TRON

• 2 versions exist! A harder version was released when unusually high scores were being reported. The easy (original) version gives you 1000 time units on the first Grid Bug scene; the harder version gives you 500.

• Grid Bug stage: It’s possible to enter the I/O tower when the timer is at 0.

• Grid Bug stage: Sometimes a Solar Sailor will appear at the start, sailing across the top of the screen.  It will drop a “bit”, which is worth 5,000 bonus points if you can grab it!  There’s a 50% chance of it appearing, but only on certain levels, and some levels can never deploy a bit prize.  The check whether or not to deploy the bit prize has 3 steps. First, it checks what I call the difficulty.  This is dependent on the game level and on the actual difficulty setting which is set in the service mode.  If this value is less than 9, a bit will never be deployed.  Next, it checks a value from a table based on which pattern of grid bugs is being played.  There are 9 patterns.  Of the 9, only 3 have a value which will allow for the bit prize to appear.  If the pattern is not correct, a bit will never be deployed.  Finally, the game generates a random number and looks at one of the bits.  If it is clear (50% chance), it does not deploy the bit prize.  If it is set (50% chance), a bit prize is deployed.  The random number is generated from the Z80 R register, which is an excellent way to generate an extremely random number.  It’s the same register that is used for random fruit prizes in Ms. Pac-Man past the banana level.  The test for the bit prize is called every time the grid bugs screen is started.  So, if a player dies on the grid bug screen, this test is called again and could deploy a bit, or not, depending on the factors listed above.  {Don Hodges}

• Light Cycle stage: At the start on level 4, push the joystick LEFT, and let go - don't speed up at all.  Just before you crash into the lower left corner of the grid, all 3 enemy cycles will magically crash into a wall or each other.  {Mike Smolowitz}

• Tank stage: If no part of your tank is touching the white line running through the center of each corridor, the enemy’s tank fire cannot hit you.

• Take stage: In higher levels of the Tank game (when the Recognizers appear), as long as you sit in a dead-end corner, they won’t go after you, or even fire at you!  {Scott Lawrence}

• The 12 level names (named after computer languages or terms) are: RPG, COBOL, BASIC, FORTRAN, SNOBOL, PL1, PASCAL, ALGOL, ASSEMBLY, OS, JCL, and USER.

• The score counter rolls over at 1 million. Also, you don’t get another free guy if you pass 10k again. Strategies and patterns for each of the 4 games can be found in the January 1983 issue of Joystik.

• The initials for the design team are on the high score table (at power up), along with those of Bill Adams’ children (?):

JP - John Pasierb (engineer)
BA - Bill Adams (programmer)
GG - George Gomez (art/cabinet design)
EV – Earl Vickers (sound)
AG - Atish Ghosh (hardware)
JM - John Marcus (programmer)
TL - Tom Leon (support)
SB - Sharon Perry/Barr (Video Team, Art?)
MJ - ?
JJ - ?

Here are the Tron design credits

Bill Adams – Programmer
Paul Farris – Art Director
Atish Ghosh – Hardware
George Gomez – Project Manager, Art, Cabinet Art, Controls
Marsh Jordan – Art
Tom Leon – Lead Designer, Programmer (Tank Wave)
Jim Love – Software Support
John Marcus- Programmer
Jeff Nauman – Software Support
Paul Niemeyer – Cabinet Art?
John Pasierb – Project Leader, Hardware Design?
Sharon Perry/Barr – Video Team, Art?
Al Ryan – Hardware, Cabinet Design
Rich Scafidi – Cabinet Art
Marsh Taylor – Video Team
Richard Taylor – Cabinet Art
Earl Vickers - Sound

• BUG: If you use the Tank stage safe spot, one of the 6 audio channels drops out, causing a whine-siren noise.  {Scott Lawrence}

• BUG: If you enter the I/O tower when the timer is exactly at 99, the klaxon horn will continue to sound even as you are transported up.  {Matt J. McCullar}

• BUG: Occasionally you’ll have the ability for rapid fire on the MCP stage on the first level.

• BUG: The MCP cone screen has some stray pixels on the cone – one in the upper-left area, and 3 in a row (vertically) a third of the way over from the left (pictures #1 and #2).