Release Date: Spring, 1965
Platform: GE-325, PDP-10
Genre: Sports
Developer(s): John G. Kemeny
Publisher(s): DECUS
Continuing our venture into the early days of BASIC games, we now return to a familiar old friend: 101 BASIC Computer Games. Since this is the first appearance of the book post-reboot, it warrants an introduction for those unfamiliar.
101 BASIC Computer Games is a compilation of type-in BASIC games and software, originally collated by David H. Ahl and his colleagues in at Digital Equipment Corporation, makers of the PDP line of computer systems. These programs were a mixture of titles written/edited by Ahl and others at DEC, and user-submitted programs. The original edition was published first in 1973 - a time prior to the microcomputer revolution, meaning that access to these games remained rather limited. After said revolution began circa 1977, Ahl, now leading his own organisation, Creative Computing, decided to update the book (he bought the rights to the book after leaving DEC) for the versions of BASIC native to home computers such as the Apple II, TRS-80, and Commodore PET. Not every program from the former version of the book survived the update - some were replaced with newer games released in the intervening years. This "microcomputer edition" of the book is the most well-known version of 101 BASIC Computer Games. Ahl would follow it up with sequels, like More BASIC Computer Games and Big Computer Games.
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| Hello, old friend. |
All of these books' programs were included in "type-in" format. That means that you got the pleasure of painstakingly typing in every line of the program into your own computer (or likely one of your school's) - without making any mistakes, of course. Fortunately, I don't have to do this (mostly - more on that later), as there exists a convenient package of these games, downloadable free of charge. The Vintage BASIC software compilation contains all programs from the Microcomputer edition of 101 BASIC Computer Games as executable files, and is completely free to download.
Alternatively, these games also exist in browser-based form on the Internet Archive. I recall that as being my method of playing Dartmouth Championship Football in former times. The Archive's port includes a "modern" version that reformats the entire game and adds colour. Being obsessed with authenticity, I'm not particularly interested in novel updates like that. The main trouble with the Archive version is that you can't scroll up the screen to review events, making Vintage BASIC the best way to play Dartmouth Championship Football.
Observant readers will notice that I'm pulling from the microcomputer edition of 101 BASIC Computer Games for Dartmouth Championship Football. That's simply because it isn't in the original edition of the book. Sure, it has two football games in it, but neither of them are John Kemeny's first ever American Football game - yes, BASIC creator John G. Kemeny also programmed this game, on top of already doing PDP-10 World Series which we looked at last time. Kemeny's game replaces a DEC football game in the microcomputer edition of the book.
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| Bring on the Showdown. |
In a spot of good news, Dartmouth Championship Football is significantly more interactive than Kemeny's previous effort. Enough for me to actually classify this as a game! Immediately, the scene is set with you being given charge of quarterbacking Dartmouth. I assume that's the same thing as captaincy in any other sport? I confess to being rather ignorant of American Football parlance.
You are set against an opposition of your choosing. I chose to go with an opponent that hits a little closer to home. South Australia has a major football rivalry in our national code between Port Adelaide and the Adelaide Crows, colloquially referred to as the "Showdown." I'm on the Port Adelaide side of this rivalry, and as such my opponent here shall be the Crows.
Once your opponent is selected, the coin toss takes place to determine who kicks first. The game then automatically plays out the sequence of events that follows until your team has the ball. You are only ever in control of the offense in this game, and you have a selection of seven plays to choose from: simple run, tricky run, short pass, long pass, punt, quick kick and place kick.
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| Routine gameplay. |
That seems like a decent choice of strategies to choose from - but, hold on - it's not that simple. Let's break it down a little. Firstly, place kick is functionally useless for distance gain, but it can be very useful in what feels rather exploitative. If you're on your last down, you can go for a place kick to reset your downs. I discovered that it can be blocked, however, so that use appears to have been accounted for. The other kicks generally provide no benefit to the player - usually handing the ball over to the opposition doesn't work in your favour to begin with.
That leaves us with four options - the two passes and two kicks. And... how they work is anyone's guess. MobyGames' page on the game suggests that outcomes are based entirely on random chance. I believe it. Having tested the game plenty, I've come to the conclusion that it makes no material difference what play you choose - the only seemingly strategic decision of value is place kicking on down 4 to reset the counter.
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| Hey, look - something happened! |
As for my showdown against the Crows... I lost. But, not by much. In fact, I was in front for much of the game, scores at 7-6 after my team's touchdown and successful conversion. Unfortunately, we got pipped right at the post, with the Crows scoring an untimely safety, resulting in Dartmouth losing 7-8. I'm not overly fussed about trying to get a win - it's not exactly up to my brilliant strategising to engineer a win, is it?
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| We're the pride of South Australia~ |
A final point worth mentioning is the possibility of this game containing the very first "Easter Egg" in video game history - depending on your definition of the term, of course. There's a low chance, during the course of the game, that a line of text will appear, reading,
"GAME DELAYED. DOG ON FIELD."
It adds absolutely zero to the gameplay, but adds absolutely everything to the experience.
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| A furry easter egg. |
Scores
Time Played: 15 minutes
Difficulty: 0 (RNG)
Gameplay: 2
While there is some semblance of gameplay here, it's ultimately an "illusion of choice." Get ready to hear that phrase a lot more going forward, as several more upcoming games suffer from it. It does generate some interest in what's happening on screen, combined with the variance possible in the random outcomes. More than can be said for something like OXO. Like has been said before, the only genuine strategic decision is to place kick on the last down for a chance at resetting the counter. For everything else, you might as well be playing the lottery.
Controls: 5
Very standard and simple for an early text-based game.
Sound: N/A
Visual: 1
Words on a screen. Not formatted in any ingenious manner, either.
Story: N/A
Functionality: 5
Everything appears to work as intended, free points.
Accessibility: 3
Giving my standard score here. It would be lower if an understanding of the real sport was actually necessary, but that turns out to be completely irrelevant.
Fun Factor: 2
There's something life-draining about knowing that you cannot influence the outcome of the game, no matter what choices you make. There is still, at least, a tiny drip of excitement to be found in observing the outcome of a game, and at least being able to make choices.
Overall: 18
All this earns Dartmouth Championship Football a weighted score of 22.5, and a low finish on the ladder, in the E tier. While it's avoided joining the leagues of the basement dwellers, it will not be progressing to the playoffs, unfortunately.
Video:
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