Protector (1981 video game)

Last updated
Protector
Protector box cover.jpg
Publisher(s) Crystalware
Synapse Software
HesWare
Designer(s) John Bell
Programmer(s) Atari 8-bit
Mike Potter [1]
VIC-20
Alick Dziabczenko [1]
Platform(s) Atari 8-bit, VIC-20
Release1981: Atari 8-bit
1983: VIC-20
Genre(s) Scrolling shooter
Mode(s) Single-player

Protector is a 1981 scrolling shooter for Atari 8-bit computers programmed by Mike Potter [1] and distributed first by Crystalware and then Synapse Software. A VIC-20 port was published by HesWare in 1983. [1]

Contents

The player attempts to rescue the citizens of a city from an impending volcanic explosion. The design of the game is inspired by Defender from Williams Electronics, though not a direct clone. The sequel, Protector II , has similar gameplay but is more advanced graphically.

Gameplay

Protector near the start of the game. The player's spaceship has picked up a citizen and is in the process of carrying them to New Hope, offscreen to the right. Protector in-game.png
Protector near the start of the game. The player's spaceship has picked up a citizen and is in the process of carrying them to New Hope, offscreen to the right.

The gameplay of Protector is inspired by Defender, with the player controlling a rocket fighter of similar design and the general goal being to pick up civilians from the ground to protect them from the enemy. The game is less action-oriented, however, and contains a more strategic component.

Protector has two stages. In the first, the player flies the "Needlefighter" over a city that is under attack by an indestructible enemy spaceship. The spaceship flies over the city, beaming its citizens up one at a time and then flying to a nearby volcano to drop them in. To save them from this threat, the player must fly over each of the people to pick them up, then carries them past the volcano to the City of New Hope. [2]

When all of the survivors have been moved to New Hope, the first stage of the game ends. This causes the enemy spacecraft to disappear. However, this also causes the volcano to erupt. Its lava encroaches on New Hope and destroys its buildings, along with anyone on them. The ending of the first stage also opens a passage protected by "laser gates". The player now ferries the people from New Hope through the laser-guarded gauntlet to the entrance of an underground fortress. When the last survivor is deposited in the entrance, the game ends. [2]

The mission takes place on a single large side-scrolling map, several times wider than the physical display. Smooth scrolling is used to keep the player roughly centred as they fly. If the player's ship hits the ground, buildings or the enemy spacecraft, it tumbles to the ground before being pulled away by an ambulance. There are several levels with increasingly difficult enemies and terrain. [2]

Development

Potter started programming on the Atari home computers in 1980, after graduating from high school. His first product was a set of four games, Imperial Walker, Nim, Gun Fight, and Auto Racer, sold on consignment at local computer stores. While visiting the Electronic Fantasy store in Cupertino, the manager Dave Stillings, mentioned he might want to get in contact with Crystalware in Gilroy. [3]

Potter met with Crystalware's owners, John Bell and his wife Patty. Bell outlined a new game and gave Potter a $4,000 advance on its completion. This took seven sleepless nights, and after delivering it in May 1981, Potter delivered another eleven programs for Crystalware between May and October. That month Potter questioned his royalties, and in return received a letter firing him, but returning the rights to Protector. [3] [N 1]

In November 1981, Potter met with Ihor Wolosenko of Synapse Software, which at that time was being run from Wolosenko's apartment in Berkley. Wolosenko took the time to test and debug the program before putting it back on the market. Its re-launch received much better reviews. Over the next year, Potter released five games for Synapse: Protector, Protector II , Chicken , Nautilus , and Shadow World . [3]

Reception

John Anderson reviewed the game for Computer Gaming World , and stated that "Protector represents a breakthrough of sorts. The music in the program is excellent, and remains constant throughout the game--with the result of adding much character to its play. When your ship is downed, an ambulance shoots out to drag you away. The overall result is humorous--at least until frustration sets in!" [4]

Creative Computing Video & Arcade Games in 1983 stated that the Atari 8-bit version of Protector's "animation is mirror smooth", praising its horizontally scrolling graphics. [5]

Notes

  1. ↑ Years later a game with Bell and Potter's names surfaced with the Epyx label on it, Indiana Jones - Pyramids of Giza. It is assumed to be a game from the Crystalware era that was later sold to Epyx but never released.

Related Research Articles

<i>Defender</i> (1981 video game) 1981 video game

Defender is a horizontally scrolling shooter developed by Williams Electronics in 1980 and released as an arcade video game in 1981. The game is set on either an unnamed planet or city where the player must defeat waves of invading aliens while protecting astronauts. Development was led by Eugene Jarvis, a pinball programmer at Williams; Defender was Jarvis's first video game project and drew inspiration from Space Invaders and Asteroids. Defender was demonstrated in late 1980 and was released in March 1981. It was distributed in Japan by Taito.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lunar Lander (video game genre)</span> Moon landing simulation games

Lunar Lander is a genre of video games loosely based on the 1969 landing of the Apollo Lunar Module on the Moon. In Lunar Lander games, players control a spacecraft as it falls toward the surface of the Moon or other astronomical body, using thrusters to slow the ship's descent and control its horizontal motion to reach a safe landing area. Crashing into obstacles, hitting the surface at too high a velocity, or running out of fuel all result in failure. In some games in the genre, the ship's orientation must be adjusted as well as its horizontal and vertical velocities.

Fueled by the previous year's release of the colorful and appealing Pac-Man, the audience for arcade video games in 1981 became much wider. Pac-Man influenced maze games began appearing in arcades and on home systems. Pac-Man was the highest grossing video game for the second year in a row. Nintendo's Donkey Kong defined the platform game genre, while Konami's Scramble established scrolling shooters. The lesser known Jump Bug combined the two concepts into both the first scrolling platform game and the first platform shooter. Other arcade hits released in 1981 include Defender, Frogger, and the Galaxian sequel Galaga.

<i>Shamus</i> (video game) 1982 video game

Shamus is a shooter with light action-adventure game elements written by Cathryn Mataga and published by Synapse Software. The original Atari 8-bit computer version was released on disk and tape in 1982. According to Synapse co-founder Ihor Wolosenko, Shamus made the company famous by giving it a reputation for quality. "Funeral March of a Marionette", the theme song from Alfred Hitchcock Presents, plays on the title screen.

<i>Caverns of Mars</i> 1981 video game

Caverns of Mars is a vertically scrolling shooter for Atari 8-bit computers. It was written by Greg Christensen, with some features later added by Richard Watts, and published by the Atari Program Exchange (APX) in 1981. Caverns of Mars became the best selling APX software of all-time and was moved into Atari, Inc.'s official product line, first on diskette, then on cartridge.

<i>Star Fire</i> 1978 video game

Star Fire is a first-person arcade coin-operated space combat video game created by Technical Magic for Midway-Bally and licensed for manufacture to Exidy in December 1978. It was distributed in Japan by Taito and Esco Trading in 1979. Designed by Ted Michon and David Rolfe and inspired by the film Star Wars, the game is not based on a licensed property.

<i>Vanguard</i> (video game) 1981 video game

Vanguard is a scrolling shooter arcade video game developed by TOSE. It was released by SNK in Japan and Europe 1981, and licensed to Centuri for manufacture in North America in October and to Zaccaria in Italy the same year. Cinematronics converted the game to cocktail arcade cabinets in North America.

<i>Gates of Zendocon</i> 1989 video game

Gates of Zendocon is a horizontally scrolling shooter developed by Epyx and published by Atari Corporation in 1989 in North America and Europe for the Atari Lynx. It was released in Japan on December 23 of the same year, where it was distributed by Mumin Corporation. One of the first games written for the platform, it was one of the launch titles that were released along with the system in North America.

Synapse Software Corporation was an American software developer and publisher founded in 1981 by Ihor Wolosenko and Ken Grant. Synapse published application software and developer tools and was primarily known for video games. It initially focused on the Atari 8-bit computers, then later developed for the Commodore 64 and other systems. Synapse was purchased by Broderbund in late 1984 and the Synapse label retired in 1985.

<i>Jawbreaker</i> (video game) 1981 video game

Jawbreaker is a Pac-Man clone programmed by John Harris for Atari 8-bit computers and published by On-Line Systems. Released in 1981 before an official version of Pac-Man was available, it was widely lauded by reviewers and became a major seller. The story of its creation and Harris's Atari 8-bit implementation of Frogger form a portion of Steven Levy's 1984 book, Hackers: Heroes of the Computer Revolution.

<i>Nautilus</i> (video game) 1982 video game

Nautilus is a video game for Atari 8-bit computers created by Mike Potter and published by Synapse Software in 1982. The players control a submarine, the Nautilus, or a destroyer, the Colossus, attempting to either destroy or rebuild an underwater city. The game the first to feature a "split screen" display to allow both players to move at the same time.

<i>Cosmic Avenger</i> 1981 video game

Cosmic Avenger is a scrolling shooter developed by Universal and released as an arcade video game in July 1981. It is part of the first wave shooters with forced horizontal scrolling which followed Konami's Scramble and Super Cobra from earlier in the year. It was released the same month as Vanguard. The final installment in Universal's Cosmic series, players take control of the Avenger space fighter and, as in Scramble, use bullets and bombs against enemy air and ground forces. The world is one continuous level made up of different areas.

<i>Shadow World</i> (video game) 1983 video game

Shadow World is a shoot 'em up for Atari 8-bit computers written by Mike Potter and published by Synapse Software in 1983. Players are defending their planet from an alien invasion. The game supports two players at once, splitting the screen vertically into two halves, and merging them on the fly when both players are in the same location.

<i>Slime</i> (video game) 1982 video game

Slime is an action game for Atari 8-bit computers written by Steve Hales and published by Synapse Software in 1982. The player attempts to protect their ship from a rain of enormous drops of slime by deflecting them into canisters, while fending off attacks by an alien flying saucer. A TI-99/4A port was developed as Super Storm, but not released.

<i>Chicken</i> (video game) 1982 video game

Chicken is a video game for Atari 8-bit computers written by Mike Potter and published by Synapse Software in 1982. The game is similar to Atari, Inc.'s. 1978 arcade video game Avalanche, replacing the buckets and boulders with a hen trying to catch her eggs.

<i>Dimension X</i> (video game) 1984 video game

Dimension X is a first-person vehicular combat game for Atari 8-bit computers released in 1984 by Synapse Software. It was designed by Steve Hales, who previously wrote Slime and Fort Apocalypse for Synapse. Dimension X has gameplay similar to Atari's Battlezone and Novagen's Encounter. The player controls an attack craft hovering over a checkerboard-patterned landscape while to destroy enemy ships.

<i>Airstrike</i> (video game) 1982 video game

Airstrike is a horizontally scrolling shooter written by Steven A. Riding for Atari 8-bit computers. Having strong similarities to Konami's 1981 Scramble arcade game, it was published in 1982 as the first release from UK-based English Software. In Airstrike, the player flies through caverns while shooting and bombing targets, avoiding terrain, and managing fuel and ammunition. The company described the game as "Very, very, difficult!" in magazine advertisements, and reviewers agreed with that assessment.

<i>Protector II</i> 1982 video game

Protector II is a video game written by Mike Potter for Atari 8-bit computers and published by Synapse Software in 1982. It is a sequel to 1981's Protector; both games are horizontally scrolling shooters inspired by the arcade video game Defender. Protector II was ported to the Commodore 64, TI-99/4A, and TRS-80 Color Computer.

<i>Threshold</i> (video game) 1981 video game

Threshold is a space-themed fixed shooter written by Warren Schwader and Ken Williams for the Apple II and published by On-Line Systems in 1981. Inspired by Sega's Astro Blaster arcade video game, Threshold introduces many enemy ship types and wave formations as the game progresses. Reviewers found the variety distinguished the game from the many similar shoot 'em ups.

<i>Dodge Racer</i> 1981 video game

Dodge Racer is a maze video game programmed by Rob Re for Atari 8-bit computers and published by Synapse Software in 1981. It is a clone of the 1979 arcade video game Head On, where the player drives around a rectangular track, divided into lanes, collecting dots and avoiding collisions. Dodge Racer was the second release from Synapse and the company's first game.

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 Hague, James. "The Giant List of Classic Game Programmers".
  2. 1 2 3 Anderson, John (November 1981). "Not Just Fun in Games". Creative Computing.
  3. 1 2 3 Hague, James (January 17, 2000). "Mike Potter's Story".
  4. ↑ Anderson, John (January–February 1982). "Atari Arcade". Computer Gaming World. Vol. 1, no. 2. pp. 22, 36.
  5. ↑ Anderson, John J.; Small, David; Wolcott, Eric F. (Spring 1983). "Atari Personal Computer Games". Creative Computing Video & Arcade Games. p. 93.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.