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Rune (computer game)
Encyclopedia
Rune is a third-person action
computer game developed by Human Head Studios
which was released in late 2000
. The game is based on Norse mythology
, showing the conflict between the gods Odin
and Loki
and the build up to Ragnarok
, the end of the world. Built on the Unreal Engine, the game allows players to explore a fully realized Viking
world.
Upon release Rune received mixed though generally positive reviews. A standalone expansion to the game, called Rune: Halls of Valhalla
, was released in 2001
. It as well as its expansion was also ported to Linux
by Loki Software
. Ryan C. Gordon
, a former Loki employee, would also later port Human Head's 2006
title Prey
. A port to the PlayStation 2
was also released under the title Rune: Viking Warlord in 2001
.
warrior. It follows a fairly generic fantasy
plot based on Norse mythology
. The various enemies Ragnar faces include among others man-eating fish, goblins, zombies, Norse dwarves and other Vikings. As the game goes on, as in most games of its type, better weapons are accumulated. Late in the game you find yourself wielding weapons of enormous size, even though most weapons maintain their usefulness to the end.
Weapons in Rune are divided into three categories: swords, axes, and maces/hammers. Each of the three classes have five weapons, ordered below in increasing size. Each weapon has a unique "Rune Power" that can be activated for a short period of time when the player has gathered sufficient energy from runes. Shield
s may be equipped along with the first three weapons of each class. Weapons of tier 4 and 5 are twohanded, and may not be used along with shields. Besides these standard weapons, other items such as torches and severed limbs may also be equipped to be used as weapons. While high-tier weapons tend to be preferable in singleplayer games, all tiers are considered somewhat equal for multiplayer situations due to balancing factors such as speed. Despite this fact, the three most widely used weapons in Rune multiplayer are the Dwarven Battleaxe, the Dwarven Battlehammer and the Dwarven Worksword - two tier 5 weapons and one tier 4.
Although rather linear, Ragnar does not need to kill everything in sight (common in games of the time) to travel from one level to the next. In some levels, players have found alternative ways of getting through to the next level. However, particular scripted pawns must be activated (killed, moved or tripped) in key zones to initiate certain actions to continue and move the story along.
The actual playability of the multiplayer aspect of Rune is also quite an important feature of the game, and is especially influenced by the vast majority of the Rune gaming community. While Rune is arguably an outdated game by now, it still retains a sizeable multiplayer community of active players. The Rune multiplayer community has had significant problems with cheating and exploits since the release, perhaps culminating in a notable scandal in 2005 where several respected members of the by then declining community were discovered to have used disallowed commands to enhance their performance. The trend was more or less reversed with the sudden appearance of numerous anti-exploit mutators, although as a result the community is characterized by lingering suspicion.
There had been demand to have a Cooperative (Coop) Teamplay mode added to the Multiplayer aspect. However, the developers were unable to make one in time before the game's October 29, 2000 release. Some community members decided to make one instead and a "Co-op" team was organized to take on the challenge. Upon learning about the project, Human Head Studios offered the team any help needed to complete the task.
Based on the Single Player 45 levels and content (with a few alterations) the Rune Cooperative Teamplay was one of the first major mods. Within a few months after Rune' s release, a full 45 level "Coop" Mod conversion was completed and announced as a free download June 11, 2001. A few months later, the final version (v1.2) was announced December 27, 2001 as a free download. However to play it, a special 1.07 patch would have been needed to install. Yet despite this, the Coop, (along with other "Rune" mods) have added to the game's popularity and continuing gameplay over the years.
which bind the evil god, Loki
and prevent him from unleashing Ragnarok
- the end of the world. Ragnar then must face Ulf, the strongest fighter in the village, to be truly considered a warrior. After the battle is concluded, a warrior bursts into the scene and informs the two that a Viking known as Conrack and his men are attacking an allied village. The three then depart for the village's longship
, to do battle.
Ragnar, his father, Ulf and the rest of his village's warriors encounter Conrack and his men at sea. Ragnar's father is about to order his men to attack, when Conrack calls upon Loki and destroys the ship with a surge of lightning from above. All the men on the longship die, and slip into the sea. After a while, Odin calls to Ragnar, telling him it is not yet his time to die. Ragnar recovers and swims to safety in an underwater cave. Ragnar then proceeds through the caverns, doing battle with a vast array of monsters. He eventually enters the land of the dead, domain of Loki's daughter, Hel
.
Passing through the Underworld and facing the ghastly undead, Ragnar learns the enemy's plan: Conrack's carnage sends many dishonored souls to Hel's domain, who in turn gives them to Loki to transform into an army which will conquer the world. After fighting his way through Hel, Ragnar is captured by goblins and fights their beast in the trial pit. He defeats the beast and escapes goblin
lands riding on a giant flying beetle. When he emerges from the caverns, he stands before Thorstadt, the mountain fortress of Conrack, and fights his way through it to a Temple of Loki. Inside, Sigurd - Conrack's right arm - confronts his master about all the destruction and asks him to drop the charade of worshipping Loki. Conrack states that Sigurd has outlived his usefulness, and sends two of the transformed dishonored to kill him, then escapes. Ragnar enters the scene and stands before the dying warrior. Sigurd informs Ragnar that he is the last of the Odinsblade, and saving the world is up to him, then dies.
Ragnar follows Conrack, and ends up in the land of the Dwarves. In Rune, Dwarves are depicted as short, stocky, purple beings. He travels through the industrial powerhouse of the dwarven land and learns that the dwarves are supplying weaponry and armor for Loki's new sinister armies. Odin then tasks Ragnar to murder the dwarf king, whose will holds the dwarves' allegiance to Loki together. The king has apparently proclaimed himself a semi-god, and resides in a great temple dedicated to himself. Ragnar enters battle with the king, and he uses the great machine that bestows the king's powers upon him to destroy him.
Ragnar travels deep below the earth and to the castle of Loki himself. Odin tells Ragnar that even he will not be able to contact him whilst he transverses through Loki's realm. Ragnar discovers that it is Loki's blood that transforms Hel's undead warriors to the monsters of Loki's armies. He passes through the castle and Loki's maze, arriving at the holding chamber of Loki himself. It is here Ragnar faces Conrack at last, and attacks him. Conrack soon learns that he is no match for Ragnar's power, and is knocked into a river of Loki's blood, which, at first, is agonising for him. However, the great stone snake which binds Loki drips acid onto his gaping chest wound, causing him to scream with rage. The spectacle turns the green blood purple. Conrack rises out of the river, reborn in Loki's image as a hideous monster. Conrack reveals to Ragnar that Loki's armies are invading Midgard
and are destroying Odin's runestones left and right. He leaps over Ragnar onto a high cliff, and escapes. Ragnar is then attacked by two of his creatures, but bests them. He, however, is trapped in the pit of Loki. With no other choice, he leaps into the purple blood.
Ragnar emerges from the river as a powerful being, but an abomination, one of Loki's creatures. Loki tries to persuade Ragnar to stay with him and join his armies. He refuses and leaps from the pit, chasing after Conrack. He escapes from Loki's castle and makes his way through caverns out into the world above. He then stands witness to the devastation wrought by Loki's armies. Loki mocks him, but he presses on. His fellow warriors no longer recognize him, and attack him on sight. Ragnar finally arrives home, only to see it totally destroyed. Loki offers one last time to join him, and Conrack sends his men forward to destroy the runestone and Ragnar. There are two possible outcomes of the game, depending on what the player does here.
. He informs Ragnar that he has succeeded and Ragnarok has been averted. Loki, full of bitterness and rage, has his cave filled in by Odin, thwarted for the time being. Odin then opens up a portal in his last runestone, telling Ragnar to step through and join him at his side as the first living warrior to enter Asgard. Ragnar complies. Ragnar enters Odin's realm and finds himself restored to his human form. Beckoned by Odin, Ragnar runs over Bifröst
and enters the Halls of Valhalla
.
system, a new particle effects system, and an enhanced shadow
ing system. Although made using the Unreal Engine
, Rune is a third-person perspective game without any shooting
. The weapons used in the game include swords, axes, maces, and other mediæval/fantasy melee weapons. Despite using an engine made for shooting, the interface lends itself well to a playing style consisting of running
, jumping
, and hack
ing at opponents.
An innovative feature of the game is that anything dropped by a dead opponent can be picked up and used. This extends to include body parts. Limbs
can be swung as clubs
, and grotesquely enough, head
s can be carried and used as weapons. Although the game includes no ranged weapons, any weapon can be thrown. The handaxe is a commonly thrown weapon because of the range and speed with which it travels through the air.
Both Rune and Rune: Halls of Valhalla (HOV) were released with their own RuneEd toolkit
s which the community quickly used making several popular multiplayer mods (coop
, CTT—capture the torch, 'bot
s, etc.). Although a few single player addons have been made, it is Rune' s multiplayer aspect has been the focus of several mutators
, skins
, and hundreds of maps that are available through many clan and resource websites.
port being more heavily criticized than the original PC
version. Rune currently holds a rating of 76 at the review aggregator
website metacritic
, as well as scores of 77.12% at GameRankings and 82 from MobyGames
.
Action game
Action game is a video game genre that emphasizes physical challenges, including hand–eye coordination and reaction-time. The genre includes diverse subgenres such as fighting games, shooter games, and platform games, which are widely considered the most important action games, though some...
computer game developed by Human Head Studios
Human Head Studios
Human Head Studios is a computer game development company located in Madison, Wisconsin.It was founded in October 1997 by a group of six developers formerly from Raven Software: Chris Rhinehart, Paul MacArthur, Shane Gurno, Ben Gokey, James Sumwalt, and Ted Halsted—later joined by game producer Tim...
which was released in late 2000
2000 in video gaming
-Events:* May 11–13 — 6th annual Electronic Entertainment Expo ; the 3rd annual Game Critics Awards for the Best of E³* June 26 — International Game Developers Association renamed from Computer Game Developers Association...
. The game is based on Norse mythology
Norse mythology
Norse mythology, a subset of Germanic mythology, is the overall term for the myths, legends and beliefs about supernatural beings of Norse pagans. It flourished prior to the Christianization of Scandinavia, during the Early Middle Ages, and passed into Nordic folklore, with some aspects surviving...
, showing the conflict between the gods Odin
Odin
Odin is a major god in Norse mythology and the ruler of Asgard. Homologous with the Anglo-Saxon "Wōden" and the Old High German "Wotan", the name is descended from Proto-Germanic "*Wodanaz" or "*Wōđanaz"....
and Loki
Loki
In Norse mythology, Loki or Loke is a god or jötunn . Loki is the son of Fárbauti and Laufey, and the brother of Helblindi and Býleistr. By the jötunn Angrboða, Loki is the father of Hel, the wolf Fenrir, and the world serpent Jörmungandr. By his wife Sigyn, Loki is the father of Nari or Narfi...
and the build up to Ragnarok
Ragnarök
In Norse mythology, Ragnarök is a series of future events, including a great battle foretold to ultimately result in the death of a number of major figures , the occurrence of various natural disasters, and the subsequent submersion of the world in water...
, the end of the world. Built on the Unreal Engine, the game allows players to explore a fully realized Viking
Viking
The term Viking is customarily used to refer to the Norse explorers, warriors, merchants, and pirates who raided, traded, explored and settled in wide areas of Europe, Asia and the North Atlantic islands from the late 8th to the mid-11th century.These Norsemen used their famed longships to...
world.
Upon release Rune received mixed though generally positive reviews. A standalone expansion to the game, called Rune: Halls of Valhalla
Rune: Halls of Valhalla
Rune: Halls of Valhalla is a multiplayer-only expansion to the computer game Rune.It features many new characters to choose from, thirty three new maps, and most prominently: two completely new game modes....
, was released in 2001
2001 in video gaming
-Events:* Academy of Interactive Arts & Sciences hosts the 4th Annual Interactive Achievement Awards; inducts John Carmack of id Software to the AIAS Hall of Fame...
. It as well as its expansion was also ported to Linux
Linux
Linux is a Unix-like computer operating system assembled under the model of free and open source software development and distribution. The defining component of any Linux system is the Linux kernel, an operating system kernel first released October 5, 1991 by Linus Torvalds...
by Loki Software
Loki Software
Loki Software, Inc. was a software firm based in Tustin, California, United States, that ported several video games from Microsoft Windows to Linux...
. Ryan C. Gordon
Ryan C. Gordon
Ryan C. Gordon is a former Loki Software employee who is now responsible for icculus.org, which hosts many Loki Software projects as well as several new projects created by himself and others...
, a former Loki employee, would also later port Human Head's 2006
2006 in video gaming
-Events:* January 26, 2006 -- Nintendo announces its newly redesigned handheld, the Nintendo DS Lite. The new model is lighter, smaller, has configurable brightness and features an improved user interface.* January 26, 2006 -- Konami Corp...
title Prey
Prey (video game)
Prey is a first-person shooter video game developed by Human Head Studios , and published by 2K Games. The Xbox 360 version was ported by Venom Games. The game was initially released in North America and Europe on 11 July 2006...
. A port to the PlayStation 2
PlayStation 2
The PlayStation 2 is a sixth-generation video game console manufactured by Sony as part of the PlayStation series. Its development was announced in March 1999 and it was first released on March 4, 2000, in Japan...
was also released under the title Rune: Viking Warlord in 2001
2001 in video gaming
-Events:* Academy of Interactive Arts & Sciences hosts the 4th Annual Interactive Achievement Awards; inducts John Carmack of id Software to the AIAS Hall of Fame...
.
Gameplay
The game casts the player as Ragnar, a young VikingViking
The term Viking is customarily used to refer to the Norse explorers, warriors, merchants, and pirates who raided, traded, explored and settled in wide areas of Europe, Asia and the North Atlantic islands from the late 8th to the mid-11th century.These Norsemen used their famed longships to...
warrior. It follows a fairly generic fantasy
Fantasy
Fantasy is a genre of fiction that commonly uses magic and other supernatural phenomena as a primary element of plot, theme, or setting. Many works within the genre take place in imaginary worlds where magic is common...
plot based on Norse mythology
Norse mythology
Norse mythology, a subset of Germanic mythology, is the overall term for the myths, legends and beliefs about supernatural beings of Norse pagans. It flourished prior to the Christianization of Scandinavia, during the Early Middle Ages, and passed into Nordic folklore, with some aspects surviving...
. The various enemies Ragnar faces include among others man-eating fish, goblins, zombies, Norse dwarves and other Vikings. As the game goes on, as in most games of its type, better weapons are accumulated. Late in the game you find yourself wielding weapons of enormous size, even though most weapons maintain their usefulness to the end.
Weapons in Rune are divided into three categories: swords, axes, and maces/hammers. Each of the three classes have five weapons, ordered below in increasing size. Each weapon has a unique "Rune Power" that can be activated for a short period of time when the player has gathered sufficient energy from runes. Shield
Shield
A shield is a type of personal armor, meant to intercept attacks, either by stopping projectiles such as arrows or redirecting a hit from a sword, mace or battle axe to the side of the shield-bearer....
s may be equipped along with the first three weapons of each class. Weapons of tier 4 and 5 are twohanded, and may not be used along with shields. Besides these standard weapons, other items such as torches and severed limbs may also be equipped to be used as weapons. While high-tier weapons tend to be preferable in singleplayer games, all tiers are considered somewhat equal for multiplayer situations due to balancing factors such as speed. Despite this fact, the three most widely used weapons in Rune multiplayer are the Dwarven Battleaxe, the Dwarven Battlehammer and the Dwarven Worksword - two tier 5 weapons and one tier 4.
Although rather linear, Ragnar does not need to kill everything in sight (common in games of the time) to travel from one level to the next. In some levels, players have found alternative ways of getting through to the next level. However, particular scripted pawns must be activated (killed, moved or tripped) in key zones to initiate certain actions to continue and move the story along.
Multiplayer
Rune multiplayer is a game of spatial orientation in which opponents manoeuvre around each other, feinting and swinging in and out of range and attempting to score hits on each other. There are a variety of attacks available to the player at any one time, dictated by the weapon they hold at that moment. Unlike more traditional fighting games, however, it is not solely the variety of moves but also range, timing and position that determine the winner. The geometries of each swing are immutable - thus players are able to fine tune their movement to precisions of a few pixels, and accurately behead their opponents. The inclusion of instant death via beheading or one-hit-kill weapons has an interesting effect on multiplayer gameplay - no matter how much of an advantage a player has over an opponent, there is always the risk of loss.The actual playability of the multiplayer aspect of Rune is also quite an important feature of the game, and is especially influenced by the vast majority of the Rune gaming community. While Rune is arguably an outdated game by now, it still retains a sizeable multiplayer community of active players. The Rune multiplayer community has had significant problems with cheating and exploits since the release, perhaps culminating in a notable scandal in 2005 where several respected members of the by then declining community were discovered to have used disallowed commands to enhance their performance. The trend was more or less reversed with the sudden appearance of numerous anti-exploit mutators, although as a result the community is characterized by lingering suspicion.
There had been demand to have a Cooperative (Coop) Teamplay mode added to the Multiplayer aspect. However, the developers were unable to make one in time before the game's October 29, 2000 release. Some community members decided to make one instead and a "Co-op" team was organized to take on the challenge. Upon learning about the project, Human Head Studios offered the team any help needed to complete the task.
Based on the Single Player 45 levels and content (with a few alterations) the Rune Cooperative Teamplay was one of the first major mods. Within a few months after Rune
Story
The story begins when the player, as Ragnar, is initiated into the Odinsblade, an order of warriors sworn to protect the runestones, magical creations of OdinOdin
Odin is a major god in Norse mythology and the ruler of Asgard. Homologous with the Anglo-Saxon "Wōden" and the Old High German "Wotan", the name is descended from Proto-Germanic "*Wodanaz" or "*Wōđanaz"....
which bind the evil god, Loki
Loki
In Norse mythology, Loki or Loke is a god or jötunn . Loki is the son of Fárbauti and Laufey, and the brother of Helblindi and Býleistr. By the jötunn Angrboða, Loki is the father of Hel, the wolf Fenrir, and the world serpent Jörmungandr. By his wife Sigyn, Loki is the father of Nari or Narfi...
and prevent him from unleashing Ragnarok
Ragnarök
In Norse mythology, Ragnarök is a series of future events, including a great battle foretold to ultimately result in the death of a number of major figures , the occurrence of various natural disasters, and the subsequent submersion of the world in water...
- the end of the world. Ragnar then must face Ulf, the strongest fighter in the village, to be truly considered a warrior. After the battle is concluded, a warrior bursts into the scene and informs the two that a Viking known as Conrack and his men are attacking an allied village. The three then depart for the village's longship
Longship
Longships were sea vessels made and used by the Vikings from the Nordic countries for trade, commerce, exploration, and warfare during the Viking Age. The longship’s design evolved over many years, beginning in the Stone Age with the invention of the umiak and continuing up to the 9th century with...
, to do battle.
Ragnar, his father, Ulf and the rest of his village's warriors encounter Conrack and his men at sea. Ragnar's father is about to order his men to attack, when Conrack calls upon Loki and destroys the ship with a surge of lightning from above. All the men on the longship die, and slip into the sea. After a while, Odin calls to Ragnar, telling him it is not yet his time to die. Ragnar recovers and swims to safety in an underwater cave. Ragnar then proceeds through the caverns, doing battle with a vast array of monsters. He eventually enters the land of the dead, domain of Loki's daughter, Hel
Hel (being)
In Norse mythology, Hel is a being who presides over a realm of the same name, where she receives a portion of the dead. Hel is attested in the Poetic Edda, compiled in the 13th century from earlier traditional sources, and the Prose Edda, written in the 13th century by Snorri Sturluson...
.
Passing through the Underworld and facing the ghastly undead, Ragnar learns the enemy's plan: Conrack's carnage sends many dishonored souls to Hel's domain, who in turn gives them to Loki to transform into an army which will conquer the world. After fighting his way through Hel, Ragnar is captured by goblins and fights their beast in the trial pit. He defeats the beast and escapes goblin
Goblin
A goblin is a legendary evil or mischievous illiterate creature, a grotesquely evil or evil-like phantom.They are attributed with various abilities, temperaments and appearances depending on the story and country of origin. In some cases, goblins have been classified as constantly annoying little...
lands riding on a giant flying beetle. When he emerges from the caverns, he stands before Thorstadt, the mountain fortress of Conrack, and fights his way through it to a Temple of Loki. Inside, Sigurd - Conrack's right arm - confronts his master about all the destruction and asks him to drop the charade of worshipping Loki. Conrack states that Sigurd has outlived his usefulness, and sends two of the transformed dishonored to kill him, then escapes. Ragnar enters the scene and stands before the dying warrior. Sigurd informs Ragnar that he is the last of the Odinsblade, and saving the world is up to him, then dies.
Ragnar follows Conrack, and ends up in the land of the Dwarves. In Rune, Dwarves are depicted as short, stocky, purple beings. He travels through the industrial powerhouse of the dwarven land and learns that the dwarves are supplying weaponry and armor for Loki's new sinister armies. Odin then tasks Ragnar to murder the dwarf king, whose will holds the dwarves' allegiance to Loki together. The king has apparently proclaimed himself a semi-god, and resides in a great temple dedicated to himself. Ragnar enters battle with the king, and he uses the great machine that bestows the king's powers upon him to destroy him.
Ragnar travels deep below the earth and to the castle of Loki himself. Odin tells Ragnar that even he will not be able to contact him whilst he transverses through Loki's realm. Ragnar discovers that it is Loki's blood that transforms Hel's undead warriors to the monsters of Loki's armies. He passes through the castle and Loki's maze, arriving at the holding chamber of Loki himself. It is here Ragnar faces Conrack at last, and attacks him. Conrack soon learns that he is no match for Ragnar's power, and is knocked into a river of Loki's blood, which, at first, is agonising for him. However, the great stone snake which binds Loki drips acid onto his gaping chest wound, causing him to scream with rage. The spectacle turns the green blood purple. Conrack rises out of the river, reborn in Loki's image as a hideous monster. Conrack reveals to Ragnar that Loki's armies are invading Midgard
Midgard
Midgard is one of the Nine Worlds and is an old Germanic name for our world and is the home of Humans, with the literal meaning "middle enclosure".-Etymology:...
and are destroying Odin's runestones left and right. He leaps over Ragnar onto a high cliff, and escapes. Ragnar is then attacked by two of his creatures, but bests them. He, however, is trapped in the pit of Loki. With no other choice, he leaps into the purple blood.
Ragnar emerges from the river as a powerful being, but an abomination, one of Loki's creatures. Loki tries to persuade Ragnar to stay with him and join his armies. He refuses and leaps from the pit, chasing after Conrack. He escapes from Loki's castle and makes his way through caverns out into the world above. He then stands witness to the devastation wrought by Loki's armies. Loki mocks him, but he presses on. His fellow warriors no longer recognize him, and attack him on sight. Ragnar finally arrives home, only to see it totally destroyed. Loki offers one last time to join him, and Conrack sends his men forward to destroy the runestone and Ragnar. There are two possible outcomes of the game, depending on what the player does here.
Canonical good ending
Ragnar marches forward upon Conrack's men and destroys them utterly. He then turns his sights upon Conrack and does battle against him. Conrack is still no match for Ragnar and is defeated. Odin speaks to Ragnar, telling him that the people of his village are safe in the hands of his servant BragiBragi
Bragi is the skaldic god of poetry in Norse mythology.-Etymology:Bragi is generally associated with bragr, the Norse word for poetry. The name of the god may have been derived from bragr, or the term bragr may have been formed to describe 'what Bragi does'...
. He informs Ragnar that he has succeeded and Ragnarok has been averted. Loki, full of bitterness and rage, has his cave filled in by Odin, thwarted for the time being. Odin then opens up a portal in his last runestone, telling Ragnar to step through and join him at his side as the first living warrior to enter Asgard. Ragnar complies. Ragnar enters Odin's realm and finds himself restored to his human form. Beckoned by Odin, Ragnar runs over Bifröst
Bifröst
In Norse mythology, Bifrost or Bilröst is a burning rainbow bridge that reaches between Midgard and Asgard, the realm of the gods...
and enters the Halls of Valhalla
Valhalla
In Norse mythology, Valhalla is a majestic, enormous hall located in Asgard, ruled over by the god Odin. Chosen by Odin, half of those that die in combat travel to Valhalla upon death, led by valkyries, while the other half go to the goddess Freyja's field Fólkvangr...
.
Evil ending
Ragnar strides up the hill toward the last runestone and shatters it. As soon as this happens, Loki is freed from his underground prison. The last we see of Ragnar is that he is crucified in the cave Loki was captive in. Loki then takes over all of Midgard.Technology
Human Head Studios licensed Epic Games' "Unreal Engine" and made several enhancements to it, including a skeletal animationSkeletal animation
Skeletal animation is a technique in computer animation in which a character is represented in two parts: a surface representation used to draw the character and a hierarchical set of interconnected bones used to animate the mesh...
system, a new particle effects system, and an enhanced shadow
Shadow
A shadow is an area where direct light from a light source cannot reach due to obstruction by an object. It occupies all of the space behind an opaque object with light in front of it. The cross section of a shadow is a two-dimensional silhouette, or reverse projection of the object blocking the...
ing system. Although made using the Unreal Engine
Unreal Engine
The Unreal Engine is a game engine developed by Epic Games, first illustrated in the 1998 first-person shooter game Unreal. Although primarily developed for first-person shooters, it has been successfully used in a variety of other genres, including stealth, MMORPGs and RPGs...
, Rune is a third-person perspective game without any shooting
Shooting
Shooting is the act or process of firing rifles, shotguns or other projectile weapons such as bows or crossbows. Even the firing of artillery, rockets and missiles can be called shooting. A person who specializes in shooting is a marksman...
. The weapons used in the game include swords, axes, maces, and other mediæval/fantasy melee weapons. Despite using an engine made for shooting, the interface lends itself well to a playing style consisting of running
Running
Running is a means of terrestrial locomotion allowing humans and other animals to move rapidly on foot. It is simply defined in athletics terms as a gait in which at regular points during the running cycle both feet are off the ground...
, jumping
Jumping
Jumping or leaping is a form of locomotion or movement in which an organism or non-living mechanical system propels itself through the air along a ballistic trajectory...
, and hack
Hack and slash
Hack and slash or hack and slay, abbreviated H&S or HnS, refers to a type of gameplay that emphasizes combat. "Hack and slash" was originally used to describe an aspect of pen-and-paper role-playing games , carrying over from there to MUDs, MMORPGs, and video games in general...
ing at opponents.
An innovative feature of the game is that anything dropped by a dead opponent can be picked up and used. This extends to include body parts. Limbs
Limb (anatomy)
A limb is a jointed, or prehensile , appendage of the human or other animal body....
can be swung as clubs
Club (weapon)
A club is among the simplest of all weapons. A club is essentially a short staff, or stick, usually made of wood, and wielded as a weapon since prehistoric times....
, and grotesquely enough, head
Head
In anatomy, the head of an animal is the rostral part that usually comprises the brain, eyes, ears, nose and mouth . Some very simple animals may not have a head, but many bilaterally symmetric forms do....
s can be carried and used as weapons. Although the game includes no ranged weapons, any weapon can be thrown. The handaxe is a commonly thrown weapon because of the range and speed with which it travels through the air.
Both Rune and Rune: Halls of Valhalla (HOV) were released with their own RuneEd toolkit
Toolkit
A toolkit is an assembly of tools; set of basic building units for graphical user interfaces.Things called toolkits include:* Abstract Window Toolkit* Accessibility Toolkit* Adventure Game Toolkit* B-Toolkit* Battlefield Mod Development Toolkit...
s which the community quickly used making several popular multiplayer mods (coop
Cooperative gameplay
Cooperative gameplay is a feature in video games that allows players to work together as teammates. It is distinct from other multiplayer modes, such as competitive multiplayer modes like player versus player or deathmatch...
, CTT—capture the torch, 'bot
Computer game bot
A bot, most prominently in the first-person shooter types , is a type of weak AI expert system software which for each instance of the program controls a player in deathmatch, team deathmatch and/or cooperative human player. Computer bots may play against other bots and/or human players in unison,...
s, etc.). Although a few single player addons have been made, it is Rune
Mutator method
In computer science, a mutator method is a method used to control changes to a variable.The mutator method, sometimes called a "setter", is most often used in object-oriented programming, in keeping with the principle of encapsulation...
, skins
Skin (computing)
In computing, a skin is a custom graphical appearance achieved by the use of a graphical user interface that can be applied to specific software and websites to suit the purpose, topic, or tastes of different users....
, and hundreds of maps that are available through many clan and resource websites.
Reception
Upon release the game received mixed though generally positive reviews, with the PlayStation 2PlayStation 2
The PlayStation 2 is a sixth-generation video game console manufactured by Sony as part of the PlayStation series. Its development was announced in March 1999 and it was first released on March 4, 2000, in Japan...
port being more heavily criticized than the original PC
Personal computer
A personal computer is any general-purpose computer whose size, capabilities, and original sales price make it useful for individuals, and which is intended to be operated directly by an end-user with no intervening computer operator...
version. Rune currently holds a rating of 76 at the review aggregator
Review aggregator
A review aggregator is a system that collects reviews of products and services . This system stores the reviews and then uses them for purposes such as: creating a website for users to view the reviews, selling information to third parties about consumer tendencies and creating databases for...
website metacritic
Metacritic
Metacritic.com is a website that collates reviews of music albums, games, movies, TV shows and DVDs. For each product, a numerical score from each review is obtained and the total is averaged. An excerpt of each review is provided along with a hyperlink to the source. Three colour codes of Green,...
, as well as scores of 77.12% at GameRankings and 82 from MobyGames
MobyGames
-Platforms not yet included:- Further reading :* Rusel DeMaria, Johnny L. Wilson, High Score!: The Illustrated History of Electronic Games, McGraw-Hill/Osborne Media; 2 edition , ISBN 0-07-223172-6...
.