BUCK ROGERS: PLANET OF ZOOM 
BY SEGA


For the ATARI 5200 Game System
BUCK ROGERS: PLANET OF ZOOM
Official Arcade Version


SEGA VIDEO GAME CARTRIDGE 

• It's the 25th century. You are Buck Rogers fighting the battle of Planet Zoom. This is a race against death! Your Ultimate and most powerful enemy is the deadly MOTHER SHIP! 

• There are five levels of increasing difficulty--each with four rounds of challenging space combat. Before you meet the MOTHER SHIP, your pilot skills and nerve are tested against zapping ELECTRON POSTS, ALIEN SAUCERS and smashing SPACE HOPPERS. This is a battle of speed, accuracy and endurance. Your fuel consumption is crucial to your survival. If you deplete your fuel you crash into the surface of Planet Zoom, destroying any one of your three battle ships. The faster you fly, the less fuel you burn. You receive a full tank of fuel if you destroy the MOTHER SHIP. Be agressive but don't be reckless. This is "do or die" cosmic combat and it's the MOTHER SHIP or YOU! 

USING YOUR CONTROLLERS 

• You'll begin your battle with a fleet of three fighterships that you navigate one at a time above the surface of Planet Zoom and into space. Use your joystick to control them. Press the "START" key or fire button to start the game. 

JOYSTICK CONTROL. Pushing your joystick forward will elevate your fightership. When it has reached maximum elevation, the forward position will increase speed of flight. 

• Pulling the joystick back brings your ship lower until it skims the surface of Planet Zoom. Keeping the joystick pulled back will bring your ship to its minimum speed. The minimum speed increases with each level of difficulty. 

Pushing your joystick to the right will turn your ship to the right.
Pushing your joystick to the left will turn your ship to the left. If the joystick is angled up or down while turning right or left, your ship will fly at that angle.
Push your fire button repeatedly for rapid fire. Keep button depressed for steady fire.
Push pause button to freeze game.
Push reset button to go to title. 

HOW TO PLAY 

• The object of the game is to destroy the MOTHER SHIP before the MOTHER SHIP and its deadly Electron Posts, Saucers and Space Hoppers destroy YOU! 

THE SCREEN. Your screen shows the view as you skim over the surface of Planet Zoom. In the distance are mountain and beyond them, outerspace and your battle with the MOTHER SHIP. 

• The upper edge of your screen shows your score. Below your score is your fuel gauge. Your fuel is depleted slower the faster your travel. Your fuel gauge changes color to indicate fuel level: 

GREEN . . . . . . . . .More than 1/3 of a tank
YELLOW. . . . . . . . .Between 1/3 and 1/8 of a tank
FLASHING RED. . . . . .Less than 1/8 of a tank 

• When your fuel is depleted, your ship will collide into the surface of Planet Zoom, destroying that ship. If that was your last ship, the game is over. If you run out of fuel before reaching the next round, you return to the first round of that level minus one ship. Below your fuel gauge is your enemy/obstacle display indicating the number of Alien Saucers or Space Hoppers to be destroyed or the number of Electron Posts to be passed through. 

• The surface of Planet Zoom changes color as your battle takes you to more treacherous terrain with each level. 

GAME PLAY. Now you are ready to do battle on Planet Zoom. The game is divided into five skill levels. Each level is made up of four rounds of battle. Each round you encounter a different combination of enemies and aliens. The combinations get more difficult as you advance through each round of every level: 


LEVEL 1: BLUE
ROUND 1--10 Electron Posts
ROUND 2--15 Electron Posts and/or Alien 
            Saucers       
ROUND 3--20 Electron Posts, Alien Saucers 
            and/or Space Hoppers
ROUND 4--The MOTHER SHIP and saucers

LEVEL 2: BLUE/YELLOW
ROUND 1--15 Electron Posts firing forward 
            (after round 1 Electron
            Posts fire to the outside)
ROUND 2--20 Electron Posts and/or Alien 
            Saucers       
ROUND 3--25 Electron Posts, Alien Saucers 
            and/or firing Space Hoppers
ROUND 4--The MOTHER SHIP with Alien 
            Saucers

LEVEL 3: GREEN/YELLOW
ROUND 1--20 Electron Posts
ROUND 2--25 Electron Posts and/or Alien 
            Saucers       
ROUND 3--30 Electron Posts, Alien Saucers 
            and firing Space Hoppers
ROUND 4--The MOTHER SHIP with Alien Saucers

LEVEL 4: NIGHT FLIGHT GRAY
ROUND 1--25 Electron Posts with Alien Saucers
ROUND 2--30 Electron Posts, Alien Saucers and 
            firing Space Hoppers    
ROUND 3--35 non-friring Electron Posts, Alien 
            Saucers and firing Space Hoppers
ROUND 4--The MOTHER SHIP with Alien Saucers

LEVEL 5: DARK GREEN
ROUND 1--30 Electron Posts with Alien Saucers
ROUND 2--35 Electron Posts, Alien Saucers and 
            firing Space Hoppers    
ROUND 3--40 Electron Posts, Alien Saucers and 
            firing Space Hoppers    
ROUND 4--The MOTHER SHIP with Alien Saucers



• The numbers of Electron Posts, Alien Saucers and Space Hoppers indicates the combined total of enemies and aliens you must destroy or Electron Posts you must pass through. Your screen will show no more than 19 enemies or aliens to be destroyed. 

ENEMIES AND ALIENS 


_|_  Electron Posts--explode on impact.  After 
     level one they fire 
_|_  Electron Pulsars toward the outside.  With 
     each level they are spaced closer together.
_|_ 

 ___   Alien Saucers--will explode on impact and   
<___>  fly by with greater speed and frequency 
       as levels of difficulty increase.

[~]  Space Hoppers--will explode on impact with 
/|\  your ship.  After round 1 they will fire at
|||  your ship.  As levels of difficulty 
     increases, Space Hoppers will appear with 
     greater speed and frequency.



• The Mother Ship--This is your greatest challenge. Her destruction is your greatest victory. No enemy is more cunning or powerful. The front is blue and the back is yellow. The MOTHER SHIP can be destroyed only by hitting it dead center. Any other shots will ricochet off and may destroy you! As it approaches, the MOTHER SHIP will fire at you. 

SCORING 


Alien Saucers . . . . 200 points
Space Hopper. . . . . 300 points
Electron Posts. . . . 500 points
The MOTHER SHIPS. . . 20,000 points plus full
                      load of fuel Every 20,000 
                      points you receive an 
                      additional fightership.



STRATEGIC TIPS 

* Fly as fast as you can without crashing. The faster you fly, the less fuel you consume. You receive added points for added speed. 
* If you fly outside the Electron Posts after level 1, you are likely to be hit by Electron Pulsars. 
* You are more vulnerable to attack by Alien Saucers when flying low. 
* Saucers are more vulnerable as they fly past from behind. 
* Enemies appear in waves. Try to determine the rhythm of the waves. 
* Be aggressive--if you're not, you'll use your fuel before you encounter with the MOTHER SHIP. 
* Don't be reckless--your fightership steers with super-sensitive response. 
* Over-steering may cause you to collide with Electron Posts, Alien Saucers or Space Hoppers. 

Copyright (C) 1983 SEGA ENTERPRISES INC.
BUCK ROGERS is a trademark of The Dille Family
Trust.
ATARI and 5200 are trademarks of Atari, Inc.
7001-00502 

END 

Typed by Jeffry Johnston 