Demon Attack

[slab0meat]

As a kid, I always thought the INTV Demon Attack looked very cool (we didn't have Intellivision as a kid)... but I loved the VCS version and will go with that one. I still remember the first time my screen went black...

[Bill Loguidice]

I was never a huge fan of the Atari 2600 version of the game. I like the more elaborate versions a bit better, like the ones for the Intellivision, TI-99/4a, PCjr, C-64, etc., but they're also a bit clunkier because of the far more involved visuals.

[Recycled]

I remember when my uncle bought the 2600 version right when it came out. I was taken with the arcade feel of the game and the really nice alien graphics. The game still looks great to me today.

[VectorGamer]

C64 for me

[slab0meat]

As many games as I had for the C64 growing up, I don't remember even knowing that Demon Attack existed for it.

 

[slab0meat]

As many games as I had for the C64 growing up, I don't remember even knowing that Demon Attack existed for it.

[Bill Loguidice]

As many games as I had for the C64 growing up, I don't remember even knowing that Demon Attack existed for it.

 

 

I wasn't aware of it either. It never showed up on any of the disks that made the rounds to me back then.

 

You have to appreciate the unique looks almost every version had, something rather unusual for the time: http://www.mobygames.com/game/demon-attack/screenshots

[Guest LiqMat]

PCjr version was definitely my favorite version and it played really well with a joystick. It also happens to be the rarest version of Demon Attack and comes on a PCjr cartridge. Very rarely shows up on Ebay, especially boxed.

Edited March 6, 2018 by LiqMat

[IMBerzerk]

 

I wasn't aware of it either. It never showed up on any of the disks that made the rounds to me back then.

 

You have to appreciate the unique looks almost every version had, something rather unusual for the time: http://www.mobygames.com/game/demon-attack/screenshots

 

Wow.. 30 years later and I'm shocked with this news... lol. I had no idea there was a C64 version until you just posted this.

 

As far as versions and game play, the Intellivision was the best in my opinion. It was just a thumb crusher having to squeeze that side button to get the shots on time.

 

It's games like this that justified INTV developing a standard 1-button joystick adaptor. Would have been perfect on the SSVA and INTV2 consoles..

 

JR

[Intymike]

 

I wasn't aware of it either. It never showed up on any of the disks that made the rounds to me back then.

 

You have to appreciate the unique looks almost every version had, something rather unusual for the time: http://www.mobygames.com/game/demon-attack/screenshots

 

 

It's not easy to track Imagic games for the C64 down.

 

I have these two at the moment.

Edited March 7, 2018 by Intymike

[Bill Loguidice]

 

 

It's not easy to track Imagic games for the C64 down.

 

I have these two at the moment.

 

The computer stuff from Imagic in general can be hard to track down. Prior to this past December, I had Dragonfire (Apple II/C-64, VIC-20, and CoCo versions), Sherlock Holmes in Another Bow (Bantam Imagic, PC DOS), Chopper Hunt (Atari 8-bit/C-64), Crime and Punishment (Apple II/C-64), Demon Attack (VIC-20), Injured Engine (C-64), Microsurgeon (TI-99/4a), and Tournament Tennis (C-64).

[Flojomojo]

Mind blown. I always considered them console-only developers. There's always something new to learn in retroland.

[IMBerzerk]

Now that you mentioned it... I remember having Injured Engine and that it was by Imagic.

 

Not sure why they did not see the success they had in the console days, but it seems they faded into the shadows once the home computer started showing up.

 

Thanks for posting the box covers. You should send those to Moby Games so they can be cataloged.

 

JR

[slab0meat]

 

The computer stuff from Imagic in general can be hard to track down. Prior to this past December, I had Dragonfire (Apple II/C-64, VIC-20, and CoCo versions), Sherlock Holmes in Another Bow (Bantam Imagic, PC DOS), Chopper Hunt (Atari 8-bit/C-64), Crime and Punishment (Apple II/C-64), Demon Attack (VIC-20), Injured Engine (C-64), Microsurgeon (TI-99/4a), and Tournament Tennis (C-64).

 

Ha, nice... I had Crime and Punishment (forgot all about that one) and Tournament Tennis for C64... maybe Dragonfire too but not sure..

[IntellivisionDude]

[Gernot]

No question Intellivision!

 

To be honest, i even didn't knew it existed for other platforms.

It's a game i always wanted as boy, but couldn't find it in any of the shops close to my hometown, i didn't even could order it, if i remember right it was one of the sold out games in the shedule of the grey-importer (direct importer).

 

However i inherited it here a couple of years ago from (who i forgot and the thread doesn't appears in my history, it was empty after staying away for three years), and of course i like it.

Mostly because it's closeness to phoenix in which i thrown countless coins in the 80's, that was also the reason why i would like to get it then.

 

I understand the controllers are a torture, when i was young i never had problems with the side buttons, now aged 52 i get a clamp after half an hour of astrosmash (which is pardon me still the best space shooter for the Inty imo, for some special reasons).

 

Whatever might be true, i will remember it as a Imagic Game for the Intellivision, since i never knew else, until now.

 

To the torturous side buttons, personally i did two things to them to be less torturous, first i cut off the sides of the extra mylar (the thick soft one) that helped a little to make them i little softer on my not often used Intellivision i baught 2015.

Right this winter i did a second modification, i cut one of the bridges at the knobs itself (top bridge on top button, lower bridge on lower button and scratched off the remains) this makes them much easier to press and due to the cutting of the thick extra mylar the pressure point is much clearer, they report pressing with a notifyable "click" now.

It's a heavy mod and i won't recommend it since you "destroy" the controllers, but it's up to you.

 

Personally i like them, likewise others stated here i'm totally used to, the Intellivision was my first machine and i played it for many years (before i got a "clamp" in my brain, but it was not caused by gaming it was caused by religion).

I wished for a long time other cosoles/computers i owned later would have such sophisticated controllers with a numeric keypad instead of only two buttons.

To hold the controller in one hand and the possibility to use the keypad for sophisticated action (boxing) is brillant imho.

 

But truely they could be more ergonomic designed, well they should have asked mr. Colani back then to design some, but i guess it would have boosted the price of the Intellivision much with a "Colani Design" plate on them.

It still can be done (?), i would have some ideas how they could look.

If you think of the "eggs" which existed for the nintendo (i forgot which exactly) and maybe others, the idea of a one hand controller has lived on.

 

 

 

I hope you don't mind if i advertise here (again) one of my GACK projects, "Mean and Green", just for thise who like to fight a Mothership.

Unfortunately the game ends when you blasted it, but i would say good luck "this is not going to be easy".

It includes elements of some classic space shooters,

Invaders (in some way)

Moon Cresta (of which i'm very proud how i conjuncted animation and path for the spinning enemies, also the vanishing enemy is included)

Phoenix (the Mothership looks quite different it's all caused by the limitations of a SEUCK)

 

Pew pew pew, here it is... (you can watch also a clip of it on my YT channel)

 

Mean&Green (OSX).app.zip

Mean&Green (win32).exe.zip

 

you will have to try if they will work on your system, they should, but i can't grant it.

 

the name differs it was named in the beginning "galactic invasion" until i had the idea to name it "Mean & Green" which it truely is - mean & green.

the first level is a sort of "filter" the meteorites and massive count of green monsters won't leave you many ships.

level two is even somewhat hard because the enemies path is hard to predict.

level three is somwhat of a rest, it's much easier as i suggested to shoot the vanishing enemies and the "level boss" is neither hard, it depends on how early you got rid of the other ships.

level four, the mothership is somewhat mediacre, it's neither as hard as i imagined it, but the phoenix like birds will stress you enough and you are lucky if you have more then one ship left when you reach the mothership.

Overall the photographic background didn't makes it easier to play the game, the enemies are hard to track with the eyes.

 

the sound, even when they have to be converted to a temporary wave are synthesizing instructions, which i like much, imo it was a good idea of "gernot" ("hello kitty" the developer of GACK, not me) to restrict the use of wav files, you have to fiddle around with the synth and that's sportive.

It costs the loading time of the game, as more sounds you have as longer the game needs to be loaded because the instructions have to be written as waveform.

 

i made to level 4 but didn't survived

 

 

[+JasonlikesINTV]

I've been playing a lot of Galaxy Attack Alien Shooter on my phone. There's a pretty sweet boss at the end of every level.

 

https://youtu.be/FKJ3Fmn0xms

 

(Boss at 3:05)

Edited March 16, 2018 by JasonlikesINTV

[Gernot]

green meanie says:

"sniff, this is going to make me sad, i look old and obsolate"

 

ah c'mon greenie - you got eyes they haven't.

 

"ok, i feel better now"

 

Cresta intervenates:

"I'm blind but i can confuse them join and split like i want to, i will ripp their asses, them uninspired monsters".

 

Some strange creature arrives from a far off galaxy:

"Let's join, i will help you"

 

"Got troubles fellows?"

 

"Yeah, it seems we arrived in the wrong millenia"

 

"Who cares?"

Edited March 16, 2018 by Gernot

[mr_me]

...

Right this winter i did a second modification, i cut one of the bridges at the knobs itself (top bridge on top button, lower bridge on lower button and scratched off the remains) this makes them much easier to press and due to the cutting of the thick extra mylar the pressure point is much clearer, they report pressing with a notifyable "click" now.

It's a heavy mod and i won't recommend it since you "destroy" the controllers, but it's up to you.

 

...

I did this same modification to the side buttons. I found that although it made them much easier to press it made the button less reliable. By less reliable I mean it worsened the unintended keypad press problem ie. space hawk black holes. It wouldn't be noticeable in a game like demon attack that doesn't make much use of the keypad. Also my controllers have the old flex-circuit design; the newer revision might be more reliable. I have another modification to improve the reliability of button presses.

 

Alternatively to reduce the distance you have to push the stiff side button, I put several layers of tape under the button. It worked, but I prefer your method. You can also get a flashback controller; it's side buttons are not stiff at all.

Edited March 16, 2018 by mr_me

[Gernot]

 

Also my controllers have the old flex-circuit design

 

I'm not sure but i wondered about the printed date on the mylar (it could be the design copyright) 1978.

I didn't know overall the revision of my Inty, ts, must have overseen this becausye yes it could be of interest.

I just know it's rarely used, this young boy didn't played often (to my advantage).

 

You will know there exist strange parents, a schoolbuddy of mine had such strange parents, he had to ask if he liked to get a toy for playing, then his mother took it out of a locked closet so we could use it. After using the toy he had to gave it back and she locked it up again. They had all the nice construction toys like "Fischer Technik" which was far to expensive for my parents, but nonetheless he hung out most of the time in my home, because my toys was my toys, i could do with them what i liked from playing to burning no problem, "if you destroy it you won't have it anymore" but no rules - my toys. We could left a LEGO world in my room for weeks, no problem, my bedroom if i had to fly to get to bed it was my problem (LEGO even if them was mostly only the standard 4knob and 8knob blocks i had countless, my father worked in the machine industry which as first made accurate injection machines for LEGO blocks, all the experimental stuff landed in my hands. they used whatever leftover granulate, so they had colors no one else had, pink and blue marbeled, transparent in varying colors).

Toys are for children to play with them dammit!

 

Maybe this boy had such wealthy but a bit weird parents (that's not good for the personality of a human, i'm sure, i know it's not good).

[BassGuitari]

Demon Attack is a great Intellivision game. It also stands out more in the Intellivision library, as there really aren't too many Space Invaders/Galaxian-esque games for it, whereas on the Atari it gets a little lost in the crowd.

 

Space Armada is...kinda poor.

 

Alternatively to reduce the distance you have to push the stiff side button...

 

Interesting you mention this, as one of the most-criticized features of the Intellivision II controller does exactly this: there is zero distance you have to push the stiff side button.

[mr_me]

I can't comment on the Intellivision II controller, I've never used one. But with any button that is stiff, the further you have to press it, the more difficult it is. work = force * distance

[SoundGammon]

Could the scrolling background from Space Chase be used in Demon Attack?

Edited March 17, 2018 by SoundGammon

[SoundGammon]

Plimpton Demon.jpg

Never thought much of George being an endorser of video games.

 

One should be a PLAYER of games not just look at the pictures.

 

Games can look great but have NO game play value!

[mr_me]

Mattel gave Plimpton both an Atari 2600 and an Intellivision. He and his kids did play them. Of course they were paying him but he did prefer Intellivision. I think those were his words, more or less. That ad shown above is not real.

 

Fancy backgrounds don't make a game better. But a giant mothership to blow up helps. The demons in Atari Demon Attack do look better than Intellivision's.