robotfindskitten

robotfindskitten
Original authorLeonard Richardson
Initial release1997
Stable release
2.8284271.702[1]  / 1 March 2020 (1 March 2020)
Written inAssembly language, C/C++, Flash, Gambas, Inform, Java, JavaScript, PHP, Python, Scratch
PlatformAmiga, Android, Apple II, Arduboy, Atari 2600, Atari 7800, Atmel AVR, Commodore 64, MS-DOS, Dreamcast, Game Boy Advance, Lego Mindstorms NXT, OS X, Maemo, Nintendo DS, Wii, Palm OS, PlayStation Portable, POSIX, QNX, Rockbox, TI-83 Plus, TI-99/4A, Z-machine, ZX Spectrum
Available inEnglish
TypeGame
LicenseGPL v2 or later
Websitehttp://robotfindskitten.org/
Repository

robotfindskitten is a free video game originally written by Leonard Richardson for MS-DOS. The game uses ASCII interface in which the player, as the eponymous robot and represented by a number sign "#", must find a kitten (represented by a random character) on a field of other random characters.

Gameplay

Walking up to items allows robot to identify them as either kitten, or any of a variety of "non-kitten items" with whimsical, strange, or random text descriptions. It is not possible to lose (though there is a patch that adds a 1 in 10 probability of the item killing the robot). Simon Carless has characterized robotfindskitten as "less a game and more a way of life ... It's fun to wander around until you find a kitten, at which point you feel happy and can start again".[2]

Ports

The game has been ported to and/or implemented on over 30 platforms, including POSIX, the Dreamcast, Palm OS, TI-99/4A, the Z-machine, the Sony PSP, Android, and many more.[3] Graphical versions, such as an OpenGL version with # emblazoned on an otherwise featureless cube, also exist. Remakes are also used as programming tutorials, such as for Gambas.

References

  1. ^ "robotfindskitten - Browse /robotfindskitten-POSIX/ship_it_anyway at SourceForge.net".
  2. ^ Carless, Simon (2004-01-01). Gaming Hacks. O'Reilly Media, Inc. ISBN 9780596007140.
  3. ^ "The Many Ports". robotfindskitten.org. Retrieved 18 March 2015.