''Stranded II'' is a German 3D action-adventure survival video game released in June 2007 by German developer Unreal Software as a sequel to the original '' Stranded'' game. Just like in its predecessor, the main goal of the game is to survive on a desert island environment, ultimately escaping and returning home. The game can be downloaded for free on its official website and on the developer's website.

History and development

Just like the original, Stranded 2 was developed in

Blitz3D Blitz BASIC is the programming language dialect of the first Blitz compilers, devised by New Zealand-based developer Mark Sibly. Being derived from BASIC, Blitz syntax was designed to be easy to pick up for beginners first learning to program. T ...

. Because of the unexpected success of ''Stranded'', Peter Schauß started work on the sequel ''Stranded II'' in late 2003. Development entered public alpha stage in December 2005. But still, the release of the final version didn't happen until June 2007. He supplied an additional update in 2008, but then development on ''Stranded II'' was abandoned in favor of work on Counter-Strike 2D. After some time, the

source code In computing, source code, or simply code, is any collection of code, with or without comments, written using a human-readable programming language, usually as plain text. The source code of a program is specially designed to facilitate the wo ...

of ''Stranded II'' was released under the

GNU General Public License The GNU General Public License (GNU GPL or simply GPL) is a series of widely used free software licenses that guarantee end users the Four Freedoms (Free software), four freedoms to run, study, share, and modify the software. The license was th ...

, but some days later, Peter Schauß changed the license of the source code to

Creative Commons Creative Commons (CC) is an American non-profit organization and international network devoted to educational access and expanding the range of creative works available for others to build upon legally and to share. The organization has release ...

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Gameplay

In comparison to its precursor, ''Stranded II'' features improved graphics and more items, tools and weapons, as well as new features such as taming animals and burning down certain world objects. Also, ''Stranded II'' now has a campaign with a story spanning over a travel to several islands. The fundamental gameplay principles remained the same. In addition, ''Stranded II'' has

scripting Script may refer to: Writing systems * Script, a distinctive writing system, based on a repertoire of specific elements or symbols, or that repertoire * Script (styles of handwriting) ** Script typeface, a typeface with characteristics of handw ...

capabilities and therefore allows the creation of scripted maps. This enables map creators to incorporate narratives into their stories by use of character dialogues, quests, scripted events or cut scenes. One goal of ''Stranded II'' was to allow an easy creation of modifications by use of these scripts and editable object definition files. The community-created mods either extend the range of available items ("Extension Mod", "Massive Mod") or take the game scenario to other places ("Lost in Space"). The new items, and the new possibilities to combine these allow the player to discover the game mechanics anew, increasing the replay rate.

Reception

Stranded 2 was well received by the critics and a success with the public. Games Finder gave the game a 7.5/10 rating, saying "As a free to play survival experience that is both simple and incredibly fun, you can’t look past Stranded 2."

References

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External links

Official website

Developer's website
2007 video games Action-adventure games Freeware games Video games set on islands Windows-only freeware games Survival video games Creative Commons-licensed video games Video games with available source code Open-source video games Video games developed in Germany Windows games Windows-only games