ChipWits
| ChipWits | |
|---|---|
ChipWits logo from 1984 manual.
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| Developer(s) | Doug Sharp Mike Johnston |
| Publisher(s) | BrainPower |
| Platforms | Apple Macintosh, Apple II, Commodore 64 |
| Release date(s) | 1984 |
| Genre(s) | Robot simulation |
| Mode(s) | Single Player |
ChipWits is a 1984 Robot simulation game for the Apple Macintosh, programmed by Doug Sharp and Mike Johnston, and published by BrainPower software.
Summary
The player uses an iconic programming language to teach a virtual robot how to navigate various mazes of varying difficulty. The gameplay straddled the line between entertainment and programming education. The game was developed in MacFORTH, and later ported to the Apple II and Commodore 64. From 2006 to 2008, Mike Johnston and Doug Sharp worked on a new version of ChipWits, with playable betas available for download at ChipWits.com.
Reception
Computer Gaming World reviewed Robot Odyssey and Chipwits, preferring the former to the latter but stating that they were "incredibly vivid simulation experiences". It criticized Chipwits' inability to save more than 16 robots or copy a robot to a new save slot, and cautioned that it "may be too simple for people familiar with programming". The magazine added that the criticism was "more a cry for a more complex Chipwits II game than condemnation of the current product".[1]
ChipWits won numerous awards, including MACazine Best of '85, and MacUser's Editor's Choice 1985 Award as well as being named the The 8th Best Apple Game of All Time by Maclife.
Windows version
In 2006, a complete rewrite of the original game for Microsoft Windows was done by Klaus Breuer, and is available at his website.[2] His intention was to replicate the original as faithfully as possible, and release the source code. He also wanted to remove the limitations of saves, and other resources and make the game easier to customize and translate to other languages. It is almost complete, but poor health caused him to give up the task.
See also
References
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