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B-17 Bomber (game)
Encyclopedia
B-17 Bomber was a single-player game released by Mattel
for their Intellivision
console in 1982. The game required the Intellivoice
module.
Bombing one's own territory (the United Kingdom) resulted in an estimated score of -200 points.
The keypad overlay for this game, like those of many of the more complex Intellivision games, was essential. It provided the player with convenient access to various important screens:
between 0 and 17. Unfortunately, each bomb added to the aircraft offset a few hundred gallons of fuel capacity, so that an aircraft loaded with more than 10 bombs could reach only coastal targets, while an aircraft laden with its full complement of bombs could barely cross the English Channel. Therefore, a competent player would typically choose to load the aircraft with between two and five bombs.
After selecting the desired number of bombs and choosing a target from the Map screen, the player would begin the mission by starting the aircraft's engines and accelerating it to takeoff velocity.
Once airborne and en route to the target, the aircraft would eventually be pursued by enemy fighters and harassed by flak from antiaircraft fire. (The number, tenacity, and initial appearance of enemy fighters and the intensity of antiaircraft fire increased in tandem as the game progressed.)
Enemy fighters. The Intellivoice would alert the player to the presence of enemy fighters by stating "Fighter" or "Bandit" along with the enemy's location (e.g., "Six O’clock"). Because the enemies were capable of either destroying the aircraft's guns or causing damage to the B-17 itself, the player would need to respond quickly to the alert by switching to the appropriate Gun screen and targeting the fighter. The Intellivoice would reward a hit on an enemy by stating "Good shot" or "Got 'em." A skilled player would dispatch the enemy fighters before they could inflict either gun destruction or aircraft damage.
Antiaircraft fire. The Intellivoice would alert the player to the presence of antiaircraft fire by stating "Watch for flak." The player's appropriate response was to switch to the Pilot screen and perform evasive maneuvers.
Upon reaching the target, the Intellivoice bombardier would instruct the player to switch to the bomb bay screen by exclaiming, "Target in sight!" Unfortunately, this instruction would not always give the player time to center the bomb-sight over the target. (The target would appear approximately one-third from the top of the screen, which scrolled downwards, simulating the aircraft's forward movement over the target.) A better bombing strategy was to anticipate the bombardier's alert by continuously monitoring the Map screen, estimating when the aircraft would pass over the target, and then remaining on the Bomb bay screen (despite even the approach of enemy fighters) until the target appeared. With this technique, the target would scroll from the very top of the screen, and the player would always have enough time to center the bomb-sight over the target.
End of mission. Upon either (1) running out of bombs, or (2) sustaining heavy damage, the player would end the bombing mission by returning the aircraft to the airspace above the United Kingdom. Due to technological limitations or perhaps the altruism of the game's programmers, the aircraft would land automatically (in stark contrast to the game Top Gun
for the Nintendo Entertainment System
, which required the player to land an F-14 Tomcat
on an aircraft carrier in a painstaking process .
End of game. The game ended when the aircraft crashed (represented by an altimeter reading of "0") over either the sea or enemy territory. Crashing could result from running out of fuel or sustaining heavy damage from enemy fire. Notably, enemy fire could not destroy the aircraft while it was airborne; enemy fire could only damage the aircraft to the point that a crash would be imminent. The Intellivoice would signal an impending crash by stating "Mayday" repeatedly.
Mattel
Mattel, Inc. is the world's largest toy company based on revenue. The products it produces include Fisher Price, Barbie dolls, Hot Wheels and Matchbox toys, Masters of the Universe, American Girl dolls, board games, and, in the early 1980s, video game consoles. The company's name is derived from...
for their Intellivision
Intellivision
The Intellivision is a video game console released by Mattel in 1979. Development of the console began in 1978, less than a year after the introduction of its main competitor, the Atari 2600. The word intellivision is a portmanteau of "intelligent television"...
console in 1982. The game required the Intellivoice
Intellivoice
The Intellivoice Voice Synthesis Module was an adapter for the Intellivision, Mattel's home gaming console, that utilized a voice synthesizer to generate audible speech...
module.
Summary
The object of the game was to earn points by bombing targets displayed on a map that represented continental Europe and the surrounding seas. There were four categories of targets:- Antiaircraft guns (one point)
- Airports (five points)
- Factories (estimated 20 to 100 points; factories further inland were more challenging to reach and therefore worth more points)
- Ships (estimated 5 to 40 points; larger ships were worth more points)
Bombing one's own territory (the United Kingdom) resulted in an estimated score of -200 points.
The keypad overlay for this game, like those of many of the more complex Intellivision games, was essential. It provided the player with convenient access to various important screens:
- The "Pilot" screen (used to avoid enemy antiaircraft fire or "flak")
- The "Bomb bay" screen (used to bomb targets by centering the bomb-sight on them, leading them the appropriate amount, and releasing the desired amount of bombs)
- The "Map" screen (used to select targets and to monitor the aircraft's location throughout a mission)
- The "Gauges" screen (used to monitor the aircraft's gauges, of which "fuel" was the most significant)
- The four "Gun" screens (used to operate the aircraft's four guns -- located at 3, 6, 9, and 12 o'clock -- in order to shoot down enemy fighters)
Gameplay
Before each mission, the player would select the number of bombs to load onto the aircraft, a B-17 Flying Fortress. This number could be any integerInteger
The integers are formed by the natural numbers together with the negatives of the non-zero natural numbers .They are known as Positive and Negative Integers respectively...
between 0 and 17. Unfortunately, each bomb added to the aircraft offset a few hundred gallons of fuel capacity, so that an aircraft loaded with more than 10 bombs could reach only coastal targets, while an aircraft laden with its full complement of bombs could barely cross the English Channel. Therefore, a competent player would typically choose to load the aircraft with between two and five bombs.
After selecting the desired number of bombs and choosing a target from the Map screen, the player would begin the mission by starting the aircraft's engines and accelerating it to takeoff velocity.
Once airborne and en route to the target, the aircraft would eventually be pursued by enemy fighters and harassed by flak from antiaircraft fire. (The number, tenacity, and initial appearance of enemy fighters and the intensity of antiaircraft fire increased in tandem as the game progressed.)
Enemy fighters. The Intellivoice would alert the player to the presence of enemy fighters by stating "Fighter" or "Bandit" along with the enemy's location (e.g., "Six O’clock"). Because the enemies were capable of either destroying the aircraft's guns or causing damage to the B-17 itself, the player would need to respond quickly to the alert by switching to the appropriate Gun screen and targeting the fighter. The Intellivoice would reward a hit on an enemy by stating "Good shot" or "Got 'em." A skilled player would dispatch the enemy fighters before they could inflict either gun destruction or aircraft damage.
Antiaircraft fire. The Intellivoice would alert the player to the presence of antiaircraft fire by stating "Watch for flak." The player's appropriate response was to switch to the Pilot screen and perform evasive maneuvers.
Upon reaching the target, the Intellivoice bombardier would instruct the player to switch to the bomb bay screen by exclaiming, "Target in sight!" Unfortunately, this instruction would not always give the player time to center the bomb-sight over the target. (The target would appear approximately one-third from the top of the screen, which scrolled downwards, simulating the aircraft's forward movement over the target.) A better bombing strategy was to anticipate the bombardier's alert by continuously monitoring the Map screen, estimating when the aircraft would pass over the target, and then remaining on the Bomb bay screen (despite even the approach of enemy fighters) until the target appeared. With this technique, the target would scroll from the very top of the screen, and the player would always have enough time to center the bomb-sight over the target.
End of mission. Upon either (1) running out of bombs, or (2) sustaining heavy damage, the player would end the bombing mission by returning the aircraft to the airspace above the United Kingdom. Due to technological limitations or perhaps the altruism of the game's programmers, the aircraft would land automatically (in stark contrast to the game Top Gun
Top Gun (video game)
The popularity of the 1986 film Top Gun resulted in a number of licensed video games that have been released since the film's theatrical debut:-Top Gun:...
for the Nintendo Entertainment System
Nintendo Entertainment System
The Nintendo Entertainment System is an 8-bit video game console that was released by Nintendo in North America during 1985, in Europe during 1986 and Australia in 1987...
, which required the player to land an F-14 Tomcat
F-14 Tomcat
The Grumman F-14 Tomcat is a supersonic, twin-engine, two-seat, variable-sweep wing fighter aircraft. The Tomcat was developed for the United States Navy's Naval Fighter Experimental program following the collapse of the F-111B project...
on an aircraft carrier in a painstaking process .
End of game. The game ended when the aircraft crashed (represented by an altimeter reading of "0") over either the sea or enemy territory. Crashing could result from running out of fuel or sustaining heavy damage from enemy fire. Notably, enemy fire could not destroy the aircraft while it was airborne; enemy fire could only damage the aircraft to the point that a crash would be imminent. The Intellivoice would signal an impending crash by stating "Mayday" repeatedly.