Super Breakout [Model CX5203]

Super Breakout © 1982 Atari, Incorporated.

SUPER BREAKOUT contains the following game variations:

* BREAKOUT
Each player has his own wall of bricks and corresponding score, which are displayed on the screen during that player's turn. Figure 6 shows a typical BREAKOUT playfield.

Each wall of bricks contains eight rows with 14 bricks in a row. If you knock out all the bricks within five turns, a new wall will appear on the screen. Each wall of bricks is worth 448 points. The number of times a new wall of bricks can be reset during a game is infinite.

The maximum attainable score for BREAKOUT is infinite since the wall of bricks will reset indefinitely. However, since the screen display has room for only four digits per score, a player's score will reset to 0000 if it passes 9999.

* DOUBLE
The DOUBLE playfield is the same as the BREAKOUT playfield, except that there are two paddles and two balls served. The paddles are stacked one on top of the other. The point value for each brick is defined by color, as in BREAKOUT and PROGRESSIVE, except when two balls are in play, then each brick is worth twice its normal amount. When only one ball is in play, point value returns to normal.

If you miss the first ball served, it counts as a miss and goes against your allotted serves (turns) per game. Otherwise, the second ball is served. If you miss the second ball after hitting the first ball, play continues until you miss the first ball. After both balls are in play (have been hit at least once), one may be missed while the other remains in play.

The wall of bricks will reset two additional times after the initial wall is knocked out. The maximum score possible for DOUBLE is 2688.

* CAVITY
The CAVITY playfield contains slightly fewer bricks than other SUPER BREAKOUT games. This allows room for two 'cavities', each of which contains a ball. When the game begins, the balls bounce inside each cavity but are held captive. There are two paddles, as in DOUBLE.

A ball is served. Point values of the bricks remain the same as in other games when only one ball is in play. However, when enough bricks are broken out to release a captive ball, each brick is then worth twice its normal amount when hit. If the second captive ball is freed and three balls are kept in play, bricks are worth triple their normal amount.

If any one of the three balls is missed, the scoring returns to double points. If the second ball is missed and only one ball remains on the playfield, the point value of the bricks returns to normal.

The wall of bricks will reset two additional times, making a maximum score possibility of approximately 3500 points.


* PROGRESSIVE
The playfield in PROGRESSIVE is set up somewhat differently than BREAKOUT. When the game begins, the playfield contains four rows of bricks at the top of the screen, followed by four blank rows, and then four more rows of bricks, as shown in Figure 7. There are 14 bricks per row and the point value for these is defined by color.

Once PROGRESSIVE game play begins, the brick walls move down or 'scroll' toward the bottom of the screen. As the bricks are knocked out and the walls progress toward your paddle, new bricks enter the playfield at a progressively faster rate. Four rows of bricks are always separated by four rows of blank space. As the brick walls progress downward, their colors change, but point values for each color remain the same.

The maximum score for PROGRESSIVE is infinite, although the score will reset to 0000 when it passes 9999, as in BREAKOUT.