Tower Of Babel (computer game)

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Screenshot from the Amiga version of Tower of Babel

Tower Of Babel is a computer game for the Amiga, Atari ST and Acorn Archimedes systems programmed by Pete Cooke, developed by Rainbird Software and released by Microprose Software in 1990. It is a puzzle game played on a three-dimensional tower-like grid viewed in vector graphics with filled polygons.

1 Background Story
2 Gameplay
- 2.1 Editor
- 2.2 Game objects
3 Legacy
4 External links

[edit] Background Story

The plot of the game is based on the biblical story of the Tower Of Babel. At the height of the tower's construction, while it failed in its original purpose to directly contact God, it caught the attention of a passing Zantorian alien spaceship. The Zantorians descended and left three spider-like robots to help the Shinarians in constructing the tower. However, distrust broke out among the two species, and the humans betrayed the robots, stealing their energy packs (called "Klondikes"). Playing the robots, it is your job to find the energy packs to be able to get back home to Zantor.

[edit] Gameplay

The actual game play bears no relation at all to Christian belief, but is purely puzzle-based. The famous Tower Of Babel itself does not actually appear, instead you can play over literally hundreds of differently-configured 8*8*4 towers (four floors of 8*8 squares each).

The Zantorians robots are called the Grabber, the Pusher and the Zapper. Each of these has different abilities. The Grabber can collect Klondikes and operate various devices, the Pusher can push things further away, and the Zapper can destroy things. In a tower, you can be assigned any combination of these robots, depending on the tower's design. Towers with Klondikes to collect need the Grabber, but the other robots can sometimes be superfluous.

Everything in the game is viewed in a realistic 3D vector graphics view, but the actual movement in the game is far more contained than in games usually associated with such graphics, only allowing square-by-square movement in rectangular directions and vertical movement using special lifts.

To make matters more interesting, various devices, sentry mechanisms and autonomous robots also inhabit each tower. Some of these can be used to your advantage, while some hinder your progress.

[edit] Editor

Tower Of Babel also includes a construction kit where you can design your own towers to your heart's content and save them to disk for later play and distribution. The towers can be password-protected to avoid spoiling them by looking directly at the design.

A great feature of the game is the ability to program the robots. Each robot can be given up to eight orders (for example: Forward, Forward, Left, Fire, Right, Forward). In some levels, programming the robots is mandatory, as they need to coordinate their actions in order to solve the level. Watching the robots solve a given level automatically after being programmed is very satisfying.

[edit] Game objects

Block: Can be pushed around but cannot be shot.
Converter: Changes laser beams into pushing beams and vice versa.
Exchanger: When activated by the Grabber, switches places with it and vanishes. Deflects laser beams back to their source.
Flag: Does nothing but fly in the wind and get in the way. Its only use is to be destroyed.
Force up/down: When activated by the Grabber, moves all lifts not currently holding something either up or down.
Freezer: When activated by the Grabber, temporarily freezes everything in the tower except your robots and the lifts.
Glass block: Can be pushed around. Shooting at it deflects the laser beam back to its source, destroying whoever shot at it.
Hopper: Hops around in a random fashion. Can be destroyed by shooting it.
Klondike: The robots' energy pack. Can be collected by the Grabber.
Lizard: Constantly moves in a straight line. When changing direction, eats away a floor tile. Cannot be shot.
Mine: When it is pushed next to an object, or an object is pushed next to it, it explodes, destroying everything it touches.
Prism: Deflects laser beams at a 90° angle. Can be pushed.
Pushing cannon: Constantly fires a pushing beam. Comes in two varieties, fixed and rotating. Cannot be shot.
Time bomb: When the timer reaches zero, it explodes, destroying everything it touches. Can be pushed.
Watcher: Moves around in a random fashion. Cannot be shot.
Wiper: When activated by the Grabber, eats away all floor tiles in a cross-shaped pattern with itself at the centre.
Worm: Constantly moves in a straight line. Shooting at it makes it reverse direction.
Zapping cannon: Constantly fires a lethal laser beam. Comes in two varieties, fixed and rotating. Can be destroyed by shooting it.

[edit] Legacy

Triogical is a Freeware puzzle game for Microsoft Windows inspired by Tower Of Babel.

Due to its unique nature and the easily usable editor the game has acquired a small, but very dedicated community of fans. Thanks to emulation software like WinUAE the game can be played on modern PCs and homemade towers swapped via the internet. Currently there are two remakes in the making.