The "Space Armada" thread

[rhindlethereddragon]

I was surprised to see somebody in another thread slagging "Space Armada" as one of the worst Intellivision games. I strongly disagree.. This was a favorite of mine back in the day, and it's a favorite of mine now.

 

First off, I look at this game as being an awesome game in it's own right and not just as a "Space Invaders clone" - it's very, very different from the (also great) Atari 2600 Space Invaders, and deserves to be looked upon as in a separate league - and here's why:

 

- The bunkers stay onscreen until they are eaten, and are there every screen. They just disappear when the invaders get too low on the 2600 version, and are only there for a few screens anyway.

 

- The "mothership" that flies overhead is more than just a point-scorer: it is actually STRATEGIC to hit it, since every time you hit a ship, one of your "bunkers" is restored. Hitting the mothership for bunker repairs becomes an ESSENTIAL part of strategy in later waves.

 

- The motherships also don't follow any type of specific, predictable pattern, but can come out one after another in rapid succession!

 

- Everything on the screen creates "dust" which can destroy other things on the screen. Now, THAT'S just COOL!

 

- There are NO LESS than 4 types of deadly bombs. And it takes a heck of a lot more strategy than "duck and cover" to defeat these bombs.

 

- In game mode, there are waves of invisible invaders, making this game all the more challenging. Yes, the 2600 cart has an invisible setting, but you have to play the whole game that way. Space Armada changes things up constantly.

 

- The borders of the game change color with each wave, which I've always found cool.

 

- In later rounds, you can take out THREE invaders with just one shot!

 

- You can take out an invader and a ship with one shot, since if the ship flies into exploding invader dust, it gets destroyed (and vice-versa!)

 

- Aside from traditional linear falling bombs, you also have long bombs that produce "missile command-like" explosions, mean little slow moving "glowing" red bombs that track you, and INSANE green spinning "homing" missiles.

 

- You can destroy invaders right through the bunkers, but they can't get you.

 

- While Atari's 2600 merely becomes more a game of endurance than skill (it only gets so hard, and that's it, you develop a pattern and roll the score repeatedly), Space Armada keeps getting harder, becoming INSANELY hard on later levels (as those who have gotten this far can attest to!)

 

All-in-all, Space Armada is a VERY complex game, VERY much unlike traditional Space Invaders (although admittedly, the general premise is the same). IMO, not just one of the best Intellivision games, but one of the best CLASSIC games of this period.

Edited May 27, 2010 by rhindlethereddragon

[cparsley]

here here... actually u only get 16 colors on the side before it repeats back to blue

[DickNixonArisen]

Pretty big sprites too, if you're into that kind of thing.

[NE146]

I've always said this.. Space Armada is about as much "Space Invaders" as Atari 2600 Space Invaders was... Which in reality, wasn't very much.

 

But still, you gotta love it

[Rev]

[DickNixonArisen]

That little base looks pretty fucked right now...

[rhindlethereddragon]

Back in the day, the kids in school had different "theories" (which I don't recall, I think one kid said that if you keep moving your ship left and right or something) about what would "trigger" the mother ship to come out in Space Armada. You can have long periods where there's no ships, and you can have ships come out one right after another.

 

One observation I've made is that after you've hit a ship, another one usually appears immediately; ditto if you hit that one. Sure would love to talk to the programmers of this game and ask them what type of routine they wrote for that ship, and if there really is any "tricks" you can use to make them appear.

[rhindlethereddragon]

Back in the day, the kids in school had different "theories" (which I don't recall, I think one kid said that if you keep moving your ship left and right or something) about what would "trigger" the mother ship to come out in Space Armada. You can have long periods where there's no ships, and you can have ships come out one right after another.

 

One observation I've made is that after you've hit a ship, another one usually appears immediately; ditto if you hit that one. Sure would love to talk to the programmers of this game and ask them what type of routine they wrote for that ship, and if there really is any "tricks" you can use to make them appear.

 

Oh, also I've noticed that if you just miss a ship, sometimes another one will come right out. What a weird subroutine this must be !!

[BassGuitari]

You just couldn't let it go, could you?

 

I've already said my piece in the "Worst INTV Games" thread, so I'll leave this one alone.

[cparsley]

I didnt create this one, I think some took offense to you calling it the worst and created this to show otherwise... Mr VCS, if your listening, this COULD be a great HSC game

[rhindlethereddragon]

I owned an Atari originally. I had "Space Invaders", and I loved it (and still do!). I never had any complaints about my Atari, but I would read about Intellivision games all the time because I wondered how they stacked up to the 2600 counterparts. Loved my Atari, but was absolutely fascinated by the Intellivision. When I read an in-depth review of "Space Armada", I was floored by mention of all of the "bells and whistles" it mentioned (many of which I outlined in post #1 of this thread). I remembered thinking "HOW could they cram all of that into that LITTLE Intellivision cartridge?". I really wanted to play this game, but I didn't know anybody who owned an intellivision.

 

One year, I got some extra money for my birthday, and I just couldn't take it anymore: I BOUGHT an Intellivision, and I still remember this is being one of the happiest times of my life. The first game I bought was, of course, Space Armada - and it didn't disappoint. I was positively MESMERIZED by the depth and complexity of this game compared to (the admittedly excellent) 2600 Space Invaders.

 

The Intellivision provided a video game experience that - to me - is still in many ways unsurpassed. YES, I was also seduced by the Atari and Commodore computers, the Colecovision, the NES, etc. But the Intellivision somehow provided that weird "something" to the gaming experience - a certain magic that has never been duplicated since.

[+cmart604]

I owned an Atari originally. I had "Space Invaders", and I loved it (and still do!). I never had any complaints about my Atari, but I would read about Intellivision games all the time because I wondered how they stacked up to the 2600 counterparts. Loved my Atari, but was absolutely fascinated by the Intellivision. When I read an in-depth review of "Space Armada", I was floored by mention of all of the "bells and whistles" it mentioned (many of which I outlined in post #1 of this thread). I remembered thinking "HOW could they cram all of that into that LITTLE Intellivision cartridge?". I really wanted to play this game, but I didn't know anybody who owned an intellivision.

 

One year, I got some extra money for my birthday, and I just couldn't take it anymore: I BOUGHT an Intellivision, and I still remember this is being one of the happiest times of my life. The first game I bought was, of course, Space Armada - and it didn't disappoint. I was positively MESMERIZED by the depth and complexity of this game compared to (the admittedly excellent) 2600 Space Invaders.

 

The Intellivision provided a video game experience that - to me - is still in many ways unsurpassed. YES, I was also seduced by the Atari and Commodore computers, the Colecovision, the NES, etc. But the Intellivision somehow provided that weird "something" to the gaming experience - a certain magic that has never been duplicated since.

 

 

I couldn't agree more about the "weird something" and the "certain magic" that continues to draw me to the INTV near 30 years after I first got one as a kid.

And just so we're clear, my list of games was my guess as to what would likely be called the worst games on the INTV, not my list of the worst.

Still not sure what I'd call my worst, gonna have to play some more games to refresh my memory.

I don't mind Armada other than finding the aliens rather large for the screen. I'd have preferred if they were a bit smaller.

[BassGuitari]

 

 

The Intellivision provided a video game experience that - to me - is still in many ways unsurpassed. YES, I was also seduced by the Atari and Commodore computers, the Colecovision, the NES, etc. But the Intellivision somehow provided that weird "something" to the gaming experience - a certain magic that has never been duplicated since.

 

+1

[bacteria]

I enjoyed Space Armada in the day, and recently bought a copy again after all these years to enjoy it again.

[rhindlethereddragon]

I enjoyed Space Armada in the day, and recently bought a copy again after all these years to enjoy it again.

 

I'm doing better at it these days.. never was able to clear the two full on inviso-invader screens back in the day, recently did that for the first time.

 

After the two "inviso" waves, all of the invaders go back to normal, but start dropping these crazy fast "green spinners". Anyone know what happens after the green spinner wave, or are those "kill screens"?

[cparsley]

nope ur wrong....

 

it goes from 2 inviso, to 2 inviso w/guided, to all 4 inviso w/guided

[ed1475]

The game really gets good starting at wave 13. The boss ship becomes "intelligent." Instead of just flying across the screen, the boss ship will fly down and eat (deplete or whatever) your shields. The ship will fly to a random point on the screen, move down a little and wait, move down a little more and wait, then make a b-line for one of your shields. Its movement reminds me of a stray dog with 3 food dishes to go after.

 

wave 3 - introduces exploding bomb

 

waves 5,6,7,8 - bottom 2 rows of armada are invisible (a ship becomes visible if it fires at you)

 

wave 7 - introduces slow smart bomb

 

waves 9, 10 - entire armada is invisible (a ship becomes visible if it fires at you)

 

waves 11-16 - armada is visible again

 

wave 11 - introduces fast smart bomb

 

wave 13 - introduces "intelligent" boss ship

 

Edit: BTW The "practice" option of this game is really good. When a game is over, the practice option lets you start at the wave before the game ended only at a slightly slower pace.

Edited June 1, 2010 by ed1475

[bacteria]

This is why Space Armada is a very good version of Space Invaders - not just boring wave after wave, there's good variety there!

[DickNixonArisen]

I got my INTV and 2600 around the same time, even though this was in 1993 or so, and thusly I was comparing them on a pretty even footing. I have to say, Armada had a lot going over invaders. Way more features and flash. I don't really enjoy invaders much nowadays.

 

But I'm a phoenix and megamania man!

[rhindlethereddragon]

The game really gets good starting at wave 13. The boss ship becomes "intelligent." Instead of just flying across the screen, the boss ship will fly down and eat (deplete or whatever) your shields. The ship will fly to a random point on the screen, move down a little and wait, move down a little more and wait, then make a b-line for one of your shields. Its movement reminds me of a stray dog with 3 food dishes to go after.

 

wave 3 - introduces exploding bomb

 

waves 5,6,7,8 - bottom 2 rows of armada are invisible (a ship becomes visible if it fires at you)

 

wave 7 - introduces slow smart bomb

 

waves 9, 10 - entire armada is invisible (a ship becomes visible if it fires at you)

 

waves 11-16 - armada is visible again

 

wave 11 - introduces fast smart bomb

 

wave 13 - introduces "intelligent" boss ship

 

Edit: BTW The "practice" option of this game is really good. When a game is over, the practice option lets you start at the wave before the game ended only at a slightly slower pace.

 

Thank you for this information. Anyone knows what happens after the "smart ship" waves?

[cparsley]

usually after 16 the blue background resumes (15 is black background), but I never reached 16 in "Game" format, so not sure if goes back to phase 1 setup or stays at the 13+ set.

[bacteria]

Perhaps we should have a thread to tell what happens in later stages of various Intv games; most of us can't get to!

[rhindlethereddragon]

Perhaps we should have a thread to tell what happens in later stages of various Intv games; most of us can't get to!

 

YES! And with accompanying videos!

[bacteria]

I never get too far in games, so probably a good idea for someone with first hand experience of game endings to start the thread, and perhaps, rather than word descriptions, post short videos of the later game stages? Doesn't matter if via emulator or original game cart, as long as not from the plug'n'plays as those game variations are crap in comparison to the real game.

[cparsley]

I never get too far in games, so probably a good idea for someone with first hand experience of game endings to start the thread, and perhaps, rather than word descriptions, post short videos of the later game stages? Doesn't matter if via emulator or original game cart, as long as not from the plug'n'plays as those game variations are crap in comparison to the real game.

 

The problem is most INTV games never end... or if they do they are sooo far out the odds of seeing someone complete it is nearly impossible (like Vectron's 100 levels)