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Clue (computer game)
Encyclopedia
Clue is a computer game based on the board game
of the same name. Its formal name is Clue: Murder at Boddy Mansion or Cluedo: Murder at Blackwell Grange. It runs on Microsoft Windows
. It was developed in 1998 for Hasbro Interactive
by EAI
. Infogrames
(now Atari
) took over publishing rights for the game in 2000 when Hasbro Interactive went out of business.
and features the same goal of the board game.
In addition to play by the original rules, Clue has an additional mode that allows movement via "points." Each turn begins with nine points and every action the player takes costs points. The player can only do as many things as he has points. For example, moving from square to square costs one point, making a suggestion costs three points. Many players prefer this mode of play as it makes the game more balanced since each player gets the same number of "moves" each turn.
A few features of Clue:
In the game, if one wishes to play online, he or she is linked to a now invalid URL address. The game was originally connected to the MSN Gaming Zone; however, MSN stopped hosting the game.
Clue had enjoyed an unusually long shelf life for a video game. It went on sale late in 1998 and, as of 2007 was still for sale, available at many retail stores and via the Internet. The original game came in a box with holographic images. Now the game comes in a less expensive jewel case, or as part of a collection, the Classic Game Collection (also including computer versions of Monopoly
, The Game of Life
, and Scrabble
). At one point the game was offered free inside boxes of cereal
alongside other Hasbro computer games such as Operation
.
called EAI Interactive. The development team was divided between EAI's interactive division in Salt Lake City, Utah
and its main office in Ames, Iowa
. Most of the programming
and game design
took place in Salt Lake, while most of the art and animations were developed in the Ames office. Development of the mansion, constructed piece by piece, began in Ames, but moved to Salt Lake City about halfway through the project.
Development of Clue took approximately one year. Hasbro Interactive, the game's publisher
, funded the project.
The game does not include credits, however dozens of people were involved in Clue's development. Some of the more notable contributors:
Board game
A board game is a game which involves counters or pieces being moved on a pre-marked surface or "board", according to a set of rules. Games may be based on pure strategy, chance or a mixture of the two, and usually have a goal which a player aims to achieve...
of the same name. Its formal name is Clue: Murder at Boddy Mansion or Cluedo: Murder at Blackwell Grange. It runs on Microsoft Windows
Microsoft Windows
Microsoft Windows is a series of operating systems produced by Microsoft.Microsoft introduced an operating environment named Windows on November 20, 1985 as an add-on to MS-DOS in response to the growing interest in graphical user interfaces . Microsoft Windows came to dominate the world's personal...
. It was developed in 1998 for Hasbro Interactive
Hasbro Interactive
Hasbro Interactive was an American video game production and publishing subsidiary of Hasbro, the large game and toy company.Hasbro Interactive was formed late in 1995 in order to compete in the computer and video game arena. Several Hasbro properties, such as Monopoly and Scrabble, had already...
by EAI
Engineering Animation, Inc.
Engineering Animation, Inc. was a services and software company based in Ames, Iowa , United States. It remained headquartered there from its incorporation in 1990 until it was acquired by Unigraphics Solutions, Inc. in 1999...
. Infogrames
Infogrames
Infogrames Entertainment SA was an international French holding company headquartered in Paris, France. It was the owner of Atari, Inc., headquartered in New York City, U.S. and Atari Europe. It was founded in 1983 by Bruno Bonnell and Christophe Sapet using the proceeds from an introductory...
(now Atari
Atari
Atari is a corporate and brand name owned by several entities since its inception in 1972. It is currently owned by Atari Interactive, a wholly owned subsidiary of the French publisher Atari, SA . The original Atari, Inc. was founded in 1972 by Nolan Bushnell and Ted Dabney. It was a pioneer in...
) took over publishing rights for the game in 2000 when Hasbro Interactive went out of business.
Overview
Clue is a direct conversion of the original game as a computer game. As such, it takes place in the same mansionMansion
A mansion is a very large dwelling house. U.S. real estate brokers define a mansion as a dwelling of over . A traditional European mansion was defined as a house which contained a ballroom and tens of bedrooms...
and features the same goal of the board game.
In addition to play by the original rules, Clue has an additional mode that allows movement via "points." Each turn begins with nine points and every action the player takes costs points. The player can only do as many things as he has points. For example, moving from square to square costs one point, making a suggestion costs three points. Many players prefer this mode of play as it makes the game more balanced since each player gets the same number of "moves" each turn.
A few features of Clue:
- Detailed depictions of the charactersCluedo charactersThe board game Cluedo and the associated 1985 film Clue, contains six murder suspects, all of whom survived into the final 2002 edition of the game. They typically represent "types," or stock characters, of European and American high society, as typified in the murder mysteries pioneered by Agatha...
made famous by the board game - A 3D3D computer graphics3D computer graphics are graphics that use a three-dimensional representation of geometric data that is stored in the computer for the purposes of performing calculations and rendering 2D images...
isometricIsometric projectionIsometric projection is a method for visually representing three-dimensional objects in two dimensions in technical and engineering drawings...
view - A top down view reminiscent of the board game
- Video clips of the characters carrying out the crime (which garnered the game's T (Teen) rating)
- Online play via the InternetInternetThe Internet is a global system of interconnected computer networks that use the standard Internet protocol suite to serve billions of users worldwide...
In the game, if one wishes to play online, he or she is linked to a now invalid URL address. The game was originally connected to the MSN Gaming Zone; however, MSN stopped hosting the game.
Clue had enjoyed an unusually long shelf life for a video game. It went on sale late in 1998 and, as of 2007 was still for sale, available at many retail stores and via the Internet. The original game came in a box with holographic images. Now the game comes in a less expensive jewel case, or as part of a collection, the Classic Game Collection (also including computer versions of Monopoly
Monopoly (game)
Marvin Gardens, the leading yellow property on the board shown, is actually a misspelling of the original location name, Marven Gardens. The misspelling was said to be introduced by Charles Todd and passed on when his home-made Monopoly board was copied by Charles Darrow and thence to Parker...
, The Game of Life
The Game of Life
The Game of Life, also known simply as LIFE, is a board game originally created in 1860 by Milton Bradley, as The Checkered Game of Life . The Game of Life was America's first popular parlor game...
, and Scrabble
Scrabble
Scrabble is a word game in which two to four players score points by forming words from individual lettered tiles on a game board marked with a 15-by-15 grid. The words are formed across and down in crossword fashion and must appear in a standard dictionary. Official reference works provide a list...
). At one point the game was offered free inside boxes of cereal
Breakfast cereal
A breakfast cereal is a food made from processed grains that is often, but not always, eaten with the first meal of the day. It is often eaten cold, usually mixed with milk , water, or yogurt, and sometimes fruit but sometimes eaten dry. Some cereals, such as oatmeal, may be served hot as porridge...
alongside other Hasbro computer games such as Operation
Operation (game)
Operation is a battery-operated game of physical skill that tests players' hand-eye co-ordination and fine motor skills. Originally made by Milton Bradley, and currently made by Hasbro it has been in production since 1965, the year in which the game was invented by John Spinello.The game is a...
.
Development
Clue was developed by a branch of Engineering Animation, Inc.Engineering Animation, Inc.
Engineering Animation, Inc. was a services and software company based in Ames, Iowa , United States. It remained headquartered there from its incorporation in 1990 until it was acquired by Unigraphics Solutions, Inc. in 1999...
called EAI Interactive. The development team was divided between EAI's interactive division in Salt Lake City, Utah
Salt Lake City, Utah
Salt Lake City is the capital and the most populous city of the U.S. state of Utah. The name of the city is often shortened to Salt Lake or SLC. With a population of 186,440 as of the 2010 Census, the city lies in the Salt Lake City metropolitan area, which has a total population of 1,124,197...
and its main office in Ames, Iowa
Ames, Iowa
Ames is a city located in the central part of the U.S. state of Iowa in Story County, and approximately north of Des Moines. The U.S. Census Bureau designates that Ames, Iowa metropolitan statistical area as encompassing all of Story County, and which, when combined with the Boone, Iowa...
. Most of the programming
Computer programming
Computer programming is the process of designing, writing, testing, debugging, and maintaining the source code of computer programs. This source code is written in one or more programming languages. The purpose of programming is to create a program that performs specific operations or exhibits a...
and game design
Game design
Game design, a subset of game development, is the process of designing the content and rules of a game in the pre-production stage and design of gameplay, environment, storyline, and characters during production stage. The term is also used to describe both the game design embodied in a game as...
took place in Salt Lake, while most of the art and animations were developed in the Ames office. Development of the mansion, constructed piece by piece, began in Ames, but moved to Salt Lake City about halfway through the project.
Development of Clue took approximately one year. Hasbro Interactive, the game's publisher
Video game publisher
A video game publisher is a company that publishes video games that they have either developed internally or have had developed by a video game developer....
, funded the project.
The game does not include credits, however dozens of people were involved in Clue's development. Some of the more notable contributors:
- Michael S. Glosecki, Executive ProducerExecutive producerAn executive producer is a producer who is not involved in any technical aspects of the film making or music process, but who is still responsible for the overall production...
, Hasbro Interactive - Bryan BrandenburgBryan BrandenburgBryan Brandenburg is an American author, technology entrepreneur and former game programmer.-Career:...
, Executive ProducerExecutive producerAn executive producer is a producer who is not involved in any technical aspects of the film making or music process, but who is still responsible for the overall production...
, EAI Interactive - Tom Zahorik, ProducerGame producerA video game producer is the person in charge of overseeing development of a video game.The earliest documented use of the term producer in games was by Trip Hawkins, who established the position when he founded Electronic Arts in 1982...
, Hasbro Interactive - Virginia McArthur, Producer, EAI Interactive
- Rick RaymerRick RaymerRick Raymer is an American video game designer. He's worked for developers and publishers alike such as EAI, Hasbro Interactive, iROCK Entertainment and Vicious Cycle Software.Raymer got his start in game design at EAI around 1996...
, Game Designer - Tim Zwica, Art Lead
- Chris Nash, Lead ProgrammerLead programmerA lead programmer is a software engineer in charge of one or more software projects. Alternative titles include Development Lead, Technical Lead, Senior Software Engineer, Software Design Engineer Lead , Software Manager, or Senior Applications Developer...
- Joshua Jensen, Lead EAGLE ProgrammerGame programmerA game programmer is a software engineer, programmer, or computer scientist who primarily develops codebase for video games or related software, such as game development tools. Game programming has many specialized disciplines all of which fall under the umbrella term of "game programmer"...
- Mike Reed, AI Programmer
- Greg Thoenen, Programmer
- Darren Eggett, Programmer
- Steve Barkdull, Programmer
- Emily Modde, Level Designer
- Greg German, 3D Modeller
- Jonathan Herrmann, Cinematic Lighting
- Jason Wintersteller, Graphic Designer
- Cole Harris, Lead Tester
See also
- Cluedo charactersCluedo charactersThe board game Cluedo and the associated 1985 film Clue, contains six murder suspects, all of whom survived into the final 2002 edition of the game. They typically represent "types," or stock characters, of European and American high society, as typified in the murder mysteries pioneered by Agatha...
- Clue, the movieClue (film)Clue is a 1985 comedy mystery film based on the board game of the same name . The film is a murder mystery set in a Gothic Revival mansion, and is styled after Murder by Death and other various murder/dinner parties of mystery...
- Clue (board game)
- Clue (1992 video game)