Space Hawk
Encyclopedia
Space Hawk is a video game released by Mattel
for its Intellivision
video game system in 1981. The game is a re-worked version of a previously planned clone of Asteroids in which the player, in a rocket-powered space suit, is drifting in space and shooting down or avoiding targets, including the titular hawks.
. Lastly, the rotation of the space suit can either be instantaneous (by pushing the controller in the desired direction) or gradual (by holding the controller to the left or right until the desired attitude is reached). Each setting can be changed during the game as often as desired.
The player is attacked by large and small mechanical hawks, which must be shot three times before they are destroyed. There are also gas bubbles and comets that can be shot or avoided. In later stages, space amoeba
s appear that are impervious to the player's weapons and can only be avoided. A collision with any obstacle will cost the player one life. As a last resort, the player's space suit is equipped with a hyperspace
function, that will randomly relocate the player to another section of space; however, the player loses points when the hyperspace function is used. Also, from time to time, the player may encounter invisible black hole
s that will trigger hyperspace automatically.
The player starts with a score of 500 points. Points are earned whenever targets are destroyed and lost whenever the player is destroyed or enters hyperspace. As score increases, multipliers are applied and difficulty increases.
popular arcade game Asteroids. After company lawyers demanded changes for fear of a lawsuit, the first re-working became Astrosmash
. Programmer Bill Fisher began working with the previous prototype with the intent of developing a game similar to Asteroids while being different enough to avoid legal action.
During development, a bug was discovered that would randomly trigger hyperspace even when the corresponding button on the controller was not pressed. It was determined that simultaneously pressing the controller disc in a certain direction and using the controller's side action buttons was being interpreted by the console as pressing the key on the keypad that activated hyperspace. Ultimately, as the bug could not be removed completely, the developers added the "black holes" to explain why the player would sometimes jump to hyperspace at random.
Game Room
service on its Xbox 360
console and on Games for Windows Live and soon Windows Phone 7
.
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 its 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"...
video game system in 1981. The game is a re-worked version of a previously planned clone of Asteroids in which the player, in a rocket-powered space suit, is drifting in space and shooting down or avoiding targets, including the titular hawks.
Gameplay
The object of Space Hawk is to survive as long as possible while drifting in the middle of outer space. The player is equipped with a rocket-powered space suit and a "gas blaster" for protection. Three user-selectable settings control the player's interaction with the game. The blaster can fire single shots manually or can be set to automatic rapid fire. The player's movement can include or ignore inertiaInertia
Inertia is the resistance of any physical object to a change in its state of motion or rest, or the tendency of an object to resist any change in its motion. It is proportional to an object's mass. The principle of inertia is one of the fundamental principles of classical physics which are used to...
. Lastly, the rotation of the space suit can either be instantaneous (by pushing the controller in the desired direction) or gradual (by holding the controller to the left or right until the desired attitude is reached). Each setting can be changed during the game as often as desired.
The player is attacked by large and small mechanical hawks, which must be shot three times before they are destroyed. There are also gas bubbles and comets that can be shot or avoided. In later stages, space amoeba
Amoeba
Amoeba is a genus of Protozoa.History=The amoeba was first discovered by August Johann Rösel von Rosenhof in 1757. Early naturalists referred to Amoeba as the Proteus animalcule after the Greek god Proteus, who could change his shape...
s appear that are impervious to the player's weapons and can only be avoided. A collision with any obstacle will cost the player one life. As a last resort, the player's space suit is equipped with a hyperspace
Hyperspace
Hyperspace may refer to:*in mathematics and general science** A Euclidean space of dimension greater than three, see fourth dimension and higher dimensions ** Space of any dimension, whether lower, higher, or...
function, that will randomly relocate the player to another section of space; however, the player loses points when the hyperspace function is used. Also, from time to time, the player may encounter invisible black hole
Black hole
A black hole is a region of spacetime from which nothing, not even light, can escape. The theory of general relativity predicts that a sufficiently compact mass will deform spacetime to form a black hole. Around a black hole there is a mathematically defined surface called an event horizon that...
s that will trigger hyperspace automatically.
The player starts with a score of 500 points. Points are earned whenever targets are destroyed and lost whenever the player is destroyed or enters hyperspace. As score increases, multipliers are applied and difficulty increases.
Development
Space Hawk was the second attempt at crafting a version of Atari'sAtari
Atari is a corporate and brand name owned by several entities since its inception in 1972. It is currently owned by Atari Interactive, a wholly owned subsidiary of the French publisher Atari, SA . The original Atari, Inc. was founded in 1972 by Nolan Bushnell and Ted Dabney. It was a pioneer in...
popular arcade game Asteroids. After company lawyers demanded changes for fear of a lawsuit, the first re-working became Astrosmash
Astrosmash
Astrosmash is a video game for the Intellivision videogame console written by John Sohl and published by Mattel in 1981. In this game, the player takes control of a laser cannon that is protecting the earth from falling asteroids and other threats...
. Programmer Bill Fisher began working with the previous prototype with the intent of developing a game similar to Asteroids while being different enough to avoid legal action.
During development, a bug was discovered that would randomly trigger hyperspace even when the corresponding button on the controller was not pressed. It was determined that simultaneously pressing the controller disc in a certain direction and using the controller's side action buttons was being interpreted by the console as pressing the key on the keypad that activated hyperspace. Ultimately, as the bug could not be removed completely, the developers added the "black holes" to explain why the player would sometimes jump to hyperspace at random.
Ports
Space Hawk was also released by Sears for the "Super Video Arcade," its private-label version of the Intellivision console. The game was re-released as part of the Intellivision Lives! collection for personal computers and newer-generation game consoles, and in March 2010, Space Hawk was one of the launch titles for Microsoft'sMicrosoft
Microsoft Corporation is an American public multinational corporation headquartered in Redmond, Washington, USA that develops, manufactures, licenses, and supports a wide range of products and services predominantly related to computing through its various product divisions...
Game Room
Game Room
Game Room is a gaming service for the Xbox 360 video game system, Microsoft Windows PCs, and Windows Phone 7. Launched on March 24, 2010, Game Room lets players download classic video games and compete against each other for high scores...
service on its Xbox 360
Xbox 360
The Xbox 360 is the second video game console produced by Microsoft and the successor to the Xbox. The Xbox 360 competes with Sony's PlayStation 3 and Nintendo's Wii as part of the seventh generation of video game consoles...
console and on Games for Windows Live and soon Windows Phone 7
Windows Phone 7
Windows Phone is a mobile operating system developed by Microsoft, and is the successor to its Windows Mobile platform, although incompatible with it. Unlike its predecessor, it is primarily aimed at the consumer market rather than the enterprise market...
.
External links
- Space Hawk at IntellivisionLives
- Space Hawk at GameFAQs