One Man and His Droid
Encyclopedia
One Man and His Droid is a game published by Mastertronic
in 1985 for use on the Amstrad CPC
, Atari 8-bit, Commodore 16
, Commodore 64
and ZX Spectrum
home computer systems. The name of the game is a play on the title of the BBC
television show One Man and His Dog
. The object of the game is to use a droid to collect Ramboids, the male form of alien sheep. You must move these Ramboids into teleporter
s to win the game.
's only friend was his dog
. The modern shepherd has traded in Shep and got himself a droid, a multi-functioning device specially designed for the job. Capable of four different modes of operation, the droid is used to guide the ramboids into the teleport chamber.
in order to resume a game they were playing earlier, otherwise starting at the beginning. There are passwords for each of the twenty different ramboid-filled caverns, and as the player progresses through each cavern, the computer releases the corresponding password.
At the start of a game the screen is split up into several different windows. Largest and centrally placed is the main window which looks into a cave
rn, displaying a view of the droid placed centrally amongst the scenery. The first task is to guide the droid to the start position.
Ramboids are dim. They move very predictably, and always reverse their direction of movement if their way is blocked. They are also delicate creatures which only live for about twenty minutes. The player is working against the clock all the time. Should the player fail to get at least four ramboids in the teleport in the right order within the time, it's back to the first screen.
. C64 enthusiasts and former owners frequently list Hubbard's composition as being one of the finest to feature in any game released for that machine. It regularly appears in "best of" compilation lists on YouTube and 64 retro community websites.
The Atari XL and Amstrad versions had a different theme, which was shorter.
programmer Harry Price
created a pirate version called Don't Say It, Spray It (ironically, published by Pirate Software). Some information on this may be found on the equ.in/ox website, and also on World of Spectrum.
Mastertronic
Mastertronic was originally a publisher and distributor of low-cost computer game software founded in 1983. Their first games were distributed in mid-1984. At its peak the label was the dominant software publisher in the UK, a position achieved by selling cassette-based software at the £1.99...
in 1985 for use on the Amstrad CPC
Amstrad CPC
The Amstrad CPC is a series of 8-bit home computers produced by Amstrad between 1984 and 1990. It was designed to compete in the mid-1980s home computer market dominated by the Commodore 64 and the Sinclair ZX Spectrum, where it successfully established itself primarily in the United Kingdom,...
, Atari 8-bit, Commodore 16
Commodore 16
The Commodore 16 was a home computer made by Commodore with a 6502-compatible 8501 CPU, released in 1984. It was intended to be an entry-level computer to replace the VIC-20 and it often sold for 99 USD...
, Commodore 64
Commodore 64
The Commodore 64 is an 8-bit home computer introduced by Commodore International in January 1982.Volume production started in the spring of 1982, with machines being released on to the market in August at a price of US$595...
and ZX Spectrum
ZX Spectrum
The ZX Spectrum is an 8-bit personal home computer released in the United Kingdom in 1982 by Sinclair Research Ltd...
home computer systems. The name of the game is a play on the title of the BBC
BBC
The British Broadcasting Corporation is a British public service broadcaster. Its headquarters is at Broadcasting House in the City of Westminster, London. It is the largest broadcaster in the world, with about 23,000 staff...
television show One Man and His Dog
One Man and His Dog
One Man and His Dog is a television series in the United Kingdom featuring sheepdog trials, presented by Phil Drabble with commentary by Eric Halsall, and later by Ray Ollerenshaw, Robin Page, and Gus Dermody. At its peak, in the early 1980s, it attracted audiences in excess of eight million...
. The object of the game is to use a droid to collect Ramboids, the male form of alien sheep. You must move these Ramboids into teleporter
Teleportation
Teleportation is the fictional or imagined process by which matter is instantaneously transferred from one place to another.Teleportation may also refer to:*Quantum teleportation, a method of transmitting quantum data...
s to win the game.
Objective
You've been sent off to the planet Anromadus to round up ramboids (the Anromadian equivalent of male sheep) and teleport them to market. Technologically things have moved on quite a bit since the days when a shepherdShepherd
A shepherd is a person who tends, feeds or guards flocks of sheep.- Origins :Shepherding is one of the oldest occupations, beginning some 6,000 years ago in Asia Minor. Sheep were kept for their milk, meat and especially their wool...
's only friend was his dog
Dog
The domestic dog is a domesticated form of the gray wolf, a member of the Canidae family of the order Carnivora. The term is used for both feral and pet varieties. The dog may have been the first animal to be domesticated, and has been the most widely kept working, hunting, and companion animal in...
. The modern shepherd has traded in Shep and got himself a droid, a multi-functioning device specially designed for the job. Capable of four different modes of operation, the droid is used to guide the ramboids into the teleport chamber.
Gameplay
At the start of the game, the player is given the option of inputting a passwordPassword
A password is a secret word or string of characters that is used for authentication, to prove identity or gain access to a resource . The password should be kept secret from those not allowed access....
in order to resume a game they were playing earlier, otherwise starting at the beginning. There are passwords for each of the twenty different ramboid-filled caverns, and as the player progresses through each cavern, the computer releases the corresponding password.
At the start of a game the screen is split up into several different windows. Largest and centrally placed is the main window which looks into a cave
Cave
A cave or cavern is a natural underground space large enough for a human to enter. The term applies to natural cavities some part of which is in total darkness. The word cave also includes smaller spaces like rock shelters, sea caves, and grottos.Speleology is the science of exploration and study...
rn, displaying a view of the droid placed centrally amongst the scenery. The first task is to guide the droid to the start position.
Ramboids are dim. They move very predictably, and always reverse their direction of movement if their way is blocked. They are also delicate creatures which only live for about twenty minutes. The player is working against the clock all the time. Should the player fail to get at least four ramboids in the teleport in the right order within the time, it's back to the first screen.
Music
The music of the C64 version was composed by Rob HubbardRob Hubbard
Rob Hubbard is a music composer best known for his composition of computer game theme music, especially for microcomputers of the 1980s such as the Commodore 64...
. C64 enthusiasts and former owners frequently list Hubbard's composition as being one of the finest to feature in any game released for that machine. It regularly appears in "best of" compilation lists on YouTube and 64 retro community websites.
The Atari XL and Amstrad versions had a different theme, which was shorter.
Sequels
A follow-up, called One Man and his Droid II, was written for the ZX Spectrum in 1991 but wasn't commercially published. It was eventually released on the internet in 2001 by its programmer, Clive Brooker.Controversy
The notorious ZX SpectrumZX Spectrum
The ZX Spectrum is an 8-bit personal home computer released in the United Kingdom in 1982 by Sinclair Research Ltd...
programmer Harry Price
Harry Price (games programmer)
Harry S. Price was a programmer for the ZX Spectrum. He became infamous in 1986 when a game he had programmed, called Crime Busters, published by IJK was alleged by Mastertronic to have been heavily based on pirated code from their own release Spellbound. Price initially denied the allegations but...
created a pirate version called Don't Say It, Spray It (ironically, published by Pirate Software). Some information on this may be found on the equ.in/ox website, and also on World of Spectrum.
External links
- Scan of a ZX Spectrum review of the game from Crash magazine.
- Clive Brooker's website for One Man And His Droid II - includes download and information about the game.
- One man and his Droid at CPC Zone.
- One mand and his Droid at Plus/4 World.
