Dusk Rose

Dusk Rose

Release type: Incomplete
Release date: N/A (begun in 1993)
Levels: 3
Author: Don'Pan Software
Related games: Cireneg's Rings, Sample, Dungeon Erghuck

My history with D&D began in eighth grade. The way my associates pitched it to me, a person could make any kind of avatar he wanted; give the character whatever history and personality and talents one desired. In absence of ready game design tools, the notion fired my imagination. I sketched characters; I wrote ornate backstories; I developed quirks and abilities to set them all apart and open up play potential.

One of my earliest characters (after a certain Aderack and a Cireneg) was a half-Elven thief named Dusk Rose. Although I remember little of it, I put especial work into her character -- and she died the first day out, rendering all of that work moot.

With Game-Maker, I felt she had a second chance. I figured if I could adapt a few basic rules, then I could allow my character the life that she was denied on paper. The first and most basic test was the AD&D thief skills: hiding in shadows, picking locks, moving silently, disarming traps, climbing walls -- you know, all the stuff that Looking Glass explored five years later.

None of it worked. For some failures you can blame my technique. To make Dusk Rose hide in shadows, I colored her shades of black and dark gray, and had her perch in the background. That was silly for a bunch of reasons. A few years later I perfected the idea in A-J 3; there, you can hold the space bar to turn Rugs invisible.

Escaping the camp in Dusk Rose

Other failures are more about the engine's limits. There are several ways to implement wall-climbing, but all have their downsides, and none work quite as I wanted here.

I was also intent on including adult material, to reflect my detailed imaginings of the character. To hide the material, I imagined and partially designed some branching paths. If the player made certain anarchic choices, he could stumble into some bawdy situations. Otherwise, the game would continue without a suggestion of what lay beneath. Although I later removed these elements, the branches and parallel paths were an early hint of the techniques I would use in games like A-J 3 and Rōdïp: Rover of the Deep.

Given the common origin, Dusk Rose became a spin-off of Cireneg's Rings. Although I never finished the game, it does serve to flesh out the game world.

- [Azurelore Korrigan]

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Story

After the defeat of Evelsherk Zachan, Princess Dusk Rose sets out on a procession from Royal City to the far-flung town of Bastion, under strict armed guard. Dusk Rose resents the captivity, and longs to escape under cover of night, to offset the stuff and pomp of court life with some real stimulation. When the guards' backs are turned, she dons her leathers and tiptoes away from the glow of the campfire...

Instructions

Priority 1: Escape from camp.

On the numerical keypad:

• 4, 6: Walk left, right
• 7, 8, 9: Jump left, up, right
• 2: Duck
• /, 0: Climb up, down (left)
• *, .: Climb up, down (right)
• Enter: Attack (melee)
• Space: Attack (projectile)
• H: Hide in shadows
• P: Pick up items
• D: Drop items

Credits

Design, graphics, sound: Aderack

Testing: M.O.S.H.

Game engine: Recreational Software Designs

Availability

This game was not distributed in any form.

Archive History

Dusk Rose was retained as part of the archive from the game's inception.

Links

Interviews / Articles

• The History of A-J Games, Part Six

Misc. Links

• Play Dusk Rose online

Downloads

• Dusk Rose (unfinished) (291 kB)