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|__________| |__________|

_ _____ _
| | | __ \ | |
| | __ _ ___ ___ _ __ | | \/ __ _| |_ ___ ___
| | / _` / __|/ _ \ '__| | | __ / _` | __/ _ \/ __|
| |___| (_| \__ \ __/ | | |_\ \ (_| | || __/\__ \
\_____/\__,_|___/\___|_| \____/\__,_|\__\___||___/

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__ ____| |____ __
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|____ ____| |____ ____|
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Laser Gates / Laser Volley (Atari 2600)
Guide / FAQ by Eduardo Almeida (PsychoBio)
Version 1.00, last updated June 6th 2016

===============================================================================

TABLE OF CONTENTS

Chapter 1: INTRO
1.1) What is Laser Gates?
1.2) Legal info
1.3) Version history
1.4) Storyline

Chapter 2: GAMEPLAY
2.1) Basics
2.2) Enemies and obstacles
2.2.1) Enemies
2.2.2) Obstacles
2.2.3) Detonators
2.3) Scoring
2.4) Pro tips

Chapter 3: MORE
3.1) FAQ - Frequently asked questions
3.2) You! Help improving this guide!
3.3) Acknowledgments

==============================/ Chapter 1: INTRO /=============================

---------------> 1.1) What's Laser Gates?

Laser Gates is an action game developed by Dan Oliver / Imagic for Atari 2600.
It was launched in 1983, and also has a clone, Laser Volley, by Zellers.

In Laser Gates, you control a little space ship called Dante Dart. You move
through a "cave-like" computer fighting enemies, and avoiding forcefields and
walls. Your goal is to destroy four Detonators that may self-destruct the
"Cryptic Computer" and the entire universe. You may die by receiving too much
damage, but also if your energy / time is over.

---------------> 1.2) Legal info

Copyright 2017 Eduardo Almeida
All rights reserved.

Only the sites listed below have permission to display this guide:

gamefaqs.com
gamespot.com
geocities.ws/myoldgames/

NOTE: the last one (myoldgames) is my small site, were I store this and other
guides, and some other things, like emulators, saves and pics. Feel free to
check it.

Previous written permission is required to its exhibition on any other site. If
you see this guide on any site that is not listed above, please e-mail me
([email protected]).

This guide must always be shown in full form, and with credit given to the
author. It’s strictly prohibited to alter any part of this guide. It can’t be
used for any profitable purposes. This guide may not be reproduced under any
circumstances, except for personal, private use.

If you intend to translate this guide, or any of my other guides, to your
language, I will most probably allow it, once it's mentioned that it's my
guide, translated under my permission. To get my permission, please e-mail me.

---------------> 1.3) Version history

- 1.0 released June 6th 2017. First version, already a mostly complete guide.

---------------> 1.4) Storyline

According to the manual, this is the story behind this game:

The thousand galaxies quake at the news: the Cryptic Computer, the galactic
defense synthesizer which has maintained peace for the five centuries since the
Wars on Zevon, has malfunctioned! Four Failsafe Detonators inside the Computer
will now initiate universal self-destruct!

The Governors of Enderby order the Dante Dart into action. Only it can spiral
down through the nearly impenetrable defenses of the Computer in order to reach
and destroy the Detonators!

============================/ Chapter 2: GAMEPLAY /============================

---------------> 2.1) Basics

This game has 4 stages, not unlimited stages, like most Atari games. Each stage
you will have an amount of time / energy avaliable to beat / pass by a fixed
number of enemies / obstacles, while flying through the "cave-like" computer.

The top area of the game screen is where you play, controlling your Dante Dart
ship. Move it using the directional lever, and fire your ship's weapon pressing
or holding the fire button. The bottom area of the game screen has some
relevant info:

- Score: yeah, this shows your score.
- Energy: your ship consumes the energy avaliable at a fixed rate. It's not
affected by firing your weapon. When the energy bar has around 1/6 avaliable,
the frame will flash, warning you. If it gets empty, game over.
- Shields: this one shows the amount of hit points of your ship. Contrary to
what the game manual says, you start with 32 HP (not 24). After you receive 31
damage, the bar is empty, but you will still be alive until getting hit again.
Then, it's game over.
- D-Time: this is "detonation time". Like energy, it's consumed at a regular
rate. The frame will flash once the time bar is reduced to like 1/6, and it's
game over if it gets empty.

The energy bar is replenished when you collect an energy pack. An energy pack
will harmlessly fly through the screen, near the bottom of the "cave", always
after finishing any stage, and also once during any stage, after beating some
enemies / obstacles. You can fire and destroy the energy pack, but you really
shouldn't, because you aren't supposed to survive without it.

The time bar, at other hand, is replenished just when you finish a stage, by
destroying its Detonator.

The shields (HP) will decrease by 6 if you collide with any enemy or obstacle.
You will also get +6 each 10.000 points you score. If you get hit by an enemy
shot, or hit the "cave", you will lose 1 HP. Get to 6 HP or less, and the frame
will flash, to warn you about the danger. If you have exactly 6 left, you can
still collide and will survive, with an empty shields bar.

Like said, this game has four stages. Each stage, you will find a fixed number
of enemies and obstacles, before reaching its Detonator.

========================================================
| STAGE | E/O B EP | E/O A EP | TOTAL | TIME |
+---------+------------+------------+---------+--------+
| 1 | 15 | 14 | 29 | ~2:50 |
+---------+------------+------------+---------+--------+
| 2 | 21 | 23 | 44 | ~3:30 |
+---------+------------+------------+---------+--------+
| 3 | 33 | 24 | 57 | ~3:00 |
+---------+------------+------------+---------+--------+
| 4 | 33 | 38 | 71 | ~2:30 |
========================================================

>>> E/O = enemies / obstacles; B EP = before energy pack; A EP = after energy
pack; TOTAL = total of E/O in that stage; TIME = approximated time to beat the
stage.

NOTE: after stage 2, the passage starts to move faster, so you will probably
need less time. Still, stage 4 is almost impossible.

---------------> 2.2) Enemies and obstacles

I have decided to classify what you will encounter (except for your target
detonators) in two groups. I call "enemies" the machines you will destroy by
hitting them with your weapon. By destroying them, you receive points, and
(after a second) move instantly to the next encounter. Obstacles, however,
aren't destroyed. You need to pass by them, and you score points / move to next
enemy or obstacle when they leave the screen, leaving your ship unharmed behind
them. Usually, obstacles (walls and force fields) will consume more time (as
they need to reach the left end of the game screen), but you can force them to
move faster, going at full speed to the right. Detonators are found just in the
end of each stage, and you must destroy them.

----------> 2.2.1) Enemies

1.) Radar mortar
These are enemies that come at the top or the bottom of the computer passage.
As they don't move, they can't collide with your ship (although you can collide
with them). A radar mortar can fire shots to some directions. Usually the shots
won't hit your ship, and if they do, you will lose 1 HP. You can wait for them
to leave the game screen, but destroying them is simple and much faster.
Veredict: these aren't dangerous. Aim at them and boom!

2.) Byte bat
These are green bats that make an annoying sound. They don't have weapons, but
will try to collide with your Dante Dart, also suiciding in the proccess. Bats
move up and down, usually in a pattern, so it's not that simple to hit them
sometimes. Also, they never go away. You can waste a lot of your precious time
(and energy) to kill these pests.
Veredict: not that dangerous, but may require some time. As they come at the
same speed of the "cave", it's recommended move right, so you will have a
better chance of hitting bats with your laser.

3.) Rock muncher
This is like an enemy ship. Like the bat, it won't go away (you need to destroy
it). It also comes moving up and down, and to the left with same speed as the
"cave", but usually a rock muncher moves less than a bat, being easier to hit.
The biggest difference: the rock muncher will fire at you using his own weapon.
Veredict: easier to hit than the bat, and its weapon doesn't mean too much of a
trouble, as each hit makes you lose 1 HP. Its weapon is in its top, so it's
safer to approach from the bottom, when looking for a spot to destroy it.

4.) Homing missile
These are almost as big as your Dante Dart. They come really fast from the
right, faster than the computer passage moves. Missiles also move up and down,
trying to chase your ship. If you are hit, you lose 6 HP. If you manage to
avoid them, they will quickly leave the game screen.
Veredict: these are extremely dangerous! A few missiles can destroy you in a
blink. If you intend to destroy an incoming missile, move vertically to reach
its position and fire. If you intend to avoid, enter a hole in the top or
bottom of the "cave", or move vertically to the opposing side, while moving to
right (so the missile has less time to go after you).

----------> 2.2.2) Obstacles

1.) Forcefields

These are forcefields made of several colored lines / regions. Each line
changes its color in a high frequency, with several colors being used, creating
a very interesting graphical effect, rarely seen in Atari games.

Forcefields can come alone, or in groups of 2 or 3. When coming in groups of 3,
the space between each of them is like 3x the width of a single forcefield. If
two forcefields come, they can appear in the positions 1 and 2, or 1 and 3 of
the triple group. Starting in stage 2, you can also meet a single thicker
forcefield, with 2x the normal width.

There are three types of forcefields:

1.A.) Flashing forcefield
These flash on and off at regular intervals. Wait next to the incoming
forcefield, and once it flashes off, move horizontally through its position.
Veredict: these are easy, but may require some time, if you need to wait them
flash off three times. When the "cave" starts moving faster (in the beginning
of stage 3), it's easier to go through two forcefields in a single move.

1.B.) Flexing forcefield
These open and close with a vertical crushing motion. Come vertically to the
central position in the computer passage, and once the forcefield opens, pass
through it.
Veredict: easiest forcefields. During stage 1, they open and close really slow,
giving you more than enough time to pass by. Stage 2 and later, they move up
and down much faster, but it's still easy to go through. I recommend you use
their sound to know the best moment to move. With some practice, you can go
through three crushers in a blink, and can still move at full speed to right,
forcing them to leave faster.

1.C.) Fixed forcefield
These have a small gap that remains the same size but moves up and down. I
suggest you move vertically to a central position (each complete move, the gap
passes through the center two times, but top or down just once, so in the
center you have more chances to pass by), then quickly move right while the gap
passes in front of your Dante Dart.
Veredict: this one is the hardest type of forcefield. As they start moving up
and down faster, and later moving left faster, you really can't waste a single
chance of going through a forcefield. The single doubled forcefield is also
very tricky.

2.) Densepack columns
These are gray walls. There are columns of two widths, but they are like the
same. Once you fire the laser, you destroy a small portion of the wall. Fire it
four times at same vertical position and you will destroy a complete "line" of
the column. You need to destroy at least two adjacent lines to make room for
your ship go through.
Veredict: while the "cave" moves slowly, up to the end of stage 2, these aren't
a trouble, as you can destroy 5-6 lines. To do it, move to right (closer to the
wall you will fire faster), and after the fourth shot, move instantly up or
down. Stages 3 and 4, these are harder, but with practice you will rarely be
hit.

----------> 2.2.3) Detonators

The Failsafe Detonators are alike the densepack columns: they are gray and
block the entire passage. But, as they reach the middle of the cave, they stop
and won't move anymore, and you need to destroy them to advance. You will also
note the number 6507 written up to down, and four pins.

To destroy the Detonator, fire your laser on a pin. But know, each new
Detonator after the first one will add a booby-trapped pin. If you hit the
wrong pin, you receive damage, losing 6 HP (like a collision). The manual says
that hitting same booby-trapped pin twice will destroy your ship, but this is
not true.

======================================================
| STAGE | PINS | NORMAL | TRAPPED | CHANCE |
+---------+--------+----------+-----------+----------+
| 1 | 4 | 4 | 0 | 100% |
+---------+--------+----------+-----------+----------+
| 2 | 4 | 3 | 1 | 75% |
+---------+--------+----------+-----------+----------+
| 3 | 4 | 2 | 2 | 50% |
+---------+--------+----------+-----------+----------+
| 4 | 4 | 1 | 3 | 25% |
======================================================

In the table above, CHANCE is your chance of destroying a Detonator when you
hit its first pin.

---------------> 2.3) Scoring

You score points by passing obstacles or destroying enemies and detonators.
Let a radar or missile to leave the game screen and you get no points.

Pass: forcefield .................... 400 points
densepack column .............. 400 points
Destroy: radar mortar .................. 115 points
byte bat ...................... 330 points
rock muncher .................. 325 points
homing missile ................ 525 points
Detonator ..................... 6507 points

---------------> 2.4) Pro tips

First, there are two ways to play: for higher score, or trying to beat the
game. If you want to try beating the game, you have to keep your shields
healthy. Although fixed forcefields are bad, the worst things you face in Laser
Gates are by far those damned missiles.

Know that, if you enter those "holes" in the top or the bottom of the computer
passage, you will never be hit by the bats, rock munchers and missiles. About
the bats and munchers, this isn't really helping you, because you NEED to
destroy them, so you can't just hide. But, about missiles, this is really
helpful. The trick is, once you destroy an enemy, or obstacles are about to
leave the game screen, enter a hole near the right side of the screen (I like
entering holes in the bottom of the "cave", but the top works too). If a
missile comes, you are protected, and it will leave the screen soon. If it's
not a missile, go out and act normally.

Playing for score or beating the game, you should try to keep your energy and
time. Once you pass by forcefields move to right at top speed, to force them to
leave the screen faster. But still, have a look at that table at section 2.1:
in stage 4, you have like 150 seconds to destroy / pass by 71 enemies and
obstacles. You have around 2 seconds for each encounter, and keep in mind that,
even if you destroy an enemy at the moment it comes, you still lose some time
(like one second) watching its debris.

Conclusion: if you want beat the game, you have to deliberately collide with
some of the more time consuming obstacles, like densepack columns and fixed
forcefields. AND, you still need to reach the Detonator with some HP, to hit
the correct pin. Hard? Yeah, very very hard. And to have better chances, don't
waste your shields on those missiles, avoid them all. Playing this way, I
consistently reach the energy pack of the fourth stage, but the time is still
a big problem.

If you are trying a high score, then destroying missiles is important, as they
are the most valuable encounters. Of course, you should try to get as far as
you can, and avoiding some missiles is ok, but you should go for most of them.

Another important tip: you can have one shot at the screen each time. You can
fire your weapon again just after the previous shot hit something or left the
screen. Usually, well aimed shots are more important than tons of shots...
except for densepack columns. Get as close as you can, and try moving up or
down after each four shots. If you don't, the fifth shot will pass through the
open line, and you will wait it to leave before firing again.

Other things I may be wrong about, but I have my impressions and would like to
share:

- Looks like Detonator's pins closer to the top are more likely to be ok.

- I feel the encounters aren't really random, but pseudo-random. Look, the game
always starts with flashing forcefields. If you never accelerate to make them
leave faster, nor get hit (in fact, you can get hit by shots, or hit the cave
and it's ok) next ones are flexing forcefields, flashing (again), and a radar
mortar. At this point, the games starts to get pseudo-random, as you can use
different amounts of time to destroy it. But, if you just let it pass, a thick
densepack column will come, then a bat, always close to the bottom. Destroy it
when it's close to your Dante Dart, near the left side, and a missile will
come, close to the top. Avoid it, and a thin densepack will appear, followed by
a radar at the top, and another bat. And so on. I guess that what will come is
determined by your energy / time. Probably we will never be able to know what
comes next after a few more encounters, but, if someone wants to study it and
gets results to share, I would like to add them to this guide, and to give
credits to whoever discovered it.

==============================/ Chapter 3: MORE /==============================

---------------> 3.1) FAQ - Frequently asked questions

Q: Oh, God, why to create a guide for an old Atari game?
A: Why not? This one was even much easier and faster than my other guides.
Also, this game has no guides as far as I know.

Q: You really played this game in Atari videogame?
A: Sure! We (me and my older brother) had it, together with 100+ other Atari
games. And this one was always in our "list of best games".

Q: Which emulator do you use to play it?
A: I currently use Stella 4.6.7. The game works perfectly. The emulator also
has a save / load state feature, in case you want use it to beat the game
(F9 to save, F10 to change slot, F11 to load).

Q: Where can I download Laser Gates ROM?
A: I will try having it on my site (geocities.ws/myoldgames/). Alternatively,
you can use google for a search. It shouldn't be hard to find, and you can
still look for its clone Laser Volley, which is said to be a more common
ROM.

Q: Did you beat the game?
A: Yes, but not in a legit way. I did it using the emulator save feature. It
was still hard, as time for stage 4 is REALLY short.

Q: What happens if you beat the game? (ALERT: SPOILER AHEAD)
A: Almost nothing. As you destroy the last Detonator, your time bar will be
replenished. Then, after a moment, your ship disappears. The "cave" still
moves, but no more enemies or obstacles, either. Your stats, including your
score, are still shown. That's all.

Q: What's your highest score?
A: Playing the legit way, I scored 76.921 as my maximum.

Q: What's the highest possible score?
A: Theoretically, would be around 132.000, if it was possible to destroy just
missiles. But, as far as I have seen, beating the game will get you close to
90.000 points.

Q: I don't have enough energy / time to beat 2nd / 3rd stage!
A: Stage 4 is really almost impossible, but 2 and 3 are very doable. Stop
wasting both energy and time by ending your encounters faster. Passed by
forcefields? Go right all the way and force them to leave faster. Bat or
muncher has come? Practice and learn how to kill them in 1-2 shots.

Q: What's the easiest / hardest encounter?
A: Radar mortar is the easiest. There is a reason it's worthy just 115 points.
Homing missile is the hardest. 525 points, huh?

Q: What do you like / hate the most about this game?
A: I like the variety of enemies / obstacles, and how this game has a fixed
number of stages, being theoretically beatable. I dislike how some missiles
act as if they are avoiding my shots, and the booby-trapped pins in the
Detonators (as if the game wasn't already hard enough).

Q: Why the Detonators have "6507" written on them?
A: Dunno if this is accurate, but it's said that it's the CPU type used in
Atari 2600 video game.

Q: There are other Atari 2600 games alike this one?
A: I don't know any. If you do, please tell me about it.

Q: Is it me or this game has no game modes?
A: Yeah, I know, most Atari games had game modes with slight differences. Laser
Gates has not, BUT, it's still fun and challenging, and of course the pseudo
randomness adds to it. The game is worthy playing, if you ask me. Ah... that
feeling you were close to beat it...

Q: I have a different / better strategy!
A: Really? Ok, then. E-mail me at ‘[email protected]’ and tell me about it.
Of course, credit will be given to you.

Q: Why is it called Laser Gates? I have seen no "gates"...
A: BAD JOKE ALERT! Dunno, probably the developer used to like Bill Gates. Well,
if your enemy is a computer, better considering it. :P

Q: Wait! That missile just avoided my shot!
A: Yeah, I know, it happens all the time. As a homing missile, it will try
adjust its position to yours. Then it moved one pixel up, which was enough
for it miss your shot. Haha! Get accustomed to it.

Q: What? I can't damage the densepack column once I have passed by!
A: Strange, huh? I guess if the enemy computer knows it. You know... if it
decides to send the columns with the unvulnerable side to left, you would
soon be dead.

Q: Am I really fighting a computer?
A: It looks a cave to me, too. But, if the developer said it...

---------------> 3.2) You! Help improving this guide!

This guide is supposed to never be finished. I will always add anything new or
relevant about Laser Gates. If you know something I don't, please use my e-mail
to contact me, and put something like "Laser Gates" as the message title. Here
is my e-mail:

[email protected]

All help is also welcome, especially the following:

- I’m not a native speaker of English language. Of course, the guide has
grammatical errors, misspelling errors, etc. I’m especially bad with
prepositions. If you are a native English speaker, and can help me to correct
these language errors, I would appreciate a lot.

- As said at the “Legal info” section (1.2), please inform me if you see this
guide on any internet site that is not among the allowed sites listed there.

- Do you disagree about any comments? Do you have a question for the FAQ? Maybe
you have a better strategy. Any positive criticism is welcome.

---------------> 3.3) Acknowledgments

Before finishing my guide, I would like to thank:

- God, for the gift of life.
- My family, for my education and all they have done for me.
- Dan Oliver and Imagic, for developing this great game.
- All the sites legally hosting my guide.
- All my friends (including Troia Team), for making my life happier.
- Daniel M. Santos, for being a great friend and gaming (and beer) companion.
- All other people I may have forgotten.

That’s it. See you next guide.
Eduardo Almeida - PsychoBio

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