Tempest (video game)
A 1981 tube shooter with vector graphics and progressive level design.
Tempest, a tube shooter for arcades, hit the scene in 1981 courtesy of Atari, Inc., with Dave Theurer handling both design and programming. The action unfolds on a three-dimensional surface split into lanes—sometimes forming a closed tube—seen from one end. Players guide a claw-shaped "blaster" along the surface's edge, moving it segment by segment with a rotary knob, and fire shots to take out enemies and obstacles using a button. It was among the first games to feature Atari's Color-QuadraScan vector display. It also pioneered letting players pick their starting level through Atari's "SkillStep" system, which could double as a way to continue a previous game. Additionally, Tempest was an early title with progressive level design, where the layouts themselves changed rather than just repeating the same pattern with tougher challenges.
The aim is to survive and rack up points by clearing enemies from the field. The player's claw-shaped ship, called a "blaster" or sometimes the "Live Wire," moves left and right via the rotary knob, firing rapid shots down individual lanes to destroy enemies or projectiles. A "Superzapper" wipes out all enemies on screen once per level; using it again in the same level only kills one random enemy, and it recharges between levels. There are sixteen distinct level shapes, including geometric forms, a flat line, and an infinity symbol. Some levels are closed tubes allowing continuous looping, while others have fixed endpoints. After all sixteen are cleared, the sequence repeats with a new color scheme and higher difficulty. One set of levels (65 through 80) is invisible, appearing black. Past Stage 99, the level counter stops, and each subsequent shape is chosen at random.
Enemies start as swirling dots at the far end, appearing one at a time but faster and in greater numbers as the game progresses. Seven enemy types exist, each with unique behavior. Flippers, shaped like linked chevrons, try to grab the blaster and drag it away, costing a life. Pulsars, wavy lines, electrify their lane periodically, destroying the ship if it's there. Fuseballs, white spheres with tendrils, jump unpredictably along lane edges, destroying the ship on contact; they move slowly between lanes, giving a brief chance to shoot them. Spikers, spirals, move up and down a lane, leaving "spikes" that can be worn down by shooting.
Quick Facts
- Title
- Tempest
- Developer
- Atari, Inc.
- Designer
- Dave Theurer
- Platforms
- Arcade, BBC Micro, Acorn Electron, Amstrad CPC, ZX Spectrum, Atari ST
- Genre
- Tube shooter
- Modes
- Single-player, multiplayer
Facts from the source article.
Lore & Background
The game was initially meant to be a first-person remake of Space Invaders, but early versions had many problems, so a new design was used. Theurer says the design came from a nightmare where monsters crawled out of a hole in the ground. This led to him coming up with the design concept, stating he 'basically just took Space Invaders and wrapped the surface into a circle,' while monsters 'come down the tunnel at you, out of the hole, and you [try] to kill them before they [get] out.' In opposition to games like Space Invaders, Space Wars and Asteroids, which used buttons for all commands, Theurer used a dial similar to Pong. This reduced the number of inputs and enabled the players to move in a more intuitive way in clockwise or counterclockwise direction around the game space. During the prototype stages the game was called Aliens, then Vortex, and finally Tempest.
Three different cabinet designs exist for Tempest. The most common is an upright cabinet that, viewed from the side, is in the shape of a right triangle sitting on a rectangle. This cabinet sported colorful side art. A shorter, less flashy cabaret-style cabinet was also released with optional side art. A cocktail-style table cabinet allowed two players to play at opposite ends of the table; the screen automatically flipped for each player.
In the first games Atari shipped, there were glitches in one or more of the ROM chips. The problem code allowed the player to do unintended things when ending their score in certain two-digit combinations. According to Joystik magazine, which detailed these combinations, the most useful were the ones that earned the player 40 free credits (06, 11, 12, 16, 17, 18) and the 'jump to green' trick (46). Another useful combination mentioned was 05 which allowed the player to play the game in the attract mode. In this scenario, pausing at one the combinations would cause the effect to take place immediately without losing the balance of the player's lives. Also, in the attract mode, pausing at an end score of 48 gave the player 255 extra lives. After this issue was discovered, Atari corrected the problem so that future machines were incapable of allowing the end score tricks. It was also noted in Joystik that Atari shipped updated chips to be replaced in the field.
Reader's Guide
Tempest is notable for its use of Atari's Color-QuadraScan vector display technology, one of the first games to do so. It also introduced the SkillStep system, allowing players to choose their starting level, which could also be used to continue a previous game. The game featured progressive level design with sixteen unique level shapes, including geometric shapes, a flat line, and the symbol for infinity. After all sixteen levels are played, the sequence repeats with a different color scheme and higher difficulty. One set of levels (65 through 80) is 'invisible' (black). After reaching Stage 99, the level counter stops increasing and each successive level shape is picked randomly. The game includes seven enemy types with distinct behaviors, such as Flippers that attempt to drag the player's blaster, Pulsars that electrify lanes, and Fuseballs that jump unpredictably. The Superzapper can destroy all enemies once per level, with a second use destroying one random enemy. The game's development originated from a nightmare experienced by designer Dave Theurer, leading to a unique tube-shaped playing field. The game was initially called Aliens, then Vortex, before being named Tempest. Three cabinet designs were produced: upright, cabaret, and cocktail table. Early ROM chips contained glitches that allowed score-based tricks, which were later corrected by Atari. The game has been ported to numerous platforms, including the Atari ST, BBC Micro, Acorn Electron, ZX Spectrum, Amstrad CPC, and various compilations for PlayStation, Sega Saturn, Super NES, Dreamcast, Xbox, PlayStation 2, Nintendo DS, iOS, Xbox 360, and the Evercade. An unfinished Atari 5200 prototype was completed and published by AtariAge in 2013. In 2022, the arcade version was released as part of Atari 50.
Did You Know?
- Tempest was one of the first games to use Atari's Color-QuadraScan vector display technology.
- Early ROM chips had glitches that allowed players to earn 40 free credits by ending their score in certain two-digit combinations.
- The game features sixteen unique level shapes, including a flat line and the symbol for infinity.
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