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Chip's Challenge (edit)

Revision as of 00:42, 7 May 2021

3,716 bytes added ,  7 May 2021
make this page more about the set than the game; add a bunch of stuff about level themes
(Missed it by that much)
(make this page more about the set than the game; add a bunch of stuff about level themes)
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| This page is specifically about the '''original set of levels''' that shipped with Chip's Challenge.  For the game itself, see [[MSCC]] (for the popular 1992 Windows port) or [[Chip's Challenge for Atari Lynx]] (for the original).
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{{Infobox Levelset
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'''Chip's Challenge''', often abbreviated to ''Chip's'' or simply ''CC'', is a video game by [[Chuck Sommerville]] that was originally conceived for the [[Lynx ruleset|Atari Lynx]] in 1989. It was later ported to other platforms, the most well known being the [[Microsoft's version of Chip's Challenge|Windows port]]. The Windows version was first released in the Microsoft Entertainment Pack in 1992, and later in the Best of Microsoft Entertainment Pack. It has remained a popular game ever since.
'''Chip's Challenge''', often abbreviated to '''CC1''', can refer to the very first set of Chip's Challenge levels: those that shipped with with the first game.  Strictly speaking, that would be the [[Chip's Challenge for Atari Lynx|the Lynx game]], but CC1 more often means the slightly modified set bundled with the [[MSCC|1992 Windows port]].  It consists of 149 levels, one of which is exclusive to the Windows port.
 
As the original levelset, it naturally served as an inspiration for an entire generation of level designers, though some of the levels are less well-regarded with the benefit of hindsight.  Thousands of custom levels have been created since the game's release, and the community is still actively producing more.  The [https://bitbusters.club/ Bit Busters Club] fansite serves as a hub for collecting the levels (and other information about the game), and the community favorites are regularly collected into semi-official [[Chip's Challenge Level Pack]]s.
 
The presence of a time limit inspired players to race through the puzzles as quickly as possible and compare their times, creating what may be one of the earliest speedrunning communities, with [[bold time|records]] going back as far as 1993.  These are also collected [https://scores.bitbusters.club/scores/cc1 on the Bit Busters Club site].
 
== Themes ==
 
The levelset spans a wide variety of themes and doesn't shy away from playing with its mechanics.
 
A number of levels are mazes of some sort (as was common in games in the 80s and early 90s), and in fact the [[decade message|in-game story]] refers to the levels themselves as mazes.  Most of them have a unique twist.  [[Strange Maze]] and [[Scavenger Hunt]] are fairly basic, but make use of the basic game [[tile|elements]].  [[Blink]] introduces [[teleporter]]s, creating multiple maze fragments that interconnect.  [[Mishmesh]] and [[Chipmine]] heavily feature [[blue wall]]s, and so must be explored before the maze takes shape.  [[Vanishing Act]] is comprised entirely of [[dirt]] (which becomes [[floor]] once stepped on) and [[invisible wall]]s (which look exactly like floor), creating a maze that slowly renders itself invisible as a player traverses it.  [[Stripes?]] is partly invisible from the beginning.  [[Cellblocked]] and [[Short Circuit]] prevent you from backtracking and benefit especially well from map-making.  [[Rink]], [[I Slide]], and [[Doublemaze]] consist largely of [[ice]], making it more difficult to understand the available paths.  [[Apartment]] and [[Amsterdam]] are built out of tiny rooms that frequently connect to their neighbors, offering more options but also more ways to get stuck.  [[Fireflies]] is two overlapping mazes: one you can traverse and one [[fireball]]s can traverse, leaving you vulnerable in the places where they intersect.
 
As Chip's Challenge features pushable [[block]]s which can clear otherwise deadly [[water]], it lends itself well to [[Sokoban]]-style levels.  [[Castle Moat]] is a more traditional Sokoban: numerous blocks are crammed into tight corridors and require careful thought to extract.  [[Pier Seven]] has relatively simple block pushing; the puzzle is figuring out ''where'' the given number of blocks will reach the center island. [[Iceberg]] and [[Arcticflow]] feature a series of small islands in icy waters to traverse.  [[Oversea Delivery]] requires teleporting four blocks through a series of islands without losing any to the sea, while [[On the Rocks]] practically invites a player to fill it in.  [[Writers Block]], [[Cityblock]], and [[Pain]] are infamous for the incredible amount of precise block maneuvering required.


It was later re-released on [http://store.steampowered.com/app/346850/ Steam] alongside the release of [[Chip's Challenge 2]]. A later update to this re-release and Chip's Challenge 2 added the option to switch the music, audio, and graphics between its new assets and the original Windows port.
Redirection of [[monster]]s by taking advantage of their simple behavior is another common theme. [[Metastable to Chaos]] asks the player to disrupt a choreographed dance of [[bug]]s by introducing [[block]]s, and [[Lemmings]] is a similar idea with rings of [[fireball]]s.  [[Traffic Cop]] has the player direct a [[fireball]] across the entirety of the level to press a button.  "Underground" levels like [[Digger]], [[Digdirt]], [[Spooks]], and [[Underground]] require carefully directing monsters away from the player while digging through a large area of [[dirt]].


The game features [[Chip]], who wants to become a member of [[Melinda]]'s select [[Bit Busters Club|Bit Busters club]], and is tested with a puzzle which he must finish in order to enter. The original Chip's Challenge [[level set]] has 148 levels (and 149 in the Windows and [[Steam ruleset|Steam]] version), but many others were created with [[level editor]]s that were soon created after Chip's Challenge was released. Eventually, the community began releasing Chip's Challenge Level Packs constructed from selected levels from these custom level sets, each containing 149 levels.
Unlike Sokoban and similar turn-based puzzle games, Chip's Challenge plays out in real time, so dodging monsters adds an extra twist.  [[Ping Pong]], [[Problems]], and [[Bounce City]] offer some relatively simple tasks, but require that they be done while dodging rows of [[pink ball]]s.  [[Beware of Bug]] consists of tight corridors that require quick recognition of where a monster will go.


==Story==
A sort of inverse of maze levels are those that feature patterns and repetition, requiring patience and a methodical approach. [[Oorto Geld]] requires setting up an automated button-pressing mechanism, then slipping into several dozen small rooms to collect [[computer chip]]s.  [[Seeing Stars]] has a large number of small water gaps to cross in a variety of similar arrangements.  [[Refraction]] asks a player to collect hearts from within a fractal of toggle elements.  [[Reverse Alley]] is a spiral of [[blue tank]]s whose movements are tricky to predict.  [[Telenet]], [[Colony]], and [[Memory]] feature numerous copies of the same small rooms.
From the ''CHIPS.HLP'' file distributed with the [[Microsoft's version of Chip's Challenge|Windows Entertainment Pack version of Chip's Challenge]]:


''Chip is willing to do anything for [[Melinda|Melinda the Mental Marvel]], more than anything, because he wants to join Melinda's exclusive computer club, the [[Bit Busters Club|Bit Busters]]. Finally Melinda has offered him membership, but on one condition! Chip must find his way from one end of Melinda's magical clubhouse to the other, picking up cosmic [[computer chip]]s along the way.
Some levels have no strong theme and are instead general romps through a series of miscellaneous challenges.  [[Nuts and Bolts]], [[Nightmare]], and [[All Full]] are some well-known examples.  Others, like [[Trinity]], [[Elementary]], and [[Mugger Square]], are designed around using the game's four different "elemental" tiles in parallel.


''If that sounds easy, then you've never been to Melinda's magical clubhouse. It's awesome inside, but tricky, and a little scary too. There are [[teleport]]s, [[invisible wall]]s, [[force floor]]s, [[water]] traps, [[Lock|locked doors]], and plenty of [[monster]]s. There's magic, mystery, and behind the scenes there is Melinda, keeping score on your progress and providing helpful [[hint]]s.
Finally, and perhaps least popular of all, are levels that rely on random elements. [[Blobnet]] and [[Blobdance]] are infamously tricky; both are packed full of the randomly-moving [[blob]]s and require patience and quick reflexes.  [[Jumping Swarm]] pits the player against a wide-open space that fills with [[walker]]s bouncing in all directions.  [[Forced Entry]] and [[Force Field]] are technically not random, but their dizzying arrangements of force floors are so tricky to navigate that a common approach is to simply mash keys and hope for the best.


''As you succeed in helping Chip move through each level of the clubhouse, Melinda gives you a secret [[password]] that allows you to return. And Melinda rewards perseverance. If she thinks Chip has tried long enough and hard enough on a level<!---which actually means at least 10 deaths in a row where Chip was alive for at least 10 seconds; this info is not in the text--->, she'll let him sneak through to the next level. But it takes a lot of perseverance to impress her. How big is the clubhouse? [[Fireflies|144 levels]] is the rumor. But some claim that Melinda is [[Thanks to...|still building]]. In any case, it defies dimensions so don't get lost.
Not all of the levels fit neatly into a theme, of course.  [[Southpole]], [[Knot]], [[Cypher]], [[The Prisoner]], [[Totally Unfair]], [[Special]], and many others feature novel puzzles unlike anything else in the game.


== The levels ==
== The levels ==
{{Distinguish|Chip's Challenge Level Pack 1}}
{{Distinguish|Chip's Challenge Level Pack 1}}
[[Lynx ruleset|The Atari Lynx version]] of Chip's Challenge has 148 increasingly difficult levels which Chip must complete, and there is a 149th level added to [[Microsoft's version of Chip's Challenge|the Windows Entertainment Pack version]]. This original [[level set]] is often referred to as '''Chip's Challenge 1''' ('''CC1'''), though it should be noted that CC1 can also refer to the game as a whole, to contrast with CC2.
[[Chip's Challenge for Atari Lynx|The Atari Lynx version]] of Chip's Challenge has 148 increasingly difficult levels which Chip must complete, and there is a 149th level added to [[Microsoft's version of Chip's Challenge|the Windows Entertainment Pack version]]. This original [[level set]] is often referred to as '''Chip's Challenge 1''' ('''CC1'''), though it should be noted that CC1 can also refer to the game as a whole, to contrast with CC2.


As these were the first Chip's Challenge levels, they begin by introducing the functions of the [[tile]]s in the [[lesson level]]s, then tie them together in [[Nuts and Bolts]], and add new elements only sparingly from then on out. There are very few levels of high difficulty in CC1 compared to future fan-made level packs such as [[Chip's Challenge Level Pack 2]], as knowledge of puzzle design and game mechanics were comparatively primitive.
As these were the first Chip's Challenge levels, they begin by introducing the functions of the [[tile]]s in the [[lesson level]]s, then tie them together in [[Nuts and Bolts]], and add new elements only sparingly from then on out. There are very few levels of high difficulty in CC1 compared to future fan-made level packs such as [[Chip's Challenge Level Pack 2]], as knowledge of puzzle design and game mechanics were comparatively primitive.
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