Descent to Undermountain
Encyclopedia
Descent to Undermountain is a computer role-playing game created and distributed by Interplay
in 1997. It was developed by Chris Avellone
, Scott Bennie, John Deiley, Robert Holloway
, and Steve Perrin
. The game is based on the Dungeons & Dragons
fantasy role-playing game
, which was published at the time by TSR, Inc.
. Programmers were Andrew Pal, James Gardner, Robert Holloway
and Chris Farenetta.
The game partially derives its title from the use of the Descent 3D graphical engine
. Undermountain allowed the player to interact with NPCs, monsters, and the general environment from a first-person perspective. The quest took place within the environs of the infamous super-dungeon of the Forgotten Realms
, Undermountain. Real-time combat would mix with puzzles to provide a variety of challenges throughout the vast dungeon.
' Elder Scrolls series
and Looking Glass Studios
' Ultima Underworld series. It was, however, noted for being the first RPG to use a dedicated 3D engine such as that behind Descent
to create a 3D world based on the Advanced Dungeons & Dragons license.
As the back of the box has stated, the game included six different races that could take on single or multi-class professions with a variety of unique abilities such as thieves being able to climb walls. Over fifty different 3D monsters were in the game along with 160 magical items and forty different spells.
The decision to use the Descent 1 engine
was also cited as a design issue, as it required heavy rewrites to the code in order to support an RPG setting such as Undermountain. Bugs, embarrassingly weak AI, the unappealing and shoddy nature of the graphics, and several other issues have attributed to a general consensus of the game as an example of a title that was pushed to release before it was ready. Technical issues existed in the concept which delayed development, forcing redesigns and re-engineering. Ultimately the "quick change" to Descent's rendering engine proved to be extremely challenging which exceeded the technical understanding of the corporate leadership who were resolved to predetermined delivery dates. This lack of understanding led to a hurried development cycle.
Interplay Entertainment
Interplay Entertainment Corporation is an American video game developer and publisher, founded in 1983 as Interplay Productions by Brian Fargo. The company had been a quality developer until they started publishing their own games in 1988, like Neuromancer and Battle Chess. The company was renamed...
in 1997. It was developed by Chris Avellone
Chris Avellone
Chris Avellone is an American video game designer and comic book writer who worked for Interplay and currently works in Obsidian Entertainment.-Early life and education:...
, Scott Bennie, John Deiley, Robert Holloway
Robert Holloway
Robert Alexander Holloway was born 15 November, 1940 in Invercargill. He was a New Zealand cricketer who played 15 first-class matches for the Otago Volts in the Plunket Shield in the 1960's and he also played for Southland in the Hawke Cup.- External Links :...
, and Steve Perrin
Steve Perrin
Stephen Herbert Perrin, born January 22 1946 and simply known as Steve Perrin, is a game designer and technical writer/editor.Perrin is probably best known for creating the role-playing game RuneQuest for Chaosium...
. The game is based on the Dungeons & Dragons
Dungeons & Dragons
Dungeons & Dragons is a fantasy role-playing game originally designed by Gary Gygax and Dave Arneson, and first published in 1974 by Tactical Studies Rules, Inc. . The game has been published by Wizards of the Coast since 1997...
fantasy role-playing game
Role-playing game
A role-playing game is a game in which players assume the roles of characters in a fictional setting. Players take responsibility for acting out these roles within a narrative, either through literal acting, or through a process of structured decision-making or character development...
, which was published at the time by TSR, Inc.
TSR, Inc.
Blume and Gygax, the remaining owners, incorporated a new company called TSR Hobbies, Inc., with Blume and his father, Melvin Blume, owning the larger share. The former assets of the partnership were transferred to TSR Hobbies, Inc....
. Programmers were Andrew Pal, James Gardner, Robert Holloway
Robert Holloway
Robert Alexander Holloway was born 15 November, 1940 in Invercargill. He was a New Zealand cricketer who played 15 first-class matches for the Otago Volts in the Plunket Shield in the 1960's and he also played for Southland in the Hawke Cup.- External Links :...
and Chris Farenetta.
The game partially derives its title from the use of the Descent 3D graphical engine
Descent (video game)
Descent is a 3D first-person shooter video game developed by Parallax Software and released by Interplay Entertainment Corp. in 1995. The game features six degrees of freedom gameplay and garnered several expansion packs...
. Undermountain allowed the player to interact with NPCs, monsters, and the general environment from a first-person perspective. The quest took place within the environs of the infamous super-dungeon of the Forgotten Realms
Forgotten Realms
The Forgotten Realms is a campaign setting for the Dungeons & Dragons fantasy role-playing game. Commonly referred to by players and game designers alike as "The Realms", it was created by game designer Ed Greenwood around 1967 as a setting for his childhood stories...
, Undermountain. Real-time combat would mix with puzzles to provide a variety of challenges throughout the vast dungeon.
Gameplay
The game was not the first to bring PC role-playing into a 3D environment, having been preceded by several titles such as Bethesda SoftworksBethesda Softworks
Bethesda Softworks, LLC, is an American video game company. A subsidiary of ZeniMax Media, the company was originally based in Bethesda, Maryland and eventually moved to their current location in Rockville, Maryland...
' Elder Scrolls series
The Elder Scrolls
The Elder Scrolls is a role-playing video game series developed by Bethesda Game Studios and published by Bethesda Softworks.-History:...
and Looking Glass Studios
Looking Glass Studios
Looking Glass Studios was a computer game development company during the 1990s.The company originally formed as Looking Glass Technologies, when Blue Sky Productions and Lerner Research merged....
' Ultima Underworld series. It was, however, noted for being the first RPG to use a dedicated 3D engine such as that behind Descent
Descent (video game)
Descent is a 3D first-person shooter video game developed by Parallax Software and released by Interplay Entertainment Corp. in 1995. The game features six degrees of freedom gameplay and garnered several expansion packs...
to create a 3D world based on the Advanced Dungeons & Dragons license.
As the back of the box has stated, the game included six different races that could take on single or multi-class professions with a variety of unique abilities such as thieves being able to climb walls. Over fifty different 3D monsters were in the game along with 160 magical items and forty different spells.
Reception
Players and critics alike have noted the unfinished feel of the game upon release. Cooperative multiplayer support, previously promised as a part of the title, was cut late in development because of severe technical issues and efforts were refocused on the single player campaign. The game was sort of a pariah at Interplay, where it was handled by no fewer than three development teams over the span of nearly two years. The final team to receive custody of the game was given an extremely limited amount of time to finish the product and had to start from nearly scratch due to unfinished code left over from the previous development teams.The decision to use the Descent 1 engine
Descent (video game)
Descent is a 3D first-person shooter video game developed by Parallax Software and released by Interplay Entertainment Corp. in 1995. The game features six degrees of freedom gameplay and garnered several expansion packs...
was also cited as a design issue, as it required heavy rewrites to the code in order to support an RPG setting such as Undermountain. Bugs, embarrassingly weak AI, the unappealing and shoddy nature of the graphics, and several other issues have attributed to a general consensus of the game as an example of a title that was pushed to release before it was ready. Technical issues existed in the concept which delayed development, forcing redesigns and re-engineering. Ultimately the "quick change" to Descent's rendering engine proved to be extremely challenging which exceeded the technical understanding of the corporate leadership who were resolved to predetermined delivery dates. This lack of understanding led to a hurried development cycle.
See also
- The Elder Scrolls: Arena
- The Elder Scrolls: Daggerfall
- Mission Critical (video game)