Protector II

Protector II is an action/space/shooter video game programmed by Mike Yantis during the 4th quarter of 1983 for the TI-99/4A home computer system. It was distributed on Solid State Software^TM Command Module cartridge by Atarisoft Corporation and sold originally for $44.95 (USD) as part number RX 8516.

Protector II
Wordwriter Manual (Front Cover)
Publisher(s)	Atarisoft
Original Retail Price	$44.95 (USD)
Programmer(s)	Mike Yantis
Part#	RX 8516
Format(s)	Solid State SoftwareTM Command Module
Release	1983 (4th Quarter)
Genre(s)	Action, Shooter, Space

Gameplay

The player in Protector II pilots a spacecraft called the Neeedlefighter ship. The goal is to rescue the 18 stranded survivors from the surface of the planet. This rescue occurs in stages with no apparent transition between stages. First, the player moves the player from their original location to the top of the buildings in the City of Hope. From there, he/she must continue to move them to a portal that is blockaded deep in the Verdann Fortress. The player starts 6 Needlefighters and loses one for each hit with an enemy spacecraft or bullet. The transport of the survivors occurs one at-a-time.

Advertising Blurbs

Back of Retail Packaging

It's war; and Xytonic Pulse-trackers, ravenous Chompers, and rockets, meteoroids, lasers, the powerful Fraxullan Mother Shop, and the eruption of Dragonmaw (the Volcano of Death) put your skill to the ultimate test as your Needlefighters attempt the delicate evacuation of 18 stranded survivors to the City of New Hope. But just as success seems assured, a lava flow engulfs the city! Your only chance now is the blockaded Verdann Fortress . . .

Triton Catalog - Spring 1985

It's war and Xytronic Pulse-trackers, ravenous Chompers, rockets, meteroids, lasers, the powerful Fraxullan Mother Ship, and the eruption of Dragonmaw put your skill to the ultimate test!

Fun Fact

The foil label on the cartridge of the video game is labeled only as Protector and not Protector II, causing some to believe that the original Protector game was made for the TI-99/4A. However, these cartridges labeled as Protector are in fact the Protector II game.

Manual

Every Second Counts - You Are the Last Hope!

Load the Protector II cartridge into your Texas Instruments 99/4A Computer as explained in your computer owner's manual, and turn on your computer.

Plug the joysticks into the controller port. This is a one-player game.

Press Enter to get to the Option Screen. Press the Plus Key (+) to choose one of 6 difficulty levels. The level is displayed in the control window at the top of the screen.

Press Enter twice to start the game.

Press the Space Bar to pause during a game, or to reactivate the game after a pause.

You are the last hope! The alien slimehordes of Fraxull us are attacking your cities. One by one, the inhabitants are being exterminated by the invincible Fraxullan mother ship, that is shielded in Baltheric antimatter, making it impossible to destroy. It can however, be paralyzed briefly by laser attacks, but then is able to move more quickly. Be wary of the transporter beam since it spells instant death for your Needlefighter. The Fraxullan mother ship moves relentlessly, drawing up the helpless natives and fiendishly carrying them to Dragonmaw, the sulfurous volcano of death. The volcano is due to erupt at any time, but be careful of the explosions that occur occasionally during the game. You must evacuate all 18 people from the City of New Hope before it is too late, and then on to the safety of the Verdann Fortress. You are the sole PROTECTOR!

The Verdann Fortress is located below the horizontal red bar past the vertical laser defense networks that are robot controlled, the Laser Fields of the Straak. The laser installations are stationary while other installations are mobile and track your Needlefighter. The armaments for the Verdann Fortress are carefully cloaked in invisibility shields until after the eruption of Dragonmaw. At this time the red energy shields are dropped and the Verdann Fortress and its armaments become available. In order for the survivors from the City of New Hope to reach safety, they must be placed in the escape chute located below the walls of the Fortress. You must save these innocent victims from their gruesome destiny.

You launch your Omicrom Needlefighter from your base deep inside the Xlarr defense post Refuel your Needlefighter by docking at the refueling pod from where your Needlefighter was originally launched. The alignment of the fighter pod is critical. If it is not exact, you may crash.

In order to transport people from one city to another, you must "hook" each person, one at a time, by passing immediately above the person that you wish to lift. You will know when they are hooked as they will stop waving their arms. After hooking them you must ascend and the person will cling to the bottom of your Needlefighter. In order to "drop" a person you merely fly over the area where you wish to deposit the person (making sure that they touch the disembarking area) and he/ she will pop off.

All of the people must first be brought to the City of New Hope before the barrier to the Verdann Fortress will be opened. It is possible (in some of the easier levels) to catch people before they sink into the mouth of Dragonmaw. This maneuver requires great skill and timing. Also the unpredictability of the volcanic eruptions makes this a very risky procedure.

The aliens and fate conspire against you at every turn. The Fraxullan mother ship launches Xytonic PULSE-TRACKERS to destroy you. These fiendish trackers pursue you across the skies. They are persistent and will destroy your passengers (and/ or the Needlefighter) if they make contact with them. Be wary of the CHOMPERS, an indigenous life form. They are powerful and unpredictable. In fact, they eat Needlefighters for breakfast! Also, there are rocket bases all over the surface of the planet. These rockets fire in many directions. You may destroy rocket installations by hitting them with laser cannon fire when they turn red.

PainstakinglY, after every man, woman and child have been flown past Dragonmaw and placed in the City of New Hope, the volcano will erupt, starting a lava flow that inevitably destroys the City of New Hope. It is here that you find out if you passed the ultimate test. Your mouth is dry, and the sweat trickles down your face, as you strain against the impossible odds. There is no time to think, only to do! It has fallen on your shoulders, you are the last hope. You are the PROTECTOR!

Scoring

You start each game with 6 Needlefighters. They are displayed in the control window at the top of the screen.

The Fuel Bar is located below the Control Window. This must be monitored to ensure that your Needlefighter does not run out of fuel.

As the PROTECTOR, you and your Omicron Needlefighter score points in several ways:

Shooting a Pulse Tracker . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 50 points

Shooting a Chomper . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 75 points

Shooting a Laser Base . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 100 points

Shooting Launchers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 250 points

Delivering a Survivor to the City of New Hope . . . . . . . . 500 Points

Delivering a Survivor to the Verdann Fortress . . . . . . . . 1000 Points

Downloads

• 

  Protector II Cartridge

• 

  Protector II Manual Front Cover

• 

  Protector II Box (front)

• 

  Protector II Box (back)

• 

  Protector II Manual Complete (pdf format)

• 

  Defender MAME/MESS Rom (rpk format)

• 

  Atarisoft Warranty Card (pdf format)

• 

  Atarisoft Questionnaire Card

External links

• Atari Computer Museum: Protector II
• GameFAQs: Protector II (TI-99/4A)
• Moby Games: Protector II (TI-99/4A)
• TI-99ers On-line User Group: TI-99 Cartridge Listing
• TI-99/4A Video Gamehouse: Protector II
• Wikipedia: Protector II