Shufflepuck Cafe
Encyclopedia
Shufflepuck Café is a computer air hockey
game developed by Christopher Gross, Gene Portwood and Lauren Elliott for Brøderbund
(not a table shuffleboard
computer game, as the name would suggest- though that was the intention when the name was first coined by Christopher Gross). Originally developed for the Apple Macintosh, it was later adapted by Ubisoft
for the Amiga
, Atari ST
, Apple IIGS
(leaked version), Amstrad CPC
, Family Computer
(in Japan) and DOS
operating system
s.
, playing against opponents who visit the Café, or can practice against each opponent to find out his/her/its weakness in a single-player match.
The game is controlled via the computer's mouse. The bat on the playing field bounces a hockey puck
between the player and the opponent. When one of the players manages to knock the hockey puck past the opponent's bat, the player scores.
After a set number of points (usually 15) the match is over.
Shufflepuck Café includes nine opponents:
In some versions, during gameplay there is a cheat option, which gives the player the option of winning or losing the game, winning or losing the tournament or gaining or losing five points.
#142 by Hartley, Patricia, and Kirk Lesser in "The Role of Computers" column. The reviewers gave the game 4 out of 5 stars.
Air hockey
Air hockey is a game for two competing players trying to score points in the opposing player's goal.-Equipment:Air hockey requires an air-hockey table, two player-held mallets, and a puck....
game developed by Christopher Gross, Gene Portwood and Lauren Elliott for Brøderbund
Brøderbund
Brøderbund Software, Inc. was an American maker of computer games, educational software and The Print Shop productivity tools. It was best known as the original creator and publisher of the popular Carmen Sandiego games. The company was founded in Eugene, Oregon, but moved to San Rafael,...
(not a table shuffleboard
Table Shuffleboard
Table shuffleboard is a game in which players push metal-and-plastic weighted pucks down a long and smooth wooden table into a scoring area at the opposite end of the table...
computer game, as the name would suggest- though that was the intention when the name was first coined by Christopher Gross). Originally developed for the Apple Macintosh, it was later adapted by Ubisoft
Ubisoft
Ubisoft Entertainment S.A. is a major French video game publisher and developer, with headquarters in Montreuil, France. The company has a worldwide presence with 25 studios in 17 countries and subsidiaries in 26 countries....
for the Amiga
Amiga
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...
, 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...
, 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...
(leaked version), 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,...
, Family Computer
Nintendo Entertainment System
The Nintendo Entertainment System is an 8-bit video game console that was released by Nintendo in North America during 1985, in Europe during 1986 and Australia in 1987...
(in Japan) and 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...
operating system
Operating system
An operating system is a set of programs that manage computer hardware resources and provide common services for application software. The operating system is the most important type of system software in a computer system...
s.
Gameplay
There are two game modes. The player can compete in a tournamentTournament
A tournament is a competition involving a relatively large number of competitors, all participating in a sport or game. More specifically, the term may be used in either of two overlapping senses:...
, playing against opponents who visit the Café, or can practice against each opponent to find out his/her/its weakness in a single-player match.
The game is controlled via the computer's mouse. The bat on the playing field bounces a hockey puck
Hockey puck
A puck is a disk used in various games serving the same functions as a ball does in ball games. The best-known use of pucks is in ice hockey, a major international sport.- Etymology :The origin of the word "puck" is obscure...
between the player and the opponent. When one of the players manages to knock the hockey puck past the opponent's bat, the player scores.
After a set number of points (usually 15) the match is over.
Shufflepuck Café includes nine opponents:
- Skip Feeney: A male human in his early 20s. Has just started in shufflepuck and thus is very nervous, making him easy to beat.
- Visine Orb: A green-coloured alien with huge eyes, who is only about 1.5 metres tall and can barely see over his end of the table. Plays similarly to Skip Feeney.
- Vinnie the Dweeb: A veteran shufflepuck player who keeps his calm and is not easily surprised. His playing style is consistent and thus well learnt.
- Lexan Smythe-Worthington: A lizardLizardLizards are a widespread group of squamate reptiles, with nearly 3800 species, ranging across all continents except Antarctica as well as most oceanic island chains...
-like alien, a filthy rich playboy who gets 30,000 credits per year to keep away from his homeworld. He begins playing fiercely and hard to beat, but as play progresses, he sips his champagne, making him inebriated and less focused on the game, thus easier to beat. When defeated, he hiccups and passes out. - The General (also known as Eneg Doowtrop - "Gene Portwood" spelled backwards): A pigPigA pig is any of the animals in the genus Sus, within the Suidae family of even-toed ungulates. Pigs include the domestic pig, its ancestor the wild boar, and several other wild relatives...
-like alien who pretends to be a militaryMilitaryA military is an organization authorized by its greater society to use lethal force, usually including use of weapons, in defending its country by combating actual or perceived threats. The military may have additional functions of use to its greater society, such as advancing a political agenda e.g...
general, although he really is just a militaristic gung-hoGung-hoGung ho is a slang term in American English used to mean "enthusiastic" or "dedicated" originally used in Marine slang.It is an anglicised pronunciation of "gōng hé" , the shortened version and slogan of the "gōngyè hézuòshè" or Chinese Industrial Cooperatives, which was abbreviated as INDUSCO in...
enthusiast. Recently divorced, he is addicted to shufflepuck, which he plays with fierceness and devotion. - Nerual Ttoille ("Lauren ElliottLauren ElliottLauren Roosevelt Elliott is an American video game designer, internet entrepreneur, publisher and inventor...
" spelled backwards): A non-corporeal spiritual alien. Mimics your own shot power and angle. When he scores a point, he opens his robe to expose a smirking, one-eyed face at chest level. - Princess Bejin: A woman with spiritual powers. When it is her turn to serve the puck, she uses telekinesis to make it move in a seemingly impossible pattern. When you beat her, she reveals a little bit of her cleavage. There is a way to predict her serve every time: there are two sounds made when she serves, one indicates the puck will change direction and the other means it will continue in the same direction.
- Biff Raunch: The reigning champion. A tough, street-hardened biker dude who plays a mean game.
- DC3: A robotRobotA 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...
waiterWaiterWaiting staff, wait staff, or waitstaff are those who work at a restaurant or a bar attending customers — supplying them with food and drink as requested. Traditionally, a male waiting tables is called a "waiter" and a female a "waitress" with the gender-neutral version being a "server"...
. DC3 serves as a training partner, who can be customised to be as easy or as difficult as the player wishes. He does not play in the main championship.
In some versions, during gameplay there is a cheat option, which gives the player the option of winning or losing the game, winning or losing the tournament or gaining or losing five points.
Plot
There is a general storyline behind the Amiga version of the game in which the player is an inter-galactic salesman whose spaceship has broken down. He needs to find a telephone to call the breakdown service and get the spaceship fixed. Shufflepuck Café is the nearest place for miles, so he goes in to use their telephone. The main eight Shufflepuck players are standing in his way and will not let him get to the phone until he has beaten them all. Once all are defeated, the player gets in his spaceship and flies off into the distance.Reception
The game was reviewed in 1989 in 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...
#142 by Hartley, Patricia, and Kirk Lesser in "The Role of Computers" column. The reviewers gave the game 4 out of 5 stars.
External links
- Shufflepuck Café at MobyGamesMobyGames-Platforms not yet included:- Further reading :* Rusel DeMaria, Johnny L. Wilson, High Score!: The Illustrated History of Electronic Games, McGraw-Hill/Osborne Media; 2 edition , ISBN 0-07-223172-6...