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Cosmic Swarm - CommaVid - Atari 2600    Manual Scan icon HTML Manual   

Cosmic Swarm Manual - Atari Age
COSMIC SWARM
  
                                 By
                              CommaVid
  
                            INSTRUCTIONS
  
  
  For 1 player                   Uses Joystick Controller
  
  (c)1982 COMMAVID, INC.
  
  
  
  The immense WAYPOINT interstellar trade depot floats with
  its small crew at a distant cross roads between the stars.
  It should be a quiet place to command. But beware -- a 
  dormant colony of giant, alien, mineral-eating termites 
  hidden in one holding section seven have awakened! The
  Termites invade the main power-conversion chamber and begin
  assembling a haphazard nest. Your crew is working feverishly,
  opening crates of tiny remote-controlled planetary-probe
  ships. Its up to you to pilot a fragile probe ship into the
  power chamber and clear out the invaders before they jam it
  totally. By docking with your refueling ship when necessary,
  and by energizing the nest blocks so your probe ship's fire
  can destroy them, you may be able to prevail against the 
  invaders and save WAYPOINT.
  
  
  
  GETTING STARTED
  
  * Turn off your game console.
  
  * Insert the COSMIC SWARM cartridge.
  
  * Make sure the left joystick controller is firmly connected 
    to the console (this is the only controller used).
  
  * Turn on your game console.
  
  * Select the game skill level by setting the console difficulty
    switches (Note: On Sears Tele-Game, the difficulty switches 
    are called "skill switches."  The "a" position is called 
    expert, and the "b" position is called novice).
  
    Beginner:   Set both difficulty switches to "b".
  
    Novice:     Set left difficulty switch to "a", set right 
                difficulty switch to "b".
  
    Challenger: Set left difficulty switch to "b", set right
                difficulty switch to "a". 
  
    Expert:     Set both difficulty switches to "a".
  
  * Hold the joystick with the red button in the upper left.
  
  * Start the game by pressing the game reset switch.
  
  
  
  CONTROLLING YOUR SHIP
  
  Use the left joystick controller to control your probe ship. 
  
  --------------------------------------------------------------------
  RED BUTTON UP
  --------------------------------------------------------------------
            
               Move
                Up
    Move Up      |     Move Up     
    & Left   \   |   / & Right     
              \  |  /              
               \ | /                    When the red button is UP,
                \|/                     pushing the joystick will move
     Move   ====( )==== Move            the probe ship horizontally,
     Left       /|\     Right           vertically, or diagonally.
               / | \               
              /  |  \
             /   |   \
    Move Down    |     Move Down
    & Left     Move    & Right
               Down
  
  
  --------------------------------------------------------------------
  RED BUTTON DOWN
  --------------------------------------------------------------------
              
               Move                     When the red button is DOWN,
                Up                      pushing on the joystick will
    Move Up      |     Move Up          move the probe ship vertically, 
    & Rotate \   |   / & Rotate         rotate the direction of the  
    CCW       \  |  /  CW               ship, or do both at the same  
               \ | /                    time. The probe ship's gun will
                \|/                     fire when the red button is 
    Rotate  ====( )==== Rotate          released. If a new bolt is fired
    CCW         /|\     CW              while an old one is in flight,
               / | \                    the old one is destroyed. Only
              /  |  \                   one bolt can be in flight at a
             /   |   \                  time.
   Rotate CCW    |     Rotate CW    
   & Move      Move    & Move           [Note: CW = Clockwise,
   Down        Down    Down                   CCW = Counter Clockwise]
  
  
  
  GAME PLAY
  
  If your probe ship touches a                          #       #
  Termite or any of the nest                             #     # 
  blocks they lay down, it will be                         ####   #   
  instantly destroyed. Termites                       ############        
  can be destroyed by hitting them                        ######
  with a bolt from your ship. Nest                    ##########    
  blocks will stop your ship's                            ##########
  bolts without being destroyed                           ######
  unless they are energized                              ########### 
  (described later).                                    #  ####
                                                       #   ######
  The game begins with a reserve                         # ####  #
  force of 3 probe ships displayed                 *      #######    
  at the top of screen to the                            ##     ##   
  right of the score. A new ship                @        #       #      
  is earned for every 100 points             @@@            
  scored. Up to six ships can be          @@@@@@       
  held in reserve. When the last           @@@@                
  probe ship is destroyed, the               @     
  game ends.                                        Shooting a Termite
  
  You must occasionally refuel               
  your ship. A warning sound will              
  alert you when your fuel is low.               ##               
  A refueling ship will then                    ### 
  slowly travel down and back up               #### 
  the left or right edge of the             #######
  screen. The game ends if you                  ###   $$
  fail to dock with the refueling                     $$
  ship before it returns to the                     $$$$$$
  top of the screen -- regardless                   $$$$$$
  of how many ships  you have in                  $$$$$$$$$$
  reserve.
                                           Docking with the Refueling Ship
  
  
  GGGGGGG
  GGGGGGG           #       #
  GGGGGGG            #     # 
  GGGGGGG              ####   #          
         GGGGGGG  ############        
         GGGGGGG      ######
         GGGGGGG  ##########    
         GGGGGGG      ##########
         GGGGGGG      ######
         GGGGGGG     ########### 
         GGGGGGG    #  ####                If a termite is carrying a
         GGGGGGG   #   ######              block, and it is hit squarely
  GGGGGGG            # ####  #             on the bottom of the block, 
  GGGGGGG             #######              both the termite and its block
  GGGGGGG            ##     ##             are destroyed. The remaining
  GGGGGGG            #BBBBBBB#             blocks then turn from green to  
                      BBBBBBB              red (or become a darker gray
                      BBBBBBB              on a black-and-white TV). The   
                      BBBBBBB              blocks are now "energized" and  
                               GGGGGGG     are vulnerable to destruction
                      *        GGGGGGG     by your bolts.
                               GGGGGGG
                               GGGGGGG
  
           @
        @@@
     @@@@@@
      @@@@
        @
  
      Energizing the Nest Blocks
  
  
  
  RRRRRRRRR
  RRRRRRRRR
  RRRRRRRRR
  RRRRRRRRR
  RRRRRRRRR
  RRRRRRRRR
  RRRRRRRRR
  RRRRRRRRR
           RRRRRRRRR          RRRRRRR
           RRRRRRRRR          RRRRRRR
           RRRRRRRRR          RRRRRRR
           RRRRRRRRR          RRRRRRR      Whenever your bolts destroy
           RRRRRRRRR          RRRRRRR      a termite, unless you hit 
           RRRRRRRRR          RRRRRRR      the termite on the bottom of
           RRRRRRRRR          RRRRRRR      a block it is carrying, all
           RRRRRRRRR          RRRRRRR      blocks are de-energized and
  RRRRRRRRR                                become impossible to destroy.
  RRRRRRRRR      *                         In this state they are green
  RRRRRRRRR                                (lighter gray on a black-and-
  RRRRRRRRR                                white set).
  RRRRRRRRR   
  RRRRRRRRR   
  RRRRRRRRR         
  RRRRRRRRR      $$
                 $$
               $$$$$$
               $$$$$$
             $$$$$$$$$$
  
          Destroying a Nest Block
  
  
  SCORING
  
  Hitting a termite that is NOT carrying a block       1 point
  Hitting a termite that is carrying a block
           if the bottom of the block is NOT hit       2 points
           if the bottom of the block is hit           3 points
  Hitting an energized (red) block                     1 point
  
  By scoring properly, an observant and skillful player can 
  earn bonus points 100 or 200 at a time. These bonus points 
  do not, however, count toward earning extra probe ships.
  
  
  
  DIFFICULTY SWITCHES
  
  The left difficulty switch controls the speed of one of the 
  termites; the "a" position is the fastest. The right 
  difficulty switch controls the aggressiveness of the termites.
  In the "a" position they are much more likely to chase your 
  ship after dropping their blocks.
  
  
  -------------------------------------------------------------
  
  CommaVid is a different kind of game company, formed by a group
  of professionals from computing and the physical sciences. We 
  believe that our experience outside the consumer electronic 
  market will aid us in developing interesting products for our 
  customers. New electronic products are like presents, sometimes
  it's nice to get what you want and other times a surprise is 
  welcome.  By combining our own ideas, and reactions of our 
  customers, we hope to create some pleasantly surprising new
  products. To help us do this we would like both your reactions
  to this game and any suggestions you would care to pass along 
  for new games or other new computer based consumer products. We
  will read everything you send to the address below and answer 
  as often as we can. Unless you request otherwise, we will 
  include you in our list for mailings of advance information 
  about our new releases.
  
  
  The next time you are shopping for fun and games, remember to 
  look for CommaVid.
  
  
       CommaVid
       Box 3308
       Fox Valley Center
       Aurora, Illinois  60505
  
       For fast response to requests for
       cartridge repair write to:
  
       CommaVid Service Center
       Box 3326
       Fox Valley Center
       Aurora, Illinois  60505
  
  
  Tele-Games is a trademark of Sears Roebuck and Co.
  Atari and Video Computer System are trademarks of ATARI, INC.
  
  ___________________________________________________________________________
  This manual was typed by Ben Valdes for Atari Age Manual Archive