Millipede (arcade game)
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| Millipede | |
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| Developer(s) | Atari Inc. |
| Publisher(s) | Atari Inc. |
| Designer(s) | Ed Logg |
| Platform(s) | Arcade, Atari 2600, Atari 8-bit, NES, Game Boy Advance, Xbox 360 |
| Release date | 1982 |
| Genre(s) | Fixed shooter |
| Mode(s) | Up to 2 players, alternating turns |
| Input methods | Trackball; 1 button |
| Cabinet | Upright |
| Arcade system | Main CPU: M6502 (@ 1.512 MHz) |
| Display | Raster resolution 240×256 (Vertical) Palette Colors 32 |
Millipede is a 1982 arcade game by Atari Inc. and is the sequel to the arcade hit, Centipede.
The objective of the game is to score as many points as possible by destroying all segments of the millipede as it moves toward the bottom of the screen, as well as destroying and avoiding other enemies. The game is played with a trackball and a single fire button, which can be held down for rapid-fire. The game is over when the player's last life is lost.
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[edit] Differences from Centipede
The gameplay of Millipede is essentially the same as Centipede, but differs in the following ways:
- The game features several new enemies (see Enemies below).
- Mushrooms (which now have a different look) move down the screen one unit with each level, and can move and self-replicate at other times as well.
- DDT Bombs destroy all objects and enemies in a small area when hit by the player. Enemies destroyed by a DDT Bomb award triple their normal value.
- Occasional "bonus rounds" occur between levels, in which large numbers of non-millipede enemies appear and award progressively higher point values when destroyed.
- The player's section of the screen is now colored green.
- The player's next bonus life score is displayed at the bottom of the screen.
- The player can start an "advanced" game with a starting score based on the score of the previous game, effectively allowing them to continue their game for another credit.
- The "miss" sequence (when a player loses a life), while being similar to the previous game is slightly more spectacular: the player's section of the screen flashes when the player is hit accompanied by a buzzer after which the player's shooter "sinks" into the ground (rather than just exploding), followed by a faster version of mushrooms that have been shot being restored.
- The "extra life", "scorpion"/"earwig" and "spider" sound effects have a lower sounding tone in this game.
[edit] Enemies
The following enemies appear throughout the game:
- The millipede - Runs rapidly across the screen, turning around and moving down one unit when a segment encounters a mushroom or the edge of the screen. If a millipede is shot in the middle, it splits into two smaller millipedes, and as the game progresses, multiple single-segment millipedes appear. Additional segments begin appearing from the sides of the screen when at least one segment has reached the bottom. Destroying a millipede segment changes it into a mushroom. Destroying all millipede segments moves the player to the next level, shifting mushrooms down one unit on the screen.
- Spiders - Appear periodically from the side of the screen and move erratically up, down and diagonally in the player's area. Destroying a spider awards higher values depending on close it is to the player when it is destroyed. Spiders eat mushrooms. In later stages, multiple spiders may appear at once.
- Ladybugs - These creatures start just above the player's area, move immediately to the bottom of the screen, then move across to a random point and back up into the main playfield. They change mushrooms into flowers, which cannot be destroyed, when they pass over them. Destroying a ladybug causes mushrooms to shift down the screen.
- Bees - Fly straight down from the top of the screen, speeding up when hit once. They deposit random mushrooms along their path and appear more frequently when large open spaces exist near the bottom of the screen. Equivalent to Fleas in Centipede.
- Dragonflies - Fly from side to side down the screen. They are slower and somewhat easier to hit than Bees, but also deposit many more mushrooms.
- Mosquitos - Fly diagonally down the screen. They do not deposit mushrooms, but instead cause mushrooms to shift up the screen when destroyed.
- Earwigs - Move quickly across the screen, poisoning mushrooms along the way. A millipede that touches a poisoned mushroom immediately falls to the bottom of the screen. Equivalent to Scorpions in Centipede.
- Inchworms - Move across the screen occasionally. Destroying an inchworm causes time to slow down temporarily.
[edit] Ports
It was released along with Centipede on the Xbox 360 via Xbox Live Arcade on May 2, 2007.
