Crypts Of Chaos Atari 2600 FAQ/Strategy Guide Version: 1.1 Author: Rob 'Larcen Tyler' Adair Last Revision Date: 10/31/06 =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= This document is electronically published work Copyrighted ©2006 by Rob 'Larcen Tyler' Adair. Permission is granted to make a copy _ONLY_ as a personal reference copy, in which case the document _MUST_ remain in its original, unedited form. Any other reproduction is strictly prohibited. This document may not be used as a promotional item or for profitable means of any kind (even if no profit is intended to be gained.) This document is only allowed to appear on the GameFAQs website and no other website whatsoever, nor may any part of this document appear on any website for any reason whatsoever. Crypts of Chaos is Copyrighted ©1982 to 20th Century Fox. Atari 2600 and any accessories mentioned within are registered trademarks and/or copyrighted materials owned by Atari Games. GameFAQs is a registered trademark and copyrighted 1995-2006 by Jeff 'CJayC' Veasey. Any other names mentioned within not mentioned within this section are registered trademarks and/or copyrighted materials of their respective owners. Larcen Tyler is in no way affiliated with any of the companies listed above, or their affiliates in any way. No affiliation should be assumed for any reason whatsoever. =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= TABLE OF CONTENTS 1. REVISION HISTORY 2. HOW TO PLAY THE GAME 3. THE DIFFERENT AREAS OF THE CRYPTS 4. MONSTERS 5. ITEMS 6. SCORING INFORMATION 7. TIPS 8. CONTACT INFORMATION 9. CREDITS =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= 1. REVISION HISTORY Version 1.0 04/06/06: First wrote this guide, since it's very underrated yet very complex in my opinion. Not yet complete, though, since I need to find a way to get the maze layouts somehow. Version 1.1 10/31/06: Not much of an update, just fixed some 'typos' and added a small tidbit of information. Next chance I get to update this guide I promise I will add the layout of the first maze. =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= 2. HOW TO PLAY THE GAME You are a brave adventurer who has decided to venture into the Crypts of Chaos, knowing fully well that many have ventured into it, yet none have returned. They have all fallen victim to the monsters that inhabit the crypts, including trolls, dragons, and giant blobs, all intent on making this crypt your final resting spot! You are not defenseless, however, as you have been given special items that will aid in your quest. Now get ready to enter the crypts. BEGINNING YOUR ADVENTURE: Set up your Atari 2600 and plug a joystick into the left controller jack. Crypts of Chaos is for one player only. The difficulty switches adjust the rate of encountering monsters. Setting both switches to B (right position) will set it to the standard rate. Setting one difficulty switch to A (left position) will double that rate. Setting both switches to A will result in the rate being quadrupled! Use the Game Select switch to choose one of four game settings: GAME 1: You start on Floor 5 with 127 wand charges and 31 ring charges. GAME 2: You start on Floor 9 with 63 wand charges and 15 ring charges. GAME 3: You start on Floor 13 with 31 wand charges and 7 ring charges. GAME 4: You start on Floor 1 with 255 wand charges and 63 ring charges. (The TV Type switch isn't used in this game.) Once you are happy with your selection, press the Game Reset switch. PLAYING THE GAME: The game is played from a first-person perspective (yes, on the Atari 2600!) and uses a control scheme that may seem a bit awkward at first. You have two cursors on the bottom of the screen. The top one is pretty much your position when you are battling a creature. It indicates where your weapons will go when you use them. Move the joystick left and right to move the cursor. The bottom cursor allows you to choose items. Move the joystick left and right to choose an item. When you want to use an item, press the button on the joystick. To switch cursors, move the joystick down to change items, or up to go into movement mode. You can only move when you are in movement mode. To move forward, push the joystick forward and hold it. The movements are a little slow and jerky, but don't worry, it's not your joystick. To turn left or right, move the cursor to the edge of the screen that corresponds to the direction you wish to turn. A beeping noise will let you know that you have turned successfully. You can't move when a monster is approaching you. You'll know because you'll hear a musical tune (or some kind of constant noise) as it slowly approaches you. You must select an item, and then use the top cursor to aim it and press the button to use it. (See below for more details on items.) Once a monster is defeated, you are free to move on. =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= 3. THE DIFFERENT AREAS OF THE CRYPTS Each area within the Crypts is color coded, so you know where you are. The different areas are: CORRIDOR (green): The most common area within the crypts, they only go in one direction, meaning that you cannot turn to the sides, but you can turn around and go back the way you came. T-INTERSECTION AND DEAD END (bright red): If you are getting close to a T- Intersection or a Dead End, you will stop suddenly and you will see an opening in front of you. You will need to move the joystick forward again to move into this room. Once inside, one of two things can occur. If there are wall segments visible on the outer edges of the screen, then it's a dead end, and you must make a U-Turn to leave. If, however, you don't see any edges, then you're at a T-Intersection, and can either turn left or right. It is possible to move to another T-Intersection or a Dead End from an Intersection without seeing the opening as described above. 4-WAY INTERSECTION (blue): Unlike the T-Intersections and Dead Ends, you will not see an opening that stops you. Instead, you will automatically enter the 4-WAY INTERSECTION. From here, you can turn in either direction or keep going forwards. MONSTER LAIR (purple): This is what you're looking for. There are eight Monster Lairs on each floor. You will see an opening right before you enter, meaning that you'll have to move forward manually again, but once you're inside, get your weapon ready, as a monster will be guarding the treasures. Once you've slain it, move the cursor to the bag icon on the bottom left and press the button. A bar will extend from your cursor, indicating how much treasure you've found, and your score will increase too. Once you are done in a Monster Lair, you must make a U-Turn to get out. STAIRCASES (dark red): Staircases can take you up or down. =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= 4. MONSTERS There are eight monsters lurking within the Crypts of Chaos. They are, from weakest to strongest: TROLL (looks like a stick figure) FROG (self-explanatory) SNAKE (looks like a coiled cobra) SKULL (looks like a bouncing face) BLOB (weird triangular shaped thing with a hole in it) EYE (giant eye that blinks as it comes towards you) WIZARD (hard to describe, looks like it's extending its arm) DRAGON (needs no explanation!) In addition, the monsters will be colored to show how powerful they are. Again from weakest to strongest: GREEN VIOLET BRONZE LIGHT BLUE RED DARK BLUE LAVENDER GOLD The first floor of the crypt starts off guarded by trolls, and then frogs appear on the second floor. Snakes appear on the third floor, and so on, untill you reach the eighth floor, where all eight monsters can appear at any time from there untill the eighteenth floor. =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= 5. ITEMS Your items are displayed on the bottom of the screen, and can be selected by tilting the joystick downward, and then moving it left or right to move the inventory cursor in that direction. The items are as follows, from left to right: TREASURE SACK (looks like a bomb!): When you are in a lair, and you have slain the monster residing within, press this button to loot the lair. You'll gain points for this. Your cursor will also increase to show how much treasure you gained. SWORD (looks like a left-pointing arrow): The sword has a short range, but is the only weapon that can be used an unlimited number of times. However, wizards can't be harmed by the sword. WAND (small line with four dots surrounding it on the right side): The wand has a limited number of charges depending on what game variation you are playing, but will cover a longer range. Dragons can't be harmed by the wand. RING (circle): This is the most powerful weapon, as each use will drain hits from a monster and add them to your hit count. This item has a very low number of uses, so use it sparingly. PEACE (peace symbol): If you encounter a troll, eye, wizard, or dragon, you can attempt to convince them to leave you alone by using the peace symbol. However, you will gain no points for doing so. In addition, you can't use it in a Monster Lair. U-TURN (an arrow that is shaped like an upside down U): Using a U-Turn will make you turn 180 degrees, which is useful when leaving a Monster Lair or if you are at a dead end. You can't use this when you are encountering a monster. =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= 6. SCORING INFORMATION Points are awarded for defeating monsters, with increasing values for tougher monsters and higher difficulty color. (At this time, exact point values aren't known.) You also earn points for looting Monster Lairs. Your score is displayed on the top-right part of the screen, and your hit points are shown on the top-left part. You start with 90 hit points, and when a monster gets too close to you, your hit points will be reduced. (Exact amounts are unknown at this time as well, although I believe that the type of monster and difficulty is a factor.) If your hit points drop to 0 at any time, the game is over. The game also ends if you exit the crypt on the first floor. You can only regain hit points by using the ring. If you manage to loot all eight Monster Lairs, you will receive a bonus of ten extra charges for your wand, and two charges for your ring when you descend to the next floor. While there are no official rankings in this game, the manual lists the following ratings that are given for scores attained: SERF: 0-1000 Points PAGE: 1000-2000 Points COURTIER: 2000-3000 Points KNIGHT: 3000-4000 Points NOBLE: 4000 or more Points. =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= 7. TIPS -This game is very difficult, especially because of the somewhat stiff controls, so it may take a few playthroughs to get the hang of it. -When you first start every game, you will always encounter a monster, so be ready to fight. -Try to save your ring for when your hits are running low. It's best to use your wand on tougher enemies, and save the sword for weaker opponents. -If you're running low on hits and you don't have any charges left in your ring, remember that you can always use the peace symbol to drive off some monsters. You won't earn any points, but it's better than biting the dust. -And of course, even when the crypts are darkest, don't forget to HAVE FUN! =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= 8. CONTACT INFORMATION READ THIS BEFORE YOU SEND ME ANY E-MAIL! The following types of E-Mail I will _NOT_ accept under any circumstances: -Mail that contains flaming (insults) or offensive content within. If you don't have anything nice to say, then don't say anything! -Spam/Advertisements of any kind. This is against the law, and will not be taken lightly. -Asking if you can use this on your website/in your FAQ/Magazine/anything like that will not be tolerated. In case you missed it, I specifically stated that I won't allow it in the disclaimer section at the beginning. The following types of E-Mail I will accept: -Suggestions and/or constructive criticism. -Strategies of your own. -Any information I may have left out in this version. -Generally, anything that will help me improve this guide in future revisions! (Make sure you put "Crypts of Chaos Guide" as your subject line.) -Specifically, if you have any information for the games which I did not test yet, let me know. You can reach me at: LarcenTyler7650 (AT) yahoo (DOT) com =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= 9. CREDITS Well, the guide may not be complete yet, but it's a start, and I owe it all to those who made it possible: -My mother, for playing Atari and passing her love for it onto me. -Atari, for putting out the Atari 2600. -John W.S. Marvin, for managing to squeeze an RPG-like game into an Atari 2600 cartridge. -AtariAge (www.atariage.com) for providing me with a typed copy of the manual that gave me some of the information I needed for this guide. -Jeff 'CJayC' Veasey, for such a great website where FAQ writers (like me!) can post our work. -Very special thanks to Michael Rideout, a fellow user of the AtariAge forums, whose scanning and uploading the Crypts of Chaos manual is something I cannot thank him enough for. -But, there's only one person more important than anyone whom I must credit, and that's YOU, for reading my guide! =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= ©2006 Rob 'Larcen Tyler' Adair All rights reserved.