What's the first video game with a screen-clearing bomb?

[mr_me]

Tutankham is 1982.

 

If the smart bomb in defender sometimes relocates a pod to another part of the planet, it's still clearing the screen.

[NE146]

Definitely Defender.. just because it doesn't work "all" the time, it was the intention of the smart bomb and it DOES work, pods filled with baiters notwithstanding.  It was pretty well known you could shoot the pods first to release the baiters and then hit smart bomb, or sometimes if you stayed still and did not thrust at all while pods were on the screen, then you have a better chances of killing the swarmers inside.

 

Anyway the bugs don't matter.. it was meant to clear the screen. Period.  If you are being swarmed by a screen full of screeching mutants, and a baiter or two, that thing will save you 😛

[negative1]

2 hours ago, mr_me said:

Tutankham is 1982.

 

If the smart bomb in defender sometimes relocates a pod to another part of the planet, it's still clearing the screen.

 

30 minutes ago, NE146 said:

Definitely Defender.. just because it doesn't work "all" the time, it was the intention of the smart bomb and it DOES work, pods filled with baiters notwithstanding.  It was pretty well known you could shoot the pods first to release the baiters and then hit smart bomb, or sometimes if you stayed still and did not thrust at all while pods were on the screen, then you have a better chances of killing the swarmers inside.

 

Anyway the bugs don't matter.. it was meant to clear the screen. Period.  If you are being swarmed by a screen full of screeching mutants, and a baiter or two, that thing will save you 😛

 

Gee, I guess because something 'is supposed' to work, and it doesn't, I'll give them credit.

I think not.

 

It doesn't relocate the pods, that doesn't work either. What happens is you hit the smart bomb button, and

then it doesn't work properly, and there's still tons of enemies on the screen, some relocated and some aren't.

Sometimes you die because of that, so you can't count on it to work.

 

Just like hyperspace is random, and sometimes it doesn't help either.

 

Defender is a very flawed game. But i still play it.

 

Thats a flaw, and to me it disqualifies the game.

 

later

-1

[mr_me]

Hyperspace in Defender is designed to be a risky move to discourage players from using it.  Even with bugs, smart bombs are very helpful, but it's not what the game is about either.  Defender is a great game.

[NE146]

I mean what do we expect.. Defender is one of the earliest video arcade games most likely developed in the very late 70's to make a name for Williams outside of pinball.   But saying the smart bomb "doesn't" work is false.. because it does.    If you have a number of landers and mutants on the screen it kills them all. 

 

It doesn't work "fully, all the time" is more accurate.    Regardless, people were still able to master the gameplay and score in the millions, quirks and all. 

[Rogerpoco]

Wouldn't be older than Defender, regardless, but I wonder if being able to destroy the Quotle in Yars, mid-flight(Which I, uhh, really can't do...)would be considered a "smart bomb" of sorts?

Good topic, wracked my brain, can't come up with anything to beat Defender so far.

[Leeroy ST]

Wasn't there some Space War/Astroids style game where if you got enough points you had the option to clear the screen or am I thinking of a later game?

 

I mean I guess technically that wouldn't really be a "bomb" either way

Edited October 17, 2020 by Leeroy ST

[negative1]

Tempest is the clear winner to me.

 

October 1981.

 

Super zapper, that actually works. Press it once, it kills all the enemies, press it again,

and you kill a random enemy.

 

later

-1

[NE146]

19 minutes ago, negative1 said:

Tempest is the clear winner to me.

 

October 1981.

 

Super zapper, that actually works. Press it once, it kills all the enemies, press it again,

and you kill a random enemy.

 

later

-1

Not the enemy dots at the end of the tube though!  j/k