Avalanche (video game)

Avalanche
Promotional flyer
Developer(s)	Atari, Inc.
Publisher(s)	Atari, Inc.
Designer(s)	Dennis Koble[2]
Platform(s)	Arcade Atari 8-bit
Release	April 1978: Arcade 1981: Atari 8-bit[1]
Genre(s)	Action
Mode(s)	Single-player

Avalanche is an arcade video game designed by Dennis Koble and released by Atari, Inc. in 1978.^[2] The object is to catch falling rocks with a controllable set of paddles that diminish in number and size as the rocks fall faster and faster.^[3] The concept gained a much wider audience after Activision released an unauthorized adaptation in 1981 as Kaboom! for the Atari 2600.^[4] The only official home port of Avalanche is for Atari 8-bit computers.

Gameplay

Avalanche is for 1 or 2 players, alternating turns. There are six rows of rocks at the top of the screen. The game starts with a six-storied platform and the player loses one platform per row of rocks cleared. The player scores points for the rocks they prevent from reaching the ground. The further the row of rocks, the smaller and faster they become. The ultimate goal is to get enough points so that the player can continue the game should they lose their first one.

Development

According to the manual for the Atari home computer version, Avalanche started out as a game about eggs and baskets called Catch.^[1] The game tested poorly, but was better received when the theme was changed to falling rocks.

Avalanche is housed in a custom cabinet that includes two large lit start buttons and a rotary controller. The side art and bezel feature groupings of rocks with extending lines meant to convey the motion of falling rocks. The screen is black and white with two colored strips to provide colored rows of graphics as in Breakout.

The circuit board is based on the 6502 CPU, with game code stored in multiple ROMs.^[5] All game text is selectable to 4 different languages: English, French, German, or Spanish. Avalanche also has a built-in self-test diagnostic program that displays all microprocessor and memory functions, including the operator switches and functions.^[3]

Release

Avalanche was shipped to the public in April 1978.^[6] Dennis Koble's official port of Avalanche for Atari 8-bit computers was published through the Atari Program Exchange in 1981 instead of official Atari channels.^[1] It requires the paddle controller.

Legacy

Avalanche inspired many similar games including Kaboom! by Activision, Lost Luggage, and Eggomania, all for the Atari 2600. Chicken for the Atari 8-bit computers and Popcorn for the TRS-80 Color Computer are others.^[7]

References

1. "Avalanche Manual". archive.org. Atari Program Exchange. 1981.
2. Hague, James. "The Giant List of Classic Game Programmers".
3. "Avalanche dealer flyer" (Press release). Atari, Inc. 1978. Retrieved 2008-01-25.
4. Yarusso, Albert. "Kaboom!". Atari Age. Archived from the original on 2 February 2006. Retrieved 2006-01-25.
5. "System 16 - 6502 Black & White Raster Hardware (Atari)". Retrieved 2008-01-25.
6. Akagi 2006, p. 111.
7. Boyle, L. Curtis. "Popcorn". The Tandy Color Computer Games List.

Sources

• Akagi, Masumi (2006). "海外編" [Overseas Edition]. アーケードTVゲームリス 国内 • 海外編 ( 1971 - 2005 )ト [Arcade TV Game List Domestic/Overseas Edition (1971-2005)] (in Japanese). Japan: Amusement News Agency. ISBN 978-4990251215.

External links

• Avalanche at the Killer List of Videogames
• Avalanche at Atari Mania