BASKETBALL

GAME PROGRAM TM INSTRUCTIONS

Model CX2624

ATARI

A Warner Communications Company

ATARI, INC., Consumer Division 1195 Borregas Ave., Sunnyvale, CA 94086

(c) 1977 ATARI, INC. C011402-24

Use your Joystick Controllers with this Game Program TM. Be sure the Controllers are firmly connected to your Video Computer System TM. See your Owner's Manual for details. Hold the Controllers with the red button to your upper left towards the television screen. To play against the computer, use the right hand controller.

NOTE: To prolong the life of your Atari Video Computer System and protect the electronic components, the Console unit should be OFF when inserting or removing a Game Program.

CONTROLLER ACTION

Moving your Joystick Controller according to the diagram will move your player around the court.

   Up and     Move      Up and
   Left       Up        Right
               ^
             \ | /
Move          \|/          Move
Left    <------+------>    Right
              /|\
            /  |  \
               v
   Down       Move      Down and
   and Left   Down      Right

The player with the ball will dribble automatically and will always face the goal. The defending player will always face the ball.

To shoot, depress the red controller button. Your player will stop dribbling and will hold the ball, waving it back and forth over his head (as shown in the diagram). When the controller button is released, the player will shoot. If the shot is made when the ball is over the player's head, it will be a long, high arching shot. If the shot is made when the ball is held low in front, it will be a short easy shot. The shot will always go towards the goal.

To defend against your opponent's shot, place yourself between the ball and the goal. When the shooter releases the ball, depress your red controller button. Your player will jump and you can block the shot and recover the ball. You can only block a shot when the ball is in its "upward" arc: there is no "goaltending" in this game.

To steal the ball, put the player's feet even with your opponent's feet. When the ball leaves your opponent's hand during the dribble, take the ball and race towards your own basket. Stealing the ball comes much easier with practice and will become an integral part of your defense strategy.

HANDICAP

When the Difficulty Switch on your console unit is in the B position, your player can move from goal to goal much more quickly than the A position. Thus a beginning player, using the B position, will be able to defend more easily and will be able to "outrun" his opponent.

TO BEGIN PLAY

Visualize that you are sitting at center court about six rows back. The bottom of the playfield is the near side of the court. The goals are in the center of the two endlines. The top of the court is the side farthest from you.

As shown in the above diagram, the two players are standing at center court, waiting for the "jump ball" to begin the game.

The left or green player's score is shown at the top left of the playfield; the right or lavendar player's score is shown at the top right. Between the two scores is a time clock. When the game begins, this clock will begin counting backwards from 4:00. For any score to count, it must go through the basket before the game ends at 0:00.

To start the game with a jump ball (after setting your Difficulty Switch), depress the Game Reset switch on your Console unit. When the switch is released the ball will be thrown straight up. When the ball comes down the game is underway.

When a basket is made, the player making the basket is reset to center court to defense. His opponent will be reset under the basket to receive the ball and make his offensive moves.

The line under each basket are the court endlines. A defensive player can cross over either endline. An offensive player cannot dribble the ball over the endline nearest to his offensive goal. This features stops any "stall" tactics.

Game 1 Two-player Game

In this version, you are against your opponent. To make your game more interesting, try playing two 4:00 halves, changing controllers at halftime.

Game 2 One-player Game

Using the right hand controller, it's you against the computer... and our computer is programmed to increase your playing skill. The closer the score, the better his defense and he will make more offensive moves. Try not to let the computer get more than an 8-point lead, because after he has let you close the score, his defense will tighten much sooner.

Suggestion: At first place the left Difficulty Switch in the A position and the right Difficulty Switch in the B position. If you can beat the computer 6 to 8-points, consider yourself a skillful player. Then move the left Difficulty Switch to the B position. If you can beat the computer by more than 4-points, you are a superior player.

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-------------------Atari 2600 Instructions Archive-------------------

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