Stuart Smith's Adventure Construction Set
Description official descriptions
Despite its title, Adventure Construction Set is an editor that allows players to create their own role-playing scenarios. It is possible to customize a tile-set, maps, and objects to create RPGs reminiscent of the early Ultima games.
Seven small 'toolkits' to build from include Sci/Fi, Spy, and Medieval setting templates, plus two complete games are included as a demonstration: Rivers of Light is based on Sumerian mythology and contains 140 rooms and Land of Aventuria consists of seven mini adventures with different settings, e.g. an adaption of Alice in Wonderland or a Nazi castle.
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Credits (Commodore 64 version)
19 People (11 developers, 8 thanks) · View all
Game Concept | |
Design | |
Programming | |
Graphics Design | |
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Aural Programming | |
"Rivers of Light" Design and Implementation | |
"Land of Aventuria" Design and Implementation | |
Producer | |
Product Manager | |
Package Design |
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Package and Manual Copy | |
Manual Design by | |
The creators would like to thank the following for permission to use characters and things which they created |
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[ full credits ] |
Reviews
Critics
Average score: 24% (based on 1 ratings)
Players
Average score: 3.5 out of 5 (based on 22 ratings with 3 reviews)
The Good
The ability to create your own roleplaying game, with an intuitive toolset. Although the resources were limited, the package itself was so ahead of its time that the possibilities seemed limitless. "Rivers of Light" showed that anyone could make an immersive game with a meaningful storyline. "Lands of Adventuria" showed how you could maximize each and every resource to create stories in any genre. The ability to create and customize items, spells, and characters put the tools of imagination at your control. For many people, "Adventure Construction Set" was the first product that allowed people to explore the possibility of actually creating the kind of game they wanted to play.
The Bad
It is hard to criticize the game. It maximized what you could get out of a Commodore while laboring under the obvious imitations. It was truly revolutionary.
The Bottom Line
If you have ever used RPG Maker in any of its iterations, here is the granddaddy of all those programs.
Commodore 64 · by phimseto (81) · 2006
A good construction set bundled with a good stand-alone game
The Good
The best parts about the ACS were the flexibility of the construction tools. You could build just about any game you wanted within the limits of the game engine design.
I also liked the option to create random adventures, which produced some interesting quests for my character after he finished "Rivers of Light", the bundled adventure.
The Bad
More animation and better sound effects would have improved the game a lot.
Missile combat was somwhat awkward too.
The Bottom Line
A good construction set for top-down view adventure game with few limitations for its time.
DOS · by Droog (460) · 2000
A fun little diversion, with a good bit of potential.
The Good
Very advanced for its time. Though the graphics and sound are simple, there is a lot of room for customization. It also has a neat "create random adventure" feature that is good for folks with limited patience. Once an adventure is created, you can create a "stand-alone" executable to give out to your friends.
The Bad
In order to do a good job, you really have to take some time with this one. But that's to be expected, I suppose.
The Bottom Line
One of the better "construction sets" out there. Worth a look if you're a fan of the top-down RPGs.
DOS · by Mirrorshades2k (274) · 2000
Discussion
Subject | By | Date |
---|---|---|
DOS tech specs question | vileyn0id_8088 (21040) | Aug 25, 2018 |
ACS lives on through the ACK community! | Dixie Craft | Jun 3, 2012 |
Looking for ACS Adventures | Daniel Elmaleh | Oct 13, 2007 |
Trivia
The first version of ACS was published on the Apple II. Stuart Smith had by that time already published his games Ali Baba and the Forty Thieves and Return of Heracles and decided to take his adventure engine and create a stand-alone product from it.
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Related Sites +
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Adventure Construction Set Fan Site
A website with free games made with the Adventure Construction Set (English) -
Wikipedia
More information about the game on Wikipedia (English)
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Contributors to this Entry
Game added by JubalHarshaw.
Commodore 64 added by Quapil. Amiga added by Pseudo_Intellectual. Apple II added by Terok Nor.
Additional contributors: John Romero, Patrick Bregger.
Game added March 7, 2000. Last modified August 27, 2023.