Original 'Temple Of Rom' Story:

You are an archaeologist for the Galactic Council of Free Worlds sent on a mission to discover the mysteries of the Temple of Rom, located on the desert planet Roloc.  You are searching for artifacts of a prehistoric society that vanished over two million years ago, leaving legends of great wealth and magical arts.  A legendary curse claiming to protect the sacred temples and the valuable historic artifacts that they contain has also survived.

Your mission, should you decide to accept, is to recover the treasures from the Temple of Rom. The charter for your mission states that your purpose is “to enrich the present by expanding our knowledge of the experiences and achievements of this past civilization.” A noble task indeed, but the risks are enormous.

Yours is the third mission of its kind. We lost contact with the last two missions after they landed on the surface of Roloc. Since that time, modern technology has advanced our study of the temple’s interior.  Electronic scans reveal a maze-like structure with signs of activity. A scroll is enclosed to assist you. Good luck!

'Return To Rom' Story:

(1st Draft)

After a third ‘failed’ mission, the Galactic Council of Free Worlds banned further explorations to planet Roloc. Regarding the findings and final outcome of the missing adventurers, the Galactic Council has been oddly silent.  It has been ten years since that last expedition.  Ten years since your uncle disappeared into the ancient technological temple beneath the sands of that cursed desert planet.

On your viewport, you see the dark silhouettes of blockade sensors surrounding the mysterious planet.  Anyone foolish enough to set those off would be vaporized before they reached the atmosphere.  Beaming to the surface would be even more foolish, as you might end up 1000 feet in the air or entombed under a mountainous sand-dune.  You are no fool.  You tap your pocket confidently, feeling the outline of a letter.  The letter which your uncle entrusted to you containing the exact teleport coordinates he had been given by the Council..  

Your partner speaks up with a shaky voice, “I’ve got a reading on those coordinates.  The temple seems to be a large maze-like structure, almost one square kilometer in size. The location in that letter puts you somewhere near the center of it.  Once there, the ship’s computer will track your progress and update your map accordingly.  Be careful, there seem to be some signs of ‘activity’.”

“...and one of those ‘signs’ is surely my uncle.”, you reply with a smile as you bravely step into the teleportation chamber.

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION (until I build an Overview page)

My Goal:

Re-envision the classic 1984 Temple of Rom game, originally developed by Rick Adams for the Tandy Color Computer.  The goal for me is to digitally capture and share the same first person view/experience of the game that I imagined when playing the game as an 8-10 years old child.

Success Metrics:

• Must look identical to the original game from an overhead view while simultaneously providing 3D first-person perspective.
• Must accurately recreate original game-play and enemy logic from both the overhead and first-person view.  *exception being that in first person view, the player is free to look around*.
• Must maintain accuracy in the sound effects/music.  
• Must develop realistic conversion of pixel values to real-world dimensions, taking some artistic liberty to determine best height values.
• Must provide alternate Red/Blue color schemes per original hardware option
• Must provide ability to switch main view between overhead (retro) to first person, while always keeping both views active.
• Must provide two game modes.  Original (Points / lives only) and Story (Missions / Unlockables / Points / Lives / Area Activations / Backtracking, Save Points and Unfolding Drama)