Android Nim
Encyclopedia
Android Nim is a game written by Leo Christopherson for the TRS-80
computer in 1978 and published by SoftSide
. A version for the Commodore PET
by Don Dennis was released July 1979. A new version rewritten for Microsoft Windows
was released in 2005.
The game starts with three rows of androids which contain 7, 5, and 3 androids respectively. An animated android asks the player if he or she 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.
#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."
TRS-80
TRS-80 was Tandy Corporation's desktop microcomputer model line, sold through Tandy's Radio Shack stores in the late 1970s and early 1980s. The first units, ordered unseen, were delivered in November 1977, and rolled out to the stores the third week of December. The line won popularity with...
computer in 1978 and published by SoftSide
SoftSide
SoftSide Magazine is a defunct computer magazine, begun in October 1978 by Roger Robitaille and published by SoftSide Publications of Milford, New Hampshire.-History:...
. A version for the Commodore PET
Commodore PET
The Commodore PET was a home/personal computer produced from 1977 by Commodore International...
by Don Dennis was released July 1979. A new version rewritten for Microsoft Windows
Microsoft Windows
Microsoft Windows is a series of operating systems produced by Microsoft.Microsoft introduced an operating environment named Windows on November 20, 1985 as an add-on to MS-DOS in response to the growing interest in graphical user interfaces . Microsoft Windows came to dominate the world's personal...
was released in 2005.
Game play
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.The game starts with three rows of androids which contain 7, 5, and 3 androids respectively. An animated android asks the player if he or she 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 DragonDragon (magazine)
Dragon is one of the two official magazines for source material for the Dungeons & Dragons role-playing game and associated products, the other being Dungeon. TSR, Inc. originally launched the monthly printed magazine in 1976 to succeed the company's earlier publication, The Strategic Review. The...
#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."
External links
- PET gameplay video at YouTubeYouTubeYouTube is a video-sharing website, created by three former PayPal employees in February 2005, on which users can upload, view and share videos....
- Windows version by Leo Christopherson