Frequently Asked Questions

What is Duck Attack?

Duck Attack! is a homebrew video game for the Atari 2600, also known as the Atari VCS.

How do I play?

The simple explanation: put the cartridge in the Atari, turn it on, press the Game Reset switch to begin, then use the joystick to control the robot. Explore the rooms to collect the radioactive eggs you find, and avoid getting eaten by ducks.

There’s an online manual that explains all the details of gameplay.

Where can I get a cartridge?

From the AtariAge store: click here.

Is there a ROM I can download?

Yep, there’s a demo version available here, suitable for playing on an emulator or multi-cart.

How many rooms are there?

In the first level, there are 19 rooms (including the score room, egg shelf room and credits room.) There are 33 rooms in the second level, and so on, up to the 12th level, where there are 131 rooms.

How many levels are there?

In the demo version, the game ends once you complete level 12. In the cartridge version, the game continues up through level 255.

Once you beat Level 12, your egg count resets to zero, the ducks recover more quickly from being zapped, the background changes, random mode is turned on (if it wasn’t already on) and more rooms start to go dark. New, super-fast, super-mean ducks appear at levels 18, 38, 58, 78 and 98, and there are unique bonus items through Level 100.

Is there a kill-screen after level 255?

No, but the game does roll over to “level 0.” Level 0 has some interesting features. If you manage to complete level 0, the game will continue to level 1.

What’s the highest possible score?

99,999,900 points. Score more than that and the score will roll over to zero.

What’s the highest score anyone’s achieved so far?

The best I’ve managed is 4,157,200 points. If you can beat that, post a screenshot on that thread to claim your high-score title.

Are there any easter eggs?

Yes, there is at least one.

How do I get to it?

I’m not telling. I will say that you’ll need the blue balloon to find it.

If you do find it, let me know! I’d love to know how you did it.

Do the ducks have names?

Yes, they do.

Bruce	Mandy	Pat	Groucho	Clarice

How much RAM/ROM does the game use?

128 bytes of RAM, 32k of ROM. More details are available on the technical specs page.

What other new Atari 2600 games are there?

There are lots of great new homebrews that have been written since the 2600 was discontinued in 1992. Here are a few of my favorites (as of 2010; there have been a lot more great games released since I posted this):

• Lady Bug by John W. Champeau (one of many excellent titles from Champ Games)
• Juno First by Chris Walton
• Medieval Mayhem by Darrell Spice Jr.
• Thrust+ Platinum by Thomas Jentzsch
• Fall Down by Aaron Curtis
• Strat-O-Gems Deluxe by John Payson
• Lead by Simone Serra
• Squish ’Em by Bob Montgomery

This is just a small sample; there are lots of other great games available from the AtariAge store.