Bolo (computer game)
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Bolo is a video game originally developed for the Macintosh computer by Stuart Cheshire in 1987. Bolo is a networked multiplayer game that simulates a tank battlefield. It is thus a very early example of a real-time strategy game.
Alice uses a double pillblock to take out a hostile pillbox. Jack responds by shooting one of his own pillboxes, making it angry so it shoots more frequently.
While the graphics are somewhat primitive compared to modern video games, Bolo remains a popular and addictive phenomenon. Bolo has been ported to Windows and Linux by John Morrison, under the names WinBolo and LinBolo.
Gameplay revolves around control of refueling bases and "pillboxes" (automatic gun turrets), both of which can be captured and recaptured. Players have developed an array of tactical tricks to accomplish speedy pillbox capture, such as the decoy (where a player draws fire away from the pillbox while an ally shoots it) and the pillblock (where a friendly pillbox is placed so that it blocks the hostile pillbox's shots but allows the tank to shoot past it at the hostile pillbox).
External links
- Official home page (http://www.lgm.com/bolo/)
- Stuart Cheshire (http://www.stuartcheshire.org/) and his original Bolo page (http://rescomp.stanford.edu/~cheshire/Bolo.html)
- Windows and Linux version (http://www.winbolo.com/) and league site (http://www.winbolo.net)
- Cool Fool's Bolo Multimedia Website (http://benedict.isomedia.com/homes/csidles/cfool.html)