VYPER GAME INSTRUCTIONS PREAMBLE ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- A hush fell as the Base Commander entered the makeshift briefing area and walked purposefully to the front of the room. All eyes were on him as he spoke. "Our worst fears have been confirmed. According to our latest intelligence and scouting reports, the Yark fleet has commenced its major offensive against the Federation planet line. As you well know, due to the sabotage effort made in our docking bay and crew quarters, only 20% of our forces remain in fighting condition." Several personnel winced at the reminder of the devasting effects that the pre-programmed droids had when the explosives that were hidden in them ripped through machine and man alike. Most of the surviving pilots that were able to make the briefing had been out on patrol or in other parts of the base during the catastrophe. Bitter memories of slain comrades were fresh in the minds of everyone in the room. "Although we were hit hard, it seems that most of our other bases in this quadrant were able to stop the sneak attacks before any damage was done. They will not however be able to spare any ships for our sector. It is up to you to individually go up against the Yark fighter squadrons and prevent them from outflanking this perimeter's defense line." "The odds will be tough. Each of you will have to face 100 waves of enemy fighters with greater than 20:1 odds each time before you get a chance at their main battleships. Watch yourselves, because Yark fighters come in fast and furious and don't stop for anything." "Tough indeed, but not impossible. You are the best trained fighter pilots in the galaxy, no Yark attack computer can match you if you stay sharp. Yarks can be predictable so keep moving, and don't get caught in a situation where there's no where to go. Analyze their patterns and find out a strategy." "That's all I have to say. You know your mission. Good Luck....." INTRODUCTION ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Congratulations on your selection of Vyper, the latest in arcade quality entertainment software from TopDown. This "shoot'em-up" style game incorporates all the classic features of its genre in order to give the user the maximum level of play. Vyper is a pioneed in its field as it represents one of the first arcade games published for the Amiga that takes place in real time, updating the screen 60 times every second. This, combined with exciting stereo sound effects, detailed graphics, and 100 levels of play allow Vyper to give you many hours of entertainment. We hope you enjoy this and future products from TopDown. GETTING STARTED ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- To start up Vyper, power up your Amiga and insert the game disk at the system Workbench prompt. While the game is automatically booting, it might be a good idea to make sure your Amiga is hooked up to the monitor for audio output. Although the Amiga monitor's speaker will suffice, you won't get the full benefit of Vyper's sound effects unless your computer is hooked up to an audio system capable of reproducing stereo sound. If you wish to play with a joystick, it should be plugged into the second mouse port. After a short wait, Vyper's title screen will appear and remain on the screen until you press a key, or joystick button. If no user action is detected, the game will automatically enter into a self-playing "demo" mode. To exit, press the ESC key. SELECTION SCREEN ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Vyper has several different parameters and options that can be adjusted and activated in order to customize your game. These are displayed in the selection screen, as shown below, and can be highlighted by moving the joystick up or down, using the up/down cursor keys, or pressing the appropriate function key. The current highlighted option can be selected by pressing the joystick button or hitting the RETURN key. Initial Level: 01 <-----> Start 1 Player Game F1 Start 2 Player Game F2 See Score Table F3 Initial Level allows you to select the first wave number your game will start at. This value can be adjusted from 01 to 50 with the left/right cursor keys or joystick. Start 1 Player Game and Start 2 Player Game begins play with the indicated number of particuipants at the appropriate level. Each player starts with three Vyper fighters, the game is usually over when the last ship is gone. In a two player game, users continue their turns until they have completed a level or until all ships have been lost, after which the next player faces another wave. The current player is indicated by the flashing "PLAYER 1" or "PLAYER 2" text above the score and number of ships remaining. See Score Table allows you to review the list of top players. After you have finished viewing the table, you can return to the selection screen by pressing the joystick button or any key. GAME CONTROLS ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- A joystick in port 2, or the left/right arrow keys in combination with the spacebar (firing), gives either player full control over Vyper. There are no additional keyboard commands to remember during normal game play, however the following commands perform functions that are at times useful. ESC: Exits game, and returns to selection menu. P: Pause Game. Resume play by pressing again. S: Toggles sound effects on/off. =============================================================================== Vyper docs brought to you by The Southern Star.