1.ENGLISH SECTION 112 VIDEO GAMES SPACE INVADERS* ATARI A Warner Communications Company CX2632 *SPACE INVADERS is the trademark of Taito America Corp. 1980 Use your Joystick Controllers with this Game Program TM. Be sure the controllers are firmly plugged into the LEFT and RIGHT CONTROLLER jacks at the rear of your Video Computer System TM. Hold the controller with the red button to your upper left toward the television screen. Use the Joystick plugged into the LEFT CONTROLLER jack for one-player games. See Section 3 of your Video Computer System Owner's Manual for further details. NOTE: Always turn the console power switch off when inserting or removing a Game Program. This will protect the electronic components and prolong the life of your ATARI (R) Video Computer System. GAME OBJECTIVE Each time you turn on SPACE INVADERS you will be at war with enemies from space who are threatening the earth. Your objective is to destroy these invaders by firing your "laser cannon." You must wipe out the invaders either before they reach the earth (bottom of the screen), or before they hit you three times with their "laser bombs." Your long-term objective is to score as many points as possible. Points are scored each time you hit one of the SPACE INVADERS. They are worth different amounts of points, depending on their initial position on the screen. (See SCORING) If you destroy all 36 SPACE INVADERS before they reach the earth, a new set of invaders will appear on the screen. Each time the invaders are reset on the screen they will start from a position closer to the earth until they reach the closest position possible. The SPACE INVADERS can be reset on the screen indefinitely during a game. USING THE CONTROLLERS Move the Joystick to the right or left to manuever your laser cannon across the bottom of the screen. Do this to avoid being hit by the laser bombs, which the invaders will continually drop from the sky, and to aim your own "laser beams." Each time your cannon is hit by one of the laser bombs the game pauses temporarily, and the number of hits you have remaining is displayed at the bottom of the screen. Press the red controller button to fire your laser cannon. Each time you fire the cannon you may not fire it again until you hit a target, or until the laser beam disappears off the top of the screen. Depress the game select switch to choose the game variation you wish to play. The game variation number is displayed at the top, left side of the screen. The number opposite on the top, right side of the screen represents the number of players for each game. TO BEGIN PLAY Console Controls The SPACE INVADERS move faster on the screen as their numbers decrease, making them more difficult to hit. The fastest speed occurs when only one invader remains on the screen. Since there are 112 game variations to SPACE INVADERS, a quick look at the Game Matrix in the center of this instruction booklet is helpful when choosing or locating a game. NOTE: Holding the game select switch down will cause the game number to increase continually on the screen. However, to increase the game number rapidly, depress and hold down both the game select and game reset switches. As you near the desired game number, release the game reset switch and bring up the game number you want using only the game select switch. Depress the game reset switch to begin a game. Difficulty switches The difficulty switches control the size of the laser cannons on the screen. In the b position, the cannon is smaller, and therefore easier for the beginning player to use. In the a position, the cannon is twice as large, and therefore more susceptible to enemy fire. In a one-player game, use the left difficulty switch to control the size of the cannon. In two- player games the left player uses the left difficulty switch, and the right player uses the right difficulty switch to control the cannon size. GENERAL INFORMATION By now you know that you must hit and eliminate the SPACE INVADERS before they reach the earth, or, bottom of the screen. You also know that you must evade their falling laser bombs in order to save the earth and keep the game going. Here are some other bits of information which will help you to play SPACE INVADERS. Periodically during a game, the COMMAND ALIEN SHIP will fly across the top of the screen (sometimes from left to right, sometimes right to left). The COMMAND SHIP is worth 200 points* whenever you hit it, which is considerably more than any other target (see SCORING). You will be pleased to know that the COMMAND SHIP does not drop laser bombs or anything else, and is therefore harmless to you and your laser cannon. The COMMAND SHIP is simply a bonus if you are able to hit it. Be careful not to concentrate so much on hitting it that you get hit with an enemy laser bomb. There are SHIELDS (screen diagram) positioned on the screen between your laser cannon and the SPACE INVADERS. At the outset you are safe behind the SHIELDS. However, as you and the enemy hit the SHIELDS, they become damaged, allowing laser beams from your cannon and laser bombs from the enemy to pass through them. As the SPACE INVADERS get close to the SHIELDS on their way to the earth, the SHIELDS disappear altogether. Remember, if the lowest SPACE INVADERS reach the earth (bottom of the screen), the game ends. The small lines or bars at the bottom of the screen (see screen diagram) indicate the farthest points to which you may move to the right or to the left. Be careful not to get caught at the edge of these points when hemmed in by enemy fire. *In games "C" and "D" the COMMAND SHIP is worth 100 points. (See ONE-PLAYER/TWO-PLAYER OPTIONS) GAME VARIATIONS There are several GAME VARIATIONS programmed into SPACE INVADERS. Again, check the Game Matrix for a specific breakdown of the variations for each game number. The variations are intended to challenge the experienced player, as well as to provide variety in general. The variations include: Moving Shields- the SHIELDS move back and forth on the screen, as opposed to remaining in a fixed or stationary position. Using them for protection becomes hazardous. Zigzagging Laser Bombs- the laser bombs "zigzag" back and forth as they come down the screen. It is difficult to know exactly where they are going to land, and thus, stay out of their path. Fast Laser Bombs- they drop quickly and are much more difficult to avoid. (When the laser bombs are both zigzagging AND fast, even the experienced players will have their hands full.) Invisible Invaders- the invaders are invisible on the screen after game play begins. Each time one is hit, the remainder of the invaders appear momentarily on the screen, and then disappear until one is hit again. NOTE: When you're in the mood for a serious challenge, try Game 16. ONE-PLAYER/TWO-PLAYER OPTIONS In addition to the GAME VARIATIONS, there are several ways in which one or two players may play SPACE INVADERS. A. The "normal" or basic game for one player. (GAMES 1-16) GAME VARIATIONS are optional, but one player always competes against the computer. B. Two opposing players taking alternate turns. (Games 17- 32) Left player goes first (starts on left side of screen), then the right player takes a turn (starting from right side). The screen display changes so that each player has his or her own set of invaders. The SHIELDS are completely restored for each new turn. The COMMAND ALIEN SHIP is worth 200 points. Play ends for each player after three enemy hits, or when invaders reach the earth. Highest score wins. C. Two opposing players competing at the same time. (Games 33-48) Both players fire away simultaneously and compete for a higher score. The COMMAND ALIEN SHIP is worth 100 points. Whenever you are hit, you opponents is awarded 200 points. Play ends after three hits are taken between the two players, or when the invaders reach the earth. D. Two opposing players competing at the same time, taking alternate shots. (Games 49-64) If you wait too long, your laser cannon is fired automatically and your opponent can set up a shot. All other game play characteristics are the same is in C above. E. Two player partnership game. (Games 65-80) Both players control a common laser cannon. Each player can move in one direction only. Right player moves the cannon to the right, left player moves it to the left. Either play may fire. Otherwise, this version is like a one-player "normal" game (one score display, COMMAND SHIP = 200 points, etc.) F. Two-player partnership game with alternating firing and controlling of the cannon. (Games 81-96) The left player starts and may move the cannon in either direction. After ONE shot by the left player, the right player then has control and fires one shot. Both players are striving for a common (high) score, as in the E version above. G. Two-player partnership game with one player controlling cannon movement and the other player firing laser beams. (games 97-112) Left player moves the cannon, right player fires. Otherwise, this version is the same as the other "partnership" games. SCORING The SPACE INVADERS are worth 5, 10, 15, 20, 25, 30 points in the first through sixth rows respectively. (See diagram.) The point value of each target stays the same as it drops lower on the screen. Each complete set of SPACE INVADERS is worth 630 points. Although scoring can be infinite, there is only room for four digits on the display, so that the highest score any player will ever see on the screen is 9999. This does not represent the highest score possible, but rather the highest score that can be displayed on the screen. In a one-player game the score is displayed at the top, left side of the screen. In a two-player game the left player's score is on the left; the right player's score is on the right. The score or scores disappear when the COMMAND ALIEN SHIP flies across the screen, then reappear when the ship leaves the screen or is hit. Points per target ## ## ## ## ## ## #### ######## Row 6 ### ## ### 30 ########### ########### ## ## #### #### ########## ############## #### ## #### ############## Row 5 ## ## ## ## 25 ## ## ## ## ## ## ## ## ## ## ## ## ## ## ## ## ## ## ## ## ## ## ## ## Row 4 ## 20 ## ## ## #### #### ###### ########## #### ## #### ########## Row 3 ###### 15 ## ## ## ## ## ## ## ## ###### ############ #### ######## #### ######## Row 2 ############## 10 #### ## ## ## ## ## ###### ##### ## ## ## ## #### ## #### ############## ## ## Row 1 ## ## 5 ## ## ## ## ## ## ## ## Basic Game A. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 Alternating B. 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 Turns Competing at C. 33 34 35 36 37 38 39 40 41 42 43 44 45 46 47 48 Same Time Competing at D. 49 50 51 52 53 54 55 56 57 58 59 60 61 62 63 64 Same Time Alternating shots One Player E. 65 66 67 68 69 70 71 72 73 74 75 76 77 78 79 80 Moves Right Other Player Moves Left Alternating F. 81 82 83 84 85 86 87 88 89 90 91 92 93 94 95 96 Fire & Control One Player Moves G. 97 98 99 100 101 102 103 104 105 106 107 108 109 110 111 112 Other Players Fires MOVING SHIELDS - X - X - X - X - X - X - X - X ZIGZAGGING BOMBS - - X X - - X X - - X X - - X X FAST BOMB - - - - X X X X - - - - X X X X INVISIBLE - - - - - - - - X X X X X X X X INVADERS SPACE INVADERS ATARI (R) A Warner Communications Company ATARI, INC., Consumer Division, P.O. Box 427, Sunnyvale, CA 94086, U.S.A. Manual, Program and Audiovisual (c) 1980 Atari, Inc. C016973-32-REV. 1 Printed in U.S.A.-------------------Atari 2600 Instructions Archive-------------------