Tank: Difference between revisions

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(Fixed descriptions in the galleries, added gameplay description and books, other minor fixes.)
 
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{{Infobox
{{InfoboxGame
  |title  = Tank
  |title  = Tank
  |image  = 1974 Tank Flyer 01 - Front.jpg
  |image  = 1974 Tank Flyer 01 - Front.jpg
  |developer = Steve Bristow, Lyle Rains
  |developer = Kee Games
  |publisher = Kee Games
  |publisher = Kee Games
|platforms = {{plat-arcade}}
  |date = 1974
  |date = 1974
  |mobygames = https://www.mobygames.com/game/arcade/tank____
  |mobygames = https://www.mobygames.com/game/67307/tank}}
 
'''Tank''' is a 1974 release by [[Kee Games]] and is a two-player arena shooting game. The game was developed by [[Stephen Bristow]] as a response to the game [[Computer Space]] with better controls and competitive gameplay. It is considered one of the most significant arcade games of the 1970s, both for its gameplay and for its roll in helping proliferate coin-operated video games beyond the boundaries established by [[Pong]].
 
== History ==
 
 
 
== Gameplay ==
 
The game consists of two dueling tanks which can fire projectiles at each other. Shooting an opponent temporarily stuns them, suspending the gameplay until they recover. The goal of the game is to have a higher score than your opponent at the end of a time limit.
 
A maze of obstacles sits between the two players at the start of the round which prevent bullets from traveling through the whole map. At the center of the play area are sixteen landmines that will stun a player if they contact them. The area of these mines are denoted by a cellophane strip placed over the monitor with an "X" at the spot of each mine.
 
=== Controls ===
 
Controls in ''Tank'' are modeled after a Caterpillar heavy vehicle with two firm joysticks which move vertically. There are eight possible positions for the two controls which enables forward or backward motion and turning as if on a tract. The right joystick features a button on the top to fire the tank's weapon. After the bullet is fired, it's possible to curve the bullet in flight using the movement controls to rotate the tank.
 
== Announcements ==
 
===United States===
{{GalleryStart}}
{{GalleryCard
|file=1974-12 Vending Times pg 38 02.png
|title=Vending Times
|date=December 1974
|country=US
}}
{{GalleryCard
|file=1975-09 Play Meter pg 54 01.png
|title=Play Meter
|date=September 1975
|country=US
}}
{{GalleryEnd}}
 
== Advertising ==
 
=== United States ===
{{GalleryStart}}
{{GalleryCard
|file=1974-11 Vending Times pg 56.png
|title=Vending Times
|date=November 1974
|country=US
}}
{{GalleryEnd}}
 
==== Flyers ====
{{GalleryStart}}
{{GalleryCard
|file=1974 Tank Flyer 01 - Front.jpg
|title=Flyer (front)
|date=1974
|country=US
}}
{{GalleryCard
|file=1974 Tank Flyer 01 - Back.png
|title=Flyer (back)
|date=1974
|country=US
}}
{{GalleryCard
|file=1974 Tank Flyer 02 - Front.jpg
|title=Flyer (front)
|date=1974
|country=US
}}
{{GalleryCard
|file=1974 Tank Flyer 02 - Back.jpg
|title=Flyer (back)
|date=1974
|country=US
}}
{{GalleryCard
|file=1975 Tank Flyer 03 - Front.jpg
|title=Flyer (front)
|date=1975
|country=US
}}
{{GalleryCard
|file=1975 Tank Flyer 03 - Back.jpg
|title=Flyer (back)
|date=1975
|country=US
}}
{{GalleryCard
|file=1975-09 Play Meter pg 05.png
|title=Play Meter
|date=September 1975
|country=US
}}
{{GalleryCard
|file=1975-10 Play Meter pg 13.png
|title=Play Meter
|date=October 1975
|country=US
}}
}}
{{GalleryEnd}}


''Tank'' was a 1974 release by [[Kee Games]] released under Atari Inc as its fully owned subsidiary. The games consists of two dueling tanks, firing projectiles out of their fronts to attempt to hit and stun their opponents for score. Using two joysticks, the player can rotate their tanks, move forwards or backwards depending on the orientation of the controls. In the middle of the playfield, a set of mines displayed on the screen via small cellophane blocks can also cause the opposing tank to spin out. Walls littered the battlefield and the shots can be bounced off of the terrain.
== Photos ==
{{GalleryStart}}
{{GalleryCard
|file=1975-10 Play Meter pg 37 01.png
|title=Play Meter
|date=October 1975
|country=US
|description=Production line for the cocktail cabinet version of ''Tank''.
}}
{{GalleryEnd}}


== Announcement ==
== Game credits ==
<gallery widths="180px" heights="180px">
{{Credits begin}}
1975-09 Play Meter pg 53.png|(1975)
{{Credits line|Game Designer, Hardware Designer = Stephen Bristow}}
</gallery>
{{Credits line|Technicians = Lyle Rains, Doug Hughes}}
{{Credits end}}


== Advertisement ==
== Books ==
<gallery widths="180px" heights="180px">
 
1974 Tank Flyer 01 - Front.jpg|(1974)
{{Book
1974 Tank Flyer 01 - Back.png|(1974)
|title=They Create Worlds: The Story of the People and Companies That Shaped the Video Game Industry, Vol. I: 1971-1982
1974 Tank Flyer 02 - Front.jpg|(1974)
|author=Alexander Smith
1974 Tank Flyer 02 - Back.jpg|(1974)
|description=''They Create Worlds, Volume 1: The Story of the People and Companies That Shaped the Video Game Industry'' (published November 2019) covers how the most renowned game creators overturned technology, pop culture, and birthed a whole new medium. From the very first video games up to the edge of the traumatic North American market crash in 1983, this book illuminates the people, business decisions, and market forces which brought video games to the height of popular culture in the early 1980s. It shows how technological innovations in research labs and in the realm of coin-operated games were propelled by visionaries who saw potential in the then new and expensive technology. The first Volume of this work covers important landmarks such as ''Spacewar!'', Atari, ''Space Invaders'', the early console market, electronic handheld games, and the commercial industry underlying them all.
1975 Tank Flyer 03 - Front.jpg|(1975)
|isbn=978-1138389908
1975 Tank Flyer 03 - Back.jpg|(1975)
|cover_filename=They-Create-Worlds-Video-Game-History-Book-Cover.jpg
1975-09 Play Meter pg 05.png|(1975)
}}
</gallery>
{{Book
|title=Atari Inc.: Business is Fun
|author=Marty Goldberg, Curt Vendel
|description=An amazing 800 pages (including nearly 300 pages of rare, never before seen photos, memos and court documents), this book details Atari's genesis from an idea between an engineer and a visionary in 1969 to a nearly $2 billion dollar juggernaut, and ending with a $538 million death spiral during 1984. A testament to the people that worked at this beloved company, the book is full of their personal stories and insights.
|isbn=978-0985597405
|cover_filename=Atari Inc Business is Fun (Cover).jpg
}}


[[Category:Game]]
[[Category:Game]]

Latest revision as of 17:06, 19 February 2025

Tank is a 1974 release by Kee Games and is a two-player arena shooting game. The game was developed by Stephen Bristow as a response to the game Computer Space with better controls and competitive gameplay. It is considered one of the most significant arcade games of the 1970s, both for its gameplay and for its roll in helping proliferate coin-operated video games beyond the boundaries established by Pong.

History[edit]

Gameplay[edit]

The game consists of two dueling tanks which can fire projectiles at each other. Shooting an opponent temporarily stuns them, suspending the gameplay until they recover. The goal of the game is to have a higher score than your opponent at the end of a time limit.

A maze of obstacles sits between the two players at the start of the round which prevent bullets from traveling through the whole map. At the center of the play area are sixteen landmines that will stun a player if they contact them. The area of these mines are denoted by a cellophane strip placed over the monitor with an "X" at the spot of each mine.

Controls[edit]

Controls in Tank are modeled after a Caterpillar heavy vehicle with two firm joysticks which move vertically. There are eight possible positions for the two controls which enables forward or backward motion and turning as if on a tract. The right joystick features a button on the top to fire the tank's weapon. After the bullet is fired, it's possible to curve the bullet in flight using the movement controls to rotate the tank.

Announcements[edit]

United States[edit]

1974-12 Vending Times pg 38 02.png
Vending Times
🇺🇸 December 1974
  Download File
1975-09 Play Meter pg 54 01.png
Play Meter
🇺🇸 September 1975
  Download File

Advertising[edit]

United States[edit]

1974-11 Vending Times pg 56.png
Vending Times
🇺🇸 November 1974
  Download File

Flyers[edit]

1974 Tank Flyer 01 - Front.jpg
Flyer (front)
🇺🇸 1974
  Download File
1974 Tank Flyer 01 - Back.png
Flyer (back)
🇺🇸 1974
  Download File
1974 Tank Flyer 02 - Front.jpg
Flyer (front)
🇺🇸 1974
  Download File
1974 Tank Flyer 02 - Back.jpg
Flyer (back)
🇺🇸 1974
  Download File
1975 Tank Flyer 03 - Front.jpg
Flyer (front)
🇺🇸 1975
  Download File
1975 Tank Flyer 03 - Back.jpg
Flyer (back)
🇺🇸 1975
  Download File
1975-09 Play Meter pg 05.png
Play Meter
🇺🇸 September 1975
  Download File
1975-10 Play Meter pg 13.png
Play Meter
🇺🇸 October 1975
  Download File

Photos[edit]

1975-10 Play Meter pg 37 01.png
Play Meter
🇺🇸 October 1975

Production line for the cocktail cabinet version of Tank.

  Download File

Game credits[edit]

Game Designer, Hardware Designer
Stephen Bristow
Technicians
Lyle Rains, Doug Hughes

Books[edit]

They-Create-Worlds-Video-Game-History-Book-Cover.jpg
They Create Worlds: The Story of the People and Companies That Shaped the Video Game Industry, Vol. I: 1971-1982
Alexander Smith

They Create Worlds, Volume 1: The Story of the People and Companies That Shaped the Video Game Industry (published November 2019) covers how the most renowned game creators overturned technology, pop culture, and birthed a whole new medium. From the very first video games up to the edge of the traumatic North American market crash in 1983, this book illuminates the people, business decisions, and market forces which brought video games to the height of popular culture in the early 1980s. It shows how technological innovations in research labs and in the realm of coin-operated games were propelled by visionaries who saw potential in the then new and expensive technology. The first Volume of this work covers important landmarks such as Spacewar!, Atari, Space Invaders, the early console market, electronic handheld games, and the commercial industry underlying them all.

ISBN 978-1138389908

Atari Inc Business is Fun (Cover).jpg
Atari Inc.: Business is Fun
Marty Goldberg, Curt Vendel

An amazing 800 pages (including nearly 300 pages of rare, never before seen photos, memos and court documents), this book details Atari's genesis from an idea between an engineer and a visionary in 1969 to a nearly $2 billion dollar juggernaut, and ending with a $538 million death spiral during 1984. A testament to the people that worked at this beloved company, the book is full of their personal stories and insights.

ISBN 978-0985597405

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