ATARI(R) 2600(TM) RealSports(TM) SOCCER Program designed and implemented by Michael Sierchio. Atari welcomes your comments. Please address all correspondence to: ATARI, Corp. Sunnyvale, CA 94086, U.S.A. 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. (C)1988 ATARI, CORP. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED TABLE OF CONTENTS 1. SOCCER FEVER 2. GAME PLAY 3. USING THE CONTROLLERS 4. CONSOLE CONTROLS 5. GAME VARIATIONS 6. GAME STRATEGY AND TIPS 7. SCOREBOARD 1. SOCCER FEVER It's the final game of the season, and once again the championship is at stake--only this time, it's among old rivals. A goal by the opposing team ties the game with one minute to go. You wipe the sweat off your forehead as the score flashes across the screen of a giant indoor stadium: Blue Defenders 2, Red Rebels 2. With precious seconds ticking away, the crowd is growing restless in the stands. The team lines up for the final kick-off. You hear the SCREECH of the referee's whistle and the ball shoots towards your center position with the velocity of a bullet. You dart forward and kick the ball to a wing player, but a Rebel skillfully steals it away, leaving you off balance. Crashing to the side, you hear the ball whizzing past your left ear. Don't worry! A player on your team intercepts the ball and kicks it to a teammate. But in the tension of the moment, he misses. You close in from the wing. Too late! A Rebel gets control of the ball and dribbles it towards your goal. Like a shadow, you follow close behind. Only you can steal the ball and prevent him from scoring a winning point. In a split second, your foot snaps the ball from beneath his feet and brilliantly kicks the ball high across the field. What a pass! The crowd rises to their feet, and cheers, anticipating a possible victory. With 20 seconds to go, you sprint towards the center of the action. A star player for the Rebels tries deflecting the ball to the sideline, but under pressure from your team, the ball spins towards you. You rush to meet the ball before your opponents close in. With a tremendous low kick, the ball barely leaves the ground as it shoots into the goal. A Rebel makes a quick dive and...misses. The crowd erupts into a frenzy. Your team has won the game--and the championship! Proud fans jump up and down in the stands. In the resounding roar, you hear the loud clear chant of VICTORY. 2. GAME PLAY Soccer players, get ready! With three players on your team, your objective is to bluff, pass, and outmaneuver your opponents to score the most points before the clock runs out. You score one point for each goal. Play against the computer, or play against a friend. At the start of the game, the ball is placed at the center of the halfway line. Blue fielders are on the left side of the line. Reds on the right. Either team can take possession of the ball. Fielders are assigned to one of three lanes in the playing field and must dribble the ball within their lane or pass to another fielder (see Figure 1). Each player controls one fielder at a time. The computer controls the rest of the team. As the offense, you control the player with the ball. As the defense, you can switch control from one player to another by pressing the button on your Joystick controller (see Section 3, USING THE CONTROLLERS). You can use the wraparound feature in RealSports SOCCER to run your player off one side of the screen to have him reappear on the other side of the screen. When using this feature, the controlled player must not be in possession of the ball. A controlled player can run off either side of the screen, but cannot run off the end of the field. Only your controlled player can score a goal (see Figure 2). But watch out! If the ball doesn't go all the way into the goal, a defensive player can still block the goal and take control of the ball. If the ball does go in, you'll hear the shriek of the referee's whistle. You score 1 point, the clock stops, and the ball is turned over to the other team for the kick-off. The referee's whistle sounds off at three different times throughout the game: at kick-off, after goals, and at the end of the game. Game play lasts for 5 minutes or 9 minutes, depending on the game you choose (see Section 5, GAME VARIATIONS). 3. USING THE CONTROLLERS Use your Joystick Controllers with this ATARI Game Program(TM) cartridge. Be sure the controller cables are firmly plugged into the CONTROLLER jacks at the back of your Video Computer System(TM) game. Use the Joystick plugged into the LEFT CONTROLLER jack for one-player games: plug an additional Joystick into the RIGHT CONTROLLER jack for two-player games. Hold the Joystick with the red button towards your upper left, toward the television screen. (See your owner's manual for further details). Use your Joystick to move your controlled player in the direction you want the player to run or to dribble the ball. (Notice that controlled players appear brighter than their teammates). To KICK or PASS, point the Joystick in the direction you want the ball to go, and press the controller button. Fielders miust touch the ball with their legs to have control; the ball cannot be passed or blocked with any other part of the body. DEFENSE When playing defense, you can switch control from one player to another. Press the controller button until the desired player appears brighter. Notice that the control switches from player to player in sequence (see Figure 3). When you are ready to steal the ball, run your controlled player into the ball. OFFENSE When playing offense, your controlled player moves slower than the defensive controlled player. Pass the ball to a teammate to avoid a steal or to move the ball into another lane. The receiving fielder automatically becomes a controlled player (see Figure 4). 4. CONSOLE CONTROLS GAME SELECT/GAME RESET Press the GAME SELECT switch to choose the skill level, duration of the game, and number of players (Figure 5). See the GAME SELECT TABLE for a breakdown of all 12 game variations. Press the GAME RESET switch to start and restart the game. DIFFICULTY SWITCHES The switch in the A position has no function. The B switch creates a wraparound feature. (See Section 2, GAME PLAY, for details.) GAME SELECT TABLE Difficulty Levels | Playing Time | Number of Players ----------------------------------------------------------------------- 01 | 5:00 | 02 ----------------------------------------------------------------------- 01 | 9:00 | 02 ----------------------------------------------------------------------- 02 | 5:00 | 02 ----------------------------------------------------------------------- 02 | 9:00 | 02 ----------------------------------------------------------------------- 03 | 5:00 | 02 ----------------------------------------------------------------------- 03 | 9:00 | 02 ----------------------------------------------------------------------- 03 | 5:00 | 02 ----------------------------------------------------------------------- 03 | 9:00 | 02 ----------------------------------------------------------------------- 01 | 5:00 | 01 ----------------------------------------------------------------------- 01 | 9:00 | 01 ----------------------------------------------------------------------- 02 | 5:00 | 01 ----------------------------------------------------------------------- 02 | 9:00 | 01 ----------------------------------------------------------------------- 03 | 5:00 | 01 ----------------------------------------------------------------------- 03 | 9:00 | 01 ----------------------------------------------------------------------- 01 = Easy 02 = Intermediate 03 = Advanced ----------------------------------------------------------------------- 5. GAME VARIATIONS RealSports(TM) SOCCER can be played by two players or by one player against the computer. In one-player games, the computer controls the red team. Each game has 3 skill levels and playing option of 5 minutes or 9 minutes. As you progress through each level of difficulty, game play speeds up, and in one-player games the computer's teamwork becomes quicker and more skillful. 6. GAME STRATEGY AND TIPS * RealSports(TM) SOCCER is full of surprises. Your only limitation is time! Try moving the ball from foot-to-foot, or reversing your direction unexpectedly. BLUFFING your opponent is a good way to distract him while you pass the ball to another teammate. * Passing is essential since a defensive fielder can always outrun the player with the ball. The easiest way to improve your passing is to practice in two-player games without another player. This way, you won't have to worry about interceptions. * Defend your goal! Remember your controlled player's feet must touch the ball in order to block a goal. * In defensive play, you can usually outrun your opponent. Just stay in front, and you're sure to win! And don't forget to practice intercepting and stealing the ball--then pass it to a teammate! RealSports(TM) SOCCER ATARI(R) ATARI, Corp. Sunnyvale CA 94086, U.S.A. C019741-67/A REV.A (C) 1988 ATARI, CORP. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED Printed in Hong Kong FAITH LUCK 1988 Document typed by [email protected].