ARMOR BATTLE Intellivision Cartridge Instructions (For 2 Players) All-out tank combat! You and your opponent are rival tank commanders. Each of you controls two machines, directs fire, lays mines. The terrain you fight over will change again and again, demanding new tactics! Simulated battle sounds! Computer selects at random from over 240 battlefield maps! OBJECT OF THE GAME is to knock out both enemy tanks, avoid invisible mines and hits on your tanks. You maneuver your machines around buildings and battlefield debris, through forests and water hazards. If a tank hits a mine, the tank blows up! You sight the enemy, maneuver into firing position and SHOOT! Points are won by scoring hits on your opponent's tank. (3 hits on your opponent's tank and it blows up! See scoring section.) PRESS RESET BUTTON: Title will appear on screen: "ARMOR BATTLE" SELECT SPEED: Press button 1-2-or 3 to select a game speed SLOWER than normal speed. (NORMAL SPEED IS FASTEST BATTLE ACTION OF ALL.) 1: MEDIUM FAST 2: MEDIUM 3: SLOW REMEMBER: Faster playing speed means everything speeds up: Tanks move faster, turn faster, etc. If none of these buttons are pushed, game will be played at normal (i.e., FASTEST) speed. Until you become more familiar with the game, you'll probably want to begin at one of the slower speeds. GAME CONTROLS Shoot: Upper Side Buttons Move Tank Forward: Lower Side Buttons Turn Tank (Aim): Disc Switch Tank: [8] Lay Mine: [2] CHECK THE BATTLEFIELD TERRAIN! Press SWITCH TANK button [8]. BATTLEFIELD MAP appears on your TV screen. Game starts! To help you identify them quickly, the two tanks on both sides come in different shapes. This is just ONE of the 240 possible battlefield maps. The computer selects one at random. The one you see on your screen may well show everything in different places. (i.e., trees on the left, a river in the center, etc.) Still, you will always have... Buildings to maneuver around. Roads to roll faster on. Water to swim through slowly. Trees to dodge, hide behind and use for cover. Tanks run fastest on roads, slower in grass and through trees, slowest of all through water. Check the map on your screen ...and...THE BATTLE IS ON! 1. Each player controls TWO tanks. (TWO BLACK TANKS vs. TWO BLUE TANKS). You can SWITCH from tank to tank, but you must command ONE tank at a time. 2. Pick out an enemy tank & GO FOR HIM! MANEUVER your tank with either FORWARD button (left or right side of the controller) and the DIRECTION Disc. REMEMBER: Tanks will NOT go backwards! You must maneuver around obstacles. 3. When you think your TANK is lined up with an enemy tank, push either SHOOT button (left or right top button)! Moving BLACK DOT shows the path of your shell. 4. SOUND & SIGHT will tell you when you've scored a hit! SCORE 3 HITS on an enemy tank and it will blow up. Enemy tank is knocked out. (LOUD BANG)! 5. INVISIBLE MINES. Once only, during one tank combat on each battlefield map, either player can lay a mine. Press LAY MINE button [2]. Don't forget to move your own tank out of the way. Mine will go off after 5 seconds! All mines are invisible, will blow up any tank (yours included) on contact! Lay mines anywhere on the map. 6. GO after the second enemy tank. Maneuver, stalk him and press the SHOOT button! Shoot until you've knocked both tanks out of action. (3 hits scored, SECOND LOUD BANG!) NATURALLY, YOUR OPPONENT WILL BE SHOOTING BACK! THE TRICK IS TO MANEUVER YOUR TANKS, SO THAT HIS SHOTS MISS, YOUR SHOTS SCORE HITS! 7. When one player has knocked out BOTH opposing tanks, scoreboard will appear on your TV screen. 8. Touch ANY CONTROL and another Battlefield map will appear. Totally new terrain, two new tanks for each player. 9. GAME IS OVER when you touch the RESET SWITCH on the console. Before the shooting starts, you and your opponent will want to agree on how many battles (maps) will make your war. 5 maps? 10 maps? You decide. IMPROVE YOUR SHOOTING a. ALLOW FOR RECOIL! Your own tank will change position every time you SHOOT! Hits on the enemy's tank will also cause his tank to change position. b. Watch for OUT OF RANGE. When your tank is too far away from the target, you will see your shots fall short. Move closer. c. OBSTACLES. Even if you get lucky and a shot carries through the trees, chances are your aim will be deflected. You can't shoot through buildings! d. PRACTICE YOUR AIM. Use the gun barrel on your tank for sighting. Before you SHOOT, be sure the tip of your barrel is lined up with your opponent's tank. Remember, he's a moving target, you must keep adjusting your aim. e. PRACTICE TURNING your tank. Use the edge of the DIRECTION Disc for better precision. Hold the Disc DOWN long enough to complete the turn. Think of the Disc as something like a compass. Pick out a slice of the circle and press DOWN at that point. Again, use the EDGE of the Disc for pin-point control. PLEASE NOTE: If you are used to the Hand-held Controller with the NFL Football Cartridge, you'll notice a difference. Tank will not turn like a swivel-hip halfback. When you point the DIRECTION Disc, tank will turn more deliberately in stages. (In other words, a tank will move like a tank!) f. LEARN TO COORDINATE the DIRECTION Disc and FORWARD buttons. Practice MOVING turns, this is a game of MANEUVER. To win, you must MANEUVER TO AIM, MANEUVER to avoid enemy fire! SHARPEN YOUR STRATEGY a. GET THE JUMP! As in any fight, get in that first punch. Get into firing position first, start scoring hits and points. Surprise is a great ally! b. USE COVER. Trees, building, a knocked out tank. They give you protection, avoid enemy hits. Obstacles are also good places to hide behind, especially for your second tank when the first one is in action! When you have a "wounded" tank on your hands (say after 2 hits) use trees or buildings for cover. Avoid a knockout! c. USE THE ROADS! The YELLOW strips on the battlefield maps are roads. Your tanks will move a lot FASTER on them. d. LAY MINES. Invisible mines are your secret weapon! Put one in the path of your opponent's tank, where his tank will run over it! (Remember: Mines will explode after 5 seconds! Get your own tank out of the way!) e. PULL A SWITCH! A great way to get the drop on your opponent. You're fighting one tank, for example. Before your enemy can think straight you've switched tanks and come at him from a different direction! Just press the SWITCH button in the center of your controller. f. REMEMBER, HE CAN'T BACK UP. He can't go through a building either! Try pinning the enemy tank up against a building or some trees. He may well be vulnerable as he tries to turn around to avoid the obstacle. g. CATCH HIM IN A WATER TRAP! His tanks will be much more clumsy and slow trying to swim rivers. Now's your chance to out- maneuver him, get in some scoring hits. h. FIGHT BOTH HIS TANKS AT ONCE. Remember, he can switch, too. But he can only command one tank at a time. Hit his first tank. Then maneuver away and hit his second tank. If you're quicker on the draw, you'll get your hits in before he can hit back. SCORING: Each player begins with a total of 50 TANKS. Player with the MOST TANKS LEFT at the end of the game WINS! (Game automatically ends when either player has LOST ALL 50 TANKS.) THREE HITS on an opposing tank and that tank is KNOCKED OUT! (You'll hear the SOUND of each hit, accompanied by a FLASH. On a knockout, there will be a LOUD BANG & tank will "explode"! Only battlefield debris will be left.) Tanks can also be knocked out by hitting an invisible MINE! You can stop the game after any round of battle (two tanks vs. two tanks on one map.) FINAL SCORE is the running total of tanks each player has LEFT, last numbers up on your screen. Running scores will appear every time the battle map changes and next round begins. HOW TO WIN! Review these four refresher pointers and you have a decided advantage! When you FIRST HEAR the ENGINE SOUND and your own tanks haven't started moving yet -- BE ALERT! Your enemy is attacking! REMEMBER, none of the tanks can back up! ALLOW FOR RECOIL. Your tank will move after every shot. His tank will move after every hit. Adjust your aim! DON'T WASTE your shots. Misses cost opportunities to score. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- (c)1979, 1998 Intellivision Productions Inc.