Eye of the Beholder (video game)

Eye of the Beholder ( German: eye of the beholder ) is the name of a three-part role-playing game series ( Legend Series Fantasy Role-Playing Saga ) for the PC and the Amiga, in which you mastered adventure in a Dungeons & Dragons world called Forgotten Realms. It was the first graphically based 3D computer role-playing game of Advanced Dungeons & Dragons.

The first part, which was developed by Westwood Studios for SSI, appeared in 1990 and was eagerly awaited by many as a response to Dungeon Master (DM ), which three years earlier ushered in the 3D real-time era of RPGs. To the disappointment of many DM player Westwood had used plenty of the classics; so some of the puzzles were implemented practically one to one. Its way to cult status, however, had yet started fast Eye of the Beholder.

There is also a homonymous movie and music titles that have nothing to do with the game, as well as a consequence of the animated series Dungeons & Dragons (1983).

• 2.1 Background Story
• 2.2 Special

Eye of the Beholder

Back story

In the sewers of Waterdeep ( in German books otherwise deep water called ) strange things happen, and so decide the rulers of the city, most notably Piergeiron Paladin son, Prince of Waterdeep to send in four adventurers, so they can see what is going on there. Hardly have the adventurers enter drains, leaves a power unknown to collapse the entrance. So the group is only the possibility to find another way. In this note the more adventurous, this is the sewer only a small part of a much larger dungeon system.

The name of the game has the final boss, a Beholder ( German: viewer, also referred to as an eye tyrant ) called Xanathar out. This has the residents of the Dungeon Dwarves and Dark Elves (English Drow ) pitted against each other in order to avoid that the only weapon which can be dangerous to him, the " rod of Silvas " (English: Wall of Silvanias ), in the hands of adventurers falls. This weapon is in the possession of the dwarves, but know nothing of his power. The Dark Elves again want to use this weapon to loot Waterdeep and have this poisoned the dwarf king and takes the dwarf prince. A dark mage wants to defeat the weapon Xanathar after this Waterdeep has usurped.

If the players get passed the weapon of the Dwarves shortly before the end of the game, so that the fight against Xanathar is relatively simple. However, you can successfully complete the game by regular battles, but then removes the animated end sequence.

The adventurer

Similar to Dungeon Master, the player must create up to four adventurers, where he chooses, in contrast to DM not " pre-made " adventurers, but this has even put together from the parameters of race, occupation, attitude, and a small supply of skill points. In addition, the player has a limited selection of portraits for the characters. Players can choose from when creating six character classes: Fighter, Thief, Mage, Cleric (Priest ) Paladin and Ranger.

Throughout the game, the group encounters people who have the information for the more adventurous. A few of these NPC can be include in the group. The group can not have more than six pawns, should another be included, one must be dismissed in return.

The Dungeon

The dungeon consists of twelve levels, with each getting two or three levels are summarized in units, and identify by their appearance. Sewerage forms the uppermost unit. The deeper you go into the dungeon, the stronger the monsters found there. Since it ( with the exception of the Sega version) is no auto-mapping, it is advisable to draw at least in complicated dungeons with teleporters own cards. This card drawing makes also a part of the game.

Magic

Three of the character classes in the game are able to work magic: Cleric can use their magic among other things, for healing and strengthening and get into higher levels automatically have access to more powerful spells. Paladins can select from a much more limited supply of cleric spells. Mages can eventually learn new spells from scrolls only that they must find before. In all cases, the corresponding characters select the desired sayings from before, and they only after a short rest use. Spells once used must be regenerated by re rest stops on both occasions.

With respect to healing spells the game engine has even taken the player doing some work: During a rest break clerics and paladins have their healing spells automatically starts long back and relearned until all characters were completely healed.

Also, certain monsters can use magic, about to inflict direct damage to the characters or to stun them, for example, and to make as temporarily incapacitated.

Game play

The player controls the group in the first-person view through the dungeon. Any interaction takes place in real time. The monsters to battle, move automatically as part of their limited intelligence and master simple battle strategies. These are typical monsters from Dungeons & Dragons and characters from the Forgotten Realms. The then new AD & D 2nd Edition rule set, which is based on the game, allowed a relatively variable pitch. For successful actions as hits or successful sayings uttered the individual characters gain experience points. With the increasing number of experience points the more adventurous climb in their levels, and improve their attributes. As in DM, the adventurers are dependent on a regular supply of energy, for example in the form of food, in order not to starve. They can also be poisoned by certain monsters - can not be cured by a healing spell or potion poisoning, the corresponding character dies after a short time.

Special

• A new feature compared with DM were the seven stone key, which one with which one could activate certain stone portals in the dungeon and find that one then teleported to another part of the dungeon.
• In contrast to DM, it is at EOB you are able to supplement with a hex editor, the characters in their abilities to let them rise in the level, and to allow them spells that they had only acquired later in the game. The same applies to eob2.
• There are three areas in the levels 1, 2 and 3, which are not accessible in the regular game. Only with a so-called "hack", a modification which allows the player to walk through walls, this can be achieved. There is, however, only a stone portal. With what object this portal can be activated and where it leads is unknown. Presumably, these three areas are a part of the game, which was never completed or not further expanded by the developers.
• The Official Strategy Guide (English " Clue Book" ) not found all the secrets. So the nest of Kenku example, is not listed on Level 6 of the cards included in the game guide, just missing a clue how to achieve it and what you can find there.
• For the Mega - CD version of the game, the graphics have been completely revised, added an extended credits and a number of cutscenes and NPCs equipped with beautiful graphics and dubbed in English. The quality of this synchronization is understood, however low. A completely new soundtrack by Yuzo Koshiro and an auto- mapping function distinguish this version also.
• The copy consisted of a manual query that had to be answered by entering the second sewer level. Asked this was for a word on a page marked with a specific icon in the manual. Answered the players that question incorrectly three times, the game was just completed.

Porting

• Commodore Amiga (32 colors)
• IBM PC DOS (256 colors, 320 x 200 pixels)
• Sega Mega - CD
• SNES
• Atari Lynx

Eye of the Beholder 2

In 1991, the second part with the Beititel The Legend of Darkmoon has been published. This time the player could move for the first time in a small outside world, and the takeover of the characters from the first part was possible. In addition to an improvement of graphics and the magnification of the game environment, the system remained unchanged in itself. By introducing an albeit small backstory of this game was a little more entertaining than the content of the first part.

At the beginning the player either a new group can assemble or import the group from the first part, together with their equipment.

Back story

From Khelben " black bar " Arunsun you will be invited to a clandestine meeting. For some time Khelben observed the activities at a the nearby monastery. Two of his informants did not come back and he fears the worst. A put together by the group of players to go through the forest to the monastery. During the game, the adventurers realize that the priests drive foul play, and someone puts together a huge army of skeletons and other monsters. This Somebody needs to be eliminated.

In the compilation of the adventurer and the game play itself eob2 not significantly different from EOB. But there are a few differences.

Special

• The game begins in the forest, so outdoors. However, the rooms are not designed differently in the forest than other rooms in the dungeon.
• The two lowest levels are occupied with a spell. Thus, while in the upper levels as in DM and EOB is just as possible to regenerate through sleep, one experiences in the two lowest levels of a nightmare sequence that prevents regeneration. This is even more unpleasant, because you, once arrived in the two lower levels, not just to run back again. You have to get through struggling and find the secret exit.
• During the game itself Khelben reports telepathically in a few places and informed the group about important things. At a certain point, the telepathic connection is disrupted, and the chief opponent tries to pretend that he was Khelben, and you could by a particular game section only come when all adventurers will abandon their equipment. However, this is a deadly trap.
• As in the first part you put copy protection on a manual query that had to be answered by entering the second basement level. Asked this was for a word on a page marked with a specific icon in the manual. Answered the players that question incorrectly three times, the game was just completed.

Eye of the Beholder 3

The last part of the trilogy, Assault on Myth Drannor, which was developed in 1992 by SSI itself and published only for the PC, completed the series. Again, the study is based on the already known aspects of the second part, trying above all to be content challenging.

As a special feature here such as an underwater levels and more new monsters. The final boss of the trilogy is not a Beholder, but a dark god.

Was again used the game engine Aesop, which allows some cheat commands, but in the third part presents relatively high hardware requirements.

The cover, depicting two corpses ( Lich ) is a detail of the image Gods Of Lankhmar by Keith Parkinson.

Dungeon Hack

1993 was released for MS- DOS as a kind of last utilization of the Eye- of-the- Beholder engine the game Dungeon Hack, which was developed by Dream Forge Intertainment. This was a transfer of known rogue -like game concept from the early days of computer role-playing time in a halfway modern environment, again using all the already known elements of the Eye- of-the- Beholder games.

Game Boy Advance

On the Game Boy Advance a similar game was released in 2002 with the title Dungeons & Dragons: Eye of the Beholder. It corresponds with the basic game ideas to the first part of the Eye- of-the- Beholder Trilogy, which aims to move through an in depth range dungeon in a pseudo - 3D environment and uses the now to the third edition updated the D & D rules. Only the fight was changed and corresponds to the turn-based isometric combat from the GoldBox series of SSI.