Captive (game)
Encyclopedia
Captive is a science fiction
computer role-playing game released by Mindscape
in 1990. A Dungeon Master "clone", it featured pseudo 3D realtime graphics from a first-person perspective.
The player character
s are androids (termed "droids" in the game) operated remotely by a prisoner trying to free himself. The player assumes the role of the prisoner, and the game involves visiting and destroying a series of bases on different planets.
It was made available on Amiga
, Atari ST
and PC
(1992) platforms.
for 250 years. 248 years later, he awakes, but without the memory of who he is, where he is and why he was imprisoned.
In the corner of his cell, which had doubled as a store-room, the prisoner finds a "briefcase computer" which gives him control over a group of four droids on a space ship. Now he must use these droids to find and free himself.
Controlled by the prisoner/player, the droids are firstly found in a spaceship in distant space (an interface using vector graphics), until ordered to land with a capsule on a planet. On each planet, the droids have to first locate the entrance to the base, then enter and explore 'dungeons' containing various puzzles and alien and robotic enemies.
A fully completed mission consists of ten bases followed by the space station; there is a room in the space station which houses Trill, and if the droids enter this room, the game gives the player the choice of freeing him and ending the game completely, or allowing the enemy to recapture him, starting another mission.
There are also accessories that can be purchased at the shops such as batteries and remote cameras, and a variety of special utility devices.
. It does play in real time, but most of the opponents move relatively slowly, so much of the gameplay relies not so much on reflexes as on the basic strategy of minimizing damage taken, not getting backed into corners or cul-de-sacs, and not running out of ammunition.
used an algorithm that generates each planet and base, including its inhabitants, using a single numerical "seed" on the game disk - a trick which enabled them to have 65,535 levels in the game without having to store the details of each level individually (only one base is "active" in any given saved game, since each base must be "destroyed" before moving on).
The game was known as "Federation War" while in development, but a reader of ACE magazine came up with the name Captive in a competition.
reviewed Captive in 1990 and gave it a score of 91%. Zzap! also gave the game a 91% score in 1991, saying:
Science fiction
Science fiction is a genre of fiction dealing with imaginary but more or less plausible content such as future settings, futuristic science and technology, space travel, aliens, and paranormal abilities...
computer role-playing game released by Mindscape
Mindscape
Mindscape is an international software publishing company, previously part of The Learning Company. They are now affiliated with EA . As of 2004, the group has offices in Europe, Asia, Australia and South America. It has an annual turnover of €38 million and employs 150 people. Mindscape...
in 1990. A Dungeon Master "clone", it featured pseudo 3D realtime graphics from a first-person perspective.
The player character
Player character
A player character or playable character is a character in a video game or role playing game who is controlled or controllable by a player, and is typically a protagonist of the story told in the course of the game. A player character is a persona of the player who controls it. Player characters...
s are androids (termed "droids" in the game) operated remotely by a prisoner trying to free himself. The player assumes the role of the prisoner, and the game involves visiting and destroying a series of bases on different planets.
It was made available on Amiga
Amiga
The Amiga is a family of personal computers that was sold by Commodore in the 1980s and 1990s. The first model was launched in 1985 as a high-end home computer and became popular for its graphical, audio and multi-tasking abilities...
, Atari ST
Atari ST
The Atari ST is a home/personal computer that was released by Atari Corporation in 1985 and commercially available from that summer into the early 1990s. The "ST" officially stands for "Sixteen/Thirty-two", which referred to the Motorola 68000's 16-bit external bus and 32-bit internals...
and PC
IBM PC compatible
IBM PC compatible computers are those generally similar to the original IBM PC, XT, and AT. Such computers used to be referred to as PC clones, or IBM clones since they almost exactly duplicated all the significant features of the PC architecture, facilitated by various manufacturers' ability to...
(1992) platforms.
Plot
Trill, the main character, is judged guilty and ordered in a space cryogenic prisonPrison
A prison is a place in which people are physically confined and, usually, deprived of a range of personal freedoms. Imprisonment or incarceration is a legal penalty that may be imposed by the state for the commission of a crime...
for 250 years. 248 years later, he awakes, but without the memory of who he is, where he is and why he was imprisoned.
In the corner of his cell, which had doubled as a store-room, the prisoner finds a "briefcase computer" which gives him control over a group of four droids on a space ship. Now he must use these droids to find and free himself.
Game structure
To free Trill, the droids visit a number of bases on several planets. On each base, the droids locate space probes, which provide the locations of subsequent bases. In addition to collecting probes, the droids also have to blow up the generators of the base which power the force field of the prison station, and then find the exit before the base collapses.Controlled by the prisoner/player, the droids are firstly found in a spaceship in distant space (an interface using vector graphics), until ordered to land with a capsule on a planet. On each planet, the droids have to first locate the entrance to the base, then enter and explore 'dungeons' containing various puzzles and alien and robotic enemies.
A fully completed mission consists of ten bases followed by the space station; there is a room in the space station which houses Trill, and if the droids enter this room, the game gives the player the choice of freeing him and ending the game completely, or allowing the enemy to recapture him, starting another mission.
Shops
There are shops where the droids can buy, sell and repair various weapons, ammunition and body parts. Each droid has of a number of replaceable body parts: a head, chest, arms, hands, legs and feet. These can be upgraded and repaired individually.There are also accessories that can be purchased at the shops such as batteries and remote cameras, and a variety of special utility devices.
Weapons
There are a variety of weapons, both for hand-to-hand combat and projectile weapons. Depending on its type and the position of the droid wielding it, a weapon can have effect on the left, in the middle or on the right, and at one of two different heights. Some weapons can fire multiple shots at different heights and positions. The two front droids can attack on the left- or right-hand flank respectively. The two droids in the back rank can each only fire projectile weapons down the middle.Devices
The droids can purchase add-on devices from two series: the optics, which either provide extra information or affect the eyesight of the droids, or the devscapes, which affect the droids in other ways. Each droid can only use one such special device at any given time.Challenge
The movement and fighting is similar to traditional Dungeon Master clones like Eye of the BeholderEye of the Beholder (computer game)
Eye of the Beholder is a role-playing video game for computers and video game consoles developed by Westwood Studios. It was published by Strategic Simulations, Inc. in 1990 for the DOS operating system and later ported to the Amiga, the Sega CD, and the SNES...
. It does play in real time, but most of the opponents move relatively slowly, so much of the gameplay relies not so much on reflexes as on the basic strategy of minimizing damage taken, not getting backed into corners or cul-de-sacs, and not running out of ammunition.
Miscellaneous
The programmerAntony Crowther
Antony 'Ratt' Crowther is a former designer, programmer and musician of Commodore 64 games. During the 1980s he worked for Alligata, Gremlin Graphics and later Crowther's own company, Wizard Development....
used an algorithm that generates each planet and base, including its inhabitants, using a single numerical "seed" on the game disk - a trick which enabled them to have 65,535 levels in the game without having to store the details of each level individually (only one base is "active" in any given saved game, since each base must be "destroyed" before moving on).
The game was known as "Federation War" while in development, but a reader of ACE magazine came up with the name Captive in a competition.
Reviews
Amiga FormatAmiga Format
Amiga Format was a British computer magazine for Amiga computers, published by Future Publishing. The magazine lasted 136 issues from 1989 to 2000. The magazine was formed when, in the wake of selling ACE to EMAP, Future split the dual-format title ST/Amiga Format into two separate publications...
reviewed Captive in 1990 and gave it a score of 91%. Zzap! also gave the game a 91% score in 1991, saying:
"As a true RPG it has many of the drawbacks that Dungeon Master had (very little interaction, fictional combat etc). However, the gameworld is well designed, the plot and the opponents are imaginative and the puzzles are challenging with many thrills and spills to keep you on the edge of your chair."