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Parachute
For the Atari 2600
General FAQ
Last Updated 2/27/05
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
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Version 1.0 (02/27/05): Initial version of document - it's complete.
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2. Introduction
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Parachute is remarkably similar to other Atari 2600 games in quality. It's
short, tedious, and gets tougher as you progress in the game. Sadly,
Parachute is also boring. The only "exciting" part of the game is the last
area, where the obstacles fly at random. When you hit the bullseye, it's time
to start the same thing over again, only a little more difficult. Falling
through five generic screens isn't my idea of fun.
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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. Where did
you go, AboveAverage? You told me which system to write for! And of course,
Brian taught all of us that you can write billions and billions of guides for
old games.
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4. Controls
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Fire Button: Nada.
Joystick: Used to move.
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5. Overview
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The basic layout of the game:
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PARACHUTER
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<- Enemy File
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<- Enemy File
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<- Enemy File
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<- Enemy File
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<- Enemy File
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<http://www.vgmuseum.com/images/2600/5.html>
In Parachute, you play the guy who is sky diving. Well, at first, you aren't
really sky diving because you go unbearably slow. That's right, for the first
couple of levels you will go so slow it makes this game a pushover. Don't be
fooled, though, because it gets tougher as the game progresses because
everything starts to speed up.
As you descend to the ground (it's 15,000 miles!), you have to dodge tons of
obstacles. These obstacles, though, go in files and patterns, making them
pretty easy to dodge. Airplanes, helicopters, birds, and clouds are the
obstacles - they also get faster as you progress in the game. If you hit any
of these obstacles (besides clouds) one of your four lives will be taken away
and you will have to restart to the free fall.
It will be about five screens before you reach the bottom. The bottom screen
is where the game starts to get interesting. Instead of the obstacles being
in easy patterns, the birds will go randomly. The sky is also filled with
birds, making landing on the bullseye in the center tough.
To make things harder, a crazy man at the bottom runs through the bullseye.
If you hit the man before you hit the bullseye, sadly, you will die. When you
successfully land on the bullseye, you will get points and the process will
start over again, only things will be a bit faster.
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6. Strategies
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Suicidal strategies. (Or maybe not.)
* In the beginning levels, things will go very slow, so it's best just to
move left or right as needed - you won't need to slow down unless an
object is very near.
* The toy helicopters go in sets of three. At first, they will fly pretty
slow (not the slowest), but as the game progresses they will start to
fly faster.
* The small airplanes also fly in sets of three. They fly at the same
speed as the helicopters but they are a little bulkier.
* The hot air balloons are the bulkiest of the objects. They go fast but
are pretty spaced out, leaving room for you to fly through.
* The clouds do nothing to you. Think of them as a "safe file."
* The red birds are the easiest to dodge. They fly the fastest but also
are spaced apart and very small.
* The white/yellow birds are the hardest to get around because they are
bulky and fly fast. However, they are spaced out, so drop through them.
* In the last screen, the birds will move randomly. The best way to get
around this is to enter the screen on the left or right side, because
the birds spawn in the middle. With the birds in the middle, fall
slanting to the middle and dodging the birds. They usually go in a
diagonal pattern but are still very random.
* Your goal is to try to hit the center of the bullseye on the bottom. The
more center you get the more points you get.
* A man, however, runs back and forth on the bottom. If you hit him before
you hit the ground, you will die.
* In the beginning, you can dodge everything pretty easily if you stay on
the side that has no obstacles. Usually, one side is free of enemies
temporarily.
* As you get to later levels, hold up to slow down. This is probably the
most important strategy in the entire game. To alleviate the
parachuter's fast speed, it is essential that you hold up to slow down
his free fall. In a nutshell, it makes the later levels just like the
first levels.
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7. Frequently Asked Questions
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Question: How many lives can you have?
Answer: Four lives.
Question: How many screens are in this game?
Answer: Five-six screens before the bullseye.
Question: How are points accumulated?
Answer: You get points every couple of seconds you are in the air. In
addition, you get mucho points if you land on the bullseye.
Question: How does this game get harder?
Answer: Everything starts to go faster.
Question: How many players can play?
Answer: One player only.
Question: When did this game come out?
Answer: I don't know. =(
Question: Who created this game?
Answer: Homevision.
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. I'm sure Activision made one of their "five hun-
dred games-in-one," too, and you get one from them.
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8. Credits
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* CJayC for creating GameFAQs.
* Brian Sulpher for referring me to a good ROM site.
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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
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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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