Ballblazer

Ballblazer is a two-player computer sports game of 1985, which was developed by Lucasfilm Games and is a futuristic adaptation of the football game. Each player controls a kind of air cushion vehicle ( " Rotofoil " ), with which the ball ( " Plasmorb ") must be used often brought into the opponent's goal.

Ballblazer characterized by particularly realistic in comparison to other games of the home computer era representation of game physics. Effects such as acceleration, inertia, recoil and elastic collisions as well as the curvature of the earth have been shown convincingly and so involved in the game that they had to be taken into account by the player and taught him how skilful use a playful edge.

Game action

The playing field is located, according to the back story on an asteroid. Although the game only the rectangular provided with checkerboard game is passable, is due to the low visibility and the disappearance of distant objects to detect the horizon curvature of a small celestial body below the horizon and has a significant impact on the line. From the center line of the playing field from the gates are not visible, and as the doors move, the player must estimate the position in the first phase of an attack. A goal scored while the player is so far away that he is behind the horizon, bringing most points.

Technical details

In order to enable a two-player game, the screen is divided horizontally ( split screen) and in every part of the screen the view of the player or the opponent is represented. Some of the possible in-game tactics, such as exploiting the recoil when firing the ball to bounce against the pursuing enemy and slow him so, based on the tracking of the image in the screen half of the opponent.

The game was originally for the Atari 8- bit systems such as the Atari 800 and the Atari 5200 written. Later it was to many of then-popular home computers of the time, such as the Apple II, ZX Spectrum, Amstrad CPC, Commodore 64 and the Atari 7800 ported.

In 1990, a sequel titled Master Blazer was published by LucasArts and Rainbow Arts. The game was released on the computer platforms Amiga, Atari ST and PC.

In 1997, a remake for the Playstation was titled Ball Blazer Champions, also published by LucasArts.