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DEFENDER
BY ATARI, INC.
To insert your ATARI 5200 game cartridge, hold the cartridge so
the name on the label faces you and reads right-side-up. Then
carefully insert the cartridge into the slot in the center of the
console. Be sure the cartridge is firmly seated, but do not
force it in. The POWER ON/OFF switch is located on the lower
right side of the ATARI 5200. Press this switch to turn the
power on AFTER inserting your game cartridge. See your Owner's
Manual for further details.
TABLE OF CONTENTS
1. Commanding Orders
2. Game Play
3. Using the 5200 Controllers
4. TRAK-BALL Option
5. Game Variations
6. Scoring
7. Strategy and Tips
8. Your Best Game Scores
1. COMMANDING ORDERS
TO: COMMANDING OFFICER
FROM: ASTRO-INTELLIGENCE
MISSION: DEFENDER
I. CIRCUMSTANCES
Aliens from a distant solar system are swarming over the planet
Humanis. They're kidnapping Humanoids and mutating them into a
permanent part of the alien force. Their mission is to transform
all of the Humanoids before destroying the entire planet.
First, they infest the planet with Landers which close in on the
cities, abducting the Humanoids. Then the attack intensifies.
Baiters, Swarmers, and Bombers terrorize the skys [sic]. And
then, when you least expect it, a deadly Pod collides with your
Spaceship, and blasts you to pieces.
II. YOUR MISSION
As Captain of the Spaceship Defender, your mission is to destroy
the alien force and save the Humanoids. Your speed and skill
have earned you this heroic mission. When Humanoids are
abducted, you'll have to destroy the Lander and catch the falling
Humanoid before safely returning him to the city below.
III. DEFENSE STRATEGY
The Spaceship Defender has full-range scanning equipment which
enables you to employ seek-and-destroy tactics. Defender
discharges fatal missile fire at the push of a button. You also
have two escape options for a last resort course of action:
hyperspace and smart bombs. Hyperspace temporarily sends you
into a time warp, possibly only to reappear in a more dangerous
situation. Smart bombs can destroy all aliens in sight with a
touch of a button.
Report immediately for this dangerous mission!
2. GAME PLAY
As Captain of the Spaceship Defender, your mission is to destroy
the aliens before all of the Humanoids are transformed to
Mutants. You score points for each alien you destroy and for
each Humanoid you save. Try not to shoot your Humanoids; they
are worth bonus points at the end of each alien attack wave.
(See Section 6, SCORING.) In one-player games, your object is to
top your highest score. In two-player games, the player with the
highest score wins the game. A game ends when all Defender
Spaceships are destroyed.
Each game begins with three Defender lives and three smart bombs.
When Defender collides with an alien or is hit by an alien mine,
it explodes with a "blast." If it's the last life, the game is
over. If any lives remain, another Defender ship appears on the
scene. The number of lives remaining and smart bombs remaining
is displayed at the upper portion of the television screen. (See
Figure 1 for lives remaining and smart bombs remaining.)
[Screenshot with the "Lives Remaining" and "Smart Bombs
Remaining" indicators labeled.]
Figure 1
The aliens attack in waves; each wave becomes increasingly more
difficult. When Defender destroys all the aliens in the first
wave, another wave of aliens moves in. The longer that Defender
survives, the harder the alien attacks become. Each time a wave
is completed, the number of the completed wave and the amount of
bonus points earned flashes in the center of the screen as shown
in Figure 2.
[Screenshot of the end of a wave with the "ATTACK WAVE 1
COMPLETED" message and the tally of surviving Humanoids.]
Figure 2
The alien force is made up of six different types of ships:
Landers, Bombers, Swarmers, Baiters, Mutants, and Pods. Landers
are the first to appear. They search the cities for Humanoids to
kidnap and mutate. Bombers lay mines to trap you. You cannot
shoot mines, so it's best to avoid them. Swarmers are housed in
Pods. Several Swarmers are released each time a Pod is
destroyed. They track you very closely, so kill them the instant
they appear. Baiters usually appear near the end of a wave.
They're large, they shoot fast, and they move faster than
Defender. A Mutant is a transformed Humanoid. Mutants are very
dangerous; use all your energy to kill them. If the Landers
kidnap all the Humanoids and carry them to the top of the screen
to transform them into Mutants, the entire planet explodes. The
most deadly alien of all is the mother ship, also known as a Pod.
When a Pod is destroyed, it releases 5 to 7 deadly Swarmers.
(See SCORING to learn what each alien looks like.)
[Unnumbered figure showing and naming the alien types.]
YOUR DEFENSE
Defender fires missiles to blast the alien ships. But, when
things look real bad, Defender can employ one of two last resort
weapons. First, you have three smart bombs which blow up every
alien in sight. With every 10,000 points you score, you earn
another smart bomb and another Defender life. Use smart bombs
sparingly and strategically. It's a good idea to keep one smart
bomb in reserve in case you get stuck and need a little help to
earn another Defender life.
When you use a smart bomb, you earn points for every alien it
destroys on the screen. Another weapon that can be used as a
last resort is hyperspace, which enables Defender to disappear,
warp through time and space, and reappear somewhere on the
screen. You have no control over where you'll reappear.
Hyperspace can be tricky and dangerous. Sometimes invisible
space matter can blow up your spaceship during the time warp.
Try to use hyperspace only when you have no other alternative.
(See Section 3, USING THE 5200 CONTROLLERS for using smart bombs
and hyperspace.)
USING THE SCANNER
Your scanner is located at the top center of the screen. It
works like a radar screen to reflect alien attacks in your
viewing screen and at long range distances. The scanner provides
the following important information:
* How many aliens are approaching, what kind of aliens they are,
and what their positions are.
* Where the Humanoids are being abducted by Landers.
* How many Humanoids remain and where they are.
Each blip on the scanner represents an object in the game. Your
playing area is bracketed by short lines in the center of the
scanner. The blips are colored to help you distinguish between
different alien ships. Get into the habit of monitoring the
scanner to help destroy aliens and defend Humanoids. (See Figure
3 for a diagram of the scanner.)
[Close-up view of the scanner and a screenshot of a game in
progress. The relationships between each item on the
playing field and the scanner are shown with arrows drawn
between each.]
Figure 3
RESCUING HUMANOIDS
Here's where the heroics come in. Your mission is to destroy
aliens while protecting Humanoids. At the end of a wave, you
score 100 bonus points for every Humnaoid [sic] survivor,
multiplied by the number of the wave just completed (up to a
maximum of 500 bonus points).
All the Humanoids are stranded helplessly within the cities at
the bottom of the screen as shown in Figure 4. You are their
only hope for survival. Use the scanner to patrol their
positions. When a Humanoid is being abducted by a Lander, you'll
hear his cry for help. Go to his rescue immediately. The
scanner is the fastest way to spot his position. Look for the
Humanoid being lifted from the city as shown in Figure 4.
[Screenshot of a game in progress with the following items
labeled: scores (players 1 and 2), Humanoid (on the
ground), Captured Humanoid (being abducted by a Lander).]
Figure 4
There are two techniques for rescuing a Humanoid:
* Destroy the Lander and let the Humanoid fall back to the
city.
* Destroy the Lander, catch the Humanoid, and carry him back
to the city.
Letting the Humanoid fall to the city is only effective if
the Humanoid is close enough to land safely. Experiment to
find out what a safe distance is. If the Humanoid falls
safely to the city, you score 250 points plus 150 points for
destroying the Lander. If he crash lands, you only score
the 150 points for destroying the Lander.
Catching a Humanoid in midair is more difficult and is worth more
points. To catch a Humanoid, shoot the Lander and maneuver
Defender to touch the Humanoid, then bring him back to the city.
If you succeed, you earn 1000 points plus 150 points for
destroying the Lander. If you catch the Humanoid but don't
return him safely, you earn 500 points plus the 150 points for
destroying the Lander. Note: You may carry any number of
Humanoids at a time. If you are carrying Humanoids at the end of
a wave, they count as survivors and the program automatically
returns them to the city.
MUTANT TAKEOVER
If Defender does not succeed in protecting a Humanoid, a Lander
abducts him and carries him up into space and transforms him into
a Mutant. Mutants then return to attack the planet. When all of
the Humanoids become Mutants, the cities blow up and disappear.
You continue playing to score points. If you survive past the
next four waves without the cities below, all Humanoids are
reincarnated, and the cities below are rebuilt.
3. USING THE 5200 CONTROLLERS
[Photo of a 5200 controller. You know what it looks like.]
Figure 5
Use one 5200 controller with this ATARI game cartridge. Be sure
to plug the controller cable firmly into jack 1 at the front of
the 5200 console. For two-player games, simply pass the
controller between turns.
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 6 for keypad overlay.)
ONE PLAYER
EASY NORMAL HARD
-------- -------- --------
| | | | | |
| | | | | |
-------- -------- --------
TWO PLAYER
EASY NORMAL HARD
-------- -------- --------
| | | | | |
| | | | | |
-------- -------- --------
DURING GAME PLAY PRESS ANY
KEYPAD BUTTON TO ENTER HYPERSPACE
-------- -------- --------
| | | | | |
| | | | | |
-------- -------- --------
DEMO
-------- -------- --------
| | | | | |
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-------- -------- --------
Figure 6
GAME SELECTION
The first screen to appear in the ATARI DEFENDER game is a menu.
It allows you to choose either a one-player game or a two-player
game. It also gives you three difficulty levels to choose from.
If you want to see how the ATARI DEFENDER game is played, select
a demonstration game which is automatically played by the
program. (See Figure 7 for the game menu.)
Press the appropriate button for the game variation you want to
play.
[Screenshot of the game menu screen.]
Figure 7
GAME CONTROL KEYS
START
Press START to begin a game.
PAUSE
Press PAUSE at any time to freeze the action. Press PAUSE again
to resume game play. During game play, press PAUSE before
pressing START or RESET to start the game over.
RESET
Press PAUSE and then RESET to reset the game.
GAME CONTROLS
SPACESHIP DEFENDER
Use the joystick to thrust the Spaceship Defender up, down,
right, and left through space. Also use the joystick to catch
falling Humanoids.
MISSILES
Press the lower red controller button to fire missiles at aliens.
SMART BOMBS
Press the top red button to detonate a smart bomb.
HYPERSPACE
Press any keypad button to enter hyperspace.
4. TRAK-BALL OPTION (Future Accessory)
This DEFENDER cartridge offers a TRAK-BALL option. An ATARI
TRAK-BALL may be purchased separately, and will be available in
mid-1983. To play DEFENDER with a TRAK-BALL, plug the TRAK-BALL
into jack 1 at the front of the 5200 console. To select a game
variation and to use the keypad, follow the instructions in
Section 3, USING THE 5200 CONTROLLERS.
5. GAME VARIATIONS
There are seven game variations in ATARI DEFENDER. Use the menu
to select the variation you wish to play (see Figure 7). Press
the correct number, and the game variation is displayed under the
name DEFENDER at the top of the screen. Regardless of the
difficulty you start with, you will automatically progress to
more difficult attack waves.
You also have the option of watching a demonstration game
(selection 7 on the menu). The demonstration game is a good
learning tool for first time DEFENDER players.
6. SCORING
Scores appear at the top of the screen. Player 1, or a single
player's score, is on the top left; the score for player 2 is on
the right. Lives remaining and smart bombs remaining are
displayed next to these scores. (See Figure 4 for scores.)
At the end of each wave, you score 100 bonus points for each
surviving Humanoid, multiplied by the number of the wave, up to a
maximum of 500 bonus points.
[The points values table below has pictures of each type of
alien or rescue mission.]
POINT VALUES: Aliens Destroyed
Lander........150
Mutant........150
Swarmer.......200
Baiter........200
Bomber........250
Pod..........1000
POINTS VALUES: Humanoid Rescue Mission
Points Plus 150 For Lander
Humanoid falls but lives.....................250
Caught but not brought back to the city......500
Caught and brought back to the city.........1000
You earn an additional DEFENDER life and smart bomb every 10,000
points.
7. STRATEGY AND TIPS
1. One of the most important strategies to remember is to keep
moving and firing at the same time. Your continuous fire
will build a "wall of fire" to protect your spaceship.
2. Fly low. Most good DEFENDER players seldom fly more than two
inches above the cities. This helps in protecting the
Humanoids.
3. Destroy the Landers, but don't shoot your Humanoids.
4. Listen to the game sounds. When you hear a Humanoid's cry
for help, immediately go to the rescue.
5. Learn to use the scanner. Try playing DEFENDER using only
the scanner. When you learn to rely on it, it will help you
improve your score.
6. Reversing direction suddenly is good strategy. It confuses
and stops aliens. By the time the alien recovers, you can
reverse directions again, and blast the alien.
8. YOUR BEST GAME SCORES
Name Date Score
______________ _______ ________
______________ _______ ________
______________ _______ ________
______________ _______ ________
[etc.]
END
Typed by Jay Tilton
for Atari Gaming Headquarters
Used with permission from Atari Gaming Headquarters
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