Dungeon Runners
Encyclopedia
Dungeon Runners was a medieval fantasy
, often satirical MMORPG
developed and published by NCsoft
. It featured gameplay similar to the Diablo
series of games.
: Dark Millennium. The game was based on the early computer game series of the same name and originally featured a science-fiction setting. It later became Exarch in 2002 and was scrapped for some time until it resurfaced in 2005 with its third and current development team as Dungeon Runners.
Dungeon Runners entered the closed Beta phase in May 2006, and a game trailer was exhibited at the 2006 E3 convention. Open Beta began in December 2006, and Beta accounts could be acquired via an invitation from an existing player or through the NCsoft
website. On May 24, 2007, the game officially went live.
Much of the original art was conceived by comic-book artist Joe 'Mad' Madureira.
As of 13 August 2008, the parent NCSoft company in Korea has decided to cut 21 members of its staff in Austin, TX due to the company's overall decreasing profits. Out of the 18 member team which developed Dungeon Runners, only 3 of the original developers remained.
, the game world was almost entirely uniquely instanced for each party of players.
Dungeon Runners implemented a classless system (see Classes, below) and offered regular updates through patches. One of the most acclaimed patches was the update coined "The Heave" that introduced the first player summon "Chill Bill", and a new high level dungeon. This update patch was very well received by the gaming community and is considered by many to be one of the game's best updates.
trainer in each neutral playfield. As with similar games, each class had a specific role to play within a party grouping. The warrior was the melee specialist, a "meat shield
" to gain and hold aggro
. The ranger was a ranged combat specialist, with spell-like skills that allowed different types of damage and damage over time (DoT) attacks. The mage was a ranged area of effect
(AoE) combatant, dealing heavy damage to many opponents at once but unable to survive long in close combat.
With the public release of the game, a classless system has been implemented. Like before, the player chooses a class (fighter
, mage
, ranger
) when generating the character; this determines which package of beginning skills, which weapon and what type of clothing or armor the character begins the game with. After the first dungeon (Dew Valley Forest) the character arrives in the main town where there are three skill trainers, one each devoted to fighter skills, ranger skills, and mage skills. Any character may learn any skills desired from any of the three trainers. In place of a class, each character has a four word descriptive title that changes depending on how the character's attributes are improved (relative to one another) and which skills the player chooses. When the player buys new skills from a trainer, each skill has an icon that is placed in the Skill Bar, an interface element at the bottom center of the screen. The Skill Bar has eight slots mapped to number row keys plus two additional slots mapped to each of the mouse
buttons. The character can learn all the skills available in the game if the player wishes; however, only ten can be accessed at any given time, being limited by the number of slots in the Bar.
If the player wishes a radical change in the character's abilities, a "Re-Spec" button is available on the Character Sheet. This allows the player to completely redistribute the character's attribute points at any time by spending some of the character's gold. The charge for a Re-Spec is based on the character's level and is inexpensive up to level 20, after which the price increases much more quickly per level. The current level cap is 100.
and Diablo II
, especially noting the instanced dungeons (whose level layouts and content are randomly regenerated each time a player logs into the game), the "action RPG
" gameplay style, the naming conventions for in-game items, the variable class structure based on three archetypes (five in Diablo II), and the absence of a "healer" class, among other similarities. One notable difference is that Dungeon Runners is rendered using polygonal models, rather than the sprite
-based isometric graphics of the Diablo series.
GameSpot
and Eurogamer
, have stated that the graphical quality, third-person point of view and screen layout more closely resemble that of World of Warcraft
, another MMORPG.
As of the latest 147 patch, a substantial graphics update was also added.
Players can engage in single or group pvp combat and each side may have up to 5 players. The difficulty of the match is also scaled according to the ratio of the group sizes. For instance, a single player facing off against a team of two players would be at 100% power while the other team's two players would be toned down in damage and armour. Depending on your performance you may receive King's coins which can be spent on items.
as straight forward game music in the vein of Diablo II
, whereas the boss monsters have their own theme songs, varying in such styles as black metal
, synthpop
, klezmer
and funk
.
said it would be refocusing its efforts on big-budget, top-tier MMOGs. The announcement was accompanied by news that NCsoft had laid off a number of developers working on its casual MMOG Dungeon Runners, as well as canceled plans to bring the game to other platforms, believed to be Sony's PlayStation 3
. Dungeon Runners had dropped, as producer and lead programmer Stephen Nichols confirmed that the game will be taken offline on December 31. Dungeon Runners, which operates under both a free-to-play, microtransaction-supported and subscription-based business model, launched to lackluster reviews for the PC in July 2008.
"Dungeon Runners just isn't cutting the mustard," Nichols said on an announcement on the Dungeon Runners forum. "If she were a ship, she'd be taking on water. Yeah, she's been taking on water for a long time now. Are my cryptic references too hard to decipher? The game just isn't profitable. And, the first rule of business is to be profitable!"
Nichols went on to note that, while the team has a number of ideas to generate revenue
, they would be expensive and risky to implement. He also noted that said plans would be greatly hampered given that two of the five developers on the game had recently departed from the team.
Nichols noted that those with paid memberships to Dungeon Runners will receive digital copies of City of Heroes
Architect Edition and Guild Wars Prophecies
. The producer also stated that anyone who "needs refunds for multiple-month membership purchases will be taken care of."
The online service for Dungeon Runners ended on January 1, 2010. The website was shut down shortly thereafter on January 3, 2010.
Medieval fantasy
Medieval fantasy is a subgenre of fantasy that encompasses medieval era high fantasy and sometimes simply represents fictitious versions of historic events. This subgenre is common among role-playing games, text-based roleplaying, and high-fantasy literature....
, often satirical MMORPG
MMORPG
Massively multiplayer online role-playing game is a genre of role-playing video games in which a very large number of players interact with one another within a virtual game world....
developed and published by NCsoft
NCsoft
NCsoft is a South Korea-based online video game company, which has published massively multiplayer online role-playing games including Lineage, City of Heroes, Wildstar, Exteel, Guild Wars and Aion.-History:...
. It featured gameplay similar to the Diablo
Diablo (video game)
Diablo is a dark fantasy-themed action role-playing game developed by Blizzard North and released by Blizzard Entertainment on December 31, 1996....
series of games.
Development
Development on the title first began in 2001 as Trade WarsTrade Wars
Trade Wars is the title, with some variations in spelling and capitalization, of a series of computer games dating back to the early days of personal computing. Based on influences from Star Trek, Star Wars, and early BBS strategy games, Trade Wars was an early example of the appeal of online games...
: Dark Millennium. The game was based on the early computer game series of the same name and originally featured a science-fiction setting. It later became Exarch in 2002 and was scrapped for some time until it resurfaced in 2005 with its third and current development team as Dungeon Runners.
Dungeon Runners entered the closed Beta phase in May 2006, and a game trailer was exhibited at the 2006 E3 convention. Open Beta began in December 2006, and Beta accounts could be acquired via an invitation from an existing player or through the NCsoft
NCsoft
NCsoft is a South Korea-based online video game company, which has published massively multiplayer online role-playing games including Lineage, City of Heroes, Wildstar, Exteel, Guild Wars and Aion.-History:...
website. On May 24, 2007, the game officially went live.
Much of the original art was conceived by comic-book artist Joe 'Mad' Madureira.
As of 13 August 2008, the parent NCSoft company in Korea has decided to cut 21 members of its staff in Austin, TX due to the company's overall decreasing profits. Out of the 18 member team which developed Dungeon Runners, only 3 of the original developers remained.
Features
Free gameplay was unlimited (no playfield or activity is closed to free players), but an optional USD $4.99 monthly membership fee granted access to additional features that greatly enhance gameplay. Additionally, users could purchase the game for $19.99. The boxed game came with 6 months of membership as well as a "Bling Gnome". Although described as an MMORPGMMORPG
Massively multiplayer online role-playing game is a genre of role-playing video games in which a very large number of players interact with one another within a virtual game world....
, the game world was almost entirely uniquely instanced for each party of players.
Dungeon Runners implemented a classless system (see Classes, below) and offered regular updates through patches. One of the most acclaimed patches was the update coined "The Heave" that introduced the first player summon "Chill Bill", and a new high level dungeon. This update patch was very well received by the gaming community and is considered by many to be one of the game's best updates.
Classes
The Beta version of the game featured three playable classes: the mage, the warrior and the ranger. Each class had different abilities and a different NPCNon-player character
A non-player character , sometimes known as a non-person character or non-playable character, in a game is any fictional character not controlled by a player. In electronic games, this usually means a character controlled by the computer through artificial intelligence...
trainer in each neutral playfield. As with similar games, each class had a specific role to play within a party grouping. The warrior was the melee specialist, a "meat shield
Tank (computer gaming)
A tank is a style of character in gaming, often associated with a character class. A common convention in real-time strategy games, role-playing games, MMORPGs and MUDs, tanks redirect enemy attacks and/or attention toward themselves in order to protect other characters or units...
" to gain and hold aggro
Hate (MMORPG terminology)
Hate, aggro, or threat is a mechanism used in many MMORPGs as well as some RPGs by which non-playing characters prioritize which players to attack. Players who generate the most hate on an NPC will be preferentially attacked by that NPC...
. The ranger was a ranged combat specialist, with spell-like skills that allowed different types of damage and damage over time (DoT) attacks. The mage was a ranged area of effect
Area of effect
thumb|Screenshot from FreedroidRPG showing Area of Effect.Area of effect is a term used in many role-playing and strategy games to describe attacks or spells that affect multiple targets within a specified area....
(AoE) combatant, dealing heavy damage to many opponents at once but unable to survive long in close combat.
With the public release of the game, a classless system has been implemented. Like before, the player chooses a class (fighter
Warrior (character class)
Warrior is a character class found in many role-playing games. This class may also be referred to as Fighter, as in Dungeons & Dragons. The class is sometimes also referred to as a Knight, although in some games this is a separate class with a more chivalric aspect...
, mage
Wizard (character class)
The Wizard is a type of magical character class in certain role-playing games and computer role-playing games. Wizards are considered to be spellcasters who wield powerful spells, but are often physically weak as a trade-off. Wizards are commonly confused with similar offensive spellcasting...
, ranger
Ranger (character class)
A Ranger is a type of warrior appearing in fantasy fiction and role-playing games....
) when generating the character; this determines which package of beginning skills, which weapon and what type of clothing or armor the character begins the game with. After the first dungeon (Dew Valley Forest) the character arrives in the main town where there are three skill trainers, one each devoted to fighter skills, ranger skills, and mage skills. Any character may learn any skills desired from any of the three trainers. In place of a class, each character has a four word descriptive title that changes depending on how the character's attributes are improved (relative to one another) and which skills the player chooses. When the player buys new skills from a trainer, each skill has an icon that is placed in the Skill Bar, an interface element at the bottom center of the screen. The Skill Bar has eight slots mapped to number row keys plus two additional slots mapped to each of the mouse
Mouse (computing)
In computing, a mouse is a pointing device that functions by detecting two-dimensional motion relative to its supporting surface. Physically, a mouse consists of an object held under one of the user's hands, with one or more buttons...
buttons. The character can learn all the skills available in the game if the player wishes; however, only ten can be accessed at any given time, being limited by the number of slots in the Bar.
If the player wishes a radical change in the character's abilities, a "Re-Spec" button is available on the Character Sheet. This allows the player to completely redistribute the character's attribute points at any time by spending some of the character's gold. The charge for a Re-Spec is based on the character's level and is inexpensive up to level 20, after which the price increases much more quickly per level. The current level cap is 100.
Graphics and Gameplay
The gameplay and graphics styling of Dungeon Runners has been compared to DiabloDiablo (video game)
Diablo is a dark fantasy-themed action role-playing game developed by Blizzard North and released by Blizzard Entertainment on December 31, 1996....
and Diablo II
Diablo II
Diablo II is a dark fantasy/horror-themed hack and slash, with elements of the role playing game and dungeon crawl genres. It was released for Windows and Mac OS in 2000 by Blizzard Entertainment, and was developed by Blizzard North. It is a direct sequel to the 1996 hit PC game, Diablo.Diablo II...
, especially noting the instanced dungeons (whose level layouts and content are randomly regenerated each time a player logs into the game), the "action RPG
Action role-playing game
Action role-playing games form a loosely defined sub-genre of role-playing video games that incorporate elements of action or action-adventure games, emphasizing real-time action where the player has direct control over characters, instead of turn-based or menu-based combat...
" gameplay style, the naming conventions for in-game items, the variable class structure based on three archetypes (five in Diablo II), and the absence of a "healer" class, among other similarities. One notable difference is that Dungeon Runners is rendered using polygonal models, rather than the sprite
Sprite (computer graphics)
In computer graphics, a sprite is a two-dimensional image or animation that is integrated into a larger scene...
-based isometric graphics of the Diablo series.
GameSpot
GameSpot
GameSpot is a video gaming website that provides news, reviews, previews, downloads, and other information. The site was launched in May 1, 1996 by Pete Deemer, Vince Broady and Jon Epstein. It was purchased by ZDNet, a brand which was later purchased by CNET Networks. CBS Interactive, which...
and Eurogamer
Eurogamer
Eurogamer is a Brighton-based website focused on video games news, reviews, previews and interviews. It is operated by Eurogamer Network Ltd., which was formed in 1999 by brothers Rupert and Nick Loman. Eurogamer has grown to become one of the most important European-based websites focused on...
, have stated that the graphical quality, third-person point of view and screen layout more closely resemble that of World of Warcraft
World of Warcraft
World of Warcraft is a massively multiplayer online role-playing game by Blizzard Entertainment. It is the fourth released game set in the fantasy Warcraft universe, which was first introduced by Warcraft: Orcs & Humans in 1994...
, another MMORPG.
As of the latest 147 patch, a substantial graphics update was also added.
PvP
NCsoft has introduced a PvP world where players can travel to the town of Pwnston and engage in single duels or group duels with other players. Each character starts off with a PvP ranking of 1500 and this number changes according to duel outcomes.Players can engage in single or group pvp combat and each side may have up to 5 players. The difficulty of the match is also scaled according to the ratio of the group sizes. For instance, a single player facing off against a team of two players would be at 100% power while the other team's two players would be toned down in damage and armour. Depending on your performance you may receive King's coins which can be spent on items.
Sound
Dungeon Runners' in-game music is composed by Tracy W. BushTracy W. Bush
Tracy W. Bush is a video game music composer, sound designer and a foley artist. He is known for composing music for the popular games Warcraft III: The Frozen Throne, Warcraft III: Reign of Chaos, World of Warcraft, StarCraft , and StarCraft: Brood War , and for sound design on Diablo II and...
as straight forward game music in the vein of Diablo II
Diablo II
Diablo II is a dark fantasy/horror-themed hack and slash, with elements of the role playing game and dungeon crawl genres. It was released for Windows and Mac OS in 2000 by Blizzard Entertainment, and was developed by Blizzard North. It is a direct sequel to the 1996 hit PC game, Diablo.Diablo II...
, whereas the boss monsters have their own theme songs, varying in such styles as black metal
Black metal
Black metal is an extreme subgenre of heavy metal music. Common traits include fast tempos, shrieked vocals, highly distorted guitars played with tremolo picking, blast beat drumming, raw recording, and unconventional song structure....
, synthpop
Synthpop
Synthpop is a genre of popular music that first became prominent in the 1980s, in which the synthesizer is the dominant musical instrument. It was prefigured in the 1960s and early 1970s by the use of synthesizers in progressive rock, electronic art rock, disco and particularly the "Kraut rock" of...
, klezmer
Klezmer
Klezmer is a musical tradition of the Ashkenazic Jews of Eastern Europe. Played by professional musicians called klezmorim, the genre originally consisted largely of dance tunes and instrumental display pieces for weddings and other celebrations...
and funk
Funk
Funk is a music genre that originated in the mid-late 1960s when African American musicians blended soul music, jazz and R&B into a rhythmic, danceable new form of music. Funk de-emphasizes melody and harmony and brings a strong rhythmic groove of electric bass and drums to the foreground...
.
End-of-Life Announcement and Shutdown (January 2010)
NCsoftNCsoft
NCsoft is a South Korea-based online video game company, which has published massively multiplayer online role-playing games including Lineage, City of Heroes, Wildstar, Exteel, Guild Wars and Aion.-History:...
said it would be refocusing its efforts on big-budget, top-tier MMOGs. The announcement was accompanied by news that NCsoft had laid off a number of developers working on its casual MMOG Dungeon Runners, as well as canceled plans to bring the game to other platforms, believed to be Sony's PlayStation 3
PlayStation 3
The is the third home video game console produced by Sony Computer Entertainment and the successor to the PlayStation 2 as part of the PlayStation series. The PlayStation 3 competes with Microsoft's Xbox 360 and Nintendo's Wii as part of the seventh generation of video game consoles...
. Dungeon Runners had dropped, as producer and lead programmer Stephen Nichols confirmed that the game will be taken offline on December 31. Dungeon Runners, which operates under both a free-to-play, microtransaction-supported and subscription-based business model, launched to lackluster reviews for the PC in July 2008.
"Dungeon Runners just isn't cutting the mustard," Nichols said on an announcement on the Dungeon Runners forum. "If she were a ship, she'd be taking on water. Yeah, she's been taking on water for a long time now. Are my cryptic references too hard to decipher? The game just isn't profitable. And, the first rule of business is to be profitable!"
Nichols went on to note that, while the team has a number of ideas to generate revenue
Revenue
In business, revenue is income that a company receives from its normal business activities, usually from the sale of goods and services to customers. In many countries, such as the United Kingdom, revenue is referred to as turnover....
, they would be expensive and risky to implement. He also noted that said plans would be greatly hampered given that two of the five developers on the game had recently departed from the team.
Nichols noted that those with paid memberships to Dungeon Runners will receive digital copies of City of Heroes
City of Heroes
City of Heroes is a massively multiplayer online role-playing game based on the superhero comic book genre, developed by Cryptic Studios and published by NCsoft. The game was launched in North America on April 27, 2004 and in Europe on February 4, 2005 with English, German and French language...
Architect Edition and Guild Wars Prophecies
Guild Wars Prophecies
Guild Wars: Prophecies , officially known as simply Guild Wars, is the first campaign of the Guild Wars series of Action RPGs, developed by the Seattle-based ArenaNet game developer studio, a subsidiary of South Korean game publisher NCsoft...
. The producer also stated that anyone who "needs refunds for multiple-month membership purchases will be taken care of."
The online service for Dungeon Runners ended on January 1, 2010. The website was shut down shortly thereafter on January 3, 2010.