Difference between revisions of "The Oregon Trail (1985)"

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[[Image:Oregon Trail, The - A2 - USA.jpg|thumb|256x256px|Apple II box.]]
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{{Video Game
 +
| Title            = The Oregon Trail
 +
| SortTitle        = Oregon Trail, The
 +
| Image           = Oregon Trail, The - A2 - USA.jpg
 +
| ImageDescription = Apple II - USA - 1st edition.
 +
| Developer        = {{VideoGamePublisher|MECC}}
 +
| Publisher        = {{VideoGamePublisher|MECC}}
 +
| PublishedYear    = 1985
 +
| PublishedMonth  = ??
 +
| PublishedDay    = ??
 +
| Platforms        = {{Platform|Apple II}}, {{Platform|DOS}}
 +
| Genres          = {{VideoGameGenre|Educational video game|Educational}}, {{VideoGameGenre|Management simulator|Management simulator}}, {{VideoGameGenre|Simulation video game|Simulation}}
 +
| Themes          = {{MediaTheme|Adventure}}, {{MediaTheme|Historic}}, {{MediaTheme|Western}}, {{MediaTheme|Wilderness}}
 +
| Series          = ''[[Trail (universe)|Trail]]''
 +
| Distributions    = {{VideoGameDistribution|Commercial}}
 +
}}
  
'''''The Oregon Trail''''' is an educational [[strategy video game]] developed and published by [[MECC]], initially for the [[Apple II]] in 1985, then later for [[MS-DOS]] in 1990. This is the fifth release of the game, and it often viewed as the "classic" version, and one of many games released in the [[Trail (universe)|''Trail'' series]]. In 1993, and [[The Oregon Trail (1993)|enhanced version]] was released.
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'''''The Oregon Trail''''' is an educational [[management simulator]] developed and published by [[MECC]], initially for the [[Apple II]] in 1985, then later for [[MS-DOS]] in 1990. This is the fifth release of the game, and it often viewed as the "classic" version, and one of many games released in the [[Trail (universe)|''Trail'' series]]. In 1992, and [[The Oregon Trail (1992)|enhanced version]] was released.
  
 
In the game, you play the leader of a family in 1848 leaving from Independence, Missouri across the wild US frontier to settle in Willamette Valley, Oregon. You must manage your family's supplies, hunt for food, cross rivers, stave off disease, and avoid the many dangers that await you.
 
In the game, you play the leader of a family in 1848 leaving from Independence, Missouri across the wild US frontier to settle in Willamette Valley, Oregon. You must manage your family's supplies, hunt for food, cross rivers, stave off disease, and avoid the many dangers that await you.
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==Personal==
 
==Personal==
When I was in elementary school, I remember seeing this game on an Apple II. However, I don't remember ever playing it. Instead, I played the older Commodore 64 port in ''[[Expeditions]]''. It wasn't until I was in my 30s that I actually played the DOS port, but, by then, I wasn't very interested in the game. After reverse-engineering most of the game's data files, I decided to actually play it all the way through and beat it on 2021-04-20 as a banker.
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{{VideoGameStatus
 +
| Own      =
 +
| CantOwn  =
 +
| Won      = Yes. MS-DOS port as banker. Apple II port as Banker.
 +
| CantWin  =
 +
| Finished = MS-DOS: 2021-04-20. Apple II: 2024-02-16 959 points.
 +
}}
  
==Status==
+
When I was in elementary school, I remember seeing the Apple II game, but I never played it. Not long after, I played the older Commodore 64 port found in ''[[Expeditions]]''. It wasn't until I was in my 30s that I actually played the DOS port, but, by then, I wasn't very interested in the game. After reverse-engineering most of the game's data files, I decided to actually play it all the way through and beat it as a banker.
I don't own this game, but I have beaten the MS-DOS port as a banker.
 
  
 
==Review==
 
==Review==
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* Despite calling itself an educational game, I didn't find the game very educational. The game certainly popularized the travel route, and lets people know that dysentery is a disease, but that's about it. The game never expects the player to answer questions about the trail, know about the flora and fauna, or demonstrate applied knowledge of any kind. The few places where you can read about the history of the trail aren't all that informative, and are entirely optional.
 
* Despite calling itself an educational game, I didn't find the game very educational. The game certainly popularized the travel route, and lets people know that dysentery is a disease, but that's about it. The game never expects the player to answer questions about the trail, know about the flora and fauna, or demonstrate applied knowledge of any kind. The few places where you can read about the history of the trail aren't all that informative, and are entirely optional.
 
* The UI for when you first buy goods to outfit your journey is poorly designed. Because the inputs are so slow and mistakes are not easily corrected, you're better off making a ledger on paper and then typing the numbers in afterward.
 
* The UI for when you first buy goods to outfit your journey is poorly designed. Because the inputs are so slow and mistakes are not easily corrected, you're better off making a ledger on paper and then typing the numbers in afterward.
* The game's audio is bad. Although Apple II users wouldn't have expected much since the platform didn't have decent audio capabilities anyway, the DOS port was released in 1990 when sound cards were becoming not that uncommon. Instead, the game ony plays short song excerpts through the PC speaker.
+
* The game's audio is bad. Although Apple II users wouldn't have expected much since the platform didn't have decent audio capabilities anyway, the DOS port was released in 1990 when sound cards were becoming more popular. Instead, the game ony plays short song excerpts through the PC speaker.
 
* The rafting minigame is dull.
 
* The rafting minigame is dull.
 +
* The game removes the encounter of being attacked by bandits. My guess is they did this to avoid violence, but I think it was a legitimate worry for pioneers.
  
 
===Ugly===
 
===Ugly===
* In general, the game is boring. There is a lot of min-maxing, watching a mostly static screen occasionally pop-up random events(accidents, thieves, wild fruit, abandoned wagons, etc.) are totally outside of your control, and sometimes playing a dull minigame. Beating the game as a banker is trivial and beating it as a farmer requires a great deal of luck.
+
* For the most part, the game is boring. You do some min-maxing and occasionally play a minigame with bad controls, but, the vast majority of the time, you're watching a mostly static screen with the occasional pop-up of a random event completely outside of your control. Beating the game as a banker is trivial and beating it as a farmer requires a great deal of luck.
 
* The controls for the hunting minigame are atrocious.
 
* The controls for the hunting minigame are atrocious.
  
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<gallery>
 
<gallery>
 
Oregon Trail, The - A2 - USA.jpg|The Apple II box shows a creepy old man dressed in leather with a raccoon enticing a little boy to play on his computer. The little boy is smiling, but his eyes say, "please help me, I've seen horrifying things."
 
Oregon Trail, The - A2 - USA.jpg|The Apple II box shows a creepy old man dressed in leather with a raccoon enticing a little boy to play on his computer. The little boy is smiling, but his eyes say, "please help me, I've seen horrifying things."
Oregon Trail, The - DOS - USA.jpg|The MS-DOS box turns the tables. Now the little boy has kidnapped an old homeless man with dementia and is forcing him to beat his video games.
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Oregon Trail, The - DOS - USA.jpg|The MS-DOS box turns the tables. Now the little boy has kidnapped an old homeless man with dementia and is forcing him to play games so boring, he'd prefer to watch the raccoon.
 +
Oregon Trail, The - A2 - USA - Rev.jpg|Apple II revision to make it resemble the 1992 version.
 
</gallery>
 
</gallery>
  
 
===Documentation===
 
===Documentation===
 
<gallery>
 
<gallery>
Oregon Trail, The - A2 - USA - Manual.pdf|Apple II manual.
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Oregon Trail, The - A2 - USA - Manual.pdf|Manual - Apple II.
 +
Oregon Trail, The - A2 - USA - Manual - Rev.pdf|Manual - Apple II - Revision.
 +
Oregon Trail, The - A2 - USA - Instructional Computing Courseware.pdf|Teacher's Manual - Apple II.
 +
Oregon Trail, The - Core Team - c.1986 - Charolyn Kapplinger, John Krenz, Shirley Keran, Philip Bouchard.jpg|Game creators [[Charolyn Kapplinger]], [[John Krenz]], [[Shirley Keran]], and [[Philip Bouchard]] in 1986.
 
</gallery>
 
</gallery>
  
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Oregon Trail, The - A2 - Screenshot - Title.png|Apple II title screen.
 
Oregon Trail, The - A2 - Screenshot - Title.png|Apple II title screen.
 
Oregon Trail, The - DOS - Screenshot - Title.png|MS-DOS menu.
 
Oregon Trail, The - DOS - Screenshot - Title.png|MS-DOS menu.
 +
</gallery>
 +
 +
===Fan Art===
 +
<gallery>
 +
Oregon Trail, The - DOS - Fan Art - Dissing Terry.jpg|You have died of dissing Terry.
 +
Oregon Trail, The - A2 - Fan Art - Get in losers!.png|Get in losers!
 
</gallery>
 
</gallery>
  
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{{YouTube|Ty1zKbgRIzQ|Longplay - Apple II.}}
 
{{YouTube|Ty1zKbgRIzQ|Longplay - Apple II.}}
 
{{YouTube|3Bgs9jfSo9k|Longplay - MS-DOS.}}
 
{{YouTube|3Bgs9jfSo9k|Longplay - MS-DOS.}}
 +
 +
==Play Online==
 +
{{PlayOnline|https://classicreload.com/oregon-trail.html|MS-DOS}}
 +
 +
==Representation==
 +
{{Representation
 +
| Media                      = Video games
 +
| StrongFemaleCharacterStatus = Fail
 +
| StrongFemaleCharacterNotes  = There are only depictions of women.
 +
| BechdelTestStatus          = Fail
 +
| BechdelTestNotes            = There is no dialog, only narration.
 +
| StrongPOCCharacterStatus    = Fail
 +
| StrongPOCCharacterNotes    = There are Indians, but they're not important to the story.
 +
| QueerCharacterStatus        = Fail
 +
| QueerCharacterNotes        = There are no queer characters.
 +
}}
  
 
==Credits==
 
==Credits==
 +
The game doesn't have credits, but the lead designer has written articles describing who was involved in the project and what they did.
 +
 
{| class="wikitable"
 
{| class="wikitable"
 
! Role !! Staff
 
! Role !! Staff
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|-
 
|-
 
| Research || [[Shirley Keran]]
 
| Research || [[Shirley Keran]]
 +
|-
 +
| Ox and Cart Idea || [[Bill Way]]
 +
|-
 +
| Additional Help || [[Timothy Anderson]]
 
|-
 
|-
 
| Original Game By || [[Don Rawitsch]], [[Bill Heinemann]], [[Paul Dillenberger]]
 
| Original Game By || [[Don Rawitsch]], [[Bill Heinemann]], [[Paul Dillenberger]]
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{{Link|ModdingWiki|https://moddingwiki.shikadi.net/wiki/The_Oregon_Trail}}
 
{{Link|ModdingWiki|https://moddingwiki.shikadi.net/wiki/The_Oregon_Trail}}
  
 +
* [https://www.scullinsteel.com/apple2/#oregon_trail_1 scullinsteel.com/apple2/#oregon_trail_1] - Play Apple II port online.
 +
* [https://archive.org/details/msdos_Oregon_Trail_The_1990 archive.org/details/msdos_Oregon_Trail_The_1990] - Play MS-DOS port online.
 
* [http://www.philipbouchard.com/oregon-trail.html philipbouchard.com/oregon-trail.html] - Designer's articles about the game.
 
* [http://www.philipbouchard.com/oregon-trail.html philipbouchard.com/oregon-trail.html] - Designer's articles about the game.
 +
* [https://medium.com/the-philipendium/how-i-managed-to-design-the-most-successful-educational-computer-game-of-all-time-4626ea09e184 medium.com/the-philipendium/how-i-managed-to-design-the-most-successful-educational-computer-game-of-all-time-4626ea09e184] - Article by designer.
  
  
[[Category: Games]]
 
[[Category: Video Games]]
 
[[Category: 1985 Video Games]]
 
 
[[Category: Video Game Prime Order - Strategy, Adventure, Action]]
 
[[Category: Video Game Prime Order - Strategy, Adventure, Action]]
[[Category: Video Game Genre - Adventure]]
 
[[Category: Video Game Genre - Strategy]]
 
[[Category: Media Theme - Western]]
 
[[Category: Apple II Games]]
 
[[Category: DOS Games]]
 
 
[[Category: Monochrome Graphics]]
 
[[Category: Monochrome Graphics]]
 
[[Category: 2-bit Color Graphics]]
 
[[Category: 2-bit Color Graphics]]
 
[[Category: 4-bit Color Graphics]]
 
[[Category: 4-bit Color Graphics]]
[[Category: Video Games That Fail the Bechdel Test]]
 
[[Category: Video Games I've Beaten]]
 

Latest revision as of 16:36, 7 March 2024

The Oregon Trail

Oregon Trail, The - A2 - USA.jpg

Apple II - USA - 1st edition.

Developer MECC
Publisher MECC
Published 1985-??-??
Platforms Apple II, DOS
Genres Educational, Management simulator, Simulation
Themes Adventure, Historic, Western, Wilderness
Series Trail
Distribution Commercial

The Oregon Trail is an educational management simulator developed and published by MECC, initially for the Apple II in 1985, then later for MS-DOS in 1990. This is the fifth release of the game, and it often viewed as the "classic" version, and one of many games released in the Trail series. In 1992, and enhanced version was released.

In the game, you play the leader of a family in 1848 leaving from Independence, Missouri across the wild US frontier to settle in Willamette Valley, Oregon. You must manage your family's supplies, hunt for food, cross rivers, stave off disease, and avoid the many dangers that await you.

The Apple II game was written mostly in Applesoft BASIC with the hunting portion written in 6502 assembly. The DOS port was written mostly in Turbo Pascal and used the Borland Graphics Interface. The DOS game is labeled as version 2.0, and a patch of 2.1 was later released.

Personal

Own?No.
Won?Yes. MS-DOS port as banker. Apple II port as Banker.
FinishedMS-DOS: 2021-04-20. Apple II: 2024-02-16 959 points.

When I was in elementary school, I remember seeing the Apple II game, but I never played it. Not long after, I played the older Commodore 64 port found in Expeditions. It wasn't until I was in my 30s that I actually played the DOS port, but, by then, I wasn't very interested in the game. After reverse-engineering most of the game's data files, I decided to actually play it all the way through and beat it as a banker.

Review

Video Game Review Icon - Enjoyment.png Video Game Review Icon - Control.png Video Game Review Icon - Appearance.png Video Game Review Icon - Sound.png Video Game Review Icon - Replayability.png
3 2 4 3 6

Best Version: MS-DOS

— This section contains spoilers! —

Good

  • The graphics by Charolyn Kapplinger, though not technologically special for the time, look good and add to the feel of the game.
  • The use of traditional American folk tunes was a nice addition to the MS-DOS port.
  • The new game play is much better than the original.

Bad

  • Despite calling itself an educational game, I didn't find the game very educational. The game certainly popularized the travel route, and lets people know that dysentery is a disease, but that's about it. The game never expects the player to answer questions about the trail, know about the flora and fauna, or demonstrate applied knowledge of any kind. The few places where you can read about the history of the trail aren't all that informative, and are entirely optional.
  • The UI for when you first buy goods to outfit your journey is poorly designed. Because the inputs are so slow and mistakes are not easily corrected, you're better off making a ledger on paper and then typing the numbers in afterward.
  • The game's audio is bad. Although Apple II users wouldn't have expected much since the platform didn't have decent audio capabilities anyway, the DOS port was released in 1990 when sound cards were becoming more popular. Instead, the game ony plays short song excerpts through the PC speaker.
  • The rafting minigame is dull.
  • The game removes the encounter of being attacked by bandits. My guess is they did this to avoid violence, but I think it was a legitimate worry for pioneers.

Ugly

  • For the most part, the game is boring. You do some min-maxing and occasionally play a minigame with bad controls, but, the vast majority of the time, you're watching a mostly static screen with the occasional pop-up of a random event completely outside of your control. Beating the game as a banker is trivial and beating it as a farmer requires a great deal of luck.
  • The controls for the hunting minigame are atrocious.

Media

Box Art

This game suffers from some hilariously terrible box art.

Documentation

Screenshots

Fan Art

Videos

Longplay - Apple II.
Longplay - MS-DOS.

Play Online

MS-DOS

Representation

Strong female character?FailThere are only depictions of women.
Bechdel test?FailThere is no dialog, only narration.
Strong person of color character?FailThere are Indians, but they're not important to the story.
Queer character?FailThere are no queer characters.

Credits

The game doesn't have credits, but the lead designer has written articles describing who was involved in the project and what they did.

Role Staff
Lead Designer R. Philip Bouchard
Lead Programmer John Krenz
Programmers Bob Granvin, Roger Shimada, Steve Splinter
Artist Charolyn Kapplinger
Research Shirley Keran
Ox and Cart Idea Bill Way
Additional Help Timothy Anderson
Original Game By Don Rawitsch, Bill Heinemann, Paul Dillenberger

Links

Link-MobyGames.png  Link-Wikipedia.png  Link-StrategyWiki.png  Link-GameFAQs.png  Link-TVTropes.png  Link-ModdingWiki.png