Qix (pronounced "kix") is one of the most unique games out there. It began as
an arcade game, and was later ported to other systems. It takes the classic
bouncing line screen-saver and makes a game out of it. You are a little
diamond, and you have to draw lines around the Qix to trap it. You can't touch
it, and you have to dodge several other enemies as you're working. Whenever you
close a shape, it will fill in and become solid. It then acts as a wall, and yo
continue closing in on the Qix. Once you've filled a certain percentage of the
screen, the level is over.
This FAQ contains instructions for playing, details about the enemies, scoring
methods, and several strategies to help you out along the way.
===================
(4) How to Play
===================
The Basics
----------
The object of the game is to claim as much of the screen as you can. You are
the marker that gets zoomed onto one of the edges at the beginning. First, move
around the edges until you're in an area relatively clear of enemies. Make sure
the Qix is far away. Now hold either A or B and move off of the wall. You get
twice as many points if you use B for a slower line. The lines you draw are
called Stix. Anyways, move the marker out into the open, and try to make a big
box out of your Stix before returning to the wall. If the Qix hits you or your
Stix before you make it back to the wall, you'll blow up. Once you return to
the wall, the Stix you just made will fill in and become solid walls. The
pattern it is filled with changes from level to level, and the ones for fast
and slow lines are inverted from each other. It now acts just like the outside
wall, and you can travel around its edges safe from the Qix. Draw more Stix
like this until the area you have claimed, shown under "CLM" on the right,
equals or exceeds the threshold number under "THR." Once you do this, you win
and move on to the next level.
The Different Modes
-------------------
When you first start the game, it will give you 3 choices. 1-Player is the main
game, which this guide applies to mostly. 2-Player mode plays the same, but the
players take turns competing for a higher score. Play switches when one person
dies. Practice mode is like 1-Player mode without a score or levels. There is
one Qix, it shoots Spritzes, and the threshold is 65%. You have as many lives
as you need, so feel free to mess around with new strategies and such. It
automatically goes back to the title screen when you surpass the threshold.
The Sparx
---------
Sparx are those little guys that go around the edges of the screen. They go
along any solid walls, but not your unfinished Stix. If they touch you, you
will explode. When they come near you, you MUST leave the wall if you want to
live. They, however, are confined to the solid walls. The line at the top that
gets shorter is a timer. When it disappears, 2 more Sparx will appear to make
your job harder. A maximum of 6 Sparx can be on the screen at once. When the
timer finishes after that, they turn into the dreaded Super Sparx. These
baddies can travel along your Stix, so you aren't safe anywhere. You have to
move very quickly to escape them.
Stix Drawing Hazards
--------------------
Drawing Stix isn't as simple as it sounds. If you don't move for a second or
two while drawing Stix, a Fuse will appear at the beginning of your path. It
will travel up your Stix until you start moving again. If you stop again, it
will start moving from its last position. If it gets you, you die. Another
danger is the spiral death trap. If you draw your Stix in a spiral, you can
inadvertently trap yourself. The only way out is to wait for the Qix to hit
your Stix or the Fuse to get you.
Death
-----
When you get hit by an enemy, you will explode. You will lose a life, and start
again. All the extra Sparx and Spritzes on screen, your unfinished Stix will
disappear, and the Sparx timer will start over. You can see how many lives you
have left at any time underneath the Qix logo at the top right. Once they're
all gone and you miss again, you lose.
Higher Levels
-------------
As you get to the higher levels, it will get trickier. The Sparx timer and the
Qix will move faster. The threshold also gets higher, forcing you to claim more
area. Some levels also have 2 Qix on screen. You can win by surpassing the
threshold percentage, OR by drawing a line separating the two Qix. If you split
them apart you can win, regardless of how much area you have claimed. If you do
this, you get a special x2 multiplier bonus. Sometimes the Qix will also shoot
little blue stars at you, called Spritz. They move in a very predictable
manner, and if you enclose them with Stix, you get a bonus. Your fast lines
after that fill in as slow lines, giving you double points. Don't let them
touch your Stix, though, or you'll explode.
When you complete a box by drawing Stix, you are awarded points based on how
much of the screen you covered. If you draw a fast line, you get 100 points
times the percentage of the board you claimed. For a slow line, it's 200 points
multiplied by the percentage. Also, the percent claimed display on the right is
a rounded number, so when it says you claimed 2%, you could have really claimed
from 1.5% to 2.49%. Its precision is maintained internally, so your scores will
be more exact.
When you split the Qix in levels with 2 of them, you get a multiplier for the
base scores. For example, if you get a 2x multiplier and you draw a fast line,
you will get 200 times the percent covered instead of 100. You'd get 400 times
the percent covered for a slow line. The multipliers get added together from
each level they are earned.
At the end of the level when you pass the threshold, it will give you a bonus
for extra coverage. You get 1000 points for every percent over the threshold
you took. So if you claimed 70% with a threshold of 65%, you get 5000 extra
points.
When you trap a Spritz, the fast lines receive scores as if they were slow
lines, giving you double points. Their patterns also turn into the one for the
slow lines.
If you get a high score, it will allow you to enter your name in the "Qix
Kickers" list. Use the Control Pad to choose a letter and A to choose it. The
arrow icon erases the last letter. Your name can have a maximum of 8 letters.
Push B when you are done.
Qix
---
The title enemy. It's the thing in the middle that's made out of lines and
bounces around at random. It can only hurt you when you are drawing Stix. If it
touches you or any one of the Stix, you die. You are safe from it when you are
on the outside walls. When there are 2 of them, draw a line separating them to
get a multiplier for your score.
Sparx
-----
These guys move around the outside walls. They don't change directions or stop,
so you can tell where they are going. They can not go onto your Stix in
progress. They kill you if they touch you. The Sparx timer at the top makes 2
new ones, up to 6, when it disappears.
Super Sparx
-----------
After you have 6 Sparx on screen and the timer goes down again, a warning sound
will play and they will all turn into Super Sparx. These are smarter versions
of Sparx that go straight for you. They can even go onto your Stix while you're
drawing them, and around lines that aren't at the very edge. The only way to be
safe is to keep moving.
Spritz
------
These little blue stars appear out of the Qix in some levels. They bounce
around in straight lines, so you can tell where they're going. If they hit you
or your Stix while you're out in the open, you explode. If you fully enclose
them with Stix, your fast lines score points as slow lines after that.
Fuse
----
When you get into a Spiral Death Trap or just stop moving while drawing Stix, a
Fuse will appear at the start of your line. It will make a crackling noise and
sit there for a second, but then it will start moving. It will travel up your
Stix until it you start moving or it gets you. When it touches you, you die. If
you start moving, it will go away, but it will start from the same place if you
stop again. Keep moving if possible to keep these from forming.
Here are several strategies for gaining land. They are in order from easiest to
hardest.
Random Boxes
------------
Just draw as many little boxes as you can. Anywhere on the screen. This isn't
really a strategy, but it works.
Corner Filling
--------------
An easy but effective strategy. Just go to the opposite corner of the Qix, and
start building up boxes. When the Qix moves, go to another corner. If you build
up enough, connect two adjacent corners for big coverage.
Edge Cutting
------------
Go to the side opposite the Qix, almost all the way to the side wall. Draw a
Stix from the top to the bottom a few pixels from the wall. If the Qix gets too
close, you're right next to safety, so just close it off. When you make it to
the other side, draw another one a few pixels over from top to bottom. Keep
doing this to close in on the Qix.
Wall Building
-------------
My personal favorite. Make short, thin walls in the center of the screen on top
of each other until you make it to the top. This is a good way to cut off half
of the screen. Just stack them to make a tall tower-like wall to keep the Qix
on one side. Make each section short to be less risky.
Trapping the Qix
----------------
This is tricky, but you can get a huge percent of the screen covered. Make two
walls next to each other and wait for the Qix to wander in. Quickly close the
tops of the wall together, trapping the Qix inside. My advice is to make
several traps all around the screen so you have a better chance of the Qix
going into one.
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(8) Copyright/Contact Information
=====================================
This document is Copyright (C)2004 Revned.
Qix and everything else related to the game are Copyright (C)1981 - 1990 Taito.
This FAQ may not be posted anywhere without my permission. Currently,
www.gamefaqs.com and www.neoseeker.com are the ONLY sites with my permission.
If you find it posted anywhere else, please inform me.
If you have any questions, comments or concerns, email me at:
revned (-at-) gmail (-dot-) com
