Quake Minus One
Encyclopedia
Quake Minus One is a real-time strategy
game published for the Commodore 64
by Monolith/Beyond in 1985 and was written by Warren Foulkes and Mike Singleton
.
constructed a large power plant named Titan under the Atlantic Ocean
in order to extract geothermal
energy
from the Mid-Atlantic Ridge
where the Earth's crust is thinnest. The power plant is operated and maintained solely by robot
s. Members of the Robot Liberation Front invade the power plant and seize control of the robots demanding equal rights for the machines, failing which they would use the power plant to trigger a massive earthquake
which would severely threaten America
, Europe
and Africa
. Titan is under the control of five separate computers - Zeus
, Poseidon
, Vulcan
, Ares
and Hermes
and scientists have managed to regain control of Hermes and the robots it operates. It is up to these robots to regain control of the other four computers who are moving to regain control.
is maneuvering its robots to take control of Hermes so it is up to the player to maneuver their robots and formulate a strategy
to retake control of the wayward computers. The player does have one advantage - he can enter into the map mode which will pause the game allowing a brief respite from the action and a chance to view a detailed map of the Titan installation.
As robots travel down roads, they may come to roads controlled by other computers where they will be attacked by fixed installations such as bunker
s. Robots that have ion
cannons can capture roads and junctions putting them under the control of Hermes. Once a computer is captured, all its remaining robots are passed to the control of Hermes. There are also quake suppression buildings to protect which if destroyed, bring forward the game's deadline.
interface was difficult to use.
Real-time strategy
Real-time strategy is a sub-genre of strategy video game which does not progress incrementally in turns. Brett Sperry is credited with coining the term to market Dune II....
game published for the Commodore 64
Commodore 64
The Commodore 64 is an 8-bit home computer introduced by Commodore International in January 1982.Volume production started in the spring of 1982, with machines being released on to the market in August at a price of US$595...
by Monolith/Beyond in 1985 and was written by Warren Foulkes and Mike Singleton
Mike Singleton
Mike Singleton is a British author and video game developer who wrote various well-regarded titles for the ZX Spectrum during the 1980s. His titles include The Lords of Midnight, Doomdark's Revenge, Throne of Fire, Dark Sceptre and War In Middle Earth. He also wrote a novel, The Eternal Empire,...
.
Premise
In the 1980s, the Western worldWestern world
The Western world, also known as the West and the Occident , is a term referring to the countries of Western Europe , the countries of the Americas, as well all countries of Northern and Central Europe, Australia and New Zealand...
constructed a large power plant named Titan under the Atlantic Ocean
Atlantic Ocean
The Atlantic Ocean is the second-largest of the world's oceanic divisions. With a total area of about , it covers approximately 20% of the Earth's surface and about 26% of its water surface area...
in order to extract geothermal
Geothermal
Geothermal is related to energy and may refer to:* The geothermal gradient and associated heat flows from within the Earth- Renewable technology :...
energy
Energy
In physics, energy is an indirectly observed quantity. It is often understood as the ability a physical system has to do work on other physical systems...
from the Mid-Atlantic Ridge
Mid-Atlantic Ridge
The Mid-Atlantic Ridge is a mid-ocean ridge, a divergent tectonic plate boundary located along the floor of the Atlantic Ocean, and part of the longest mountain range in the world. It separates the Eurasian Plate and North American Plate in the North Atlantic, and the African Plate from the South...
where the Earth's crust is thinnest. The power plant is operated and maintained solely by robot
Robot
A robot is a mechanical or virtual intelligent agent that can perform tasks automatically or with guidance, typically by remote control. In practice a robot is usually an electro-mechanical machine that is guided by computer and electronic programming. Robots can be autonomous, semi-autonomous or...
s. Members of the Robot Liberation Front invade the power plant and seize control of the robots demanding equal rights for the machines, failing which they would use the power plant to trigger a massive earthquake
Earthquake
An earthquake is the result of a sudden release of energy in the Earth's crust that creates seismic waves. The seismicity, seismism or seismic activity of an area refers to the frequency, type and size of earthquakes experienced over a period of time...
which would severely threaten America
Americas
The Americas, or America , are lands in the Western hemisphere, also known as the New World. In English, the plural form the Americas is often used to refer to the landmasses of North America and South America with their associated islands and regions, while the singular form America is primarily...
, Europe
Europe
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
and Africa
Africa
Africa is the world's second largest and second most populous continent, after Asia. At about 30.2 million km² including adjacent islands, it covers 6% of the Earth's total surface area and 20.4% of the total land area...
. Titan is under the control of five separate computers - Zeus
Zeus
In the ancient Greek religion, Zeus was the "Father of Gods and men" who ruled the Olympians of Mount Olympus as a father ruled the family. He was the god of sky and thunder in Greek mythology. His Roman counterpart is Jupiter and his Etruscan counterpart is Tinia.Zeus was the child of Cronus...
, Poseidon
Poseidon
Poseidon was the god of the sea, and, as "Earth-Shaker," of the earthquakes in Greek mythology. The name of the sea-god Nethuns in Etruscan was adopted in Latin for Neptune in Roman mythology: both were sea gods analogous to Poseidon...
, Vulcan
Vulcan (mythology)
Vulcan , aka Mulciber, is the god of beneficial and hindering fire, including the fire of volcanoes in ancient Roman religion and Roman Neopaganism. Vulcan is usually depicted with a thunderbolt. He is known as Sethlans in Etruscan mythology...
, Ares
Ares
Ares is the Greek god of war. He is one of the Twelve Olympians, and the son of Zeus and Hera. In Greek literature, he often represents the physical or violent aspect of war, in contrast to the armored Athena, whose functions as a goddess of intelligence include military strategy and...
and Hermes
Hermes
Hermes is the great messenger of the gods in Greek mythology and a guide to the Underworld. Hermes was born on Mount Kyllini in Arcadia. An Olympian god, he is also the patron of boundaries and of the travelers who cross them, of shepherds and cowherds, of the cunning of thieves, of orators and...
and scientists have managed to regain control of Hermes and the robots it operates. It is up to these robots to regain control of the other four computers who are moving to regain control.
Gameplay
The action begins with the player in control with a randomly placed Hermes controlled robot. The AIArtificial intelligence
Artificial intelligence is the intelligence of machines and the branch of computer science that aims to create it. AI textbooks define the field as "the study and design of intelligent agents" where an intelligent agent is a system that perceives its environment and takes actions that maximize its...
is maneuvering its robots to take control of Hermes so it is up to the player to maneuver their robots and formulate a strategy
Strategy
Strategy, a word of military origin, refers to a plan of action designed to achieve a particular goal. In military usage strategy is distinct from tactics, which are concerned with the conduct of an engagement, while strategy is concerned with how different engagements are linked...
to retake control of the wayward computers. The player does have one advantage - he can enter into the map mode which will pause the game allowing a brief respite from the action and a chance to view a detailed map of the Titan installation.
As robots travel down roads, they may come to roads controlled by other computers where they will be attacked by fixed installations such as bunker
Bunker
A military bunker is a hardened shelter, often buried partly or fully underground, designed to protect the inhabitants from falling bombs or other attacks...
s. Robots that have ion
Ion
An ion is an atom or molecule in which the total number of electrons is not equal to the total number of protons, giving it a net positive or negative electrical charge. The name was given by physicist Michael Faraday for the substances that allow a current to pass between electrodes in a...
cannons can capture roads and junctions putting them under the control of Hermes. Once a computer is captured, all its remaining robots are passed to the control of Hermes. There are also quake suppression buildings to protect which if destroyed, bring forward the game's deadline.
User reception
Quake Minus One wasn't well received. Although it won praise for its clear graphics and the sophistication of the interface, users often felt overwhelmed by what was going on and many made little to no progress with the game. The robots were cumbersome to operate and the joystickJoystick
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...
interface was difficult to use.