Discworld (video game)

Discworld is a third-person point-and-click graphic adventure game. In each location, the player can examine and interact with people and objects. Discovered items can be stored in one of two inventories: Rincewind's pockets, which can hold only four items at a time; or in the Luggage. Some of the locations are near Ankh-Morpork, while others are outside the city and around the Discworld. All of these places can be accessed via an overworld map for each region whenever the player leaves a location to visit another (some become accessible when the player learns about them). The PlayStation version is compatible with the PlayStation Mouse, as well as the standard PlayStation controller. The Japanese Sega Saturn version is also compatible with the Shuttle Mouse. == Plot ==

A secret brotherhood summons a dragon from its native dimension to cause destruction and mayhem across the city of Ankh-Morpork. Rumours of the dragon's rampage across the city reaches Unseen University. Since the Archchancellor wishes the involvement of at least one wizard in the matter, Rincewind is summoned to handle the problem. After obtaining a book to learn what is needed to track the dragon to its lair, Rincewind searches the city for the required components to assemble a dragon detector and brings them back to the Archchancellor. After the Archchancellor mentions that the dragon's lair is stocked with gold, Rincewind snatches the dragon detector from him, searches the city, finds the lair, and takes all the gold. Just before he leaves, the dragon stops him and requests his aid in removing the brotherhood's hold upon her, claiming they are using her for evil and are planning to make her go on a major rampage. To do this, Rincewind is told to find out who they are, and recover a golden item from each, since these items are what they use to control the dragon. Learning that a book about summoning dragons had been stolen from the library at Unseen University the night before, Rincewind gains access to L-Space, allowing him to journey into the past, witness the theft, and follow the thief back to the brotherhood's hideout. After gaining entry in disguise, Rincewind learns that each member holds a role in the city – Chucky the Fool, the Thief, the Mason, the Chimney Sweep, the Fishmonger, and the Dunny King – and seeks to change the city so they can have a better future for themselves. Acquiring their golden items, Rincewind brings them to the dragon, only to learn it will not return to its dimension but seek revenge on the brotherhood before coming after him. Wishing to stop this, Rincewind decides to prevent the summoning book from being stolen, by switching it for one that makes love custard. In his efforts to be recognised for stopping the dragon, Rincewind gets into an argument with the Patrician over the existence of dragons, summoning the same one back to Discworld. An annoyed Patrician tasks Rincewind to deal with it. Learning that a hero with a million-to-one chance can stop it, Rincewind searches for the right components to be the hero, journeying across the city, the Disc, and over the edge, to find the necessary items, including a sword which goes "ting", a birthmark, and a magic spell. With the components acquired, he returns to the city's square, where Lady Ramkin, the owner of a local dragon sanctuary, is tied to a rock to be sacrificed to the dragon. Despite having what is needed to combat the dragon, Rincewind fails to stop it, and so seeks out an alternative method. Taking a swamp dragon called Mambo the 16th, and feeding him hot coals and a lit firecracker, Rincewind tries again, but Mambo stops working when he becomes infatuated with the dragon. Rincewind then throws a love custard tart at the dragon. The dragon falls in love with Mambo, and the two fly off to perform mating dances. Rincewind heads to the pub for a pint to celebrate the end of his adventure. == Development ==

Terry Pratchett was pleased with the 1986 interactive fiction game The Colour of Magic, but criticised its poor marketing. One such company was AdventureSoft, and their failure to obtain a Discworld licence led to the creation of Simon the Sorcerer, which took inspiration from the Discworld series of books. When the creative director and designer Gregg Barnett sought out the Discworld licence, he intended to show Pratchett that he cared about Discworld instead of getting money. Barnett said in an interview that Pratchett was more invested in how the intellectual property would be treated than money. During negotiations, he offered to design the game before signing a deal; he did so, and Pratchett agreed. Gregg said the design showed respect for Discworld, and that was what persuaded Pratchett. Perfect 10 Productions created an engine, which was developed in a separate location to "keep the code clean". The dialogue was refined by Pratchett. The character design was based on Barnett giving his interpretation of characters to a designer who had worked for Disney. He stated that they "went a bit slapstick on it". Pratchett originally wanted the game to be based on The Colour of Magic and for the team to work in succession through the series. However, Barnett believed that would be detrimental, and thought it was difficult to make a game based on just one book. He also said in an interview that he was more interested in the Discworld itself than any particular book, and this was so the story would not be restricted to a narrative thereof. Pratchett initially objected to this, but later added his input, and the character became a retro-phrenologist. Barnett stated that he wanted to create Discworld as a flagship game for CD-based systems, and thought the Discworld licence was "100% suited". It was released in 1995 for the PC, PlayStation, and Macintosh. and in Japan on 13 December 1996. A port was under way for the Philips CD-i in 1996, and had entered its final stages of development, but was never released. A 3DO Interactive Multiplayer version was announced to be in development and slated to be published by Psygnosis during E3 1995. However, this port was never released for unknown reasons. In an April 2020 online interview, former Perfect 10 Productions/Teeny Weeny Games member David Swan stated that Atari Corporation approached the company in regards to a potential conversion of Discworld for the Atari Jaguar CD. However, no actual development started on the port beyond discussion phase due to market issues and low install base of the platform. A Sega CD release was also advertised, but never published for unknown reasons. == Reception ==

Discworld was a "massive hit" in Europe and the United Kingdom, according to director Gregg Barnett. However, the game was less successful in the United States. It received generally positive reviews. The humour and graphics in particular were widely praised, but some thought that the difficulty was too harsh. It tied for third place in Computer Game Reviews 1995 "Adventure Game of the Year" award category. The editors noted its "good voice work" and "very nice animation", and praised its humour. In 1996, GamesMaster ranked Discworld 78th on their "Top 100 Games of All Time". In 1998, Saturn Power listed the game 91st in its Top 100 Sega Saturn Games. Entertainment Weekly praised the voice acting of Eric Idle, but criticised the PlayStation version, saying that it was difficult to navigate without the PlayStation Mouse and the text was too small. Scary Larry of GamePro, in contrast to EW and EGM, said the standard joypad "works just as well" as the PlayStation Mouse. He praised the humorous graphics, extensive voice acting, and script which "will leave your sides aching from laughter", but found the gameplay too simplistic and lacking in challenge. He recommended it for players who were open to less serious gaming. IGN called Discworld challenging and long, but criticised the slow loading times. The magazine's Japanese namesake agreed with this assessment of "British" humour by describing it as ironic and amusing. Mean Machines Sega reviewers believed the Saturn version had lost some authenticity, and thought that the gags were not funny, but commended the storyline. The game was reviewed in 1995 in Dragon by David "Zeb" Cook in the final "Eye of the Monitor" column. Cook praised the "exceptional" animation and art, as well as the "faithful" conversion of Pratchett's work to a video game, but criticised the testing and quality control as "crappy". Next Generation recommended the game for fans of Douglas Adams or Monty Python. Entertainment Weeklys Darren Franich in 2010 called the game an "underrated point-and-click gem", saying that it was one of the games he wanted on the PlayStation Network. In 2013, Retro Gamer cited Discworld as an example demonstrating British developers produced a disproportionately large number of overly hard video games. == References ==