Flag Capture Use your Joystick Controllers with this Game Program. Be sure the controllers are firmly connected to your Video Computer System. See the Owner's Manual for details. Hold the controllers with the red button to your upper left towards the television screen. For one-player games, use the left 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 Each player controls an explorer. Your object is to find the flag using your explorer. The left controller player's explorer starts in the upper left corner square; the right controller player's explorer starts in the lower right corner square. Explorers can move from square to square. During your turn, you can move your explorer to any square position. To move the explorer up or down the maze, move the Joystick up or down. To move the explorer to the right or left, move the Joystick to the right or left. Move the explorer to diagonal squares by moving the Joystick in one of the four diagonal directions you want. NOTE: Your explorer cannot move occupied by an opponent's explorer. When you are satisfied with the position of your explorer press the red controller button. Any of the following objects will appear on the square: A Direction Clue. An arrow may appear which will point to the direction of the flag. Here are a few examples of Direction Arrows. The shaded area refers to the location of the flag. A Number Clue. A number may appear which will refer to the distance between your explorer and the flag. For example, if the Number 2 appears, the flag is somewhere on the perimeter of a 2-square radius. Here are a few examples of Number Clues. The shaded area refers to the possible location of the flag. A Bomb. Curses! A trap has been set and you fall for it. A bomb explodes under your explorer. Now, begin again at the starting square. The Flag. Good Show! You've found the flag. EXPLORING CONDITIONS Every game is not the same. Each features different variations. For a description of these variations, continue reading. TWO PLAYER GAMES - Free-For-All: Both players start moving their explorers across the maze simultaneously. No need to take turns. Pay attention to your opponent's clues if you can. The first player to find the flag scores a point. - Double Two-Player: Each player takes a turn to move his explorer and uncover a clue. The first player to find the flag scores one point. -Solo Two-Player: In these games, one player continues to take turns until the flag is found. Then it's the opponent's turn to find the flag. The object is to score the lowest number of points. A player scores one point each time he pushes the controller button and receives a clue. ONE PLAYER GAMES - One-Player Timed: The clock at the top of the screen times out at 75 seconds. That's how much time you have to find the flag as many times as possible. Once you find a flag, start over again. STATIONARY FLAG No surprises here. The location of the flag remains the same throughout the game. Just study the clues carefully. MOVING FLAG Fast thinking and a little luck are the secrets to finding a Moving Flag. Each time a player takes a turn without finding the flag, the flag moves ONE square. The Flag continues to move in the SAME direction until a player finds it. The flag moves in a vertical, horizontal or diagonal straight line. For example, after two turns are taken, the flag has moved in a diagonal straight line from point A to point C (two squares). -WRAPAROUND- EXPLORERS In all games the explorers can move off the maze and appear on the opposite side. For example, move the explorer horizontally off the right side, and it appears on the first square of the same row on the left side. (See the following diagram). Note that the vertical and diagonal explorer movement is the same as flag movement reviewed in the following section. Moving Flag The Wraparound features can also apply to the Moving Flag. Some games will offer a Moving Flag with Wraparound. There are three ways the flag's movement is controlled by Wraparound: Horizontal: When the flag is moving in a horizontal straight Iine, it may eventually move off the screen. When this occurs, the flag reappears at the opposite side of the screen in the same row. Vertical: When the flag is moving in a vertical straight line, it may move off the screen. It will reappear at the opposite side in the same column of squares. Diagonal: The diagonal movement of the flag differs from the horizontal and vertical Wraparounds. When the flag moves off the screen, imagine it moving one more square up and over. Remember this concept and you will understand the diagonal patterns of movement. Moves 1-3: The flag moves VERTICALLY off the top side and reappears at position 4 on the bottom side. The flag has theoretically traveled one square up and over. Moves 4-7: The flag moves HORIZONTALLY off the right side and reappears at position 8 on the left side. The flag has theoretically traveled one square up and over. WALL Games that feature Moving Flags can also feature a Wall. The Wall is an invisible boundary around the maze. When a Moving Flag makes contact with the Wall, it will "bounce" into another square. The Moving Flag bounces at the same angle that it approached the Wall. SCORING A player scores one point for each flag he finds during Free-For-All and Double Two-Player games. The first player to score 15 points wins the game. During Two-Player Solo games, each player scores the number of turns it takes to find the flag. For example, if a player needs six clues or turns to find the flag, his score is six. The first player to score 75 points LOSES the game. In timed one-player games, the player scores one point for each time he finds the flag. He races against the clock to score as many points as possible in 75 seconds. Note: In two-player games, the right player's score appears in the upper right playfield corner. The left player's score appears in the upper left corner. In one-player games, the time appears in the upper right corner of the playfield. The player uses the left controller, and the score appears in the upper left playfield corner. In Two-Player Solo games (games where players try to score the lowest number of points), a player scores one point for each flag when the Difficulty is in the "B" position. In the "A" position, a player scores two points for each flag. In two-player Free-For-All games, the moving action of a player's explorer is slowed down when the Difficulty Switch is in the "A" position. This document typed by Steve Reed, SteveR@ior.com.