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| Section 1.00 ABOUT THIS FAQ search.about |
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I was looking through a bunch of my older games and was wondering to myself
why I didn't write any FAQs for these classics. So I decided to write a
guide for one of my favorites. Then I noticed that Atari 2600 was missing
guides to many many games, so I have made it my duty to get as many good
FAQs out there as I can for this classic, yet overlooked system.
This FAQ is copyright information of its author, Mike Truitt. Any attempt
to use this FAQ in full or in part without consent of its author, Mike
Truitt, is punishable. If you would like to use information from this FAQ
or the FAQ itself on your website email the author, Mike Truitt. His e-mail
address can be found in the "About the Author" section of the FAQ.
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| Searching Information - search.search |
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This is my first attempt at using the search function implemented in one of
my FAQs. You will notice that my each major section and subsection there
will be the term search followed by ".xxx". This can be used to help
navigate the FAQ easier. If you would like to skip ahead to one section,
then simply use the Find function of the computer (Ctrl + F) and type the
command listed. You should skip strait to where you would like to go.
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| About the Author - search.author |
·----------------------------------·
My name is Mike Truitt. At the time of writing this FAQ I am twenty years
old and about to graduate my second year of college. I have been writting
FAQs for quite a few years now, but have taken about a two year break from
them. For some random reason, I decided to get back into the game.
If you would like to contact me, my e-mail address is miketru[at]gmail.com
alternately my AIM screen name is myktru
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| Section 2.00 VERSION HISTORY search.history |
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| Version Sizes - search.size |
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Tuesday, March 21, 2006 - 22 648 bytes
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| Version History - search.history |
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| Version 1.00 - Tuesday, March 21, 2006 - 22 648 bytes |
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This is the first version of the FAQ. In just about all cases it will
also be the last version. I have explored the game as thouroughly as I
think is necessary to write a complete walkthrough, and due to the
nature of the system, there generally are no hidden extras to be missed.
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| Section 3.00 GAME BASICS seach.basics |
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*** Taken directly from the game manual ***
*** All copyrights go to the original authors ***
The object of the game is to keep the ball in play as long as possible and
to score as many points as possible.
Pinball is one of the fastest growing indoor sports. It provides many forms
of amusement, including competition, challenge, excitement, and stimulation.
ATARI'S VIDEO PINBALL provides you with the challenge of pinball wizardry in
your own home.
VIDEO PINBALL TM is a game of skill and chance. It is like the large arcade
pinball games, complete with sounds and bright colors that set the mood for
the ultimate VIDEO PINBALL challenge.
Each player starts with three balls. Every time you hit the ATARI rollover
four times, you get an extra ball. The extra ball is indicated by a large X
at the bottom of the scree. Playing VIDEO PINBALL requires skilful control
of the flippers which are located at the bottom, center of the screen. When
the ball drops to the bottom of the screen, you send it back into the
playfield by using the flippers. The flippers are controlled with your
Joystick Controller. It's your job to guide the ball within the playfield
hitting bumpers, spinners, targets, and rollovers to score points.
·-------------------------·-----------------------------------------------·
| Joystick - Up | Flip both flipers up simultaniously |
| | |
| Joystick - Down | When paired with the action button on the non |
| | used controller it will bump / tilt the table |
| | |
| | Move the launcher down |
| | |
| Joystick - Right | Flip the right fliper |
| | |
| Joystick - Left | Flip the left fliper |
·-------------------------+-----------------------------------------------·
| Action Button | Launch the ball |
·-------------------------+--------------·--------------------------------·
| Right Difficulty Switch | Position "A" | Player 1 - Easy mode |
| ·--------------+--------------------------------·
| | Position "B" | Player 2 - Hard mode |
·-------------------------+--------------+--------------------------------·
| Left Difficulty Switch | Position "A" | Player 2 - Easy mode |
| ·--------------+--------------------------------·
| | Position "B" | Player 2 - Hard mode |
·-------------------------+--------------·--------------------------------·
·--------------------------·
| Game Modes - search.mode |
·--------------------------·
·-----------·
| Easy Mode |
·-----------·
In easy mode there is only two pathways by which a player can loose their
turn. There is an chute on the far left of the table that the ball can
slide down. The other way the ball can go down in between the two flipers
in the center of the table.
·-----------·
| Hard Mode |
·-----------·
There is only one difference between hard mode and easy mode. If you
switch it to hard mode you will notice that there are two more chutes,
one on either side of the table in which the ball can go down.
The ball is the most important part of the game. The ball will move
around and bounce off of every other part of the game. You will get three
balls during each standard game - there is the posability that you can
earn more, but I will get into that later.
·----------·
| Launcher |
·----------·
The launcher is located on the far right side of the table on the bottom
of the screen. It is represented on my map as (HH). Besides the flipper,
this is the only part of the table which can be manipulated by the
player. To use the flipper the ball must be in the launch chute, and then
the down arrow will pull the launcher down. Once the launcher is in the
desired position, hit the action button to send the ball into the
playfield. From time to time during the game the ball will find its way
back down through the launch chute and you will have to use the launcher
again.
·----------·
| Flippers |
·----------·
The flippers are located at the bottom of the table in the exact center
of the board. On my map they are represented as (> > >) (< < <) for the
left and right flipper, respectively. They are the only part of the board
that is controllable at all times, and you do so by using the left and
right direction on the joystick for each flipper individually, and up for
using both flippers simulatniously. When the ball comes near the flipper,
you need to activate them in order to send the ball moving and continue
the game.
The dropdown targets are the three diamond shapped objects at the top of
the screen. After you hit each target it will disappear. If you are able
to hit all three targets one will be added onto the bonus multiplier, and
the three targets will be reset. Knocking down each target is worth 100
points.
·---------------·
| Left Rollover |
·---------------·
The left rollover is located on the top left portion of the screen. At
the beginning of the game, the left rollover will have the number '1'
inside of it. Each time that the ball breaks the middle of the rollover,
the number inside will increase by one and after each ball you will
recieve a bonus for the number of times in which it has been rolled over.
Located at the top right portion of the screen, the Atari rollover is the
most important accessory in the game. Each time that the ball breaks the
middle plane of the rollover a new Atari logo will appear in the center
of the screen. After four rollovers, an X will appear in the playfield
and you will recieve another ball.
·----------·
| Spinners |
·----------·
There are two spinners on the table they are small circles that are
constantly rotating. When the ball hits a spinner it will send the ball
in the opposite direction. Hitting the spinners will give you one point.
·--------------------·
| Special Lit Target |
·--------------------·
The special lit targets show up randomly throughout the game in between
the botton two bumbers. When it appears try and have the ball hit it.
When the ball hits the target, the screen will flash and you will awarded
1000 points.
·---------·
| Bumpers |
·---------·
There are three different bumpers on the playfield, they are the square
shaped boxes that are in the shape of a triangle, with the two bumbers
being on bottom, while the third is up at the center of the top of the
table. Each time the ball hits the bumper 100 points is added to the
score.
The lose ball chute is all the way on the left side of the table. If the
ball enters the top of the chute, it will travel down and lead to the
bottom of the table, effectively destroying the currently played ball.
Two diagonal ball bumpers are on the bottom right and left corners of the
table. If the ball touches either one of the bumpers they will be bumped
in another direction giving the ball an extra boost to continue the game.
Since the idea of the game is to score the most amount of points and to
keep the game going as long as possible. In order to do this, you must
know how to score points and how to keep your ball alive as long as
possible.
There are three different ways in which you can lose the ball you are
currently playing with. Firstly is the lose ball chute on the left side
of the table. If the ball travels into the chute, you will lose the ball.
The second way in which a ball can be lost is if the ball, by bad luck,
or poor playing falls in between the two flippers. The third way a ball
can be lost is if the player is playing under the 'Hard Mode' setting.
With this setting activated two more lose ball chutes that appear on the
table by the diagonal ball bumpers. Just like the main lose ball chute,
if the ball travels down the chutes, then it will be lost.
Below is a chart of how many points each event is worth.
·--------------------------------------------------------------------·
| E V E N T | POINTS |
|-----------------------------------------------------------+--------|
| Hitting a spinner | 1 |
| Hitting a drop down target | 100 |
| Hitting a bumber | 100 |
| Hitting the left rollover | 100 |
| Hitting the Atari rollover | 100 |
| Hitting the special lit target | 1000 |
| Left rollover bonus | 1000*|
|-----------------------------------------------------------·--------|
| * A 1000 point bonus will be awarded at the end of the ball for |
| each time the rollover is hit. The maximum bonus allowed is |
| 4000 points, which can be awarded after every ball, regardless |
| of game mode or difficulty setting |
·--------------------------------------------------------------------·
As earlier mentioned, after hitting the Atari rollover 4 times during
the same ball, you will recieve a free ball. If this can be achieved
every ball, literally the game would last forever.
·-----------------------------------·
| Drop Down Target Bonus Multiplier |
·-----------------------------------·
After knocking down all three targets at the top of the screen, you
will recieve an extra one to your bonus multiplier. The bonus
multiplier for each game is defaulted at one. This means that every
point amount in the point chart above is multiplied by the bonus
multiplier (default x1). If the drop down targets are knocked down 4
times, the multiplier will be at 5 - meaning that the bumpers will be
worth 500 points each hit. This can create some seriously high scores,
especially when played with the 'carry-over mode' in tact.
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| Section 5.00 NOTES AND THANKS search.thank |
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First off let me just say that a great deal of gratitude is expressed
towards all webmasters on the Internet that spend their priceless time and
hard earned money for the sole purpose of allowing people from all
different walks of life, come together and discuss and help each other with
video games. Without that time and that money, the video game industry
would be nowhere near what it is today. Thank You All.
This FAQ is copyright information of its author, Mike Truitt. Any attempt
to use this FAQ in full or in part without consent of its author, Mike
Truitt, is punishable. If you would like to use information from this FAQ
or the FAQ itself on your website email the author, Mike Truitt. His e-mail
address can be found in the "About the Author" section of the FAQ.
