BLASTABALL AD3613 Blastaball is the fastest growing participant sport in the Empire. Over the past twnety years the number of playfields springing up has increased dramatically. Mastertronic is proud to bring to you the first OFFICIAL Blastaball computer simulation! Only ours is officially sanctioned by the National League and contains all the features of this thrilling adversarial sport. Every one of the ten ship classes is represented here and their comparative performances have been faithfully reproduced. For those unfamiliar with the game (where have you been for the last decade? Asleep?) let's recap the rules of he 'ball: The aim is simply to score more points than your opponent. One point is gained for bouncing the puck off the end of the playfield (goal-line) defended by the opposition, call a LINE GOAL. Two points are scored for driving the puck onto the centrally placed goal (or register) just in front of his goal-line. The puck can touch this from any direction, even from behind. Both puck and ships are held within their area of play on the matrix by boundary lines, from which they will rebound. The game is thus continuous - there are no stoppages - except when a score is made, and the game lasts three minutes, or until one player amasses more than nine points, (called "a killing"). The players move the pubk by either shooting at it with their (now standardised) noser cannon or by deliberately colliding with it. All the licenses ship types are designed to achieve the same level of performance, but in different ways. The friction rating between the linear motor drives and the playfield itself can be set anywhere between 1000 and 3500 units. Low friction craft accelerate and manoeuver rapidly, but are more difficult to control accurately. Some designers have added homing missiles to their ammunition in an attempt to ensure that hits are registered on the puck in the correct direction but the value of these is debatable. They have unpredictable effects at times, especially in close situations. Championships have been won with all ten classes and despite their widely different play characteristics the craft do seem pretty well equally matched. It is a matter of personal choice in which to compete. Tournament Play You will play against a randomly chosen League side. As you are the challenger you will be offered the choice of ship, and the champion will have to accept your choice. Play lasts for three hectic minutes, unless either player manages to score more than nine points, when the judges will stop play. Can you come out ahead to claim the prize, or will you hang your head in shame as you suffer the indignity of a killing. Using The Simulations All the ship types have a standard rate of spin and fire. Note that due to power limitations, continuous fire is not possible. The batteries take a moment or two to recharge between bursts. Aim carefully. At the top of the screen is the matrix scanner that shows the position of the two players and the puck on the field, relative to the boundaries of the pitch. In tournament play the main screen keys off your ship and displays the area around it. In tow player the action is centered on the puck. Eaither way the scanner is a vital part of the game play. Use it or lose! Alongside the scanner are shown the score panels, with direction indicat0ors for both ships and bar graph display showing how much time remains in the match. Watch it carefully. Controls Joystick left and right causes the craft to turn. Push joystick forward to thrust. Press fire button to fire cannon. Quickstart Instructions 1. Choose control options and one/two player from menu. 2. Select ship 3. Start shooting! LINE GOAL = 1 pt GOAL = 2 pts. 4. Score over nine to win, or be in front after three minutes. Officially Licensed Craft For Blastaball The ships appear on the menu screen arranged like this. Note that friction ratings increase left to right and that the bottom row ships use homing missiles amongst their ammunition: CLASS 1: TAI DART FRICTION RATING: 1250 U.F.P. ARMAMENT : NON HOMING POWER PLANT : R.R. RASTER COMMISSIONED : 3598 A.D. CLASS 2: AUDIWING FRICTION RATING: 1700 U.F.M. ARMAMENT : NON HOMING POWER PLANT : BMW CYCLOX COMMISSIONED : 3608 A.D. CLASS 3: STALKER FRICTION RATING: 2300 U.F.P. ARMAMENT : NON HOMING POWER PLANT : WHITNEY V3 COMMISSIONED : 3592 A.D. CLASS 4: HUNTER FRICTION RATING: 2760 U.F.P. ARMAMENT : NON HOMING POWER PLANT : R.R. RASTER COMMISSIONED : 3593 A.D. CLASS 4: GOTHIC FRICTION RATING: 3371 U.F.P. ARMAMENT : NON HOMING POWER PLANT : LEYLAND CEE COMMISSIONED : 3598 A.D. CLASS 6: CHAR SWINGER FRICTION RATING: 1380 A.F.P. ARMAMENT : 20% HOMING POWER PLANT : CITROEN COMMISSIONED : 3592 A.D. CLASS 7: ROCKER FRICTION RATING: 1680 A.F.P. ARMAMENT : 40% HOMING POWER PLANT : FORD RS5000 COMMISSIONED : 3599 A.D. CLASS 8: CAIRO FRICTION RATING: 2132 A.F.P. ARMAMENT : 50% HOMING POWER PLANT : BMW CYCLAX COMMISSIONED : 3600 A.D. CLASS 9: STINGER FRICTION RATING: 2830 A.F.P. ARMAMENT : 60% HOMING POWER PLANT : R.R. RASTER COMMISSIONED : 3590 A.D. CLASS 10: CARNIVORE FRICTION RATING: 3400 A.F.P. ARMAMENT : 75% HOMING POWER PLANT : WHITNEY R4 COMMISSIONED : 3600 A.D. LOADING INSTRUCTIONS Insert Kickstart disk if required. At request for Workbench, insert program disk. Program will load and run. ============================================================================= Blastaball docs brought to you by The Southern Star.