Dungeons of Daggorath

One of the first graphical dungeon quests for computers was Dungeons of Daggorath, released for the TRS-80 computer in 1982. The entire game code fit into 8KB of memory, about the same capacity as a 100x100 pixel graphical image takes up on today's PCs. Daggorath used a real time, first person view, and wireframe-type graphics for everything, including walls, doors, monsters and objects. While the game was very small in the amount of memory used, it still provided some challenging gameplay, including a five-level dungeon with wandering monsters.

The goal of Dungeons of Daggorath was to get down to the fifth level of the dungeon and defeat the wizard that resided on that level. Other monsters, such as snakes and stone giants inhabited the dungeon, and each monster would have different characteristics, making them challenging to defeat. Arguably, the best aspect of Daggorath was the sounds that the creatures made as they travelled the dungeon corridors. A snake's rattle could be heard up to five spaces away, and would get louder as the beast approached.

Characters used a heartbeat system to monitor health. Performing any activity would raise the character's heart rate. Running too fast or repeatedly attacking an enemy could raise the heart rate so high that the character would pass out, making them easy prey for wandering foes. Daggorath used single-character keyboard commands to perform functions. So, battles against tough enemies could require repetition of a sequence of very fast keyboard strokes, often resulting in a fast heartbeat. Typing the wrong key in the midst of battle could have a fatal effect on the player character.

One way to have success in the Dungeons of Daggorath was to figure out ways to get good items from the wandering monsters. Sometimes, a level would be cleared of enemies, and there would be no way to get more powerful rings or flasks. A good method to generate more monsters was to find the end of a hallway and lure a weak creature that couldn't cause much damage, such as a spider. Letting the spider attack would pass some time, and generate new creatures in the dungeon while keeping the more powerful beasties away.

The game still has a small cult following (from those who owned TRS-80 computers) despite having been released almost thirty years ago. There is a PC-version of Dungeons of Daggorath that includes some updated features, including random dungeons.