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Nautilus (computer game)
Encyclopedia
Nautilus is a 1982
computer game for the Atari 8-bit
series created by Mike Potter and distributed by Synapse Software
. The players control a submarine
, the Nautilus, or a destroyer
, the Colossus, attempting to either destroy or rebuild an underwater city. The game is historically notable as the first to feature a "split screen" display to allow both players to move at the same time.
Nautilus started with player one in control of the submarine, visible in the lower pane of the split-screen display. The joystick
allows the user to move left and right or rise and sink - the submarine was always pointed to the left or right. The player can shoot torpedo
es to the right or left in the direction of travel. The primary task for the player is to move into location beside the various underwater buildings and destroy them with their torpedoes in order to expose their energy core, which can be picked up by moving over it. The player wins the level by collecting all of the cores. To help defend the submarine, a helicopter
periodically flies by in the higher levels, attacking the destroyer.
Player two, or the computer player in a single-player game, controls the destroyer, visible in the upper pane. The ship's primary task is to ferry repair crews from the right side of the map back to the left, dropping them into an elevator that takes them to the bottom of the ocean. From there they quickly move back towards the right through a tube on the ocean floor, instantly repairing the buildings directly above them as they pass. The destroyer also drops depth charge
s and missile
s that attack the submarine, as well as leaving limpet mine
s on the sea bead. These are relatively easy to dodge in most cases, and the most dangerous enemy is often the construction crews, who may fix one of the buildings while the Nautilus is inside, retrieving the core.
In two-player mode the actions of the destroyer are relatively limited. The delay between dropping charges and them reaching the submarine is enough to allow the sub to destroy an average building before they arrive, so the ship cannot easily directly attack the sub in order to prevent it from winning. This forces it to act as a ferry for the repair crews, hardly the most exciting game, even when punctuated by the periodic helicopter attacks.
which was in charge of the background graphics and text, and the GTIA which handled player-missile graphics
in the foreground and was in charge of adding color. The ANTIC was instructed how to set up the screen on a line-by-line basis by instructions encoded in the "display list
", which included flags for options like smooth scrolling. This allowed the display to support different options or modes vertically down the screen.
In the case of Nautilus, the display list was set to divide the screen into five sections. At the top was a low-resolution text area displaying the score, followed by the horizontal-scrolling map used by the Colossus, followed by another text score area, a 2-D scrolling area for the Nautilus, and finally another text area for the status at the bottom. The graphics for each of these areas would be held in a separate area in memory. The ANTIC had a single register
holding the position of the smooth scrolling. In order to have different scrolling positions for the upper and lower portions of the screen, the ANTIC was instructed to cause an interrupt
after the second text area, calling into the 6502 to set the scrolling register to a different position.
calling it a "tour de force". In an article about Synapse, an InfoWorld
author noted no one was examining their highly rated relational database
program, in favour of watching a game of Nautilus being played.
1982 in video gaming
-Events:* December 27 - Starcade, a video game television game show, debuts on TBS in the United States.-Notable releases:*October 13 - Mystique releases the Custer's Revenge adult video game for the Atari 2600 home console....
computer game for the Atari 8-bit
Atari 8-bit family
The Atari 8-bit family is a series of 8-bit home computers manufactured from 1979 to 1992. All are based on the MOS Technology 6502 CPU and were the first home computers designed with custom coprocessor chips...
series created by Mike Potter and distributed by Synapse Software
Synapse Software
Synapse Software Corporation was an American computer game development and publishing company active during the early-1980s. They developed primarily for the Atari 400 and 800 computers, and the Commodore 64 and IBM PCjr...
. The players control a submarine
Submarine
A submarine is a watercraft capable of independent operation below the surface of the water. It differs from a submersible, which has more limited underwater capability...
, the Nautilus, or a destroyer
Destroyer
In naval terminology, a destroyer is a fast and maneuverable yet long-endurance warship intended to escort larger vessels in a fleet, convoy or battle group and defend them against smaller, powerful, short-range attackers. Destroyers, originally called torpedo-boat destroyers in 1892, evolved from...
, the Colossus, attempting to either destroy or rebuild an underwater city. The game is historically notable as the first to feature a "split screen" display to allow both players to move at the same time.
Gameplay
Joystick
A joystick is an input device consisting of a stick that pivots on a base and reports its angle or direction to the device it is controlling. Joysticks, also known as 'control columns', are the principal control in the cockpit of many civilian and military aircraft, either as a center stick or...
allows the user to move left and right or rise and sink - the submarine was always pointed to the left or right. The player can shoot torpedo
Torpedo
The modern torpedo is a self-propelled missile weapon with an explosive warhead, launched above or below the water surface, propelled underwater towards a target, and designed to detonate either on contact with it or in proximity to it.The term torpedo was originally employed for...
es to the right or left in the direction of travel. The primary task for the player is to move into location beside the various underwater buildings and destroy them with their torpedoes in order to expose their energy core, which can be picked up by moving over it. The player wins the level by collecting all of the cores. To help defend the submarine, a helicopter
Helicopter
A helicopter is a type of rotorcraft in which lift and thrust are supplied by one or more engine-driven rotors. This allows the helicopter to take off and land vertically, to hover, and to fly forwards, backwards, and laterally...
periodically flies by in the higher levels, attacking the destroyer.
Player two, or the computer player in a single-player game, controls the destroyer, visible in the upper pane. The ship's primary task is to ferry repair crews from the right side of the map back to the left, dropping them into an elevator that takes them to the bottom of the ocean. From there they quickly move back towards the right through a tube on the ocean floor, instantly repairing the buildings directly above them as they pass. The destroyer also drops depth charge
Depth charge
A depth charge is an anti-submarine warfare weapon intended to destroy or cripple a target submarine by the shock of exploding near it. Most use explosives and a fuze set to go off at a preselected depth in the ocean. Depth charges can be dropped by either surface ships, patrol aircraft, or from...
s and missile
Missile
Though a missile may be any thrown or launched object, it colloquially almost always refers to a self-propelled guided weapon system.-Etymology:The word missile comes from the Latin verb mittere, meaning "to send"...
s that attack the submarine, as well as leaving limpet mine
Limpet mine
A limpet mine is a type of naval mine attached to a target by magnets; they are so named because of their superficial similarity to the limpet, a type of mollusk....
s on the sea bead. These are relatively easy to dodge in most cases, and the most dangerous enemy is often the construction crews, who may fix one of the buildings while the Nautilus is inside, retrieving the core.
In two-player mode the actions of the destroyer are relatively limited. The delay between dropping charges and them reaching the submarine is enough to allow the sub to destroy an average building before they arrive, so the ship cannot easily directly attack the sub in order to prevent it from winning. This forces it to act as a ferry for the repair crews, hardly the most exciting game, even when punctuated by the periodic helicopter attacks.
Technical details
Nautilus is an excellent example of the sorts of graphical "tricks" the Atari 8-bit series was capable of. Graphics were drawn by a pair of co-operating display chips, the ANTICANTIC
Alphanumeric Television Interface Controller is an early video system chip used in the Atari 8-bit family of microcomputers as well as the Atari 5200 in the 1980s. The chip was patented by Atari, Inc. in 1981...
which was in charge of the background graphics and text, and the GTIA which handled player-missile graphics
Sprite (computer graphics)
In computer graphics, a sprite is a two-dimensional image or animation that is integrated into a larger scene...
in the foreground and was in charge of adding color. The ANTIC was instructed how to set up the screen on a line-by-line basis by instructions encoded in the "display list
Display list
A display list is a series of graphics commands that define an output image. The image is created by executing the commands....
", which included flags for options like smooth scrolling. This allowed the display to support different options or modes vertically down the screen.
In the case of Nautilus, the display list was set to divide the screen into five sections. At the top was a low-resolution text area displaying the score, followed by the horizontal-scrolling map used by the Colossus, followed by another text score area, a 2-D scrolling area for the Nautilus, and finally another text area for the status at the bottom. The graphics for each of these areas would be held in a separate area in memory. The ANTIC had a single register
Hardware register
In digital electronics, especially computing, a hardware register stores bits of information, in a way that all the bits can be written to or read out simultaneously.The hardware registers inside a central processing unit are called processor registers....
holding the position of the smooth scrolling. In order to have different scrolling positions for the upper and lower portions of the screen, the ANTIC was instructed to cause an interrupt
Interrupt
In computing, an interrupt is an asynchronous signal indicating the need for attention or a synchronous event in software indicating the need for a change in execution....
after the second text area, calling into the 6502 to set the scrolling register to a different position.
Reception
Nautilus was widely lauded at the time of its release, with Creative ComputingCreative Computing
Creative Computing was one of the earliest magazines covering the microcomputer revolution. Published from 1974 until December 1985, Creative Computing covered the whole spectrum of hobbyist/home/personal computing in a more accessible format than the rather technically-oriented BYTE. The magazine...
calling it a "tour de force". In an article about Synapse, an InfoWorld
InfoWorld
InfoWorld is an information technology online media and events business operating under the umbrella of InfoWorld Media Group, a division of IDG...
author noted no one was examining their highly rated relational database
Relational database
A relational database is a database that conforms to relational model theory. The software used in a relational database is called a relational database management system . Colloquial use of the term "relational database" may refer to the RDBMS software, or the relational database itself...
program, in favour of watching a game of Nautilus being played.