Darkstone

Darkstone is a computer role-playing game created by French developer Delphine Software International and released in 1999. Darkstone has many similarities to Diablo, particularly in the user interface.

Gameplay
The game can be played solo or multiplayer. Multiplayer games may be cooperative or competitive. Multiplayer games can be played over a LAN (using TCP/IP or IPX) or the Internet. The game includes its own server, so it is not necessary to locate a dedicated game server - any player can initiate a multiplayer session which other players can then join.

The user interface is very like that of Diablo (the developers of Darkstone acknowledge the earlier game as an important influence). Characters can be moved around by simply clicking on a location. Clicking on an enemy initiates an attack. Clicking on an item picks it up.

Each character has an inventory that can be opened. Items can be rearranged or removed.

A major point is that in the solo game the player can control two characters. At any given instant, one character is directly controlled by the player. The other character will act intelligently for the most part - it will follow the other character unless ordered not to and will defend itself against enemies. The player can switch between characters with a single click.

Object of the game
The evil Lord Draak, who has the power to transform himself into a dragon, has recovered from earlier defeat and returned with his minions to the world of Uma bringing death and mayhem. Players attempt to find their way to Draak's lair and slay him in combat. On their way they must locate the seven crystals and use them to recreate the time orb, without which Draak can not be defeated.

The Lands of Uma
The game world is divided into the town (where you can trade weapons, armor, magical items and so on) and four Lands - Ardyl, Marghor, Omar and Serkesh. Each land contains the entrances to two dungeons, as well as other features associated with the various quests. Each of the first seven dungeons is associated with a quest and all of these have four levels. Completing a quest will result in your character recovering one of the seven crystals. The last dungeon leads to Draak's lair.

Dungeons contain many corridors and rooms. There are also many crates, vases and chests that can be opened or broken to reveal useful items. Wells abound, where characters can restore health or mana (see below).

Townspeople
The town is populated by townspeople who will ask you to do quests but there are also tradespeople where you can buy and sell things.

Gunther the Blacksmith will sell, buy, repair and improve weapons and armour.

The gypsy Madame Irma will magically heal wounds and cure poison for free but will charge to identify magic artefacts and to remove cursed objects that the player is wearing.

Perry the Publican sells food and torches and the player can pay to spend a restorative night in his tavern. Larsac the Usurer is the banker where you can deposit your money.

Master Elmeric buys and sells potions, scrolls and spell books and can be paid to recharge magic items whose spells have run out of manna.

Master Dalsin teaches you skills for a fee.

Bill and Murray are the town guards. Bill will offer you game-playing tips whereas Murray gives you a tour of the town and explains how the tradespeople can help your game play. (When the Darkstone errupts in town Murray is turned to stone and can no longer offer the tour.)

Audren and Krym are the town musicians and if you place a gold coin in her cap Audren will play a special song called "The Darkstone Will Shine". Audren is based on the French singer Audren who sings the song and possibly Krym is supposed to be Christophe Rime who did the game's music.

In the training camp you will meet Bowman, Swan and Wozarg who will let you train hitting moving bullseyes, fighting sickly trolls and casting fireballs at goblins repsectively.

There is also a chicken wandering around. (If you can cope with the mental imagery then using the Theft skill on it will liberate an egg).

Quests
In town the townspeople will ask you to do optional quests in return for money.

These quests are either retreiving artefacts or killing an infamous monster. The artefacts are the Holy Grail, the Royal Diadem, the Shield of Light, the Unicorn's Horn, the Dragon's Scale, the Magic Anvil, the Path Book, the Medallion of Melchior, the Sacred Scroll, the Stone of Souls, the Cursed Sword, the Storm Flower, the Claw of Sargon, the Celestial Harp, the Bard's Music Score and the Broken Vase.

The monsters are the ratman Buzbal the Furious, the vampire Nosferatu and the skeletal Evil Garth.

Crystals
There are seven crystals; the purple Crystal of Wisdom, the red Crystal of Virtue, the blue Crystal of Bravery, the yellow Crystal of Nobility, the turquoise Crystal of Compassion, the green Crystal of Integrity and the grey Crystal of Strength. These are magically reassembled by the hermit Sebastian to form the crystal Time Orb.

Blessed Objects
Some objects are blessed with qualities such as Abundance, Life Recovery, Quick Mana Recovery, Slow Poison, Light Aura, Spell Duration Increased, Permanent Perception, Mana Shield, Eternal Youth, Poison (poisons enemy), Fire Element (burns enemy), Vampire (steals 20% of enemy's life), Magic Missiles (casts spell when enemy is struck), Storm (pushes enemy back when struck), Stone Curse (petrifies enemy when struck), Touch of Confusion (struck enemy ingores player and attacks other enemies), Push Target Back and Fast/Faster/Fastest Attack, whereas others just have bonuses to attributes.

Cursed Objects
Other worn objects are cursed and cannot be removed without the help of Madame Irma. The curses are Old Age, Slow Motion, Bulimia (grow hungry quicker), Leaking Pockets (items drop out of backpack) and Unease (you shout out randomly "If I see anyone approaching, I will vaporise them!", "Now everyman for himself, there will be bloodshed!", "Who is the strongest amongst us?", "My armour is impenetrable!" and "There is a traitor among you, guess who it is!").

Runes
One rare artefact is the rune which looks like a small red stone that can be used to fix a spell onto a worn object. (This is done by the player selecting a spell and right-clicking on the rune then left-clicking on an object that causes the spell to be fixed onto it with a manna reserve equal to the player's current manna).

Potions
There are several potions and elixirs that the player can drink; the red Healing potion, the blue Mana potion, the green Antidote and Poison potions, the orange Youth elixir (that rejuvenates you to twenty years old), the purple Dexterity elixir, the cyan Magic elixir, the yellow Vitality elixir and the grey Strength elixir. There is also a distinctive Surprise potion that increases and decreases the player's attributes randomly but also a purple version that can be mistakenly drunk thinking it is a Dexterity elixir.

Character Classes and Attributes
There are four general classes, each of which has a male and a female variant giving a total of eight character classes. Each character has a set of four attributes - Strength, Dexterity, Magic and Vitality. Each general class is skilled in one area such as combat, magic, etc. The Warrior and the Amazon, for example, are both skilled in combat. In general the female classes are physically weaker than the male counterparts but make up for this in other areas such as dexterity or magic.

Each character can carry a weapon or two, a shield, and can wear a helmet and armor. You can also wear two amulets and four rings.

Characters age as the game progresses. As the character ages, he/she becomes weaker and less dextrous. The effects can be countered by drinking a potion of youth - these become available toward the end of the game and can be bought in town and also may occasionally be found in the various dungeons.

Characters also get hungry as time passes. Food can be bought in town and is often found when opening chests and crates.

Characters also have Health and Mana. A character dies when health decreases to zero. Mana is used when casting spells. Both can be replenished by drinking certain potions or from certain wells.

Characters have a "level" based upon a points system. Points are gained by doing damage to enemies. A character will "level-up" as certain points thresholds are reached.

Weapons, Armor and other items
A range of medieval-type weapons are available - swords, knives, bows and so on. Warriors would usually carry a sword or club, while a Magician might use a staff and a Priest a wand. There are also ranged weapons such as bows and throwing knives. Some weapons are two-handed, which precludes the use of a shield. Many items have a minimum requirement of strength, dexterity or magic and can not be worn by characters who do not meet the requirement. There are also items that give protection against attacks with poison, magic or lightning.

Armor also comes in a variety of forms, all the way from rags providing two points of protection to full armor providing sixty points or more.

Weapons, shields, helmets and armor is often imbued with properties that enhance some character attribute (by increasing strength or dexterity while worn, for example).

Rings and amulets add to character attributes or protection.

Spells and Skills
There are many spells that can be used. Some affect the character directly - spells of healing or food, for example. Others are protective (for example Reflection, which causes spells and ranged weapons to rebound) or offensive (such as Spark and Fireball) or simply provide some help, such as the spell of light that can be useful in dark corners. The spell of Magic Door creates a short-cut back to town.

Spells can be cast by reading certain scrolls, which does not use mana. The spell can only be cast once in this case - reading the scroll destroys it. Many spells can also be learned by reading books. Once a spell is learned it can be cast at any time without requiring a scroll, provided that the character has enough mana.

Skills are learned from the character Dalsin in town, in return for payment. Different skills are available to each character class. Some skills are always in effect once learned, for example "Master of Arms" which enhances a warrior's skill with weapons. Others must be activated rather like certain spells and last for a limited period of time. Unlike spells, skills do not require mana.

Enemies
Draak's minions come in many forms - trolls, orcs, skeletons, spiders, scorpions, wyverns and many others. Each of these types has variants - for example, some skeletons use swords while others have bows and still others may attack with fireballs.