RTC and DMJ

Return To Chaos:

RTC is in advanced stages of completion...it is designed to be as close to DM as possible, but be fully expandable graphically and design wise. The format has almost been finalised (v0.16 has been released, to allow comments for issuing a stabalised format), so now information on designing dungeons is now available. The game and dungeons are driven and created through simple .txt files, so George hasrelease the information to write these files, the files for the current dungeons, and the method for compiling them. It is possible that a third party rather than George will design an editor to utilise this information for more ease of use later. At the moment the DM dungeon, the DM dungeon using the new magic rules (you need to find the runes before you can use them), and CSB are available with the download.

Almost all the graphics (exluding interface, entrance and walls/teleporters/stairs for now) can be overridden, together will all sounds, so you can update and alter dungeons in this respect already! It can use 8, 16 or 24 bit bitmap graphics. It also features a seamless starting interface similar to CSB where you can use the hint oracle, and start a dungeon using ported characters from other saves. It is still being developed, so there can sometimes be bugs in each release that need to be corrected, so there is a risk a saved game can be doomed (for example the current v0.16 is not backwards compatible, and might not be forwardly either depending on comments). It also means new features are added all the time, with the overall ethos being to retain the DM feel with any additions. So far the biggest ones are parabolic flight of objects, gradual lighting (both toggleable effects), and the rune limiting system where you need to find the runes before you can use them (dungeons with and without this system are available). Also, monsters are independant (able to walk around outside of their groups).

For editing, the format allows each object to be independant and independantly triggered, so you can have multiple items like teleporters, etc on a tile, and for anyone used to DMuting, you no longer need to activate a whole tile, or activate only the objects on the same level.

Dungeon Master Java:

As a Java application it means its the only incarnation of DM to be playable on a wide variety of platforms/operating systems. It is a stand alone programme though as a Java application it still means you need the Java Runtime Environment (there is a link on the download site). Some people can find occasional problems getting it set up for this, though there is enough help in the forums to show what needs to be done. The game is finished...like anything new, bug fixes or suggestions can be incorporated, but the patches for these will upgrade previous versions of saved games/custom dungeons. Graphically everything is drawn from scratch or ray traced from the DM items. It uses gifs and pngs as its format so animated/transparent icons are supported, and these graphics are uncompressed in the game folder, so can be changed easily. The sounds are as the original (also easy to change), but the engine, while being highly derived from DM, has many quirks that make it different. For exampe monsters can walk upstairs if allowed, monsters are not tied to their groupings, there are new spells and items, and creatures can 'steal' items left lying on the ground.

It has a brand new dungeon released with it too! This was originally intended for hard core DM players, but other players have created both the original DM and CSB dungeons to ease players into DM. There is now even a EOTB dungeon. The biggest thing about DM Java is that it has been released with an editor, so you can create your own dungeons right away. New custom built items with a range of options are possible, new monsters, and new characters. There is also the option for 'event squares' similar to EOTB, and characters can have abilities now, peculiar to themselves, making character choice count. Also, there is a 'mirror swapping' option where you can have a champion in a mirror replacing a party character. The only down side is that each tile can only support one type of main object...teleporter, pit, switch, imaginary wall, etc. There is a 'swap' option of activation to get round this limitation though.

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