Editing Paradroid (section)

==History==
===Development===
During the development of the original game, Andrew Braybrook kept a diary that was published in ''[[Zzap!64]]'' magazine, in which he stated:

{{quote|The thing you actually play with are robots shown from above. There's going to be lots of them. If you want to know more about a particular robot what you do is log-on to a computer terminal. From there you can sift through all the robots and get large side view pictures and you can select things to get more information. I've been working hard on it for about four weeks, but I was working on utilities—programs to help make the finished game—for a couple of weeks before that. I always like to do the character set first because it buys time while you're thinking about the rest of it. It's probably the easiest thing that you can do.
It's not really an arcade adventure—it leans more towards arcade. Gribbly's I wanted to be a non-violent game. All of the zapping and violence that I couldn't get into Gribbly's will be going into this one. Last week we designed the game's 20-deck space-ship, but I'd like to actually build one just to make sure it all works—all the lift shafts tie up and the decks fit together. Maybe I'll try using Lego. Dunno, it might work.
So far I've got a little robot skating about inside a test deck plan. You can log onto a console, select an option, make an enquiry on the test robot and get a big picture of it. The piccie uses all eight sprites combined (the maximum available on the 64 at any one time). Despite being a view from above, I intend you won't be able to see anything behind a wall. You'll have to go into a room to actually explore it.<ref name="diary">{{citation | url=http://www.zzap64.co.uk/zzap3/para_birth01.html | title = Birth of a Paradroid (Web Archive) | date = July 1985 | journal = Zzap!64 | issue = 3 | pages = 46 | accessdate=2014-06-23}}</ref>}}

The game was influenced by several different computer games and movies, and was built on top of a previous game, "Survive", developed by GEC Marconi.<ref>[[Retro gamer]] magazine, spanish edition (issue 28, page 103)</ref> Author Andrew Braybrook said in a [[Retro Gamer]] interview that the droid-swapping idea came from an arcade game, ''[[Front Line (video game)|Front Line]]'', where the player could enter a tank and had to leave it when it got hit.<ref name="rgamer100">{{citation | title = In the Chair with... Andrew Braybrook | journal = Retro Gamer | issue = 100 | pages = 79 | date = March 2012 | publisher = [[Imagine Publishing]]}}</ref> In another Retro Gamer feature, Braybrook stated that the cover of the [[Black Sabbath]] album ''[[Technical Ecstasy]]'' influenced him, where two droids "interfacing" can be observed, along with the corridors of the film ''[[Aliens (film)|Aliens]]''. Development started right after Braybrook finished his previous game ''[[Gribbly's Day Out]]'' and even shared some code with ''Gribbly's''.<ref name="rgamer125"/> Later when Braybrook was working on ''[[Morpheus (1987 video game)|Morpheus]]'', he did another diary for Zzap!64 where he revealed that the then recently released Competition Edition of ''Paradroid'' was 50% faster than the original.<ref name="mental2">[http://www.zzap64.co.uk/zzap24/mental2.html Mental Procreation part 2] - [[Web Archive]] {{cite journal | date = April 1987 | title = Zzap!64 | issue = 24 | pages = 92}}</ref> In the same series, he revealed that they had redone the ''Paradroid'' graphics in the new  (''Morpheus'') style,<ref name="mental1">[http://www.zzap64.co.uk/zzap23/mental1.html Mental Procreation part 1] - Web Archive from {{cite journal | date=March 1987 | title = Zzap!64 | issue = 23 | pages = 90}}</ref> which was later released as ''Heavy Metal Paradroid''. Andrew Braybrook did another diary during the development of ''Paradroid 90'' for ''[[Amiga Action]]''.<ref name="diary2"/>

{{Video game reviews
| CVG = 9/10
<ref name="cvgreview">{{Cite FTP | url = ftp://ftp.worldofspectrum.org/pub/sinclair/magazines/C+VG/Issue049/Pages/CVG04900020.jpg | title = C+VG Paradroid Review (Web Scan) | accessdate = 2014-06-23 | date = November 1985 | issue = 49 | server = [[Future Publishing]] | url-status = dead | pages = 20}}</ref>
| rev1 = ''[[Zzap!64]]''
| rev1Score = 97%<ref name="zzap64review"/>
| rev2 = ''[[Amiga Format]]''
| rev2Score = 88%<ref>{{cite web | url=http://amr.abime.net/review_12022 | title=Amiga Format Paradroid 90 Review (Web Archive) | publisher=Amiga Magazine Rack | date= | accessdate=2014-06-23}} {{cite journal | date = December 1990 | journal = Amiga Format | issue = 17 | pages = 89}}</ref>
| rev3 = ''[[Info (magazine)|Info]]''
| rev3Score = {{rating|4.5|5}}{{r|info198601}}
| award1Pub = Zzap!64
| award1 = Gold Medal
| award2Pub = C+VG
| award2 = Blitz Game
<ref name="cvgreview"/>
| award3Pub = C+VG
| award3 = C+VG Hit
<ref name="cvgp90">{{cite web | url=http://amr.abime.net/review_12022 | title=C+VG Paradroid 90 Review (Web Scan) | publisher=Amiga Magazine Rack | date= | accessdate=2013-09-29}} {{cite journal | date = April 1990 | journal = C+VG | publisher = [[Future Publishing]] | issue = 105 | pages = 14–15}}</ref>
}}

===Versions===
* 1985 – ''Paradroid''
* 1986 – ''Paradroid Competition Edition'' – Released as a double pack at Christmas with ''[[Uridium]]+'',<ref>{{cite web|url=https://archive.org/stream/commodore-user-magazine-40/Commodore_User_Issue_40_1987_Jan#page/n23/mode/2up |title = Commodore User Uridium + Review (Web Scan)|publisher=The Internet Archive |date= January 1987|accessdate=2014-06-23}} {{cite journal | date = January 1987 | journal = Commodore User | issue = 40 | pages = 24}}</ref> plays faster than the original, mainly due to scroll code enhancements.<ref name="mental2"/>
* 1987 – ''Heavy Metal Paradroid'' – ''Paradroid Competition Edition'' with [[Morpheus (1987 video game)|''Morpheus'']] style graphics<ref name="mental1"/> (budget release in 1989).<ref name="zzap64review2">{{cite web | url=http://www.zzap64.co.uk/cgi-bin/displaypage.pl?issue=49&page=87 | title = Zzap!64 Review - Heavy Metal Edition (Web Scan) | publisher=Def Guide to Zzap!64 | date= | accessdate=2014-06-23}} {{cite journal | date = May 1989 | journal = Zzap!64 | issue = 49 | pages = 87}}</ref>
* 1990 – ''Paradroid 90'' (Commodore Amiga, Atari ST)
* 1993 – ''Paradroid 2000'' (Acorn Archimedes)<ref>{{cite web | url=http://www.goodolddays.net/game/id,761/Paradroid+2000.html | publisher=Thegoodolddays.net | title= Archimedes Paradroid 2000}}</ref>

===Reception===
The game has been heralded as one of the best original games to appear on the Commodore 64, as can be seen when the readers of ''Retro Gamer'' selected it as the best game on the platform:
{{quote|Andrew Braybrook's ''Paradroid'' is a masterpiece, there's no other way to describe its sheer brilliance.<ref name="rgamer96">{{citation | title = Top 25 Commodore 64 Games of All Time | journal = Retro Gamer | issue = 96 | pages = 58–67 | url=http://www.retrogamer.net/top_10/top-ten-commodore-64-games/ | date = November 2011 | publisher = [[Imagine Publishing]] | accessdate = 2013-01-11}}</ref>}} In 1993, ''[[Commodore Force]]'' ranked the game at number 14 on its list of the top 100 Commodore 64 games.<ref>{{cite web|title=Top Ton!|url=https://archive.org/stream/zzap64-magazine-101/ZZap_64_Issue_101_Commodore_Force_Issue_11_1993_Autumn#page/n32/mode/1up/|website=Commodore Force|date=Autumn 1993|accessdate=2017-09-03|page=33}}</ref> Also in a 2002 Zzap!64 tribute publication, ''Paradroid'' via a community vote was ranked the best C64 game ever with the comment "there is something about ''Paradroid'' that sets it apart from other C64 games".<ref name="ZzapTribute">{{citation | url=http://www.zzap64.co.uk/zzap107/zzap107misc.html | title=Zzap64 Def Guide To... The Best C64 Games Ever! | journal=DEF Tribute to Zzap!64 | issue=107 | pages=10–11 | date= March 2002}}</ref>

When it originally came out, it received 97 out of 100 in the ''Zzap!64'' November 1985 issue with the comment "THE classic shoot em up".<ref name="zzap64review"/> It also received a "Gold Medal" where 98% is the highest score ever given in the magazine,<ref>{{cite web | url=http://www.zzap64.co.uk/zzap100/100thspec5.html | title=Zzap!64 Gold Standard}}</ref> once again 97 out of 100 with the remark "A game no C64 gamer should be without", in 1989 for the re-issued "Heavy Metal" Edition.<ref name="zzap64review2"/> In November 1988, it was selected the second best Shoot 'em up on the C64<ref>{{citation | url = http://www.zzap64.co.uk/cgi-bin/displaypage.pl?issue=043&page=106&magazine=zzap | journal = Zzap!64 | title = DEF Guide to Shoot 'em Ups | date = November 1988 | issue = 43 | pages = 105–108}}</ref> and in December the same year, it was selected the third best game by ''Zzap!64'' magazine.<ref>{{citation | url = http://www.zzap64.co.uk/cgi-bin/displaypage.pl?issue=044&page=124&magazine=zzap | journal = Zzap!64 | title = The Best and Worst of Six Years of the C64! | date = November 1988 | issue = 44 | pages = 124}}</ref>

''[[Info (magazine)|Info]]'' rated ''Paradroid'' four-plus stars out of five. Praising how all of the large game fit into the Commodore 64's memory, the magazine concluded that "if you like science fiction, arcade games, inspiring graphics, and intricate gameplay, you will LOVE ''Paradroid''!".<ref name="info198601">{{Cite magazine |date=December 1985 – January 1986 |title=Paradroid |url=https://archive.org/stream/info-magazine-09/Info_Issue_09_1985_Dec-Jan_1986#page/n47/mode/2up |magazine=Info |pages=45–46 |access-date=2019-03-19}}</ref>

''Paradroid 90'' received "C+VG Hit" with a score of 93% in ''Computer and Video Games''<ref name="cvgp90"/> and was ranked the 22nd best game of all time by ''[[Amiga Power]]''.<ref>{{citation | url = http://amr.abime.net/issue_419_pages | title = All-Time Top 100 Games | date = May 1991 | journal = Amiga Power Supplemental | page = 7}}</ref>