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Netscape 4 only links:
Patches, Reviews, Inside The Dale, Spine of the World, HoW Patch
The Spine of the World
The spine of the world are a series of mountains that are located in the north of the Forgotten Realms. It is a cold and icey region where only the skilled can survive.
The civilisation concentrates in the area known as the Ten Towns. One of these towns is Easthaven. From this towns leads a path to Kuldahar Pass and the town of Kuldahar, where the archdruid Arundel reigns. Kuldahar is the last civilised town before one enters the mountains of the spine of the world. This region is also known under the name Icewind Dale.
The story of Icewind Dale starts in the town of Easthaven, where your party of six arrives in the tavern one day. The townsfolk of Easthaven are hardened by the cold. The men of Easthaven spend most of their time fishing for the knuckelhead trout, which is the only source of income for them.
But there is trouble in the Dale. Everybody in the town speaks of it and there is one man that is gathering a party to go on an investigation. His name is Hrothgar and after you finished exploring Easthaven join him and head for Kuldahar.
Kuldahar is a wonder of nature. The town is constructed around a giant oak tree which gives it's warmth to the town. There is no snow in Kuldahar and it is a pleasant place to stay. Unfortunately your travels will lead you to other places, deep inside the mountains. Where creatures live that you've never seen before. There are goblins and ghouls, ogres and giants and skeletons and zombies are walking around to name a few.
There is trouble in the Dale and it is up to you to find out what is all behind it. This is where you can test your skills. Are you up to the task? Is your party well equipped? This is the big testcase for the adventurers among you.
Icewind Dale has been made by Black Isle Studios (BIS), the RPG division of Interplay. BIS works together with Bioware the creators of Baldur's Gate, which according to some, including the innkeeper, put making an RPG back on the roadmap of the game creators. Icewind Dale uses the Infinity engine, created by Bioware, that was also used for Baldur's Gate and Planescape:Torment.
The Infinity engine gives a 2D isometric view of prerendered backgrounds on which the animations and characters are added. The engine was designed specifically to support RPG games. Everything in the game has been drawn by hand, none of the animations or movements is calculated and then rendered. This allows, when done properly, for an extremely detailed world. And according to the innkeeper it is done properly.
In Icewind Dale you get to create a party of six, which can be tailored to your requirements. In contrast to Baldur's Gate, Icewind Dale is more hack & slash and focusses less on a detailed storyline. This does not mean that there is no storyline. The storyline matches the game perfectly and makes sure that you want to play the game to the end.
Several items that you can find on your journey are randomised. This means that when you replay the game, the first time you could get a Phasing Bastard Sword +1 and the second time a Fine Quality Long Sword +1 and the third time yet another one. This allows for a different experience everytime you replay the game.
You can also play the game in multiplayer mode, with upto 6 players. Each taking care of one of the characters, adding extra fun to playing the game.
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