Description
FRON v4.0 is a multi-player space game built on the IBM System 360 mainframe at UCLA. The user interface was developed by Frank Wood, and the internal logic was coded by Don Worth.
Gameplay involves exploration of a randomly generated map of stars. As a player-vs-player game, players take turns plotting moves on their part of the map. Map visibility is limited to the area currently occupied by the player and adjacent squares; enemy ship movement in other areas is unknown, while still being tracked by the computer. Because it is played over dial-up on the ARPANET, there is an overnight delay between moves. The game map is printed out via Teletype.
According to the game's creator, Don Worth, FRON was backed up on a 9-track mainframe tape, which is no longer extant.
