******************************************************************************* Pole Position for Atari 8-bit Computers FAQ by BHodges Version 1.0 Created 11/1/03 This document Copyright 2003 by Brian Hodges. This FAQ is not to be posted without explicit permission by me. All trademarks and copyrights contained in this document are owned by their respective trademark and copyright holders. ******************************************************************************* Table of Contents I. Introduction II. Getting Started III. Playing the Game A. Driving and Basic Gameplay B. Qualifying Times C. Scoring D. Tips IV. My Top Score V. Game Review VI. Version History VII. Contact Information ******************************************************************************* I. Introduction This is a FAQ for the Atari 8-bit computer game Pole Position. It contains information on how to play the game and a mini-review. ******************************************************************************* II. Getting Started Press Option to change the race you will be running. Press Select to change the number of laps for that race. The default settings are Malibu Grand Prix with 4 laps. The four races you can choose are (increasing in difficulty) Practice Run, Malibu Grand Prix, Namco Speedway, and Atari Grand Prix. You can choose to have between 1 - 8 laps. Press Start when you are ready to race. ******************************************************************************* III. Playing the Game ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- A. Driving and Basic Gameplay The accelerator is always on, press the joystick button to brake. Press up on the joystick to shift into Lo gear, press down to shift into hi gear. You steer by pressing the joystick left or right. On the Practice Run, there are no other cars. In the other races there are. If you hit a car or an obstacle on the side of the road, you will wreck. Your car will regenerate, but you will lose valuable time. In the three actual races, you must first qualify, then race. Prepare to Qualify You get 90 seconds to qualify. To qualify you race until there is no more time left. Your position is determined by your lap time (see Qualifying Times section). There are no time extensions, so you will only get a chance to complete one lap. Prepare to Race During the race, you have a 75 second timer. If you complete the lap before the timer runs out, your time is extended by 54 seconds, otherwise your game is over. When time runs out, your car will steadily lose speed and come to a stop. If you manage to cross the finish line during this time, you will receive a time extension. Complete the required number of laps to finish the race. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- B. Qualifying Times Here are the times you must beat in order to start the race in that position: Position Lap Time 1st (Pole) 58"50 2nd 60"00 3rd 62"00 4th 64"00 5th 66"00 6th 68"00 7th 70"00 8th 73"00 If you're time is over 73 seconds, you didn't qualify and your game is over. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- C. Scoring Progress 50 points per every 5 meters traveled Passing 50 points per every car passed Time Bonus 200 points per second left on timer at race finish Qualifying Bonus 1st (Pole) 4000 points 2nd 2000 points 3rd 1400 points 4th 1000 points 5th 800 points 6th 600 points 7th 400 points 8th 200 points ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- D. Tips - Since the accelerator is always on, you don't have to worry about getting a good jump at the start. - If two cars are blocking your path, go ahead and slow down. Wait for an opening. This may cost you time, but not as much as if you had crashed. - Switch into hi gear when your speed reaches 100 mph. - Your top speed in lo gear is 105 mph and 195 mph for hi gear. - Remember that you must switch back to lo gear after a crash. - Instead of braking, switch to lo gear when going around curves. It also helps to stay on the inside of the curve. - Cars will never pass back by you. Once you have passed a car and it has disappeared offscreen, it is gone for good, you don't have to worry about it hitting you from behind. ******************************************************************************* IV. My Top Score My top score is 30,400 points. ******************************************************************************* V. Game Review This is a fun title, anyone with an Atari 8-bit computer should give this one a try. Pros - Better than the Atari 2600 port. - This is a fun racing game. - Pretty good graphics. Cons - Does any else ever find it strange that when you start the game on the pole, there will still be cars ahead of you in the race. - Missing the "Prepare to Qualify" digitized voice from the arcade game. ******************************************************************************* VI. Version History 1.0 11/1/03 Created FAQ. ******************************************************************************* VII. Contact Information You can contact me at Bhodges080@aol.com I would appreciate hearing what you thought of this guide and any thoughts you have for improving it. Be sure to let me know if I have missed anything. ******************************************************************************* End