Scram (computer game)
Encyclopedia
Scram is the name of two video games, both based around a scram
, or emergency shutdown of a nuclear reactor
.
for the Atari 800 and released by the Atari Program Exchange
. Written in Atari BASIC
, Scram utilized differential equation
s to simulate reactor behavior. In the game, the player controlled the valves and switches of a nuclear reactor directly with the joystick
. Occasionally, earthquakes would occur and the player would analyze the heat readings and dispatch repair crews to the affected area of the plant.
The game display showed a schematic
-like representation of a light water reactor
, typical of nuclear reactor
s in use in the United States
at that time. The reactor core was on the left of the screen, with the primary coolant loop to its immediate right. Further right was the secondary cooling loop, and finally the tertiary cooling loop and its associated cooling tower
.
The user interacted with the game by moving the joystick, which made a cursor jump from one "hot spot" to another on the screen, each one controlling one part of the reactor systems. There were hot spots for the control rod
s, cooling pumps and valves. The user could experiment with the reactor systems by moving the joystick up and down, operating the equipment. It was possible to simulate a meltdown by shutting off the primary cooling pumps and withdrawing the control rods all the way.
The game had several skill levels, which controlled the frequency of earthquakes and the "obviousness" of the damage. In the event of an earthquake the screen would shake and a breaking sound would be heard if there was damage. The user then had to watch the on-screen displays to try to isolate where the problem was.
, where the player would control a small astronaut
with a jetpack as she attempted to trigger all the cooling valves in a nuclear reactor before the levels rose to a critical level. 1-10 can play this game.
Scram
A scram or SCRAM is an emergency shutdown of a nuclear reactor – though the term has been extended to cover shutdowns of other complex operations, such as server farms and even large model railroads...
, or emergency shutdown of a nuclear reactor
Nuclear reactor
A nuclear reactor is a device to initiate and control a sustained nuclear chain reaction. Most commonly they are used for generating electricity and for the propulsion of ships. Usually heat from nuclear fission is passed to a working fluid , which runs through turbines that power either ship's...
.
Atari 800
Scram is a game designed by Chris CrawfordChris Crawford (game designer)
Christopher Crawford is a computer game designer and writer noted for creating a number of important games in the 1980s, founding The Journal of Computer Game Design, and organizing the Computer Game Developers' Conference.- Biography :...
for the Atari 800 and released by the Atari Program Exchange
Atari Program Exchange
Atari Program Exchange was a division of Atari, Inc. that distributed software for the Atari 8-bit family of home computers through a quarterly mail-order catalog. APX, the brain-child of Dale Yocam, started in February 1981 and guided by Fred Thorlin. APX published quarterly catalogs until 1984,...
. Written in Atari BASIC
Atari BASIC
Atari BASIC is a BASIC interpreter for the Atari 8-bit family of 6502-based home computers. The interpreter originally shipped on an 8 KB cartridge; on later XL/XE model computers it was built in, with an option to disable it, and started when the machines were booted with no other cartridges...
, Scram utilized differential equation
Differential equation
A differential equation is a mathematical equation for an unknown function of one or several variables that relates the values of the function itself and its derivatives of various orders...
s to simulate reactor behavior. In the game, the player controlled the valves and switches of a nuclear reactor directly with the joystick
Joystick
A joystick is an input device consisting of a stick that pivots on a base and reports its angle or direction to the device it is controlling. Joysticks, also known as 'control columns', are the principal control in the cockpit of many civilian and military aircraft, either as a center stick or...
. Occasionally, earthquakes would occur and the player would analyze the heat readings and dispatch repair crews to the affected area of the plant.
The game display showed a schematic
Schematic
A schematic diagram represents the elements of a system using abstract, graphic symbols rather than realistic pictures. A schematic usually omits all details that are not relevant to the information the schematic is intended to convey, and may add unrealistic elements that aid comprehension...
-like representation of a light water reactor
Light water reactor
The light water reactor is a type of thermal reactor that uses normal water as its coolant and neutron moderator. Thermal reactors are the most common type of nuclear reactor, and light water reactors are the most common type of thermal reactor...
, typical of nuclear reactor
Nuclear reactor
A nuclear reactor is a device to initiate and control a sustained nuclear chain reaction. Most commonly they are used for generating electricity and for the propulsion of ships. Usually heat from nuclear fission is passed to a working fluid , which runs through turbines that power either ship's...
s in use in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
at that time. The reactor core was on the left of the screen, with the primary coolant loop to its immediate right. Further right was the secondary cooling loop, and finally the tertiary cooling loop and its associated cooling tower
Cooling tower
Cooling towers are heat removal devices used to transfer process waste heat to the atmosphere. Cooling towers may either use the evaporation of water to remove process heat and cool the working fluid to near the wet-bulb air temperature or in the case of closed circuit dry cooling towers rely...
.
The user interacted with the game by moving the joystick, which made a cursor jump from one "hot spot" to another on the screen, each one controlling one part of the reactor systems. There were hot spots for the control rod
Control rod
A control rod is a rod made of chemical elements capable of absorbing many neutrons without fissioning themselves. They are used in nuclear reactors to control the rate of fission of uranium and plutonium...
s, cooling pumps and valves. The user could experiment with the reactor systems by moving the joystick up and down, operating the equipment. It was possible to simulate a meltdown by shutting off the primary cooling pumps and withdrawing the control rods all the way.
The game had several skill levels, which controlled the frequency of earthquakes and the "obviousness" of the damage. In the event of an earthquake the screen would shake and a breaking sound would be heard if there was damage. The user then had to watch the on-screen displays to try to isolate where the problem was.
DEC Alpha
Scram is also a similar game written for the DEC AlphaDEC Alpha
Alpha, originally known as Alpha AXP, is a 64-bit reduced instruction set computer instruction set architecture developed by Digital Equipment Corporation , designed to replace the 32-bit VAX complex instruction set computer ISA and its implementations. Alpha was implemented in microprocessors...
, where the player would control a small astronaut
Astronaut
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....
with a jetpack as she attempted to trigger all the cooling valves in a nuclear reactor before the levels rose to a critical level. 1-10 can play this game.