The Dink Network

I feel April Fools date is a good day to release this. It's a new dmod based on the Bored of the Rings book, one of the top ten parody books reviewed by somebody or other. A walk through is included in the story directory (mostly to help me with the dungeons). It's a big dmod. I have not compressed anything in case anyone sees something they would like to take from it. It uses a number of keys s=switch characters, e=eat food for health, w=what screen am I on, a=escape from certain dungeons, d=throw dice, c=cheat screen (locked at this time). It is a Final Fantasy type of game with multiple characters that come and go as the story progresses. A few new magic spells have been added along with a whole bunch of craziness.

I really wanted to enjoy Bored of the Rings, mostly because I am of the belief that the dmod subgenre of unlicensed book adaptations is one that should be explored much more thoroughly by developers and players alike. Unfortunately, I couldn't bring myself to finish it for multiple reasons despite its unique charm.

The first thing one is struck by in BOTR is the bizarre presentation of just about everything. The various NPC sprites, which include the likes of Peter Griffin and Elvira, among many others, are worth checking out just to see who makes an appearance. Unfortunately, amidst this is a somewhat confusing party system along with a narrative that only really makes sense if you've read the original book, which I haven't. I doubt you have either. In any sort of adaptation it's important to straddle a fine line in which uninitiated individuals are suitably drip-fed enough information to keep things interesting and enjoyable, while allowing for those intimately familiar with the source material to experience the more substantial aspects. Unfortunately, this is done incredibly poorly, if at all, to the point where I didn't know what was going on and eventually didn't care.

Other problems relate to map design, which even by my lax standards is offensively bad on many screens, as well as the apparent ability to softlock during a maze with a yellow grid. Not only is this maze a bland time-waster, you'll find that if you get to the end without picking up some sort of key, you'll end up in a jail without any way to apparently escape or return. I assume the author is from the Apple II Wizardry era in which punishing the player was acceptable and encouraged, however such things reek of oversight in design and lack of foresight regarding player choice these days.

If you're looking for something unconventional and unique, BOTR is more than worth a download. If you're planning to get the most out of it, however, you may need to read the book from which its derived before you start.