Forgotten Realms: Unlimited Adventures

Forgotten Realms: Unlimited Adventures, also known as Unlimited Adventures, or by the acronyms FRUA or UA, is a video game originally released on March 17, 1993, by Strategic Simulations,<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> for the IBM PC and Macintosh.

Gameplay

Unlimited Adventures is a construction kit for computer role-playing games, and drew its content from the prior Gold Box engine games,<ref name=tresca2010>Template:Citation</ref> with improved graphics. SSI's contract with TSR, Inc. required the former to stop using the Gold Box engine, so the company released its development tools.Template:R<ref name=tresca2010/> Games created by users can be shared with other players who also own Unlimited Adventures. As of 2022, the program still has an active community of users.<ref name="FRUAForum">Template:Cite web</ref>Template:Primary source inline

The original game allowed the user to create dungeon modules, some editing and renaming of monsters and characters, and to import pictures and monster sprites. However, some art, such as walls, combat backdrops, and title screens, could not be changed in the unmodified game.

Those limitations have been overcome by community-made mods. The availability of these mods has led to the creation of comprehensive "worldhacks", designed to allow the creation of science fiction, superhero, Western and Roman Empire adventures, among others. A program called "UASHELL" applies and manages these hacks and enables the player to apply them.

The fanmade game design program Dungeon Craft (originally called UA Forever) is a standalone program that partially emulates FRUA's engine, but with a greater ease of user modification.

Compilations

Forgotten Realms Unlimited Adventures is included in the compilation "The Forgotten Realms Archives - Collection Two".<ref name="CollectionTwo">Template:Cite web</ref>

Reception

File:Dungeon-craft-screenshot-collage.png

Screenshot of Dungeon Craft, a FRUA clone

SSI sold 32,364 copies of Unlimited Adventures.<ref name="maher20170331">Template:Cite web</ref> Computer Gaming World in 1993 called it "the best adventure-construction kit available" despite the "sorely lacking" Gold Box engine.<ref name="craft199309">Template:Cite magazine</ref> According to GameSpy in 2004, although "the game's graphics were poor [...] and using the tools could be a little complicated, Unlimited Adventures was an excellent tool for budding RPG designers".<ref name="rauschIII">Template:Cite web</ref>

James Trunzo reviewed Unlimited Adventures: Fantasy Construction Kit in White Wolf #37 (July/Aug., 1993) and stated that "UA comes with well-written and very complete documentation which includes a number of essential tutorials to give you a feel for design. UA also comes with a complete adventure that you can play and modify. All the scenarios can be saved and played on other computers by your friends. After all, you'll know all the secrets! The fun of UA is in design - both the design of the game and the fun of designing your own adventures."<ref name="WW37">Template:Cite magazine</ref>

External links

• Template:Moby game
• The Magic Mirror: The largest FRUA resource online
• Dungeon Craft at Sourceforge
• Dungeon Craft at The Ironworks