Synergistic Sofware was founded in 1978 by Robert Clardy, who had quit his job with Boeing Aerospace, and created one of the earliest successful third party software developers for the Apple II platform. Synergistic would later be acquired by Sierra On-Line and the studio eventually closed in 1999. Dungeon Campaign was their first release. Robert Clardy would go on to design several other role playing games such as; Wilderness Campaign ( a direct sequel to Dungeon Campaign ), Odyssey: The Compleat Apventure (not a typo), Adventure to Atlantis, War in Middle Earth, Spirit of Excalibur, Vengeance of Excalibur, Conan the Cimmerian, Warriors of Legend, and Birthright – The Gorgon’s Alliance. Synergistic was also responsible for Diablo: Hellfire Expansion however I do not see Robert Clardy’s name in the credits of that particular title. Robert also wrote, utility, business and educational software for almost every available system. He was also responsible for memorable game adaptations which include: Donkey Kong Jr., Jungle Hunt, Pole Position, and Pitstop II. Robert Clardy was a colorful presence in home computing for more than 20 years!
The first proliferation of CRPGs to hit home computers were vastly different from one another. Each offering, however, was unique and usually presented something that would be modified or improved upon in later commercial offerings. It is important to note as well that these first commercial products were created for a 16k computer. It is no secret that the Plato games we have played through unabashedly borrowed heavily from Dungeons & Dragons. We will learn that many of these first home computer game developers and programmers were also huge fans of the tabletop game and merely wanted to translate their passion into an electronic experience. There was certainly an appetite for computer role playing games and enthusiasts could not get enough. It would later go on to become a tremendous market and a defining genre that exists even today.
The advertisement for Dungeon Campaign certainly fuels the active imagination and is aiming at a specific target audience.
The documentation which came with Dungeon Campaign consisted of seven pages. Below is the introduction and basic premise of the game:
The game begins by generating and drawing four different dungeon levels right before your eyes. I am sure that players in 1978 tried to quickly sketch these maps or commit them to memory. I played Dungeon Campaign using an Apple II emulator and it took approximately two minutes for the four dungeon levels to be created.
The goal of the game is to search the dungeon, find as much treasure as you can, and survive long enough to make your way down to the fourth level where the exit exists. Treasure can be found in some of the rooms and is also guarded by stationary monsters that are randomly placed in each dungeon level. Other dungeon hazards include wandering monsters, pits, poison gas pockets, evil necromancers, and pteridatyls. All of these hazards are randomly generated and scattered throughout the dungeon so no two games are ever the same. You always begin on Dungeon Level 1 which is the highest level and you have to exit from the lowest level which is Dungeon Level 4. There are numerous stairways located throughout the dungeon.
I was surprised in my first play through how often I would suddenly end up on a different dungeon level. Between the pits, the stairways, the evil necromancer teleporting you elsewhere, and the pteridactyl swooping down to fly you to a new location I found myself transported among the four levels at a pretty frenetic pace.
The graphics show you a top down environment. The maze is clear and the different objects in the maze are color coded. For example treasures are yellow, pits are purple, different creatures are particular colors, and so forth.
There are a couple of unique features in Dungeon Campaign. The first is that you do not control one individual character. You instead control a party of 15 which includes 1 elf and 1 dwarf. The elf warns you of danger while the dwarf is responsible for drawing your maps. If the elf is killed in combat you no longer are warned of any danger which might exist in the way of traps or monsters. If your dwarf is slain then you are walking around virtually blind. New sections of your Dungeon Level are not created for you and thus it is like moving around in the dark.
When you encounter stationary or wandering monsters combat usually ensues which then involves pressing the space bar. Random numbers are generated and spin before you usually ranging between 1 and 10. When you press the space bar again it stops the roll and provides you with your number and you are then informed whether you hit your opponent or not. You also roll for the creatures you encounter and it is then you discover if you successfully evaded the attack or lost a party member.
The second unique feature in Dungeon Campaign is that there is a main antagonist or boss in each dungeon level. Once you have spent a particular amount of time in each dungeon level, you are then hunted through the halls by this “boss creature”. If it overtakes you it carries off a character into the dungeon further dwindling your party’s number.
There are bleeps and bloops for various sounds and the graphics depicted are obviously low resolution graphics. You can find two different magic items that are unique to the game: a flying carpet and a potion of invisibility. Each item has it’s own command key and can only be used once per game.
I did finally end up surviving a foray into the dungeon. I found myself in quite a few encounters, suffered from a pocket of poison gas, fell down multiple pits and was chased through the halls by mummies, spectres and dragons. All in all a good time!
There was a sequel which was created entitled Wilderness Campaign which was released in 1980 and I can’t wait for my time with that game as well.