\__ ( ')> // \ ____// \/ \ ROAD RUNNER \____/ FAQ (VERSION 1.0) __/ \____________________________BY SETH0708_______________________________ - \____/- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - ______________________________________________________________________________ Based upon the popular cartoon figure, Road Runner is fairly standard arcade fare, so this guide will simply outline the gameplay and scoring basics. This guide is primarily intended for the Nintendo Entertainment System version of the game, although the strategies and concepts also apply to the Atari 2600 version, the arcade version, and the 1987 Commodore 64 version. ============== == CONTROLS == ============== Controls for all the systems are pretty simple. () Arcade Cabinet Joystick Moves the Road Runner in all directions Button Jump () Commodore 64 Keyboard Moves the Road Runner and jumps () Nintendo Entertainment System () Atari 2600 ______________________ _________________ | _ | | /\ | | _| |_ B/\ | | \/A __ | | |_ _| A/\ \/ | | / \ | | |_| == == \/ | | \__/ | |______________________| |_________________| Directional Pad / Joystick Moves the Road Runner in all directions Start (NES-Only) A-Button Pause the game Jump ============== == GAMEPLAY == ============== Road Runner has you run from the left side of the screen to the right down a long, multi-screen road. Along the way you must pick up the piles of birdseed that you see on the road. Doing so increases your speed meter at the top of the screen, while missing a pile decreases it. Your meter starts at five, so if you miss five seed piles in a row you'll pass out and Wily E. Coyote will grab you. Likewise, if you miss three, get one, then miss three you'll lose as your total loss will be five piles. As you manuever through the winding roads, Wily E. Coyote is not your only hazard however. Trcuks, boulders, and other environment hazards dot the roads of the desert. Wily E. Coyote chases the Road Runner in a number of ways. His initial plan of attack is to simply rush after you. This is easy enough to avoid, but do not get too much of a lead on Wily E. Coyote. In the tradition of cheap video gaming, if you get about ¾ of the screen in front of him, he'll gain a second wind and rush straight at you, easily passing through any hazards or walls in the way. Instead keep him about ½ a screen behind you (see the Scoring section below if you want to take the fight to Wily... and survive). His second mode of attack (appearing in the second stage) is to ride a rocket. This is the easiest of his strategies to avoid. Wily will fly off the screen in a straight line. He will then appear, flying the opposite way, horizontally in line with the Road Runner. He will fly across the screen in a straight line and disappear off the other end, repeating the process anew. To avoid him, simply move up or down out of his way as he flies towards you. In some turns in the road this can be tough, so always look ahead and take precautions (i.e. wait in one spot a bit) so that you can make the narrow straight spots in a single flyby of Wily's. His third attack style is to ride a pogo stick. This allows him to bounce over the sections of desert that function as walls for the Road Runner. This form is hard to avoid, but it can be done. On the wider roads, move in large circles and he'll generally land away from you (he'll try to land wherever you were when he bounces off the ground). In the tighter roads, move back and forth as you go, pausing if necessary to avoid running right into him. If the road is a long horizontal stretch, move right-to-left as you progress forward. If it is a long vertical stretch, an up-and-down movement is prefered. Wily will also, in the later stages, acquire what the manual calls "invisible paint." This paint makes him faster, but you can stop him from collecting it by picking up the item yourself before he does. ============= == SCORING == ============= You play this game for points, so here is a guide to scoring them. () Birdseed Multipliers (100x Points) The initial birdseed pile you pick up is worth 100 points. Each successive birdseed pile you pick up is worth an additional 100 points, up to 1000. Thus the third successive birdseed pile you pick up is worth 300 points, the tenth 1000, but each one after ten is still worth 1000 points. If you miss a birdseed pile, however, the counter starts back at 100 again. () Collect All Birdseed (10,000 Points) If you collect all the birdseed in a level you will get the points upon completion of said level. () Collect Lemonade (500 Points) After a few levels lemonade will appear on the road. This item gives you the points by running over it. () Jump A Mine (500 Points) Simply run towards a land mine and hit the jump button as you are about to touch it. () Wily E. Coyote Damaged (500 Points) This can be accomplished in a number of ways. Essentially to damage Wily you need to lure him into contact with one of the environmental hazards. In his basic mode of attack he will chase right behind you, so you just need to lead him in front of a boulder or truck. For boulders, watch the direction and rate at which a given boulder falls and move to a horizontal position appropriate to hit Wily as he trails behind you. To get him to hit a truck is essentially the same, but now you don't have to worry about lining him up at an angle as with the boulders since the trucks move in a straight line. Simply move towards the truck, then dodge out of the way at the last second to watch it splat Wily all over the road. Regardless of how you damage him though, he will be back on his feet in a few seconds. ================ == COPYRIGHTS == ================ Road Runner is (c) Tengen