History Defender was released in 1981. As one of the most popular arcade games every produced by Williams Electronics, Defender went down in history for several reasons. First, Defender is considered to be one of the most difficult titles ever created. Secondly, Williams Electronics successfully manufactured and sold almost 60K Defender arcade machines at its peak. Programming was handled by Sam Dicker, Eugene Jarvis and Larry Demar. Both Jarvis and Demar also helped to design Defender. This scrolling shooter is set in outer space, and requires players to operate a control panel equipped with five buttons as well as a multi directional joystick. Defender was developed for the Atari 5200 and 2600, Emerson Arcadia, ColecoVision, Intellivision, Nintendo Game Boy, Sega Saturn, Sega Genesis and Nintendo 64, amongst others. Ports for the Commodore 65, Apple II, ZX-Spectrum and other home gaming computers were also developed. Three sequels were spawned by Defender, including Stargate, Strikeforce and Defender 2000. None of these sequels ever became as popular as the original Defender, but they have received modest reviews. Up to two players can play Defender at a time. Video Game History Month. Arcade pioneer who created Defender, NARC, Cruis'n games. First Released November 1980. Adventurevision; Arcade Games. Game History: Defender is a horizontally-scrolling shoot 'em up arcade game created by Williams Electronics in 1980. The player flies a small spaceship above a long. Jul 31, 2009 SILKIE' Playing, DEFENDER - 1980 CLASSIC ARCADE GAME on my Original XBOX with MAME. Stargate (also known Defender II) is an arcade game released in 1981 by Williams Electronics. Created by Eugene Jarvis and Larry DeMar, it is a sequel to the 1980. Game Play Overview Players name a ship called the Defender in this title. Before a new game can be started, you must identify and understand all of the controls. The player ship can be moved in literally all directions with the use of the joystick. The hyperspace button moves the ship through space and time, but ultimately, there is no telling where it will end up. The fire button controls the Defender’s primary weapon, while the smart bomb button drops a small number of high powered bombs from the underside of the ship. Smart bombs should be used wisely and conservatively. Hitting the thrust button will move the Defender forward, but this is a tricky control to master. When the desired speed is met, the thrust button should be released. When a player wants to move at maximum speed, this key should be held down. The reverse control moves the player ship backward, but there are only two different scenarios in which this would be necessary. It usually takes multiple tries before players are able to accurately locate and utilize Defender’s controls. Aside from the manual controls, the system scanner gives players an overall picture of the current playing field as well as nearby areas. Look for a set of white brackets to see where you are currently. The system scanner is located at the top of each stage. In Defender, your job is to roam the vast landscape in search of aliens to destroy and humans to pick up. Players can scroll to the left or the right, as long as they have not reached the outer edges of the playing field. Within this vast space will be hundreds of enemies. Thankfully, there are only five different enemy types to look out for. The mothership is a powerful enemy group that can appear in groups of up to four. Motherships release swarmers. They can generate a great deal of damage, and they are worth 1,000 each. Swarmers follow behind the player ship, and they only appear when motherships are present. Earn 150 points for every swarmer destroyed. The lander enemy group is particularly fond of human. When captured, they will turn humans into humans. Players earn 150 points each time that a lander is eliminated. Always appearing in formations, bombers have a 250 point value. Generally, they do not attack players directly, instead leaving land mines in their wake. Mutants are humans that have been abducted by landers. When changed, they are no longer friendly to the defender. Mutants have shooting capabilities, and they have a 150 point value. Lastly, baiters almost always come onto the screen when landers are present. These enemies like to attack from behind. Baiters are worth 200 points. Rescuing humans also helps players to earn points. Preventing a human from being abducted from a lander results in 500 points earned. Dropping a human from the sky onto the ground is worth 250 points, while placing a human on land gently is worth another 500 points. Special Features Smart bombs are relatively difficult to obtain in Defender. They are automatically awarded to players at 10K intervals. Players also receive a bonus for completing a round with human still remaining. Icons Swarmers – Originating solely from motherships, swarmers can be eliminated only two ways; by destroying the mothership or taking them out directly. Defender – The player ship as well as the game is named Defender. The Defender saves humans from an alien invasion. Bombers – Bombers usually attack in stealth mode, preferring to attack players from the rear. Motherships – The most dangerous type of enemy in Defender, motherships house swarmers and attack aggressively. Humans – The helpless humanoid figures seen walking along the ground are humans. They must be rescued before they are turned into mutants. Mutants – These enemies emerge after landers have been able to successfully turn humans into genetic mutants. Landers – Landers don’t pose a direct threat to the Defender, but they are focused on creating mutants. Scanner – The system scanner allows players to see where they are in the larger world at all times. How to Play Defender Defender becomes enjoyable to play only after players have learned all of the controls. Knowing how to move the ship is imperative to survival. Otherwise, motherships and mutants should be your primary focus. There are four basic stages in Defender, but the game continues until the end of the 20th level. In the first level, there will be 15 landers to defeat. During level two, one mothership, three bombers and twenty landers will be present. On level three, four bombers, twenty landers and three motherships appear. From the fourth level on, four motherships, five bombers and twenty landers take part in the battle. Being hit by enemy gunfire and surviving gives players 25 points for each shot. However, taking too many hits will result in the loss of a man. Hints and Tips -Mathematically mutants are less valuable than humans. Try not to allow too many landers to abduct humans because this could negatively impact your score. - Although humans are important, you can’t always put all of your attention in them. While attempting to pick up humans, enemies will attack while you are most vulnerable. Try to drop humans safely onto the surface, otherwise you will have no choice but watch them fall to their doom. We hope you enjoyed the video and the information shared on this classic arcade game. For over 30 years Arcade Classics continues to bring the classics to life! Defender (Japan) Eugene Jarvis Larry DeMar Sam Dicker (original),,,,,,,,,,,,, Release February 1981 Mode(s) Up to 2 players, alternating turns Standard and cocktail Display, Colors 16 Defender is an developed and released by in February 1981. A horizontally scrolling, the game is set on an unnamed planet where the player must defeat waves of invading aliens while protecting astronauts. Development was led by, a pinball programmer at Williams; Defender was Jarvis' first video game project and drew inspiration from and. Defender was one of the most important titles of the, selling over 55,000 units to become the company's best selling game and one of the highest-grossing arcade games ever. Praise among critics focused on the game's audio-visuals and gameplay. It is frequently listed as one of Jarvis' best contributions to the, as well as one of the most difficult video games. Though not the first game to scroll horizontally, it created the genre of purely horizontal scrolling shooters. It inspired the development of other games and was followed by sequels and many imitations. There were many ports to contemporary systems, most of them by either or its software label for non-Atari platforms,. The starship (upper right) flies along the planet surface to defeat enemies and protect astronauts. The status bar at the top depicts the remaining ships and special weapons, number of points earned, and a miniature map of the stage. Defender is a two-dimensional shooting game set on the surface of an unnamed planet. The player controls a space ship as it navigates the terrain, flying either to the left or right. A joystick controls the ship's elevation, and five buttons control its horizontal direction and weapons. The object is to destroy alien invaders, while protecting astronauts on the landscape from abduction. Humans that are abducted return as mutants that attack the ship. Defeating the aliens allows the player to progress to the next level. Failing to protect the astronauts, however, causes the planet to explode and the level to become populated with mutants. Surviving the waves of mutants results in the restoration of the planet. Players are allotted three ships to progress through the game and are able to earn more by reaching certain scoring benchmarks. A ship is lost if it is hit by an enemy, or hit by an enemy projectile, or if a hyperspace jump goes wrong (as they randomly do). After exhausting all ships, the game ends. Development [ ]. A pinball programmer at the time, headed development of Defender. Defender was Williams Electronics' first attempt at developing a new video game; the company's earlier game was a clone. The popularity of coin-operated arcade games in 1979 spurred the company to shift its focus from pinball games to arcade games. The company chose Eugene Jarvis, who had a successful record of Williams pinball games, to head development., Sam Dicker, and Paul Dussault assisted Jarvis. At the time, Williams had a small staff and the management was unfamiliar with technology used for its electronic games. As a result, the staff was afforded a large amount of creative freedom. Initial development [ ] Space was a popular setting for video games at the time, and Jarvis felt the abstract setting would help obscure simple graphics that lacked realism. Initially, Jarvis spent 3–4 months developing color variations of 's and 's. First inspired by Space Invaders, he created a similar game with new gameplay mechanics. After spending a few weeks on the design, however, the team abandoned the idea, believing it lacked enjoyment. Development then shifted to emulating Atari's Asteroids, but hardware differences between Asteroids and Defender 's proposed specifications were problematic. Asteroids displays on a special monitor, while the staff planned to use pixel graphics on a conventional monitor. The team experimented with recreating the game with pixel graphics, but also abandoned it because they felt the gameplay lacked enjoyment and visual appeal. Believing their first attempts to be too derivative, the developers held brain storming sessions. During a session, they agreed that one of Asteroids 's favorable elements was its effect. They felt a game that allowed the player to fly off the screen would be exciting, and decided to create a game world larger than the screen displayed. The game's environment was made longer than the screen, with the visible area scrolling horizontally. Expanding on the idea, they envisioned a version of Space Invaders rotated 90. By changing the orientation of Space Invaders ' design, the ship moved up and down while flying horizontally. Large asteroids, an element from Asteroids, were then added to the game world, but were later removed because the staff felt it lacked enjoyment. Jarvis intended the screen to scroll only from left to right; fellow Williams employee, however, convinced him the game should be able to scroll in either direction. ” Eugene Jarvis on the premise and name of Defender After six months of development, the team felt the game had not made enough progress. They examined other games and concluded that survival was a necessary component to implement. To achieve this, they devised enemies to present a threat, the first of which was the 'Lander'. Jarvis enjoyed violent, action entertainment, and wanted the game to have those elements. However, he felt the action should have a reasonable objective. Inspired by the 1960s television show, Jarvis titled the game Defender, reasoning that the title helped justify the violence. He added astronauts to expand on the space theme and give players something to defend while they shot enemies. The element of flying over a planetscape was added after a brainstorming session between Jarvis and Ritchie. The landscape is depicted as a line only a pixel wide, primarily because the hardware was not powerful enough to generate anything more detailed. Later development [ ] By July, development was behind schedule and Jarvis's superior began to pressure him to finish the game in time for an upcoming trade show, the AMOA, in September. Jarvis spent several weeks creating the astronauts, which his boss felt should be omitted if the process didn't speed up. The pressure frustrated him to the point he considered resigning. Around that time, a new programmer named Sam Dicker was hired. He assisted programming the game and added visual and audio effects. For example, Dicker implemented a particle effect to generate unique explosions for destroyed enemies. The new elements re-invigorated Jarvis, who felt the project began to show promise. Development then shifted focus to the enemies. Landers were given the ability to capture humans, and a new enemy was devised from the mechanic: 'Mutants', captured humans that had turned hostile. The Mutants added a rescue element to the game that Jarvis believed made it more interesting to players and encouraged them to continue playing. The element of making a 'comeback' from a dire situation was applied to the planet as well. Jarvis felt it mimicked the ups and downs of real life. 'Bombers', enemies which release floating bombs on the screen, were added next. More enemies were added to create different gameplay elements. 'Swarmers' and 'Pods' were designed to attack the spaceship as opposed to the astronauts. 'Baiters' were included to add pressure to the player by preventing them from lingering. The enemies quickly follow the spaceship to collide with it, and were based on a similar enemy in Asteroids. By September, the game was still unfinished, and almost every Williams programmer assisted in meeting the deadline for the AMOA trade show. The evening before the trade show, the arcade cabinets were delivered for display. The developers, however, forgot to create an —an automated sequence designed to entice an audience to play—for the game, and began working on it that night. Early the next morning, the team created the final chips for the mode and installed them in cabinets. The chips, however, did not work and the designers made additional attempts to correct the problem. Once the attract mode was operational, Jarvis and the team returned to their homes to prepare for the show. After the show, the developers expanded the game to allow users to play indefinitely. The display model featured five levels, which the team felt was more than enough because of the game's difficulty. Most Williams employees could not progress past the third level and Jarvis's score of 60,000 points seemed unbeatable to them. The developers decided it was best to be prepared for players that might exceed their expectations and added more levels that repeated. Hardware [ ] The game features amplified sound and on a. A handles the graphics and gameplay, while a microprocessor handles the audio. A pack of three provide power to save the game's settings and high scores when the machine is unplugged from an electrical outlet. The cabinet artwork is stenciled on the wooden frame. Development started by focusing on the game's hardware. The staff first debated what type of monitor to use: black and white or color. They reasoned that using advanced technology would better establish them as good designers and chose a color monitor. The developers estimated that the game would require 4 colors, but instead chose hardware that could display each pixel in 16 colors. At the time, the designers believed that was more than they would ever need for a game. The monitor's resolution is 320×256, an expansion from the then industry standard of 256×256. The staff believed that the wider screen provided a better aspect ratio and would improve the game's presentation. Video games at the time relied on hardware to animate graphics, but the developers decided to use software to handle animation and programmed the game in. The switch allowed them to display more on-screen objects at a lower cost. The game's control scheme uses a two-way joystick and five buttons. Jarvis designed the controls to emulate both Space Invaders and Asteroids simultaneously. The player's left hand manipulates the joystick similar to Space Invaders and the right hand pushes buttons similar to Asteroids. The button functions also use a similar layout to Asteroids, with the button to shoot projectiles and accelerate on the far right and left, respectively. Jarvis reasoned that players were accustomed to the control schemes of past games, and felt altering past designs would prove difficult for them. Reception [ ] Reception Review score Publication Score Initially, the game was slow to gain popularity. Defender did not attract much attention at the 1980 AMOA show. In retrospect, Jarvis believed many passersby were intimidated by its complexity. The game, however, was well received in arcades, and crowds gathered around the cabinet during its first nights of play testing. The success spurred Williams to release a cocktail version as well. Defender eventually became Williams' best selling arcade game, with over 55,000 units sold worldwide. By 2004, the game was a popular; the upright cabinets were common, while the cocktail models were more rare. Since its release, it has become one of the highest grossing arcade games ever, earning over 1 billion. Williams employee Larry Demar was surprised at the game's popularity, stating that it was the only game he'd seen able to earn that quantity of quarters. Six months after its release, the game was one of the top earners in the United States video game industry. Mark Stearny of JoyStik magazine called Defender the most successful game in 1981, commenting that it outperformed. The game garnered praise for its graphics, audio, and gameplay features. 's David Cuciz lauded Defender 's challenging gameplay, commenting that it is representative of what other games should be. He described the graphics as 'beautiful', citing the varied sprites and flashing explosions. Matt Barton and Bill Loguidice of stated the audio-visuals and gameplay's depth balanced the excessive difficulty. They praised the game's 'catch and rescue' feature, as well as the minimap. Cuciz also praised the minimap, stating that the game is impossible without it and that it allows players to plan strategies. Author John Sellers praised the audio-visuals and the connection between the game's plot and gameplay. At the time of its release, Stan Jarocki, director of marketing at then competitor, described the game as 'amazing'. Ranked the arcade version as number 13 on their 1996 'Top 100 Games of All Time', saying that its balanced play difficulty makes gamers keep coming back for more instead of giving up. In 2008, listed it as the number six arcade game in technical, creative, and cultural impact. That same year, rated the game number ten on their list of 'Top 25 Arcade Games', citing it as a technical achievement and a difficult title with addictive gameplay. Also in 2008, ranked Defender the sixth best game from the 1980s. The editors described its design as very 'elegant' despite a lack of narrative and characters. Defender is often described as one of the most difficult games in the industry. In 1983 wrote that it 'remains one of the hardest arcade games ever developed. Initial attempts lasting less than ten seconds are not uncommon for novices.' GameDaily in 2009 rated Defender the ninth most difficult game, citing the attack and rescue gameplay. Author called it 'one of the toughest games in arcade history'. He also stated that novice players typically are able to play only a few seconds, and that enthusiasts saw proficiency at the game as a 'badge of honor'. David Cuciz echoed similar comments. Sellers described Defender's difficulty as 'humbling', saying that few could play it with proficiency. He further stated, however, that players would continue to play despite the difficulty. Author David Ellis attributes the game's success to its challenging design. Its difficulty is often attributed to its complex control scheme. Edge magazine called Defender 'one of the most difficult-to-master' games, describing its controls as 'daunting'. Retro Gamer writer Craig Grannell called the game and controls 'ruthless' and 'complex' respectively. In 1983 Softline readers named the version fifth on the magazine's Top Thirty list of Atari programs by popularity. The magazine was more critical, however, stating that 'The game's appeal does not justify its unreasonable cost' of being shipped on. Of Video & Arcade Games said in 1983 that the version was 'a substantial challenge to the most seasoned space gamers'. Impact and legacy [ ] Players have competed to obtain the highest score at the game and the longest play time on a single credit. Competitive playing for the longest play time was popularized by Mario Suarez from Atlantic City, who played Defender for over 21 and half hours in 1982 at the Claridge Casino Hotel in Atlantic City. It was authenticated by the facility and the many witnesses that watched along with the press of Atlantic City; the media attention spurred other players to attempt the same feat. Expert players exploited to extend the length of their play time. Defender was the focus of the first video game contest. Players in 32 cities simultaneously competed the weekend of April 3–4, 1982. Rick Smith was the victor with a score of 33,013,200 which took 38 hours. One bug, related to how the game keeps track of scoring, allows players to earn a large number of 'extra lives'. Players can then use the extra lives to leave the game unattended while they rest. Other bugs allow the ship to avoid damage from the enemies, also prolonging the length of play. Professor Jim Whitehead listed Defender as the first horizontally scrolling shooting game, and describes it as a breakthrough title for its use of full 2D motion, multiple goals, and complex gameplay that provides players with several methods to play. James Hague of Dadgum Games called Defender a landmark title from the 1980s. Stearny said that the game's use of scrolling helped remove design limitations associated with the screen. Cuciz stated that Defender 's use of scrolling introduce the 'first true 'gaming environment'. He further said that though the game's minimap feature had been introduced before, Defender integrated it into the gameplay in a more essential manner. Stearny described it as the most important space game in the early 1980s. He commented that its realism and technological advances pushed developers to create more popular games, citing and as examples. Vince listed the game as a classic title that introduced new technology, specifically scrolling. Ellis stated that prior to Defender, companies designed video games to have a balanced challenge. They believed games should be easy enough to attract players, but difficult enough to limit play time to a few minutes; anything too challenging would dissuade players. Loguidice and Barton commented that Defender 's success, along with, illustrated that video game enthusiasts were ready for more difficult games, which spurred developers to create more complex game designs. Jarvis's contributions to the game's development are often cited among his accolades. Author John Vince considered him as one of the originators of 'high-action' and 'reflex-based' arcade games, citing Defender 's gameplay among other games designed by Jarvis. Ellis stated that Jarvis established himself as an early 'hard-core' designer with Defender. In 2007, IGN listed Eugene Jarvis as a top game designer whose titles ( Defender, Robotron: 2084 and ) have influenced the video game industry. Barton and Loguidice stated that the game helped establish Williams and Jarvis as key figures in the arcade game industry. Sellers echoed similar comments. After the success of Defender, Williams expanded their business by building a new facility and hired more employees. Before the expansion, Jarvis could work in isolation. But the influx of people created an environment he was unhappy with. He left Williams along with DeMar to found their own development company,. The company served as a consulting firm to Williams and developed two games for them. Remakes and sequels [ ]. A 2002 sequel by the same name features gameplay elements similar to the original, but with three-dimensional graphics. The success of Defender prompted Williams to approach Vid Kidz, who originally wanted to create a new game. DeMar, however, suggested creating an enhanced version of Defender to meet Williams' four-month deadline. Vid Kidz titled the game, and developed it as a sequel to Defender. It features new elements and improved the original's performance. Some home ports of Stargate were released under the title Defender II for trademark purposes. Williams released a Defender-themed pinball machine in 1982. It has many elements from the original game: sound effects, enemies, waves, and weapons. Williams produced fewer than 400 units, which have become rare machines. Midway's 1991 is an arcade update to Defender in the same way that is an update to. Jarvis and DeMar assisted with the game, which was programmed by Todd Allen and Eric Pribyl. The game was not widely distributed. Atari released in 1995 for the console. It written by who had previously updated as. A, published simply as Defender, features and a. It was released for the,, and. Emulated versions of Defender have been included in various home compilations, such as. Influenced games and clones [ ] Home games that copied Defender 's design include (1981) and (1983) for the Apple II, Defender 64 (1983) and Guardian (1984) for the Commodore 64, (1983) for the ZX Spectrum, (1984) for the Atari 8-bit family, and Planetoid (1984) for the BBC Micro. One of 's early games was a clone called Andes Attack for the VIC-20 home computer. Other games built upon the core concept of protecting people or vehicles along the ground in a horizontally scrolling world, such as for the Atari 8-bit family, for the Atari 2600, and, all three of which were released in 1982. Cultural references [ ] The game has been referenced in music: 's song 'Down At The Arcade' on his 1984 album, 's song 'Defender' on their 1982 album, 's song 'The Defender' on their 1982 album, and the ' song ' on their 1998 album. Rapper mentions Defender in the chorus of his anthemic song 'Never Give Up' from his 2008 album,. Other artists to have used sound effects from Defender include (on 'Mt Saint Michel + Saint Michaels Mount' and 'Bucephalus Bouncing Ball'), and (used to censor swearing on the clean version of 'My Generation'). The game figured prominently and somewhat incongruously in the music video for the song '. In 2004, authored a novel called 'Hyperswarm' based on the video game. • • ^ Kent, Steven (2001). 'The Golden Age (Part 1: 1979–1980)'. The Ultimate History of Video Games.. • ^ Craig Glenday, ed. 'Top 100 Arcade Games: Top 20–6'. Guinness World Records Gamer's Edition 2008.. • ^ Stearny, Mark (September 1982). 'The Evolution of Space Games: How We Got From Space Invaders to Zaxxon'. JoyStik (1): 8–29. • ^ Sellers, John (August 2001). Arcade Fever: The Fan's Guide to The Golden Age of Video Games.. • ^ James Hague, ed. (1997)..: Interviews with Classic Computer and Video Games Programmers. Dadgum Games. Retrieved 2009-12-06. • ^ Barton, Matt; Bill Loguidice (2009-07-14).. Retrieved 2009-12-06. • ^ (2003-11-18).... Level/area: The Inside Story On Defender. • ^ 'The Making of Defender'.. October 2008. • 'Interview: Eugene Jarvis'. JoyStik (1): 7. September 1982. • ^ Cuciz, David (May 2001)... Retrieved 2009-12-06. Retrieved 2009-12-06. • ^ Ellis, David (2004). 'Arcade Classics'. Official Price Guide to Classic Video Games.. • Weiss, Brett Alan... Archived from on November 14, 2014. Retrieved August 18, 2017. • Ellis, David (2004). 'Arcade Classics'. Official Price Guide to Classic Video Games.. • 'Twin Galaxies Record Breakers'. Guinness World Records 2009 Gamer's Edition.. • 'Top 100 Games of All Time'.. September 1996. • Retro Gamer Staff (September 2008). • ^ Edge Staff (2008-03-23)... Retrieved 2009-12-06. [ ] • ^ Bang, Derrick (May–Jun 1983).. Computer Gaming World. Retrieved 28 July 2014. Retrieved 2014-03-09. Retrieved 28 July 2014. • (Spring 1983).. Creative Computing Video & Arcade Games. Archived from on 2008-02-16. Retrieved 2009-10-26. • (Press release). Funspot Family Entertainment Center. Retrieved 2009-10-28. • Skow, John; Peter Ainslie;; Steven Holmes (1982-01-18). 'Games That Play People'.. Vol. 119 no. 3. • • • Whitehead, Jim (2007-01-29). Retrieved 2009-12-06. • ^ Vince, John (2002). Handbook of Computer Animation.. • Loguidice, Bill; Matt Barton (2009-08-04)... Retrieved 2009-10-15. • Maragos, Nich (2005-02-17)... Retrieved 2009-05-12. • ^ IGN Staff (2007-07-24)... Retrieved 2009-03-16. • ^ Campbell, Stuart (January 2008). 'A Whole Different Ball Game'.. Llamasoft Baachive. Album: Song: Defender. Roadster Records. Album: Song: The Defender.. • (1998-07-14). Album: Song:.. Retrieved May 1, 2015. External links [ ] • at Coinop.org • can be played for free in the browser at the • for the Atari 2600 at Atari Mania • for the Atari 8-bit family at Atari Mania.
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