SSI’s Unlimited Adventures (sometimes known as Forgotten Realms) is a role playing game that was far ahead of its time. Released in 1993, this game was one of the first to market the concept of a game editor, meaning that anyone could put together adventures to be played or traded to other gamers owning the same game and system. A gamer could create dungeons, create custom monsters with custom names, import pictures and build characters. Some aspects of the game play were fixed, such as art and backdrops, but they are minor compared to what magic is given to the gamer.
SSI’s Unlimited Adventures (sometimes known as Forgotten Realms) is a role playing game that was far ahead of its time. Released in 1993, this game was one of the first to market the concept of a game editor, meaning that anyone could put together adventures to be played or traded to other gamers owning the same game and system. A gamer could create dungeons, create custom monsters with custom names, import pictures and build characters. Some aspects of the game play were fixed, such as art and backdrops, but they are minor compared to what magic is given to the gamer.
Custom modules created by gamers are played in a stand-alone-adventure type of game, very similar to the various instalments of Dungeons and Dragons. Serving basically as a dungeon builder, Unlimited
Adventures is very difficult and time consuming. The reason designers and writers receive such monumental paychecks is because designing something fresh and interesting as well as challenging (without being unduly frustrating) is HARD! But, with the right amount of creativity and practice, a gamer can create a model that suits him or her, or can be tailored to another person’s tastes.
Overall, there is a lot to understand to create a good game, and if nothing else, it gives gamers more of an appreciation of the complex nature of software development. Some of the specific actions to be negotiated in Unlimited Adventures include: placing events to create appropriate chains of happenings, adding non-playing characters, building combat sequences, and gaining experience. Imagine the possibilities from just one of those categories, for example combat. The gamer must choose the amount of damage a monster can inflict and how much defence the character can access. Does the creature have special attacks or weaknesses? Will there be treasure given to the hero after defeating the monster, and if so, what type and how much? Is there an encounter or interaction followed by hero’s choice that creates the conflict or is it inevitable. How much experience does the hero gain for killing the beast?
As anyone can see, there are many questions and in Unlimited Adventures, the user has the answers. Granted, it could take forever to create a dungeon worth talking about, making UA highly replayable. While it is complex in nature, those with RPGaming experience will likely fall in love with the idea of building their own game.
