''Solaris'' is a space combat game for the

Atari 2600 The Atari 2600, initially branded as the Atari Video Computer System (Atari VCS) from its release until November 1982, is a home video game console developed and produced by Atari, Inc. Released in September 1977, it popularized microprocesso ...

published in 1986 by

Atari Corporation Atari Corporation was an American manufacturer of computers and video game consoles. It was founded by Jack Tramiel on May 17, 1984, as Tramel Technology, Ltd., but then took on the Atari name less than two months later when Warner Communica ...

. It was developed by

Doug Neubauer Doug Neubauer is an American integrated circuit designer, video game designer, and programmer best known for the logic design on Atari's POKEY chip and designing and programming the 1979 video game ''Star Raiders'' which became the killer app f ...

, who owns the

copyright A copyright is a type of intellectual property that gives its owner the exclusive right to copy, distribute, adapt, display, and perform a creative work, usually for a limited time. The creative work may be in a literary, artistic, educatio ...

and the ''Solaris''

trademark A trademark (also written trade mark or trade-mark) is a type of intellectual property consisting of a recognizable sign, design, or expression that identifies products or services from a particular source and distinguishes them from othe ...

. The game is a sequel to Neubauer's Atari 8-bit family game '' Star Raiders'' from 1979. Both games feature an enemy race known as Zylons, but ''Star Raiders'' uses a first-person perspective while ''Solaris'' is in third-person. ''Solaris'' was at one point going to be based on ''

The Last Starfighter ''The Last Starfighter'' is a 1984 American space opera film directed by Nick Castle. The film tells the story of Alex Rogan ( Lance Guest), a teenager recruited by an alien defense force to fight in an interstellar war. It also features Robe ...

'', while the Atari 8-bit version of ''The Last Starfighter'' was renamed '' Star Raiders 2''.

Gameplay

The galaxy of ''Solaris'' is made up of 16 quadrants, each containing 48 sectors. The player uses a tactical map to choose a sector to warp to, during which they must attempt to keep their ship "in focus" to lower their fuel consumption rate. Fuel must be carefully managed, as an empty tank results in loss of one of the player lives. Space battle ensues whenever the player navigates into a hostile battlegroup via the tactical map. Space enemies include pirate ships, mechanoid ships, and aggressive "cobra" ships. Each battlegroup has at least one enemy flagship, which shoots out fuel-sapping drones. The player may also descend to one of 3 types of planets: # Friendly federation planets, which provide for refueling, but may also harbor a planet defense mission if they are under attack. If players allow a friendly planet in a quadrant to be destroyed, that quadrant becomes a "red zone" where joystick controls are reversed and booming sounds are overheard. # Enemy Zylon planets, in which the player must rescue all cadets, gaining an extra ship when all cadets are rescued. # Enemy corridor planets, in which the player must traverse through a fast-paced corridor. There are 4 kinds of ground enemies found on planets: stationary guardians, gliders, targeters and raiders. The ultimate goal of ''Solaris'' is to reach the planet Solaris and rescue its colonists, at which point the game ends in victory.

References

External links

''Solaris''
at Atari Mania

at AtariAge
Interview
with Doug Neubauer
Doug Neubauer on the ''Solaris'' manual
1986 video games Atari games Atari 2600 games Atari 2600-only games Rail shooters Space combat simulators Video games developed in the United States Video games set in outer space Video games set on fictional planets {{atari-console-stub

Gameplay

See also

References

External links