RECOMMENDED FOR COLOR T.V. VIEWING (FOR 1 OR 2 PLAYERS) Commodore and Atari Versions INSTRUCTIONS BEACH-HEAD INSTRUCTIONS FOR PLAYING BEACH-HEAD BEACH-HEAD is a multi-screen action game which requires different skills and provides new sequences as you progress through the game. You will encounter secret passages, squadrons of enemy planes, shelling from enemy ships, an almost impenetrable enemy held beach and a fortress with a huge cannon that never misses! If you feel you are up to the challenge. With computer off remove all cartridges, plug joystick into port 1, turn on drive, insert Beach-Head disk and turn on computer. Program will automatically load and run. Owners of Atari "XL" computers will need to hold down the "option" key to switch out BASIC while booting the disk. BEACH-HEAD offers four levels of difficulty. The first screen allows you to select the game skill level. If you wish to compete against another player, select the skill level for two players. SEQUENCE 1 -- AERIAL RECONNAISSANCE The opening sequence is an aerial reconnaissance overview of enemy held territory. At this point your first command strategy decision must be made. Choices -- You can choose between two strategies. 1. Take your ten ship fleet through the hidden passage. The advantages to this strategy are. (a) Catch the enemy off guard and unprepared. His airpower and naval forces will not be as strong. (b) Your overall point total will be increased if you are successful in navigating the passage. 2. Take the enemy head-on and go straight into battle. The advantage to this strategy is: (a) Your fleet will not have to navigate the perilous hidden passage. The passage is extremely difficult to navigate because it is mined and torpedoes are launched at random throughout the channel. NOTE: If you selected the skill level for two players, the strategy for player one will be the same for player two. To maneuver your fleet, move the joystick in the direction you wish to travel. Once moving, your fleet will continue in that direction. If you choose a frontal attack, proceed directly through the main channel are engage the enemy. If you choose to navigate the hidden passage, maneuver your fleet close to shore along the outer edge of the peninsula. When you have found the passage, the general quarters alarm will sound. SEQUENCE 2 -- THE HIDDEN PASSAGE In this scene you will have to cross through a mined channel and avoid being struck by torpedoes fired by the automated defense system. To maneuver your ship, push left on the stick to turn left, right to turn right, forward to speed up and back to stop. Head for the opening directly across from the starting point. Once you leave the passage you will be in a position to surprise the enemy and catch them in their harbor. Move swiftly to engage the enemy. SEQUENCE 3 -- GENERAL QUARTERS Fighters at Twelve O'Clock! Enemy fighter squadrons are now attacking your fleet! If you have surprised the enemy, many of his aircraft are below deck and will be unable to respond to the attack. If you choose strategy two, the number of aircraft attacking your ships is considerably greater. Use your joystick to aim your anti-aircraft guns and shoot down enemy planes. Pull back to raise or push forward to lower your guns. Press the button to fire. Your ammunition will not run out, but it does take a certain amount of time to replenish. Do not waste shells or you will not be able to fire rapidly at a critical time. Enemy surveillance aircraft occasionally fly by to report the battle progress back to the island. If you destroy these planes it will add 2000 points to your score. If you survive the onslaught of enemy aircraft, the naval battle begins. SEQUENCE 4 -- BATTLE STATIONS Once enemy aircraft have been neutralized, the enemy battleships and cruisers will begin shelling your fleet. The joystick is now used to fire your heavy guns to sink the enemy ships. Again, as in the previous scene, if you have surprised the enemy and caught them out of position, it will take them longer to zero in on your fleet. To Control Your Guns Each enemy ship is at a different distance from your fleet. When you fire your guns, a readout will appear on your control panel telling you the distance in meters that your shell was long or short. Your joystick controls the angle in degrees your guns are aiming. Each 0.5 degrees equals 100 meters. For example, if your readout tells you that your shell is 1000 meters long, then you should decrease your gun elevation by 5º to hit the target. The control is the same as the anti-aircraft guns. However, the vertical movement will accelerate the longer you hold the position of the joystick. Bonus Points The enemy aircraft carrier will attempt to escape. If you sink the carrier, it will add 10,000 points to your score. After the naval battle, you must maneuver your remaining ships into the enemy harbor. Since there is only room for four ships in the harbor, you will be awarded 2,000 points for each extra ship. SEQUENCE 5 -- BEACH-HEAD! Each ship that you navigate into the harbor carries two tanks. After your tanks have landed and your beach-head is established, you must your way through the island defense systems to get to the fortress of Kuhn-Lin. Once your tank starts forward there is no turning back! Tanks have side to side mobility but will continue forward at a constant speed. There are numerous obstacles in your way including mines, anti-tank guns, enemy tanks, bunkers, etc. At this point the enemy is prepared and is throwing all his defense strength at your tanks to stop them. Each enemy defense system is worth a certain number of points, and their value is displayed when they are destroyed. Each time a tank succeeds in reaching Kuhn-Lin, the difficulty increases for the next tank. It will take you several tanks to finally destroy the fortress. SEQUENCE 6 -- THE FINAL BATTLE! Once a tank has reached Kuhn-Lin, you must land 10 shells in the fortress to destroy it. There are ten targets to hit, but only one is vulnerable at a time. The vulnerable target will turn white. As each white target is hit another will appear until all ten have been destroyed in sequence. The fortress is defended by a huge cannon. Once this cannon has sighted you, it will get your range and fire. This cannon never misses. The final battle will require a task force of tanks to win. If you are successful in destroying the Fortress, the enemy surrenders and victory is yours! Scoring Even if you destroy the fortress, Beach-Head allows you to compete for high scores. Game scoring is as follows: Ships navigated safely through passage 3,000/ea. Airplanes 400/ea. Reconnaissance Plane 2000/ea. Carrier 10,000 Other Ships 2,000/ea. Enemy Tank 1,000/ea. Machine Gun 400/ea. Bunkers 800/ea. Towers 600/ea. Targets 2,000/ea. Kuhn-Lin Destroyed 20,000 Extra Ships (over 4) 2,000/ea. Winning Strategy Tips 1. Learn to navigate the secret passage. It is difficult to get your ships through initially, but if you take the time to learn to get your ships through, your score will be higher in the overall game. 2. When the enemy fighters are approaching, aim for the body of the airplane and do not use rapid fire until you zero in on the plane. 3. In the artillery sequence, make small changes in elevation by gently tapping the joystick. 4. When your tanks start down the beach, the enemy defense installations will usually lie in the only clear path to the fortress. You must anticipate where they will be to get a clear shot at them. When enemy tanks attack you they will try to stay in front of you. In order for your shell to hit them, you must stay in their line of fire until your shell is about to hit their tank before moving out of the way. 5. Attacking the Fortress -- If there are only a few targets left on Kuhn-Lin and you have a number of tanks left, you can increase your point total by using all your tanks before destroying the fortress. Be careful, because each time a tank succeeds in reaching the fortress, the following tanks have a much more difficult time. Additional Features Top 10 Display -- During the level selection, if you touch the "T" key, you can view the top ten scores and save them. Pause -- Push the START key to stop the action and the SELECT key to start again. Abort -- Press the system RESET button. Automatic Demo -- If left unattended for approximately one minute, the computer will take over and play the game by itself. You may take control at any time by simply moving the joystick. Caution: BEACH-HEAD IS PROTECTED AGAINST UNAUTHORIZED COPYING. Attempting to copy this disk may result in damage to your disk drive. ACCESS SOFTWARE 2561 SOUTH 1560 WEST, WOODS CROSS, UTAH 84087 ------- Typed up by Jeff Lodoen jlodoen@mega.megamed.com