Paratrooper (video game)
Encyclopedia
Paratrooper is a 1982 computer game, written by Greg Kuperberg
and published by Orion Software.
Paratrooper is one of the three games written by Greg Kuperberg when the IBM-PC was still very new, but unlike the other two, J-Bird and PC-Man, which were recreations of well-known coin-op games, this one was based on a 1981 Apple II
game called Sabotage
which was developed by Mark Allen
.
at the bottom of the screen. The turret can swivel to cover a large area of the screen, but cannot move from its base. Helicopter
s fly across the screen at varying heights, dropping paratrooper
s. The gun may fire multiple shots at once, and the shots may destroy helicopters or shoot paratroopers. Paratroopers may be disintegrated by a direct hit, or their parachutes may be shot, in which case they will plummet to earth (splattering and dying, killing any paratrooper they fall onto). Periodically, jets
may fly by and drop bomb
s; the jets and bombs may be shot as well.
The player earns points by shooting helicopters, paratroopers, jets, and bombs. Firing a shell costs the player one point, so if one is playing for score, there is an incentive to conserve ammo.
The game ends when the player's turret is hit by a bomb, when a single paratrooper lands directly on the turret, or when four paratroopers safely land on either the left or right of the turret (that is four on one side, not four total). Once this happens, they are able to build a human pyramid
and climb up to the turret and blow it up.
In 1992, Software Creations released a remake of the game called Night Raid for DOS
, more recently a Windows remake was released by Foppygames called Manotrooper.
Greg Kuperberg
Greg Kuperberg is an American mathematician of Polish birth known for his contributions to geometric topology, quantum algebra, and combinatorics. Kuperberg is a professor of mathematics at the University of California, Davis....
and published by Orion Software.
Paratrooper is one of the three games written by Greg Kuperberg when the IBM-PC was still very new, but unlike the other two, J-Bird and PC-Man, which were recreations of well-known coin-op games, this one was based on a 1981 Apple II
Apple II series
The Apple II series is a set of 8-bit home computers, one of the first highly successful mass-produced microcomputer products, designed primarily by Steve Wozniak, manufactured by Apple Computer and introduced in 1977 with the original Apple II...
game called Sabotage
Sabotage (computer game)
Sabotage is a 1981 computer game for the Apple II family of computers, written by Mark Allen and published by On-Line Systems.-Description:...
which was developed by Mark Allen
Mark Allen (software developer)
Mark Allen is a software engineer, game programmer and game designer. As a student at the University of California, San Diego, Allen used UCSD Pascal to develop a 6502 interpreter for the Pascal language in 1978, along with Richard Gleaves...
.
Description
The player controls a gun turretGun turret
A gun turret is a weapon mount that protects the crew or mechanism of a projectile-firing weapon and at the same time lets the weapon be aimed and fired in many directions.The turret is also a rotating weapon platform...
at the bottom of the screen. The turret can swivel to cover a large area of the screen, but cannot move from its base. Helicopter
Helicopter
A helicopter is a type of rotorcraft in which lift and thrust are supplied by one or more engine-driven rotors. This allows the helicopter to take off and land vertically, to hover, and to fly forwards, backwards, and laterally...
s fly across the screen at varying heights, dropping paratrooper
Paratrooper
Paratroopers are soldiers trained in parachuting and generally operate as part of an airborne force.Paratroopers are used for tactical advantage as they can be inserted into the battlefield from the air, thereby allowing them to be positioned in areas not accessible by land...
s. The gun may fire multiple shots at once, and the shots may destroy helicopters or shoot paratroopers. Paratroopers may be disintegrated by a direct hit, or their parachutes may be shot, in which case they will plummet to earth (splattering and dying, killing any paratrooper they fall onto). Periodically, jets
Jet aircraft
A jet aircraft is an aircraft propelled by jet engines. Jet aircraft generally fly much faster than propeller-powered aircraft and at higher altitudes – as high as . At these altitudes, jet engines achieve maximum efficiency over long distances. The engines in propeller-powered aircraft...
may fly by and drop bomb
Bomb
A bomb is any of a range of explosive weapons that only rely on the exothermic reaction of an explosive material to provide an extremely sudden and violent release of energy...
s; the jets and bombs may be shot as well.
The player earns points by shooting helicopters, paratroopers, jets, and bombs. Firing a shell costs the player one point, so if one is playing for score, there is an incentive to conserve ammo.
The game ends when the player's turret is hit by a bomb, when a single paratrooper lands directly on the turret, or when four paratroopers safely land on either the left or right of the turret (that is four on one side, not four total). Once this happens, they are able to build a human pyramid
Human pyramid
A human pyramid is a type of gymnastic formation in which the participants kneel together in a row or other formation, forming a base for another tier of participants who stand or kneel on their shoulders, backs or thighs. A human pyramid is very difficult to make. In case that the participants...
and climb up to the turret and blow it up.
In 1992, Software Creations released a remake of the game called Night Raid for DOS
, more recently a Windows remake was released by Foppygames called Manotrooper.