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Night Driver - Atari - Atari 2600     HTML Manual   

Night Driver
NIGHT DRIVER

ATARI GAME PROGRAM INSTRUCTIONS

ATARI (r) A Warner Communications Company              CX2633

COMPLETE                 8 GAME         GAME SELECT MATRIX
GAME PLAY                VARIATIONS     Section 6
INSTRUCTIONS   

NOTE: Always turn the console power switch off when inserting
or removing an ATARI Game Program cartridge. This will protect
the electronic components and prolong the life of your ATARI
Video Computer System game.

Manual, Program, and Audiovisual (c) ATARI, INC.


ATARI GAME PROGRAM INSTRUCTIONS

     TABLE OF CONTENTS

1. GAME PLAY                                 1

2. USING THE CONTROLLERS                     1

3. CONSOLE CONTROLS                          2

4. GAME VARIATIONS                           3

5. SCORING                                   3

6. GAME SELECT MATRIX                        4




1. GAME PLAY

You're in the drivers seat and the track is just ahead of you
on the television screen. Your car is permanently fixed at the
bottom of the screen, as shown in the diagram. All you have to
do is accelerate and steer the car through one of the four
tracks (see USING THE CONTROLLERS). Each time you veer off the
track and hit one of the pylons or hit an oncoming car, a
simulated crash scene will appear on the screen.

It is a good idea to quickly read through these instructions
so that you won't miss any important details. Be sure to read
what happens when you change the position of the difficulty
switches (see DIFFICULTY SWITCHES), as well as how each game
number represents a slightly different game (see GAME
VARIATIONS).

2. USING THE CONTROLLERS

Use your Paddle Controllers with this ATARI Game Program
cartridge. Be sure the Paddle Controller cable is firmly
plugged into the LEFT CONTROLLER jack at the back of your
ATARI Video Computer System game.

Since NIGHT DRIVER is a one-player game, you must use the
Paddle Controller connected to the left cable. The controller
connected to the right cable will not work. See Section 3 of
your owner's manual for further details.

The knob on your Paddle Controller is your steering wheel, and
the red button is your accelerator. Be sure to hold the
controller with the red button on the left. You must press the
button to accelerate ans start the action.

Turn the controller knob to the right to steer the car to the
right, and left to steer left. Try to avoid hitting the pylons
on either side of the road, as well as oncoming cars. Your
initial tendency will probably be to "oversteer" the car,
which will cause you to crash. However, don't be discouraged
if this happens. With time and practice you will get the knack
of it, and eventually become quite skilled.

NOTE: When first starting out don't use maximum acceleration
throughout the course of the track. Instead, let off slightly
or even all the way as you wind through tight turns and
difficult spots on the track. This should help you avoid
crashes and low scores.

3. CONSOLE CONTROLS

GAME SELECT SWITCH

Use the game sleect switch to select the game number you wish
to play. The game number changes at the top, left side of the
screen as you press the switch down.

GAME RESET SWITCH

When you have selected the game number you wish to play, press
down the game reset switch to start the game.

DIFFICULTY SWITCHES

The right difficulty switch on the console controls the
maximum speed which your car will travel. In the a position,
the car will travel the fastest. In the b position, the
maximum speed will be slower. (Beginners should start with the
right difficulty switch in the b position.)

The left difficulty switch may or may not act as a warning
device, depending on its position. In the a position, oncoming
cars WILL NOT honk before they appear on the screen. In the b
position, oncoming cars honk just before they appear.

TV TYPE SWITCH

Set this switch to color if you have a colour television set.
Set it to b-w to play the game in black and white.

4. GAME VARIATIONS

GANES 1, 2, 3 and 4 are timed. At the beginning of each of
these games, a "clock" will begin counting down from 90
(seconds) at the upper right corner of the screen.

GAMES 5, 6, 7, and 8 have no time limit. They may be played
for an indefinite period of time and there will not be a clock
counting down on the screen.

GAMES 1 and 5 have the easiest track (NOVICE) and should be
used by beginning players. Games 2 and 6 have the medium
difficulty track (PRO). The EXPERT track in Games 3 and 7 is
more difficult than the NOVICE or PRO tracks.

All of the tracks described so far (Games 1, 2, 3, 5, 6, and
7) are stored in the program memory of the game. So even
though the NOVICE, PRO and EXPERT tracks are progressively
more difficult, each track will always follow a fixed course.
This makes it possible for players to eventually memorize the
track as their driving skill increases.

The RANDOM track, however (Games 4 and 8), follows a different
course each time, making it challenging for the most skilled
players.

Use the GAME SELECT MATRIX as a quick refernce for game
variations and game numbers.

5. SCORING

The object in all of the games is to obtain a high score.
Scoring is done automatically by the computer as you travel
through the course. As you pass certain spots (invisible to
you) on the track, the computer automatically tallies one
point to your score, which is displayed in at the upper left
corner of the screen.

In games with no time limit (Games 5, 6, 7 and 8), your
scoring possibilities are infinite.

6. GAME SELECT MATRIX


Game                Track                    Time/
Number              Description              Untimed

1                   Novice (Easy)            90 Seconds
2                   Pro (Medium)             90 Seconds
3                   Expert (Difficult)       90 Seconds
4                   Random                   90 Seconds
5                   Novice (Easy)            No Time Limit
6                   Pro (Medium)             No Time Limit
7                   Expert (Difficult)       No Time Limit
8                   Random                   No Time Limit



C016943-33 REV. 1        MANUAL, PROGRAM AND AUDIOVISUAL (C)
                         1980, ATARI INC.    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