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'''Avatar''' is |
'''''Avatar''''' is an early graphics-based multi-user highly interactive [[role-playing video game]], created on the [[University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign|University of Illinois]]' [[PLATO (computer system)|PLATO system]] in the late 1970s. It has graphics for navigating through a [[dungeon]] and chat-style text for player status and communication with others. It can currently be played [[online]] via Cyber1 or a simulation called Javatar. What makes ''Avatar'' popular is the high level of interactivity with other players and the sense of community that develops. Development on ''Avatar'' began on the University of Illinois PLATO system around 1976 by [[Bruce Maggs]] and Andrew Shapira, who were junior high school students at the time. They were soon joined by David Sides, who was a student at the University of Illinois. The first version was released in 1979.<ref name="orangeglow" /> |
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== History == |
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''Avatar'' was a successor to several innovative and highly successful role-playing games on the PLATO system, most notably ''Oubliette'', written by Jim Schwaiger and published on the PLATO system in 1977.<ref name="orangeglow">{{cite book|last1=Dear|first1=Brian|title=The Friendly Orange Glow|date=2017|publisher=Pantheon Books|isbn=9781101871553|pages=298–305|edition=First|url=http://friendlyorangeglow.com/|accessdate=31 December 2017|ref=orangeglow}}</ref> It was so difficult that one could not play it alone; in order for players to survive, they had to run in groups. Following ''Oubliette'', also on PLATO, was a game called ''[[Moria (1975 video game)|Moria]]'' written in 1977, copyright 1978.<ref name="orangeglow" /><ref name="oubliette">{{cite book | last = Bartle | first = Richard | author-link = Richard Bartle | title = [[Designing Virtual Worlds]] | publisher = New Riders | year = 2003 | isbn = 0-13-101816-7 | pages = 741 | quote = Jim Schwaiger's 1977 game ''Oubliette'' (inspired by ''Dungeons & Dragons'' and Chuck Miller's earlier multiplayer game, ''Mines of Moria'') had a first-person point of view and used line graphics to render the scene ahead. [...] In late 1979, the first ever fully functional graphical virtual world was released: ''Avatar''. Written by a group of students to out-do ''Oubliette'', it was to become the most successful PLATO game ever--it accounted for 6% of all the hours spent on the system between September 1978 and May 1985.}}</ref> |
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The [[user interface]] includes [[icon]]s of monsters; statistic displays; information about the character's status; the status of the current encounter; and items being carried, worn, and used. Maps show the character's current direction. The player starts the game by choosing a [[Player character|character]], which involves choosing a race, gender, guild, weapons, and general abilities. |
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Classic as well as modified versions of ''Avatar 84'' are operating on Cyber1. When the NovaNET system existed, it hosted original versions of both ''Avatar 95'' and ''Avatar 90''. It was also possible to play versions of ''Avatar 84'' and ''Man 60 Avatar'' on Novanet. These last two games operated with the old game data on the ''Avatar 95'' engine, which was not quite the same as playing through the original engine. The NovaNET system was shut down in November 2015.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.platohistory.org/blog/2015/08/august-31-2015-the-end-of-the-road-for-novanet.html|title=PLATO History: August 31, 2015: The End of the Road for NovaNET|website=www.platohistory.org|access-date=2018-11-11}}</ref> |
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The movement keys in Avatar are ''a'', ''w'', ''d'', and ''x'' for ''turn left'', ''go forward'', ''turn right,'' and ''turn around'' respectively. ''W'' (shift-w) will both go forward and go through a door (if there is one). Shifted versions of the "turning" keys (''A'', ''D'', and ''X'') will turn and move 1 step in that direction, also going through doors. ''f'' is used to fight, and ''s'' for spells. It often takes three or more hits to kill a monster. It takes from two to five seconds for a turn to finish. The ''O'' key is used to open [[box]]es. Pressing a number key invokes the spell, potion, or scroll loaded there. |
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Gold is used as a [[currency]] to buy items and weapons in stores located in the city. Gold can be banked or carried. |
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''Avatar'' is inherently a MMO multi-player game.<ref>Richard A. Bartle · MMOs from the Inside Out: The History, Design, Fun, and Art ... 2015- 50b: "PLATO was a more integrated system, running on Control Data Corporation machines. It was way ahead of its time... It also saw several multiplayer games, the most celebrated of which, ''Avatar'', would today be regarded as an MMO".</ref><ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.engadget.com/2013/08/17/the-game-archaeologist-the-plato-mmos-part-2/|title=The Game Archaeologist: The PLATO MMOs, part 2|work=Engadget|access-date=2018-11-11|language=en-US}}</ref> |
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The only way a player can harm another is to cast a spell from the back of a party and damage players in front of him. |
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* ''[[Mordor: The Depths of Dejenol]]'' - a PC based clone of ''Avatar'' |
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== References == |
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There are several types of terrain in the dungeon. Rotators turn the character around to a random direction. TP squares teleport characters to specific or random places. Anti-magic rooms make spells and magic items ineffective, and some rooms render their occupants blind. There is also water, which the character can drown in if too much time is spent. There is quicksand, which can rob a character of items. In addition, there is an unusual type of square that shows a false image of the dungeon in front of the character, which can be quite disorienting. |
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{{reflist}} |
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Mainly because of these dangers, Avatar players have made maps, marking locations of walls and doors, and different terrain types, so as to not get lost the next time they venture to that part of the dungeon. Mapping is rather important, as getting lost can be a very bad thing -- dying while lost on a lower level, for example, does not make it easy for other players to rescue you. There is even a Web site with these maps online at http://avatar.mikomi.org/about.html . |
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Players who join a guild can be "quested," helping them to achieve higher levels and to use better items, spells, etc. One can be quested for items, to kill monsters, or for gold. Finding a monster for a quest can be simple or very difficult; a common request of other players is to, for example, "S/R Golem": the sender asks that someone who has found a Golem ''save'' and ''report'' it so that a quested character can come and kill it, satisfying his quest. Asking for items is usually seen as begging and beneath the dignity of serious players, but asking for an item to satisfy a quest is acceptable, and it is considered noble to offer such an item. As a character rises in a guild the items and monsters quested become more difficult and costly. Eventually, one may need help to satisfy a quest, and this leads to the most remarkable feature of Avatar: teams and cooperative play. |
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== Death == |
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There are several ways to die in Avatar, including being injured by a monster, being poisoned, suffering from a spell, being turned into stone (think [[Medusa]]) and teleporting into solid rock. Monsters can poison, paralyze, blind, and attack characters. When a character dies, it can be [[resurrection|resurrected]] by another character, either in the dungeon or at the [[city]]. Potions and items can be used to aid in this task, but all resurrections cost a character age and stats. |
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In the early [[1990s|90s]], there was a version of Avatar where if the character died (he/she) was sent to an afterlife. In this version each level had its own afterlife and a portal somewhere within it that would send a character back to the city steps if (he/she) managed to survive all the undead creatures that lived there. The level one afterlife was called [[Purgatory]] and the level fifteen one was called [[Hades]]. [[Warlocks]] were able to cast a spell called "Silverline" that could transfer characters to and from each Afterlife. |
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== Character Parties == |
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An important aspect of Avatar is developing a group of other players one can count on to help out. Whether for a quest, more gold or experience, or just the thrill of killing monsters you would never see otherwise, joining parties is the height of Avatar. |
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Parties of characters can be created by "tracking" a leader. All the characters in the party follow their selected leader wherever they travel. A party composed of Ninja, Seeker, Healer, and Sorcerer characters can successfully fight almost any monster, open almost any box, and heal its members after combat. Monsters that are immune to weapons can be overcome with spells. Other combinations can be more successful depending on the situation. Parties also allow beginners to tag along with more experienced players, sharing experience and treasure. Some objectives are impossible for a single player, making parties required. Level 15 of the dungeon is unsafe for all but a few characters when alone, and even they might be overcome by the most powerful monsters. |
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*[[Avatar (disambiguation)]] |
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== External links == |
== External links == |
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* [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dEyppAb_6ag PLATO@50: Games Panel Video with Co-Author Dr. Andrew Shapira] |
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*[http://www.cyber1.org Cyber1] |
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* [https://arstechnica.com/gaming/2016/10/want-to-see-gamings-past-and-future-dive-into-the-educational-world-of-plato/ "Want to see gaming's past and future? Dive into the "educational" world of PLATO"] by [[Ars Technica]] |
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*[http://wiki.bybent.com/avatar/avatar.php?n=Main.HomePage Avatar wiki] |
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*[http://www.heavyharmonies.com/Avatar/frame.html Avatar website] |
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[[Category: |
[[Category:Role-playing video games]] |
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[[Category:PLATO (computer system) games]] |
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[[Category:1979 video games]] |
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[[Category:Video games developed in the United States]] |
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[[Category:Fiction about purgatory]] |
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Latest revision as of 12:01, 7 September 2023
 | This article needs additional citations for verification. (February 2013) |
Avatar is an early graphics-based multi-user highly interactive role-playing video game, created on the University of Illinois' PLATO system in the late 1970s. It has graphics for navigating through a dungeon and chat-style text for player status and communication with others. It can currently be played online via Cyber1 or a simulation called Javatar. What makes Avatar popular is the high level of interactivity with other players and the sense of community that develops. Development on Avatar began on the University of Illinois PLATO system around 1976 by Bruce Maggs and Andrew Shapira, who were junior high school students at the time. They were soon joined by David Sides, who was a student at the University of Illinois. The first version was released in 1979.[1]
History
[edit]Avatar was a successor to several innovative and highly successful role-playing games on the PLATO system, most notably Oubliette, written by Jim Schwaiger and published on the PLATO system in 1977.[1] It was so difficult that one could not play it alone; in order for players to survive, they had to run in groups. Following Oubliette, also on PLATO, was a game called Moria written in 1977, copyright 1978.[1][2]
Classic as well as modified versions of Avatar 84 are operating on Cyber1. When the NovaNET system existed, it hosted original versions of both Avatar 95 and Avatar 90. It was also possible to play versions of Avatar 84 and Man 60 Avatar on Novanet. These last two games operated with the old game data on the Avatar 95 engine, which was not quite the same as playing through the original engine. The NovaNET system was shut down in November 2015.[3]
Gameplay
[edit]Avatar is inherently a MMO multi-player game.[4][5]
See also
[edit]- Mordor: The Depths of Dejenol - a PC based clone of Avatar
References
[edit]- ^ a b c Dear, Brian (2017). The Friendly Orange Glow (First ed.). Pantheon Books. pp. 298–305. ISBN 9781101871553. Retrieved 31 December 2017.
- ^ Bartle, Richard (2003). Designing Virtual Worlds. New Riders. p. 741. ISBN 0-13-101816-7.
Jim Schwaiger's 1977 game Oubliette (inspired by Dungeons & Dragons and Chuck Miller's earlier multiplayer game, Mines of Moria) had a first-person point of view and used line graphics to render the scene ahead. [...] In late 1979, the first ever fully functional graphical virtual world was released: Avatar. Written by a group of students to out-do Oubliette, it was to become the most successful PLATO game ever--it accounted for 6% of all the hours spent on the system between September 1978 and May 1985.
- ^ "PLATO History: August 31, 2015: The End of the Road for NovaNET". www.platohistory.org. Retrieved 2018-11-11.
- ^ Richard A. Bartle · MMOs from the Inside Out: The History, Design, Fun, and Art ... 2015- 50b: "PLATO was a more integrated system, running on Control Data Corporation machines. It was way ahead of its time... It also saw several multiplayer games, the most celebrated of which, Avatar, would today be regarded as an MMO".
- ^ "The Game Archaeologist: The PLATO MMOs, part 2". Engadget. Retrieved 2018-11-11.