Sunday 29 July 2001

Pic of the day: A computer game of a guy playing computer games ... how pathetic can you get? Read and find out!

Favorite computer games

As you may have guessed from the latest pictures, I have been playing Master of Magic like mad again. I noticed in one of the year-ago entries that I did this last year at this time too. But that's nothing compared to January, when I had screenshots from Civ2, the Mars Now scenario, three years in a row on the same day! I usually don't look at the year-ago entries before I've written the new one, often not before I have uploaded it. So that's not the inspiration. Rather the answer is that I have a rather small number of favorite computer games, so they tend to return to my screen again and again. Today I'll write about them.

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My number one game of all time must be Daggerfall. This roleplaying game is looking a bit old now (we're talking VGA here) but when it comes to gameplay there is nothing quite like it. The game is both easy and fiendishly complex: Basically, the developers have no more idea than you what you are going to do. They won't hold your hand and turn you back on the right path with subtle clues, because there is no right path. There is a "main quest" which you can complete if you feel like it. Or you can ignore it. Or you can fail to complete it, and never even know what went wrong.

Winning the game is not really the point. The point is to have fun. Live a virtual life in a game world so big you'll never ever in a lifetime learn the names of all the cities, towns, hamlets, villages and dungeons, much less their layout. There are literally hundreds of them. There are various architectures depending on the climate, which varies from mountain to jungle to desert to temperate forest. Two races inhibit the Iliac Bay, but the playing character can belong to one of several others too: This enormous map is just a small piece of the empire. Each race has its own strengths and weaknesses. The same holds for character classes, and in case you don't like any of the pre-defined classes, you can easily make your own.

Once you've started customizing, why not make your own magic spells? Members of the Mages Guild have access to a "spell maker" where they can do just that, mix and match magic effects. More high ranking members can make their own magickal items. Several temples have a potion maker. Oh, and there are a wide range of different metals for your weapon and armor.

You can borrow money in the many banks to buy a riding horse, a cart, a ship, even a house! You can join many different guilds, but not all at the same time: Some of them are competitors, such as the different temples for different idols. All of these guilds and factions have their own agenda. Sometimes you're caught in the middle of a feud between two of your guilds, and have to either take a side or lie low until it blows over.

With a game like this, who needs a real life? Sadly, the game is being discontinued as the release of the sequel (Morrowind from Bethesda Softworks) approaches. Then again, it has approached for five years now. You can still be lucky and find Daggerfall at some retailers or on Ebay.

My Daggerfall pages.
Bethesda Softworks (very browser specific).

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A very different approach to magic fantasy worlds is the even older strategy game Master of Magic from Microprose. Sometimes I call it "Dungeons & Civilizations", because it is very similar to the game Civilization from the same publisher. But instead of developing new technologies, you research spells. Dozens and dozens of spells. These fall into five colors: Black, white, red, green, blue; plus some generic gray spells. Sounds familiar? Perhaps we should call it "Magic: The civilization" instead.

Again, the endless variations is the main attraction. There are two different parallel worlds, each with its own races, from barbarians to dark elves. Each race has benefits and malefits, and of course the different colors of magic invite to very different playing styles as well. It will surprise no one that I tend to play white magic, either all-out or combined with some blue and green. I just can't abide death and destruction as a way of life, even in a game. Nor do I attack my computer competitors until they attack me. Your play style may vary. And for each new game, the worlds are generated anew, so you will never find quite the same situation twice.

Sadly, this game is totally out of print. You can download a pirate copy from the usual warez sites, but I suppose then you're not going to specialize in white magic afterwards, eh?

M.o.M. resource center.

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If magic just ain't your style, there is good old Civilization II. Most of the time I play the Mars Now scenario, which came in the Fantastic Worlds scenario pack and toolbox. Not quite realistic, it is not wildly off either. The concept of terraforming the planet bit by bit is probably the least realistic. Well, that and the enormous speed at which people breed when there's food enough. :)

Since I like the idea of painstakingly colonizing an inhospitable planet, I tend to return to this game again and again. Plus it makes for nice screenshots whenever I want a futuristic theme.

As usual, this game is discontinued while waiting for a sequel. It has been spotted in various shops until recently, though. I may be waiting outside the shop when Civ3 comes out, tentatively in October. Beware of clones: There is game called "Civilization, the Call to Power" which is not compatible with this one.

Apolyton Civ II site.

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Then there's last year's favorite: The Sims! With the two expansion packs (Livin' large and House Party) it demands a lot more from a machine than the others I have mentioned. 64 MB memory is very very highly recommended. Before I gave up on my portable (with 32 MB RAM) the harddisk would whirr constantly, the machine would grow painfully warm, and I could go get some milk while people crossed the floor. If you play without the expansion packs and have small families you may still squeak by, but I don't recommend this for old machines.

The Sims is equally popular with girls and boys. You control small characters, but not in detail. Well, not necessarily in detail. They have their own ideas, which they will act on unless you hold them back or give them better ideas. Think of yourself as a very powerful conscience or guardian angel for your poor stupid Sims. You also get to design their homes! Help them get a job, make friends, fall in love, have children, and eventually drown in the swimming pool. Well, actually I haven't helped them drown, but I see that the option is popular among frustrated players ...

The wide range of activities keeps drawing me back to this game. (That and it's good for illustrative screenshots.) Yes, you may see a trend here: I hate games that go "first A, then B, then C". Anything that needs a cluebook, or even benefits from one, is on my boo list. I bought some adventure games when I was younger, and they are still rotting in my cupboards. I want unexpected things to happen, but not too unexpected to contain. The Sims fit in quite nicely there. A last word of warning: Beware the hamster!

My Sim fan pages.
The Sims official home page.