Commando Raid

Commando Raid
Title Screen Atari 2600
Developer	U.S. Games (JWDA)
Publisher	U.S. Games
Release date	1982
Platforms	Atari 2600

First Release: 1982, Atari 2600

Story

"You are in defense of your buildings which have come under attack by android commando raiders. Without warning they appear, intent on capturing your buildings and destroying your gun emplacement."
--- Game Manual ^Atari2600

Gameplay

Commando Raid is a game where the player controls a gun at the bottom center of the screen that fires upwards at "enemy android commando raiders".

The majority of the raiders consists of helicopters that drop down commando paratroopers. The player has two buildings on each side of their gun (making four total) that they must protect from the paratroopers. Each time a paratrooper lands on a building it will cause damage; once a fourth paratrooper lands on a same building, they will start tunneling underneath that building’s surface. With each additional paratrooper that lands on the building site, the tunnel will continue to grow, and if they tunnel far enough they will destroy the player’s gun with a bomb, ending the game.

Occasionally during a wave a bomber will also fly overhead and drop a bomb. If the bomb hits the ground without being shot that will also end the game. A building gets totally repaired with every 10,000 points scored, however.

Commando Raid has eight different play levels, which are distinguished by paratroopers’ color changing with each new level.

The game was developed by Vidtec and was released for the Atari 2600 by U. S. Games.

Goal

• Shoot as many Paratroopers as possible, as long as possible
• Gain highest score

Rules

• Protect city structures by shooting down enemy Commando Paratroopers before they reach the Buildings
• Shoot every falling Bomb (deadly)
• optional: shoot down Helicopters and Bomber plane

Player

Gun Emplacement
	FEATURES: - attack: single fire: straight bullets or steerable missiles; autofire (see game modes) - defense: none

Moves

Basic Moves

• attack (single fire)
• aim (range: left/right)

Special Moves
None.

Forbidden Moves

• weapon changing during gameplay

Weapons

One Gun Emplacement, situated in the center of the city. Two type of shots, chosen before gamplay with console switches: straight bullets or steerable missiles (see game modes) that fly where the gun is pointed. One speed of shooting. Single fire (autofire chosen before gamplay with console switches)

Base structures

name	image	durability
left side Buildings		- each one can withstand attack of 3 Commando Paratroopers - scoring 10,000 points rebuilds one, the most damaged
right side Buildings
Gun Emplacement		- destroyed by Bomber attack or when Paratrooper set a bomb in the dug tunnels beneath

Game Environment

Levels

• One map
• Waves of Enemy (levels)

map	name	features
	noname	- 1 shooting post: Gun Emplacemant - 4 buildings to defend - 8 levels with increasing difficulty - each level is defined by a different colored paratrooper Squad (and Bomber) - more enemies every wave - each level contains more paratroopers in a single helicopter attack - levels above 8 are designed like the 8th (color and difficulty)

Items

None.

Interactable Objects

None.

Enemies

Commando Paratrooper (android)				ATTACK: - destroys part of a building on touch - third one destroys building completely - another 5 of them digs a tunnel towards the Gun - sixth digger plants a bomb under the Gun that destroys it DEFENSE: - none (one shot kill)
lv.1	lv.2	lv.3	[purple] lv.4
[green] lv.5	[blue] lv.6	[black] lv.7	[yellow] lv.8 and above

Helicopter				ATTACK: - non direct; transports Commando Paratroopers who jumps of it DEFENSE: - none (one shot kill)

Bomber and Bomb				ATTACK: - flies over the city after every enemy wave end, then drops one Bomb - the Bomb have to be shot down - if not, it destroys all buildings and the Gun (fight is over) DEFENSE: - none (one shot kill) OTHER: - color of the Bomb is the same as enemy wave
lv.1	lv.2	lv.3	[purple] lv.4
[green] lv.5	[blue] lv.6	[black] lv.7	[yellow] lv.8 and above

Bosses

None.

Dangers

No creatures or obstacles.

Characters

None.

UI

Menu

None.

Game modes

Difficulty is set by the console switches:

• Automatic or manual firing - set with the console COLOR SWITCH:
  • Color = Manual Fire
  • Black & White = Automatic Fire
• Steerable missiles or straight bullets - set with the console LEFT DIFFICULTY SWITCH:
  • Position A = Straight Bullets
  • Position B = Steerable Missiles
• Bombers can be removed from game - set with the console RIGHT DIFFICULTY SWITCH:
  • Position A = No Bomber
  • Position B = Bomber

Save Options

None.

HUD

Score counter.

Controls

peripheral	button/key	action
Joystick	Up	starts the game for the first time and after loosing
	Left	aim to the left
	Right	aim to the right
	Fire	fire

Scoring

score	action
+ 115 points	shooting down Commando Paratrooper
+ 200 points	shooting down Helicopter
+ 200 points	shooting down Bomber
+ 115 points	shooting down Bomb

SCORE REWARD:
- gained for every 10 000 points
- new building takes place of the one that is most badly damaged
- ring bell signals the award

Releases & Credits

platform	first release
	box cover		date	developer	publisher	authors
Atari 2600			1982	U.S. Games (JWDA)	U.S. Games

OTHER RELEASES:

platorm	box cover		date	publisher	country

Manual

language	file
English [EN]