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Flag Capture - TV Tropes

  • ️Sun May 13 2012

Flag Capture (Video Game)

Flag Capture is an early Atari 2600 game from 1978. It's the first video game example of Capture the Flag, though the mechanics are incomplete - there is only one flag, there are no bases to bring it back to, and there is no fighting.

One or two players wander around a 9x7 grid of squares, and press the fire button to find out what's in that square. It may be the flag, or a hint about where the flag is, or a bomb that sends them back to their starting square.

There are 10 variations:

  • 1: Free For All: Both players move in real time.
  • 2: Double Two-Player: Players take turns moving and checking a square.
  • 3: Double Two-Player with a moving flag that bounces off the edges of the screen.
  • 4: Double Two-Player with a moving flag that wraps around the screen.
  • 5: Solo Two-Player: Players take turns moving and checking until they find the flag.
  • 6: Solo Two-Player, moving flag with wall.
  • 7: Solo Two-Player, moving flag with wrap-around.
  • 8: Single Player Timed.
  • 9: Single Player Timed, moving flag with wall.
  • 10: Single Player Timed, moving flag with wrap-around.

Flag Capture provides examples of:

  • Capture the Flag: A very primitive and incomplete example. Two players just wander around checking squares for the flag.
  • Cartoon Bomb: Hidden among the squares, they blow you back to your starting point.
  • Color-Coded Multiplayer: Player 1 is green and Player 2 is red.
  • Competitive Multiplayer: Games 1-7 are for two players, competing to find the most flags.
  • No Plot? No Problem!: No reason given for why you're hunting the flag.
  • Scoring Points: Games 1-4 and 8-10 give you one point for each flag you find. First player to 15 points in games 1-4 wins. Games 5-7 give you one point for each square you check, and the first player to 75 points loses.
  • Timed Mission: Games 8-10 give you 75 seconds to find as many flags as you can.
  • Wrap Around: All variations allow player movement that wraps around both horizontally and vertically. Some variations have a moving flag that also wraps around.