Machine Guides

Game History

Mad Planets is a multidirectional shooter arcade game developed and published by D. Gottlieb & Co. in February 1983. The game was designed and programmed by Kan Yabumoto, with artwork by Jeff Lee and sound by David D. Thiel. During this period, Gottlieb was operating as a Columbia Pictures Industries Company and was also producing other notable titles like Q*bert, Reactor, and Krull.

The game featured innovative gameplay where players control a spaceship that can be moved and rotated independently to fend off attacking planets and their orbiting moons. When players destroy all moons orbiting a planet, the planet turns "mad" - becoming red and aggressively pursuing the player's ship. Mad Planets also included bonus rounds where stranded astronauts could be rescued for additional points.

Approximately 1,500 units of Mad Planets were produced, making it a relatively uncommon arcade title. The game received some recognition, with Steve Arrants of Creative Computing Video & Arcade Games selecting it as one of the top ten games at the 1983 American Amusement Operators Expo. The game's legacy includes inspiring two Commodore 64 clones: Crazy Comets and its sequel Mega Apocalypse, both programmed by Simon Nicol and published by Martech.

Notably, during this era, Gottlieb management prevented employees from including their full names in games due to fears of being lured away by competitors. As a compromise, the Mad Planets high score screen contains the initials of almost the entire Gottlieb video game crew, with Yabumoto placing his first name at the top and his last name vertically on one side.

How to Play

Objectives

The main goal of Mad Planets is to survive waves of attacking planets and their orbiting moons while destroying them to earn points. You control a spaceship that must defend against increasingly aggressive planetary threats. The game emphasizes multidirectional shooting and strategic targeting in a space environment.

Controls

• Rotary Joystick: Use the joystick to rotate your spaceship in 360 degrees
• Thrust Button: Press to move your spaceship forward in the direction it's facing
• Fire Button: Press to shoot your weapon at planets and moons

Gameplay

1. Starting the Game: Press the Start Button to begin your space defense mission.

2. Spaceship Control: Rotate your spaceship to aim and use thrust to move through space while avoiding planetary threats.

3. Moon Destruction: Shoot and destroy all moons orbiting each planet to neutralize the immediate threat.

4. Mad Planet Activation: After destroying all moons, planets turn red and become "mad," aggressively pursuing your spaceship.

5. Planet Destruction: Destroy the now-mad planets before they collide with your spaceship to complete each wave.

6. Bonus Rounds: Play special bonus rounds where you can rescue stranded astronauts for additional points.

7. Wave Progression: Complete increasingly difficult waves with more planets and faster gameplay as you advance.

8. Collision Avoidance: Avoid collisions with planets and moons, as contact with them will destroy your spaceship.

9. Score System: Earn points for destroying moons, planets, and rescuing astronauts during bonus rounds.

10. Game Over: The game ends when you lose all your spaceships. Your final score is displayed based on enemies destroyed and waves completed.