The Solution to Solaris

[Statichamster]

I have done it.

 

I started this game when I was 11 years old, before there was internet to look this stuff up. I drew maps on graph paper and played this game over and over again but like many never completed it.

 

Then I came here, and found this thead: http://www.atariage....-about-solaris/

 

Thanks to the information found in there I was finally able to beat the game, and like I used to when I was younger I wrote a solution book to it. Thought I would make a new topic to share it. The book follows the same solution as the Speedrun Video found in the other topic but teaches you the techniques he used. It also is a re-write of that terrible instruction manual. Hope you like it.

Solaris Solution.pdf

[plyboult]

FIRST POST! great work man... will do wonders when I actually pick the game up next month.

[+Random Terrain]

Alternate title:

 

The Ultimate Solaris Guide (PDF with Fixed Manual and More)

[mmervine]

Really nice work...Thanks!!!

[sega_SHARK]

Thanks for this!

Wow!

[kennetzel]

Thanks for this. I just got the game and was totally unaware it was this involved. I didn't get a book with it, so I am totally lost...until now. Thanks again.

Edited November 17, 2012 by kennetzel

[Master Phruby]

Great doc! So what do you see when you've beaten the game? Does the game just end and cycle thru colors like other Atari carts do?

[Stan]

Great, now I can make sense out of this game!

[chuckwalla]

Thanks for the post.

Great game - hard game!

[Statichamster]

@Master Phruby - Yeah its only slightly better than that, it feels a bit anti-climatic in this day and age, but really its the epicness of the journey that makes it worth it. I won't spoil the final screen for those that want to see it for themselves.

 

Thanks for all the positive responses, I'm glad you guys like it.

[StanJr]

Always love more info on what might be the best game for the VCS, and always big respect for any who can best it.

 

Well played

[DoctorTom]

This is tremendous work! Who owns the publishing rights?

[DoctorTom]

I hope everyone is enjoying this dynamite guide! When is the hardcover edition going to be available?

Edited August 22, 2013 by DoctorTom

[Statichamster]

This is a shame really.

 

It was a great game and I was hoping to hear a bunch of people's 'war stories' about it. Oh well. Many dl'ed the guide so hopefully they were able to reach Solaris as well.

 

 

[Bakasama]

Well, the best joystick for me for playing Solaris is the Wico bat joystick that had the button on top. When I was in a red zone, I would just reverse the joystick and play it like it was normal zone.

 

I think it would be great if the game was ported to the 7800 or 8-bit seeing the source code is available.

[Emehr]

Thanks for making this guide! It looks fantastic. I bought this game new in the late 80s and thought it was really impressive graphically and in gameplay. It was one of my most-played games from that era, along with California Games and Midnight Magic. I drew out maps and got pretty good at keeping my ship "synced" (or whatever the terminology is) when going through hyperspace. I never made it to Solaris, though. I would usually end up at a dead end when going to another sector and get ambushed by the pirate guys.

[RetroFiends]

I could never tell what the heck I was doing in solaris, I'll have to read this. Thanks

[Statichamster]

Thanks.

 

I would also love it if any one got on here that could finish Solaris without phasing; the other guides tend to give that solution...it is very long and without proper maps very convoluted. You're forced to destroy a Federation Planet and you have to go through the permanent red zone north of the quadrant with Solaris.

 

I even gave a copy of this guide to the original creator of the game; he liked it. It would be cool if I could get a NIB copy and have him sign it.

[RickR]

Brilliant. Thank you.

[BSA Starfire]

Really good guide, thanks! Makes the game a whole new proposition.

I recommend anyone with even a passing interest to download this, it really takes the mystery away from what was a pretty obscure game.

 

Well done & Thanks!

[Csonicgo]

I've always wondered why I never could keep track of the map. Wow! thanks for clearing that up!

[rockman_x_2002]

How neat is this!

 

It's strange because I finally got around to buying a copy of this game about a month ago (NIB copy), and after a month full of hair-pulling, now we have this awesome document. This is what I would've hoped the manual in the box to be (minus the walkthrough of course, but very nice it's included here in this).

 

Being from the software world, I would dub this the game's "Missing Manual". Basically the thing that should have come packed in the box and didn't. Excellent job!

[BSA Starfire]

3 hours on Solaris so far today(the rain stopped play for fishing), I'm getting closer stat, but damn this gets hard after a while. I WILL get to Solaris!

[kb9snl]

This document is spectacular. Thanks for your hard work!

[Statichamster]

Currently trying to play through "The Last Starfighter". An early version of Solaris (dated 1984) with several differences.

 

No real map, more like a tunnel, with an exit in the north that leads to a new quadrant without a south exit. Leaving a quadrant gets you a free life, Zylon planets do not although they are functionally the same. Haven't seen a Corridor yet. Mine Fields are shorter and are followed by dogfights with random ships. Ships attack planets with exploding sounds when they are beside a Federation planet.

 

Can't get very far, maybe four screens, but its interesting and I'm wondering if it goes to 16. As it's a prototype and never released for the Atari I can't find any maps or playthroughs or anything so I'm on my own.