game
icon
title Barrier
set name barrier
manufacturer Vectorbeam
year 1979
genre Puzzle (hof)
category Puzzle (hof)
driver status good
driver source cinemat.c
snapshots PS: in game | title | scores / MW: in game / CT: in game | title | artwork / Mr. Do: artwork / Dany69: artwork
rating

65.8% after 19 votes
 
display
colour emulation good
palette 0
display type vector
orientation vertical
frequency 38.000000Hz
sound
sound emulation good
channels mono
samples playrdie.wav
playmove.wav
enemmove.wav
controls
players 2
nplayers 2P alt
controls 4 way joystick
buttons 0
coin slots 1
hardware
cpu CCPU @ 4.98075MHz
audio Samples
data
version added .035b06
last change(s) .087u3
roms
name size crc set flags sha1
barrier.t7  2048  7c3d68c8  barrier    1138029552b73e94522b3b48096befc057d603c7 
barrier.p7  2048  aec142b5  barrier    b268936b82e072f38f1f1dd54e0bc88bcdf19925 
prom.f14  256  9edbf536  barrier    036ad8a231284e05f44b1106d38fc0c7e041b6e8 
prom.e14  32  29dbfb87  barrier    d8c40ab010b2ea30f29b2c443819e2b69f376c04 
prom.d14  32  9a05afbf  barrier    5d806a42424942ba5ef0b70a1d629315b37f931b 
prom.c14  32  07492cda  barrier    32df9148797c23f70db47b840139c40e046dd710 
prom.j14  32  a481ca71  barrier    ce145d61686f600cc16b77febfd5c783bf8c13b0 
prom.e8  32  791ec9e1  barrier    6f7fcce4aa3be9020595235568381588adaab88e 
cabinet art
cabinet barrier.png barrier.png
marquee barrier.png
control panel barrier.png
flyer barrier.png
additional information
info 0.35b6 [Aaron Giles, Zonn Moore, Jeff Mitchell, Neil Bradley]

TODO:
  • Add sound/samples
WIP:
  • 0.87u3: Aaron Giles added sound to Barrier, Star Hawk, War of the Worlds and Boxing Bugs (note that samples don't exist yet, but I'm working with Zonn Moore to get them for everything except Barrier). Added Samples sound (playrdie, playmove and enemmove.wav).
  • 0.35b6: Added Barrier (Vectorbeam 1979).
  • 7th March 1999: Brad Oliver has finally sent in the Cinematronics vector games driver with working support for Space Wars, Barrier, Star Castle, Tailgunner, Rip Off, Armor Attack, War of the Worlds, Warrior, Star Hawk, Solar Quest.
Other Emulators:
  • AAE
  • Cinelator
  • CINEMU
  • Retrocade
Romset: 5 kb / 8 files / 3.98 zip
history Barrier (c) 1979 Vectorbeam.


The basic idea behind Barrier is that you have to move your little marker to the end of a grid, while avoiding the other markers. Actually that is the only idea. The game is played on a 3x9 grid that is displayed at angle to make it appear to be in 3-D. You move your little triangle around on the grid, while attempting to avoid the little diamonds that are also moving around on the grid. Reaching the end of the grid teleports you back to the front of the grid.


- TECHNICAL -


Barrier ran on the Cinematronics hardware platform, which also ran such games as "Warrior", "Speed Freak", and "Star Hawk". It used a huge X-Y monitor that was almost entirely covered with a monitor bezel that only allowed the small triangular playfield to show through. Around 70 percent of the monitor's total area was hidden from the player. The monitor was too large for the cabinet, it actually poked out through a notch in the back door. The control panel featured a Start button and four directional buttons, even though this title would have been better with a 4-Way joystick. The sideart shows a picture of a blue wizard who has the playfield of the game as his body, and the same wizard is repeated on the monitor bezel that blocks out most of the screen. This game had a metal marquee that did not light up. The marquee graphics were also repeated directly below the control panel, just in case you didn't see them on top of the machine.


Cabinet dimensions : 69'' (175cm) high x 25'' (64cm) wide x 26,5'' (67cm) deep.


Main CPU : CCPU (@ 5 Mhz)


Screen orientation : Vertical


Players : 2

Buttons : 4

=> Up, Left, Down, Right


- TRIVIA -


Released in August 1979.


The 2nd programmer hired by Tim Skelly, Rob Patton, was only 17 when he joined Cinematronics. This game is very reminiscent of the old Mattel hand-held football games from the late 70's. The gameplay is not as deep, though :o). Vectorbeam didn't have a game to ship after "Speed Freak" and needed a product to sell so Cinematronics sold them "Barrier" and in the words of Tim Skelly, 'laughed our asses off about it'.


- STAFF -
  • Designed & programmed by : Rob Patton
  • - SOURCES -
  • Game's rom.
  • Machine's picture.
  • Edit this entry at Arcade-History.com: http://www.arcade-history.com/?n=barrier&page=detail&id=185&o=2
resource links view in MAWS
view in CAESAR
view high score and replay at MARP
view in Progetto EMMA (Italian)
view in arcade-history.com
view in GameFAQs
view in KLOV
view in The Arcade Flyer Archive
view in The Arcade Flyer Archive
view in VGMuseum Gamepics
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