Line #24 VideoGame/PhaserPatrol


1	%%
2	%%
3	%% Administrivia/ZeroContextExample entries are not allowed on wiki pages. All such entries have been commented out. Add context to the entries before uncommenting them.
4	%%
5	%%
6	[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/phaser_patrol.png]]
7	''Phaser Patrol'' is a first-person ShootEmUp for the Platform/{{Atari 2600}}, released in 1982 by Starpath for their [[Platform/StarpathSupercharger Supercharger]]. Written by Dennis Caswell, and based on ''Videogame/StarRaiders'', it's considered one of the 2600's best games.
8
9	The plot is an [[ExcusePlot excuse]] about aliens called the Dracons invading the Human Federation. You fly a ship armed with Phaser Torpedoes (guided missiles) and you have to kill all the Dracons.
10
11	The game has two main screens, selected with the left difficulty switch. The Sector Map screen shows you a grid of 36 sectors. You are in one, two of them are occupied by friendly starbases, and most of the rest are unknown; they could be empty, or occupied by Dracons. You move the cursor to a sector and press fire to 'warp-hop' to that sector. You can warp to any sector, but longer warps take more energy.
12
13	The Combat Action screen is where the fighting happens. You have a first-person view, and in the center of the screen is your torpedo sight, with a rangefinder. You watch the Dracons approach on radar, and once they are [[ArbitraryWeaponRange within range]], open fire. If the Dracon is inside your sight when you fire, the torpedo will home in; if it's outside, the torpedo will fly straight ahead. The sight is small, and the Dracons move around a lot, so it's hard to stay on target.
14
15	There is also a [[StatusLine status bar]] at the bottom, showing shield status (on or off), equipment status (normal, damaged, or destroyed), the radar screen, your energy level, and messages.
16
17	The Dracons come at you two at a time, and shoot torpedoes at you. Your shields, computer (for radar and torpedo targeting), long range scanner (for seeing what's in neighboring sectors) and torpedoes can all be damaged or destroyed. At some point, if they keep hitting you, your ship will be destroyed altogether. Best to warp to a starbase if you start taking damage; there you get full repairs and energy.
18
19	When the game ends, whether you win or lose, you get a [[GameplayGrading ranking]] based on your performance.
20
21	!!''Phaser Patrol'' provides examples of:
22	* ArbitraryWeaponRange: Your torpedoes will auto-detonate at a certain range.
23	* AWinnerIsYou: Nothing special about the ending, just "Aliens Destroyed" and your ranking.
24	* BeepingComputers: Your ship's computer makes random beeping noises.
25	* {{Cutscene}}: Stars going by while you warp.
26	* DeflectorShields: Your ship is equipped with an energy shield that protects you from Dracon torpedoes. The shield can be damaged or destroyed.
27	* DifficultyLevels: Easy and Hard. In Hard mode the Dracons come at you relentlessly.
28	* EnemyDetectingRadar: Your ship has a radar screen that shows you where the enemies are around you.
29	* EmptyRoomPsych: Most of the sectors are empty.
30	* EveryBulletIsATracer: Both your torpedoes and the Dracons' are visible as yellow squares.
31	* ExcusePlot: The Dracons are invading the Human Federation!
32	* FirstPersonShooter: This is technically a form of FPS, though it's just sprite graphics, and you can only rotate, not move around.
33	* GameplayGrading: When the game ends (win or lose), the game gives you a rank (novice, pilot, or ace) and a grade from A to F.
34	* {{HUD}}: Your torpedo sight and rangefinder.
35	* OneBulletAtATime: You have to wait for your torpedo to detonate before you can fire another. Also, only two enemies can appear at a time.
36	* PainfullySlowProjectile: You and the Dracons can dodge each other's torpedoes.
37	* PhlebotinumOverload: Your ship's energy shield can be damaged or destroyed by Dracon torpedoes.
38	* PlayerHeadquarters: The starbases, safe zones where your ship gets repairs and its energy replenished.
39	* PowerSource: Starts at 9999 and diminishes with time, warps, torpedo firing, and enemy hits. Replenish it at the starbases.
40	* PressXToDie: The Color-B/W switch turns your shields on and off. But why would you want to turn your shields off?
41	* RandomlyGeneratedLevels: The sector map.
42	* ShootEmUp: The game is a first-person 2D sprite-based shooter.
43	* ShoutOut: [[Franchise/StarTrek Phaser, warp, torpedoes, an interstellar Federation...]] Which is not surprising given that it's based on ''Videogame/StarRaiders'', which is in turn based on the ''VideoGame/StarTrekTextGame''.
44	* SpaceStation: Two of them, to repair and replenish your ship.
45	* SubsystemDamage: Your ship's shields, torpedoes, targeting computer, and long-range scanner can be damaged or destroyed.

Context VideoGame / PhaserPatrol