
 QIX

 BY ATARI, INC.

 Atari welcomes your comments.  Please address all correspondence
 to:

 Atari Inc.
 Customer Relations
 1312 Crossman Avenue
 Sunnyvale, California 94086

 Insert your 5200 game cartridge so the label faces you and reads
 right-side-up.  Be sure the cartridge is firmly seated in the center
 of the console, but do not force it.  Then press the POWER switch
 on.  See your Owner's Manual for further details.

 TABLE OF CONTENTS

 1. Kick the Qix
 2. Game Play
 3. Using the 5200 Controllers
 4. Game Variations
 5. Scoring
 6. Winning Strategy
 7. Your Best Game Scores

 1. KICK THE QIX

 Who is QIX*, and what are his powers?  How can he take land that
 is not his?  Where does QIX come from?  Most important, how can
 he be stopped?

 He's an erratic eccentric who strikes like lightning.  He travels
 with patrolmen called Sparx*, who constantly guard the bordering
 territories.  QIX moves fast, spreading like an infectious disease.
 His supernatural powers allow him to clone himself, thus doubling
 his threat.

 Your only defense is to trap QIX and claim your territory.  You
 must use your chromium electronic marker to partition the land,
 segment by segment.  You plan your strategy.  You calmly start
 plotting a path from border to border.

 Then, when you least expect it, you encounter an additional threat
 called the Fuse.  It hides and waits until you stop moving.  Then it
 travels along your path, crackling all the way.  If it catches you,
 it ignites and destroys your marker.  Once you start moving again,
 it stops and anxiously awaits your next moment of hesitation.

 Now you know what you are up against.  You must be quick,
 steady, and careful, to diligently reclaim the seized territory.  You
 cannot be greedy.  Use intelligence to outsmart this devious
 monster.

 *Trademarks of Taito America Corporation

 2. GAME PLAY

 The object of the game is to use your marker to partition off
 segments of the screen.  While you are plotting these segments,
 you must avoid QIX, Sparx, Super Sparx, and the dreaded Fuse.
 To complete a screen, you must reach or exceed a threshold
 percentage of that screen.

 QIX roams erratically around the interior of the screen.  Sparx
 patrol the borders and the lines which you have drawn.  If you
 hesitate or draw yourself into a corner, you'll get zapped by the
 Fuse, who also travels along the path you have drawn.  If you run
 into any of these foes, you lose a life.

 You use a diamond-shaped marker to draw lines which are called
 Stix.  When you enclose a segment, these lines become your new
 bordering territory.  You control the marker with your joystick
 and fire button by drawing fast or slow lines.  An area claimed by
 fast draw is filled in blue; an area claimed with slow draw fills in
 brown.  Note:  Colors may vary on different television sets.

 Strategy is a key element in this game.  An important point to
 remember is that you cannot destroy QIX, but you can outsmart it.
 It is helpful to familiarize yourself with the elements of the game.
 Read the following descriptions and refer to Figure 1.

    [Screenshot with the Sparx, Stix, Time Line, Qix, Fuse, and
    Marker labeled.]
       Figure 1

 QIX

 Your main opponent in this game is QIX.  QIX is a multicolored
 whirling helix that dances around the screen.  QIX can move
 anywhere on unclaimed territory, to attack your Stix.  If QIX
 touches any part of an incomplete segment, you lose a life.  Once
 the segment is completed and filled in, it is safe.

 After you complete the first screen, a second screen appears with
 an intelligent QIX that chases you more closely.  After you complete
 the second screen, the third screen provides a further challenge
 with two QIX.  To complete this screen, you must either reach or
 exceed the threshold, or split the two QIX.  Luckily, neither of
 these two QIX is intelligent.  But, from the fourth screen on, you're
 up against two intelligent QIX.

 SPARX

 Two red and yellow Sparx appear at the beginning of the SKILLED
 game variation, each traveling opposite directions from the top of
 the screen.  The right Sparx and the left Sparx each have their
 own unique characteristics.  Eventually they become Super Sparx,
 which venture onto the Stix that you've drawn, in the order that
 you drew them.  If a Sparx touches you, you lose a life, but a
 Sparx cannot be destroyed.

 TIME LINE

 A red Time Line is located at the top of the screen.  As time
 passes, it decreases in length with different time settings for each
 game variation.  When it runs out of time, a new Time Line and two
 new Sparx appear at the top of the screen.  The maximum number
 of Sparx is four.  If the Time Line runs out again, a signal sounds,
 and the Sparx become blue and yellow Super Sparx.  Super Sparx
 are more vicious and travel faster than regular Sparx.  They home
 in on your marker, making a beeline for your Stix with the intent
 to destroy.

 FUSE

 Once you have drawn segments off of the screen border, you can't
 return to that section of the border, nor can you stop drawing.
 As soon as you stop, a Fuse appears where your Stix began.  The
 Fuse crackles as it moves toward your marker.  If the fuse reaches
 your marker, you lose a life.  To stop the fuse in its tracks, press
 the fire button and start drawing again.  If you stop again, the
 fuse reignites where it last stopped.

 STIX

 To draw Stix, use your marker which is located at the bottom of
 the screen.  You can draw any combination of lines.  Once a
 segment is partitioned off, you score points and the area claimed is
 yours.

 3. USING THE 5200 CONTROLLERS

 Use your 5200 controllers with this ATARI game cartridge.  Be sure
 to plug the controller cables firmly into the jacks at the front of
 the 5200 console.  Plug the controller into jack 1 for one-player
 games.  Use jacks 1 and 2 for two-player games.

    [Photo of a 5200 controller.]
       Figure 2 - 5200 Controller

 KEYPAD OVERLAYS

 For your convenience, two keypad overlays are included with this
 game.  Slip the tabs into the slots above and below the keypad on
 your controller (see Figure 3).

     --------    --------    --------
    |        |  |        |  |        |
    |        |  |        |  |        |
     --------    --------    --------

     --------    --------    --------
    |        |  |        |  |        |
    |        |  |        |  |        |
     --------    --------    --------

     --------    --------    --------
    |        |  |        |  |        |
    |        |  |        |  |        |
     --------    --------    --------

    GAME LEVEL              1-2 PLAYER
     --------    --------    --------
    |        |  |        |  |        |
    |        |  |        |  |        |
     --------    --------    --------

       Figure 3 - Keypad Overlay

 When not in use, your keypad overlays can be stored on the back
 of your game cartridge.  Simply slip the tabs into the slots that
 are provided on the cartridge.

 PLAYER SELECTION

 After you insert the QIX cartridge and turn the console POWER on,
 the program automatically plays QIX.  Use this opportunity to watch
 how the game is played.

 When you are ready to begin playing, press RESET and a game
 selection screen appears.

 Press the right # key to choose a one or two-player game (on your
 overlay the square marked 1-2 PLAYER).  The screen displays the
 message--PLAYERS: l or PLAYERS: 2.  (See Figure 4.)

 GAME LEVEL SELECTION

 Press the left * key to select your desired game variation (on your
 overlay the square marked GAME LEVEL).  The message LEVEL:
 NOVICE, SKILLED, ADVANCED, or EXPERT is displayed on the screen
 (see Figure 4).  Refer to Section 4, GAME VARIATIONS, for more
 information about each level.

    [Screenshot of the starting menu.]
       Figure 4

 START

 Press START when you're ready to begin playing.  If you press
 START before selecting a game level or number of players, the
 program automatically sets to a one-player game at the SKILLED
 level.  When a game ends, press START to begin the same game
 variation again.

 PAUSE

 Press PAUSE to suspend the game in progress.  All action instantly
 freezes.  Press PAUSE again to continue game play.

 RESET

 During game play, press PAUSE and then RESET to reset the game
 back to the selection screen (see Figure 4).

 CONTROLLER ACTION

 Use the joystick to move your marker around the screen border.
 Press the fire button while moving the joystick up, down, left, or
 right to move your marker off the border.  Press the top fire
 button to draw slow; press the lower fire button to draw fast.  The
 slow draw scores double points.  Changing fire buttons before
 completing a segment scores the same points as fast draw.  (See
 Section 5, SCORING.)

 4. GAME VARIATIONS

 NOVICE:  This is an easy game for beginners.  The QIX dances
 slowly around the screen without really chasing you.  The Sparx,
 Fuse, and Time Line do not appear.  The game threshold
 (percentage of territory claimed in order to clear the screen) is
 50%.

 SKILLED:  In this variation QIX moves at medium speed, but still
 lacks the intelligence to chase you.  Sparx, Fuse, and a slow Time
 Line appear, but there are no Super Sparx.  The game threshold is
 65%.

 ADVANCED:  This game variation is the same difficulty level as the
 original arcade version.  The Sparx, Fuse, Super Sparx, and a
 medium-speed Time Line appear.  The QIX is fast and somewhat
 intelligent.  The game threshold is 75%.

 EXPERT:  This is the game for all of you expert QIX players.  The
 Sparx, Fuse, Super Sparx, and a fast Time Line all appear.  The
 QIX is fast and intelligent.  The game threshold is 85%.

 All game variations begin with one QIX on the first and second
 screens and are followed by two QIX on each screen thereafter.
 When a game ends, the message GAME OVER appears on the screen
 as shown in Figure 5.

    [Screenshot with the GAME OVER message displayed.  Like you'd
    really need to consult the manual to figure out what this means.
    Sheesh.]
       Figure 5

 5. SCORING

 SCORES

 Scores appear in the upper right corner of the screen.  In
 two-player games, the first player's score (player 1) appears above
 the second player's score (player 2).  The game threshold and the
 percentage you've captured are displayed at the upper left side of
 the screen.  The game threshold appears above the percentage of
 territory that you have captured.  (See Figure 6.)

 Points are scored for the color-filled portion of the segment.  You
 do not score points for the areas covered by Stix.  For example, if
 you capture 50% of the territory, your score could be 4971.

 Bonus points are scored when the percentage of territory captured
 exceeds the game threshold.  Additional bonus points are scored
 after two QIX are split.

 POINTS
    Fast Draw    =  100 X % of Territory Captured
    Slow Draw    =  200 X % of Territory Captured
    Bonus Points = 1000 X % Points Over Game Threshold
 SPLIT QIX BONUS
    First Time Qix are Split  = 2 X All Points
    Second Time Qix are Split = 3 X All Points
    Third Time Qix are Split  = 4 X All Points, and so on.

 LIVES

 Each game begins with five lives which are indicated by five brown
 dots displayed to the right of the score.  The white dot indicates
 which life you are using.  A game ends when each player loses all
 five lives.  (See Figure 6.)

    [Screenshot with the Threshold %, Captured Territory %, Lives,
    and Scores labeled.]
       Figure 6

    [Screenshot of the bonus-award screen between rounds.]
       Figure 7 (never referenced in the text of the manual)

    [Screenshot with the player about to split the Qix.]
       Figure 8 (never referenced in the text of the manual)

 6. WINNING STRATEGY

 Strategy and patience are the keys to winning at QIX.  A good rule
 of thumb:  Use fast draw to set up a pattern; use slow draw to
 complete the pattern.  Slow draw scores twice the point value as
 fast draw.

 Another theory:  Never draw yourself into a corner.  Always avoid
 drawing a spiral, or you'll wind up in a spiral deathtrap.  You
 cannot go in reverse, so you will have to stop and wait for the
 fuse to zap you.  See Figure 9 for an example of a spiral
 deathtrap.

    [Screenshot demonstrating the Spiral Deathtrap.]
       Figure 9 - Spiral Deathtrap

 Listed below are several different strategies to help you win at Qix.

 TREE-BRANCH STRATEGY

 1. Carefully erect a trunk up the center of the screen.  It may
    take six or seven moves.

 2. Draw as many branches as you can from the trunk of the tree
    and from the sides of the screen.  Your primary aim is to leave
    small spaces that are big enough for QIX to enter, but small
    enough to seal off quickly.

 3. When QIX enters one of these spaces, move toward it and use a
    slow draw to seal off the space.  Thus, you trap QIX and
    capture the majority of the screen.  (See Figure 10.)

    Figure 10 - Tree-Branch Strategy

 TRIPLE-ARENA STRATEGY

 1. Use the fast draw to build two columns, one from the top, and
    one from the bottom.  This splits the screen into three vertical
    rectangles.

 2. QIX can move into only one of these areas.  Using slow draw,
    begin blocking off the area that QIX is not in.

 3. When only one rectangle remains, move toward QIX and block it
    into a small space.  (See Figure 11.)

    Figure 11 - Triple-Arena Strategy

 QUADRANT STRATEGY

 Use the same method of dividing the screen as in the Triple-Arena
 Strategy, but divide the screen into four parts.  (See Figure 12.)

    Figure 12 - Quadrant Strategy

 TWIN QIX STRATEGY

 1. Start at the bottom of the screen, and build horizontal columns.
    Try to force both QIX to the top of the screen.

 2. Use the slow draw to claim the bottom portion of the screen as
    you continue up.

 3. After you capture about 1% less than the game threshold, split
    the QIX with a fast draw up the center of the screen.  Thus,
    you split the two QIX and can claim most of the screen for a
    high score.  (See Figure 13.)

    Figure 13 - Twin Qix Strategy

 7. YOUR BEST GAME SCORES

 Name:            Date:     Threshold:  Score:
 ______________   _______   _________   _________
 ______________   _______   _________   _________
 ______________   _______   _________   _________
 ______________   _______   _________   _________
 [etc.]

 END

 Typed by Jay Tilton (tiltonj@erols.com)

 for Atari Gaming Headquarters
