Brian Rumsey - Sept. 19, 2000
If you are anything like me, you have seen the game King of
Dragon Pass (KODP), from A-Sharp
Software, mentioned, reviewed, and discussed in many places,
but you've never known too much about it.
Obviously one more review may not clarify everything, but I
think that I have gotten to know the game pretty well and will be
able to help you understand what it is like.
Before going into the game itself, I should mention that it
requires a PowerPC processor. Although the game will run on any
Power Mac with sufficient RAM (about 16 MB free), it will feel
quite slow on older machines. My impression is that this is not
necessarily due to the processor-intensiveness of the game; it
seems to be more due to the speed of the CD-ROM drive. KODP
utilizes detailed graphics which must load from the CD, slowing
down the game noticeably. There is no "full install" which copies
everything to the hard drive. I think that this option would help
performance greatly on older machines. On the other hand, anyone
who has 500 MB free just for a full install of a game probably has
a fairly fast CD-ROM drive anyway.
To give some idea of performance, I tried this game on three
machines: a Power Mac 8100 with a
2x CD, a Power Computing Power Base
180 with an 8x CD, and a Power Mac
7300 (G3 upgraded) with a 12x
CD. Only the 7300 did not feel noticeably sluggish. The
Power Base gave acceptable performance, while the 8100 felt quite
slow. I have also tried the demo on a Power Mac 7100, which is even slower than
the 8100, but it ran pretty well. This is a hint that CD access
could be the holdup. The greatest hint, however, is simply noting
the CD being accessed furiously as the game proceeds to the next
scene.
I found the game itself to be quite addicting at times. The
premise of KODP is that you are the leader of one of many clans
inhabiting Dragon Pass. KODP is built around the Glorantha
role-playing world, but since I'm not familiar with Glorantha
(other than through KODP), I can't comment on how faithfully the
rules are followed. Almost the whole game is based on making
decisions that will affect your clan's future. These range from
minor issues, such as a man trying to find a wife, to decisions
about how you will relate to other clans. Other parts of the game
include exploring and going on raids. You must also keep various
deities happy to do well. For those of you familiar with
Civilization II, I would say that probably 80 percent of this game
is much like the diplomacy screen in Civ II (or the original
Civilization, Colonization, Deadlock, etc.).
One big difference between this game and a lot of others which I
play is the values which must be used. In most games like Civ II
which involve diplomacy, I generally like to grow quietly while
remaining on good terms with anyone that does not provoke me
repeatedly. This strategy will not work in KODP. If you do not go
on raids often enough or occasionally retaliate for minor
incidents, your warriors will become restless and demoralized, and
your whole clan will suffer. I have encountered similar concepts in
some other games, but KODP takes it farther than any other I can
think of. From my knowledge, this seems to be a good representation
of the Viking culture which KODP is based upon. KODP also does a
good job of representing what religion was probably like in
pre-Christian Europe.
You may or may not have realized something about this game
already, and if not, I'm telling you now: KODP is not your average
build and conquer type of game. Although there is a screen which
represents your village, as in many strategy games, it is a
relatively minor part of the game. I have heard KODP described as
"like a good novel that keeps the pages turning." In some ways I
think this is a very good description. The artwork throughout the
game certainly makes this game feel more like the work of a
specialized artisan than most games you will see. The storylike
flow of the game does indeed often keep you coming back for one
more turn late into the night, although there are certainly other
games which will do this also.
Though I liked KODP quite well, it is definitely not a game that
will suit everyone. It does not have any multiplayer options, let
alone a fancy 3D engine or impressive cut scenes. However, there
are some people ready for a breath of fresh air, as well as those
who simply like a game like this, and those people need to try it
as soon as possible. My main complaint about KODP is that, with its
relatively simple interface, it feels like it could have been made
to run well on a 68040 and maybe even lower. Otherwise, I must say
I got pretty immersed in this game and had trouble pulling away at
times. I even found myself thinking like a Viking occasionally,
until I realized, "Hey, this might have worked then, but it won't
get me anywhere now!"
There is a demo available from sources such as Cnet's download.com. It is a
fairly hefty download, but I recommend it nonetheless - this game
is so different from any other game out there that you'll probably
want to try it and get a feel for it before buying the whole thing.
If you like it, by all means purchase the game and support a small
mom-and-pop software developer (does such thing exist?) who has
taken the time to beautifully illustrate the most unconventional
game I have played in quite a while.
