computer science

Karnov

Karnov is a computer science topic covered in the lgStudy science library. This page brings together a partial reference excerpt, illustrations, worked examples, real-world applications and a short study plan, so you can understand Karnov rather than just read about it. In short: Karnov (カルノフ, Karunofu) is a 1987 platform game developed and published by Data East for arcades. A Nintendo Entertainment System port followed, which was released in Japan by Namco the same year and in North America by Data East in 1988.

Key takeaways

Karnov belongs to computer science; place it in that map before memorising details.
Learn the definition first, then one example that makes the definition concrete.
Connect Karnov to a quantity you can measure, compute or draw — that is where exam questions come from.
Reproduce the core statement of Karnov from memory before moving on to harder problems.

Reference excerpt

Karnov (カルノフ, Karunofu) is a 1987 platform game developed and published by Data East for arcades. A Nintendo Entertainment System port followed, which was released in Japan by Namco the same year and in North America by Data East in 1988. Players take control of the title character Jinborov Karnovski, or "Karnov" for short. Karnov is a strongman popularly illustrated as being from an unspecified part of the Soviet Union's Central Asian republics, as shown on the arcade flyer. As a character created by Data East, Karnov was reintroduced in several other games from the company, including Bad Dudes Vs. DragonNinja in which he is a boss in the first level. Karnov later appeared in the 1993 fighting game Fighter's History, in which he is the final boss, and as a playable character in its sequels, Karnov's Revenge, also known as Fighter's History Dynamite and Fighter's History: Mizoguchi Kiki Ippatsu!!.

Gameplay The game's hero, Karnov, a muscular fire-breathing ex-circus strongman, goes on a quest through nine different levels to search for the ultimate treasure. However, between him and the treasure are several horrendous monsters, including sword-wielding monks, dinosaurs, djinn, hopping fish men, gargoyles, tree monsters, will-o-wisps, rock creatures, centipede women, and ostrich-riding skeleton warriors. Karnov can walk, jump, and shoot to make his way through these levels and find special items that help him. Acquiring red orbs can upgrade Karnov until he shoots three fireballs at a time. The end of each level has one or more bosses which he must defeat to receive a new piece of a treasure map. The end of the game features a powerful boss called "The Wizard" who defends the last map piece that leads to the treasure.

Ports Karnov was later ported to numerous home systems, such as the NES, Commodore 64, ZX Spectrum and others.

IBM PC The IBM PC compatibles port was developed by Quicksilver Software. Like Quicksilver's other Data East ports, such as Commando, Ikari Warriors, and Guerrilla War, it was sold as a self-booting disk.

NES The Famicom/NES version was co-developed by Data East (design and audio) and SAS Sakata (programming). It was released on December 18, 1987 in Japan by Namco, and in North America in January 1988 by Data East. Although it plays similarly to the arcade game, there are some noticeable differences:

Karnov takes two hits to die instead of just one. After being hit once he will turn a blue color in which he has one hit left or can gain an extra hit back by grabbing a blue fireball orb. The Super Fireball is replaced with the Spike Bomb which destroys every enemy on screen. The Trolley item is replaced with the Shield which is used to reflect an enemy's fireballs. Levels 4 and 8 are completely different from the arcade levels. The final boss is no longer the Wizard, but a giant three-headed dragon. Both fights, however, take place in similar rooms. The Famicom version is notably more difficult since it only offers two continues with the game ending after the third Game Over, and the option is not visibly present after all lives are lost, instead requiring pressing Select and Start at the same time. The NES game, however, provides unlimited continues, and it also allows Karnov to be killed when both the A and B buttons are pressed on the second controller. Moreover, in the Famicom version, the Game Over screen shows a defeated Karnov that's different each time: the first Game Over screen shows Karnov with a bump on his head, the second Game Over screen adds a bandage to the other side of Karnov's head, and the third and final Game Over screen shows Karnov's arm in a sling, in addition to the aforementioned head bump and bandage. This screen ends the game. Due to the American version lacking cutscenes, the Game Over screen in the NES version simply shows the message with the option to continue over a black background, lacking the accompanying image of an injured Karnov.

Reception

In Japan, Game Machine listed Karnov as the fourth most successful table arcade unit of February 1987. Karnov's sales had surpassed 250,000 copies by November 1989. Bill Kunkel reviewed the game for Computer Gaming World, calling it an off-beat variation on a familiar video game play mechanic. The IBM PC version of the game was reviewed in 1989 in Dragon #142 by Hartley, Patricia, and Kirk Lesser in "The Role of Computers" column. The reviewers gave the game 4½ out of 5 stars.

Legacy Although no direct sequel to Karnov was released, Data East has used the title character as an enemy. In some games, such as Garyo Retsuden, Tumblepop and Trio the Punch (featuring enormous stone statues and even mini versions of the character), Karnov is featured as a regular enemy. In other Data East games, he is featured as a boss character. In Bad Dudes Vs. DragonNinja, Karnov is the first level's boss. A pale grey version of Karnov appears later in the game. According to the credits sequence of the Japanese version of the game, this version of Karnov is called Kusamochi Karnov, after the green sweet kusamochi. Karnov is also the last opponent in the original Fighter's History, and becomes a playable character in its sequels: Karnov's Revenge and Fighter's History: Mizoguchi Kiki Ippatsu!!. Although not an official cameo, the guard boss from the Gaelco game, Big Karnak, is almost identical to Karnov's and Kusamoci Karnov's sprites from Bad Dudes vs. DragonNinja. Karnov has also made various cameo appearances. He appears in the alley background of the Neo-Geo game Street Slam. He is shown wearing a shirt with a "K" on it. Karnov also appears in the credits of the independently-developed freeware game I Wanna Be the Guy. In Shantae and the Pirate's Curse, a ghostly silhouette who helps the titular character is highly similar to Karnov, and is even implied to be her long-lost father.

See also Atomic Runner Chelnov Karnov's Revenge Fighter's History characters

Notes

References

External links Karnov at the Killer List of Videogames Karnov at MobyGames Arcade-History.com entry Karnov at SpectrumComputing.co.uk

Worked examples

Example 1 — a first encounter with Karnov

Start with the simplest possible case. Write down what Karnov claims or describes in one sentence, then invent the smallest concrete situation in which that sentence is true. In computer science, the smallest case is usually a single object, a single equation or a single measurement. Check that every symbol or term in your sentence has a meaning in that case.

Example 2 — changing one variable

Take the situation from Example 1 and change exactly one quantity: double it, halve it, or set it to zero. Predict what should happen to Karnov before you calculate. Comparing your prediction with the result is the fastest way to find out whether you understand the idea or only the words.

Example 3 — an exam-style question

Typical questions about Karnov ask you to (a) state it precisely, (b) apply it to given data, and (c) explain a limitation. Practise writing all three answers in under five minutes; the third part is what separates a full-mark answer from an average one.

Applications of Karnov

In research: Karnov appears in computer science research whenever the underlying quantities have to be modelled precisely. Papers usually cite it as a starting assumption and then explore where it breaks down.
In technology and industry: Engineering practice reuses Karnov in design rules, simulations and safety margins. Knowing the idea lets you read a specification sheet and understand why the numbers look the way they do.
In the classroom: Karnov is common in secondary-school and first-year university syllabi. It links to neighbouring topics 1987 video games, Amstrad CPC games, Arcade video games, so understanding it makes those chapters shorter.
In everyday life: Look for Karnov outside the textbook — in sport, cooking, traffic, electronics or the sky above you. An example you found yourself is remembered far longer than one you were given.

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How to study Karnov in 20 minutes

Read the reference excerpt below once, without taking notes.
Close the page and write down what Karnov means in your own words.
Compare your version with the excerpt and mark what you missed.
Work through the three examples above with pen and paper.
Explain Karnov out loud to somebody else — or to Teacher Smith in the lgStudy chat.

Frequently asked questions

What is Karnov in simple terms?

Why does Karnov matter?

Because it connects several computer science ideas at once: it gives you a definition you can apply, a quantity you can calculate, and a way to check whether a result is plausible.

How should I study Karnov?

Read the excerpt, restate it from memory, then work through the examples and applications listed on this page. The five-step study plan above takes about twenty minutes.

What does this page cover?

It gives you a compact reference excerpt plus original lgStudy explanations, examples, applications and study material on Karnov.