Bump N Jump FAQ(Atari 2600) version 1.0.0
copyright 2006 by Andrew Schultz schultz.andrew@sbcglobal.net
Please do not reproduce this FAQ for profit without my prior consent.
However, if you write a polite e-mail to me referring to me(and this FAQ) by
name, then I will probably say OK. But if I ignore you that means no--and I
am bad about answering e-mail. Sorry.
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OUTLINE
1. INTRODUCTION
2. CONTROLS AND SCORING
3. STRATEGIES
4. WALKTHROUGH
5. VERSIONS
6. CREDITS
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1. INTRODUCTION
Bump N Jump was a wonderful little arcade game where you controlled a car
that could speed up and run around and crash into others--if they hit the
side of the path, they died, and if you did, you died. You had no time limit
and could also jump over opponents, landing on them or just getting out of a
mess. There were lake obstacles and such planted along the way, and at the
end of each course you got points for each car you crashed into a wall--or a
big bonus if you crashed nobody. This appealed to me as I was never any good
at racing games.
Bump N Jump(Atari) is a stripped down version of the arcade--the different
car types don't have as many different personalities, and the later zones
don't quite have the same tricks--they're just narrower. But it does a better
job than most Arcade-to-2600 conversions did, and it's a pleasant little
game. Even the tune, though sent to monotone, is still nice.
Unfortunately the most lucrative strategy(avoiding all cars) makes the game
rather tedious so you wind up putting it on the slag heap after you've played
it a few times. The enemies just aren't smart enough, and while you can go
seconds without a potential crash, on the other hand a moment of inattention
can be fatal when the bad guys lump together. If Bump N Jump resembles any
other game I'd say it'd be River Raid--the way to destroy enemies was
different but the quasi-random nature of obstacles was similar. But River
Raid didn't have a template to dumb down and was thus more creative overall.
2. CONTROLS AND SCORING
First, a small warning that your game starts right when you turn the
console/emulator on. Also, if you lose a game, you have to push reset to
return to level 1. Otherwise you'll start on the last level you're on. I
spent some time wondering why my second game was worse than my first.
Um...don't go away...the rest of the FAQ is a bit cleverer, I wear!
Your car starts at 20 mph in each race. The faster you go, the further up the
screen you go and the faster the screen scrolls down. You can get up to 220
MPH in 2.5 seconds flat(wow!) Pulling forward makes you go faster and
backward slows you down. Left and right kicks you as you expect you would.
Once you're at 220 MPH there's no need to slow down. The fire button makes
you jump if you're at or above 100 MPH. It slows you down by 20 MPH once you
land, and no matter what your speed is, you stay in the air for about a
second and a half, where you can aim where to land, to the left/right. If you
land on an enemy, you score points, and your rebound won't be as pronounced,
but you will still go left or right based on where you land.
Hitting an enemy can cause you to slow down(you're behind) or speed up(you're
ahead.) The faster you go the more you bounce, but if an enemy is very close
to the edge you'll sock him no matter what. Watch for being bounced into
another enemy, though.
Here are your enemies. Sort of like lucky charms as they look different and
do the same thing--move back and forth as they go slowly up or down the
screen regardless of your speed--and in fact you get 300 points for
destroying any one of these, with 500 per at the end of a level:
--Gold dump truck. Touch it to destroy it, but it turns black and drops oil
slicks after level 1. Also if you bang it from the outside you'll probably
still run into a wall. They are also smart enough to stay out of your way
until they drop an oil slick.
--Yellow bulldozer. These are a little tougher to move.
--Blue or green race cars. They don't gun for you directly either.
--White skull cars are the toughest. After they pass you going one way they
sneak back at you in a slow diagonal. You may have to jump and go
horizontally.
--Enemies also do not crash if the road suddenly shrinks and they're caught.
They just bounce back and forth on the grass a whole bunch. Oops--small bug.
Also, if a dumptruck makes an enemy hit an oil slick, you don't get points or
lose the bonus, and enemy cars don't knock each other out unless you started
the chain reaction--then you get the points. No points for bashing another
car into an oil slick.
You also get 8 points per second at 180 MPH(mph comes in grades of 2 MPH)
with points based on how far you get along the course.
3. STRATEGIES
--It goes almost without saying that whoever is on the outside in a collision
is at the most risk. So try to wait for that.
--A total of two seconds after the (!) appears, you will need to jump.
--If you're trying for the 50000 bonus then note many cars just either go
past you from the front or behind. If one gets close to you, or several hem
you in, jump to the other side. It works, it really does. There's little
excuse for going below 140 MPH--it even makes the game tedious and leaves you
susceptible to cars ramming you from the rear.
--If it's late in the level it may be better to crash into a wall than the
enemy, if you're trying for 50000. Because you get an extra guy at 40000, it
will be worthwhile.
--Plan to use a jump when a skull and crossbones car comes back at you.
--If you want to go for just points, only attack cars that are very close to
the edge. You can slow down to knock them out but be sure to stay to the
center and swoop to the side at the last minute, or they will knock you
about.
--Horizontal momentum doesn't affect how cars bounce, only vertical speed.
--Don't get in a multiple-knock challenge with a car unless they really
straddle the edge. That's asking to add pinball to this driving game. If you
miss, accelerate before you try again.
--The type of water ahead is linked to the course structure. If you're in a
zigzag area, passages will appear on the sides. You should then wait until
you see walls before jumping again. In a straightaway setting, a lake will
appear in front of you. There may be an island, or a chain of them, ahead.
But if you're going at full speed it should be ok. You also may have
continual islands on the sides after a zigzag, but the jump will be short
then.
--The arcade game allowed you to pick off enemies just as they reached the
edge of a lake but they seem to vanish here.
--Of course, stay in the center unless you see a chance to knock someone
about. It's also OK to chase them if you see them heading towards a wall.
--If all else fails, might as well jump. Remember you can land on an enemy,
which is good or bad depending on your strategy. Long side to side jumps and
waiting for the (!) should suffice for 50000.
--Land jumps in the center of a side lane on water--otherwise you risk
falling in. There's nothing else to avoid.
--You may wish to feint back/side/up briefly to work around an enemy that's
about to hit you. Feinting forward works if you go at 200MPH or so.
--Often you can just cut in front of an enemy running diagonally at you
instead of leaning to the side trying to outrun them there. It doesn't take
long to develop the instinct, and it's safer.
4. WALKTHROUGH
I'll detail the way through the first four seasons. Winter#2 is trickier than
the previous level, but if you get through the first four the same principles
will carry you over. The roads get narrower and you need to jump more, but I
don't think there's any new terrain. I assume you don't lose any lives--if
you use Stella you can load/save states to make sure this is the case.
Winter:
At 168 points, there is unbroken water in front of you, but you don't have to
be near maximum speed.
At 344 points, you will have roads on the side to jump on to, but if you jump
at full speed onto the center islands, you can jump again immediately.
At 544 points, you have lake in front of you.
At 736 points, more roads on the side though it's a pretty short jump forward
to safety.
At 760 points, you get your end-of-course bonus.
Spring:
This level is a bit narrower. Note you start at 0 MPH at the beginning--speed
up quickly to avoid the guys behind.
At 50928, you have small isles on the side and a lake in front. You'll need
to be going near full speed not to crash.
At 51120, another jump forward(small).
At 51312, another jump with islands on the sides requiring full speed to make
it(if not, take your chance quick jumping off an island.)
At 51440, you have a short jump over. You win the level at 51520.
Summer:
At 101648, you have a short forward jump
At 101752, you have another long frontal jump with lanes on the sides. At
full speed you can land in the center, but if you can land on the right, that
is best. In any case, either jump right again from the island off to the
right, or wait until you see land and then jump and go to the right if you're
on the left. The freeway will be divided in half. Nobody's on the right, so
you can stay there and just watch everyone else go by until 101824.
At 101960, you have a short jump.
At 102248, you have some long jumps across islands(3) or you can just ride on
the side. There are no trick-jump bonuses.
At 102296, you finish this level.
Fall:
At 152344, there's another jump to a divided area. So be on the right if you
can. The dividers start spacing out but nobody will actually make it to the
right.
At 152592, you have passages down the sides but it's a short jump.
At 152816, you need full speed to get on the first island, which is in the
center. There are no side lanes. Wait until the island ends and then jump
again.
At 152976, you need to be going at full speed again to make two quick jumps
in succession(again there is only a center island) and then move back to full
speed and jup again. Then you're done.
Congratulations! You got through four waves. The rest are pretty much the
same, but probably in more intense order. Remember to go at full speed before
jumps, time the (!) when it appears to get up to full speed, and jump side-
to-side to avoid enemies. You can play until you get tired of it, or maybe
until you roll over the score.
End of FAQ proper
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5. VERSIONS
1.0.0: sent to GameFAQs 8/6/2006, complete through the first four levels,
though the game seems to loop endlessly.
6. CREDITS
Thanks to the usual GameFAQs gang. They know who they are, and you should,
too, because they get some SERIOUS writing done. Good people too--bloomer,
falsehead, Sashanan, Masters, Retro, Snow Dragon/Brui5ed Ego, ZoopSoul,
BSulpher(thanks for the encouragement on this particular guide) and others I
forgot. OK, even Hydrophant in his current not-yet-banned message board
incarnation.
Thanks to the folks who programmed Stella, the best Atari emulator out
there(love the save states,) and the folks at AtariAge for having information
about every Atari game under the sun(or under the blacktop, as X million
copies of E.T. are.)
