Dragonstomper
Encyclopedia
Dragonstomper is a role-playing video game programmed by Stephen Landrum and published in 1982 by Starpath
. It was developed for the Atari 2600
video game system.
Making use of the Starpath Supercharger
, Dragonstomper was the only true RPG for the Atari 2600.
Dragonstomper follows the adventures of a dragon
hunter who is given a quest by the king to defeat a dragon and reclaim a magical amulet
that was stolen. The player makes his way over the countryside vanquishing various monsters and gaining gold and experience. After gaining strength, the player enters a shop in an oppressed village where equipment can be purchased, soldiers hired, and special scrolls obtained to defeat the dragon in its lair. The final leg of the journey traverses into the dragon's lair where he must avoid a series of traps strewn throughout the cave and defeat the dragon. Defeating the dragon is not required to win; one of the scrolls available for purchase in the town, "Unlock", can be used to open the gate between the player and the amulet, although it has a chance of failing.
In November 2005, Forbes Magazine named "Dragonstomper" as "The best title ever made in the history of U.S. videogaming." Forbes singled out the game's ingenuity, noting that "[t]here were multiple ways to solve problems. One could descend to the dragon's lair on a rope or simply jump down (and absorb some damage)."
s, hut
s, churches, and other areas that can be explored.
Every so often, a random battle will occur, with the player and enemy taking turns attacking one another until one or the other is dead; if the player expires (accompanied by a faster version of Taps
being played), a simple hit of the Reset switch brings him back to life right where he lies, but with all of his collected gold lost and his Strength and Dexterity
reset to their normal values. Experience points do not exist in the game, although every so often, items such as staves
, potion
s, or magic rings
will be found in the spoils of battle, or inside of the aforementioned buildings. These items have a random chance of either raising or lowering the player's Strength or Dexterity.
Monsters largely consist of animals, insect
s and arachnid
s of various types, as well as human occupations (Maniacs, Warrior
s, etc.) Some fantasy-themed creatures, like slimes, also exist. Equipment is only available in the form of an axe
and a shield
which can be found from various locations or monsters (churches often contain shields). Once the bridge guard permits it, the player can advance into the Oppressed Village.
Three different stores are available to the player there — a Hospital
, a Magic Shop, and an Item Store. Items that are no longer needed from the Wilderness can be sold for extra gold to use to buy new, helpful tools. Like the bridge guard before them, the three soldiers have to be bribed (either with gold, rubies or sapphire
s) to enlist with the player. Furthermore, healing potions, spells to locate and circumvent traps inside the dragon's cave, and miscellaneous goods (like ropes and bow and arrows) are available for purchase. Once the player feels ready, he can enter the Dragon's Cave, which is preceded by a few bars of In the Hall of the Mountain King
.
The Dragon's Cave is simply one long, narrow hallway lined by jagged rock protrusions, with no monsters to fight; the primary danger is traps. Two varieties exist — poison darts which fly back and forth in one set line, and invisible floor panels which, when stepped on, trigger an unavoidable burst of flash damage. These panels can be detected with a spell, while the darts can simply be run past. Succeeding in navigating the cave's dangers will result in coming upon a pit in the floor which leads to the dragon himself.
The fight with the dragon alternates with the player-character and the dragon taking steps towards one another in turns. If the player has recruited any of the soldiers, they march of their own accord up to the dragon to help serve as a distraction and occasionally dealing (and being dealt) damage. With the aforementioned "Unlock" spell, it is still necessary to successfully get past the Dragon and reach the amulet in its secluded chamber; without this spell, defeating the dragon is the only key to victory.
Starpath
Starpath was a U.S. company known for creating the Starpath Supercharger in 1982. The company was founded in 1981 under the name Arcadia Corporation, but it changed its name to Starpath shortly after for trademark reasons...
. It was developed for the Atari 2600
Atari 2600
The Atari 2600 is a video game console released in October 1977 by Atari, Inc. It is credited with popularizing the use of microprocessor-based hardware and cartridges containing game code, instead of having non-microprocessor dedicated hardware with all games built in...
video game system.
Making use of the Starpath Supercharger
Starpath Supercharger
The Starpath Supercharger was an add-on module created by Starpath to expand the game capabilities of the Atari 2600 video game console. The device resembled a long game cartridge with a handle on one end. The Supercharger interface multiplied the Atari 2600's RAM 49-fold, from its meager built-in...
, Dragonstomper was the only true RPG for the Atari 2600.
Dragonstomper follows the adventures of a dragon
Dragon
A dragon is a legendary creature, typically with serpentine or reptilian traits, that feature in the myths of many cultures. There are two distinct cultural traditions of dragons: the European dragon, derived from European folk traditions and ultimately related to Greek and Middle Eastern...
hunter who is given a quest by the king to defeat a dragon and reclaim a magical amulet
Amulet
An amulet, similar to a talisman , is any object intended to bring good luck or protection to its owner.Potential amulets include gems, especially engraved gems, statues, coins, drawings, pendants, rings, plants and animals; even words said in certain occasions—for example: vade retro satana—, to...
that was stolen. The player makes his way over the countryside vanquishing various monsters and gaining gold and experience. After gaining strength, the player enters a shop in an oppressed village where equipment can be purchased, soldiers hired, and special scrolls obtained to defeat the dragon in its lair. The final leg of the journey traverses into the dragon's lair where he must avoid a series of traps strewn throughout the cave and defeat the dragon. Defeating the dragon is not required to win; one of the scrolls available for purchase in the town, "Unlock", can be used to open the gate between the player and the amulet, although it has a chance of failing.
In November 2005, Forbes Magazine named "Dragonstomper" as "The best title ever made in the history of U.S. videogaming." Forbes singled out the game's ingenuity, noting that "[t]here were multiple ways to solve problems. One could descend to the dragon's lair on a rope or simply jump down (and absorb some damage)."
Gameplay
During the first segment of the game ("The Wilderness"), the player's goal is to either collect enough money and valuables to bribe the town guard into letting him pass through, or to find an identity card that will grant him permission to do so freely. Either way, the overworld is a vast open space littered with castleCastle
A castle is a type of fortified structure built in Europe and the Middle East during the Middle Ages by European nobility. Scholars debate the scope of the word castle, but usually consider it to be the private fortified residence of a lord or noble...
s, hut
Hut (dwelling)
A hut is a small and crude shelter, usually used for dwelling. Its design favors local techniques and materials to allow for swift and inexpensive construction.-Modern use:...
s, churches, and other areas that can be explored.
Every so often, a random battle will occur, with the player and enemy taking turns attacking one another until one or the other is dead; if the player expires (accompanied by a faster version of Taps
Taps
"Taps" is a musical piece sounded by the U.S. military nightly to indicate that it is "lights out". The tune is also sometimes known as "Butterfields Lullaby", or by the lyrics of its second verse, "Day is Done". It is also played during flag ceremonies and funerals, generally on bugle or trumpet...
being played), a simple hit of the Reset switch brings him back to life right where he lies, but with all of his collected gold lost and his Strength and Dexterity
Agility
* Agility is a physical trait of an animal or person, and a component of physical fitness. It is the ability to change the body's position and direction with speed and precision.Agility may also refer to:In Sport:...
reset to their normal values. Experience points do not exist in the game, although every so often, items such as staves
Quarterstaff
A quarterstaff , also short staff or simply staff is a traditional European pole weapon and a technique of stick fighting, especially as in use in England during the Early Modern period....
, potion
Potion
A potion is a consumable medicine or poison.In mythology and literature, a potion is usually made by a magician, sorcerer, dragon, fairy or witch and has magical properties. It might be used to heal, bewitch or poison people...
s, or magic rings
Ring (finger)
A finger ring is a circular band worn as a type of ornamental jewelry around a finger; it is the most common current meaning of the word ring. Other types of metal bands worn as ornaments are also called rings, such as arm rings and neck rings....
will be found in the spoils of battle, or inside of the aforementioned buildings. These items have a random chance of either raising or lowering the player's Strength or Dexterity.
Monsters largely consist of animals, insect
Insect
Insects are a class of living creatures within the arthropods that have a chitinous exoskeleton, a three-part body , three pairs of jointed legs, compound eyes, and two antennae...
s and arachnid
Arachnid
Arachnids are a class of joint-legged invertebrate animals in the subphylum Chelicerata. All arachnids have eight legs, although in some species the front pair may convert to a sensory function. The term is derived from the Greek words , meaning "spider".Almost all extant arachnids are terrestrial...
s of various types, as well as human occupations (Maniacs, Warrior
Warrior
A warrior is a person skilled in combat or warfare, especially within the context of a tribal or clan-based society that recognizes a separate warrior class.-Warrior classes in tribal culture:...
s, etc.) Some fantasy-themed creatures, like slimes, also exist. Equipment is only available in the form of an axe
Axe
The axe, or ax, is an implement that has been used for millennia to shape, split and cut wood; to harvest timber; as a weapon; and as a ceremonial or heraldic symbol...
and a shield
Shield
A shield is a type of personal armor, meant to intercept attacks, either by stopping projectiles such as arrows or redirecting a hit from a sword, mace or battle axe to the side of the shield-bearer....
which can be found from various locations or monsters (churches often contain shields). Once the bridge guard permits it, the player can advance into the Oppressed Village.
Three different stores are available to the player there — a Hospital
Hospital
A hospital is a health care institution providing patient treatment by specialized staff and equipment. Hospitals often, but not always, provide for inpatient care or longer-term patient stays....
, a Magic Shop, and an Item Store. Items that are no longer needed from the Wilderness can be sold for extra gold to use to buy new, helpful tools. Like the bridge guard before them, the three soldiers have to be bribed (either with gold, rubies or sapphire
Sapphire
Sapphire is a gemstone variety of the mineral corundum, an aluminium oxide , when it is a color other than red or dark pink; in which case the gem would instead be called a ruby, considered to be a different gemstone. Trace amounts of other elements such as iron, titanium, or chromium can give...
s) to enlist with the player. Furthermore, healing potions, spells to locate and circumvent traps inside the dragon's cave, and miscellaneous goods (like ropes and bow and arrows) are available for purchase. Once the player feels ready, he can enter the Dragon's Cave, which is preceded by a few bars of In the Hall of the Mountain King
In the Hall of the Mountain King
In the Hall of the Mountain King is a piece of orchestral music composed by Edvard Grieg for the sixth scene of Act II in Henrik Ibsen's play Peer Gynt, which premiered in Christiania on February 24, 1876....
.
The Dragon's Cave is simply one long, narrow hallway lined by jagged rock protrusions, with no monsters to fight; the primary danger is traps. Two varieties exist — poison darts which fly back and forth in one set line, and invisible floor panels which, when stepped on, trigger an unavoidable burst of flash damage. These panels can be detected with a spell, while the darts can simply be run past. Succeeding in navigating the cave's dangers will result in coming upon a pit in the floor which leads to the dragon himself.
The fight with the dragon alternates with the player-character and the dragon taking steps towards one another in turns. If the player has recruited any of the soldiers, they march of their own accord up to the dragon to help serve as a distraction and occasionally dealing (and being dealt) damage. With the aforementioned "Unlock" spell, it is still necessary to successfully get past the Dragon and reach the amulet in its secluded chamber; without this spell, defeating the dragon is the only key to victory.