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Operation Neptune (game)
Encyclopedia
Operation Neptune is an educational computer game produced in 1991 by The Learning Company
. The goal of the game is to guide a small submarine
through a variety of undersea caverns, collecting pieces of a ruined space capsule. Like other games by The Learning Company, Operation Neptune is educational
and was intended for players age nine to fourteen (grades five through nine). It was released as part of the Super Solvers series for a time.
s and scientist
s have begun a secret research project on a distant planet. The research team's results were sent back to Earth on the "Galaxy space capsule", which malfunctioned, crashed into the ocean, and broke into many pieces. The capsule included several data canisters, each of which contains small snippets of the scientists' story, which is revealed to the player as the game progresses and data canisters are found. The capsule also contained some toxic chemicals, which have begun to leak out and threaten the health of the world's sea life. A recovery mission, codenamed Operation Neptune, is sent to recover the pieces of the capsule.
The game is divided into five zones : Dragon Reef, Fossil Trench, Limestone Ridge, Sea Forest, and Hammerhead. Each zone contains three "levels
", called sectors (although the hammerhead zone also has a "final" sector, where there are no maths problems, but one hit from a sea creature will send the player back to the start). At the end of each sector, the submarine approaches an undersea supply station. There are two completely unique sets of levels, Voyager and Expert, each with a different story that is recovered along the way.
The player pilots the submarine, named the Neptune. Throughout the game, elementary school
-level mathematics
problems are posed, in the form of scientific situations that might concern a submarine pilot in real life. (For example, the sub's ballast
may need adjusting, and this becomes an arithmetic
problem.) In each sector the player will face three randomly placed math problems, as well as one problem to open that sector's data canister, and another to open the combination lock
on the supply station.
-like quality to the gameplay.
Underwater volcanoes and sharp underwater rocks also create obstacles. In some sectors on the Expert difficulty level, strong ocean currents will force the sub in a particular direction.
The player may fire ink pellets at sea creatures, covering them with clouds of ink
and rendering them temporarily harmless, in the manner of an octopus or squid. These pellets are completely ineffective against the mutated creatures in the final sector of the Voyager difficulty, and mostly ineffective against the sharks in the final sector of Expert difficulty (although they can still be used to change their patrol patterns).
Contact with obstacles or underwater life forms costs the player "life", which takes the form of oxygen
. Answering a math problem incorrectly also costs oxygen. There is a friendly dolphin
, named Zoom, who provides extra oxygen if you can catch it. Creatures in the final sector will remove all oxygen in one shot, sending the player back to the start.
The Learning Company
The Learning Company is an American educational software company, founded in 1980. It produced a grade-based system similar to Knowledge Adventure's JumpStart series. The products for preschoolers through second graders feature Reader Rabbit, and software for more advanced students features The...
. The goal of the game is to guide a small submarine
Submarine
A submarine is a watercraft capable of independent operation below the surface of the water. It differs from a submersible, which has more limited underwater capability...
through a variety of undersea caverns, collecting pieces of a ruined space capsule. Like other games by The Learning Company, Operation Neptune is educational
Educational game
Educational games are games that have been designed to teach people about a certain subject, expand concepts, reinforce development, understand an historical event or culture, or assist them in learning a skill as they play...
and was intended for players age nine to fourteen (grades five through nine). It was released as part of the Super Solvers series for a time.
The game
The back story of the game is as follows: A team of astronautAstronaut
An astronaut or cosmonaut is a person trained by a human spaceflight program to command, pilot, or serve as a crew member of a spacecraft....
s and scientist
Scientist
A scientist in a broad sense is one engaging in a systematic activity to acquire knowledge. In a more restricted sense, a scientist is an individual who uses the scientific method. The person may be an expert in one or more areas of science. This article focuses on the more restricted use of the word...
s have begun a secret research project on a distant planet. The research team's results were sent back to Earth on the "Galaxy space capsule", which malfunctioned, crashed into the ocean, and broke into many pieces. The capsule included several data canisters, each of which contains small snippets of the scientists' story, which is revealed to the player as the game progresses and data canisters are found. The capsule also contained some toxic chemicals, which have begun to leak out and threaten the health of the world's sea life. A recovery mission, codenamed Operation Neptune, is sent to recover the pieces of the capsule.
The game is divided into five zones : Dragon Reef, Fossil Trench, Limestone Ridge, Sea Forest, and Hammerhead. Each zone contains three "levels
Level (computer and video games)
A level, map, area, or world in a video game is the total space available to the player during the course of completing a discrete objective...
", called sectors (although the hammerhead zone also has a "final" sector, where there are no maths problems, but one hit from a sea creature will send the player back to the start). At the end of each sector, the submarine approaches an undersea supply station. There are two completely unique sets of levels, Voyager and Expert, each with a different story that is recovered along the way.
The player pilots the submarine, named the Neptune. Throughout the game, elementary school
Elementary school
An elementary school or primary school is an institution where children receive the first stage of compulsory education known as elementary or primary education. Elementary school is the preferred term in some countries, particularly those in North America, where the terms grade school and grammar...
-level mathematics
Mathematics
Mathematics is the study of quantity, space, structure, and change. Mathematicians seek out patterns and formulate new conjectures. Mathematicians resolve the truth or falsity of conjectures by mathematical proofs, which are arguments sufficient to convince other mathematicians of their validity...
problems are posed, in the form of scientific situations that might concern a submarine pilot in real life. (For example, the sub's ballast
Ballast tank
A ballast tank is a compartment within a boat, ship or other floating structure that holds water.-History:The basic concept behind the ballast tank can be seen in many forms of aquatic life, such as the blowfish or argonaut octopus, and the concept has been invented and reinvented many times by...
may need adjusting, and this becomes an arithmetic
Arithmetic
Arithmetic or arithmetics is the oldest and most elementary branch of mathematics, used by almost everyone, for tasks ranging from simple day-to-day counting to advanced science and business calculations. It involves the study of quantity, especially as the result of combining numbers...
problem.) In each sector the player will face three randomly placed math problems, as well as one problem to open that sector's data canister, and another to open the combination lock
Combination lock
A combination lock is a type of lock in which a sequence of numbers or symbols is used to open the lock. The sequence may be entered using a single rotating dial which interacts with several discs or cams, by using a set of several rotating discs with inscribed numerals which directly interact with...
on the supply station.
Gameplay
Various sea creatures swim or crawl through the ocean in each sector. They are all obstacles to avoid, lending an arcadeArcade game
An arcade game is a coin-operated entertainment machine, usually installed in public businesses such as restaurants, bars, and amusement arcades. Most arcade games are video games, pinball machines, electro-mechanical games, redemption games, and merchandisers...
-like quality to the gameplay.
Underwater volcanoes and sharp underwater rocks also create obstacles. In some sectors on the Expert difficulty level, strong ocean currents will force the sub in a particular direction.
The player may fire ink pellets at sea creatures, covering them with clouds of ink
Ink
Ink is a liquid or paste that contains pigments and/or dyes and is used to color a surface to produce an image, text, or design. Ink is used for drawing and/or writing with a pen, brush, or quill...
and rendering them temporarily harmless, in the manner of an octopus or squid. These pellets are completely ineffective against the mutated creatures in the final sector of the Voyager difficulty, and mostly ineffective against the sharks in the final sector of Expert difficulty (although they can still be used to change their patrol patterns).
Contact with obstacles or underwater life forms costs the player "life", which takes the form of oxygen
Oxygen
Oxygen is the element with atomic number 8 and represented by the symbol O. Its name derives from the Greek roots ὀξύς and -γενής , because at the time of naming, it was mistakenly thought that all acids required oxygen in their composition...
. Answering a math problem incorrectly also costs oxygen. There is a friendly dolphin
Dolphin
Dolphins are marine mammals that are closely related to whales and porpoises. There are almost forty species of dolphin in 17 genera. They vary in size from and , up to and . They are found worldwide, mostly in the shallower seas of the continental shelves, and are carnivores, mostly eating...
, named Zoom, who provides extra oxygen if you can catch it. Creatures in the final sector will remove all oxygen in one shot, sending the player back to the start.