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Asteroids Deluxe |
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Manufacturer:
Atari Year: 1980 Class: Wide Release Genre: Space Type: Videogame Monitor:
Number of Simultaneous Players: 1 Maximum number of Players: 2 Gameplay: Alternating Control Panel Layout: Single Player Controls:
Sound: Unamplified Mono (requires one-channel amp) |
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DescriptionPilot a spaceship equipped with shields and auto-fire as you blast through level after level of rotating asteroids. UFOs and multi-segmented Killer Satellites take chase, searching for an opportunity to destroy your ship.Know anything more about this game? Game IntroductionAsteroids Deluxe features modified gameplay intentionally designed to challenge players who had mastered the original Asteroids. Hyperspace was replaced with a new option called "shields", which creates a protective barrier around the players' ship. This barrier is only effective when the button is depressed and held (unlike hyperspace), and depletes with use (also unlike hyperspace). The players' ship was redesigned to include two side fins and a narrower body, keeping the overall ship dimensions identical to the original game. The ship has the same maximum velocity as in Asteroids, but can accelerate twice as fast. Firing is automatic, holding down the fire button will release a maximum of four shots (on screen) at a time. The asteroids themselves rotate as they travel about the screen. Firing accuracy of the two saucers was improved, and the saucers shoot both "wrap-around" shots and shoot immediately upon entering the screen (both features designed to discourage UFO hunting). Atari added extra challenge to the game by introducing the "Killer Satellite" or "Hexagon", a snowflake-like object which breaks into three ship-chasing "Diamonds" once hit. Each diamond in turn can break into two "Sharks" or "Wedges" (they resemble the dorsal fin of a shark) which also pursue the players' ship. Overall a much more difficult game than the original Asteroids.MiscellaneousThere are two versions of the software. The original release proved to be so difficult that Atari released a revised version that had easier gameplay. This new version was originally introduced in Europe and is often referred to as the "European Version". Determining which version you are playing can be discerned by noting when the first appearance of a Killer Satellite occurs - in the original version this is near the end of the second wave, in the revised version it will appear near the end of the first wave (and moves much more slowly). Dave Sheppard was the designer.Play a JAVA emulated version of the game by visiting http://web.utanet.at/nkehrer/JAsteroidsDeluxe.html Scarcity in collections (VAPS.org)Very Common - There are 161 known instances of this game owned by one of our 900 members. Of these, 144 of them are original dedicated machines, 1 of them are conversions in which game circuit boards have been placed in another game cabinet, and 16 of them are only circuit boards which a collector could put into a generic case if desired.Of the 42,694 video games (3,154 unique) tracked by the Video Game Preservation Society, this game ranks a 79 on a scale out of 100 (100 = most commonly seen, 1=least common) in popularity based on ownership records. Wanted - There are 4 VAPS members currently looking for this game. Rarity is NOT necessarily an indication of value. Some common games show up as very rare here because collectors don't want them (they are common because arcade operatos might be sitting on tons of them in warehouses), while some fairly scarce games are grabbed by collectors every time they show up. Additionally, some games made in the last 5 years are still making money for operators and are thus not yet affordable to the typical collector. For a clue to value, compare how many people have this game vs. how many people want this game and then click on the eBay links to help determine an accurate price range. TechnicalThe wiring harness for this game is very similar to that of the original Asteroids machine. Converting from one board to the other is a matter of swapping three pairs of pins (12 and N; 13 and P; 15 and S).TriviaAlthough the attract screen claims a 1980 copyright, the game was officially introduced in March of 1981. The front glass on the upright was originaly square with the cabinet. This produced a glare on the screen. Atari later released a "glare reduction kit" which retro fit an angled glass into the cabinet that reduced glare. Once applied, the kit enclosed the speaker which resulted in deeper base tones.eBay ListingsClick here to automatically search eBay's Arcade, Jukebox, and Pinball categories for the Asteroids Deluxe Videogame machine and items related to it.Click here to automatically search eBay's Arcade, Jukebox, and Pinball categories for machines and parts made by Atari. Alternatively, check out the IAM/KLOV custom report of the hottest coin-op machines on eBay, powered by Ace.com (updated throughoutthe day).
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