I, Robot (arcade game)
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| I, Robot | |
|---|---|
 Screenshot of I, Robot |
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| Developer(s) | Atari |
| Publisher(s) | Atari |
| Release date(s) | 1983 |
| Genre(s) | Multi-directional shooter |
| Mode(s) | Up to 2 players, alternating turns |
| Platform(s) | Arcade |
| Input | Joystick (analog), 2 buttons |
| Arcade cabinet | Upright, cabaret, and cocktail |
| Arcade system(s) | Custom |
| Arcade CPU(s) | M6809 (@ 1.5 MHz) |
| Arcade sound system(s) | (4x) POKEY (@ 1.25 MHz) |
| Arcade display | Raster, 256 x 232 pixels (Horizontal), 96 colors |
I, Robot is an arcade game that was programmed by Dave Theurer for production by Atari, released in 1983. It was the first commercial video game with filled 3-D polygonal graphics and featured flat shading.
Upon inserting a credit, the player is presented with a menu, which allows them to choose from two different modes of gameplay: the primary game, I, Robot, and Doodle City, a drawing tool.
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[edit] The "Game" Mode: I, Robot
Though it shares a title with Isaac Asimov's popular book, the game has no other relation; rather, the premise bears resemblance to George Orwell's 1984: the player assumes the role of "Unhappy Interface Robot #1984," a servant robot that has become self-aware and questions its totalitarian society, ruled by the sadistic Big Brother.
The ultimate object of the game is to destroy the gigantic, blinking eye of Big Brother that watches over each level. To do so, the player must cross the red squares that cover the playing field, turning them blue and destroying the shield that protects the eye. However, one of Big Brother's arbitrary laws is "no jumping"; if the eye is open while the player is in the act of jumping, it will destroy the robot and the player will lose a life. Each level is on a strict time limit, and other hazards, such as birds, bombs, and flying sharks, serve to prevent the robot from completing its task.
Between levels, the robot flies through outer space, and must shoot through polygonal "tetras," meteors, and enemies to reach the next board.
[edit] Innovations
Being the first video game to feature filled 3D polygonal graphics, I, Robot also became the first video game to feature camera control options. Pressing the "start" buttons will alternately zoom the camera in and out and offer new angles on the playing field. Closer camera angles resulted in higher score multipliers, due to the difficulty of visibility. In later levels, enemies known as "viewer killers" directly "attack" the player, rather than the robot, forcing the player to switch camera angles before he loses a life.
Because the game features 99 levels, I, Robot also became one of the first games to feature a "continue" option of sorts. After a player's game ends, he must use another credit (insert more coins) to start back to the first level. However, transportation tubes are placed in many levels, including the first; if the robot enters one, the player can choose from any level that he has entered in previous games, or retreat into Doodle City.
[edit] The "Ungame" Mode: Doodle City
Billed as an "ungame" mode made to relax arcade players, Doodle City is a drawing tool which presents the player with a selection of polygons from the "game" mode. The shapes can be manipulated at the player's leisure, leaving trails as they are moved across the screen.
Doodle City lasts three minutes per credit, though the player can switch back to playing I, Robot at any time. The number of lives the player has depends on how much time was spent on Doodle City; out of the maximum three, one life is taken away for every minute.
[edit] Popular response
Because of its incredibly different gameplay which broke tradition from the likes of Pac-Man, Galaga, and Donkey Kong, the game received a poor reception on release. Approximately 750 - 1500 units of the game were created, Atari's lowest production number out of all of its arcade games. Few have been confirmed to exist today (there is an I, Robot registry here: http://home.columbus.rr.com/irobot/iregistry.htm); a single unit can fetch thousands of dollars.
Modern video game historians have brought greater attention to the game as a predecessor to modern 3-D games.
