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Encyclopedia > Progress Quest
Progress Quest
Developer(s) Eric Fredricksen
License Freeware
Latest version 6.2
Release date(s) 2002
Genre(s) Parody of MMORPGs
Mode(s) Zero players
Platform(s) Windows

Progress Quest is a Windows computer game created as a parody of EverQuest and other massively multiplayer computer role-playing games. It is loosely considered a Zero-player game, in the sense that once the player has set up his artificial character, there is no user interaction at all; the game "plays" itself, with the human player as spectator. Image File history File links ProgressQuest screenshot. ... A video game developer is a software developer (a business or an individual) that creates video games. ... A software license is a legal agreement which may take the form of a proprietary or gratuitous license as well as a memorandum of contract between a producer and a user of computer software. ... The term Freeware refers to gratis proprietary software with closed source. ... Also see: 2002 (number). ... Video games are categorized into genres based on their gameplay. ... In contemporary usage, a parody (or lampoon) is a work that imitates another work in order to ridicule, ironically comment on, or poke some affectionate fun at the work itself, the subject of the work, the author or fictional voice of the parody, or another subject. ... An image from World of Warcraft, one of the largest commercial MMORPGs as of 2004, based on active subscriptions. ... The term zero-player game commonly refers to games that have no human players, but also to games that have no players at all. ... Windows redirects here. ... Windows redirects here. ... A computer game is a game composed of a computer-controlled virtual universe that players interact with in order to achieve a defined goal or set of goals. ... In contemporary usage, a parody (or lampoon) is a work that imitates another work in order to ridicule, ironically comment on, or poke some affectionate fun at the work itself, the subject of the work, the author or fictional voice of the parody, or another subject. ... EverQuest (EQ) is a 3D fantasy massively multiplayer online role-playing game (MMORPG) that was released on March 16, 1999. ... An image from World of Warcraft, one of the largest commercial MMORPGs as of 2004, based on active subscriptions. ... The term zero-player game commonly refers to games that have no human players, but also to games that have no players at all. ...


Progress Quest parodies computer role-playing games, especially EverQuest, for what many gamers consider to be an uninteresting game play. EverQuest, among many other MMORPGs are infamous for their "auto-attack" combat system where players press a button to initiate combat mode and from then on there is usually little to do other than watch; Progress Quest mocks this with its "fire-and-forget" mode of gameplay. Progress Quest also pokes fun at traditional RPG races, classes, stories, quests, items, and more. This article or section does not cite any references or sources. ...


The program was made available by Eric Fredricksen in early 2002. Fans quickly joined in on the parody by submitting numerous fake reviews to several popular freeware download sites and game review sites giving Progress Quest the highest scores possible. Also see: 2002 (number). ... The term Freeware refers to gratis proprietary software with closed source. ...


The game displays the character's stats on the screen, including several progress bars representing how far the player character has advanced in the game. The character gains experience points, items, and encounters monsters. Items are then sold at a profit to purchase new equipment, relative to the character's level. There are also quests that are part of an overall "plot progression," adding a new chapter after each previous chapter has been completed. Experience points (often abbreviated as exp or xp) are a representation of a characters advancement and improvement in skills in role-playing games and computer role-playing games. ... This article does not cite any references or sources. ...


On starting a new game, it presents the player with a few options, such as what race and character class they want their player character to be. Stats are rolled to determine Strength, Constitution, Dexterity, Intelligence, Wisdom, and Charisma. Players start off with subpar equipment, eventually earning better weapons, armor, and spells. This article is about a concept in role-playing games. ... This article does not cite any references or sources. ...


Nearly none of the above-mentioned character statistics and equipment has any effect on gameplay, however. The only exception is the "strength" stat, which affects carrying capacity, indirectly influencing the speed of level gain.

Contents

Plot

The story tells of the history of Grumdrig and the creation of the realms. Currently there are five realms: Knoram, Expodrine, Oobag, Spoltog, and Pemptus. The latter two are still open, but Knoram, Expodrine and Oobag were permanently closed to the creation of new characters upon the arrival of Pemptus, which, being the newest realm, launched on February 8, 2007. The story mimics convoluted fantasy plots, using archaic and made up words such as "aberdoxy". The following is the backstory given on the official website: [1] is the 39th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2007 (MMVII) is the current year, a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar and the AD/CE era. ...

Since time before time the Vorlak had held the Crosshutch at Thraeskamp. The ancient reckoning held that the Five Skrelkampi (and their Truebine) would return when the great Trond-feast could be held anew and the Belnap reunited. But this legend became lost to all but the Papperboxen at Horbug. One of their own was Yallow the Speldrig, who found an unlikely pupil in Torbole Understeady, the discarded illigitimate waif of Wainthane Topknox, whom Yallow renamed Grumdrig and began to school as a boar-pulmet's apprentice. ...And, as it was said by some, in aberdoxy.
As our story opens young Grumdrig has returned to Horbug following a trying stint in Spilwaer Spond where his laconic disposition and fertile mind bred a series of misadventures which had landed him outside the good graces of the Jordref there, Welham, who had secretly begun a long term course of slow but disaccomodating illpeel in the lad's morning fanwael. Meanwhile, though scarce a tuft of mansefur had yet made its appearance on the boy's manssach, a number of visiting Roilwachhs have begun to exhibit a discreet and seemingly inexplicable interest in the boy. Strange indeed, as he would not reach his krouchensterm for another harvest or more. And when Grumdrig's resilient compatriot Paedri appears at Grumdrig's lochnotat with a Scrolstamp from the old Speldrig, a woozy foreboding feeling rises from his young gut...

Equipment

All equipment in the game is randomly given out as a reward for several instances in the game such as completing a quest, killing a monster, leveling a character, and especially when at the market, in which the character uses gold from the loot to 'upgrade' his or her equipment. These items usually consist of two adjectives and a noun. Like the games Progress Quest mocks, these items have statistics and the adjectives are variables describing the item. The character level is used to determine what stats each item has. Each adjective and noun is given a value, and all values add to the player's level.


A level 89 player may have a set of +66 Holy Titanium Vambraces which can be rewritten as 66 + 4 + 19, which adds up to 89. Another example would be +54 Festooned Banded Plasma Gambeson, which is rewritten as 54 + 3 + 2 + 30, which equals 89. Thus, when a player receives an "upgraded" item, it is really not an upgrade at all, as the item is of the same value every time, which in itself is one of the biggest mockeries that Progress Quest conveys.


History

Players may choose to create an account offline for their own enjoyment, or create an online account that allows their character stats to be saved on a ranking website. This allows characters to compare their accomplishments with others while trying to achieve a higher ranking on their respective realm. Players can also join guilds of Good, Neutral, or Evil alignment in certain realms, though there is no benefit for doing so.


The game has been upgraded several times throughout its history. One particular upgrade added shaded bars to the screen, which caused some players to refer to the new version as Progress Quest 3D. On the game's official forums, a popular in-joke leads newbies to believe that there exist Silver, Gold, Platinum or even Diamond-encrusted DVD versions of the game which have enhanced 3D graphics. Fake "Progress Quest" screenshots from other games, obscure 3D RPGs, helped spread this rumour. Look up Upgrade on Wiktionary, the free dictionary Upgrading is the process of replacing an older thing with a newer thing. ... An in joke is a joke whose humour is clear only to those people who are in a group that has some prior knowledge (not known by the whole population) that makes the joke humorous. ... “Newcomer” redirects here. ... General Name, Symbol, Number silver, Ag, 47 Chemical series transition metals Group, Period, Block 11, 5, d Appearance lustrous white metal Standard atomic weight 107. ... General Name, Symbol, Number gold, Au, 79 Chemical series transition metals Group, Period, Block 11, 6, d Appearance metallic yellow Standard atomic weight 196. ... General Name, Symbol, Number platinum, Pt, 78 Chemical series transition metals Group, Period, Block 10, 6, d Appearance grayish white Standard atomic weight 195. ... This article is about the gemstone. ... Size comparison: A 12 cm Sony DVD+RW and a 19 cm Dixon Ticonderoga pencil. ... The rewrite of this article is being devised at Talk:3D computer graphics/Temp. ...


Press

  1. Morgan Webb (2002). Download of the Day: 'Progress Quest'. TechTV. Retrieved on February 16, 2006.
  2. Dan Norton (2002). Baking a Progress Quest. Flak Magazine. Retrieved on February 16, 2006.

See also

Idle RPG, or just IRPG, is the general appellation of a class of satirical computer role-playing games (RPG) made for Internet Relay Chat (IRC). ...

External links


  Results from FactBites:
 
Progress Quest - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia (586 words)
Progress Quest is a Windows computer game created as a parody of EverQuest and other massively multiplayer computer role-playing games.
Progress Quest parodies computer role-playing games, especially EverQuest, for what many gamers consider to be uninteresting game play.
Progress Quest spell conversions for use with Dungeons and Dragons 3rd Edition
  More results at FactBites »


 

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