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Arcanum: Of Steamworks and Magick Obscura
Developer(s)	Troika Games
Publisher(s)	Sierra Entertainment
Designer(s)	Jason D. Anderson, Leonard Boyarsky, Timothy Cain[1]
Engine	Arcanum engine
Version	v1074
Platform(s)	Microsoft Windows
Release date(s)	NA August 21, 2001 EU August 24, 2001
Genre(s)	Computer role-playing
Mode(s)	Single player, LAN multiplayer
Rating(s)	ELSPA: 11+ ESRB: M (Mature) OFLC: MA15+ USK: 12+
Media	2 CD-ROMs
System requirements	200 MHz Intel Pentium CPU, 32 MB RAM, 8 MB video card VGA card (minimum 4 MB RAM), 4X CD-ROM drive, DirectX 7.0, 16-bit Directx compatible sound card, 1.2 GB available hard disk space, Windows 95
Input methods	Keyboard, mouse

Arcanum: Of Steamworks and Magick Obscura (aka Arcanum) is a single player computer role-playing game developed by Troika Games and published by Sierra Entertainment. It was released in North America and Europe in August, 2001 for Microsoft Windows. Debuting at fourth position on NPD Intelect's best-seller list,^[2] 234,000 copies of Arcanum have since been sold,^[3] with takings of $8.8 million,^[4] it was Troika's best-selling title.

Despite the large number of bugs in the game, a problem common to all of Troika's titles^[5], reviews have been mostly positive, with IGN scoring it 8.7^[6] and conferring the IGN Editors' Choice Award on 24 August 2001. PC Gamer and GameZone awarded Arcanum 90 out of 100,^[7] with the latter also conferring its Editors' Choice accolade. The Electric Playground awarded the game 9 out of 10, calling it "the most diverse and open-ended RPG to date."^[8] The game currently holds an average review score of 79% on GameRankings^[9] and 81% on Metacritic^[10].

The story takes place on the continent of Arcanum, which despite its initial fantasy setting has just started going through an industrial revolution^[11]. The story begins with the crash of the zeppelin IFS Zephyr, of which the protagonist is the only survivor, which leads him throughout the land in search of answers^[12]. The game employs an isometric perspective and features an open game world where the protagonist can travel unhindered.

Contents 1 Gameplay 1.1 Character creation 1.2 Combat 1.3 Open-world design 2 Story 2.1 Prologue 2.2 Non-linear design 3 Setting 3.1 Races 3.2 Locations 3.2.1 The Unified Kingdom 3.2.2 Kingdom of Cumbria 3.2.3 Kingdom of Arland 3.2.4 Glimmering Forest 3.2.5 Stonewall Range 3.2.6 Grey Mountains 3.2.7 Vendigroth Wastes 4 Development 4.1 Modification 4.2 Unofficial patch 5 Sequel 6 Soundtrack 7 References 8 See also 9 External links

[edit] Gameplay

Gameplay in Arcanum consists of travelling through the game world, visiting locations and interacting with the local inhabitants, typically in real-time. Occasionally, inhabitants will require the player's assistance in various tasks, which the player may choose to solve in order to acquire special items, experience points or new followers. Many quests offer multiple solutions for the player, depending on his playing style, which may consist of combat, persuasion, thievery or bribery.^[5] Ultimately, players will encounter hostile opponents (if such encounters are not avoided using stealth or diplomacy), in which case they and the player will engage in combat, which can be real-time or turn-based.

[edit] Character creation

Arcanum begins with the player creating their character, choosing from a large variety of races, attributes, technological skills, magical aptitudes and background traits or the player may choose a pre-defined character. Over the course of the game, the character may improve his or her skills by gaining experience through completing quests or defeating opponents in combat^[13]. The player can only control one character directly, but may recruit additional followers during the game depending on his aptitudes and alignment.

[edit] Combat

Three combat modes were included in the final release of the game: real-time, turn-based and a faster version of turn-based. Arcanum's combat design has received criticism, with reviews stating that it is poorly balanced and frantic^[14][15] and overly simplified. The player's combat capabilities are in large part governed by the character's combat skills and weapons. Attacking is performed automatically by clicking on a hostile NPC provided that he is in range of the attack. Real-time combat resembles action RPGs such as Diablo and the turn-based mode is in the same vein as the Fallout games.^[16]

Combat skills that the player character can choose from include melee weapons (with an optional backstab skill for stealth-oriented players), thrown weapons, archery, firearms and certain damage-inflicting spells from some schools of magic. Deciding whether or not to use violence in the game sometimes carries consequences for the player's party. Some AI-controlled followers the player makes will find their character's conduct morally objectionable, and leave, or even attack the player.^[17]

[edit] Open-world design

Arcanum's large, free-form world bears many similarities to Fallout with regards to the sparsity of towns, cities or other locations of interest, however Arcanum's map is much larger than Fallout's due to the fact that it takes place on an entire continent rather than a limited stretch of coastline. The travel system however has some things in common with the Elder Scrolls series in that the world can be travelled across in-game, without the use of the world map, and that the game doesn't rush the player into pursuing the main quest^[18].

[edit] Story

[edit] Prologue

Arcanum begins with a cutscene of the IFS Zephyr, a luxury zeppelin, on her maiden voyage from Caladon to Tarant. Two monoplanes, piloted by Half-Ogre Bandits, shortly close in on the craft and commence attack runs, succeeding in shooting it down. A passenger aboard the Zephyr, an odd-looking gnome, now in his death throes under charred debris, tells the player to bring a silver ring to "the boy", and promptly dies. A robed figure walks among the debris to the player.

Virgil, a robed wayfarer, appears. In utter exasperation, having to rationalise the idea to himself first, he gingerly confirms that the player is the "Living One".

[edit] Non-linear design

Arcanum is an example of a non-linear role-playing game. At various points throughout the game, players may take the story in different directions, sometimes permanently removing different paths of action. The game's central quest ultimately develops according to how players navigate its dichotomies, the most apparent being that of magic and technology.

[edit] Setting

The plot summary in this article is too long or detailed compared to the rest of the content. Please edit the article to focus on discussing the work rather than merely reiterating the plot. (March 2009)

Arcanum is the name of the fantasy world in which the game unfolds. It consists of a continental mainland and three islands. The player is at liberty to explore the mainland, their coverage partly being governed by the quests they choose to undertake. The three islands—the Isle of Despair, Thanatos and Half Ogre Island—become available only upon initiating particular quests.

An important in-game dynamic maintains that while Technology utilizes physical law to produce a desired result, Magick manipulates physical law to do so. Thus, the two are incompatible to the point that they overwhelm each other – technological devices will become inefficient or even permanently inoperative in the presence of powerful magicks and vice versa. Much of the population (aside from most Elves) has chosen to embrace technology for its efficiency, accessibility and permanent results. To further impress upon the player the opposition of these forces, a player-character with high scientific skills will have little to no success using spells and enchanted items and will be less or even completely unaffected by them; one with similarly high magical skills will have similar problems with technological devices. This is an important factor in combat – Opponents of opposing inclinations will actually have greater difficulty inflicting damage upon each other (though this effect is less noticeable when using the most potent resources).

The delicate relationship between the magickal establishments and the nascent technologies of industrialization affects Arcanum on social, geopolitical and legal levels.

This shift is dynamic to the politics of Arcanum. There is a great enmity between elves and dwarves, the former being naturally inclined towards magickally-defined society, the latter being forerunners of the technology race – and many of the former blame the latter for the rise of human technology. Scientists are unwelcome in magickal societies like Qintarra or Tulla, but will be respected if they are righteous and good folk. Conversely, a mage would be admitted onto a steam train only on the provision that he take a third-class seat on the last caboose, so as not to cause interference with the engine(despite there being no in-game mechanic by which even the powerful mages can affect it, making the custom similar to how electronic devices are treated on real-world aircraft). Powerful mages may be denied transport altogether. (There is, however, a teleport spell available to mages of sufficient power.)

Orcs and Ogres alike are looked down upon as savage, feral peoples by Arcanum's civilized folk, who own virtually all the industry of the major population centres. Half-breeds inhabit the world as a result of humanity reproducing with anything possible (and not always as willing participants).

[edit] Races

The game's races are typically Tolkienian in design, but the way they relate to the world and its other inhabitants imbues them with great degree of realism. The dwarven clans are prone to factional infighting; the elves are separated into two societies due to a political schism ages past. Ethnopolitics features in subquests, NPC dialogues and in-game literature.

Dwarves

The dwarves of Arcanum are typically Tolkienesque in their portrayal – thick beards, short, stocky frames, a preference for axes and hammers as weapons; however, Arcanian dwarfs also take overwhelming interest in technology. The dwarves were the forerunners in the technological race long before humanity had mastered industrial machinery such as the steam engine. Due to the destruction technology caused by human misuse, the dwarven clans have recluded (although many city dwarves pride themselves on being cosmopolitan).

Gnomes

It is said that gnomes evolved from dwarves due merely to natural selection. This gives them no bias in favour of the arcane and are just as ready to try their hand at technology. Gnomes tend to organize themselves into strong family units, often running large businesses or syndicates. They are the foremost capitalists of Arcanum, naturally good with matters of finance. Tarant, for example (the largest industrialised city in Arcanum) is run by a gnomish oligarchy. Gnomes are distinguished by fleshy, crooked noses and while not fat, tend to grow pot-bellied in their senior years.

Halflings

The most dimunitive of all the minute races, halflings are practically indistinguishable from Tolkien's hobbit. They live and work in agrarian capacities. They relish their food, and are alleged to be the most hospitable race on Arcanum. Like all races, halflings have recently seen more of their kinsmen move to industrial centres such as Tarant and Caladon. Halflings make ideal thieves due to their natural dexterity and small, agile frames. Elves are unusually fond of halflings.

Humans

Arguably the most common of all Arcanum's races, humanity has capitalized on the industrial revolution sweeping the world, their populations experienced a boom as a result. With no natural bias toward either magick or technology, they are nonetheless more likely to turn to technology due to comparatively short lifespans and the favourable quick returns technology provides on investment. Humanity interbreeds with Median and Gigantic races. Humans are the stock race from which all of Arcanum's other median races derive.

Elves

The elves are the foremost magickal race in Arcanum, the supernatural agent which split them off from humans several thousand years ago still present in their blood. Due to their magickal nature, they have a hard time becoming technologists and elvish characters take severe penalties when trying to develop their technological skills (in fact it is easier for a dwarf to become a mage than it is for an elf to become a technologist). Like the dwarves, they have gradually receded in wake of the destruction of their forests at the hands of humanity. Their only remaining sizeable settlement is Qintarra, home to their Mother-Queen, the Silver Lady. Elves are characterised by slender build and handsome demeanour.

Half-elves

As their name suggests, half-elves are human-elven crossbreeds. Although they are subject to "half-blood" social stigma, half-elves are lucky in that they lose both the greed of their human bloodline and the arrogance of their elvish blood, and are generally well liked by all. They can bear the varying traits of their parentage, such as ear shape, to any degree. Typically half-elves resemble humans more than elves.

Orcs

The orcs of Arcanum differ from the orcs found in most fantasy games. While widely regarded as feral and bestial, they are not innately vicious or evil. For millennia they have lived as nomads, scouring the plains of Arcanum's west for subsistence. Not exempt from the effects of the new industrial age, many orcs now reside in city slums, employed largely as factory labour. Despite their highly magickal heritage (which some assume is even more powerful than that of the elves), they are prevented from undertaking any study of the arcane due to their naturally poor intelligence. Orcs are distinguished by green-purplish skin and bear traits such as upturned snouts or porcine tusks.

Half-orcs

Unlike half-elves, half-orcs have borne the brunt of the recent spout of interbreeding. Despite a broad diaspora, they are treated no better than their orcish brethren, as they are usually the product of a male orc raping a female human. Half-orcs are considered natural criminals, yet it is due to this stigma that half-orcs can often be found working as thugs or hitmen, the higher echelons of society denied to them. Half-orcs are more intelligent than their full-blooded cousins.

Ogres

Ogres are the largest of Arcanum's races, having diverged from the human line during the Epoch of Enchantment. It is widely believed that they are descended from the giants, who became extinct some several thousand years ago. They tend to live out in the wild in semi-tribe systems, often seen as no better than animals. Elves are naturally hateful towards ogres, seeing them as the embodiment of all the characteristics they find repulsive – eg. stupidity, brutishness, rage, ugliness, foulness. Interestingly, ogres are also natural enemies of the dwarves, as the two races often compete for territory in the mountains. They've a fairly low intellect; usually the most advanced weapons they fashion are rudimentary clubs.

Half-ogres

The origins of half-ogres are shrouded in mystery. They are often employed as bodyguards by wealthy gnomes and humans, given their outstanding combat ability combined with a gentle domesticity around children and halflings. Due to their imposing nature, half-ogres also find employment as factory guards or doormen and receive scarce social discrimination, if any.

[edit] Locations

[edit] The Unified Kingdom

Despite its being called a kingdom, the Unified Kingdom is ruled by a council instead of a monarch, a misnomer attributable to Tarant’s old kingdom status. The UK lays claim to the Morbihan Plains, due south of the Grey Mountains and east of Stonewall Range. Membership in the UK brings rapid industrialisation, coverage by the Tarant-based UK rail transport network and free trade with other Kingdom members.

Tarant

The most advanced city of Arcanum, Tarant is the capital of the UK. Ruled by the Tarant Industrial Council, its Vermillion Station is the interchange point for the UK rail network, and is the world's largest population centre. Tarant features basic modern amenities such as electric lighting, kept running by the largest power grid in Arcanum.

Ashbury

A homely seaside town (provided one ignores the nearby castle of the undead), Ashbury is fairly well-to-do, hosting a basic power grid and well-maintained buildings and public facilities. Economic activity is unsurprisingly centered on its port, which is the easternmost stop-over point on the maritime trade routes. The town was one of the first population centres to be linked with the UK rail network.

[edit] Kingdom of Cumbria

A decrepit husk of its former self, Cumbria retains whatever meagre districts of the south-eastern mainland not already claimed by the UK. Due to King Praetor's conservatism over issues of technological reform, he is regarded as old and deluded by those outside the ailing kingdom. Most of Cumbria's infrastructure has been long neglected, due not only to its industrial policy, but also a plague it suffered some years earlier.

Dernholm

The Cumbrian capital, Dernholm is crippled by a refusal to embrace industrialisation and as such no longer holds any power on the world stage. Its provinces are all attempting to leave and join with Tarant under the UK banner.

Black Root

The central stopover point of the maritime trade routes, Black Root prospers from being a compulsory stop for ships, but due to Cumbria's poor infrastructure, local leadership is not to standard. A de jure Cumbrian entity, the mayor is conflicted over whether to pay Cumbrian taxes or UK taxes, given that the UK is in a position to offer it practicable military defence. Black Root is situated near a river delta, and maintains a robust agricultural sector.

[edit] Kingdom of Arland

A small but thriving monarchy west of the Stonewall range, the Kingdom of Arland is the only realistic rival to the UK, but nevertheless applying for UK membership, seeking the increased wealth and prosperity it brings.

Caladon

Caladon is similar to Tarant, with the exception that it's still a monarchy. Situated at the mainland's southernmost point near Stonewall's southern terminus, Caladon is the headquarters of the Panarii religion, and said to house Nasrudin's corpse. It could well be said that the city was founded by the Panarii as their prime religious centre, akin to real-world Jerusalem.

The IFS Zephyr was built in Caladon, funded by Tarantian investors.

Roseborough

The seaside town of Roseborough houses the best, largest and most well-equipped inn in all Arcanum, as well as the mysterious Ring of Brodgar, a structure resembling Stonehenge. The locals know the Ring to be imbued with powerful magicks, as technological items malfunction if they're brought too close; otherwise the Ring is considered a tourist attraction.

[edit] Glimmering Forest

The Glimmering Forest is the largest forest in Arcanum. It also seems to be imbued with magickal forces, as even the most aggressive wildlife is passive unless attacked. Within it lies the cities of Qintarra and T'sen-Ang.

Qintarra

Arcanum's Elven centre, Qintarra's main entrance is protected by magickal wards, and the city itself is built high upon the forest canopy. In the city resides the Silver Lady, one of the oldest Elves at over 2000 years.

T'sen-Ang

Home of the Dark Elves, T'sen-Ang is structurally similar to Qintarra, albeit of an ominous character and darker aesthetic. The camp somehow manages to look dark even during the day, and a magickal ward prevents mages from teleporting to within even walking distance of it.

[edit] Stonewall Range

A snow-capped mountain range that spans from the sea at its southern terminus to the Grey Mountains at the northern, Stonewall Range, as per the name, isolates south-east Arcanum from the rest of the world. Stonewall's topography is harsh, with the few traversable routes inhabited by aggressive wildlife. Some of the dwarven clans have made homes in the caverns along the range, and believe themselves blessed, for in the common Arcanum creation myth, their god Alberich is the land itself, and they are special for being the only people to live exclusively within Him.

Shrouded Hills

Lying before the western face at the southern end of the range, Shrouded Hills is a rural town with a largely agrarian work base. It is the nearest town to the crash site of the IFS Zephyr.

Black Mountain Clan

The ancient site of the Black Mountain Clan was once home to a proud city of dwarves, who seem to have grown rich from trade with the elves of neighbouring Glimmering Forest and the humans of Stillwater. Arcanum's most prominent industrialist, Gilbert Bates, took the idea of the steam engine from the Black Mountain Clan and adapted its design for industrial utilities. However, shortly after this, the Black Mountain Clan disappeared entirely, the issue of their disappearance being part of main quest of Arcanum.

Stonecutter Clan

The Stonecutter Clan is one of the smallest dwarven settlements, the site of this clan is also somewhat deserted. The Clan is home to the remains of a laboratory belonging to Kerghan the Terrible – the sole human mage on Nasrudin's elven council. Kerghan was renowned for his research into dark magick (in fact he founded Dark Necromancy), and his laboratory is not without remaining evidence of sadistic projects. Upon its discovery, a visiting dwarf studied his research notes and attempted to apply them in a scientific manner. He ended up accidentally reanimating a horde of the undead.

Iron Clan

Home to the earliest and greatest of the dwarves, the Iron Clan is now nothing more than a small, deserted hall and a throne room. Whilst most early dwarves focused, like humanity, on hunting, farming and fishing, it was the dwarves of the Iron Clan who invented the first great marvels of dwarven technology.

[edit] Grey Mountains

While the Grey Mountains haven't the breadth of Stonewall Range, they are absolutely impassable with no overland routes available. It is home to one dwarven clan, the Wheel.

Stillwater

Stillwater is a provincial pocket between the junction of Stonewall, the Grey Mountains and the tributaries of Hadrian River. Its most prized export is a high-quality sword, known titularly as the Stillwater Blade; the town is also home to a local legend, the Stillwater Giant.

Wheel Clan

As the location of the dwarven royal family (the Thunderstones), the Wheel Clan is to Dwarven society what Tarant is to the Unified Kingdom. King Loghaire Thunderstone currently lives in self-imposed exile in the Dredge – a deep, perilous mine running beneath the site. His son, Prince Randver Thunderstone, has assumed the title of King-in-waiting, and despite a well-meaning character, his rule is regarded as shaky and indecisive. The Wheel Clan is technologically and scientifically advanced, to the extent where the dwarves are able to cultivate crops underground. Although a deeply isolationist settlement (it takes a fair amount of effort and ingenuity on the player's behalf to find it), Wheel Clansmen respect and admire those who aid in their endeavours.

[edit] Vendigroth Wastes

The Wastes is the name given to the site remains of an advanced civilization, now extinct, known as the Vendigroth. Now a desolate wasteland, overland access to the Vendigroth Wastes is only possible via a bridge built two millennia ago, called the "Gateway".

Vendigroth Ruins

Protected underground, the ruins of Vendigroth are littered with the miscellany of a bygone era. Vendigroth appears to have been more modernised at the point of its demise than the current Arcanum status quo, to the extent of having mastered meteorology, for instance. Unlike most of the modern-day technological powers, Vendigroth retained religion, as the only altar in the world for Velorien (All-Father of the gods), resides within the city.

Tulla

Concealed from view, Tulla is the premier institution of the magickal colleges, accessible only via a special gate. Founded several millennia ago by Pelojian—a noble mage disappointed by the short-sighted corruption of his peers—Tulla is renowned throughout the world for housing exceedingly powerful arcane artifacts.

[edit] Development

Arcanum's public beta testing commenced in September 2000.^[19] It is the debut title of now-defunct development house Troika Games, which consisted of former Interplay Entertainment staff—most notably Tim Cain—responsible for 1997's critically acclaimed Fallout.

On release, the game was found to be incompatible with some video cards such as Voodoo2, and drivers such as nVidia's Detonator3. Furthermore, the game's copy protection software, SecuROM, caused system-component conflicts with particular brands of sound cards and CD-ROM drives.^[20]

[edit] Modification

The game comes packaged with an editor, allowing players to create their own maps, campaigns and NPCs, called WorldEdit. The program allows any game-world object to be input into existing and newly created environments via GUI menus. Editing can be done in either isometric or top-down views. Players have charge over the game's variables, such as the skill level required to pick a certain lock, or the precise time that an electric light will turn on. Players are also able to create brand new objects via the scenery creator.

[edit] Unofficial patch

The latest official patch, 1.0.7.4 was released in 2001 and leaves many bugs unfixed and a large portion of game content unused.

The best known comprehensive fix package is Drog Black Tooth's "Unofficial Arcanum patch" series at RPG Codex, which fixes many of Arcanum's remaining issues without altering the game's balance. The mod also restores a substantial amount of lost content, including endings, audio, artwork and animations. One of the mod's most notable features is the removal of sprite mirroring, restoring more than 200 megabytes of previously unused animations to the game. Development on the patch is still continuing as of December 2008. ^[21]

[edit] Sequel

In a 2000 interview with Nextgame.it Tim Cain announced plans for an Arcanum sequel,^[22] but these plans would not come to pass – Troika Games filed for dissolution on September 30, 2005.^[23]

In September 2006, one of Arcanum's lead programmers and tri-founder of Troika, Leonard Boyarsky, divulged that the studio had originally commenced work on a sequel, going by the working title of Journey to the Centre of Arcanum, which would use Valve's Source Engine. Development was curtailed by disputes between Sierra and Valve, resulting ultimately in the project being shelved.^[24]

[edit] Soundtrack

Arcanum features an unusual soundtrack for any RPG, let alone computer game. Composed by Ben Houge, it is scored almost entirely for string quartet. It follows the conventional RPG soundtrack format: short, impressionistic vignettes which are looped in-game. The soundtrack was produced by Ben Houge and Jeff Pobst, with Leonid Keylin on first violin, Kathy Stern on second violin, Vincent Comer on viola, Susan Williams on cello, Evan Buehler on marimba and Ben Houge on djembe, rainstick and synthesiser.

The soundtrack was not commercially released, but is available for free download^[25] here, courtesy of Sierra On-Line and Troika Games. The sheet music is also provided.

1. "Arcanum" - 2:37 2. "The Demise of the Zephyr" - 1:33 3. "Wilderness" - 2:12 4. "Tarant" - 2:07 5. "The Tarant Sewers" - 2:13 6. "Caladon" - 2:39 7. "Caladon Catacombs" - 2:55 8. "Dungeons" - 3:00 9. "Battle at Vendigroth" - 1:34 10. "Tulla" - 3:11 11. "Towns" - 2:01

12. "The Isle of Despair" - 2:27 13. "Mines" - 2:41 14. "Cities" - 2:20 15. "Radcliffe's Commission" - 1:35 16. "The Vendigroth Wastes" - 3:05 17. "Villages" - 2:46 18. "Qintarra" - 1:56 19. "The Wheel Clan" - 2:06 20. "The Void" - 0:50 21. "Kerghan's Castle" - 2:25 22. "In Memoriam" (bonus track) - 2:45

The track "In Memoriam" was unused in the game itself and was later released by Houge in an interview.^[26] It can be downloaded from here.

[edit] References

[edit] See also

• Computer role-playing game
• Black Isle Studios
• Fallout
• Tim Cain

[edit] External links

• Official website – Appears to be down as of August 2006. Archived version available here
• Terra Arcanum

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