Defender DescriptionDefend the human population from swarms of attacking aliens. Extremely popular even though it was deemed a flop at a 1981 Chicago arcade machine trade show because of its difficulty. The attract mode for the game was programmed in just five hours.Cabinet InformationThe machine shown at the top of the page is the classic cabinet that the majority of US players have seen. The machine to the right, however, is believed to be a prototype or an early production model that contains side art very much inspired by the film Star Wars. Perhaps Williams changed the production side art designs upon advice from legal counsel This type of machine is also pictured on Williams IDefenderI flyers. Oddly enough, a number of these machines have been seen in various countries throughout Europe.Game IntroductionYour mission, as captain of the Defender, is to protect the humanoids stranded on the planet from their alien abductors. The scanner will help you determine a strategy to shoot down the alien ships before they reach the humanoids. If you destroy the aliens after they have captured their prey, you must return the humanoids to the safety of the planet or they will fall to their death. If an alien carries its victim out of your range, the humanoid will mutate, join the alien force, and take to assault with deadly vengeance!The challenge becomes ever more intense as the action progresses. Fighter ships (Bombers) and mines will test your skills. A direct hit will destroy the mother ship (Pods) but smash it into a swarming mass of mini-ships (Swarmers) which then must be wiped out! If you do not act quickly, the cosmic Baiter will attack! Use your two escape options only if all else fails! Your "smart bomb" power is limited and "hyperspace" puts you into an unknown space warp. But beware! If all the humanoids are abducted, the entire planet will explode in a blinding flash! Game PlayTips:- Avoid using hyperspace unless you are about to die. Fighting off attacks, regardless of the number of enemies will make you a better Defender player.
- Baiters can usually be overcome by hitting the reverse button twice quickly. They will fly past you and be in range for your fire power. Do NOT try to outrun them as Baiters are faster than your ship.
- Swarmers are easy to defeat. You can hit reverse as soon as they fly past you and fly behind them. They cannot shoot backwards so you can blast away at will.
- At higher levels you will need to play God and even sacrifice some humanoids (by killing them yourself) to preserve the rest of the planet's population. The planet is too large for you protect and you are sparing the humanoids from a fate worst than death (mutation). Do not worry, these humanoids reproduce quickly and overpopulation has always been a constant problem. The planet will be fully populated at the start of every fifth attack wave (configurable).
MiscellaneousPlay the game online requires Shockwave at httpwww.shockwave.comswcontentdefenderPThis is one of many games that has been bootlegged or copied. Some of these versions have added improvements to the game but others are direct copies. Examples of these games are IMaydayI, IDefence CommandI, IDefense CommandI and IMirageI.PIDefenderI was licensed to Taito for Japanese manufacture and distribution.VAPS Arcade CensusThere are 6,975 members of the Video Arcade Preservation Society / Vintage Arcade Preservation Society, 4,013 whom participate in our arcade census project of games owned, wanted, or for sale. Census data currently includes 65,105 machines (3,796 unique titles).Very Common - There are 367 known instances of this machine owned by Defender collectors who are members. Of these, 327 of them are original dedicated machines, 6 of them are conversions in which game circuit boards (and possibly cabinet graphics) have been placed in (and on) another game cabinet, and 34 of them are only circuit boards which a collector could put into a generic case if desired. For Sale - There are 28 VAPS members with Defender machines for sale. There is one VAPS member with an extra Defender 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. Wanted - Very Popular - There are 32 VAPS members currently looking for Defender. This game ranks a 95 on a scale out of 100 (100 = most often seen, 1=least common) in popularity based on census ownership records. This game ranks a 68 on a scale out of 100 (100 = most often wanted, 1=least common) in popularity based on census want list records. TechnicalAll the game settings are configured in software on the screen. This is the Williams way of doing things. In IDefenderI, they used the rudimentary system used on their pinball machines no notations except in the manual. After IDefenderI made it, they started clearly labeling the onscreen adjustment menus. The board sets use a 6809 processor for game play and a 6800 for sound on a separate board.TriviaThis game shares the title of Highest Grossing Video Game of All Time along with IPacManI. To date it has earned more than one billion dollarsPAccording to Midway, the geneology of the games is as follows IDefenderI, IStargateI, IRobotron2084I, IBlasterI.PThis game was included in the Williams Arcades Greatest Hits game for PCs and the PlayStation game console. The release also included IStargateI as Defender II, IBubblesI, IJoustI, ISinistarI and IRobotron 2084I.Legacy- Defender
- Stargate
- Strike Force
Manuals- Theory Of Operation 38 Pages, 3365 KB File.
- Owner's Manual 34 Pages, 2991 KB File.
- Owner's Manual (1) 7 Pages, 59 KB File.
- Owner's Manual (2) 7 Pages, 59 KB File.
- Owner's Manual (3) 7 Pages, 39 KB File.
- Theory Of Operation (1) 38 Pages, 3309 KB File.
- Theory Of Operation (2) 37 Pages, 2523 KB File.
- Theory Of Operation (3) 38 Pages, 4172 KB File.
Foto-Finder™ (books)- The Encyclpedia of Arcade Video Games, Kurtz (ISBN 0764319256): Page: 96; Color photo;
- Arcade Fever, Sellers (ISBN 0762409371): Page: 50; Color photo; Price guide:
- Encyclopedia of Arcade Video Games, Kurtz (ISBN 0764319256): Page: 96; Color photo; Price guide:
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Williams Defender Arcade No death before 50k White Hard dp
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eBay ListingsClick to search eBay for Defender Videogame machines and related items.Click to search eBay for machines and parts made by Williams Electronics, Inc. (1967-1985). Check out the IAM/KLOV report of the hottest coin-op machines on eBay, powered by Ace.com.
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