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                             Universal Chaos
                           For the Atari 2600

                               General FAQ
                          Last Updated 2/27/05
                               Version 1.0

                     Written & Compiled by "TestaALT"
                      Email address [email protected]


This file is Copyright (c) 2005 Andrew "TestaALT" Testa. All rights reserved.

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==================
Table of Contents:
==================

1. Version History
2. Introduction
3. Dedication
4. Controls
5. Overview
6. Strategies
7. Frequently Asked Questions
8. Credits
9. Legal Disclaimer
10. Contact Information

=============================================================================
    1. Version History
=============================================================================

Version 1.0  (02/27/05):  Initial version of document - it's complete.

=============================================================================
    2. Introduction
=============================================================================

Universal Chaos might seem familar to you when you first play it. If you have
ever played Targ, it is the exact same thing, only the game is smaller. I
don't know why they ported a game to the Atari 2600 and changed the name. It
doesn't make much sense, indeed. At any rate, Universal Chaos is an action-
packed game that follows the footsteps of other Atari 2600 games - it starts
out easy but soon enough you'll want to throw the game out the window.

=============================================================================
    3. Dedication
=============================================================================

I dedicate this guide to all Atari 2600 gamers out there. They really keep
this system alive, even though it seems "dead." Atari 2600, in a lot of
people's minds, was the first gaming console ever created. This really isn't
true, as there were other obscure systems before it. However, this was most
people's first video game system - this is the system that brought them into
gaming. And so, I dedicate this guide to the Atari 2600 gamers that still
play this old system and keep it alive.

This guide is also dedicated to Brian P. Sulpher and AboveAverage. Where did
you go, AboveAverage? You told me which system to write for! And of course,
Brian taught all of us that you can write billions and billions of guides for
old games.

=============================================================================
    4. Controls
=============================================================================

Fire Button: Used to fire.

Joystick: Used to move the Wummel Ship.

=============================================================================
    5. Overview
=============================================================================

The basic layout of the game:

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

<http://www.vgmuseum.com/images/2600/02/61.htm>


In Universal Chaos, you play as the Wummel, a ship that needs to exterminate
all enemy ships to save Crystal City. To do this, you have a trusty fire
button. It's one shot to kill an enemy ship, but that's not the hard part.
The difficult part lies in getting behind the enemy ships so you can shoot at
them.

See, the Ram ships (red ships) don't like to be shot at. In fact, they will
do whatever they can to get out of your point of view. Since the Wummel can't
fire behind itself, the Ram ships will also attempt to destroy you by, well,
ramming you. And since there are six Ram ships, that's six problems to worry
about!

In addition to destroying the Ram ships to gain points, a blue ship will pop
out of a square every now and then. This ship, called the Spector Smuggler,
is very important for gaining points. If you shoot it down (it takes one
shot, too), you get big points. However, this ship will also do whatever it
can to get out of your shooting view.

The atmosphere of a grid makes this game a little easier. Although the grid
is a lot smaller than the arcade version of the game, it's still big enough
to hide from enemies and kill enemies. As levels progress, all the ships will
move faster, making it substantially harder to fire at ships.

That's basically the way the game is played. You only get four lives - so
don't let the Ram ships make mice meat of you. The points for killing a Ram
ships go up by ten every level, but the number of Ram ships doesn't go beyond
six.

=============================================================================
    6. Strategies
=============================================================================

Crystal City is safer with these strategies.

 *  Don't, under any circumstances (not even if it's the last ship), ram
    into a ship on purpose. Lives are more important than destroying ships.

 *  The *best* strategy is to circle the perimeter of the grid and start to
    pick off lone ships. If you try to tackle a couple ships at once, they
    will ram into you. So, circle around the grid and execute loners.

 *  The Ram ships will do whatever they can to get out of your point of
    view. So, when you try to exterminate lone ships, shoot when they are
    first in your view. If you wait a couple seconds, they will turn out of
    your view.

 *  While chasing a Ram Ship, try to corner it.

 *  Don't let the Ram ships dictate where they go. Herd them to the corner.

 *  You can't shoot behind the Wummel, so don't let the Ram ships get behind
    you.

 *  When turning around, it will take a prolonged amount of time because the
    Wummel is going so fast. Instead of turning around by actually stopping,
    go around a square of the grid - it's faster.

 *  The blue ship will appear from a square. This is called the Spector
    Smuggler and it's worth a ton of points. Drop whatever Ram ship you were
    after and try to shoot it. The Spector Smuggler's strategy isn't really
    trying to ram you, though. It's more of trying to stay out of harms way,
    so don't try to kill it if three Ram ships are guarding its exits.

 *  The Spector Smuggler respawns after you kill it.

 *  When you are down to one Ram ship, the last Ram ship will go very fast.
    I don't know why, but it will. Obviously, this makes it the hardest ship
    to destroy, but with an open field, you can lure it into a corner
    without worry of another Ram ship.

 *  As you complete levels, the amount of points for killing a Ram ship will
    ascend by ten per level. However, the game will become harder because
    all the ships will go faster. This will make it harder to shoot ships.

 *  The number of ships doesn't go up per level.

=============================================================================
    7. Frequently Asked Questions
=============================================================================

Question: What is the red ships purpose?
 Answer: To ram/destroy/kill you.

Question: How many lives do you have in this game?
 Answer: Four lives.

Question: What is the blue ship?
 Answer: This is Spector Smuggler. He will pop out of a square every now and
         then. He's worth a lot more points than regular red ships if you
         shoot him.

Question: This game looks familar...
 Answer: Yeah, it's a harder version of Targ. I say "harder" because the
         screen is 5x9 instead of 9x9, making it harder to ditch the Ram
         Ships effectively.

Question: How many players can play?
 Answer: Just one.

Question: When did this game come out?
 Answer: 1983.

Question: Who created this game?
 Answer: Telegames.

Question: My game doesn't work, how do I get it to work!?
 Answer: You might have a corrupted version of the game, or perhaps the old
         2 K version, which doesn't work very well.

Question: Where can I get this game?
 Answer: The Atari 2600 hasn't had any new games made for years, so you
         can't buy it from them. You can get the game at a garage sale or
         ebay, if you like. ROMs also work, if you have the game and it is
         broken, that is. I'm sure Activision made one of their "five hun-
         dred games-in-one," too, and you get one from them.

=============================================================================
    8. Credits
=============================================================================

 *  CJayC for creating GameFAQs.

 *  Brian Sulpher for referring me to a good ROM site.

=============================================================================
    9. Legal Disclaimer
=============================================================================

This document is Copyright (c) 2005 Andrew "TestaALT" Testa. All Rights
Reserved. This document may not be reproduced or retransmitted in any form
and under any circumstances without the complete consent of the author. It
may not be sold, altered, or published in any way without the advanced
permission of the author. All sources, which have contributed to this
document, are cited and/or credited in some form. The only sites I allow this
document to be viewed at are:

GameFAQs <http://www.gamefaqs.com>
IGN <http://www.ign.com>

If you see this document at any other site please email me as I do not allow
this document to be published at any other sources. Please do not ask me if
you want this document on your website, as the answer will most likely be no.
These terms have become binding once the recipient (or reader) opened this
document. Violation of these terms are strictly prohibited and will result in
a lawsuit. Please do not take these terms as threats and/or not read them as
they are all very much true. I can sue you for an act of plagiarism and will
not hesitate to do so. Thank you for reading this legal disclaimer and have a
nice day! =)

=============================================================================
    10. Contact Information
=============================================================================

Contact me via email ([email protected]) or AIM (TestaALT) if you have any
questions, comments, or suggestions about this guide. Just make sure that you
put the game name in the subject line. If you don't, I'll probably delete
you're email thinking it's spam. Also, make sure that the question isn't
answered in the latest version of the document, which can be found at
GameFAQs. Try to ask me legibly, as I can't decipher chickenscratch. For AIM,
just beep me whenever you like. Thanks for reading, and check some of my
other work at:

        -> http://gamefaqs.com/features/recognition/23249.html <-

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