Invade-a-Load
Encyclopedia
Invade-a-Load was a loader routine used in software for Commodore 64
computer. It was used in commercial games that were stored on cassette tape and loaded using the Datassette
. Invade-a-Load was a typical "turbo tape" loader, with one notable feature: While the actual game was loading—a process which usually took a long time, even with optimized loader routines—the loader allowed the user to play a smaller game to pass time. The game was a clone of the famous Space Invaders
game. The minigame was loaded in under a minute, providing entertainment while waiting for the actual game to load which could take a further five to ten minutes. It mostly appeared in games sold in the UK, as, by the time it was written, the Commodore market in the US had mostly switched to floppy disk
media.
's own use.
The loader itself has a copyright date of 1987, but the first games that used the loader showed up in 1988. Over the following years, Mastertronic used the loader in dozens of titles.
The loader was also memorable for the soundtrack, originally made by Rob Hubbard
for the Mastertronic title One Man and His Droid
.
Ltd. invented a variant of this technique for use with optical disc
based platforms such as PlayStation
and applied for a patent. was granted in February 1998 and assigned to Namco.
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...
computer. It was used in commercial games that were stored on cassette tape and loaded using the Datassette
Datassette
The Commodore 1530 Datasette , was Commodore's dedicated computer tape drive.It provided access to an inexpensive storage medium for Commodore's 8-bit home/personal computers, notably the PET, VIC-20, and C64...
. Invade-a-Load was a typical "turbo tape" loader, with one notable feature: While the actual game was loading—a process which usually took a long time, even with optimized loader routines—the loader allowed the user to play a smaller game to pass time. The game was a clone of the famous Space Invaders
Space Invaders
is an arcade video game designed by Tomohiro Nishikado, and released in 1978. It was originally manufactured and sold by Taito in Japan, and was later licensed for production in the United States by the Midway division of Bally. Space Invaders is one of the earliest shooting games and the aim is to...
game. The minigame was loaded in under a minute, providing entertainment while waiting for the actual game to load which could take a further five to ten minutes. It mostly appeared in games sold in the UK, as, by the time it was written, the Commodore market in the US had mostly switched to floppy disk
Floppy disk
A floppy disk is a disk storage medium composed of a disk of thin and flexible magnetic storage medium, sealed in a rectangular plastic carrier lined with fabric that removes dust particles...
media.
History and use
The loader was written by Richard Aplin for MastertronicMastertronic
Mastertronic was originally a publisher and distributor of low-cost computer game software founded in 1983. Their first games were distributed in mid-1984. At its peak the label was the dominant software publisher in the UK, a position achieved by selling cassette-based software at the £1.99...
's own use.
The loader itself has a copyright date of 1987, but the first games that used the loader showed up in 1988. Over the following years, Mastertronic used the loader in dozens of titles.
The loader was also memorable for the soundtrack, originally made by Rob Hubbard
Rob Hubbard
Rob Hubbard is a music composer best known for his composition of computer game theme music, especially for microcomputers of the 1980s such as the Commodore 64...
for the Mastertronic title One Man and His Droid
One Man and His Droid
One Man and His Droid is a game published by Mastertronic in 1985 for use on the Amstrad CPC, Atari 8-bit, Commodore 16, Commodore 64 and ZX Spectrum home computer systems. The name of the game is a play on the title of the BBC television show One Man and His Dog. The object of the game is to use a...
.
Patents
In 1995, Yoichi Hayashi of NamcoNamco
is a Japanese corporation best known as a former video game developer and publisher. Following a merger with Bandai in September 2005, the two companies' game production assets were spun off into Namco Bandai Games on March 31, 2006. Namco Ltd. was re-established to continue domestic operation of...
Ltd. invented a variant of this technique for use with optical disc
Optical disc
In computing and optical disc recording technologies, an optical disc is a flat, usually circular disc which encodes binary data in the form of pits and lands on a special material on one of its flat surfaces...
based platforms such as PlayStation
PlayStation
The is a 32-bit fifth-generation video game console first released by Sony Computer Entertainment in Japan on December 3, .The PlayStation was the first of the PlayStation series of consoles and handheld game devices. The PlayStation 2 was the console's successor in 2000...
and applied for a patent. was granted in February 1998 and assigned to Namco.