| Civil War | |
|---|---|
 Screenshot of gameplay | |
| Publisher(s) | Creative Computing |
| Designer(s) | L. Cram, L. Goodie, D. Hibbard |
| Platform(s) | first PDP-8, later most platforms supporting BASIC |
| Release | 1968 |
| Genre(s) | Strategy video game, text-based game |
| Mode(s) | Single player, Two player |
Civil War is a text-based strategy video game developed in BASIC on a PDP-8 at Lexington High School (Massachusetts) in 1968 by the students L. Cram, L. Goodie, and D. Hibbard.[1] It is allegedly the oldest preserved strategy video game still capable of running.[2]
General information
The game is about a Union and a Confederate general fighting battles of the American Civil War. The objective is to win the majority of 14 potential battles. A missing second human player will be simulated by the computer.
The game was originally developed as a single player game by three high school students. Soon, G. Paul and R. Hess of Technology and Information Educational Services, (Saint Paul, Minnesota) added a two-player mode.
In 1973, the game was included in David H. Ahl's book BASIC Computer Games and published by Creative Computing.
Civil War simulates the major battles of the conflict, with the human player as the South and the computer as the North. Fourteen separate battles are fought per game. The player can control four direct variables which interact to determine a battle's outcome: food, salaries, ammunition, and strategy (offensive or defensive). The side with the fewest casualties wins a battle, and whichever side wins the most battles wins the game (the computer wins all ties).[3]
Civil War was one of a number of text-based games available on early 1980s pay to play systems, along with games such as Adventure, Blackjack, Football, Hangman, Lunar Lander, Maze, and Star Trek.[4] Civil War was available on The Source, Big-Top Games, and A.R.C.A.D.E.[4]
References
- ^ David H. Ahl, Civil War in BASIC Computer Games - Microcomputer Edition, p. 46, Creative Computing Print, 1978, ISBN 0916688070
- ^ Smith, Alexander (January 22, 2014). "They Create Worlds". videogamehistorian.wordpress.com. Retrieved 3 January 2020.
- ^ Herro, Mark (June 1980). "The Electric Eye". The Dragon (38): 52–53.
- ^ a b DeMaria, Rusel; Johnny L. Wilson (2003). High Score!: The Illustrated History of Electronic Games. McGraw-Hill Osborne Media. pp. 305–306. ISBN 978-0-07-223172-4. Retrieved 2009-07-16.
Sources
- Ahl, David (November 1978). BASIC Computer Games (2nd ed.). Workman Publishing. ISBN 978-0-89480-052-8.