MM MM hh ll
MMM MMM hh ll
MMMM MMMM hh ll
MM MM MM MM aaaaaaaa nn nnnnnn hh hhhhhh ooooooo ll eeeee
MM MMM MM aa nnnn nn hhhh hh ooo ooo ll ee ee
MM M MM aaaaaaa nn nn hh hh ooo ooo ll eeeeeeeee
MM MM aa aa nn nn hh hh ooo ooo ll ee - e
MM MM aa aa nn nn hh hh ooo ooo ll ee
MM MM aa aaa nn nn hh hh ooo ooo ll eee
MM MM aaa aa nn nn hh hh ooooooo ll eeeeee
Manhole-e (E-Reader) Guide
by KeeperBvK aka Burkhart von Klitzing
Contact:
[email protected]
Dedication: I dedicate this work to my beloved dad who passed away on the
07/13/2005.
I always loved you and I always will. Thank you so much for the
time we had.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
0.1 Legal Stuff
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
This Guide may not be posted on any other website other than
www.gamefaqs.com
www.gamerhelp.com
www.honestgamers.com
without my permission and it may not be used commercially in any possible way.
If you want to post it on another site please contact me via E-Mail or via
the Message Board.
Do not claim this guide or any part of it to be your creation.
If you find any mistakes (even regarding the language as I'm German) please
let me know.
Copyright 2007 Burkhart von Klitzing
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
0.2 Version History
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
0.6: Finished on 06/30/2005 (rejected by gamefaqs)
0.7: Finished on 07/22/2005: Greatly improved the "ASCII-Screenshot" and
the "The Game"-section, added the dedication and
changed my E-mail-address. (6 KB large)
1.0: Finished on 09/02/2005: Besides some minor changes I added the Hints,
the FAQs and the Records. (11 KB large)
1.01: Finished on 01/06/2006: Added the Experimental section at the end.
(12 KB large)
1.06: Finished on 02/08/2006: Experimental got its own section, I revamped
the layout as well as the contents section and
I put in the search keys. (13 KB large)
1.07: Finished on 05/13/2006: Added www.gamerhelp.com. (13 KB large)
1.08: Finished on 03/12/2007: Added www.honestgamers.com (13 KB large)
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0.3 Contents
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
| Latest Update | Search Key |
----------------------|---------------|------------|
0.1 Legal Stuff | 1.08 | |
0.2 Version History | 1.08 | |
0.3 Contents | 1.08 | |
----------------------|---------------|------------|
1. 1. What is Manhole-e? | 0.6 | AAA |
2. 2. Controls | 0.6 | BBB |
3. 3. The Game | 0.7 | CCC |
4. 4. Hints | 1.0 | DDD |
5. 5. FAQ | 1.0 | EEE |
6. 6. Records | 1.0 | FFF |
7. ----------------------|---------------|------------|
8. 7. Closing Comments | 0.6 | GGG |
9. 8. Experimental | 1.06 | HHH |
10. ----------------------|---------------|------------|
Press Ctrl + F and enter the search key to quickly get to the desired section.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
1. What is Manhole-e? AAA
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Manhole is a classic game by Nintendo being part of the Game & Watch series.
Game & Watch games are handhelds with a single built-in game usually being
rather simple but nonetheless fun to play and (as the name suggests) a watch.
In Manhole the player gains control of a man helping pedestrians to cross
several holes in a bridge and Manhole-e simply is a plain conversion of it to
Nintendo's highly interesting but more than just dead GBA peripheral called
the E-Reader.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
2. Controls BBB
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
_
_| |_
|_ _| The Control Pad: Move the platform left, right, up or down
|_|
The A button: Choose Game A (on the title screen)
Move the platform diagonally
The Start button: Pause the game
The B button: Choose Game B (on the title screen)
The Select, R and L buttons are not used in Manhole-e.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
3. The Game CCC
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
When playing Manhole-e for the first time you should choose "A Game" as this
is the somewhat cryptic name (at least by today's standards) for easy game.
The playfield consists of a single screen containing two paths with two
manholes and one spawn point each.
The x on my diagram depicts the spawn points (hence the places where new
pedestrians enter the screen) and the arrows show where the guys move. The o
marks the end of the route meaning the point where they leave the screen and
score one point for you.
_________________________
| |
| x----> ----> ----->o|
|_______..._____..._______|
| | | \O/ | | |
| | | Y | | |
|_______|_|_/_\_|_|_______|
| |
|o<----- <---- <----x |
|_______..._____..._______|
| | | \O/ | | |
| | | Y | | |
|_______|_|_/_\_|_|_______|
You control a man (of whom I personally don't think that it is Mr. Game &
Watch) holding a platform fitting exactly into the manholes. You alternate
between four different positions (symbolized by dots in my pic) each used to
close one of the holes trying to make the other guys cross a bridge. If you
let three of them fall the game ends. No Save Games, no Check Points, no
Extra Lives, just you and the Score Counter located in the upper right corner.
After a few games you should be ready for the "B Game" which simply makes
more pedestrians appear than the easy mode.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
4. Hints DDD
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The most important thing to keep in mind is that the pedestrians move in a
digital pattern and not in an analog pattern.
This means that they do not walk constantly but from one spot to another in
an instant.
To clarify what I mean just have a look at this diagram:
_________________________
| |
| 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10|
|_______..._____..._______|
| | | \O/ | | |
| | | Y | | |
|_______|_|_/_\_|_|_______|
| |
|10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 |
|_______..._____..._______|
| | | \O/ | | |
| | | Y | | |
|_______|_|_/_\_|_|_______|
Every pedestrian starts at either of the 1s and moves to the adjacent 2 after
a certain amount of time.
After the same amount of time he will appear at the adjacent 3 and so on
until he reaches the 10 on his level where he will disappear soon after that.
The 4s and the 7s depict the crucial places where you need to fill the gaps
so nobody gets wet and makes you lose a life.
The time a person needs to move forth is the same for every place on the
bridge so the best thing to do is to memorize when each pedestrian entered
the screen so you can calculate when to be where.
If you see a person enter the screen simply move in to fill the first gap he
is going to come across.
Now: Does another person appear behind him or on the other level? If one does,
find out how many places separate them and if they move at exactly the same
time and then think about which one is going to reach the next gap first so
you are able to position yourself accordingly and to already plan the whole
rescuing procedure.
What makes things more complicated is the fact that indeed all pedestrians
take the same amount of time before moving on but they enter the bridge at
different times so you do not only need to keep an eye on the distance
between the lemming-like people but also on the time when they move.
Due to this you will never encounter two pedestrians moving onto a gap at the
same time although they might be standing on the same space (on two different
levels) for some time.
Later on reflexes start to become more important but at the beginning you
should try to play Manhole-e by planning and calculating. This way you
memorize movement patterns which you can use more or less automatically.
If e.g. a person appears on the higher level you should instantly position
yourself in the top-left spot. If now another person appears on the lower
level you'll have to press A right after the first pedestrian steps onto your
moveable platform, followed by Up and then A again.
Another important aspect of Manhole-e is the fact that any person only needs
to step onto your platform for a split-second to be saved. Right after you
hear the sound of a pedestrian stepping onto it you can move the platform to
any other place where it may be needed more and you will also have another
point counting toward your score.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
5. FAQ EEE
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Where can I get this game from?
It used to be sold with every E-Reader so although it might be hard finding a
new copy you should have no problem finding a used one on eBay.
What about any other G&W-games for the E-Reader?
Originally Manhole-e was meant to be a sneak peek at a Game & Watch-
Collection for the E-Reader but after a lot of delays and rumors Nintendo
finally (silently) cancelled the collection.
So Manhole-e definitely is the only G&W-e-card available?
Not exactly: At E3 2003 it was possible to receive a free E-Reader-booster-
pak with some exclusive cards like an early version of Manhole-e.
Actually I don't own this card but I heard that this rare version of the game
is somewhat different from the final card.
If I should ever be able to add this to my collection, you can be sure I'll
inform you on the exact differences...alternatively you can send me any
proven information on this subject and I'll include it in this guide giving
you the credit.
Did you make up these questions?
You can bet on that.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
6. Records FFF
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Actually Game A is easier than Game B but still my high score of Game B is
higher. ^^
Maybe if I play a bit longer I'll change this. ^^
If you have a higher score for any game mode, please feel free to send in
your scores and I will add them to the list.
Game A: 96
Game B: 113
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
7. Closing Comments GGG
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Manhole-e might not be a potential system-seller or a candidate for most-
overlooked-game-contests but it's a nice diversion when you just want to play
a few minutes and eventually you might even get captivated for half a day or
so and as it comes with the E-Reader-system there is no possibility to fear
wasting any money on this game.
I'd appreciate any comments, questions, high scores, critics or whatsoever,
so please mail me at
[email protected] if you have anything to tell me (even
misspellings and stuff).
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
8. Experimental HHH
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
In some other guides I've seen the author implement the following and I
thought "Why not give it a try for your own guides?":
If you really like this guide and you think it helped you or entertained you
a bit or whatsoever and you feel like rewarding me not only by writing a nice
e-mail, feel free to send some money to my paypal account at:
[email protected]
Of course I don't want to make somebody send me money who doesn't really want
to (even if I could, I wouldn't ;) ), but (also of course) I'd appreciate any
contribution.
Thank you very much for reading this guide and hopefully some more of my
stuff on gamefaqs.
