199 lines
7.1 KiB
Plaintext
199 lines
7.1 KiB
Plaintext
QUASAR
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BY JONATHAN DUBMAN
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(C) 1985 ARISTOTLE SOFTWAREHF
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-1EObject and Game DescriptionF-0
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The object of Quasar is to earn points by surrounding and
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eliminating your opponents, the "light-cycles". You control an
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orange line with a "cycle" in front of it that can move up,
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down, left, or right. Wherever you go, you leave an orange
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trail.
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If you crash into anything, your cycle is "zapped", even if
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you crash into your own trail.
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The other cycles: violet, green, and blue, also move in a
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similar way. They are just like you except that the computer
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controls them. Likewise, if they crash into anything, they
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disappear. They leave trails, too. If one cycle crashes, the
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others remain until they are trapped and crash, one by one.
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To make them disappear, you must restrict the area in which
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they move by surrounding them. If they get boxed in, they will
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spiral to their own demise. Don't let them cut off your area and
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box you in.
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-1EHow to Control the Light-CycleF-0
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The light-cycle is controlled by the use of four keys,
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which may be optionally changed. The normal keys (the ones the
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computer assumes you will use) are I, J, K, and M. I moves up, J
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moves left, K moves right, and M moves down.
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Up
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I
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!
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Left J-+-K Right
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!
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M
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Down
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-1EThe Scoring SystemF-0
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Some points are awarded for mere survival, but many more
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are awarded for such things as eliminating opponent cycles,
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completing a level, and eating apples, which will be discussed
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later.
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Every 5000 points, you will get a bonus cycle, which means
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you will get one more chance to play before the game ends.
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-1EWinning a LevelF-0
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A level is won when all three opponents have withered away.
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At this time, there is an ascending noise and the color of your
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trail changes to highlight your achievement.
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During this time, many bonus points are awarded.
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Then, a two-voice song is played: a different one each
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level. If you don't want to hear the song, you can interrupt it
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by pressing a key.
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-1EApplesF-0
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After completing the first level, all successive levels will
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have apples on the screen, colored just like the Apple logo. If
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you run into an apple, you can earn lots of points. As you eat
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it, there is a little "bleep" and the apple disappears.
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The other cycles are not interested in the apples, and will
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not eat them.
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-1EWormy ApplesF-0
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As you rise in level, you will soon see some apples that
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have little worms inside. These apples are POISONOUS and must
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not be eaten! Watch out, and look carefully.
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-1EBallsF-0
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Watch out for little, round, white balls that bounce
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haphazardly about the screen. They are fatal to the touch.
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Up to four balls can appear on the screen at one time,
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depending on your level.
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-1EThe CaterpillarF-0
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At level six, a green caterpillar finds his way to your
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monitor screen and slithers around. Steer clear of this
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seemingly harmless creature. He gets longer and faster as the
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game progresses.
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-1EThe ButterflyF-0
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The pink butterfly appears after the second ball. He
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flutters and flies like lightning and will home-in on you,
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trying to sting you with his venomous bite. Just staying away
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from him won't do the trick. There are many tricks that you
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may learn to avoid the butterfly, but you will have to figure
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them out for yourself.
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Up to four butterflies can appear, but not until very late
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in the game.
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-1ESpeedsF-0
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There are 6 different speeds that the game can be played
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at. Beginners are best off at the lower speeds (1,2) and experts
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are best off at the medium speeds (3,4). The upper speeds (5,6)
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are for daredevils and Apple dealers who want to show how fast
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Apple's graphics can be.
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-1EHow to Start the GameF-0
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To run Quasar, simply insert the game disk into the drive
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and turn the apple on just as you normally do with all other
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disks. The game will run itself and put you in a demonstration
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mode. To actually play the game, just hit a number key for the
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game speed (1,2,3,4,5, or 6) and when the program says "Press
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any key to start", do so. Then use the I, J, K, and M keys to
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play.
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-1EThe Demo ModeF-0
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The demo-mode is a color graphics (and sound) instruction
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"movie" that will give you a briefing of these intructions. To
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see the demo mode, just wait when you turn the game on and it
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will go by itself. The demo mode is a good supplement to these
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instructions: You can actually see what all these critters look
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like.
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By the way, any time during the demo mode, hit a key to get
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back to the original demo screen and then hit a number key (1-6)
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for the speed and the game will start soon after.
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There is a special commmand (control-C) that will let you
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change the keys that control your light-cycle. To change them,
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hold down the CTRL key and press the letter C. Then type the
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keys for up, down, left and right. After typing the key for
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right, you will go back to the demo-mode.
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At the end of every game, the demo-mode is re-entered.
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-1ESpecial Keys for use DURING the GameF-0
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During the game, there are some extra keys that perform
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useful functions.
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The escape key (labeled ESC) will temporarily pause the
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game if, for instance, you get a telephone call. When you tell
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the person on the other end that you're busy playing a game and
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you have a high score, just type I, J, K or M and you will
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resume playing just where you left off.
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Control-S (holding down the CTRL key and typing S) turns
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the sound on or off.
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Control-R (holding down the CTRL key and typing R) aborts
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the game and goes back to the demo-mode.
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-1EHow to CheatF-0
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When you enter your speed (1-6) and see the message "HIT
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ANY KEY TO CONTINUE", every type you press "S" you will skip a
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level. THIS IS VERY IMPORTANT IF YOU WANT TO PRACTICE UPPER
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LEVELS WITHOUT EARNING YOUR WAY THERE.
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-1EThe Bonus BoardsF-0
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Every eighth level there is a "bonus board" in which you
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can earn many bonus points by lasting long and then killing off
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your opponents. In the bonus board levels, you and your
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opponents are snakes. You can only last so long before you run
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out of air. (There is ample warning.)
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You can lay barriers on the bonus levels by pressing the
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space bar or one of the Apple keys on an Apple //E or //C.
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-1EUpside Down LevelsF-0
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On the very, VERY high levels there are some upside down
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boards. Watch out! The up and down controls are switched!
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-1E"Game Over" and Getting a High ScoreF-0
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When all of your cycles crash, the game is over and a
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finale tune is played. If you then hear 3 sirens, you have a new
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high score. Type your name, letter by letter and press RETURN.
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If you cheated by skipping levels, your high score will not
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be entered.
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