game
icon
title Tac/Scan
set name tacscan
manufacturer Sega
year 1982
genre Shooter (hof)
category Shooter / Flying Vertical (hof)
driver status imperfect
driver source segag80v.c
snapshots MW: in game / CT: in game | title / PS: in game | title
rating

73% after 74 votes
 
display
colour emulation good
palette 0
display type vector
orientation vertical
frequency 40.000000Hz
sound
sound emulation imperfect
channels mono
controls
players 1
nplayers 2P alt
controls dial
buttons 2
coin slots 2
hardware
cpu Z80 @ 4MHz
cpu I8035 @ 6MHz
audio Custom
data
version added .027
last change(s) .107u3 .104u6
roms
name size crc set flags sha1
1711a.cpu-u25  2048  0da13158  tacscan    256c5441a4841441501c9b7bcf09e0e99e8dd671 
1670c.prom-u1  2048  98de6fd5  tacscan    f22c215d7558e00366fec5092abb51c670468f8c 
1671a.prom-u2  2048  dc400074  tacscan    70093ef56e0784173a06da1ac781bb9d8c4e7fc5 
1672a.prom-u3  2048  2caf6f7e  tacscan    200119260f78bb1c5389707b3ceedfbc1ae43549 
1673a.prom-u4  2048  1495ce3d  tacscan    3189f8061961d90a52339c855c06e81f4537fb2b 
1674a.prom-u5  2048  ab7fc5d9  tacscan    b2d9241d83d175ead4da36d7311a41a5f972e06a 
1675a.prom-u6  2048  cf5e5016  tacscan    78a3f1e4a905515330d4737ac38576ac6e0d8611 
1676a.prom-u7  2048  b61a3ab3  tacscan    0f4ef5c7fe299ad20fa4637260282a733f1cf461 
1677a.prom-u8  2048  bc0273b1  tacscan    8e8d8830f17b9fa6d45d98108ca02d90c29de574 
1678b.prom-u9  2048  7894da98  tacscan    2de7c121ad847e51a10cb1b81aec84cc44a3d04c 
1679a.prom-u10  2048  db865654  tacscan    db4d5675b53ff2bbaf70090fd064e98862f4ad33 
1680a.prom-u11  2048  2c2454de  tacscan    74101806439c9faeba88ffe573fa4f93ffa0ba3c 
1681a.prom-u12  2048  77028885  tacscan    bc981620ebbfbe4e32b3b4d00504475634454c57 
1682a.prom-u13  2048  babe5cf1  tacscan    26219b7a26f818fee2fe579ec6fb0b16c6bf056f 
1683a.prom-u14  2048  1b98b618  tacscan    19854cb2741ba37c11ae6d429fa6c17ff930f5e5 
1684a.prom-u15  2048  cb3ded3b  tacscan    f1e886f4f71b0f6f2c11fb8b4921c3452fc9b2c0 
1685a.prom-u16  2048  43016a79  tacscan    ee22c1fe0c8df90d9215175104f8a796c3d2aed3 
1686a.prom-u17  2048  a4397772  tacscan    cadc95b869f5bf5dba7f03dfe5ae64a50899cced 
1687a.prom-u18  2048  002f3bc4  tacscan    7f3795a05d5651c90cdcd4d00c46d05178b433ea 
1688a.prom-u19  2048  0326d87a  tacscan    3a5ea4526db417b9e00b24b019c1c6016773c9e7 
1709a.prom-u20  2048  f35ed1ec  tacscan    dce95a862af0c6b67fb76b99fee0523d53b7551c 
1710a.prom-u21  2048  6203be22  tacscan    89731c7c88d0125a11368d707f566eb53c783266 
s-c.xyt-u39  1024  56484d19  tacscan    61f43126fdcfc230638ed47085ae037a098e6781 
pr-82.cpu-u15  32  c609b79e  tacscan    49dbcbb607079a182d7eb396c0da097166ea91c9 
cabinet art
cabinet tacscan.png
marquee tacscan.png
control panel tacscan.png
flyer tacscan.png
additional information
info 0.27 [Al Kossow, Brad Oliver]

Bugs:
  • The cocktail DIP has no effect and there are no separate controls for player 2. Frotz (ID 00260)
WIP:
  • 0.122u6: Changed I8035 CPU2 clock speed to 6MHz.
  • 0.107u3: Fixed rom names.
  • 0.104u7: Aaron Giles made more improvements to the Sega Universal Sound board. Star Trek is almost identical to the samples. Tac/Scan is not that far off, surprisingly.
  • 0.104u6: Aaron Giles added emulation of the Universal Sound Board - not yet perfected, but gets rid of the need for samples in Star Trek and Tac/Scan. Tac/Scan sounds pretty wretched now, but Star Trek is close. Changed Z80 CPU1 clock speed to 4MHz and I8035 CPU2 to 400000 Hz. Removed all samples and added proms ($0, 400 - Sine table and CPU board addressing).
  • 0.35b12: Added sample (1up.wav).
  • 26th April 1999: Jim Hernandez fixed Tac-Scan credit sound.
  • 0.35b3: Jim Hernandez added missing samples in Tac/Scan (tunnelw, flight1-5, formatn, warp and credit.wav).
  • 6th February 1999: Jim Hernandez fixed Tac/Scan input ports, making extra ships work.
  • 0.34b3: Changed description to 'Tac/Scan'.
  • 0.30: Brad Oliver added Tac-Scan. This is the original, security chip version of the Sega G-80 vector games. Note that the version previously supported have all been removed. Valerio Verrando added hiscore save in Tac/Scan.
  • 0.29: Brad Oliver added sound (through samples) in Tac-Scan.
  • 0.27: Added Tac-Scan (Sega 1982). Al Kossow and Brad Oliver provided a driver for the Sega vector games Eliminator, Space Fury, Star Trek, Tac-Scan and Zektor. Partial sound support (speech) is available through samples for some of them.
Other Emulators:
  • AAE
  • JAE
Recommended Games (Starfighter):

Starship 1

Star Fire

Star Fire 2

Star Wars

The Empire Strikes Back

Star Wars Arcade

Star Wars Trilogy

Tunnel Hunt

Star Hawk

Tailgunner

Space Encounters

Space Seeker

Buck Rogers: Planet of Zoom

Catacomb

Gravitar

Liberator

Rougien

Star Trek

Tac/Scan

Ambush

Blaster

Cube Quest

Exerion

I, Robot

Tube Panic

High Voltage

Shrike Avenger

Splendor Blast

Vs. Star Luster

Thunder Ceptor

Galaxy Force 2

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Galactic Storm

Romset: 46 kb / 24 files / 33.2 zip
history Tac/Scan (c) 1982 Sega.


TAC/SCAN is a 1 or 2-player alternate action game, displayed via SEGA's Color X-Y video system. Commanding unprecedented firepower, the player maneuvers seven fighter ships in a squadron formation. All seven ships fire at once when the FIRE button is pressed, producing a spectacular missile salvo.


The object of the game is to accumulate points by destroying incoming enemy ships while dodging fireballs launched by these enemies. TAC/SCAN presents the space battle from two entirely different perspective views in the course of the game, with visually exciting transition sequences interconnecting the two views.


The player begins the game with a seven ship formation, and a supply of reserve ships which are shown above the player score on the screen. The number of reserve ships at the beginning of the game is switch selectable. An ADD SHIP button placed next to the FIRE button transfers one of the reserve ships in the squadron formation. Where the reserve ships are placed is shown by a half-intensity fighter in the formation. This 'add ship' position continuously cycles between the empty squadron positions, and the advanced player will time the ADD SHIP function to place squadron fighters at preferred positions.


A player fighter is blown up by contact with either an enemy ship or an enemy fireball. Whenever all seven ship positions become empty the game is over, EVEN IF THERE ARE REMAINING RESERVE FIGHTERS shown above the player score. Thus the player must continuously judge when to add reserve fighters by using the ADD SHIP button. Add them too early, and they might be depleted too fast; use them too late and you risk ending the game with reserve fighters left over.


There is an additional way to add ships to the squadron. During the course of the action, player fighter ships enter the playfield and intermix with the enemy ships. The player can capture these fighters directly into the seven ship formation by steering them into empty fighter positions. The player's missile fire DOES NOT blow up friendly fighters--only enemy ships.


TAC/SCAN begins with a top view of the battle. For the first ten seconds the player shoots at enemy ships without having to worry about return fire. After this 'warm-up' period, game play escalates dramatically. During this first phase, a different type of enemy appears just after two of the player fighters fly onto the screen. This is the Stinger, which flits around the field and shoots a deadly laser. This ship is a high priority target, since if not dealt with, it will pick off all of the squadron ships and end the game.


When the player attempts to dock a friendly fighter into the squadron formation, he or she has the choice of any of the empty ship positions shown in the squadron. A special feature occurs when the player ship docks into the frontmost ship position (marked with a red 'cursor'). Thin causes the squadron formation to regroup into a different pattern. If the load position is occupied, a fighter is added to the reserve count above the player's score.


At the end of the first phase (the top view) the squadron ships regroup, and a dramatic transition sequence takes the player into phase two. This sequence consists of the fighters rising and enlarging in size, then turning INTO the screen, lighting afterburners, and proceeding to fly forward to continue the battle. The enemy ships now appear far off in the distance, and grow in size as they approach the player's squadron. The player is given chances to rendezvous with friendly fighters, as in phase one.


At the end of this second phase, a space tunnel appears on the screen, and the player uses the rotary control to steer the squadron formation through the tunnel. Any fighter which hits a side wall of the tunnel explodes on contact. A triangular guide is shown during this sequence to show the player where his triangular ship formation should be. If the player keeps the formation centered within the guide, no ships will be lost.


Once out of the space tunnel, the player resumes with the second round. This is a more difficult top view battle, as at the beginning of the game. TAC/SCAN proceeds with multiple two phase rounds (phase one is the top view, phase two is the rear view) until all squadron ships are lost.


A switch option allows bonus reserve chips to he added with certain score values. The factory set option is to add one reserve ship every 30,000 points.


Regardless of the number of squadron ships on the screen, there are always seven missiles at a time available to the player. If there are seven ships on the screen (a full squadron), pressing the FIRE button launches all seven at once. Another push of the FIRE button cancels the seven in flight and launches seven new ones. If the squadron is not full, the seven missiles can be independently targeted. For example, with a single ship, seven missiles can be fired in seven directions, and only when the eighth is shot is the first one terminated (if it is still on the screen).


The two player game is played with players alternating after successful negotiation of the space tunnel. Whenever a player is eliminated, the other player continues and finishes the game.


- TECHNICAL -


Sega G80 vector hardware


Main CPU : Z80 (@ 4 Mhz), I8035 (@ 400 Khz)

Sound Chips : Custom (@ 400 Khz)


Screen orientation : Vertical

Video resolution : 224 x 256 pixels

Screen refresh : 40.00 Hz

Palette colors : 256


Players : 2

Control : dial

Buttons : 2


- TRIVIA -


Released during November 1982.


Tac/Scan was the only Sega vector game to use a vertically mounted (portrait) monitor.


- SCORING -


Rounds 1 through 7 :

Enemy ships : 100 points X round number.

Stingers : 1,000 points X round number.


Rounds 8 and above :

Enemy ships : 800 points.

Stingers : 8,000 points.


Destroying 2 enemy ships with a single missile salvo doubles the point values.


Destroying 3 enemy ships with a single missile salvo triples the point values.


- TIPS AND TRICKS -


* The most effective strategy for extending your playing time in Tac/Scan is to add as many extra ships as possible to your reserve (listed in upper-left corner of screen). Ships must be caught by the leading ship position which is further signified by a red colored underline in order to be added to your reserve. To begin capturing ships you must have at least one open position in your fleet; otherwise the game will not award ships (kill off 2 of your ships on the edges of your fleet at the very beginning of the game to achieve the highest amount of reserve ships during the first wave).


* Wave one in Tac-Scan should always be played with a minimum of two ships in your fleet, with additional ships added as the levels get faster and harder. The second and third wave can almost always be effectively played with only two ships, and it is very important not to waste reserve ships in these two waves (saving those ships for the more dangerous first wave).


* Always keep changing directions on both wave 1 and 2. It is very effective to destroy ships while turning on wave 1, and on wave 2 ships will have a hard time hitting you if you don't stay in the same position for very long.


* The faster you fire, the shorter your shots will travel. Allowing a short pause between shots will allow them to travel the distance of the screen.


- PORTS -


* Consoles :

Atari 2600 (1982)

Sony PlayStation 2 (2006, "Sega Genesis Collection")


- SOURCES -


Game's rom.

Machine's picture.



Edit this entry at Arcade-History.com: http://www.arcade-history.com/?n=tac/scan&page=detail&id=2810&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 System16
view in The Arcade Flyer Archive
view in VGMuseum Gamepics
cheats
cheats
code comments
00000000:E0DC:00000001:FFFFFFFF  Always have ship 1
00000000:E0E6:00000001:FFFFFFFF  Always have ship 2
00000000:E0F0:00000001:FFFFFFFF  Always have ship 3
00000000:E0FA:00000001:FFFFFFFF  Always have ship 4
00000000:E104:00000001:FFFFFFFF  Always have ship 5
00000000:E10E:00000001:FFFFFFFF  Always have ship 6
00000000:E118:00000001:FFFFFFFF  Always have ship 7
60000000:0000:00000000:00000000 
00000000:CAA2:00000008:FFFFFFFF  Infinite Ships PL1
00000000:CAA3:00000008:FFFFFFFF  Infinite Ships PL2
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