Centipede (video game)

Infobox VG
title = Centipede


designer = Ed Logg and Dona Bailey
developer = Atari Inc.
release = 1980
genre = Fixed shooter
modes = Up to 2 players, alternating turns
cabinet = Upright
cpu = 6502|1|1.512
sound = POKEY|1|1.512
resolution = 240x256 pixels
display = raster|rgb=1|vertical=1|size=19
input = Trackball; button
platforms = Arcade

"Centipede" is a vertically-oriented shoot 'em up arcade game produced by Atari in 1980. It is regarded as the first arcade game created by a woman, Dona Bailey,Fact|date=January 2008 who programmed the game along with Ed Logg. It was also the first arcade coin-operated game to have a significant female player base.Fact|date=January 2008 The player defends against swarms of insects, completing a round after eliminating the centipede that winds down the playing field.

Gameplay

The player is represented by a small, "somewhat humanoid head"Citation
last =Atari
first = Inc.
title = Centipede Operation, Maintenance, and Service Manual
publisher = Atari, Inc.
pages = 13
year = 1981
location = Sunnyvalle, California
id = TM-182 ] at the bottom of the screen. The player moves the character about the bottom area of the screen with a trackball and fires laser shots at a centipede advancing from the top of the screen down through a field of mushrooms. Shooting any section of the centipede creates a mushroom; shooting one of the middle segments splits the centipede into two pieces at that point. Each piece then continues independently on its way down the board.

The centipede starts at the top of the screen, traveling either left or right. When it hits a mushroom or the edge of the screen, it drops one level and switches direction. Thus, more mushrooms on the screen cause the centipede to descend more rapidly. The player can destroy mushrooms by shooting them, but each takes four hits to destroy.

If the centipede reaches the bottom of the screen, it moves back and forth within the player area and one-segment "head" centipedes are periodically added. This continues until the player has eliminated both the original centipede and all heads. When all the centipede's segments are destroyed, a new centipede forms at the top of the screen. Every time a centipede is eliminated, however, the next one is one segment shorter and is accompanied by one additional, fast-moving "head" centipede. A player loses a life when hit by a centipede or another enemy, such as a spider or a flea. The flea leaves mushrooms behind when fewer than five are in the player area, though the number required increases with level of difficulty.

There are also scorpions, which poison every mushroom they touch, but these never appear in the player's movement region. A centipede touching a poisoned mushroom hurtles straight toward the player's area. Upon reaching it, it returns to normal behavior.

World record scores

Eric Ginner of Mountain View, CA, was the first "Centipede" champion, winning the 1981 Atari National Championships, held in Chicago, October 18, 1981. By the end of 1982, both Darren Olsen of Calgary, Alberta, Canada and Billy Mitchell, of Hollywood, FL, had attained over 25 million points on Centipede, primarily using the "trap" technique of play.

To verify differences in gameplay, the Twin Galaxies Intergalactic Scoreboard divided "Centipede" gameplay into two categories: "Marathon" (using the trap, the blob and other tricks) and "Tournament" (using no tricks, just constantly firing — commonly called the "shoot-em-up" method.)

Today, Twin Galaxies only accepts submissions on Tournament play. The world record for Tournament play now stands at 7,111,111 points, achieved by Donald Hayes of Salem, NH, on November 5 2000 at the Funspot Family Fun Center in Weirs Beach, NH. The feat took approximately 9 hours of non-stop play on one quarter. On February 5, 2001, Hayes was honored by his local City Hall for his accomplishment.

Legacy

equels

"Centipede" was followed by "Millipede" in 1982, a somewhat less successful arcade game. In 1992, Atari Games developed a prototype of an arcade game called "Arcade Classics" for their 20th anniversary. It included "Missile Command 2" and "Super Centipede". [ [http://www.klov.com/game_detail.php?game_id=6904 Arcade Classics Videogame by Atari Games (1992) - The International Arcade Museum and the KLOV ] ]

In 1998, Hasbro-owned Atari released a new version of the game for the PC, PlayStation, and Dreamcast. This version looks and plays very differently to the original game, with free movement around the map, 3D graphics, and a campaign which can be played in single-player or multiplayer mode. The original version of "Centipede" is available in this version, albeit with slightly updated graphics.

Ports

Home systems

"Centipede", like many other Atari arcade games, was ported to Atari's own systems, such as the Atari 2600, Atari 5200, and Atari 7800. A prototype was created for the Atari Lynx but never released.Fact|date=January 2008 Atari's Atarisoft also created versions for other consoles and home computers of the era, for example the Apple II and Commodore 64.

"Centipede" was also released for the PC in 1993 as part of the "Microsoft Arcade", in 1999 as part of "Atari Arcade Hits 1" (which would become one half of "Atari Anniversary Edition" in 2001), and in 2003 as part of "" The PlayStation saw the game appear as part of "Atari Anniversary Edition Redux" in 2001.

"Centipede" has also been made available for the Xbox and PlayStation 2 (in both arcade and Atari 2600 versions) as part of "Atari Anthology" in 2004. The Xbox Live Arcade version was bundled with the sequel "Millipede", which included an "evolution mode", featuring high-definition graphics and special effects like motion blur, trails, and particle-based explosions. [http://www.dailygame.net/news/archives/006081.php] "Centipede" was released via Xbox Live Arcade for the Xbox 360 on May 2 2007.

"Centipede" is often included in handheld TV games that have become popular in recent years.

Other platforms

Glu Mobile released a licensed cellular phone version of Centipede that includes the original game as well as updated gameplay, skins, and modes. [http://www.glu.com/noram/pages/product.aspx?pr=Centipede]

An official shockwave version was also released. [http://netfiles.freespaces.com/shockwave/centipede.html]

Clones

Like most other popular arcade games of the era, "Centipede" was widely imitated by third-party software vendors.

Arcade

*"Caterpillar", released by Olympia in 1980 [ [http://www.klov.com/game_detail.php?game_id=10555 Caterpillar Videogame by Olympia (1980) - The International Arcade Museum and the KLOV ] ]
*"Mill Pac", released by Valadon Automation in 1980 in France [ [http://www.klov.com/game_detail.php?game_id=13090 Millpac Videogame by Valadon Automation (1980) - The International Arcade Museum and the KLOV ] ]
*"Magic Maggot", released by Digimatic Italia in 1980 [ [http://www.klov.com/game_detail.php?game_id=8495 Magic Maggot Videogame by Digimatic Italia (1980) - The International Arcade Museum and the KLOV ] ]
*"Jackler", released by Konami in 1982 [ [http://www.klov.com/game_detail.php?game_id=8220 Jackler Videogame by Konami (1982) - The International Arcade Museum and the KLOV ] ]
*"Slither", released by GDI in 1982
*"War of Bugs or Monsterous Manouvers in a Mushroom Maze", released by Food and Fun Corp./Armenia Ltd in 1981 [ [http://www.klov.com/game_detail.php?game_id=10400 War Of The Bugs Videogame by Food and Fun Corp./Armenia Ltd. (1981) - The International Arcade Museum and the KLOV ] ]

Home systems

*"Apeiron", released for Mac OS in 1995 by Ambrosia Software
*"Aqua Attack", released for the BBC Micro as part of the "Welcome" disk/tape with the BBC Master
*"Bug Blaster", released for Commodore 64, BBC Micro, and Acorn Electron in 1983 by Alligata (re-issued in 1990 by Blue Ribbon)
*"Caterpillar" by Aardvark Software for the TRS-80 Color Computer [http://www.atarimagazines.com/cva/v1n1/trs80games.php Home Computer Games: TRS-80 Color Computer Games ] ] [ [http://nitros9.lcurtisboyle.com/caterpillar_edson.html Caterpillar (Dave Edson) ] ]
*"Centi-Bug", released for the ZX Spectrum in 1983 by dk'tronics (titled "Centipede" on screen) [ [http://www.mobygames.com/game/zx-spectrum/centi-bug Centi-Bug for ZX Spectrum - MobyGames ] ]
*"Champ Centiped-em", released for MS-DOS in 1997 by ChamProgramming Corporation [ [http://www.mobygames.com/game/champ-centiped-em Champ Centiped-em for DOS - MobyGames ] ]
*"Decipede", a type-in version for the Commodore 64 published by "COMPUTE!'s Gazette" in January 1987 [ [http://www.atarimagazines.com/compute/gazette/ COMPUTE!'s Gazette Index, page 1 ] ]
*"Katerpillar Attack" ("Katerpillar", "Kater-Pillar", or "Katerpillar II") Tom Mix Software TRS-80 Color Computer, Dragon 32 [ [http://nitros9.lcurtisboyle.com/katerpillarattack.html Katerpillar Attack ] ] [ [http://www.dragon-it.co.uk/dragon/dragon_software_library.htm Dragon Software Library ] ]
*"Megapede", released for the TRS-80 Color Computer in 1983 by Computerware [ [http://nitros9.lcurtisboyle.com/megapede.html Megapede ] ]
*"Mushroom Alley", released for the Commodore 64 in 1983 by Victory Software
*"Video Vermin", released for the VIC-20 in 1982 by UMI [ [http://www.zimmers.net/anonftp/pub/cbm/vic20/Cartzilla.html#video-vermin VIC-20 Cartridge Software Reviews ] ]

Board game

In 1983, Milton Bradley released a board game based on the video game. The board game pits two players against each other in a race to be the first person to the opponent's home base with a centipede. Each player can utilize a blaster, as well as a scorpion and spider, to slow the opposing centipede's advance.

In popular culture

*In 1982, Buckner & Garcia recorded a song called "Ode to a Centipede" using sound effects from the game and released it on the album "Pac-Man Fever".
*The artwork from the arcade machine cabinet is used for the cover artwork of the 2004 single "Reptilia" by the band The Strokes.

References

External links

* [http://games.atari.com/arcade.php?game=centipede Atari's official online version of "Centipede"]
*KLOV game|id=7299|name=Centipede
*moby game|id=/centipede_|name="Centipede"
*StrategyWiki|Centipede