1,000 Game Manuals/1000gamemanuals.iso/Atari 5200/Missile Command.TXT

Text File | 2001-11-05 | 15KB | 364 lines

 MISSILE COMMAND

 BY ATARI

 #CX5202 Released for the Atari 5200 SuperSystem (C)1982

 Warning:  To insert your 5200(tm) game cartridge, hold the cartridge
 so the name on the label face toward you and reads right-side-up.
 Then carefully insert the cartridge into the slot in the center of
 the console unit,  Be sure the cartridge is firmly seated, but do not
 force it in.  The POWER ON/OFF switch is located on the bottom right
 side of the Atari 5200.  Pressthis switch to turn the power on AFTER
 inserting your game cartridge.  See Your Owner's Manual for further
 information

 Page I.  Table of Contents:

 1)Operation: Defense                            1
 2)Game Play                                     3
 3)Using the 5200(tm) Controllers                5
 4)Trak-Ball Option                              8
 5)Scoring                                       9
 6)Game Strategy                                 10

 Page 1) Operation: Defense

 RED ALERT!  MISSILE ATTACK!

 In 2203 the planet Zardon was established as Earth's outermost
 colony. Originally, Zardon was intended to be the front line of
 defense in the event of an interplanetary attack.  A missile base
 stocked with antiballistic missiles [ABMs] was the first order of
 business.  After its completion, the founding colonists set about
 building a town.

 In the years that ensued, the town flourished and grew into a city.
 Eventuly, five other cities evolved to keep up with the burgeoning
 population.  Today, Zardon far supercedes its inital function as
 front-line-defender.  Back on Earth, it is known as the "Resource
 Planet" because precious mines and ores are mined from Zardon's rich
 deposits. Zardonians go about their business with a sense of pride
 and well-being. They have actually built a utopia for themselves.

 But now this very utopia is threatened by chaos and destruction, for
 all is not peace and harmony in the celestial spheres.

 Page 2)

 Unlike Zardon, the planet Krytolia is undergoing a terrible
 upheaval.  Poverty, crime, and civil unrest plague it like a
 contagious disease.  Although Zardon has continuously give the less
 fortunate interplanetary aid, the latter have merely exhibited token
 appreciation.  Secretly, they resent Zardon and covet its rich
 resources.  Krytolia has turned many of the Zardonian supplies into
 warheads--missiles, satelites, and bombs.  For several years, the
 Krytolians have bided their time, scheming and plotting to attack
 Zardon, to make the "Resource Planet" their own!  At this very
 moment, the surprise attack is on its way!

 At Zardon missile base, the hot line flashes wildly.

 "Commander!  Our radar just picked up a barrage of missiles headed
 straight toward us!"

 "What?  But that's incredible!  Who...?  You cut your question short,
 realizing this is no time to ask, rather it is time to act.

 You command Zardon missile base.  You are responsible for the defense
 of your home planet. You must employ quick thining and strategy to
 successfully pit Zardon's ABMs against the invaders' fierce onrush of
 weapons.  Otherwise, the Zardonian civilization will perish.

 Page 3) 2. Game Play

 Your duty is to defend the six cities on your planet by destroying
 the enemy's weapons with your antiballistic missiles [ABMs].  The
 more enemy weapons you destroy and the longer you defend your cities,
 the more points you score.  When the enemy annihilates all your
 cities, the game is over.

 Missile Commands can be played by one or two players.  In single-
 player games the object is to beat your own highest score.  In two
 -player games the object is to score more points than your opponent.

 The enemy attacks your cities and missile base with IPBMs
 [Interplanetary Ballistic Missiles], MIRVs [Multiple Independent
 Reentry Vehicles], smart missiles, killer satelites, and bombers
 (see figure 1). Attacks come in waves lasting 30-45 seconds.  Each
 wave is more difficult than the previous one.  On the sixth wave, the
 enemy launches smart missiles that can evade your ABMs and "home-in"
 on your missile base and cities.

 The enemy can destroy three cities per wave and zap your missile
 base as often as you allow it.  Each time your missile base is
 blasted, you lose all missiles waiting to be launched.  You have a
 total of 30 ABMs per wave, with six in your launch pad at a time.  As
 each set of ABMs is fired, you receive 6 more, until all 30 are gone
 or the wave ends. When your last six ABMs are on the launch pad, the
 cursor warns you by changing from (empty center) into a solid like
 this (center of cross full).

 Page 4)
 Sometimes, all you'll get when you press the fire button is a
 high-pitched "oink" sound.  That's the "no launch" signal telling you
 that you can't fire ABMs for the following reasons:

 *You have no more ABMs to launch.

 *Your ABMs are not ready for launching.

 *You already have eight ABM explosions on the scree.  (You may
 never have more than eight explosions on the screen at one time).

 At the end of each wave, the cities and ABMs that you saved
 are displayed, as shown in Figure 2, and bonus points for them are
 added to your score.  For more about SCORING, see Section 5.

 A game ends when the enemy destroys all your cities and THE END
 apprears on your television screen (Figure 3).

 Page 5)  3. Using the 5200 Controllers.

 Use one or two 5200 controllers with this Atari game cartridge.
 For one player games, plug the controller into controller jack 1 on
 your console.  For a two-player game, plug the second controller
 into the number 2 jack.  In two-player games, the player using the
 number 1 jack controls game selection and starts the game.

 Keypad Overlays:

 For your convenience, two keypad overlays are included with this
 game.  Slip the tabs into the slots above and below the keypad on
 your controller (see Figure 5).

 Page 6)

 Player Selection:

 Press the left * key (on your overlay the square marked 1-2
 Players) to choose a one or two-player game.  THe message 1 PLAYER or
 2 PLAYER is displayed at the top left of the screen (see figure 6).

 Start:

 Press START to begin the attack.  The cursor, score counters, and
 wave point multiplier will appear, as shown in figure 7.  You can
 restart a game at any time by pressing this key.

 Reset:

 Press the RESET key at any time to return to the first display.
 (Figure 6)

 Pause:

 To suspend a turn in progress, press the PAUSE key.  All action
 will instantly freeze on the screen.  To continue play, press PAUSE
 again.

 Page 7)

 Controller Action:

 Move the joystick up, down, left, right, or diagonally to place the
 cursor where you wish your ABM to explode.  To launch an ABM, press
 either or both of the bottom red buttons on the front right and left
 sides of the controller, as shown in Figure 4.

 Game Options:  SKIP WAVE MODE

 If you wish to start Missile Command at a more difficult (and
 higher scoring) wave level, press the 0 key on your keypad (or, the
 square marked SKIP MODE on your keypad overlay).  When you press this
 key, a flashing question mark will appear on your television screen
 after the word SKIP (See figure 9).  To skip the first wave, press
 the 1 key.  SKIP 1 will appear at the top, center of the screen and
 you'll start the game at Wave 2.  If you skip two waves [SKIP 2],
 you'll start the game at Wave 3 and so on up to 9 waves maximum.

 After selecting the number of waves to be skipped, press the START
 key to begin the game.

 Page 8)

 Game Options:  Pracice Mode

 If you want to practice hitting smart missiles, press the 8 key
 on your keypad [or the PRACTICE square on your keypad overlay]. Then
 press start and only smart missiles will appear (see Figure 10).
 Smart missile games can be started at different wave levels, the
 same as mixed weapons games, see SKIP WAVE MODE.  To return to mixed
 weapons games, press the 8
 or PRACTICE key again.

 Game Options:  Bonus Cities

 MISSILE COMMAND gives you a bonus city every time you score 10,000
 points.  If you wish to play without this feature, press the # key
 [or, the square marked BONUS on your overlay).  The word BONUS will
 disappear from the top of the first display [Figure 6].  Press START
 to begin game play without bonus cities.  To restore bonus cities,
 press # or BONUS again.

 4. Trak-Ball [Future Accessory]

 This MISSILE COMMAND cartridge offers a TRAK-BALL option.  A
 TRAK-BALL may be purchased seperately.  To play the game with a
 TRAK-BALL, plug the TRAK-BALL into the number 1 jack on the front
 of your game console. Follow the instructions in Section 3, USING THE
 5200 CONTROLLERS, for player selection and game options.  You do not
 need a seperate TRAK-BALL for each player.  Simply pass the TRAK-BALL
 back and forth as each turn comes up.  The computer switches
 between players and keeps score automatically. NOTE: You cannot use
 a TRAK-BALL with a 5200 controller in a two player game.  If you
 switch from one type of controller to the other mid-game, plug in the
 new controller and press start.  You will restart the game option you
 last played.

 TRAK-BALL: Action

 Move your TRAK-BALL in any direction to place your cursor on a
 target.  Press the fire button to fire ABMs.  SEE your TRAK-BALL
 Owner's Manual for details.

 Page 9)   5. SCORING

 You score points for every enemy weapon destroyed and bonus points
 for every city and ABM remaining at the end of a wave.  Table 1 shows
 the point system for the first two waves of MISSILE COMMAND:

                         TABLE 1:

 Points for Weapons Destroyed:

 IPBM                    25 Points
 MIRV                    25 Points
 BOMBER                 100 Points
 SATELLITE              100 Points
 SMART MISSILE          125 Points

 Bonus Points:

 ABM                      5 Points
 City                   100 Points

 All cities and ABMs left at the end of a wave are displayed on the
 screen (as shown in figure 2), and bonus points are automatically
 added to your score.

 Display Colors and Wave Point Multlipliers

 Every two waves, the display colors change and the wave multiplier
 increases.  For example, all points are doubled in Waves 3 and 4,
 tripled in Waved 5 and 6, and quadrupled in Waves 7 and 8.  Wave
 point multlipliers are displayed at the start of every wave (see
 figure 7).

 Waves continue as long as you have cities left. After Wave 20, the
 colors repeat.  Wave 21 and 22, for example, are the same colors as
 Waves 1 and 2.  However, with Wave 11, points are always multiplied
 by 6.

 Table 2 shows the display colors and the wave point multiplier for
 each wave. Note:  Colors may vary, depending upon the color control
 settings of your television set.

 Page 10)

 TABLE 2:

 Waves         Colors                              Wave Pt. Multiplier
 1 and 2       Blue and Red on Black Bkgnd.         1 x points
 3 and 4       Blue and Green on Black              2 x points
 5 and 6       Yellow-Green and Red on Black        3 x points
 7 and 8       Light Blue and Yellow on black       4 x points
 9 and 10      Black and pink on blue               5 x points
 11 and 12     Blue and light red on gray-blue      6 x points
 13 and 14     Light yellow and black on purple     6 x points
 15 and 16     Light Red and Black on light yellow  6 x points
 17 and 18     Light purple and light yellow-green on gray 6 x points
 19 and 20     Light blue and black on red          6 x points

 Bonus City Points:

 Every 10,000 points you receive a bonus city and a musical salute.
 Your bouns city is placed at a vacant site chosen at random.  If you
 prefer, you can play Missile Command without the bonus city
 feature.  Check GAME OPTIONS in Section 3 for information on this.

 If you have no vacant sites at 10,000 points (or multiples of
 10,000 points), your bonus city is held in reserve until a city is
 destroyed.  The bonus city is set on the vacant site at the start
 of the next wave.  Bonus cities will be reserved untill your score
 reaches 1,000,000 points.  At 1,000,000 points, you lose all cities
 in reserve.

 6. GAME STRATEGY

 -As soon as you've launched an ABM and marked the target for
 detonation, move the cursor to another target.  Don't wait for
 the explosion.

 -Aim just in front of missiles, satellites, and bombers, and let
 them travelinto your exploding ABM's

 -Hit bombers and killer satellites before they can drop missiles.
 Also, the sooner they'll reappear and the more points you can
 score.  You may want to launch "insurance" ABM's at the left and
 right sides od the screen before a bomber or satellite appears, in
 the chance that one will travel into the ABM explosion.

 Page 11)

 -Hit IPBM's before they "MIRV" (divide into multiple warheads)

 -Hit smart missiles dead on, since they're designed to evade your
 ABM detonators.  If you're not good at direct hits, try surrounding
 smart missiles with detonations.

 -Hit targets before they cross radar line.  The radar line is an
 invisible line marking the cursor's lower limit.  Since you can't
 position the cursor below this line, any enemy missile that crosses
 it is beyond the range of your ABMs

 -Don't waste ABMs on enemy missiles that are heading for dirt (bomb
 craters or vacant sites).  Defend your missile base and cities
 first.  If all your cities are destroyed or are on the verge of
 earning a bonus city, then it is good strategy to go for the high
 -score targets like smart missiles, even if they are heading for
 dirt.

 -Don't let smart missiles distract you.  Sometimes you can try so
 hard to hit smart missiles you forget to defend your planet.
 Remember that a smart missile can only hit one target.

 -As waves become more difficult, you may be forced to sacrifice
 some cities.  Give up the outside cities first.  Save the cities
 nearest your missile base; they're easier to defend.  When waves
 become really tough, you may want to defend one city and go for
 as many high score targets as possible.

 -Since the enemy can destroy three cities per wave, after you've
 lost three cities, concentrate on destroying high-score enemy
 targets.  Of course, you still have to defend your missile base.

 Page 12)

 -Protect your cities with a missile umbrella.  This is a line of
 ABM explosions spread across the television screen to trap and
 destroy oncoming enemy weapons.  To setup a missile umbrella, move
 the cursor rapidly across the screen, just below the enemy missiles
 and leave a string of detonation marks.  Space the marks close
 enough to form a chain of explosions beneath enemy targets.  If
 possible, spread the missile umbrella in the path of a bomber or
 satellite

 Atari Missile Command  CX5202
 A Warner Communications Company
 (c)Atari 1982

 END