Alex
Arcane
Hello Codex. Lately, I have been playing this amazing game, Neuromancer. This game was made by Interplay in 1988. It called itself an RPG, though I disagree with it, considering it more of an adventure game. Although the game had skills (which are bought, in the form of skill chips), these skills don't have much to do with playstyle, they are more akin to items in an adventure game, being used to solve puzzles. There is also a combat part of the game where the objective is to crack Cyberspace defenses (and eventually AIs). But again, I don't consider that to be enough to qualify the game as an rpg.
Anyway, I think this game fits best in the Adventure category. Different from newer adventure games like Monkey Island however, Neuromancer does not focus in story telling. I don't mean that there is not story in the game (the game is based on a book, after all), but the story isn't a central feature, it is told in a much more muted manner than, for example, the Lucas Arts games. Instead, Neuromancer is much more like Zork, in that the world challenges the player with various puzzles, each telling a bit more about the game's story.
The game has 3 main mechanics that drive it. First, and perhaps most interesting, is the information gathering aspect. In the game, information is an important commodity. The game doesn't keep track of what the character knows. If one wants to access a Database, use a password or ask someone about something not obvious, then it is necessary to type in these things. There are many information sources, like company Memos, BBSs, people, etc. A few of the skills are also aimed at information gathering, such as Cop Talk and Cryptology. While it hardly requires one to make logic leaps, attention is necessary, as the game can, sometimes, be subtle when giving information.
The second mechanic is the money aspect of the game. There are many items the player needs to buy, such as decks for Matrix access or skill chips. These are needed in order to advance, and so money is necessary. Getting money is more of an aspect of the first mechanic. A few of the hints gotten during the game are about money making scheme, such as getting the number of an account with leech-able money or hearing about a DB one might hack to include one's name on the list of paid employees. In dire situations (and the player starts in one), it is possible to sell the character's organs at the body shop (they exchange them for plastic substitutes). But it will be necessary to buy them back, as each organ sold reduces the maximum health, which makes cyberspace combat even harder. In the end, the money management aspect, by itself, isn't that interesting, as it is simply a question of figuring out what is needed at any point and not spending much beyond that.
The final mechanic is Cyberspace combat. When the player finally gets software and hardware good enough, he may enter the cyberspace. In the cyberspace, the databases that were previously accessed through link codes appear as geometric shapes. By fighting the ICE that protects these shapes, one gains access to all the functions of the database, sometimes including stuff simply impossible through link codel access. Cyberspace combat isn't really interesting per se. However, its function is to force the player to explore the various databases in search of better software so he can better battle strong ICEs and eventually AI (though battling AIs uses skills, not software).
In the ends, these mechanics work together to create a very interesting world for the player to explore. The game has almost no hand holding, Instead, the player is left on his own, with his own initiative to guide himself. Eventually, it becomes clear that the game isn't really open. There are a few actions the player needs to accomplish to finish the game, with no C&C to speak off (at least that I have found, I still haven't finished the game). But being able to explore on one's own terms do make a lot of difference. I would recommend this game to anyone wishing to see how to make information a resource. This kind of mechanic, I feel, would fit right in both RPGs and Adventure games.
Anyway, I think this game fits best in the Adventure category. Different from newer adventure games like Monkey Island however, Neuromancer does not focus in story telling. I don't mean that there is not story in the game (the game is based on a book, after all), but the story isn't a central feature, it is told in a much more muted manner than, for example, the Lucas Arts games. Instead, Neuromancer is much more like Zork, in that the world challenges the player with various puzzles, each telling a bit more about the game's story.
The game has 3 main mechanics that drive it. First, and perhaps most interesting, is the information gathering aspect. In the game, information is an important commodity. The game doesn't keep track of what the character knows. If one wants to access a Database, use a password or ask someone about something not obvious, then it is necessary to type in these things. There are many information sources, like company Memos, BBSs, people, etc. A few of the skills are also aimed at information gathering, such as Cop Talk and Cryptology. While it hardly requires one to make logic leaps, attention is necessary, as the game can, sometimes, be subtle when giving information.
The second mechanic is the money aspect of the game. There are many items the player needs to buy, such as decks for Matrix access or skill chips. These are needed in order to advance, and so money is necessary. Getting money is more of an aspect of the first mechanic. A few of the hints gotten during the game are about money making scheme, such as getting the number of an account with leech-able money or hearing about a DB one might hack to include one's name on the list of paid employees. In dire situations (and the player starts in one), it is possible to sell the character's organs at the body shop (they exchange them for plastic substitutes). But it will be necessary to buy them back, as each organ sold reduces the maximum health, which makes cyberspace combat even harder. In the end, the money management aspect, by itself, isn't that interesting, as it is simply a question of figuring out what is needed at any point and not spending much beyond that.
The final mechanic is Cyberspace combat. When the player finally gets software and hardware good enough, he may enter the cyberspace. In the cyberspace, the databases that were previously accessed through link codes appear as geometric shapes. By fighting the ICE that protects these shapes, one gains access to all the functions of the database, sometimes including stuff simply impossible through link codel access. Cyberspace combat isn't really interesting per se. However, its function is to force the player to explore the various databases in search of better software so he can better battle strong ICEs and eventually AI (though battling AIs uses skills, not software).
In the ends, these mechanics work together to create a very interesting world for the player to explore. The game has almost no hand holding, Instead, the player is left on his own, with his own initiative to guide himself. Eventually, it becomes clear that the game isn't really open. There are a few actions the player needs to accomplish to finish the game, with no C&C to speak off (at least that I have found, I still haven't finished the game). But being able to explore on one's own terms do make a lot of difference. I would recommend this game to anyone wishing to see how to make information a resource. This kind of mechanic, I feel, would fit right in both RPGs and Adventure games.
