Atari 8-bit - Electronic Arts - 1983
MULE
1 / 6- Genre
- Strategy - Stock Market / Corporate
- Year
- 1983
- Language
- Machine Language
- Publisher
- Electronic Arts
- Controls
- Joystick / Paddles
- Developer
- Ozark Softscape
- Players
- 1 / 1 vs. 2 / 2+ / Demo
- Country
- Programmer(s)
- Bunten, Dan / Rushing, Jim
- License
- Commercial
- Graphic Artist(s)
- Watson, Alan
- Medium
- Sound
- Glover, Roy
- Rarity
- 7
- Cover Artist(s)
- Beach, Lou / McVey, Dennis
- Serial
- 1001-02
- Dump
- —
OTHER VERSIONS WITH THE SAME TITLE (1)
ADDITIONAL COMMENTS
It has been brought to our attention that the dump on our site is faulty. It has been removed and will be replaced with a working version shortly.
Check out the very nice (unofficial) sequel called Mule Wars.
Missing original disk image!
1 / 7
Disk 1
INSTRUCTIONS (2)
TRIVIA (1)
Comments by Dani Bunten found here...
MULE was part of the group of games that launched Electronic Arts in '83. It won numerous awards (including Computer Gaming World's Hall of Fame) and sold reasonably well (despite being the "most pirated game" at the time according to the publisher of the magazine). Curiously, it happened as a result of the fact that Trip Hawkins (the founder of EA) couldn't get SSI to sell him Cartels and Cutthroats. I convinced him we (at that point I had formed Ozark Softscape and had five employees) could do it better. I took the auction from Wheelers, the graphic real-time aspects from Cytron Masters, some of the production ideas from Cartels and let it evolve where it needed to. This was the game that taught me the value of play-testing where you watch and talk to real people about the game while it's under development. After all, games are a form of communication that can only be confirmed by checking whether it works against an audience.
A couple of design pieces really pleased me about this game. I think the auction with the sellers on top and the buyers on the bottom of the screen and a timer was particularly cool. Sellers would walk down the screen thereby lowering the price they were offering to sell at and buyers would walk up the screen raising their bid. When the two met, units of commodity would zip from the seller to the buyer. This led to a lot of dickering and cajoling by the players trying to get each other to move closer using all types of justifications to support their inability to move themselves. When the timer started running down, this could lead to a lot of frantic maneuvering.
Another neat thing was the invention of the MULE itself. In order to make the auctions interesting, there had to be commodities that players needed and also made (so some became sellers and others buyers). From a strategic game model, what was needed was some way for players to say "I want to produce commodity A on plot X" but text entry or even menu selection seemed uninteresting. What if you picked up a machine somewhere and dragged it to your property to produce what you wanted. This "machine" eventually became a "Multiple Use Labor Element" that you got from the coral in the town, dragged into an outfitter shop of the right kind for the commodity you wanted and took out to your land and deposited there. Voilà, we had the info the model needed and with the addition of a timer, we had an interesting play element.
My only disappointment with the game is that it only exists on long defunct hardware and it looks awful (since those machines only offered 48K of memory and I used it mostly for program rather than graphics). I almost got a SEGA Genesis version through EA in '93 but at the alpha phase, they insisted on adding guns and bombs (or something similar) to "bring it up to date". I was unable to comply. I'm still amazed at how well loved it is (there are a number of web sites devoted to it) and I'm hopeful I can find a way to bring it to life again - possibly on the Internet.
My only disappointment with the game is that it only exists on long defunct hardware and it looks awful (since those machines only offered 48K of memory and I used it mostly for program rather than graphics). I almost got a SEGA Genesis version through EA in '93 but at the alpha phase, they insisted on adding guns and bombs (or something similar) to "bring it up to date". I was unable to comply. I'm still amazed at how well loved it is (there are a number of web sites devoted to it) and I'm hopeful I can find a way to bring it to life again - possibly on the Internet.
BOOK / MAGAZINE REVIEWS (1)
Electronic Fun · October, 1983Rating: 4 / 4
One of the most tragic things about this world today is that we've run out of distant continents to discover, claim in the name of his Sovereign Majesty King Philip Morris, and colonize. And, to date, space colonization is really out of the question. This is why we have computers. Using them you can set up camp just about anywhere in the universe. This is the main idea behind M.U.L.E., an excellent new game from Electronic Arts.
The lot of a colonist can be a lonely one but, fortunately, in this game, you are not alone in your colonization endeavor. You've got your Multi Use Labor Element (or M.U.L.E.) to accompany you on your adventures.
The planet you've decided to settle has three different types of terrain: river, plain and mountain. Each terrain is especially well-suited to one type of cultivation endeavor-e.g. river areas are best for food production, while mountains are best for mining. This does not mean that you absolutely cannot mine in the plains. You can but don't expect to get as much out of it, that's all. You cannot, however, mine in river areas.
Before you start making plans about what to do with your land, you've got to get some land which is accomplished either by grabbing a free plot or buying one of the 44 plots during a land auction. During your turn you also get to outfit your M.U.L.E. at the store by buying what you'll need to cultivate your plot of land.
The graphics are spectacular-clear, colorful and sharp and sometimes very funny. The sound effects are excellent and game animation is nothing short of terrific. There is even a random element that comes from messages you occasionally see on the screen, e.g. "Your investments in artificial dumbness have brought you X dollars." Other messages are periodically broadcast and these affect everyone- e.g. acid rain which brings up food production or the arrival of a pirate ship which will rob you of all the Smithore you've mined. The game is extremely sophisticated and a must-have.
Since the computer cheats constantly, watch what it does during the auctions. This might let you in on what is going to happen next turn.
The lot of a colonist can be a lonely one but, fortunately, in this game, you are not alone in your colonization endeavor. You've got your Multi Use Labor Element (or M.U.L.E.) to accompany you on your adventures.
The planet you've decided to settle has three different types of terrain: river, plain and mountain. Each terrain is especially well-suited to one type of cultivation endeavor-e.g. river areas are best for food production, while mountains are best for mining. This does not mean that you absolutely cannot mine in the plains. You can but don't expect to get as much out of it, that's all. You cannot, however, mine in river areas.
Before you start making plans about what to do with your land, you've got to get some land which is accomplished either by grabbing a free plot or buying one of the 44 plots during a land auction. During your turn you also get to outfit your M.U.L.E. at the store by buying what you'll need to cultivate your plot of land.
The graphics are spectacular-clear, colorful and sharp and sometimes very funny. The sound effects are excellent and game animation is nothing short of terrific. There is even a random element that comes from messages you occasionally see on the screen, e.g. "Your investments in artificial dumbness have brought you X dollars." Other messages are periodically broadcast and these affect everyone- e.g. acid rain which brings up food production or the arrival of a pirate ship which will rob you of all the Smithore you've mined. The game is extremely sophisticated and a must-have.
Since the computer cheats constantly, watch what it does during the auctions. This might let you in on what is going to happen next turn.