Description

Track and Field

Bring the energy of classic competition to your arcade with Track & Field , the legendary Olympic- style sports game from Konami. PLayers test their speed and skill across a series of fast- paced events like the 100-meter dash, long jump, and javelin throw- pounding the buttons to push their athlete to victory! Easy to learn and instantly competitive, Track & Field is one of those timeless arcade titles that keeps players coming back to beat high scores and challenge friends.

Track & Field (also known as Hyper Olympic^[a] in Japan and Europe) is a 1983 sports video game developed and published by Konami for arcades. The Japanese release featured an official license for the 1984 Summer Olympics. In Europe, the game was initially released under the Japanese title Hyper Olympic in 1983,^[3] before being re-released under the US title Track & Field in early 1984. Centuri released the game in North America.^[11]

Players compete in a series of events, most involving alternately pressing two buttons as quickly as possible to make the onscreen character run faster. The game uses a horizontal side-scrolling format, displaying one or two tracks at a time, a large scoreboard that shows world records and current attempts, and a packed audience in the background.^[12]

In the original arcade game, the player uses two “run” buttons (or a trackball in later units that replaced buttons damaged from overuse) and one “action” button to control an athlete competing in the following six events:^[13]

• 100 meter dash – running by quickly alternating button presses.
• Long jump – running by alternating button press and correct timing for jump — hold jump button to set angle (42 degrees is optimal).
• Javelin throw – running by alternating button presses and then using action button correct timing for angle (43 degrees is optimal).
• 110 meter hurdles – running by alternating button presses and using action button to time jumps.
• Hammer throw – spinning initiated by pressing a run button once and then correctly timed press of action button to choose angle (45 degrees is optimal).
• High jump – running (speed set by computer) and then action button must be held down to determine angle of jump — once in the air, the run button can be rapidly pressed for additional height.

In each event, there is a qualifying time or level that the player must achieve to advance to the next event. Failing to qualify (in one heat for running events or three attempts in the other events) will reduce the player’s number of lives by one. If the player has no lives remaining, the game will end.^[13] Players can earn extra lives for every 100,000 points scored.In each event, there is a qualifying time or level that the player must achieve to advance to the next event. Failing to qualify (in one heat for running events or three attempts in the other events) will reduce the player’s number of lives by one. If the player has no lives remaining, the game will end.^[13] Players can earn extra lives for every 100,000 points scored.

While not the first Olympic track-and-field game (it was preceded by Olympic Decathlon in 1980^[41] and Activision Decathlon in August 1983),^[42] Track & Field spawned other similar Olympic video games following its release.^[31] For example, Ocean Software developed a licensed adaptation for home computers titled Daley Thompson’s Decathlon (1984).^[43] Epyx released its own multi-event collection with Summer Games and subsequently Summer Games II. Dinamic published Video Olimpic for the ZX Spectrum in 1984.^[44] Bandai‘s entry was Stadium Events for the NES in 1986.