Sopwith (computer game)
Encyclopedia
Sopwith is a sidescrolling shoot 'em up
created by David L. Clark of BMB Compuscience in 1984. It was originally written to run on the IBM PC
under DOS
but there was also a port made near the time of its creation for the Atari 520ST. More recent versions have been ported to even more systems. The game involves piloting a Sopwith biplane
, attempting to bomb enemy buildings while avoiding fire from enemy planes and various other obstacles.
Sopwith was created to demonstrate the "Imaginet" proprietary networking system developed by BMB Compuscience. David L. Clark, employed as a programmer at BMB, developed Sopwith as a multiplayer game. The multiplayer function will not operate without the Imaginet hardware and drivers. However, single player functionality was also included, with the player flying alone or against computer-controlled planes. Because of this, the game was widely distributed, even though the Imaginet system itself was not hugely successful. Sopwith 2 added the ability to play multiplayer over an async serial interface, but a BMB dictionary driver (NAMEDEV.SYS) and a BMB serial communications driver (SERIAL.SYS or SERWORK.SYS) is then needed.
All versions of Sopwith feature four-color CGA
graphics. Sound is provided by the PC speaker
in the form of music and sound effects.
The C
and x86 assembly source code
to Sopwith was released in 2000
, at first under a non-commercial use license, but later under the GNU GPL at the request of fans.
and a runway
). From here, they must launch their plane and attack targets. This stage can be a hindrance to inexperienced players, as sufficient speed is needed to get the plane into the air. Insufficient speed will cause the plane to stall and crash.
The plane is equipped with a machine gun
and a supply of bomb
s. This weaponry can be used to destroy enemy buildings and shoot down enemy planes. Gauges in the status bar at the bottom of the screen show the remaining lives, fuel, bombs and bullets, respectively.
In Sopwith 2, obstacles exist in the form of Ox
en and birds. The oxen simply stand on the ground; if the player crashes into one, they lose 200 points and their plane crashes. The birds provide a more challenging obstacle. Flocks of birds move along the top of the screen. If shot at or flown into, the flock will disperse into individual birds. Flying into a bird causes the plane to crash.
If the player manages to destroy all enemy buildings, the plane turns and flies into the sunset. In Sopwith 1, the game ends. In later versions, the game advances to the next level. Successive levels increase in speed; also, in the second level upwards, buildings shoot back at the player's plane.
The Ox was included as an in-joke and refers to an employee at BMB named "Ox" (aka David Growden).
Shoot 'em up
Shoot 'em up is a subgenre of shooter video games. In a shoot 'em up, the player controls a lone character, often in a spacecraft or aircraft, shooting large numbers of enemies while dodging their attacks. The genre in turn encompasses various types or subgenres and critics differ on exactly what...
created by David L. Clark of BMB Compuscience in 1984. It was originally written to run on the IBM PC
IBM PC
The IBM Personal Computer, commonly known as the IBM PC, is the original version and progenitor of the IBM PC compatible hardware platform. It is IBM model number 5150, and was introduced on August 12, 1981...
under 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...
but there was also a port made near the time of its creation for the Atari 520ST. More recent versions have been ported to even more systems. The game involves piloting a Sopwith biplane
Biplane
A biplane is a fixed-wing aircraft with two superimposed main wings. The Wright brothers' Wright Flyer used a biplane design, as did most aircraft in the early years of aviation. While a biplane wing structure has a structural advantage, it produces more drag than a similar monoplane wing...
, attempting to bomb enemy buildings while avoiding fire from enemy planes and various other obstacles.
Sopwith was created to demonstrate the "Imaginet" proprietary networking system developed by BMB Compuscience. David L. Clark, employed as a programmer at BMB, developed Sopwith as a multiplayer game. The multiplayer function will not operate without the Imaginet hardware and drivers. However, single player functionality was also included, with the player flying alone or against computer-controlled planes. Because of this, the game was widely distributed, even though the Imaginet system itself was not hugely successful. Sopwith 2 added the ability to play multiplayer over an async serial interface, but a BMB dictionary driver (NAMEDEV.SYS) and a BMB serial communications driver (SERIAL.SYS or SERWORK.SYS) is then needed.
All versions of Sopwith feature four-color CGA
Color Graphics Adapter
The Color Graphics Adapter , originally also called the Color/Graphics Adapter or IBM Color/Graphics Monitor Adapter, introduced in 1981, was IBM's first color graphics card, and the first color computer display standard for the IBM PC....
graphics. Sound is provided by the PC speaker
PC speaker
A PC speaker is a loudspeaker, built into some IBM PC compatible computers. The first IBM Personal Computer, model 5150, employed a standard 2.25 inch magnetic driven speaker. More recent computers use a piezoelectric speaker instead. The speaker allows software and firmware to provide...
in the form of music and sound effects.
The C
C (programming language)
C is a general-purpose computer programming language developed between 1969 and 1973 by Dennis Ritchie at the Bell Telephone Laboratories for use with the Unix operating system....
and x86 assembly source code
Source code
In computer science, source code is text written using the format and syntax of the programming language that it is being written in. Such a language is specially designed to facilitate the work of computer programmers, who specify the actions to be performed by a computer mostly by writing source...
to Sopwith was released in 2000
2000 in video gaming
-Events:* May 11–13 — 6th annual Electronic Entertainment Expo ; the 3rd annual Game Critics Awards for the Best of E³* June 26 — International Game Developers Association renamed from Computer Game Developers Association...
, at first under a non-commercial use license, but later under the GNU GPL at the request of fans.
Gameplay
The player begins at their base (typically a hangarHangar
A hangar is a closed structure to hold aircraft or spacecraft in protective storage. Most hangars are built of metal, but other materials such as wood and concrete are also sometimes used...
and a runway
Runway
According to ICAO a runway is a "defined rectangular area on a land aerodrome prepared for the landing and take-off of aircraft." Runways may be a man-made surface or a natural surface .- Orientation and dimensions :Runways are named by a number between 01 and 36, which is generally one tenth...
). From here, they must launch their plane and attack targets. This stage can be a hindrance to inexperienced players, as sufficient speed is needed to get the plane into the air. Insufficient speed will cause the plane to stall and crash.
The plane is equipped with a machine gun
Machine gun
A machine gun is a fully automatic mounted or portable firearm, usually designed to fire rounds in quick succession from an ammunition belt or large-capacity magazine, typically at a rate of several hundred rounds per minute....
and a supply of bomb
Bomb
A bomb is any of a range of explosive weapons that only rely on the exothermic reaction of an explosive material to provide an extremely sudden and violent release of energy...
s. This weaponry can be used to destroy enemy buildings and shoot down enemy planes. Gauges in the status bar at the bottom of the screen show the remaining lives, fuel, bombs and bullets, respectively.
In Sopwith 2, obstacles exist in the form of Ox
Ox
An ox , also known as a bullock in Australia, New Zealand and India, is a bovine trained as a draft animal. Oxen are commonly castrated adult male cattle; castration makes the animals more tractable...
en and birds. The oxen simply stand on the ground; if the player crashes into one, they lose 200 points and their plane crashes. The birds provide a more challenging obstacle. Flocks of birds move along the top of the screen. If shot at or flown into, the flock will disperse into individual birds. Flying into a bird causes the plane to crash.
If the player manages to destroy all enemy buildings, the plane turns and flies into the sunset. In Sopwith 1, the game ends. In later versions, the game advances to the next level. Successive levels increase in speed; also, in the second level upwards, buildings shoot back at the player's plane.
The Ox was included as an in-joke and refers to an employee at BMB named "Ox" (aka David Growden).
See also
- Triplane Turmoil, a 1996 VGA Freeware Remake
- Altitude (computer game)Altitude (computer game)Altitude is a multiplayer 2-D aerial combat game developed by independent software developers Erik Measure and Karl Sabo. The game was released on May 1, 2009 for Windows, Mac OS X and Linux. It became available on Steam on December 4, 2009.-Gameplay:...