Star Fire
Encyclopedia
"Star fire" redirects here. For the process by which stars shine see nuclear fusion
.
Star Fire, released 1979, is considered to be a groundbreaking shoot 'em up
arcade game
by Exidy
that brought a number of new innovations to the market; including being of the first to use a sit-down cockpit.
and, to a lesser extent, the TV show Battlestar Galactica
. The attract-mode screen displays the name "Star Fire" in the same swooping sans-serif display typeface used by the Star Wars promotional posters and main titles. The primary enemy in the game are spaceships that are visually indistinguishable from TIE fighter
s. The player's primary weapon is an array of 4 lasers that fire in an "X" pattern, implying that the player is flying a ship somewhat akin to an X-wing
. The game was not officially licensed to use the Star Wars trademarks.
The game is brightly colored, in blues, greens, and reds. In 1979, this was still unusual, and made it stand out from many other arcade games of the era.
If the player can maneuver such that a TIE fighter-like ship is directly in the targeting reticle, he will "lock on" and any shots fired will automatically hit. When the player successfully shoots an enemy TIE fighter lookalike, the screen prints "GOT HIM". Occasionally, a thinner, horizontally oriented ship that looks like a Viper from Battlestar Galactica will be seen. These have "Exidy" written on their tails, and are worth the largest amount of points. If the player successfully shoots this ship, the screen displays "GOT US". These ships can not be locked onto.
The game is timed. The more quarters the player puts in, the longer he can play. As the player shoots enemy ships, they increase in skill, and also in point value. If the player reaches certain point thresholds, he is given more "fuel" and can thus play longer. The player's ship can be shot; this simply resets the quality of enemies (and thus their point value) down to the lowest level.
in January 1982. As of 2010 this was the oldest high score record in the Twin Galaxies
arcade database. Star Fire was also one of the first games to allow the player to partially damage an enemy with a glancing shot.
Due mostly to the mise-en-scene, the 1983 Atari
Star Wars arcade game
shares many similarities with Star Fire.
Star Fire can be run (emulated) on a PC by the Multiple Arcade Machine Emulator
. It is one of the few games that has legally released for use on the MAME emulator, along with its lesser-known sequel, Star Fire 2.
ported
Star Fire and another Exidy game, Fire One!, to the Atari 8-bit family
and Commodore 64
, and released them in an "Arcade Classics" compilation.
Nuclear fusion
Nuclear fusion is the process by which two or more atomic nuclei join together, or "fuse", to form a single heavier nucleus. This is usually accompanied by the release or absorption of large quantities of energy...
.
Star Fire, released 1979, is considered to be a groundbreaking shoot 'em up
Shoot 'em up
Shoot 'em up is a subgenre of shooter video games. In a shoot 'em up, the player controls a lone character, often in a spacecraft or aircraft, shooting large numbers of enemies while dodging their attacks. The genre in turn encompasses various types or subgenres and critics differ on exactly what...
arcade game
Arcade game
An arcade game is a coin-operated entertainment machine, usually installed in public businesses such as restaurants, bars, and amusement arcades. Most arcade games are video games, pinball machines, electro-mechanical games, redemption games, and merchandisers...
by Exidy
Exidy
Exidy was one of the largest creators of arcade video games during the early period of video games, from 1974 until at least 1986 . The company was founded by H.R."Pete" Kauffman...
that brought a number of new innovations to the market; including being of the first to use a sit-down cockpit.
Appearance
The look and feel of Star Fire is directly lifted from the movie Star WarsStar Wars
Star Wars is an American epic space opera film series created by George Lucas. The first film in the series was originally released on May 25, 1977, under the title Star Wars, by 20th Century Fox, and became a worldwide pop culture phenomenon, followed by two sequels, released at three-year...
and, to a lesser extent, the TV show Battlestar Galactica
Battlestar Galactica
Battlestar Galactica is an American science fiction franchise created by Glen A. Larson. The franchise began with the Battlestar Galactica TV series in 1978, and was followed by a brief sequel TV series in 1980, a line of book adaptations, original novels, comic books, a board game, and video games...
. The attract-mode screen displays the name "Star Fire" in the same swooping sans-serif display typeface used by the Star Wars promotional posters and main titles. The primary enemy in the game are spaceships that are visually indistinguishable from TIE fighter
TIE fighter
TIE fighters are fictional starfighters in the Star Wars universe. Propelled by Twin Ion Engines , TIE fighters are depicted as fast, fragile starfighters produced by Sienar Fleet Systems for the Galactic Empire...
s. The player's primary weapon is an array of 4 lasers that fire in an "X" pattern, implying that the player is flying a ship somewhat akin to an X-wing
X-wing
X-wings are fictional starfighters from the original Star Wars trilogy and the expanded universe. They are depicted as the primary interceptor and dogfighter of the Rebel Alliance and the New Republic...
. The game was not officially licensed to use the Star Wars trademarks.
The game is brightly colored, in blues, greens, and reds. In 1979, this was still unusual, and made it stand out from many other arcade games of the era.
Gameplay
The player controls whether his ship is moving forward or backwards via a lever. A control yoke translates the player's view left, right, up, or down. The controls are loose and somewhat floaty; nimble moves are not possible. The player has a button that fires his quad-linked lasers at a targeting reticle. The lasers travel slowly, taking about 2 seconds to reach their target, and only one shot can be in the air at once. Furthermore, each shot the player fires causes heat to build up in his ship. If the player's rate of fire is too high, his guns will overheat and he will need to wait for them to cool down.If the player can maneuver such that a TIE fighter-like ship is directly in the targeting reticle, he will "lock on" and any shots fired will automatically hit. When the player successfully shoots an enemy TIE fighter lookalike, the screen prints "GOT HIM". Occasionally, a thinner, horizontally oriented ship that looks like a Viper from Battlestar Galactica will be seen. These have "Exidy" written on their tails, and are worth the largest amount of points. If the player successfully shoots this ship, the screen displays "GOT US". These ships can not be locked onto.
The game is timed. The more quarters the player puts in, the longer he can play. As the player shoots enemy ships, they increase in skill, and also in point value. If the player reaches certain point thresholds, he is given more "fuel" and can thus play longer. The player's ship can be shot; this simply resets the quality of enemies (and thus their point value) down to the lowest level.
Legacy
Star Fire was the first arcade game to allow a player to enter his or her initials in to the high score table. The current record for the high score is 9,780 points, set by Laura Curran of Las VegasLas Vegas metropolitan area
The Las Vegas Valley is the heart of the Las Vegas-Paradise, NV MSA also known as the Las Vegas–Paradise–Henderson MSA which includes all of Clark County, Nevada, and is a metropolitan area in the southern part of the U.S. state of Nevada. The Valley is defined by the Las Vegas Valley landform, a ...
in January 1982. As of 2010 this was the oldest high score record in the Twin Galaxies
Twin Galaxies
Twin Galaxies is an American organization that tracks video game world records and conducts a program of electronic-gaming promotions. It operates the Twin Galaxies website and publishes the Twin Galaxies' Official Video Game & Pinball Book of World Records, with the Arcade Volume released on June...
arcade database. Star Fire was also one of the first games to allow the player to partially damage an enemy with a glancing shot.
Due mostly to the mise-en-scene, the 1983 Atari
Atari
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...
Star Wars arcade game
Star Wars (arcade game)
Star Wars is an arcade game produced by Atari Inc. and released in 1983. The game is a first person space simulator, simulating the attack on the Death Star from the final act of Star Wars - Episode IV: A New Hope...
shares many similarities with Star Fire.
Star Fire can be run (emulated) on a PC by the Multiple Arcade Machine Emulator
MAME
MAME is an emulator application designed to recreate the hardware of arcade game systems in software on modern personal computers and other platforms. The intention is to preserve gaming history by preventing vintage games from being lost or forgotten...
. It is one of the few games that has legally released for use on the MAME emulator, along with its lesser-known sequel, Star Fire 2.
Ports
In 1983 EpyxEpyx
Epyx, Inc. was a video game developer and publisher in the late 1970s and throughout the 1980s. The company was founded as Automated Simulations by Jim Connelley and Jon Freeman, originally using Epyx as a brand name for action-oriented games before renaming the company to match in 1983...
ported
Porting
In computer science, porting is the process of adapting software so that an executable program can be created for a computing environment that is different from the one for which it was originally designed...
Star Fire and another Exidy game, Fire One!, to the Atari 8-bit family
Atari 8-bit family
The Atari 8-bit family is a series of 8-bit home computers manufactured from 1979 to 1992. All are based on the MOS Technology 6502 CPU and were the first home computers designed with custom coprocessor chips...
and 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...
, and released them in an "Arcade Classics" compilation.
Easter Egg
Entering certain sets of initials into the high score table will cause the game to print certain messages:- "DBR" → "HI DAVE, I HOPE YOU ARE WELL".
- "SKO" → "HI SUSAN".
- "TZM" → "HI TED. MAY THE FORCE BE WITH YOU".
- A Star Fire game in a custom cabinet appears in the movie Midnight Madness for the purpose of dispensing a clue to game players.