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Repton (computer game)
Encyclopedia
Repton is a computer game originally developed by 15-year-old Briton Tim Tyler for the BBC Micro
and Acorn Electron
and released by Superior Software
in 1985. The game spawned a series of follow up games which were released throughout the 1980s. The series sold around 125,000 copies between 1985 and 1990 with Repton 2 selling 35,000 itself. The games have since been remade for numerous more modern systems, most recently as iRepton for the Apple iPhone
/ iPod Touch
in 2010.
The eponymous protagonist, Repton, is a lizard who crawls around an underground maze in a quest to find all the diamonds (some being held in safes, their release being triggered by finding and collecting a key) within a time limit in each of several levels, while avoiding being trapped or killed by falling rocks and monsters hatched from eggs. The original Repton game was released in the summer of 1985 and has 12 levels, with password
s making it possible to jump directly to later levels. The new versions of Repton for the PC and iPhone introduce new levels; and "Repton Spectacular" contains new Repton levels.
Repton's requirements in Repton 2 are onerous: Repton must not only collect all diamonds (including those held in safes and behind cages), but also collect all earth, kill all the monsters, collect all puzzle pieces and use all transporters. Once these substantial tasks have been completed, Repton must then negotiate the roof of the entire length of the final screen, avoiding meteors falling from the sky in order to collect the completion piece and thus complete the game. This part is particularly tricky, since the meteors fall from the sky in a random fashion, making it difficult for the gamer to guide Repton to safety. This long list of requirements, coupled with the fact that the game must be completed in one attempt, is unique among the Repton series and makes Repton 2 by far the hardest Repton game to successfully complete. To add to the inevitable frustration suffered by anyone attempting this, a bug in the original version of Repton 2 meant that the game contained one diamond fewer than the stipulated number needed to complete the game. This means that successful completion of these versions is, in fact, impossible. When Repton 2 was re-written for the PC, it introduced a "save game" feature making it considerably easier to complete. In addition, brand new "scenarios" were completed, effectively new games.
Repton 3, released 5 November 1986, was developed by Matthew Atkinson at Superior's invitation since Tim Tyler wasn't interested in programming it—although he did design some of the levels for the new game. While the first two games had only taken a month each to program, Repton 3 took eight months. It reverts to the form of a series of time-limited, password-protected levels. A few new features were introduced: fungus (a substance that gradually spreads wherever it finds space and kills Repton on contact), time capsules (resetting the current level's time limit each time one is collected), crowns and a timebomb which must be defused to complete each level. The inclusion of the timebomb meant that, as well as collecting all of the diamonds and crowns, the user had to plan their route so as to finish up at the timebomb at the end of the level.
Repton 3 includes a map editor along with the game, so that it became possible to create data files with alternate maps and new graphics for the levels. Three themed sets of such files were released as continuations of Repton 3, with the titles Around the World in 40 Screens (1987), The Life of Repton (1987) and Repton Thru Time (1988). These three titles used a slightly modified game engine, in which the algorithm for deciding on the direction spirits first move at the start of a level was improved. They all came with the same game editor as Repton 3.
Repton Infinity was released in 1988, by which time the BBC Micro's popularity as a games platform was beginning to wane. It was developed by Dave Acton and Dave Lawrence (who wrote the user-submitted program section *INFO in Acorn User
magazine) It supplements the map editor and graphics editor with a powerful game logic editor which made it possible to alter the way all game objects behaved using a purpose-designed language called Reptol. Four different example games are included to demonstrate its flexibility:
There was a long-running problem, infamous amongst owners of the B+, the updated BBC B with 64k, when the newly released Repton Infinity ran on the original BBC B but refused to load on the updated B+. A string of unsuccessful replacements were issued before one that was compatible with both was eventually released.
in 1992. It was designed by Richard Hanson and programmed by Gary Partis. The game bears little relation to the rest of the Repton series, particularly in that contrary to the spirit of the original it relies on "secret" traps and passages which can only be discovered by walking onto them. (The objects and objectives in all the previous Repton games are visible and there are no hidden secrets to be discovered, although in some advanced episodes - notably "OAP" in Life of Repton, "Oceans" in Around the World and "Future" in Repton Thru Time - some objects and enemies are invisible or appear very similar to desirable or innocuous objects.)
, by George Botsford
, which has been well known in Britain at least since its 1969 popularization as the theme tune to the long-running TV snooker
programme Pot Black
. The Scott Joplin
ragtime intermezzo The Chrysanthemum is used as the music for Repton 2. The music for Repton 3 was composed especially for the game by Paul Hughes and Peter Clarke. Repton Infinity did feature in-game music, if you pressed the 'T' key, but it could not play at the same time as the sound effects in the game and was not switched on by default. It was composed especially for the game by David Acton.
and Acorn Electron
but versions were released for other 8-bit
computers. Superior Software
had planned to launch Repton 3 with ports for the Commodore 64
and Amstrad CPC
(as shown in pre-release press advertisements). The Amstrad version was never released but the C64 port did arrive in 1987. Ports of the first 3 Repton games were later developed for the ZX Spectrum
and Repton and Repton 2 were released together as Repton Mania in 1989 (published using the joint Superior
/Alligata
name). This was not a success and the Spectrum Repton 3 was not released. In 1989 a version of Repton 3 featuring all expansion packs was also released for the BBC Micro's replacement, the 32-bit
Acorn Archimedes
. Its programmer, John Wallace, also produced a slightly expanded version of Repton 2 for the Acorn Archimedes which was released on the 1993 Play It Again Sam 2 compilation (which also included Zarch
, Master Break and Arcpinball). None of these ports achieved the sales of the BBC originals.
In the late 1990s, Superior sub-licensed the games to ProAction who released a number of RISC OS
ports for the Acorn Archimedes and RiscPC. John Wallace created new ports of Repton, Repton 2 and Repton 3. ProAction also released Desktop Repton which includes the 3 games (including the expansion games for Repton 3). These games were built from scratch by Darren Salt, and developed to run in a multi tasking window on the desktop. There was also Desktop Repton Plus, with new PC graphics and extra levels included for Repton 1.
There have been numerous ports of Repton 3, including a free version for Linux
.
Under the name SuperiorInteractive.com , the original publishers have re-released versions of Repton 1, Repton 2 and Repton 3 (including all of the expansion games) for Microsoft Windows
. They have also released a large pack of new levels for all three modern Repton ports, named Repton Spectacular.
In 2010, iRepton was released for the Apple iPhone
/ iPod Touch
(ESZ Consulting / Superior Interactive). This has retro and enhanced graphics and sounds and new screens.
There was also a PD
clone for the ZX Spectrum
called Riptoff, which included a level editor. It was developed by Rick O'Neill and Craig Hunter, and was released exclusively on a 1991 Your Sinclair
covertape.
, but had never played the game) it is far from being, as is sometimes erroneously assumed, a clone of Boulder Dash. Repton was a much more calm and organized playing experience with the emphasis on puzzle-solving, as opposed to arcade-style improvisation prevalent in other games; this remained true as more types of object were added in the sequels.
Likewise, because of Reptons ubiquity on the platform it became impossible not to compare to it any later commercial scrolling-map game for the BBC/Electron. Later puzzle-based games such as Bonecruncher
and Clogger might justifiably be said to be derivative of Repton, but this perception also encompassed arcade adventure/role-playing game
s presented in the four-way-scrolling format (the notable ones being Ravenskull
and Pipeline
) despite their different style involving unique objects and encounters and unexpected traps.
Reptons original author has written a freeware Java rocks-and-diamonds game, Rockz, which features elements in the vein of both Repton 2 and Boulder Dash.
A game called Mole Miner was released for Android devices in 2009 by Little Fluffy Toys Ltd. The game was designed by Kenton Price, who also wrote Ripton (see above). It builds on the rocks-and-diamonds genre typified by Repton, extending it with features such as explosives, sliding ice and wraparound, and includes a community level designer. Mole Miner contains 60 levels created by Michael S. Repton, the author of many levels in later Repton series games.
BBC Micro
The BBC Microcomputer System, or BBC Micro, was a series of microcomputers and associated peripherals designed and built by Acorn Computers for the BBC Computer Literacy Project, operated by the British Broadcasting Corporation...
and Acorn Electron
Acorn Electron
The Acorn Electron is a budget version of the BBC Micro educational/home computer made by Acorn Computers Ltd. It has 32 kilobytes of RAM, and its ROM includes BBC BASIC along with its operating system....
and released by Superior Software
Superior Software
Superior Software is a video game publisher. It was established in 1982 by Richard Hanson and John Dyson, two graduates of the University of Leeds, England...
in 1985. The game spawned a series of follow up games which were released throughout the 1980s. The series sold around 125,000 copies between 1985 and 1990 with Repton 2 selling 35,000 itself. The games have since been remade for numerous more modern systems, most recently as iRepton for the Apple iPhone
IPhone
The iPhone is a line of Internet and multimedia-enabled smartphones marketed by Apple Inc. The first iPhone was unveiled by Steve Jobs, then CEO of Apple, on January 9, 2007, and released on June 29, 2007...
/ iPod Touch
IPod Touch
The iPod Touch is a portable media player, personal digital assistant, handheld game console, and Wi-Fi mobile device designed and marketed by Apple Inc. The iPod Touch adds the multi-touch graphical user interface to the iPod line...
in 2010.
Repton
Password (video games)
In many video games of the 8-bit and, to a lesser extent, 16-bit eras , after a level was beaten and/or when all continues were used, the game would display a password, that when entered in the game would allow the player to return to this part in the game...
s making it possible to jump directly to later levels. The new versions of Repton for the PC and iPhone introduce new levels; and "Repton Spectacular" contains new Repton levels.
Repton 2
The sequel to the game, Repton 2, released for Christmas 1985 (release date 14 November 1985 is much bigger. It introduces several new features: spirits (that follow walls and objects to their left and must be guided into cages, turning them into diamonds) and skulls, both of which are fatal to Repton on collision. There are also jigsaw puzzle pieces to collect, which eventually spell out the message "Repton 2 is ended". There are no levels as such in Repton 2: instead 'transporters' move Repton between different screens which, subject to a number of restrictions, can be completed in any order desired (although a fairly strict "correct" pattern must be followed to ultimately complete the game). The entire game is in effect one very large level without passwords, meaning that it must be completed in one attempt. Finally, certain screens also contain an exposed 'roof', where meteors (predictably fatal to Repton) fall from the sky.Repton 3
Repton 3 includes a map editor along with the game, so that it became possible to create data files with alternate maps and new graphics for the levels. Three themed sets of such files were released as continuations of Repton 3, with the titles Around the World in 40 Screens (1987), The Life of Repton (1987) and Repton Thru Time (1988). These three titles used a slightly modified game engine, in which the algorithm for deciding on the direction spirits first move at the start of a level was improved. They all came with the same game editor as Repton 3.
Repton Infinity
Acorn User
Acorn User magazine was founded by Acorn Computers in 1982, contract-published by Addison-Wesley, to coincide with the launch of the BBC Micro. It covered the range of Acorn home computers, the BBC Micro and Atom at first and later the Electron, Archimedes and Risc PC.The first issue was dated...
magazine) It supplements the map editor and graphics editor with a powerful game logic editor which made it possible to alter the way all game objects behaved using a purpose-designed language called Reptol. Four different example games are included to demonstrate its flexibility:
- Repton 3 - Take 2, with a couple of small technical differences in gameplay from Repton 3;
- Repton 4, with imaginative new objects including photocopiers and moving jewels;
- Robbo, “a crazy robot in a strange topsy-turvy world”, according to the game inlay; and
- Trakka, a chaotic game in which a bulldozer-driving protagonist must destroy various monsters by pushing fruit at them, and all scores are multiples of 17.
There was a long-running problem, infamous amongst owners of the B+, the updated BBC B with 64k, when the newly released Repton Infinity ran on the original BBC B but refused to load on the updated B+. A string of unsuccessful replacements were issued before one that was compatible with both was eventually released.
EGO: Repton 4
A game marketed as EGO: Repton 4, was released for the Acorn ArchimedesAcorn Archimedes
The Acorn Archimedes was Acorn Computers Ltd's first general purpose home computer to be based on their own ARM architecture.Using a RISC design with a 32-bit CPU, at its launch in June 1987, the Archimedes was stated as running at 4 MIPS, with a claim of 18 MIPS during tests.The name is commonly...
in 1992. It was designed by Richard Hanson and programmed by Gary Partis. The game bears little relation to the rest of the Repton series, particularly in that contrary to the spirit of the original it relies on "secret" traps and passages which can only be discovered by walking onto them. (The objects and objectives in all the previous Repton games are visible and there are no hidden secrets to be discovered, although in some advanced episodes - notably "OAP" in Life of Repton, "Oceans" in Around the World and "Future" in Repton Thru Time - some objects and enemies are invisible or appear very similar to desirable or innocuous objects.)
Repton: The Lost Realms
In 1988, teenage programmer Paras Sidapara submitted a game he called Repton 4 to Superior Software. As Superior were already working on Repton Infinity, it was not published, and was forgotten until 2008, when a copy was rediscovered. The game was re-programmed by Tom Walker and rechristened The Lost Realms, to avoid confusion with the Repton 4 game included in Repton Infinity. It was launched in November 2010 by Retro Software, with Superior's permission. The game is similar in style to Repton 3, retaining the structure of separate, password-protected levels and the map and graphics editors. New features include balloons, "absorbency" doors (which can be opened when an "absorbalene" pill is collected, but each pill only allows a certain number of doors to be opened) and ice crystals (which, when collected, freeze any monsters on the level).Music
The music for Repton is Black and White RagBlack and White Rag
Black and White Rag is a 1908 ragtime composition by George Botsford.The first known recording of this piece was by Albert Benzler, recorded on Lakeside/U.S.Everlasting Cylinder #380 in June of 1911. This recording is somewhat rare , and significant...
, by George Botsford
George Botsford
George Botsford was an American composer of ragtime and other forms of music.Botsford was born in Sioux Falls, South Dakota, and grew up in Iowa. His first copyrighted number was "The Katy Flyer -- Cake Walk," published in 1899. His most important rag is "Black and White Rag," published in 1908...
, which has been well known in Britain at least since its 1969 popularization as the theme tune to the long-running TV snooker
Snooker
Snooker is a cue sport that is played on a green baize-covered table with pockets in each of the four corners and in the middle of each of the long side cushions. A regular table is . It is played using a cue and snooker balls: one white , 15 worth one point each, and six balls of different :...
programme Pot Black
Pot Black
Pot Black was a British series of snooker tournaments televised by BBC, that played a large part in the popularisation of the modern game, from 1969 to 1986. The event was revived in the form of several one-off tournaments throughout the 1990s and up to 2007...
. The Scott Joplin
Scott Joplin
Scott Joplin was an American composer and pianist. Joplin achieved fame for his ragtime compositions, and was later dubbed "The King of Ragtime". During his brief career, Joplin wrote 44 original ragtime pieces, one ragtime ballet, and two operas...
ragtime intermezzo The Chrysanthemum is used as the music for Repton 2. The music for Repton 3 was composed especially for the game by Paul Hughes and Peter Clarke. Repton Infinity did feature in-game music, if you pressed the 'T' key, but it could not play at the same time as the sound effects in the game and was not switched on by default. It was composed especially for the game by David Acton.
Ports
The Repton games were closely associated with the BBC MicroBBC Micro
The BBC Microcomputer System, or BBC Micro, was a series of microcomputers and associated peripherals designed and built by Acorn Computers for the BBC Computer Literacy Project, operated by the British Broadcasting Corporation...
and Acorn Electron
Acorn Electron
The Acorn Electron is a budget version of the BBC Micro educational/home computer made by Acorn Computers Ltd. It has 32 kilobytes of RAM, and its ROM includes BBC BASIC along with its operating system....
but versions were released for other 8-bit
8-bit
The first widely adopted 8-bit microprocessor was the Intel 8080, being used in many hobbyist computers of the late 1970s and early 1980s, often running the CP/M operating system. The Zilog Z80 and the Motorola 6800 were also used in similar computers...
computers. Superior Software
Superior Software
Superior Software is a video game publisher. It was established in 1982 by Richard Hanson and John Dyson, two graduates of the University of Leeds, England...
had planned to launch Repton 3 with ports 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...
and Amstrad CPC
Amstrad CPC
The Amstrad CPC is a series of 8-bit home computers produced by Amstrad between 1984 and 1990. It was designed to compete in the mid-1980s home computer market dominated by the Commodore 64 and the Sinclair ZX Spectrum, where it successfully established itself primarily in the United Kingdom,...
(as shown in pre-release press advertisements). The Amstrad version was never released but the C64 port did arrive in 1987. Ports of the first 3 Repton games were later developed for the ZX Spectrum
ZX Spectrum
The ZX Spectrum is an 8-bit personal home computer released in the United Kingdom in 1982 by Sinclair Research Ltd...
and Repton and Repton 2 were released together as Repton Mania in 1989 (published using the joint Superior
Superior Software
Superior Software is a video game publisher. It was established in 1982 by Richard Hanson and John Dyson, two graduates of the University of Leeds, England...
/Alligata
Alligata
Alligata Software Ltd. was a computer games developer and publisher based in Sheffield in the UK in the 1980s.The company was founded by Mike Mahoney and Dave Palmer around 1982. They produced games for a number of home computers including the Commodore 64, BBC Micro, Acorn Electron, ZX Spectrum...
name). This was not a success and the Spectrum Repton 3 was not released. In 1989 a version of Repton 3 featuring all expansion packs was also released for the BBC Micro's replacement, the 32-bit
32-bit
The range of integer values that can be stored in 32 bits is 0 through 4,294,967,295. Hence, a processor with 32-bit memory addresses can directly access 4 GB of byte-addressable memory....
Acorn Archimedes
Acorn Archimedes
The Acorn Archimedes was Acorn Computers Ltd's first general purpose home computer to be based on their own ARM architecture.Using a RISC design with a 32-bit CPU, at its launch in June 1987, the Archimedes was stated as running at 4 MIPS, with a claim of 18 MIPS during tests.The name is commonly...
. Its programmer, John Wallace, also produced a slightly expanded version of Repton 2 for the Acorn Archimedes which was released on the 1993 Play It Again Sam 2 compilation (which also included Zarch
Zarch
Zarch is a computer game written by David Braben in three months in , for the release of the Acorn Archimedes computer...
, Master Break and Arcpinball). None of these ports achieved the sales of the BBC originals.
In the late 1990s, Superior sub-licensed the games to ProAction who released a number of RISC OS
RISC OS
RISC OS is a computer operating system originally developed by Acorn Computers Ltd in Cambridge, England for their range of desktop computers, based on their own ARM architecture. First released in 1987, under the name Arthur, the subsequent iteration was renamed as in 1988...
ports for the Acorn Archimedes and RiscPC. John Wallace created new ports of Repton, Repton 2 and Repton 3. ProAction also released Desktop Repton which includes the 3 games (including the expansion games for Repton 3). These games were built from scratch by Darren Salt, and developed to run in a multi tasking window on the desktop. There was also Desktop Repton Plus, with new PC graphics and extra levels included for Repton 1.
There have been numerous ports of Repton 3, including a free version for Linux
Linux
Linux is a Unix-like computer operating system assembled under the model of free and open source software development and distribution. The defining component of any Linux system is the Linux kernel, an operating system kernel first released October 5, 1991 by Linus Torvalds...
.
Under the name SuperiorInteractive.com , the original publishers have re-released versions of Repton 1, Repton 2 and Repton 3 (including all of the expansion games) 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...
. They have also released a large pack of new levels for all three modern Repton ports, named Repton Spectacular.
In 2010, iRepton was released for the Apple iPhone
IPhone
The iPhone is a line of Internet and multimedia-enabled smartphones marketed by Apple Inc. The first iPhone was unveiled by Steve Jobs, then CEO of Apple, on January 9, 2007, and released on June 29, 2007...
/ iPod Touch
IPod Touch
The iPod Touch is a portable media player, personal digital assistant, handheld game console, and Wi-Fi mobile device designed and marketed by Apple Inc. The iPod Touch adds the multi-touch graphical user interface to the iPod line...
(ESZ Consulting / Superior Interactive). This has retro and enhanced graphics and sounds and new screens.
Clones
A deliberate clone called Ripton, extremely faithful apart from different level design and several humorous digs at the original game, was written by Kenton Price and submitted to A&B Computing but the magazine never dared to publish it. It is, however, now available at BBC software Internet sites.There was also a PD
Public domain
Works are in the public domain if the intellectual property rights have expired, if the intellectual property rights are forfeited, or if they are not covered by intellectual property rights at all...
clone for the ZX Spectrum
ZX Spectrum
The ZX Spectrum is an 8-bit personal home computer released in the United Kingdom in 1982 by Sinclair Research Ltd...
called Riptoff, which included a level editor. It was developed by Rick O'Neill and Craig Hunter, and was released exclusively on a 1991 Your Sinclair
Your Sinclair
Your Sinclair or YS as it was commonly abbreviated, was a British computer magazine for the Sinclair range of computers, mainly the ZX Spectrum.-History:...
covertape.
Games that are not Repton clones
Although Repton did not invent the rocks-and-diamonds genre (the author was inspired by a review of the recently released Boulder DashBoulder Dash
Boulder Dash, originally released in 1984 for Atari 8-bit computers, is a series of computer games released for the Apple II, MSX, ZX Spectrum, Commodore 64, and ColecoVision home computers, and later ported to the NES, BBC Micro and Acorn Electron, PC, Amstrad CPC, Amiga and many other platforms...
, but had never played the game) it is far from being, as is sometimes erroneously assumed, a clone of Boulder Dash. Repton was a much more calm and organized playing experience with the emphasis on puzzle-solving, as opposed to arcade-style improvisation prevalent in other games; this remained true as more types of object were added in the sequels.
Likewise, because of Reptons ubiquity on the platform it became impossible not to compare to it any later commercial scrolling-map game for the BBC/Electron. Later puzzle-based games such as Bonecruncher
Bonecruncher
Bonecruncher is a computer game published by Superior Software in 1987 for the BBC Micro, Commodore 64, Commodore Amiga and Acorn Electron.-Summary:thumb|left|In-game screenshot...
and Clogger might justifiably be said to be derivative of Repton, but this perception also encompassed arcade adventure/role-playing game
Role-playing game
A role-playing game is a game in which players assume the roles of characters in a fictional setting. Players take responsibility for acting out these roles within a narrative, either through literal acting, or through a process of structured decision-making or character development...
s presented in the four-way-scrolling format (the notable ones being Ravenskull
Ravenskull (computer game)
Ravenskull is a British computer game, of the graphic adventure genre, originally developed by Martin Edmondson & Nicholas Chamberlain for the BBC Micro and Acorn Electron and released by Superior Software in 1986...
and Pipeline
Pipeline (game)
Pipeline is a computer game for the BBC Micro and Acorn Electron, originally published by Superior Software in 1989.-Storyline:The game is a fast four-way scrolling arcade adventure with a look similar to previous Superior hits Repton and Ravenskull, but with a higher frame rate...
) despite their different style involving unique objects and encounters and unexpected traps.
Reptons original author has written a freeware Java rocks-and-diamonds game, Rockz, which features elements in the vein of both Repton 2 and Boulder Dash.
A game called Mole Miner was released for Android devices in 2009 by Little Fluffy Toys Ltd. The game was designed by Kenton Price, who also wrote Ripton (see above). It builds on the rocks-and-diamonds genre typified by Repton, extending it with features such as explosives, sliding ice and wraparound, and includes a community level designer. Mole Miner contains 60 levels created by Michael S. Repton, the author of many levels in later Repton series games.
External links
- Superior Interactive
- Repton author's personal website, including his free Java rocks-and-diamonds style game Rockz
- Repton Resource Page
- iRepton Website - Apple iPhone / iPod Touch Version