Android Nim

Last updated
Android Nim
Android Nim (Cover).jpg
Publisher(s) 80-NW Publishing
Programmer(s) Leo Christopherson (TRS)
Don Dennis (PET)
Platform(s) Apple II, PET, TRS-80
Release1978: TRS-80
July 1979: PET
1980: Apple II
Genre(s) Strategy
Mode(s) Single-player

Android Nim is a computerized version of the strategy game Nim programmed by Leo Christopherson for the TRS-80 and published in 1978 by 80-NW Publishing. A port to the Commodore PET by Don Dennis was released in July 1979, followed by an Apple II version in 1980.

Contents

Android Nim is played versus the computer. The stones or other objects of traditional Nim are replaced by androids; their animation was considered impressive in 1978. [1]

Gameplay

The object of the game is to remove the last android from three rows of androids. The game's premise is simple, but its animation is impressive given the limitations of the TRS-80's display. Throughout the game androids are animated to face different directions, as if bored or engaging in conversation with one another.

Android Nim Commodore PET.png
Intro screen

The game starts with three rows of androids which contain 7, 5, and 3 androids respectively. An animated android asks the player if they would like to go first. The player chooses a row and types in how many droids to remove. An animated droid at the head of the row then nods its head and raises a gun and the other androids turn to look at the selected row. The specified number of androids are then zapped with a laser beam. It is then the computer's turn—with similar effect—and play continues until the last android is removed.

If the human wins, the computer is an amusingly poor sport and displays astonishment; if it wins, the computer displays a huge "I WIN!". If the computer is about to lose, it pretends to seek futile ways to avoid losing (i.e., by selecting more androids than are available in a given row) before giving up.

Reception

The game was reviewed in The Dragon #44 by Mark Herro. Herro stated, "if you want a good 'demo' program or just a little light entertainment — I think you could do worse than to try out this game. I like Android Nim." [2]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Nim</span> Game of strategy

Nim is a mathematical game of strategy in which two players take turns removing objects from distinct heaps or piles. On each turn, a player must remove at least one object, and may remove any number of objects provided they all come from the same heap or pile. Depending on the version being played, the goal of the game is either to avoid taking the last object or to take the last object.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">TRS-80</span> 1977 microcomputer by Tandy Corporation

The TRS-80 Micro Computer System is a desktop microcomputer launched in 1977 and sold by Tandy Corporation through their Radio Shack stores. The name is an abbreviation of Tandy Radio Shack, Z80 [microprocessor]. It is one of the earliest mass-produced and mass-marketed retail home computers.

Idle animations are animations within video games that occur when the player character is not performing any actions. They serve to give games personality, as an Easter Egg for the player, or for realism.

<i>Adventureland</i> (video game) 1978 video game

Adventureland is a text adventure video game for microcomputers, released by Scott Adams in 1978. The game has no plot but simply involves searching for thirteen lost artifacts in a fantasy setting. Its success led Adams to form Adventure International, which went on to publish thirteen similar games in the Adventure series, each in different settings.

<i>Tanglewood</i> (1987 video game) 1987 video game

Tanglewood is a puzzle/adventure computer game published by Microdeal for the Dragon 32 and TRS-80 Color Computer in early 1987. It was released for the Atari ST and Amiga in 1988.

<i>SoftSide</i>

SoftSide is a defunct computer magazine, begun in October 1978 by Roger Robitaille and published by SoftSide Publications of Milford, New Hampshire.

<i>Penetrator</i> (video game) 1982 video game

Penetrator is a 1982 ZX Spectrum video game made by Melbourne House programmers Philip Mitchell and Veronika Megler. The game is a clone of Konami's 1981 Scramble arcade game. Penetrator was ported to the TRS-80 and Commodore 64.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">TRS-80 Model 4</span> 1983 personal computer

The TRS-80 Model 4 is the last Z80-based home computer family by Radio Shack, sold from April 1983 through late 1991.

<i>Time Traveler</i> (1980 video game) 1980 text adventure game

Time Traveler is a 1980 fantasy text adventure developed by Krell Software. The game was released on the 16K, Level II TRS-80, Apple II, Commodore PET, and Atari 8-bit family

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Droid 3</span> Android smartphone developed by Motorola Mobility

The Motorola DROID 3 is a smartphone released on July 7, 2011, by Verizon Wireless running the Android 2.3 operating system by Google. It comes with 16 GB of internal storage. The smartphone does not ship with a microSD card. It has a 4-inch qHD display and an 8-megapixel camera capable of recording 1080p video. Unlike the DROID 2, the Motorola DROID 3 features a 5-row QWERTY keyboard, with a dedicated number row. It also has a VGA front-facing camera for video calls. The Droid 3 ships with Android 2.3.4 (Gingerbread) with Motorola's updated proprietary Motoblur UI. Like other contemporary Motorola phones, it has a locked bootloader, but it can have a custom rom using SafeStrap.

The TRS-80 computer manufacturered by Tandy / Radio Shack contains an 8-bit character set. It is partially derived from ASCII, and shares the code points from 32 - 95 on the standard model. Code points 96 - 127 are supported on models that have been fitted with a lower-case upgrade.

Space Games-3 is a 1980 video game by Creative Computing for the TRS-80 Model I Level II.

<i>FS1 Flight Simulator</i> 1979 video game

FS1 Flight Simulator is a 1979 video game published by Sublogic for the Apple II. A TRS-80 version followed in 1980. FS1 Flight Simulator is a flight simulator in the cockpit of a slightly modernized Sopwith Camel. FS1 is the first in a line of simulations from Sublogic which, beginning in 1982, were also sold by Microsoft as Microsoft Flight Simulator.

<i>Computer Acquire</i> 1980 video game

Computer Acquire is a 1980 video game published by Avalon Hill for the Apple II, Atari 8-bit family, Commodore PET, and TRS-80.

<i>Voyage of the Valkyrie</i> 1981 video game

Voyage of the Valkyrie is a video game for the TRS-80 and Apple II published in 1981 by Advanced Operating Systems. It was written by Leo Christopherson.

Trek-80 is a text-based video game written by Steve Dompier in 1976 and sold by Processor Technology for their Sol-20 computer and suitable S-100 bus machines.

<i>Galaxy</i> (video game) 1979 video game

Galaxy is a 1981 video game published by Avalon Hill and developed by Microcomputer Games for the Apple II, TRS-80, Atari 8-bit family, Commodore PET, Commodore 64, IBM PC compatibles, FM-7, and TI-99/4A. It was originally published as Galactic Empires by Powersoft in 1979.

<i>Demon Seed</i> (video game) 1982 video game

Demon Seed is a fixed shooter written by Jeffrey Sorensen and Philip MacKenzie for the TRS-80 and published in 1982 by Trend Software. The same programmers developed the TRS-80 Color Computer version published in 1983 by Computer Shack. Demon Seed is a clone of the 1980 arcade game Phoenix.

<i>Clowns and Balloons</i> 1982 video game

Clowns and Balloons is a circus-themed video game written by Frank Cohen for the Atari 8-bit family and published in 1982 by Datasoft. The game was also released for the TRS-80 Color Computer, written by Steve Bjork. It is a clone of the 1977 arcade game Circus. A variant of Breakout, the player moves a trampoline to catch a bouncing clown who pops rows of balloons at the top of the screen with his head.

References

  1. Crawford, Chris. "A Grain of Sand, A Gust of Wind". The Journal of Computer Game Design. 5.
  2. Herro, Mark (December 1980). "The Electric Eye". The Dragon (44): 86–87.