Summer Games
multi-event sport game for Commodore 64, 1984
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
INTRODUCTION
Experience the power, the glory, the thrill and the challenge of the
world's greatest athletic competition: the SUMMER GAMES!
The awe-inspiring OPENING CEREMONY focuses on 3,000 years of noble
tradition as you proudly look on, ready to give your very best to
honor your country.
This is the moment you've worked and trained so long to achieve, to
test your skill under pressure against the best of the world's
athletes. You will try to excel in a whole spectrum of sports events
-- in track and field, swimming and diving, gymnastics, and skeet
shooting.
Boldness. Skill. Strategy. Determination. The marks of the true
champion. If you are victorious, you'll receive the champion's prize
-- the coveted GOLD MEDAL -- before the cheering multitude. Your
triumph might even go down in history as the greatest personal
performance ever!
Seize the moment!
Prepare for the ultimate challenge!
Taste the fruits of hard labor.
Give it your best and GO FOR THE GOLD!
OBJECTIVES
SUMMER GAMES offers a variety of sports competitions for 1 to 8
players. It challenges you with eight realistic events in swimming,
track, gymnastics, skeet shooting, pole vault, and diving.
Represent one of 18 countries as you compete in each event. Try to
win the most medals for the whole lineup of events! SUMMER GAMES
keeps scores, provides judges, and awards medals to the winners.
As you get better, try to break "World Records" and set new
performance standards. SUMMER GAMES also saves the names of record
holders and displays them on a special screen.
So, get in shape and try to beat the best. The whole world is
watching you!
STARTING PLAY
A spectacular opening ceremony welcomes you to the International
SUMMER GAMES. A runner arrives to light the etraditional flame and
white "peace doves" are released over the stadium.
After the opening ceremony a menu screen offers you a choice of six
options. To make your selection, use your joystick to move the cursor
to your choice, then press the Fire button. Or type the number key of
the option you want.
OPTION 1: COMPETE IN ALL THE EVENTS
Players compete in the complete series of events, in this order:
Pole Vault, Diving, 4 x 400-Meter Relay, 100-Meter Dash, Gymnastics,
Freestyle Relay, 100-Meter Freestyle, and Skeet Shooting.
o Players will first be asked to enter their names and pick their
countries.
o Type your name on the keyboard and press RETURN to enter.
o Push the joystick to move the cursor to one of the flags, then
press the Fire button to pick the country. (If you just want to
hear the anthem type: S.)
o Repeat name and country selection for each player. When all
competitors are finished, press RETURN.
o A verification screen will appear. If all names and countries are
correct, select YES with the joystick and press the Fire button, or
type: Y. To delete names and start again select NO or type: N.
OPTION 2: COMPETE IN ONE EVENT
o Similar to OPTION 1, but you only compete in the event you pick.
o Use the joystick to choose the event, then press the Fire button or
just type the key matching the number of the event (1-8).
OPTION 3: PRACTICE ONE EVENT
o Use the joystick to choose the event, then press the Fire button or
just typpe the key matching the number of the event (1-8). NO
SCORING RECORDS ARE KEPT DURING PRACTICE ROUNDS.
OPTION 4: NUMBER OF JOYSTICKS (1 or 2
o Select 1 or 2 by pressing the eFire button or type: 4.
o If you only have one joystick, plug it into Port #2 and select 1.
o If you have 2 joysticks, plug them both in and select 2. This will
let two players compete head to head in the swimming and running
events.
OPTION 5: SEE WORLD RECORDS
o Displays the highest score recorded in all events, with the name
and country of the player who achieved it.
OPTION 6: OPENING CEREMONIES
o Repeats the opening ceremonies.
THE GAMES
POLE VAULT
You need agility and superb timing to perform well in this event. It
takes sprinting, lifting, and gymnastic skills -- coordinated in split
seconds of fluid movement!
o The display along the bottom of the screen shows the competitor's
name and country, the bar height, and status messages.
o The bar height is initially set at 4 meters. A status message will
ask, "TRY THIS JUMP?"
o If you wish to compete at that height, push the joystick forward to
answer "YES." Or, pull the joystick back to answer "NO." The next
player then gets the same option. If all the players decide not to
jump, the bar is raised and the question is asked again.
NOTE: Competition CAN begin at any height up to 5 meters. When
the bar is raised to 5 meters, competition MUST begin before the
height is increased.
o After you accept a bar height, a status message asks you to "SELECT
POLE GRIP." Use the joystick to select your grip:
o Forward for HIGH o Left or right for MEDIUM o Back for LOW
(The high grip can give you more height, but the low grip is easier
to use for low jumps.)
o When the status message says, "READY TO JUMP:
o Press the Fire button to start running toward the bar.
o Pull the joystick BACK to plant yoour pole in the vault box
(which appears as a dark notch in the landing pad).
o Push the joystick FORWARD to kick up and flip over the bar.
o Press the Fire button to release the pole.
Timing is critical in this event. You can fail to clear the bar if
you:
o Plant the pole too soon or too late (missing the vault box).
o Kick up too soon (hitting the bar) or too late (letting the
pole fall against the bar).
o Release the pole too soon (losing control) or too late (letting
the pole fall against bar).
o You get three attempts to make a successful vault at each height.
Three successive failures eliminate you from competition in this
event.
o After each round, the bar height is raised.
o The winner of this event is the last player to be eliminated.
DIVING
Stand on a platform 30 feet above the water. Feel the tension rise as
the crowd watches your every move. It's time to show your "best stuff"
with four tricky dives: forward, backward, reverse, and inward. As you
take the plunge, remember: Form is Everything!
o Press the Fire button to take off from the diving board.
o Use the joystick to control your body position and rotation speed.
Push the stick:
o RIGHT for a full-tuck position, and the fastest rotation.
o BACK for a pike position, and the second-fastest rotation.
o LEFT for a half-pike position, and slower rotation.
o FORWARD for a layout position, and the slowest rotation.
o After every dive, the Judges' scores appear in boxes across the
center of the screen. A dive is considered perfect (for a score of
10 points) if the body enters the water vertically and fully
extended, either head- or feet-first. Any deviation from this
ideal entry position costs you points, with a minimum score of
zero.
o A second scoring factor is the Difficulty Rating, based on the
number of rotations and different positions achieved in a dive.
This Rating starts at 1.0, and can go as high as 4.1, increasing
with the complexity of the dive.
o The total points for each dive are calculated by eliminating the
high and low Judges' scores and multiplying by the Difficulty
Rating.
o To get a high score, attempt the most difficult dive you can
successfully perform. Easy dives get low Difficulty Ratings;
complex dives may earn low scores if they are executed poorly.
Remember both of the factors used in scoring this event.
o Three status displays give you this information:
o A DESCRIPTION screen names the next dive you are to perform.
o A DIVE RATING screen indicates the score for your performance.
o A CURRENT STANDINGS screen shows the total points won by all
the competitors in this event.
Press the Fire button to change screens.
o The winner of this event is the competitor who scores the most
points for the four dives.
4 x 400-METER RELAY
It takes speed, pacing, AND perfect teamwork from all four runners on
your relay team to win this exciting race. Be sure to watch their
vital signs closely -- a collapse could be a disaster. And remember,
don't fumble the baton!
o Press the Fire button to set your first runner at the starting
line.
o When both runners are in place, watch the countdown: "MARK...SET..."
The starting gun fires. "...GO!"
o Move the joystick to the RIGHT to start running.
o A false start means the countdown begins again. Be careful --
two false starts disqualify you.
o Move the joystick to control your runner's speed:
o CENTER for normal running.
o LEFT for "coasting."
o Pacing is crucial in this event, so watch the gauge at the bottom
of the screen to monitor your runner's energy reserves. When the
bar is long and white, your runner has plenty of energy. As the
bar disappears your energy is depleted.
o Control your runners' speed to move them as fast as possible
without becoming exhausted. They lose energy while sprinting
and regain it while "coasting."
o If a runner tries to sprint with little or no energy left, his
performance will drop off sharply. Make the runner coast to
reduce his speed and regain energy (but don't let him fall too
far behind!)
o Each of your runners has a different amount of stamina. Learn
their individual traits in order to decide how to control their pace.
o All runners tire more quickly in the first part of their "leg"
(or turn) than they do in the second part. Runner one can't
regain his energy as fast as runner four can, while runner two
loses energy faster than runner three.
o To pass the baton, press the Fire button. Time the pass for the
moment when both runners are close to each other; otherwise you'll
lose precious seconds while your progress stpos.
o When your fourth runner crosses the finish line, your race time
will appear in place of your name.
o The winner of this event is the team with the best time.
100-METER DASH
All-out SPEED is the key to winning this race!
o The Start procedure is the same as the 4 x 400-Meter Relay.
o When the race begins, increase your running speed by jiggling the
joystick as rapidly as you can, either side-to-side or up and down.
o The winner of this event is the runner who crosses the finish line
with the best time.
GYMNASTICS
This is the supreme test of grace and precision. Strive for a
performance of athletic artistry as you vault from a springboard to
the horse, then to the floor. The crowd will really appreciate your
attention to form!
o Press the Fire button to get set.
o Release the button to start your run.
o Press the button again to jump onto the springboard.
o You will get a more powerful vault nearer the edge of the
board. Jumping too soon or too late will make you miss the
board entirely, and you will have to start again. A second
miss will disqualify you from the round.
o Hold the joystick RIGHT or LEFT as you leave the springboard to
peform a 180 degree axial body twist. This maneuver increases the
difficulty of your performance and makes a higher score possible
(if you successfully complete your attempt).
o Press the Fire button to push off the horse. The most powerful
push-off occurs when the body is nearly vertical.
o In the air, move the joystick to control body position and rotation
speed:
o FORWARD for a full-tuck position, at fast rotation.
o CENTER for a layout position, at medium rotation.
o BACK for a landing position, at slow rotation. You must be in
this position for a correct landing.
o The scoring is based on both execution and difficulty, and is
displayed after your landing.
o EXECUTION is considered perfect if you land completely upright
on your feet. In a near-perfect landing, you take a step. Use
the joystick to straighten up, by pushing it in the opposite
direction that your gymnast is leaning. By making this
last-second correction, the landing will be judged successful,
with only a slight penalty. If your gymnast falls there will
be a greater score penalty.
o DIFFICULTY is judged by the number of different maneuvers
performed in mid-air. Scores are lowered by poor landings,
poor height off the horse and vaults that involve few maneuvers.
o The highest possible score is awarded for a perfect landing after a
180 degree twist, with maximum height from the horse, followed by
a triple somersault.
o The winner of the event is the competitor who scores the most
combined points for two consecutive vaults.
FREESTYLE RELAY
Be ready to spring from your starting block when the countdown reaches
"GO." Just a fraction of a second can decide this furious swimming
race. It takes power, coordination, and strategy to keep your four
swimmers ahead!
o Press the Fire button to position your first swimmer at the
starting block.
o When both swimmers are in place, watch the countdown.
"MARK...SET...GO!"
o Move the joystick to the RIGHT to jump into the water. Don't jump
too soon -- an early takeoff is a false start, and the countdown
will begin again. Three false starts disqualify you from the race.
o Press the Fire button every time your swimmer's arm enters the
water. This gives you a "power stroke," and more speed.
o When your swimmer reaches the far end of the pool, about half way
through the section marked with red floats, lean the joystick LEFT
for a kick-turn. Turning at just the right time gives you the best
head start for your return lap.
o As your swimmer completes the return lap, lean the joystick RIGHT
to start your next relay racer. The new swimmer should leave the
starting block just as his teammate reaches the end of the pool.
If you make this move too early or late, the action stops and
you'll lose precious time!
o When your fourth swimmer completes his return lap, the clock
displays your final time for the race.
o The winner of this event is the team with the best final time.
100-METER FREESTYLE
This race is just like the Freestyle Relay, except that a single
swimmer completes just two lengths of the pool. To win this "swimming
sprint," concentrate on getting a good start and keeping a strong power
stroke. Just a split second can be the margin of victory!
o The start, kick-turn and power stroke are controlled the same way
as in the Relay event.
o This race is over when your swimmer completes his return lap.
o The winner of this event is the swimmer with the best final time.
SKEET SHOOTING
Out on the SUMMER GAMES skeet range you need steady nerves, an eagle's
eye, and lightning reflexes to win this supreme test of marksmanship.
Learn the patterns of the clay pigeons, focus your attention, and keep
your sights steady as you fire away!
o Move the joystick to aim your gunsight.
o Remember, gravity slowly but constantly pulls the sight
downward, so your aim won't stay fixed unless you keep
correcting it. This means you can't just set your aim and wait
for a target. If you follow a target, the gravity effect is
very minor.
o Press the Fire button to release the targets from the trap houses
at the sides of the range, and again to shoot. You get only one
shot for a single target and two shots for a double target. Make
them count! One point is scored for each hit.
o Each round of shooting consists of 25 targets. They appear in a
standard sequence as you move through eight shooting positions.
Positions start from the left, move to the right, and finish at the
center station. Pay attention to the order in which targets are
thrown.
o The winner of this event is the shooter who scores the most hits in
a round of 25 targets.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Some useful keyboard shortcuts
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
[PAUSE] - stop/continue game
[F9] - quick load game state
[F12] - quick save game state (still stored after leaving the site)
[F11] - toggle fullscreen mode
[ScrollLock] - quick switch control ports
[PageDown] - make a screenshot (320x200)