Fate: Gates of Dawn
Encyclopedia
Fate: Gates of Dawn is a computer role-playing game released by reLINE Software
in 1991 for the Commodore
Amiga
and in 1992 for the Atari ST
.
The game is notable for its huge game world. Although released on only two floppy discs, it takes hours for the player to travel from one end of the game world to the other and up to months to complete the game.
The player can control up to 4 parties, 28 characters in total . The game has 32 character-classes
, 11 races and over 200 spells and magic potions. It features a realistic environment including day and night cycles and weather which affects the characters.
The game received awards but was not a commercial success, the company reLINE failing for the first time just when the English version was about to be published. Despite only a few original English versions being sold copies nevertheless spread all over the world. It is notable that only the copy protection
but not the password
protection was removed in these copies. Password requests are not made at the start of the game but at intervals in the game repeated after some time. Just ignoring these requests or a wrong code leads not to an abrupt end to the game, but gameplay
deteriorating until it becomes unplayable, so that a copy of the manual is still required.
The Amiga version of the game has better sounds and 32 colors compared to the Atari ST version with 16 colors.
ReLINE Software
reLINE Software was a German game development company.The company was founded by Uwe Grabosch and Holger Gehrmann in Hannover in 1987.They started at first as a developer for Softgold, Rainbow Arts, Golden Games, Magic Bytes, micro-partner and Robtek...
in 1991 for the Commodore
Commodore International
Commodore is the commonly used name for Commodore Business Machines , the U.S.-based home computer manufacturer and electronics manufacturer headquartered in West Chester, Pennsylvania, which also housed Commodore's corporate parent company, Commodore International Limited...
Amiga
Amiga
The Amiga is a family of personal computers that was sold by Commodore in the 1980s and 1990s. The first model was launched in 1985 as a high-end home computer and became popular for its graphical, audio and multi-tasking abilities...
and in 1992 for the Atari ST
Atari ST
The Atari ST is a home/personal computer that was released by Atari Corporation in 1985 and commercially available from that summer into the early 1990s. The "ST" officially stands for "Sixteen/Thirty-two", which referred to the Motorola 68000's 16-bit external bus and 32-bit internals...
.
The game is notable for its huge game world. Although released on only two floppy discs, it takes hours for the player to travel from one end of the game world to the other and up to months to complete the game.
The player can control up to 4 parties, 28 characters in total . The game has 32 character-classes
Character class
In role-playing games, a common method of arbitrating the capabilities of different game characters is to assign each one to a character class. A character class aggregates several abilities and aptitudes, and may also sometimes detail aspects of background and social standing or impose behaviour...
, 11 races and over 200 spells and magic potions. It features a realistic environment including day and night cycles and weather which affects the characters.
The game received awards but was not a commercial success, the company reLINE failing for the first time just when the English version was about to be published. Despite only a few original English versions being sold copies nevertheless spread all over the world. It is notable that only the copy protection
Copy protection
Copy protection, also known as content protection, copy obstruction, copy prevention and copy restriction, refer to techniques used for preventing the reproduction of software, films, music, and other media, usually for copyright reasons.- Terminology :Media corporations have always used the term...
but not the password
Password
A password is a secret word or string of characters that is used for authentication, to prove identity or gain access to a resource . The password should be kept secret from those not allowed access....
protection was removed in these copies. Password requests are not made at the start of the game but at intervals in the game repeated after some time. Just ignoring these requests or a wrong code leads not to an abrupt end to the game, but gameplay
Gameplay
Gameplay is the specific way in which players interact with a game, and in particular with video games. Gameplay is the pattern defined through the game rules, connection between player and the game, challenges and overcoming them, plot and player's connection with it...
deteriorating until it becomes unplayable, so that a copy of the manual is still required.
The Amiga version of the game has better sounds and 32 colors compared to the Atari ST version with 16 colors.