View manual text
by Andrew Braybrook
Be sure to complete and return your
warranty card if you want information on
new program updates to Uridium.
Documentation copyright c 1987 Mindscape, Inc.
Uridium is a trademark of Hewson Consultants Limited
All rights reserved.
Printed in the U.S.A.
Contents
Your Mission
5
Destroying a Super-Dreadnought
Operating Your Manta Fighter
Enemy Weapons
Scoring
7
6
6
Your Mission
The solar system is under fierce attack. A squadron of formidable enemy
Super-Dreadnought ships, needing mineral fuel to power their interstellar units,
is draining the mineral resources from all 15 planets in your galactic sector.
Each Super-Dreadnought, in orbit around one planet, is mining a special
metal. This irreversible mineral depletion must be stopped immediately, or it
will destroy all planet life.
Your mission is to repel the enemy attack with your special Manta fighter.
Completely. Quickly Decisively. The odds against you are enormous because
you are the lone remaining defender of this planetary sector. Your ultimate
goal is to annihilate all 15 Super-Dreadnoughts and accumulate as many
points as possible. If you complete all 15 levels-and only the best pilots will
even come close-you qualify for a special offer for a Uridium emblem (see
the order form at the end of this manual).
You begin the game with three lives. If you fail to destroy the Dreadnought
after three chances, the game ends. If you destroy a Dreadnought, your Manta
fighter will be transported to the next planet, and you will receive an addi
tional life. Your mission there will be the same: destroy the Super-Dreadnought
in orbit. But be warned: As you move from one level to the next, the enemy
becomes more deadly.
Uridium can be played with one or two players. In a two-player game, the
players alternate turns. Player 1 pilots his or her Manta fighter through one
life or turn. Then Player 2 takes a turn, and so on. As in the one-player game,
each player begins the game with three lives. Each player tries to accumu
late a higher score than the other,
Destroying a Super-Dreadnought
As the game begins, your Manta fighter blasts off from the intergalactic
teleporter. An enemy Dreadnought looms nearby. Begin your strafing run,
First, destroy the waves of fighters that defend the Dreadnought. When most
of the Dreadnought defenses have been eliminated, you will see a "Land
now" message in the upper right part of the screen. While the message
flashes, find and land on the Dreadnought master runway, which is on the
right end of the Dreadnought. Fly flat over the end of the runway from left
to right to land.
Once you land, you will pass into the fuel rod chamber. Here you complete
the destruction of the ship and add to your point total. In front of you will
be a pyramid of flashing lights. Press the button on your joystick or mouse
at the exact moment when the indicator with the bonus number is lit up. Then
move to the next level of lights and try for more bonus points, but be careful
to select "Quit" before the countdown at the top of the screen reaches zero.
Once you select "Quit" in the fuel rod chamber, your Manfa will take off, and
the Dreadnought will vaporize. Strafe any remaining surface targets as the
enemy ship vaporizes. In a moment, you will be transported to the next
planet, where you must attack another enemy Dreadnought.
Operating Your Manta Fighter
Your Manta is a highly advanced fighter equipped with sophisticated laser
weapons. It can fly up, down, right, or left. It can do half-loops, 90-degree
rolls, and can reverse directions immediately. See the Reference Card for
specific flying instructions.
The Manta is faster and more maneuverable than the enemy fighters, but
there are many waves of enemy fighters. The Manta has unlimited fire power
but shoots only in the direction in which you are flying.
Enemy Weapons
Each Super-Dreadnought is equipped with at least two types of defensive
weapons: fighters and homing mines. Waves of fighters patrol the airspace
above each Dreadnought. When you make a strafing run across the
Dreadnought, the fighters will fire at you. The best way to destroy the fighters
is to sneak up behind them and fire, But be careful when chasing the fighters;
you may forget to watch where you are going and crash into a communi
cations aerial or meteor shield on the Dreadnought. When you fly over flash
ing generator ports, homing mines may lock onto your flight pattern and blow
up the Manta. If you hear a telltale bleeping sound, you'll know that a mine
has been launched in your direction. These mines have a limited life span,
though, and can be avoided with some deft flying maneuvers.
Some Dreadnoughts also carry an offensive weapon; special ships that
attack the Manta. You will encounter these once you reach the third or fourth
Dreadnought.
On the surface of each Dreadnought are meteor shields and communica
tions aerials. If the Manta hits one of these surface features, it will crash. To
reach the master runway on each Dreadnought, you will have to maneuver
around these obstacles.
Scoring
You accumulate points in several ways: by destroying fighters, surface fea
tures, and fuel rods on each Dreadnought. Special bonus points are awarded
for destroying all fighters in a wave and after each 10,000 points you accu
mulate. Points are awarded as follows:
Points
10
25
100
100-1000
100
Small explodable surface feature
Large explodable surface feature
Enemy ship on runway
Enemy fighter
Wave annihilation bonus (destroying all fighters in the wave)
Hall of Fame
If your score is high enough, your name will be added to the pilots'
Hall of Fame.