Robot Tank
Encyclopedia
Robot Tank is a 1983 video game for the Atari 2600
. It was designed
and programmed
by Alan Miller and published
by the then-fledgling Activision
.
tank
, whose mission is to stop enemy rebel tanks rampaging across the countryside from reaching downtown Santa Clara, California
, United States
. The tank is equipped with radar
to locate enemy squadrons.
The game was innovative in that, instead of the player's tank being destroyed with a hit from an enemy, it was merely damaged, losing some capabilities such as radar or speed (enough damage would eventually destroy the tank). The game also features 24-hour gameplay (that is, combat could take place at any time of the day or night) and varying weather
(rain
, snow
, fog
), which added additional challenge in tracking enemy combatants.
The enemy is organized into squadrons. By defeating an enemy squadron, the player earns an additional reserve tank. The game ends when all of a player's tanks are destroyed.
Atari 2600
The Atari 2600 is a video game console released in October 1977 by Atari, Inc. It is credited with popularizing the use of microprocessor-based hardware and cartridges containing game code, instead of having non-microprocessor dedicated hardware with all games built in...
. It was designed
Game design
Game design, a subset of game development, is the process of designing the content and rules of a game in the pre-production stage and design of gameplay, environment, storyline, and characters during production stage. The term is also used to describe both the game design embodied in a game as...
and programmed
Game programming
Game programming, a subset of game development, is the programming of computer, console or arcade games. Though often engaged in by professional game programmers, many novices may program games as a hobby...
by Alan Miller and published
Video game publisher
A video game publisher is a company that publishes video games that they have either developed internally or have had developed by a video game developer....
by the then-fledgling Activision
Activision
Activision is an American publisher, majority owned by French conglomerate Vivendi SA. Its current CEO is Robert Kotick. It was founded on October 1, 1979 and was the world's first independent developer and distributor of video games for gaming consoles...
.
Description
The game has the player remotely control a futuristic robotRobot
A robot is a mechanical or virtual intelligent agent that can perform tasks automatically or with guidance, typically by remote control. In practice a robot is usually an electro-mechanical machine that is guided by computer and electronic programming. Robots can be autonomous, semi-autonomous or...
tank
Tank
A tank is a tracked, armoured fighting vehicle designed for front-line combat which combines operational mobility, tactical offensive, and defensive capabilities...
, whose mission is to stop enemy rebel tanks rampaging across the countryside from reaching downtown Santa Clara, California
Santa Clara, California
Santa Clara , founded in 1777 and incorporated in 1852, is a city in Santa Clara County, in the U.S. state of California. The city is the site of the eighth of 21 California missions, Mission Santa Clara de Asís, and was named after the mission. The Mission and Mission Gardens are located on the...
, United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. The tank is equipped with radar
Radar
Radar is an object-detection system which uses radio waves to determine the range, altitude, direction, or speed of objects. It can be used to detect aircraft, ships, spacecraft, guided missiles, motor vehicles, weather formations, and terrain. The radar dish or antenna transmits pulses of radio...
to locate enemy squadrons.
The game was innovative in that, instead of the player's tank being destroyed with a hit from an enemy, it was merely damaged, losing some capabilities such as radar or speed (enough damage would eventually destroy the tank). The game also features 24-hour gameplay (that is, combat could take place at any time of the day or night) and varying weather
Weather
Weather is the state of the atmosphere, to the degree that it is hot or cold, wet or dry, calm or stormy, clear or cloudy. Most weather phenomena occur in the troposphere, just below the stratosphere. Weather refers, generally, to day-to-day temperature and precipitation activity, whereas climate...
(rain
Rain
Rain is liquid precipitation, as opposed to non-liquid kinds of precipitation such as snow, hail and sleet. Rain requires the presence of a thick layer of the atmosphere to have temperatures above the melting point of water near and above the Earth's surface...
, snow
Snow
Snow is a form of precipitation within the Earth's atmosphere in the form of crystalline water ice, consisting of a multitude of snowflakes that fall from clouds. Since snow is composed of small ice particles, it is a granular material. It has an open and therefore soft structure, unless packed by...
, fog
Fog
Fog is a collection of water droplets or ice crystals suspended in the air at or near the Earth's surface. While fog is a type of stratus cloud, the term "fog" is typically distinguished from the more generic term "cloud" in that fog is low-lying, and the moisture in the fog is often generated...
), which added additional challenge in tracking enemy combatants.
The enemy is organized into squadrons. By defeating an enemy squadron, the player earns an additional reserve tank. The game ends when all of a player's tanks are destroyed.