Berzerk for Mame/p notes
- if you hit the tab key when the
Berzerk rom is loaded, you may select dipswitches and
turn the voice frequency modulation ON or OFF.
  ON will result in the robot's speech fluctuating from
     lower to higher pitches in a random fashion
  OFF will result in the standard robot low pitch speech

Sound- Soundblaster setting (soundcard 1) will
   provide optimal speech simulation.
********************************************************

Berzerk Rules and Playing Tips

by Tom Hirschfeld (1981)


Controls 

a. Eight directional joystick

b. FIRE button


Scoring

a. Robot 50 points

b. Bonus for shooting all Robots in a maze: 10 points per robot

c. Extra humanoid at 5,000 points

Dangers

a. All walls are death to touch

b. Robots shoot bullets; if the humanoid is hit, he dies

c. If the humanoid collides with a robot or Evil Otto, he dies

Observations

a. The game consists of one maze after another, each of which can be completed only by
the
humanoid`s death or escape. Sixty-four thousand different mazes are possible, so the
chances of
repitition are low<.p> 

b. The humanoid`s motion and aim are controlled by the same joystick so he cannot run
and fire in
different directions simultaneously

c. At the beginning of each maze, the humanoid appears at the middle of one of the four
edges and
can escape only through the middle of another side. In the next maze, he appears on the
side
opposite his last exit. In the meantime, he can fire about two bullets a second.

d. From 4 to 12 robots appear soon after the humanoid. They are his enemies. Like him,
they can
shoot in eight directions. They shoot whenever he is in their sights and move so that he will
be. If the
humanoid and a robot are separated by a wall segment, for example, and the humanoid
walks to one
end of the segment and past it, the robot will follow him step by step, shooting at him all the
while.

e. The robots are not too smart. They are often destroyed not by the humanoid`s bullets
but by
walking into walls, walking into each other, or being zapped by Evil Otto. No matter how
they die,
the player gets the credit.

f. Evil Otto is a smiling ball that bounces out from whenever the humanoid began that
maze. He
appears after about ten seconds and immediately pursues the humanoid, bouncing along
horizontally
or vertically towards his prey. The bounces are about two inches high, slow while the robots
remain
on the screen and faster once all the robots all die. If the humanoid moves, Otto shifts
course
accordingly. 

g. Diagonal bullets are the hardest to dodge.

h. When a robot dies, it disappears by explosion. If the humanoid shoots a robot pointblank
and
then walks into the explosion, he dies as well.

i. When the robots appear, the player has one second or less before the start shooting at
him.

j. Occassionally, a player must dodge a bullet at the beginning of the maze and accidently
backs into
the side from which he emerged, now a deadly wall. Blind reflex does not always produce
the best
results.

k. There are two models of BERZERK out, each with a different way of getting harder.
The old
model has:
1. Yellow robots without bullets.
2. Red robots shooting one at a time
3. White robots shooting two at a time

After 5,000 points, Otto travels twice as fast. In the new version there are:
1. Yellow Robots without bullets
2. Red robots shooting one at a time
3. White robots shooting two at a time
4. Purple robots shooting three at a time
5. Yellow robots shooting four at a time
6. Purple robots shooting give at a time
7. White robots shooting one superfast bullet at a time
and so on up to five superfast bullets at a time, but Otto always moves slowly.

Strategies

a. When you complete one maze, start getting ready for the next.

b. Learn to use the controls; if your hands do not react instantly to your thoughts, you will
have
trouble staying alive.

c. Becasue of the time pressure and for purposes of self-defense, shoot whenever you have
a target.

d. Once you realise how the robots move and shoot, it should not be difficult to deal with
them
singly. Try to stay cleat of gangs, though, since you can`t cover yourself in more than one
direction at
a time. If you do end up surrounded- at the beginning of a maze, for instance- shoot your
way out
and run. The farther you are from your enemies, the more time you have to dodge their
shots.

If you want to demolish a large group of robots in a short time, either shoot at them from
far away or
put a wall between yourself and them. As you pass the end of the wall, they will follow you
from
cover. Pick them off one by one as they emerge, being sure to dodge any shots they have a
chance
to fire

e. Keep in mind that you need not kill all the robots with your own bullets. Here are a few
ways to
have them meet other deaths:

1. If you are between two distant robots and both shoot at you, step out of the way for a
moment
while the bullets go by. Since the robots will follow you, you must then step back into the
line of fire.
They will do the same and be destroyed without your firing a shot.

2. If you are near a lone robot, you can influence him by your movements to walk into a
wall. It
doesn`t take long.

3. If two robots are near each other on the other side of a wall from you, move back and
forth
rapidly, trying to draw each in the direction of the other. They will probably collide and both
be
destroyed.

4. If you are running out of time and must choose between shooting robots in one corner of
the maze
and shooting robots in the center, go to the corner. Then, when Otto appears, your
presence will
draw him across the center so the survivors will die before you can escape.

If the only robots left are not in the center but out of your range when Otto appears, do
what you
can to make him zap them. It can be done if you pick the right place to wait.

f. Otto is the timer, making a leisurely pace unwise. If you use him as outlined above, wait
just inside
the maze and exit as soon as there is nothing more to be gained. At his fasters, he can
easily outrun
you.

g. When you have a choice of robots to shoot, start with diagonal shots. You will,thus, avoid
being
the target of diagonal fire, the most dangerous of all.

If a robot does manage to get the drop on you and shoot diagonally, the best dodge is
another
diagonal move, but perpendicular to the course of the bullet. A vertical or horizontal
evasion would
require you to travel a longer distance before you were safe.

h. Do not assume that you can walk through a robot with impunity if you have just shot it.
The
explosion could kill you.

i. At the beginning of each maze, especially later in the game, know where you will appear
and be
prepared for shots from any distance and direction. Good players lose more humanoids at
the
beginning than any other point in the maze.

j. Start shooting right away; if you must dodge, resist the natural tendancy to retreat into
the wall you
just emerged from.

k. Recognise any change in the color of your enemies; before they shoot a single bullet,
you will
know that their firepower has increased.
