King of Chicago
Encyclopedia
The King of Chicago is a 1986 action adventure
strategy
computer game by Doug Sharp. Based on numerous Hollywood mobster movies
, this game is set in the 1930s.
with a small mafia
-type mob and follow Al Capone
in being the mob-king of the city. The goal of the game is to increase the size of one's gang in order to take over all mobster activity in the city. The player must do this by a certain date in order to be included in the formation of the New York
syndicate
.
The game features many mobster activities, such as drive-by shooting
s, bombings, illegal gambling
and bribing of corrupt government officials
. The player must murder and out-deal his opponents in order to win control of the city. As if that weren't enough, the player also has to stay one step ahead of the law and keep his girlfriend satisfied by catering to her whims and desires, or risk losing her.
Like most early Cinemaware
titles, this game featured polished graphics and innovative gameplay.
, a powerful home computer
of the era. It was then ported
to other systems. It was eventually released for the Apple IIGS
, Atari ST
, DOS
, Sharp X68000
. The Mac version was published by Mindscape
and later versions for US platforms published by Cinemaware itself. Distribution in the UK, including platforms found almost exclusively there and in Europe, was done by Mirrorsoft.
by Tusbas.http://www.kingofchicago.info
Action-adventure game
An action-adventure game is a video game that combines elements of the adventure game genre with various action game elements. It is perhaps the broadest and most diverse genre in gaming, and can include many games which might better be categorized under narrow genres...
strategy
Strategy game
A strategy game or strategic game is a game in which the players' uncoerced, and often autonomous decision-making skills have a high significance in determining the outcome...
computer game by Doug Sharp. Based on numerous Hollywood mobster movies
Film
A film, also called a movie or motion picture, is a series of still or moving images. It is produced by recording photographic images with cameras, or by creating images using animation techniques or visual effects...
, this game is set in the 1930s.
Description
The player starts in ChicagoChicago
Chicago is the largest city in the US state of Illinois. With nearly 2.7 million residents, it is the most populous city in the Midwestern United States and the third most populous in the US, after New York City and Los Angeles...
with a small mafia
Mafia
The Mafia is a criminal syndicate that emerged in the mid-nineteenth century in Sicily, Italy. It is a loose association of criminal groups that share a common organizational structure and code of conduct, and whose common enterprise is protection racketeering...
-type mob and follow Al Capone
Al Capone
Alphonse Gabriel "Al" Capone was an American gangster who led a Prohibition-era crime syndicate. The Chicago Outfit, which subsequently became known as the "Capones", was dedicated to smuggling and bootlegging liquor, and other illegal activities such as prostitution, in Chicago from the early...
in being the mob-king of the city. The goal of the game is to increase the size of one's gang in order to take over all mobster activity in the city. The player must do this by a certain date in order to be included in the formation of the New York
New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
syndicate
Syndicate
A syndicate is a self-organizing group of individuals, companies or entities formed to transact some specific business, or to promote a common interest or in the case of criminals, to engage in organized crime...
.
The game features many mobster activities, such as drive-by shooting
Drive-by shooting
A drive-by shooting is a form of hit-and-run tactic, a personal attack carried out by an individual or individuals from a moving or momentarily stopped vehicle without use of headlights to avoid being noticed. It often results in bystanders being shot instead of, or as well as, the intended target...
s, bombings, illegal gambling
Gambling
Gambling is the wagering of money or something of material value on an event with an uncertain outcome with the primary intent of winning additional money and/or material goods...
and bribing of corrupt government officials
Politician
A politician, political leader, or political figure is an individual who is involved in influencing public policy and decision making...
. The player must murder and out-deal his opponents in order to win control of the city. As if that weren't enough, the player also has to stay one step ahead of the law and keep his girlfriend satisfied by catering to her whims and desires, or risk losing her.
Like most early Cinemaware
Cinemaware
Cinemaware was a computer game developer and publisher that released several popular titles in the 1980s based on various movie themes. The company was resurrected in 2000, before being acquired by eGames in 2005.-Cinemaware Corp...
titles, this game featured polished graphics and innovative gameplay.
Ports
This game was first developed by Doug Sharp on the Mac, then limited to a monochrome display, using graphics based on digitized images of clay models. The game was then given a complete visual redesign by the inhouse Cinemaware art team for release on the AmigaAmiga
The Amiga is a family of personal computers that was sold by Commodore in the 1980s and 1990s. The first model was launched in 1985 as a high-end home computer and became popular for its graphical, audio and multi-tasking abilities...
, a powerful home computer
Home computer
Home computers were a class of microcomputers entering the market in 1977, and becoming increasingly common during the 1980s. They were marketed to consumers as affordable and accessible computers that, for the first time, were intended for the use of a single nontechnical user...
of the era. It was then ported
Porting
In computer science, porting is the process of adapting software so that an executable program can be created for a computing environment that is different from the one for which it was originally designed...
to other systems. It was eventually released for the Apple IIGS
Apple IIGS
The Apple , the fifth and most powerful model in the Apple II series of personal computers produced by Apple Computer. The "GS" in the name stands for Graphics and Sound, referring to its enhanced graphics and sound capabilities, both of which greatly surpassed previous models of the line...
, Atari ST
Atari ST
The Atari ST is a home/personal computer that was released by Atari Corporation in 1985 and commercially available from that summer into the early 1990s. The "ST" officially stands for "Sixteen/Thirty-two", which referred to the Motorola 68000's 16-bit external bus and 32-bit internals...
, DOS
DOS
DOS, short for "Disk Operating System", is an acronym for several closely related operating systems that dominated the IBM PC compatible market between 1981 and 1995, or until about 2000 if one includes the partially DOS-based Microsoft Windows versions 95, 98, and Millennium Edition.Related...
, Sharp X68000
Sharp X68000
The Sharp X68000, often referred to as the X68k, is a home computer released only in Japan by the Sharp Corporation. The first model was released in 1987, with a 10 MHz Motorola 68000 CPU, 1 MB of RAM and no hard drive; the last model was released in 1993 with a 25 MHz Motorola 68030...
. The Mac version was published by Mindscape
Mindscape
Mindscape is an international software publishing company, previously part of The Learning Company. They are now affiliated with EA . As of 2004, the group has offices in Europe, Asia, Australia and South America. It has an annual turnover of €38 million and employs 150 people. Mindscape...
and later versions for US platforms published by Cinemaware itself. Distribution in the UK, including platforms found almost exclusively there and in Europe, was done by Mirrorsoft.
Other uses
King of Chicago is a board gameBoard game
A board game is a game which involves counters or pieces being moved on a pre-marked surface or "board", according to a set of rules. Games may be based on pure strategy, chance or a mixture of the two, and usually have a goal which a player aims to achieve...
by Tusbas.http://www.kingofchicago.info
External links
- Story vs. Game: The Battle of Interactive Fiction, a lecture Sharp gave at the 1989 Computer Game Developers ConferenceGame Developers ConferenceThe Game Developers Conference is the largest annual gathering of professional video game developers, focusing on learning, inspiration, and networking...
describing how King of Chicagos interactive story engine was implemented.