XE MIDI-MAZE Manual

Game Manual
MIDI-MAZEq
Put On a Happy Face!
Once upon a time, in a measure far,
far away, there lived sixteen little notes,
each working in perfect harmony with
the other. Theirs was a melodious exist
ence of happy little faces.

But one day, all this sweetness and
light finally got to them. A more sinister
force took over and changed the tenor
of their existence. Suddenly, they have
found themselves in a cacophonous
battle, note against note, in face-to-face
combat for the best staff position.

Scores of octaves have come to
watch the barbaric finale. The air rever
berates with an eerie chorus of ``Have a
Nice Day!'' as one by one the notes pit
themselves against each other.

It's up to you, armed only with a
smile and a gun, to fight your way to
the top. You have to be quick to maneu
ver your way around this musical maze.
Sixteen notes may enter the maze, but
only one note will leave. Ready. Aim.
Smile!


 System Requirements 

[Atari XE Game System with keyboard,
	[	and XE or XL computer

[Color television or color monitor

[Atari controller

[Hybrid Arts MIDIMATE (optional)

[Atari XM301q or SX212q modem, or
	[	850q interface with standard RS232
	[	compatible modem rated at 300 or
	[	1200 baud (optional)




 Getting Started 

1.With your system switched off, insert
the MIDI-MAZE cartridge into the slot
on top of your console as explained
in your owner's manual.

2.Plug a controller into port 1.

3.Turn on your television or monitor;
then press Power to switch on your
system. The MIDI-MAZE title screen
appears.

4.Press Select or move your controller
to choose the type of game you wish
to play: Solo (you against the com
puter), MIDIMATE (using a MIDIMATE
peripheral), XM301 or SX212 modem,
or R1: (850) interface. (See MIDIMATE
and Modem sections for more infor
mation on using these options.)

5.Once you have selected the type of
game, press Start or the fire button.
The Play Options screen appears. Set
the game parameters by selecting
the appropriate options. (See Play
Options section for further details.)

6.Once you have set the game param
eters, select Play and press Start or
the fire button to begin the game.

7.To pause during a game, press Select.
Press Select again to resume play.

8.To reset the game parameters during
play, press Reset at any time.

9.Press Option to quit the game or
to restart a game with the same
parameters.
 Playing the Game 

The object of the game is to kill 10
happy faces before an opponent does.
You move through an intricate three-
dimensional maze, as you dodge enemy
fire and try to get them before they
get you.

All players begin the game as notes
at the bottom of a musical staff. Each
time a player takes another player's life,
he or she will move up a line on the
staff. The first player to reach the top
of the staff wins.

When the game begins, you will see
a map that shows where you are in the
maze. (To view the map at any time dur
ing play, press Tab; press it again to
return to the maze.) The screen will
then show your view of the maze itself.
You always begin your journey through
the maze in a random spot, facing a
wall.

Move the controller forward, back,
and side to side to make your way
around the maze. A compass on the left
side of the screen shows you the direc
tion in which you are currently travel
ing. Press the fire button when you are
ready to fire on an opponent.

art: screen with face and compass: callouts

Your Status

Your Direction

A face just above the compass indi
cates your current health status. When
you're fresh and alert, the face smiles.
Your health decreases each time you are
hit, and the smile begins to droop. The
smile regenerates as you move through
the maze unharmed. If you lose a life,
the face will grimace, and the player
who has hit you will send you a mes
sage. When you win a game, the face
will twirl and wink in appreciation. If
another player wins, the face will shake
its head and stick its tongue out at you.
A message will appear telling you which
player has won.

When you spot an opponent, either
move toward him or sit back and lob
your shots at him till he pops or runs.
This is the quickest and easiest way to
aim, since you are traveling in the direc
tion you are firing and the target usu
ally gets easier to hit as you get closer.
However, in most cases when you're
both facing each other, it's an all-out
shooting match. The person in the
``best health'' usually wins.

Use your gun sight to aim your
shots. Press the fire button to pull the
trigger. When the gunsight reappears,
you are ready to shoot again.

In a multiplayer game, you can send
messages to your opponent. At the bot
tom of the screen, you will see a blink
ing cursor. Type your message using the
keyboard, and press Return. The mes
sage will then appear on your oppo
nent's screen. The number in front of
the message indicates which player
sent it.

 Playing Possibilities 

MIDI-MAZE is an intricate game with
multiple playing possibilities. You can
play solo against the computer, or you
can pit your skills against those of up
to 15 other players. You can also battle
it out with one other opponent via
modem.

Note:When playing with other ma
chines, if something isn't hooked up
properly, an error message will appear
saying, ``Network boo-boo.'' If an error
message appears, turn off all machines
and check to make sure that they are
properly connected. An error message
will also appear if too many machines
are hooked up at once.


Solo

If you select Solo, you battle it out
with the computer. You can fill a maze
with up to 15 drone opponents. Smaller
mazes accept fewer drone opponents.
The maximum number of drones de
pends on the size of the maze. Select
the number and class of drones by click
ing on the appropriate arrows. Drone
classes are:

[Very Dumb:Not very fast and don't
	[	shoot back

[Plain Dumb:Faster and shoot at you

[Not So Dumb:Smart, fast, and deadly




Art: Select Drones dialog box

MIDIMATE

By hooking up a MIDIMATE periph
eral, you are able to play against 15
other opponents, each playing on an XE,
XL, XE Game System, or Atari ST. Plug the
MIDIMATE into the SIO port, using the
instructions in the MIDIMATE's manual.
(To obtain a MIDIMATE, contact Hybrid
Arts, 11920 West Olympic Boulevard, Los
Angeles, CA 90064.) Plug a standard MIDI
cable from the Midi Out port on the
MIDIMATE to the next machine's Midi In
port. Do this for all machines so that
you form a ring.

Note:When connected to an ST, drones
are not allowed.


Modem

You can also play against your oppo
nent using a modem. To do this, select
XM301 (300 baud modem), SX212 (300/
1200 baud modem) or 850. The 850 pro
vides a standard RS232 serial port for
the XE, allowing you to communicate
with other RS232 devices. You will then
be given the options Dial and Answer.
Select Dial if you wish to be the Master
machine, controlling the game param
eters. You will then be able to choose
Tone or Pulse and the baud rate (1200
or 300). You then enter the number you
wish to dial. Select Answer if you wish
to be the Slave machine, with the
parameters set by your opponent.

 Play Options 

The Play Options allow you to set the
following parameters for each game:

Reload Time determines how quickly
you can make your next shot.

Regen Time determines how quickly
your health regenerates as you move
around the maze.

Revive Time determines how quickly
you move back into the maze once you
have been shot.

Select the appropriate Lives option
to revive with one, two, or three lives.
Lives correspond with health (your
ability to take hits).

Player Speed allows you to set your
pace for traveling through the maze.

Bullet Speed determines the speed
of the bullets that you shoot.

Turn Rate determines how quickly
you can turn your player.

Select Load to see the Maze menu.
You can choose one of 18 different
mazes.

By selecting Reset Scores, you bring
all players down to the bottom of the
staff to begin play with equal scores.

Select Singles if you wish each player
to work independently of the others.
Select Teams in order to play with
teams of up to four players each. When
playing in teams, you receive points
when any member of your team shoots
a player on an opposing team. You
receive no points for shooting players
on your own team. By selecting the
Friendly Fire option, you remove the
possibility of killing one of your own
team players.

Select Drones to set the number of
opponents you wish to play. You can
play against as many as 15 opponents
in a single game. This number includes
drones and actual human players be
sides yourself. In a Solo game you may
have 15 drones. If playing against other
people you might, for example, have 6
players and 5 drones or 3 players and 12
drones. Set the number of each type of
drone (Very Dumb, Plain Dumb, and Not
So Dumb).

Select Names to enter the name
you wish to use for the game, up to 10
characters. Press Return once you have
typed in your name. Press Delete to
clear the default player name, then
type in a new name.

 Strategy 

If you get shot from behind, high-
tail it out of there. If you've been
shot, it may take you too long to turn
around and shoot before your oppo
nent gets you again. While running,
moving from side to side makes you a
much more difficult target to shoot.
Making consecutive and rapid right and
left turns will also keep you out of your
opponent's reach. Once you have put
enough distance between the two of
you, you can turn around and shoot.

You can move and fire backward
as easily as forward. When firing
backward, your shots will hit your pur
suer twice as quickly because your
opponent is running right into your
fire, while you are backing away from
his. You also have a pretty fair idea of
where he's going. However, be careful
when moving backward. You might end
up in a dead end or, even worse, on
someone else's score.

``Back-bopping'' is the safest and
quickest way to advance the smiley lad
der of fame. Slinking around corners
and sneaking up behind an unwary
opponent may not be the most ethical
behavior, but it's most efficient.

If your health status is low, find a
safe place to hide and refrain from
fighting full-strength Smileys.


 Scoring 

Each time a player wins a game, the
player's note moves up one line on the
musical staff. The first player to reach
the top of the staff wins.

Atari Corporation is unable to guarantee the accuracy of printed material 
after the date of publication and disclaims
liability for changes, errors, or omissions. 
Reproduction of this document or of any portion of its contents is not
allowed without the 
specific written consent of Atari Corporation.

Atari, the Atari logo, 850, ST, SX212, XE, XE Game System, and XL are 
trademarks or registered trademarks of Atari Cor
poration. MIDIMATE is a trademark of Hybrid Arts. 
MIDI-MAZE is a trademark of Xanth F/X.

Copyright [ 1989, Atari Corporation, Sunnyvale, CA 94089-1302. All rights 
reserved.

Printed in Hong Kong.C300019-124 Rev. A

Printed in Japan.

Printed in Taiwan.

Printed in China.

Printed in USA.