Forgotten Realms: Unlimited Adventures

Forgotten Realms: Unlimited Adventures, also known as Unlimited Adventures, or by the acronyms FRUA or UA, is a video game originally released on March 17, 1993, by Strategic Simulations,[1] for the IBM PC and Macintosh.

Forgotten Realms:
Unlimited Adventures
Cover art by Clyde Caldwell
Developer(s)MicroMagic
Publisher(s)Strategic Simulations
Designer(s)Jason T. Linhart
Programmer(s)David Blake
Jason T. Linhart
Bill Sloan
Artist(s)Eric Halloran
Herb Perez
Composer(s)David Govett
George Sanger
SeriesGold Box
Platform(s)DOS, Macintosh
ReleaseMarch 17, 1993
Genre(s)Role-playing video game
Mode(s)Single-player

Gameplay

Unlimited Adventures is a construction kit for computer role-playing games, and drew its content from the prior Gold Box engine games,[2] with improved graphics. SSI's contract with TSR, Inc. required the former to stop using the Gold Box engine, so the company released its development tools.[3][2] Games created by users can be shared with other players who also own Unlimited Adventures. As of 2022, the program still has an active community of users.[4]

The original game allowed the user to create dungeon modules, some editing and renaming of monsters and characters, and to import pictures and monster sprites. However, some art, such as walls, combat backdrops, and title screens, could not be changed in the unmodified game.

Those limitations have been overcome by community-made mods. The availability of these mods has led to the creation of comprehensive "worldhacks", designed to allow the creation of science fiction, superhero, Western and Roman Empire adventures, among others. A program called "UASHELL" applies and manages these hacks and enables the player to apply them.

The fanmade game design program Dungeon Craft (originally called UA Forever) is a standalone program that partially emulates FRUA's engine, but with a greater ease of user modification.

Compilations

Forgotten Realms Unlimited Adventures is included in the compilation "The Forgotten Realm Archives - Collection Two".[5]

Reception
Screenshot of Dungeon Craft, a FRUA clone

SSI sold 32,364 copies of Unlimited Adventures.[3] Computer Gaming World in 1993 called it "the best adventure-construction kit available" despite the "sorely lacking" Gold Box engine.[6] According to GameSpy in 2004, although "the game's graphics were poor [...] and using the tools could be a little complicated, Unlimited Adventures was an excellent tool for budding RPG designers".[7]

References
  1. Barton, Matt (2007-02-23). "Part 2: The Golden Age (1985-1993)". The History of Computer Role-Playing Games. Gamasutra. Archived from the original on 2009-02-27. Retrieved 2009-03-26.
  2. Tresca, Michael J. (2010), The Evolution of Fantasy Role-Playing Games, McFarland, p. 144, ISBN 978-0786458950
  3. Maher, Jimmy (2017-03-31). "Opening the Gold Box, Part 5: All That Glitters is Not Gold". The Digital Antiquarian.
  4. "Forgotten Realms: Unlimited Adventures Community". Retrieved June 8, 2022.
  5. "Forgotten Realms: The Archives - Collection Two". Retrieved July 23, 2018.
  6. Craft, Rudy (September 1993). "Create Your Own Fictions With SSI's Unlimited Adventures". Computer Gaming World. p. 54. Retrieved 30 July 2014.
  7. Rausch, Allen (2004-08-17). "A History of D&D Video Games - Part III". Game Spy. Retrieved November 17, 2012.
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