Difference between revisions of "Invade-a-load (C64)"

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  | Platform    = {{Platform|Commodore 64}}
 
  | Platform    = {{Platform|Commodore 64}}
 
  | Publisher  = {{Publisher|Mastertronic|Mastertronic Limited}}
 
  | Publisher  = {{Publisher|Mastertronic|Mastertronic Limited}}
  | Released    = 1988-0?-??
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  | Released    = 1988-0?-??<!--late February or early March-->
 
  | Country    = UK
 
  | Country    = UK
 
}}
 
}}
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  | BoxArt      = Stormbringer - C64.jpg
 
  | BoxArt      = Stormbringer - C64.jpg
 
  | Platform    = {{Platform|Commodore 64}}
 
  | Platform    = {{Platform|Commodore 64}}
  | Publisher  = {{Publisher|Mastertronic|Mastertronic Limited}}
+
  | Publisher  = {{Publisher|Mastertronic|Mastertronic Added Dimension}}
  | Released    = 1988-0?-??
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  | Released    = 1988-0?-??<!--late March or early April-->
 
  | Country    = UK
 
  | Country    = UK
 
}}
 
}}
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  | Released    = 1988-05-2?
 
  | Released    = 1988-05-2?
 
  | Country    = Germany
 
  | Country    = Germany
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}}
 +
{{Publication
 +
| Title      = Knight Tyme
 +
| BoxArt      = Knight Tyme - C64.jpg
 +
| Platform    = {{Platform|Commodore 64}}
 +
| Publisher  = {{Publisher|Mastertronic|Mastertronic Limited}}
 +
| Released    = 1988-0?-??<!--late June or early July-->
 +
| Country    = UK
 +
}}
 +
{{Publication
 +
| Title      = Knight Tyme
 +
| BoxArt      = Knight Tyme - C64.jpg
 +
| Platform    = {{Platform|Commodore 64}}
 +
| Publisher  = {{Publisher|Mastertronic|Mastertronic Limited}}
 +
| Released    = 1988-0?-??<!--late June or early July-->
 +
| Country    = France
 +
}}
 +
{{Publication
 +
| Title      = Knight Tyme
 +
| BoxArt      = Knight Tyme - C64.jpg
 +
| Platform    = {{Platform|Commodore 64}}
 +
| Publisher  = {{Publisher|Mastertronic|Mastertronic Limited}}
 +
| Released    = 1988-0?-??<!--late June or early July-->
 +
| Country    = Germany
 +
}}
 +
{{Publication
 +
| Title      = Knight Tyme
 +
| BoxArt      = Knight Tyme - C64.jpg
 +
| Platform    = {{Platform|Commodore 64}}
 +
| Publisher  = {{Publisher|Mastertronic|Mastertronic Limited}}
 +
| Released    = 1988-0?-??<!--late June or early July-->
 +
| Country    = Italy
 
}}
 
}}
 
|}
 
|}
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* [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Invade-a-Load en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Invade-a-Load] - Wikipedia.
 
* [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Invade-a-Load en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Invade-a-Load] - Wikipedia.
 
* [http://web.archive.org/web/20160818071034/http://tapes.c64.no/main_tapelist.php?orderby=loader&group=all web.archive.org/web/20160818071034/http://tapes.c64.no/main_tapelist.php?orderby=loader&group=all] - Releases and re-releases that use Invade-a-load.
 
* [http://web.archive.org/web/20160818071034/http://tapes.c64.no/main_tapelist.php?orderby=loader&group=all web.archive.org/web/20160818071034/http://tapes.c64.no/main_tapelist.php?orderby=loader&group=all] - Releases and re-releases that use Invade-a-load.
 +
 +
[[Category: Non-Game Soundtracks]]

Revision as of 17:00, 8 January 2022

Invade-a-load
Scout - C64.jpg
Platform: Commodore 64
Year: 1987
Developer: Mastertronic Limited

Invade-a-load is a Commodore 64 tape loader with an integrated Space Invaders clone.

Initially, it took minutes to load a game, with nothing else to do on the computer. To make up, a technician at video game publisher Mastertronic, Richard Aplin, had an idea: The first thing that loads is a minigame, and while you play this minigame, the game you actually bought loads in the background. Once loading finishes, the minigame stops and the main game starts. All this was many years before Namco's patent.

Aplin had made another loading game before, namely Load-'n-Play (C64), only it was not that popular. By contrast, many gamers found Invade-a-load so much fun, more fun than their actual purchase, that they stopped the tape to prevent loading from finishing and thus the minigame from stopping. Both minigames take only 4 KB for music, 2 KB for graphics, 2 KB for program, and about one minute.

Screenshots

Invade-a-load - C64 - Title.png

The title screen.

Invade-a-load - C64 - Start.png

Game start.

Invade-a-load - C64 - Right.png

Playing along.

Invade-a-load - C64 - Down.png

Shelter.

Invade-a-load - C64 - Blast.png

When you die, wait a second, then move fast!

Invade-a-load - C64 - Level Completed.png

Every level, the invaders start out a bit lower.

Music

After about one minute of black screen, a title screen, song and sound effect from One Man and His Droid (C64) appear. Aplin recalled:

I nabbed this tune because we already owned the rights to it and the whole Invade-a-load thing was just something I did for fun anyway. Nobody would have actually paid for original music for this at the time.

Hubbard did not know the name Invade-a-load until 1997 or 1998.

Recording

The song was recorded from a real PAL C64C with an 8580 R5 4091.

# Title Composer Length Listen Download
01 One Man and His Droid Rob Hubbard 5:57
Download

Credits

(Sources: Title screen, comparison with One Man and His Droid (C64).)

Game Rip

Format

Download

SID.png

Download

(Info)


Audio Devices

This game uses the computer's built-in SID chip. It sounds the same on every chip. Whether Invade-a-load was used in NTSC regions is unknown, and not very likely, as disk drives were more affordable there.

Releases

  UK.svg   UK
Scout - C64.jpg
Title: Scout
Platform: Commodore 64
Released: 1988-0?-??
Publisher: Mastertronic Limited
  UK.svg   UK
Stormbringer - C64.jpg
Title: Stormbringer
Platform: Commodore 64
Released: 1988-0?-??
Publisher: Mastertronic Added Dimension
  UK.svg   UK
Super Trolley - C64.jpg
Title: Super Trolley
Platform: Commodore 64
Released: 1988-05-2?
Publisher: Mastertronic Limited
  Germany.svg   Germany
Super Trolley - C64.jpg
Title: Super Trolley
Platform: Commodore 64
Released: 1988-05-2?
Publisher: Mastertronic Limited
  UK.svg   UK
Knight Tyme - C64.jpg
Title: Knight Tyme
Platform: Commodore 64
Released: 1988-0?-??
Publisher: Mastertronic Limited
  France.svg   France
Knight Tyme - C64.jpg
Title: Knight Tyme
Platform: Commodore 64
Released: 1988-0?-??
Publisher: Mastertronic Limited
  Germany.svg   Germany
Knight Tyme - C64.jpg
Title: Knight Tyme
Platform: Commodore 64
Released: 1988-0?-??
Publisher: Mastertronic Limited
  Italy.svg   Italy
Knight Tyme - C64.jpg
Title: Knight Tyme
Platform: Commodore 64
Released: 1988-0?-??
Publisher: Mastertronic Limited

Links