SNAFU
Intellivision Cartridge Instructions
(For 1 or 2 Players)
The contest is on! Create a maze to corner your opponents...before
you are cornered yourself. Split-second reflexes keep your trail in
motion -- while blocking your opponent and/or the computer in a
trap from which there is no escape. Or direct a hungry serpent after
your opponent, and bite his tail off before he bites yours. It's a
twisting tangle which only the swift survive. 16 game variations put
you in control.
OBJECT OF THE GAMES
Trap Games (12 variations) -- To keep your trail moving without
colliding -- and to block your opponents' trails so that they are
forced into collisions. Trails that collide with others, with the edge of
the picture, with obstacles or themselves are eliminated.
Bite Games (4 variations) -- To make contact between the head of
your serpent and the tail of your opponent's serpent, "biting" off one
link with each contact. The winner is the surviving serpent.
WHEN YOU SEE THE GAME TITLE, SELECT YOUR GAME SPEED.
Fastest -- Press Disc.
Medium Fast -- Press Key 1.
Medium -- Press Key 2.
Slow -- Press Key 3.
TRAP GAMES
PICK YOUR GAME VARIATION
Key in the number for the Trap game variation you want. (See table
below.) Then press ENTER.
SELECT NUMBER OF ROUNDS
Key in any number from 1 to 99. Then press ENTER.
During Trap games, the number of rounds remaining is shown as a
white digit in the lower left corner of the screen.
BEFORE THE ACTUAL START OF ANY GAME, YOU CAN RETURN TO THE
TITLE FRAME AND START OVER BY PRESSING ANY SIDE BUTTON ON
EITHER HAND CONTROLLER.
GAME VARIATION 1
Movement: Horizontal/Vertical
Number of Trails: 4
Trails (After Hit): Disappear
Obstacles: NO
GAME VARIATION 2
Movement: Horizontal/Vertical
Number of Trails: 4
Trails (After Hit): Remain
Obstacles: NO
GAME VARIATION 3
Movement: Horizontal/Vertical
Number of Trails: 2
Trails (After Hit): Disappear
Obstacles: NO
GAME VARIATION 5
Movement: Horizontal/Vertical/Diagonal
Number of Trails: 4
Trails (After Hit): Disappear
Obstacles: NO
GAME VARIATION 6
Movement: Horizontal/Vertical/Diagonal
Number of Trails: 4
Trails (After Hit): Remain
Obstacles: NO
GAME VARIATION 7
Movement: Horizontal/Vertical/Diagonal
Number of Trails: 2
Trails (After Hit): Disappear
Obstacles: NO
GAME VARIATION 9
Movement: Horizontal/Vertical
Number of Trails: 4
Trails (After Hit): Disappear
Obstacles: YES
GAME VARIATION 10
Movement: Horizontal/Vertical
Number of Trails: 4
Trails (After Hit): Remain
Obstacles: YES
GAME VARIATION 11
Movement: Horizontal/Vertical
Number of Trails: 2
Trails (After Hit): Disappear
Obstacles: YES
GAME VARIATION 13
Movement: Horizontal/Vertical/Diagonal
Number of Trails: 4
Trails (After Hit): Disappear
Obstacles: YES
GAME VARIATION 14
Movement: Horizontal/Vertical/Diagonal
Number of Trails: 4
Trails (After Hit): Remain
Obstacles: YES
GAME VARIATION 15
Movement: Horizontal/Vertical/Diagonal
Number of Trails: 2
Trails (After Hit): Disappear
Obstacles: YES
ALL GAME VARIATIONS CAN BE PLAYED BY ONE OR TWO PEOPLE
HOW TO PLAY TRAP GAMES
The only control you use in the Direction Disc. The left hand
controller directs the Red trail; the right hand controller directs the
Blue trail. Yellow and Tan trails are directed by the computer.
If you do not touch one Direction Disc, the computer will direct that
trail. Once you touch a Disc, YOU have control of that trail for the rest
of the round.
After a game first starts, the computer randomly selects the direction
in which your trail starts to move. Trail responds to your pressure on
the Disc after it had moved one square.
Your trail will not respond if you try to change direction to the exact
opposite of your present movement, since this would cause you to
have a head-on collision with yourself.
GAME STRATEGY
Direct your trail so that it always has room to keep moving freely. At
the same time, try to block your opponents so that they are forced
into a collision. If a trail collides with the edge of the picture, with an
obstacle, with another trail or with part of itself, it is eliminated from
the round. Depending on game variation, eliminated trails may
disappear or remain on screen as additional obstacles.
OBSTACLES
In game variations where obstacles occur, these appear as different
colored objects scattered about the screen. The computer randomly
sets the number and position of obstacles for each round of a game
with this variation.
DIAGONAL MOVEMENT
In game variations that allow diagonal movement, you can cross a
diagonal trail when moving diagonally yourself. However, the
intersection must be between links.
If you are about to crash, you will hear a BEEP one square before
collision. Blue trail will be warned with a HIGH beep. Red trail will be
warned with a LOW beep.
SCORING
When a trail collides and is eliminated, all other surviving trails are
awarded one point. If two trails collide simultaneously, both are
eliminated and neither receives a point. Any other surviving trails,
however, receive two points. Points are accumulated throughout the
number of rounds set at the beginning of the game (up to 99). Points
are displayed along the bottom of the screen, in the color of the
trails.
MUSIC
The computer music lets you know that the current round of play
had reached the "showdown" stage -- a battle between the last two
existing trails. If you are playing a 2-trail variation of the game, you
will hear the music throughout the entire round of play. Music also
signals you when the game is over.
AT THE END OF A GAME, YOU CAN RETURN TO THE TITLE FRAME TO
START OVER BY PRESSING ANY SIDE BUTTON ON EITHER HAND
CONTROLLER.
BITE GAMES
PICK YOUR GAME VARIATION
Key in the number for the Bite game variation you want. (See table
below.) Then press ENTER. Game starts immediately.
GAME VARIATION 4
Movement: Horizontal/Vertical
Obstacles: NO
GAME VARIATION 8
Movement: Horizontal/Vertical/Diagonal
Obstacles: NO
GAME VARIATION 12
Movement: Horizontal/Vertical
Obstacles: YES
GAME VARIATION 16
Movement: Horizontal/Vertical/Diagonal
Obstacles: YES
ALL BITE GAME VARIATIONS ARE 2-PLAYER GAMES, WITH 2
SERPENTS. BEFORE THE ACTUAL START OF ANY GAME, YOU CAN
RETURN TO THE TITLE FRAME AND START OVER BY PRESSING ANY
SIDE BUTTON ON EITHER HAND CONTROLLER.
HOW TO PLAY BITE GAMES
The only control you will use is the Direction Disc. Left hand
controller directs the Red serpent; right hand controller directs the
Blue serpent. BITE GAMES ARE 2-PLAYER GAMES. If you leave either
serpent to the computer's control, that serpent will travel back and
forth across the screen until it eventually eats itself.
When game starts, computer randomly selects the direction of
movement for both serpents. Serpents respond to Disc direction
after they have moved one square.
GAME STRATEGY
Maneuver your serpent to make contact between the head of your
serpent and the end of your opponent's serpent's tail, "biting" off one
link. Each serpent starts with 10 links. A serpent can grow a new link
(up to a maximum length of 20), if it is not bitten within a certain
length of time. The time required to grow a new link depends on the
speed at which you are playing.
Fast speed -- approx. 20 seconds
Medium Fast speed -- approx. 27 seconds
Medium speed -- approx. 33 seconds
Slow speed -- approx. 40 seconds
If a serpent runs into the edge of the picture and doubles back on
itself, it will lose one link. Display at the bottom of the screen shows
how many links each serpent has left. The game is over when a
serpent loses all its links. The winner is the surviving serpent.
OBSTACLES
In game variations where obstacles occur, these appear as different
colored objects scattered about the screen. The computer randomly
sets the number and position of obstacles for each round of a game
with this variation. If a serpent runs into an obstacle, it will change
direction of movement.
COMPUTER MUSIC SIGNALS YOU WHEN THE GAME IS OVER. AT THE
END OF A GAME, YOU CAN RETURN TO THE TITLE FRAME TO START
OVER BY PRESSING ANY SIDE BUTTON ON EITHER HAND CONTROLLER.
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(c)1981, 1998 Intellivision Productions, Inc.
Play this game on the INTELLIVISION LIVES! CD-ROM available at
www.intellivisionlives.com