Choplifter
Developer(s)	Dan Gorlin
Publisher(s)	Brøderbund Ariolasoft (for European Commodore 64 version) Sega (1985 arcade version)
Designer(s)	Dan Gorlin
Engine	Custom
Platform(s)	Apple II, Arcade, Atari 5200, Atari 7800, Atari 8-bit family, ColecoVision, Commodore 64, Commodore VIC-20, MSX, NES, Sega Master System, Texas Instruments TI-99/4A
Release date	1982
Genre(s)	Shoot 'em up / Strategy
Mode(s)	Single player
Input methods	Joystick

Choplifter is a 1982 Apple II game developed by Dan Gorlin and published by Brøderbund. A video game developer is a software developer (a business or an individual that creates Video games A developer may specialize in a certain video Dan Gorlin is a computer Game programmer, designer and founder of Dan Gorlin Productions. Brøderbund Software was an American maker of Computer games Educational software and The Print Shop productivity tools Ariolasoft was a German computer game developer, publisher and distributor is a multinational Video game Software and Hardware development company and a former Home computer A "game designer" is a person who designs Video games or one who designs traditional games such as Board games Video Games Designer A video game designer Dan Gorlin is a computer Game programmer, designer and founder of Dan Gorlin Productions. A game engine is a software system designed for the creation and development of computer and video games In Computing, a platform describes some sort of Hardware architecture or Software framework (including Application frameworks, that allows An arcade game is a coin-operated entertainment machine typically installed in businesses such as Restaurants Pubs Video arcades and Family Entertainment The Atari 5200 SuperSystem, or simply the Atari 5200, is a Video game console that was introduced in 1982 by Atari Inc The Atari 7800 ProSystem, or simply the Atari 7800, is a Video game console released by Atari Corporation in June 1986 The Atari 8-bit family is a series of 8-bit Home computers manufactured from 1979 to 1992 The ColecoVision is Coleco Industries ' second generation home Video game console and was released in August. The VIC-20 ( Germany: VC-20; Japan: VIC-1001) is an 8-bit Home computer which was sold by Commodore Business Machines MSX was the name of a standardized Home computer architecture in the 1980s The Nintendo Entertainment System (often abbreviated as NES or simply Nintendo) is an 8-bit Video game console that was released by The Sega Master System is an 8-bit cartridge-based Video game console that was manufactured by Sega and was first released in 1986. The Texas Instruments TI-99/4A was an early Home computer, released in June 1981 originally at a price of USD $525 Year 1982 ( MCMLXXXII) was a Common year starting on Friday (link displays the 1982 Gregorian calendar) See also [[Game classification]] Video games are categorized into Genres based on their Gameplay interaction An action game is a game that challenges a player's speed dexterity and reaction time A strategy game is a Game (eg computer, video or Board game) in which the players' decision-making skills have a high significance In video gaming, single-player refers to the variant of a particular game where input from only one player is expected throughout the course of the gaming session A joystick is an input device consisting of a stick that pivots on a base and reports its angle or direction to the device it is controlling Year 1982 ( MCMLXXXII) was a Common year starting on Friday (link displays the 1982 Gregorian calendar) Dan Gorlin is a computer Game programmer, designer and founder of Dan Gorlin Productions. Brøderbund Software was an American maker of Computer games Educational software and The Print Shop productivity tools It was ported to other home computers and, in 1985, Sega released a coin-operated arcade game version. Year 1985 ( MCMLXXXV) was a Common year starting on Tuesday (link displays 1985 Gregorian calendar) is a multinational Video game Software and Hardware development company and a former Home computer An arcade game is a coin-operated entertainment machine typically installed in businesses such as Restaurants Pubs Video arcades and Family Entertainment While many arcade games have been ported to home computers and consumer consoles, Choplifter was one of the few games (Lode Runner is another) to take the reverse route: first appearing on a home system and being ported to the arcade. See also Software portability In Computer science, porting is the process of adapting software so that an executable program can be created A home computer was a class of Personal computer entering the market in 1977 and becoming common during the 1980s Lode Runner is a 1983 Platform game, first published by Brøderbund.

Overview

In Choplifter, the player assumes the role of a combat helicopter pilot. History Since 400 AD Chinese children have played with bamboo flying toys. The player attempts to save hostages being held in prisoner of war camps in territory ruled by the evil Bungeling Empire. A hostage is a person or entity which is held by a captor The original definition meant that this was handed over by one of two belligerent parties to the other or seized as security The player must collect the hostages and transport them safely to the nearby friendly base, all the while fighting off hostile tanks and other enemy combatants. A tank is a tracked, Armoured fighting vehicle designed for Front-line combat which combines Operational mobility and tactical According to the backstory, the helicopter parts were smuggled into the country described as "mail sorting equipment. "

Although the Iran hostage crisis ended the year before the game was released, Gorlin has stated "the tie-in with current events was something that never really crossed my mind until we published. The Iran hostage crisis ( Persian: تصرف سفارت آمریکا was a diplomatic crisis between Iran and the United States where 52 "^[1]

Description

The helicopter (named "Hawk-Z" in the Master System version manual) can face three directions: left, right, or forward (facing the player). It may shoot at enemies in any of these directions and need not fly in the same direction it is facing. The forward-facing mode is used primarily to shoot tanks. Care must also be taken to both protect the hostages from enemy fire and not accidentally shoot them oneself.

The player rescues the prisoners by first shooting one of the hostage buildings to release them, landing to allow the prisoners to board the sortie, and returning them to the player's starting point. Sortie is a term for deployment or dispatch of one military unit be it of Aircraft, Ship or in older times of columns of troops from a fort Only one building's worth of passengers can be carried at a time, so several trips must be made. When the chopper is full, no more hostages will attempt to board; they will wave the helicopter off and wait (hopefully) for its return. Usually, each trip back is more risky than the previous one since the enemy is alerted and has deployed a counter-attack.

If the player lands directly on top of a hostage, the hostage will be killed. In the Apple II and Atari 7800 versions, hostages will also die if the vehicle is not landed correctly (it is slightly tilted), being crushed as they attempt to board the chopper. While grounded, the helicopter may be attacked by enemy tanks, which it can shoot at only by returning to the air.

Platforms

Tanks and a jet target the helicopter while hostages flee a burning building in the original Apple II game.

Choplifter was ported to many other home systems of the era. See also Software portability In Computer science, porting is the process of adapting software so that an executable program can be created These versions were ports of the original Apple II game, not the later arcade version. These systems include the Atari 5200, Atari 7800, Atari 8-bit family, ColecoVision, Commodore 64, Commodore VIC-20, MSX, and Texas Instruments TI-99/4A. The Atari 5200 SuperSystem, or simply the Atari 5200, is a Video game console that was introduced in 1982 by Atari Inc The Atari 7800 ProSystem, or simply the Atari 7800, is a Video game console released by Atari Corporation in June 1986 The Atari 8-bit family is a series of 8-bit Home computers manufactured from 1979 to 1992 The ColecoVision is Coleco Industries ' second generation home Video game console and was released in August. The VIC-20 ( Germany: VC-20; Japan: VIC-1001) is an 8-bit Home computer which was sold by Commodore Business Machines MSX was the name of a standardized Home computer architecture in the 1980s The Texas Instruments TI-99/4A was an early Home computer, released in June 1981 originally at a price of USD $525 German publisher Ariolasoft published the European Commodore 64 version. Germany, officially the Federal Republic of Germany ( ˈbʊndəsʁepuˌbliːk ˈdɔʏtʃlant is a Country in Central Europe. Ariolasoft was a German computer game developer, publisher and distributor

In 1986, ports of the arcade version back to home versions were developed for the Nintendo Entertainment System and Sega Master System. Year 1986 ( MCMLXXXVI) was a Common year starting on Wednesday (link displays 1986 Gregorian calendar) The Nintendo Entertainment System (often abbreviated as NES or simply Nintendo) is an 8-bit Video game console that was released by The Sega Master System is an 8-bit cartridge-based Video game console that was manufactured by Sega and was first released in 1986. Not surprisingly, the arcade version and its ports are more colorful and intense than the Apple II version. It boasts more environments (desert, sea, caves and city) as opposed to the Apple's single desert environment. A desert is a Landscape or region that receives very little precipitation. The arcade version is listed in the Killer List of Videogames Top 100 and one of the four best games in 1985. The Killer List of Videogames (KLOV is a Web site devoted to cataloging Arcade games past and present Year 1985 ( MCMLXXXV) was a Common year starting on Tuesday (link displays 1985 Gregorian calendar)

Version differences

In the original Apple II game, play continues until all three helicopters are destroyed or all prisoners are either rescued or killed. There is no scoring system other than the counters at the top of the screen, which indicate how many of the 64 total hostages have been killed (red), how many are on-board the helicopter (blue), and how many have been rescued (green). The best possible result is to rescue all the hostages, for which the game will award you a triple crown, Brøderbund's emblem. The Commodore 64 version is the same.

In the arcade version, a point system is used, giving points for enemies killed and hostages rescued. Furthermore, the arcade version has only eight hostages per building rather than 16. In order to move from one level to the next, the player must rescue at least 20 hostages (40 in the Sega Master System version). The arcade version also forces the player to restart a level if too many hostages are killed, but does not restore any helicopters lost. (In the Sega Master System version, this automatically ends the current game in progress. ) Another difference in the arcade version is the addition of a Fuel Meter. This was essentially a time limit because there was only one way to replenish the meter—saving hostages.

The original game provides a safe zone around the player's launch area where the player was largely free from attack. A fence indicates the border between friendly and enemy territory. While the fence is still present in the arcade version, enemy jets will pursue the player's helicopter all the way to his landing pad.

In the original game, a new enemy is added with each trip the player makes. First, the player faces only tanks which are limited to attacking only when the helicopter has landed or is extremely close to the ground. The next trip introduces jet fighters that shoot missiles at the helicopter in the air and bomb it when it's on the ground. The last enemies are "air mines" which attempt to collide with the player's helicopter, and which on the fourth trip gain the ability to shoot. The arcade game has a larger variety of enemies which vary more according to each level's landscape rather than the number of trips the player has made. The most significant of these are anti-aircraft guns which make the arcade version much harder than the original. It retains the tanks and jet fighters, but does not include air mines which follow the player's helicopter.

The original Apple version (and perhaps other platforms) contains what is arguably a bug: it is possible to create a situation in which the game cannot end. The hostages will run towards the helicopter when it lands. If the helicopter takes off before hostage can board, and lands closer to the base, the hostage will again run towards the helicopter. With repeated "hops," the hostage can be led back to the base; when led within the fence, the hostage will run straight into the base--however, that rescue is not counted. As a result, that hostage will never count as either a rescue or a death, and the game cannot end (except by the destruction of all the helicopters).

Reception and legacy

This game was fairly successful and popular, spawning two sequels: Choplifter II for the Nintendo Game Boy and Choplifter III for the Nintendo Game Boy and Super NES. is a Multinational corporation headquartered in Kyoto Japan founded on The is a handheld video game console developed and manufactured by Nintendo. Choplifter 3 is a 1993 Video game for Game Boy and Game Gear. The Super Nintendo Entertainment System or Super NES (also called SNES and Super Nintendo) is a 16-bit Video game console that was On the Commodore 64 and the MSX, games related to Choplifter were Lode Runner and Raid on Bungeling Bay, all three games featuring the fictional Bungeling Empire. MSX was the name of a standardized Home computer architecture in the 1980s Lode Runner is a 1983 Platform game, first published by Brøderbund. Raid on Bungeling Bay was the first Video game designed by Will Wright.

In a review by Computer Gaming World, the graphics and animation were highly praised. Computer Gaming World ( CGW) was founded in 1981 by Russell Sipe as a bimonthly publication ^[2]

In popular culture

Choplifter is played by U. S. submarine crew members in Tom Clancy's book The Hunt for Red October. Thomas Leo Clancy Jr (born April 12 1947) is an American author best known for his technically detailed espionage and Military science storylines The Hunt for Red October is a Novel by Tom Clancy. The story follows the intertwined adventures of Soviet Submarine captain Marko

See also

• Rescue Raiders

References

External links

• Choplifter at the Killer List of Videogames
• Choplifter at MobyGames
• Choplifter guide at StrategyWiki

Videos

• Video from the C64 Version on archive. Computer Gaming World ( CGW) was founded in 1981 by Russell Sipe as a bimonthly publication The Killer List of Videogames (KLOV is a Web site devoted to cataloging Arcade games past and present MobyGames is a Website devoted to cataloging computer and video games, both past and present StrategyWiki is a Wiki -based org