MASTERBLAZER Typed by SIDEWINDER of LSD. THE MASTERBLAZER Strange things can happen on this artificial asteroid on the double- solar system of Kalaxon and Kalamar during the last 300 years. In 3253 the members of the Interstellar Ballblazer Conference (IBC) made incredible fortunes, because they organised the tournaments. So all members of the IBC lived in luxury for decades. Now they have built a new and bigger bombastic Ballblazer grid directly beside the old grid directly beside the old grid. Soon strange creatures, which would have never been allowed by the IBC to take part in the tournaments, took over these grounds. They bought old rotofoils which where taken out of service and invented a new game of Ballblazing and started their own tournaments. Very soon people found this tournament as interesting as the classic Ballblazer and attend the tournaments regularly. Lo and behold, Ballblazer racing became another highly recommended sport on the asteroid. Now, in the year 3397, people can not only participate in the classic Ballblazer and Ballblazer racing competitions but also visit the Ballblazer museum of the IBC. But for the bravest and most couragous pilots of the universe, there is only one title that is worth fighting for... MASTERBLASTER. THE MENUS The main menu gives the option to visit different places on the asteroid or take part in the tournaments. The options are: BALLBLAZER - Play the classic game of the year 3097. Select the duration of play and the opposition (human or different powerful droids). TOURNAMENT - Up to 8 players can enter the tournament. Use the keyboard to enter the names of the players and press the Return key after each name. For an absent player, press the Return key without entering the name. In this mode the rules of the classic Ballblazer are valid. MUSEUM - Enter the museum to inform yourself about technical details of Rotofoils and about the history of Ballblazer tournaments and of the IBC. Move the joystick left or right to switch between the pages. Leave the museum by pressing the fire button. RACING - An opportunity to race against an opponent. HIGHSCORES - (Classic Ballblazer only) The names of the best Rotofoil pilots are displayed here. Beat the droids playing the classic Ballblazer and you will join these highly important people. You can only enter the list after beating your opponent (droid) 10:0. The time taken to beat him will be entered. Pushing the joystick up and down scrolls the list. Press the firebutton to return to the main menu. DEMO - Beginners can learn the rules and the gameplay of the Ballblazer games with this 3D computer simulation. Press the firebutton to accelerate this sequence. BALLBLAZER The one with the most points wins. It's easy to play - difficult to master. But go to Step One and find out yourself. 1. Select a human or a droid opponent and the duration of the game. Push the joystick left to choose a human player or one of the nine different powerful droids for the upper screen section (player 1, joystick 1). Push the joystick right to choose the same from the section below. (player 2, joystick 2). The computer controls a droid. Move the joystick up and down to select the time (3 minutes default) or return to the main menu by selecting the option MENU. 2. Start the game by pressing the firebutton (joystick 1) to get in the warm-up mode. 3. Control the vehicle (Rotofoil) with the joystick over the main playing field. All objects will bounce off each other i.e. the Plasmorb (ball) cannot be taken and bouncing off the other Rotofoils has no effect. 4. When you are used to the controls, press the firebutton and with the ballblazer melody the game will start. 5. Keep the joystick pushed forward. Look at your half of the screen and keep moving forward until you reach the ball. Your ship will rotate if the ball goes out of sight to the left or right i.e., Rotofoil rotates along with the plasmorb keeping it always directly in front of you even when you cannot see it. Just keep pushing the joystick forward and you'll get it. (Joystick 1 controls the top of the screen, joystick 2 controls the bottom). 6. Capturing the ball: Rotofoil energy field automatically captures the ball if near enough and centres it in your view screen. The Rotofoil automatically snaps around in 90 degree steps (rotosnap) to face the opponents goal. When the ball is captured it changes to your colour and there is an audible warning. As soon as the ball is captured, the vehicle slows down because the plasmorb absorbs some of your energy. 7. Blast the ball: Press the fire button. The plasmorb must be in your energy field. 8. Steal the ball: Go after the opponent, attacking from the side. A loud buzz indicates that the energy field of your opponent is being disturbed and that you can steal the ball. As soon as you hear the buzz. Press the fire button and blast the ball away from the opponent's energy field. Go after it and capture it. 9. Score: Find the Goalbeams and line them up in the centre of your screen. Press the firebutton. And blast the ball through the Goalbeams. Remember that the goalbeams keep moving. As soon as you've scored the goalbeams shrink and the next goal is more difficult to score. The number of points for a goal depend on the distance of the Rotofoil from the goalbeams. 1 to 3 points are awarded. The score is displayed in the middle of the screen. Arrows indicate the scoring player. The winner is the one with most points at the end of the game or the one who has 10 points. 10. Pause game: Press the SPACE BAR. Press it again to resume. 11. Reset the Game: Press the ESC key. ROTOFOIL RACING The fastest player wins. You can bump into your opponent or push him against the barriers to damage his Rotofoil. You have to drive a crazy zig-zag course around goalbeams and balls. 1. Choose the opponent - Another player or a computer controlled droid. Select the duration of the game. START to race or MENU to go back to the main menu. 2. Press the firebutton to start the game. 3. Move the joystick to control your Rotofoil over the race course. 4. The opponents Rotofoil can be damaged by being pushed against the barriers. An arrow will indicate the damaged Rotofoil. Max. of 10 arrows against a player are allowed before the race is stopped. By the way, when you drive around the goalbeam travelling a zig-zag course and hit your opponents, a damage point is deducted from your score. 5. Pause the game: Press the Space Bar. Press it again to continue. 6. Quit the Game: Press ESC. Some hints for control and tactics of the Rotofoil and its functions of the first Earthling ever to have made it to the Ballblazer finals: CROCKETT ON FORCEFIELDS 'Any Blazer who doesn't understand forcefields doesn't understand the game. Imagine that your Rotofoil is surrounded by a big pillow of energy - that's your 'Bumpfield,' and objects, like other Rotofoils, bounce off it.' 'When the Plasmorb gets close; about seven and a half meters, your Pullfield is activated. It's as if the pillow caves in and captures the ball. Of course, this is a smart forcefield - it centres the ball to face the goal. This is called a 'Rotosnap' as the Rotofoil snaps around to the correct direction. You are then ready to charge downgrid and score that goal.' 'Finally, you activate your Pushfield with the firebutton. It's as if the big energy pillow is suddenly pushing out. It only works if the Plasmorb is within ten meters of you. you always can tell when the ball is close enough to use the Pushfield as a buzz is sounded off.' CROCKETT ON OFFENCE 'Offence is ball control-learning the waves of the Plasmorb. At the face- off, have your stick forward, move out and capture the Plasmorb - this will then change to your colour, and you'll automatically rotosnap to face the goal. Don't blast the instant you capture the ball. Wait for the Rotosnap, get orientated, then head for the Goalbeams - they'll be moving in the same direction the ball was blasted in.' 'Watch your screen. When the Plasmorb is aimed at the Goalbeams, blast. If you're in close, you get one point. Farther back, two. And if you can't actually see the Goalbeams you get three. The Goalbeams narrow after each score, so go for two and three points first. If you get ten points, it's a shut out. Otherwise, the winner has the highest score at the end of the game period. If you've drawn a tie you go into overtime and the next score takes all.' 'Once you get the feel of it, try some angle shots. Let the Plasmorb swing to one side of your view screen, then blast - it will go in that direction of the angle off the shoot. To get around a blocker, use an angle shot off the wall. Bounce the ball off the electroboundary past your opponent's Rotofoil, then rush forward and capture it again.' 'When you get proficient, try Pushfield dribbling. Keep your firebutton down as you approach the Plasmorb. Instead of catching it in your Pullfield (which uses 25% of your energy) just nudge the Plasmorb along in front of you. Then capture it when you want to blast a goal.' CROCKETT ON DEFENCE 'Even the best Blazer doesn't have the ball all the time. When you don't, you're on defence and then you've only got two choices: buzz-blasting and blocking. If you're chasing your opponent downgrid, don't get directly behind him - jam in from the side to buzz-blast the ball away. Then you've got to grab that free ball for yourself. You know you're within blasting range when you hear the buzz. The closer you are, the louder the buzz, the better the blast. The toughest part of buzz-blasting is knowing when you've rotosnapped to face the ball. Keep rotosnapping back and forth and listen for the sound of the Rotosnap - that's how you know you've changed direction. Then when you overtake your opponent you've got to remember which side you're on. This is, however, easier said than done. Blocking is a tougher kind of defence - at least for Tyros. It means positioning yourself between the goal and your opponent. Keep him centred in your view screen. I usually know telepathically what the view is from my opponent's Rotofoil. And I try to keep myself right between his Goalbeams. Soon you will find that you will be able to do this too. PARTS OF THE SOLAR TRANSMISSION OF THE FIRST FINAL ROUND WITH AN EARTHLING SLAN Welcome ladies, gentlemen and various other species, to the final round of Ballblazer 3097. I'm Slan Sterling, the 'Voice of the Void', and ethercasting with me today is Arboster Kipling, one of the greatest Masterblazers of recent times, now Governor of the Omega Colonies. Arboster, welcome. We haven't talked since you purchased the Omega Colonies with your Tournament winnings. What does it feel like to own a planetary system? ARBOSTER Slan, it definitely beats working. On the other hand, there are times when I'd like to be back in a Rotofoil, working the Grids like any other Blazer. SLAN Arboster, this is the first time an Earthling has made the final round of the Interstellar. What are his chances? ARBOSTER Frankly, I think he's in trouble. These Terrans are a young species; they were barely out of their atmosphere when the game was invented. SLAN Which was when? ARBOSTER Centuries ago, Slan, at the end of the Great Madness. Back when there were still wars. For deep space dog fights, you had to manoeuvre your vehicle under the incredible G forces of close combat; reversing thrust instantly, sustaining plasma torpedo blasts on your energy shield. You know, that sort of thing. The G forces during space combat could snap your neck like a toothpick. SLAN And so a whole new breed arose, right? The thick necks, the shortened synoptic connections, the triple-walled lungs. ARBOSTER Ballblazing developed from actual military training exercises. They used vehicles like our Rotofoils, and forcefields to simulate sudden changes in direction and acceleration. Deadly stuff. They busted up ten recruits for every one that finally saw action in space. Praise mind, the Great Madness is behind us, and what we have left is the finest sport of all time. SLAN Is it true that a Masterblazer such as yourself has the most highly evolved nervous system of any creature in the galaxy? ARBOSTER Oh gee, Slan, I don't know about that. The Scylliac venom hunters on Trogon - the guys who actually grab the fangs - those are pretty fast boys. SLAN Modesty aside, Arboster... ARBOSTER (Deep sigh) Well, Slan, Ballblazing isn't just a sport. It's a deep discipline for the nervous system. When the onboard computer rotosnaps you ninety degrees, just keeping a clear head can be the toughest part of all. But it's worth it. Once you have adjusted to the pace of Ballblazing, dealing with the rest of the galaxy seems like vacation. SLAN Excuse me, Arboster. Here are the two Rotofoils now, vectoring onto the field. Crockett, from Earth, is in the purple one, and Xarta, representing the Minotaur system, in the orange. In the background, we're listening to the traditional 'Song of the Grid'. That's auto-improvised, of course... ARBOSTER Based on the contribution of the former Masterblazers. It is really a honour to hear my own melody in there amongst those of the other masters. SLAN The musical essence of Masterblazers of old can be heard as each Rotofoil takes its place, ready for the first face off. The two best Ballblazers in the galaxy are staring down the Grid, meditating on the 'Song'. Waiting, Xarta attracted some attention when he came up through the preliminaries, didn't he. ARBOSTER Sure he did. That scaly Minotaur can shut out a level 9 droid in less than a minute. But beating a droid doesn't mean you can beat a human. Wherever you go in the universe, there's only one regulation Ballblazer game: three minutes, two players, one victor. SLAN Stirring words, Arboster - and here we go! The Plasmorb blasts in from our left, and both Xarta and Crockett are already accelerating downfield. Each has a full stick forward even before the orb appeared. ARBOSTER All these boys are hearing now is that freeball rhythm, driving, driving... SLAN All right! Crockett's Rotofoil has captured the orb in its Pull- field and now he's veering right, heading for the goal, trying to get around Xarta. ARBOSTER The goal is moving, of course, in the same direction the ball is fired. SLAN There you go. Crockett's sighted the goal but he's reversing direction, backing up, faking Xarta. He's back to where the goalbeams must have already disappeared over the horizon - but he blasts anyway. That's it! Three points for the Earthling with an early over-the-horizon shot! ARBOSTER And you want to get those OTH shots in early, Slan, before the goal starts to shrink. SLAN Arboster, you're often credited with perfecting the Oth shot. ARBOSTER Somebody has to. SLAN OK. Here we go, second face off, the ball blasts in from the right this time, with Xarta out in front. The Minotaur has it! - and his Rotofoil rotates to face the goal. ARBOSTER The sign of a good player here not losing his orientation during Rotosnap. Move forward, forward... SLAN But Crockett is catching up alongside him now. Part of the Minotaur's Rotofoil power goes into that activated Pullfield. But Crockett's not using his Pushfield yet. ARBOSTER Great play. You want to get in close and really hear that electromagnetic buzz in your helmet before you blast. 'Max the buzz', is what we teach the nestlings on my planets. SLAN All right. Crockett blasts the ball away from the Minotaur, but Xarta recovers. Crockett is blocking but.... there it is! straight past the Earthling and into the goal. Two points for Xarta. ARBOSTER Classic goal defence there by the Earthling. Stay between your goal and the opponent. However, it's no match for a good angle shot. SLAN Arboster, we've seen some quick scoring here today. ARBOSTER That's right. These boys have been competing since they were twelve years old. This is the Terrains' chance to make a big splash in the galaxy, so a lot is riding on young Crockett. SLAN And here goes the third face off. Ball in from the right this time. The Rotofoils race down, and Crockett is there a nanosecond before Xarta, but he doesn't immediately capture the ball. He's... ARBOSTER What we're seeing here is some fine Pushfield dribbling. Crockett knows that if he captures the ball he'll lose power so he's keeping his Pushfield activated. Each time he goes near the ball, the Pushfield bounces it forward. Fine control there by the Earthling. But he's got to capture the ball to score. SLAN There, he captures, swings the ball to the left of his view field and blasts... ARBOSTER ...and misses. the ball bounces off the electroboundary to the left of the goalbeam. Xarta accelerates and captures the ball. SLAN Crockett is already moving back. he's going to try a block midfield, but Xarta is out ahead. ARBOSTER The Earthling has the right idea. The key to active defence is to keep on moving... SLAN Incredible! Xarta takes an angle shot, the orb bounces off the electroboundary and back into the Grid. He manoeuvres around the Earthling, captures the ball directly in front of the goal - ARBOSTER Blast! Blast! SLAN That's it! The horizon flashes with the electromagnetic pulses signifying a goal. That's another point for the Minotaur. Comment, Arboster? ARBOSTER The competitors are running neck-a-neck, but I think that we're seeing an outclassed player here. I'd wager to say that a few hundred million hearts are sinking on Earth now. SLAN As indeed they are! For the next two minutes, billions of Earthlings, scattered throughout their solar system, hang on every word of the distant ethercast, hopes rising, then falling, as face off after face off, Xarta from the Minotaur system holds the Terran to a handful of points. ARBOSTER Now, with less than fifteen seconds remaining, the Terran Crockett is behind nine to one and the face off begins. SLAN And here we go with the last face off; the clock running, the orb blasts in from the right. Look at that Earthling move! ARBOSTER He's captured the ball and rushes the goal.... but pulls back, catching Xarta by surprise. SLAN And this is the final phase of the final countdown.... ARBOSTER It's an impossibly long shot... SLAN Incredible! He's made it! The horizon is flashing, the clock stops with just 2.5 seconds to run.... three points for the Terran pushes his score back to four points against Xarta's six. ARBOSTER Slan, we're seeing history here. One more point and the score goes down to five all. Then the game could go into sudden death overtime. SLAN Face off, the Rotofoils in front of their goals, the orb blasts in at 600 meters per second. The Terran rushes and.... ARBOSTER One second, Xarta has captured the orb. He's backing up killing time. SLAN And that's it! The clock hits zero, the Terrans Rotofoil spins out in the traditional loser's penance, the atmosphere over the asteroid glows with the orange colour of the victor from Minotaur. ARBOSTER One mean contest, Slan. I think... SLAN Wait one microsecond. Xarta has remained on the grid, to accompany the Terran Rotofoil off the field. It's a gesture I don't think we've seen in the tournament for centuries! Arboster? ARBOSTER It's a brand new Masterblazer tribute to an up-and-coming species, Slan. I'd say that we're going to be hearing more of the Earthlings from now on. A few millennia from now, these Terrans likely to be real contenders. SLAN Thank you, Arboster Kipling. This is Slan Sterling, Voice of the Void returning you to your local ethercast. We'll see you again, next solar cycle, same place, same game. In fact, the only game: Ballblazer. Three minutes, two players, one victor! INTERVIEW WITH XARTA SLAN An incredible match, Xarta XARTA Great Mind, I'm a wreck. Where in the void did this Terran come from? SLAN Little G-class star, nothing fancy, just off the Main Sequence. XARTA What a Blazer. His neurons must fire at warp speed. SLAN But not quite fast enough. Xarta, by Tournament law, you're now retired. Care to pass on a few tips to Blazers on the way up? XARTA As long as it doesn't go back to the Earthlings. SLAN Off course. XARTA OK. Here's an old Minotaur trick for the over-the-horizon shots. Shoot when you can still make out the Goalbeams. The reaction of blast knocks you back, over the horizon and the score is based on your position when the Plasmorb actually passes through the goal. Best trick in the galaxy for turning two points into three. SLAN How about the way you escaped from the Earthling in the second minute? XARTA Simple, I'm moving downgrid with the ball, and I know he's right behind me. I can almost see his viewing screen, with me right in the middle of it. So I blast. The ball goes forward and I recoil back right into him, blasting him so hard that I get to the ball first. SLAN Anything for close-in goal play? XARTA Here's one trick I learnt from Arboster. If you have the Plasmorb, and you're up against the boundary and need to move back to shoot, hold your stick forward and blast. You'll bounce back to three- point-range, and you can catch the ball on the rebound. SLAN How about for Tyros, just starting out? XARTA Go out on the Grid, and practise aiming for the Goalbeams. The Plasmorb bounces back, instead of going through the whole goal sequence. You get more practise in a short time. SLAN Anything else? XARTA Yeah. Stay away from the Earthlings. Something tells me those guys are really gonna be trouble. End.