SPACE BATTLE

Cartridge Instructions

(For 1 or 2 Players)

Attack alert! 5 alien squadrons closing in on Mother ship. You have 3

squadrons with which to defend her. Check enemy positions on Radar

Screen, then dispatch your squadrons. When they reach alien

squadrons, GO TO BATTLE! Screen switches to Battle Screen. You

move the gunsight to aim. You fire converging missiles. Watch out!

The aliens shoot back. It's you against computer-controlled invaders.

Only you can save the Mother Ship from disaster.

HOW TO WIN!

Space Battle is a game of strategy and skill. If you want to win

against the computer and save the Mother Ship, read this booklet.

OBJECT OF THE GAME (1 or 2 players vs. computer.) Protect the

Mother Ship by shooting down all 5 computer-controlled alien

squadrons. You control 3 squadrons of 3 fighters each. Number of

fighters in each alien squadron varies from game to game.

THE CONTROLS - YOUR FIRST KEY TO WINNING

Take a few minutes to get thoroughly familiar with the controls on

your hand controller keypad. An understanding of them is crucial to

winning, since they determine game strategy.

You control 3 home squadrons in SPACE BATTLE. They are color-

coded BLUE, WHITE, and GOLD.

You can do 3 things with any squadron:

1. Dispatch it. That is, send it after an alien squadron.

2. Return it to base (the Mother Ship).

3. Go to battle with it...after it reaches an alien squadron and starts

blinking.

Use the first 9 keys on the hand controller keypad.

1: DISPATCH BLUE SQUADRON

2: DISPATCH WHITE SQUADRON

3: DISPATCH GOLD SQUADRON

4: RETURN TO BASE (BLUE)

5: RETURN TO BASE (WHITE)

6: RETURN TO BASE (GOLD)

7: GO TO BATTLE (BLUE)

8: GO TO BATTLE (WHITE)

9: GO TO BATTLE (GOLD)

CLEAR: RADAR KEY (return to Radar Screen)

ENTER: ALIEN KEY

ANY SIDE ACTION BUTTON: FIRE

DISC: AIM

TO DISPATCH A SQUADRON, use the TOP row of keys, called

SQUADRON keys. This lets you pick which squadron you want to

dispatch.

TO RETURN A SQUADRON TO BASE, use the SECOND row of keys,

labeled RETURN TO BASE.

TO GO TO BATTLE, use the THIRD row of keys.

Your remaining controls are:

RADAR key. This takes you away from Battle Screen and back to

Radar Screen.

ALIEN key. Lets you pick which alien squadron you want to go after.

Each time you press it, a different alien squadron turns from white to

PURPLE. This is the alien you are going after if you hit a Squadron

key now.

FIRE BUTTONS. All 4 are identical. Press any Fire Button when you

are in battle, to fire 2 converging missiles at the point covered by

your gunsight.

DIRECTION DISC. This is your aiming device, used only when you are

in battle. It lets you move your gunsight around the screen, until it

covers an alien fighter. To move gunsight UP, press TOP edge of disc;

to move it RIGHT, press RIGHT edge of disc; and so forth. It's that

simple!

HOW 2 PEOPLE CAN PLAY

Two people can play together against the computer. One person

controls the Direction Disc to move the gunsight. The other person

rides shotgun on the Fire Button. BOTH HAND CONTROLLERS ARE

USED, to play the game in this manner.

THE 2 FIELDS OF PLAY (STRATEGY AND BATTLE)

SPACE BATTLE is played on 2 different fields. The strategic field is

called the RADAR SCREEN. The battle field is called the BATTLE

SCREEN. During a game you will switch back and forth between these

2 screens.

RADAR SCREEN

The Radar Screen is what you see when you start a game. It is what

you come back to when you press the RADAR KEY during battle.

You must be on Radar Screen to:

1) Select an alien to attack

2) Dispatch squadrons

3) Return squadrons to base

4) Go to battle with a squadron

BATTLE SCREEN

The Battle Screen is what you see when you press a GO TO BATTLE

KEY for a BLINKING squadron.

You must be on Battle Screen to use the Fire Buttons, Direction Disc,

and Radar Key.

SELECT A GAME SPEED

SPACE BATTLE can be played at 5 different speeds. You must select a

game speed before game will start.

Selecting a game speed takes you to Radar Screen and starts the

game.

� BEGINNING SPEED (slow) - Press 3

� MEDIUM SPEED - Press 2

� FAST SPEED - Press 1

� ADVANCED SPEED - Press Direction Disc

� SUPER ADVANCED SPEED - Press 4

ADVANCED and SUPER ADVANCED speeds give a much more difficult

game.

[NOTE: Super Advanced Speed was added for the later, more common

Space Action Network release (Blue Box). The original Action

Network release (Red Box) had only the first four speeds.]

STEP BY STEP THROUGH YOUR FIRST GAME

When the game starts, you will see 5 alien squadrons moving slowly

toward the Mother Ship, at the center of the screen. You will NOT see

your own squadrons.

The alien squadrons will be different sizes, ROUGHLY indicated by

the number of dots that make up each squadron. The sizes and

starting positions of alien squadrons will vary from game to game,

but THERE WILL ALWAYS BE 5 SQUADRONS.

1. PRESS THE ALIEN KEY (ENTER) 5 TIMES AND WATCH WHAT

HAPPENS. Each time you press the Alien Key, a different alien

squadron turns from white to PURPLE. Keep pressing this key until

the alien squadron closest to the Mother Ship turns purple. This is

the alien you will go after if you dispatch one of your squadrons now.

Try it.

2. PRESS THE BLUE SQUADRON KEY (1). Your blue Squadron will

appear by the Mother Ship and slowly start after the alien squadron

you picked. This alien squadron will have turned white again. A

different alien squadron is purple now.

3. PRESS THE WHITE SQUADRON KEY (2). Your White Squadron will

appear and start after the alien that was purple when you pressed

this key. That alien squadron will have turned white.

4. FINALLY, PRESS YOUR GOLD SQUADRON KEY (3). Now all 3 of your

squadrons are out and going after different alien squadrons. This is

bad strategy, since the Mother Ship is now defenseless. So, recall one

squadron to base.

5. PRESS THE GOLD RETURN-TO-BASE KEY (6). Your Gold Squadron

will move slowly back to the Mother Ship and hover there, remaining

visible. You can do this with any of your squadrons, any time you are

on the Radar Screen.

6. By now your Blue Squadron should have reached the closest alien

squadron. When it starts BLINKING, PRESS THE BLUE GO-TO-BATTLE

KEY (7). A BUZZ means you pressed this key BEFORE your squadron

was blinking.

BATTLE OVER

A battle ends in 1 of 3 ways:

1) You destroy all fighters in the alien squadron.

2) You lose all 3 fighters in your squadron.

In both cases, you automatically return to the RADAR SCREEN when

the battle is over. If you have fighters left in your squadron, you see

1 colored square for each fighter left. If the aliens wiped your

squadron out, the alien squadron will show roughly 1 dot for each

fighter left. Your squadron will be gone.

3) You return your squadron to base, or re-dispatch it after a

different alien squadron.

To do this, first press the RADAR KEY (CLEAR), to return to RADAR

SCREEN. To return your squadron to base, press that color RETURN TO

BASE key. To re-dispatch your squadron, make sure the alien you

want to go after now is PURPLE, (use ALIEN key if necessary), then

press right color SQUADRON key.

IF YOU PRESS THE RADAR KEY TO LEAVE THE BATTLE SCREEN, AND

DO NOT RECALL YOUR SQUADRON TO BASE OR RE-DISPATCH IT, the

battle will continue, with the computer fighting for you.

IF YOU SUDDENLY FIND YOURSELF BACK AT THE RADAR SCREEN

BEFORE THE BATTLE IS OVER, AND YOU DIDN'T PRESS THE RADAR

KEY, don't panic. You pressed 2 or more Fire Buttons together. To get

back to battle, just press the GO TO BATTLE key again. Make sure you

press the right color.

WHAT'S HAPPENING ON THE RADAR SCREEN WHILE YOU'RE IN

BATTLE?

At BEGINNING SPEED (slow) -- nothing! All action on the Radar

Screen stops when you go into battle. The alien squadrons stop their

advance on the Mother Ship. Any of your other squadrons that are

out and NOT ENGAGED with an alien squadron (not blinking) when

you go into battle, also stop their forward movement.

At ALL OTHER SPEEDS, all action (both yours and aliens') continues

on the Radar Screen at 1/2 the normal rate of approach for that

game speed.

COMPUTER FIGHTS FOR YOU

ANY TIME one of your squadrons engages an alien squadron (starts

blinking) and you DO NOT go to battle, the computer automatically

fights for you. The computer loses an average of 1 of your fighters

for every 3 alien fighters lost.

This also happens if you dispatch more than 1 squadron and the 2nd

squadron reaches its alien target while you are in battle with the 1st.

EXAMPLE: You dispatch BLUE and WHITE Squadrons. BLUE reaches

its alien first and you go to battle with Blue. While you are in battle,

WHITE reaches its alien target. White automatically goes into battle,

with the computer fighting for you.

If you decide to control the White battle instead of Blue, press the

RADAR KEY (CLEAR). You will see the Radar Screen with both Blue

and White squadrons blinking. Both battles are now being fought by

the computer. Press WHITE GO TO BATTLE KEY (8). You are now

controlling the White battle and the computer is fighting the Blue

battle.

AT BEGINNING SPEED, the only way in which the computer can fight

a battle for you is if you do not go to battle when your squadron

starts blinking.

Of course, if you don't want the computer to fight for you, you can

take any squadron OUT of battle, as long as you are on Radar Screen.

To do this, press the RETURN TO BASE key in the color of the

squadron you want to recall.

MOTHER SHIP IN DANGER (WHAT THE SIREN MEANS)

Any time you hear a SIREN, it means 1 or more alien squadrons have

reached the Danger Zone Boundary and are firing on the Mother Ship.

1. IF YOU ARE ON RADAR SCREEN, see which alien is threatening the

Mother Ship. Press ALIEN (ENTER) key until this alien turns PURPLE.

2. Choose a squadron to send after this alien.

A. If you have a squadron left at Mother Ship, press that color

SQUADRON key (Blue, White, Gold: 1, 2 or 3).

B. If all your squadrons are out, RE-dispatch one to the threatening

alien squadron. Choose which squadron to re-dispatch. Make sure

threatening alien is purple. (Use ALIEN key [ENTER] if necessary.)

Then press chosen color SQUADRON key. Your squadron will change

course or leave battle and start back toward threatening alien.

3. IF YOU ARE ON BATTLE SCREEN, first press RADAR key (CLEAR) to

return to the Radar Screen. See which alien is threatening the Mother

Ship. Then follow Step 2.

THE SIREN WILL CONTINUE UNTIL YOU DESTROY THE THREATENING

ALIEN SQUADRON(S). THE SIREN WILL GET FASTER AS THE ALIEN

SQUADRON(S) SCORES MORE HITS ON THE MOTHER SHIP.

IF YOU DO NOT DESTROY THE THREATENING ALIEN SQUADRON(S) IN

A CERTAIN PERIOD OF TIME, IT WILL DESTROY THE MOTHER SHIP.

THE ENTIRE SCREEN WILL TURN RED, A DISASTER SIGNAL WILL

SOUND, AND ALL ACTION WILL STOP. THE GAME IS OVER.

The time it takes an alien squadron to destroy the Mother Ship

varies depending on:

1. The size of the alien squadron. A small squadron takes longer than

a large squadron.

2. The number of alien squadrons firing on the Mother Ship. If 3

alien squadrons are at the Danger Zone Boundary, it won't take them

long to destroy the Mother Ship.

3. The game speed at which you are playing. On ADVANCED and

SUPER ADVANCED, you won't have much time at all.

4. Whether you are in battle or not. If you are in battle with the

threatening alien squadron, its rate of attack on the Mother Ship will

be slower.

MOTHER SHIP SAVED

When you destroy all 5 alien squadrons, you will hear a RISING

VICTORY HORN. ALL CLEAR will print out across the bottom of the

screen.

FINE POINTS & OTHER RULES -- RADAR SCREEN

1. You can only send 1 of your squadrons after any particular alien

squadron. If you have already dispatched 1 squadron after an alien,

that alien will not turn purple again, even if you use the ALIEN key

(CLEAR), unless you first recall your dispatched squadron to base.

2. You can RE-DISPATCH a squadron any time you are on the Radar

Screen, just by pressing that SQUADRON key again. Always make

sure the alien squadron you want to go after is PURPLE.

3. When you press a SQUADRON or a RETURN TO BASE key, the alien

squadron that was purple turns white and another alien turns

purple.

This is important if you want to return 1 squadron to base and

dispatch another. EXAMPLE: You've just come out of battle with Blue

squadron. You decide to return Blue to base and send White after

another alien. This alien is already purple.

Say you press BLUE RETURN TO BASE key (4) first. The alien that

WAS purple turns white. If you press WHITE SQUADRON key (2)

now, you will send White after a different alien than the one you

wanted to go after.

Instead, press WHITE SQUADRON KEY (2) FIRST, then BLUE RETURN

TO BASE KEY (4). (If you press BLUE RETURN TO BASE KEY FIRST, use

the ALIEN key [ENTER] to turn your chosen alien purple again. THEN

press WHITE SQUADRON KEY.)

4. If you don't go to battle IMMEDIATELY with a blinking squadron,

the computer will start fighting that battle for you. It can lose 1 of

your fighters right away, before you get to the battle. As soon as a

squadron starts blinking, press that color GO TO BATTLE key (Blue,

White, Gold: 7, 8, 9).

5. When you return to RADAR SCREEN after a battle has ended, your

squadron will remain where it is, unless you recall it to base or re-

dispatch it.

FINE POINTS & OTHER RULES BATTLE SCREEN

1. The alien lasers will home in on your gunsight if you leave it in

one place too long. Corners are particularly easy to get trapped in.

2. When you hit an alien ship, fragments from the explosion may hit

other alien ships, especially if the one you hit was part of a cluster.

With careful aim, and some luck, you can take out 2, 3, 4, as many as

5 fighters with one shot.

ADVANCED AND SUPER ADVANCED SPEEDS

1. Alien squadrons DO NOT SLOW DOWN when you go to battle.

2. On SUPER ADVANCED SPEED ONLY, the alien lasers move faster and

appear with much greater frequency, when you are in battle.

IT IS EXTREMELY DIFFICULT, BUT NOT IMPOSSIBLE, TO WIN A GAME

ON SUPER ADVANCED SPEED.

SPACE BATTLE IN BRIEF (A quick refresher for those who are

already familiar with the game.)

You control 3 squadrons -- blue, white & gold. Each squadron has 3

fighters. Alien squadrons vary in size. Always 5 alien squadrons per

game.

Press 1 of these keys to select speed & start game: 1 -- slow; 2 --

medium; 3 -- fast; Direction Disc -- advanced; 4 -- super advanced.

RADAR SCREEN

1. Game starts on Radar Screen. Press ALIEN key (CLEAR) until alien

squadron closest to Mother Ship turns PURPLE.

2. Send 1 of your squadrons after purple alien squadron. Press any

SQUADRON key (Blue, White, Gold: 1, 2, 3). That squadron appears at

Mother Ship and starts after alien. Alien turns white again, another

alien turns purple. Send 1, 2, or 3 squadrons out.

3. When your squadron reaches alien and STARTS BLINKING, press

GO TO BATTLE key (Blue, White, Gold: 7, 8, 9) in color of your

blinking squadron. Screen switches to Battle Screen.

4. If you send a squadron out and want to bring it back, or want to

take a squadron out of battle, press RETURN TO BASE key (Blue,

White, Gold: 4, 5, 6) in color of squadron you are recalling.

BATTLE SCREEN

1. Use DIRECTION DISC to move GUNSIGHT slightly ahead of alien

fighter you want to fire on.

2. Press any ONE side FIRE BUTTON. 2 missiles shoot from bottom of

screen and converge at the point where gunsight was when you

fired. If you hit alien fighter, you hear and see EXPLOSION.

3. Avoid alien lasers. If RED lasers hit gunsight, you lose 1 fighter in

your squadron. Hear LOUD, DEEP BOOM and screen flashes RED.

4. Lower left corner of screen shows number of fighters left in alien

squadron. Lower right corner shows number of fighters left in your

squadron.

BATTLE OVER

1. Battle ends automatically when alien squadron or your squadron is

destroyed. You return to Radar Screen.

2. Battle ends temporarily if you press RADAR key (CLEAR), then

take your squadron out of battle by pressing right color RETURN TO

BASE key (Blue, White, Gold: 4, 5, 6).

3. Computer fights any battle in progress that you do not actively

control. Computer loses average of 1 of your lost fighters for every 3

alien fighters lost.

MOTHER SHIP LOST OR SAVED

1. SIREN tells you 1 or more alien squadrons have reached Danger

Zone Boundary and are firing on Mother Ship.

2. Siren ends when you destroy threatening alien squadrons.

3. If you don't destroy threatening aliens in time, Mother Ship is

destroyed. You hear DISASTER SIGNAL and entire screen turns RED.

Game over.

4. When you destroy all 5 alien squadrons, you hear VICTORY HORN

and see ALL CLEAR on screen. Game over.

----------

�1979, 1998 Intellivision Productions, Inc.