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Cybermorph (1 Meg) - Atari - Atari Jaguar     HTML Manual Box Scan icon  

Cybermorph Manual
Cybermorph
----------


Introduction
------------

The Galactic War has begun, and the ultimate weapon has been created: robotic 
technologies that can rebuild themselves. As the evil Pernitia Empire adds 
planet after planet to its growing empire, their regenerative technology 
becomes permanently entrenched.

Fortunately, your forces had new weapons designed ... unfortunately, they were 
seized by the enemy. The weapons, along with supplies and information, were 
sealed into pods. Some of the key designers were cryogenically suspended and 
put into the pods as well.

You have been assigned to pilot the only prototype fighter craft in existence: 
the Cybermorph Transmogriffon, or T-Griffon, a morphing attack craft. Although 
usable only in planetary atmospheres, it can be transported between worlds by 
intersolar cruisers, and has it's own re-entry and retrieval systems.

The T-Griffon can follow terrain extremely close at high speeds. It can also 
hover and fly backwards by altering its shape. It can withstand extreme damage 
by regenerating parts, using technology similar to that used by the Pernitia 
Empire. The T-Griffon also features a holographic intelligence agent named 
Skylar, who will give you crucial battle information.

You must recover the pods so the resistance fighters will have the weapons, 
equipment and expertise necessary to stop the spread of the Pernitia Empire. 
Skylar will keep you informed of newly downloaded intelligence about the 
planet's surface. When you recover the number of pods known to be in the 
sector, Skylar activates the retrieval code and the beam portal opens which 
will take you to another sector.


Getting Started
---------------

1. Insert your JAGUAR Cybermorph cartridge into the cartridge slot of your 
   JAGUAR 64-bit Interactive Multimedia System.
2. Insert the Cybermorph overlay in the Jaguar Controller's keypad slot.
3. Press the POWER button.
4. Press any button to discontinue the Title Screens.

If for any reason your cartridge does not load, or you only see a red screen, 
refer to the warranty information included with your JAGUAR cartridge.


Game Controls (see Fig. I)
--------------------------

A	Forward thrust           \
B	Fire Weapon               |- (1)
C	Brake / Backward thrust  /
OPTION	Toggle through main weapon ordinance (2)
PAUSE 	Will pause the game action. (3)
	While in Pause Mode you may press any button and press the Joypad left 
	or right to change the volume of the following:
	A = Skylar volume; B = sound effects volume; C = engine volume.

JOYPAD LEFT	Turn left	\
JOYPAD RIGHT	Turn right       |_ 
JOYPAD UP	Dive             |  (4)
JOYPAD DOWN	Climb	        /


Control Options
---------------

You can reconfigure your controls by pressing the Option key while on the title 
screen. This brings up the Control Options screen. Press up or down on the 
controller to change the A, B, and C functions. Press left or right on the 
controller to change the Up and Down functions. Once you have set up the 
controls you want, press A, B, or C to exit the Control Options screen and 
return to the title screen.

Volume, Controls, and High Score information are retained in the cartridge even 
if you have turned off your JAGUAR 64-bit Interactive Multimedia System. The 
cartridge will store up to 100,000 changes. After 100,000 changes have been 
recorded, no more changes will be retained. To clear the currently saved 
changes, press *, option, and # while on the CONTROL OPTIONS screen.


Keypad Overlay (see Fig. II)
----------------------------

1,2,3	Super Weapon fires a Super Weapon if available
  4	Cross-hair Toggle turns the cross-hair on or off (unless in cockpit mode).
  5	Forward View is the view in front of you, including the T-Griffon.
  6	Cockpit View is like forward view without the T-Griffon on screen.
  7	Left View is from the port side of the T-Griffon.
  8	Rear View is the view behind you, including the T-Griffon.
  9	Right View is from the starboard side of the T-Griffon.
  0	Music toggles main music on and off.
 *,#    Pressing the "*" and "#" together will reset the game.


Weapons
-------

Single Shot is the least effective, but has unlimited ammo, so shoot away!

Rapid Fire can fire shots at a much faster rate, but runs out at end of a level 
           or when you lose your ship.

Twin Shot fires two shots at a time and replaces Single Shot when available.

Three-way Shot fires three spreading shots at a time.

Cruise Bombs drop to the ground and fly forward, following the terrain.

Incinerators fire a wide stream of deadly flames.

Mines can be dropped just below your craft, and will stay there until they go 
      off. Nearby enemies or buildings will set them off, otherwise they 
      explode after a few second.

The maximum ammunition the T-Griffon can carry for each weapon type is 
50 rounds. Ammo can be replenished with Weapon Coins (see below).


Super Weapons
-------------

The Transmogriffon has three special weapons available. Only one type can be 
carried at a time, and only 5 rounds of each type can be held. Any Super Weapon 
will eliminate bioblobs on the T-Griffon.

	Thunderquakers destroy all nearby enemies.

	Nitros give a burst of speed beyond normal. Your ship is also protected 
	       from most types of damage while in Nitro mode.

	Detonators will destroy most nearby buildings.

	
Powerup Coins
-------------

Energy Coins recover 1/4 of your total power. Weapon Coins give you between 20 
             and 50 rounds of ammo for a specific weapon type.

Superweapon Coins give you two rounds of ammo for a specific superweapon.

X Coins give you one extra T-Griffon.

Power Rings give you full power when you fly through them. 
            They can only be used once.

Bonus Rings are hard to find, but if you fly through these dark blue rings, 
            you will be awarded a bonus world to explore! 
            There is one bonus ring per sector.
 
 
Planet Selection Screen
-----------------------

Each sector consists of eight planets. Using the Joypad, place the cursor over 
the planet you plan to liberate first and press the A button. Once you have 
finished the last planet in a sector you must survive the sector's final world, 
which is quite a challenge thanks to the Pernitians! Only then can you get the 
codes that allow you to go to other sectors.


Game Play (see Fig. III)
------------------------

(1) SCORE displays your current score.

(2) NUMBER OF SHIPS is the number of regenerations remaining.

(3) SKYLAR is your holographic advisor who intermittently appears.

(4) CROSS-HAIR helps you aim your weapons.

(5) SPEED shows your speed forward (green) or backward (blue).

(6) SHIELD METER is the amount of power your shields have. When your shields 
     are depleted, you lose a ship.

(7) TWIN SHOT, THREE WAY, CRUISE BOMB, MINE and INCINERATOR icons will be 
     displayed when available. When selected, the ammo count will be displayed 
     in white.

(8) MESSAGE WINDOW is where the latest information appears. This also keeps 
     track of the total number of pods detected on the world. If pods are 
     destroyed by Vortex Towers (see BUILDINGS), this number will go down, 
     so hurry !

(9) SUPER WEAPON displays which Super Weapon (if any) is currently available. 
     Only one Super Weapon can be held at a time.

(10) POD COUNTER displays the number of pods required to clear the planet. 
      Sometimes a world will have more pods than is required!

(11) ALTIMETER displays your altitude. The bottom white line is sea level, the 
      top white line is your ceiling height. The T-Griffon cannot climb above 
      ceiling height, so you may have to fly around some mountains. Your height 
      is displayed with a black bar. The wide pink bar displays the height of 
      the ground directly in front of you.

(12) SCANNER displays your enemies as red skulls (hostile) or green skulls 
      (passive). A white 'X' marks the Vortex Towers. Yellow diamonds show pods 
      that can be collected. A yellow arrow points toward the nearest pods, or 
      the exit portal if it is open. White triangles point toward the nearest 
      Vortex Tower if any are nearby. Squares designate teleporters.

     
Objective
---------

You must collect the pods on eight worlds in order to free a sector from the 
Pernitia Empire and establish a strategic base for resistance. Ultimately you 
must clear the fifth sector to defeat the Pernitia Empire !


Vortex Towers
-------------

The Pernitia Empire has taken a bold step in stopping you - they are trying to 
destroy the pods you so desperately need. The only thing that can destroy a pod 
is raw antimatter, so the Pernitians have developed Vortex Towers to generate 
antimatter fields. They have installed Vortex Towers on some of the world that 
utterly destroy the pods. Fortunately, the T-Griffon is unaffected by these 
Vortex Towers, but pods are lost forever if they are touched by the black 
anti-matter that Vortex Towers generate.


Teleporters
-----------

Some worlds still retain a system of teleporters built before the arrival of 
the Pernitia Empire. These spinning devices can be used by the T-Griffon to get 
into hard to reach areas on the world. Fortunately, the Pernitia do not know 
how to use them or how to destroy them. Simply fly into the center, and the 
T-Griffon will be teleported to a matching teleporter on the other end.


Buildings
---------

POD PRISONS contain pods and must be shot open. Pods in prisons will not show 
            up on the scanner until they have been released.

FORCE FIELDS prevent the T-Griffon from passing through certain areas.

POWER STATIONS power the Force Fields. If destroyed, the force field will turn 
               off.

SPIKES pop out of the ground, preventing the T-Griffon from capturing a pod.

SPIKE STATIONS control the spikes. If destroyed, the spikes are deactivated.

BUNKERS can contain a number of different items, and must be shot open to 
        reveal the item inside.

RADAR helps the enemy navigate. If destroyed, some enemies are frozen.


Scoring
-------

ENEMY HIT		:   50 points
ENEMY DESTROYED		:  150 points
BUILDING DESTROYED	:  200 points
VORTEX TOWER HIT	:  100 points
POD PICKED UP		:  200 points
1K COIN			: 1000 points
2K COIN			: 2000 points
EXTRA PODS RECOVERED	: 5000 points each, awarded on the debriefing screen.

An EXTRA SHIP is awarded every 50,000 points, when a level is completed.


Strategy & Hints
----------------

Learn your way around the levels. Practice levels that you are having trouble 
with by entering the sector code and trying the world right away. The order in 
which you conquer worlds may affect how easy they are to complete. Keep your 
eyes open for special buildings and items - they may be critical to the 
liberation of a world!

ENEMIES: Most enemies can be avoided with some fast flying. Some enemies will 
 stay in one area, others rove around. Watch your scanner for hostile enemies. 
 You can kill enemies that are chasing you by flying backwards and firing. If a 
 hostile enemy is not near something you need, it is generally best to avoid 
 them. Keep your eyes open for Pod Carriers that move pods (often near a 
 Vortex Tower), and Cargo Carriers towing powerups. 

CRASHING: Don't try to fly over mountains that are too high - go around them or 
 try to find teleporters that will get you past them. Some buildings are quite 
 sturdy. The T-Griffon's terrain-following will not avoid buildings, so be 
 careful about crashing into them - especially whem flying backwards. Watch out 
 for enemies that try to ram into you.

PODS: When picking up pods, try to stay low to the ground. Remember that pods 
 may be hidden inside prisons. Watch your scanner for the location of nearby 
 pods. Remember that if a Vortex Tower destroys too many of your pods you will 
 have to do the planet over again, so quickly collect pods that are in danger.

WEAPONS: If you are having trouble aiming, try turning on the cross-hairs or 
 flying in cockpit mode. Mines are a good way to kill enemies that are chasing 
 you. Cruise bombs are good weapons against ground enemies and buildings. 
 Incinerators will actually go up a slope if they hit it, and are good for 
 killing ground-based enemies. Remember that most weapons need ammo, so use 
 them wisely and watch for weapon powerup coins if you are running low. Some 
 worlds have more of one weapon type than others. Use superweapons wisely - 
 they can be very effective if used in the right way.


Credits
-------

Code:    	Fred Gill, Brian Pollock
Graphics:       Chris Gibbs, Ian Harling, BJ west
Sound: 		Andrew Holtom, Dave Lowe, Ted Tahquechi
Level Designs/
Game Testing:	Shimmy Brandes, Tom Gillen, Hans Jacobsen, Andrew Keim,
		Sean Patten, Joe Sousa, Ted Tahquechi, Faran Thomason
Produced by:	John Skruch, Sean Patten
Documentation:	Sean Patten, Hans Jacobsen