3D Ant Attack
Encyclopedia
Ant Attack is a ZX Spectrum
computer game by Sandy White. It was published in 1983
by Quicksilva
, and converted to the Commodore 64
in 1984
. It was written in a mixture of BASIC
and machine code
.
The same type of isometric projection
was used in Sandy White's later Zombie Zombie
.
) in order to rescue their significant other who has been captured and tied up somewhere in the city. The city is inhabited by giant ant
s which chase and attempt to bite the player. The player can defend themselves by throwing grenade
s at the ants. Once the hostage is rescued, the two must escape the city. After this, the whole thing starts again with the hostage located in a different part of the city, with each location being progressively more difficult to reach than the previous.
While both Q*bert and Zaxxon
used isometric projection, the shading
and extra degree of freedom
(ability to go up and down instead of just north, south, east and west) introduced in Ant Attack were innovative for personal computer game
of the time. The author himself has proposed that it "...was the first true isometric 3D game...".
Ant Attack was the first game to allow the player to choose either a male or female player character. The game was also the first title developed with the action viewable from an isometric perspective, pre-dating Knight Lore
by a year. According to the staff of video game magazine Edge
it "marked the very beginnings of the survival horror genre".
Easter Eggs
In the ZX Spectrum version,the empty area outside of the city walls to the southeast has a cube with 'ammo' written on its sides, this was a spare sprite with no part in gameplay.
ZX Spectrum
The ZX Spectrum is an 8-bit personal home computer released in the United Kingdom in 1982 by Sinclair Research Ltd...
computer game by Sandy White. It was published in 1983
1983 in video gaming
-Events:* A major shakeout of the video game industry begins. By 1986, total video games sales will decrease from US$3.2 billion to US$0.1 billion.* MCA Universal files suit against Nintendo, claiming that the latter company's video arcade hit Donkey Kong violated Universal's copyright on King Kong...
by Quicksilva
Quicksilva
Quicksilva was a British games software publisher active during the early 1980s.Amongst the company's successes were Jeff Minter's Gridrunner and Bugaboo , a title licenced from Spanish software house Indescomp S.A....
, and converted to the Commodore 64
Commodore 64
The Commodore 64 is an 8-bit home computer introduced by Commodore International in January 1982.Volume production started in the spring of 1982, with machines being released on to the market in August at a price of US$595...
in 1984
1984 in video gaming
-Notable releases:* May 10, King's Quest , the first animated adventure game, the first in the King's Quest series, and the first to use the AGI engine.* June 4, Nintendo releases Donkey Kong 3...
. It was written in a mixture of BASIC
BASIC
BASIC is a family of general-purpose, high-level programming languages whose design philosophy emphasizes ease of use - the name is an acronym from Beginner's All-purpose Symbolic Instruction Code....
and machine code
Machine code
Machine code or machine language is a system of impartible instructions executed directly by a computer's central processing unit. Each instruction performs a very specific task, typically either an operation on a unit of data Machine code or machine language is a system of impartible instructions...
.
The same type of isometric projection
Isometric projection
Isometric projection is a method for visually representing three-dimensional objects in two dimensions in technical and engineering drawings...
was used in Sandy White's later Zombie Zombie
Zombie Zombie
Zombie Zombie is a ZX Spectrum computer game by Sandy White. It was published in the 1984 by Quicksilva. It is the sequel to the popular Ant Attack, by the same author, and uses the same 'Softsolid 3D' isometric graphics.-Storyline:...
.
Summary
The player controls either a boy or a girl (the game allows you to choose at the start) who has to enter the walled city of Antescher ( a reference to the artist M. C. EscherM. C. Escher
Maurits Cornelis Escher , usually referred to as M. C. Escher , was a Dutch graphic artist. He is known for his often mathematically inspired woodcuts, lithographs, and mezzotints...
) in order to rescue their significant other who has been captured and tied up somewhere in the city. The city is inhabited by giant ant
Ant
Ants are social insects of the family Formicidae and, along with the related wasps and bees, belong to the order Hymenoptera. Ants evolved from wasp-like ancestors in the mid-Cretaceous period between 110 and 130 million years ago and diversified after the rise of flowering plants. More than...
s which chase and attempt to bite the player. The player can defend themselves by throwing grenade
Grenade
A grenade is a small explosive device that is projected a safe distance away by its user. Soldiers called grenadiers specialize in the use of grenades. The term hand grenade refers any grenade designed to be hand thrown. Grenade Launchers are firearms designed to fire explosive projectile grenades...
s at the ants. Once the hostage is rescued, the two must escape the city. After this, the whole thing starts again with the hostage located in a different part of the city, with each location being progressively more difficult to reach than the previous.
While both Q*bert and Zaxxon
Zaxxon
Zaxxon is a 1982 arcade game developed and released by Sega. Some sources claim that Japanese electronics company Ikegami Tsushinki also worked on the development of Zaxxon...
used isometric projection, the shading
Shading
Shading refers to depicting depth perception in 3D models or illustrations by varying levels of darkness.-Drawing:Shading is a process used in drawing for depicting levels of darkness on paper by applying media more densely or with a darker shade for darker areas, and less densely or with a lighter...
and extra degree of freedom
Degrees of freedom (engineering)
In mechanics, degrees of freedom are the set of independent displacements and/or rotations that specify completely the displaced or deformed position and orientation of the body or system...
(ability to go up and down instead of just north, south, east and west) introduced in Ant Attack were innovative for personal computer game
Personal computer game
A PC game, also known as a computer game, is a video game played on a personal computer, rather than on a video game console or arcade machine...
of the time. The author himself has proposed that it "...was the first true isometric 3D game...".
Ant Attack was the first game to allow the player to choose either a male or female player character. The game was also the first title developed with the action viewable from an isometric perspective, pre-dating Knight Lore
Knight Lore
Knight Lore is a computer game developed and released by Ultimate Play The Game in 1984. The game is the third in the Sabreman series, following on from his adventures in Sabre Wulf and Underwurlde. Unlike the earlier games in the series it used Ultimate's filmation engine to achieve a 3D look...
by a year. According to the staff of video game magazine Edge
Edge (magazine)
Edge is a multi-format computer and video game magazine published by Future Publishing in the United Kingdom. It is known for its industry contacts, editorial stance, distinctive anonymous third-person writing style, yearly awards and longevity....
it "marked the very beginnings of the survival horror genre".