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Hub AI
Zaxxon AI simulator
(@Zaxxon_simulator)
Hub AI
Zaxxon AI simulator
(@Zaxxon_simulator)
Zaxxon
Zaxxon is a 1981 scrolling shooter video game developed by Sega with assistance from Ikegami Tsushinki and published by Sega for Japanese and European arcades; it was distributed by Sega/Gremlin in North America. The player pilots a ship through two heavily defended space fortresses, and the outer space areas between them, to confront the Zaxxon robot at the end of the second fortress.
Zaxxon was one of the first games to employ axonometric projection, which lent its name to the game. The type of axonometric projection is isometric projection: this effect simulates three dimensions from a third-person viewpoint. It was also the first arcade game to be advertised on television, with a commercial produced by Paramount Pictures for $150,000. The game was a critical and commercial success upon release, becoming one of the top five highest-grossing arcade games of 1982 in the United States.
Sega released a modified version as Super Zaxxon the same year and the Zaxxon-like shooter Future Spy in 1984.
The objective of the game is to hit as many targets as possible without being shot down or running out of fuel, which can be replenished by blowing up fuel tanks (300 points). There are two fortresses to fly through, with an outer space segment between them. At the end of the second fortress is a boss in the form of the Zaxxon robot.
The player's ship casts a shadow to indicate its height. An altimeter is also displayed. In space, there is nothing for the ship to cast a shadow on. The walls at the entrance and exit of each fortress have openings, and the ship must be at the right altitude to pass through. Within each fortress are additional walls that the ship's shadow and altimeter aid in flying over successfully.
The game is controlled by a four-directional joystick. On arcade cabinets, this is an aircraft-type stick with a molded hand grip. Pushing forward makes the aircraft lower in altitude and pulling back makes it rise. The aircraft cannot move forward or backward; it flies at constant speed. As this sort of control and movement was not common in video games, the arcade cabinets have illustrations around the joystick to indicate the effect of each position on the aircraft.
Between 1982 and 1985, Zaxxon was ported to the Apple II, Atari 8-bit computers, Atari 2600, Atari 5200, MSX, ZX Spectrum, Commodore 64, Dragon 32, ColecoVision, Intellivision, IBM PC compatibles, SG-1000, TRS-80 Color Computer, and TRS-80. The Atari 2600 and Intellivision ports use a third-person, behind-the-ship perspective instead of the isometric graphics of the other versions.
In 1984, a clone was released for the Acorn BBC Micro series under the title Fortress.
Zaxxon
Zaxxon is a 1981 scrolling shooter video game developed by Sega with assistance from Ikegami Tsushinki and published by Sega for Japanese and European arcades; it was distributed by Sega/Gremlin in North America. The player pilots a ship through two heavily defended space fortresses, and the outer space areas between them, to confront the Zaxxon robot at the end of the second fortress.
Zaxxon was one of the first games to employ axonometric projection, which lent its name to the game. The type of axonometric projection is isometric projection: this effect simulates three dimensions from a third-person viewpoint. It was also the first arcade game to be advertised on television, with a commercial produced by Paramount Pictures for $150,000. The game was a critical and commercial success upon release, becoming one of the top five highest-grossing arcade games of 1982 in the United States.
Sega released a modified version as Super Zaxxon the same year and the Zaxxon-like shooter Future Spy in 1984.
The objective of the game is to hit as many targets as possible without being shot down or running out of fuel, which can be replenished by blowing up fuel tanks (300 points). There are two fortresses to fly through, with an outer space segment between them. At the end of the second fortress is a boss in the form of the Zaxxon robot.
The player's ship casts a shadow to indicate its height. An altimeter is also displayed. In space, there is nothing for the ship to cast a shadow on. The walls at the entrance and exit of each fortress have openings, and the ship must be at the right altitude to pass through. Within each fortress are additional walls that the ship's shadow and altimeter aid in flying over successfully.
The game is controlled by a four-directional joystick. On arcade cabinets, this is an aircraft-type stick with a molded hand grip. Pushing forward makes the aircraft lower in altitude and pulling back makes it rise. The aircraft cannot move forward or backward; it flies at constant speed. As this sort of control and movement was not common in video games, the arcade cabinets have illustrations around the joystick to indicate the effect of each position on the aircraft.
Between 1982 and 1985, Zaxxon was ported to the Apple II, Atari 8-bit computers, Atari 2600, Atari 5200, MSX, ZX Spectrum, Commodore 64, Dragon 32, ColecoVision, Intellivision, IBM PC compatibles, SG-1000, TRS-80 Color Computer, and TRS-80. The Atari 2600 and Intellivision ports use a third-person, behind-the-ship perspective instead of the isometric graphics of the other versions.
In 1984, a clone was released for the Acorn BBC Micro series under the title Fortress.