TaskMaker
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
 |
This article needs additional citations for verification. Please help improve this article by adding reliable references. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. (May 2007) |
 |
Please help improve this article or section by expanding it. Further information might be found on the talk page or at requests for expansion. (May 2007) |
 |
It has been suggested that this article or section be merged with Storm Impact. (Discuss) |
| TaskMaker | |
|---|---|
| Developer(s) | Storm Impact |
| Publisher(s) | XOR Corporation (1989) Storm Impact (1993) |
| Designer(s) | David Cook, Tom Zehner |
| Platform(s) | "Classic" Mac OS |
| Release date | 1989, 1993 |
| Genre(s) | RPG |
| Mode(s) | Single player |
| Media | 1989: Two 3.5 inch floppy disks. 1993: Download, floppy disks. |
| System requirements | 1989: Apple Macintosh Plus, SE, or II. 1 MB of memory. 2 disk drives or a hard disk. 1993: 600k memory for black and white mode; 1500k memory for color mode. System 6.02 or newer. |
| Input methods | Keyboard, mouse. |
TaskMaker is a computer role-playing game for the Macintosh developed by Storm Impact. The original black-and-white version was published by XOR Corporation in 1989.[1] In 1993, Storm Impact released an upgraded shareware version of TaskMaker featuring color graphics and compatibility with newer versions of Mac OS. With Storm Impact's demise, TaskMaker is no longer supported or available for purchase (and therefore abandonware); however, the game is still covered by intellectual property rights, including copyrights.[2]
The player is a young hero from far away who has arrived to be trained and eventually become the leader of the land. The TaskMaker, leader of the game's world, is to be the hero's mentor, and throughout the game assigns him ten tasks, which are generally quests to obtain an item from a different dungeon or town. Along the way, he realizes how corrupt the TaskMaker has become, and in the end kills the TaskMaker.
The tasks each include a series of interesting challenges, using game elements such as illusionary walls, teleporters, traps, and switches. The enemies the player encounters are frequently typical fantasy-related creatures, such as kobolds, goblins, and gargoyles, although there are also non-traditional monsters such as Spoiled Lunch, Humpty Dumpty, and "El Cheapo PC". Some other elements of the game are non-traditional to RPGs; for instance, the player deposits money in "Auto Tellers"; and recycle bins can be found throughout.
TaskMaker was reviewed negatively in MacWEEK, which compared it unfavorably to contemporary Macintosh role-playing games The Bard's Tale, Might and Magic and Pool of Radiance. MacWEEK praised the game's quick and controllable fun, but claimed that it lacked richness and had less enticing graphics compared to the other titles.[3]
1997 saw the release of a sequel, The Tomb of the TaskMaker.
