Nethergate
Encyclopedia
- For the British brewery, see Nethergate BreweryNethergate breweryNethergate Brewery was established in 1986 in Clare, Suffolk, England by former Head Brewer Ian Hornsey and his business partner Dick Burge. In 2005 the brewery site was moved across the county border to Pentlow in Essex...
. For the Nethergate area of Dundee, see City Centre, DundeeCity Centre, DundeeUntil the industrial revolution the current City Centre represented the full extent of the City of Dundee. Now roughly encircled by the Marketgait dual carriageway, the city centre is now the main shopping and commercial district...
.
Nethergate is a computer-based historical-fiction fantasy role-playing
Role-playing
Role-playing refers to the changing of one's behaviour to assume a role, either unconsciously to fill a social role, or consciously to act out an adopted role...
game by Spiderweb Software
Spiderweb Software
Spiderweb Software is a small indie video game developer founded in 1994 by Jeff Vogel in Seattle, Washington. Its primary focus is on creating demoware games for the Apple Macintosh and Microsoft Windows operating systems. The company is unusual in that it first develops games for Macintosh...
available for the Macintosh and Microsoft Windows
Microsoft Windows
Microsoft Windows is a series of operating systems produced by Microsoft.Microsoft introduced an operating environment named Windows on November 20, 1985 as an add-on to MS-DOS in response to the growing interest in graphical user interfaces . Microsoft Windows came to dominate the world's personal...
platforms. The game was released in 1999
1999 in video gaming
-Events:*British Academy of Film and Television Arts hosts the 2nd annual BAFTA Interactive Entertainment Awards*March – Game Over republished as “Game Over: Press Start to Continue”...
by Jeff Vogel, and was Spiderweb Software's first game to feature a 45° isometric
Isometric projection
Isometric projection is a method for visually representing three-dimensional objects in two dimensions in technical and engineering drawings...
viewing angle. Nethergate offers the feature of being able to play on either side of the story, as Celts or Romans
Ancient Rome
Ancient Rome was a thriving civilization that grew on the Italian Peninsula as early as the 8th century BC. Located along the Mediterranean Sea and centered on the city of Rome, it expanded to one of the largest empires in the ancient world....
. The game has a plot which allows for several endings and many side quests, which flow alongside the main story. Spiderweb Software released a remake called Nethergate Resurrection in May 2007.
Plot
The Player begins with a party of four characters, who are either "A small band of Roman Soldiers sent to the Shadowvale to complete a mysterious mission," or a "Band of young Celtic warriors told by your chief to go to the village of Nethergate for mysterious reasons." Shadowvale is an isolated valley controlled by the BrigantesBrigantes
The Brigantes were a Celtic tribe who in pre-Roman times controlled the largest section of what would become Northern England, and a significant part of the Midlands. Their kingdom is sometimes called Brigantia, and it was centred in what was later known as Yorkshire...
and the games events take place during the time of Boudica
Boudica
Boudica , also known as Boadicea and known in Welsh as "Buddug" was queen of the British Iceni tribe who led an uprising against the occupying forces of the Roman Empire....
's rebellion in 60/61. The linear missions of the Romans and the Celts complement each other to a certain extent. Romans are first faced with retrieving a satchel with vital information for Shadow Valley Fort from a nearby mine infested with Goblins, while the Celts' first mission is to acquire a bronze token from a nearby pit in which Goblins have made their fortification. From there, both sides make their way to the house of the Three Crones, who are very similar to the Three Fates
Moirae
The Moirae, Moerae or Moirai , in Greek mythology, were the white-robed incarnations of destiny . Their number became fixed at three...
of Greek Mythology
Greek mythology
Greek mythology is the body of myths and legends belonging to the ancient Greeks, concerning their gods and heroes, the nature of the world, and the origins and significance of their own cult and ritual practices. They were a part of religion in ancient Greece...
. The Crones aid the Romans in interfering with the Celts' Mission to get a contract from the Sidhe Faeries who lived in the valley long before humans by imprisoning you if you are a party of Celts, and telling you what you must do next as Romans, as well as rewarding you for missions which involved grave robbing
Grave robbing
Grave robbery, grave robbing, or tomb raiding is the act of uncovering a tomb or crypt to steal artifacts or personal effects. Someone who engages in this act is a grave robber or tomb raider...
and assassination
Assassination
To carry out an assassination is "to murder by a sudden and/or secret attack, often for political reasons." Alternatively, assassination may be defined as "the act of deliberately killing someone, especially a public figure, usually for hire or for political reasons."An assassination may be...
. The next location of travel is a ruined faerie hall, in which you acquire a contract between the Sidhe and the village of Nethergate, explaining that the party must retrieve three magical items: a Fomorian’s Stone Skull, The Eye of Cathrac, and the Crown of Annwn. Once these items have been acquired, the party journeys to the Spire of Ages, where the Celts aid the Faerie leader in escaping this world, while the Romans attempt to interrupt him. In the "best" ending for both sides, Shadow Valley Fort is destroyed, the village of Nethergate is evacuated, and the enchanted weapons meant for the Celts have been destroyed.
Gameplay
Nethergate’s gameplay is in an isometric view, and is somewhat a stepping stone between that of Blades of Exile and Avernum, as it uses the pseudo-3D of Avernum, with a battle and conversation system which more resembles Blades of ExileNethergate is unique among Spiderweb Software games in being the only game to use a spell system consisting of Spell Circles, instead of the "Mage" and "Priest" spell system featured in the Exile and Avernum series. Certain Circles have skill restrictions on them based on the character's level of Druidism, skill in other circles, and Faction.
----
Spell Circles
Health Circle – Available to Celts and Romans, can only be as high as Druidism Skill, contains spells used for healing characters
War Circle – Available to Celts and Romans, can only be as high as Druidism Skill, contains spells used for shielding and boosting your characters, as well as causing harm to hostile NPC’s
Beast Circle – Available to Celts at start of game, Romans must earn it by completing a quest, may only be as high as War Circle skill for Celts, fixed value for Romans, contains spells for summoning creatures
Craft Circle – Available to Celts at start of game, Romans must earn it by completing a quest, may only be as high as the War Circle skill for Celts, fixed value for Romans, contains spells for aiding in travel around the game
Spirit Circle – Available to Celts at beginning of game, Romans must find it, may only be as high as the lower of Craft or Beast circle as Celts, fixed value for Romans, contains spells for damaging magical creatures and blocks
Nether Circle – Grouping of five spells, which may only be used by the Celts, also the most powerful and hard-to-find spells
Nethergate: Resurrection
Nethergate: Resurrection, a revamped version of Nethergate, was released for Macintosh on May 21, 2007, with the Windows released later that year on August 9. Changes to the game include:- Use of the Blades of Avernum game engine, which also provides a quest log, a nicer automap, and improved graphical features.
- Two new dungeonDungeonA dungeon is a room or cell in which prisoners are held, especially underground. Dungeons are generally associated with medieval castles, though their association with torture probably belongs more to the Renaissance period...
s, several new quests, and many new magic items.
- The game is universal on MacintoshMacintoshThe Macintosh , or Mac, is a series of several lines of personal computers designed, developed, and marketed by Apple Inc. The first Macintosh was introduced by Apple's then-chairman Steve Jobs on January 24, 1984; it was the first commercially successful personal computer to feature a mouse and a...
and compatible with Windows VistaWindows VistaWindows Vista is an operating system released in several variations developed by Microsoft for use on personal computers, including home and business desktops, laptops, tablet PCs, and media center PCs...
.
In addition to the new features, saved games from Nethergate are not compatible with Nethergate: Resurrection. Customers who had purchased the original game (Nethergate) also received a thirteen dollar
Dollar
The dollar is the name of the official currency of many countries, including Australia, Belize, Canada, Ecuador, El Salvador, Hong Kong, New Zealand, Singapore, Taiwan, and the United States.-Etymology:...
discount.