Drone Attack (Free demo available)

Drone Attack

An Atari 2600 game

Introduction

In the year 2147, Earth is under attack by an unknown alien race. No one knows what they seek or why they have arrived. The last line of defense is the Aerospace Forces elite squadron, equipped with the most advanced technology to confront the threat. There is only one chance to save the planet.

Controls

• Joystick: Moves the Aerospace Forces' spaceship.
• Fire button: Activates the electromagnetic cannon.

Game mode

• Single-player: Controls the Aerospace Forces' spaceship and must face the invading alien forces.
• Two-player:
  • Player 1: Controls the Aerospace Forces' spaceship.
  • Player 2: Controls the invading forces, trying to stop the Earth's defense.

Game objective

Complete three missions by destroying all invading forces. To advance to the next mission, the current enemy fleet must be eliminated. The enemies become more challenging with each mission.

Scoring

• Each destroyed enemy grants a certain number of points.
• Every 100 points, the player earns an extra spaceship.

Extra difficulty

For more experienced pilots, the difficulty can be increased. Switching the left difficulty switch to position "A" significantly increases the aggressiveness and resistance of the enemies.

Tips and strategies

• Keep moving to avoid becoming an easy target.
• Align your shots with enemy movement to maximize accuracy.

Console setup

1. Press the fire button to start the game.
2. Press Reset to go to the initial screen.
3. Adjust the left difficulty switch.
4. The star field can be disabled by setting the Color switch to B/W.

Limitations of the demo version

• Maximum score of 10 point
• Only mission 1 and 2 are available
• Only easy mode available

Acknowledgments

• https://bataribasic.com/
  • Awesome easy to learn basic-like language
• https://www.randomterrain.com/ 
  • Amazing documentation on how to program the Atari 2600
• AtariAge member RevEng for his code on how to trigger the TIA glitch to create the starfield effect used in this game.
• https://www.labelmaker2600.com/
  • Easy to use and flexible Atari 2600 label generator
• OpenAI image generator
  • Cool label image at the first attempt!