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Tempest 2000 for Atari Jaguar FAQ
by BHodges
Version 1.2
Created 02/06/09
Updated 04/01/16
This document Copyright © 2009, 2016 by Brian Hodges. It may not be placed on
any web site or otherwise distributed publicly without advance written
permission.
Use of this guide on any other web site or as a part of any public display is
strictly prohibited, and a violation of copyright.
All trademarks and copyrights contained in this document are owned by their
respective trademark and copyright holders.
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Table of Contents
I. Introduction
II. Getting Started
III. Controls
IV. Enemies
A. Flippers
B. Spikers
C. Spikes
D. Fuseballs
E. Pulsars
F. Tankers
G. Mutant Flippers
H. Mirrors
I. Demon Heads
J. UFOs
V. Powerups
A. Particle Laser
B. Zappo 2000
C. Jump Enabled
D. SuperZapper
E. Warp Bonus Token
F. Out of Here
G. A.I. Droid
H. Yes! Yes! Yes!
VI. Traditional (Tempest)
A. Overview
B. Strategies
VII. Tempest Plus
A. 1 Player
B. A.I. Droid
C. 2 Player Team
VIII. Tempest 2000
A. Overview
B. Strategies
C. Keys
D. Warp Bonus Rounds
1. Overview
2. Round 1
3. Round 2
4. Round 3
IX. Tempest Duel
A. Tempest Duel
B. Solo Practice
C. Strategies
X. Secrets and Cheats
A. Beastly Mode
B. Rotary Controller
C. Warp Skip
D. Level Skip
E. Invisible Web
F. Sheep
XI. My Best scores
XII. Game Review
XIII. Version History
XIV. Contact Information
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I. Introduction
This is a FAQ for the Atari Jaguar game Tempest 2000. It contains information
on how to play, strategies, cheats, and a mini-review.
Tempest 2000 is an updated version of the classic Atari arcade game Tempest.
The game features updated graphics, a fantastic soundtrack, and new game modes
while managing to retain the core gameplay that made the original so much fun
to play!
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II. Getting Started
While on the title screen, press B to bring up the Main Game Menu. On this
menu, you can choose which of the four game modes you wish to play.
While on the Main Game Menu, you can press Option to bring up the Game Options
menu. Here you are given the option of modifying the display settings or
control settings.
Control Setup lets you change the button configuration while Display Setup
lets you change the display settings.
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III. Controls
A Button: Jump
B Button: Fire/Select menu items
C Button: SuperZapper
Option: Call up Game Options Menu from the Main Game Menu
Pause: Pauses the game
Left: Move Blaster clockwise/left
Right: Move Blaster counterclockwise/right
1, 4, 7: Default Web view moves in relation to how you move
2, 5, 8: Locked Web View
3, 6, 9: Close-up view moves in relation to how you move
0: Turn music on or off
# and *: Restart game
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IV. Enemies
Here are the enemy descriptions from the instruction booklet:
...............................................................................
A. Flippers
Flippers are bowtie-shaped aliens that arise from the core and move toward the
rim. Flippers can move from one corridor to the next by flipping over a
corridor boundary, firing missiles along the way. Should they reach the rim,
Flippers will flip towards you and can capture your Blaster by making contact
with it.
...............................................................................
B. Spikers
Spikers produce Blaster-crushing Spikes that whirl in from the core along the
center of a corridor. The Spiker builds a Spike to a random height, then
rides the Spike back down to the core and continues the process in another
corridor, launching missiles along the way.
...............................................................................
C. Spikes
Spikes are razor-sharp lines along the middle axis of the corridors that can
destroy your Blaster when you warp from the rim through the hole. Destroying
a Spike takes several shots as you must break it down piece by piece.
...............................................................................
D. Fuseballs
Fuseballs are five multi-colored, multi-segmented lines joined at their ends
to produce a Medusa-like wriggling form. Fuseballs are not constrained by the
corridor side boundaries, but move outward or inward when in the corridor.
Fuseballs are constrained by the rim but will descend off the rim back through
the hole when along a corridor boundary. Fuseballs can be destroyed by a
shot or SuperZapper, but cannot be shot when riding a corridor boundary. If a
Fuseball touches your Blaster, you're history.
...............................................................................
E. Pulsars
Pulsars are expanding and contracting lightning bolt-like forms that transform
from a straight line into a zigzag. Pulsars move from the core towards the
rim and can move between corridors by flipping in a manner similar to Flippers.
Beware! Pulsars are harmless as a flat line. But when a Pulsar pulses, like
a switch that closes an electrical circuit, it will electrify the entire
corridor. When this happens the corridor will flash as a warning. If you are
on the corridor, you will fry.
...............................................................................
F. Tankers
Tankers are diamond-shaped objects that move from the core toward the rim and
are constrained to a single corridor. Tankers contain other objects and,
depending on the level, contain Flippers, Fuseballs, or Pulsars; the type of
object can be determined by the appearance of the Tanker.
When a Tanker is hit by fire from your Blaster, or approaches the rim of the
hole, the contents of the Tanker are released. No points are scored for the
destruction of the Tanker if it self-destructs upon reaching the rim.
...............................................................................
G. Mutant Flippers (Tempest 2000 only)
Mutant Flippers are more hostile than Flippers and attack at a much faster
speed.
...............................................................................
H. Mirrors (Tempest 2000 only)
Mirrors are just that -- they reflect your fire back in your face. Mirrors
climb up the web and stop in front of you -- blocking on-coming enemies. The
best way to destroy a Mirror is to fire and dodge, as Mirrors are defenseless
when launching lasers. In Tempest Duel, you are armed with Mirrors.
...............................................................................
I. Demon Heads (Tempest 2000 only)
Demon Heads are very aggressive and extremely deadly. Beware! When hit, a
Demon Head's horns will fly off and head straight for your Blaster.
...............................................................................
J. UFOs (Tempest 2000 only)
Perhaps the most elusive of all enemies, UFOs fly above the web and fire
lightning bolts at your Blaster. The only way to destroy a UFO is to jump over
him and blow him back into the stratosphere.
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V. Powerups
Powerups are only available in Tempest 2000. They appear after destroying
some enemies. Powerups will rise to the top of the web, to collect one, simply
touch it with your Blaster.
Powerups always appear in this order:
Particle Laser, Zappo 2000, Jump, Zappo 2000, A.I. Droid, Zappo 2000, Warp
Bonus Token, Zappo 2000
...............................................................................
A. Particle Laser
The Particle Laser gives you Blaster faster and more powerful shots.
...............................................................................
B. Zappo 2000
A Zappo 2000 grants you 2000 extra bonus points.
...............................................................................
C. Jump Enabled
This powerup allows you to jump by pressing A. While jumping you can still
move around the web and shoot.
...............................................................................
D. SuperZapper
The ultimate weapon, the SuperZapper instantly fries all enemies on the web.
You only get one charge per web, it will be automatically recharged once you
complete a web.
...............................................................................
E. Warp Bonus Token
Collecting this will unleash a free SuperZapper. Collect three tokens to
enter one of three warp levels. Successfully completing a warp level allows
you to skip five levels ahead.
...............................................................................
F. Out of Here
This gives you an extra 5000 points and will instantly end the web.
...............................................................................
G. A.I. Droid
The A.I. Droid floats around the top of the web and shoots at enemies. It
cannot be hurt by enemies, however it won't follow you to the next web.
...............................................................................
H. Yes! Yes! Yes!
Touching a powerup while exiting a web results in a Yes! Yes! Yes! This will
cause the first powerup on the following web to give you an A.I. Droid.
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VI. Traditional (Tempest)
...............................................................................
A. Overview
This is a port of the arcade original. In traditional mode, you are armed
with only your Blaster and SuperZapper, there are no other powerups available!
The object of the game is to shoot the enemies before they make their way to
the top of the web. Coming in contact with an enemy or their shots means
instant death. Once you have defeated all enemies on the web, you will be
taken to the next web and your SuperZapper will be recharged.
...............................................................................
B. Strategies
- Keep moving and keep firing! Learn how to time your shots to minimize the
cool down period between bursts.
- Use your SuperZappers wisely. You only get one charge per web, so wait
until you absolutely need to use it.
- If a Flipper makes it to the top of the web, don't panic! It's still
possible to destroy him; the easiest way is to stand still and wait until
he is just about to land on you, then hold down the fire button. If you
timed it right, he should be destroyed.
- Watch out for Spikes, if you hit one while exiting, you will have to repeat
that web all over again! You can still destroy Spikes when exiting, so
it's a good idea to hold down fire until you've left the web completely.
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VII. Tempest Plus
There are three different modes in Tempest Plus:
...............................................................................
A. 1 Player
This is basically Traditional Tempest with updated graphics.
...............................................................................
B. A.I. Droid
This is the same as 1 Player Tempest Plus with one huge difference, you will
now be accompanied by an A.I. Droid! The droid will constantly fire on enemies
and cannot be destroyed.
This mode is great for beginners!
...............................................................................
C. 2 Player Team
This is a two player co-op mode. It's exactly the same as 1 Player Tempest
Plus except now there are two Blasters. Player 1's Blaster will be yellow
and Player 2's green. Players share lives and the SuperZapper (you still only
get one SuperZapper per web).
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VIII. Tempest 2000
...............................................................................
A. Overview
Tempest 2000 is the main mode on the cartridge. It is a drastic update of the
arcade original. Besides the obvious graphical and audio upgrades, new
enemies, powerups, and mini-games have been added.
...............................................................................
B. Strategies
- Collecting powerups is key to survival. Be sure not to miss any.
- Once you collect the Jump, use it as much as possible.
- Let your A.I. Droid take out more dangerous enemies such as Pulsars and
Demon Heads.
- Wait for a Pulsar to fire, then quickly kill it before it has a chance to
recharge.
- Start the game on the first web. This gives you time to build up your score
and extra lives before reaching the more difficult levels.
...............................................................................
C. Keys
Keys act as save slots and are awarded when your game ends beyond level 17.
The cartridge can save a maximum of four Keys.
Your key saves the highest ODD numbered level (17 & up) that you have
successfully completed. For example, if you die on level 25 your key will be
for level 23 since that was the last odd numbered level you beat.
You "save" by entering your initials on the high score screen. Re-using
initials will update the existing key instead of creating a new one.
Whenever you start a new game of Tempest 2000 you can choose "Just Start" to
begin at level 1 or "Use a Key" to select one of the available Keys.
Example:
- You die on level 23 and enter the initials DA. There is now a key for DA
to start at level 21 because 21 was the last odd level you beat.
- You play a second time and die on level 32. You enter the initials ABC.
There is now a key for ABC to start at level 31.
- You play a third time and die on level 19. You enter the initials DA.
Because a key already exists for DA, new key is not created. The highest
level is the one that is saved so the key remains at level 21.
If you were to select the Use a Key option after this example, you would see
two keys listed: a DA key for level 21 and an ABC key for level 31.
...............................................................................
D. Warp Bonus Rounds
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
1. Overview
There are three different Warp Bonus Rounds in Tempest 2000. You enter a
Warp Round by collecting three Warp Bonus Tokens. The goal of each one is to
make it to the end of the round. If you make it to the end of the round, you
will skip five levels, otherwise you will start at the next web.
Upon successful completion of a warp round, you will get a confirmation message
stating that you have earned 20,000 bonus points and skipped ahead five levels.
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
2. Round 1 (sometimes called "Jupiter" or "Bacon" round)
The goal here is to fly through all the rings. Empty rings give you bonus
points and the ones with arrowheads increase your speed. There are actually
two "floors" here one above and one below the "river". If you don't see any
more rings ahead you need to quickly move through the river to the next set of
rings. Miss a single ring and the round is over.
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
3. Round 2 (Sometimes called "Green Path" round)
The goal here is to stay on the green path. You will continually earn points
while staying on the path. If you stray from the path, your "tail" will
shrink. Once you lose your tail, the round is over.
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
4. Round 3 (Sometimes called "Acid" round)
Round 3 is basically a psychedelic rehash of round 1. The goal here is to
once again fly through all the rings.
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IX. Tempest Duel
...............................................................................
A. Tempest Duel
Tempest Duel is a two player versus mode. You are given the option of playing
one round, best of three, or best of five. You can also choose which type of
web you wish to play on.
The two Blasters are located on opposite ends of the web (player one is on
the left and player two on the right). Each player begins a round with five
lives, you win once your opponent loses their last life. Each player's
Blaster is equipped with a Mirror that will reflect opponent's shots. Be
careful, your Mirror will be lowered when you fire your Blaster, leaving you
defenseless!
Every web in Tempest Duel contains a Purple Generator. The generator will
create Red and Blue Flippers. The Red Flippers will attack player one, while
the Blue Flippers attack player two. The Purple Generator cannot be destroyed,
however, your shots will cause it to move towards your opponent.
Depending on the web, there may be one or more Cubes. Cubes bounce between
the two ends of the web, once it reaches one end, it will instantly fry that
player's Blaster. Like Purple Generators, Cubes cannot be destroyed, but
your shots will cause it to move towards your opponent.
...............................................................................
B. Solo Practice
Like the name implies, Solo Practice allows a single player to play Tempest
Duel. It plays just like Tempest Duel except your opponent never moves and his
mirror is always up. It's a real shame they didn't bother adding the option
to play against an AI.
...............................................................................
C. Strategies
- Always keep moving.
- Know which color Flippers are the ones attacking you. Concentrate on these.
- Try shooting the Purple Generator to move it as close to your opponent as
possible. This will give you more time and him less to destroy Flippers.
- Watch out for the Cubes, once they fry one Blaster, they will automatically
head towards the other one.
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X. Secrets and Cheats
I found the following in the Atari Jaguar Official Gamer's Guide:
...............................................................................
A. Beastly Mode
Finish all 99 levels of Tempest 2000 to unlock Beastly Mode, a hard mode for
Tempest 2000. In Beastly Mode, your Blaster fires MUCH slower than normal,
but the point values are doubled! Once you have unlocked Beastly Mode, a
message will appear at the bottom of the level select screen telling you to
press Option for Beastly Mode.
...............................................................................
B. Rotary Controller
On the Game Options screen, press and hold Pause on controllers one and two.
A third option called Controller Type will appear. This will allow you to
switch between Joypad and Rotary.
No rotary controller was officially released for the Jaguar, but some hobbyists
have made some by converting standard Joypads. These will sometimes appear for
sale on sites like eBay.
Note: This will be permanent, the only way to remove this from the menu is to
do a memory reset.
...............................................................................
C. Warp Skip
Note: This code works only in Tempest 2000.
On the Main Game Menu (where you choose which mode of Tempest to play), move
the cursor to the game version you want to play. Then hold down 1, 4, 7, and
* and press A to start the game. If you did it right, the "Excellent" sound
will be slower.
During gameplay hold down either 3 and 6 or 6 and 9. The message Warp Enabled
should appear. Now press Option to enter the warp round.
...............................................................................
D. Level Skip
Note: This code works on all three solo Tempest modes.
On the Main Game Menu (where you choose which mode of Tempest to play), move
the cursor to the game version you want to play. Then hold down 1, 4, 7, and
* and press A to start the game. If you did it right, the "Excellent" sound
will be slower. Now simply press Option at any time during the game to skip
to the next level.
...............................................................................
E. Invisible Web
If you use the level skip code in Tempest Plus to go to the rainbow levels,
the webs there will be invisible.
...............................................................................
F. Sheep
The music in the first warp level contains an Easter egg. If you pause the
game during that level and press A to adjust the music, near the end of the
track will be the sound of sheep bleating.
(If this seems odd to you, Jeff Minter, the game's designer, has two pet
sheep).
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XI. My Best scores
Tempest 78,033
Tempest Plus (1P) 153,144
Tempest 2000 625,349
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XII. Game Review
This is how remakes should be done! Jeff Minter updated the graphics, sounds,
and added some new twists, but also managed to preserve the core gameplay.
Tempest 2000 is one of the best games available for the Atari Jaguar and is an
absolute must own.
Pros
+ Fantastic update of an arcade classic.
+ Twitch gameplay at its best.
+ Awesome soundtrack.
+ Multiple game modes to choose from.
+ Two player co-op and vs. modes.
Cons
- No two player mode in Tempest 2000.
- No AI opponent option for Tempest Duel.
- The gameplay may seem simple and repetitive to some gamers.
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XIII. Version History
1.2 04/01/16 Updated Introduction, Keys, and Contact Information sections.
Updated the Header and made formatting changes throughout.
1.1 06/27/09 Updated Game Review section.
1.0 02/06/09 Created FAQ.
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XIV. Contact Information
You can contact me at Bhodges080@aol.com
Please leave constructive comments. I especially appreciate emails letting me
know if I have made a mistake, missed anything, or if you have any ideas for
improving this FAQ.
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End