FATE (COMPUTER GAME)

'''FATE''' (or often called '''Fate''') is a 2005 single player action role-playing game for the PC produced by WildTangent. It was runner-up for "Role Playing Game of 2005" in ''PC Gamer'' magazine. It is an unofficial sequel to Diablo II, based on an internal memorandum that circulated through Blizzard Studios describing Diablo as a franchise seriously lacking in-game fishing exercises.

Contents

Description

Cheats

Customizations

Criticisms

References

External links

Description

''FATE'' contains many elements of Roguelike games, particularly ''Diablo'' and ''Diablo II'', but with more fishing. The dungeon and treasures found within are randomized, as are the monsters. Certain items contain "sockets," into which the player can put special gems in order to customize the item. ''FATE'' is rated E10+ for mild fantasy violence and animated blood. The score uses classical guitar and middle eastern influences much as the Diablo series does.
The game takes place in the town of Grove, where the "Dungeon Gate" leads would-be adventurers to multiple levels of fame, fortune, and death. The player assumes the role of one of these adventurers, and is assigned a randomized quest at the beginning of the game that will take them deep into the dungeon. Along the way, randomized side-quests are made available to the player by the townspeople of Grove. These are often fetch quests, though they sometimes require the player to kill off all enemies of a certain type on a certain floor of the dungeon.
When the character gains enough experience points, they are promoted to the next level, and given five Attribute points as well as two Skill points. Attributes (Strength, Dexterity, Vitality and Magic) allow the character to wield stronger weapons, armor and spells, while Skills denote proficiency at certain things ("Sword Skill," "Charm Magic Skill," "Critical Hit Skill"). There are no set character classes in ''FATE'', allowing players to customize to their hearts' content. Additionally, the player is rewarded with "Fame" points by completing side-quests, which contribute to the gaining of Fame levels. On occasion players must decide if the equipment they were sent to retrieve should be kept, or if the potential fame points are more important. Elite equipment cannot be equipped unless the player is of a certain Fame level, and gaining a level of Fame yields four Skill points. Finally, a denizen of Grove, specifically a bard, can be paid to increase the character's Fame, allowing savvy players (in the game's own words) to buy Skill points. Unfortunately, gold is hard to come by as shops buy for 1/8th of their selling price.
The player is accompanied by a pet, which can initially be chosen as a dog or cat. This pet fights on behalf of the player, can carry items, and can be sent back to town in order to sell unwanted findings (though it cannot complete fetch quests). The player can transform the pet into various forms by feeding it fish, which can be caught in various bodies of water or purchased from vendors. Some of these transformations are temporary, some can be made permanent.
Unlike the ''Diablo'' games, ''FATE'' is rendered fully in 3D, allowing the player to zoom in and out of the action as necessary. Another difference is that ''FATE'' offers no multiplayer elements. While this absence has been criticized by some, others find the single player feature only to be a draw.
If the player completes the main quest they received at the beginning of the game, they are given the option to retire the current character and start play over again with a descendant of the first character. The descendant gets various perks and bonuses, including one item that is handed down from its ancestor. If a player chooses not to retire, they can advance their characters and go as deep into the dungeon as they like

Cheats

To use cheats, press shift, control, and ~ keys simultaneously.
A "?" will appear on the left side of the screen and you will be unable to move.
Type the name of an item, or creature to create it, such as "flawless goldfish". Be sure to use correct spelling.
Type "ascend " or "descend " and a number to change levels such as "ascend 3" to go up three levels.
Type God to level up 10 times
Type gold to receive 500,000 gold pieces.
Type fame to gain 1,000 fame.
Type experience to gain 5,000 exp.

Customizations

Like many other games in its class, ''Fate'' has an active modding community. The developers have released tools to aid in the creation of mods and over 100 mods exist in a community database. Mods for ''Fate'' range from simple potions and weapons to new spells and town make-overs. The community has created tutorials for creating new weapons, armor, spells, monsters, and other such items. One pitfall of these activities is the stability of the game; for this reason, it is recommended that the original game files be backed up prior to the installation of any third-party changes.

Criticisms

Like many titles from WildTangent, ''FATE'' automatically installs the WildTangent Web Driver in order to allow unlocking of the demo version and for applying updates. However, there is considerable debate among the community as to whether or not this program and its associated modules are actually spyware.^[1] WildTangent maintains that the anonymous usage information they collect does not amount to spyware.^[2]

References

1. Spyware or Slyware?
2. Is WildTangent Spyware?

External links

★ ''FATE'' official site

★ ''FATE'' Reviews at Game Rankings

★ WildGames Forum

★ ''Fate'' Mod Archive

★ A fan site devoted to Fate. (Link currently broken)