Akalabeth
Encyclopedia
Akalabeth: World of Doom (icon) is a computer role-playing game, first released in 1979
, and then published by California Pacific Computer Company
for the Apple II
in 1980. Richard Garriott
designed the game as a hobbyist project, which is now recognized as one of the earliest known examples of a computer role-playing game and as a predecessor of the Ultima series of games that started Garriott's career.
suburbs. Begun first as a school project during his Junior year using the school's mainframe system and Apple II computer, as well as another Apple II bought for him by his father, the game continually evolved over several years under the working title D&D with the help of his friends and regular Dungeons & Dragons partners who acted as play-testers. When the game reached version D&D28b in 1979 (where "28b" refers to the revision), he demoed the game - now re-named to Akalabeth - for his boss at Clear Lake City, Texas-area ComputerLand
, who suggested he sell the game to the store's clientele. Garriott consented and briefly packaged and distributed the game inside Ziploc
bags, along with a cover drawn by his mother, within the store, selling less than a dozen copies. His boss secretly sent the sixteenth copy to California Pacific Computer Company
, who proved interested enough to contact Garriott about purchasing the rights and publishing the game. Garriott flew to California with his parents and signed a contract with California Pacific to give them the publishing rights. He would receive $5 for each copy of his game sold. The game ended up selling 30,000 copies, netting Garriott $150,000. California Pacific went bankrupt not long after the release of his next game, Ultima.
In creating Akalabeth, Garriott was primarily inspired by Dungeons & Dragons
, for which he held weekly sessions in his parents' house while in High School; and the works of J. R. R. Tolkien
, which he received from an in-law of his brother. The name derives from Tolkien's Akallabêth
, part of The Silmarillion
; though the game is not based on Tolkien's story. Also, while not explicitly stated, Akalabeth is seen as the first game of the Ultima series, a very popular and influential series of computer role-playing games. It was, therefore, included as part of the 1998 Ultima Collection where it officially picked up the nickname Ultima 0. The version in the Collection added CGA
colors and MIDI
. It ran on DOS
, making it the first official port of the game to any system other than the Apple II, though an unofficial, fan-made PC version had circulated on the Internet
since late 1995.
In the original game, the last monster on the need-to-kill list is called "Balrog", exactly like the demonic monsters from Lord of the Rings, and unlike the later name for the monster in the Ultima games, Balron.
of pen-and-paper role-playing games to the computer platform. The player receives quests from Lord British (Garriott's alter-ego and nickname since High School) to kill a succession of ten increasingly difficult monster
s.
The majority of gameplay takes place in an underground dungeon, but there were also a simple above-ground world map and text descriptions to fill out the rest of the adventure. The player could visit the Adventure Shop to purchase food, weapons, a shield and a magic amulet; the player's statistics can also be viewed here.
The game used concepts that would later become standard in the Ultima series, including:
Garriott's earlier versions before D&D28b used an overhead view with ASCII characters representing items and monsters. However, after playing Escape, an early maze game for the Apple II, he instead decided to switch to a wire-frame, first-person view for the underground dungeon portions of the game.
While crude by modern standards, in 1980 Akalabeth' s graphics and dungeon crawl
gameplay mechanics were considered quite advanced, and the game attracted a large amount of attention. And, since Akalabeth was written in Applesoft BASIC
, an interpreted language
, it was a simple matter for users to modify the source code
to suit their needs or desires. For example, the game's magic amulet, which occasionally did unpredictable things like turn a player into a high-powered Lizard Man, could be set to do so with every use, progressively increasing the player's strength to the point of virtual indestructibility. One could also set the player's statistics (normally randomly generated and fairly weak to start) to any level desired.
, say that Akalabeth was created in the summer of 1979 and sold that year in Ziploc bags. However, labels of the first release are clearly marked "© Richard Garriott 1980". The dates of 1980 and 1981 for the California Pacific releases are not disputed.
#65 by Bruce Humphrey. Humphrey concluded that "Akalabeth is a poor cousin in relation to Wizardry and some of the other recent role-playing computer games."
1979 in video gaming
-Notable releases:* Richard Garriott creates Akalabeth, a computer role-playing game for the Apple IIe. It launches Garriott's career and is a precursor to his highly successful Ultima series....
, and then published by California Pacific Computer Company
California Pacific Computer Company
California Pacific Computer Company is a defunct software design company that published games and related software for the Apple II family of computers in the late 1970s and early 1980s...
for the Apple II
Apple II
The Apple II is an 8-bit home computer, one of the first highly successful mass-produced microcomputer products, designed primarily by Steve Wozniak, manufactured by Apple Computer and introduced in 1977...
in 1980. Richard Garriott
Richard Garriott
Richard Allen Garriott is a British-American video game developer and entrepreneur.He is also known as his alter egos Lord British in Ultima and General British in Tabula Rasa...
designed the game as a hobbyist project, which is now recognized as one of the earliest known examples of a computer role-playing game and as a predecessor of the Ultima series of games that started Garriott's career.
History
The game was made by then-teenaged Garriott in the BASIC programming language for the Apple II while living with his parents and attending High School in the Houston, TexasHouston, Texas
Houston is the fourth-largest city in the United States, and the largest city in the state of Texas. According to the 2010 U.S. Census, the city had a population of 2.1 million people within an area of . Houston is the seat of Harris County and the economic center of , which is the ...
suburbs. Begun first as a school project during his Junior year using the school's mainframe system and Apple II computer, as well as another Apple II bought for him by his father, the game continually evolved over several years under the working title D&D with the help of his friends and regular Dungeons & Dragons partners who acted as play-testers. When the game reached version D&D28b in 1979 (where "28b" refers to the revision), he demoed the game - now re-named to Akalabeth - for his boss at Clear Lake City, Texas-area ComputerLand
ComputerLand
ComputerLand was a widespread chain of retail computer stores during the early years of the personal computer "revolution", and was one of the outlets chosen to introduce the IBM PC in 1981. The first ComputerLand opened in 1976, and the chain eventually included about 800 stores by 1985...
, who suggested he sell the game to the store's clientele. Garriott consented and briefly packaged and distributed the game inside Ziploc
Ziploc
Ziploc is a brand of reusable, re-sealable zipper storage bags and containers originally developed by Dow Chemical Company, and now produced by S. C. Johnson & Son. According to Dow's website, the bags were originally test marketed in 1968....
bags, along with a cover drawn by his mother, within the store, selling less than a dozen copies. His boss secretly sent the sixteenth copy to California Pacific Computer Company
California Pacific Computer Company
California Pacific Computer Company is a defunct software design company that published games and related software for the Apple II family of computers in the late 1970s and early 1980s...
, who proved interested enough to contact Garriott about purchasing the rights and publishing the game. Garriott flew to California with his parents and signed a contract with California Pacific to give them the publishing rights. He would receive $5 for each copy of his game sold. The game ended up selling 30,000 copies, netting Garriott $150,000. California Pacific went bankrupt not long after the release of his next game, Ultima.
In creating Akalabeth, Garriott was primarily inspired by Dungeons & Dragons
Dungeons & Dragons
Dungeons & Dragons is a fantasy role-playing game originally designed by Gary Gygax and Dave Arneson, and first published in 1974 by Tactical Studies Rules, Inc. . The game has been published by Wizards of the Coast since 1997...
, for which he held weekly sessions in his parents' house while in High School; and the works of J. R. R. Tolkien
J. R. R. Tolkien
John Ronald Reuel Tolkien, CBE was an English writer, poet, philologist, and university professor, best known as the author of the classic high fantasy works The Hobbit, The Lord of the Rings, and The Silmarillion.Tolkien was Rawlinson and Bosworth Professor of Anglo-Saxon at Pembroke College,...
, which he received from an in-law of his brother. The name derives from Tolkien's Akallabêth
Akallabêth
Akallabêth is the fourth part of the fantasy work The Silmarillion by J. R. R. Tolkien. It is relatively short, consisting of about thirty pages.-Synopsis:...
, part of The Silmarillion
The Silmarillion
The Silmarillion is a collection of J. R. R. Tolkien's mythopoeic works, edited and published posthumously by his son Christopher Tolkien in 1977, with assistance from Guy Gavriel Kay, who later became a noted fantasy writer. The Silmarillion, along with J. R. R...
; though the game is not based on Tolkien's story. Also, while not explicitly stated, Akalabeth is seen as the first game of the Ultima series, a very popular and influential series of computer role-playing games. It was, therefore, included as part of the 1998 Ultima Collection where it officially picked up the nickname Ultima 0. The version in the Collection added CGA
Color Graphics Adapter
The Color Graphics Adapter , originally also called the Color/Graphics Adapter or IBM Color/Graphics Monitor Adapter, introduced in 1981, was IBM's first color graphics card, and the first color computer display standard for the IBM PC....
colors and MIDI
Musical Instrument Digital Interface
MIDI is an industry-standard protocol, first defined in 1982 by Gordon Hall, that enables electronic musical instruments , computers and other electronic equipment to communicate and synchronize with each other...
. It ran on DOS
DOS
DOS, short for "Disk Operating System", is an acronym for several closely related operating systems that dominated the IBM PC compatible market between 1981 and 1995, or until about 2000 if one includes the partially DOS-based Microsoft Windows versions 95, 98, and Millennium Edition.Related...
, making it the first official port of the game to any system other than the Apple II, though an unofficial, fan-made PC version had circulated on the Internet
Internet
The Internet is a global system of interconnected computer networks that use the standard Internet protocol suite to serve billions of users worldwide...
since late 1995.
In the original game, the last monster on the need-to-kill list is called "Balrog", exactly like the demonic monsters from Lord of the Rings, and unlike the later name for the monster in the Ultima games, Balron.
Gameplay and technology
Essentially, the game attempts to bring the gameplayGameplay
Gameplay is the specific way in which players interact with a game, and in particular with video games. Gameplay is the pattern defined through the game rules, connection between player and the game, challenges and overcoming them, plot and player's connection with it...
of pen-and-paper role-playing games to the computer platform. The player receives quests from Lord British (Garriott's alter-ego and nickname since High School) to kill a succession of ten increasingly difficult monster
Monster
A monster is any fictional creature, usually found in legends or horror fiction, that is somewhat hideous and may produce physical harm or mental fear by either its appearance or its actions...
s.
The majority of gameplay takes place in an underground dungeon, but there were also a simple above-ground world map and text descriptions to fill out the rest of the adventure. The player could visit the Adventure Shop to purchase food, weapons, a shield and a magic amulet; the player's statistics can also be viewed here.
The game used concepts that would later become standard in the Ultima series, including:
- First-person gameplay in dungeons
- Requiring food to survive
- A top-down overhead world view
- Hotkeys used for commands
- The use of Elizabethan English
Garriott's earlier versions before D&D28b used an overhead view with ASCII characters representing items and monsters. However, after playing Escape, an early maze game for the Apple II, he instead decided to switch to a wire-frame, first-person view for the underground dungeon portions of the game.
While crude by modern standards, in 1980 Akalabeth
Dungeon crawl
A dungeon crawl is a type of scenario in fantasy role-playing games in which heroes navigate a labyrinthine environment, battling various monsters, and looting any treasure they may find...
gameplay mechanics were considered quite advanced, and the game attracted a large amount of attention. And, since Akalabeth was written in Applesoft BASIC
Applesoft BASIC
Applesoft BASIC was a dialect of Microsoft BASIC supplied with the Apple II series of computers. It superseded Integer BASIC and was the BASIC in ROM in all Apple II series computers after the original Apple II model. It was also referred to as FP because of the command used to invoke it instead...
, an interpreted language
Interpreted language
Interpreted language is a programming language in which programs are 'indirectly' executed by an interpreter program. This can be contrasted with a compiled language which is converted into machine code and then 'directly' executed by the host CPU...
, it was a simple matter for users to modify the source code
Source code
In computer science, source code is text written using the format and syntax of the programming language that it is being written in. Such a language is specially designed to facilitate the work of computer programmers, who specify the actions to be performed by a computer mostly by writing source...
to suit their needs or desires. For example, the game's magic amulet, which occasionally did unpredictable things like turn a player into a high-powered Lizard Man, could be set to do so with every use, progressively increasing the player's strength to the point of virtual indestructibility. One could also set the player's statistics (normally randomly generated and fairly weak to start) to any level desired.
Release date
Most sources, including Garriott himself and Origin SystemsOrigin Systems
Origin Systems, Inc. was a computer game developer based in Austin, Texas that was active from 1983 to 2004...
, say that Akalabeth was created in the summer of 1979 and sold that year in Ziploc bags. However, labels of the first release are clearly marked "© Richard Garriott 1980". The dates of 1980 and 1981 for the California Pacific releases are not disputed.
Ports
Remakes exist for- iPhone, iPod Touch and iPad in cooperation with the author Richard GarriottRichard GarriottRichard Allen Garriott is a British-American video game developer and entrepreneur.He is also known as his alter egos Lord British in Ultima and General British in Tabula Rasa...
at AkalabethApp.com - Java ME-platforms in mobile phones by dimjon.
Reception
The game was reviewed in 1982 in The DragonDragon (magazine)
Dragon is one of the two official magazines for source material for the Dungeons & Dragons role-playing game and associated products, the other being Dungeon. TSR, Inc. originally launched the monthly printed magazine in 1976 to succeed the company's earlier publication, The Strategic Review. The...
#65 by Bruce Humphrey. Humphrey concluded that "Akalabeth is a poor cousin in relation to Wizardry and some of the other recent role-playing computer games."
External links
- Akalabeth at the Codex of Ultima Wisdom
- Akalabeth on DOSGAMES.com (scroll down to the second entry)
- GameSpot: "The Ultima Legacy - D&D28b and the Apple II"
- The Dot Eaters article on Gariott/British, Akalabeth, and his other Ultima games.