+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+
| F R O G G E R |
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GAME: FROGGER
PLATFORM: ARCADE
GENRE: ACTION
CREATOR: KONAMI Licensed to SEGA/GREMLIN Copyright 1981
AUTHOR OF THIS FAQ: Kevin Butler AKA War Doc
E-MAIL: kevinb(at)technologist(dot)com
FAQ VERSION: 1.01
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
TABLE OF CONTENTS
UNIT I: INTRODUCTION
1. Legal Stuff
2. Version Information
3. Acknowledgements
4. Welcome
5. Overview
UNIT II: GAME INFORMATION
6. The Game
6.1 The Controls
6.2 The Playing Fields
6.3 Scoring
6.4 The Levels
UNIT III: STRATEGIES
7. Playing the Game
8. Quirks in the Game
UNIT IV: CONCLUSION
9. Conclusion
_______________________________________________________________________________
To find a particular chapter or subchapter do the following:
1. Highlight the chapter or subchapter name you wish to find.
2. Press CTRL-C
3. Press CTRL-F
4. Press CTRL-V
5. Press CTRL-F
5. You will arrive at the desired chapter or subchapter.
_______________________________________________________________________________
**************
********************************* U N I T I **********************************
**************
+=================+
| 1. LEGAL STUFF |============================================================
+=================+
This guide may not be reproduced under any circumstances except for personal
private use. It may not be placed on any web site or otherwise distributed
publicly without advanced permission from the author. Use of this guide on
any other web sit or as part of any public display is strictly prohibited, and
a violation of copyright. All content in this guide is Copyright 2004 by
Kevin Butler. Only the sites listed below have permission to publish this
work or to display it:
www.gamefaqs.com
www.cheats.de
faqs.ign.com
If you wish to put this guide on your site, e-mail me and ask. Save yourself
the headache of putting up with lawsuits and whatnot because you failed to ask
a simple "Can I post your guide on <insert site>?". If you wish to use info
in this guide, please acknowledge that you have done so. If I don't respond or
I say no, accept it as fact. This especially goes out to Dave at
www.cheatcc.com since he has a habit of taking guides without permission. In
addition, do not modify this guide in any way whatsoever to suit your purposes.
The latest version can always be found at www.gamefaqs.com.
If you see this guide on any other site then the one listed above, please
e-mail me. If you wish to ask questions or give input to this guide, please
e-mail me. Just have Frogger as the subject so I know it isn't another
kooky vendor trying to sell me hair gel or another XXX site telling me I have
new friends.
+=========================+
| 2. VERSION INFORMATION |====================================================
+=========================+
Version 1.0 1/24/04: A guide is born.
Version 1.01 1/25/04: Had to update copyright info.
+======================+
| 3. ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS |=======================================================
+======================+
The following are a list of people or organizations that have made this FAQ
possible:
My wonderful family (who has had to put up with the tapping on the keyboard)
Konami for making a great arcade game
GameFAQ's for putting up this FAQ
+=============+
| 4. WELCOME |================================================================
+=============+
Welcome to my FAQ for Frogger. Since the game has you continuously putting
frogs into their home base until all your men are killed, there is no walk-
through per se. Instead it will be broken up into the game itself and
strategies for survival. Input is appreciated along with constructive
criticism. If you wish to e-mail me thoughts on this FAQ, better ways of doing
things, other strategies, etc., feel free. Make sure you put Frogger as the
subject. If you don't, I'm liable to discard the e-mail as spam.
+==============+
| 5. OVERVIEW |===============================================================
+==============+
1981 was a big year in video games. A lot of companies were putting some
pretty popular games on the market and it created a very competitive atmosphere
as to what company was putting out the most popular ones. In addition, 1981
continued on the trend of the "cute" type games such as Ms. Pac Man, Qix, and a
host of Pac-Man clones. Konami was already becoming a force to be reckoned
with in the video gaming world. With such hits as Space War, Scramble, and
Super Cobra, Konami was making its mark. Frogger was originally released in
Japan and it became a runaway hit. Sega/Gremlin were awarded the license to
manufacture the game in the United States and it was the first major hit for
this company (in 1982, Zaxxon became their number one game). The concept of
the game was simple. Get your frog across a busy road and across a river
littered with obstacles so that it could safely make it home. Notoriously
simple in concept, Frogger proved to be a challenge due to the levels
increasing in hardness not only between the levels, but also within the levels
themselves. Frogger was successfully licensed to other gaming companies such
as Atari and Tiger and it has spawned many clones and updates over the years.
Good luck in getting your frog home.
***************
******************************** U N I T II **********************************
***************
+==============+
| 6. THE GAME |===============================================================
+==============+
Frogger is a two-dimensional, above view style game. You are in control of a
frog. The goal is to get across five lanes of traffic, cross a small median,
then across five sections of a river to make it into your home base. Of
course, this isn't without its perils. As you progress through the levels, the
cars become more numerous and faster. The turtles and logs in the river become
scarcer while predators seem to become more plentiful. To add even more
stress, you have a limited amount of time in which you can do this or you will
lose a frog. This all adds up to some serious jumping and even more serious
planning in how to get your frog safely into its home base. Being road kill is
not at the top of the list of neat things to become.
____________________
/ 6.1 The Controls /__________________________________________________________
--------------------
The controls on this game are very easy. It may, though, take just a little
bit of time to get used to them.
- A four way joystick for moving left, right, up, and down
__________________________
/ 6.2 The Playing Fields /____________________________________________________
--------------------------
The playing field for Frogger is pretty simple in its layout. The only things
that will change on it are numbers of cars, logs, turtles, etc. I have
included an example of what this field looks like:
+-------------------------------------------------------------------+
| 1-UP HI-SCORE 2-UP |
| |
|-------------------------------------------------------------------|
|+------+ +------+ +------+ +------+ +------+|
|| 1 | | 2 | | 3 | | 4 | | 5 ||
|+ +-------+ +------+ +-------+ +-------+ +|
| _________________ _ |
|[_________________]<-LOG __+-----/ <-CROCODILE WATER LANE #5 |
| --------\_ |
| ( )( )( )<-TURTLES WATER LANE #4 |
| ___________________________ |
| [___________________________] WATER LANE #3 |
| ______ ______ |
| [______] [______] WATER LANE #2 |
| |
| ( )( )( ) WATER LANE #1 |
| |
|-------------------------------------------------------------------|
| MEDIAN /\/\/ <-SNAKE |
|-------------------------------------------------------------------|
| LANE #5 OF CARS |
|-- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -|
| LANE #4 OF CARS |
|-- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -|
| LANE #3 OF CARS |
|-- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -|
| LANE #2 OF CARS |
|-- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -|
| LANE #1 OF CARS |
|-------------------------------------------------------------------|
| |
|-------------------------------------------------------------------|
| # FROGS LEFT LEVEL |
| ______________________________________ |
| [______________TIME LEFT_______________]TIME |
| |
+-------------------------------------------------------------------+
You control your frog on this screen.
_______________
/ 6.3 Scoring /_______________________________________________________________
---------------
Scoring in this game is pretty simple:
10 points for each forward hop.
Forward Hop: 10 points (max points per home is 100)
Frog Safely Put in Home: 50 points
Completing a Level: 1000 points
Bringing a Frog to Your Home: 200 points
Eating a Fly: 200 points
You also get a time bonus of 10 x the remaining seconds added to your score.
You start the game with 3, 5, 7, or 256 lives and you get one free frog at
20,000 points.
__________________
/ 6.4 The Levels /____________________________________________________________
------------------
The levels in Frogger are arranged in a specific order. All levels after Level
6 repeat in five level blocks. This means that levels 6-10, 11-15, 16-20, etc.
are all the same. The way the levels are set up is listed below (keep in mind
that cars in Lane 4 will travel fast after a specific period of time if they
aren't traveling fast already):
+-------+---+---+---+----+---++----+----+----+----+----++---------------------+
| LEVEL | #CARS IN LANE || # TURTLES/LOGS IN || NOTES |
| | || WATER LANE || |
| | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 || 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 || |
+-------+---+---+---+----+---++----+----+----+----+----++---------------------+
| 1 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 1F | 2 || 4D | 3S | 3L | 4D | 3M || |
+-------+---+---+---+----+---++----+----+----+----+----++---------------------+
| 2 | 4 | 4 | 3 | 2F | 3 || 3D | 3S | 1L | 4D | 3M || CROC IN HOME MAKES |
+-------+---+---+---+----+---++----+----+----+----+----+| APPEARANCE. EVERY |
|| 5TH LOG IN LANE #5 |
|| A CROCODILE |
+-------+---+---+---+----+---++----+----+----+----+----++---------------------+
| 3 | 4 | 4 | 5 | 2S | 3 || 3D | 3S | 1L | 4D | 2M || EVERY 3RD LOG IN |
+-------+---+---+---+----+---++----+----+----+----+----+| LANE #5 A CROCODILE |
|| ONE SNAKE ADDED |
+-------+---+---+---+----+---++----+----+----+----+----++---------------------+
| 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 3F | 4 || 3D | 2S | 1L | 3D | 2M || EVERY 2ND LOG IN |
+-------+---+---+---+----+---++----+----+----+----+----+| LANE #5 A CROCODILE |
+-------+---+---+---+----+---++----+----+----+----+----++---------------------+
| 5 | 5 | 4 | 5 | 4S | 3 || 2D | 2S | 1L | 3D | C || |
+-------+---+---+---+----+---++----+----+----+----+----++---------------------+
| 6 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 1S | 2 || 4D | 3S | 3L | 4D | 2M || EVERY 2ND LOG IN |
+-------+---+---+---+----+---++----+----+----+----+----+| LANE #5 A CROCODILE |
+-------+---+---+---+----+---++----+----+----+----+----++---------------------+
| 7 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 2F | 3 || 3D | 3S | 1L | 5D | 2M || LANE #5 AS ABOVE. |
+-------+---+---+---+----+---++----+----+----+----+----+| 2ND SNAKE APPEARS |
+-------+---+---+---+----+---++----+----+----+----+----++---------------------+
| 8 | 4 | 4 | 5 | 2F | 3 || 3D | 3S | 1L | 4D | 1M || EVERY OTHER LOG IN |
+-------+---+---+---+----+---++----+----+----+----+----+| LANE #5 A CROCODILE |
+-------+---+---+---+----+---++----+----+----+----+----++---------------------+
| 9 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 3F | 4 || 3D | 2S | 1L | 3D | 1M || LANE #5 AS ABOVE |
+-------+---+---+---+----+---++----+----+----+----+----++---------------------+
| 10 | 5 | 4 | 5 | 4S | 4 || 2D | 2S | 1L | 3D | C || |
+-------+---+---+---+----+---++----+----+----+----+----++---------------------+
KEY:
#F OR S = NUMBER OF FAST OR SLOW CARS IN LANE #4
#S = NUMBER OF SHORT LOGS IN WATER LANE #2
#L = NUMBER OF LONG LOGS IN WATER LANE #3
#M = NUMBER OF MEDIUM LOGS IN WATER LANE #5
C = CROCODILE IN WATER LANE #5
#D = NUMBER OF SETS OF TURTLES ALONG WITH THE SET OF DIVING TURTLES IN WATER
LANES #1 AND #4
NOTE: The crocodile appears randomly in one of the homes. Snakes appear
randomly in either the median, log, or both places. The otter appears
randomly on any of the water lanes.
****************
******************************** U N I T III *********************************
****************
+======================+
| 7. PLAYING THE GAME |=======================================================
+======================+
When you start the game, your frog will start at the bottom of the screen. You
will have 60 seconds to move your frog up ten spaces and successfully put it in
their home. If you are successful, then you will try to put a frog in the next
home and so on until you fill up all five homes with frogs. When you do this,
you progress to the next level.
- Before starting this game, look at Chapter 6.4, the levels. It contains
very valuable information to help you plan how you are going to move your
frog in the limited amount of time possible.
- Note the traffic flow of the two parts. The cars travel on the roadway from
left to right while the logs, turtles, crocodiles, etc. travel on the water
lanes in the following direction:
- Lanes #1, #3, and #5 go from right to left.
- Lanes #2 and #4 go from left to right
- First, you must cross the highway. You will become road kill if a vehicle
hits you or you hit a vehicle. Try to find "lanes" in between the vehicles.
You must plan for gaps to form in the first three lanes so you don't become
trapped. The vehicles in the first three lanes move slowly enough that you
can jump side to side with reasonable safety.
- Lane #4 is the dangerous lane. Depending on how much time you are taking,
the cars may pick up speed even though it shows slow on the chart. Keep
this in mind when you are moving your frog.
- At level 3, a snake will either be in the median or on the log in water lane
#3. The snake is deadly to your frog and you cannot hop over it.
- The turtles are pretty easy to navigate over in water lanes #1 and #4. Be
wary of the diving turtles and only use them as a quick bypass to a more
solid footing. If your frog is on a diving turtle when it dives, your frog
will drown.
- Again, time your jumps to coincide with the logs and turtles to ensure you
will always have a solid footing to jump to. As the levels progress, you
will have less things you can jump to.
- You can jump on the backs of the crocodiles and otters. Just don't get near
their mouths or they are apt to turn your frog into a meal.
- You may see a purple frog hopping around on the log in water lane #2. Just
cross over this frog to give it a piggyback ride to your home and get an
extra 200 points.
- Watch out for the snakes, they sometimes like to ride on the logs. If you
see a snake on a log, jump back to solid footing.
- Your frog cannot "wrap-around" the screen so make sure you bail off before
that footing disappears off the edge of the screen or your frog will come
out the other side in a squished condition.
- By that same token, if you have the time and necessary footing, you can hold
out until the fly appears in your home before you settle your frog in.
That's another 200 points.
- Try to fill in the two end homes before going for the middle. The hardest
home to get into is the left-hand one (home #1) since everything in lane #5
goes from right to left up here. This may have to bounce back to lane #4 so
you can get a good shot at your home.
- Speaking of getting your frogs into their homes. You must hit exact center
or your frog will die. Also, keep in mind that crocodiles like to randomly
appear in your home. Make sure that your home is clear before trying to
settle your frog down into it.
- Again, if you waste too much time, the things on the river will move quicker
so you will have to adjust your strategy accordingly.
+=======================+
| 8. QUIRKS IN THE GAME |======================================================
+=======================+
Like all video games, this game has strange things that can occur. Some of
these quirks can be detrimental to gameplay, but they are interesting nonethe-
less.
- When the game is playing in demo mode, you can control the frog. When the
frog reaches water lane #4, you can control the frog's movements until you
move either up or down.
- If you jump into your home at the same time the crocodile is leaving your
home, you will be credited with making to your home but you will still lose
a frog in the process.
- You can dangle your frog from the left side of the turtles but not the right
side.
- Your side to side movements in water lane #5 may be slow and sluggish.
- The purple frog will sometimes be invisible. The only time you know its
there is when you jump on it. It will then ride on your back to your home.
****************
******************************** U N I T IV *********************************
****************
+================+
| 9. CONCLUSION |=============================================================
+================+
When Frogger came out, it was definitely something different and totally
new. Many hours were wasted (along with the quarters) to play Frogger.
This was a game that required more in the skill department then in the luck.
You actually had to do a little planning if you were going to survive into the
later levels. I remember seeing several Frogger machines side by side
since they were so popular. The thing was, they were all being constantly
used. Amazing what a game with simple controls and pretty awesome graphics
(for back then) could do to separate one from their quarters. Unfortunately,
it is very rare to find this machine anywhere. However, through the miracle of
emulation, a whole new generation is realizing what we "old" folks enjoyed
those many years ago. In addition, www.shockwave.com is bringing many of these
classic games back. Check out their site to see what ones are there. I hope
this guide helps you in being able to get the most amount of gameplay for this
game. If you do have other ideas or thoughts, please e-mail me and share them.
Who knows, maybe I'll start a Q&A Chapter in this guide if enough people ask
the same questions. Anyway, thank you again for reading this guide.
To see other FAQ's I have written please go to:
http://www.gamefaqs.com/features/recognition/32691.html
~~~ No trees were harmed in the making of this FAQ ~~~
