TRICK SHOT GAME PROGRAM INSTRUCTIONS Name your game: Pool, English Billiards, or Trickshot combinations test your poise and accuracy, while 9 Practice Shots allow you to refine your skills even further. Line up with your joystick-controlled cue. Decide how powerful an impact to apply and use just the right amount of "English." One or two players compete for the winner's trophy, striving all the while to perfect each shot. TABLE OF CONTENTS General information on How to Play * Console Unit * Hand Controls Trickshot 1 and 2 Player Pool 1 and 2 Player English Billiards Trickshot Practice Modes GAME PROGRAM INSTRUCTIONS To select one of the 14 Trick Shot variations, flip Game Select lever. The game notation appears right of centre on the blue strip at the bottom of your screen. Game Notation Game Variation 1T 1-Player Trickshot 2T 2-Player Trickshot 1P 1-Player Pool 2P 2-Player Pool 2B 2-Player English Billiards 1,2...9 Trickshot Practice Modes Instructions for playing each game appear in that section of this manual. To begin the selected game, tap Game Reset lever. * Once Reset is tapped, a white dot appears next to the cue ball. This is your cue. * In 2-player games, the game indicator (2T,2P, etc.) disappears when Reset is tapped, replaced by the scoreboard for the player holding the right joystick controller. (See Scoreboard.) Left and Right Difficulty levers control cue ball scratch options. See Pool section for instructions. HAND CONTROLS With your joystick controller you determine cue placement, shot impact and the amount of "English" applied in each turn. Cue Placement * Move joystick left or right to rotate cue around cue ball. * 32 possible cue positions. Shot Impact * Press red joystick button. * The longer you hold the red button down, the harder the cue hits the cue ball. For a light touch, press and release button immediately. For maximum impact, hold button down for 5 seconds. "English" In addition to cue placement, you control the angle of your shot by putting "English" (a spin) on the cue ball. To use "English": * Position cue. * Press red button and hold it down. * Lean joystick in the direction you want the cue ball to spin. (See Joystick illustration.) Remember: "English" moves in relation to the table as it appears on your screen. You are not behind the cue as you shoot; you view the table from above. Determine directional spin accordingly. * The longer you hold the joystick, the more "English" you apply. For maximum "English", hold in position for 7 seconds. * When the cue ball strikes another ball or the table cushion, it spins in the direction you've determined. * Be Careful! Too much forward or reverse "English" on a shot rips the felt table covering. A ripping sound results. No penalty results. Scoreboard Scores appear on the blue strip at the bottom of the screen. * The black ball at the centre of the strip indicates which player's turn it is. At the end of a turn in a 2-player game, the ball shifts to the other player's score. * At the end of every game, a trophy appears in the place of the black ball. The high scorer wins. * In all 1-player games or in 2-player Trickshot games ending in a tie, the trophy automatically appears next to the left hand score. TRICKSHOT Objective Hone your sharpshooting skills on these 9 Trickshot combinations. Find the exact mixture of cue placement and touch necessary to sink all the object balls in each shot. Try for a perfect score of 37. Game Play * Study the shot. Decide where to place your cue around the cue ball. * Determine how much force you want to use. * Automatically advances to the next Trickshot combination at the close of each shot. To work on individual combinations, see Practice Modes. Scoring * Earn 1 point for each object ball sunk. * Earn a 2 point bonus for sinking all object balls in a particular shot. * No scoring penalty for a scratch. If you pocket an object ball or balls and the cue ball, you still score the same number of points. * Perfect score: 37. * A trophy appears at the bottom centre of the screen beside winner's score. * In a tie, the trophy appears left of centre. Trickshot Game Variations 1-Player Trickshot * Use left joystick. * Try to beat your highest previous score. 2-Player Trickshot * Player holding the left joystick shoots first. * When the first player's attempt is completed, the trickshot is automatically reset for the other player. POOL Objective Sink object balls and win. It only sounds easy! Game play * A game consists of 5 racks of 3 balls each: 15 object balls in all. "The break" * Game opens with the cue ball centred on the lag line. On a break shot, the cue ball cannot be moved up or down the lag line. * Cue may be position around the cue ball. * Player holding the left joystick breaks first. Regular Play * Control impact of the shot and "English" on cue ball with the joystick controller. (See Hand Controls.) * Player retains turn as long as an object ball or balls is sunk with each shot. * If a player fails to sink a ball, or scratches, the next shot goes to the opposing player. * When the last ball in one rack is pocketed, another rack appears on the spot. After the first rack of the game, the cue ball remains where it came to rest at the end of the previous shot. * If the cue ball occupies a space where a new rack of object balls must be spotted, the cue ball will be re-spotted on the lag line to the right. Scratch * If a player pockets the cue ball (scratches), the turn goes to his opponent. * After a scratch, the cue ball is re-spotted to the lag line. * If a player sinks an object ball and scratches, credit for the shot is nevertheless added to his score. The opposing player takes the next shot. Scoring * 1 point per object ball. * 2 point bonus for sinking the last ball in a rack. * Maximum score: 25. Game Variations 1-Player Pool * Use left joystick controller. * Play to 25. 2-Player Pool * First player to 25 wins. Trophy awarded at end of game. Listen for the bells! ENGLISH BILLIARDS Objective Imagic has streamlined English Billiards so that you can play it without spending large sums for the right equipment. Obscure rules and penalties (too many taps with your cue, letting both feet leave the floor as you make a shot, playing out of turn...) have been altered or ignored. In English Billiards, strategy pays in points. Using only 3 balls, a variety of scoring opportunities are possible. Expert manipulation of your cue, "English" and cue impact results in an exciting battle of wits. Game Play * You only need 3 balls: 2 cue balls and a red ball. Use your cue to strike the cue balls. The red ball is hit by knocking the cue balls against it. * The red ball appears on the spot at the left of the table. * The striker's cue ball lies centred on the lag line at the right of the table. * You cannot control cue ball positioning along the lag line. * The player holding the left joystick controller begins the game. * When the first player's turn ends, the second player's cue ball comes into play. Regular Play * Each time a player sinks a ball and scores, that player earns another shot. * After 5 consecutive scores, the opposing player gets the turn. * If a player fails to score on his shot, the opponent takes the next shot. * If the striker sinks his opponent's cue ball, that ball remains off the table until the turn ends. * When the pocketed cue ball comes back into play, it is centred on the lag line. * When the red ball is pocketed, it is immediately re-spotted on the spot. Scoring * The striker scores for winning hazards, losing hazards, and cannons. * The first player to reach 50 points wins. * Winning Hazards * 2 points for sinking your opponent's cue ball. * 3 points for pocketing the red ball. * Losing Hazards * 2 points for sinking your cue ball (scratching) off your opponent's cue ball. * 3 points if you pocket your cue ball in off the red ball. * Cannons * 2 points if your cue ball strikes both other balls. * 2 points for scratching your cue ball after hitting your opponent's cue ball first, then the red ball. * 3 points awarded if you strike the red ball first and then hit the cue ball and scratch. * Additional points possible * 3 points for your opponent if you scratch your cue ball without striking another ball. * 1 point for your opponent if, in shooting, you fail to hit another ball. Note * When resetting a pocketed red ball, a cue ball occupying the spot is reset to the centre of the lag line. * Similarly, a cue ball being centred on the lag line displaces another ball situated there. TRICKSHOT PRACTICE MODES Objective Perfect your performance in 1 or 2 player Trickshot by practising individual shots. To Play * Flip Game Select until the desired shot appears on your screen. * Its number in the sequence of 9 shots shows up right of centre on the blue strip at the bottom of your screen. * Use the left joystick controller. * As you complete each attempt, a score for those balls sunk flashes on the scoreboard before the shot is set up again. * 1 point for each object ball pocketed. * 2 point bonus for sinking all object balls in a shot. * Experiment with cue impact and "English" until you master these challenging problem shots. A note about your screen: It is possible to leave any Trickshot game in progress and come back later. If enough time has passed (15 minutes or more), the screen automatically shifts to reduced luminance. To restore the game screen to full luminance, tap the joystick controller. Trickshot Audio Signals * Balls thud against cushions. * Balls click as they collide. * A rip rumbles as the felt tears when too much "English" has been applied to a shot. * A loud blast, most disagreeable, greets a scratch. * A blip signals a change in turns. * A pleasant ping plays as you sink an object ball. * Bells sound for the winner! GLOSSARY OF TERMS break, breaking the rack: The opening shot in a game of pool or English Billiards. cannon: A way of scoring in English Billiards involving striking both other balls in play, or hitting both balls and scratching the cue ball. cue: The white dot which strikes the cue ball. Position the cue by manipulating the joystick controller. (See Hand Controls.) felt: The green table covering. hazard: Ways of scoring in English Billiards. A winning hazard is a shot which sinks the opponent's cue ball, or red ball. A losing hazard involves the striker's sinking the cue ball off the opponent's cue ball or off the red ball. lag line: An invisible line across the right third of the table. object balls: In Trickshot and Pool, any balls other than the cue ball. rack: The triangular formation of 3 object balls centred on the spot at the opening of pool. Object balls are re-racked when the last of a rack is sunk. re-spotted: When a red ball in English Billiards is placed on the spot. scratch: Pocketing your cue ball on a shot. No penalty results in Pool; scoring possibilities result in English Billiards. See individual game sections for particulars. Also see Pool for "cue ball scratch options": where the cue ball is or can be placed along the lag line when reset after a scratch. spot: An invisible point at the centre of the left third of the table. Racks in Pool line up on one spot; the red ball in English Billiards is spotted a bit lower. striker: The player whose turn it is. The player "strikes" the cue ball to make a shot. -------------------Atari 2600 Instructions Archive-------------------