''TIS-100'' is a programming/

puzzle video game Puzzle video games make up a broad genre of video games that emphasize puzzle solving. The types of puzzles can test problem-solving skills, including logic, pattern recognition, Sequence, sequence solving, Spatial ability, spatial recognition, ...

developed by Zachtronics Industries. The game has the player develop mock

assembly language In computing, assembly language (alternatively assembler language or symbolic machine code), often referred to simply as assembly and commonly abbreviated as ASM or asm, is any low-level programming language with a very strong correspondence bet ...

code to perform certain tasks on a fictional, virtualized 1970s computer that has been corrupted. The game was released for

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OS X macOS, previously OS X and originally Mac OS X, is a Unix, Unix-based operating system developed and marketed by Apple Inc., Apple since 2001. It is the current operating system for Apple's Mac (computer), Mac computers. With ...

, and

Linux Linux ( ) is a family of open source Unix-like operating systems based on the Linux kernel, an kernel (operating system), operating system kernel first released on September 17, 1991, by Linus Torvalds. Linux is typically package manager, pac ...

personal computers in July 2015. A mobile port was released for

iPadOS iPadOS is a mobile operating system developed by Apple for its iPad line of tablet computers. It was given a name distinct from iOS, the operating system used by Apple's iPhones to reflect the diverging features of the two product lines, suc ...

in January 2016.

Gameplay

Within ''TIS-100'', the player is said to have come across a malfunctioning TIS-100 computer ("Tessellated Intelligence System") and its manual, based on early computers of the 1980s. The computer is presented to the player as twelve separate processing nodes laid out in a four-by-three grid. Each node has a single

processor register A processor register is a quickly accessible location available to a computer's processor. Registers usually consist of a small amount of fast storage, although some registers have specific hardware functions, and may be read-only or write-onl ...

to store a numerical value as well as a backup register. Nodes also hold their own

program as entered by the user. The assembly language, a simplified version of real-world assembly languages, allows the node to accept external input or a numerical value sent from an adjacent node, perform basic math and logic operations, store and backup the current data value, and then send results to an adjacent node or to the program's output. Later puzzles introduce stack nodes and an output to a simple 5-color graphics display. The player is presented with a series of puzzles that require them to program the nodes to perform specific actions on a set of numbers from one or more input terminals to produce pre-determined output at other terminals. For example, one task requires the player to double the value of the input at the output terminal. The game presents the list of inputs and the target output values that it is expecting and requires the players to develop the code for each node to match this; if during execution the output nodes receive unexpected outputs, the player will have to rework their solution. Not all nodes are available in certain puzzles, so the player will need to route around these nodes. The game offers the player the ability to step through the execution of the code and insert

debugging In engineering, debugging is the process of finding the Root cause analysis, root cause, workarounds, and possible fixes for bug (engineering), bugs. For software, debugging tactics can involve interactive debugging, control flow analysis, Logf ...

statements to determine logic issues within their code. Once the target output conditions are met, the player is considered to have solved the puzzle. The nodes that are disabled in puzzles contain cryptic messages related to the narrative of the game and which contain more information that can be accessed when the entire game is completed. As with previous Zachtronics games such as ''

SpaceChem ''SpaceChem'' is a puzzle game, puzzle and indie game by Zachtronics Industries, based on principles of automation and chemical bonding. In the game, the player is tasked to produce one or more specific chemical molecules via an assembly line b ...

'' and ''

Infinifactory ''Infinifactory'' is a puzzle video game developed and published by Zachtronics, initially released on Microsoft Windows, OS X, and Linux on June 30, 2015. The game was later released on PlayStation 4 in December 2015. In the game, the player take ...

'', once the player completes a puzzle, their solution is compared to other players through online leaderboards. The player is ranked based on the number of nodes used, the number of instructions within their code, and the number of

instruction cycle The instruction cycle (also known as the fetch–decode–execute cycle, or simply the fetch–execute cycle) is the cycle that the central processing unit (CPU) follows from boot-up until the computer has shut down in order to process instructions ...

s used. The game allows the player to return to earlier puzzles to better their solution. The game launched in

early access Early access, also known as alpha access, alpha founding, paid alpha, or game preview, is a funding model in the video game industry by which consumers can purchase and play a game in the various pre-release Software release life cycle, developm ...

in June 2015 with about 25 puzzles within the game, and another 25 were added by the time of its official release the following month.

Computer architecture

A TIS-100 "machine" is made up of 12 interconnected nodes on a grid, either a compute node or a

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memory module. Each compute node may hold 15 instructions and each memory node may hold 15 values. Nodes at the top or the bottom may be connected to external sources of input or output respectively. Each TIS-100 compute node has two registers called ACC and BAK. ACC is used by most instructions, while BAK is only accessed by two instructions, one for swapping and one for copying. The instruction set contains 13 documented instructions for arithmetic, basic flow control (conditional jump), no-op, and sending data to adjacent nodes. The game also includes undocumented instructions, with HCF (reboot game) being the first known undocumented instruction. The TIS-100 architecture has also been implemented outside of the game in an emulator, intended to be used as an

esoteric programming language An esoteric programming language (sometimes shortened to esolang) is a programming language designed to test the boundaries of computer programming language design, as a proof of concept, as software art, as a hacking interface to another language ...

Development

''TIS-100'' was based on an idea that Zach Barth, the founder and lead game designer of Zachtronics, had years prior. The concept was named ''The Second Golden Age'', which was set in the Middle East sometime in the near future, in which the player would program

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to be injected into the player-character's blood as to be able to solve various types puzzles akin to ''

Myst ''Myst'' is a 1993 adventure video game developed by Cyan and published by Broderbund for Mac OS. In the game, the player travels via a special book to a mysterious island called Myst. The player interacts with objects and traverses the ...

''. One aspect would be the player-character coming across a used electronics store and finding an old computer with corrupted areas, which as they worked to clear up, would discover these corrupted areas contained the core of an

artificial intelligence Artificial intelligence (AI) is the capability of computer, computational systems to perform tasks typically associated with human intelligence, such as learning, reasoning, problem-solving, perception, and decision-making. It is a field of re ...

. While developing ''

'', Barth wanted to try to start work on ''The Second Golden Age'' but found the effort, concurrent with ''Infinifactory'', was far too difficult. However, he had completed the assembly-language puzzle aspect, and decided to go ahead and refine only that portion as a full game. To finish off the game, he worked with Keith Holman to write the language's manual inspired by similar computer manuals of the time, and with Matthew Burns to craft a simple story around the game. They used concepts from a ''

Mondo 2000 ''Mondo 2000'' was a glossy cyberculture magazine published in California during the 1980s and 1990s. It covered cyberpunk topics such as virtual reality and smart drugs. It was a more anarchic and subversive prototype for the later-founded ''W ...

'' infographic based on cybertech fashions to write the tongue-in-cheek narrative for the game and manual. ''TIS-100'' was released into Steam

Early Access Early access, also known as alpha access, alpha founding, paid alpha, or game preview, is a funding model in the video game industry by which consumers can purchase and play a game in the various pre-release Software release life cycle, developm ...

on June 1, 2015. Barth stated that he took a similar approach to Early Access as with ''

'', providing a game that was nearly complete to gain suggestions and improvements and the ability to add more content before releasing the final product. Barth estimated that the Early Access phase would last 1–2 months. The final version was released on July 20, 2015. A mobile port published by Metaversal Studios featuring twenty levels titled ''TIS-100P'' was released exclusively for iPadOS on January 8, 2016.

Reception

In its article "Can Videogames Teach You Programming", ''Rock Paper Shotgun'' called the game's technology "relevant" and said "if you can survive its stiff challenge, you’re ready to code".

References

External links