QUASAR BY JONATHAN DUBMAN (C) 1985 ARISTOTLE SOFTWAREHF -1EObject and Game DescriptionF-0 The object of Quasar is to earn points by surrounding and eliminating your opponents, the "light-cycles". You control an orange line with a "cycle" in front of it that can move up, down, left, or right. Wherever you go, you leave an orange trail. If you crash into anything, your cycle is "zapped", even if you crash into your own trail. The other cycles: violet, green, and blue, also move in a similar way. They are just like you except that the computer controls them. Likewise, if they crash into anything, they disappear. They leave trails, too. If one cycle crashes, the others remain until they are trapped and crash, one by one. To make them disappear, you must restrict the area in which they move by surrounding them. If they get boxed in, they will spiral to their own demise. Don't let them cut off your area and box you in. -1EHow to Control the Light-CycleF-0 The light-cycle is controlled by the use of four keys, which may be optionally changed. The normal keys (the ones the computer assumes you will use) are I, J, K, and M. I moves up, J moves left, K moves right, and M moves down. Up I ! Left J-+-K Right ! M Down -1EThe Scoring SystemF-0 Some points are awarded for mere survival, but many more are awarded for such things as eliminating opponent cycles, completing a level, and eating apples, which will be discussed later. Every 5000 points, you will get a bonus cycle, which means you will get one more chance to play before the game ends. -1EWinning a LevelF-0 A level is won when all three opponents have withered away. At this time, there is an ascending noise and the color of your trail changes to highlight your achievement. During this time, many bonus points are awarded. Then, a two-voice song is played: a different one each level. If you don't want to hear the song, you can interrupt it by pressing a key. -1EApplesF-0 After completing the first level, all successive levels will have apples on the screen, colored just like the Apple logo. If you run into an apple, you can earn lots of points. As you eat it, there is a little "bleep" and the apple disappears. The other cycles are not interested in the apples, and will not eat them. -1EWormy ApplesF-0 As you rise in level, you will soon see some apples that have little worms inside. These apples are POISONOUS and must not be eaten! Watch out, and look carefully. -1EBallsF-0 Watch out for little, round, white balls that bounce haphazardly about the screen. They are fatal to the touch. Up to four balls can appear on the screen at one time, depending on your level. -1EThe CaterpillarF-0 At level six, a green caterpillar finds his way to your monitor screen and slithers around. Steer clear of this seemingly harmless creature. He gets longer and faster as the game progresses. -1EThe ButterflyF-0 The pink butterfly appears after the second ball. He flutters and flies like lightning and will home-in on you, trying to sting you with his venomous bite. Just staying away from him won't do the trick. There are many tricks that you may learn to avoid the butterfly, but you will have to figure them out for yourself. Up to four butterflies can appear, but not until very late in the game. -1ESpeedsF-0 There are 6 different speeds that the game can be played at. Beginners are best off at the lower speeds (1,2) and experts are best off at the medium speeds (3,4). The upper speeds (5,6) are for daredevils and Apple dealers who want to show how fast Apple's graphics can be. -1EHow to Start the GameF-0 To run Quasar, simply insert the game disk into the drive and turn the apple on just as you normally do with all other disks. The game will run itself and put you in a demonstration mode. To actually play the game, just hit a number key for the game speed (1,2,3,4,5, or 6) and when the program says "Press any key to start", do so. Then use the I, J, K, and M keys to play. -1EThe Demo ModeF-0 The demo-mode is a color graphics (and sound) instruction "movie" that will give you a briefing of these intructions. To see the demo mode, just wait when you turn the game on and it will go by itself. The demo mode is a good supplement to these instructions: You can actually see what all these critters look like. By the way, any time during the demo mode, hit a key to get back to the original demo screen and then hit a number key (1-6) for the speed and the game will start soon after. There is a special commmand (control-C) that will let you change the keys that control your light-cycle. To change them, hold down the CTRL key and press the letter C. Then type the keys for up, down, left and right. After typing the key for right, you will go back to the demo-mode. At the end of every game, the demo-mode is re-entered. -1ESpecial Keys for use DURING the GameF-0 During the game, there are some extra keys that perform useful functions. The escape key (labeled ESC) will temporarily pause the game if, for instance, you get a telephone call. When you tell the person on the other end that you're busy playing a game and you have a high score, just type I, J, K or M and you will resume playing just where you left off. Control-S (holding down the CTRL key and typing S) turns the sound on or off. Control-R (holding down the CTRL key and typing R) aborts the game and goes back to the demo-mode. -1EHow to CheatF-0 When you enter your speed (1-6) and see the message "HIT ANY KEY TO CONTINUE", every type you press "S" you will skip a level. THIS IS VERY IMPORTANT IF YOU WANT TO PRACTICE UPPER LEVELS WITHOUT EARNING YOUR WAY THERE. -1EThe Bonus BoardsF-0 Every eighth level there is a "bonus board" in which you can earn many bonus points by lasting long and then killing off your opponents. In the bonus board levels, you and your opponents are snakes. You can only last so long before you run out of air. (There is ample warning.) You can lay barriers on the bonus levels by pressing the space bar or one of the Apple keys on an Apple //E or //C. -1EUpside Down LevelsF-0 On the very, VERY high levels there are some upside down boards. Watch out! The up and down controls are switched! -1E"Game Over" and Getting a High ScoreF-0 When all of your cycles crash, the game is over and a finale tune is played. If you then hear 3 sirens, you have a new high score. Type your name, letter by letter and press RETURN. If you cheated by skipping levels, your high score will not be entered.