                                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.