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''Deadly Rooms of Death'' (DROD) is a
puzzle video game Puzzle video games make up a broad genre of video games that emphasize puzzle solving. The types of puzzles can test problem-solving skills, including logic, pattern recognition, Sequence, sequence solving, Spatial ability, spatial recognition, ...
created by Erik Hermansen in 1996. The original version of the game was published by
Webfoot Technologies Webfoot Technologies is an American developer of personal computer games and video games for various platforms. Titles developed include ''Hello Kitty: Happy Party Pals'' and various ''Dragon Ball Z'' games for the Game Boy Advance. Webfoot is b ...
. In 2000 the author reacquired the rights from Webfoot and released the
source code In computing, source code, or simply code or source, is a plain text computer program written in a programming language. A programmer writes the human readable source code to control the behavior of a computer. Since a computer, at base, only ...
; he continues the support and development as ''Caravel DROD''.


Plot

DROD's story centers around Beethro Budkin, a professional dungeon-delving pest exterminator. Beethro is called to the castle by King Dugan, who explains that the castle guards, having been allowed to take their meals in the dungeon, have left crumbs everywhere and invited hordes of pests into the dungeon. Equipped with a sword, Beethro is sent down into the dungeon to clear the pests.


Gameplay

The game is entirely tile-based and takes place on a 38×32 rectangular grid. Most monsters and objects take up a single tile, though some monsters (such as serpents) take up multiple connected tiles. Each room is a separate puzzle, and to solve it the player must defeat all the monsters in the room and exit it. The player controls the movement of Beethro Budkin, a dungeon exterminator equipped with a "Really Big Sword". In the fictional world where the game takes place (the Eighth), his job as a Smitemaster is to clear dungeons of invading monsters. Most gameplay stems from, or elaborates on, this concept. Since the game is also turn-based, monsters or objects will only move once per turn. Each type of monster has a different algorithm for its movement, depending on its location relative to the player. As a result, ''Deadly Rooms of Death'' requires logical problem-solving rather than reflexes. Each turn, the player can wait, move Beethro into any of the eight bordering squares to his current one (if not already occupied), or rotate his sword 45 degrees. Some rooms simply require finding a sequence of moves that allows Beethro to defeat all monsters without being killed; other rooms require solving more complex puzzles, thanks to game elements such as orbs that open and close doors, trapdoors that fall after being stepped on, and so forth.


Development

The game was developed by Erik Hermansen. In 1996, the game was commercially released by
Webfoot Technologies Webfoot Technologies is an American developer of personal computer games and video games for various platforms. Titles developed include ''Hello Kitty: Happy Party Pals'' and various ''Dragon Ball Z'' games for the Game Boy Advance. Webfoot is b ...
as version 1.03 of the game. The release was followed shortly after with versions 1.04 and 1.11 to fix some bugs with unsolvable rooms and levels. This early version is commonly known as ''Webfoot DROD''. As the game was commercially unsuccessful, the publisher stopped distributing the game around 1999.


Remakes

In 2000, the original author of the game got permission from Webfoot to
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the game and he released the
source code In computing, source code, or simply code or source, is a plain text computer program written in a programming language. A programmer writes the human readable source code to control the behavior of a computer. Since a computer, at base, only ...
under the
Mozilla Public License The Mozilla Public License (MPL) is a free and open-source weak copyleft license for most Mozilla Foundation software such as Firefox and Thunderbird. The MPL is developed and maintained by Mozilla, which seeks to balance the concerns of bo ...
1.1. With the help of several volunteers, he recreated the game from scratch, rewriting the entire
game engine A game engine is a software framework primarily designed for the development of video games which generally includes relevant libraries and support programs such as a level editor. The "engine" terminology is akin to the term " software engine" u ...
and creating improved graphics and new music for it. The main game screen, however, remained mostly the same as the original Webfoot version. This version, version 1.5, is commonly known as ''Caravel DROD'', and was first released in late October 2002. Version 1.6, also called ''DROD: Architects' Edition'', included improvements to some of the graphics, but most importantly a level editor, and was released in 2003. Community-designed rooms and levels are grouped together in packages called "holds", and extend the gameplay beyond the community-imposed challenges of previous versions. A commercial
remake A remake is a film, television series, video game, song or similar form of entertainment that is based upon and retells the story of an earlier production in the same medium—e.g., a "new version of an existing film". A remake tells the same s ...
of the original DROD game was also released under this engine, named ''DROD: King Dugan's Dungeon''. Several commercial add-on holds have also been released for this engine as 'Smitemaster's Selections', such as "The Choice" (2005), "Perfection" (2005), "Halph Stories" (2005), "Beethro's Teacher" (2006), "Journeys End" (2006), "Devilishly Dangerous Dungeons of Doom" (2008), "Smitemaster for Hire" (2009), "Truthlock Method" (2011), "Flood Warning" (2012), "Treacle Stew" (2022). An
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version consisting of an updated version of King Dugan's Dungeon was released in June 2012. Currently, there are 5 "Episodes".


Sequels

The second game in the series, ''DROD: Journey to Rooted Hold'', was released on April 1, 2005 for
Windows Windows is a Product lining, product line of Proprietary software, proprietary graphical user interface, graphical operating systems developed and marketed by Microsoft. It is grouped into families and subfamilies that cater to particular sec ...
,
Linux Linux ( ) is a family of open source Unix-like operating systems based on the Linux kernel, an kernel (operating system), operating system kernel first released on September 17, 1991, by Linus Torvalds. Linux is typically package manager, pac ...
, and
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. It follows Beethro, whose nephew suddenly ran off. While searching for Halph, Beethro ended up under the world's surface, being chased by a fiend. Everything is viewed from a
top-down perspective A variety of computer graphic techniques have been used to display video game content throughout the history of video games. The predominance of individual techniques have evolved over time, primarily due to hardware advances and restrictions ...
, and the player is able to see the monsters and other objects in each room visited. Each level is designed so that there is only one way in and out. The movement is
turn-based Timekeeping is relevant to many types of games, including video games, tabletop role-playing games, board games, and sports. The passage of time must be handled in a way that players find fair and easy to understand. In many games, this is don ...
, meaning that each time a button is pressed, Beethro will move by one step in the desired direction. As soon as an action is done, the nearby foes will make their move as well. Since there are no hit points, any contact with enemies or traps will result in a life loss. Also called DROD 2.0, the game includes many new additions and improvements, such as an expanded plot complete with in-game dialogue, higher resolution graphics; better user interfaces in both the editor and in game; new monsters and puzzle elements; additional customizability for holds, scripting system and connectivity to an online DROD database. The third game in the series, ''DROD: The City Beneath'', or DROD 3.0, was released in April 2007. It includes all the features of ''Journey to Rooted Hold'', plus a complete new official hold with in-game dialog, three new design styles, and further enhanced customizability and networking. Cut scene support, a ray-traced lighting system and variables that allow non-linear plot progression are the most prominent new features of DROD:TCB. As an extra game, '' DROD RPG'' was released on September 12, 2008. Created by Mike Rimer, DROD RPG is a DROD game coupled with several RPG elements including hitpoints, equipment, and the ability to change weapons. The game takes the DROD franchise in a new direction and features a new character, Tendry, a member of the stalwart army, who tries to find his way to the surface world. Some of the older puzzle elements were changed to reflect the RPG style, including keys to open doors that used to open under other conditions. A fifth game named ''DROD 4: Gunthro and the Epic Blunder'' was released April 1, 2012 - it included a couple of new game elements, and three new graphical and music styles, as well as the inclusion of some more scripting capabilities. DROD 4 is a
prequel A prequel is a literary, dramatic or cinematic work whose story precedes that of a previous work, by focusing on events that occur before the original narrative. A prequel is a work that forms part of a backstory to the preceding work. The term ...
to the original story, and, although it was released after the others, is set before the "Journey to Rooted Hold". A sixth game, titled ''DROD 5: The Second Sky'', was released on June 21, 2014. This is the epic conclusion to the story of Beethro. It features new weapon types, overworld maps, and additional scripting, sound and voice support.


Reception

''DROD'' has the highest rating amongst puzzle games listed at
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, and was recommended by Ed Pegg Jr. of the
Mathematical Association of America The Mathematical Association of America (MAA) is a professional society that focuses on mathematics accessible at the undergraduate level. Members include university A university () is an educational institution, institution of tertiary edu ...
and Tony Delgado of
GameSetWatch ''Game Developer'' (known as ''Gamasutra'' until 2021) is a website created in 1997 that focuses on aspects of video game development. It is owned and operated by Informa TechTarget and acted as the online sister publication to the print maga ...
.


See also

* ''
HyperRogue ''HyperRogue'' is a free and open-source independent video game developed by Zeno Rogue. It is a roguelike inspired by the puzzle game '' Deadly Rooms of Death'' and the art of M. C. Escher, taking place in the hyperbolic plane. Gameplay ' ...
''


References


External links


Caravel Gamessource code
*{{moby game, id=/deadly-rooms-of-death 1996 video games Classic Mac OS games Commercial video games with freely available source code Indie games Linux games Puzzle video games Single-player video games Video games developed in the United States Webfoot Technologies games Windows games