Arcade Nostalgia: "Defender" Trivia Quiz

Answer: A joystick & buttons

As controls for video games went in 1981, "Defender" had some of the most challenging. With a side-scrolling screen, your ship would basically cruise along (left to right) if you didn't do anything. You could change the elevation with the joystick - up or down - and could push forward using the 'thrust' button. If you needed to turn around, you could - just push the 'reverse' button and you could now go in the other direction.

There was also a 'hyperspace' button that would allow you to disappear and reappear somewhere else - very handy if you were in a sticky situation! Of course, this also sometimes meant that you jumped into a dangerous position, either due to enemy presence or the terrain.

There were two more buttons in addition to the ones that controlled movement. These were the weapons. One button fired a laser blast, while the other was a 'smart bomb' that cleared your screen of enemies. However, you only had three of those to begin the game (you could earn another with every 10,000 points), so you had to use them sparingly.

Answer: About five times as wide

The main playing screen that the player saw was only a portion of the total level. The game included a smaller 'mini-map' or 'scanner' that showed the entire landscape, and only about one fifth of that map was what the player had to work with in the moment.

Visible on the map were the locations of all of the enemies, as well as all of the humans that it was your job to defend. A blinking marker showed your ship's location on the map, as well, allowing you to track the enemy targets.

Answer: Ten

Each level had ten humans on the surface to protect, and in the beginning, there were only fifteen alien vessels to defeat. The number of aliens increased as the difficulty progressed.

Answer: Reaper

The aliens in "Defender" were called the Manti, according to the Williams Electronics Operations Manual. There were a number of different alien Manti in the game.

Landers were the primary threat, as their job was to abduct the humans from the surface (and they could shoot at you)... and if all ten were captured, the planet would be destroyed and the level to become filled with Mutants... you could still win the level if you defeated all the aliens, but it became much more difficult.

Mutants moved much faster, and were focused on destroying your ship. They could appear individually if a Lander captured a human and brought it to the top of the screen, or in an attacking wave as described above.

Bombers moved around slowly and left bombs behind that you had to be careful of (and, ideally, shoot).

Baiters appeared if you took too long on a level, and would zero in on you, forcing you to deal with them.

Pods didn't attack, but if you shot them, they would release four or five Swarmers, which were quick and hard to hit.

Answer: Lander

Where Landers were generally content to go after the humans on the ground, if they made it up to the top of the screen and transformed into Mutants, then they became much more aggressive. Mutants went for your ship, much like Baiters and Swarmers, although they were a bit craftier, trying to approach from above or below your ship to stay out of your line of fire.

Answer: True

Yes, it was not an inevitable loss if a Lander captured a human from the surface, but you had to be precise in your shooting and quick with your maneuvering to make this scenario work. It was possible to shoot the human instead of the Lander, and if you did do it right, then you still had to actually get beneath the falling human and catch it... as it would die if it hit the ground.

Answer: Smart bomb

You began the game with three smart bombs, and could earn more with every 10,000 points gained in the game. So, as noted, you didn't have an unlimited supply, and needed to use them sparingly, or find yourself without the advantage when you needed it most.

A couple of things to note about using a smart bomb - it only cleared what was on the visible screen (not the greater scanner map), and it cleared every enemy but NOT their bullets or mines. So, you still needed to make sure to dodge those even after deploying the smart bomb.

Answer: Running out of fuel

The basic ways to die in "Defender" were to be shot or to collide with something, either the terrain or any of the different alien vessels (not just the Baiter). However, your fuel was never a problem, and there was nothing to indicate in the game that fuel was even a factor to consider... no refuelling requirements or 'power-ups' needed.

Answer: An explosive particle burst

The graphic animation was more than just the pieces of the ship coming apart - it included a mix of white and brightly-coloured dots expanding outward from the center of the ship, making it look like it had exploded from within.

Answer: Military radar and radio equipment

Considering the style of game, hopefully this answer was self-evident. Williams Electronics had already established themselves as makers of pinball machines, which are well-known for their engaging (or annoying?) sound effects, so in transitioning to arcade video games, they already had a wealth of experience in that area.

Its other-worldly crackles, zaps and screams stood out in the busy soundscape of the arcade