Deadly Rooms of Death (commonly abbreviated to DROD) is a computer game. It was originally released by Webfoot software in 1997 as version 1.03 of the game, followed shortly after with versions 1.04 and 1.11 to fix some bugs with unsolvable rooms and levels. This early version is commonly known as Webfoot DROD.

In 2000, the original author of the game, Erik Hermansen, got permission from Webfoot to release the game as open source. With the help of several volunteers, he recreated the game from scratch, rewriting the entire game engine and creating improved music and graphics for it. The main game screen, however, remained mostly the same as the original Webfoot version. This version, version 1.5, is commonly known as Caravel DROD, and was first released in late October 2002.

Version 1.6, also called Architect s Edition, included improvements to some of the graphics, but most importantly a level editor, and was released in October 2003 after a long round of open beta testing. It was followed some time after by several patches to fix bugs that were found in the game. With the inclusion of a new level editor, a whole new ability for users to create their own dungeons and levels, collectively known as Holds , was created, extending DROD s total puzzle content far beyond the original game itself. In fact, so many new holds were built that a new system of categorising and rating them had to be set up on the website.

The sequel to 1.6, DROD: Journey to Rooted Hold, was released on April 1st 2005 for Microsoft Windows. The Linux port was developed simultaneously with the Windows port and was released on April 2nd. Also called DROD 2.0, the game includes many new additions and improvements, such as an expanded plot complete with in-game cutscenes and dialogue, vastly superior graphics and music; better user interfaces in both the editor and in game; new monsters and puzzle elements; additional customisability for holds, such as including custom images and sound; a new scripting system; and connectivity to an online DROD database. The game s success did mean, however, that its developers decided not to make it entirely open source like the previous version, DROD: Architects Edition, and so released the full game as a semi-commercial product. Most of the game is still free, since the source code, engine and level editor are still open source, and users may still download and build user holds without having to buy the full game, since the demo version retains this functionality.

=Gameplay and Features=

The game is entirely tile based and takes place on a 38*32 rectangular grid. Each element or monster must occupy a positive whole number of squares, and so no two monsters or objects of the same type can occupy the same square or several squares at once. The main character (Beethro Budkin) is a dungeon exterminator equipped with a large sword who has to clear a dungeon (hold) of invading monsters. Since this game is also turn based, monsters or objects will only move once per turn, and are all dependent on you making your move first, so this game requires logical problem solving rather than reflexes. Each turn, the character can wait, move into any of the eight bordering squares to his current one (if not already occupied), or rotate his sword 45 degrees. Since the game is turn based and tile based, using your sword to block advancing monsters or to manipulate them is an essential strategy, as is counting square distances to objects, since this will determine how many moves you or a monster requires to reach an object or square.

The list of original monsters and elements (from version 1.x) includes: *Cockroach - They move directly towards you with a beelining behaviour. *Roach Queen - These flee directly from you (the exact inverse of Roach behaviour) but spawn new roaches in all unoccupied adjacent squares around it every 30 moves. These roach eggs take a few moves to hatch and block the Queen s movement. *Spider - These move in the same way as roaches, but are hard to spot. The exact manner spiders are hidden depends on the version - in 1.x, they are the same color as the floors except for their eyes. In 2.0, they are truely invisible, but become visible for a turn if they moved last turn or if you get close. *Wraithwings - They can fly over pits, and will only attack in groups or if they can surround you. In small numbers, wraithwings will flee from you. *Evil Eyes - These are normally stationary and harmless monsters until you step into their line of sight. At this point, they wake up and attack like roaches. *Tar - This is a viscous blue substance with a very high surface tension that can only be found as blobs with a minimum width of 2 squares at any point inside a mass. Cutting tar to make any part of it 1 square wide will create tar babies (roach-like monsters), but only edges are vulnerable; corners cannot be cut. If it contains a Tar Mother, it will grow outwards every 30 moves, creating tar babies if, at any point, tar would be grown into a narrow spot. *Goblins - These creatures are intelligent and cowardly - very afraid of your sword, they will try to circle around you (and simple obstacles) to attack you from behind. *Serpents - These are long monsters that are invulnerable to your sword, but can only move horizontally or vertically, and must constantly move each turn. They can be killed if led into a dead end where their heads cannot move, so shortening themselves to death. *Brains - These are insidious but stationary monsters that cause all other monsters in the room to behave more intelligence, by improving the monster s ability to navigate around obstacles. Sometimes, however, this is exploitable to the player s advantage. *Mimics - These are created from mimic potions, and are clones of Beethro that mimic his movements. They are inedible and do not attract monsters, so are useful for wiping out enemies remotely, protecting Beethro, or navigating normally inaccessible areas. *The Neather - The boss enemy on the final level of the official dungeon, he is intelligent and orchestrates monsters in a room.

New monsters in the sequel DROD: Journey to Rooted Hold include, among others: *The Awakened Mud - A material similar to tar except that its edges are invulnerable and its corners cuttable. *Rattlesnake - Blue versions of serpents that will not shrink when they are trapped. Instead, their tail is vulnerable, shrinking down every time it is hit by a sword swipe. *golem - Monsters too stupid to traverse corners, they leave behind piles of rubble when they die thereby blocking the player s progress. *Wubbas - Incapable of directly harming Beethro, but also immune to his sword, they can block his movement. *Seep - Monsters that live in the walls. They move as roaches, but can only move through walls (and similar elements, like doors). When Beethro is next to them they can jump out and kill him. *Decoys - Clones of Beethro that do not move, but attract nearby monsters. *Halph - Beethro s young nephew and sidekick, he can be given simple tasks like opening doors or blocking corridors. *The Slayer - Intelligent boss enemy that tracks Beethro and wields a hook which is just as deadly as Beethro s sword. He tracks Beethro by sending a wisp into the room. When it reaches Beethro, the slayer will follow the steps of the wisp.

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