Lost In Translation/Super Breakout

This page is a stub for arcade games that are part of the Lost In Translation series using information based on MAME (version 0.113u2).
For an example of preferred content and layout please refer to Out Run or The Ninja Warriors.

Super Breakout
Manufacturer	Atari
Released	1978
Control Method	Paddle 1 Button(s)
Main CPU	M6502 (@ 375.000 kHz)
Sound CPU	Mono DAC
Video Details	Raster (Vertical) 256 x 224 pixels 60.00 Hz 2 Palette colours
Screens	1
ROM Info	8 ROMs 7,488 bytes (7.31 KiB)
MAME ID	sbrkout

About The Game

Super Breakout is an arcade video game sequel to 1976 original.

Three Game Types

The game allows the player(s) to select any one of three different action-packed Super Breakout games by turning the game select knob on the control panel to the desired game. The three available Super Breakout modes are the following :

Double Breakout

Before serving the ball, the Double Breakout play-field contains 52 orange bricks (4x13) at the top of the screen and 52 green bricks (4x13) immediately below the orange brick wall.

Two paddles are displayed at the bottom end of the screen. When the serve button is pressed two balls are served. If the first ball served is missed, it counts as a missed serve and goes against the players allotted serves per game; otherwise the second ball is served. If the second ball served is missed after striking the first served ball, the player may continue with the first ball.

Cavity Breakout

Before serving the ball, the Cavity Breakout play-field contains 44 orange bricks and 52 (4x13) green bricks located immediately below the orange brick wall. At approximately 3 columns in and 2 rows down into the orange brick wall, from both the left and the right side of the wall, two cavities appear. These two cavities occupy the space of 4 bricks (a 2x2 brick area).

One paddle is provided in this game, and only one ball is served, unlike Double Breakout. When enough bricks are removed to release a captive ball from its cavity, the score doubles for each brick removed by any of the two balls in the play-field (as long as the served and freed ball remain active in the play-field). If the third ball is freed and all three balls are played in the play-field, the score triples. If any one of the balls is missed and lost, the score returns to double points. If the second ball is missed and only one ball remains in the play-field, points are then scored as normal.

Progressive Breakout

Before serving the ball, the Progressive Breakout play-field contains 4x13 brick walls (one blue and the other green). The blue brick wall, which consists of 52 bricks, is at the top. Then occurs a space equivalent to this wall. In the middle of the screen is a green brick wall consisting of 52 bricks.

The brick walls move or 'scroll' toward the paddle at a rate determined by the number of hits on the ball. As the bricks are knocked out and the walls progressively creep up on the player's paddle, new bricks enter the play-field at a progressively faster rate; four rows of bricks are always separated by four rows of blanks.

As the brick walls scroll down, their colours change which indicates a new point score for that brick at that instant of time.

Trivia

Approximately 4,800 units were produced.

This game is also known as "Super Knockout" (licensed to Subelectro).

Scoring

Double Breakout Mode

The maximum score for this mode is 2,694: -

Brick Colour	Row	Points with 1 ball in play-field	Points with 2 balls in play-field
Orange	1	7	14
Orange	2	7	14
Orange	3	5	10
Orange	4	5	10
Green	1	3	6
Green	2	3	6
Green	3	1	2
Green	4	1	2

Cavity Breakout Mode

The maximum score for this mode is 3,384: -

Brick Colour	Row	Points with 1 ball in play-field	Points with 2 balls in play-field	Points with 3 balls in play-field
Orange	1	7	14	21
Orange	2	7	14	21
Orange	3	5	10	15
Orange	4	5	10	15
Green	1	3	6	9
Green	2	3	6	9
Green	3	1	2	3
Green	4	1	2	3

Progressive Breakout Mode

The maximum score for this mode is infinite: -

Brick Colour	Points
Blue	7
Orange	5
Green	3
Yellow	1

Tips and tricks

Ball Speed

Besides the slowest ball speed, right after the serve, there are three possible speed-ups. The first speed-up after the serve occurs on the 4th hit, and a second faster speed-up occurs on the 8th hit. The third occurs after the 12th hit and the fourth occurs when a highpoint (either a 5- or 7-point) brick is hit, regardless of previous speed. Ball speed is restored to slowest value at the beginning of each serve.

Ball Direction

When the ball intercepts the paddle it will rebound in any of four directions, depending on which portion of the paddle was hit (divide the paddle in four equal portions). This is still the case after the paddle has been reduced to half its normal size. Note that the ball is not allowed to move in a direction perpendicular to the front surface of the paddle or perpendicular to the edge of the paddle. These directions change with the number of hits of the balls. Just like the ball speed changes occur at the 4th, 8th and 12th ball hits.

Series

1. Breakout (1976)
2. Breakout Deluxe (1976)
3. Super Breakout (1978)
4. Breakout 2000 (1997, Atari Jaguar)

Staff

Designed & Programmed By

Ed Logg

Cabinet and Artwork

• 

  Super Breakout arcade cabinet.

• 

  Super Breakout flyer.

• 

  Back of the Super Breakout flyer.

• 

  German Super Breakout flyer.

• 

  Back of the german Super Breakout flyer.

Ports

Consoles

Atari 2600 (1978)

Mattel Intellivision (1981, "Brickout!")

Atari 5200 (1982)

Atari XEGS

Sega Master System (1992, "Arcade Smash Hits")

Nintendo Game Boy (1996, "Battlezone / Super Breakout")

Sony PlayStation (1996, "Arcade's Greatest Hits - The Atari Collection 1")

Nintendo Super Famicom (1997, "Arcade's Greatest Hits - The Atari Collection 1")

Sega Saturn (1997, "Arcade's Greatest Hits - The Atari Collection 1")

Atari Jaguar (1997, "Breakout 2000")

Nintendo Game Boy Color (1998)

Sony PlayStation (2001, "Atari Anniversary Edition Redux")

Sega Dreamcast (2001, "Atari Anniversary Edition")

Nintendo Game Boy Advance (2002, "Atari Anniversary Advance")

Sony PlayStation 2 (2004, "Atari Anthology")

Microsoft XBOX (2004, "Atari Anthology")

Nintendo Game Boy Advance (2005, "Millipede / Super Breakout / Lunar Lander")

Computers

Atari 400 (1979)

BBC B (1982, "Acornsoft Breakout" - Acornsoft)

Atari ST (1987)

PC [MS Windows, CD-ROM] (1999, "Atari Arcade hits 1")

PC [MS Windows, CD-ROM] (2001, "Atari Anniversary Edition")

PC [MS Windows, CD-ROM] (2003, "Atari - 80 Classic Games in One!")

Others

Atari Paddle TV Game (2004 - Jakk's Pacific)

Nokia N-Gage (2005, "Atari Masterpieces Volume 1")

Soundtrack Releases

Album Name	Catalogue No.	Released	Publisher	Comments
The Story of Super Breakout	KSC-88944	1982-01-01	Kid Stuff Records & Tapes	Cassette version.

References

The contents of this page are licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 Unported License.
The sources used include MAME (version 0.113u2) and history.dat (revision 1.28 - 2008-10-18).
Please see http://www.arcade-history.com for credits.