The Missing Ring
Encyclopedia
The Missing Ring is a 1982 computer game for the Apple II family of computers, published by Datamost
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role-playing game
series—a band of adventurers, which may include humans, elves, dwarves or wizards, enters an enchanted palace to seek treasure and slay enemies. The ultimate objective is to find a wizard's ancient ring.
The player may also visit the "merchant" and spend gold to equip the characters with such things as healing potions. Once the party is assembled, the player selects one of ten different maps to explore and play begins. Though one player can control all the characters, the game can also be played with multiple players, each controlling a single character in the party.
Characters appear as small, white silhouettes, and move through rooms rendered as perspective line drawings. A header at the top of the screen indicates the room being shown, and a footer gives details about the active character, including his level, health and experience.
The game is controlled by pressing keys on the computer's keyboard. Two complete sets of controls are arranged at either end of the keyboard, allowing two people to play simultaneously without having to trade off. The key assignments are:
Datamost
Datamost was a software design company founded by David Gordon and based in Chatsworth, California. Datamost operated in the early 1980s producing games and other software mainly for the Apple II, Commodore 64 and Atari platforms, with some for the IBM PC...
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Premise
The Missing Ring is a fantasy adventure game with a similar premise to the Dungeons & DragonsDungeons & 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...
role-playing game
Role-playing game
A role-playing game is a game in which players assume the roles of characters in a fictional setting. Players take responsibility for acting out these roles within a narrative, either through literal acting, or through a process of structured decision-making or character development...
series—a band of adventurers, which may include humans, elves, dwarves or wizards, enters an enchanted palace to seek treasure and slay enemies. The ultimate objective is to find a wizard's ancient ring.
Gameplay
Before play begins, the player selects an adventuring party to send into the map. The party may include up to five characters drawn from the following nine classes:- Fighter with Sword
- Wizard
- Elf with Bow
- Dwarf with Ax
- Fighter with Ax
- Elf with Sword
- Dwarf with Hammer
- Fighter with Bow
- Cleric
The player may also visit the "merchant" and spend gold to equip the characters with such things as healing potions. Once the party is assembled, the player selects one of ten different maps to explore and play begins. Though one player can control all the characters, the game can also be played with multiple players, each controlling a single character in the party.
Characters appear as small, white silhouettes, and move through rooms rendered as perspective line drawings. A header at the top of the screen indicates the room being shown, and a footer gives details about the active character, including his level, health and experience.
The game is controlled by pressing keys on the computer's keyboard. Two complete sets of controls are arranged at either end of the keyboard, allowing two people to play simultaneously without having to trade off. The key assignments are:
| Action | Left | Right |
| Move forward | R | O |
| Move back | D | L |
| Move right | F | P |
| Move left | E | K |
| Attack | Space bar | |
| Healing potion | H | |
| Search for secret doors | S | ; |
| Get treasure | T | U |
| Magic item/spell | B | M |
| Pass/end player's turn | Y | |
| Pause | Esc | |
| Quit/save game | Q | |
| Open door with key | X | . |