Nibbles (video game)
| Nibbles | |
|---|---|
 Nibbles | |
| Developer(s) | Rick Raddatz |
| Publisher(s) | Microsoft Corporation |
| Designer(s) | Rick Raddatz |
| Platform(s) | MS-DOS |
| Release | 1991 |
| Genre(s) | Arcade game |
| Mode(s) | Single player, Multi player |
Nibbles is a simple video game and variant of Snake. It may have been influenced by Mozaik Software's 1984 Amstrad CPC game, Nibbler. Nibbles was written in QBasic by Rick Raddatz, who later went on to create small business companies such as Xiosoft and InstantVideoGenerator.[citation needed]
Gameplay
The game's objective is to navigate a virtual snake (or worm) through an walled-space while consuming objects along the way. Objects that appear on the screen vary from numbers to apples. The player must avoid colliding with walls or obstacles, themselves or other snakes. Since the length of the snake increases with each object consumed, the game becomes more difficult over time. After a certain number of objects have been eaten, the player progresses to the next level, with harder obstacles or higher speeds. There is usually a multiplayer mode which allows a second player to control a second snake.[1]
History
Nibbles originally became popular because it was included with MS-DOS version 5.0 and above. Written in QBasic, it is one of the programs included as a demonstration of that programming language.[1] The QBasic game uses the standard 80x25 text screen to emulate an 80x50 grid by making clever use of foreground and background colors, and the ANSI characters for full blocks and half-height blocks. Microsoft's 24kB QBasic version was copyrighted in 1990. Because of MS-DOS's prevalence at that time, it was available on almost every PC in the early 1990s. Modern computer speeds have rendered the game-speed-delay timing loops invalid, and thus the QBasic version of Nibbles requires some code changes to operate correctly on modern PCs. However, the adjustable clock rate on the DOSBox DOS emulator has accounted for feasibility of optimized speed too.[citation needed]
Clones
Nibbles had a revival in the early 21st century thanks to clones for other platforms, including mobile phones and browsers. Notable versions include GNOME Nibbles for unix-like operating Systems and Triton Productions' FT Nibbles[2][3]
See also
References
- ^ a b "QBasic Nibbles for DOS". MobyGames. 2001-06-25. Retrieved 2009-08-13.
- ^ "Nibbles". The GNOME project. 2008-02-03. Retrieved 2009-08-13.
- ^ "FT Nibbles for DOS". MobyGames. 2006-06-20. Retrieved 2009-08-13.
External links
- Nibbles at MobyGames
- FT Nibbles at MobyGames
- GNOME Nibbles
- RHS Nibbles from Redwood High School (Larkspur)
- jQuery snakey a Javascript nibbles clone
- Nibbles for DOS A nibbles written by Mohammad Toossi