Excalibur 7/23/82 (Version 39)

 

Excalibur was the original name of Dragonstomper, but was changed shortly before release.  Why Starpath decided to change the name is a mystery, but it may have had something to do with copyright issues.  Version 39 is a mid level WIP with many differences from the final release.  You can see how Stephen was playing around with the game objects since the screen is very crowded in some areas and empty in others.  Excalibur also has a few items that didn't make it into the final release such as mazes and doors, making it very interesting study.

 

Prototype Differences
The game only consists of the countryside area (the first load).
The map is incomplete with large empty areas and areas with many structures in close proximity.
Structures which you cannot get to can appear beyond the boundaries of the map.
Some of the graphics are slightly different such as the trees.
The game starts up with and black background and your character being attacked by a snake.  Resetting the game will start it in the normal way.
There are structures in the game which were removed from the final version such as Mazes, Gates, and Doors.  Doors will transport your character to a random location.

Your inventory show you are carrying game objects instead of items (swamp, grass, trap, bridge, tree, castle, church, maze, lake, door, gate).  Using any of these items has no effect.
There are no regular items in the game (keys, staves, rings, etc.), although they are in the game rom.
Your character starts out with 20 str and 20 dex instead of 23.
You start out with no gold
No structures are locked (which is good because you can't find keys!)
Structures other than churches have no function in this version (no monsters or items)
There is no death message or music when you die, instead the screen turns red
The bug which makes some objects (usually trees) appear larger than they should is much worse in this version and can effect all the object on the screen!
Resetting starts your character back at the original starting spot instead of where you currently are.
It is possible to lose dexterity other than by using items in this version.
Some monsters are not present in this version (Golems, Monkeys, Slimes, etc.)
Guards can appear as monsters (and are just as tough as they are in the normal game).
The Maniac monster is called a Smiler
Traps can be in any place, not just around castles.
There are no Pits or Huts in this version

 

 

This is what you see when you start the game

 

Guards can appear as normal monsters!

 

The map is very incomplete

 

Who puts traps around a church?

 

Here are some mazes and a door

 

My inventory says I'm carrying a swamp, grass, a trap...

 

A maze, lake, tree...

 

A door, gate, bridge...

 

Oh no it's Evil Otto!

 

Here's that blocky bug.

 

 

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