Beam Rider

 Activision

BEAMRIDER

Video Game Cartridge Instructions

ACTIVISION BEAMRIDER BASICS

The Restrictor Shield, 99 sectors deep, now surrounds the Earth. You are the

Beamrider, thrust from your Space Station, on a mission to clear the Shield.

There you must demolish an onslaught of aliens as you dodge from beam to beam.

Insert game cartridge into your video game console with power OFF. Then, turn

power ON.

Slip game overlay onto hand controller(s).

There are four game variations:

Game 1: One player

Game 2: Two players taking turns

Game 3: Three players taking turns

Game 4: Four players taking turns

In multi-player games, an arrow at the top of the sceen will point to the left

or right, indicating which controller is in use. Select game by pressing

appropriate number, 1-4, on controller keypad. You will immediately be in the

Space Station (see #10). Its control panel displays your score, two reserve

ships, sector, number of enemy saucers and three torpedoes. To start the action,

open the Space Station's hatch doors and enter the Restrictor Shield by pressing

the controller disc.

USE OF THE CONTROLLER

Disc: To move your ship left or right, ... tap the left or right rim.

Side Buttons: Press either upper button to fire laser lariats. Press either

bottom button to launch torpedoes.

Pause control: If you're distracted in the middle of a game, you can put the

action on hold. Simply press number 1 and 9 or 3 and 7 simultaneously on the

keypad. The action will stop and the screen will go dark. To resume the game,

press any key.

Enemy Saucers: There are 15 enemy saucers in each sector. They must all be

destroyed before you can go to the next sector. Every time a saucer is hit, the

number in the upper left corner of the screen will count down by one.

Weapons: Laser lariats are only effective against certain invaders (see

"Dangerous Encounters"). Torpedoes, however, will destroy the first object they

meet on a beam. You are only given 3 torpedoes per sector. Use them sparingly

since they are your only weapon against the Sector Sentinel (see "Special

Features").

The Space Station: Whenever your ship is destroyed, or when you complete a

sector, you will return via hyperspace to the Space Station. When you're ready

to continue, press any button or the controller disc. The hatch doors will open

and you'll be on your way.

SCORING

Points are scored each time an enemy saucer, chirper ship or Sector Sentinel is

destroyed. Additionally, a 'sector bonus', added to all scores, increases as you

progress to higher sectors. The higher the sector, the higher the bonus. White

Enemy Saucers: 40 points plus sector bonus

Yellow Chirper Ships: 200 points plus sector bonus

Sector Sentinel: 300 points plus sector bonus

The exact point value for each hit appears in red, briefly replacing your score

the moment an enemy craft is destroyed.

Also, if you manage to destroy the Sector Sentinel, you'll receive the points

described above plus a bonus for each ship in your fleet (each ship will light

up and add 100 points plus a sector bonus to your score).

You begin the game with one active ship and two on reserve. The game ends when

all your ships are gone. TURN POWER OFF BEFORE REMOVING CARTRIDGE.

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SPECIAL FEATURES OF BEAMRIDER

The Sector Sentinel. When all 15 white enemy saucers have been destroyed in a

sector, their Sentinel ship will be defenseless and will cruise across the top

of the beams. Only a torpedo can destroy it.

Yellow Rejuvenators. Occasionally, yellow rejuvenators will float through the

beam matrix. Allow them to land on your deck, as each connection will add a

bonus ship your fleet. If you shoot or torpedo a rejuvenator by mistake, it will

turn red from the heated blast. Get out of the way! The wreckage will destroy

you on contact.

Drop Out Key. In a multi-player game, you can choose to drop out of the game

without interrupting the other players. When your turn begins in the space

station, simply press the zero button (0) on the controller for about 1 second.

Your score will be omitted and the sequence of play will automatically adjust to

the remaining players.

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DANGEROUS ENCOUNTERS

With the first swing of your laser lariat, the white enemy saucers approach. But

there's more. As you progress through the Restrictor Shield, a sinister

collection of aliens will materialize. A new danger is added with every other

sector, up to sector 14.

SECTOR CRAFT VULNERABLE?

1 White Enemy Saucers Yes

2 Brown Space Debris No

4 Yellow Chirper Ships Yes

6 Green Blocker Ships No

8 Green Bounce Craft No

10 Blue Chargers Yes

12 Orange Trackers No

14 Red Zig Bombs Yes

Only "vulnerable" objects are affected by laser lariats (saucers and chirpers

are destroyed; chargers and zig bombs are deflected). Everything else can only

be dodged, or in extreme cases, torpedoed.

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JOIN THE ACTIVISION "BEAMRIDERS"

Beamriders are a breed all their own. Part warrior, part astronaut and part

daredevil. If that sounds like you, and, if you've made it to sector 20 with a

score of 60,000 points or more, join the club. Send us a photo of your TV screen

showing your sector and score, along with your name and address, and we'll send

you the emblem that will identify you as an official Beamrider. Be sure to write

"Beamrider" and your score on the bottom corner of the envelope.

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HOW TO BE A "BEAMRIDER"

Tips from Dave Rolfe, designer of Beamrider

Dave Rolfe is a seasoned designer of video games, with an academic background in

engineering and computer science. In his spare time, he can be found bicycling

or listening to rock 'n roll.

Greetings from sector 26 and moving! If you want to make it to the outer

sectors, pay attention to these tips.

First of all, don't hold down the disc. Maintain precise control by learning to

TAP the disc to move a single beam at a time. And stay near the center beams so

you won't get boxed into a corner with nowhere to run.

Zap the white enemy saucers as early in their approach as possible. And check

this out: You can hit them when they're slightly off the beam, before they can

drop their missiles.

When you see a yellow rejuvenator, don't abandon all caution as you move to

catch it, or you'll likely wreck your ship. If an invulnerable object is

blocking it, you can use a torpedo to blast it out of the way. Then, catch the

rejuvenator. But remember, you only have three torpedoes and they're your only

weapon against the Sector Sentinel.

And while we're on the subject, when the Sentinel is about to approach, don't

sit on the beam you plan to shoot from. Green Blockers will swarm onto it

immediately! Instead, wait on a beam you're not going to shoot from (like the

one nearest the Sentinel's first sighting). As soon as the Blockers are 'locked'

onto that beam, zip over to an unblocked beam and torpedo the ship.

Last, but not least, take time to notice the enemy attack movements. They

generally follow a pattern of motion that allows you to anticipate many of their

moves.

With practice, you'll be in the outer sectors before long. If you get too far

out, come down to Earth for a while and drop me a line. Because reading your

letters is the next best thing to designing games.

David Rolfe

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©1983 Activision

M-005-03