Organization: University of Illinois at Chicago Date: Monday, 19 Aug 1991 10:43:46 CDT From: Darius Vaskelis ||| ||| ATARI Lynx "Frequently Asked Questions" List! Updated: 8/19/91 / | \ Part 1 of 2: General Lynx Questions This list is not maintained by, or overseen by, or even breathed on by, Atari Corp. or any subsidiaries. It's just a collection of questions and answers. This list is maintained by Darius Vaskelis at U39648@uicvm.uic.edu on Internet, and U39648@UICVM on BITNET. Please send any corrections, suggestions, questions, etc. to either of these addresses. There are bound to be some inaccuracies in this list, so please let me know about them if you find any. The latest copy of this list can usually be found posted on rec.games.video on UseNET. Part 2 of the list are questions and answers specific to games and consists mainly of bonus point instructions, easter eggs, code lists, and game maps. In other words, part 2 has SPOILERS. Questions and answers have been gathered from public discussions and forums dealing with the Atari Lynx. My thanks to all those who helped with the creation of this FAQ, and especially to Robert Jung. Without his help, this FAQ would not exist. ========================================================================= Q. What is the Atari Lynx? A. The world's first hand-held color video game system. Sold by Atari, the Lynx offers true multi-player competition, built-in 3D and distortion graphic effect, reversible controls, and fast arcade action for under $100. ========================================================================= Q. What's the relation between the Atari Lynx and Epyx? A. The Lynx was originally conceived by Epyx in 1987. It was called the "Handy" at that time. Two creators of the system, Dave Needle and R.J. Mical, were also members of the Amiga design team. Atari bought the rights, and the rest is history. Epyx continues to develop original games for the Lynx, and performs the data encryption of Lynx game cards. ========================================================================= Q. What's the difference between the original Lynx ("Lynx Classic") and the new Lynx ("Lynx II")? A. The new Lynx is a bit smaller and lighter than the original Lynx. It has a slightly longer battery life, and can also just turn the screen off during a game pause to save batteries. (The original Lynx had a five minute auto-power shut-off that would have prevented this from being useful. It is gone in the new Lynx.) A power LED has been added, and cartridges can be slipped in a little bit easier. The only differences in a technical sense is that the new Lynx has a more efficient internal design, and the headphone jack supports stereo sound. ========================================================================= Q. What are the specifications of the Lynx? A. Physical dimensions: Size: 9.25" x 4.25" x 2" (10.75" x 4.25" x 1.5" for original Lynx) Screen: 3.5" diagonal (3.25" x 1.88" approx.) Speaker: 2" diameter Buttons: Two sets of two fire (A and B) Two option (OPTION 1 and OPTION 2) Pause (||) (OPTION 1 + || = RESTART game, OPTION 2 + || = FLIP for left-handed players) Recessed power on (Power LED not on original Lynx) Power off Backlight (not on original Lynx) Joypad: Eight directional Controls: Volume Brightness Ports: Headphones (mini-DIN 3.5" stereo, mono on original Lynx) ComLynx (multi-player) Power (9V DC, 1 A) Game card slot Battery holder (six AA) For the technically minded, the Lynx has two basic chips that form a cooperative set of co-processing subsystems that maximize the Lynx's performance by sharing the work of executing a game program. These chips are called Mikey and Suzy. Mikey (16-bit custom CMOS chip running at 16MHz) - Motorola 65C02 processor running at 4MHz 8MHz sequential memory access to the first 256-byte page 8-bit CPU, 16-bit address space - Sound engine 4 channel sound 8-bit DAC for each channel (4 channels x 8-bits/channel = 32 bits commonly quoted) Range of 100Hz to well above the range of human hearing Stereo with panning (mono for original Lynx) - Video DMA driver for LCD display - System timers - Interrupt controller - UART (for ComLynx) - 512 bytes of bootstrap and game-card loading ROM Suzy (16-bit custom CMOS chip running at 16MHz) - Blitter (bit-map block transfer) unit - Graphics engine Hardware drawing support Unlimited number of high-speed sprites with collision detection Hardware high-speed sprite scaling, distortion, and tilting effects Hardware decoding of compressed sprite data Hardware clipping and multi-directional scrolling Variable frame rate (up to 60 frames/second) 4096 color (12-bit) palette 16 simultaneous colors (4 bits) from palette at one time 160 x 102 "triad" standard resolution (16,320 addressable pixels) (A triad is three LCD elements: red, green, and blue) Capability of 480 x 102 artificially high resolution - Math co-processor Hardware 16-bit multiply and divide (32-bit answer) True parallel processing in math-intensive applications The Lynx contains 64K (half a megabit) of 120ns DRAM. Game-cards currently hold 128K (2 megabits) or 256K (4 megabits) of ROM, but there seems to be a capability of up to 2M (16 megabits) on one game-card. With alkaline batteries, the reasonable average battery life is 5 hours. (4 hours with the original Lynx) The Lynx can run off rechargeable ni-cad batteries, but average battery life drops drastically to 1.5 hours per recharge. (1 hour for the original Lynx) Your milage may vary. ========================================================================= Q. Why does the Lynx use a 6502 and not a 68000? A. From R.J. Mical, one of the Lynx's creators: Some people believe it's less of a processor than the 68000, for example. That series of chip was used in the Amiga, but it wouldn't make our machine do things any better. In fact, it would only make the unit larger and more expensive. It's also harder to write 68000 code, so we definitely made the right decision. ========================================================================= Q. Is there a TV tuner option for the Lynx? A. No. ========================================================================= Q. What's the ComLynx port like? A. There's no known limit on the number of Lynxes that can be connected together, and ComLynx runs from 300.5 to 62.5K baud. It works on a "listen and send" structure. Data transmission between Lynxes is done in the background, freeing up the CPU to run the game instead of communicating. It's called "RedEye" in-house at Atari. It uses a three-wire cable (+5V/Ground/Data) and allows for bi-directional serial communications. The system frames messages in terms of 11-bit words, each consisting of a start bit, eight data bits, a parity bit, and a stop bit. ========================================================================= Q. What are all of the current Lynx games available in the United States? A. Current Lynx Games List: Title Stereo? Players Description ----------------- ------- ------- --------------------------------- Block Out no 1 3D Tetris-like game Blue Lightning no 1 High-speed jet combat California Games no 1-4* Harmless fun in the sun and sand Chip's Challenge no 1 Scrolling mazes and puzzles Electrocop no 1 3D rescue mission adventure Fidelity Ultimate 1-2# Chess against the computer or a Chess Challenge no friend Gates of Zendocon no 1 Shoot-em-up space game Gauntlet: The no 1-4 Fight through dungeons for a gem Third Encounter Klax yes 1 Catch and position color tiles Ms. Pac-Man no 1 Run the mazes and eat the dots Ninja Gaiden no 1 Street fighting game Pac-Land no 2 Run and jump through Pac-Land Paperboy no 1 Deliver newspapers, keep your job Rampage no 1-4 Be a monster and destroy cities Road Blasters yes 1 Auto racing with guns and rockets Robo-Squash yes@ 1-2 3D racqetball Rygar no 1 Run and jump to fight the beasts Shanghai no 1-2 Remove all tiles from 7 layouts Slime World no 1-8 Explore slimy caves for treasure Warbirds no 1-4 WW-I dogfight simulator Xenophobe yes 1-4 Arcade alien fighting game Zarlor Mercenary no 1-4 Scrolling shoot-em-up * Manual says 1-2 players, 1-4 is possible # Two players on *one* Lynx, not ComLynx! @ Ball "bounce" in left ear, "shatter" of midfield pieces in right. Only the spider that runs around the screen when the field is cleared and the title theme music is done in "proper" stereo. ========================================================================= Q. What are some of the upcoming Lynx games? A. Upcoming Lynx Games List: Note: This list is hardly definitive. It's based on many sources, and in some cases, it just might be dead wrong. Games also often change from pre-release to production. Title Players Description ----------------- ------- ------------------------------------------ A.P.B. 1 Be a cop, drive the car, go on patrol Barbarian Bodyguard ? ??? Baseball Heroes 1-4? The all-American ball game Basketbrawl 1-4 Hoops with no rules and lots of weapons Bill & Ted's 1-2 A radical adventure through time, dude Excellent Adventure Cabal 1-2? Shoot for your country and your freedom Checkered Flag 1-6 Indy auto racing, with track editor Dirty Larry 1? Take your gun and blow the punks away Crystal Mines II 1 Dig for wealth in 100 puzzling caves Geo Duel 1-4? Move light walls to conquer the world Golf Challenge 1 Go for par on 18 courses Grid Runner 1-4 Jet-flying ball-slamming 3D sport Hard Drivin' 1 Stunt and speed driving with real physics Hockey 1-4? Blood and guts all over the ice H.Y.D.R.A. 1 Drive your boat-plane for whoever's paying Ishido: The Way of 1 Place colored stones in a mental challenge the Stones Joust 1-2 Fly your ostrich and dismount other fliers Kung Food 1? Martial arts against killer vegetables Krazy Ace Minature 1? Putt for par against zany obstacles. Comes Golf with course construction kit Lynx Casino 1-4 Go gambling without risking real money NFL Football 1-4 American football, pure and simple Pinball Shuffle 1 3 famous Williams' pinballs on a Lynx Pit Fighter 1-3? Fight for fame and money in sleazy bars Qix 1 Use colored boxes to trap the helix Raiden 1-2? You vs. the aliens in a scrolling shooter Robotron 1 Save the last humans from killer robots Rolling Thunder 1 One agent against the evil empire Scrapyard Dog 1 Run and jump to rescue your pet 720 1 Skateboarding for fame and profit S.T.U.N Runner 1 Tunnel warfare at 700mph Taxi 1? The pinball game now on a Lynx Time Lord ? ??? Toki 1 Can an ape beat the wizard? Tournament 1-4 Robots and exploding balls all for Cyberball 2072 futuristic gridiron action Turbo Sub 1-2 3D warfare above and below the ocean Viking Child 1 Go on an adventure to save the princess Vindicators 1-2 Use your tank to destroy space stations Volleyball 1-4? Ball-bouncing fun on the beach World Class Soccer 1-4 Football for the rest of the world Xybots 1-2 Destroy the robots in 3D mazes ========================================================================= Q. Can anybody tell me how to buff my BADLY scratched Lynx screen? Where can I get it, and most of all, what should I buy? A. Get some "plastic scratch remover" or "plexiglass scratch remover." You can find it in hardware stores, or look in your Yellow Pages under "Plastics." ========================================================================= Q. What are sources for Lynx information? A. Publications: - A.P.E. Newsletter Dedicated Lynx newsletter ("A.P.E." 2104 N. Kostner stands for "Atari Portable Chicago, IL 60639 Entertainment"). Write to Clinton GEnie: C.SMITH89 Smith. Published quarterly, cost is $6.00(?) a year. - Atari Explorer Atari's official magazine. Lynx P.O. Box 6488 information is periodic, but often Duluth, MN 55806 early and biased. - AtariUser Atari-oriented magazine. Lynx news 113 W. College Street and reviews on a regular basis. Covina, CA 91723-2008 Subscription is $19.95 (12 issues), free at newsstands. - Electronic Gaming Monthly General video-gaming magazine with 1920 Highland Avenue some Lynx coverage. Will often get Suite 222 screen shots and reports of new Lombard, IL 60148 games before other publications. - Game Player's General video-gaming and computer- P.O. Box 29364 gaming magazine. Lynx news often in Greensboro, NC 27429 news articles and in the dedicated Atari column. - Gamepro General video-gaming magazine with P.O. Box 3329 some Lynx coverage. Redwood City, CA 94064 - Video Games & Computer General video-gaming and computer- Entertainment gaming magazine. Lynx news often in 9171 Wilshire Blvd., Suite 300 news articles and in the dedicated Beverly Hills, CA 90210 portable-gaming column. Usenet newsgroup: - rec.games.video often contains Lynx reviews and discussions Internet FTP sites: - atari.archive.umich.edu or terminator.cc.umich.edu (141.211.164.8): /pub/atari/portadd has back-issues of Portable Addiction, a newsletter about the Atari Lynx, Sega Game Gear, and Atari Portfolio. Subscribe by sending a note to a15@nikhefh.nikhef.nl. /pub/atari/misc contains lynx.txt.Z, a compressed file with some GEnie roundtable discussions on the Lynx. - coyote.cs.wmich.edu (141.218.40.40): /pub/Lynx contains all kinds of Lynx information and goodies, primarily an archive for interesting information on the Lynx from rec.video.games on Usenet. Internet TELNET site: - Cleveland Free-net AtariSIG freenet-in-a.cwru.edu or cwns16.ins.cwru.edu (129.22.8.82) freenet-in-b.cwru.edu or cwns9.ins.cwru.edu (129.22.8.75) freenet-in-c.cwru.edu or cwns10.ins.cwru.edu (129.22.8.76) You can log on as a visitor to explore the system. Once inside the Free-net, type "go lynx". Follow the menus to read Lynx related discussions and reviews. BBS: - STAR-LINX BBS (602) 464-4817, 300/1200/2400 bps It's located in Mesa, Arizona (USA) and has a Lynx Club. Be sure to have your California Games game-card handy when you call to gain higher access. Online service: - GEnie Atari ST Roundtable BBS, Category 36 ========================================================================= Q. What's the Lynx developer's kit like? A. Hardware: - Commodore Amiga computer: 3M RAM and hard disk. - Howard board: A parallel-interface module that has the electronics of the Lynx, also with debugging tools. It's also called "Howdy." Software: - Handy-Bug: A powerful symbolic debugger, also contains a dis- assembler. - Handicraft: Graphics translator that takes IFF files and turns them into coded Lynx sprite definitions. - HSFX: Sound editor - Macro libraries - Example programs - Notebook of system documentation ("about 3 1/2 inches thick... we've stopped counting pages") plus updates A full Lynx Developer's Kit currently costs around $5,000. ========================================================================= END of ATARI Lynx "Frequently Asked Questions" List Part 1 of 2. # # # # # # # # # # # # # # # # # # # # Organization: University of Illinois at Chicago Date: Monday, 19 Aug 1991 10:43:46 CDT From: Darius Vaskelis ||| ||| ATARI Lynx "Frequently Asked Questions" List! Updated: 8/19/91 / | \ Part 2 of 2: Specific Lynx Game Questions This list is not maintained by, or overseen by, or even breathed on by, Atari Corp. or any subsidiaries. It's just a collection of questions and answers. This list is maintained by Darius Vaskelis at U39648@uicvm.uic.edu on Internet, and U39648@UICVM on BITNET. Please send any corrections, suggestions, questions, etc. to either of these addresses. There are bound to be some inaccuracies in this list, so please let me know about them if you find any. The latest copy of this list can usually be found posted on rec.games.video on Usenet. Part 1 of the list has general Lynx questions and answers. Questions and answers have been gathered from public discussions and forums dealing with the Atari Lynx. My thanks to all those who helped with the creation of this FAQ, and especially to Robert Jung. Without his help, this FAQ would not exist. Some information was too long to be included in this FAQ. Such removed information is noted in the FAQ as being in a file called LYNXFAQ.ZIP. To receive this file, send a note to U39648@uicvm.uic.edu on Internet, or U39648@UICVM on BITNET and request one of the following formats: 1. LYNXFAQ.ZIP (PKZIP 1.0 format) in binary form (BITNET only!) 2. LYNXFAQ.ZIP in uuencoded form 3. LYNXFAQ.ZOO (ZOO 2.0 format) in binary form (BITNET only!) 4. LYNXFAQ.ZOO in uuencoded form ************************************************************************* * * *WARNING WARNING WARNING WARNING WARNING WARNING WARNING WARNING WARNING* * * * This second section of the FAQ contains SPOLIERS for certain games! * * STOP reading now if you are not interested in wrecking a game you're * * working on. You have been warned! * * * *SPOILERS SPOILERS SPOILERS SPOILERS SPOILERS SPOILERS SPOILERS SPOILERS* * * ************************************************************************* ========================================================================= Q. Are there any "easter eggs" in Zarlor Mercenary? A. Yep. It's a re-occuring theme on the Lynx: Conway's Game of Life. ACCESSING LIFE: The game of LIFE is accessed through the character selection screen of Zarlor Mercenary. Turn on your Lynx with the Zarlor Mercenary game card inserted. Press the fire button twice to get to the character selection screen. At this point you must hold down OPTION 1 while moving the joypad as follows: Up, Down, Left, Right, Up. At this point your screen should say LIFE and there will be a LIFEform known as a 'glider' moving across the screen diagonally. It will go off the edge of the screen and return on the bottom, eventually running into the cells forming the word LIFE and causing the chain reaction that destroys the title screen. Before the title screen is destroyed you may try the following controls: 1. Moving the joypad or pressing either OPTION button or PAUSE will stop the current evolution of LIFE. 2. Pressing OPTION 1 to continue the evolution puts LIFE into a mode where cells that reach the edge of the screen wrap around to the other side. 3. Pressing OPTION 2 to continue the evolution puts LIFE into a mode where cells that reach the edge of the screen behave as though they have reached a solid wall. This may be useful if 'gliders' that are launched are disrupting your LIFEforms. 4. Pressing either BUTTON A or BUTTON B puts LIFE into DRAWING MODE. DRAWING MODE: Access DRAWING MODE by pressing BUTTON A or BUTTON B while LIFE is evolving or after the current LIFEform has reached a stable state. You can tell you are in DRAWING MODE because the joypad will be in control of your cursor, a set of green crosshairs. While n in DRAWING MODE, your controls behave as follows: 1. Moving the joypad with BUTTON A depressed will allow you to draw. 2. Moving the joypad with BUTTON B depressed will allow you to erase. 3. Pressing OPTION 1 or OPTION 2 will allow your LIFEform to evolve evolve, as described in 2 and 3 in the above ACCESSING LIFE section. 4. Pressing RESTART will cause the screen to be cleared, you will remain in the DRAWING MODE. 5. Pressing FLIP will copy the current screen to the backup screen buffer. 6. Pressing PAUSE and BUTTON A will put you in COPY MODE. 7. Pressing PAUSE and BUTTON B will put you in PASTE/ERASE MODE. COPY MODE: Access COPY MODE by holding down PAUSE and pressing BUTTON A while in DRAWING MODE. You can tell you are in COPY MODE because the green crosshairs will be onscreen with the word COPY in green below and slightly to the right of the crosshairs. While in COPY MODE, your controls behave as follows: 1. Pressing either OPTION 1 or 2 will return you to drawing mode. 2. Holding down PAUSE and pressing either OPTION 1 or OPTION 2 will evolve your LIFEform frame-by-frame. Note that the OPTION button used determines whether screen wrap is on or off. 3. Pressing BUTTON A sets one corner coordinate of a box that you can draw. Pressing BUTTON A again sets the other corner coordinate of the box. Anything within the box is now in your COPY BUFFER. You are now in PASTE/ERASE MODE. 4. Holding down PAUSE and pressing BUTTON A takes you to the LIFEform library, a screen full of goodies for you to put into your COPY BUFFER. After selecting a LIFEform or group of LIFEforms, you will be in PASTE/ERASE MODE. You may press BUTTON A a second time to get to the backup screen buffer, where you can make copies from your saved image. 5. Holding down PAUSE and pressing BUTTON B takes you directly to PASTE/ERASE MODE, using whatever was last put in your COPY BUFFER. If you haven't yet selected anything, you may get garbage. PASTE/ERASE MODE: Access PASTE/ERASE MODE either by holding PAUSE and pressing BUTTON B while in DRAWING MODE, or by going to COPY MODE and selecting LIFEforms from your screen or the library screen. You can tell you are in PASTE/ERASE MODE because your joypad now controls whatever you have in your COPY BUFFER. While in PASTE/ERASE MODE, your controls behave as follows: 1. Pressing either OPTION 1 or OPTION 2 will return you to DRAWING MODE. 2. Pressing BUTTON A will allow you to paste your COPY BUFFER. 3. Pressing BUTTON B will allow you to erase using your COPY BUFFER. 4. Holding PAUSE and pressing BUTTON B will flip your COPY BUFFER any one of eight possible ways. 5. Pressing RESTART will cause the screen to be cleared, you will remain in the PASTE/ERASE MODE. 6. Pressing PAUSE and BUTTON A will put you in COPY MODE. CREDITS: Documentation and discovery of LIFE by Jeff Kovach, SysOp STAR-LINX BBS. Discovery of COPY MODE and LIFEform library by Todd Ellering, Co-SysOp STAR-LINX BBS. The above is (c)1991 STAR-LINX BBS. (The STAR-LINX BBS is in Mesa, AZ at 602-464-4817, and has a Lynx Club. Be sure to have your California Games game-card handy when you call to gain higher access.) ========================================================================= Q. Are there any special bonuses in Blue Lightning? A. In mission four, Canyon Run, use your afterburners at the beginning of the mission just as you're starting to enter the canyons. "You've got guts!" will be displayed and 30,000 points (Gusty bonus) will be added to your score at the end of the level. When in the canyons, use the afterburners. "You're crazy!!" will be displayed and 65,000 points (Lunatic bonus) will be added at the end of the level. (If you get both bonuses, it will only display the Lunatic bonus, but you will get points for both.) A good place for the second bonus is right before you enter the second set of mountains. ========================================================================= Q. What are the codes for the 9 missions on Blue Lightning? A. 1-AAAA 2-PLAN 3-ALFA 4-BELL 5-NINE 6-LOCK 7-HAND 8-FLEA 9-LIFE ========================================================================= Q. Are there any "easter eggs" in Road Blasters? A. Hit the first tree on either side of the road, hold down the B button on the first level. Or, drive slowly on the right side of the road. Inch forward to the first tree, and wait until it disappears, and press the B button. You can now use OPTION 1 and OPTION 2 to select your *next* level. You'll also get the pictures of the programmers. (You can also drive down the left or right side of the road holding the B button...) ========================================================================= Q. Are there any "easter eggs" in Todd's Adventure in Slime World? A. It has a hidden Zit Popping game. Go to the summary screen, and then go to the screen where Todd is green. Press OPTION 1 and you'll see a zit. Blow it up by hitting buttons as fast as you can. ========================================================================= Q. Where are the "super secret doors" on Slime World? A. There's one on level 6. As soon as you enter, shoot the floor immediately to the right of Todd. The floor will open up to another level. There are others. ========================================================================= Q. What are the restart codes on Slime World? A. There's a list by Kale Swindell, available in the LYNXFAQ.ZIP file mentioned in the beginning of this document. ========================================================================= Q. What are the codes for the doors in ElectroCop? Level 1 D1 = 2473 -> Level 2 Level 7 D1 = 6021 -> Level 4 D2 = 9874 -> Level 2 D2 = 5824 -> Level 9 D3 = 8743 -> Weapons Level 8 D1 = 7698 -> Level 6 Level 2 D1 = 3287 -> Lvl 7 (Right) Lvl 3 (Left) Level 9 D1 = 0170 -> Pla.Cannon D2 = 5409 -> Empty D2 = 1092 -> Empty D3 = 7102 -> TriLaser Level 3 D1 = 9284 -> Level 4 D4 = 4726 -> Empty D2 = 7210 -> Level 4 D5 = 1375 -> Level 11 D3 = 3936 -> Smart Bomb D6 = 2857 -> Bi-Laser D4 = 7395 -> Plasma Cannon D7 = 6998 -> Tri-Laser D5 = 8294 D8 = 1798 -> Tri-Laser D9 = 4321 -> Level 1 Level 4 D1 = 0394 -> Weapons Level 10 Left Exit -> Level 11 Level 5 D1 = 8658 -> Weapons Middle Exit -> Level 9 D2 = 5462 -> Door 7 Right Exit -> Level 2 D3 = 9973 -> End of Game D4 = 7642 -> Door 1 Level 11 D1 = 0293 -> Bi-Laser D5 = 0912 -> Door 2 Left Exit -> Level 3 D6 = 0974 -> Door 3 Right Exit -> Level 12 D7 = 7865 -> Door 4 D8 = 4285 -> Door 5 Level 12 D1 = 2987 -> Pl.Cannon Stingrays -> Level 10 D2 = 6473 -> Pl.Cannon Open/Closing Doors -> Level 1 Level 6 D1 = 9722 -> Level 5 D2 = 8765 -> Level 12 ========================================================================= Q. Are there any "easter eggs" in Shanghai? A. You can sneak a peek at the victory screen. Go to the high score table, press || (PAUSE), and then hold down OPTION 1, OPTION 2, A, B and press the joypad diagonally up and to the left. ========================================================================= Q. Are there any "easter eggs" in Gates of Zendocon? A. It's a somewhat difficult one to get through. It can be reached from the alien base called TRYX. As soon as the level starts, hold down the shield button, and go diagonally right and down. There are certain spots where you can actually go through the floor. Once you get through the floor, there are three obstacles. Just avoid them. Once you find a gate, enter it. You will be in the "secret" alien base of the game that has no name. The level contains enemies not seen in any other part of the game, they are the faces and names of the game designers! Also, as a bonus, ALL of the friendly alien weapons can be found on this level. In addition, an interesting universe in the game can be reached by the alien base LIFE, which takes to to a place where the aliens are in the middle of Conway's Game of Life. ========================================================================= Q. What are all the enemy creatures in Gates of Zendocon? A. Sucker Beasts pull in spaceship for instant death Jaws of Death fly through as soon as seen Snakes little green ones that roll across the screen Static Blobs shoot in red center Crawling Eyes a pair of eyes linked together Bubbles small ones that push you toward top Eggs large ones that can be shot Flying Saucers mostly distractions Molecules easy points Laser Beams thin, fly horizontal and are plentiful Crystals green, vertically-oriented, sometimes falling Eyes larger eyes that shoot occasionally Blocks large squares, when working are self-repairing Mines attached to point, wave about violently Dishes must shoot eye at center - shoots lasers when hit Amoebas easy points Wasps hard points, can fly through wings Spine throwers shoots out sharp spines at 45 degree angles Asteroids just like the game, shoot one, get two Walkers big eggs with an eye and two legs Spinners two Ss linked at center that spin around Shooters snowflakes that spray out Xs Launchers treaded vehicles that launch missiles Drippers small worldlets that drip green ooze Men 'o' War similar to the sea creature, must shoot tops Death Blossoms nasty plants that breed unkillable jelly things Missiles little fat muissiles that travel vertically Rockets long thin rockets that fly horizontally Turtles with helicopter packs and torpedo launchers Spaceships like in old Flash Gordon, shoots MIRVs Platforms small flat boxes w/lights that bounce up and down Lifes like John Conway's life game Torpedoes short torpedoes that move horizontally Meteors small balls of fire that fall at 45 degree angles Smashers large metal plates that must be passed when open Robots big saucers with arms to grab your ship Dust Clouds nasty brown clouds that pull you down Mists multi-colored mists that can't be killed Lettuce Tossers vines that throw up lettuce things and grab at you Flies nasty little things that just get in your way Programmers digitized faces, easy points Mortars mobile launchers Saucer Flakes a flying saucer full of little flakes Shark Blades unkillable pocket knife like creatures Hearts large realistic hearts that release blood cells Gunners little guys on towers that shoot at you Chinese Dragons long snakey creatures that move in patterns. Spider just one, releases eggs ========================================================================= Q. What are the names of all the alien bases in Gates of Zendocon? A. There's a map of all the alien bases, along with the shortest and longest paths in the game from Lindsay Markus in LYNXFAQ.ZIP. Information on how to get LYNXFAQ.ZIP is in the beginning of this document. ========================================================================= Q. What does the map of Xenophobe look like? A. There's one from Jaime Villacorte. It's in the LYNXFAQ.ZIP file. ========================================================================= Q. Are there any "easter eggs" in Rampage? A. You can get to any of the 61 levels by pausing and unpausing on the selection screen before you choose your monster. At the newspaper screen, you can choose a level with the joypad while holding down OPTION 1. Also, activate the level-select trick (PAUSE and unPAUSE when choosing your monster). At the newspaper, hold down OPTION 1 and select Day 6. Press PAUSE twice. Hold down OPTION 1 and select day 15. Press PAUSE twice. Hold down OPTION 1, OPTION 2, and B simultaneously. The game will end, but will show a two-frame "smiling programmer" animation instead of the winning monster. ========================================================================= Q. Are there any "easter eggs" in Chip's Challenge? A. The "easter egg" is a special hidden level that activates a fractal graphics generator. You can explore both the Mandelbrot and Julia Set fractals. The code for the level is MAND, and the controls are listed below: Thumb Joypad: Move the zoom in/out window A: Zoom in B: Zoom out OPTION 1: Stop/start fractal generation || (PAUSE): Parameter menu, OPTION 2 picks which fractal set, OPTION 1 restarts the generation OPTION 2: Toggles between three modes: - stops generation - animation through color cycling - reverse color cycling There is a limit on how far you can zoom. The "zoom-in" effect is a good example of the Lynx's ability to automatically scale bitmaps. The Lynx Mandelbrot code does 48-bit fixed-point math using 8 bits of integer and 40 bits of fraction, via the hardware multiplier (16x16) and a lot of help from the 65C02. The comment line on it (the source) says it was written by Steve Landrum of Blue Lightning fame. ========================================================================= Q. What are the codes to the 144 levels on Chip's Challenge? A. Contrary to the instructions, there are at least 148 puzzle levels, with the additional "easter egg" level mentioned above. Lesson levels, 1 through 8: 1-BDHP 2-JXMJ 3-ECBQ 4-YMCJ 5-TQKB 6-WNLP 7-FXQO 8-NHAG Puzzle levels, 9 through 144: 9-KCRE 10-VUWS 11-CNPE 12-WVHI 13-OCKS 14-BTDY 15-COZQ 16-SKKK 17-AJMG 18-HMJL 19-MRHR 20-KGFP 21-UGRW 22-WZIN 23-HUVE 24-UNIZ 25-PQGV 26-YVYJ 27-IGGZ 28-UJDD 29-QGOL 30-BQZP 31-RYMS 32-PEFS 33-BQSN 34-NQFI 35-VDTM 36-NXIS 37-VQNK 38-BIFA 39-ICXY 40-YWFH 41-GKWD 42-LMFU 43-UJOP 44-TXHL 45-OVPZ 46-HDQJ 47-LXPP 48-JYSF 49-PPXI 50-QBDH 51-IGGJ 52-PPHT 53-CGNX 54-ZMGC 55-SJES 56-FCJE 57-UBXU 58-YBLT 59-BLDM 60-ZYVI 61-RMOW 62-TIGW 63-GOHX 64-IJPQ 65-UPUN 66-ZIKZ 67-GGJA 68-RTDI 69-NLLY 70-GCCG 71-LAJM 72-EKFT 73-QCCR 74-MKNH 75-MJDV 76-NMRH 77-FHIC 78-GRMO 79-JINU 80-EVUG 81-SCWF 82-LLIO 83-OVPJ 84-UVEO 85-LEBX 86-FLHH 87-YJYS 88-WZYV 89-VCZO 90-OLLM 91-JPQG 92-DTMI 93-REKF 94-EWCS 95-BIFQ 96-WVHY 97-IOCS 98-TKWD 99-XUVU 100-QJXR 101-RPIR 102-VDDU 103-PTAC 104-KUNL 105-YNEG 106-NXYB 107-ECRE 108-LIOC 109-KZQR 110-XBAO 111-KRQJ 112-NJLA 113-PTAS 114-JWNL 115-EGRW 116-HXMF 117-FPZT 118-OSCW 119-PHTY 120-FLXP 121-BPYS 122-SJUM 123-YKZE 124-TASX 125-MYRT 126-QRLD 127-JMWZ 128-FTLA 129-HEAN 130-XHIZ 131-FIRD 132-ZYFA 133-TIGG 134-XPPH 135-LYWO 136-LUZL 137-HPPX 138-LUJT 139-VLHH 140-SJUK 141-MCJE 142-UCRY 143-OKOR 144-GVXQ Fractal explorer, level 145 (not numbered): 145-MAND Hidden levels, 146-149 (the code for level 146 is hidden in level 34): 146-JHEN 147-COZA 148-RGSK 149-DIGW ========================================================================= Q. Are there any "easter eggs" in Ms. Pac Man? A. You can get extra speed. Press || (PAUSE), A button, OPTION 1, A button, OPTION 1. When a lightning bolt appears, press B button. You can get five lives in reserve. Press PAUSE during the game. Press OPTION 1, B, B, A, A, then OPTION 1. ========================================================================= Q. How many different endings are there in Gauntlet: The Third Encounter? A. Three. ========================================================================= Q. Are there any "easter eggs" in California Games? A. In the surfing game, you can ride the pelican. Run your last man off the bottom of the screen a few seconds before time runs out. The pelican will fly across the screen, and when your time runs out, your man will drop out from the top of the screen and land on the pelican! ========================================================================= END of ATARI Lynx "Frequently Asked Questions" List Part 2 of 2. # # # # # # # # # # # # # # # # # # # #