Dungeon Siege

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Dungeon Siege

Developer(s) Gas Powered Games
Publisher(s) Microsoft Game Studios
Designer(s) Chris Taylor
Engine Custom
Platform(s) Windows, Mac OS X
Release date 2002
Genre(s) Action RPG
Mode(s) Single player & multiplayer
Rating(s) ESRB: Teen, ELSPA: 15+ (Please note that several older versions of Dungeon Siege were Rated ESRB: Mature, due to an increased amount of violence and blood which Microsoft removed in later editions to have the rating return to ESRB: Teen; If this is a concern, the game can be patched to its latest version)
Media CD, DVD
System requirements Windows 4:3 Display, Windows 98, 8x CD-ROM, DirectX 8, video card, 1 GB HD with DVD version
Mac OS X Mac OS X 10.1, 450 MHz PowerPC G3 processor, 256MB of RAM, 16MB graphics card
Input methods Keyboard, mouse

Dungeon Siege is a computer role-playing game developed by Gas Powered Games and published by Microsoft Game Studios. Chris Taylor (from Total Annihilation) showed Dungeon Siege years in production for the first time at E3 2000. The game was released in 2002 and later bundled with the X800 line of video cards in 2005.

In November 2003, Gas Powered Games and Mad Doc Software developed an official standalone expansion pack for Dungeon Siege called Dungeon Siege: Legends of Aranna. It includes the original game.

Contents

[edit] Introduction

The player participates in a quest to save the land of Ehb from the forces of evil. The player controls the main character from humble beginnings as a farmer to a powerful hero or heroine. As the game progresses, the main character may be joined by other adventurers, whom the player also controls. The background is based in a fantasy medieval world with great geographic variety in open and closed environments (dungeons). The graphics are very detailed with intelligent environment changes.

Aranna is the continent where the games of Dungeon Siege series take place. The Kingdom of Ehb is at the western edge of the continent. Dungeon Siege and its expansion pack Dungeon Siege: Legends of Aranna take place in and around the Kingdom of Ehb.

[edit] Story

In the Kingdom of Ehb, a humble farmer's life is turned upside down when a couple of evil goblin-like creatures, attack the community. The Krug, as they are known, must be stopped and the player's character is tasked with seeking help from a neighboring town. Along the way, the player may meet others willing to help. The player soon discovers, however, that the quest does not end at reaching the town.

According to the game's back-story, The Kingdom of Ehb is a border kingdom in the continent of Aranna, next to the Plain of Tears. Originally a trading post on the outskirts of the Empire of Stars, Ehb later achieved temporary status as a military protectorate and province when the 10th Legion migrated westward.

In the wake of the War of Legions, and the ensuing collapse of the Empire of Stars, Ehb became an independent kingdom in its own right. Stability was achieved thanks to the protection provided by its fortifications and the 10th Legion - one of the most highly trained armies of Aranna.

Ehb presents a rich variety of terrain and peoples. Valleys, icy mountains, swamps, deserts, deep forests, cliffs and volcanoes ornate its layout. Its main inhabitants are Humans and Dwarves who live in harmony and acknowledge the same ruler. There are also the primitive Krug, secretive Goblin technologists, the loathsome undead and the mysterious, though largely autonomous Droog.

[edit] Gameplay

The gameplay is a mixture of pause-and-go tactical management and point-and-click action. The mechanic is highly similar to that of latter Ultima games (so much so that fans have recreated certain Ultima titles using the Dungeon Siege engine), and to a lesser degree, action RPGs like Diablo or early MMORPG games like Asheron's Call. The Dungeon Siege quest is highly linear and involves constant hack and slash battle, similar in some ways to platform and beat-em-up games.

The game uses a display engine, that makes the entire quest seamless with no load screens. You can walk from the final battle, all the way back to the first battle, seamlessly with no load screens. Also revolutionary is the interface is completely scripted with a programming lanugage called 'scrit' and the development of its expertise is called 'scrit-foo.' This scripting system allowed for many 'siege-lett' add-ins, which modified game play.

The party system is automated but efficient with basic formations, resources, and action-response. In addition to being able to recruit non-player characters (NPCs) that function much like the player's own character, it is possible to buy a mule to help carry more items as a member of the group. You can recruit and disband party members, but must retain one party member.

Dungeon Siege supports multiplayer cooperative gaming over LANs and the Internet (direct TCP/IP connection, as well as ZoneMatch).

[edit] Music

Dungeon Siege features an orchestral soundtrack by award-winning composer Jeremy Soule. Soule also scored Dungeon Siege II.

[edit] Bonus packs

Gas Powered Games released promotional mods labeled as "bonus packs":

Yesterhaven
Yesterhaven is a multiplayer short story that can only be played online. It does not require a pre-existing character, nor any previous experience with Dungeon Siege. This bonus pack can be downloaded from Gas Powered Games and requires the original Dungeon Siege. The monsters in Yesterhaven are relatively weak, posing a challenge only to beginning characters. The story revolves around a single town that undergoes three "plagues" during the early years of Ehb, reusing many of the monster types found in the original game with new settings.
Return to Arhok
Return to Arhok continues the story of Legends of Aranna and requires both that expansion and Windows XP.[1] It is also called XP Level.

[edit] Mods

The game engine allows content creation and modification through a released toolkit. New content and modifications are called mods or siegelets. There are many mods available created by amateurs with features ranging from new graphics to a completely new character development system.

[edit] Legacy

A sequel, Dungeon Siege II, was released in 2005. In March 2006, Take-Two Interactive acquired all publishing rights to Dungeon Siege, ending the four-year partnership between Microsoft and Gas Powered Games. In October 2006, Dungeon Siege: Throne of Agony was released for the Sony PlayStation Portable, considered to be the third episode in the series storyline.

A movie based on the game, In the Name of the King: A Dungeon Siege Tale, was released January 11, 2008.

[edit] See also

[edit] External links

v • d • e
Dungeon Siege series
Games
Dungeon Siege · II (Broken World) · Throne of Agony
Film