B-17 Bomber (game)
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B-17 Bomber was a single-player game released by Mattel for their Intellivision console in 1982. The game required the Intellivoice module. The object of the game was to earn points by bombing targets displayed on a map that represented continental Europe and the surrounding seas. There were four categories of targets:
- Antiaircraft guns (one point)
- Airports (five points)
- Factories (estimated 20 to 100 points; factories further inland were more challenging to reach and therefore worth more points)
- Ships (estimated 5 to 40 points; larger ships were worth more points)
Bombing one's own territory (the United Kingdom) resulted in an estimated score of -200 points.
The keypad overlay for this game, like those of many of the more complex Intellivision games, was essential. It provided the player with convenient access to various important screens:
- The "Pilot" screen (used to avoid enemy antiaircraft fire or "flak")
- The "Bomb bay" screen (used to bomb targets by centering the bombsight on them, leading them the appropriate amount, and releasing the desired amount of bombs)
- The "Map" screen (used to select targets and to monitor the aircraft's location throughout a mission)
- The "Gauges" screen (used to monitor the aircraft's gauges, of which "fuel" was the most significant)
- The four "Gun" screens (used to operate the aircraft's four guns -- located at 3, 6, 9, and 12 o'clock -- in order to shoot down enemy fighters)
[edit] Gameplay
Before each mission, the player would select the number of bombs to load onto the aircraft, a B-17 Flying Fortress. This number could be any integer between 0 and 17. Unfortunately, each bomb added to the aircraft offset a few hundred gallons of fuel capacity, so that an aircraft loaded with more than 10 bombs could reach only coastal targets, while an aircraft laden with its full complement of bombs could barely cross the English Channel. Therefore, a competent player would typically choose to load the aircraft with between 2 and 5 bombs.
After selecting the desired number of bombs and choosing a target from the Map screen, the player would begin the mission by starting the aircraft's engines and accelerating it to takeoff velocity.
Once airborne and en route to the target, the aircraft would eventually be pursued by enemy fighters and harassed by flak from antiaircraft fire. (The number, tenacity, and initial appearance of enemy fighters and the intensity of antiaircraft fire increased in tandem as the game progressed.)
Enemy fighters. The Intellivoice would alert the player to the presence of enemy fighters by stating "Fighter" or "Bandit" along with the enemy's location (e.g., "Six O’clock"). Because the enemies were capable of either destroying the aircraft's guns or causing damage to the B-17 itself, the player would need to respond quickly to the alert by switching to the appropriate Gun screen and targeting the fighter. The Intellivoice would reward a hit on an enemy by stating "Good shot" or "Got 'em." A skilled player would dispatch the enemy fighters before they could inflict either gun destruction or aircraft damage.
Antiaircraft fire. The Intellivoice would alert the player to the presence of antiaircraft fire by stating "Watch for flak." The player's appropriate response was to switch to the Pilot screen and perform evasive maneuvers.
Upon reaching the target, the Intellivoice bombardier would instruct the player to switch to the bomb bay screen by exclaiming, "Target in sight!" Unfortunately, this instruction would not always give the player time to center the bombsight over the target. (The target would appear approximately one-third from the top of the screen, which scrolled downwards, simulating the aircraft's forward movement over the target.) A better bombing strategy was to anticipate the bombardier's alert by continuously monitoring the Map screen, estimating when the aircraft would pass over the target, and then remaining on the Bomb bay screen (despite even the approach of enemy fighters) until the target appeared. With this technique, the target would scroll from the very top of the screen, and the player would always have enough time to center the bombsight over the target.
End of mission. Upon either (1) running out of bombs, or (2) sustaining heavy damage, the player would end the bombing mission by returning the aircraft to the airspace above the United Kingdom. Due to technological limitations or perhaps the altruism of the game's programmers, the aircraft would land automatically (in stark contrast to the game Top Gun for the Nintendo Entertainment System, which required the player to land an F-14 Tomcat on an aircraft carrier in a painstaking process).
End of game. The game ended when the aircraft crashed (represented by an altimeter reading of "0") over either the sea or enemy territory. Crashing could result from running out of fuel or sustaining heavy damage from enemy fire. Notably, enemy fire could not destroy the aircraft while it was airborne; enemy fire could only damage the aircraft to the point that a crash would be imminent. The Intellivoice would signal an impending crash by stating "Mayday" repeatedly.
