''Armor Attack'' is

multidirectional shooter Shoot 'em ups (also known as shmups or STGs ) are a sub-genre of action games. There is no consensus as to which design elements compose a shoot 'em up; some restrict the definition to games featuring spacecraft and certain types of charac ...

vector graphics Vector graphics is a form of computer graphics in which visual images are created directly from geometric shapes defined on a Cartesian plane, such as points, lines, curves and polygons. The associated mechanisms may include vector display ...

of ''Armor Attack'' present combat between the player's jeep and enemy vehicles in an overhead, maze-like view of a town. The buildings are not drawn in the game, but are an overlay that sits on top of the monitor. The overlay also tints the vectors green. ''Armor Attack'' was released for the

Vectrex The Vectrex is a vector display-based home video game console–the only one ever designed and released for the home market, developed by Smith Engineering. It was first released for the North America market in November 1982 and then Europe an ...

in 1982.

Gameplay

One button rotates the jeep clockwise, while a second button rotates counterclockwise. A third button simulates the gas pedal and moves the jeep forward. A fourth button is used for firing a rocket launcher that shoots straight ahead. The player can have two rockets in the air at a time.

Tank A tank is an armoured fighting vehicle intended as a primary offensive weapon in front-line ground combat. Tank designs are a balance of heavy firepower, strong armour, and good battlefield mobility provided by tracks and a powerful engi ...

s periodically spawn from different locations on the edge of the screen and drive towards the player. The tanks always travel along horizontal or vertical lines, unlike the freely moving jeep. Tank turrets move to track the player, allowing them to shoot in any direction. Tanks normally take two hits to kill, and the player can have only two rockets on the screen at a time. The

helicopter A helicopter is a type of rotorcraft in which lift and thrust are supplied by horizontally spinning rotors. This allows the helicopter to take off and land vertically, to hover, and to fly forward, backward and laterally. These attributes ...

spawns from any point, and approaches the player in looping paths flying over the jeep and periodically firing. If hit, the helicopter spirals in. Destroying the helicopter rewards the player with an extra life. The player can be killed by being shot by either the tanks or helicopter, or by colliding with the tanks. In two-player mode, the players can not kill each other. Gameplay periodically speeds up to increase the difficulty.

Reception

David H. Ahl of '' Creative Computing Video & Arcade Games'' praised the "amazing realism" of the enemy helicopter in the Vectrex version.

References

External links

*{{KLOV game, id=6925
''Armor Attack''
at Arcade History 1980 video games Arcade video games Cinematronics games Multidirectional shooters Multiplayer and single-player video games Vector arcade video games Vectrex games Video games developed in the United States