Time Pilot '84 (set 3) - MAME machine

Arcade Video game published 40 years ago:

Time Pilot '84 - Further Into Unknown World © 1984 Konami.

Time Pilot '84 is an eight-way scrolling shoot 'em up and is the sequel to 1982's 'Time Pilot'. As with the prequel, the game's stages are set over different periods in time. Players must destroy a set number of enemy ships, after which an end-of-level guardian appears. Once this is destroyed the player's ship warps to the next stage.

The player's ship is armed with both a forward-firing gun and an infinite number of homing missiles. Each stage consists of both green and metallic enemies, the green enemies can be destroyed with the standard gun, but both metallic enemies and the end-of-stage guardian can only be killed with homing missiles. As the player's ship gets close to a metallic enemy, a "lock-on" square will appear over it, fired homing missiles will then follow and hit the enemy.

Unlike the prequel, which displayed the year in which each level was set, the time periods of 'Time Pilot '84' are indicated by new enemies and different backgrounds.

TECHNICAL
This title was usually sold as a conversion kit. There were only a few hundred dedicated cabinets made. It used the Konami Standard harness, and required a vertical monitor. The marquee showed a yellow Time Pilot '84 logo on a red space background. The side-art consisted of a huge sticker that showed a complicated space scene. Side-art like that rarely holds up very well, so most machines will probably be missing it altogether. The control panel featured a single joystick with 2 fire buttons off to the right (along with START buttons and game instructions).

Game ID: GX388

Main CPU: (2x) M6809 (@ 1.5 Mhz)
Sound CPU: Zilog Z80 (@ 3.579545 Mhz)
Sound Chips: (3x) Texas Instruments SN76496 (@ 1.789772 Mhz), (3x) RC (@ 1.789772 Mhz)

Screen orientation: Vertical
Video resolution: 224 x 256 pixels
Screen refresh: 60.00 Hz
Palette colors: 256

Players: 2
Control: 8-way joystick
Buttons: 2 (GUN, MISSILES)

TRIVIA
Time Pilot '84 was released in June 1984.

A Time Pilot '84 unit appears in the 1986 movie 'Maximum Overdrive'.

TIPS AND TRICKS

• On the first level, head directly to the right. After a couple of screens, you'll see an unusual 'V' formation of silver ships that resemble craft in "Time Pilot", heading up or down. This easy-to-kill formation gives you 8,000 points, a good start to the game.
• The biplane from the original "Time Pilot" also makes a cameo appearance in TP84. To find it, fly right to the water and harbor area. Then turn vertically up the screen. When the biplane appears (over water), hit it with a missile, and you are rewarded with a free player!

SERIES

• Time Pilot (1982)
• Time Pilot '84 - Further Into Unknown World (1984)

PORTS

• COMPUTERS:

[US] Commodore C64 [EU] (1985) "Space Pilot II" (unauthorized clone)

CONTRIBUTE
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