ùXE MIDI-MAZE Manualø  Game Manual MIDI-MAZEùßqø üPut On a Happy Face!ü ýþOnce upon a time, in a measure far, far away, there lived sixteen little notes, each working in perfect harmony with the other. Theirs was a melodious exist ence of happy little faces.  ýþBut one day, all this sweetness and light finally got to them. A more sinister force took over and changed the tenor of their existence. Suddenly, they have found themselves in a cacophonous battle, note against note, in face-to-face combat for the best staff position.  ýþScores of octaves have come to watch the barbaric finale. The air rever berates with an eerie chorus of ``Have a Nice Day!'' as one by one the notes pit themselves against each other.  ýþIt's up to you, armed only with a smile and a gun, to fight your way to the top. You have to be quick to maneu ver your way around this musical maze. Sixteen notes may enter the maze, but only one note will leave. Ready. Aim. Smile!   ùSystem Requirementsø  ß[üAtari XE Game System with keyboard, ù ß[üø and XE or XL computer ù ß[üColor television or color monitor ù ß[üAtari controller ù ß[üHybrid Arts MIDIMATE (optional) ù ß[üAtari XM301ùßqø or SX212ùßqø modem, or ù ß[üø 850ùßqø interface with standard RS232 ù ß[üø compatible modem rated at 300 or ù ß[üø 1200 baud (optional)ø ø ø ø ùGetting Startedø  ù1.øüWith your system switched off, insert the MIDI-MAZE cartridge into the slot on top of your console as explained in your owner's manual.  ù2.øüPlug a controller into port 1.  ù3.øüTurn on your television or monitor; then press ùPowerø to switch on your system. The MIDI-MAZE title screen appears.  ù4.øüPress ùSelectø or move your controller to choose the type of game you wish to play: Solo (you against the com  puter), MIDIMATE (using a MIDIMATE peripheral), XM301 or SX212 modem, or R1: (850) interface. (See ùMIDIMATEø and ùModemø sections for more infor mation on using these options.)  ù5.øüOnce you have selected the type of game, press ùStartø or the fire button. The Play Options screen appears. Set the game parameters by selecting the appropriate options. (See ùPlay Optionsø section for further details.)  ù6.øüOnce you have set the game param eters, select Play and press ùStartø or the fire button to begin the game.  ù7.øüTo pause during a game, press ùSelectø. Press ùSelectø again to resume play.  ù8.øüTo reset the game parameters during play, press ùResetø at any time.  ù9.øüPress ùOptionø to quit the game or to restart a game with the same parameters. ùPlaying the Gameø  þýThe object of the game is to kill 10 happy faces before an opponent does. You move through an intricate three- dimensional maze, as you dodge enemy fire and try to get them before they get you.  þýAll players begin the game as notes at the bottom of a musical staff. Each time a player takes another player's life, he or she will move up a line on the staff. The first player to reach the top of the staff wins.  ýþWhen the game begins, you will see a map that shows where you are in the maze. (To view the map at any time dur  ing play, press ùüTabüøü; press it again to return to the maze.) The screen will then show your view of the maze itself. You always begin your journey through the maze in a random spot, facing a wall.  þýMove the controller forward, back, and side to side to make your way around the maze. A compass on the left side of the screen shows you the direc  tion in which you are currently travel ing. Press the fire button when you are ready to fire on an opponent.  ù art: screen with face and compass: callouts  Your Status  Your Directionø  þýA face just above the compass indi cates your current health status. When you're fresh and alert, the face smiles. Your health decreases each time you are hit, and the smile begins to droop. The smile regenerates as you move through the maze unharmed. If you lose a life, the face will grimace, and the player who has hit you will send you a mes sage. When you win a game, the face will twirl and wink in appreciation. If another player wins, the face will shake its head and stick its tongue out at you. A message will appear telling you which player has won.  þýWhen you spot an opponent, either move toward him or sit back and lob your shots at him till he pops or runs. This is the quickest and easiest way to aim, since you are traveling in the direc tion you are firing and the target usu  ally gets easier to hit as you get closer. However, in most cases when you're both facing each other, it's an all-out shooting match. The person in the ``best health'' usually wins.  þýUse your gun sight to aim your shots. Press the fire button to pull the trigger. When the gunsight reappears, you are ready to shoot again.  þýIn a multiplayer game, you can send messages to your opponent. At the bot  tom of the screen, you will see a blink  ing cursor. Type your message using the keyboard, and press ùüReturnüøü. The mes sage will then appear on your oppo nent's screen. The number in front of the message indicates which player sent it. ùPlaying Possibilitiesø  þýMIDI-MAZE is an intricate game with multiple playing possibilities. You can play solo against the computer, or you can pit your skills against those of up to 15 other players. You can also battle it out with one other opponent via modem.  ùNote:øýWhen playing with other ma chines, if something isn't hooked up properly, an error message will appear saying, ``Network boo-boo.'' If an error message appears, turn off all machines and check to make sure that they are properly connected. An error message will also appear if too many machines are hooked up at once.   ùSoloø  þýIf you select Solo, you battle it out with the computer. You can fill a maze with up to 15 drone opponents. Smaller mazes accept fewer drone opponents. The maximum number of drones de pends on the size of the maze. Select the number and class of drones by click  ing on the appropriate arrows. Drone classes are:  ß[üùVery Dumb:øýNot very fast and don't ù ß[üø shoot back ù ß[üùPlain Dumb:øýFaster and shoot at you ù ß[üùNot So Dumb:øýSmart, fast, and deadlyø ø    ù Art: Select Drones dialog boxø  ùMIDIMATEø  þýBy hooking up a MIDIMATE periph eral, you are able to play against 15 other opponents, each playing on an XE, XL, XE Game System, or Atari ST. Plug the MIDIMATE into the SIO port, using the instructions in the MIDIMATE's manual. (To obtain a MIDIMATE, contact Hybrid Arts, 11920 West Olympic Boulevard, Los Angeles, CA 90064.) Plug a standard MIDI cable from the Midi Out port on the MIDIMATE to the next machine's Midi In port. Do this for all machines so that you form a ring.  ùNote:øýWhen connected to an ST, drones are not allowed.   ùModemø  þýYou can also play against your oppo nent using a modem. To do this, select XM301 (300 baud modem), SX212 (300/ 1200 baud modem) or 850. The 850 pro  vides a standard RS232 serial port for the XE, allowing you to communicate with other RS232 devices. You will then be given the options Dial and Answer. Select Dial if you wish to be the Master machine, controlling the game param eters. You will then be able to choose Tone or Pulse and the baud rate (1200 or 300). You then enter the number you wish to dial. Select Answer if you wish to be the Slave machine, with the parameters set by your opponent. ùPlay Optionsø  þýThe Play Options allow you to set the following parameters for each game:  ýþùReload Timeø determines how quickly you can make your next shot.  ýþùRegen Timeø determines how quickly your health regenerates as you move around the maze.  ýþùRevive Timeø determines how quickly you move back into the maze once you have been shot.  ýþSelect the appropriate ùLivesø option to revive with one, two, or three lives. Lives correspond with health (your ability to take hits).  ýþùPlayer Speedø allows you to set your pace for traveling through the maze.  ýþùBullet Speedø determines the speed of the bullets that you shoot.  ýþùTurn Rateø determines how quickly you can turn your player.  ýþSelect ùLoadø to see the Maze menu. You can choose one of 18 different mazes.  ýþBy selecting ùReset Scoresø, you bring all players down to the bottom of the staff to begin play with equal scores.  ýþSelect ùSinglesø if you wish each player to work independently of the others. Select ùTeamsø in order to play with teams of up to four players each. When playing in teams, you receive points when any member of your team shoots a player on an opposing team. You receive no points for shooting players on your own team. By selecting the ùFriendly Fireø option, you remove the possibility of killing one of your own team players.  ýþSelect ùDronesø to set the number of opponents you wish to play. You can play against as many as 15 opponents in a single game. This number includes drones and actual human players be sides yourself. In a Solo game you may have 15 drones. If playing against other people you might, for example, have 6 players and 5 drones or 3 players and 12 drones. Set the number of each type of drone (Very Dumb, Plain Dumb, and Not So Dumb).  þýSelect ùNamesø to enter the name you wish to use for the game, up to 10 characters. Press ùüReturnüø once you have typed in your name. Press ùüDeleteüø to clear the default player name, then type in a new name. ùStrategyø  þýIf you get shot from behind, high- tail it out of there. If you've been shot, it may take you too long to turn around and shoot before your oppo  nent gets you again. While running, moving from side to side makes you a much more difficult target to shoot. Making consecutive and rapid right and left turns will also keep you out of your opponent's reach. Once you have put enough distance between the two of you, you can turn around and shoot.  ýþYou can move and fire backward as easily as forward. When firing backward, your shots will hit your pur  suer twice as quickly because your opponent is running right into your fire, while you are backing away from his. You also have a pretty fair idea of where he's going. However, be careful when moving backward. You might end up in a dead end or, even worse, on someone else's score.  ýþ``Back-bopping'' is the safest and quickest way to advance the smiley lad  der of fame. Slinking around corners and sneaking up behind an unwary opponent may not be the most ethical behavior, but it's most efficient.  ýþIf your health status is low, find a safe place to hide and refrain from fighting full-strength Smileys.   ùScoringø  ýþEach time a player wins a game, the player's note moves up one line on the musical staff. The first player to reach the top of the staff wins. 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 of any portion of its contents is not allowed without the specific written consent of Atari Corporation.  Atari, the Atari logo, 850, ST, SX212, XE, XE Game System, and XL are trademarks or registered trademarks of Atari Cor  poration. MIDIMATE is a trademark of Hybrid Arts. MIDI-MAZE is a trademark of Xanth F/X.  Copyright ùß[ø 1989, Atari Corporation, Sunnyvale, CA 94089-1302. All rights reserved.  Printed in Hong Kong.øùùøùC300019-124 Rev. Aø  Printed in Japan.  Printed in Taiwan.  Printed in China.  Printed in USA.