Stranded (game)
Encyclopedia
Stranded is a 3D adventure game, developed by Unreal Software. The main goal of the robinson-esque
game is to survive on a dangerous island and to find a way to return home. Its design and gameplay are influenced by the relatively unknown German freeware game "Schiffbruch".
After release of Version 1.3 development ceased, and the Stranded source code
was released, but without any license information given, thus leaving all copyrights still on Peter Schauß.
is a vital component of gameplay, since the player character has a constant need for food and water, and has to sleep. Sleeping in the open injures the player, unprocessed food is not very effective against hunger and aggressive animals threaten the player. So the player is forced to gather resources like branches, stones and vines
to construct tools, buildings and weapons. Each building that is finished will unlock another, more sophisticated building, until the player is able to build a raft
to escape from the island and reach his homeland.
There are also some mini-missions such as rescuing kiwi birds or fighting off a pack of blood-thirsty raptors
under a time limit. Such custom maps can be created with the built-in map editor. Several of these fan-made maps can be downloaded from the Stranded home page. Although there are some limited settings, such as turning off the need for food, water and sleep, any way of story-telling is limited to a single briefing message after the map has started and creative terrain
design.
, but some days later, Peter Schauß changed the license of the Source Code to Creative Commons (by-nc-sa)
.
In comparison to its precursor, Stranded II features improved graphics and more items, tools and weapons. Also, Stranded II now has a campaign with a story spanning over a travel to several islands. The fundamental gameplay principles remained the same.
In addition, Stranded II has scripting
capabilities and therefore allows the creation of scripted maps. This enables map creators to incorporate narratives into their stories by use of character dialogues, quests
, scripted events or cut scenes.
One goal of Stranded II was to allow an easy creation of modifications
by use of these scripts and editable object definition files. The community-created mods either extend the range of available items ("Extension Mod", "Massive Mod") or take the game scenario to other places ("Lost in Space"). The new items, and the new possibilities to combine these allow the player to discover the game mechanics anew, increasing the replay rate.
Robinson Crusoe
Robinson Crusoe is a novel by Daniel Defoe that was first published in 1719. Epistolary, confessional, and didactic in form, the book is a fictional autobiography of the title character—a castaway who spends 28 years on a remote tropical island near Trinidad, encountering cannibals, captives, and...
game is to survive on a dangerous island and to find a way to return home. Its design and gameplay are influenced by the relatively unknown German freeware game "Schiffbruch".
History
Stranded was released in mid-2003 by Peter Schauß, the founder of Unreal Software. Stranded was a success in November 2003, appearing in four different German gaming magazines and the Rhein-Zeitung.After release of Version 1.3 development ceased, and the Stranded source code
Source code
In computer science, source code is text written using the format and syntax of the programming language that it is being written in. Such a language is specially designed to facilitate the work of computer programmers, who specify the actions to be performed by a computer mostly by writing source...
was released, but without any license information given, thus leaving all copyrights still on Peter Schauß.
Gameplay
The game has no campaign mode, but its "random island" mode is wrapped up in a story where the player is stranded on an abandoned island. Resource managementResource management
In organizational studies, resource management is the efficient and effective deployment of an organization's resources when they are needed. Such resources may include financial resources, inventory, human skills, production resources, or information technology...
is a vital component of gameplay, since the player character has a constant need for food and water, and has to sleep. Sleeping in the open injures the player, unprocessed food is not very effective against hunger and aggressive animals threaten the player. So the player is forced to gather resources like branches, stones and vines
Liana
A liana is any of various long-stemmed, woody vines that are rooted in the soil at ground level and use trees, as well as other means of vertical support, to climb up to the canopy to get access to well-lit areas of the forest. Lianas are especially characteristic of tropical moist deciduous...
to construct tools, buildings and weapons. Each building that is finished will unlock another, more sophisticated building, until the player is able to build a raft
Raft
A raft is any flat structure for support or transportation over water. It is the most basic of boat design, characterized by the absence of a hull...
to escape from the island and reach his homeland.
There are also some mini-missions such as rescuing kiwi birds or fighting off a pack of blood-thirsty raptors
Velociraptor
Velociraptor is a genus of dromaeosaurid theropod dinosaur that existed approximately 75 to 71 million years ago during the later part of the Cretaceous Period. Two species are currently recognized, although others have been assigned in the past. The type species is V. mongoliensis; fossils...
under a time limit. Such custom maps can be created with the built-in map editor. Several of these fan-made maps can be downloaded from the Stranded home page. Although there are some limited settings, such as turning off the need for food, water and sleep, any way of story-telling is limited to a single briefing message after the map has started and creative terrain
Terrain
Terrain, or land relief, is the vertical and horizontal dimension of land surface. When relief is described underwater, the term bathymetry is used...
design.
Stranded II
Because of the unexpected success of Stranded, Peter Schauß started work on the sequel "Stranded II" in late 2003. Development entered public alpha stage in December 2005. But still, the release of the final version didn't happen until June 2007. He supplied an additional update in 2008, but then development on Stranded II was abandoned in favor of work on Counter-Strike 2D. After some time, the Source Code of Stranded II was released under the GNU General Public LicenseGNU General Public License
The GNU General Public License is the most widely used free software license, originally written by Richard Stallman for the GNU Project....
, but some days later, Peter Schauß changed the license of the Source Code to Creative Commons (by-nc-sa)
Creative Commons
Creative Commons is a non-profit organization headquartered in Mountain View, California, United States devoted to expanding the range of creative works available for others to build upon legally and to share. The organization has released several copyright-licenses known as Creative Commons...
.
In comparison to its precursor, Stranded II features improved graphics and more items, tools and weapons. Also, Stranded II now has a campaign with a story spanning over a travel to several islands. The fundamental gameplay principles remained the same.
In addition, Stranded II has scripting
Scripting language
A scripting language, script language, or extension language is a programming language that allows control of one or more applications. "Scripts" are distinct from the core code of the application, as they are usually written in a different language and are often created or at least modified by the...
capabilities and therefore allows the creation of scripted maps. This enables map creators to incorporate narratives into their stories by use of character dialogues, quests
Quest (gaming)
A quest in role-playing video games — including massively multiplayer online role-playing games and their predecessors, MUDs — is a task that a player-controlled character or group of characters may complete in order to gain a reward...
, scripted events or cut scenes.
One goal of Stranded II was to allow an easy creation of modifications
Mod (computer gaming)
Mod or modification is a term generally applied to personal computer games , especially first-person shooters, role-playing games and real-time strategy games. Mods are made by the general public or a developer, and can be entirely new games in themselves, but mods are not standalone software and...
by use of these scripts and editable object definition files. The community-created mods either extend the range of available items ("Extension Mod", "Massive Mod") or take the game scenario to other places ("Lost in Space"). The new items, and the new possibilities to combine these allow the player to discover the game mechanics anew, increasing the replay rate.