The lost revision of the lost game - The Sumerian Game Sum9rx is back!

The Sumerian Game

A game of strategy and management. The Sumerian Game is one of the earliest computer games. Developed and programmed between 1963 and 1965, it was designed to teach children math, economy and ancient history. The source code was lost but now you can play it again.

Dear players, First of all, I want to thank you for your support. Exactly [b]100[/b] of you chose to purchase the supporter package to fund this and other initiatives. Yes, because the restoration of The Sumerian Game is just the first of the adventures we can embark on, and I’m already working on the next exploration [b]back in time[/b], going even further, all the way to the 1950s. But for now, I won’t say more. Let’s focus on the updates for this project. The version of The Sumerian Game you’ve played over the past few weeks was named [i]Suilxr[/i] by its developers (it was the filename of the code saved on tape and loaded by the technicians before the game). As you already know, the source code didn’t survive, but some game printouts did, including the one I’ve called [i]“Scott’s game”[/i] in honor of the student who was playing. Thanks to the printout of Scott’s game and Richard Wing’s notes, it was possible to almost entirely restore the [i]Suilxr[/i] version, but we know that there was at least one other version. I’ve studied it extensively, and unfortunately, I’ve come to the conclusion that there isn’t enough material to faithfully recreate it. However, it’s possible to imagine some of the missing parts of the game, and that’s what I did. So here is the forgotten revision of the lost game: [i]Sum9xr[/i]. This version is quite different – and simpler – than [i]Suilxr[/i]. There is less text, no slides, and no questions either. The player had complete control of the inventory, being able to withdraw the oldest grain from storage year by year and replace it with the most recent harvest. The only challenge was performing mental calculations: adding and subtracting the grain withdrawn and deposited into the storage, adding it to what was harvested in the fields, and then dividing it between seed and food supply. These are simple calculations for adults, but they were designed for 10-year-old children experiencing a computer for the first time! With the restoration of [i]Suilxr[/i], the recovery work of The Sumerian Game is officially complete. Phases 2 and 3 – where the player was given full control of the kingdom, including recruiting soldiers, sending caravans, building infrastructure, and advancing technology – have been completely lost. So this is not a restoration but rather a reinvention. Maybe one day. We’ll see :) In addition to the update that adds Suilxr, a small bug fix and a few minor tweaks have been made. Nothing major. Suilxr is available to those who purchased the Supporter Pack DLC, but that’s not all: the development and restoration document for The Sumerian Game has been enhanced with a lot more information. It’s not complete yet, so it will be updated again in the future. All the material included in the development document will be part of the printed book [i]The Sumerian Game: A Digital Resurrection[/i], along with the [b]collector’s edition[/b] for [b]Commodore 64[/b], [b]Apple II[/b], and [b]PC[/b] of The Sumerian Game. Once again, thank you all for the support and for being part of this project. If you had fun or consider my work worthy of recognition, please leave a review and/or [url=https://store.steampowered.com/app/3036790/The_Sumerian_Game__Supporter_Pack/]purchase the supporter package[/url]. The funds will be used for further research projects like this one, so I believe it will be well spent :) Thanks again, and enjoy the game!