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Pool of Radiance: Ruins of Myth Drannor

October 28, 2023

For the related adventure module, see Pool of Radiance: Attack on Myth Drannor.

Pool of Radiance: Ruins of Myth Drannor is a Forgotten Realms Dungeons & Dragons role-playing video game released in 2001 by Ubi Soft. It is the fifth and latest game in the Pool of Radiance series.

Pool of Radiance:
Ruins of Myth Drannor
Cover art by Gerald Brom
Developer(s)Stormfront Studios
Publisher(s)Ubi Soft
Designer(s)Mark Buchignani
Ken Eklund
Sarah W. Stocker
Programmer(s)David Yee
Artist(s)Sergio Lobato
Writer(s)Sarah W. Stocker
Composer(s)Andrew Boyd
Robb Mills
SeriesPool of Radiance
Platform(s)Microsoft Windows
Release
  • NA: September 24, 2001
  • EU: November 30, 2001
Genre(s)Role-playing
Mode(s)Single-player, multiplayer

Gameplay Edit

Ruins of Myth Drannor takes place from an isometric third-person perspective, similar to the Baldur's Gate series. Unlike Baldur's Gate and other Infinity Engine games, Ruins of Myth Drannor features turn-based combat rather than real-time combat.[1] The game uses three-dimensional characters over pre-rendered two-dimensional backgrounds.

The game is a dungeon crawl, with a focus on hack and slash combat and the exploration of large dungeons.[1] Story progression and interaction with other characters is a minimal part of the game, although there is some interaction with non-player characters (NPCs) and other in-game characters.[2]

Plot Edit

The story is set in the city of New Phlan.[1] A dracolich and his sorcerer queen have seized control of the Mythal, the ancient magic that once protected the long abandoned elven city of Myth Drannor. Once the elven ruin is completely in their thrall, the cult intends to expand its domination one city—and one soul—at a time.

Four heroes are sent to Myth Drannor by Elminster to stop the dracolich and the sorcerer queen from using the power of the Mythal to conquer Faerûn. They must travel to all areas of Myth Drannor, including dungeons and catacombs beneath the city, in an attempt to stop evil from taking over the region.

Development Edit

Producer Chuck Yager said the game was originally designed using the Advanced Dungeons & Dragons 2nd edition rules, but was converted to the 3rd edition rules partway through development.[1] While Baldur's Gate II: Shadows of Amn implemented a few elements from the 3rd edition, Ruins of Myth Drannor was the first game attempting to comprehensively adapt those rules.[3]

Reception Edit

Sales Edit

According to GameSpot's Desslock, Ruins of Myth Drannor "sold extremely well during its first few weeks, but bad word of mouth and reviews crippled future sales". He remarked that certain retailers had placed notes on their displays to warn customers about the title's bugs.[4] In the United States, the game entered NPD Intelect's computer game sales chart at #1 for September 23–29, 2001.[5] It held this position on the following week's chart,[6] before falling to #9 in its third week of release.[7] According to Ubisoft, the game surpassed 150,000 sales in its first 14 days.[8] It finished 20th on NPD Intelect's chart for the month of September overall,[7] and maintained this spot in October.[9] By the first week of November, Ruins of Myth Drannor had sold 55,211 units in the United States.[4]

Critical reviews Edit

The game received lackluster reviews and was plagued with bugs. One major bug would cause a player's system files to uninstall when the game was removed.[15] Other bugs included problems with installation, saving game files, graphics, and gameplay.[2] Chris Chan of the New Straits Times complained that most of the game is spent "[engaged] with a lot of mindless battles and health and spell recuperation exercises".[1] Mark Meadows of The Wisconsin State Journal called the game "a half-finished adaptation of D&D's new 3rd Edition rules that was rushed out the door despite being over a year late".[2] GameSpy gave a negative review to the game.[16] Later patches fixed some of the stability issues.[1] Branislav Babovic of mania.com commented: "Pool of Radiance: Ruins of Myth Drannor could simply be defined as a disk full of bugs, striving to be a slow Diablo based on AD&D third edition rules".[17] Johnny Wilson for Dragon commented: "I like the way the new edition of the D&D rules have been integrated into the game [...] I'm thrilled with the emphasis on drow and undead, the villains we love to hate".[18]

Adaptations Edit

A novel based on the game, written by Carrie Bebris, was published by Wizards of the Coast and was also included with the collector's edition of the game, except in Europe. Despite much criticism of the game, opinions on the novel have generally been positive.[19] The Collector's Edition version of the game contained a copy of the book, an original pen and paper module, an audio CD, and a bag of polyhedral dice.[20] The printed adventure was called Pool of Radiance: Attack on Myth Drannor.

References Edit

  1. ^ a b c d e f Chan, Chris (April 22, 2002). . New Straits Times. Archived from the original on January 13, 2016. Retrieved November 9, 2012.
  2. ^ a b c Meadows, Mark (November 1, 2001). . The Wisconsin State Journal. Madison, Wisconsin. Archived from the original on January 13, 2016. Retrieved November 9, 2012.
  3. ^ Desslock (1 October 2001). "Pool of Radiance: Ruins of Myth Drannor Review". GameSpot. CBS Interactive. Archived from the original on 28 July 2013. Retrieved 28 July 2013.
  4. ^ a b Desslock (November 23, 2001). . GameSpot. Archived from the original on November 24, 2001.
  5. ^ Walker, Trey (October 10, 2001). . GameSpot. Archived from the original on 2001-11-26. Retrieved 2018-09-10.
  6. ^ Walker, Trey (October 17, 2001). . GameSpot. Archived from the original on 2001-11-08. Retrieved 2018-09-10.
  7. ^ a b Walker, Trey (October 25, 2001). . GameSpot. Archived from the original on 2001-12-11. Retrieved 2018-09-10.
  8. ^ "Acquisitions Propel Ubi Soft Sales Up 72%". Gamasutra. November 5, 2001. from the original on August 11, 2014.
  9. ^ Walker, Trey (November 29, 2001). . GameSpot. Archived from the original on December 2, 2001. Retrieved May 9, 2020.
  10. ^ Fleet, Adam (December 13, 2001). . Computer Games Magazine. Archived from the original on August 10, 2004.
  11. ^ Fitzloff, Jay; Brogger, Kristian (November 2001). . Game Informer. Archived from the original on December 31, 2004.
  12. ^ Klett, Steve. . PC Gamer US. Archived from the original on December 7, 2007.
  13. ^ Smolka, Rob (January 2002). "Reviews; Pool of Radiance: Ruins of Myth Drannor". Computer Gaming World. No. 210. pp. 112, 113.
  14. ^ Dewhurst, John; Wildgoose, David; Best, Timothy C.; Hovingh, Ryan (November 2001). "Pool of Radiance". PC PowerPlay (66): 56–59.
  15. ^ Salminen, Carl (November 24, 2001). . Ars Technica. Archived from the original on November 26, 2001. Retrieved June 3, 2009.
  16. ^ Rausch, Allen (2004-08-19). "A History of D&D Video Games - Part V". GameSpy. Retrieved November 17, 2012.
  17. ^ "Article". www.mania.com. Archived from the original on March 19, 2014. Retrieved March 19, 2014.
  18. ^ Wilson, Johnny (August 2000). "Silicon Sorcery". Dragon (274): 128–130.
  19. ^ "Goodreads: Pool of Radiance".
  20. ^ "Amazon.com:Pool of Radiance: Ruins of Myth Drannor". Amazon.

Further reading Edit

External links Edit

  • Pool of Radiance: Ruins of Myth Drannor at MobyGames

October 28, 2023
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For the related adventure module see Pool of Radiance Attack on Myth Drannor This article s lead section may be too short to adequately summarize the key points Please consider expanding the lead to provide an accessible overview of all important aspects of the article June 2018 Pool of Radiance Ruins of Myth Drannor is a Forgotten Realms Dungeons amp Dragons role playing video game released in 2001 by Ubi Soft It is the fifth and latest game in the Pool of Radiance series Pool of Radiance Ruins of Myth DrannorCover art by Gerald BromDeveloper s Stormfront StudiosPublisher s Ubi SoftDesigner s Mark BuchignaniKen EklundSarah W StockerProgrammer s David YeeArtist s Sergio LobatoWriter s Sarah W StockerComposer s Andrew BoydRobb MillsSeriesPool of RadiancePlatform s Microsoft WindowsReleaseNA September 24 2001EU November 30 2001Genre s Role playingMode s Single player multiplayer Contents 1 Gameplay 2 Plot 3 Development 4 Reception 4 1 Sales 4 2 Critical reviews 5 Adaptations 6 References 7 Further reading 8 External linksGameplay EditRuins of Myth Drannor takes place from an isometric third person perspective similar to the Baldur s Gate series Unlike Baldur s Gate and other Infinity Engine games Ruins of Myth Drannor features turn based combat rather than real time combat 1 The game uses three dimensional characters over pre rendered two dimensional backgrounds The game is a dungeon crawl with a focus on hack and slash combat and the exploration of large dungeons 1 Story progression and interaction with other characters is a minimal part of the game although there is some interaction with non player characters NPCs and other in game characters 2 Plot EditThis article needs an improved plot summary You can provide one by editing this article June 2018 Learn how and when to remove this template message The story is set in the city of New Phlan 1 A dracolich and his sorcerer queen have seized control of the Mythal the ancient magic that once protected the long abandoned elven city of Myth Drannor Once the elven ruin is completely in their thrall the cult intends to expand its domination one city and one soul at a time Four heroes are sent to Myth Drannor by Elminster to stop the dracolich and the sorcerer queen from using the power of the Mythal to conquer Faerun They must travel to all areas of Myth Drannor including dungeons and catacombs beneath the city in an attempt to stop evil from taking over the region Development EditProducer Chuck Yager said the game was originally designed using the Advanced Dungeons amp Dragons 2nd edition rules but was converted to the 3rd edition rules partway through development 1 While Baldur s Gate II Shadows of Amn implemented a few elements from the 3rd edition Ruins of Myth Drannor was the first game attempting to comprehensively adapt those rules 3 Reception EditSales Edit According to GameSpot s Desslock Ruins of Myth Drannor sold extremely well during its first few weeks but bad word of mouth and reviews crippled future sales He remarked that certain retailers had placed notes on their displays to warn customers about the title s bugs 4 In the United States the game entered NPD Intelect s computer game sales chart at 1 for September 23 29 2001 5 It held this position on the following week s chart 6 before falling to 9 in its third week of release 7 According to Ubisoft the game surpassed 150 000 sales in its first 14 days 8 It finished 20th on NPD Intelect s chart for the month of September overall 7 and maintained this spot in October 9 By the first week of November Ruins of Myth Drannor had sold 55 211 units in the United States 4 Critical reviews Edit ReceptionReview scoresPublicationScoreComputer Games Magazine nbsp nbsp nbsp nbsp nbsp 10 Computer Gaming World nbsp nbsp nbsp nbsp nbsp 13 Game Informer7 75 10 11 PC Gamer US 59 12 PC PowerPlay79 14 The game received lackluster reviews and was plagued with bugs One major bug would cause a player s system files to uninstall when the game was removed 15 Other bugs included problems with installation saving game files graphics and gameplay 2 Chris Chan of the New Straits Times complained that most of the game is spent engaged with a lot of mindless battles and health and spell recuperation exercises 1 Mark Meadows of The Wisconsin State Journal called the game a half finished adaptation of D amp D s new 3rd Edition rules that was rushed out the door despite being over a year late 2 GameSpy gave a negative review to the game 16 Later patches fixed some of the stability issues 1 Branislav Babovic of mania com commented Pool of Radiance Ruins of Myth Drannor could simply be defined as a disk full of bugs striving to be a slow Diablo based on AD amp D third edition rules 17 Johnny Wilson for Dragon commented I like the way the new edition of the D amp D rules have been integrated into the game I m thrilled with the emphasis on drow and undead the villains we love to hate 18 Adaptations EditA novel based on the game written by Carrie Bebris was published by Wizards of the Coast and was also included with the collector s edition of the game except in Europe Despite much criticism of the game opinions on the novel have generally been positive 19 The Collector s Edition version of the game contained a copy of the book an original pen and paper module an audio CD and a bag of polyhedral dice 20 The printed adventure was called Pool of Radiance Attack on Myth Drannor References Edit a b c d e f Chan Chris April 22 2002 In battle against evil New Straits Times Archived from the original on January 13 2016 Retrieved November 9 2012 a b c Meadows Mark November 1 2001 Bugs Design Flaws Sink Pool of Radiance The Wisconsin State Journal Madison Wisconsin Archived from the original on January 13 2016 Retrieved November 9 2012 Desslock 1 October 2001 Pool of Radiance Ruins of Myth Drannor Review GameSpot CBS Interactive Archived from the original on 28 July 2013 Retrieved 28 July 2013 a b Desslock November 23 2001 Desslock s Ramblings Wizardry 8 Arrives Kinda RPG Sales Stats Updated GameSpot Archived from the original on November 24 2001 Walker Trey October 10 2001 Pool of Radiance debuts at number one GameSpot Archived from the original on 2001 11 26 Retrieved 2018 09 10 Walker Trey October 17 2001 Pool of Radiance hangs on to number one GameSpot Archived from the original on 2001 11 08 Retrieved 2018 09 10 a b Walker Trey October 25 2001 Camelot takes the lead GameSpot Archived from the original on 2001 12 11 Retrieved 2018 09 10 Acquisitions Propel Ubi Soft Sales Up 72 Gamasutra November 5 2001 Archived from the original on August 11 2014 Walker Trey November 29 2001 Hot Date holds off Harry Potter GameSpot Archived from the original on December 2 2001 Retrieved May 9 2020 Fleet Adam December 13 2001 Review Pool of Radiance Ruins of Myth Drannor Computer Games Magazine Archived from the original on August 10 2004 Fitzloff Jay Brogger Kristian November 2001 D amp D for Dummies Game Informer Archived from the original on December 31 2004 Klett Steve Reviews Pool of Radiance PC Gamer US Archived from the original on December 7 2007 Smolka Rob January 2002 Reviews Pool of Radiance Ruins of Myth Drannor Computer Gaming World No 210 pp 112 113 Dewhurst John Wildgoose David Best Timothy C Hovingh Ryan November 2001 Pool of Radiance PC PowerPlay 66 56 59 Salminen Carl November 24 2001 Pool of Radiance Ars Technica Archived from the original on November 26 2001 Retrieved June 3 2009 Rausch Allen 2004 08 19 A History of D amp D Video Games Part V GameSpy Retrieved November 17 2012 Article www mania com Archived from the original on March 19 2014 Retrieved March 19 2014 Wilson Johnny August 2000 Silicon Sorcery Dragon 274 128 130 Goodreads Pool of Radiance Amazon com Pool of Radiance Ruins of Myth Drannor Amazon Further reading EditD Aprile Jason December 2001 Pool party InQuest Gamer No 80 Wizard Entertainment p 70 External links EditPool of Radiance Ruins of Myth Drannor at MobyGames Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Pool of Radiance Ruins of Myth Drannor amp oldid 1178171197, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,

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