INTELLIVISION(R) Mattel electronics(r) cartridge instructions (For 1 or 2 players) VECTRON (for color TV viewing only) typed by John P. Bindel bindel@tsd.itg.ti.com Hungrees, G-spheres, splits, sweeps, and prizums --- the nasties of the universe are back again, and they're nastier and tougher than ever! This time they're out to stop you from constructing the energy bases that build your score, level by level. The higher the level, the harder the nasties are to fend off. Challenge your friends and see who can rack up the highest score before the nasties destroy your energy blocks or you run out of energy. OBJECT OF THE GAME. On each level, construct an energy base, section by section. Add each sec- tion by moving your energy block in place and fill- ing it with an energy blast. Work fast to complete a base before the nasties nibble it away. If a section gets nibbled, you must build it again. When you complete a base you advance to the next level. Protect your energy block against nasties who can destroy it. Shoot them down with energy blasts. Or neutralize them with special energy from an E-Pak. don't run out of energy or you lose an energy block. Three energy blocks per game. When they're gone, the game is over. YOUR CONTROLS Slide VECTRON overlays into the Hand Controller frames, so they cover the keypads. Insert game in the Computer Console cartridge slot. (See console owner's instructions for equipment connection details.) These are the game controls: FREE STYLE MODE: Upper action buttons MOVE ENERGY BLOCK LEFT: Lower Left action button MOVE ENERGY BLOCK RIGHT: Lower Right action button AIM & SHOOT ENERGY BLASTS: Disc top of page 2 USING THE DISC. There are 7 directions in which you can shoot an energy blast, which are the 7 directions on the lower half of the disc. Energy blasts are fired from the "V-gun" at the top of the screen. You aim and fire SIMULTANEOUSLY. To do this press the OUTSIDE EDGE of the disc in the direction you want to fire. YOU CAN FIRE ENERGY BLASTS AND MOVE THE ENERGY BLOCK AT THE SAME TIME. top of page 3 GAME START --- NUMBER OF PLAYERS When game title appears, press the disc or ANY KEY on the keypad. Computer will ask: 1 or 2 players? * Press KEY 1 for a 1-player game. * Press KEY 2 for a 2-player game. 1-PLAYER GAME...Play until all energy blocks are gone. 2-PLAYER GAME...Player 1 plays until he/she loses 1 energy block. Player 2 then takes over. Each player has 3 energy blocks (plus any bonus blocks gained). Players take turns until one player loses all of his/her energy blocks. (See 2-Player Game, page 13) GAME STARTS AS SOON AS YOU SELECT NUMBER OF PLAYERS. top of page 4 BUILDING THE ENERGY BASE To complete each game level, build a base out of energy sections. The shape of the base to be built changes from level to level and is pre-set by the computer. |PLAYER 1 ----- PLAYER 2| | \ / | PL1 score --->|XXXX \ / XXXX|<-PL2 score |Level 1 V EB's 2| | 0<------------+-V-Gun | ====== |(Shoots energy blasts) | = -- = | | = || = | | = -- = <-------+-Energy Block | ====== | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | User your ENERGY LBOCK to build the energy sec- tions. You don't have to know the shape you are building, as your energy block will ONLY move into the correct positions for the base you are currently building. top of page 5 TO MOVE THE ENERGY BLOCK. * Press button to move to the next position LEFT. * Press button to move to the next position RIGHT. CREATE AN ENERGY SECTION. Use the DISC to fire an energy blast into the energy block. You must create an energy section before you can move the energy block again. To override this restriction, press either but- ton. You can now move the energy block to any position within the base, without first creating an energy section. TO RETURN TO NORMAL GAME PLAY, press the button again. IF ANY SECTION OF THE BASE GETS NIBBLED OR DESTROYED BY NASTIES, YOU MUST RE- BUILD THAT SECTOIN AGAIN. When you complete a base, it turns rainbow colors and shimmers. The screen changes to display your score. PRESS THE to start the next game level. top of page 6 ENERGY LEVEL the bar at the top of the screen indicates energy left in your current energy block. If the bar reaches zero, you lose that energy block. There are 3 ways to lose energy: 1. The energy block uses energy just to exist. 2. The V-Gun draws energy from the energy block to fire blasts. 3. Most nasties drain energy from an energy block when they hit it. the amount drained depends on the type of nasty. Nasties are described on pages 8, 9, and 10. top of page 7 E-PAK REINFORCEMENT E-PAKS CONTAIN ENERGY WHICH CAN RE-ENER- GIZE AN ENERGY BLOCK AND TEMPORARILY REINFORCE IT AGAINST DAMAGE BY NASTIES. to get the energy from an E-PAK, shoot the E-PAK. Then maneuver your energy block to catch the freed energy that drifts down. If you capture the energy, it will show in the energy block as a color --- orange, tan or brown. the energy bar will indi- cate your energy gain. As long as the captured energy remains in an energy block, the block is reinforced against damage by most nasties. Once the energy is fully absorbed, the color disappears and the reinforce- ment is lost. E-PAKs can be polluted by nasties. When orange, their energy is full strength. ORANGE energy com- pletely re-energizes and reinforces the energy block. TAN energy partially re-energizes the energy block, but provides no reinforcement against nasties. BROWN energy is useless. top of page 8 NASTIES AND OTHER CRITTERS (looks like an X) X X RED HUNGREES (Levels 1-3) XX X X These nibble away at the base and are nuisance, but pose no danger to your energy block. They can be shot down with an energy blast or will self-destruct upon hitting your energy block. When a red hungree hits your energy block, you gain a small amount of energy. (looks like an X) X X YELLOW HUNGREES (Levels 1-3) XX X X Stronger than the red variety. They eat up the base and also destroy the energy block if the block is not reinforced with energy from an E-PAK. They can be shot down with an energy blast. They will only self-destruct on a _reinforced_ energy block. (looks like Saturn, kind of) / \ G-SPHERE (Levels 1-3) ====== \__/ It generates the hungrees. When red it creates red hungrees. When yellow, it creates yellow hungrees. It cannot be destroyed but it can be reduced from yellow to red by energy blasts. (The number of blasts needed varies.) Does not damage base or your energy block, but can get in the way of your energy blasts. top of page 9 (looks like W) X XX X SPLITTERS (Levels 4-6) X_XX_X = = Like yellow hungrees, these eat up the base and destroy your energy block if it is not reinforced by energy from an E-Pak. Will self-destruct ONLY on a reinforced energy block. If hit with an energy blast, they split into two red splitters. Red splitters do less damage, can be shot down with an energy blast or will self-destruct on any energy block. Like red hungrees, they add a small amount of energy to your energy block when they hit it. (looks like a striped diamond) # === DIAMONDBACKS (Levels 7-9) ## ## === Attracted to your energy block in # swarms. Drain energy from an unrein- forced block and eat the base. Can be destroyed by an energy blast or will self-destruct on a reinforced energy block. (looks like two right angles) _ |- _ BLUE MEANIES (Levels 10-12) |- These dastardly little critters seek out your energy block. If TWO meanies hit an unreinforced block at the same time, they will destroy the block. Of course, they also tear down the base. Can be destroyed by energy blast or will self-destruct on a reinforced energy block. top of page 10 (looks like a beehive) -==- ---==- --===--- SWEEPS (Levels 13-15) ---===-- --===--- These large nasties join together to form walls that sweep across the screen, destroying the base as they pass over it. If they touch an unreinforced energy block, hey quickly drain energy from it. Can be destroyed by energy blast or will self-destruct on a reinforced energy block. (looks like a cross-hatch pattern) = --- PRIZUMS (Levels 16-18) ||=|| --- Beautiful and bad, these multi-colored = nasties destroy unreinforced energy blocks, as well as the base. Require 3 energy blasts to destroy them. Will NOT self-destruct on a reinforced energy block. AFTER 18 LEVELS, THE CYCLES OF NASTIES BEGINA AGAIN, BUT ALL NASTIES GET FASTER AND NASTIER WITH EACH NEW CYCLE. top of page 11 ENERGY BLOCKS You have 3 energy blocks with which to play the game. If you lose your third energy block, the game is over. An energy block can be lost by: * running out of energy, or * an un-reinforced encounter with a strong nasty. When you lose an energy block, it is immediately replaced by another, as long as you have energy blocks left. The replacement appears wherever the energy block first appeared at the START of that level. The number of energy blocks left, NOT COUNTING THE ONE WITH WHICH YOU ARE CURRENTLY PLAYING, is displayed in the upper right corner of the screen. Energy block is abbreviated E.B.'s in this display. top of page 12 SCORING Levels 1-8....10,000 points for completing a level Levels 9-17...20,000 points for completing a level Levels 18 and up...30,000 points for completing a level BONUS POINTS ARE AWARDED AT THE END OF EACH LEVEL FOR ENERGY LEFT IN THE CUR- RENT ENERGY BLOCK. Number of bonus points depends on amount of energy left in the energy block with which you were playing when the level ended. Bonus points are not doubled or tripled. Doubling and tripling applies only to points acquired for completing a level. BONUS ENERGY BLOCKS are awarded at the end of level 4, level 9 and level 14 top of page 13 At the end of each level, the scoring screen dis- plays bonus points received for the last level, the current high score, your new score, your opponent's score*, game level just complete, game level coming up, and notices of point value increased or bonus energy blocks. *In a 1-player game, opponent's score stays at 00000. 2-PLAYER GAME Player 1 starts the game and plays until he/she loses one energy block. (This may take more than one game level.) On losing an energy block, Player 1's turn ends immediately. No score is displayed. When the screen displays PLAYER 2, Player 2 begins his/her turn by pressing the . Player 2's turn lasts until he/she loses one energy block. When Player 1's turn comes around again, he/she picks up game play EXACTLY where it left off when the last turn ended. Player 1 again plays until he/she loses an energy block. Scores for both players are displayed at the end of each game level played...not at the end of each turn. BE PREPARED...If a player accidentally hits the Disc an extra time after his/her turn is over, the next player's turn will start immediately. top of page 14 Each player has 3 energy blocks (plus any bonus energy blocks gained) with which to play the game. When one player loses all of his/her energy blocks, the game ends for that player. Opponent continues playing until that player also loses all of his/her energy blocks. Final game score is then displayed GAME OVER You have 3 energy blocks (plus any bonus blocks gained) with which to play the game. The game ends when you lose all 3 energy blocs and any bonus energy blocks you may possess. when the game ends, the screen displays the final score for all players and lists the high score. In the unlikely event that you successfully complete all 99 possible game levels, you will receive a special little visual treat. top of page 15 STRATEGY TIPS 1. Stay away from Free Style Mode in normal game play. It is difficult to precisely control the movement of the energy block in Free Style Mode. 2. HOLD DOWN either or button while pressing the disc to fire energy blasts into the energy block. This saves time and lets you move around the energy base more rapidly, increasing your chances of com- pleting it before the nasties nibble it away. 3. Try to position your energy block to capture released energy from an E-PAK just before com- pleting a game level. This will restore your current energy block to full energy and increase the number of bonus points you receive for that level. No new E-PAKS will appear on the screen after you have completed a base. 4. Concentrate on constructing your energy base, rather than on destroying nasties. Remember, energy blasts USE energy. If you deplete your energy block on nasties, you may run out of energy before completing the base. 5. A reinforced energy block is your best defense against nasties. Try to hit the E-PAK as soon as it appears on the screen, positioning your energy block to capture the energy while it is still orange. top of page 16 If you are not in the right position to capture the energy, switch to Free Style mode temporarily. When you get the energy, return to normal game play. 6. If a nasty is hovering at the point where new energy blocks appear, a new energy block could be destroyed as soon as it is created. To prevent this, shoot the nasty BEFORE the new energy block ap- pears. You can still fire your V-Gun, even without an energy block on screen. top of page 17 (blank page) back cover INTELLIVISION Mattel Electronics Other electronic games available from Mattel Electronics. 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