FULL TITLE:
Missile Attack and Defense
Story[]
"Defend your future civilization's energy supply against waves of devious attack missiles. Your energy stations stand vulnerable...use your ground based Photon Cannon and pit yourself against (...) missiles"
--- Game Manual Atari2600
Gameplay[]
The Photon Cannon sits at the bottom center of the screen with three Energy Stations on each side. Enemy missiles start appearing, moving horizontally from one side of the screen to the other. Once a missile turns white, that means it is about to dive down to the bottom of the screen. Colliding with a station will destroy it and the game will end when the player has no more remaining stations. Colliding with the player’s Cannon will disable its firing capability for two seconds.
The player can aim the Cannon in seven positions to fire at incoming missiles. After 4, 8, 12 and more rounds, all missiles will be white from the instant they appear, not giving the player an advance warning as to which one will drop down to the bottom of the screen.
Goal[]
- defend Photon Cannon and six energy stations from Missile attacks
- Shoot as many Missiles as possible, as long as possible
- Gain highest score
Rules[]
- Shoot falling Missiles (deadly)
- optional: shoot down Helicopters and Bomber plane
Player[]
| Photon Cannon | |
|---|---|
|
FEATURES: - attack: single fire (max. 2 bullets on screen) - defense: direct hit = los of one Energy Stations |
Moves[]
Basic Moves
- attack (single fire)
- aim (range: left/right)
Special Moves
None.
Forbidden Moves
- Fire more than 2 shots at a time
Weapons[]
One shooting structure, Photo Cannon, situated in the center. One type of single shots.
Base structures[]
| name | image | durability | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Energy Station | 
|
|
|
- destroyed by single Missile - 3 types, 6 to defend (3 on the left, 3 on the right) |
| Photon Cannon |
|
- destroyed by single Missile - rebuilds for a cost of one Energy Station | ||
Game Environment[]
Levels[]
- One map
- Waves of Enemy (levels)
| map | name | features |
|---|---|---|
Items[]
None.
Interactable Objects[]
None.
Enemies[]
| Missile | |||
|---|---|---|---|
 lv.1 |
 lv.3 |
 lv.4, 8, 12 and above |
ATTACK: - flies over in a formation then rapidly drops down - falls randomly - color of the Missile changes to white when it is about to attack - each wave is faster DEFENSE: - none (one shot kill) SCOREE: - 100 points each (waves 1-6) - 200 points each (waves above 6) OTHER: - wave colors: orange, green, violet, white, yellow, red, pink, white, blue, mint (green), light red, white (to the end) |
| flies only from the left side | |||
 lv.2 |
 lv.3 |
 lv.4, 8, 12 and above | |
| flies only from the right side | |||
Bosses[]
None.
Dangers[]
No creatures or obstacles.
Characters[]
None.
UI[]
Menu[]
| main menu | submenu | |
|---|---|---|
| image | options | |
Game modes[]
Two player mode of M. A. D. is just like the single player version except that two players can play simultaneously, along with the second player being able to control which missiles can dive. There is an added onscreen cursor which, when the second player positions it on a missile and presses the button on their controller, will cause that missile to dive down towards the landscape.
Players then switch sides after each round, with player one controlling missile flight, and player two protecting their stations and Cannon.
Save Options[]
None.
HUD[]
Score counter.
Controls[]
| peripheral | button/key | action |
|---|---|---|
Scoring[]
| score | action |
|---|---|
| 100 points | destroy single Missile (waves 1-6) |
| 200 points | destroy single Missile (waves above 6) |
SCORE REWARD: None.
Releases & Credits[]
| platform | first release | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| box cover | date | developer | publisher | authors | ||
| Atari 2600 | 
|
|
1982 | U.S. Games | 
| |
OTHER RELEASES:
| platorm | box cover | date | publisher | country | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Manual[]
| language | file |
|---|---|
| English [EN] |
|
Bonus Content[]
Secrets[]
Easter Eggs[]
Cheats[]
Game Series[]
Game Clones[]
Unreleased Content[]
Development Phase[]
Concept Art[]
Map Editor[]
Additional Info[]
- Unlike with the similar games of Missile Command and Atlantis, there is no way to earn back any installations after they are destroyed, which would lengthen game play and arguably improve it with this feature.
- The game Paris Attack is believed to have been a pirated copy of M. A. D. The Photon Cannon was renamed to the "Centerbase" and the stations to "Laserbases".
- U. S. Games also released Commando Raid, another bottom of the screen shooter where the player’s cannon is fixed at the bottom center of the screen and shoots upwards at enemies, along with having to protect several buildings once more as well.
Gallery[]
