Tempest Arcade Game

Retro Arcade Games. The objective of Tempest is to survive as long as possible and score as many points as possible by clearing the screen of enemies The player controls a claw-shaped spaceship that crawls along the near edge of the play field, moving from segment to segment. Simply the best Value in Arcade Video Games. TRANSON restored games are original video arcade titles built with professional restoration techniques including but not limited to.

Tempest © 1981 Atari.Tempest is a classic into-the-screen shoot-em-up in which the player controls a claw-shaped ' ship that moves around the outer rim of a three-dimensional, wireframe tunnel. Enemies move down the tunnel towards the player's Blaster ship and must be destroyed. Any contact with either incoming enemy fire or the enemies themselves will cost the player a life. Completion of a tunnel will see the player warp through ' to the next tunnel to tackle a new wave of enemies.The tunnels are each rendered in one of sixteen different geometric shapes. Enemies increase in number as the game progresses and if an enemy reaches the outer rim occupied by the player's Blaster ship, it will chase and attempt to kill the player. Rim enemies can be killed, but this is difficult to achieve.Some enemies also drag 'spikes' - in the form of lines in the middle of the corridor - behind them as they travel up the tunnel towards the player. These spikes must be avoided during the ' warp sequence at the end of the level, as contact results in the loss of a life.Two 'SuperZappers' are available per level.

The first SuperZapper kills all enemies on the playfield at the time of firing, while the second randomly kills only one enemy on the playfield. The SuperZapper does not affect enemy shots, spikes or enemies that have not yet landed on the playfield.One new feature Tempest introduces is 'Skill-Step'. This allows players to start a new game on the same level as was previously reached (although the new game must be restarted within thirty seconds) without having to replay previous levels. This allows skillful players to continue being challenged, while less experienced players can try to master higher levels. The 99 skill levels of play includes sixteen different playfields and seven different enemy targets. The tubes are divided into cosmic corridors through which the aliens travel, although some aliens such as Pulsars and Flippers can move from one corridor to the next. Regardless of the tube shapes, aliens always begin their invasion from the small, distant end of the tube.

The sixteen unique tube shapes are as follows:1. Plus symbol4. Stylized Cross6. Completely Flat12.

Infinity Symbol (figure 8 on its side)The playfield's color scheme changes every sixteen levels. In addition, other events also cause playfield color variation. The SuperZapper causes the playfield to flash as enemies are zapped. Click to enlarge(members only)Upright modelGame ID: 136002Main CPU: MOS Technology M6502Co-processor: Math BoxSound Chips: (2x) POKEYTempest has a color X-Y or vector-generator monitor. This new monitor, with its 3-color guns and higher voltage, has the same technology that was used in Atari's black-and-white X-Y monitors.

However, this new monitor displays dazzling color and unique visual effects in a spectacular 3-D video display.Players: 2Control: dialButtons: 2= (1) Fire, (2) Super Zapper. Tempest was released in October 1981 at the price of $2,295. 25,113 Upright units were produced.

Tempest sold approximately 20,000 units to distributors before it was even released.Tempest was an awesome arcade game that transported the player into abstract realms of space. It is still the favorite of devotees who seek to become one with this adventure through hyperspace.Tempest was the first game to use 'Color-Quadrascan' and 'Skill-Step', both features unique to Atari vector games. The design of Tempest stemmed from an idea that Theurer had for a 3-D ' clone, but was changed when it was decided that the game wasn't very original or fun.The first prototype of the game had the shape wireframe spinning and the gunner remaining stationary, but that caused motion sickness after a period of time so it was changed around.The game's name started as 'Aliens', then was changed to 'Vortex' (a name Theurer likened to a 'feminine hygiene product').

The final name was decided on just before production started. The Creation of Tempest: Dave Theurer, who designed the game and wrote the software, said his original intention was to make a first-person perspective of the ' game, but he ended up doing something completely new and different.Rich Adam: 'Dave implemented a first-person '.

Everybody played it but they didn't keep coming back. You could tell when you had something cool, the engineers kept coming back. This was good and bad because there were times when you wanted to work on your game and everybody would want to be playing it. But when he was doing the first-person ', Dave didn't run into this problem of everyone wanting to play the game.and he said to himself: 'Well, maybe this isn't working. What can I do?' Then I came in one day and all of a sudden he had this round tube with these things coming up it.

I said, 'What the heck is that Dave?' He said, 'I don't know.

Aliens from the center of the Earth? I don't know.' I think he said something about having had a dream about it. I said, 'How does it work?' He said, 'I don't know. They're coming up around the edge of this thing and you're trying to blow them away.'

He just sort of started out with this concept and took it from there. I can see why he would say that Tempest was certainly his proudest achievement.

He worked extremely hard on that. It's pure creation from his own brain.' . Remembrances from the Video Game Masters: Although known for his hard work and for his ability to focus on and conquer exceedingly tough software problems, Dave Theurer looks back upon his days at Atari as having been fun and rewarding.Dave Theurer: 'It was just so exciting working on these new games. All my life I loved explosions. When I went to college I was a chemistry major because I wanted to do something where I could make explosions.

When I was a kid I had a chemistry set and I'd blow stuff up all the time. Eventually, you learn that you can't really do that in real life, so the next best thing is to do it on the screen, so here I was blowing stuff up on the screen. Simulating real life is fun too. It's almost like you can create your own universe. Well, you are creating your own universe.

That's rewarding, to see something come alive.' .Playing games, both video and pinball, was a constant part of life for the engineers at Atari.Dan Pliskin: 'In the morning, I used to go in and I'd make up a pot of Italian roast or French roast coffee and pour myself a big mug. Then I'd go and sit it on a pinball machine and drink coffee and play pinball until scores got up to, like, a couple hundred thousand. That would be my indication that I was sharp enough to go and design something.' .

Popular from the Start: Tempest was a game that immediately captivated people from the very start.Lyle Rains: 'Like a number of these games that were very addictive, the Tempest controls were good enough to where once you learned how to manipulate them you could almost become one with the machine. That is, a good Tempest player gets to spin that knob and do the firing in the right time and get into sync with the machine or get into a rhythm. I don't know exactly what to call it, but you were so close to the action that part of you entered the experience. You forgot about what was going on around you and you were just there. And you could get very good at it.

I think what people like is the ability to accomplish amazing things'. The Great 25-Cent Escape: Not only did players often find a sense of welcome escape in the video games they played, but this was very much the intention of some of the great game designers.Dave Theurer: 'I want to design it for a guy who's totally frazzled by his job and needs a way to temporarily escape. There's a certain class of games.where you just get into a trance when you're playing them. As long as you're in this trance you'll do fine.' Spike: 1-3 pointsSpiker: 50 pointsTanker: 100 pointsFlipper: 150 pointsPulsar: 200 pointsFuseball: 250, 500, or 750 points (The closer it is to your Blaster when you shoot it, the more points you get.In addition to the above points, you also get bonus points for starting at higher levels then Level 1.

Listed are the bonus points for all starting levels. Hints:- Continue playing until you destroy all aliens or until all the aliens reach the rim of your universe. If you have a Blaster, you advance to the next level of play.- Players should work their way up through the levels to become familiar with game play.

Drop down a level if play is too difficult.- Experienced players should start at highest level possible for maximum points.- On a new playfield shoot at enemy dots at far rim.- Try to shoot aliens while they are still in the corridors of the cosmic tube. They pose a greater threat (and are harder to hit) once they reach the rim of your universe.- Shoot a Flipper as soon as it starts to flip. Anticipate where they are heading and fire your Blaster in that direction.- Once a Flipper reaches the rim, you can shoot it only by waiting for it to flip into initial contact with your Blaster. But you must fire before it takes the next step and flips on top of your Blaster.- Tankers carry other aliens. To destroy their cargo, move your Blaster back and forth across adjacent corridors as you fire.- Fuseballs spend most of their time along the edges of the corridors, out of firing range. To make sure you hit them, move your Blaster from one side of a corridor to the other while you fire.

Once they reach the rim, you can only destroy them with your SuperZapper.- Use long Spikes to reclaim shots and kill enemies approaching you from adjacent lanes.- Avoid shooting Fuseball Tankers near the top since emerging fuseballs usually zip up to the top and kill you.- When Pulsars contract into a zigzag bolt of lightning, quickly move your Blaster away from their corridor.- Fire at Pulsars after they fire, but before they get ready to fire again. Pulsars and Fuseballs are like Flippers in their ability to switch corridors.- Watch for corridors that are open along the rim. You can still move your Blaster over the gaps, but beware.there is a Pulsar inside.- Don't fire at missiles.

They are dangerous and you don't get points for destroying them.- Avoid spikes. At the end of a level, position your Blaster over a corridor that is free from spikes. During higher levels of play, blast away at the Spikers and their spikes to keep a safe corridor for your next hyperspace passage.

Remember, you can't destroy them with just one shot.- Use the SuperZapper right before last enemy reaches the top for a few extra points. 898,000 points bonus:1) You must have the Revision 1 ROMs in your machine.2) You must have your machine set to coins and not on free-play.3) Start a game and play until you successfully clear Level 24 (red V). Die.4) Start a new game on the Level 24 and complete the stage to get a bonus taking your score to more than 160,000.5) As soon as you get the bonus from clearing Level 24, get the last two digits of your score to 46 (by shooting spikes). Wait for one cycle of the machine's attract mode - high score initials, TEMPEST attract, game demonstration, high score table.7) Start a new game, spin the spinner to the right all the way up to Level 81 (green circle).8) Complete the stage for a bonus of 898,000. These are cheats. (They weren't cheats at all. They were intentionally programmed in as a security measure.) They were removed in ROM 217 and 222 software revision 2.

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Revisit Six Games that Started it All in Atari Classic Arcade!

Reviewed by: Mick

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DFG Exclusive Review Summary

• Simulated arcade machine adds to the classic feel.
• Six games in one.
• Compete against your friends for the high score.

• Games are very limited in what you do.
• Tempest is difficult to control.

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Game Description

Six Arcade Games in One Pack

Enjoy the classic arcade games from the '70s and '80s all in one place! Play by yourself or challenge a friend for some classic fun.

Classic Arcade Amusement

Play Centipede and blast down fast-moving centipedes through mazes of mushrooms before they get you first. Or jump into the action of Missile Command and shoot down enemy missiles before they can take out your base.

Test your arm at Pong and try to score the most goals or destroy blocks in Super Breakout by bouncing a moving ball off of the blocks. Or have a blast playing Asteroids or Tempest.

Experience an Earlier Era of Gaming

Relive the fun games from your younger days or get introduced to some classic arcade games for the first time. These games are so easy to learn how to play that you can show your kids what real video games were like! The void marvel.

Experience classic arcade game fun with Atari Classic Arcade now!

Atari Classic Arcade Review

- Review by Mick

Atari Classic Arcade is a game that brings the arcade to your computer. Six different Atari classics are included in this download. Asteroids and Pong are just two of the games you will get to play. Simulated arcade machines will add to the nostalgic feel for you older gamers. The programmers did a great job recreating the old games right down to the smallest details.

6 Classic Games - No More, No Less

Six games are included: Asteroids, Centipede, Missile Command, Pong, Super Breakout and Tempest. Asteroids, Centipede, Missile Command and Tempest are all shooter games. In Asteroids you must pilot your ship around the screen destroying asteroids and the occasional alien craft while also dodging the asteroids. Missile command puts you in charge of defending the cities from missile attacks by shooting them out of the air. Pong and Super Breakout are paddle games where you must keep a ball in the game area. Super Breakout requires you to knock out all the bricks before you can proceed to the next level, but you must also keep the ball from falling through the bottom of the screen.

Basic Controls

Each game uses a different set of keyboard keys since each game requires different controls. Centipede uses only the mouse to navigate and shoot while Asteroids requires you to use the arrow keys for navigation. Some games like Pong include a secondary set of keys to allow for multiplayer action. All the games have two player capability, but most are just trading turns at the game to see who can get the highest score. Tempest is the only game that offers difficulty settings, the rest just start easy and increase in difficulty as you progress.

Faithful Graphical Reproduction (Meaning They're Old!)

The graphics are exactly what they were when these games were brand new. That being said, the graphics are excellently done. They captured the original games perfectly and even added in the look of the arcade machines that featured these titles. The sounds are also that of the original games, nothing was changed or updated in the attempt to make this the ultimate “classic arcade” experience.

Basic Games Compared to Modern Titles

There are a few drawbacks for those who aren't familiar with these games. The games are very limited in what you can do and they don't offer much variety. Levels are all identical except for color changes and increased difficulty. If you are not familiar with these games don't expect a large amount of variety. Also Tempest can be difficult to control with both the arrow keys and the mouse. It was originally designed to work with a rolling ball so navigating the circumference of the playing field can be difficult.

Conclusion - Good For Those Looking To Replay These Classics

Atari Classic Arcade is a great way to experience some of the games from the beginning of the arcade and gaming world. These games may not offer a lot of variety but they were enough to get the entire world addicted to gaming. If your an older gamer looking for a bit of the old days, or a younger gamer wanting to know how it all started, then this game is definitely worth the download.

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Atari Classic Arcade

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