Defender 2/Stargate Atari 2600  FAQ/Strategy Guide
Version: 1.0
Author: Larcen Tyler
Last Revision Date: 12/09/05
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This document is electronically published work Copyrighted ©2005 Larcen Tyler.
Permission is granted to make a copy _ONLY_ as a personal reference copy, in
which case the document _MUST_ remain in its original, unedited form.  Any
other reproduction is strictly prohibited.  This document may not be used as
a promotional item or for profitable means of any kind (even if no profit is
intended to be gained.)

This document is only allowed to appear on the GameFAQs website and no other
website whatsoever, nor may any part of this document appear on any website
for any reason whatsoever.

Defender 2 and Stargate are registered trademarks of Midway Games.

Atari 2600 and any accessories mentioned within are registered trademarks of
Atari Games.

GameFAQs is a registered trademark and copyrighted 1995-2005 by Jeff 'CJayC'
Veasey.

Any other names mentioned within not mentioned within this section are
registered trademarks and/or copyrighted materials of their respective owners.

Larcen Tyler is in no way affiliated with any of the companies listed above,
or their affiliates in any way.  No affiliation should be assumed for any
reason whatsoever.
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TABLE OF CONTENTS

1. REVISION HISTORY
2. NOTE FROM THE AUTHOR
3. HOW TO PLAY THE GAME
4. SCORING INFORMATION
5. TIPS
6. CONTACT INFORMATION
7. CREDITS
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1. REVISION HISTORY

Version 1.0

12/09/05: Had already written a guide for the first game, so why not the
sequel?
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2. NOTE FROM THE AUTHOR

This game has a rather unusual history in terms of its title.  It was
originally released under the name of Stargate.  However, later versions were
known as Defender 2.  The reason behind this was due to legal issues and
copyrights regarding the title of the game.

The Atari 2600 received a port of the game, initially as Stargate in 1985, and
then getting a rerelease in 1988 as Defender 2.  Other than the fact the name
and title screens are different, both games look and play identically to one
another.

While the game will be referred to as 'Defender 2' throughout the guide, the
information and tips provided in this guide can also be used for Stargate.
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3. HOW TO PLAY THE GAME

You're up in space, patrolling the planet surface in your starship.  Your job
is to watch over the humans while they work on the surface.  Suddenly, your
scanner picks up movement.  You are shocked to find that alien creatures
are flying toward the surface, heading for the people you are chosen to
protect! No time for second thoughts, you must defend the humans against these
vile creatures!


SETTING UP:

Set up your Atari 2600 or Atari 7800, and plug a joystick into each controller
jack, as two joysticks are required to play the game.  Insert the Defender 2
cartridge into your console and power up.  The title screen should appear
almost immediately.

To start gameplay, either press the reset switch or the fire button on the
left joystick.  You will start instantly.

(Note: The Game Select, TV Type, and Difficulty Switches aren't used in
Defender 2.)


GAMEPLAY:

Hold your joysticks with the button in the upper-left corner facing toward the
television screen.

The left joystick controls movement and laser firing.  Move it up and down to
make your ship ascend or descend.  Move it left or right to thrust in that
direction.  You can turn at any moment by moving the joystick in the opposite
direction you are going.

The right joystick controls your Smart Bombs, Hyperwarp, and Inviso.  You start
out with three Smart Bombs and six seconds worth of Inviso energy.

Press the right fire button to use a Smart Bomb.  Smart Bombs will destroy all
enemies on screen, but won't harm humans.  You begin with three smart bombs,
and your remaining supply is indicated at the top of the screen by the scanner.

Push the right joystick upwards to activate your Inviso.  When you are using
Inviso, you will disappear from the screen, and the enemy can't hurt you, but
you can still move and shoot, and touching an enemy will destroy it.  Remaining
Inviso is indicated by the bar in the upper part of the screen by the scanner.

Pushing the right joystick downwards will send you into Hyperwarp.  This
teleports you to a completely random location on the planet.  There is no
guarantee that where you end up will be safer than before, and there is a
chance you may lose a ship when warping.

(If you run out of Smart Bombs, pressing the right fire button will use your
Inviso.  After using up your Inviso, pressing the button will resort to
Hyperwarping.)

You also have the ability to use Stargates.  There are two of these on the
planets and can be thought of as 'checkpoints.'  Every time you fly through
one, you will be taken to the opposite side of the planet.  If a human is being
kidnapped, however, flying through one of these will take you to the location
of the kidnapping.


THE HUMANS AND THE ALIENS:

The primary objective of Defender 2 is to protect the humans on the surface
from the Lander aliens that will attempt to capture them and turn them into
Mutants.  At the beginning of the game, and after every planet restoration, you
will start with eight humans.

The Landers are your primary target in this game.  They are green creatures
with tentacles, and float the surface searching for a human to capture.  If
they do manage to capture a human, you will hear a high pitched noise.  At this
point, you should check your scanner to see if you can see the Lander and human
being kidnapped (they should appear as a pair of blips, one horizontal the
other vertical, going toward the top of your scanner.)

When you encounter the Lander, quickly shoot it to free the human.  Once freed,
the human will drop toward the planet surface, and if it is allowed to hit the
surface, it will perish from the fall.  You must fly into the human to have it
get on your ship.  Quickly fly it back to the surface, and it will be
teleported to the nearest landing pad (yellow line) earning you bonus points.

You can carry more than one human on your ship at a time, and depending on the
circumstances, it may be a good idea to do so, since trying to return the human
could be dangerous if there is too much going on on the screen at once.

Be careful with your laser fire, as if you shoot a human, it will be destroyed,
whether it is on the surface, in the air, or in the clutches of a Lander.
However, if your ship is destroyed while you have humans onboard, they will
safely be teleported back to the planet surface.

If a Lander successfully captures a human, it will become a Mutant, which is
shaped like a Lander, but with brighter colors and more aggressive.  Mutants
chase after your ship and shoot at it.  These creatures move faster than
Landers and are harder to hit.

You must also deal with other enemies, like Yllabian Space Guppies.  These look
like small space ships that spin around as they fly around the area.  They look
small and aren't exactly intelligent, but if you get close enough, they will
home in on you and chase you untill one of you is destroyed.

Firebombers are spinning hourglasses that move in unpredictable patterns and
will try to ram into your ship.  While they don't shoot at you, their
unpredictable pattern can cause you to crash into another enemy while trying to
dodge them.

Pods are shaped like little suns, and bounce around like rubber balls.  In
addition to their random movements, shooting one releases three Swarmers.
Swarmers are small circular objects that come from Pods when they are
destroyed.  They come in groups of three and fly straight at you.  Shoot
quickly.

Dynamos are small spinning rectangular shaped enemies that slowly move around
the area in a diagonal fashion.  They don't shoot at you, but touching one is
fatal, and you may be thrown off because of their slow speed while you thrust
at a fast rate.

Taking too much time on any wave can cause Baiters and Phreds to appear.
Baiters are oval shaped saucers that appear if you take too long in any wave.
They chase after you and shoot at you in an effort to draw you away from the
enemy Landers.  Be sure to take them out quickly.  Phreds are c-shaped
creatures that also appear if you take too much time in a wave.  They chase
after you and attempt to swarm you with their smaller kin, the Munchies.

These enemies are intended to add pressure to your mission if you take too much
time during a wave.


SPECIAL SITUATIONS:

PLANET DESTRUCTION: If all of the humans are either killed or turned into
mutants, the planet will be destroyed, and you must defend yourself against
enemies without any surface left.  This can be more difficult since the enemy
can come at you from more angles now.  If you manage to survive to the sixth
wave (or every fifth wave after that,) the planet will be restored.

YLLABIAN DOG FIGHT: In every wave number ending in five (5, 15, 25, etc.) you
will be in a Yllabian Dog Fight, in which case you must take on Yllabian Space
Guppies, Pods, and Dynamos.  This is more intense than usual and requires a
keen eye and good trigger finger.  Don't panic, instead try to keep an eye on
what's going on, and try to assess each threat individually, taking on the
closest enemies first.  If you have a Smart Bomb, use it to give yourself some
breathing space.

FIREBOMBER SHOWDOWN: In every tenth wave, you will be swarmed with Firebombers
that are intent on taking you out.  Again, keep calm and a steady eye.  Smart
Bombs are, again, a big help here.
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4. SCORING INFORMATION

You receive points for shooting enemies and rescuing humanoids as follows:

SHOOT POD: 1000 points
SHOOT FIREBOMBER: 250 points
SHOOT DYNAMOS, BAITER, PHRED, OR YLLABIAN SPACE GUPPY: 200 Points
SHOOT MUTANT, LANDER, OR SWARMER: 150 Points
SHOOT MUNCHIE: 50 Points

At the end of Wave 1 through 5, you will receive a bonus of 100 times the wave
you completed for each human left on the surface.  (e.g. If you complete Wave 3
with 5 humans remaining, you'll receive 300 points for each human, which equals
1500 points.)   After Wave 5, the bonus is 500 points for each human.

You start each game with three ships, three Smart Bombs, and six seconds worth
of Inviso.  Every 10,000 points earned will earn you another ship, another
Smart Bomb, and a little extra Inviso (exact amount unknown.)

If you collide with enemy or their shot, you will lose a ship.  The game is
over when you use up all of your ships.
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5. TIPS

-The controls for this game are very complicated, so don't expect to master
them right away.  Take some time learning how to maneuver your ship and use the
laser before using the second joystick for additional features.

-If you hear a human calling for help and there's a Stargate nearby, quickly
fly into it to be taken to the exact point where the kidnapping is.

-Don't waste your Smart Bombs.  Save them for when you're surrounded, or during
special waves, when things can get very hectic.  And don't blindly fire your
laser rapidly, as you risk shooting a defenseless human.  Smart Bombs, however,
won't harm humans.

-In Waves 1 through 9, if you manage to get four humans on your ship and fly
into a Stargate, you will advance three waves and get a 1000 point bonus.
However, this is very difficult to achieve, and it isn't recommended that you
go out of your way to do this untill you have a better grasp of the controls.

-And, as hard as it may be, it is possible to do this, HAVE FUN!
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6. CONTACT INFORMATION

READ THIS BEFORE YOU SEND ME ANY E-MAIL!

The following types of E-Mail I will _NOT_ accept under any circumstances:

-Mail that contains flaming (insults) or offensive content within.  If you
don't have anything nice to say, then don't say anything!

-Spam/Advertisements of any kind.  This is against the law, and will not be
taken lightly.

-Asking if you can use this on your website/in your FAQ/Magazine/anything
like that will not be tolerated.  In case you missed it, I specifically
stated that I won't allow it in the disclaimer section at the beginning.

-Asking where to find this game in a ROM format, or any other illegal
software requests will be ignored.

-Asking me where to find this cartridge.
(Honestly, I wish I knew where to find Atari games, but I have as much of
a hard time finding them as you probably do! Your best bet is to check
online.)


The following types of E-Mail I will accept:

-Suggestions and/or constructive criticism.
-Strategies of your own.
-Any information I may have left out in this version.
-Generally, anything that will help me improve this guide in future revisions!
(Make sure you put "Defender 2 Guide" or "Stargate Guide" as your subject
line.)

You can reach me at: [email protected]
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7. CREDITS

As Bugs Bunny said before, "Credit where credit is due!" and so, here goes:

-My mother, for buying the Atari 2600 and passing her love for it onto me.
-Bill Aspromonte, for programming such a great port of this game.
-Andrew Fuchs, for making the game sound so much like the arcade game.
-Jeff 'CJayC' Veasey, for providing us writers with a place to share our work.
-Atari, for manufacturing the Atari 2600 and this game.
-AtariAge (www.AtariAge.com) for providing me with the information I needed to
keep everything accurate while I was writing this.
-And now, ladies and gentlemen, boys and girls, it's time for the most
important person of all to be credited.  And that person is none other than,
you guessed it, YOU, for reading my guide!
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©2005 Larcen Tyler  All rights reserved.

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