| GATO | |
|---|---|
| Developer(s) | Spectrum Holobyte Xanth F/X (Atari 8-bit)[1] |
| Publisher(s) | Spectrum Holobyte Atari Corporation |
| Designer(s) | Paul Arlton Ed Dawson |
| Platform(s) | MS-DOS (original) Apple II, Atari 8-bit, Atari ST, Macintosh, Commodore 64 |
| Release | 1984 1987 (Atari 8-bit) |
| Genre(s) | Submarine simulator |
| Mode(s) | Single-player |
How to Play: Control the submarine using both your computer mouse and your computer keyboard Arrow Keys. Alternatively, you can use the WASD keys: W (up); A (left); S (down); D (right). For the harpoon gun, aim with the cursor of your computer mouse and left click to fire. Submarine simulator free download - Submarine, Submarine X3D, X-Plane, and many more programs. Enter to Search. Submarine games. Free Submarine. Simplify the.
GATO is a real-time submarine simulator first published in 1984 by Spectrum HoloByte for MS-DOS. It simulates combat operations aboard the Gato-class submarine USS Growler(SS-215) in the Pacific Theater of World War II. GATO was later ported to the Apple IIe, Atari ST, and Macintosh. In 1987 Atari published a version on cartridge for the Atari 8-bit family, to coincide with the launch of the Atari XEGS.[2]
Description[edit]
The player is tasked with chasing Japanese shipping across a 20-sector map while returning for resupply as necessary from a submarine tender. The islands on the map are randomly generated and not based on real-world geography. Combat is conducted using a screen with a view through the periscope and at various gauges and indicators. The game has multiple difficulty levels, the highest of which requires the player to translate mission briefings which are transmitted only as audible Morse Code.
The MS-DOS and Apple IIe versions contain a boss key which replaces the game screen by a spreadsheet.
The timing of the game relied on the computer's CPU clock-speed, rather than the time-and-date clock, making it unplayable as 80286 CPU-based computers came onto the market.
Reception[edit]
In 1985, Computer Gaming World praised the game for being simultaneously easy to play and having deep, detailed strategy.[3] 1991 and 1993 surveys in the magazine of strategy and war games, however, gave it one and a half stars out of five, stating that 'it was adequate in its time, but not exemplary in any regard'.[4][5]Compute! stated that 'Gato promises realism, and it delivers ... [it] lives up to its claims'.[6]Jerry Pournelle wrote favorably of the game in BYTE, stating that he wished he could slow the game down but 'I've certainly wasted enough time with it ... Recommended', and that he preferred the black-and-white Macintosh version to the color IBM PC version.[7]
Reviews[edit]
- The V.I.P. of Gaming Magazine #2 (Feb./March, 1986)
Production[edit]
Marketed by Spectrum HoloByte, Gato had originally been developed by student programmers in Boulder, Colorado.[8]
Gato sold well - being reported in Billboard magazine in June 1985 as coming in at number 6 of a national sample of retail sales and rack sales reports.[9]
References[edit]
- ^Wen, Howard H. (January 1989). 'Gato Review'. Video Games & Computer Entertainment.
- ^'GATO XE Label'. Atari Age.
- ^Sipe, Russell (Apr–May 1985), 'IBM Goes to War', Computer Gaming World, pp. 24–25
- ^Brooks, M. Evan (November 1991). 'Computer Strategy and Wargames: The 1900-1950 Epoch / Part I (A-L) of an Annotated Paiktography'. Computer Gaming World. p. 138. Retrieved 18 November 2013.
- ^Brooks, M. Evan (September 1993). 'Brooks' Book of Wargames: 1900-1950, A-P'. Computer Gaming World. p. 118. Retrieved 30 July 2014.
- ^Williams, Michael B. (November 1985). 'Gato For Apple And IBM'. Compute! (review). p. 90. Retrieved 30 October 2013.
- ^Pournelle, Jerry (September 1985). 'PC, Peripherals, Programs, and People'. BYTE. p. 347. Retrieved 27 October 2013.
- ^'Flight-simulation game is so real that even A.F. wants a piece of action'. The Deseret News. 24 January 1988.
- ^'3D Living Today - The Top 10'. Miami Herald. 29 June 1985.
External links[edit]
Best Video Games For Mac
- GATO at MobyGames
- The MS-DOS version ofGato can be played for free in the browser at the Internet Archive
Ready for a deep-sea submarine adventure? Bloomo is a challenging, underwater physics-based game where you control a submarine and plunder the depths of the ocean looking for rare plant-life. Captain Bloomo has discovered an interesting new type of water-plant in the underwater caves off the island of Phi-Sai. Your goal is to control his submarine and try to find these plants.
There is a cool scientific aspect to this game as you have to move obstacles and create pathways using an active understanding of physics and gravity. The underwater caves are littered with garbage and other obstacles. You must use the submarine’s harpoon gun to move these obstacles. Some of them have to be dragged away so that you can enter passageways. Others have to be stacked so you can reach other caves and progress through the levels.
Be careful not to hit the submarine off the walls of the cave, as that damages its health bar. When the health bar goes all the way down, it’s game over. As well as helping to exercise your knowledge of gravity and trajectory, this adventure game should also help to put your creative engineering skills into action. You’ll need quick fingers to succeed, as you have to control both the submarine’s movements and the harpoon gun. Think you’ve got what it takes to be a good submarine pilot? Show us your stuff Admiral!
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How to Play: Control the submarine using both your computer mouse and your computer keyboard Arrow Keys. Alternatively, you can use the WASD keys: W (up); A (left); S (down); D (right). For the harpoon gun, aim with the cursor of your computer mouse and left click to fire. If you fire at a movable object, like a crate or some garbage, it gets attached to your harpoon. You can then drag it away or move it somewhere else. To release the object from the harpoon, left click again.
In some levels, you have to clear debris (objects) in order to continue. In other levels, you must stack the debris on scales to open a door. Remember to try to collect as much of the rare plant life that you see attached to the cave walls. But don’t get too close to the walls because if you crash off them, you damage the submarine. Also, beware of mines that explode if you get too close to them. If you keep damaging the submarine until the health bar disappears, you lose a life. Keep an eye on your health bar in the top left corner of the game screen. Happy deep sea diving!
Tip: Take your time when dragging the objects around. There is no time limit and this gives you time to explore all of the caves.
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