Discworld (computer game)
Encyclopedia
Discworld, also known as Discworld: The Trouble With Dragons during its development, is a point-and-click adventure game developed by Teeny Weeny Games
and Perfect 10 Productions
in mid-1995. It stars Rincewind
the Wizard (voiced by Eric Idle
) and is set on Terry Pratchett
's Discworld
. The game's plot is based roughly on the events in the book Guards! Guards!
, but with Rincewind substituted for Sam Vimes. The game contains elements of Moving Pictures
.
There are four other Discworld games: a direct sequel to Discworld, titled Discworld II: Missing Presumed...!?
(Discworld II: Mortality Bytes! in North America), Discworld Noir
(a stand alone story starring an original character), a text adventure called The Colour of Magic
which strictly adheres to the events of the first Discworld
novel and another game based on The Colour of Magic released on mobile phone
s titled Discworld: The Colour of Magic.
Discworld has been praised for its humour, voice-acting and graphics, though there have been criticisms concerning its gameplay and puzzles. Discworld has also been noted as being extremely challenging and difficult.
version is compatible with the PlayStation Mouse
, as well as the normal PlayStation controls. Rincewind, the player character
, moves through a scrolling background, with an overhead map that appears when leaving a city that allows you to go straight to a location. Items can either be examined or used, and can either be stored in Rincewind's pockets or in the Luggage. In order to progress in the game, Rincewind must collect items, talk to people and solve puzzles.
Terry Pratchett has a cameo appearance in the crowd scene (next to Dibbler) at the end of the game.
There is a subtle easter egg in the game that is activated by double clicking on the sheep in Nanny Ogg's back yard. Many more secrets can be found throughout the game. In another easter egg, Rincewind states that he "want[s] to be the first person in a game to say fuck
". This may be an homage to the eulogy delivered at Graham Chapman
's funeral where John Cleese
seized the opportunity to become “the first person ever at a British memorial service to say 'fuck'.” A similar, albeit censored line is also hidden in the sequel.
and CD-ROM
, with the CD-ROM version featuring full voice acting for all characters.
After the release of Discworld 2
a second CD-ROM version of the game, codenamed as the Director's Cut, was developed. This new version was made using the Discworld II Windows engine and apart from that it also fixed several known bugs (that had not been fixed by the patch). Additionally it also included a missing "future-cut-scene" for the butterfly effect that never made it into the original game due to time constraints. However this version never saw daylight since the publisher assumed that large sums of money would be required to test it, even though that wasn't the case since the game logic (built using the Tinsel language) remained the same.
The developers of ScummVM
have negotiated the release of the game's source code and the game's 'Tinsel' engine has, after several years, finally been implemented into ScummVM, making the game now playable using ScummVM. At time of writing, Discworld is not yet a freeware title.
#223 by David "Zeb" Cook
in the final "Eye of the Monitor" column. Cook's summary of the game is as follows: "Give Discworld an "A" for content and an "F" for mechanics. Great tongue-in-cheek script. Delightful parody of heroic fantasy and computer adventure games. Faithful, even inspired translation of Pratchett's world and comic voice into a computer game. Great voice performances. Exceptional art and animation. Crappy testing, quality control, and tech support." Entertainment Weekly
praised the voice-acting of Eric Idle, but criticised the PlayStation version of the game, saying that it was difficult to navigate without the PlayStation Mouse and that the text was too small. IGN
gave the game a 7.0 out of 10, calling it challenging and long, but criticising the long loading times. Adventure Classic Gaming called it "rewarding but challenging", and suggested skipping the floppy disk version of the game as the voice-acting (not available on the floppy disk version) was excellent and an integral part of the game's humour.
Computer and Video Games
gave the game a 5.0 out of 10, complimenting the backdrops and saying that the voice-acting and plot give "a feature film feel to the whole affair". However, they criticised the gameplay, and said that Discworld was "an entertaining yarn, with a gameplay vehicle attached to it". Adventure Gamers
praised the voice acting, graphics, humour and story, calling it "a wonderful game", but noted that "it stops short of being a classic simply due to its sheer difficulty and the unwieldy nature of the game". Adventure Gamers also called the music "serviceable at best, and fairly forgettable". In 2009 Eurogamer's
Will Porter reviewed the game restropectively, praising the game's cartoonish graphics and voice-acting, but criticising its puzzles and noting that "Discworld commits every point-and-click crime you'd care to mention".
Entertainment Weeklys Darren Franich called the game an "underrated point-and-click gem", saying that it was one of the games he wanted on the PlayStation Network.
Perfect Entertainment
Perfect Entertainment was a British computer game producer, which ceased production in 1999. It was created in 1994 as a result of a name change from Perfect 10 Productions, a company previously known as Beam Software ....
and Perfect 10 Productions
Perfect Entertainment
Perfect Entertainment was a British computer game producer, which ceased production in 1999. It was created in 1994 as a result of a name change from Perfect 10 Productions, a company previously known as Beam Software ....
in mid-1995. It stars Rincewind
Rincewind
Rincewind is a fictional character appearing in several of the Discworld novels by Terry Pratchett. He is a failed student at the Unseen University for wizards in Ankh-Morpork, and is often described by scholars as "the magical equivalent to the number zero". He spends just about all of his time...
the Wizard (voiced by Eric Idle
Eric Idle
Eric Idle is an English comedian, actor, author, singer, writer, and comedic composer. He was as a member of the British comedy group Monty Python, a member of the The Rutles on Saturday Night Live and author of the play, Spamalot....
) and is set on Terry Pratchett
Terry Pratchett
Sir Terence David John "Terry" Pratchett, OBE is an English novelist, known for his frequently comical work in the fantasy genre. He is best known for his popular and long-running Discworld series of comic fantasy novels...
's Discworld
Discworld (world)
The Discworld is the fictional setting for all of Terry Pratchett's Discworld fantasy novels. It consists of a large disc resting on the backs of four huge elephants which are in turn standing on the back of an enormous turtle, named Great A'Tuin as it slowly swims...
. The game's plot is based roughly on the events in the book Guards! Guards!
Guards! Guards!
Guards! Guards! is the eighth Discworld novel by Terry Pratchett, first published in 1989. It is the first novel about the City Watch. The first Discworld computer game borrowed heavily from Guards! Guards! in terms of plot.-Plot:...
, but with Rincewind substituted for Sam Vimes. The game contains elements of Moving Pictures
Moving Pictures (novel)
Moving Pictures is the name of the tenth Discworld novel by Terry Pratchett, published in 1990. The book takes place in Discworld's most famous city, Ankh-Morpork and a town called "Holy Wood"...
.
There are four other Discworld games: a direct sequel to Discworld, titled Discworld II: Missing Presumed...!?
Discworld 2
Discworld II: Missing Presumed...!? is the second point-and-click adventure game based on Terry Pratchett's series of fantasy novels set on the mythical Discworld. The game was developed and produced in 1996 by Perfect Entertainment for the PC, and ported in 1997 for the PlayStation and Sega Saturn...
(Discworld II: Mortality Bytes! in North America), Discworld Noir
Discworld Noir
Discworld Noir is a computer game based on Terry Pratchett's Discworld comic fantasy novels, and unlike the previous Discworld games is both an example and parody of the noir genre. The game was developed by Perfect Entertainment and published by GT Interactive. It was originally released in 1999...
(a stand alone story starring an original character), a text adventure called The Colour of Magic
The Colour of Magic (computer game)
The Colour of Magic is a text adventure game developed by Delta 4 and published by Piranha Games in 1986. It was released for the ZX Spectrum, Amstrad CPC, and Commodore 64 computers...
which strictly adheres to the events of the first Discworld
Discworld
Discworld is a comic fantasy book series by English author Sir Terry Pratchett, set on the Discworld, a flat world balanced on the backs of four elephants which, in turn, stand on the back of a giant turtle, Great A'Tuin. The books frequently parody, or at least take inspiration from, J. R. R....
novel and another game based on The Colour of Magic released on mobile phone
Mobile phone
A mobile phone is a device which can make and receive telephone calls over a radio link whilst moving around a wide geographic area. It does so by connecting to a cellular network provided by a mobile network operator...
s titled Discworld: The Colour of Magic.
Discworld has been praised for its humour, voice-acting and graphics, though there have been criticisms concerning its gameplay and puzzles. Discworld has also been noted as being extremely challenging and difficult.
Gameplay
Discworld is a third-person point-and-click graphic adventure game. The PlayStationPlayStation
The is a 32-bit fifth-generation video game console first released by Sony Computer Entertainment in Japan on December 3, .The PlayStation was the first of the PlayStation series of consoles and handheld game devices. The PlayStation 2 was the console's successor in 2000...
version is compatible with the PlayStation Mouse
Playstation Mouse
The PlayStation Mouse is an input device for the PlayStation console that allows the player to use a mouse as a method of control in compatible games...
, as well as the normal PlayStation controls. Rincewind, 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...
, moves through a scrolling background, with an overhead map that appears when leaving a city that allows you to go straight to a location. Items can either be examined or used, and can either be stored in Rincewind's pockets or in the Luggage. In order to progress in the game, Rincewind must collect items, talk to people and solve puzzles.
Voice actors
- Eric IdleEric IdleEric Idle is an English comedian, actor, author, singer, writer, and comedic composer. He was as a member of the British comedy group Monty Python, a member of the The Rutles on Saturday Night Live and author of the play, Spamalot....
- RincewindRincewindRincewind is a fictional character appearing in several of the Discworld novels by Terry Pratchett. He is a failed student at the Unseen University for wizards in Ankh-Morpork, and is often described by scholars as "the magical equivalent to the number zero". He spends just about all of his time... - Rob BrydonRob BrydonRob Brydon is a BAFTA-nominated Welsh actor, comedian, radio and television presenter, singer and impressionist...
- various - Jon PertweeJon PertweeJohn Devon Roland Pertwee , was an English actor. Pertwee is best known for his role in the BBC science fiction television series Doctor Who, in which he played the third incarnation of the Doctor from 1970 to 1974, and as the title character in the series Worzel Gummidge...
- various - Kate RobbinsKate RobbinsKatherine Robbins is an English actress, comedienne and singer.-Biography:Robbins is a first cousin once removed of Paul McCartney and older sister of Amy Robbins . She attended Wirral Grammar School for Girls and won the Drama Prizes each year, notably with her monologue "All this glitters is not...
- various - Tony RobinsonTony RobinsonTony Robinson is an English actor, comedian, author, broadcaster and political campaigner. He is best known for playing Baldrick in the BBC television series Blackadder, and for hosting Channel 4 programmes such as Time Team and The Worst Jobs in History. Robinson is a member of the Labour Party...
- various
Terry Pratchett has a cameo appearance in the crowd scene (next to Dibbler) at the end of the game.
Ideas and themes
The game was titled Discworld: The Trouble With Dragons while it was in development.There is a subtle easter egg in the game that is activated by double clicking on the sheep in Nanny Ogg's back yard. Many more secrets can be found throughout the game. In another easter egg, Rincewind states that he "want[s] to be the first person in a game to say fuck
Fuck
"Fuck" is an English word that is generally considered obscene which, in its most literal meaning, refers to the act of sexual intercourse. By extension it may be used to negatively characterize anything that can be dismissed, disdained, defiled, or destroyed."Fuck" can be used as a verb, adverb,...
". This may be an homage to the eulogy delivered at Graham Chapman
Graham Chapman
Graham Arthur Chapman was a British comedian, physician, writer, actor, and one of the six members of the Monty Python comedy troupe.-Early life and education:...
's funeral where John Cleese
John Cleese
John Marwood Cleese is an English actor, comedian, writer, and film producer. He achieved success at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe and as a scriptwriter and performer on The Frost Report...
seized the opportunity to become “the first person ever at a British memorial service to say 'fuck'.” A similar, albeit censored line is also hidden in the sequel.
Releases
The game was originally released on both floppy diskFloppy disk
A floppy disk is a disk storage medium composed of a disk of thin and flexible magnetic storage medium, sealed in a rectangular plastic carrier lined with fabric that removes dust particles...
and CD-ROM
CD-ROM
A CD-ROM is a pre-pressed compact disc that contains data accessible to, but not writable by, a computer for data storage and music playback. The 1985 “Yellow Book” standard developed by Sony and Philips adapted the format to hold any form of binary data....
, with the CD-ROM version featuring full voice acting for all characters.
After the release of Discworld 2
Discworld 2
Discworld II: Missing Presumed...!? is the second point-and-click adventure game based on Terry Pratchett's series of fantasy novels set on the mythical Discworld. The game was developed and produced in 1996 by Perfect Entertainment for the PC, and ported in 1997 for the PlayStation and Sega Saturn...
a second CD-ROM version of the game, codenamed as the Director's Cut, was developed. This new version was made using the Discworld II Windows engine and apart from that it also fixed several known bugs (that had not been fixed by the patch). Additionally it also included a missing "future-cut-scene" for the butterfly effect that never made it into the original game due to time constraints. However this version never saw daylight since the publisher assumed that large sums of money would be required to test it, even though that wasn't the case since the game logic (built using the Tinsel language) remained the same.
The developers of ScummVM
ScummVM
ScummVM is a collection of game engine recreations. Originally designed to play LucasArts adventure games that use the SCUMM system , it now also supports a variety of non-SCUMM games by companies like Revolution Software and Adventure Soft. It was originally written by Ludvig Strigeus...
have negotiated the release of the game's source code and the game's 'Tinsel' engine has, after several years, finally been implemented into ScummVM, making the game now playable using ScummVM. At time of writing, Discworld is not yet a freeware title.
Reception
The game was reviewed in 1995 in 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...
#223 by David "Zeb" Cook
David Cook (game designer)
David "Zeb" Cook is an American game designer best known for his work at TSR, Inc., where he was employed for over fifteen years.-Early life:...
in the final "Eye of the Monitor" column. Cook's summary of the game is as follows: "Give Discworld an "A" for content and an "F" for mechanics. Great tongue-in-cheek script. Delightful parody of heroic fantasy and computer adventure games. Faithful, even inspired translation of Pratchett's world and comic voice into a computer game. Great voice performances. Exceptional art and animation. Crappy testing, quality control, and tech support." Entertainment Weekly
Entertainment Weekly
Entertainment Weekly is an American magazine, published by the Time division of Time Warner, that covers film, television, music, broadway theatre, books and popular culture...
praised the voice-acting of Eric Idle, but criticised the PlayStation version of the game, saying that it was difficult to navigate without the PlayStation Mouse and that the text was too small. IGN
IGN
IGN is an entertainment website that focuses on video games, films, music and other media. IGN's main website comprises several specialty sites or "channels", each occupying a subdomain and covering a specific area of entertainment...
gave the game a 7.0 out of 10, calling it challenging and long, but criticising the long loading times. Adventure Classic Gaming called it "rewarding but challenging", and suggested skipping the floppy disk version of the game as the voice-acting (not available on the floppy disk version) was excellent and an integral part of the game's humour.
Computer and Video Games
Computer and video games
A video game is an electronic game that involves human interaction with a user interface to generate visual feedback on a video device. The word video in video game traditionally referred to a raster display device, but following popularization of the term "video game", it now implies any type of...
gave the game a 5.0 out of 10, complimenting the backdrops and saying that the voice-acting and plot give "a feature film feel to the whole affair". However, they criticised the gameplay, and said that Discworld was "an entertaining yarn, with a gameplay vehicle attached to it". Adventure Gamers
Adventure Gamers
Adventure Gamers is a computer game website created in 1998 dedicated to the genre of adventure games. It publishes reviews and previews of adventure games, as well as opinion articles and interviews with game designers....
praised the voice acting, graphics, humour and story, calling it "a wonderful game", but noted that "it stops short of being a classic simply due to its sheer difficulty and the unwieldy nature of the game". Adventure Gamers also called the music "serviceable at best, and fairly forgettable". In 2009 Eurogamer's
Eurogamer
Eurogamer is a Brighton-based website focused on video games news, reviews, previews and interviews. It is operated by Eurogamer Network Ltd., which was formed in 1999 by brothers Rupert and Nick Loman. Eurogamer has grown to become one of the most important European-based websites focused on...
Will Porter reviewed the game restropectively, praising the game's cartoonish graphics and voice-acting, but criticising its puzzles and noting that "Discworld commits every point-and-click crime you'd care to mention".
Entertainment Weeklys Darren Franich called the game an "underrated point-and-click gem", saying that it was one of the games he wanted on the PlayStation Network.
External links
- The Discworld Game Pages, LSpace
- ScummVM
- ScummVM MIDI Music Enhancement Project, James Woodcock's Blog