Although Defender was quite difficult, it is/was extremely addictive. The sound effects and visuals of the smart bomb obliterations was incredible. My favourite arcade game of all time. Robotron was just as addictive. Jarvis, you are a legend.
Still holds its own in piloting skills against the modern shoot-em-up titles from CAVE, PSIKYO, RAIZING. Stargate slightly easier. Remember one player who deliberately lost his humanoids and went to outer space having to clear at least 10 levels before returning to normal land stages. Racked up a lot of lives before going to space stages.
Back in '81 I had a job making change and keeping the guests happy at an arcade on the Boardwalk in AC, NJ. Defender was "my" game when I wasn't playing pinball. Thanks for the memories. ps that guy is good.
Thank you Tim and thank you Joe! Great tips!! I was much better at Defender as a younger kid than I am now. I used to be able to do multiple attack waves before going hyper space. Not so good now. It's one of the few games I used to be ok at but not so good now. Most games I kept my ability. Defender seemed to get tougher. I have a few friends that are so good at this game it's crazy.
I had a paperback book about arcade tips for Defender in the mid 80's . One day , while riding the school bus , I started hole punching that book from cover to cover midway from the edge of the free paper . Eventually , I was able to secure my school combination lock to it , preventing a few other kids from trying to read it .
Great video, I really loved Defender back in the day, the sights and especially the incredible sounds absolutely mesmerised an 11 year old me, I was eventually pretty damn good at it but my word Joe is incredible, best player I've ever seen anyway, thanks for the memories. 👌
Steve Davis used play this game during his intervals playing snooker he had them shipped in for him…. I wonder if he has an original machine or two…. I wonder if he was any good at playing it?
Some helpful tips! I am too young to have been hanging around in arcades in the early 80s, but I did play it on home systems such as Atari 2600. And once in a while I play the arcade version emulated these days. I wouldn't mind improving my game, so thank you!
That’s how I played back in 80-82 while in uni. I always felt the quick reverse and knowing how to group for a smart bomb kill are key. Now in my 60s I plan on building a Defender and have been collecting the bits so I have a great retirement project :-). Thanks for this. Brings back so many great memories.
@@timstinyarcade170 my pleasure, be fun to meet sometime. I was born in 66, so I was the perfect age for the Golden Age of the arcades. I played Defender from day one. Took me a very long time to play very good. I really enjoy your channel😍
@@timstinyarcade170 it was the best. I was there from 78-85, then I started taking pool more serious. I became a solid pool player but nothing close to what I accomplished on Defender. I enjoy the pins from that period as well. Your Defender machine with the CRT looks fantastic. I just bought one again, I’ve owned many over the years. I have a Stargate in storage that needs some help. Defender is a better game. SG was too easy, it’s more fun with the inviso button disabled.
super - does anyone know if there is a source documented that describes the algorithms for example the baiter AI seeking and intercepting (et al), enemy explosion algorithms (et al) and warp-in algorithms. I have seen some good attempts at recreating but not quite as good...
Best 2D side scroller ever . We need a defender 3 or stargate 2 to put in our old machines! Strike force was no bueno sequel to the defender saga. Does Eugene Jarvis have some grand kids that can help ?Im tempted to borrow from the original roms like they did with mrs pac man to make a proper sequel . Anyone have any ideas?The software probably should load into a jrok multi Williams like tie die robotron etc.
@@timstinyarcade170 I just found an original defender running on the old boards, Im going to drill a hole for inviso add a button and put in the jrok multi Williams in it to make it a defender/ stargate , Joe makes hitting 100grand on defender look easy .
Oh my really appreciate this video I was like 12 year's old when I 1st played Defender in 1980 , 1981 . Game kicked my butt . But after a couple hundred dollars in quarters. I was able play for over 15 minutes or more on one quarter. This game taught me how to overcome losing with a lot of practice. I have not played DEFENDER since like ,1987 . My friend just text me l last week , that they got a DEFENDER cabinet in a restaurant in Boston. we he works . Really appreciate this video!
