BASKETBALL 

GAME PROGRAM TM INSTRUCTIONS 

Model CX2624 

ATARI 

A Warner Communications Company 

ATARI, INC., Consumer Division 1195 Borregas Ave., Sunnyvale, CA 
94086 

(c) 1977 ATARI, INC.C011402-24 

Use your Joystick Controllers with this Game Program TM. Be sure 
the Controllers are firmly connected to your Video Computer System 
TM. See your Owner's Manual for details. Hold the Controllers with 
the red button to your upper left towards the television screen. 
To play against the computer, use the right hand controller. 

NOTE: To prolong the life of your Atari Video Computer System and 
protect the electronic components, the Console unit should be OFF 
when inserting or removing a Game Program. 

CONTROLLER ACTION 

Moving your Joystick Controller according to the diagram will move 
your player around the court. 


   Up and     Move      Up and
   Left       Up        Right
               ^
             \ | /
Move          \|/          Move
Left    <------+------>    Right
              /|\
            /  |  \
               v
   Down       Move      Down and
   and Left   Down      Right


The player with the ball will dribble automatically and will always 
face the goal. The defending player will always face the ball. 

To shoot, depress the red controller button. Your player will stop 
dribbling and will hold the ball, waving it back and forth over his 
head (as shown in the diagram). When the controller button is released,
the player will shoot. If the shot is made when the ball is over 
the player's head, it will be a long, high arching shot. If the shot 
is made when the ball is held low in front, it will be a short easy 
shot. The shot will always go towards the goal. 

To defend against your opponent's shot, place yourself between the 
ball and the goal. When the shooter releases the ball, depress your 
red controller button. Your player will jump and you can block the 
shot and recover the ball. You can only block a shot when the ball 
is in its "upward" arc: there is no "goaltending" in this game. 

To steal the ball, put the player's feet even with your opponent's 
feet. When the ball leaves your opponent's hand during the dribble,
take the ball and race towards your own basket. Stealing the ball 
comes much easier with practice and will become an integral part 
of your defense strategy. 

HANDICAP 

When the Difficulty Switch on your console unit is in the B position,
your player can move from goal to goal much more quickly than the 
A position. Thus a beginning player, using the B position, will be 
able to defend more easily and will be able to "outrun" his opponent. 

TO BEGIN PLAY 

Visualize that you are sitting at center court about six rows back. 
The bottom of the playfield is the near side of the court. The goals 
are in the center of the two endlines. The top of the court is the 
side farthest from you. 

As shown in the above diagram, the two players are standing at center 
court, waiting for the "jump ball" to begin the game. 

The left or green player's score is shown at the top left of the 
playfield; the right or lavendar player's score is shown at the top 
right. Between the two scores is a time clock. When the game begins,
this clock will begin counting backwards from 4:00. For any score 
to count, it must go through the basket before the game ends at 0:
00. 

To start the game with a jump ball (after setting your Difficulty 
Switch), depress the Game Reset switch on your Console unit. When 
the switch is released the ball will be thrown straight up. When 
the ball comes down the game is underway. 

When a basket is made, the player making the basket is reset to center 
court to defense. His opponent will be reset under the basket to 
receive the ball and make his offensive moves. 

The line under each basket are the court endlines. A defensive player 
can cross over either endline. An offensive player cannot dribble 
the ball over the endline nearest to his offensive goal. This features 
stops any "stall" tactics. 

Game 1 Two-player Game 

In this version, you are against your opponent. To make your game 
more interesting, try playing two 4:00 halves, changing controllers 
at halftime. 

Game 2 One-player Game 

Using the right hand controller, it's you against the computer... 
and our computer is programmed to increase your playing skill. The 
closer the score, the better his defense and he will make more offensive 
moves. Try not to let the computer get more than an 8-point lead,
because after he has let you close the score, his defense will tighten 
much sooner. 

Suggestion: At first place the left Difficulty Switch in the A position 
and the right Difficulty Switch in the B position. If you can beat 
the computer 6 to 8-points, consider yourself a skillful player. 
Then move the left Difficulty Switch to the B position. If you can 
beat the computer by more than 4-points, you are a superior player. 

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