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Parsec Trivia Quiz

One of the earliest "space shooter" titles for the home computer, "Parsec" introduced players to the thrill of defending your ship from swarms of attackers. Hope you enjoy this quiz on the classic. Thanks.

A multiple-choice quiz by neon000. Estimated time: 5 mins.

Author
neon000

Time
5 mins

Type
Multiple Choice

Quiz #
268,675

Updated
Dec 03 21

# Qns
10

Difficulty
Tough

Avg Score
6 / 10

Plays
144

One at a Time - Single Page - Timed Game

Question 1 of 10

1. In real life, a parsec is a measure of length in astronomy. In the game, however, the word had another meaning. What was it? Hint

The name of the planet you were trying to reach

The home planet of your opponents

The name of your ship

The base from which your ship launched

NEXT>

Question 2 of 10

2. How did the player refuel the ship? Hint

Landing on a moon

Flying through a tunnel

Docking with a transport ship

Returning to the point where you started the game

NEXT>

Question 3 of 10

3. What was the ship's weapon in the game? Hint

Laser beam

Grenades

Mines

Nuclear bombs

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Question 4 of 10

4. Which of the following statements about the game is true? Hint

The screen never changed color

You never see any characters outside of their ships

The player had to collect food and drink to live aboard the ship

At the end of every round, people came out and cheered for you

NEXT>

Question 5 of 10

5. Which of the following was a real feature of the game? Hint

Scenarios for every planet in the solar system

Each level contained ten waves of enemies

The capacity for multi-player operation

An optional speech synthesizer played announcements

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Question 6 of 10

6. What happened if you pressed the fire buttons on the joystick and keyboard at the same time? Hint

The game instructions appeared

The computer shut off

Your laser blasts left traces on the screen

A list of hints appeared

NEXT>

Question 7 of 10

7. What phrase appeared on screen when you pressed P for pause? Hint

Your score and fuel level

We'll be right back

Time warp activated

System inactive

NEXT>

Question 8 of 10

8. Which of these enemy crafts had the ability to change direction and smash into the player's ship from behind? Hint

Light Triangular Fighters (LTFs)

Dramites

Saucers

Killer Satellites

NEXT>

Question 9 of 10

9. How many types of enemy craft did you face in the game? Hint

100

NEXT>

Question 10 of 10

10. How many points did you earn for clearing the asteroid belt? Hint

5,000

100,000

3,000

10,000

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Quiz Answer Key and Fun Facts

1. In real life, a parsec is a measure of length in astronomy. In the game, however, the word had another meaning. What was it?

Answer: The name of your ship

A parsec is about 3.262 million light years. The word derives from "parallax of one second of arc".

2. How did the player refuel the ship?

Answer: Flying through a tunnel

Players still had to be careful even in this non-combat section of the game. One could still demolish the ship, as the top and bottom of the tunnel were lined with rocky crags. You had to navigate through these obstacles in order to get a refill.

3. What was the ship's weapon in the game?

Answer: Laser beam

The laser had the capacity to overheat. This could cause the accidental demolition of your own ship. Players had to keep an eye on the ship's temperature. "Parsec" thus became more challenging than similar games at the time, which allowed one to use the relatively 'easier' tactic of holding down the fire button.

4. Which of the following statements about the game is true?

Answer: You never see any characters outside of their ships

We never got to know what the player's pilot or any of the enemies looked like. No one showed up to cheer for you, but the game designers did put their initials in part of the ground surface on screen.

5. Which of the following was a real feature of the game?

Answer: An optional speech synthesizer played announcements

"Parsec" only supported one-player use. Each level had only six waves of attackers. The optional speech synthesizer provided amusing comments, such as "Nice flying," and "Alien craft advancing!"

6. What happened if you pressed the fire buttons on the joystick and keyboard at the same time?

Answer: Your laser blasts left traces on the screen

This glitch allowed the player to find out when certain enemy ships would show up. Attackers called Bynites, which when hit once would turn black so they seemed to be invisible on a normal screen, showed up in relief against the laser stripes. This allowed the player to easily pinpoint and destroy Bynites with further shots.

7. What phrase appeared on screen when you pressed P for pause?

Answer: Time warp activated

"Parsec" was created by Jim Dramis and Paul Urbanus. They designed the game for the TI-99/4A (Texas Instruments) system in 1982.

8. Which of these enemy crafts had the ability to change direction and smash into the player's ship from behind?

Answer: Saucers

The player's view progressed with the 'scrolling' motion from left to right across the screen. Of all the different enemy ships in "Parsec," only the Saucers had the daunting ability to pivot in mid-course.

9. How many types of enemy craft did you face in the game?

Answer: 7

Only the Swoopers' ships were unarmed. Most of the attacking ships, however, could track your evasive maneuvers, making the struggle to survive that much more difficult.

10. How many points did you earn for clearing the asteroid belt?

Answer: 3,000

The belt was one of the few places in the game where one did not have to face anything that fired back. Players could, on certain levels, run through a fuel tunnel and escape the asteroids.

Source: Author neon000

This quiz was reviewed by FunTrivia editor kyleisalive before going online.
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