_ _____ _____ _____ _____ __ _ _____ | | | _ | | _ | | _ | |_ _| | \ | | | _ | | | | | | | | | | | | |_| | | | | \ | | | | |_| | | | | | | | | | | | ___| | | | |\ \| | | | __ | |___ | |_| | | |_| | | | _| |_ | | \ | | |_| _| |_____| |_____| |_____| |_| |_____| |_| \__| |_____| /\ _/ \_ | | | | | | |______| ______ | | | | | | _ _______ | | | \ / \ |______| | \____/_________\__ ______ | \ | | | \__ /\ /\ /\ /\ /\ | | | / \/ \/ \/ \/ \/ | | |______________________/ | | |______| ______ | | | | | | | | /|______|\ / | | | | \ | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | \ | | | | / \| |__| |/ Copyright Ventureline 1983 Written By Brian P. Sulpher E-mail: briansulpher@hotmail.com Version 2.1 Date Written: October 26th, 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. You da man UNCA DONALD! you da man... 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 26th, 2003 ----------- Version 1.5 ----------- -Submitted guide on November 11th, 2003 -Fixed a few errors -Altered the format slightly ----------- Version 2.0 ----------- -Submitted guide on November 11th, 2003 -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 Stats 4) Level Map 5) 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. Strap on your goggles, rev up the engines and take off! Your LOOPING plane soars over a world unlike any you've ever imagined. Fire bullets into a rocket station to open the gate. Beware of launched Balloons! Test your flying accuracy and sense of direction by steering your plane through a Maze of Pipes. You survived? Stranger perils await. There are rooms full of Green Drops, Twinkle Monsters and Bouncing Balls. Can you outsmart them all and reach The End? Sounds kind of corny I know. Yet, it is still challenging, fun, and most importantly it has complexity that is not so easily seen (those make the best games after all). I hope you enjoy this one as I sure have for the past 20 years (nearly that long anyway)! ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- ---------------------------------Controls----------------------------------- ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- 2) This section will outline the Menu Options as well as how to control your plane in the world of Looping. 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---> Airplane controls are what you will be using, so remember that UP will cause your plane to start to dive (when upside down, this will start your upwards climb) and DOWN will cause your plane to start to climb (when upside down, this will start your downwards dive). LEFT and RIGHT have no use in this particular game as your plane flies on whichever angle you have it pointed to). Left Fire--> When pressed, this will cause your plane to suddenly accelerate (you will need to hold it down for this burst of speed to maintain itself). Just be aware that you will have a much larger looping radius when you use this during the maneuver (few areas of the game can accomodate such a thing, but it has its uses). Right Fire-> When pressed, this will cause your plane to suddenly accelerate (you will need to hold it down for this burst of speed to maintain itself). Just be aware that you will have a much larger looping radius when you use this during the maneuver (few areas of the game can accomodate such a thing, but it has its uses). ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- ------------------------------Level Stats----------------------------------- ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- 3) This section will look at all the info you will need to know about the Skill Levels as you fight the enemies and try to reach the end. This will include enemy listings, point values, and strategy for beating each opponent easily. o---------------o | Enemy Listing | o---------------o Bouncing Balls---> These are the final defense against your plane reaching the END, and they bounce around their small area (especially when they collide). Green Drop-------> Sometimes while you traverse the maze, a pipe will send these deadly drops down to the bottom of the area. Hyper Balloon----> On difficulty setting 3 or 4 you will see these faster and more aggressively moving Balloons. Regular Balloon--> These show up on every setting but difficulty four, they slowly move up and down from the roof to the ground. Twinkle Monsters-> The last line of defense in the maze, one (sometimes three as you play more difficult settings or get far into a simpler one) guard the small room before the maze's exit can be accessed. o--------------o | Point Values | o--------------o Bouncing Balls---> 500 Breakable Bricks-> 150 Green Drop-------> 500 Hyper Balloon----> 500 Maze Time Bonus--> Each Second X 20 (Skill One) Each Second X 30 (Skill Two) Each Second X 40 (Skill Three) Each Second X 50 (Skill Four) Missiles---------> 2000 Regular Balloon--> 200 Twinkle Monsters-> 1000 o------------o | Strategies | o------------o Bouncing Balls---> Your best bet is to start firing right away and to keep firing. If you do this, you will be able to wipe them out at a good rate as you fly into the openings to reach the END. However, please note that they can and will respawn after a few seconds, so be wary when entering a space they just occupied). Green Drop-------> Unless you see that the pipe is going to time it's drops to make connection, you should just fly through the area at your regular speed (use the speed up to pass through if the timing on the next drop will hit you at your slow speed). Shooting will also work, but it is tough to time your shot accurately. Hyper Balloon----> These are perhaps the most dangerous and annoying enemies you can face. They thankfully only appear on skill setting three (every second Balloon) or skill setting four (EVERY Balloon). If they appear try to shoot them if they draw close, but your best bet is to just get your Missiles destroyed with minimal fuss or else these baddies will track you down fairly quickly (they seem to be able to do this with unnerving accuracy). Regular Balloon--> Much slower than the Hyper Balloon, they are easily avoided. However, you can in fact destroy them with ease, so do so if the situation presents itself. Twinkle Monsters-> As soon as you see them, start firing as you enter into their area. The sooner they are gone, the easier it is to exit the maze to reach the final room. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- --------------------------------Level Map----------------------------------- ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- 4) his section will give a map of the outside area of the level, the maze area of the level, and the final room area of the level. Each area will have a brief blurb about the dangers you will face as well as some strategies. o--------------o | Outside Area | o--------------o __________________ KEY | | 1,2,3 - Detailed | Sub-Maps | that | follow | M - Maze Door | RUN - Runway | __________________| ____________________ | | | M |1 RUN 2 3 | |____________________| ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ~~~Sub-Map 1~~~ ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ _______ | | |_______| |\ /|\ /| | | | | | |/ \|/ \|_______ |\ /|\ /| || | | | | | | | |/ \|/ \| |__| |\ /|\ /| __ | | | | | | | |/ \|/ \| |__| |\ /|\ /| __ | | | | | | | |/ \|/ \| |__| |\ /|\ /| __ | | | | | | | |/ \|/ \| |__| |\ /|\ /| /||||\ | | | | || |||| | |/ \|/ \| \|\/|/ This is the missile stand, which is located directly behind the Runway that you take off from every time. This missile will ALWAYS be there, so be sure to plug it right away as it is a lock on the door (remember that it may not be the only missile in the level). If you take too long in this area, the Balloons will start to attack quicker than usual! ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ~~~Sub-Map 2~~~ ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ _____________________ KEY | | O - Breakable Bricks | M - Possible Missile | Location | _____________________| __________________ |/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\| |\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/| |/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\| |\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/| OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO OOOO OOOO OOOO MM OOOO |X|X| OOOO MM OOOO |X|X|X|X| OOOO MM OOOO |X| |X|X|X|X|X| |X||X| MM |X||X| |X|X| |X|X|X|X|X|X| |X||X| MM |X||X| |X|X|X| This is the first structure you will encounter once you head to the right of the runway. The breakable bricks are a good source of points, so shooting them is recommended, even if the missile is not located inside. Also be aware that the Balloons pass right through the walls of these structures without any problems, so be ready to dodge them as they come through to attack your plane. Start firing as soon as possible at the bricks, thus giving your bullets time to shred the breakable bricks (it takes some time, so leave some room while you do it or you crash). ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ~~~Sub-Map 3~~~ ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ _____________________ KEY | | O - Breakable Bricks | M - Possible Missile | Location | _____________________| __________________________ |/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\| |\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/| |X|X|X| |X|X|X| OOOOOO OOOOOO OOOOOO OOOOOO OOOOOO MM MM OOOOOO OOOOOO MM MM OOOOOO |X|X|X| MM MM |X|X|X| |X|X|X| MM MM |X|X|X| |X|X|X| MM MM |X|X|X| |X|X|X| MM MM |X|X|X| |X|X|X| MM MM |X|X|X| This is the second structure you will encounter once you head to the right of the first structure. The breakable bricks are a good source of points, so shooting them is recommended, even if the missiles are not located inside. Also be aware that the Balloons pass right through the walls of these structures without any problems, so be ready to dodge them as they come through to attack your plane. Start firing as soon as possible at the bricks, thus giving your bullets time to shred the breakable bricks (it takes some time, so leave some room while you do it or you crash). o-----------o | Maze Area | o-----------o _____________________ KEY | | E - Exit | G - Green Drops Pipe | T - Twinkly Monsters | _____________________| ____________________________________________________________ | __ ____/ | | | | | | / \/ _|_ | | |____| | / _____|______ | G _| | | |_/_ _____ | | | ^ E | | |_ | | | | | | |_____| | | | | ___ | | | | _|_____|__ | | |____ | | | | | | |_ | | | T | _____ |__ __| | | | | | | | | |__| | | _ | | | | |_____ | | _|_|_ | | | | | | | | |_| | v | | | | ___ _| | _|_ |____| | |_____|__ |___| | |_ | | | | | |__ | |_ | _| | | | |________ _|_ |____ _| | | | | | | | | ____| |_____|_____|________|_____|__|_|__________________|__________ Keeping in mind this is not a scale representation (the vertical has been elongated due to the limited ability of ASCII in a .txt file), but this is the maze you must traverse. The following is a step-by-step process for getting through the maze with the greatest ease: i) You can choose here to either cut up and then move right while skimming the roof OR butting below the big block of pipes to take one of the two paths there, followed by cutting up and then right. ii) Continue to the right, moving down when the chance offer itself, and fly down through the small opening near the bottom before cutting right. iii) Now you need to go up and to the right (be wary of the Green Drops, which can be shot) to enter into the small compartment where the Twinkly Monsters reside (one or three, depending on how far into the game and difficulty set you have [shoot them as well]) to pass through the exit to the final room. Remember that for every second you fly in the maze, you will receive points, so if you wish to run some extra points up, fly around the maze in circles (only do so if you are extremely confident in your flying abilities). o------------o | Final Area | o------------o _________________________________ | |X| | |X| | |X| | |X| | |X| | _____ _______|X| | |X|X|X| |X|X|X|X|X| | |X| | |X| | | E |X| | | |X| | |X| | N |X| | |X| | |X| | |X| | D |X| | |X| | |X| | |X|X|X|X| |X|X|X|X| | |X| | |X| | |X| | |X| | |X| | |X| |_______________________________|X| As soon as you enter this room, start firing and do not stop. The reason for this is that the Bouncing Balls will fly out of their holes periodically, meaning a random shot may pick one off. You should also know ahead of time which hole you will enter the enclosed room, shooting out the Bouncing Balls as you enter. Now you should your accelerator and just gun it for the finish line (it helpfully says "END"), but if you feel that is too dangerous, go regular speed with your guns still blazing. If you shoot a Bouncing Ball, it will re-spawn after a few seconds, so keep that in mind if you are entering a hole where a Bouncing ball was shot a few seconds before (it can respawn right on top of you). ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- -------------------------------Final Word----------------------------------- ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- 5) 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. An amazingly complex game for so simple graphics, concept, and design. However, it remains a favourite of mine to this day as it is so highly addictive to play (so go play it GUYS and GIRLS!). Seriously, get at it and play this sweet little game with the oh so neat graphics!