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Joust - Atari - Atari 2600    Manual Scan icon HTML Manual   

Joust
           An Exciting Medieval Battle From the Arcade Classic!
                                 JOUST *

* Joust is a trademark and (C) Williams 1982, manufactured under
  license from Williams Electronics, Inc.


NOTE: Always turn the console POWER switch OFF when inserting or removing
an ATARI(R) Game Program(TM) cartridge. This will protect the electronic
components and prolong the life of your ATARI Video Computer System(TM) game.


KNIGHTS ON BIRDBACK!

How on earth did you fall into this bizarre world? Look around you -- the
sky is filled with knights astride enormous armored buzzards. These
characters look mean, and the buzzards they ride don't look very friendly
either.


THE JOUST

The objective of JOUST is to defend yourself and score points by unseating
opponents in a joust. The winner of a joust is the rider whose mount is
highest at the moment of contact. If the mounts are of equal height, the
joust is a draw.

Your opponents are the Buzzard Riders. There are three types, each more
dangerous than the last: the Bounders (wearing red), the Hunters (wearing
gray), and the Shadow Lords (wearing blue).

When you unseat a Buzzard Rider in a joust, he and his mount turn into an
egg and float ominously around the jousting arena. If you grab the egg,
it will disappear and you'll score bonus points. If you don't grab the egg
it will eventually hatch into an even more dangerous opponent.

When you lose a joust, you'll materialize again on the bottom ledge -- if
you have any lives remaining. Until you fully materialize, you're protected
from attack. Once your bird is moved, however, you become fair game for a
joust.


THE FIRE PITS AND THE PTERODACTYL

Fire pits are positioned on both sides of the lower ledge. After the second
wave of game play the pits are uncovered, and any jouster who ventures too
close may fall into the deadly lava.

At certain times during the game, another menach -- the pterodactyl --
appears. The pterodactyl will try to eat you, but if you hit it directly
on its beak you'll destroy it and earn bonus points.


SPECIAL WAVES

When all Buzzard Riders have been unseated, a new wave of game play begins.
The wave number is shown between rounds at the bottom of the screen. In
some waves you can earn bonus points. These waves are:

Survival Wave (one-player) or Team Wave (two-player) -- In the one-player
version, you are awarded 3000 points if your player stays alive through
the entire wave. In the two-player version, both players are awarded 3000
points if neither player unseats the other.

Gladiator Wave (two-player) -- The first player to unseat the other player
is awarded 3000 points.

Egg Wave -- All the Buzzard Riders begin this wave as eggs. Collect the
eggs quickly before they hatch.

Pterodactyl Wave -- The pterodactyl appears immediately on the screen in
this wave.

The upcoming wave is shown by a letter that appears at the lower right
side of the screen: (S) Survival/Team Wave, (G) Gladiator Wave,
(E) Egg Wave, and (P) Pterodactyl Wave.

Each player's current score and number of lives left is shown at the
bottom of the screen. You start the game with five lives and earn an
additional life with every 20,000 points earned.


SCORING

Unseating a Buzzard Rider       Points
Bounder                         500
Hunter                          750
Shadow Lord                     1500

Collecting Eggs
1st egg                         250
2nd egg                         500
3rd egg                         750
4th egg and each                1000
  egg thereafter:

                                Points
Losing a life                   50
Unseating another               2000
  player (two-player game)
Survivng a Survival Wave        3000
Cooperating in a Team Wave      3000
Unseating another player        3000
  in a Gladiator Wave
Destroying a pterodactyl        1000


USING THE CONTROLLERS

Plug one controller into the LEFT CONTROLLER jack for one-player games;
plug a second controller into the RIGHT CONTROLLER jack for two-player
games. Hold the controller with the red fire button to your upper left,
toward the television screen.

Use your joystick to turn your bird right or left; use the red controller
button to make your bird flap its wings. To make your bird fly, press the
red button repeatedly.


GAME VARIATIONS

There are two game variations in Joust -- EASY and SKILLED. EASY game
variations are identified by a teddy-bear symbol next to the score. In
EASY game variations you face only one opponent at a time, and the
Hunters, Shadow Lords, and pterodactyls do not appear.


CONSOLE CONTROLS

Use the GAME SELECT switch to choose the EASY or SKILLED skill level for
one or two players.

Press GAME RESET or the red button on your controller to restart the game.

The DIFFICULTY SWITCHES have no function in this game.


HELPFUL HINTS

o  Play the EASY version first to learn how to control your bird. Try
   keeping your flight steady and even, rather than bouncing off ledges.

o  Learn the flight patterns of the Buzzard Riders. Try to predict when
   an area should be avoided, or where to expect the next Rider.

o  Clear the screen of opponents as soon as you can. If too much time
   passes, the pterodactyl will appear.

o  Collect eggs quickly. If you wait too long, they'll hatch into new
   Buzzard Riders.

o  Stay away from the sides of the jousting arena since a Buzzard Rider
   or pterodactyl could appear unexpectedly.



                                                           ATARI SERVICE
                                              FACTORY AUTHORIZED NETWORK
                                                          Call toll-free
                                          (800) 672-1404 (in California)
                                       (800) 538-8543 (Continental U.S.)


   Atari welcomes your comments. Please address all correspondence to:

                               Atari, Inc.
                            Customer Relations
                   1312 Crossman Avenue, P.O. Box 61657
                       Sunnyvale, California 94086


                GAME CARTRIDGE LIMITED NINETY DAY WARRANTY

ATARI, INC. ("Atari") warrants to the original consumer purchaser that
your ATARI(R) Game Program cartridge is free from defects in material or
workmanship for a period of ninety days from the date of purchase. If
any such defect is discovered within the warranty period, Atari's sole
obligation will be to replace the cartridge free of charge on receipt
of the cartridge (charges prepaid, if mailed or shipped) with proof of
date of purchase at either the retail store where the cartridge was
purchased or at one of the ATARI Regional Service Centers listed below.

Atari, Inc.                   Atari, Inc.
1312 Crossman Ave.            12 B World's Fair Dr.
Sunnyvale, CA 94086           Somerset, NJ 08873

This warranty shall not apply if the cartridge (i) has been misused or
shows signs of excessive wear, (ii) has been damaged by being used with
any products not supplied by ATARI, or (iii) has been damaged by being
serviced of modified by anyone other than an ATARI Regional Service Center.

ANY APPLICABLE IMPLIED WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTABILITY AND FITNESS, ARE
HEREBY LIMITED TO NINETY DAYS FROM THE DATE OF PURCHASE. CONSEQUENTIAL
OR INCIDENTAL DAMAGES RESULTING FROM A BREACH OF ANY APPLICABLE EXPRESS
OR IMPLIED WARRANTIES ARE HEREBY EXCLUDED.

Some states do not allow limitations on how long an implied warranty lasts
or do not allow the exclusions or limitations of incidental or consequential
damages, so the above limitations or exclusions may not apply to you.

This warranty gives you specific rights and you may also have other rights
which vary from state to state.


ATARI(R)
A Warner Communications Company

ATARI, INC., Consumer Division, 1312 Crossman Ave., P.O. Box 61657,
Sunnyvale, CA 94086

C019741-91 REV. A 2691

(C) 1983 ATARI, INC. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED               Printed in U.S.A.

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

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