Desert Falcon -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- ATARI(R) 7800(TM) Game Manual SUPER GAME DESERT FALCON A Daring Desert Quest For Treasure! All around you are long stretches of sand, ancient pyramids baking in the hot, dead air, and constant danger. The legends that brought you here are 30 centuries old. The tales tell of thieves who plundered the Pharoah’s tomb, loading bags of gold, silver, and precious gems onto their camels, then making off into the desert. But in the night, horrible desert beasts pursued the robbers, and the priceless treasure was scattered and lost. Not even a camel was ever seen again. Now you search for the lost treasure, daring the beaks and claws of the desert guardians. As you scan the endless sand for the glitter of Jewels, your eye catches sight of gliding shadows. Something’s coming! You could turn back now and be safe. Or you could go on, and dare to steal the Pharoah’s Jewels. Getting Started 1. Insert the Desert Falcon Super Game Cartridge into your ATARI 7800 as explained in your owner’s manual. 2. Plug a controller into the left controller jack. This is Player 1’s controller. For two players, plug a second controller into the right controller jack. 3. Turn on your television, then press the [Power] button to turn on your console. Wait a few seconds for the Desert Falcon title and options screen to appear. 4. Select game options by pressing the [Select] button on your console or by using Player 1’s controller. Move the controller handle left or right to choose one of four skill levels: Novice (easiest), Standard, Advanced, or Expert (most difficult). Move the handle backward or forward to choose between a one- or two-player game. An option is selected when it lights up. 5. Press [Reset] or Player 1’s left controller button to start the game. During the game, press [Pause] to pause the game; press it again to resume play. Press [Select] to redisplay the options screen at any time. ACTION CONTROLLER OPERATION Fire arrows. Press left button. Activate super powers. Press right button. Fly; gain altitude. Pull handle backward. Land, hop, or swim. Push handle forward. Maintain altitude in the air; stop on land. Release handle. Move left. Push handle left. Move right. Push handle right. Game Play The Pharoah’s lost treasures- enormous gems, big golden eggs, and silver ingots- are scattered among the ancient pyramids and obelisks. Fly towards the treasures, then hover or hop over them to pick them up and earn points. Use your controller handle to maneuver. (Follow the chart above.) The treasures are guarded by swarms of flying and crawling beasts. Burrowing Uwes crawl out of the sand to charge at you, and Vultures, Warrior Phleas, Scarabs, Flying Fish, and Phantom Gliders attack from the air. All these enemies will destroy you if they hit you. Protect yourself by firing arrows. A direct hit destroys the enemy and gains you points. You can also maneuver around enemies or dodge behind pyramids and obelisks to shield yourself. At higher levels, watch out for flame-throwing Fire Pots and dart-shooting Mini-Sphinxes. You begin the game with five lives. Each time you’re hit or you crash into a building you lose a life, but you will recover as long as you have lives left. The end of each desert trek brings you to the Howling Sphinx. You must shoot this Sphinx directly between the eyes in order to get past it, all the while dodging the darts and nasty creatures it spits at you. Super Powers Hop over any three hieroglyphs scattered in the sand to gain super powers. Super powers give you great advantages, such as letting you destroy all enemies on screen at once or paralyze the Howling Sphinx. Check the Gaming Box at the bottom of the screen to find out which power you’ve gained and whether it requires pressing the right controller button (some powers don’t). Some powers will be used up when you press the controller button; other powers last for several seconds. A new power is awarded when you pick up three more hieroglyphs, whether or not the previous power was used. There are many super powers for you to discover (some of them are described on the next page). But beware: in the higher levels of play you can earn super problems, such as Shackles, as well as super powers. GAMING BOX Player 1 Hieroglyphs Picked Up Player 2 \/ Current Score \/ Super Power \/ _________________________________________________________ | ___ | | 9880 _O_ \_/ _O_ POINTS 5210 | | | ----- | | XXX VALUE = 85 2\o/ 2(/) 1 / XXX | |_________________________________________________________| Lives Remaining /\ Value Multipliers Best Value per Treasure Hieroglyphs ___ -_ Ankh _O_ Bowl \_/ Eye <_>- Sun Over Water _O_ | ----- Bird (looks like a bird) Cane (looks like a Candy Cane) Man (looks like a man holding a rake) Feather |-| \ | \| | SUPER POWERS WHAT THEY DO Air Bomb Pressing the right button destroys all air-borne enemies in sight. Decoy Enemies are tricked into flying towards a decoy spot instead of towards you. Hold Sphinx The Howling Sphinx is unable to spit creatures or darts at you. Invincibility Nothing can destroy you. Omnicide All enemies on screen are destroyed when you press the right button. Points You are given free points. Polywater You can fly and hop but not swim. Roulette You are given two random hieroglyphs. The next hieroglyph you pick up determines your next super power. Shackles You can fly and swim but not hop. Warp You fly at lightning speed to the Howling Sphinx. SCORING Shooting Desert Beasts Each enemy you destroy earns you points. Destroying a flying enemy increases the base value of treasures. Desert Beasts Points Scored Points Added to Base Value of Treasure Mini-Sphinx 1000 0 Warrior Phlea 500 5 Scarab 300 3 Flying Fish 200 2 Vulture 200 2 Burrowing Uwe 150 0 Phantom Glider 100 1 Destroying the Howling Sphinx First Sphinx...........................................5,000 points Each additional Sphinx......previous Sphinx score plus 1,000 points Stealing Treasures During regular game play, each treasure you pick up earns you the base value, plus increases that treasure’s value multiplier by 1. if you shoot a treasure, its multiplier returns to 1. In the bonus round, each treasure is worth the base value times its value multiplier. Bonus Lives You earn a bonus life at every 10,000 points scored. You can have a maximum of six lives remaining. Bonus Round Destroying the Howling Sphinx gains you entrance to the bonus round. Here your goal is to pick up as many treasures as you can in the time allowed. Watch the Gaming Box where the hieroglyphs and super powers appear during regular play. In the bonus round, your time allowed is counted down in seconds in that space. The bonus score is tallied next to the time. When the round ends, the bonus score is added to your current score and the last hierogiyphs or super power you gained reappear. You are not attacked in the bonus round, and colliding with buildings will not cost you a life; only time is lost. Strategy Duck behind pyramids and obelisks to save yourself and lure enemies into crashing. Gauge the altitude of flying beasts by watching their shadows. Figure out what combination of hieroglyphs awards you which super power. For instance, the combination "Bird, Cane, Bowl" gives you Warp while the combination "Cane, Bird, Bowl" (the same hieroglyphs in a different order) gives you Air Bomb. Pick up a particular combination when its power will do you the most good. in the bonus round, go for the treasures that have the highest value multiplier. Gaming Box Time Allowed Bonus Score _________________________________________________________ | | | 24233 TIME 25 SCORE 544 17205 | | | | XXXX VALUE = 136 4\o/ 1(/) 1 / XXXX | |_________________________________________________________| /\ /\ Gem Value Multipier Silver Ingot Multiplier /\ /\ Base Value per Treasure Golden Egg Value Multiplier Desert Guardians Mini-Sphinx Warrior Phlea Scarab Flying Fish Vulture Burrowing Uwe Phantom Glider Howling Sphinx Treasures Golden Egg (/) Gem \o/ Silver Ingot / Atari Corporation is unable to guarantee the accuracy of printed material after the date of publication and disclaims liability for changes, errors, or omissions. Reproduction of this document or any portion of its contents is not allowed without the specific written permission of Atari Corporation. ATARI, Desert Falcon, and 7800 are trademarks or registered trademarks of Atari Corporation. Copyright © 1987, Atari Corporation, Sunnyvale, CA 94086. All rights reserved. Printed in Hong Kong C024857-11 Rev. A B.T.5.1988 ||| / | \ ATARI -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- This document scanned and edited by Mitchell Orman