_________ _________ _________ _________ | | | | | | | | | ___ | | ___ | | ___ | | ______| | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |__| | | | | | |___| | | |____ | | | | | | | | | | | | ______ | | | | | ___| | ____| | | |_ _| | | | | | |\ \ | | | |___| | | |___| | | | \ \ | | | | | | | | \ \ | | |_________| |_________| |__| \__\ |__| __ | | | | | | | | |/\| _ / \ _ | | / /\ \ | | | | / / \ \ | | | | / / \ \ | | | |/ / \ \| | | / \ | | / \ | | / /| |\ \ | |/___/ |__| \___\| Copyright Bally Midway Manufacturing Company 1983 Written By Brian P. Sulpher E-mail: briansulpher@hotmail.com Version 1.6 Date Written: October 25th, 2003 I dedicate this to my Uncle Donald for showing me this great old game on the Coleco all of those years ago. It truly is a cherished childhood memory, and I will never forget the time we spent playing these together. Also, for Cougar, Howler, Koonce, and Gracey. I miss you, and I hope you are living it up in the afterlife as you did in this world. You will always be in my memories, and you will never be forgotten. ----------- Version 1.0 ----------- -Submitted guide on October 25th, 2003 ----------- Version 1.5 ----------- -Submitted guide on November 11th, 2003 -Added in Space Rankings section -Fixed an oversight in the controls section ----------- Version 2.0 ----------- -Submitted guide on June 2nd, 2004 -Decided a format update was in order, as it would help the FAQ flow a little bit better ----------- Version 2.1 ----------- -Submitted guide on February 7th, 2005 -I added in Honestgamers as a site allowed to use my FAQs ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- -----------------------------Table Of Contents------------------------------ ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- 1) Introduction 2) Controls 3) Level One 4) Level Two 5) Level Three 6) Level Four 7) Space Rankings 8) Final Word ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- --------------------------------Introduction-------------------------------- ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- 1) The following is the work of Bally Midway Manufacturing Company and is in no way the intellectual property of Brian P. Sulpher. Only your fighter stands between Gorf's fleet of robot ships and their control of the galaxy! With your skill, you can defend the universe against the enemy's twisted technology. But Gorf never quits. Each mission you survive, Gorf sends another fleet even meaner than the previous one! 0~~~~~~~~~~~~~0 |~~~~~~~~~~~~~| |~~~MISSION~~~| |~~~~~~~~~~~~~| 0~~~~~~~~~~~~~0 Defeat Astro Battle invaders that fire to disintegrate your shield and destroy your ship. 0~~~~~~~~~~~~~0 |~~~~~~~~~~~~~| |~~~MISSION~~~| |~~~~~~~~~~~~~| 0~~~~~~~~~~~~~0 Clear the sky of robot ships and laser ships. Evade the Laser Attack that shimmers toward your fighter. 0~~~~~~~~~~~~~0 |~~~~~~~~~~~~~| |~~~MISSION~~~| |~~~~~~~~~~~~~| 0~~~~~~~~~~~~~0 Attack! Out of the Space Warp Gorfian ships come, hurling radiation blasts that track your fighter. 0~~~~~~~~~~~~~0 |~~~~~~~~~~~~~| |~~~MISSION~~~| |~~~~~~~~~~~~~| 0~~~~~~~~~~~~~0 Duel the ultimate challenge, the Gorfian Flagship! ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- ---------------------------------Controls----------------------------------- ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- 2) This section will outline the Menu Options as well as how to control your fighter in the fight against Gorf's forces. o--------------o | Menu Options | o--------------o The number equaling to the option you want will be entered on the keypad when you are prompted to do so. With each skill level you raise it by, the difficulty equals that of the second time on those levels on the previous skill level. 1 = Skill 1 / One Player 2 = Skill 2 / One Player 3 = Skill 3 / One Player 4 = Skill 4 / One Player 5 = Skill 5 / Two Player 6 = Skill 6 / Two Player 7 = Skill 7 / Two Player 8 = Skill 8 / Two Player o------------------o | In-Game Controls | o------------------o Joystick---> LEFT and RIGHT move you in the corresponding directions. UP and DOWN do not come into play. Left Fire--> When pressed, this will cause your fighter to fire off a missile. However, if you press the fire button again while the previous missile is still on the screen, the previous missile will disappear as the new missile launches. Right Fire-> When pressed, this will cause your fighter to fire off a missile. However, if you press the fire button again while the previous missile is still on the screen, the previous missile will disappear as the new missile launches. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- --------------------------------Level One----------------------------------- ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- 3) This section will look at all the info you will need to know about Astro Battle. This will include enemy listings, bonus targets, point values, and strategy to allow your fighter to survive to face the next wave of attacks. o---------------o | Enemy Listing | o---------------o On this level, you will face a squadron of the enemy, 3 rows (one of each colour) of eight fighters per row. Green Jacks----->The middle row of the enemy, they fire missiles down at your fighter and your shield. Red Invaders---->The bottom row of the enemy, they fire missiles down at your fighter and your shield. White Triangles->The top row of the enemy, they fire missiles down at your fighter and your shield. o---------------o | Bonus Targets | o---------------o Small U.F.O.->This small object will fly partway across the screen, followed by stopping and then reversing course. U.F.O.------->This large object will fly straight across the top of the screen, not slowing nor speeding up as it moves to exit out the far side of the area from whence it came. Big U.F.O.--->This large object will move in a swirly fashion across the top of the screen, not slowing nor speeding up as it moves to exit out the far side of the area from whence it came. o--------------o | Point Values | o--------------o Big U.F.O.------> 200 Green Jacks-----> 50 Red Invaders----> 50 Small U.F.O.----> 200 U.F.O.----------> 200 White Triangles-> 50 o------------o | Strategies | o------------o i) Your first course of action (regardless of what loop you are on) is to move to the left immediately and start firing. After every shot lands, fire another one up (you may need to start back to the right then) and another and another. Keep this up till your shield has holes in it, at which point you will need to pay attention to the shots fired by the enemies. ii) Try to eliminate the lowest row of enemies (the Red Invaders) as quickly as possible. This is the one row that can reach the very bottom of the screen, which spell disaster for your fighter ship (especially in the higher loops when they get there incredibly fast). iii) When the enemy gets lower to the ground and you have a lot less time for dodging incoming missiles, make sure to move off to one corner of the screen. This way, not only will less enemies be unable to reach you (once the one closest to that side of the screen reaches there, the entire group turns back in the opposite direction), but the shield is more likely to be intact there than in the middle where you spent the early portions of the fight. This will assist your ship in staying alive longer, BUT only do so if the bottom row of the enemy forces (the Red Invaders) have been completely eliminated (may be too tough to get them all from this spot before they reach your level of the fighting field. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- --------------------------------Level Two----------------------------------- ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- 4) This section will look at all the info you will need to know about Laser Attack. This will include enemy listings, bonus targets, point values, and strategy to allow your fighter to survive to face the next wave of attacks. o---------------o | Enemy Listing | o---------------o Green Wingers->These wild flyers will move down, back up, and then usually cut off on a diagonal direction (wrapping around if they reach the edge of the one side of the screen to the other side) before reappearing back at the top again. Laser Fighter->The wing commander for the formation, this ship fires a deadly laser beam downwards throughout the fight until they are destroyed. They stay on screen at roughly the same elevation at all times. Red Aliens---->At the very top of the formation initially, these little guys behave much like Green Wingers in going through the bottom of the screen (rarely has diagonal movements though). o---------------o | Bonus Targets | o---------------o Small U.F.O.->This small object will fly partway across the screen, followed by stopping and then reversing course. U.F.O.------->This large object will fly straight across the top of the screen, not slowing nor speeding up as it moves to exit out the far side of the area from whence it came. Big U.F.O.--->This large object will move in a swirly fashion across the top of the screen, not slowing nor speeding up as it moves to exit out the far side of the area from whence it came. o--------------o | Point Values | o--------------o Big U.F.O.------> 200 Green Wingers---> 100 Laser Fighter---> 100 Red Aliens------> 100 Small U.F.O.----> 200 U.F.O.----------> 200 o------------o | Strategies | o------------o i) Removal of the Laser Fighter (of both once you are on the second loop or beyond) is an important step to victory. Once you remove these shooting pests, you will not have to worry about projectile attacks anymore. ii) Once you are on your second loop or higher, two squadrons of these enemies will appear (six Green Wingers, two Red Aliens, and two Laser Fighters), causing you twice as much of a headache. Your main goal in this situation is to fire off a shot every two seconds or so (not watching where they go or if the hit anything) and you will just move your fighter so it can dance between the approaching Green Wingers and Red Aliens as well as shots from the Laser Fighters. Eventually, your random shots will remove enough of the enemies to give yourself a better chance of actually lining up shots. iii) Watch the side of the screen when Green Wingers start to play around there as they can really surprise you when they appear suddenly, so close to your fighter. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- -------------------------------Level Three---------------------------------- ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- 5) This section will look at all the info you will need to know about Space Warp. This will include enemy listings, bonus targets, point values, and strategy to allow your fighter to survive to face the next wave of attacks. o---------------o | Enemy Listing | o---------------o Blue Bombers->These ships guard the Space Warp to the location of the Gorfian Flagship, they com spiraling out of the warp to fire off their radiation blasts. o---------------o | Bonus Targets | o---------------o Small U.F.O.->This small object will fly partway across the screen, followed by stopping and then reversing course. U.F.O.------->This large object will fly straight across the top of the screen, not slowing nor speeding up as it moves to exit out the far side of the area from whence it came. Big U.F.O.--->This large object will move in a swirly fashion across the top of the screen, not slowing nor speeding up as it moves to exit out the far side of the area from whence it came. o--------------o | Point Values | o--------------o Blue Bombers-> 100 Big U.F.O.---> 200 Small U.F.O.-> 200 U.F.O.-------> 200 o------------o | Strategies | o------------o i) Wait about a second, fire a shot. If it connects with the Blue Bomber, wait a second and fire again. Once you get the timing down, you can finish off the enemy in mere seconds through this method. ii) Be ready to dodge off to the side at a moments notice. The Blue Bombers are very capable of firing multiple radiation blasts at your fighter in the blink of an eye. iii) Do not be afraid to fir off random shots (counting off a second or so between shots) while dodging radiation blasts. You may connect with these swift Blue Bombers, getting one step closer to fighting the Gorfian Flagship. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- --------------------------------Level Four---------------------------------- ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- 6) This section will look at all the info you will need to know about Flag Ship. This will include enemy listings, bonus targets, point values, and strategy to allow your fighter to survive to face the next wave of attacks. o---------------o | Enemy Listing | o---------------o Gorfian Flagship-->The big and bad Flagship patrols the area in sweeping motions across the top of the screen. It drops Red Bombs while being protected from direct attack (at the start anyway) by a protective Shield. Protective Shield->This orange line represents the shielding that is in place to protect the Gorfian Flagship. Much like your Protective Shield in the first level, any missile that hits it will remove a small portion of the protection, allowing missiles to pass through the gaping hole. Red Aliens-------->These little guys behave much like Green Wingers in going through the bottom of the screen (rarely has diagonal movements though). These start appearing once you have reached the level for the second time. o---------------o | Bonus Targets | o---------------o Red Bombs->Launched from the Gorfian Flagship, they can be destroyed. o--------------o | Point Values | o--------------o Gorfian Flagship Damaged----> 1000 Gorfian Flagship Destroyed--> 10 Protective Shield-----------> 0 Red Bombs-------------------> 100 Red Aliens------------------> 100 o------------o | Strategies | o------------o i) To start the fight, immediately start strafing back and forth, firing shot after shot into the Protective Shield. After a few blasts, enough holes will be opened to allow your fighter to fire away at the Gorfian Flagship. ii) Whenever the Gorfian Flagship fires a Red Bomb, you must quickly decide if you wish to dodge it or destroy it. Destroying it does net 100 points, BUT the Gorfian Flagship will quickly start launching a slow one first and then a fast one second, using the first one as cover to get the second one to destroy your fighter (be careful). iii) Try to remove the Red Aliens as fast as possible to remove their added threat from an already dangerous fight. They will charge down the screen before returning to perch on the Gorfian Flagship, waiting for their next chance to strike. iv) When you are trying to land hits on the Gorfian Flagship, try to use a shot leading approach to land multiple hits (this holds especially true on the first three loops). If done correctly, you can land up to three hits per trip across the screen (if he goes right, you are ahead of him, firing shots that connect each time as you head right). v) To kill the ship, attempt to land the shots near the centre of the flying contraption where the glowing engine resides. This seems to be the fastest way to blow it up (my best is two hits). ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- ------------------------------Space Rankings-------------------------------- ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- 7) This section will look at the Space Rankings that can be achieved. You will begin the game as a lowly Space Cadet, trying to fight off the waves of troops you have yet to fight. If you manage to survive long enough to reach and destroy the flagship, your Rank will be increased for your valour (also, your survival skills) in battle. The following chart covers the attainable ranks and what mission they are achieved: __________________ _________ | Space Rank | Mission | |__________________|_________| | Space Cadet | 1 | |__________________|_________| | Space Captain | 5 | |__________________|_________| | Space Colonel | 10 | |__________________|_________| | Space General | 15 | |__________________|_________| | Space Warrior | 20 | |__________________|_________| | Space Avenger | 25 | |__________________|_________| As you can see, you need to have incredibly great skills to reach the higher echelons of the rankings within the game. An average player can reach as high as a Space Colonel on their better games. How high can you go? ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- --------------------------------Final Word---------------------------------- ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- 8) As is the usual, this walkthrough is copyright property of Brian P. Sulpher, 2003. The only website, group, person, etc. to have access to post it is www.gamefaqs.com, www.ign.com, and www.honestgamers.com. You must ask for permission before posting this (go ahead, I am very nice, and more than likely will say yes). If you liked it, hated it, have anything to add, then please E-mail me at briansulpher@hotmail.com. You can also contact me through MSN messenger through the same E-mail address. A great space fighter game with the twist of four very distinct levels. It struck me all those years ago as the most versatile space shooter (pretty damn good thinking for a five year old), even when compared to Galaxian, Space Invaders, or Galaga. Many thanks to the creators of Gorf for using the "Donkey Kong" style of approach to multiple levels with looping applications!