Lost In Translation/Track and Field

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.

Track and Field
Manufacturer	Konami
Released	1983
Control Method	3 Button(s)
Main CPU	M6809 (@ 2.048 MHz) Z80 (@ 3.580 MHz)
Sound CPU	Mono DAC (@ 1.790 MHz) SN76496 (@ 3.580 MHz) VLM5030
Video Details	Raster (Horizontal) 256 x 224 pixels 60.00 Hz 32 Palette colours
Screens	1
ROM Info	17 ROMs 115,232 bytes (112.53 KiB)
MAME ID	trackfld · atlantol · hyprolyb · hyprolym · trackflc

About The Game

Track and Field is a 4-player button-basher arcade video game where players compete against each other in 6 track and field events in this legendary, genre creating and much-copied game from Konami.

Track and Field consisted of 2 run buttons per player (one for each 'leg' of the athlete) and one action button. Only 2 players could compete simultaneously so on 3 and 4-player games, players had to wait their turn. An extra life is awarded for every 100,000 points acquired. Each player must qualify in the current event before they can move on to the next. Hit the 2 run buttons to build up speed and use action button to jump or throw.

The Events

100m Dash

Run as fast as possible.

Long Jump

Run to the take-off board then choose angle of jump (42 is optimal).

Javelin

Run to the line then choose angle of throw (42 is optimal).

110m Hurdles

Run and time jumps over the hurdles.

Hammer Throw

As the athlete spins faster and faster, time release of hammer and angle of throw (45 is optimal).

High Jump

The athlete will run to the bar, just as he reaches it, use Action button to start the jump and hold down the action button to reduce the angle of climb, i.e. you start going straight up at 90 degrees if you tap the button just once. Use run buttons while in the air to gain extra height.

Additional Technical Information

Players : 4

Buttons : 3

= > [1] Run, [2] Jump/Throw, [3] Run

In a 4-player game on an upright machine, players 1 and 3 share player 1's control, and players 2 and 4 share player 2's control.

Trivia

Released in October 1983.

Licensed to Centuri for US manufacture and distribution (October 1983).

Track and Field proved to be incredibly successful for Konami, and would spawn countless imitations - particularly on the 8-bit home systems of the time - as well as three sequels of its own. One of the undoubted reasons for its success was the superb multi-player game, which, for perhaps the first time in the video arcade, introduced a genuine sense of rivalry among players and showed the gaming world what was truly possible with multi-player gaming.

The song that is heard playing on the high score and awards screen is 'Chariots of Fire', written by Vangelis for the film of the same name.

This game is known in Asia as "Hyper Olympic". A Bootleg of this game, called "Atlant Olimpic" was released in Italy in 1996, thirteen years after the game first appeared.

A Track and Field unit appears in the 1985 movie, 'The Goonies'.

Updates

Later versions of this game replace the two 'Run' buttons with a trackball.

Scoring

Points are awarded in each event. The faster the time, the further or higher the jump, or the further you throw the more points you score.

Tips and tricks

When you alternate tapping the run buttons (run1, run2, run1, run2 etc.) you will get a much better speed increase. You have three attempts to qualify on all but the two running events.

In both Javelin and the Hammer Throw, throwing over 100m will cause a counter wraparound, so a 100m12 throw will be logged as 0m12 (and will not qualify you).

100m Dash

Achieve exactly the same time for player 1 and 2 and 1,000 point bonus will be awarded.

Long Jump

3 jumps of exactly the same length will cause a little man with a key to run across the screen, awarding 1,000 points.

Javelin

Throw the javelin off the top of the screen to bring down a bird for a 1000 point bonus. To do this you must achieve the 'maximum' angle.

110m Hurdles

If both players finish the race in a dead heat then a little man with a key will run across the screen, awarding 1,000 points to each player.

High Jump

Fail the first two jumps and then clear it; a mole burrows up for a 1,000 point bonus.

Series

1. Track and Field (1983)
2. Hyper Sports (1984)
3. '88 Games (1988)
4. Hyper Athlete (1996)
5. Nagano Winter Olympics '98 (1998)
6. International Track & Field 2000 (2000, Sony PlayStation)

   International Track & Field Summer Games (2000, Nintendo 64)

7. New International Track & Field (2008, Nintendo DS)

Staff

Music By

Shigeru Fukutake

Cabinet and Artwork

• 

  Track and Field arcade cabinet.

• 

  Track and Field flyer.

• 

  Back of the Track and Field flyer.

• 

  Hyper Olympic flyer.

Ports

Consoles

Atari 2600 (1984)

Atari XEGS

Nintendo Famicom (1987)

Nintendo Game Boy (1992)

Computers

Commodore C64 (1985)

Sinclair ZX Spectrum (1988)

MSX

Apple II

Others

LCD handheld game (1984, "Track & Field Running Type") by Bandai

LCD handheld game (1984, "Track & Field Throwing Type") by Bandai

Soundtrack Releases

Album Name	Catalogue No.	Released	Publisher	Comments
Legend of Game Music 2 ~Platinum Box~	SCDC-00473~82	2006-01-18	Scitron Digital Contents	8 CD version.
Konami GAME MUSIC VOL.2	28XA-86	1986-09-10	Alpha Records	CD version.
Konami GAME MUSIC VOL.2	SCDC-00060	2001-01-11	Scitron & Art	CD version.
Konami GAME MUSIC VOL.2	ALR-22904	1986-09-10	Alpha Records	Vinyl version.
Konami GAME MUSIC VOL.2	ALC-22904	1986-09-10	Alpha Records	Cassette version.
Konami Special Music Golden Treasure Chest	220A-7721~3	1989-12-21	King Records Inc.	3 CD version.
Arcade Ambiance 1983	N/A	2003-01-01	Andy Hofle	Digital download only.

Sound Comparison

Platform	Song Titles						Sound Source
Arcade	Enter Your Name	Event Intro	New World Record	Award	Hiscore	Game Over	MAME 0.125

External Links

• Sinclair ZX Spectrum version of Track and Field at the World of Spectrum

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.