''Forgotten Realms: Unlimited Adventures'', also known as ''Unlimited Adventures'', or by the acronyms ''FRUA'' or ''UA'', is a

video game A video game or computer game is an electronic game that involves interaction with a user interface or input device (such as a joystick, game controller, controller, computer keyboard, keyboard, or motion sensing device) to generate visual fe ...

originally released on March 17, 1993, by

Strategic Simulations Strategic Simulations, Inc. (SSI) was a video game developer and publisher of over 100 games from its founding in 1979 to its dissolution in 1994 (though the brand was in use until around 2002). The company focused on computer wargames then lat ...

, for the

IBM PC The IBM Personal Computer (model 5150, commonly known as the IBM PC) is the first microcomputer released in the List of IBM Personal Computer models, IBM PC model line and the basis for the IBM PC compatible ''de facto'' standard. Released on ...

and

Macintosh Mac is a brand of personal computers designed and marketed by Apple Inc., Apple since 1984. The name is short for Macintosh (its official name until 1999), a reference to the McIntosh (apple), McIntosh apple. The current product lineup inclu ...

Gameplay

''Unlimited Adventures'' is a construction kit for computer

role-playing game A role-playing game (sometimes spelled roleplaying game, or abbreviated as RPG) is a game in which players assume the roles of player character, characters in a fictional Setting (narrative), setting. Players take responsibility for acting out ...

s, and drew its content from the prior

Gold Box ''Gold Box'' is a series of role-playing video games produced by Strategic Simulations from 1988 to 1992. The company acquired a license to produce games based on the ''Advanced Dungeons & Dragons'' role-playing game from TSR, Inc. These games ...

engine games, with improved graphics. SSI's contract with

TSR, Inc. TSR, Inc. was an American game publishing company, best known as the original publisher of '' Dungeons & Dragons'' (''D&D''). Its earliest incarnation, Tactical Studies Rules, was founded in October 1973 by Gary Gygax and Don Kaye. Gygax had bee ...

required the former to stop using the Gold Box engine, so the company released its development tools. Games created by users can be shared with other players who also own ''Unlimited Adventures''. As of 2022, the program still has an active community of users. The original game allowed the user to create

dungeon A dungeon is a room or cell in which prisoners are held, especially underground. Dungeons are generally associated with medieval castles, though their association with torture probably derives more from the Renaissance period. An oubliette (fr ...

modules, some editing and renaming of

monster A monster is a type of imaginary or fictional creature found in literature, folklore, mythology, fiction and religion. They are very often depicted as dangerous and aggressive, with a strange or grotesque appearance that causes Anxiety, terror ...

s and characters, and to import pictures and monster sprites. However, some art, such as walls, combat backdrops, and title screens, could not be changed in the unmodified game. Those limitations have been overcome by community-made mods. The availability of these mods has led to the creation of comprehensive "worldhacks", designed to allow the creation of

science fiction Science fiction (often shortened to sci-fi or abbreviated SF) is a genre of speculative fiction that deals with imaginative and futuristic concepts. These concepts may include information technology and robotics, biological manipulations, space ...

superhero A superhero or superheroine is a fictional character who typically possesses ''superpowers'' or abilities beyond those of ordinary people, is frequently costumed concealing their identity, and fits the role of the hero, typically using their ...

Western Western may refer to: Places *Western, Nebraska, a village in the US *Western, New York, a town in the US *Western Creek, Tasmania, a locality in Australia *Western Junction, Tasmania, a locality in Australia *Western world, countries that id ...

and

Roman Empire The Roman Empire ruled the Mediterranean and much of Europe, Western Asia and North Africa. The Roman people, Romans conquered most of this during the Roman Republic, Republic, and it was ruled by emperors following Octavian's assumption of ...

adventures, among others. A program called "UASHELL" applies and manages these hacks and enables the player to apply them. The fanmade game design program ''Dungeon Craft'' (originally called ''UA Forever'') is a standalone program that partially emulates ''FRUAs engine, but with a greater ease of user modification.

Compilations

''Forgotten Realms Unlimited Adventures'' is included in the compilation "The Forgotten Realms Archives - Collection Two".

Reception

SSI sold 32,364 copies of ''Unlimited Adventures''. ''

Computer Gaming World ''Computer Gaming World'' (CGW) was an American Video game journalism, computer game magazine that was published between 1981 and 2006. One of the few magazines of the era to survive the video game crash of 1983, it was sold to Ziff Davis in 199 ...

'' in 1993 called it "the best adventure-construction kit available" despite the "sorely lacking" Gold Box engine. According to

GameSpy GameSpy was an American provider of online multiplayer and matchmaking middleware for video games founded in 1999 by Mark Surfas. After the release of a multiplayer server browser for Quake, QSpy, Surfas licensed the software under the GameS ...

in 2004, although "the game's graphics were poor ..and using the tools could be a little complicated, ''Unlimited Adventures'' was an excellent tool for budding RPG designers". James Trunzo reviewed ''Unlimited Adventures: Fantasy Construction Kit'' in ''

White Wolf The Arctic wolf (''Canis lupus arctos''), also known as the white wolf, polar wolf, and the Arctic grey wolf, is a subspecies of grey wolf native to the High Arctic tundra of Canada's Queen Elizabeth Islands, from Melville Island to Ellesme ...

'' #37 (July/Aug., 1993) and stated that "''UA'' comes with well-written and very complete documentation which includes a number of essential tutorials to give you a feel for design. ''UA'' also comes with a complete adventure that you can play and modify. All the scenarios can be saved and played on other computers by your friends. After all, you'll know all the secrets! The fun of ''UA'' is in design - both the design of the game and the fun of designing your own adventures."

References

External links

*
The Magic Mirror
The largest FRUA resource online
''Dungeon Craft'' at Sourceforge

''Dungeon Craft'' at The Ironworks
{{Dungeons & Dragons video games 1993 video games Classic Mac OS games DOS games Forgotten Realms video games Gold Box MicroMagic games Role-playing video games Single-player video games Strategic Simulations games Tactical role-playing video games U.S. Gold games Video game development software Video games developed in the United States Video games scored by George Sanger Video games with gender-selectable protagonists Video games with oblique graphics Video games with user-generated gameplay content