SPACE BATTLE for Intellivision

 SPACE BATTLE

Cartridge Instructions

(For 1 or 2 Players)

Attack alert! 5 alien squadrons closing in on Mother ship. You have 3 squadrons

with which to defend her. Check enemy positions on Radar Screen, then dispatch

your squadrons. When they reach alien squadrons, GO TO BATTLE! Screen switches to

Battle Screen. You move the gunsight to aim. You fire converging missiles. Watch

out! The aliens shoot back. It's you against computer-controlled invaders. Only

you can save the Mother Ship from disaster.

HOW TO WIN!

Space Battle is a game of strategy and skill. If you want to win against the

computer and save the Mother Ship, read this booklet.

OBJECT OF THE GAME (1 or 2 players vs. computer.) Protect the Mother Ship by

shooting down all 5 computer-controlled alien squadrons. You control 3 squadrons

of 3 fighters each. Number of fighters in each alien squadron varies from game to

game.

THE CONTROLS - YOUR FIRST KEY TO WINNING

Take a few minutes to get thoroughly familiar with the controls on your hand

controller keypad. An understanding of them is crucial to winning, since they

determine game strategy.

You control 3 home squadrons in SPACE BATTLE. They are color-coded BLUE, WHITE,

and GOLD.

You can do 3 things with any squadron:

1. Dispatch it. That is, send it after an alien squadron.

2. Return it to base (the Mother Ship).

3. Go to battle with it...after it reaches an alien squadron and starts blinking.

Use the first 9 keys on the hand controller keypad.

1: DISPATCH BLUE SQUADRON

2: DISPATCH WHITE SQUADRON

3: DISPATCH GOLD SQUADRON

4: RETURN TO BASE (BLUE)

5: RETURN TO BASE (WHITE)

6: RETURN TO BASE (GOLD)

7: GO TO BATTLE (BLUE)

8: GO TO BATTLE (WHITE)

9: GO TO BATTLE (GOLD)

CLEAR: RADAR KEY (return to Radar Screen)

ENTER: ALIEN KEY

ANY SIDE ACTION BUTTON: FIRE

DISC: AIM

TO DISPATCH A SQUADRON, use the TOP row of keys, called SQUADRON keys. This lets

you pick which squadron you want to dispatch.

TO RETURN A SQUADRON TO BASE, use the SECOND row of keys, labeled RETURN TO BASE.

TO GO TO BATTLE, use the THIRD row of keys.

Your remaining controls are:

RADAR key. This takes you away from Battle Screen and back to Radar Screen.

ALIEN key. Lets you pick which alien squadron you want to go after. Each time you

press it, a different alien squadron turns from white to PURPLE. This is the

alien you are going after if you hit a Squadron key now.

FIRE BUTTONS. All 4 are identical. Press any Fire Button when you are in battle,

to fire 2 converging missiles at the point covered by your gunsight.

DIRECTION DISC. This is your aiming device, used only when you are in battle. It

lets you move your gunsight around the screen, until it covers an alien fighter.

To move gunsight UP, press TOP edge of disc; to move it RIGHT, press RIGHT edge

of disc; and so forth. It's that simple!

HOW 2 PEOPLE CAN PLAY

Two people can play together against the computer. One person controls the

Direction Disc to move the gunsight. The other person rides shotgun on the Fire

Button. BOTH HAND CONTROLLERS ARE USED, to play the game in this manner.

THE 2 FIELDS OF PLAY (STRATEGY AND BATTLE)

SPACE BATTLE is played on 2 different fields. The strategic field is called the

RADAR SCREEN. The battle field is called the BATTLE SCREEN. During a game you

will switch back and forth between these 2 screens.

RADAR SCREEN

The Radar Screen is what you see when you start a game. It is what you come back

to when you press the RADAR KEY during battle.

You must be on Radar Screen to:

1) Select an alien to attack

2) Dispatch squadrons

3) Return squadrons to base

4) Go to battle with a squadron

BATTLE SCREEN

The Battle Screen is what you see when you press a GO TO BATTLE KEY for a

BLINKING squadron.

You must be on Battle Screen to use the Fire Buttons, Direction Disc, and Radar

Key.

SELECT A GAME SPEED

SPACE BATTLE can be played at 5 different speeds. You must select a game speed

before game will start.

Selecting a game speed takes you to Radar Screen and starts the game.

¥ BEGINNING SPEED (slow) - Press 3

¥ MEDIUM SPEED - Press 2

¥ FAST SPEED - Press 1

¥ ADVANCED SPEED - Press Direction Disc

¥ SUPER ADVANCED SPEED - Press 4

ADVANCED and SUPER ADVANCED speeds give a much more difficult game.

[NOTE: Super Advanced Speed was added for the later, more common Space Action

Network release (Blue Box). The original Action Network release (Red Box) had

only the first four speeds.]

STEP BY STEP THROUGH YOUR FIRST GAME

When the game starts, you will see 5 alien squadrons moving slowly toward the

Mother Ship, at the center of the screen. You will NOT see your own squadrons.

The alien squadrons will be different sizes, ROUGHLY indicated by the number of

dots that make up each squadron. The sizes and starting positions of alien

squadrons will vary from game to game, but THERE WILL ALWAYS BE 5 SQUADRONS.

1. PRESS THE ALIEN KEY (ENTER) 5 TIMES AND WATCH WHAT HAPPENS. Each time you

press the Alien Key, a different alien squadron turns from white to PURPLE. Keep

pressing this key until the alien squadron closest to the Mother Ship turns

purple. This is the alien you will go after if you dispatch one of your squadrons

now. Try it.

2. PRESS THE BLUE SQUADRON KEY (1). Your blue Squadron will appear by the Mother

Ship and slowly start after the alien squadron you picked. This alien squadron

will have turned white again. A different alien squadron is purple now.

3. PRESS THE WHITE SQUADRON KEY (2). Your White Squadron will appear and start

after the alien that was purple when you pressed this key. That alien squadron

will have turned white.

4. FINALLY, PRESS YOUR GOLD SQUADRON KEY (3). Now all 3 of your squadrons are out

and going after different alien squadrons. This is bad strategy, since the Mother

Ship is now defenseless. So, recall one squadron to base.

5. PRESS THE GOLD RETURN-TO-BASE KEY (6). Your Gold Squadron will move slowly

back to the Mother Ship and hover there, remaining visible. You can do this with

any of your squadrons, any time you are on the Radar Screen.

6. By now your Blue Squadron should have reached the closest alien squadron. When

it starts BLINKING, PRESS THE BLUE GO-TO-BATTLE KEY (7). A BUZZ means you pressed

this key BEFORE your squadron was blinking.

BATTLE OVER

A battle ends in 1 of 3 ways:

1) You destroy all fighters in the alien squadron.

2) You lose all 3 fighters in your squadron.

In both cases, you automatically return to the RADAR SCREEN when the battle is

over. If you have fighters left in your squadron, you see 1 colored square for

each fighter left. If the aliens wiped your squadron out, the alien squadron will

show roughly 1 dot for each fighter left. Your squadron will be gone.

3) You return your squadron to base, or re-dispatch it after a different alien

squadron.

To do this, first press the RADAR KEY (CLEAR), to return to RADAR SCREEN. To

return your squadron to base, press that color RETURN TO BASE key. To re-dispatch

your squadron, make sure the alien you want to go after now is PURPLE, (use ALIEN

key if necessary), then press right color SQUADRON key.

IF YOU PRESS THE RADAR KEY TO LEAVE THE BATTLE SCREEN, AND DO NOT RECALL YOUR

SQUADRON TO BASE OR RE-DISPATCH IT, the battle will continue, with the computer

fighting for you.

IF YOU SUDDENLY FIND YOURSELF BACK AT THE RADAR SCREEN BEFORE THE BATTLE IS OVER,

AND YOU DIDN'T PRESS THE RADAR KEY, don't panic. You pressed 2 or more Fire

Buttons together. To get back to battle, just press the GO TO BATTLE key again.

Make sure you press the right color.

WHAT'S HAPPENING ON THE RADAR SCREEN WHILE YOU'RE IN BATTLE?

At BEGINNING SPEED (slow) -- nothing! All action on the Radar Screen stops when

you go into battle. The alien squadrons stop their advance on the Mother Ship.

Any of your other squadrons that are out and NOT ENGAGED with an alien squadron

(not blinking) when you go into battle, also stop their forward movement.

At ALL OTHER SPEEDS, all action (both yours and aliens') continues on the Radar

Screen at 1/2 the normal rate of approach for that game speed.

COMPUTER FIGHTS FOR YOU

ANY TIME one of your squadrons engages an alien squadron (starts blinking) and

you DO NOT go to battle, the computer automatically fights for you. The computer

loses an average of 1 of your fighters for every 3 alien fighters lost.

This also happens if you dispatch more than 1 squadron and the 2nd squadron

reaches its alien target while you are in battle with the 1st.

EXAMPLE: You dispatch BLUE and WHITE Squadrons. BLUE reaches its alien first and

you go to battle with Blue. While you are in battle, WHITE reaches its alien

target. White automatically goes into battle, with the computer fighting for you.

If you decide to control the White battle instead of Blue, press the RADAR KEY

(CLEAR). You will see the Radar Screen with both Blue and White squadrons

blinking. Both battles are now being fought by the computer. Press WHITE GO TO

BATTLE KEY (8). You are now controlling the White battle and the computer is

fighting the Blue battle.

AT BEGINNING SPEED, the only way in which the computer can fight a battle for you

is if you do not go to battle when your squadron starts blinking.

Of course, if you don't want the computer to fight for you, you can take any

squadron OUT of battle, as long as you are on Radar Screen. To do this, press the

RETURN TO BASE key in the color of the squadron you want to recall.

MOTHER SHIP IN DANGER (WHAT THE SIREN MEANS)

Any time you hear a SIREN, it means 1 or more alien squadrons have reached the

Danger Zone Boundary and are firing on the Mother Ship.

1. IF YOU ARE ON RADAR SCREEN, see which alien is threatening the Mother Ship.

Press ALIEN (ENTER) key until this alien turns PURPLE.

2. Choose a squadron to send after this alien.

A. If you have a squadron left at Mother Ship, press that color SQUADRON key

(Blue, White, Gold: 1, 2 or 3).

B. If all your squadrons are out, RE-dispatch one to the threatening alien

squadron. Choose which squadron to re-dispatch. Make sure threatening alien is

purple. (Use ALIEN key [ENTER] if necessary.) Then press chosen color SQUADRON

key. Your squadron will change course or leave battle and start back toward

threatening alien.

3. IF YOU ARE ON BATTLE SCREEN, first press RADAR key (CLEAR) to return to the

Radar Screen. See which alien is threatening the Mother Ship. Then follow Step 2.

THE SIREN WILL CONTINUE UNTIL YOU DESTROY THE THREATENING ALIEN SQUADRON(S). THE

SIREN WILL GET FASTER AS THE ALIEN SQUADRON(S) SCORES MORE HITS ON THE MOTHER

SHIP.

IF YOU DO NOT DESTROY THE THREATENING ALIEN SQUADRON(S) IN A CERTAIN PERIOD OF

TIME, IT WILL DESTROY THE MOTHER SHIP. THE ENTIRE SCREEN WILL TURN RED, A

DISASTER SIGNAL WILL SOUND, AND ALL ACTION WILL STOP. THE GAME IS OVER.

The time it takes an alien squadron to destroy the Mother Ship varies depending

on:

1. The size of the alien squadron. A small squadron takes longer than a large

squadron.

2. The number of alien squadrons firing on the Mother Ship. If 3 alien squadrons

are at the Danger Zone Boundary, it won't take them long to destroy the Mother

Ship.

3. The game speed at which you are playing. On ADVANCED and SUPER ADVANCED, you

won't have much time at all.

4. Whether you are in battle or not. If you are in battle with the threatening

alien squadron, its rate of attack on the Mother Ship will be slower.

MOTHER SHIP SAVED

When you destroy all 5 alien squadrons, you will hear a RISING VICTORY HORN. ALL

CLEAR will print out across the bottom of the screen.

FINE POINTS & OTHER RULES -- RADAR SCREEN

1. You can only send 1 of your squadrons after any particular alien squadron. If

you have already dispatched 1 squadron after an alien, that alien will not turn

purple again, even if you use the ALIEN key (CLEAR), unless you first recall your

dispatched squadron to base.

2. You can RE-DISPATCH a squadron any time you are on the Radar Screen, just by

pressing that SQUADRON key again. Always make sure the alien squadron you want to

go after is PURPLE.

3. When you press a SQUADRON or a RETURN TO BASE key, the alien squadron that was

purple turns white and another alien turns purple.

This is important if you want to return 1 squadron to base and dispatch another.

EXAMPLE: You've just come out of battle with Blue squadron. You decide to return

Blue to base and send White after another alien. This alien is already purple.

Say you press BLUE RETURN TO BASE key (4) first. The alien that WAS purple turns

white. If you press WHITE SQUADRON key (2) now, you will send White after a

different alien than the one you wanted to go after.

Instead, press WHITE SQUADRON KEY (2) FIRST, then BLUE RETURN TO BASE KEY (4).

(If you press BLUE RETURN TO BASE KEY FIRST, use the ALIEN key [ENTER] to turn

your chosen alien purple again. THEN press WHITE SQUADRON KEY.)

4. If you don't go to battle IMMEDIATELY with a blinking squadron, the computer

will start fighting that battle for you. It can lose 1 of your fighters right

away, before you get to the battle. As soon as a squadron starts blinking, press

that color GO TO BATTLE key (Blue, White, Gold: 7, 8, 9).

5. When you return to RADAR SCREEN after a battle has ended, your squadron will

remain where it is, unless you recall it to base or re-dispatch it.

FINE POINTS & OTHER RULES BATTLE SCREEN

1. The alien lasers will home in on your gunsight if you leave it in one place

too long. Corners are particularly easy to get trapped in.

2. When you hit an alien ship, fragments from the explosion may hit other alien

ships, especially if the one you hit was part of a cluster. With careful aim, and

some luck, you can take out 2, 3, 4, as many as 5 fighters with one shot.

ADVANCED AND SUPER ADVANCED SPEEDS

1. Alien squadrons DO NOT SLOW DOWN when you go to battle.

2. On SUPER ADVANCED SPEED ONLY, the alien lasers move faster and appear with

much greater frequency, when you are in battle.

IT IS EXTREMELY DIFFICULT, BUT NOT IMPOSSIBLE, TO WIN A GAME ON SUPER ADVANCED

SPEED.

SPACE BATTLE IN BRIEF (A quick refresher for those who are already familiar with

the game.)

You control 3 squadrons -- blue, white & gold. Each squadron has 3 fighters.

Alien squadrons vary in size. Always 5 alien squadrons per game.

Press 1 of these keys to select speed & start game: 1 -- slow; 2 -- medium; 3 --

fast; Direction Disc -- advanced; 4 -- super advanced.

RADAR SCREEN

1. Game starts on Radar Screen. Press ALIEN key (CLEAR) until alien squadron

closest to Mother Ship turns PURPLE.

2. Send 1 of your squadrons after purple alien squadron. Press any SQUADRON key

(Blue, White, Gold: 1, 2, 3). That squadron appears at Mother Ship and starts

after alien. Alien turns white again, another alien turns purple. Send 1, 2, or 3

squadrons out.

3. When your squadron reaches alien and STARTS BLINKING, press GO TO BATTLE key

(Blue, White, Gold: 7, 8, 9) in color of your blinking squadron. Screen switches

to Battle Screen.

4. If you send a squadron out and want to bring it back, or want to take a

squadron out of battle, press RETURN TO BASE key (Blue, White, Gold: 4, 5, 6) in

color of squadron you are recalling.

BATTLE SCREEN

1. Use DIRECTION DISC to move GUNSIGHT slightly ahead of alien fighter you want

to fire on.

2. Press any ONE side FIRE BUTTON. 2 missiles shoot from bottom of screen and

converge at the point where gunsight was when you fired. If you hit alien

fighter, you hear and see EXPLOSION.

3. Avoid alien lasers. If RED lasers hit gunsight, you lose 1 fighter in your

squadron. Hear LOUD, DEEP BOOM and screen flashes RED.

4. Lower left corner of screen shows number of fighters left in alien squadron.

Lower right corner shows number of fighters left in your squadron.

BATTLE OVER

1. Battle ends automatically when alien squadron or your squadron is destroyed.

You return to Radar Screen.

2. Battle ends temporarily if you press RADAR key (CLEAR), then take your

squadron out of battle by pressing right color RETURN TO BASE key (Blue, White,

Gold: 4, 5, 6).

3. Computer fights any battle in progress that you do not actively control.

Computer loses average of 1 of your lost fighters for every 3 alien fighters

lost.

MOTHER SHIP LOST OR SAVED

1. SIREN tells you 1 or more alien squadrons have reached Danger Zone Boundary

and are firing on Mother Ship.

2. Siren ends when you destroy threatening alien squadrons.

3. If you don't destroy threatening aliens in time, Mother Ship is destroyed. You

hear DISASTER SIGNAL and entire screen turns RED. Game over.

4. When you destroy all 5 alien squadrons, you hear VICTORY HORN and see ALL

CLEAR on screen. Game over.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

©1979, 1998 Intellivision Productions, Inc.