website/content/software/attack-force.md

title, tags, years, params

title	tags	years	params
Attack Force	maze shoot them up	1980	specs screenshots machines company oc_id source label value year of release 1980 label value companies Big Five Software label value type game label value media tape & disk label value systems Tandy TRS-80 label value number of players 1 - 2 players (alternate) label value staff Bill Hogue, Jeff Konyu (graphics) title subtitle text image title screen null title subtitle text image menu / options null title subtitle text image null title subtitle text image one ennemy destroyed null title subtitle text image you lost a ship, let's start again null title subtitle text image 1000 points for finishing first level null title subtitle text image level 2 null title subtitle text image 2000 points! null title subtitle text image game over player 1 null title subtitle text image you made it into the top 10! null title subtitle text image null /museum/tandy-radio-shack-trs-80-model-iii /companies/tandy-radio-shack 711 url date https://web.archive.org/web/20230601150136/http://www.old-computers.com/museum/software_detail.asp?id=711 2023-06-01

Attack Force is based on Targ arcade game released the same year (1980) by Exidy. Bill Hogue and Big Five Software must have worked fast to release their version only a few month later. As Bill Hogue explained in an interview, they naturally got their inspiration from latest games they used to play at the local arcade...

The playing field is made up of a 5 by 7 grid of blocks (a city) while the original arcade version is made of a 9 by 9 grid.

You maneuver your ship on the playfield using the "streets" drawn by the blocks and you must destroy all the ramships which logically try to ram you. While they can't fire back at you, you must avoid them at all cost as any contact will destroy your ship.

One additional feature compared to the original Targ is the flagships! Flagships are waiting at the right side of the screen sometimes flashing ramships to turn them into more aggressive ships. When all ramships are destroyed, flagships enter the playfield. You must then destroy all of them to change level before they disintegrate you with their very deadly laser bolt.

Flaghips are Big Five Software icons. They appear in all their games since the first release (Super Nova). The dreaded flagship has an evil rotating eye and also possess a very deadly laser bolt.

The arcade conversion made by Bill Hogue was very good given the limitation of the TRS-80 hardware. Attack Force plays like Targ (and even more) including the variable speed of your ship.