DM and that demo we d/l

Discuss anything about the original Dungeon Master on any of the original platforms (Amiga, Atari, etc.).
This forum may contain spoilers.

Moderator: Ameena

Forum rules
Please read the Forum rules and policies before posting.
Post Reply
User avatar
lavalevel
Novice
Posts: 17
Joined: Fri Jul 06, 2012 7:00 pm
Location: Houston TX
Contact:

DM and that demo we d/l

Post by lavalevel »

When I was a kid, here in Houston Texas my cousin and I downloaded the DM demo from the Bulletin Boards or BBS. It floored us pretty hard. And it was ingenuous that they had the insight to promote it that way. Not shortly after that we found ourselves at Floppy Wizard (an awesome computer store in a mall here) purchasing copies. They had dozens of boxes empty that contained DM! I think there was just one case left they were tearing into when we got our copy. One guy there was purchasing an Atari ST computer JUST for the purpose of playing DM!

When we got home it was nerve wracking trying to play the game. Night time had come and we could only play for short periods of time as it was just too scary. And I was around 15 or 16 years old! But we made sure it was scary as we would play it in the 'computer room' and leave the lights off for maximum impact! Soon after that we had to move a small lamp near the computer because my father was advancing way faster than us by playing in the daylight and making maps on graph paper.

I remember having to cheat and look at his maps to get passed certain puzzles always filled me with shame. :(

At the time I was making games, top down scroller RPGs like Ultima 3 and 4. But they seemed to lose steam after getting DM. I had to make a choice to finish DM in a really hard session with shared information from my cousins and uncles so I could get back to the programming of my own game for the Atari ST. I released two titles and then got a game job at Williams/Bally/Midway where I worked with Joe Linhoff who worked on CSB. In all my time working with him and raving about the game I never asked him one thing...

What was the story with that demo? Was it the actual core engine that was moving the graphics? Anyone here know? I remember it being rather large at the time to d/l. anyone here know?
User avatar
Gambit37
Should eat more pies
Posts: 13715
Joined: Wed May 31, 2000 1:57 pm
Location: Location, Location
Contact:

Re: DM and that demo we d/l

Post by Gambit37 »

It's worth trawling through the forum history, we have a whole thread about that demo, although to be fair it has a rather confusing title!
http://dungeon-master.com/forum/viewtop ... 27&t=28820

The demo was a non-interactive movie, and did not have the game engine built in, it was just an animation.
I converted it into an animated GIF: http://www.dmcodex.com/v/?p=dmdemo.gif
User avatar
lavalevel
Novice
Posts: 17
Joined: Fri Jul 06, 2012 7:00 pm
Location: Houston TX
Contact:

Re: DM and that demo we d/l

Post by lavalevel »

I have been googling 'Original Dungeon Master Demo' for a while know with no luck. hah confusing title indeed! Thanks!

OMG I forgot about those Diagonal strafing buttons! And the phone number! Hilarious! Ok, more questions. I will ask in that thread.
User avatar
linflas
My other avatar is gay
Posts: 2445
Joined: Tue Nov 04, 2003 9:58 pm
Location: Lille, France
Contact:

Re: DM and that demo we d/l

Post by linflas »

Uh ? Amulet of Romero ?! Never noticed that ! I must have been intended to love that game :D
"The only way out is another way in." Try Sukumvit's Labyrinth II
Post Reply