Synapse Software
Encyclopedia
Synapse Software Corporation (marketed as SynSoft in the UK) 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 (later on) the Commodore 64
and IBM PCjr
. They released many highly-regarded shoot 'em up
video games including Fort Apocalypse
, Blue Max
, Alley Cat
and Shamus. The company was purchased by Brøderbund Software
in late 1984.
), while Protector used elements of Defender.
A notable early release was Nautilus
, which featured a "split-screen" to allow two players to play at once. In one-player mode the user controlled a submarine
, the Nautilus, in the lower screen while the computer took control of a destroyer
, the Colossus, in the upper screen. Similar to Atari's Combat
, in two-player mode another player took control of the destroyer. The same basic system was later re-used in other games, including Shadow World.
Survivor was the first home computer game to support up to four players, a side-effect of the first generation Atari machines including four joystick ports. In this case all of the players took command of different parts of a single spaceship; in single-player mode it operated like the ship in Asteroids, while in two player mode one drove and the other fired in any direction.
A second wave of games followed from an expanded group of developers. Popular releases included Shamus, Necromancer
, Rainbow Walker, Blue Max
, Fort Apocalypse
and an official port of the arcade game Zaxxon
(for the Commodore 64 only; the Atari port was from DataSoft). It was during this period that the company branched out and started supporting other platforms en masse, especially the Commodore 64
, which became a major platform. Many of Synapse's games made their way to the UK as part of the initial wave of U.S. Gold
-distributed imports (under the "Synsoft" imprint). Some were also converted to run on the more popular UK home computer
s, such as the Sinclair ZX Spectrum
.
Some time before their demise, Synapse had started work on text adventure
s (or as they called them, "Electronic Novels"). The games were all based on a parser called "BTZ" (Better Than Zork), written by William Mataga and Steve Hales. Seven games were written using the system but only four released, the best-known being the critically acclaimed Mindwheel.
They were also developing a series of applications
including SynFile+, SynTrend, SynCalc and SynStock
purchased Atari's consumer division from Warner Communications
, he refused to pay for the 40,000 units of software that had been shipped. This in turn hurt Synapse financially.
Having been thrown into a cash crisis, Synapse was purchased by Brøderbund Software
in late 1984. Although the intention had been to keep Synapse going, the market had changed, and they were unable to make money from the
electronic novels. Approximately one year after the takeover, Brøderbund closed Synapse down.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
computer game development
Video game developer
A video game developer is a software developer that creates video games. A developer may specialize in a certain video game console, such as Nintendo's Wii, Microsoft's Xbox 360, Sony's PlayStation 3, or may develop for a variety of systems, including personal computers.Most developers also...
and publishing company active during the early-1980s. They developed primarily for the Atari 400 and 800
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...
computers, and (later on) 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 IBM PCjr
IBM PCjr
The IBM PCjr was IBM's first attempt to enter the home computer market. The PCjr, IBM model number 4860, retained the IBM PC's 8088 CPU and BIOS interface for compatibility, but various design and implementation decisions led the PCjr to be a commercial failure.- Features :Announced November 1,...
. They released many highly-regarded shoot 'em up
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...
video games including Fort Apocalypse
Fort Apocalypse
Fort Apocalypse is a 1982 computer game for the Atari 8-bit series created by Steve Hales and distributed by Synapse Software. Joe Vierra wrote the Commodore 64 version the same year...
, Blue Max
Blue Max (computer game)
Blue Max is a video game from 1983 by Synapse Software, released for the Commodore 64 and Atari 8-bit computers. In 1984 it was released for the ZX Spectrum by U.S. Gold...
, Alley Cat
Alley Cat (game)
Alley Cat is a computer game created by Bill Williams and published by Synapse Software for the Atari 8-bit family in 1983, and later for the PC in 1984 by IBM. The player controls Freddy the Cat, an alley cat whose object is to perform certain tasks within the homes of people in order to reach to...
and Shamus. The company was purchased by Brøderbund Software
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,...
in late 1984.
Early games
Synapse's first releases were for the Atari 8-bit computers, starting in 1981, shortly after the Atari computers became widely available. Some of their early games were based on elements of current arcade games. For example, Chicken had the same basic concept as Kaboom! for the Atari 2600 (which itself was similar to the arcade game AvalancheAvalanche (arcade game)
Avalanche is an arcade game released by Atari Inc. in 1978. The object is to catch avalanching rocks with a controllable set of paddles that diminish in number and size as the rocks fall faster and faster. -Technology:...
), while Protector used elements of Defender.
A notable early release was Nautilus
Nautilus (computer game)
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...
, which featured a "split-screen" to allow two players to play at once. In one-player mode the user controlled 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, in the lower screen while the computer took control of 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, in the upper screen. Similar to Atari's Combat
Combat (video game)
Combat is an early video game by Atari for the Atari 2600. It was released as one of the nine launch titles for the system in October 1977, and was included in the box with the system from its introduction until 1982...
, in two-player mode another player took control of the destroyer. The same basic system was later re-used in other games, including Shadow World.
Survivor was the first home computer game to support up to four players, a side-effect of the first generation Atari machines including four joystick ports. In this case all of the players took command of different parts of a single spaceship; in single-player mode it operated like the ship in Asteroids, while in two player mode one drove and the other fired in any direction.
A second wave of games followed from an expanded group of developers. Popular releases included Shamus, Necromancer
Necromancer (video game)
Jaseiken Necromancer is a fantasy role-playing game for TurboGrafx-16, PlayStation Network and the Virtual Console. The TurboGrafx-16 version was only released in Japan. In February 2011, the game was released as "Necromancer" on Apple's App Store....
, Rainbow Walker, Blue Max
Blue Max (computer game)
Blue Max is a video game from 1983 by Synapse Software, released for the Commodore 64 and Atari 8-bit computers. In 1984 it was released for the ZX Spectrum by U.S. Gold...
, Fort Apocalypse
Fort Apocalypse
Fort Apocalypse is a 1982 computer game for the Atari 8-bit series created by Steve Hales and distributed by Synapse Software. Joe Vierra wrote the Commodore 64 version the same year...
and an official port of the arcade game Zaxxon
Zaxxon
Zaxxon is a 1982 arcade game developed and released by Sega. Some sources claim that Japanese electronics company Ikegami Tsushinki also worked on the development of Zaxxon...
(for the Commodore 64 only; the Atari port was from DataSoft). It was during this period that the company branched out and started supporting other platforms en masse, especially 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...
, which became a major platform. Many of Synapse's games made their way to the UK as part of the initial wave of U.S. Gold
U.S. Gold
U.S. Gold was a British video game publisher and developer from the early 1980s through the mid-1990s, producing numerous titles on a variety of 8-bit, 16-bit and 32-bit platforms.-History:...
-distributed imports (under the "Synsoft" imprint). Some were also converted to run on the more popular UK home computer
Home computer
Home computers were a class of microcomputers entering the market in 1977, and becoming increasingly common during the 1980s. They were marketed to consumers as affordable and accessible computers that, for the first time, were intended for the use of a single nontechnical user...
s, such as the Sinclair 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...
.
Text adventures and other programs
Although it is for their success with arcade-style games that they will be primarily remembered, Synapse branched out into other areas of software.Some time before their demise, Synapse had started work on text adventure
Interactive fiction
Interactive fiction, often abbreviated IF, describes software simulating environments in which players use text commands to control characters and influence the environment. Works in this form can be understood as literary narratives and as video games. In common usage, the term refers to text...
s (or as they called them, "Electronic Novels"). The games were all based on a parser called "BTZ" (Better Than Zork), written by William Mataga and Steve Hales. Seven games were written using the system but only four released, the best-known being the critically acclaimed Mindwheel.
They were also developing a series of applications
Application software
Application software, also known as an application or an "app", is computer software designed to help the user to perform specific tasks. Examples include enterprise software, accounting software, office suites, graphics software and media players. Many application programs deal principally with...
including SynFile+, SynTrend, SynCalc and SynStock
- Note: SynFile+ was written in Forth by Steve Ahlstrom and Dan Moore of The Forth Works, Inc.
Downfall
Synapse later ran into financial difficulty. According to Steve Hales they had taken a calculated risk in developing the aforementioned series of applications, and had entered into a collaboration with Atari, Inc. When Jack TramielJack Tramiel
Jack Tramiel is an American businessman, best known for founding Commodore International - manufacturer of the Commodore PET, Commodore 64, Commodore 128, Commodore Amiga, and other Commodore models of home computers.-Biography:...
purchased Atari's consumer division from Warner Communications
Warner Communications
Warner Communications or Warner Communications, Inc. was established in 1971 when Kinney National Company spun off its non-entertainment assets, due to a financial scandal over its parking operations and changed its name....
, he refused to pay for the 40,000 units of software that had been shipped. This in turn hurt Synapse financially.
Having been thrown into a cash crisis, Synapse was purchased by Brøderbund Software
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,...
in late 1984. Although the intention had been to keep Synapse going, the market had changed, and they were unable to make money from the
electronic novels. Approximately one year after the takeover, Brøderbund closed Synapse down.
External links
- Scans and information on Synapse's Atari products
- Interviews with Synapse developer Steve Hales and co-founder Ihor Wolosenko
- "Eight new Synapse games" - Archive reviews and information on takeover at atarimagazines.com
- Moby Games' entry for Synapse Software