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Artillery Duel - Xonox - Atari 2600    Manual Scan icon HTML Manual Box Scan icon  

Artillery Duel
Xonox 
Double-Ender

ARTILLERY DUEL

Game Instructions

You are in charge of an artillery gun emplacement set in a rugged 
mountain terrain.  Your enemy's gun emplacement is set across the hills 
in another strategic location, and it is your task to knock out the enemy 
before his is able to destroy you.  You must take into account distance, 
gun placement relative to terrain, wind direction, and wind speed as you 
mount your assault.  You can control the amount of powder and barrel 
angle for each shot fired as you zero in on your opponent.  Before you 
can fire again, your enemy will get off a round, so make each shot count!

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Get Ready to Play ARTILLERY DUEL

1.  Hook up your video game system.  Follow the manufacturer's directions.

2.  With power "OFF," plug in the game cartridge.  The XONOX Double-Ender 
    with ARTILLERY DUEL and CHUCK NORRIS SUPERKICKS gives you twice the 
    fun with two totally separate games, one on either end of the 
    cartridge.  To play ARTILLERY DUEL, insert the end of the cartridge 
    labeled "Artillery Duel" into your video game system.

3.  Now turn the power "ON."  If no picture appears, check the connection 
    of your game console to TV, then repeat steps 1, 2, and 3.

4.  ARTILLERY DUEL is a two player game, so player #1 use the left 
    joystick, and player #2 use the right.

5.  Console game difficulty switches allow for two skill levels 
    independent of each other, so one player can be a Captain (B) and the 
    other a General (A).  Game reset draws another terrain and starts the 
    game.

NOTE: Always turn the console power switch "OFF" when inserting or 
      removing a XONOX cartridge.  This will protect the electronic 
      components and help prolong the life of your XONOX games.  
      You may need to adjust the Vertical Hold on your T.V. 

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(opening screen shot)

ARTILLERY DUEL
Video Game

As the officer in charge of an artillery gun emplacement, you must square 
off for an exciting duel of skill and action as you plan and coordinate 
the destruction of your opponent.  Check the wind, make critical 
adjustments of barrel and powder charge, and fire!  Random terrains and 
gun placement ensure that every battle is different.  Start off as a 
Captain and as your skill in measuring the effects of wind and shot 
adjustment increases, you can promote yourself to General, but when you 
are a General you have to be able to make fast decisions!

1.  OBJECT of the GAME:

    Destroy the opposing artillery gun emplacement before he destroys 
    you.  Predetermine between you and your opponent how many battles you 
    are going to play in your war (i.e., first player to destroy five gun 
    placements).

2.  CONTROLS:

    Player #1 use left joystick and fire button; player #2 use the 
    right.  Joystick controls the barrel angle (up or down) and the 
    amount of powder (up or down) used for each shot.  The fire button 
    fires your gun. 

3.  SCORE DISPLAY:
    
    At the end of each battle, a cumulative score of the number of gun 
    emplacements which both you and your opponent have knocked out will 
    be displayed on each side at the bottom of the screen. 

4.  SKILL LEVELS:

    You have two skill levels, Captain and General.  The "A" difficulty 
    switch on the console is for General and the "B" switch is for 
    Captain.  Each player may select which level to play on.

5.  SCORING

    Scoring is the same on all levels.  You are given credit for blowing 
    up the opposing gun emplacement before being destroyed yourself.  

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GAME LAYOUT:

There are several thousand combinations of alpine terrain and gun 
emplacements, so virtually every game you play will be different from any 
which you have played before.


(opening screen shot)

Attract Mode - Opening Screen:

When you first turn on the game the name ARTILLERY DUEL and (c)XONOX 1983
will appear in a banner across the top of the screen.  The sky will turn 
dark to show you night has come and a mountain terrain will set up in the 
foreground.  Two artillery guns will appear and will silently commence 
firing randomly at each other.  The gun with the flashing black window 
has control and is taking aim to fire.

At this time, select th difficulty level that each player wishes to play 
and press the Game Select switch to start the game.


(game screen shot)

Artillery Duel - The Battle:

An alpine terrain will appear with two guns placed ready to defend their 
territory.  The terrain will be different for each battle (sometimes 
mountains, sometimes valleys, sometimes several hills and valleys).  
Across the top of the screen a banner of instruments show barrel angle 
(B), powder level (P), wind speed (W) and wind direction (white flag and 
the motion of the clouds).  The player whose artillery gun has an opening 
and closing window is in control.  Using the joystick, move left or right 
to move the flashing arrow to Barrel angle or Powder level.  Move 
joystick up or down to increase or decrease the amount of barrel or 
powder you want for your shot.

There is an automatic countdown at the bottom of the screen and you must 
make your adjustments prior to reading "0" or your gun will automatically 
fire.  Once you have fired control goes over to your opponent.

Shots falling short or long of your target explode, but you only score by 
a direct hit.  Wind speed and direction may change between shots os you 
must take this into account when adjusting your gun as you zero in on 
your target.  When one gun is finally destroyed, a group of your infantry 
soldiers will march on to the field of battle to a military drum beat to 
indicate which side has control of the territory.  The score will show at 
the bottom of the screen.  After a few seconds, new terrain will appear 
with guns in new positions and you're ready to continue the war with a 
new battle.

PLAY ACTION -- CAPTAIN LEVEL:

Adjust powder level and barrel angle using the joystick.  Take into 
account your previous shot's point of impact and the wind in making your 
adjustments.  

You will have thirty (30) seconds to set up your shot before the 
automatic firing mechanism takes over.  The on-screen clock tells you 
how many seconds you have to make your calculations.  When you are ready, 
press the fire button to fire.  The game will continue until one player 
has destroyed the opponent's emplacement.

PLAY ACTION -- GENERAL LEVEL:

You will still have all the variables (wind direction and speed, barrel 
angle, powder level and terrain) that you had in the Captain level, but 
as your rank increases you will have less time (15 seconds to make your 
adjustment decisions.  The wind variations will also increase between 
shots.  Part of the challenge of being a general is that you have less 
time to react to make the proper decisions.  Assess the situation and 
rapidly decide what changes in your barrel angle and/or amount of powder 
will give your shot the proper trajectory to hit your target.  You must 
always try to remember where your shot landed on the previous attempt and 
what the wind direction and wind speed were.  This way when it is your 
turn again you can estimate which adjustment will be best under the 
particular conditions.

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STRATEGIES FOR WINNING THE BATTLE:

When you first start a battle, test fire a shot based on your past 
experiences to see how gravity and wind are affecting your shot.  Each 
game has slight gravity and wind force changes to prevent an experienced 
player from "memorizing" shot distances and trajectories (angles that the 
shots make at different barrel angles).  Therefore the first shot is very 
important.  Watch the opponent's shot as well, for you can learn from how 
his adjustments affect his shots to make yours more effective.

The higher you point your barrel the steeper the angle of your shot will 
be.  This is good for getting at a gun emplacement nestled  in a valley 
or behind a mountain, but high angle shots are more affected by the 
wind.  (Note: about one increment of powder is equal to 2 MPH of wind 
change at 60 degrees of barrel angle).  This changes slightly with each 
new game.

As a last resort, use verbal exchanges and bad advice to distract and 
confuse your enemy.  This is called "counter intelligence" and is often 
used by real military forces ot supply false information to the enemy for 
their advantage.

PLAY IT AGAIN:

After you have fought your battle and either you or your opponent has 
won, simply wait for the next terrain to set up and continue in your 
war.  This will happen automatically, and the loser will be awarded the 
first shot.

To reset the score or to assign new player ranks, press the RESET button 
and follow the instructions for starting the game.

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ARTILLERY DUEL--INSTRUCTIONS SUMMARY

Hook up your Artillery Duel video game cassette.

On your screen will appear an alpine terrain with hills, valleys and 
snow-capped mountains.  Terrain will change with each new battle.  Two 
artillery guns face each other on each side.  The gun with a flashing 
black window has control.  Winning any battle takes cunning and quick 
decision making.  Artillery Duel has a number of instruments in which to 
help you make correct calculations to win a battle and finally win the war.

At the top of the screen are three instrument boxes.  The box on the left 
is labeled (B), showing barrel angle.  The box directly in the middle of 
your screen is labeled (P) for powder level.  The correct adjustments to 
these tow boxes will determine a direct hit.  The box on the right of 
your screen, labeled (W), is your wind speed indicator.  Directly next to 
it is a small white flag, which you will use to determine wind direction.

When a new round of firing begins you will first want to determine wind 
speed and direction.  You will have 30 seconds to make the correct 
adjustments before firing.  By moving your joystick right or left you 
will guide the blinking arrow to the instrument box (B) or (P) you wish 
to make adjustments to.

Barrel Angle -          Push up your joystick to increase the barrel angle 
                        and down on the joystick to decrease the angle.

Powder Level -          To increase the powder charge used in a shot push 
                        up on your joystick.  Pull down on your joystick 
                        to decrease your powder level. 

Wind Speed/Direction -  The instrument labeled (W) indicates wind speed 
                        in MPH.  Watch the little white flag or the 
                        movement of the clouds to determines wind 
                        direction.  

Shot Countdown -        The numbers displayed at the bottom center of the 
                        screen indicates the number of seconds remaining 
                        before you must fire - 30 seconds for Captain and 
                        only 15 seconds for General.

Once the correct calculations have been made you should fire your gun.  
After your 30-second shot countdown has expired your gun will 
automatically fire.  Firing will continue until one of the artillery gun 
is destroyed.  When a battle is won, infantry soldiers marching to a 
military drumbeat will announce which side has control of the territory.  
The war continues with new terrain and new challenges.

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This document obtained from the History of Home Video Games Homepage, �1997-1998 by Greg Chance