Tron (arcade game)
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| Tron | |
|---|---|
 Screenshot of light cycles subgame |
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| Developer(s) | Bally Midway |
| Distributor(s) | Bally Midway |
| Release date(s) | 1982 |
| Genre(s) | Arcade video game |
| Mode(s) | Single player or 2 players alternating |
| Platform(s) | Arcade game |
| Input | 8-way, 1-button Joystick and rotary dial |
| Arcade cabinet | Standard upright, mini upright, cocktail |
| Arcade system(s) | Midway MCR II |
| Arcade CPU(s) | main: Zilog Z80 @ 2.5 MHz sound: Zilog Z80 @ 2 MHz |
| Arcade sound system(s) | 2 x AY-3-8910 unamplified stereo |
| Arcade display | Resolution 512 x 480 |
Tron is an arcade video game manufactured and distributed by Bally Midway in 1982. It is based on the Walt Disney Productions motion picture Tron released in the same year. Events from this science fiction film were the inspirations for four subgames of which the game consists. It features some characters and equipment known from the film, eg the Light Cycles, battle tanks, the Input/Output Tower. The game earned more than the film's initial release.
In 1983, Midway released the sequel arcade game Discs of Tron, which was inspired by the disc throwing combat sequence of the film. Another sequel followed in 2003 with the computer game Tron 2.0.
Contents |
[edit] Overview
The player in the role of Tron has to beat four subgames, each at 12 increasingly difficult levels. All four segments of one level must be completed before continuing with the next level.
[edit] Description
[edit] Level keywords
Each of the 12 difficulty levels has a different keyword. They all relate in some way to computing, and most of them are programming languages. The keywords are, from lowest difficulty to highest: RPG, COBOL, BASIC, FORTRAN, SNOBOL, PL1, PASCAL, ALGOL, ASSEMBLY, OS, JCL, USER.
[edit] Subgames
1. I/O Tower
This segment of the game mimicks Tron's quest to enter the Input/Output tower from the motion picture. In the arcade game, the player must destroy large numbers of Grid Bugs with Tron's disc and clear a path to the flashing circle, which must be entered before a timer runs out to complete the section.
2. MCP Cone
This area imitates Tron's final battle against the MCP. The game's interpretation has the player destroying a multicolored wall in front of the MCP cone and getting by the wall, into the cone. A 1.000 point bonus is awarded for completing the level, and an additional 1.000 points is given for destroying all blocks of the wall.
3. Battle Tanks
The Battle Tanks subgame is not strictly based on film events but the tanks are taken from there. The player must guide Tron's red tank through a maze and destroy several blue tanks or red recognizers controlled by the computer. This must be done without taking any hits from enemies. If the player drives into the purple diamond in the center of the maze, the tank is warped to a random area of the maze. A bug in the game results in a cheat option. When the player's tank is not touching the white line in the corridors, it can not be hit by the enemy's fire. But it can still be rammed by enemy tanks.
4. Light Cycles
This game is well known and associated with the Tron franchise. The player must guide a blue Light Cycle in an arena, while avoiding to run into the walls and trails (walls of light) created by his own and opposing yellow Light Cycles. With quick manoevers the player must force the enemies to run into walls. The enemy cycles have a fixed behavior pattern for each level and the player can find a pattern which will defeat them every time on this level.
[edit] Arcade cabinet
Tron was distributed in three types of cabinets: the standard upright, the mini upright, and the cocktail (table) version. The upright cabinet is designed as movie tie-in. It has, as a special feature, two blacklights and fluorescent lines painted on, resembling the blue, red etc. circuit lines from the film Tron. In a darkened room or arcade the lines glow.
All cabinets feature an 8-way joystick for moving, with one button for firing or speed control, and a rotary dial for controlling the direction of the fire. The game can be played by one player or by two alternating players as the controls are made for only one player at a time.
[edit] Legacy
[edit] Sequels
- Discs of Tron (1983): arcade game which was originally intended as a fifth segment of Tron but was left out because programming was not finished in time.[1] In it, the player engages in disc throwing combat, similar to the film sequence.
- Tron 2.0 (2003): first-person shooter computer game sequel with a new Light Cycle design by Syd Mead who had also designed them for the film.
- Tron 2.0 Killer App (2004): a port of Tron 2.0 as videogame to Xbox and Game Boy Advance with significant changes to the game. The Xbox version features new multiplayer modes. In the Game Boy Advance version there are Tron and Discs of Tron included.
[edit] Other
- Videogame series for Mattel's Intellivision console:
- Tron: Deadly Discs (1982): based on the disc throwing combat in the film Tron. Has also been released for Atari 2600.[2]
- Tron Maze-a-Tron
- Tron Solar Sailer
- Open-source computer games released under GNU General Public License via download for multiple platforms:
- Armagetron Advanced: based on the Light Cycle game from the film Tron.
- GLtron: based on the Light Cycle game from the film Tron.
[edit] Trivia
The Light Cycle colors from the film are reversed in the game, where the player drives the blue cycle and the enemy the yellow cycle. In the film, the protagonists' cycles are yellow, orange, and red, and the enemies' are blue.
[edit] Reference
[3] Parts of information for the article were retrieved from this site including: technical specifications, cabinet information, gameplay including tricks, level keywords, trivia.
