Combat

Combat is a two-player action game developed and published by Atari, Inc. for the Atari Video Computer System, the console later renamed the Atari 2600. It was one of the system's launch titles in 1977 and became one of its most widely encountered games because Atari bundled it with most VCS consoles sold between 1977 and 1982. Rather than presenting a single campaign or narrative, Combat is built around short competitive matches in which two players maneuver vehicles, fire missiles, and attempt to score more hits before time expires. The game grew out of Atari's 1974 arcade title Tank. Its development began while the VCS hardware was still being designed. Steve Mayer and Ron Milner created the early tank-based concept, with Joe Decuir using the project in part as a test case for the developing console hardware. Larry Wagner later completed the program, refined the tank modes, and added the biplane and jet variations. The game was designed to fit within a two-kilobyte cartridge, requiring economical programming and a highly reusable display system. Combat offers three principal vehicle types. Tank and jet games use a top-down viewpoint, while biplane games are shown from the side. Each player controls a vehicle with a four-directional joystick and fires missiles with a button. A standard round lasts two minutes and sixteen seconds; the player with the higher score at the end wins. Tank variants introduce walls, obstacles, bouncing missiles, and invisible vehicles. Aircraft variants continuously move the planes forward and can add clouds that obscure the players. The console's difficulty switches alter missile range and, in aircraft games, flight speed. The title's commercial importance was closely tied to the launch of the VCS rather than to standalone retail positioning. It served as a demonstration of the console's ability to reproduce the competitive feel of Atari arcade games in a home setting. Its simple controls, local multiplayer structure, and numerous rule variations gave it lasting replay value, even though contemporary and later reviewers criticized its limited graphics, aging presentation, and occasional monotony. The game was also sold or distributed in alternate formats, including a Sears version known as Tank Plus, and later appeared in Atari compilations and digital collections. A planned sequel, Combat Two, was announced for the Atari 2600 in 1982 but was not completed for the original system. A prototype surfaced in the late 1990s and was subsequently distributed in limited physical form, through the Atari Flashback 2 console, and in the Atari 50 compilation. The original Combat has likewise been preserved through collections including Atari Anthology, Atari Classics Evolved, Atari Greatest Hits, and Atari 50. Retrospective commentary has generally treated it as an important early home-console multiplayer game whose mechanical economy and accessibility outweighed its technical limitations.

Combat was created during the development of Atari's Video Computer System, a home console designed to bring simplified versions of arcade-style games into living rooms. The project drew directly from Tank, Atari's 1974 arcade game, and initially focused on two tanks fighting from a top-down viewpoint. Steve Mayer and Ron Milner of Cyan Engineering developed the early concept on prototype hardware. Cyan Engineering had become part of Atari in 1975, and its work connected the game to the company's broader effort to build a flexible, low-cost console capable of supporting several arcade-inspired experiences. Joe Decuir contributed to the implementation while working with the developing VCS hardware. The game was useful as a practical test of the console's display and control capabilities, and the finished program had to operate within a two-kilobyte cartridge ROM. Decuir later characterized his role as implementation rather than sole authorship, emphasizing the contributions of Mayer and Milner. Larry Wagner, who led Atari's new VCS programming group, completed the game, refined the tank play, and expanded the concept with biplane and jet modes. These additions transformed Combat from a straightforward tank adaptation into a broader package of competitive vehicle games. Atari released Combat in 1977 as a launch title for the VCS. The console was marketed under that name until the arrival of the Atari 5200 led to the earlier system being renamed the Atari 2600. Combat was bundled with most Atari consoles sold from 1977 through 1982, making it a common introduction to the platform. Sears sold a related version under its Tele-Games business; its cartridge was known as Tank Plus. The game's cover illustration was created by Cliff Spohn. The play structure was intentionally compact and repeatable. Two players used separate four-directional joysticks to steer vehicles and press a button to fire. A match lasted two minutes and sixteen seconds, and every successful hit added a point. Tank games could add barriers, ricocheting missiles, or temporary invisibility. Biplane and jet games used continuous forward movement and could hide aircraft behind clouds. This combination of a simple scoring objective and multiple rule variations made the cartridge suitable both as a demonstration for new console owners and as a recurring two-player game. Critical reception changed over time. Early coverage assessed individual variations differently, with Tank-Pong and Invisible Tank-Pong receiving particularly favorable contemporary attention. By the early 1980s, reviewers increasingly regarded the graphics and mechanics as dated, although some noted that the criticism was tempered by the game's age and its status as a pack-in title. Later writers reassessed Combat more positively, highlighting its replay value, immediate controls, and enduring quality as a two-player experience. It appeared on retrospective lists of notable or great Atari games, including rankings from Flux and PCMag. Atari planned Combat Two in 1982. The proposed sequel was to add water, forests, bridges, and a level editor, but it was never finished for the Atari 2600. An incomplete prototype surfaced in 1999 and later circulated among collectors. It received limited physical distribution in 2001, appeared on the Atari Flashback 2 in 2005, and was included in Atari 50 in 2022. The original Combat was also republished in collections and digital products including Atari 80 in One for Windows, Atari Anthology, Atari Classics Evolved, and Atari Greatest Hits. Its preservation in these releases reflects its place as both a foundational Atari title and an early example of accessible competitive console design.

• 2022

  Preservation in Atari 50

  [1]Combat (video game)en.wikipedia.org

  Combat and the sequel prototype are included in Atari 50 for modern platforms.

• 2005

  Combat Two reaches Atari Flashback 2

  [1]Combat (video game)en.wikipedia.org

  The prototype is included in Atari Flashback 2, making the cancelled sequel broadly accessible.

• 1999

  Combat Two prototype surfaces

  [1]Combat (video game)en.wikipedia.org

  An incomplete prototype of the planned sequel becomes known to collectors and retro-game enthusiasts.

• 1982

  Combat Two is announced

  [1]Combat (video game)en.wikipedia.org

  Atari announces an expanded sequel, but the project is not completed for the Atari 2600.

• 1977

  Combat launches with the Atari VCS

  [1]Combat (video game)en.wikipedia.org

  Combat ships as a launch title for Atari's Video Computer System and helps demonstrate the console's multiplayer capabilities.

• 1977

  Pack-in distribution begins

  [1]Combat (video game)en.wikipedia.org

  Atari begins bundling Combat with most VCS consoles, a practice that continues through 1982.

• 1974

  Tank provides the arcade foundation

  [1]Combat (video game)en.wikipedia.org

  Atari's arcade game Tank becomes the principal design influence for Combat's two-player vehicle battles.

An accessible, arcade-inspired local multiplayer showcase for Atari's first major home video-game console.

• Atari VCS/2600 video game · 1977

  Combat

  The original two-player cartridge contains tank, biplane, and jet modes. Players maneuver with separate joysticks, fire missiles, and compete for the highest score during a two-minute-and-sixteen-second round. Variants add walls, obstacles, bouncing shots, invisible vehicles, and cloud cover. Its compact technical design allowed Atari to fit the game into a two-kilobyte cartridge and use it as a console pack-in.

• Unreleased sequel prototype · 1982

  Combat Two

  The planned sequel was intended to extend the original tank-focused formula with landscape features such as water, forests, and bridges, as well as a level editor. Atari did not complete an official Atari 2600 release. A prototype later received limited distribution, appeared in Atari Flashback 2, and was preserved in Atari 50.

• 1982

  Plan an expanded sequelGeneration change

  Background

  By the early 1980s, Combat's presentation and mechanics were increasingly viewed as outdated, creating an opportunity for a more elaborate successor.

  Action taken

  Atari announced Combat Two with environmental terrain and a level editor, but the project remained unfinished.

  Aftermath

  The cancelled sequel became a collectible prototype and was later preserved through retro-gaming releases.

  Source

• 1977

  Use Combat as an Atari VCS launch and pack-in titleProduct launch

  Background

  Atari needed launch software that could demonstrate the VCS's ability to deliver arcade-like action and support two players.

  Action taken

  Atari released Combat with the VCS and bundled it with most consoles sold through 1982.

  Aftermath

  The distribution strategy made Combat one of the most familiar games in the Atari 2600 library and established it as a representative early console multiplayer experience.

  Source

• 2022

  Combat is included in Atari 50[1]Combat (video game)en.wikipedia.org

  Product launch

  Combat and the Combat Two prototype were preserved in Atari 50, a retrospective collection released for modern platforms.

• 2005

  Combat Two appears in Atari Flashback 2[1]Combat (video game)en.wikipedia.org

  Product generation

  The unfinished sequel prototype was included in Atari Flashback 2, giving a wider audience access to the previously unreleased project.

• 2001

  Combat Two prototype receives limited physical release[1]Combat (video game)en.wikipedia.org

  Product launch

  A prototype of the unfinished sequel was made available in limited quantities at the Classic Gaming Expo.

• 1982

  Combat Two is announced but not completed[1]Combat (video game)en.wikipedia.org

  Product generation

  Atari announced a sequel featuring environmental terrain and a level editor, but the game was not officially completed or released for the original console.

• 1977

  Combat launches with the Atari VCS[1]Combat (video game)en.wikipedia.org

  Product launch

  Combat was released as one of the Atari Video Computer System's launch titles and became a central demonstration of the new console's local multiplayer capabilities.

• 1977

  Combat is bundled with most Atari 2600 consoles[1]Combat (video game)en.wikipedia.org

  Other

  Atari included Combat with most VCS and later Atari 2600 systems sold through 1982, greatly expanding the game's audience.

1. 1Combat (video game)en.wikipedia.org
2. 2Combat in Contextgamestudies.org
3. 3The Greatest Atari Games of All Timepcmag.com