ATARI (R) XE (TM) VIDEO GAME CARTRIDGE Blue Max (TM) The famous flying ace of World War I It's June 1915, World War I is raging. The Allies are trying to hold on to Europe and the Royal Air Force is a key weapon launched against the Axis powers. While flying a reconnaissance mission, Royal Air Force ace Max Chatsworth sees his entire squadron cut down by the enemy. He vows to avenge the loss of his comrades and shoots down 20 enemy planes within the following month. This daring feat makes him one of the greatest fighter pilots in history! Relive Chatsworth's exploits as he flies over wartorn Europe. You are the "Blue Max" of the R.A.F., in command of a biplane fighter bomber Enemy fighters dive and attack, machine guns are chattering. From the ground, guns mounted on tanks and ships fire salvo after salvo. Your mission is to bomb the enemy's airfield and bridges, and destroy as many enemy planes as possible. To earn your reputation, you must make a final assault on three specially marked targets along the river. You have only one aircraft and limited fuel. Good luck, Ace. For crown and glory! ALSO PLAYS ON ALL XE AND XL COMPUTER SYSTEMS FOR ONE PLAYER ATARI and XE are trademarks or registered trademarks of Atari Corporation. Blue Max is a trademark of Synapse Software, Inc. Cartridge version by Sculptured Software, Inc. Copyright (C) 1982, Synapse Software, Inc. Copyright (C) 1987, Atari Corporation, Sunnyvale, CA 94086. All rights reserved. Printed in Taiwan ATARI (R) XE (TM) VIDEO GAME CARTRIDGE Game Manual BLUE MAX (TM) by Broderbund Blue Max Against the Axis! It's June 1915, World War I is raging. The Allies are trying to hold on to Europe and the Royal Air Force is a key weapon against the Axis powers. While flying a reconnaissance mission, Royal Air Force ace Max Chatsworth sees his entire squadron cut down by the enemy. He vows to avenge the loss of his comrades and on that day personally shoots down seven fighters. The following month he shoots down 13 more enemy planes. The Axis powers are out to stop Max Chatsworth. They offer their highest flying award, the Blue Max decoration, to anyone who can shoot him down. From them on, Max Chatsworth is dubbed "Blue Max" by his Royal Air Force mates. Now you are Blue Max, pilot of a fighter bomber biplane over war-torn Europe. You're the Allies' most dangerous weapon -- Blue Max out for revenge! System Requirements Atari XE game system console or Atari XE or XL (TM) computer Color TV or color monitor Joystick Getting Started 1. With your computer turned off and the joystick attached, insert the Blue Max game cartridge into the cartridge slot. 2. Turn on your TV or monitor, then press [Power] to turn on the system. The Blue Max title screen appears. To view a demonstration game, stand by for a few moments before going on to the next steps. 3. Press [Option] to display the OPTION screen. Press [Option] again to move the asterix to an option, then press [Select] to display the different selections for that option. An option is selected when it appears on screen. For the first option, select Novice (easiest skill level), Intermediate, or Advanced (most difficult skill level). For the second option, select Normal CTRL or Reverse CTRL. With Normal CTRL, you pull the joystick handle back to climb and push it forward to descend. With Reverse CTRL, you pull the joystick handle back to descend and push it forward to climb. For the third option, select Gravity or No Gravity. With Gravity, the plane loses altitude when you release the joystick handle. With No Gravity, the plane maintains a steady altitude when you release the joystick handle. 4. Press [Start]. The plane automatically taxis down the runway. When it reaches a speed of 100 MPH (shown on the SPD indicator at screen bottom), use the joystick handle to climb. The plane lifts off the runway and your mission begins. 5. Press [Select] to pause a game. Press it again to resume play. Playing the Game Your mission is to shoot down as many enemy targets as you can while avoiding enemy fire. You complete a mission by hitting a minimum number of targets and flying past rivers, roads, and the enemy city. The game ends when you complete the mission, get shot down, or crash. Control your altitude by pushing the joystick handle up and down. Maneuver your plane by pushing the joystick handle left or right. Press the fire button to spray gunfire or drop bombs. Reduce your altitude to 21 to 25 feet and press the fire button for air-to-ground strafing (gunning at close range). Targets include all bridges, buildings, enemy planes, tanks, anti-aircraft batteries, vehicles, and ships. To complete a mission and advance to the next game level, you must hit a varying number of these primary targets: Buildings and bridges with flashing bull's-eyes. Flashing blue enemy planes. Flashing blue cars. Red ships. When your plane is damaged, land on a runway for repairs as soon as possible. When a runway is near, a tone sounds and an R appears on the command bar. Press the fire button to lower the landing gear, descend, and land. Repairs begin automatically. You can watch the progress on the command bar at screen bottom. To halt repairs before completion, press the fire button and take off when you reach 100 MPH. To successfully complete the game you must penetrate and attack the enemy city. When the city is near, a flashing L at screen bottom signals you to land on a runway. Land, prepare for the assault, then take off again. After takeoff, you soon enter a forboding gray city. Follow the road between the buildings. Watch out for enemy guns shooting at you from the sides. Don't try to bomb the buildings -- you will only crash into them. Bomb the three red or blue targets. But be careful! If you crash you must begin the game over. If you miss a colored target, you are directed to the runway for repairs, then back into the city to bomb remaining targets. Proceed through the city and back into the countryside. Be especially careful of enemy fire -- you've almost made it to the finish. Land at the next runway. You've done it! You receive a rank based on your performance and go home in a blaze of glory. Strategy Watch your altitude. If it drops to approximately 19 feet, you crash! At higher altitudes you need to lead your target a bit more. Use your shadow as a guide. Never bomb friendly airplane hangars. Climb slightly just prior to releasing a bomb. Bombing causes you to drop altitude. Keep your plane in good repair. A damaged plane is more vulnerable to crashing. Be careful when landing. If you wait too long to descend, the L disappears from the command bar and you won't be able to land. Don't land too far down the runway or you won't have enough room to take off. Command Bar The command bar at screen bottom displays important information. When all damage indicators appear, the next anti-aircraft hit causes you to crash. Constant What It Shows ---------------------------------------------------------------- F Remaining fuel B Remaining bombs. ALT Altitude. SPD Speed. SCORE Points gained during the mission. As Conditions Warrant ---------------------------------------------------------------- W Wind factor; difficulty staying on course. P Enemy plane approaching. * Enemy plane directly above. R or L Runway near. Prepare to land. Equipment Damage ---------------------------------------------------------------- F Fuel leak. B Bomb gear damaged. Bombs drop intermittently. M Decrease maneuverability. G Machine gun damage. Guns fire intermittently. The command bar changes or flashes color to alert you to certain conditions. Color What It Means ---------------------------------------------------------------- Red You've been hit by enemy fire. Blue You're flying at the same altitude as the enemy. Fire before the enemy hits you. Brown You're at strafing altitude. Flashing yellow You're flying too low. Climb immediately to avoid crashing. Flashing green Your mission is completed. Land and receive your rating. Scoring Red ships 300 points Flashing blue cars 300 points Flashing blue planes 300 points Buildings or bridges with bull's-eye target 100 points Planes 100 points Buildings 50 points Bridges 50 points Tanks 10 points Anti-aircraft battery 10 points Vehicles 10 points Ships 10 points Ranks At the end of each game, you receive a rank based on your total score, number of primary targets hit, and time elapsed during the game. Within each rank you are also given a class rating from 1 (lowest) to 4 (highest). Ranks are: Blue Max (highest) Flying Tiger Air Cadet Runway Sweeper Kamikaze Trainee (lowest) The Blue Max and Flying Tiger ranks are only given to pilots who successfully complete the game. Atari Corporation is unable to guarantee the accuracy of printed material after the date of publication and disclaims liability for changes, errors, or omissions. Reproduction of this document or any portion of its contents is not allowed without the specific written permission of Atari Corporation. ATARI, the ATARI logo, XE, and XL are registered trademarks of Atari Corporation. Blue Max is a trademark of Broderbund Software, Inc. Copyright (C) 1983, Broderbund Software, Inc. Copyright (C) 1987, Atari Corporation, Sunnyvale, CA 94086. All rights reserved. Printed in Taiwan C031881 K.I.10 1987 C031881/A1 ------ Manual transcribed by Jeff Lodoen (jlodoen@mega.megamed.com)