Vector

Vector 2.5 is a remarkably compact 8 KB Macintosh program by Tom Barbalet, released in July 1995. It generates a large procedural vector landscape - roughly 300 by 300 units - dotted with buildings, water, and stick trees, and lets the player wander through it, gradually filling in a map of what they have seen.

What You Do

The user explores the landscape on foot. Movement is the entire game loop: the more terrain you cover, the more of the world is revealed on the map, encouraging methodical sweeps and rewarding curiosity about unexplored corners of the generated world.

What's In The World

Each randomly built landscape features three classes of feature - buildings, water, and stick trees - rendered as simple vector primitives suited to the era's monochrome and small color displays. Version 2.5 adds a familiar companion that the author hints is a nod to Tolkien.

New In 2.5

Version 2.5 introduces fast mapping, the ability to save and reopen generated lands so a particular world can be revisited, and the Tolkien-flavored familiar. A System 7 screen-refresh bug present in earlier versions has been fixed in this release.

Compatibility And Performance

Vector runs on any version of Mac System Software. The author reports that it runs quickly on a PowerBook 100 and flies on a Quadra 605, which - given the 8 KB footprint - makes it a near-zero-cost diversion to drop on almost any classic Mac.