asteroids

This page is about the arcade game ''Asteroids''. For the planet-like space object, see Asteroid''.''Asteroids'' is a popular vector graphicsvector-based video arcade game released in 1979 by Atari GamesAtari. The object of the game is for the player to shoot and destroy asteroids without being hit by the fragments. It was one of the most popular and influential games of the Golden Age of Arcade Games.

Description - ''Asteroids'' was inspired, in a roundabout way, by the seminal ''Spacewar'', the first computer-based video game. In the early 1980s a stand-up arcade game version was produced as ''Space Wars'', which included a number of optional versions and added a floating asteroid as a visual device. ''Asteroids'' is essentially a one-player version of Spacewar, featuring the "wedge" ship from the original and promoting the asteroids to be the main opponent.The game was conceived by Lyle Rains and programmed by Ed Logg. ''Asteroids'' was a hit in the United States and became one of Atari's best selling games of all time. Atari had been in the process of releasing a vector beam version of ''Lunar Lander'', but demand for ''Asteroids'' was so high they simply pulled them apart and converted them over. Today the ''Lunar Lander'' version is difficult to find. ''Asteroids'' was so popular that video arcade owners usually had to install larger boxes to hold all the coins this machine raked in.One feature of the game was the ability for players to record their initials with their high scores, an innovation which is standard in arcade games to this day.''Asteroids'' was the first of several games to use Atari's "Quadra-Scan" vector-refresh system (although a Raster graphicsraster-based full-color version was developed for the Atari 2600 home video game system). Later full-color Quadra-Scan games would include ''Tempest (game)Tempest''.

Technical Description - The ''Asteroids'' arcade machine is a so-called vector game. This means that the game graphics are only made up of lines which are drawn on a vector monitor. The hardware essentially consists of a standard 6502 central processing unitCPU, which executes the game program, and of the Digital Vector Generator (DVG), vector processing circuitry developed by Atari. The CPU by itself would be too slow to control the game play and the vector hardware at the same time. That is the reason for the usage of the DVG for drawing the graphics. For each picture frame, the 6502 writes graphics commands for the DVG into a defined area of RAM (the vector RAM), and then asks the DVG to draw the corresponding vector image on the screen. The DVG reads the commands and generates appropriate signals for the vector monitor. There are DVG commands for positioning the cathode ray, for drawing a line to a specified destination, calling a subroutine with further commands, and so on.''Asteroids'' also has some cool sound effects, each of which is implemented by its own circuitry. The CPU activates these audio circuits (and other hardware components) by writing to special memory addresses (memory mapped ports). The inputs from the player's controls (buttons) are also made available to the CPU on such memory mapped ports.The ''Asteroids'' game program uses only four kibibytes of ROM. Another four kibibytes of vector ROM contain the descriptions of the main graphical elements (rocks, saucer, player's ship, explosion pictures, letters, and digits) in the form of DVG commands.

Legacy - The gameplay in ''Asteroids'' was imitated by many games that followed. For example, one of the objects of ''Sinistar'' is to shoot asteroids in order to get them to release resources which the player needs to collect.Due to its success, ''Asteroids'' was followed by three sequels:

''Asteroids Deluxe'' (1980)

''Space Duel'' (1982)

''Blasteroids'' (1987)However, the original game was by far the most popular of the series.The Killer List of Videogames (KLOV) credits this game as one of the "Top 100 Videogames." Readers of the KLOV credit it as the seventh most popular game.

Ports - Being one of the most popular video games ever, ''Asteroids'' has been ported to multiple systems, including many of Atari's systems (Atari 2600, Atari 52005200, Atari 78007800, Atari Lynx) and many others. The 2600 port was the first game to utilize a bank-switched cartridge, doubling available ROM space. Also, a new version of ''Asteroids'' was developed for PlayStation, Nintendo 64, Microsoft WindowsWindows, and the Game Boy Color in the late 1990s. Many of the recent TV Games series of old Atari games have included either the 2600 or arcade versions of ''Asteroids''. Atari has also used the game for its other late '90s anthology series. Essentially, if one looks for this game, one will be able to find it somewhere.

Record breaking gameplay - In March 2004, Portland, Oregon resident Bill Carlton attempted to break the world record for playing an arcade version of ''Asteroids'', playing over 27 hours before his machine malfunctioned, ending his record run. He scored 12.7 million points, putting him in 5th place in the all-time ''Asteroids'' rankings. In November 1982 Scott Safran set the still unbroken record of 41 million points.

Song - In 1982, Buckner and Garcia recorded a song titled "Hyperspace", using sound effects from the game, and released it on the album ''Pac-Man Fever (album)Pac-Man Fever''.

External links -

klov.com - The Killer List of Video Games entry on ''Asteroids''

/asteroidsname=''Asteroids''

ataritimes.com - Atari Times: All About ''Asteroids''

dmoz.org - Category at ODP

Clones -

netfiles.freespaces.com - ''Asteroids'' vector clones

edepot.com - ''Asteroids'' clone (Ceres) homebrew written for Sony PSP

farfarfar.com - ''Asteroids''-like written in Java

neave.com - ''Asteroids'' clone written in Flash

games2go.co.uk - ''Asteroids''-based 3D wireframe written in Flash

games2go.co.uk - ''Asteroids''-based computer game written in Flash

geocities.com - ''Asteroids'' game with health written in Java

danlabgames.com - ''Argonaut'' — a Mac-only modernized clone of "Asteroids" with 3D OpenGL graphics

newbreedsoftware.com - ''Agendaroids'' — X-Window clone for the AgendaVR3 Linux-based PDA

newbreedsoftware.com - ''Vectoroids'' — SDL-based clone for various platforms (based on Agendaroids codebase)

web.utanet.at - ''Asteroids'' — static binary translation of Atari's original to JavaCategory: 1979 computer and video gamesCategory:1979 arcade gamesCategory:1981 computer and video gamesCategory:Atari 2600 gamesCategory: Atari 5200 gamesCategory: Atari 7800 gamesCategory: Atari Lynx gamesCategory:Atari 8-bit family gamesCategory: Apple Macintosh gamesCategory: PlayStation gamesCategory: PC gamesCategory: Nintendo 64 gamesCategory: Game Boy Color gamesCategory:Fixed shootersCategory:Stationary shootersCategory: Arcade gamesCategory:Atari arcade gamesCategory:Vector arcade !gamesde:Asteroidsfr:Asteroidss v:Asteroids

Fantatornei.com
Fantatornei.com è la comunità italiana di fantasport e divertimento in genere dove giocare GRATIS online ai fantatornei di basket (fantabasket), calcio, ciclismo (fantaciclismo), formula1 (fantaformula1), GPOne (fantamotociclismo), pallavolo (fantavolley) e di pronostici (abilità nel pronosticare i risultati di campionati quali serie A e B, Champions League, basket A1 e A2, volley A1 maschile e femminile, rubgy Super 10, campionati europei e mondiali, etc...)
http://www.fantatornei.com

Astro-ecology and the future of Life
Asteroids and comets contain life-sustaining organics, nutrient salts and water. Our experiments with meteorites showed that microorganisms, algae and plants grow well on these materials. The measured nutrients show that our Solar System can sustain trillions of humans, and the Galaxy much more, for many trillions of eons. If we expand life in space, our family of gene/protein organic life can have an immense future.
http://www.astroecology.com/

National Space Science Data Center
Provides access to a wide variety of astrophysics, space physics, solar physics, lunar, and planetary data from NASA space flight missions, in addition to selected other data, models, and software.
http://nssdc.gsfc.nasa.gov/

Students for the Exploration and the Development of Space
Comprehensive overview with newsletters, forums, projects facts of a worldwide student space organization.
http://www.seds.org

Views of the Solar System
An in-depth resource to the Solar System. Including articles about each part of the Solar System and its planets.
http://www.solarviews.com/

Planetary Data System: Small Bodies Node
Data concerning asteroids and comets, in a standard format for use primarily by astronomical observers and mission planners, as well as educators and students.
http://pdssbn.astro.umd.edu/

NationalGeographic.com
Explore National Geographic Online.
http://www.nationalgeographic.com/

Washington State University - Pullman
School of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science
http://www.eecs.wsu.edu/