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Fire Fighter
For the Atari 2600
Full FAQ
Last Updated 2/22/05
Version 1.0
Written & Compiled by "TestaALT"
Email address TestaALT@aol.com
This file is Copyright (c) 2005 Andrew "TestaALT" Testa. All rights reserved.
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Table of Contents:
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1. Version History
2. Introduction
3. Dedication
4. Controls
5. Overview
6. Strategies
7. Frequently Asked Questions
8. Credits
9. Legal Disclaimer
10. Contact Information
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1. Version History
=============================================================================
Version 1.0 (02/22/05): Initial version of document - it's complete.
=============================================================================
2. Introduction
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I'm sure we all wanted to be a fire fighter when we were growing up at some
time. The thrill - exhilaration that you get in movies such as Ladder 49 are
just too much to resist. Fire Fighter for the Atari 2600, however, does not
give you this "thrill" while playing. This is possibly because the victim
can't die and the house can't burn down, but I'm not pointing fingers. At any
rate, Fire Fighter is another game that needs some form of coverage so here I
am...
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3. Dedication
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I dedicate this guide to all Atari 2600 gamers out there. They really keep
this system alive, even though it seems "dead." Atari 2600, in a lot of
people's minds, was the first gaming console ever created. This really isn't
true, as there were other obscure systems before it. However, this was most
people's first video game system. This is the system that brought them into
gaming. And so, I dedicate this guide to the Atari 2600 gamers that still
play this old system and keep it alive.
This guide is also dedicated to Brian P. Sulpher and AboveAverage. Brian for
showing me that you can write for very old systems. AboveAverage for showing
me which system to write on... the Atari 2600!
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4. Controls
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Fire Button: No use.
Fire Button Joystick: Used to move your ladder. First hold down the fire
button and then press left or right on the joystick to
extend the ladder. Up or down on the joystick to move
the ladder up a floor.
Joystick: Used to move the character.
Joystick (Up): Turns on the water. The more you hold up the higher the water
pressure and floors.
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5. Overview
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<http://www.vgmuseum.com/pics7/fire.html>
Yes, I'm *sure* that the screenshot is better, but it's always nice to make a
picture the text way. Anyway, you're a fire fighter and your job... well,
your job is to save the victim in the ten story building!
But this game isn't like any other fire fighting experience you've ever
encountered. No, instead of people actually dying, they are invincible.
That's right, you can have lunch, drink a fresca, come back, and the victim
will still be getting burned inside the house.
Speaking of the house, it is invincible, too. That's right, you can order
pizza, watch a baseball game, and it will still be burning, incredibly. Now
that we have the "omg this is hectic" situation out of the way, it's time to
go over the overview of this game.
So you have to save the person in the burning building, right? The best way
to do this is to jump out of your little, cute car and get that hose
a'working. If you press up, the water pressure will go on and rise. It's your
job to tap "up" on the northern fire levels to get the fire out.
Do this three times and we're almost out of the woods. Hold down the fire
button and use the joystick to position your ladder accordingly. When you
think you have it right, press up and it will fold out to the story you set
it to. Sadly, it will take a little bit of practice before you can actually
set it to the appropiate level - most of the time you'll hit the wrong level.
When you get it to the right level, hop on your ladder and press up to go up
to the level. Yep, that about wraps it up. Very fun, I must say. The
adrenaline was really pumping this time. I was afraid I would have to
water five level but only four lit on fire. And that's it - rinse and
repeat for different types of fires and you're set!
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6. Strategies
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More of common sense strategies than anything.
* At the start, jump off the ladder and quickly get to putting out the
fire. That's valuable seconds wasted if you stand their and find the
best place to put out first.
* Take out the fire from east to west so you don't backtrack.
* When using the hose, go to the top level of the fire and put it out.
Doing the lower levels will keep the victim at the higher levels and
make it harder to position the ladder correctly.
* Tap "up" when you get to the appropiate level so you stay on that level.
Apparently the firefighter can't keep the pressure at one level.
* When you have one row of windows out, do the others the same.
* With the fire out, it's time to fiddle with the ladder. Hold the fire
button and try to position it to the correct level of the victim. This
is pretty tough but try to eye it.
* If that doesn't work out, you can always count what story the victim is
at and count the times you move the ladder up.
* When things are positioned correctly hold the fire button and up to
make ladder go up to the story.
* If it's the wrong story you'll have to reel in the ladder completely and
try again, making this a tedious task. Keep with it until you are at the
appropiate level.
* At the right level, hop back on the ladder and press up to climb (well,
he's actually running) to the floor.
* The houses supposedly get tougher but I haven't seen anything like it
as of yet. If anything, they would get smaller, considering the first
house takes up the whole screen.
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7. Frequently Asked Questions
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Question: How many levels are in this game?
Answer: None, per se, but their are a few different houses.
Question: Can the house burn down?
Answer: Sadly, no it cannot. It really sucked when the fire is ten stories
and you wait five minutes only to find the house hasn't burned
down yet. This takes away from the realism of the game.
Question: Can the guy in the building die?
Answer: No, he can bathe in fire and still won't die.
Question: Can the firefighter die?
Answer: Again, no.
Question: Why can't anyone die in this game?
Answer: I don't know why anyone would make a fire fighting game where you
can't die. It doesn't make any sense.
Question: Why does the victim run in circles?
Answer: I don't know - perhaps he's crazy.
Question: How do you move the ladder?
Answer: Hold down the fire button and move the joystick to move the ladder.
This is best done after you have the fire out so it doesn't spread
and make your work longer.
Question: When did this game come out?
Answer: '82.
Question: Who created this game?
Answer: Imagic.
Question: My game doesn't work, how do I get it to work!?
Answer: You might have a corrupted version of the game, or perhaps the old
2 K version, which doesn't work very well.
Question: Where can I get this game?
Answer: The Atari 2600 hasn't had any new games made for years, so you
can't buy it from them. You can get the game at a garage sale or
ebay, if you like. ROMs also work, if you have the game and it is
broken, that is.
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8. Credits
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* CJayC for creating GameFAQs.
* Brian Sulpher for referring me to a good ROM site.
* IRoger's for the story from the manual.
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9. Legal Disclaimer
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This document is Copyright (c) 2005 Andrew "TestaALT" Testa. All Rights
Reserved. This document may not be reproduced or retransmitted in any form
and under any circumstances without the complete consent of the author. It
may not be sold, altered, or published in any way without the advanced
permission of the author. All sources, which have contributed to this
document, are cited and/or credited in some form. The only sites I allow this
document to be viewed at are:
GameFAQs <http://www.gamefaqs.com>
IGN <http://www.ign.com>
If you see this document at any other site please email me as I do not allow
this document to be published at any other sources. Please do not ask me if
you want this document on your website, as the answer will most likely be no.
These terms have become binding once the recipient (or reader) opened this
document. Violation of these terms are strictly prohibited and will result in
a lawsuit. Please do not take these terms as threats and/or not read them as
they are all very much true. I can sue you for an act of plagiarism and will
not hesitate to do so. Thank you for reading this legal disclaimer and have a
nice day! =)
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10. Contact Information
=============================================================================
Contact me via email (TestaALT@aol.com) or AIM (TestaALT) if you have any
questions, comments, or suggestions about this guide. Just make sure that you
put the game name in the subject line. If you don't, I'll probably delete
you're email thinking it's spam. Also, make sure that the question isn't
answered in the latest version of the document, which can be found at
GameFAQs. Try to ask me legibly, as I can't decipher chickenscratch. For AIM,
just beep me whenever you like. Thanks for reading, and check some of my
other work at:
-> http://gamefaqs.com/features/recognition/23249.html <-
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