A twin-stick firefighting action game for the Atari 8-bit.
By Bill Kendrick bill@newbreedsoftware.com
http://www.newbreedsoftware.com/firefighter/Inspired by Real Heroes: Firefighter (Wii; Conspiracy Entertainment, 2012), Brave Firefighters (arcade; SEGA, 1999), Boulderdash (Atari 8-bit and other platforms; First Star Software, 1985), and Robotron: 2084 (arcade; Williams Electronics, 1982). See the development docs.
Splash screen photo: "Firefighter: Fireman in Action" by Jean Beaufort (Public Domain).
Splash screen firefighter badge: From "First Responders Three" by Byron Songer (Public Domain).
Splash screen fonts: "Echotopia" by Erik Kirtley and "K.O. Activista" by deFharo (both SIL Open Font License).
Level 7 by Edward
Developed 2023-08-13 - 2023-12-26
Fires are breaking out at an industrial building. It's your job to find and save the workers trapped inside, and put out fires along the way.
Each level of the game is made of a single screen containing one or more rooms to navigate, occupied by crates, barrels of explosive material, leaking gas pipelines, and workers.
You control a firefighter with an unlimited amount of fire extinguishing agent (a magic invisible hose? a decanter of endless water? don't think about it too hard). Spray the fire to quench it, but beware because it spreads quickly.
Find the workers trapped in the room, and help them navigate to the exit. They are overcome by smoke and fear, and will wander aimlessly unless you are close by to guide them. They can perish if they end up too close to a large fire!
Lose three (3) workers, and the game ends.
Some rooms contain crates and/or barrels which you can push out of your way if they block your path. Be careful how you move them, though; you can only push, you cannot pull them! (You can also push workers if they get in your way.)
Pipes pump gas through some rooms, and any cracks will leak this flammable material into the air. If you can reach the valve, you can turn off the flow.
If there's an ax, you can pick it up. Instead of pushing crates, you will destroy them (they may take two hits). Be careful navigating near pipes once you have the ax, as you will damage them!
When fire spreads to oil barrels or gas leaking from pipes it will cause an explosion, spreading even more fire. Beware of chain reactions!
The title screen shows some brief instructions and descriptions of objects. Press the
Startconsole key or firebutton on either joystick to begin a game.You can select which joystick moves the firefighter, and which sprays, by pressing the
Optionconsole key.You can choose a starting level by using the
Selectconsole key.
This game is best played with a dual-stick set-up (a la the arcade games Robotron: 2084 or Smash TV). One stick controls your firefighter's position in the room, the other causes you to spray; in both cases, in any one of eight directions. You may move and spray at the same time (walking backwards or strafing).
If you prefer to play with only one joystick, you can hold the fire button and push a direction to spray that way. However, you will stand still while you spray!
Press
StartorEscto abort the game. PressSpaceorPto pause and unpause gameplay.
Across the top of the screen you'll be shown:
- "LEVEL" - The current level
- "SCORE" - Your score
- "BONUS" - The current level's bonus (which counts down)
- Fire icon - How many workers you have lost during this game
Neither you, nor the workers can move through these objects. Fire cannot spread into or through these objects.
The walls that make up the room(s) in each level.
Walk up to these and push into them, and any workers standing next to you will leave the room to safety. (This is the goal of the game!)
Once all workers have left the room (or perished), you can push into a door or exit leave the room yourself, and thus end the level. (See "Completing a Level", below.)
Gas pipes which are broken will leak gas, which cause explosions. Large fire will appear at the gas leak's position, as well as directly above, below, to the left, and to the right, if possible.
In some levels, gas pipes start out broken. Beware -- if you have the ax and walk into a pipe, it will become broken!
Closing all valves connected to pipes will turn off the gas, which will stop any broken pipes from leaking gas.
Walk up and push into a valve to toggle its state. Open valves have crossbars that go up and down ("+"). Closed valves have crossbars that go diagonal ("X").
There are some objects which you may be able to push around the room. Walk up and push into them any of eight directions and, if there is nothing in that direction -- it must be a blank space, there may not be fire, gas leaks, or workers -- it will move to that position (you will stay in the same spot for a moment).
If you have picked up the ax during the current level, when you push into crates they will become broken crates. And if you push into broken crates, they will be completely destroyed.
When fire spreads to crates and broken crates, it starts out as a large fire immediately!
When fire spreads to oil barrels, they cause an explosion! Large fire will appear at the barrel's position, as well as directly above, below, to the left, and to the right, if possible.
Workers are the green, flailing people running around the room. They normally move randomly, but if you are nearby, they will tend to move towards you. Use this behavior to lead them to the exit. Stand next to the exit and push your joystick towards a door or exit sign, and any adjacent workers will be rescued: they disappear from the room, you'll hear a chime sound, and you'll receive points.
If a large fire ends up spreading onto a worker, they'll perish: they disappear from the room, you'll hear a sad tone, and the screen will flash red.
Lose three (3) workers, and the game ends.
The ax is a collectible object that appear on some levels. (You start each level without the ax.) When you touch it, it will disappear from the room, you'll hear a chime, you'll receive some points, and the word "AX" will appear at the top right. (Note: You cannot "unequip" yourself of the ax.)
As described above, the ax can be used to break and destroy crates, but can also break pipes if you're not careful -- and that can lead to gas leaks, which lead to explosions, which leads to even more fire to contend with!
The ax can be destroyed by fire! When fire spreads onto the ax, it starts out as a large fire immediately!
Each level begins with, at the very least, a small fire somewhere on the screen. As the game goes on, small fires will grow into medium fires, medium fires will grow into large fires, and large fires will spread into adjacent positions in the room.
Normally, when fire spreads, the new fire will start out small. However, as described above, when fire spreads onto some objects, the new fire will start out large. In some cases, there'll be an explosion (the screen will flash and an explosion sound will play), which can cause more large fire to appear adjacent to whatever caused the explosion!
When no more workers remain on the screen -- either by being rescued, or perishing -- you may exit the level. This is indicated by a blue exclamation point appearing at the top left of the screen.
Walk to a door or "Exit" sign and hold the stick in the direction of the door or sign. A countdown will appear at the top left. Once it reaches zero (0), you will exit the level.
Prior to leaving a level, you should try and put out any remaining fire and ensure there are no gas leaks, to receive a "safety bonus".
Each level begins with a "Bonus" score that counts down over time. These points are also added to your score when you complete a level.
- Picking up an ax: 15 points
- Breaking or destroying a crate: -1 point
- Breaking a pipe: -5 points
- Saving a worker: 100 points
- Ending a level with no fire or gas leaks remaining: 1,000 points
- Time bonus: Scoring potental starts at 1,000 x Level # (max 10,000)