SNEGGIT(TM) Cartridge Instructions TI-99/4A ----------------------------------------------------------------------- Evil reptilian forces have penetrated the barnyard, wreaking havoc. You must protect your eggs, but beware of the hungry, poisonous snakes! Programmed by: James R. Von Ehr II Book developed and written by: Staff members of Texas Instruments Instructional Communications. Copyright © 1983 by Texas Instruments Incorporated. Solid State Cartridge program and data base contents copyright © 1982 by Texas Instruments Incorporated. See important warranty information at back of book. INTRODUCTION Sneggit is a game of quick reflexes, fast planning, and constant alertness. The object of the game is to score as many points as possible by saving the chicken's eggs from the hungry snakes. You control the chicken that guards the eggs, which are scattered all over the barnyard. You must use your wit and skillful tactics to save the eggs from being eaten by the snakes. Obstacles such as weeds, trees, rabbits, and rocks in the barnyard restrict the chicken's movements. The aggressive snakes have more freedom of movement than your chicken because they are smaller and more mobile. They can attack when least expected. Never turn your back on a snake! If you do, you may be his next meal. Packed with danger and excitement, Sneggit provides an opportunity for you to exercise fast thinking and swift maneuvering. Some of Sneggit's features include: *vivid display of the danger portrayed by the slithering snakes *obstacles for added challenge *excellent sound effects *three challenging levels of difficulty Sneggit, a one- or two-player game, tests your reactions as well as your skills. Movement on the screen can be controlled by the Wired Remote Controllers or from the keyboard. GETTING STARTED After you select Sneggit, the title screen appears. To start the game, choose the level of skill you want to play: Novice, Advanced, or Expert. Then press the 1 or 2 key for the number of players. For information on scoring and areas to pick up and drop off eggs, press AID. Note: Once play begins, AID is no longer available. [SNEGGIT TITLE SCREEN IMAGE] Each level has three rounds, which become progressively more difficult. When you are ready to begin, press ENTER. Moving the Chicken You can move the chicken vertically or horizontally by pressing the arrow keys [LEFT]S, [RIGHT] D, [UP]E, and [DOWN] X on the left side of the keyboard. You can also control the chicken's horizontal and vertical movements by pressing the arrow keys [LEFT]J, [RIGHT]K, [UP] I, [DOWN] M on the right side of the keyboard. If you are using the Wired Remote Controllers, move the lever right or left to maneuver the chicken horizontally on the screen, and move the lever forward (toward the FIRE button) or backward (away from the FIRE button) to move vertically on the screen. Two-Player Option If you choose the two-player game option, each player takes turns controlling the chicken to score points within each round. Player one must use the left side of the keyboard to control the movement of the chicken, and player two must use the right side of the keyboard. If Wired Remote Controllers (joysticks) are used to play the game, each player uses his or her own joystick to control the movement of the chicken on the screen. Stopping the Game If at any time in the game you wish to stop playing, press QUIT to return to the master title screen. If you wish to change levels in the middle of a game, press BACK to return to the Sneggit title screen. PLAYING THE GAME After going to the game screen from the title screen, press ENTER to begin. The game screen is divided into two colored sections. The playing field represents a barnyard scattered with three nests, several obstacles, and a number of eggs of various colors. Surrounding the barnyard is the information area where your score, the number of the current round, and the name of the level are shown. [SCREEN SHOT OF IN-GAME ACTION] Controlling the chicken, you must: *Gather the eggs, one by one. *Drop off the eggs, one by one, into the nests. *Guard the eggs until they hatch. *Beware of the poisonous snakes! The snake can only bite the chicken from the back. The round is over when the chicken is bitten, regardless of how many eggs there are left on the screen (see Bonus). There are three nests for each round. Each nest can only hold eight eggs at a time. If you try to put more than eight eggs in a nest, the extra eggs fall out on the ground. It is best to place some eggs into all three nests. Sometimes eggs are very hard to see, but the snakes always know where they are. Picking up and Dropping off Eggs To help you identify the pick up and drop off areas, press AID from the Sneggit title screen. To pick up an egg, position your chicken directly in front of it. Facing the egg, press the ENTER or Q key. After you pick up the egg, carry it to a nearby nest and drop it into the nest by carefully pressing the ENTER or Q key. If you are using the Wired RemotE Controllers, press the FIRE button to pick up and drop off eggs. If you are not close enough to the nest or you hold the ENTER key or the FIRE button too long, you will drop the egg and break it. A lighter touch on the FIRE button is required for advanced game levels. After placing an egg in the nest, guard the nest long enough for the egg to hatch. The baby chick then runs off the screen, leaving you another egg of the same color to save. The snake does not attack the nest while you are guarding it, but if you slip away to pick up another egg, your nest is fair game. Note: Pressing any key other than the 1, 2, 3, AID, or QUIT keys during the Sneggit title screen may cause the display to flash momentarily. SCORING Each colored egg is worth a different number of points. There are three ways to score points. Your score may double or triple as you gather your eggs. For example, in the Novice level, if you pick up a red egg, you get 50 points. Then if you place it in the nest, you receive 50 more points (to 100 points). Finally, if the egg hatches, you earn a total of 150 points. Scoring System Chart ---------------------------------------------------------- Egg color Novice Level Advanced Level Expert Level ---------------------------------------------------------- red 50 100 200 ---------------------------------------------------------- blue 25 50 100 ---------------------------------------------------------- green 15 30 60 ---------------------------------------------------------- purple 10 20 40 ---------------------------------------------------------- white 5 10 20 ---------------------------------------------------------- At the end of each game, both your previous high score and current score are displayed on the title screen. Bonus When you put sixteen eggs into nests, you get an extra chicken. If your chicken is bitten by the snake and there are still eggs to gather, you can continue playing the game using your extra chicken. The extra chicken can, however, only be helpful to you in the round you are presently playing. If there are no eggs left to pick up, the bonus is lost, and the game continues with the next round. ADVANCING TO DIFFERENT LEVELS ------------ Novice Level ------------ You control one chicken against one snake. The speed of the snake increases as the game progresses. -------------- Advanced Level -------------- The speed of the game increases. Additional obstacles restrict your movement. Your scoring is double that of the Novice level. ------------ Expert Level ------------ The speed of the game further increases. You defend the eggs against two swift-moving snakes and must maneuver through many obstacles. Your scoring is double that of the Advanced level. Ending the Game Since a new egg appears each time a chick hatches, you will never gather all the eggs. The game is over when your chicken is bitten by the snake in round three or when all the eggs are eaten or broken. You see the Sneggit title screen at the end of each game. To start another game, press BACK to choose the level of skill you want to play, or press ENTER to continue. Then press the 1 or 2 key for the number of players. When you are ready to play, press ENTER. To play another game with the same skill level and number of players, press ENTER.