Track and Field, the Video Game by Konami

DESCRIPTION

GENRES :

Type of the machine : Video Game
Track and Field © 1983 Konami.

1 to 4 players compete against each other in 6 track and field events in this legendary, genre creating and much-copied game from Konami. Track and Field consisted of 2 run buttons per player (one for each 'leg' of the athlete) and one action button. Only 2 players could compete simultaneously so on 3 and 4-player games, players had to wait their turn. An extra life is awarded for every 100,000 points acquired. Each player must qualify in the current event before they can move on to the next. Hit the 2 run buttons to build up speed and use action button to jump or throw. The events are :
* 100M DASH - Run as fast as possible.
* LONG JUMP - Run to the take-off board then choose angle of jump (42 is optimal).
* JAVELIN - Run to the line then choose angle of throw (42 is optimal).
* 110M HURDLES - Run and time jumps over the hurdles.
* HAMMER THROW - As the athlete spins faster and faster, time release of hammer and angle of throw (45 is optimal).
* HIGH JUMP - The athlete will run to the bar, just as he reaches it, use Action button to start the jump and hold down the action button to reduce the angle of climb, i.e. you start going straight up at 90 degrees if you tap the button just once. Use run buttons while in the air to gain extra height.

TECHNICAL

CABINET :

Game ID : GX361

Main CPU : M6809 (@ 2.048 Mhz)
Sound CPU : Z80 (@ 3.579545 Mhz)
Sound Chips : DAC, SN76496 (@ 1.789772 Mhz), VLM5030 (@ 3.58 Mhz)

Screen orientation : Horizontal
Video resolution : 256 x 224 pixels
Screen refresh : 60.00 Hz
Palette colors : 32

Players : 4
Buttons : 3
= > [1] Run, [2] Jump/Throw, [3] Run

In a 4-player game on an upright machine, players 1 and 3 share player 1's control, and players 2 and 4 share player 2's control.

TRIVIA

Released in October 1983.
Licensed to Centuri for US manufacture and distribution (October 1983).

Track and Field proved to be incredibly successful for Konami, and would spawn countless imitations - particularly on the 8-bit home systems of the time - as well as three sequels of its own. One of the undoubted reasons for its success was the superb multi-player game, which, for perhaps the first time in the video arcade, introduced a genuine sense of rivally among players and showed the gaming world what was truly possible with multi-player gaming.

The song that is heard playing on the high score and awards screen is 'Chariots of Fire', written by Vangelis for the movie of the same name.

This game is known in Asia as "Hyper Olympic", later versions of the game replaced the Run buttons with a trackball. A Bootleg of this game, called "Atlant Olimpic" was released in Italy in 1996, thirteen years after the game first appeared.

A Track and Field unit appears in the 1985 movie, 'The Goonies'.

UPDATES

Later versions of this game replace the two 'Run' buttons with a trackball.

SCORING

Points are awarded in each event. The faster the time, the further or higher the jump, or the further you throw the more points you score.

TIPS AND TRICKS

* 100m Dash : Achieve exactly the same time for player 1 and 2 and 1000 point bonus will be awarded.

* Long Jump : 3 jumps of exactly the same length will cause a little man with a key to run across the screen, awarding 1000 points.

* Javelin : Throw the javelin off the top of the screen to bring down a bird for a 1000 point bonus. To do this you must achieve the 'maximum' angle.

* 110m Hurdles : If both players finish the race in a dead heat then a little man with a key will run across the screen, awarding 1000 points to each player.

* High Jump : Fail the first two jumps and then clear it; a mole burrows up for a 1000 point bonus.

* Hint : When you alternate tapping the run buttons (run1, run2, run1, run2 etc.) you will get a much better speed increase. You have three attempts to qualify on all but the two running events.

* BUG : In both Javelin and the Hammer Throw, throwing over 100m will cause a counter wraparound, so a 100m12 throw will be logged as 0m12 (and will not qualify you).

SERIES

1. Track and Field (1983)
2. Hyper Sports (1984)
3. '88 Games (1988)
4. Hyper Athlete (1996)
5. Nagano Winter Olympics '98 (1998)
6. International Track & Field 2000 (2000, Sony PlayStation)
7. International Track & Field Summer Games (2000, Nintendo 64)
8. New International Track & Field (2008, Nintendo DS)