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Front Line for Atari 2600 FAQ

by BHodges

Version  1.0
Created  01/01/17

This document Copyright © 2017 by Brian Hodges.  It may not be placed on
any web site or otherwise distributed publicly without advance written
permission.

Use of this guide on any other web site or as a part of any public display is
strictly prohibited, and a violation of copyright.

All trademarks and copyrights contained in this document are owned by their
respective trademark and copyright holders.

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Table of Contents

I.     Introduction
II.    Background Story
III.   Getting Started
IV.    Basic Gameplay
        A.  Objective
        B.  Controls
        C.  Soldier
        D.  Tanks
        E.  Lives
V.     Areas
        A.  Forest
        B.  Brush
        C.  Desert
        D.  Fort
VI.    Strategies & Tips
VII.   Scoring
VIII.  Version History
IX.    Contact Information

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I.     Introduction

This is a FAQ for the Atari 2600 game Front Line.  It contains information on
how to play the game as well as tips for winning.

Front Line is a port of the arcade classic from Taito.  The gameplay is
similar to Capcom's Commando: you play as a lone soldier who has to make his
way through enemy territory to destroy their fort.

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II.    Background Story

Here is the background story from the instruction booklet:

"It's dangerous.  It's mean.  It's WAR!  And now, you are there!

Your mission?  Invade enemy territory and knock out the fortress.  To do it,
you'll have to travel over tricky terrain and fight against overwhelming odds
at every step.

Evade attacks, search and destroy lumbering tanks!  Storm the river bridge to
face your most difficult challenge: the enemy fort!  You must demolish it or
die.  And if you succeed?  A new assignment is yours on another front,
against a more experience army.  There's no rest, no relaxation, no letting
down your guard.  You're in the Army now!"

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III.   Getting Started

On the title screen press the GAME SELECT switch to cycle through the available
game modes:

Skill Level

The number at the top of the screen represents the game's skill level.  There
are four levels available: Skill 1 is the easiest while Skill 4 is the hardest.
On Skill 1 the max number of enemies that can appear onscreen is two, on Skills
1-4 the max is three.

Number of Players

The number of tanks next to the skill level represents the number of players
(i.e. one tank is a one player game while two tanks is two player).  In a two
player game players take turns: when player one loses a life, player two plays
and when player two dies, player one resumes play.

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IV.    Basic Gameplay

..............................................................................
A.  Objective

The object of the game is to infiltrate the enemy's fort and destroy it by
destroying the big gun at the end.

..............................................................................
B.  Controls

On Foot

Joystick            Move/Aim
Button              Fire pistol/Throw grenade/Enter tank

In Tank

Joystick            Move/Aim
Button              Fire
Hold Button         Exit Tank
(while stationary)
..............................................................................
C.  Soldier

Your soldier is armed with a pistol and grenades, both with unlimited ammo.
You will switch weapons automatically based on the type of enemy you are
facing.

Pistol

Press the button while fighting enemy soldiers to fire your pistol.  You can
only fire a single shot at a time.  One hit from your pistol will kill an
enemy soldier.

Grenade

Press the button while fighting tanks or the big gun at the end to throw a
grenade.  You can only throw one grenade at a time.  One hit from a grenade
will destroy any enemy.

..............................................................................
D.  Tanks

Heavy Tank

Heavy tanks are slow moving and armed with a cannon with unlimited ammo.  The
cannon will destroy enemy tanks with a single shot but is useless against the
big gun at the end of the fort.

Light Tank

Light tanks are quick moving and armed with a machine gun with unlimited ammo.
Your machine gun will destroy enemy tanks with a single shot but is useless
against the big gun at the end of the fort.

Commandeering a Tank

Starting in the brush, you will occasionally come across blue squares.  These
are actually empty tanks that you can commandeer!  To commandeer a tank, stand
over it and press the button.

Exiting a Tank

You can exit a tank at any time by holding down the button while the joystick
is in a neutral position.  Please note that if you exit a tank, you lose that
tank.

Tank Armor

Both Heavy and Light Tanks have terrible armor, one hit from enemy fire is
all it takes to destroy them!  Once your tank is hit, you only have a second
to jump out before the explosion kills you.  To jump out of the tank, press
the button.

..............................................................................
E.  Lives

You begin the game with five lives.  Destroy the enemy fort to earn an extra
life.

You lose a life when the following occurs:

-  You touch an enemy or are hit by enemy fire while on foot

-  You fail to exit a tank before it explodes


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V.     Areas

..............................................................................
A.  Forest

You begin in the forest and must make your way north to the enemy fortress.
The forest is full of trees that you can neither move nor shoot through.  It
is also full of enemy soldiers!  Take them out before they can end your mission
prematurely.

..............................................................................
B.  Brush

You'll know when you reach the brush because the background will turn brown.
Unlike the trees in the forest, you can both move and shoot through brush, but
it will slow you down.

At the beginning of the brush you'll see a blue square, that is a heavy tank
you can commandeer!  Enter the tank by standing over it and pressing the
button while the joystick is in a neutral position.

Once you enter the tank the enemy soldiers will scatter, from now on you'll
be fighting their tanks.

..............................................................................
C.  Desert

The desert is full of cacti and boulders.  You can neither move nor shoot
through them.

At the end of the desert you will see the bridge leading to the enemy fort...

..............................................................................
D.  Fort

Enter the fort by crossing the bridge.

At the end of the fort is the big gun you must destroy.  The gun can ONLY be
destroyed with grenades, if you are in a tank you must exit it (by standing
still and holding the button).  It takes just a single grenade to take out the
big gun and destroy the fort.

Once you've destroyed the fort you'll be awarded an extra life and the game
will loop you back to the forest so you can do it all over again.

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VI.    Strategies & Tips

-  There's a limit to the number of enemies that can appear onscreen (two on
  Skill 1 and three for Skills 2-4).  Use this to your advantage by trapping
  an enemy (or two) at the bottom of the screen then continually heading up as
  fast as you can!

-  You can only fire one shot at a time so make them count

-  While on foot you move much faster diagonally than you do moving up/down
  or right/left

-  Tanks appear from the brush onwards

-  The first blue square you come across is a heavy tank, the second is a
  light tank, the third is another heavy tank, and so on

-  While in tank you move fastest when going left/right

-  Remember that you cannot destroy the fort with the Light Tank's machine gun
  nor the Heavy Tank's shells, you will have to get out and use your grenades

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VII.   Scoring

/===================================================\
|                       Scoring                     |
|---------------------------------+-----------------|
|Defeat Enemy Soldier             |         100 pts |
|---------------------------------+-----------------|
|Defeat Enemy Tank                |         100 pts |
|---------------------------------+-----------------|
|Destroy Fortress (Skill Level 1) |        1000 pts |
|---------------------------------+-----------------|
|Destroy Fortress (Skill Level 2) |        2000 pts |
|---------------------------------+-----------------|
|Destroy Fortress (Skill Level 3) |        3000 pts |
|---------------------------------+-----------------|
|Destroy Fortress (Skill Level 4) |        4000 pts |
\===================================================/

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VIII.  Version History

1.0   01/01/17 Completed FAQ.

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IX.    Contact Information

You can contact me at [email protected]

Please leave constructive comments.  I especially appreciate emails letting me
know if I have made a mistake, missed anything, or if you have any ideas for
improving this FAQ.


End

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