You almost didn’t read this. Most of us thought.Asteroids was a dead — or at best dying — game. Then we started reading our mail. Asteroids, to our surprise, is anything but dead. In fact, it appears to be coming back. Perhaps people are rediscovering it — or playing it for the first time. Whatever the cause may be, Asteroids is alive and well, thank you.
It’s the one dependable game. While most arcade owners can run their business without Space Invaders or Galaxians, few dare to remove the Asteroids machine. They know their patrons will simply take their quarters elsewhere. If you bring three dollars and one hour to the arcade — and spend $2.75 in ten minutes — what are you going to do with your remaining 50 minutes? Play Asteroids, of course.
That’s not to say it’s an easy game. It takes awhile to develop the necessary skills. You command a space ship that can move anywhere at will around the screen. The most important skill is learning how to control the moving space ship. The object of the game is simple: Destroy the Asteroids and the UFO’s for points. Once all the Asteroids are demolished, a new group of them appears.
Asteroids stories are numerous and notorious. Marathons have been held periodically, and players have stayed on the game over 50 hours before tiring. And thafs what Asteroids is all about: Stamina. Once you get the hang of the strategy, the question becomes: How long do you want to play?
ASTEROIDS ELEMENTS ) A. Spaceship. You command this Spaceship through space. You can move anywhere on the screen. You can even move off the screen and reappear on the other side. Spend your initial quarters moving your Ship around. Don't let it idle in the middle. High scores require adept and practiced movement. B. Large Asteroids (20 points). All Asteroids appear on the screen initially large. You must break them up into smaller pieces. The first screen sends forth four large Asteroids. Up to 16 are eventually released on later boards. C. Mid-Size Asteroids (50 points). After hitting a large Asteroid, it breaks into two mid-size Asteroids. These move faster than the large Asteroids. D. Small Asteroids (100 points). After striking a mid-size Asteroid, it splits into two small Asteroids. These are the fastest moving Asteroids of all. E. Large UFO (200 points). This alien ship always enters from one of the sides — never from the top or bottom. It can fire, but at random. It does not track your Ship. F. Small UFO (1000 points). Good strategy means killing as many of these as possible. The small UFO can only enter from the sides, like the large one. It, however, tracks your Ship when firing. It always shoots slightly in front of you or slightly behind you. Treat the small UFO with the respect it deserves.
ASTEROIDS STRATEGY ) As the experts know, there's just one strategy. Learn it. Ifs basically simple: You shoot away all the Asteroids, leaving one or two on the screen. Then position yourself in one of the four corners and ambush UFO's as they appear. A. Always leave at least one Asteroid. You should probably leave at least two, mid-size or smaller. Once they're demolished — by stray fire or UFO collision — beware. Move to the center. The Rocks are coming. Do the same trick then, thinning out the Asteroids to one or two, and return to your ambush position. B. When a UFO appears, fire rapidly. Use the two-finger method commonly employed by Asteroid wizards. That means tapping the button with alternating fingers, for ultimate speed. You have the advantage over UFO's. They don't shoot until they've been on the screen for a few seconds. Kill them fast. If a UFO — large or small — gets by you, simply get out of its way. Don't stand still around the small UFO or ifll track and kill you. C. Bonus Ships. You get a bonus Ship every ten thousand points. If you've successfully mastered the ambush strategy, you'll soon have more Ships than you know what to do with.
