The exact rules are found in passage 381. Some are reaveled simply through playing the game. Here is a summary :
Each of you has a tank which progresses through the map. You cannot stay in one place - you must always move. In every turn you can either move one block ahead or make a 90 degree turn in place to valid direction. If you go straight into the map border you automaticaly face right, without wasting a turn.
In every turn that passes you must advance your status once. If you encounter the enemy tank you exchange fire, and advance your status again. when the status reaches 16 it will turn to 1 on the next turn. If your tank gets 5 hits you die. If the enemy tank gets 4 hits it dies.
You have to play it for a while to get the feel of the situation.
How to pass the game with zero hits ?
The naive way would be to simply wonder around hoping to hit the other tank and destroy it. From what I tried, this is rather hard, and you would in most cases get killed (even though you can sustain more hits). The computer's moves were obviously planned well.
There are some observations to be made before beating this game down :
Exchanging fire alters depending on the directions you and the other tank are facing.
1. If you get to face it while it isn't facing you, you get a free shot.
2. If it is facing you while you aren't facing it, he gets a free shot.
3. If you are both facing each other, you both shoot. The computer gets the first shot.
4. If you are both on the same spot, regardless of directions, you both fire at point blank range. Again, the computer gets the first shot.
The status score, simply keeps track of the enemy's movement while allowing you to wonder about. Therefore the enemy moves in a 16 turns cycle.
Next, you must assume the enemy tank is subjected to the same rules as you - ie one block or 90 turn every status point.
Now, if you try and map the enemy's movements they fit quite neatly into a consistent path along the map. The numbers indicated are the status at every point.
So, for example, when the status is 9, the enemy is positioned in D facing North.
Now, when you know how the computer will move, you can plot ahead your path, and make sure he can't harm you.
You have to remember, though, that when you fire, the status advances again.
Here is an example solution I constructed. There are many more such "victory paths" you can create.
You start in 1, and folow the progressing numbers in order. The numbers mark the status. A blue number indicates where you can hit the enemy. As one can see, it is an endless cycle in which only you can fire on the computer.
For comments,
or to submit more interesting, weird or otherwise cool stuff, email me..
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