From: woodcock@crchh427.NoSubdomain.NoDomain (Gregg Woodcock)
Subject: [VECTREX] FAQ (Frequently Aksed Questions)
Reply-To: bn202@cleveland.freenet.edu
Organization: Bell-Northern Research, Richardson, Texas
Date: Thu, 01 Oct 1992 20:45:55 GMT

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|Vectrex====|
| +-------+ | Vectrex "Frequently Asked Questions" List!  Created: 9/1/92
| | # +  *| | Created and maintained by Gregg Woodcock.
| | :  X  | | (bn202@cleveland.freenet.edu)
| | :  . .| |
| | A  <=>| | This list will be reposted on the first day of every month.
| |     . | |
| |  X  + | |    @@@
| | *  x  | |  @@   @@@
| +-------+ @@@    +---@----+
| ###   # Q@@     / ! oooo /
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<duhn duht duhn duht ... duhn duht duhn dit dut>

My computer account got toasted so I lost some of the goodies you guys sent.
Please resend the following stuff to me:
    A complete list of games *plus* the VT numbers and short comments.
    The official description of what Vectrex is from the service manual.
    Info on how to use a guitar string to repair a non-centering joystick.
    Info on what is in the archives and who maintains it.

My plan is to have a 'newbie' part and a 'techie' part.  I still need
some more information about the following questions for it (keep in mind
that I do *not* have ftp access):

    How can carts be made from the data in the archives?
    Can a pause switch be built? (YES)
    How do the controllers work and can one be built? (YES)
    How does the light pen work and can one be built? (YES)
    How does the 3D imager work and can a Sega imager be converted? (MAYBE)

================================================================================

Q. What is Vectrex?

Here it is in layman's terms:
Vectrex is one of the most inspired video game machines ever produced
(but similar things were said about the Edsel and Titanic).  Its point
of distinction is the fact that it uses vector "line" graphics (as
opposed to raster "pixel" graphics).  This is the same type of screen
used in such arcade classics as Space Wars, Asteroids, Battlezone and
Tempest.  The machine has a 9 x 11 inch black and white screen and comes
with a built-in Asteroids type game called Minestorm.  The games come
with plastic overlays that slide over the screen to cut down on flicker
and give some illusion of color.  It uses one of the most advanced 8 bit
processors, the 6809A, and an excellent and popular sound chip (General
Instruments AY3-8192) which can produce a wide range of noises.  Also
included is a 1.5 inch, self-centering, joystick with 4 buttons on the
right.  It uses an analog/potentiometer system allowing differing
degrees of directional input.  The machine's footprint takes up a little
less than a square foot of a desk (in fact, it quite resembles a jet
black Macintosh SE sans mouse and keyboard), and can be operated easily
in that area.  The joystick is connected via a springy telephone-like
cord and can be folded into the base of the machine for portability.
The machine is moderately transportable and very well constructed but,
alas, very much extinct.  It made its debut sometime in 1982 and was
quite scarce by the end of 1983 due to the Great Video Game Depression
of '82 which forced GCE out of business due to poor sales.

================================================================================

Q. What games were released or on the drawing board before Vectrex died?

Here is the list of released games:
   VT ???? 3D Minestorm (3D imager pack-in)
   VT 3301 Armor Attack
   VT ???? Art Master (light pen)
   VT 3604 Animaction (light pen)
   VT 3305 Bedlam
   VT 3302 Berzerk (yes it crashes at high levels)
   VT 3202 Blitz Action Football
   VT 3303 Clean Sweep
   VT 3101 Cosmic Chasm
   VT ???? Crazy Coaster (3D imager)
   VT ???? Dark Tower (does anybody have this?)
   VT 3304 Fortress of Narzod
   VT 3203 Heads-Up Action Soccer
   VT 3201 Hyperchase
   VT 3602 Melody Master (light pen pack-in)
   VT 3000 Minestorm (built-in)
   VT ???? Narrow Escape (3D imager)
   VT 3308 Polar Rescue
   VT 3206 Pole Position
   VT 3102 Rip Off
   VT 3013 Scramble
   VT 3104 Solar Quest
   VT 3105 Space Wars
   VT 3306 Spike
   VT 3204 Spinball
   VT 3106 Starhawk
   VT 3109 Star Castle
   VT 3107 Star Trek
   VT 3108 Web Wars

The following games and accessories were planned but never released:
Cartridges:
   Art Master II
   Art Master III
   Art Master IV
   Basic Science
   Create-A-Game/Maze
   Exploring the Solar System
   Flipout
   Mail Plane
   Pitcher's Duel
   Pole Position (for 3D imager)
   Power Trip
   Sock It
   Tour de France
Accessories:
   Touch-Sensitive Screen
   Computer Adaptor with BASIC
      Computer Keyboard
      Printer
      Disk Driver/Wafer Tape Drive
      Modem
      Computer Software:
         Create Your Own Video Game
         Music Maestro
         Art Program in LOGO
         Basic Science
         Solar System
         Word Processing

================================================================================

Q. Where is the Vectrex ftp archive and what is there?

The ftp Vectrex information archive is at csus.csus.edu (130.86.90.1)
and is maintained by Dean Dierschow AND/OR John F. Sandhoff (can somebody
tell me which one it is or if they cooperate?).  Do you guys want your
email address listed here?

There are binary listings (and source?) for most of the games along
with instructions on how to burn Eproms.  There are several commented
examples of code demonstrating how to write both music and graphics.
There is also a copy of the service manual and much more.  There are
plenty of experiments to keep an eager hacker busy.

David Wright (davewt@NCoast.ORG) will be putting the vectrex stuff up
his email server.  If you don't have FTP access, this may work for you.
There are two seperate sets of files.  One contains the games and other
stuff.  The other contains miscellaneous info and some pascal source.
If you want to try and get at it, the email server is at
"impinfo@Prism1.COM".  If your site doesn't like that, try
"prism1!impinfo@NCoast.ORG".  To receive a list of the files available
place "send vect.index" in the message body.  You can also do "send
help" to get a complete set of instructions.

================================================================================

Q. Are there tricks or cheats for any Vectrex games?

YES! (Vectrex had cheats before cheats were cool):

MINESTORM:  If you turn up the brightness a lot you are able to see the
invisible mines.

ARMOR ATTACK:  The brightness trick gives you advance notice on where the
helicopter is.

FORTRESS OF NARZOD:  If you can somehow manage to kill the gorilla at the
same time he kills you, your lives remaining will turn into the infinity
sign (oo) and you will have 255 lives.  It is not known for sure if your
lives in reserve value has to be zero for this to work (probably so).

SPIKE:  If you position the door ALMOST all the way to the right of the
screen, then jump into it, so as to be jammed between the door, and the
little space that is left; the game freaks out, you will be pushed
forward about 47,000 points, and the difficulty will be increased
proportionally.

SPACE WARS:  Either ship is invincible after being hit, while pieces are
in the air.  This may not sound like much, or maybe this was
intentional, but I've played against people who make this their entire
strategy.  They skim the edge of the Star in the middle, just to knock
off a tail section or something, and then while they are invincible,
they fly right into you.  Not nice, but it works very well.  The time
window is surprisingly long.

================================================================================
Send corrections, suggestions, additions, ect. to bn202@cleveland.freenet.edu
-- 
THANX...Gregg   bn202@cleveland.freenet.edu   woodcock@sdf.lonestar.org
ESN 444   day 214.684.7380   night 214.530.2495   *I buy used Vectrex stuff!*
Newsgroups: rec.games.vectrex