Oxyd
Encyclopedia
Oxyd is a Trade Marked name for a patented chemical used by Reckitt Benckiser in some Optrex products.
Oxyd is a computer puzzle game
released for the Amiga
, Atari ST
, Macintosh, PC
, and the NeXT
platform by Dongleware Verlags GmbH in 1990.
It is a game of puzzles and tests that challenge the player to restart all the oxygen generators (called Oxyds) on his/her home planet. The Oxyds must be restarted by "opening" them in pairs of matching patterns, and (in colour versions) matching colours.
Some landscapes also contain textual clues, which the player can place in their inventory by rolling the marble over them. They can then be selected and read. There are clues on many landscapes: some are helpful, but others are confusing or not so helpful. Other useful items include are bombs, dynamite, spades, keys and computer disks. These items may be placed in the inventory, and can create or destroy blocks, create holes, fill holes, and open doors. There are other interactive blocks, including movable wooden blocks, lasers, mirrors, hidden passages. There are also dangerous areas, including bottomless pits, crumbling floors (which collapse if the marble has been rolled on them several times), slides, pools of water to drown in, quicksand (which the marble will slowly sink in), and assorted traps.
Some levels invert the player's controls, and in the sequel games, the player has to control several balls, which shatter if they touch each other.
-CDs or bulletin boards. The first ten levels could be played without restrictions. From the eleventh level onward, at various intervals throughout the games, so-called "Magic Stones" blocked crucial parts and passageways of the landscapes, mostly rendering progress impossible. These stones could only be removed by entering a code. A code book called the "Oxyd Book" was sold separately for the price of a budget video game. This book contains approximately 150 pages of code tables matching the information given on the Magic Stone. This form of software protection is effectively using the book as a dongle
; however, unlike other games which use the code book protection approach, the game itself was free.
The Oxyd series is no longer maintained by Dongleware.
Enigma is an Open source fangame
with over a thousand different landscapes that can also read the original Oxyd level packs (they are not included for copyright reasons). Also the included "Dejavu" level packs contain levels with similar ideas to the original levels.
Mad Data, with the permission of Dongleware, has produced an official freeware
game with the name "Oxyd extra v2.0" (see external links below).
Oxyd is a computer puzzle game
Computer puzzle game
Puzzle video games are a genre of video games that emphasize puzzle solving. The types of puzzles to be solved can test many problem solving skills including logic, strategy, pattern recognition, sequence solving, and word completion....
released for the Amiga
Amiga
The Amiga is a family of personal computers that was sold by Commodore in the 1980s and 1990s. The first model was launched in 1985 as a high-end home computer and became popular for its graphical, audio and multi-tasking abilities...
, Atari ST
Atari ST
The Atari ST is a home/personal computer that was released by Atari Corporation in 1985 and commercially available from that summer into the early 1990s. The "ST" officially stands for "Sixteen/Thirty-two", which referred to the Motorola 68000's 16-bit external bus and 32-bit internals...
, Macintosh, PC
Personal computer
A personal computer is any general-purpose computer whose size, capabilities, and original sales price make it useful for individuals, and which is intended to be operated directly by an end-user with no intervening computer operator...
, and the NeXT
NeXT
Next, Inc. was an American computer company headquartered in Redwood City, California, that developed and manufactured a series of computer workstations intended for the higher education and business markets...
platform by Dongleware Verlags GmbH in 1990.
It is a game of puzzles and tests that challenge the player to restart all the oxygen generators (called Oxyds) on his/her home planet. The Oxyds must be restarted by "opening" them in pairs of matching patterns, and (in colour versions) matching colours.
Gameplay
The player controls a small black marble that rolls around, touches things to activate them (Oxyds are opened by touching them), and bashes things to move them. The player has an inventory and can add some items to the inventory by rolling over them. The game's playfield is called a landscape. The player must open all of the Oxyds to progress to the next landscape. Oxyds must be matched in pairs. An unpaired Oxyd will close if an Oxyd of another pattern or colour is opened.Some landscapes also contain textual clues, which the player can place in their inventory by rolling the marble over them. They can then be selected and read. There are clues on many landscapes: some are helpful, but others are confusing or not so helpful. Other useful items include are bombs, dynamite, spades, keys and computer disks. These items may be placed in the inventory, and can create or destroy blocks, create holes, fill holes, and open doors. There are other interactive blocks, including movable wooden blocks, lasers, mirrors, hidden passages. There are also dangerous areas, including bottomless pits, crumbling floors (which collapse if the marble has been rolled on them several times), slides, pools of water to drown in, quicksand (which the marble will slowly sink in), and assorted traps.
Some levels invert the player's controls, and in the sequel games, the player has to control several balls, which shatter if they touch each other.
Marketing
The Oxyd series had a quite unique marketing method: the games were free to distribute and were easily obtainable from sharewareShareware
The term shareware is a proprietary software that is provided to users without payment on a trial basis and is often limited by any combination of functionality, availability, or convenience. Shareware is often offered as a download from an Internet website or as a compact disc included with a...
-CDs or bulletin boards. The first ten levels could be played without restrictions. From the eleventh level onward, at various intervals throughout the games, so-called "Magic Stones" blocked crucial parts and passageways of the landscapes, mostly rendering progress impossible. These stones could only be removed by entering a code. A code book called the "Oxyd Book" was sold separately for the price of a budget video game. This book contains approximately 150 pages of code tables matching the information given on the Magic Stone. This form of software protection is effectively using the book as a dongle
Dongle
A software protection dongle is a small piece of hardware that plugs into an electrical connector on a computer and serves as an electronic "key" for a piece of software; the program will only run when the dongle is plugged in...
; however, unlike other games which use the code book protection approach, the game itself was free.
Sequels and Re-releases
At the time of its release, Oxyd gained enough popularity to spawn a number of sequels: Oxyd Magnum, Oxyd Extra, and per.Oxyd (also known as Oxyd 2). Additionally, Oxyd itself was a sequel to a lesser-known game, called Esprit.The Oxyd series is no longer maintained by Dongleware.
Enigma is an Open source fangame
Fangame
Fangames are video games made by fans based on one or more established video games. Many fangames attempt to clone the original game's design, gameplay and characters, but it is equally common for fans to develop a unique game using another only as a template...
with over a thousand different landscapes that can also read the original Oxyd level packs (they are not included for copyright reasons). Also the included "Dejavu" level packs contain levels with similar ideas to the original levels.
Mad Data, with the permission of Dongleware, has produced an official freeware
Freeware
Freeware is computer software that is available for use at no cost or for an optional fee, but usually with one or more restricted usage rights. Freeware is in contrast to commercial software, which is typically sold for profit, but might be distributed for a business or commercial purpose in the...
game with the name "Oxyd extra v2.0" (see external links below).
See also
- Enigma: Open source fangameFangameFangames are video games made by fans based on one or more established video games. Many fangames attempt to clone the original game's design, gameplay and characters, but it is equally common for fans to develop a unique game using another only as a template...
with over a thousand different landscapes.
External links
- www.dongleware.de
- www.oxyd-game.com Download page for the official Freeware version "Oxyd extra v2.0".
- members.chello.at/theodor.lauppert/games/oxyd.htm A more detailed overview of the Oxyd games