Imagic NOVA BLAST Game Program Instructions "Emergency! Nova 1 to Ground Control! I'm the last of the fleet! They've all gone down!" "We read you, Nova 1. Are the Capsuled Cities still standing?" "Affirmative. But air enemies and Water Walkers are moving in." "Status of Nova 1. Any damage?" "I can take about ten more hits, Ground Control." "Proceed on course, Nove 1. Save our Capsuled Cities at any cost! You're our last hope. Over." "I read you load and clear, Ground Control. Over and out." The four capsuled Cities of Water Planet Hydron are under fierce enemy attack! Nova 1, the last of the Novon Fleet, must single-handedly defeat these aliens before they dive into the cities or destroy Nova 1 with too many collisions. Nova 1 has lasers to blast the airborne enemies and bombs to sink the Water Walkers. In desperation, Nova 1 can beam a temporary shield on a city that has lost its protective capsule. Shields require energy - do you have time to refuel without losing a city? -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- YOUR ASSIGNMENT Protect the four Capsuled Cities from waves of Flying Fighters and Water Walkers. Avoid collisions and shots from enemies. If all four cities fall to enemy fire, or if Nova 1 is damaged by too many hits, the game ends. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- PICK YOUR GAME With power off, insert the cartridge in right side of unit, label up. Turn power on. When the Nova Blast title appears, select game skill level by pressing Cadet, Captain, or Admiral, then press START. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- THE RANKS Cadet Beginner Captain Intermediate Admiral Expert The higher the rank, the more squadrons and Water Walkers you battle, and the more cities under attack at one time. Each wave brings more challenge. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- STEERING To steer Nova 1, press disk in the desired direction of travel. The disk also controls the rocket's thrust. When pressed, Nova 1 speeds up to maximum acceleration. When the disk is released, Nova 1 slows down to a stop. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- AMMUNITION You have two types of ammunition: lasers and bombs. LASERS Use lasers to destroy airborne enemy rockets. To fire lasers, press either top side button. Lasers are fired from the nose of the ship. For continuous fire, keep the laser button pressed. BOMBS Drop bombs on Water Walkers to prevent them from destroying Capsuled Cities ... and you! Position Nova 1 directly over the Water Walker and press bottom right side button to release bomb. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- THE DAMAGE INDICATOR Each wave begins with the Damage Indicator set at 10. For each collision or shot suffered by Nova 1, one point is subtracted. When the Damage Indicator drops to 0, the game ends. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- BEAMING SHIELD UPON CITY If a city loses its protective capsule, you may beam a temporary shield over it, if you have enough energy. Stop Nova 1 directly over the city. Press and hold the bottom left side button until a shield appears over the city. This shield, identical to the former capsule, will protect your city for several seconds - enough time for you to polish off those attackers! Beaming a shield over a city uses a lot of energy. You may need to refuel soon! Don't beam a shield on a city that still has a capsule! If you do, the shield replaces the capsule, and disappears in several seconds! -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- REFUELING Three quarters of a full fuel supply is used by beaming a shield onto a city. When energy is almost depleted, you hear a warning beep and the Indicator flashes yellow and red. To refuel, bring Nova 1 to a complete stop directly over a fuel tank. Press and hold the bottom left side button to beam fuel aboard until the evergy indicator shows a full supply. Receive a full tank of fuel automatically after each wave. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- USING THE RADAR Use the Radar to determine which cities are under attack and need protection. Nova 1's flight "wraps around" on the Radar. That is, if Nova 1 disappears off the right side of the radar, it will soon reappear on the left side, moving right. An undamaged city appears as three green dots on the Infrared Sensor. After the first hit, only two dots appear. The second hit destroys the city; no dots remain. Nova 1 appears as a blue dot. Enemies appear as green dots. The Water Walker appears as a single green dot at the bottom of the radar. Airborne enemies appear in the air as green dots. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- ENEMY'S PLAN OF ATTACK FLYING FIGHTERS There are eight types of flying enemies: Orion Fighters, Gravitines, and more. Can you beat them all? Air enemies weave over a city. Their sweeps shorten as they get closer, until they finally dive into the city. Their first attack destroys the capsule, the second destroys the city. Each enemy attacks in a wave, which is introduced by a screen message. In each wave, attackers divide into two or more squadrons. You hear a waning beep when a squadron begins its attack. WATER WALKERS Up to three Water Walkers may surface, per squadron, in each wave. Destroy Water Walkers before they have contact with a city and destroy it. Water Walkers try to destroy you by firing rockets ... Avoid them! All enemies in one wave must be destroyed before the next wave attacks. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- CAPSULED CITIES It takes two enemy hits to pulverize a city if no protective shield is beamed down. The first hit destroys the protective capsule. The second hit levels the city, sending out a cry. All four cities are automatically rebuilt with protective capsules at the beginning of the 10th and 25th waves. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- SCORING For hitting an enemy rocket: 50 points For bombing a Water Walker: 1000 points For each city remaining after an attack wave: 1000 points -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- TACTICAL TIPS If several enemies are attempting to sink a city, shoot the lowest flying ones first! They are closer to hitting the city! Fly low to bomb Water Walkers with greater accuracy. Remember: a moving target is hard to hit! Keep moving when the Water Walker is shooting at you! Use the radar screen to anticipate the next enemy attack and to position Nova 1 so it can blast enemies while flying. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Game Program designed by Wendell Brown Screen Graphics assisted by Karen Elliott ©1983 IMAGIC 700022-1 Rev A All Rights Reserved