Beer Run FAQ(Apple game) version 1.0.0
copyright 2002
by Andrew Schultz schultza@earthlink.net
Beer Run is copyright 1981 by Sirius Software. Not to be confused with
Sirius Cybernetics Corporation.
Feel free to "share and enjoy" this document, but please do not
reproduce this FAQ for (infinitessimal) profit without my prior consent.
However a nice letter asking for this specific one and addressing me by
name has a good chance of being accepted.
** AD SPACE **
My personal page:
http://www.geocities.com/SoHo/Exhibit/2762/
My Apple games page:
http://www.geocities.com/SoHo/Exhibit/2762/games/games.htm
================================
OUTLINE
INTRODUCTION
CONTROLS OR LACK THEREOF
LEVEL MAPS
LEVELS 01-05
LEVELS 06-10
LEVELS 11-15
LEVELS 16-20
LEVELS 21-25
LEVELS 26-30
[oly LEVELS only]
LEVELS 31-35
LEVELS 36-40
LEVELS 41-45
LEVELS 46-50
THAT STUPID BLIMP
VERSIONS/CREDITS
================================
INTRODUCTION
Here it is--a FAQ for the most requested Apple game on GameFAQs. I
wonder how many of the requesters have actually played the game? Ah
well, there is actually an amusing thread on the Beer Run board, and I
hadn't written for a clunky Apple game in a while, so I decided What the
Hey. You're this skinny guy who must climb up ladders and wait for
elevators--one at a time randomly shows up--while avoiding the Beer
Baron(a slightly more imposing stick figure who moves back and forth)
and little green things with white feel. If you dawdle, more of the
green things will appear. Elevators can go up or down but at the end of
the level you get extra points just for finding one. After you go above
level thirty of the Sirius Building(first) you get to take a blimp to
the Oly(Olympia) Beer Building where everything just gets harder. Along
the way you can pick up beer cans or cases.
Many of the levels are unfair as you can get quickly trapped, and you
have to rely on your luck--will an elevator pop up before the monsters
track me down? If not, you get kicked back to the very bottom level(or
top level for Oly Beer.) But it's not totally without charm, and
perhaps with a little more detail, more fairness, and even a special
control, Beer Run could've been a fine game. Not even the silly
elevator rides or multi-colored high score initials can pull it through-
-even if they'd bothered to post the high score along with it! I don't
know what the initial high score is and do NOT want to waste time
finding out. The game itself is like beer--starts well as you see the
Sirius Blimp(the Bud Blimp would kick its butt, if blimps have those,
but still cool for the time) and turns kinda fun and mindless at first,
but once you start to get yourself involved(get to Oly Beer) you'll get
trapped(like alcohol addiction) and find it never has the enjoyment of
those first few levels covered. And if you get anywhere in Oly Beer,
you'll notice things are a lot as they were before but it's harder to
cope and survive--different colored tiles, yeah, but so what.
CONTROLS OR LACK THEREOF
Beer Run's controls are certainly, well, UNIQUE. You have a choice of
feeling helpless with the joystick or keyboard.
Enemy AI is very simple. The Beer Baron walks left and right between
the edges at a constant speed randomly determined at the start of a
level; a slow beer baron can be annoying as green guys can catch you
while you're waiting for him to move, and a fast beer baron isn't so
hot. Fortunately there's a just-right-like-Baby-Bear's-Porridge beer
baron. The green guys, when they reach a ladder, will follow you
vertically when they do. Given this, if you want to climb up a ladder,
you may want to wait until a green guy has passed a ladder to climb;
you can then circle him, since you are faster than the green guys.
Despite their knowing how high you are, the green guys still pick a
random direction when leaving a ladder--and it's worth noting that they
can only go up one platform level at a time. You can also fake out
monsters coming at you if there is a ladder between the two of you with
a quick climb up and down(and you do climb more quickly than you walk.)
You can actually touch the Beer Baron and survive; if part of you is
on a ladder, you survive. The green and white guys afford no such
luxury, though. Brush them, and you fall like an anchor(you even look
like one) to your death.
Strangely, your position seems to control where an elevator will
appear. I've poked around a lot with saved games, moving around just
before an elevator is about to appear, and that seems to be the case.
SCORING
--200 bonus beers + EXTRA MAN if you get to the top of the Sirius
Building and catch the blimp
--25+(20, 30, 40 or 50) beers for taking an elevator
--individual falling beers, the hardest to retrieve, get you 1. You
have to be exact and catch it with an outstreched arm.
--occasionally 5- or 7- or 9-packs of beer will pop up. Position your
guy so he's touching the edges with his hands and "climb." You'll get
the points.
LEVEL MAPS
Note that the SIRIUS BUILDING and the OLY BEER BUILDING have the same
layout. LEVELS x+1 to x+5 are the same no matter which building you
are in, and with that in mind, I've written up the maps below. The
major difference between the two is that Sirius has six levels and
Olympia has ten.
Elevators generally appear in spaces where ladders aren't easily
accessible.
Perhaps there is a third building after the Oly Beer Building, if you
go all the way down and up, or do something even weirder, but I am not
taking the time to find out.
LEVELS 01-05
--v-------v-------v-
H H H
-------v------------
H H H
-------------v------
H H H
----------v---------
H H
--------------------
This level starts with two monsters. Usually you will be able to find
an elevator up near the bottom. Once can appear in the lower left or
the right of the second platform. If however you get pushed up to the
third platform you will find it hard to get down, and your best bet is
to go off to the right and try to sucker the monsters.
In the Oly Beer building this level is not too bad as with all the
stairs up you should be able to sneak around the monsters to get down a
bit.
LEVELS 06-10
------v------v------
H H
--v-----------------
H H H
-----------------v--
H H
--v------v----------
H H H
--------------------
This level, which starts with three monsters, probably the most
flexible one in the game. Elevators should appear in the center, and
there are a lot of ways to go back down. Even if monsters come down
toward you, you can go off to the left and wait for them to climb to the
bottom, then circle. There is a risk of getting stuck at the top
platforms as two consecutive ways down are on opposite sides.
It's a bit harder in the Oly Beer building but there is no danger of
getting randomly trapped right away.
LEVELS 11-15
-v------------v-----
H H
---------v-v--------
H H
----v---------------
H H
--------------v-----
H H
--------------------
Good, we're back to the nasty stuff. Although there are still three
monsters as in the previous level and it actually does get worse later,
the headaches officially start here. You may find yourself fleeing to
the top only to get trapped. One word of advice; if it looks like
you're getting trapped(greenies on each side of you) up top, you may
want to hang out next to the first ladder a greenie will come up. If it
goes away from you, duck and run. Staying in the dead center may just
buy a few extra seconds until your death.
In the Oly Beer Building you'll want to go to the right so you can
drop down another ladder quickly. Of course if you can get to the
center of the second level you can follow the strategy above.
LEVELS 16-20
-----------------v--
H
--v----------v------
H H H
------v-------------
H H
--v-------v---------
H H
--------------------
Four monsters run after you here. This is not too bad in the Sirius
building. You probably want to leave the first level quickly, and you
do not want to get trapped on the top, but an elevator should appear
pretty quickly, and stairs down are pretty accessible.
In the Oly Beer building you'll need a bit of luck. Again, wait for
monsters to go up the stairs until climbing down. But your best bet may
be just to wait for an elevator to appear.
LEVELS 21-25
-v----------------v-
H H
------v--v----------
H H H
--------------v-----
H H
---v----------------
H
--------------------
Five monsters appear here. Not that two might not do the trick; your
immediate priority is to go left and try to climb around. Hopefully the
greenies will go off to the right when they exit the stairs, or the
elevator will appear in the bottom right. This level is the most
sickeningly random in the Sirius Building.
This is still pretty bad in the Oly building although the left ladder
is probably the best course as it leads closer to further ladders down.
LEVELS 26-30
--------------------
H H H
--------------------
H H
--------------------
H H H
--------------------
H H
--------------------
Look ma! Six greenies! But this level actually engenders some
strategy. There are lots of ladders, many allowing traveling down. I
recommend immediately going up one level and off to the left. That'll
put you in the center and you'll be ready for any elevator that does
appear. Of course if one appears at the bottom you'll have to juggle
drawing the monsters away from the center ladder leading down(you'll
have to go to the left) and not taking too much time to get to the
elevator.
In the Oly Beer building, going down is as easy as it can be with six
greenies, as with the three ladders, you can park yourself to the left,
wait for the monsters to climb, and rush past 'em. Just hope the Beer
Baron isn't on the level right below and walking fast.
[oly levels only]
LEVELS 31-35
--------------------
H H
--------------------
H
--------------------
H H
--------------------
H
--------------------
Ladders are mighty sparse here, and it comes down to waiting for an
elevator. The three greenies that appear are extra fast to boot. It
would be worse if you were stuck at the bottom.
LEVELS 36-40
--------------------
H H
--------------------
H H H
--------------------
H H
--------------------
H
--------------------
While not impossible this level certainly is annoying if you get
trapped at the bottom. However with the zig-zagging stairs flanked by
the straight shot up(to be used in an emergency,) it's actually pretty
friendly, and avoiding the four monsters shouldn't be too bad.
LEVELS 41-45
--------------------
H
--------------------
H H H
--------------------
H H H
--------------------
H H H
--------------------
Another interesting level. Two safety valves on each side, and it
would seem possible to climb down easily--except for from the top. If
there were any more than three monsters this level could become a mess,
and as it is you need to make sure toy start by climbing down quickly.
Hopefully the Beer Baron won't be an X-factor on the second-highest
platform.
LEVELS 46-50
--------------------
H
--------------------
H H H
--------------------
H H
--------------------
H H
--------------------
Only two monsters, but this can still be nasty. You'll obviously want
to go down IMMEDIATELY. Remember you're starting at the top. From
there it is pretty easy to get the next stairs and go down further.
Getting to the bottom affords great flexibility as if an elevator
appears you can choose where you stop off.
THAT STUPID BLIMP
You can't actually lose a guy here but I basically move the guy left
or right to get close to the blimp and then hit the space bar a bunch.
The trick is to be aligned with the blimp when it's at the lowest point;
the rope will be unfurled, you'll catch it, and...on to the Oly Beer
Building!
================================
VERSIONS/CREDITS
1.0.0 sent first version to GameFAQs.com 02/02/02. There probably won't
be another one as I think that date is cool. It is also MY HUNDREDTH
FAQ DOCUMENT! (including images)
Thanks to:
ftp://ftp.apple.asimov.net. Man, they got _everything_.
The people on the Beer Run board at GameFAQs. Sorry I didn't write a
FAQ for the real, arehetypal Beer Run, but my measly words could not
have done it justice :).
