Fire One

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How to play Fire One

Fire One can be played instantly on the internet or downloaded by using a computer. Once the game is launched, insert a coin and start the game. Select the player option, if two players are playing against each other, choose this option by pressing 1 or 2. Each player’s score is displayed at the top of the screen. At the end of the game, the number of subs lost and how many ships each player sunk is displayed on the two sides of the screen. This is how the winner of the game is determined. The winner gets bonus points.
If you prefer to play alone, you can play against the computer by selecting the one player option on the screen with your cursor. The game will notify you which of the two sides on the screen is yours. Use the ‘p’ key to pause your game.

The game starts by displaying the title and the name of the company then the game field comes up on the screen. Each player is armed with 8 fully charged torpedoes, press the ‘alt’ key on your keyboard to launch explosives. Use the arrow keys to move your subs from one side of the screen to the other. You can use the arrow keys and ‘alt’ at the same time to launch your subs in any direction you want. Fire your explosives with precision as they are limited, at least before they charge up again and avoid getting direct hits on your ship as it can be very fatal.

Try to hit the enemy fleet as many times as possible before the time runs out seeing as the number of hits makes up your score. Running out of torpedoes put your subs at the mercy of the opponent, you may be able to steer away from fire directed at you but you cannot afford to be harmless. When you are out of explosives, you may want to hide your vessel till it recharges, to avoid being hit. To dive deep into the sea and go stealth, press and hold the arrow key pointing downwards. The game informs you when you take a direct hit.
The second phase of the battle starts and the initial process repeats itself. When you get a high score, you will be able to input your name as one of the top ten high scorers in the game.

Fire One Description

Fire One is a first-person perspective action game, where the player’s objective to sink the opponent’s fleet of submarines and ships. This game was published in 1979 by Exidy, one of the biggest developers of arcade video games in the 70’s and 80’s. The company was owned by the founder, Pete Kauffman before he died in 2015. In 1983, Exidy innovated the notable Crossbow game, which was the first of its kind in the arcade game scene. The company was also the first to incorporate digitized sound into their video games. Other game titles similar to Fire One created by the same company are Crash, Star Fire, Top Gunner, Destruction Derby, and Death Race.

Most action arcade games are predominantly shooter games and titles in this category are either set in space or on land. Fire One is an arcade shooter game that features watercrafts as shooter vessels. The battlefield can be seen through a 2-D scrolling visual, simulating a periscope view, which allows you to get a proper look of the enemy ships and torpedoes approaching your fleet on a screen divided into three parts. The entire battlefield (both above and below the sea) including all warships can be seen in the uppermost section, the middle part shows reserve weapons, and the third section displays the periscope view. You are armed with 8 torpedoes at the start of each level, once you fire one of them they take some time to get charged before they can be used again. When the tube is ready to launch, a full bar turns from red to blue and a yellow coloured torpedo reappears in the middle screen.

An interesting feature allows your submarine to go into stealth mode by diving deep under the sea when you press the dive button. Your sub will no longer be seen on the third part of the screen, which means your opponent will not be able to see you or predict your next move. However, your moves are limited while hiding at the bottom of the sea. When either yours or the enemy’s fleet is destroyed, the game ends and another level starts with each parties starting again with 8 full torpedoes. To extend gameplay in each timed level, extra coins have to be inserted. Points are calculated based on how many ships are sunk and each level gets more complicated as you progress. Two players can play simultaneously against each other or one player can play against the computer. The original ‘coin-op’ arcade cabinet is divided into two parts to accommodate two players.

Fire One has all it takes to qualify as a good arcade game but cannot be said to be among the best of its kind. During the course of the game, the screen shows a lot of activities, too much actually. Although the developer’s aim is to show more than one view of the game, it can be a little bit too distracting keeping track of vessels when all the three parts of the screen are being monitored. Both the sonar and scrolling viewpoint is unnecessary because once the game commences, you will barely be able to focus on anything other than firing weapons and protecting your fleet of subs from getting hit. The graphic fairly good, the good thing is it comes in contrasting colour which allows easy identification of all components in the screen. If you are looking for a challenging video game with little or no noise, then this naval-themed arcade game one is for you.

Fire One - additional information

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Fire One-cover-exidy