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4,673 Videogames: 0-9 A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z Manufacturers | Top 100 Videogames | See All 18,098 International Arcade Museum coin-operated listings
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Manufacturer:
Atari Year: 1980 Class: Wide Release Genre: Space Type: Videogame Monitor:
Number of Simultaneous Players: 1 Maximum number of Players: 2 Gameplay: Alternating Control Panel Layout: Single Player Controls:
Sound: Unamplified Mono (requires one-channel amp) |
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Tempest DescriptionYou control a yellow crab-shaped shooter that travels along the outside rim of a 3-dimensional tunnel, shooting enemies down the alleys of the tunnel while avoiding any coming down the alleys. The tunnel takes on many different forms, and the shooter has a special "superzapper" that enables it to kill all enemies present in the tunnel.Cabinet InformationThe game is well known for its unusual triangular-shaped cabinet that is very pleasing to the eye. A less attractive cabaret and cocktail model were also produced.Cheats, Tricks and BugsTRICK: On a level that is not a fully enclosed shape, you can often sit at one of the far ends, and when an approaching enemy is right next to you, hold down your fire button, and they will be destroyed.TRICK: Get a score in the form of XXYYZZ, where XX > 16, 29 < YY < 60, and ZZ is a code. Some codes are:
BUG: Scores beyond 999999 are not possible, as the score will roll-over to 000000. ConversionThere was a Major Havoc conversion kit made for Tempest machines that included its own unique control panel, sideart, decals and marquee.Tempest Tubes is a ROM upgrade created by a hobbiest that contains totally different and more difficult tube shapes. It is available at http://www.gamearchive.com/video/manufacturer/atari/vector/roms/tempest_tubes.zip Clay Cowgill produces a Tempest Multigame kit that includes the Vortex and Aliens (Vector) prototype, and a new game called Vector Breakout. It is available at http://www.multigame.com/tempest.html Game IntroductionYou are given a vanishing-point perspective from the top, looking down into a geometric shape. The shapes vary from a line, to a triangle, to a circle, to more complex shapes. Enemies enter from the bottom and work their way up towards the top. Collision with an enemy or an enemy's shot is fatal.A level is cleared when all the enemies have been destroyed, or the only enemies left are the red shooters that have reached the top of the tunnel. When proceeding to the next level, shoot and destroy, or avoid, the green spikes that are left over, as a collision with them is fatal. The superzapper will destroy all the enemies on screen the first time it is used. The second time has a much more limited effect. The superzapper will not work a third time. However, the superzapper recharges itself at the start of each new level. The final levels of the game are the green, which begin at level 81, and repeat thereafter with no increase in difficulty. MiscellaneousThis game was chosen as the first arcade game to have its source code openly documented by enthusiasts of the game. The Tempest Code Project is located at http://web1.galstar.com/~jmccorm/tempest-sw and has detailed information about the game. It was coded in 6502 assembly language.The prototypes for this game were called Aliens (Vector) and Vortex. CAPS/VAPS Arcade CensusThere are 6,862 members of the Classic Arcade Preservation Society / Video Arcade Preservation Society, 3,937 whom participate in our arcade census project of games owned, wanted, or for sale. Census data currently includes 64,459 machines (3,753 unique titles).Very Common - There are 470 known instances of this machine owned by Tempest collectors. Of these, 452 of them are original dedicated machines, 3 of them are conversions in which game circuit boards (and possibly cabinet graphics) have been placed in (and on) another game cabinet, and 15 of them are only circuit boards which a collector could put into a generic case if desired. This game ranks a 97 on a scale out of 100 (100 = most commonly seen, 1=least common) in popularity based on census ownership records. Wanted - Very Popular - There are 54 VAPS members currently looking for Tempest. This game ranks a 89 on a scale out of 100 (100 = most commonly seen, 1=least common) in popularity based on census want list records. For Sale - There are 17 VAPS members with Tempest machines for sale. There is one VAPS member with an extra Tempest circuit board for sale. VAPS members are totally independent of VAPS and the International Arcade Museum, and we are unable to recommend, endorce, or guarantee any person or company selling games or game parts.
TechnicalThe game is generally known for its monitor problems. An excellent vector monitor fix-it guide has been written by Gregg Woodcock and is available at http://links.magenta.com/havoc/atari/vector/html/vector.htmlAnother very excellent tutorial for monitor issues is located at http://plop.phys.cwru.edu/repairfaq/REPAIR/whole/F_VAtari.html#VATARI_031 The game's sound is generated by two Atari Pokey ICs which provide a total of eight voices. The Pokeys handle various other tasks, such as interpreting the spinner. The video is handled by the Atari Vector Generator which has its own RAM and ROM. The main program ROM is 20k. The processor is a 6502 running at 1.5mhz. Overall, the hardware is loosely based on Atari's line of 8-bit home computers. The spinner is actually a digital input device with four bits of resolution. Clay Cowgill has conditionally committed to creating a cartridge-based system for this platform. http://arcade.gameshop.com/tempest-hw/cart.txt TriviaAccording to a video clip off of the Playstation "Arcade's Greatest Hits: Atari Collection 1" (a compilation of Atari's arcade titles from the early 80's), the original idea for Tempest came to Dave Theurer in a nightmare about creatures or monsters crawling up from a hole in the ground.Originally called Vortex in the prototype stages, this was Atari's first color vector game. Supposedly, the original creators were trying to develop a 3-D monster game. They were not very happy with the finished product since they wanted even better graphics but were unable to achieve their goal with the technology at the time. The fact you can earn 40 free games with a certain score was the fault of developer Dave Theurer himself. He had created a special security code to protect against piracy which checked the placement of different objects. If the objects were not in the correct place, the game would shut down. Before the game was shipped, however, Theurer, who would fuss over minute details, noticed an Atari logo was off-center. He adjusted it slightly. This small change caused the code to malfunction and the player to earn 40 free credits if a certain score was reached. Manuals
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