Pool of Radiance
Pool of Radiance | |
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Single-player |
Pool of Radiance is a role-playing video game developed and published by Strategic Simulations, Inc (SSI) in 1988. It was the first adaptation of TSR's Advanced Dungeons & Dragons (AD&D) fantasy role-playing game for home computers, becoming the first episode in a four-part series of D&D computer adventure games. The other games in the "Gold Box" series used the game engine pioneered in Pool of Radiance, as did later D&D titles such as the Neverwinter Nights online game. Pool of Radiance takes place in the Forgotten Realms fantasy setting, with the action centered in and around the port city of Phlan.
Just as in traditional D&D games, the player starts by building a
Generally well received by the gaming press, Pool of Radiance won the
Gameplay
Pool of Radiance is based on the same game mechanics as the
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/5/56/Pool_of_radiance_panels.png/300px-Pool_of_radiance_panels.png)
The game's exploration mode uses a three-dimensional first-person perspective, with a rectangle in the top left of the screen displaying the party's current view; the rest of the screen displays text information about the party and the area.
In combat mode, the screen switches to a top-down perspective with
Different combat options are available to characters based on class: fighters can use melee or ranged weapons; magic-users can cast spells; thieves are able to "back-stab" an opponent by strategically positioning themselves.[8] As fighters progress in level, they can attack more than once in a round, and they also gain the ability to "sweep" enemies, effectively attacking each nearby low-level creature in the same turn.[11] Magic-users and clerics are allowed to memorize and cast a set number of spells each day. Once cast, a spell must be memorized again before reuse. The process requires hours of inactivity for all characters, during which they rest in a camp; this also restores lost hit points to damaged characters.[8] This chore of memorizing spells each night significantly added to the amount of game management required by the player.[12]
As characters defeat enemies, they gain experience points (XP). After gaining enough XP, the characters "train up a level" to become more powerful.[2] This training is purchased in special areas within the city walls.[3] In addition to training, mages can learn new spells by transcribing them from scrolls found in the unsettled areas.[8] Defeated enemies in these areas also contain items such as weapons and armor, which characters can sell to city stores.[7]
Copy protection
The DOS, Macintosh and Apple II versions of Pool of Radiance include a 2-ply code wheel for translating elvish and dwarven runes to English. Some dwarven runes have multiple different translations.[3][13][14][15] After the title screen, a copy protection screen is displayed consisting of two runes and a line of varying appearance (a dotted line, a dashed line, or a line with alternating dots and dashes) which correspond to markings on the code wheel.[13] The player is prompted to enter a five or six character code which corresponds to a five or six character word. In the case of a five character word, there is a number at the beginning of the word which is not entered.[14][15] Under the lines on the wheel are slots which reveal English letters, the coded English word being determined by lining up the runes, matching the correct line appearance, and then entering the word revealed on the code wheel.[14][15] If the player enters an incorrect code three times, the game closes itself.[13] In the DOS version of Pool of Radiance, the code wheel is also used for some in-game puzzles. For example, in Sokol Keep the player discovers some parchment with elvish runes on it that require use of the code wheel to decipher; this is optional however, but may be used to avoid some combat with undead if the decoded words are said to them.[13] In the NES version, the elvish words are given to the player deciphered without the use of the code wheel, as the NES release did not include a code wheel.
Plot
Setting
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/d/de/Pool_of_radiance_area_map.png/220px-Pool_of_radiance_area_map.png)
Pool of Radiance takes place in the
Phlan has three temples, each dedicated to different gods. Each temple can heal wounded, poisoned, or afflicted characters, and can restore deceased characters to life for a high price. The party can also visit the hiring hall and hire an experienced NPC adventurer to accompany the party.[7] Encounters with NPCs in shops and taverns offer valuable information.[16] Listening to gossip in taverns can be helpful to characters, although some tavern tales are false and lead characters into great danger.[3]
Plot summary
The ancient trade city of Phlan has fallen into impoverished ruin. Now only a small portion of the city remains inhabited by humans, who are surrounded by evil creatures. To rebuild the city and clean up the Barren River, the city council of New Phlan has decided to recruit adventurers to drive the monsters from the neighboring ruins. Using bards and publications, they spread tales of the riches waiting to be recovered in Phlan, which draws the player's party to these shores by ship.[17][18]
At the start of the game, the adventurers' ship lands in New Phlan, and they receive a brief but informative tour of the civilized area.[11] They learn that the city is plagued with a history of invasions and wars and has been overtaken by a huge band of humanoids and other creatures. Characters hear rumors that a single controlling element is in charge of these forces.[16] The characters begin a block-by-block quest to rid the ruins of monsters and evil spirits.[6]
Beyond the ruins of old Phlan, the party enters the slum area—one of two quests available right away to new parties. This quest involves the clearing of the slum block and allows a new party to quickly gain experience. The second quest is to clear out Sokol Keep, located on Thorn Island.[7] This fortified area is inhabited by the undead, which can only be defeated with silver weapons and magic.[7] The characters' adventure is later expanded to encompass the outlying areas of the Moonsea region.[6] Eventually, the player learns that an evil spirit named Tyranthraxus, who has possessed an ancient dragon, is at the root of Phlan's problems.[8] The characters fight Tyranthraxus the Flamed One in a climactic final battle.[6]
History
Development
Pool of Radiance was the first official game based on the Advanced Dungeons & Dragons rules.
Pool of Radiance was released in June 1988;
The original Pool of Radiance game shipped with a 28-page introductory booklet, which describes secrets relating to the game and the concepts behind it. The booklet guides players through the character creation process, explaining how to create a party. The game also included the 38-page Adventurer's Journal, which provides the game's background. The booklet features depictions of fliers, maps, and information that characters see in the game.[3]
Pool of Radiance was the first in a four-part series of computer D&D adventures set in the Forgotten Realms campaign setting. The others were released by SSI one year apart: Curse of the Azure Bonds (1989), Secret of the Silver Blades (1990), and Pools of Darkness (1991).[8] The 1989 game Hillsfar was also created by SSI but was not a sequel to Pool of Radiance. Hillsfar is described instead, by the reviewers from Dragon, as "a value-added adventure for those who would like to take a side trip while awaiting the sequel".[25] A player can import characters from Pool of Radiance into Hillsfar, although the characters are "reduced to their basic levels" and do not retain any weapons or magic items. Original Hillsfar characters cannot be exported to Pool of Radiance, but they can be exported to Curse of the Azure Bonds.[25] A review for Curse of the Azure Bonds in Computer Gaming World noted that "you can transfer your characters from Pool of Radiance and it's a good idea to do so. It will give you a headstart in the game".[26]
The 1988 Dungeons & Dragons role-playing game module Ruins of Adventure was produced using the same adventure scenario as Pool of Radiance, using the same plot, background, setting, and many of the same characters as the computer game. The module thus contains useful clues to the successful completion of the computer missions.[28] Ruins of Adventure contains four linked miniscenarios, which form the core of Pool of Radiance.[29] According to the editors of Dragon magazine, Pool of Radiance was based on Ruins of Adventure, rather than the module being based on the computer game.[30] However, Mike Breault stated in a 2021 interview that TSR chose him, Winter, Cook, and Ward to work on the design and writing for Pool of Radiance, indicating that the material was originally created for the game.[31]
Novelization
In November 1989 a
Re-release
Reception
Publication | Score |
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Origins Award | Best Fantasy or Science Fiction Computer Game of 1988[35] |
SSI sold 264,536 copies of Pool of Radiance for computers in North America, three times that of
In Computer Gaming World's preview of Pool of Radiance in July 1988, the writer noted a "sense of deja vu" in the similarity of the game's screen to previous computer RPGs. For example, the three-dimensional view like a maze in the upper-left window was similar to Might & Magic or Bard's Tale, both released in the mid-1980s. The window that included a listing of characters was featured in 1988's Wasteland; and the usage of one active character as a representation of the entire party was part of Ultima V. The reviewer also noted that the design approach for game play was "closer to SSI's own Wizard's Crown adventures than to the other games in the genre".[38]
Pool of Radiance received positive reviews.
Three reviewers for Computer Gaming World had conflicting reactions.
Alex Simmons, Doug Johns, and Andy Mitchell reviewed the Amiga version of Pool of Radiance for Amiga Action magazine in 1990, giving it a 79% overall rating. Mitchell preferred the game Champions of Krynn, which had been released by the time the Amiga version of Pool of Radiance became available; he felt that Pool of Radiance was "more of the same" when compared to Champions, but was less playable and with more limited actions for players. Simmons felt that Pool of Radiance looked primitive and seemed less polished when compared with Champions of Krynn; he felt that although Pool was not up to the standard of Champions, he said it was still "a fine little game". Johns, on the other hand, felt that Pool of Radiance was well worth the wait, considering it very user-friendly despite being less polished than Champions of Krynn.[4]
Pool of Radiance was well received by the gaming press and won the
Allen Rausch, writing for
IGN ranked Pool of Radiance No. 3 on their list of "The Top 11 Dungeons & Dragons Games of All Time" in 2014.[48] Ian Williams of Paste rated the game #5 on his list of "The 10 Greatest Dungeons and Dragons Videogames" in 2015.[49]
See also
- Pool of Twilight
- Pool of Radiance: Ruins of Myth Drannor
References
- ^ "Top 100 RPGs of All Time". IGN. Archived from the original on September 15, 2012. Retrieved 9 April 2013.
- ^ G.M. The Independent Fantasy Roleplaying Magazine. Vol. 1, no. 1. Croftward. September 1988. pp. 18–20.
- ^ ISBN 0-8247-8502-9.
- ^ a b c d Simmons, Alex; Johns, Doug; Mitchell, Andy (November 1990). "US Gold/SSI - Pool of Radiance". Amiga Action. No. 14. pp. 72–73.
- ^ a b c d "Pool Your Resources". The Games Machine. No. 12. November 1988. p. 69.
- ^ a b c d e "GameSpot's History of Advanced Dungeons & Dragons". GameSpot. Retrieved 5 August 2009.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i Lesser, Hartley; Lesser, Patricia; Lesser, Kirk (March 1989). "The Role of Computers". Dragon. No. 143. pp. 76–78.
- ^ Gamasutra. Archived from the originalon 27 February 2009. Retrieved 26 March 2009.
- ^ a b c d "Pool of Radiance". Zzap. No. 44. December 1988. p. 127. Retrieved 21 February 2008.
- ^ ISBN 0-07-222428-2. Retrieved 14 July 2009.
- ^ a b c Battaglia, Scott. "The GameSpy Hall of Fame". GameSpy. Archived from the original on 11 December 2004. Retrieved 5 August 2009.
- ISBN 978-0786458950
- ^ a b c d Pool of Radiance (1988). DOS. Strategic Simulations, Inc. Strategic Simulations, Inc.
- ^ a b c Pool of Radiance DOS Manual. Strategic Simulations. 1988.
- ^ a b c Pool of Radiance Macintosh Manual. Strategic Simulations. 1989.
- ^ a b c d Dillon, Tony (October 1988). "Pool of Radiance". Commodore User. pp. 34–35.
- ^ E, Dan (January 19, 1989). "Enter the pool of radiance". The New Straits Times. Retrieved 2011-06-24.
- ^ Ward, James M. (May 1988). "The Game Wizards". Dragon. No. 133. p. 42. Retrieved 19 June 2024.
- ^ "The Envelope, Please!". Dragon. No. 149. September 1989. pp. 20–21.
- ^ Allgame. Archived from the originalon 14 November 2014. Retrieved 15 July 2009.
- ^ Buchanan, Levi (March 6, 2008). "Dungeons & Dragons Classic Videogame Retrospective". IGN. Retrieved 2009-10-08.
- ISBN 978-0-7864-4451-9.
- ^ a b "Pool of Radiance". MobyGames. Retrieved 15 July 2009.
- ^ "Advanced Dungeons & Dragons: Pool of Radiance". gamespot UK. Archived from the original on 2008-10-13.
- ^ a b Hartley, Patricia & Kirk Lesser (July 1989). "The Role of Computers". Dragon. No. 147. pp. 78–79.
- ^ Scorpia (September 1989). "Curse of The Azure Bonds". Computer Gaming World. No. 63. pp. 8–9, 46. Archived from the original on 2011-07-23.
- Dvice.com. Archived from the originalon 6 August 2012. Retrieved 14 July 2009.
- ISBN 0-88038-588-X.
- ISBN 0-87975-653-5.
- ^ "The Role of Computers". Dragon. No. 159. July 1990. p. 53.
- ^ Breault, Michael (2021-05-13). "Making Pool of Radiance". Oral History of Video Games. Retrieved 2023-08-08.
- ^ Kirchoff, Mary (January 1989). "The Game Wizards". Dragon. No. 141. p. 69.
- ^ Jordan Erica Webber (Aug 20, 2015). "Forgotten Realms: The Archives brings 13 D&D classics to GOG". PC Gamer.
- ^ "Pool of Radiance on Steam". store.steampowered.com. Retrieved 2023-11-29.
- ^ a b "1988 List of Winners". Academy of Adventure Gaming, Arts & Design. Origins Games Fair. Archived from the original on May 7, 2008. Retrieved 3 June 2009.
- ^ Maher, Jimmy (2016-03-18). "Opening the Gold Box, Part 3: From Tabletop to Desktop". The Digital Antiquarian. Retrieved 19 March 2016.
- Strategic Simulations, Inc. Archived from the originalon November 19, 1996. Retrieved November 18, 2021.
- ^ Wilson, Johnny L. (July 1988). "Reflections on a "Pool of Radiance"". Computer Gaming World. No. 49. pp. 20–21.
- ^ St. Andre, Ken; Hines, Tracie Forman (December 1988). "Mirror Images in a "Pool of Radiance"". Computer Gaming World. p. 28. Retrieved 3 November 2013.
- ^ Scorpia (October 1991). "C*R*P*G*S / Computer Role-Playing Game Survey". Computer Gaming World. p. 16. Retrieved 18 November 2013.
- ^ Scorpia (October 1993). "Scorpia's Magic Scroll Of Games". Computer Gaming World. pp. 34–50. Retrieved 25 March 2016.
- ^ Addams, Shay (February 1989). "Pool of Radiance". Compute!. p. 62. Retrieved 10 November 2013.
- ^ Lesser, Hartley; Lesser, Patricia & Lesser, Kirk (November 1989). "The Beastie Knows Best". Dragon. No. 151. p. 36.
- ^ "The Gamers Have Chosen!". Dragon. No. 151. November 1989. p. 85.
- ^ "CGW Readers Select All-Time Favorites". Computer Gaming World. January 1990. p. 64. Retrieved 15 November 2013.
- ^ Rausch, Allen (August 15, 2004). "A History of D&D Video Games". GameSpy. Retrieved 2009-12-23.
- PC Gamer US. No. 3. August 1994. p. 42.
- ^ "The Top 11 Dungeons & Dragons Games of All-Time". IGN. February 5, 2014. Retrieved May 20, 2018.
- ^ "The 10 Greatest Dungeons and Dragons Videogames". Paste. April 27, 2015. Retrieved May 20, 2018.
External links
- Pool of Radiance at MobyGames
- Pool of Radiance can be played for free in the browser at the Internet Archive
- Dragonbait's Pool of Radiance page, screenshots, info and pics of the original Pool of Radiance (1988)
- Pool of Radiance at Game Banshee - contains a walkthrough and many in-depth specifics about the game.
- Images of Pool of Radiance package, manual and screen for Commodore 64 version
- Pool of Radiance Interactive Code Wheel at oldgames.sk
- Review in Compute!'s Gazette
- Review in Info