SPACE SPARTANS
GAME INSTRUCTIONS
In 480 B.C. a small Spartan force held off Xerxes and the entire Persian
army, in the famous Battle of Thermopylae. The Spartans chose to die
defending the pass into Greece, to give their allies time to prepare for
attack. SPACE SPARTANS reenacts this battle in space, in a heroic
adventure that pits you against overwhelming alien odds. You are the
elite force. Stop the first alien onslaught and a new alien force appears.
Hold the aliens back as long as you can and give your home galaxy time
to prepare for attack!
OBJECT OF THE GAME
Score as many points as possible by shooting down alien ships, before your
ship is destroyed or you run out of energy. Repair damaged ship systems
and re-energize at your 3 starbases. Destroy all aliens on the Sector Grid
and a new round starts with more aliens. YOU HAVE ONE SHIP AGAINST A
CONTINUOUS ONSLAUGHT OF ALIEN ATTACKERS.
CONTROLS IN BRIEF
SHIP SYSTEMS [Numbers in brackets refer to corresponding key on the
NUMERIC KEYPAD]:
BATTLE COMPUTER [1]: Automatically fires laser torpedoes on any alien
ship that the Tracking Computer locks on to. Controls accuracy of fire, by
directing it toward center of cross hairs.
IMPULSE DRIVE [2]: Allows you to manually pilot your ship, using the Disc.
Can be used only in Battle View.
SHIELDS [3]: Partially protects ship systems from alien fire.
TRACKING COMPUTER [4]: Locks your ship onto alien, once alien makes
contact with cross hairs of weapon sight.
HYPER DRIVE [5]: Permits travel between space sectors. Activation possible
when the cursor is in a different sector than your ship (Battle View or
Sector Grid).
ALL SYSTEMS [6]: Press before Repair On/Off key [9], to repair all damaged
systems, one at a time. Press before Status key [8], for report on all ship
systems that are off, damaged or under repair.
ON/OFF [7]: Turns any ship system on or off. (Press system key [1 - 5], then
On/Off key [7].)
STATUS [8]: Reports on status of ship systems. (Press system key [1 - 5],
then Status key [7].)
REPAIR ON/OFF [9]: Activates or cancels repair order. Used with individual
system key or All Systems key [6] (see CANCELLING REPAIRS, below).
ENERGY LEVEL [Clear]: Reports on ship's energy level.
NUMBER OF ALIENS [0]: Reports on number of aliens present in sector
occupied by your ship.
CHANGE VIEW [Enter]: Switches screen from Sector Grid to Battle View and
back.
To move cursor or ship up, use the ARROW KEYS. Cursor will move only as
long as you press a key. Ship continues moving even after key is released.
Cross hairs of sight always remain in the center of the screen, since your
perspective does not change.
GAME VOICES
There are 4 different game voices. Each gives vital game information which
you do not receive in any other form.
CENTRAL COMPUTER (male voice):
1. Ship's energy level. (Automatic warning if level drops below 1000
units.)
2. Number of aliens remaining in sector occupied by your ship.
SHIP'S COMPUTER (female voice):
1. Condition of ship systems (Shields, Impulse Drive, Hyper Drive, Battle
Computer and Tracking Computer). Automatic report of damage -- system
1/3 down, 2/3 down or destroyed.
2. Progress of repairs.
STARBASE COMPUTER (robot voice): Automatic alert when your starbases
are attacked.
ALIEN COMMANDER: Heard only at the end of the game. Announces "THE
BATTLE IS OVER."
SELECT GAME SPEED
Press any key. Screen will instruct you to select game speed, from 1 to 5.
Press 1 to play at slow speed.
Press 2 to play at medium speed.
Press 3 to play at medium fast speed.
Press 4 to play at fast speed.
Press 5 to play at the fastest speed.
All game action speeds up when you select a faster speed. Game speed also
affects rate of energy use and gain, speed of repairs and rate of alien
growth.
Game speed may automatically increase one speed level each round,
beginning with Round 2.
* Slowest speed possible for Round 2 is speed 2.
* Slowest speed possible for Round 3 is speed 3.
* Slowest speed possible for Round 4 is speed 4.
* Slowest speed possible for Round 5 is speed 5.
If you play a round faster than the slowest possible speed for that round,
game speed will not increase at the beginning of the next round. Example:
If you play Round 2 at speed 4, the game will not go to speed 5 until
Round 5.
GAME SPEED DOES NOT INCREASE AFTER ROUND 5. FASTEST SPEED
POSSIBLE FOR ANY ROUND IS SPEED 5.
SECTOR GRID -- GAME START
Sector Grid appears after game speed is selected. There is no game action
until you place your 3 starbases. Each square on the grid represents 1
sector of space.
ALIEN STARBASES & FLEES
Each colored square with a BLACK BASE SYMBOL is an alien starbase. The
game starts with:
* 3 alien starbases, randomly placed,
* 1 defensive alien fleet stationed at each starbase,
* 1 offensive fleet per starbase, which may be located at the starbase or in
any other sector.
Sectors occupied by one or more offensive alien fleets are colored but do
not contain the black starbase symbol.
The NUMBER OF SHIPS in an alien occupied sector is indicated the COLOR of
the sector.
GREEN = 1 to 4 alien ships.
YELLOW = 5 to 8 alien ships
ORANGE = 9 to 16 alien ships.
RED = 17 to 32 alien ships.
PURPLE = 33 or more alien ships.
MAXIMUM ALIEN SHIPS at game start is 16 per fleet or 96 total.
If the grid shows fewer than 3 alien starbases or offensive fleets, 2 or
more may be located in the same sector.
YOUR STARBASES
You have 3 starbases. The cursor automatically appears in the center of the
Sector Grid, after you select game speed. You can place starbases in any
sector. (If you place a starbase in an alien-occupied sector, it will be
attacked as soon as the game starts.) You can place 2 or more bases in the
same sector.
TO PLACE A STARBASE:
1. Use the ARROW KEYS to move the starbase with the cursor to any sector.
2. Press ENTER to lock the starbase in position. The next starbase will
automatically appear in the center of the Sector Grid, with the cursor on
top of it.
STARBASE FUNCTIONS:
1. Repair damaged or destroyed ship systems.
2. Restore ship's energy.
GAME ACTION BEGINS after ALL of your starbases are placed. Game begins
with all ship systems, except Hyper Drive, ON. (Hyper Drive must be turned
on each time you use it.)
GAME PLAY IN BRIEF
1. PLACE YOUR STARBASES. Press ARROW KEYS to move cursor and base to
desired sector. Press ENTER. Repeat for all 3 starbases.
2. MOVE SHIP TO ALIEN-OCCUPIED SECTOR. Press ARROW KEYS to move
cursor to sector. Press HYPER DRIVE [5], then ON/OFF [7]. Ship symbol
moves to that sector. (Hyper Drive turns off automatically after use.) Battle
begins, even if you remain on Sector Grid.
3. SWITCH TO BATTLE VIEW AFTER SHIP SYMBOL APPEARS IN SECTOR.
Press CHANGE VIEW key [Enter on the KEYPAD, or press RETURN].
In Battle View, you see "space" through the cockpit of your ship. The cross
hairs always remain in the center of the screen as you maneuver your ship
through space.
4. ZERO IN ON ALIEN SHIP (blue). Press ARROW KEYS to move ship so cross
hairs are centered on alien ship. Hold down KEY(S) to accelerate. Press
KEY(S) in opposite direction to decelerate. TRACKING COMPUTER ON -- ship
automatically pursues any alien that comes into contact with cross hairs of
weapon sight.
5. FIRE! Press FIRE [space bar] when cross hairs are centered on alien ship.
Hold down to fire continuously. BATTLE COMPUTER ON -- ship fires
automatically when cross hairs touch alien ship; computer directs fire to
center of cross hairs.
6. AVOID ENEMY FIRE (orange or yellow spirals). If your ship is hit, Ship's
Computer automatically reports damage (system hit and extent of
damage).
7. REPAIR DAMAGED SYSTEMS.
* Press system key for damaged system [1 - 5], then REPAIR ON/OFF [9], or
* Press ALL SYSTEMS [6], then REPAIR ON/OFF [9].
Damaged systems can only be repaired in Battle View. Damaged OR
destroyed systems can be repaired at starbase. Switch to Sector Grid and
return ship to starbase.
Once repairs are on, they remain on until you turn them off. To turn
repairs off, repeat the exact procedure used to turn them on.
8. CHECK NUMBER OF ALIEN SHIPS LEFT IN SECTOR OCCUPIED BY YOUR
SHIP (Battle View or Sector Grid). Press NO. OF ALIENS key [0]. Central
Computer gives verbal report.
9. CHECK STATUS OF SHIP SYSTEMS. Press individual system key or ALL
SYSTEMS key [6]. Then press STATUS [8], for report on ship systems that
are off, damaged or under repair.
10. DEFEND STARBASE UNDER ATTACK. Starbase Computer gives verbal
alert when alien fleet moves into sector occupied by your starbase. Press
CHANGE VIEW key [Enter]. Visually locate starbase under attack (colored
starbase sector). Move cursor to threatened starbase. Press HYPER DRIVE
[5], then ON/OFF [7]. Press CHANGE VIEW [Enter] to return to Battle View.
11. MONITOR ENERGY USE. Press ENERGY LEVEL [Clear] key. Central
Computer gives verbal report. (Automatic report when energy falls below
1000 units.) If energy is low, return to starbase to re-energize. Ship will
not re-energize during repairs.
12. END OF ROUND. When all aliens on Sector Grid are destroyed, a new
alien force appears with 2 offensive fleets per alien starbase. 3rd round --
3 offensive fleets per alien starbase. Keep playing, as many rounds as
possible, until all ship systems are destroyed or you run out of energy.
SPECIFICS ON BATTLE VIEW
SHIP MOVEMENT. When in Battle View, you see "space" through the
cockpit of your ship. Press the ARROW KEYS and your ship appears to
move through space (though the cross hairs of your weapon sight remain
in the center of the screen). Release the KEYS and your ship continues to
move in the direction pressed. Hold the KEYS down to accelerate. Press
KEYS in opposite direction of movement to decelerate.
IMPULSE DRIVE MUST BE ON TO MOVE YOUR SHIP WITH THE DISC. If
Impulse Drive is damaged, you will be unable to control your ship
effectively. If Impulse Drive is down or off, you will lose all manual control
of your ship.
IT IS HARD TO ZERO IN ON AN ALIEN SHIP WHEN MOVING AT HIGH SPEED.
Make small, tight movements (easier to control) and let the alien ships find
you. (Alien ships cannot find you when you are moving at high speed.)
Alien ships can outrun your ship. Intercept them -- don't try to chase
them. Alien fire is also faster than you. Evade it -- you can't outrun it.
HYPER DRIVE. You can Hyper Drive while in Battle View, provided the
cursor is in a different sector than your ship. Simply press HYPER DRIVE
[5], then ON/OFF [7]. Your ship will move to the sector in which the cursor
is located and the screen will automatically switch to Sector Grid.
FIRING. Battle Computer fires "laser torpedoes" automatically and operates
a guidance system that directs your laser torpedoes to the center of the
cross hairs. If the Battle Computer is damaged, your aim will be off. (The
amount your aim is off depends on the amount of damage sustained.) In
this case, you will need to fire slightly ahead of an alien ship, in order to
hit it. If the Battle Computer is destroyed or off, you will have no
automatic guidance system at all.
TO MOVE SHIP TO A DIFFERENT SECTOR
* You must use Hyper Drive.
* Cursor must be in a different sector than ship.
* You can be in Battle View or Sector Grid.
AFTER BATTLE
1. Press CHANGE VIEW [Enter] to return to Sector Grid.
2. Use ARROW KEYS to move cursor to new sector.
3. Press HYPER DRIVE [5], then ON/OFF [7]. Wait until ship symbol appears
in new sector.
4. Press CHANGE VIEW [Enter] again if you have moved to an alien-
occupied sector.
STRATEGY TIP: After you have COMPLETED your Hyper Drive to a new
sector, move the cursor only (not your ship) to one of your starbases,
before you go into battle. You can then Hyper Drive to that starbase while
in Battle View, if necessary.
DETAILS ON ALIENS
GROWTH OF ALIEN FLEETS. Alien starbases build new ships. Every 6
seconds (fastest game speed) to 14 seconds (slowest game speed), each
starbase MAY build a new ship. The chances of a starbase building a new
ship increase with each round played. Any time an offensive alien fleet is
destroyed, a new fleet will be dispatched by its home starbase.
MOVEMENT OF ALIEN FLEETS. Alien fleets move, 1 sector at a time, every
6 to 14 seconds (depending on game speed). Fleets do not move while
engaged in battle. ALIEN FLEETS WILL AUTOMATICALLY MOVE TOWARD
YOUR STARBASES OR SHIP -- WHICHEVER IS CLOSER. IF AN ALIEN IS
EQUALLY DISTANT FROM ONE OF YOUR STARBASES AND YOUR SHIP, IT
WILL MOVE TOWARD THE STARBASE.
STRATEGY TIP: Use your ship to lure alien fleets away from your starbases.
Move your ship closer to a threatening alien fleet than it is to your
starbase. Then hold your position until the alien fleet moves in pursuit.
Alien starbases are fixed for the duration of a ROUND. They can and do
appear in different sectors from round to round.
DETAILS ON YOUR STARBASES
YOUR STARBASES DO NOT CREATE NEW SHIPS. You have only one ship with
which to play the game.
YOUR STARBASE POSITIONS ARE FIXED for the duration of a round. You can
move any existing starbases at the start of a new round.
STARBASE SHIELD RATINGS. The strength of your starbases is measured
by SHIELD RATING. Each starbase begins with a shield rating of 255.
The shield rating of a starbase determines the rate at which energy is
regained and repairs are made at that starbase, the duration of attack
which the starbase can withstand, and the number of bonus points gained
at the end of a round.
STARBASE UNDER ATTACK. If an alien fleet moves into a sector occupied
by one of your starbases, that starbase comes under attack. You are
warned of the attack by the Starbase Computer. (Example: "Starbase 1
under attack!")
An attack DECREASES A STARBASE SHIELD RATING by the number of
attacking ships, every 6 to 14 seconds, depending on game speed (roughly
every time you hear the attack warning). If a starbase shield rating drops
to 0, that starbase is destroyed.
STARBASE RECOVERY. For every 50,000 points you earn, you get 50
additional shield rating units. These are distributed among Starbases 1, 2
and 3 (in that order), according to need. For example, if Starbase 1 is at
250 units and Starbase 2 is destroyed, then Starbase 1 will be restored to
full shield rating and Starbase 2 will reappear with a shield rating of 45. If
shield rating units are not needed by your starbases, they are multiplied
by 10 and added to your point score.
ENERGY LEVEL
SHIP BEGINS WITH 10,000 ENERGY UNITS.
The rate of energy use or gain depends on game speed (except energy used
in firing or in Hyper Drive). Rates shown are for FASTEST game speed. At
SLOW game speed, rates are about 1/2 the rates shown here.
ENERGY USE
HYPER DRIVE:
* Fully operational -- 8 units/sector for horizontal or vertical movement.
Approx. 11 units/sector for diagonal movement.
* 1/3 down -- double above rate.
* 2/3 down -- 4 x above rate.
* Destroyed -- 8 x above rate. 50% chance of destroying ship.
IMPULSE DRIVE -- 20 units/second for Disc use. Rate doubled when
Tracking Computer moves ship.
SHIELDS -- 10 units/second with Shields ON.
FIRE -- 1 unit/shot (manual or Battle Computer -- any game speed).
REPAIRS IN SPACE (manual) -- approximately 5 units/second during
repair. Starbase repairs use no energy.
The Central Computer reports on your energy level when it drops below
1000. It reports again when the level reaches 500, 400, 300, etc.
TO REGAIN ENERGY, YOU MUST:
1. Return ship to one of your starbases.
2. Remain on Sector Grid. (You will not gain energy while in Battle View at
a starbase.)
3. Complete or turn off repairs first.
The rate of energy gain depends on game speed and starbase SHIELD
RATING. At fastest game speed, with full shield rating of 255, energy is
gained at 300 units/second. As shield rating drops (and at slower game
speeds), rate of energy gain drops.
SHIP'S MAXIMUM ENERGY LEVEL IS 10,000 UNITS. NO ENERGY WILL BE
ADDED BEYOND THIS LEVEL.
DAMAGE TO SHIP
Your ship is damaged when hit by alien fire (orange and yellow spirals).
The amount of damage incurred from 1 hit depends on the condition of
your shields.
* SHIELDS FULLY OPERATIONAL -- 1 unit of damage.
* SHIELDS 1/3 DOWN -- 2 units of damage.
* SHIELDS 2/3 DOWN -- 3 units of damage.
* SHIELDS DESTROYED OR OFF -- 1 system destroyed plus 3 additional units
of damage. (If the shields are off, the screen border changes from brown to
black.)
1 UNIT OF DAMAGE = 1 SYSTEM DOWN 1/3. (2 units can be 1 system down
2/3 or 2 systems down 1/3.)
Ship's computer automatically reports on system damaged and extent of
damage (1/3 down, 2/3 down or destroyed).
NOTE: You cannot escape alien fire coming directly at you by changing to
Sector Grid. If you press the CHANGE VIEW key [Enter] in this case, your
ship will incur an automatic hit. Likewise, if you switch from Battle View
to Sector Grid while still in an alien-occupied sector (even if you are at one
of your starbases), your ship will still be engaged in battle and will
continue to sustain damage from time to time.
REPAIRS TO SHIP
Damage can be repaired:
* IN SPACE (damaged, not destroyed systems).
* AT A STARBASE (damaged or destroyed systems).
THERE ARE 2 WAYS TO ORDER REPAIRS. Both are possible either in space or
at a starbase.
1. INDIVIDUAL SYSTEM REPAIR -- Press a system key, (such as Shields)
then REPAIR ON/OFF [9]. Only that system is repaired.
2. ALL REPAIR -- Press ALL SYSTEMS [6], then REPAIR ON/OFF [9]. All
damaged systems are repaired, one at a time.
SPECIAL CONDITION -- HYPER DRIVE DESTROYED. A destroyed system can
only be repaired at a starbase. This requires the use of Hyper Drive. If
Hyper Drive is destroyed, you must specifically place it under repair,
before attempting to use it to return to starbase. Press HYPER DRIVE [5],
then REPAIR ON/OFF [9].
Your Shields and Impulse Drive will be used to rig a temporary Hyper
Drive system. You then have a 50% chance of reaching your destination
safely. If you succeed, your Hyper Drive, Shields and Impulse Drive will be
destroyed. If you do not succeed, your entire ship will be destroyed.
CANCELLING REPAIRS. Once a repair order has been given (either
individual or All Systems), it remains stored in the computer's memory
until you cancel the order.
To cancel a repair order, repeat the procedure used to give the order. Press
System key, then REPAIR ON/OFF [9], or ALL SYSTEMS [6], then REPAIR
ON/OFF [9]. Ship's Computer reports "REPAIRS ON" or"REPAIRS OFF" when
ship is in All Repair mode.
DOWN TIME. A system under repair IN SPACE will be OFF approximately
1/2 of the repair time. System "flickers" on and off.
DOWN TIME WARNING:
* SHIELDS -- screen border changes from brown to black. Border flashes
between 2 colors during Shield repairs.
* TRACKING COMPUTER -- Cross hairs are smaller. Cross hairs appear to
pulse during repair, when Tracking Computer is 2/3 down.
SPACE VS. STARBASE
SPEED
Manual: Approx. 30 seconds to 2 minutes per unit of damage, depending
on game speed.
Starbase: Depends on starbase SHIELD RATING. High rating -- under 5
seconds per unit of damage. Low rating -- approx. 10 seconds per unit of
damage.
ENERGY USED
Manual: Approx. 2 to 5 units per second of repair time, depending on game
speed.
Starbase: None, but energy gain halted during repairs. (Energy required to
Hyper Drive back to starbase.)
DETAILS
Manual: System under repair is shut down approx 1/2 of repair time.
Starbase: Starbase repairs cannot be made while in Battle View at a
starbase. Screen must show Sector Grid.
PROGRESS REPORT
Manual or Starbase: Each new stage of repair (destroyed, 2/3 down, 1/3
down, repaired) automatically reported by Ship's Computer.
ADVANTAGE
Manual: May continue battle during repairs.
Starbase: Faster repair of damaged OR destroyed systems.
DISADVANTAGES
Manual: (1) Too slow on repair of essential battle systems (i.e. Impulse
Drive). System down 1/2 of repair time. (2) Uses ship's energy. (3) Cannot
repair destroyed system.
Starbase: (1) Stops battle. May allow alien starbase to build fleet back up.
(2) Requires use of Hyper Drive unless ship already at starbase.
NEW ROUND
A round ends when you destroy all alien fleets and starbases on the Sector
Grid. You see the Sector Grid with 3 new alien starbases, plus 3 offensive
fleets times the round number. Example: In Round 2, you are opposed by 3
alien starbases and 6 offensive fleets. In Round 3, you are opposed by 3
alien starbases and 9 offensive fleets.
At the start of a new round, you may REPOSITION your remaining
starbases. Use the ARROW KEYS to move the starbase where the cursor is
located. When starbase is in desired sector, press ENTER to lock in position.
Cursor automatically moves on to the next starbase.
If you DO NOT want to reposition a starbase, wait until the cursor appears
over it, then press ENTER.
Game action for the new round begins only after all your existing starbases
are positioned (either in present sector or in new sector).
Alien movement on the Sector Grid speeds up with each new round. The
speed of alien movement in Battle View remains the same for all rounds.
SCORING
STARTING POINTS
You are given points at the start of each round in the game.
Round 1 = Number of alien ships times 20.
Round 2 = Number of alien ships times 40.
Round 3 = Number of alien ships times 60...and so on.
POINTS GAINED
For 1 alien ship destroyed, 100 times the round number.
For 2 ships destroyed with 1 shot, 300 times the round number.
For 3 ships destroyed with 1 shot, 600 times the round number.
For 4 ships destroyed with 1 shot, 1000 times the round number.
For 5 ships destroyed with 1 shot, 1500 times the round number.
For an alien starbase destroyed, 1000 bonus points times the round
number.
END OF ROUND BONUS POINTS -- 10 times Shield Rating for all your
surviving starbases times the round number.
BONUS STARBASE "SHIELD UNITS." Every 50,000 points, you receive 50
shield rating units. Shield units are added to starbases,in the order in
which they were placed. They may be used to restore a destroyed starbase
(see STARBASE RECOVERY, above). If units are left after all 3 starbases are
brought to full strength, you receive 10 points per unit left.
POINTS LOST
Time Use:
Round 1: 20 points subtracted every 6 to 14 seconds (depending on game
speed).
Round 2: 40 points subtracted every 6 to 14 seconds.
Round 3: 60 points subtracted every 6 to 14 seconds...and so forth.
(Score will never drop below 0.)
Aliens Left: 20 points times round number times number of aliens left at
end of game, subtracted from final score.
GAME OVER
The game is over when:
1. You run out of energy.
2. The ship is destroyed.
Your ship will be destroyed:
1. If all 5 ship systems are destroyed.
2. If Hyper Drive blows the ship up. (There is a 50% chance of this
occurring if you use Hyper Drive when destroyed.)
At the end of the game, the screen returns to Sector Grid. The aliens
continue moving toward any of your remaining starbases. Screen displays
GAME OVER and your final score. The Alien Commander announces: "THE
BATTLE IS OVER!"
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1982, 1997 Intellivision Productions, Inc.