Battlezone (1980 video game)

This article's lead section may be too short to adequately summarize the key points. Please consider expanding the lead to provide an accessible overview of all important aspects of the article. (November 2018)

Battlezone
Promotional arcade poster
Developer(s)	Atari, Inc.
Publisher(s)	NA/EU: Atari, Inc.[1] JP: Sega[4] JP: Taito[4]
Designer(s)	Ed Rotberg Owen Rubin Roger Hector
Programmer(s)	Ed Rotberg
Composer(s)	Jed Margolin
Platform(s)	Arcade, Apple II, Atari 2600, Atari 8-bit, Atari ST, Commodore 64, VIC-20, IBM PC, ZX Spectrum
Release	Arcade NA: November 1980[2][3] EU: Late 1980[1] JP: February 1981[4] Atari 2600 NA: 1983 EU: 1983 Commodore 64, VIC-20 NA: May 1984[5] Atari 8-bit 1987[6]
Genre(s)	Vehicular combat First-person shooter[7][8][9]
Mode(s)	Single-player

Battlezone is a first-person shooter tank combat game released for arcades in November 1980 by Atari, Inc. The player controls a tank which is attacked by other tanks and missiles. With its use of three-dimensional vector graphics, the game is considered to be the "first big 3D success" in the video game industry,^[10] and the first successful first-person shooter video game in particular, making it a milestone for first-person shooter games.^[11] The game was primarily designed by Ed Rotberg, who was mainly inspired by Atari's top-down shooter game Tank (1974). Battlezone was distributed in Japan by Sega and Taito in 1981.

Gameplay[]

This section does not cite any sources. Please help by adding citations to reliable sources. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. (November 2018) (Learn how and when to remove this template message)

The game uses wireframe vector graphics on a black and white (with green and red sectioned color overlay) vector monitor. Gameplay is on a flat plane with a mountainous horizon featuring an erupting volcano, distant crescent moon, and various geometric solids (in vector outline) like pyramids and blocks. The player can hide behind the solids or, once fired upon, maneuver in rapid turns to buy time with which to fire. The geometric solid obstacles are indestructible, and can block the movement of a player's tank. However, they are also useful as shields as they block enemy fire as well.

The player views the screen, which includes an overhead radar view, to find and destroy the rather slow tanks, or the faster-moving supertanks. Saucer-shaped UFOs and guided missiles occasionally appear for a bonus score. The saucers differ from the tanks in that they do not fire upon the player and do not appear on radar.

There is a gameplay modification at 100,000 points if the proper conditions are met. When executed properly the next appearing Supertank will not attack and will retreat. A tank icon will then appear at right on qualified high score listings.

Cabinet[]

This section needs additional citations for verification. Please help by adding citations to reliable sources. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. (November 2018) (Learn how and when to remove this template message)

Battlezone uses 3D vector graphics viewed through a "periscope"

Battlezone is housed in an upright arcade cabinet with a "periscope" viewfinder. The game action can also be viewed from the sides of the viewfinder for spectators to watch. A later, less common version of the cabinet removed the periscope to improve visibility to non-players and improve ergonomics for players who could not reach the periscope. A smaller, "cabaret" version of the cabinet has the screen angled upwards and no periscope.

Two sticks control the player's tank

The controls consist of left and right joysticks which can only be moved forward and back, Each controls the direction of the treads on that side of the tank. One joystick has button to fire projectiles.

Development[]

The game's design was led by Ed Rotberg. He cited Atari's top-down arcade shooter game Tank (1974) as the primary inspiration behind Battlezone. According to Rotberg, the game's concept was to update Tank with the advent of vector graphics in the arcades. While Battlezone also has similarities to a first-person tank simulation for the PLATO system, Panther, Rotberg said he had never played that game before but had heard of it; he said it "may have inspired whoever originally suggested the idea at the brainstorming meeting where it was proposed, but I seriously doubt it."^[12] The game's periscope viewfinder is similar to earlier submarine shooting arcade games, notably Midway's arcade video game Sea Wolf (1976) and Sega's electro-mechanical game Periscope (1966).^[11]

Owen Rubin, who shared an office with Ed Rotberg, came up with the idea of making the volcano in the background erupt, and coded the animation for it.^[13]

Ports[]

In the 1980s, Battlezone was ported to the Apple II, Atari 2600, Commodore 64, VIC-20, IBM PC, ZX Spectrum, and later the Atari 8-bit and ST computers. The ports to non-Atari systems were from Atarisoft. The ZX Spectrum version was published by Quicksilva.

The Atari 8-bit version was released on cartridge in 1987 in the styling of the then-new Atari XEGS.^[6] An Atari 5200 port was scheduled for release in November 1983, but was cancelled.^[14]

The Atari 2600 version uses raster graphics instead of vectors and has a third person view where the tank is visible.

The Atari ST port contains large parts of the original 6502 code which is emulated.^[15]

Reception[]

This section needs expansion. You can help by . (October 2017)

Battlezone was well received, earning an Honorable Mention for "Best Commercial Arcade Game" in 1982 at the Third Annual Arkie Awards. It was runner-up, behind Pac-Man.^[16]:76

The Bradley Trainer[]

A standard enemy tank in the player's sights in The Bradley Trainer

A version called The Bradley Trainer (also known as Army Battlezone or Military Battlezone) was designed for use by the U.S. Army as targeting training for gunners on the Bradley Fighting Vehicle.^[17] It was commissioned by a consultant group of retired generals.^[18]

Approaching Atari in December 1980, some developers within Atari refused to work on the project because of its association with the Army,^[19] most notably original Battlezone programmer Ed Rotberg.^[20] Rotberg only joined after he was promised by management that he would never be asked to do anything with the military in the future.^[21] According to Rotberg, it took him three months of constant work to develop the prototype version of The Bradley Trainer.^[18] Only two were produced; one was delivered to the Army and is presumed lost, and the other is in the private collection of Scott Evans,^[22][23] who found it by a dumpster in the rear parking lot at Midway Games.

The gunner yoke was based on the Bradley Fighting Vehicle control and was later re-used in the popular Star Wars game.^[21] The Bradley Trainer differs dramatically from the original Battlezone as it features helicopters, missiles, and machine guns; furthermore, the actual tank does not move—the guns simply rotate.

Legacy[]

Because of its use of first-person pseudo 3D graphics combined with a "viewing goggle" that the player puts his or her face into, Battlezone is sometimes considered the first virtual reality arcade video game.^[24]

Related games and rereleases[]

• In 1993, the replicated version of Battlezone was included in Microsoft Arcade for PC with Windows 3.1 and Windows 95, and Mac version for Apple Macintosh.
• Battlezone 2000 for the Atari Lynx was released in 1995.^[25]
• It was included in the 1996 Battlezone / Super Breakout combo for the Game Boy.^[26]
• Activision developed an authorized Battlezone game in 1998. Despite having the same name, it is not an arcade game, but a more complicated tank piloting strategy game. Battlezone II: Combat Commander is the 1999 sequel.
• A re-imagining of Battlezone was developed by Paradigm Entertainment and released for the PlayStation Portable.^[27]
• In 2008, an updated version of Battlezone was released on Xbox Live Arcade by Atari Inc.^[28]
• In 2013, Rebellion Developments bought the Battlezone franchise from the Atari bankruptcy proceedings.^[29] In 2016, a virtual reality game titled Battlezone was released for the PlayStation 4.^[30] It was ported to Microsoft Windows in 2017.^[31] It supports Oculus Rift, HTC Vive and PlayStation VR.^[31]

Clones and inspired games[]

• Stellar 7 (1983) for the Apple II and Commodore 64
• Robot Tank (1983) by Activision for the Atari 2600 is similar to the official port of Battlezone.
• Encounter (1983) for the Atari 8-bit computers and Commodore 64 is also similar to 2600 Battlezone, with scaled sprites instead of wireframe 3D graphics. It includes the missiles and saucers of the original.
• 3D Tank Zone (1983) for the Acorn Electron and BBC Micro by Dynabyte
• 3D Tank Duel (1983) and Rommel's Revenge (1984) for the ZX Spectrum
• Rommel 3D (1985) for the TRS-80 Color Computer
• bzone for Domain/OS, later rewritten for the X Window System and Macintosh ^[32]
• Spectre (1991) for the Macintosh
• BZ for the Silicon Graphics workstations added network play.^[33]
• Stramash Zone (2018) was self-published for the Vectrex.^[34]

See also[]

• Golden age of video arcade games

References[]

External links[]

• Battlezone at the Killer List of Videogames
• Battlezone at the Arcade History database
• Battlezone at SpectrumComputing.co.uk

• Battlezone at Coinop.org
• Battlezone software disassembly and analysis