicking got old after a while. ("Many gamers suffering from carpal tunnel syndrome today," jokes Barton [p. 236], "May have Dungeon Master to blame!") As I was finishing the game and thinking about the fusion of Order and Chaos into Balance, I began to wonder if the creators of Dungeon Master weren't influenced by L. E. Modesitt's Saga of Recluce series, which features many of the same themes. It turns out that Modesitt's first Recluce book post-dates Dungeon Master by about four years, so I guess not, unless Modesitt was an avid Dungeon Master player. Or is there a third original source? Or is it just a very obvious theme? With that question lingering, we move on to the GIMLET score.

         

1. Game world. Reasonably interesting. The manual features a long, novel-like exposition, written by author Nancy Holder (who would later go on to write a bunch of Buffy the Vampire Slayer novelizations). The story sort-of sits in the background, though, with no further overt references until the end of the game, when you encounter Lord Chaos. There's something of a twist ending in that the originator of your quest, Librasius, is himself as evil as Chaos. The order/chaos dichotomy is not one we've seen in a CRPG so far. I'd give the story more points if the game included it better during the gameplay itself. As it is, I'll go with a final score of 6.

        

 2. Character creation and development. Character creation is definitely original, although I'm not sure that this is in a good way. The game really doesn't gain anything by having you select your characters from a "Hall of Heroes" instead of just creating them, and I'm not sure what purpose the developers thought they were serving. Character development, on the other hand (described in this posting), is very satisfying, using a skill use-based system that we won't see again until The Elder Scrolls. Since the best strategy is to develop all of your characters in all of the possible classes, there isn't much of an opportunity to role-play them, and in any event the choice of classes and sexes has no effect on the subsequent game. Final score: 7. 

       

Selecting heroes on Level 1.

        

3. NPC interaction. There are no NPCs in the game. This is the game's most disappointing non-feature. Final score: 0. 4. Encounters & foes. I counted something like 25 monsters in the game, and many of them are original to Dungeon Master. Each has a different variety of attacks, defenses, and weaknesses, and figuring these out was part of the strategy. Frustratingly, though, the game doesn't tell you anything about the creatures--not even their names. There is some basic AI: most enemies flee when their hit points dip, and they move out of the way of closing doors (although they can't open doors themselves). Most of the encounters are random, and some enemies do respawn, giving you plenty of opportunity to build up your skills. Final score: 7. 

      

The mushroom people turned out to be called "screamers."

       

5. Magic and combat. Although the constant flurry of clicks wore me down, I give a lot of credit to the landmark real-time combat system that the game uses. Combat is very tactical, with numerous weapon and magic options, and attack functions that increase with your skills. The magic system is one of the most original encountered, with a combination of runes and mana, and a spell list that only slowly reveals itself. The way you use the game's many spells has a significant impact on the overall experience. Aside from the annoyance of picking up missile weapons one-by-one after each combat, I can hardly think of anything negative to say about it. Final score: 8. 

     

Fun fact: if you cast "see through walls" at the door on the first level, you see Lord Librasius (Order) standing outside.

        

6. Equipment. My biggest frustration with the game, right up to the end, was a lack of any way to evaluate the equipment. You find a host of magic rings, crowns, and amulets with no clue as to what they do; weapons that give you no indication of their damage; and armor that offers no information about its relative level of protection. It's all trial, error, and guesswork. Perhaps this was supposed to add to the fun, but I found it maddening. Aside from that, there is quite a variety to the equipment you can find and use, particularly the magic items. A little description would have given a high final score, but as it is: Final score: 3.

       

7. Economy. This pissed me off a bit. The game is rife with jewels, gems, and coins, and I dutifully picked them up and kept them, assuming there would be a place that I could use them later on. Aside from one small vault, there was no reason to hold on to any of these valuables. And there's nowhere else in the game to buy or sell anything. Final score: 1. 

        

Leyla's worthless inventory. Chaos Strikes Back better let me spend this stuff.

        

8. Quests. The game has one reasonably-compelling main quest, and all of the gameplay is bent on it. There are no side quests, and the main quest--aside from the bad "alternate ending"-- really has only one choice, with no roleplaying opportunities. Final score: 3.

      

9. Graphics, sound, inputs. All of them are quite good. I wish there had been more keyboard commands and less reliance on the mouse, but this game is notable as the first one to actually use the mouse. As you've seen, graphics and sound, while nowhere near the quality of modern game A/V, are certainly good enough to enjoy the game. The final cutscene is well-animated, the Wilhelm scream that your characters emit upon death is particularly memorable, and I like how you can hear monsters moving in adjacent hallways and creeping up behind you. Final score: 6.

      

10. Gameplay. This is always tough to assess in a dungeon crawler. Like any of them, the gameplay is almost entirely linear, and it delivers the exact same experience on gameplay. In terms of difficulty and pacing, I think it was a tad too difficult and a tad too long, but only a tad. I won't be eager to replay it, but I'm not sorry I played it once. Final score: 6.

         

Total ranking: 47. This has it beating Beyond Zork but not Might & Magic, Ultima IV, or Starflight, all of which I agree I enjoyed more. I admire Dungeon Master for its innovations, but despite them I don't think it's a "great" game. Finishing this game took me damned near a month, although it was an extremely busy month, work-wise. I'm really going to have to hustle if I want to complete 50 games by the end of my blog's first year.

Dungeon Master: Won!

That's gratitude for you.

Well, Dungeon Master had the oddest and most unsatisfying ending of any CRPG I've ever encountered. After I found the Firestaff--the relic on which my entire quest was based--I painstakingly made my way back up to the first level and to the dungeon doors. There, I encountered Lord Librasius, who took the Firestaff from me, declared he no longer had any need for me, and slaughtered all of my characters. That's it. End of game.

Well, let's do a quick GIMLET rating and call it a day.

I forgot to mention in yesterday's posting on combat that your characters can take injuries as well as hit point damage. Note how Nabi has bandages on his head, chest, and hand.

No! Just kidding! Part of me was tempted to end the posting here and see what you did in the comments section. I'm actually glad I did traipse all the way back up to Level 1 to get the alternate ending above, but of course that wasn't the "real" ending. I did win, though.

Level 12 featured "materializers." I had some issues with those.

Level 12 turned out to be the last large, regular level. Getting through it was a struggle. It featured some of the toughest monsters found so far in the game, including armored knights, weird floaty creatures that I couldn't hit with normal weapons, and giant four-legged spider things. Except now that I've won the game, I can check a walkthrough and refer to them by their proper names as animated armour, materializers, and oitus. I have no idea where the author of the walkthrough got these names, but you don't make up something like "oitu" on your own.


The oitus weren't too hard, but the animated armour could take a hell of a beating and keep coming, and the only thing I had that could damage the materializers was the DES EW ("weaken nonmaterial beings") spell. Let that be a lesson, kids: don't drop the vorpal blades just because something more interesting comes along.

Fortunately, I was saved by what I can only imagine was a game bug: while being chased by the creatures on the level, I found a particular part of the hallway that they wouldn't pass. This allowed me to pound on them but step back when my health got too low, rest and heal, and resume my assault. I used the opportunity to strip my characters of weapons and build up their ninja levels.

Fortunately, stone golems are slow.

At the end of the level, I had three RA keys, so I returned to Level 7 and used them to open the door to the Tomb of the Firestaff. The level was guarded by stone golems, but I was able to use the door trick to defeat them, though it took a long time. Ultimately, I made my way to the chamber of the Firestaff and picked it up.


Scrolls on the level gave me a basic sense of how to win the game. Together, they read:

The power gem is sealed in the mountain by a strange magical force. ZO KATH RA might create a plasma that could burn through the amalgam encasing the gem. Balance is the ultimate good. The Firestaff can restore balance or destroy it. Neither Chaos nor Order is truly balanced. The Firestaff can contain a being of pure alignment with its fluxcage. Once fluxcaged, a being can be transmuted by the staff, which should always be used for balance.

These scrolls confirmed my belief, stated in the first posting, that there is something amiss with Lord Librasius (Order). This was confirmed by my side-trip to the surface. After reloading from this trip, I used a hidden staircase at the back of Level 7 to head all the way down to Level 13.

Unlike the walkthrough I consulted (after I had won), I refuse to call the wingless fire-breathing lizard a "dragon."

On Level 13, I encountered a host of demons, black flame creatures (these were the things I closed my last posting with; they turned out to be easy: they can't move and die with a few DES EWs), and Lord Chaos himself. But after screwing around the level for a while and dying about six times, I couldn't figure out how to do anything with Lord Chaos, so I proceeded down to Level 14. There, I found a fire-breathing giant lizard. I defeated him in a long, long battle that involved a lot of ducking behind pillars to avoid his fire attacks. His death provided me with a bunch of "dragon steaks," which really hit the spot.

The lizard's lair was strewn with coins that I dutifully picked up, only to find that they (along with a number of other coins I'd been carrying since Level 3) had no value. Thanks, Dungeon Master!

The protected Gem of Power.

At the back of the level, I found the Gem of Power encased in its magic sheathing. By touching it with the Firestaff, I fused the two objects and found that the staff now had a "fluxcage" option. Time to take on Lord Chaos!

Lord Chaos surrounded by fluxcages.

I videoed my first attempt, which ended in quick death. I had no idea what I was doing, randomly firing fluxcages at him and trying to "fuse" him. The video below starts with me getting the Gem of Power and finishes with my last character feebly throwing things at Lord Chaos before dying in terrific pain.

This was the closest I got to defeating Lord Chaos for a while. When I returned to Level 13 after reloading, I couldn't get past the demons for what seemed like forever. They're very tough. I was only able to defeat any of them by hiding behind a door in the corner, opening it, firing off fireballs, and closing the door before they could retaliate.

Demons suck.

Finally, I was able to get close to Chaos again, and I pretty much did the same thing I did the first time, only this time it actually worked. I turned on the video capture as soon as I realized something was happening, so here's that feed:

If you don't feel like watching it, the game ends with a cutscene showing Chaos and Order (where did he come from?) fused back together into the Grey Lord. The Grey Lord then destroys the Firestaff in the lava of the mountain, and somehow the resulting magic restores the buildings and foliage in the nearby town of Viborg, where members of the citizenry celebrate by doing back flips.

Left a mystery is exactly what happens to Theron and the heroes inside the dungeon. I guess we find out in the sequel, about 60 games from now.

Consulting a couple of walkthroughs, I see there were a few things I missed:

• My characters were mostly "expert" level in each class when the game ended, and I see that there were five more levels they could have progressed. I can't imagine how long it would have taken to do that, but as Georges noted in yesterday's posting, higher levels mean more options with weapons.
• I missed an "invisibility" spell that might have helped with the demons and Lord Chaos.
• There were a bunch of invisible pits on Level 12--I forgot to mention that. I could have made things a lot easier by luring the animated armours into them.
• If I had saved one of the magic freezing boxes for the end, I could have held Lord Chaos in place, surrounded him with flux cages, and defeated him quite easily. I used my last one on the dragon, unfortunately.

Let's GIMLET this game and move on to Faery Tale Adventure!

Dungeon Master: Battling Forward

An ear of corn found next to a sewage drain. Yum!

            

Being The CRPG Addict is tough around the holidays. My wife always wants to do things. Every time I settle in for a night of gameplay, suddenly it's time to put up the tree, or buy a wreath, or watch The Muppet Christmas Carol for the millionth time. Does this woman not know that I have a Firestaff to find?

          

It was Level 10 or the Nutcracker. I chose Level 10.

           

In my few stolen moments from the last week, I have managed to press through Levels 10 and 11. I am currently on Level 12, and boy is it a challenge. A quick question for veterans of the game: almost all of my characters are "adept" in almost all of the classes. Where should I be at this point in the game?

          

Dammit. It's a long hike to the nearest resurrection altar.

          

Level 10 introduced some nasty giant scorpions (which seemed to respawn frequently) in addition to the beholders from previous levels. There were some more tough wasps on Level 11, and a section where I had to slice my way through endless hordes of goblins or something. There were more annoying thieves on both levels; fortunately, these fall to a single fireball, so I got in the habit of keeping one queued for when I heard an annoying giggle.

Both levels also introduced a new element: choices in the doors to take. I found keys on each level that opened one of a selection of doors, and notes on the walls, like this one...

       

              

...suggested that I wouldn't be able to try both. On Level 10, this left a small space to the west that I was never able to explore. On Level 11, where I had to choose one of three doors, it left an enormous unexplored space. Something seemed wrong with that, but I spent a long time looking around for additional keys and found none.

          

            

I found a pair of "boots of speed" on each level, which seem to make my characters a bit faster in combat, and a wide selection of weapons and armor that I think are better than the ones I had before, but of course I can't be sure.

           

A medieval-style vending machine.

             

I had just begun to wonder why I was carrying around a selection of copper coins--some going back to Level 4 or 5--when I came across a room full of slots that accepted the copper coins and gave me magic items in return. These include fire bombs and magic freezing boxes.

This is a good time to talk about combat in Dungeon Master, because I've yet to cover it in detail. This game's approach is unique in that it's tactical but real-time. The monsters don't wait for you to make your moves.

Assume I'm facing a group of beholders, like this:

         

Offensively, I have five options:

• Attack with a melee weapon
• Attack with a ranged weapon
• Cast a spell
• Employ a magic item
• Throw an object

But each of the options except the last has a number of sub-options based on the type of item equipped. In the above screenshot, Leyla has a crossbow, which can't do anything but shoot, and Nabi has a FUL (fire) bomb, with which he cannot do anything but throw. But Hawk, who is unarmed, can punch, kick, or let out a war cry (no idea what this does, but it seems to advance both fighter and priest skills), and Syra, with her axe, can either chop or cleave. Hence, when I click on the objects in the combat viewer, I get these associated options:

        

              

Swords can swing, thrust, or melee. Daggers can throw, stab, or slash. The Horn of Fear blows. The Mace of Order swings, bashes, or stuns (at least in theory; I've yet to get the stun to work). It's tough to know the best option. Certain attacks work better against certain creatures. Certain attacks take longer than others but do more damage. Since I'm usually trying to click through them quickly while taking damage, I find it hard to be precise.

The option to throw objects is an interesting one. You can throw anything in the game--suits of armor, swords, food--and each item seems to do at least some damage the the creatures you hit. But equipping a proper missile weapon and throwing it through the combat options group seems to do more damage.

Spellcasting is tough in combat because of the time it takes to look up the spell's run sequence and select the right runes. I have "fireball" memorized, and it casts fast; anything else, I'd better queue up ahead of time.

The video below shows about six minutes of gameplay, including some combat with beholders and giant scorpions.

        

        

As I begin, Nabi is poisoned from an earlier fight, and I'm trying to mix a cure poison potion to heal him. But the beholders get on my nerves, so at 00:12, I open up the gate, toss a fireball at them, and close the gate. I continue mixing the potion, but at 00:24, just as I'm having Nabi drink it, I hear the beholders open the gate themselves (I forgot they can cast "open door" spells). I close it, re-equip my weapon, and wipe them out with another fireball.

At 00:48, I prepare some more fireballs and work my way through the dungeon. I encounter a giant scorpion at 01:11 and pound him with my prepared fireballs, but pretty soon I'm in melee combat. Leyla and Hawk (in the back ranks) shoot missile weapons while Syra and Nabi attack with an axe and a mace, respectively. Suddenly, at 01:34, with Nabi almost dead, I realize I'm being attacked by a second giant scorpion behind me. I dart off down a side passage and heal Nabi with moments to spare.

At 02:19, it's time to get some more fireballs ready and finish off the bastards. I have Syra equip a magic freezing box and return to the battlefield. At 02:57, I stop the giant scorpion in his tracks and pummel him with missile and melee weapons. At 03:08, he dies. I cure my characters' poison again and then begin the long process of retrieving my missile weapons. They're not all here, which means some must be embedded in the other scorpion. I finish him off at 04:15 and pick everything up. After that, it's time for a brief save, some food, and a review of my equipment.

       

Attacked by a...pool of lava with tentacles?

           

I thought the scorpions were hard, but that was before I encountered the...whatever the hell this is...on Level 12. I'm still battling forward, though, and if my next posting isn't a "won!" posting, I'll be surprised.

Dungeon Master: Runic Magic

Level 9 down. Five to go!

 

I'm on the road again this week, this time in Charleston, South Carolina. This is significant because I love Charleston. It is especially nice this time of year, given that I normally live in Massachusetts. Nonetheless, I left the rooftop bar an hour ago so I could return to my hotel room and make this posting. This is what my CRPG addiction--and, to an equal extent, all of you--has reduced me to. I am also relatively intoxicated, so forgive me if this posting is riddled with errors and poor logic until I can correct them tomorrow. As some anonymous writer prophetically noted earlier today, Level 8 took me a long time, but more on that in a minute. I wanted to take some time to talk about Dungeon Master's unique use of runic magic. I reflected this week that if I was truly playing these games in chronological order, having never been exposed to CPRGs before, I would be noticing a lot of "firsts" that I'm am currently missing. I don't think any other game has featured a magic system like this one, although Ultima Underworld--sort-of a spiritual sequel to Dungeon Master--would famously adapt it. There are even elements of it in Ultima V (not yet played), in which each spell is a combination of syllables. The spell system in Dungeon Master is a system of 24 glyphs in four different "tiers." I showed these in the first posting for the game, but I'll show them again here: Each spell begins with a specification of the spell's power, represented by the first "tier." Some of the more basic spells, like "magic torch," require only one further tier, while others, like "lightning bolt," progress through all four. The power level determines the strength of the spell and the number of spell points that each glyph requires.

A fireball launched at a death rat.

You cast spells by queuing the glyphs in the spell section of the screen and then clicking the runes to actually cast them. The neat thing is that you can queue a certain spell long before actually casting it, so all four characters, for instance, can line up "fireball" spells and then wait for an appropriate enemy. Of course, if I decide I want to make some potions before an appropriate enemy comes along, I lose the spell points I invested in the "fireball" spell. Such is the gamble you take.

Syra lines up a fireball spell.

The difficulty associated with remembering each spell's glyph sequence and the time it takes to click on them make it difficult to actually cast them in combat. I've discovered that "fireball" is a relatively easy one, though, if I cast it at the EE potency level, since the glyphs EE, FUL, and IR, all occupy the same position in the sequence of glyphs. Casting it is four quick clicks.

Discovering "fireball" was a major turning point. "Fireball" is really the major workhorse spell of any CRPG. I sense a "special topics" posting coming up soon.

The game reveals its spells slowly, through scrolls that you find in different parts of the dungeon. Levels 6-9 really exploded the number of spells that I have available. I finally find OH EW RA (magic vision; sees through walls), which many of you have been hinting at for days, although I found it somewhat overwhelming and short-lived. FUL IR (fireball) and OH KATH RAH (lightning bolt) were great additions, since before them my only good offensive spells were DES VEN (poison) and OH VEN (poison cloud). I found FUL BRO NETA (fire shield) early on, but I forgot about its existence at a crucial point (see below). There are a whole host of spells that create potions to boost my stats, although I've yet to really use them. Plain old FUL (magic torch) remains a constant companion; I found another called OH IR RA (light), but I'm not sure how it differs. One, DES IR SAR (darkness), I've found no use for at all. The glyphs aren't meaningless, either. VI is a component of all healing spells, FUL shows up in fire-based spells, and EW seems to have to do with nonmaterial things, like DES EW (weakens nonmaterial beings) and OH EW RA (sees thorugh material things). I realized belatedly that nothing was stopping me from simply trying different glyph combos on my own, without waiting for the scrolls. But most of my attempts result in an error that I've "mumbled a meaningless spell," so I suppose I'm better off waiting for the scrolls. Anything that results in a potion is a priest spell and everything else is a wizard spell. Spell points, which increase as I gain priest and wizard levels, regenerate fairly quickly. I've discovered that it's a bit of a waste to walk around with a full spell point reserve; even burning these casting needless extra "magic torch" spells or mixing unneeded healing potions helps me gain levels in those classes. Anyway, it's a unique magic system. It combines the "spell memorization" theme of Dungeons & Dragons games with the "runic" system of Ultima Underworld and the "syllable" system of Ultima V and the "spell points" system of The Bard's Tale while, of course, pre-dating most of these games.

A magic barrier precluded progress on Level 7.

So. Back to the gameplay. Since my last update, I have conquered Levels 8 and 9. Level 7 I had to bypass temporarily because I was missing a key to a locked door. A sign saying "the key to the passage lies in hidden deep" kept me from panicking and worrying that I'd overlooked it.

Ghosts assailed me on Level 8. The only weapon that could defeat them was the vorpal blades I found on Level 6.

Level 8 was mostly a vast cavern composed of ghosts that fell easily to my vorpal blades and thieves, which were the most annoying CRPG monsters I've ever faced.

Gangly, larcenous bastards.

They ran up behind me, making a chortling sound, and snatched anything I was carrying out of my hands. I had to chase them across the dungeon, swiping at them as soon as I got into range, to get my stuff back. Level 8 also featured random fireballs that kept hitting me out of nowhere. I never did figure out what was going on with those, although they eventually stopped for some reason.

The cavernous Level 8.

Level 9 was more of a traditional "maze," with lots of dead ends and turns. There were hardly any puzzles on this one, although it featured some tough critters. Again, since the game doesn't name the monsters for me, I call them "jawas," "weird crawly things," and "death rats." The rats were the toughest, swarming me two or three at a time.

A jawa, sans the sandcrawler.

A few stray observations:

• In the last posting, I showed an example of a button that was hard to see. These two levels featured even-harder-to-see buttons on certain walls. I think I got most of the secret doors because there isn't much blank space on my maps, but I can't be sure.

This game does not reward myopic players.

• Level 9 had an area full of traps, where every square I stepped on tripped an unavoidable trap and launched a fireball from the other end of the room. I toughed my way through it, taking copious damage and healing my characters with potions, before I realized the "fire shield" spell would probably come in handy.

Pelted with trap fireballs.

• There was one puzzle in which I had to find something "lighter than a feather" and stick it in an alcove. A rote process of trying all of my items determined that the solution was a chunk of "corbomite." If there was anything in the game that taught me about corbomite's unusual weight properties, I missed it, but the mineral itself is a reference to Star Trek.

• There are more stairs on these lower levels than on the upper ones. Some staircases go to unexplored parts of upper and lower levels, but there also seems to be a central staircase starting on Level 6 that gives you quick access through the levels. Getting to it on each level involves finding a "skeleton key" and using it to open a secret door (helpfully distinguished by a skeleton head).

• The game makes a big deal about your characters needing to eat and drink, but frankly I've found nothing but copious amounts of food and water. I've been lugging around extra food (and chests to carry it) since Level 1, and I'm thinking about just dumping the chests in one of the central staircase levels so I don't have to lug around the weight. Unless something else happens late in the game, it doesn't look like I'll have any trouble returning to these storage locations. Honestly, if you're going to require characters to eat and drink, at least make it a little bit of a challenge.

My characters remain quite sated.

• I'm showing you these maps because they take a long time to make and, dammit, someone is going to see them.

There are five levels left to the game, I think, so I'll press on. Although this one is taking a while, it is clearly a seminal game in the development of CRPGs, and I'm grateful I was exposed to it.

Dungeon Master: Puzzles

I realized late in the level that I had misread the compass in the beginning. I ended up mapping the entire level upside-down.

The levels are taking a bit longer in Dungeon Master, but I'm on the cusp of being halfway through the dungeon.

Level 6 was a long and difficult experience, with tough monsters and interesting puzzles. A few postings ago, I faulted the game for lacking any real "story," but it's starting to make up for that with other challenging gameplay elements.

Coming down the stairs, I was greeted with a large room containing four small alcoves next to four inscriptions on the wall:

1. "I am all; I am none."
2. "Hard as rocks, blue as sky, twinkle in a woman's eye."
3. "I arch yet have no back."
4. "A golden head and tail but no body."

2 and 4 I got almost immediately--a blue gem and a gold coin. #3 took me a minute of checking through my inventory before I hit on a bow. #1 I never got. I mean, I figured out the object by trying random items in my pack, but I don't know why that particular phrase corresponds to a "Mirror of Dawn." Nonetheless, the solution opened an alcove containing a key as well as the exit to the room.

I lost count of how many keys I picked up on the level--something like six. With only a couple of exceptions, each key opened a door to areas that were not strictly necessary to finish the level, but which contained treasures (including two vorpal swords, which I assume are pretty cool).

I don't know what the one on the right is doing.

But each key required solving a puzzle. Near the entry room was a crypt marked "the grave of King Filius, explorer of combinations." The room contained four buttons which I had to press in a particular order to open a secret door. With no clue as to the order, I simply had to write out each possibility (1234, 2341, 4123, etc.) and cross them off one by one until I figured it out.

Next to Filus's grave was the grave of "King Milias the Golden, who even in death searches for bullion." A gold coin dropped into a slot in the wall opened that one.

There were several puzzles involving pressure plates--mostly having to throw objects onto the right ones. One kept me occupied for a long time. It seemed simple enough: the plate opened a nearby wall. But none of my items would trigger the plate; I had to be standing on it. After a long while trying to figure something out, I hit upon the solution of having monsters stand on it--there were plenty of respawning skeletons nearby. But wouldn't you know it--they wouldn't stand still long enough for me to run through the door. So after a period so long I'm not entirely comfortable admitting it, I remembered I had a number of magic boxes that would freeze enemies in place for a spell. That victory tasted sweet.

The critters on the level were reasonably difficult. There were three new monster types: beholders (that's what I'm calling them anyway; the game doesn't tell you their names), skeletons, and giant bees. The skeletons weren't too much trouble except in one place where they trapped me in a corner and attacked me in waves. Beholders were medium difficulty, pummeling me with spells but falling fairly quickly to my weapons. The giant bees kicked my ass, wiping out my entire party twice. I had to resort to firing poison spells while rapidly retreating down the corridor. Fortunately, there weren't many of them.

One wonders where giant bees find pollen in the depths of a dungeon.

In other news:

• I've done a good job balancing out my character levels. Each of my four characters is at least a "craftsman" (fifth level) in each class. The more I play, the more I like the skill-based development system.
• Back when I was writing about Shard of Spring, I noted that there weren't many games that allowed you to adjust the power of spells. Here's one that does. The first rune that you speak in each spell determines its potency.
• This level didn't have any walls to walk through, but it did have plenty of tiny hidden buttons. These are virtually impossible to see from the side, so you have to turn and face every wall.

This is where a hobbit character would come in handy.

The not-knowing-how-to-evaluate-weapons-and-armor thing is getting more difficult. I found a lot of new stuff on this level, and I'm just making guesses about what's best. Y'all keep suggesting that I cheat on this point, and I admit I'm sorely tempted. So out of curiosity, if I did want to give in and look up weapons and armor on a table or something, does one exist? If so, how did the author figure it out? It's not like the weapons do a consistent amount of damage every time you strike.

Yay! A mail aketon! Unless that's worse than an Elvin doublet. In which case, boo!

I know this is a weird time to say this, but it occurred to me today that the graphics are quite good in Dungeon Master--perhaps even the best of any CRPG I've played so far. You can't see it in the screenshots, of course, but the monsters are animated, and the designers took the time to work in neat little touches like shadows. If only the dungeons had some variety to their textures--but I suppose that since the dungeon was supposed to have been one man's house, it makes sense that they don't.

I'll think about recording some video for my next posting.