Dungeon Keeper

an old game, a good game

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Dungeon Keeper (DK shorthand) is one of my favorite games of all time. It is a video game developed by Bullfrog Productions and the producer was Peter Molyneux. Molyneux is known for Populous, Theme Park, Black & White and the Fable series. The game was released in 1997, at the end of June. DK is a Real-Time Strategy game, a god and kazamata (dungeon) simulator. I played this game only as a child when it was released, and I have fond memories of this piece of art. Now as an adult, I wanted to replay DK again so I did, and I recorded the walkthrough in high resolution.

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The playlist for the video walkthrough

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Dungeon KeeperFX

Dungeon KeeperFX is a Fan eXpansion of the well-known game: Dungeon Keeper, simply called KeeperFX. Luckily, the keeperFX allows the user to play the game on modern hardware and in higher resolution. (1920×1080+) It fixes several bugs and adds new, and more content to the game. It requires the original game files to run, you can simply use the GoG version of the game. Install KeeperFX from GitHub, and copy the music files from the CD to your install folder. Launch the launcher.exe and set the -nocd parameter to enjoy music in the game. After playing for more than 20 hours I only found some pathfinding bugs, I did not encounter any annoying bugs or program crashes. KeeperFX looks very stable.

Some features of keeperFX:

  • works on modern hardware and Microsoft OS
  • high-resolution support (up to 2560×1440)
  • bug fixes (haste bug, workshop bug, etc.)
  • better AI (gameplay feels more challenging now)
  • ability to play the game music without the CD (you can even put the intro music to the playlist)
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What is exactly Dungeon Keeper?

The game is really a special snowflake, it has complex mechanics and beautifully artistic graphics. The music adds another layer to the fairy atmosphere. And I think the game’s biggest shot is that you control the evil side, which is really unusual and I was instantly hooked on that idea when I first see DK in 1997. “It’s good to be evil!” – they said, I agree.

Base game mechanics

The game has 20 levels, the difficulty increases linearly. Later DK received an official expansion, it is called Deeper Dungeons. DK received a sequel but numerous fans think it was never as good as the first game. The player acts as a so-called Keeper, the goal is usually to destroy enemy keepers and their dungeon hearths ANDOR vanish the humans from the dungeons. The only resource is gold, it is the only currency in the game.

God Simulator

DK is an RTS game, but it feels different. The player does not need to micro-manage the units (creatures). The creatures living their own life. They sleep, they eat, and they get a salary for their work. Other activities included: training, reading in the library, and creating doors and traps in the workshop. This concept creates a magical gaming atmosphere where the player can even slap the controllable units to do their task faster. Some creatures obviously get annoyed by slaps, on the other hand, some enjoy it.

Controllable units

The base unit of the Keepers is the imp. Imps are little creatures that dig gold, claim more territory and fortify dungeon walls. Imps are the only creatures that do not need any food or sleep. They are born for doing dirty work. The rest of the creatures eat chickens from the hatchery and they need to sleep in their own place in the lair. Each creature has a different wage and from time to time there is a payday. You need to satisfy these needs otherwise the creatures will rebel against the keepers.

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The rooms you can build

The Keepers are able to build 14 different structures or rooms. Different rooms attract different creatures. For example, if Bile Demon is included in the level’s creature pool then a 5×5 tiles lair and a 5×5 tiles hatchery will attract bile demons.

  • Treasure Room
  • Lair
  • Hatchery
  • Library
  • Training Room
  • Bridge
  • Guard Post
  • Workshop
  • Barracks
  • Prison
  • Torture Chamber
  • Temple
  •  Graveyard
  • Scavenger Room
  • Portal
  • Dungeon Heart

Creatures

16 different evil creatures can be summoned by portals. The most known are probably: Horned Reaper, Bile Deamon, and Dark Mistress. The rest are: Troll, Warlock, Vampire, Skeleton, Dragon, Orc, Demon Spawn, Spider, Tentacle, Beetle, Fly, Hellhound, and Ghost.

Heroes, the good guys

The game also offers 13 different heroes, they are the good guys. These heroes can be converted by torturing them in the torture chamber. Knight, Wizard, Fairy, Giant, Samurai, Witch, Monk, Barbarian, Archer, Thief, Mountain Dwarf, Tunneller. And Avatar, the strongest hero.

Useful castable Spells

Keepers can cast 16 different spells. The first spell is the Posses Creature. The player can possess a creature and control it from the first-person view and use the creature’s own abilities. Some of the spells are very powerful and game-changing. Spells are crucial elements of the game. It is worth to mention the voice actor did a great job regarding spell sounds.

  • Possess Creature
  • Create Imp
  • Sight of Evil
  • Speed Monster
  • Must Obey
  • Call to Arms
  • Conceal Monster
  • Hold Audience
  • Cave-In
  • Heal
  • Lightning Strike
  • Protect Monster
  • Chicken
  • Disease
  • Armageddon
  • Destroy Walls