Decathlon (computer game)

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Decathlon
Studio Activision
Publisher Activision
Erstveröffent-
lichung		 1983
platform Atari 8-bit , Atari 2600 , Atari 5200 , ColecoVision , C64 , MSX
genre Sports simulation
Game mode Single player , multiplayer
control joystick

Decathlon is a sport - computer game , also known as party game can be viewed. It was implemented on several home computers and game consoles, including the Atari 2600 and the Commodore 64 . The game is based on the principle of the decathlon and thus an Olympic discipline . Rather untypical for the arcade era at that time, as 10 individual games were now combined in a single one, which was unique due to the low-memory modules. The game was developed by David Crane .

description

The player goes through the original order of the decathlon, which is as follows:

  1. 100 m run
  2. Long jump
  3. Shot put
  4. high jump
  5. 400 m run
  6. 110 m hurdles
  7. Discus throwing
  8. Pole vault
  9. Javelin
  10. 1500 m run

All disciplines followed the same principle. An energy bar displayed on the lower screen recorded speed, which was achieved by moving the joystick quickly to the left and right. The fire button was the "action", e.g. B. the jump in the long jump, jumping over every hurdle in the 110 m hurdle run, or the timely release of the throwing device.

Point system

As in a real decathlon, each performance was converted into a corresponding number of points. After the ten disciplines, you usually actually achieved a result that corresponded to the athletic performance of the time.

Game types

Up to 4 players could compete against each other in an all-around mode, making Decathlon a pioneer of this game genre. At the end, the results were compared with each other and the placements displayed. Running competitions could - depending on the number of available joysticks - be held individually against the computer or directly against a fellow player. It was also possible to practice individual disciplines without completing an entire decathlon.

history

Decathlon was named Sports Game of the Year in 1984 and was a family game beyond compare. It also became the pseudonym of the so-called joystick killer games, as the violent and fast joystick movements put this to the extreme. The alternating sports made it possible to gather new strength, as the fingers were stressed by the running games. The final 1500 m run was particularly demanding. In contrast to the other running disciplines, this was defused so that the joystick movements could be carried out a little more slowly within the first 1300 m, while the last 200 m had to be mastered in a sprint. After the game, the player was at the end of his life while the animated character with the Olympic flag ran through the stadium. Special achievements (all from 1000 points per discipline) were rewarded with a short fanfare. Ideally, good players could collect a total of 10,000 points and more, which was very rare.

Similar games

Web links