Quarterstaff: The Tomb of Setmoth
Encyclopedia
Quarterstaff: The Tomb of Setmoth is an interactive fiction
computer role-playing game developed by Scott Schmitz and Ken Updike and released by Infocom
for Macintosh
in 1988. The game features a text parser
, graphics, a dynamically updated map, and a graphical interface
that incorporates Mac OS
hierarchical menu
s.
s who vanished without a trace. During the course of his adventures, Titus may befriend other characters and persuade them to join his party. Character skills improve with practice, and the game tracks the hunger, thirst and energy levels of characters.
purchased the rights to the game from Simulated Environment Systems in 1988, and released the game with improvements including color graphics, an upgraded interface, and writing input from Amy Briggs
. Versions for the Apple IIGS
and IBM PC
were announced but never released. A planned sequel titled Storm Giants was never released.
, which called it "among the finest fantasy role-playing games available for any system" and "the most true to form FRP game we've found". Dragon praised the game's NPC
artificial intelligence
and the need to coordinate the actions of player character
s. The Dragon reviewers gave the game 5 out of 5 stars. Macworld
gave the game a mixed review.
Interactive fiction
Interactive fiction, often abbreviated IF, describes software simulating environments in which players use text commands to control characters and influence the environment. Works in this form can be understood as literary narratives and as video games. In common usage, the term refers to text...
computer role-playing game developed by Scott Schmitz and Ken Updike and released by Infocom
Infocom
Infocom was a software company, based in Cambridge, Massachusetts, that produced numerous works of interactive fiction. They also produced one notable business application, a relational database called Cornerstone....
for Macintosh
Macintosh
The Macintosh , or Mac, is a series of several lines of personal computers designed, developed, and marketed by Apple Inc. The first Macintosh was introduced by Apple's then-chairman Steve Jobs on January 24, 1984; it was the first commercially successful personal computer to feature a mouse and a...
in 1988. The game features a text parser
Text parser
In an adventure game, a text parser takes typed input from the player and simplifies it to something the game can understand. Usually, words with the same meaning are turned into the same word and certain filler words are dropped .The parser makes it easier for the game's author to react on input...
, graphics, a dynamically updated map, and a graphical interface
Graphical user interface
In computing, a graphical user interface is a type of user interface that allows users to interact with electronic devices with images rather than text commands. GUIs can be used in computers, hand-held devices such as MP3 players, portable media players or gaming devices, household appliances and...
that incorporates Mac OS
Mac OS
Mac OS is a series of graphical user interface-based operating systems developed by Apple Inc. for their Macintosh line of computer systems. The Macintosh user experience is credited with popularizing the graphical user interface...
hierarchical menu
Menu (computing)
In computing and telecommunications, a menu is a list of commands presented to an operator by a computer or communications system. A menu is used in contrast to a command-line interface, where instructions to the computer are given in the form of commands .Choices given from a menu may be selected...
s.
Overview
The player takes the part of Titus, a former blacksmith sent by the Druid Council to explore the remains of an underground colony of druidDruid
A druid was a member of the priestly class in Britain, Ireland, and Gaul, and possibly other parts of Celtic western Europe, during the Iron Age....
s who vanished without a trace. During the course of his adventures, Titus may befriend other characters and persuade them to join his party. Character skills improve with practice, and the game tracks the hunger, thirst and energy levels of characters.
Release history
Quarterstaff: The Tomb of Setmoth was based on Quarterstaff, a game released by Simulated Environment Systems in 1987. ActivisionActivision
Activision is an American publisher, majority owned by French conglomerate Vivendi SA. Its current CEO is Robert Kotick. It was founded on October 1, 1979 and was the world's first independent developer and distributor of video games for gaming consoles...
purchased the rights to the game from Simulated Environment Systems in 1988, and released the game with improvements including color graphics, an upgraded interface, and writing input from Amy Briggs
Amy Briggs
Amy R. Briggs is known for creating Plundered Hearts, an interactive fiction computer game published by Infocom in 1987. A Minnesota native, she graduated from Macalester College in 1984 with a B.A. in English, specializing in British literature. Already a fan of Infocom's games, Briggs joined the...
. Versions for the Apple IIGS
Apple IIGS
The Apple , the fifth and most powerful model in the Apple II series of personal computers produced by Apple Computer. The "GS" in the name stands for Graphics and Sound, referring to its enhanced graphics and sound capabilities, both of which greatly surpassed previous models of the line...
and IBM PC
IBM PC
The IBM Personal Computer, commonly known as the IBM PC, is the original version and progenitor of the IBM PC compatible hardware platform. It is IBM model number 5150, and was introduced on August 12, 1981...
were announced but never released. A planned sequel titled Storm Giants was never released.
Reception
The Simulated Environment Systems version of Quarterstaff was reviewed positively in DragonDragon (magazine)
Dragon is one of the two official magazines for source material for the Dungeons & Dragons role-playing game and associated products, the other being Dungeon. TSR, Inc. originally launched the monthly printed magazine in 1976 to succeed the company's earlier publication, The Strategic Review. The...
, which called it "among the finest fantasy role-playing games available for any system" and "the most true to form FRP game we've found". Dragon praised the game's NPC
Non-player character
A non-player character , sometimes known as a non-person character or non-playable character, in a game is any fictional character not controlled by a player. In electronic games, this usually means a character controlled by the computer through artificial intelligence...
artificial intelligence
Artificial intelligence
Artificial intelligence is the intelligence of machines and the branch of computer science that aims to create it. AI textbooks define the field as "the study and design of intelligent agents" where an intelligent agent is a system that perceives its environment and takes actions that maximize its...
and the need to coordinate the actions of player character
Player character
A player character or playable character is a character in a video game or role playing game who is controlled or controllable by a player, and is typically a protagonist of the story told in the course of the game. A player character is a persona of the player who controls it. Player characters...
s. The Dragon reviewers gave the game 5 out of 5 stars. Macworld
Macworld
Macworld is a web site and monthly computer magazine dedicated to Apple Macintosh products. It is published by Mac Publishing, which is headquartered in San Francisco, California...
gave the game a mixed review.
Feelies
Infocom included extra novelty items called feelies with their packaged games. Included with Quarterstaff were:- A parchment, titled "The Path to Enlightenment"
- A wooden druidic coin, which could be used in conjunction with the parchment and an in-game wand to identify items
- A color poster
External links
- Quarterstaff: The Tomb of Setmoth information and overview
- Quarterstaff: The Tomb of Setmoth at MobyGames
- Quarterstaff (original) at GameSpot