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COUNTERMEASURE
BY ATARI
ATARI welcomes your comments. Please address all correspondence
to:
ATARI Customer Relations, 1312 Crossman Ave., Sunnyvale, CA 94086
To insert your ATARI 5200 game cartridge, hold the cartridge so
the name on the label reads right-side-up. Then carefully insert
the cartridge into the slot in the center of the console. Be
sure the cartridge is firmly seated, but do not force it. The
POWER ON/OFF switch is located on the lower right side of the
5200 console unit. Press this switch to turn the power on after
inserting your game cartridge. See your Owner's Manual for
further information.
TABLE OF CONTENTS
1. Attention! All Supertank Units
2. Game Play
3. Using The 5200 Controllers
4. Skill Levels
5. Strategy
1. ATTENTION! ALL SUPERTANK UNITS
We've just received word that terrorists have seized one of our
missile silo complexes and are threatening to blow up Washington,
D.C. These lunatics aren't fooling! They've wired the missiles
to a silo computer and started the launch sequence timer. In
just 10 minutes the missiles will lift off for Washington . . .
unless YOU stop them. Destroy all the silos in the complex with
your long-range turret gun before the timer runs out. If you
complete this mission, you'll win the Congressional Medal of
Honor . . . along with 10,000 bonus points and a bonus life.
If the timer runs out before you destroy all the silos, you still
have a chance to prevent disaster. In the seconds before impact,
dock your supertank at a silo, enter the War Room, and guess the
fail-safe code that disarms the missiles: The code is some
combination of the letters L, E, and O . . . for example, ELL,
OOO, or OLE. Succeed and you win 10,000 bonus points and a bonus
life. Fail and . . . well, you'll find out.
2. GAME PLAY
SCROLLING MAP
The scrolling map shows you the seven sites in the missile silo
complex (see Figure 1 on the following page). Each site contains
a silo, a supply depot (which you'll need for refueling), and
four or five pillboxes strategically placed to protect the silo
and supply depot. When you press START to begin a game, the
computer selects one of the sites at random and places your
supertank at the bottom of the television screen. As your tank
travels to the top of the site, the map scrolls to reveal another
site.
[Screenshot with the following items labeled: Launch
Sequence Timer, Silo, Supply Depot, Supertank, and Pillbox.]
Figure 1 - Silo Site
SUPERTANK
Your supertank (Figure 1) has three lives and earns a bonus life
every 10,000 points. Its long-range turret gun rotates 360
degrees and moves independently of the tank body. (See Section 3
- USING THE 5200 CONTROLLERS for tank and turret gun control.)
The tank moves fast in the open, slower through fields, and
slowest through woods and towns.
SILO DEFENSES
The terrorists control all of the silo defenses:
* Pillboxes [pictures of pillboxes]
* Remote-controlled tanks and jeeps [pictures of a jeep and a
tank]
* Cruise missiles. [pictures of cruise missiles]
Pillboxes: To reach silos and supply depots, you have to pass
pillboxes, which rotate and fire in your direction. Trees and
buildings do not shield you from them. Destroy pillboxes with
your turret gun when they get in the way of your mission.
Incidentally, don't try to drive through them. You'll wreck your
tank and lose a life.
Tanks, Jeeps, and Cruise Missiles: The skill level of your game
determines when these appear and how often. Tanks and jeeps home
in and shoot at you, but their range is half that of yours. Your
turret gun is the only thing that stops them. You can run them
down, but that costs you lives and is probably not worth it.
Screaming cruise missiles try to impact on your tank but blow up
if they hit trees or buildings (except at skill level 9).
Anything you hit with your turret gun explodes and becomes a pile
of burning rubble. You can drive through this debris, though it
may be slow going.
The longer you survive, the harder the terrorists try to stop you
and the rougher it gets. Console yourself with the points you
pile up for hitting silos, pillboxes, and other terrorist weapons
(see SCORING).
REFUELING
WARNING! Supertanks explode when they run out of fuel.
The fuel gauge turns red (see Figure 2) when your tank is low on
fuel. To refuel, drive to a supply depot and dock (touch the
depot). After refueling, the fuel gauge turns green. (NOTE:
Colors may vary, depending on your TV control settings.)
FAIL-SAFE CLUES
In addition to fuel, you pick up fail-safe clues at supply
depots. One letter of the code, in its correct position, appears
in the center of your fuel gauge (Figure 2). The computer gives
clues at random. Don't count on getting all three code letters,
even if you reach all seven supply depots.
[Screenshot with the Fuel Gauge in the lower left corner and
the Fail-Safe Code in the lower center labeled.]
Figure 2 - Refueling
GUESSING THE CODE
If the launch sequence timer runs out before you have destroyed
all the silos, you must dock at a silo and enter your fail-safe
code guess into the computer in the War Room (Figure 3).
However, you do not have to wait until the timer runs out. You
can dock at a silo and guess the code any time you're ready. Use
your controller keypad to enter the code (see KEYPAD in Section
3). If you guess right, you win 10,000 points and a bonus life.
WARNING! If your tank gets too close to a silo, you will be
transported into the War Room and have to guess the fail-safe
code, ready or not.
[War Room Screenshot--just a map of the world.]
Figure 3 - War Room
END OF A MISSION
A game continues until you run out of lives, whether your mission
succeeds or fails. If a life remains at the end of a mission,
the terrorists seize another silo complex, reset the launch
sequence timer, and begin a new wave of terror at the next
highest skill level. The computer starts the new wave
automatically; you do not have to press any keys on your 5200
controller.
If you have no lives left at the end of a mission, the computer
resets to the scrolling map. Press START to begin a new game at
the same skill level.
TWO-PLAYER GAMES
Player 1 (using the controller plugged into jack 1) starts the
game. When he loses a life, Player 2 takes his turn. Players
alternate until one player loses his last life. The play then
continues with the remaining player until he also runs out of
lives. The player with the highest score wins.
SCORING
Score counters, lives remaining counters, and the highest game
score appear at the top of the television screen (Figure 4).
Reaching Depot 50 Points
Pillbox 100 Points
Jeep 200 Points
Tank 300 Points
Silo 500 Points
Cruise Missile 1000 Points
Destroying Silos in Time 10,000 Points
Guessing Fail-Safe Code 10,000 Points
Bonus life every 10,000 points.
NOTE: Zapping silos after the launch sequence timer runs out is
cause for courtmartial and dishonorable discharge from the Super
tank Corps. If you destroy the last silo after the timer runs
out, you forfeit the 10,000 bonus points and bonus life.
[Screenshot with the following items on the bar at the top
of the screen labeled: Player 1 Lives Remaining, Player 2
Lives Remaining, Player Scores, and Highest Game Score.]
Figure 4 - Game Counters
3. USING THE 5200 CONTROLLERS
For one-player games, plug a 5200 controller into jack 1 on the
front of the console unit. For two-player games, plug an
additional controller into jack 2 (see Figure 5).
[Photo of a 5200 pointing out where to plug in the
controllers. Duh!]
Figure 5 - Controller Connections
KEYPAD OVERLAYS
For your convenience, two keypad overlays are included with this
game (Figure 6). Slip the overlay tabs into the slots provided
on the controller keypad.
L E O
-------- -------- --------
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-------- -------- --------
-------- -------- --------
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-------- -------- --------
-------- -------- --------
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-------- -------- --------
1-2 PLAYERS AUTO-TANK SKILL LEVEL
-------- -------- --------
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-------- -------- --------
STOP-TANK
Figure 6 - Keypad Overlay
CONTROL KEYS
START. Press START to begin a game. In two-player games. Player
1 starts the first game. Thereafter, the one who played last
starts the game. To interrupt a game and start over, press PAUSE
and then START
PAUSE. Press PAUSE to freeze the action temporarily. Press
PAUSE again to continue playing.
RESET. Press RESET to display the options (Figure 7) before
starting a game. After starting a game, press PAUSE and then
RESET to display the options.
[Screenshot before the start of a game with the options
display at the top of the screen.]
Figure 7 - Options Display
KEYPAD
L, E, and O (Keys 1, 2, and 3). Press these keys to enter the
fail-safe code. Keep pressing keys, in any sequence, until you
guess the code and save Washington or the missiles impact and you
take the consequences.
1-2 PLAYERS (Key *). COUNTERMEASURE is set for one player. Press
this key to select the 2 PLAYERS option. Press it again to
select the 1 PLAYER option.
AUTO-TANK/STOP-TANK (Key 0). COUNTERMEASURE is set for
AUTO-TANK. Press this key to select STOP-TANK. Press it again to
return to AUTO-TANK.
* STOP-TANK. Supertank stops when you press the bottom red
button to turn the turret gun (see JOYSTICK).
* AUTO-TANK. Supertank keeps moving when you press the bottom
red button to turn the gun.
SKILL LEVEL (Key #). Press to change the skill level.
COUNTERMEASURE is set for skill level 1. (Skill levels are
discussed in Section 4.)
RED BUTTONS
See Figure 8.
Top Button. Press to fire your turret gun.
Bottom Button. Press to turn the turret gun with the joystick.
[Photo of a 5200 controller. The top fire button is labeled
"Fire Gun," and the bottom button is labeled "Turn Gun."]
Figure 8 - 5200 Controller
JOYSTICK
Use the joystick on your 5200 controller to drive your supertank
and to turn the turret gun (see Figure 9). Hold in the bottom
red button to turn the gun. Release the button to drive the
tank. The turret gun is independent of the tank and remains set
when you move the tank.
[Drawing of a compass rose indicating the possible
directions of movement, e.g. up, down left, right and
diagonal. Did they really need to include a figure for
this?]
Figure 9 - Joystick Moves
4. SKILL LEVELS
There are 10 skill levels, from 0 to 9. In general, the higher
the skill level, the faster the game. Advancing to a higher
level increases the pace and difficulty as follows:
* Turret gun shoots faster and further.
* Pillboxes rotate faster and shoot further.
* Jeeps, tanks, and cruise missiles appear sooner and more often.
* Cruise missiles home in more accurately.
* Impact timer counts down faster.
Level 9 is the most difficult skill level and may even be hard
for experts. If you're an expert, give it a try. Cruise
missiles never impact on trees and buildings and seldom miss the
target.
Level 0 is slow and easy. It's a good level for practicing
maneuvers and working out strategy.
5. STRATEGY
Here are a few tips to help you succeed in your mission:
KEEP MOVING. As everyone knows, a moving target is harder to
hit. For that reason, you may prefer the AUTO-TANK option to
STOP-TANK at higher skill levels.
REMEMBER YOUR GOAL. Your primary objective is to destroy all the
silos before the timer runs out. You'll never make it if you go
for every pillbox and supply depot. Concentrate on the pillboxes
that are in your way. Pass up a supply depot if you have enough
fuel to make it to the next depot.
PACE THE PILLBOXES. At the start of a game, pillboxes will
rotate twice before they start firing at you. Take advantage of
this to zap one or two. You can also draw their fire and then go
for them while their guns are rotating away from you. But watch
out for crossfire from other pillboxes. They don't all rotate in
sync.
SHOOT DIAGONALLY. Your turret gun shoots further when it's line
of fire is diagonal to the target.
DON'T BE AN EASY TARGET. When cruise missiles start looking for
you, trees and buildings are your best defense. So stick to the
forests and towns and cross open country as fast as possible.
(This tip won't help you at skill level 9.)
END
Typed by Jay Tilton
for Atari Gaming Headquarters
Used with permission from Atari Gaming Headquarters
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