Discs of Tron (Upright, 10/4/83) - MAME machine

Arcade Video game published 41 years ago:

Discs of Tron © 1983 Bally Midway.

As Tron, you fling discs at Sark in an attempt to knock him off his platform. Knocking off Sark will advance you to the next level. Other levels vary the level and number of platforms to jump between.

TECHNICAL
[Upright model] [No. 696]

The Upright model looses a lot of the bells and whistles of the Environmental model, including speech (see 'Updates' section for more information).

Bally Midway MCR 3 hardware

Main CPU: Zilog Z80 (@ 5 Mhz)
Sound CPU: Zilog Z80 (@ 2 Mhz), M6802 (@ 895 Khz)
Sound Chips: (2x) General Instrument AY8910 (@ 2 Mhz), Texas Instruments TMS5220 (@ 640 Khz)

Screen orientation: Horizontal
Video resolution: 512 x 480 pixels
Screen refresh: 30.00 Hz
Palette colors: 64

Players: 2
Control: 8-way joystick with a trigger, spinner knob, button

TRIVIA
Discs of Tron was released in March 1983.

Also released as "Discs of Tron [Environmental model]".

Discs of Tron was originally designed to be a part of the original "Tron" coin-op, but was cut out at the end and set aside for refinement and release as a stand-alone coin-op in its own right.

Discs of Tron is inspired by the short sequence in the movie (Tron, 1982 Disney) where the character Flynn beats another trapped program and eventually 'derezzes' him, and when Tron is introduced, beating four 'computer players' very early in the movie.

David Bagenski holds the official record for this game with 418,200 points on June 28, 1986.

A Discs of Tron 'prototype' machine was shown at the 2003 classic arcade games show 'California Extreme' in San Jose, California.

UPDATES
Upright version 1:

• First release.

Environmental version:

• Additional PCB boards including sound, speech and light sequencer boards and relays.
• Different EPROM data for video & CPU.

Upright version 2:

• Added points displaying for 'derezing a disc 2000' on the attract mode.
• Some changes on sound and input menu in Test mode.

SCORING
Smash Sark's disc: 100 points.
Smash Sark's energy disc: 200 points.
Smash Sark's chaser: 400 points.
Smash Sark's super chaser: 800 points.
Smash Sark's energy pellet: 600 points.
Graze Sark: 200 points.
Derez Sark: 1000 points.
Derez Sark's Platform: 2000 points.

SERIES

• Tron (1982)
• Discs of Tron (1983)
• Tron 2.0 (2003, PC/MAC)
• TRON (2010, iPhone/iPod)

STAFF
Designed and Programmed by: Robert Dinnerman (Bob)
Game Art and Animation: Brian Colin
Concept art: Earl Vickers
Cabinet Design: George Gomez
Hardware: Atish Ghosh
Group Manager: Bill Adams

PORTS

• CONSOLES:

Microsoft XBOX 360 [XBLA] (feb.13, 2008)

• HANDHELDS:

[US] Nintendo Game Boy Advance (oct.20, 2004) "Tron 2.0 - Killer App [Model AGB-BTNE-USA]"
[EU] Nintendo Game Boy Advance (nov.12, 2004) "Tron 2.0 - Killer App [Model AGB-BTNP-EUR]"

• COMPUTERS:

Commodore C64 (19??)
[EU] Amstrad CPC (1990) "Disc"

CONTRIBUTE
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