Dodge 'Em FAQ
Last updated June 30, 2013
==========================
|| TABLE OF CONTENTS: ||
|| 1. Legalese ||
|| 2. Board ||
|| 3. Plot ||
|| 4. Settings ||
|| 5. Controls ||
|| 6. A.I. ||
|| 7. Strategy ||
|| 8. Levels ||
|| 9. Acknowledgments ||
|| 10. Contact ||
==========================
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-- 1. LEGALESE -----------
--------------------------
I hereby grant the reader permission to distribute this FAQ in whatever manner
most pleases them without providing me any monetary recompense.
Come on, why do people copyright the very FAQs they post for free? I'm not
copyrightin' nothin'.
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-- 2. BOARD --------------
--------------------------
The board is organized as such. The lines and plus signs are walls and the o's
are the point pellets, of course.
+-------- --------+
|o o o o o o o o|
| +------ ------+ |
|o|o o o o o o|o|
| | +---- ----+ | |
|o|o|o o o o|o|o|
| | | +-- --+ | | |
|o|o|o|o o|o|o|o|
+---+
+---+
|o|o|o|o o|o|o|o|
| | | +-- --+ | | |
|o|o|o o o o|o|o|
| | +---- ----+ | |
|o|o o o o o o|o|
| +------ ------+ |
|o o o o# *o o o o|
+-------- --------+
Notice the # and the * signs on the bottom: these are where the cars start.
Now, the first time you pick up the controller, you might find that it doesn't
seem to do anything, and your car just moves with a life all its own. This is
because, contrary to everything you have ever been taught by every game you
have ever played, YOU CONTROL THE CAR ON THE RIGHT.
NOT THE CAR ON THE LEFT.
THE CAR ON THE RIGHT.
Yeah!!!
Was the standard of putting 1P on the left not established yet when this came
out? I shall have to research this further.
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-- 3. PLOT ---------------
--------------------------
You are a car.
Not a person in a car, but the very car itself. You have come to life and are
trying to collect all of the somethings from the area. You plan to possibly
sell them or possibly keep them in your trophy room.
Your enemy is a car, but a regular car, one with a person driving it. It would
be silly if both characters were living cars. This person's only goal is to
crash into you. Not in order to protect the things, just for personal
enjoyment. That all of this happens while you are trying to take the things is
coincidental.
You represent greed and your opponent represents wrath. Sins three through
seven were cut due to memory limitations.
[This is all extrapolated from the gameplay. I have not seen the original box
or manual. E-mail me if you have any scans.]
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-- 4. SETTINGS -----------
--------------------------
There are three gameplay modes:
1: 1P against computer.
2: Alternating between 1P against computer and 2P against computer.
3: 1P against 2P what!!! Now it's getting crazy. Players alternate between who
controls which car.
The top-left number on the screen reflects your gameplay mode, and will change
every time you flip the switch. The top-middle number is your remaining lives
and will always be 3.
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-- 5. CONTROLS -----------
--------------------------
Your car will continuously drive forward and around the turns, no matter what
you do. Don't worry about that part.
You are always going to be counter-clockwise and your opponent will always be
clockwise. Don't worry about that either.
What you do have control over are two things: what lane you're in and (yes) how
fast you're going.
> When you come to a gap, you may TAP a direction to switch one lane in that
direction.
> Or, if you HOLD that direction down, you will switch TWO lanes over.
> No, you cannot switch three lanes at once. You just can't.
> At any moment, you may hold down the button to make your car go faster. Your
opponent will never switch their speed; only you have this power. Note that
this is not required (but it may get you out of some tight scrapes).
> If you attempt to switch lanes while holding the button down, you will only
move one lane. Of course, you can let go of the button an instant before making
the turn if you need to switch two quickly. This will be useful especially on
Level 2 of Expert mode.
A note about timing:
Yet again, your deeply ingrained gamer's instincts will run counter to this
game's demands. You might naturally tap a direction at the moment you want to
move in that direction. BREAK THIS HABIT. What you need to do is tell the car
to switch lanes just before you come to the break, not after you're in the
middle of it.
Practice. Hold down the direction before coming to the gap, and let it go
quickly if you only want to switch one lane.
Phew!
Atari.
--------------------------
-- 6. A.I. ---------------
--------------------------
The computer's A.I. is highly predictable and in fact is governed by only three
simple rules:
1. Never change speeds.
2. If in the same lane as the player, stay in that lane.
3. If in a different lane as the player, switch ONE lane closer at the nearest
gap.
That's it!
But don't be fooled by the simplicity of your opponent's protocol. It is still
a very hard game. Even before we get to the hard levels. Try it. You'll see
what I mean.
--------------------------
-- 7. STRATEGY -----------
--------------------------
Knowing the rules of the A.I. as we do, how can we take advantage of them?
For one thing, if you are in the same lane as the computer, switch out, because
they aren't going to. But don't switch too soon! Wait until there is only one
gap between you. If there are two gaps, and you move over once, the computer
will too and you will find yourself with an inevitable head-on collision.
Conversely, neither should you switch out too late! If you and the computer are
headed towards the same gap, and you change lanes, the computer will do the
same, with lightning-quick reflexes, running right into you.
A good policy for beginners is, don't use the button at all. Get a feel for the
mechanics, and the A.I., and how to anticipate enemy movement and avoid them
without any tricks.
Once you're used to that, use the button, but only a little. For instance, when
both you and the computer are headed towards the same gap at the same time,
rush towards it to make it there first, so you can switch lanes unscathed. This
is a great trick to have in your tool belt. After you switch lanes, resume
normal speed.
Think about what happens if you start the match this way:
You and the computer both head sideways and turn upwards. Then you reach the
top and turn inwards, facing each other. You accelerate into the gap; the
computer doesn't. You make it there first, and you switch down one lane.
Moments afterwards, the computer reaches the gap and is forced by its simple
rules to switch down one lane as well. You two are now both on the second
layer... but you are a little bit ahead. Hands off of the button for awhile.
You and the computer will meet again at the bottom of that layer--but you will
already be ahead of it. Steer up into the third layer. Repeat this trick into
the fourth layer! Well now you can't keep repeating this trick, because
you're out of layers, so you need to escape by switching two lanes out, and
then playing it by ear to finish the board... but you've already gotten like
two-thirds of the pellets! It won't be hard by this point.
Yeah, yeah, technically since the computer never improvises you could plot out
every step of the game and have it work identically every time you play, making
sure you never get hit or lose a life once. But what's the fun in that? We're
playing an action game here, not Dragon's Quest. Live a little. Loosen up.
Experiment. Test your reflexes and adaptability.
--------------------------
-- 8. LEVELS -------------
--------------------------
To beat a Level, you must collect every pellet... without dying once! If you
die, the pellets will all reset.
The level progression changes depending on where the Atari's difficulty switch
is.
NOVICE SETTING:
> Level 1: The computer constantly moves at low speed.
> Level 2: The same thing as Level 1.
> Level 3: There are TWO ENEMY CARS AT ONCE. And they operate in sync.
> Level 4: ??? I have never beaten Level 3.
EXPERT SETTING:
> Level 1: Same as novice's Level 1.
> Level 2: THE COMPUTER CAR IS ALWAYS ON HIGH SPEED AAAAHHHHH
> Level 3: ??? I have no evidence that Level 2 is possible to defeat.
Have you gotten farther than I? Please describe what lies ahead.
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-- 9. ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS ---
--------------------------
Thank you to me for writing the first ever Dodge 'Em FAQ! That was very nice of
me.
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-- 10. CONTACT -----------
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I love email! I can be reached for any reason at
[email protected]
Peace, love, and retro gaming,
Cotton
