Savage Frontier (series)
Encyclopedia
The Savage Frontier
is a region in the Dungeons & Dragons
campaign setting the Forgotten Realms
. The Savage Frontier video game series, developed by Stormfront Studios
and published by Strategic Simulations, Inc.
, is the series that precedes the Neverwinter Nights
series, with the introduction of the city of Neverwinter in its games. The first game in the series was Gateway to the Savage Frontier
. It was followed by two sequels after this, Treasures of the Savage Frontier
and Neverwinter Nights
available for MS-DOS
, Amiga
and Commodore 64
. It was very well received and was given four out of five stars.
game engine
in 1989 after the completion of The Secret of the Silver Blades
, they passed responsibility for continuing the Forgotten Realms
Gold Box games to Stormfront. SSI had planned to do only one more Gold Box game (Gateway to the Savage Frontier
) before retiring the series in favor of the Dark Sun engine, but when Dark Sun was delayed and Gateway went to #1 on the charts they asked Stormfront for a sequel.
Designers Don Daglow
, Mark Buchignani, Mark Manyen and David Bunnett recognized that the Gold Box engine was past its prime and needed some kind of story or character enhancements to feel like a new game and not a tired sequel.
Although they added many small enhancements to the game in addition to its all-new story, the largest feature was the first-ever option for either of two NPC
s to fall in love with a player character. The sophisticated AI
(for its time) tracked the player's actions in the game, much as the modern game Fable
charts the player's actions as good or evil. If the player's actions matched the values of the NPC there was a chance they could fall in love. The game was made as a sequel to the original Savage Frontier due to the original's critical reception.
. Atari has released two sequels in its series and is currently about to release an MMORPG. It is the direct sequel to the original Savage Frontier game.
, and TSR
(which was acquired by Wizards of the Coast
in 1997).
Don Daglow and the Stormfront game design team began working with AOL on original online games in 1987, in both text-based and graphical formats. At the time AOL was a Commodore 64
only online service, known as Quantum Computer Services, with just a few thousand subscribers, and was called Quantum Link
. Online graphics in the late 1980s were severely restricted by the need to support modem data transfer rates as slow as 300 bits per second (bit/s).
In 1989 the Stormfront team started working with SSI on Dungeons & Dragons
games using the Gold Box
engine that had debuted with Pool of Radiance
in 1988. Within months they realized that it was technically feasible to combine the Dungeons & Dragons Gold Box engine with the community-focused gameplay of online titles to create an online RPG
with graphics. Although the multiplayer graphical flight combat game Air Warrior
(also from Kesmai) had been online since 1987, all prior online RPGs had been based on text.
In a series of meetings in San Francisco and Las Vegas with AOL's Steve Case
and Kathi McHugh, TSR's Jim Ward
and SSI's Chuck Kroegel
, Daglow and programmer Cathryn Mataga
convinced the other three partners that the project was indeed possible. Case approved funding for NWN and work began, with the game going live 18 months later in March 1991.
Daglow chose Neverwinter as the game's location because of its magical features (a river of warm water that flowed from a snowy forest into a northern sea), and its location near a wide variety of terrain types. The area also was close enough to the settings of the other Gold Box games to allow subplots to intertwine between the online and the disk-based titles.
The Savage Frontier
Savage Frontier is an accessory for the Dungeons & Dragons campaign setting Forgotten Realms. It describes the Savage Frontier of Faerûn. The book was written by Paul Jaquays...
is a region in 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...
campaign setting 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...
. The Savage Frontier video game series, developed by Stormfront Studios
Stormfront Studios
Stormfront Studios was a video game developer based in San Rafael, California which had one of the longest creative histories in the industry. In 2007, the company had over 50 developers working on two teams, and owned all its proprietary engines, tools and technology. As of the end of 2007 over...
and published by Strategic Simulations, Inc.
Strategic Simulations, Inc.
Strategic Simulations, Inc. was a video game developer and publisher with over 100 titles to its credit since its founding in 1979. It was especially noted for its numerous wargames, its official computer game adaptations of Dungeons & Dragons, and for the groundbreaking Panzer General...
, is the series that precedes the Neverwinter Nights
Neverwinter Nights
Neverwinter Nights , produced by BioWare and published by Infogrames , is a third-person perspective computer role-playing game that is based on third edition Dungeons & Dragons and Forgotten Realms rules. It was originally to be published by Interplay Entertainment, but the publisher's financial...
series, with the introduction of the city of Neverwinter in its games. The first game in the series was Gateway to the Savage Frontier
Gateway to the Savage Frontier
Gateway to the Savage Frontier is a Gold Box Dungeons and Dragons computer game developed by Stormfront Studios and published by SSI for the Commodore 64, PC and Amiga personal computers...
. It was followed by two sequels after this, Treasures of the Savage Frontier
Treasures of the Savage Frontier
Treasures of the Savage Frontier is a Gold Box Dungeons and Dragons computer role-playing game. It was developed by Stormfront Studios and published by SSI for the Amiga and DOS.-Development:...
and Neverwinter Nights
Neverwinter Nights (AOL game)
Neverwinter Nights was the first multiplayer online role-playing game to display graphics, and ran from 1991 to 1997 on AOL.-Gameplay:Neverwinter Nights was developed to be played similarly to the Gold Box series of games...
Gateway to the Savage Frontier
Gateway to the Savage Frontier is the first in the Savage Frontier series. It is a single player tactical role-playing video gameRole-playing video game
Role-playing video games are a video game genre with origins in pen-and-paper role-playing games such as Dungeons & Dragons, using much of the same terminology, settings and game mechanics. The player in RPGs controls one character, or several adventuring party members, fulfilling one or many quests...
available for MS-DOS
MS-DOS
MS-DOS is an operating system for x86-based personal computers. It was the most commonly used member of the DOS family of operating systems, and was the main operating system for IBM PC compatible personal computers during the 1980s to the mid 1990s, until it was gradually superseded by operating...
, 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 Commodore 64
Commodore 64
The Commodore 64 is an 8-bit home computer introduced by Commodore International in January 1982.Volume production started in the spring of 1982, with machines being released on to the market in August at a price of US$595...
. It was very well received and was given four out of five stars.
Treasures of the Savage Frontier
Taking place after Neverwinter Nights, Treasures of the Savage Frontier is a direct sequel to the MMO and not the original game.Development
When SSI began work on the Dark SunDark Sun: Shattered Lands
Dark Sun: Shattered Lands is a turn-based computer role-playing game that takes place in the Dungeons and Dragons campaign setting of Dark Sun...
game engine
Game engine
A game engine is a system designed for the creation and development of video games. There are many game engines that are designed to work on video game consoles and personal computers...
in 1989 after the completion of The Secret of the Silver Blades
Secret of the Silver Blades
Secret of the Silver Blades is the third in a four-part series of Forgotten Realms Dungeons & Dragons "Gold Box" adventure computer games. The game was released in 1990.The story is a continuation of the events after Curse of the Azure Bonds.-Story:...
, they passed responsibility for continuing 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...
Gold Box games to Stormfront. SSI had planned to do only one more Gold Box game (Gateway to the Savage Frontier
Gateway to the Savage Frontier
Gateway to the Savage Frontier is a Gold Box Dungeons and Dragons computer game developed by Stormfront Studios and published by SSI for the Commodore 64, PC and Amiga personal computers...
) before retiring the series in favor of the Dark Sun engine, but when Dark Sun was delayed and Gateway went to #1 on the charts they asked Stormfront for a sequel.
Designers Don Daglow
Don Daglow
Don Daglow is an American computer game and video game designer, programmer and producer. He is best known for designing a series of pioneering simulation games and role-playing games, as well as the first computer baseball game and the first graphical MMORPG, all between 1971 and 1995...
, Mark Buchignani, Mark Manyen and David Bunnett recognized that the Gold Box engine was past its prime and needed some kind of story or character enhancements to feel like a new game and not a tired sequel.
Although they added many small enhancements to the game in addition to its all-new story, the largest feature was the first-ever option for either of two NPC
Non-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...
s to fall in love with a player character. The sophisticated AI
Ai
AI, A.I., Ai, or ai may refer to:- Computers :* Artificial intelligence, a branch of computer science* Ad impression, in online advertising* .ai, the ISO Internet 2-letter country code for Anguilla...
(for its time) tracked the player's actions in the game, much as the modern game Fable
Fable
A fable is a succinct fictional story, in prose or verse, that features animals, mythical creatures, plants, inanimate objects or forces of nature which are anthropomorphized , and that illustrates a moral lesson , which may at the end be expressed explicitly in a pithy maxim.A fable differs from...
charts the player's actions as good or evil. If the player's actions matched the values of the NPC there was a chance they could fall in love. The game was made as a sequel to the original Savage Frontier due to the original's critical reception.
Reception
The game like the original was given four out of five stars. The introduction of the city of Neverwinter would spawn a whole new series.Neverwinter Nights
Despite being the second game in the Savage Frontier series, it spawned a whole new series. The Neverwinter Nights series, which is currently being published by AtariAtari
Atari is a corporate and brand name owned by several entities since its inception in 1972. It is currently owned by Atari Interactive, a wholly owned subsidiary of the French publisher Atari, SA . The original Atari, Inc. was founded in 1972 by Nolan Bushnell and Ted Dabney. It was a pioneer in...
. Atari has released two sequels in its series and is currently about to release an MMORPG. It is the direct sequel to the original Savage Frontier game.
Development
Neverwinter Nights was a co-development of AOL, Stormfront Studios, SSIStrategic Simulations, Inc.
Strategic Simulations, Inc. was a video game developer and publisher with over 100 titles to its credit since its founding in 1979. It was especially noted for its numerous wargames, its official computer game adaptations of Dungeons & Dragons, and for the groundbreaking Panzer General...
, and TSR
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....
(which was acquired by Wizards of the Coast
Wizards of the Coast
Wizards of the Coast is an American publisher of games, primarily based on fantasy and science fiction themes, and formerly an operator of retail stores for games...
in 1997).
Don Daglow and the Stormfront game design team began working with AOL on original online games in 1987, in both text-based and graphical formats. At the time AOL was a Commodore 64
Commodore 64
The Commodore 64 is an 8-bit home computer introduced by Commodore International in January 1982.Volume production started in the spring of 1982, with machines being released on to the market in August at a price of US$595...
only online service, known as Quantum Computer Services, with just a few thousand subscribers, and was called Quantum Link
Quantum Link
Quantum Link was a U.S. and Canadian online service for Commodore 64 and 128 personal computers that operated from November 5, 1985 to November 1, 1995. It was operated by Quantum Computer Services of Vienna, Virginia. In October 1991 they changed the name to America Online, which continues to...
. Online graphics in the late 1980s were severely restricted by the need to support modem data transfer rates as slow as 300 bits per second (bit/s).
In 1989 the Stormfront team started working with SSI on 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...
games using the Gold Box
Gold Box
Gold Box is the name for a series of computer role-playing games produced by SSI. The company won a license to produce games based on the Advanced Dungeons & Dragons role-playing game from TSR, Inc...
engine that had debuted with Pool of Radiance
Pool of Radiance
Pool of Radiance is a computer role-playing game developed and published by Strategic Simulations, Inc in 1988. It was the first adaptation of TSR's Advanced Dungeons & Dragons fantasy role-playing game for home computers. It is the first in a four-part series of D&D computer adventure games...
in 1988. Within months they realized that it was technically feasible to combine the Dungeons & Dragons Gold Box engine with the community-focused gameplay of online titles to create an online RPG
Role-playing video game
Role-playing video games are a video game genre with origins in pen-and-paper role-playing games such as Dungeons & Dragons, using much of the same terminology, settings and game mechanics. The player in RPGs controls one character, or several adventuring party members, fulfilling one or many quests...
with graphics. Although the multiplayer graphical flight combat game Air Warrior
Air Warrior
Air Warrior was an early multiplayer on-line air-combat simulator. A player is able to fly a simulated World War II aircraft, fighting with and against other players, each flying his own simulated aircraft. It was introduced in 1986 by Kelton Flinn and his company Kesmai. At this time the internet...
(also from Kesmai) had been online since 1987, all prior online RPGs had been based on text.
In a series of meetings in San Francisco and Las Vegas with AOL's Steve Case
Steve Case
Stephen McConnell "Steve" Case is an American businessman best known as the co-founder and former chief executive officer and chairman of America Online . Since his retirement as chairman of AOL Time Warner in 2003, he has gone on to build a variety of new businesses through his investment...
and Kathi McHugh, TSR's Jim Ward
Jim Ward (game designer)
James M. Ward , is an American game designer and fantasy author. He is most famous for his game development and writing work for TSR, Inc., where he worked for more than 20 years. In 1989 he was inducted into the Academy of Adventure Gaming Arts & Design Hall of Fame...
and SSI's Chuck Kroegel
Chuck Kroegel
Chuck Kroegel is an American computer game designer. He was an executive for many years with SSI, and played a role in developing their position as an industry leader in war games and role-playing games...
, Daglow and programmer Cathryn Mataga
Cathryn Mataga
-Biography:Mataga has worked on Neverwinter Nights. She was born William Mataga and at some point underwent sex reassignment surgery.- Credited games :*Grand Theft Auto Advance , Rockstar Games, Inc....
convinced the other three partners that the project was indeed possible. Case approved funding for NWN and work began, with the game going live 18 months later in March 1991.
Daglow chose Neverwinter as the game's location because of its magical features (a river of warm water that flowed from a snowy forest into a northern sea), and its location near a wide variety of terrain types. The area also was close enough to the settings of the other Gold Box games to allow subplots to intertwine between the online and the disk-based titles.