Dominos (video game): Difference between revisions
No edit summary Tags: Mobile edit Mobile web edit |
Unrulyevil5 (talk | contribs) No edit summary |
||
| (28 intermediate revisions by 6 users not shown) | |||
| Line 1: | Line 1: | ||
{{short description|1977 video game}} |
|||
{{more citations needed|date=September 2017}} |
{{more citations needed|date=September 2017}} |
||
{{Infobox video game |
{{Infobox video game |
||
|title= Dominos |
|title = Dominos |
||
|image= ATARI - DOMINOS.jpg |
|image = ATARI - DOMINOS.jpg |
||
|image_size= 250px |
|image_size = 250px |
||
|caption= Promotional flyer |
|caption = Promotional flyer |
||
|developer= [[Atari, Inc.]] |
|developer = [[Atari, Inc.]] |
||
|released |
|released = January 1977 |
||
|genre= [[Snake (video game)|Snake]] |
|genre = [[Snake (video game genre)|Snake]] |
||
|platforms=[[Arcade game|Arcade]] |
|platforms = [[Arcade game|Arcade]] |
||
}} |
}} |
||
''''' |
'''''Dominos''''' is a one, two or four-player video action game packaged in its own distinctively styled upright cabinet that rests directly on the floor. |
||
==Gameplay== |
==Gameplay== |
||
Gameplay is a variation of the [[snake (video game genre)|snake]] genre, in which players compete by surrounding each other with lines of dominos. |
Gameplay is a variation of the [[snake (video game genre)|snake]] genre, in which players compete by surrounding each other with lines of [[dominos]]. Players change direction via a set of four buttons representing up, down, right, and left respectively. A player loses when they hit a wall, their own dominos, or their opponent's, at which point all the dominos in their line "fall" down. A point is awarded to the winner of each round until the end point goal is reached. The point goal can be 3, 4, 5, or 6 points.<ref>{{cite web|title=Dominos Manual|url=https://www.arcade-museum.com/manuals-videogames/D/Dominos.pdf|accessdate=19 September 2017}}</ref><ref name="midway">{{cite web|title=Dominos Killer List of Video Games Entry |url=http://www.klov.com/game_detail.php?letter=D&game_id=7604|accessdate = 2007-07-06}}</ref> |
||
==Development== |
==Development== |
||
''Dominos'' was programmed by Dennis Koble.{{sfn|Drury|2020|p=33|ref=DomRetGame}} He had joined Atari in 1976 and was only the fourth programmer at the company. His first project was ''[[Sprint 2]]'' (1976) made with [[Lyle Rains]] and Dan Van Elderen.{{sfn|Drury|2020|p=32|ref=DomRetGame}} Koble stated that despite being credited as the programmer on ''Dominos'', Rains was "the brains behind the game" and had suggested the concept, drew the graphics and created the AI for the computer controlled opponent.{{sfn|Drury|2020|p=33|ref=DomRetGame}} |
|||
A 23-inch [[television set|TV]] [[computer monitor|monitor]] is mounted in the top front of the [[arcade cabinet|cabinet]], with the monitor viewing screen tilted back from vertical. The TV monitor viewing screen is covered with [[Poly(methyl methacrylate)|plexiglas]] panel. ''Dominos'' came in an upright two-player cabinet as well as a four-player cocktail cabinet. All cabinets were produced in 1976 and originally released in 1977. |
|||
Following the release of ''[[Blockade (video game)|Blockade]]'' by [[Gremlin Industries]], Atari wanted to make their own version of the game. Koble said the game was not stolen from ''Blockade'', stating that prior to Gremlin's release, he had seen similar [[snake (video game genre)|snake video games]] on [[ARPANET]] and [[CompuServe]], which made him feel he was not copying Gremlin's game.{{sfn|Drury|2020|p=32|ref=DomRetGame}} Among the additions made to the game, Koble included a computer controlled opponent, which meant that a single-player mode was possible.{{sfn|Drury|2020|p=33|ref=DomRetGame}} |
|||
Koble claimed it was made in a short amount of time, estimating it took about 13 weeks to complete. He recalled that the game was created when Atari was still a "young company and just trying to survive as they made the transition into using [[microprocessors]]. They didn't quite have the standards they developed later".{{sfn|Drury|2020|p=32|ref=DomRetGame}} |
|||
==Release and reception== |
|||
''Dominos'' was shipped in January 1977.{{sfn|Akagi|2006|p=110}} Following ''Dominos'', Koble went on to program ''[[Avalanche (video game)|Avalanche]]'', his final game for Atari.{{sfn|Drury|2012|p=88|ref=DruryBio}} Atari would shortly release another snake game, ''[[Surround (video game)|Surround]]'' for the [[Atari 2600]] in September 1977.{{sfn|Bunch|2022|p=114}} |
|||
From retrospective reviews, Bret Alan Weiss wrote in [[Allgame]] that ''Dominos'' was a simplistic game in terms of both visuals and gameplay and that it was superior as a two-player game, but it was "more fun than it looks, which isn't saying much".{{sfn|Weiss}} |
|||
==References== |
==References== |
||
{{reflist}} |
{{reflist}} |
||
===Sources=== |
|||
* {{cite book|trans-chapter=Overseas Edition|chapter=海外編|title=アーケードTVゲームリス 国内 • 海外編 (1971 - 2005)ト|trans-title=Arcade TV Game List Domestic/Overseas Edition (1971-2005)|last=Akagi|first=Masumi|publisher=Amusement News Agency |language=Japanese |location=Japan |isbn=978-4990251215|year=2006}} |
|||
* {{cite book|title=Atari Archive: Vol.1 1977-1978|last=Bunch|first=Kevin|publisher=[[Limited Run Games|Press Run Books]]|isbn=978-1-955183-21-5|year=2022}} |
|||
* {{cite magazine|magazine=[[Retro Gamer]]|title=Dennis Koble|last=Drury|first=Paul|issue=107|ref=DruryBio|publisher=Imagine Publishing|ISSN=1742-3155|year=2012}} |
|||
* {{cite magazine|magazine=Retro Gamer|last=Drury|first=Paul|title=The Making of Dominos|issue=211|ref=DomRetGame|ISSN=1742-3155|year=2020|publisher=Future PLC}} |
|||
* {{cite web|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20141114131854/http://www.allgame.com/game.php?id=9930&tab=review|url=http://www.allgame.com/game.php?id=9930&tab=review|title=Dominos|last=Weiss|first=Brett Alan|publisher=[[Allgame]]|accessdate=February 12, 2024|archivedate=November 14, 2014}} |
|||
{{1970s Atari arcade games}} |
{{1970s Atari arcade games}} |
||
| Line 30: | Line 48: | ||
[[Category:Snake video games]] |
[[Category:Snake video games]] |
||
[[Category:Video games developed in the United States]] |
[[Category:Video games developed in the United States]] |
||
{{arcade-stub}} |
{{arcade-stub}} |
||
Latest revision as of 01:50, 23 August 2024
 | This article needs additional citations for verification. (September 2017) |
| Dominos | |
|---|---|
 Promotional flyer | |
| Developer(s) | Atari, Inc. |
| Platform(s) | Arcade |
| Release | January 1977 |
| Genre(s) | Snake |
Dominos is a one, two or four-player video action game packaged in its own distinctively styled upright cabinet that rests directly on the floor.
Gameplay
[edit]Gameplay is a variation of the snake genre, in which players compete by surrounding each other with lines of dominos. Players change direction via a set of four buttons representing up, down, right, and left respectively. A player loses when they hit a wall, their own dominos, or their opponent's, at which point all the dominos in their line "fall" down. A point is awarded to the winner of each round until the end point goal is reached. The point goal can be 3, 4, 5, or 6 points.[1][2]
Development
[edit]Dominos was programmed by Dennis Koble.[3] He had joined Atari in 1976 and was only the fourth programmer at the company. His first project was Sprint 2 (1976) made with Lyle Rains and Dan Van Elderen.[4] Koble stated that despite being credited as the programmer on Dominos, Rains was "the brains behind the game" and had suggested the concept, drew the graphics and created the AI for the computer controlled opponent.[3]
Following the release of Blockade by Gremlin Industries, Atari wanted to make their own version of the game. Koble said the game was not stolen from Blockade, stating that prior to Gremlin's release, he had seen similar snake video games on ARPANET and CompuServe, which made him feel he was not copying Gremlin's game.[4] Among the additions made to the game, Koble included a computer controlled opponent, which meant that a single-player mode was possible.[3]
Koble claimed it was made in a short amount of time, estimating it took about 13 weeks to complete. He recalled that the game was created when Atari was still a "young company and just trying to survive as they made the transition into using microprocessors. They didn't quite have the standards they developed later".[4]
Release and reception
[edit]Dominos was shipped in January 1977.[5] Following Dominos, Koble went on to program Avalanche, his final game for Atari.[6] Atari would shortly release another snake game, Surround for the Atari 2600 in September 1977.[7]
From retrospective reviews, Bret Alan Weiss wrote in Allgame that Dominos was a simplistic game in terms of both visuals and gameplay and that it was superior as a two-player game, but it was "more fun than it looks, which isn't saying much".[8]
References
[edit]- ^ "Dominos Manual" (PDF). Retrieved 19 September 2017.
- ^ "Dominos Killer List of Video Games Entry". Retrieved 2007-07-06.
- ^ a b c Drury 2020, p. 33.
- ^ a b c Drury 2020, p. 32.
- ^ Akagi 2006, p. 110.
- ^ Drury 2012, p. 88.
- ^ Bunch 2022, p. 114.
- ^ Weiss.
Sources
[edit]- Akagi, Masumi (2006). "海外編" [Overseas Edition]. アーケードTVゲームリス 国内 • 海外編 (1971 - 2005)ト [Arcade TV Game List Domestic/Overseas Edition (1971-2005)] (in Japanese). Japan: Amusement News Agency. ISBN 978-4990251215.
- Bunch, Kevin (2022). Atari Archive: Vol.1 1977-1978. Press Run Books. ISBN 978-1-955183-21-5.
- Drury, Paul (2012). "Dennis Koble". Retro Gamer. No. 107. Imagine Publishing. ISSN 1742-3155.
- Drury, Paul (2020). "The Making of Dominos". Retro Gamer. No. 211. Future PLC. ISSN 1742-3155.
- Weiss, Brett Alan. "Dominos". Allgame. Archived from the original on November 14, 2014. Retrieved February 12, 2024.
 | This arcade game-related article is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it. |