CONECTA 1 by Almighty God & Lenko

 

CONECTA 1 by Almighty God & Lenko for ZX Spectrum 48K

   A board game has arrived. And not just any board game. In fact, its origins can be traced back a long way in time. Once again, our participants demonstrate such high levels of culture and knowledge that they must remain in the shadows to avoid persecution by those who would exploit their intellect for perverse purposes. Well, not these two:

   Celestial Supreme Horace may protect them.

   Looking at the impressive loading screen, we are all reminded of the game Connect 4.

   

   Connect Four is a well known "two-player connection game" in which players drop colored discs into a vertical 7×6 grid, aiming to be the first to connect four in a row (horizontally, vertically, or diagonally).

   The concept belongs to a family of "N-in-a-row" connection games that have existed for centuries, being the oldest known one Three Men’s Morris.

   Three Men’s Morris is the oldest known "N-in-a-row" game, based on archaeological evidence. The oldest known board is carved into an Egyptian temple at Kurna, dating to around 1400 B.C. It predates Tic-Tac-Toe, Gomoku, and other alignment games by many centuries.

   Once again, not only will we have fun, but we also gained more knowledge.

   In present times Connect Four quickly became a staple in homes, schools, and game collections due to its  simple rules, easy setup and surprisingly deep strategy. It is this last point that has led to it being studied in depth. 

   James D. Allen, an American computer scientist and game analyst who used exhaustive computer search techniques (our researchers say that this was achieved using a QL machine) to analyze the full game tree, published his solution in August 1988.

   Victor Allis, a Dutch computer scientist known for his work on AI for strategy games completed an independent solution for his master’s thesis later in 1988.

   Although they worked independently, their conclusions matched - a strong confirmation that the game is mathematically solved and they proved that "the first player can always win with perfect play by starting in the center column".

   Interesting, isn't it?

   The modern version known today as Connect Four was trademarked by Milton Bradley, a company later acquired by Hasbro and first sold commercially in 1974. Milton Bradley's version introduced the now-iconic vertical plastic grid, which made gravity part of the gameplay - distinguishing it from earlier flat connection games.

   Since the 1970s, many versions have appeared: Giant outdoor Connect Four sets, Electronic versions, rule variations like Pop-Out and Five-in-a-Row. Digital versions in browsers, consoles, and apps.

   That's all well and good, but when and how did we go from connecting four tokens to just one?

   The authors have not revealed this information to us. However, thanks to our infinite budget, state-of-the-art surveillance systems were installed in their development centre (a semi-abandoned storage room full of useless items, such as a C64, a MSX, a CPC464 or an Oric Atmos). We can therefore now offer a summary transcript of how the idea was developed.

   Two computer geeks, AGod and Lenko, huddled over an old but powerful ZX Spectrum 48K humming on AGod’s basement workbench. It's monitor was the most vibrant display of colour that humanity had ever witnessed.

    “We should code a game,” Lenko declared, cracking his knuckles.

    “Yeah,” AGod agreed. “Something strategic. Something deep. Something… Revolutionary!!!”

   After twenty four days of furious typing, debugging, and a brief argument about whether sprites counted as art, they finally ran their masterpiece.

   The title appeared in the high res only that machine was capable of:

   CONECTA 1

Rules:

Player 1 drops a dot.

If it lands anywhere on the board, Player 1 wins.

Player 2 never gets a turn.

   AGod stared. “This is terrible.”

   Lenko nodded proudly. “It’s perfectly balanced.”

   They both hit Start.

   The dot fell.

   It landed.

   The computer filled the room with a triumphant tune that gave them both goose bumps.

   “You know,” Lenko said, “I think we just invented the shortest game in history.”

   AGod grinned. “Speedrunning community’s gonna love it.”

   And the old 8-bit computer buzzed on, blissfully unaware it now hosted the most absurdly unwinnable game ever made. Except, of course, for Player 1.

   Then, with an evil gleam in his eyes, AGod exclaimed, “Hey, what if we add a two-player option?”

   ... 

   And at that moment, our extremely expensive surveillance system (manufactured by the same company that markets the "Machine that goes Ping") stopped working. We do not know how events unfolded; we will have to play the game to experience that two-player option.

   LOAD ""

   Following the aforementioned loading screen designed by the renowned Demoscene artist AlmightyGod, we are presented with a menu with animated tokens that rivals those of OCEAN:

   

   Even multi-language:

   Hit key 1.

 Indeed, here we have the original and innovative single-hole board. Press SPACE and...

   Hahaha, great ! I suppose that's all, folks. But wait a minute:

   The programme returns us to the menu, where we find option D:

   We select and return to the 1 PLAYER game. The hole has changed position!

   My smile is growing wider...

   Wait, there's more!

   Now the hole moves from left to right. A sound like intestinal flatulence alerts us every time we miss. Now I'm laughing!

   You can imagine what comes next. And if not, you have to play it.

   After much effort and flatulence, I won. Apparently, the congratulatory screen was programmed with the name of our competition in mind:

 

   We have also discovered that there are times when it is absolutely impossible to align the token with the hole and no progress can be made.  As usual, the betatester spent his salary on beer and did not do his job.

   You may have noticed that there is a scoreboard for both Player 1 and Player 2. And there is also a two-player option in the main menu. And a column of tokens for each player. And our spies were unable to gather this information. It is now up to you to delve into the game and find out.

   Pairing the single token with the single board: This is a fantastic twist on a well-known board game, with the humour that we greatly appreciate in the best competition on the planet. The artwork is excellent. The sounds are perfect for the game. The programmer was unfamiliar with Boriel Basic, but we can see that he is well on his way to mastering it. I hope that this team, formed for this event, will be the start of a series of games for this competition.

Scrambled Smile: 8/10.

Broccoli and Squid Yoghourt: 5/10

Deep Fried Ice Cream: 8/10

Strawberry Monosodium Glutamate: 8/10

Affable Hot Chocolate Sauce: 9/10

   P.S.: We have managed to get hold of the article about the game published in the prestigious

 Pixel Power Monthly Review (1984):

   Move over, Pac-Man. Step aside, Donkey Kong. The future of gaming has arrived… and it only takes ONE move!

   With CONECTA 1, players experience the thrill of victory faster than you can say  "insert coin. " The graphics? A single disc so crisp you’ll swear it’s high‑definition. The sound? One triumphant beep that echoes like Beethoven’s 9th Symphony compressed into a millisecond.

Critics are calling it:

 "The shortest epic ever told. "

 "A game so simple, it makes Pong look complicated. "

 "Pure gaming nirvana in one keystroke. "

Final Score: 11/10 — because numbers can’t contain the glory of instant success.