Mines of Titan

Mines of Titan
Developer(s) Westwood Associates
Publisher(s) Infocom
Platform(s) DOS, Apple II
Release date(s) 1989
Genre(s) Role-playing video game
Mode(s) Single player

Mines of Titan is a single-player role-playing video game, developed by Westwood Associates (later Westwood Studios), and released by Infocom in 1989 for DOS and Apple II.

Remake

Mines of Titan is a remake, or update, of the Commodore 64 game Mars Saga. Mines of Titan is lengthier, with some new storylines, a few more creatures and a few details like colors are different. And of course the game's location is moved from Mars to Titan. The cities and maps look the same.

Plot

This is a role-playing adventure, set in the year 2261, well into the era of mankind's colonization the inner Solar System. The game takes place entirely on a barely terraformed Titan, the largest moon of the gas giant Saturn, at the edge of frontier space.

You are charismatic 22-year-old astronaut Tom Jetland, who has crashed on Titan after bullet-sized rocks from the Rings of Saturn pierced your ship's hull, and were forced to eject your payload and now have no means of transport off the world. In order to raise money, Jetland (or whatever you choose to name him; Tom Jetland is merely the default name for the protagonist) must search for, recruit, create and control a party of characters ready for exploration and combat. You develop yourself and your characters by improving their natural attributes and by adding and training in over twenty new skills which will aid in both your central quest and various side missions.

Success depends upon competence in battle with various creatures and human foes alike; exploration of underground colonies and mining settlements; using your characters' skills to their best advantage; utilising a wide array of weaponry and aid acquired from merchants; and most importantly tracking down the clues to solve the mysteries of Titan. For only by uncovering a vast conspiracy and learning the fate of the disappeared Proscenium Colony (presumably named after the Proscenium "archway" of a theatrical stage) will you be able to raise enough credits to pay for safe passage off Titan.

Feelies

Infocom often released their games with merchandise referred to as feelies. Mines of Titan originally came on floppy disc format which was provided in a secret agent-style packaging, which also contained a thirty-seven page manual and various paraphernalia, such as a "command reference card"; supposedly secret classified military and scientific documents; weapons schematics; illustrations of alien lifeforms; and hidden maps, all connected with the game. The more expensive game packages had small figurines. These box sets are now extremely rare.

Reception

The game was reviewed in 1990 in Dragon #154 by Hartley, Patricia, and Kirk Lesser in "The Role of Computers" column. The reviewers gave the game 5 out of 5 stars.[1] In 2006, abandonware website Abandonia's Romano reviewed Mines of Titan with "I am kind of disappointed in the game – the sinister, futuristic setting could have made up a great game, but the developers wasted all their work because of some major downgrades like the battle system and lack of sound."[2]

References

  1. ↑ Lesser, Hartley; Lesser, Patricia; Lesser, Kirk (February 1990). "The Role of Computers". Dragon (154): 76–83.
  2. ↑ Mano, Ro (June 9, 2006). "Download Mines of Titan". Abandonia. Abovo Media Group. Retrieved August 1, 2016.
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