Super Missile Attack

from the installation kit, May 2, 1981 Version SMA-02E.1

Super Missile Attack is an entirely new concept in video game 
enhancements.

SUper Missile Attack is not a simple speed-up kit, but a genuine software 
improvement of the existing software in your ATARI (tm) Missile Command 
(tm) game.  Software is the language that a video game is written in - 
changing the language will change the game.  Super Missile Attack by 
General Computer builds on the software provided by ATARI to give you 
more challenge, more excitement and, of course, more profit from your 
existing game.

Features include:

- A new look to the game: different colors, different attract mode, etc. 
 shout "Play-me!" to the video game enthusiast.

- A new sound to the game: each attack object now has its own brand-new 
sound that lets everyone know that this is no ordinary Missile Command.

- A new play to the game: more missiles, faster missiles and clouds that 
get smaller as the game goes on add challenge (and profit) to your 
Missile Command box.  Plus a Totally New Attack Object, the "UFO", which 
moves faster and more randomly than ordinary planes and satellites and 
fires a deadly new Laser weapon.

- A new theory behind the game: the old Missile Command settled for plain 
hard - but not hard enough.  Super Missile Attack keeps the early rounds 
easy (to attract those first quarters), makes the intermediate rounds 
more interesting (to excite the casual player) - then makes sure the 
expert doesn't play forever!

Operation

The Super Missile Attack game has four operator selectable levels of 
difficulty.  They are selected through the use of the toggle switches on 
the Atari game PCB.

Toggle Settings of 8-Toggle Switch on Game PCB (@R10)

8	7	6	Option
On	On	On	ordinary Missile Command
On	Off	On	easy Super Missile Attack
Off	On	On	reg. Super Missile Attack
Off	Off	On	diff. Super Missile Attack

Ordinary Missile Command -- The regular version of Atari's Missile 
Command is still available by setting the toggle switches.  This feature 
is useful when the game is moved to a new site which doesn't have skilled 
Missile Command players.  When the players become skilled and revenues 
decrease due to increased duration of average game you may consider 
switching to....

Easy Super Missile Attack -- one of two of our suggested settings.  It is 
the easiest of the three versions of Super Missile Attack available.  New 
colors and sounds alert the regular player that this game is no longer 
ordinary Missile Command.  The screen multiplier progresses 1X (twice), 
2X (twice), ... , 10X (until end).  Each screen has two more attacking 
missiles and one more smart missile per screen than Atari's Missile 
Command Game.  At 4X the new attack object, the UFO appears, and on 5X 
the UFO begins to fire his high powered laser.  The novice will play for 
nearly as long as he would on ordinary Missile Command, but the skilled 
player must modify his strategy or be out to the game.  At higher 
multipliers, the explosions generated by the defensive missiles begins to 
shrink in size and duration.  In the later screens, the incoming missiles 
begin to travel faster than ever before.

Regular Super Missile Attack -- The scecond of our two suggested 
settings.  It is very challenging version of Super Missile Attack.  The 
screen multiplier progresses 1X (once), 2X (once), ... , 10X (until end). 
 Each screen has four more attacking missiles and two more smart 
missilies per screen than Atari's Missile Command Game.  This setting 
gets increasingly difficult more than twice as fast as easy Super Missile 
Attack.  This is the recommended setting for very high skill locations 
where players regularly score 1,000,000 points.  A million poin player 
will be limited to 50,000-80,000 very fast points.

Difficult Super Missile Attack -- The most difficult of the three 
versions of Super Missile Attack.  The screen multiplier progresses 1X 
(once), 2X (once), ... , 8X (until end).  Each screen has six more 
attacking missiles per screen and three more smart missiles than the 
ordinary Missile Command game.  The difficult setting's initial screens 
are difficult.  They also get more difficult at a faster rate than the 
easy and regular settings.

All the operator selectable features of the original Missile Comand are 
still available except for two small changes.  Only one language is 
available to the operator.  Yours is English.  Please contact the factory 
for other languages.  The other difference is that in order to run 
self-test mode, you must remove the Super Missile Attack board and 
re-insert the Atari ROMs.

*****

This particular set of roms was captured from a SMA auxiliary board using 
-02 version ROMs.  It will also work identically with verision -03E 
(035822-03E) ROM but will not work with -01 ROMs.

The original SMA auxiliary PCB is aprox. 7" square and has...

- 2 24 pin ribbion cables that connect to H1, R1.
- 4 single wire sockets that connect to J/K1, K/L1, L/M1, N/P1 pin 20 
(CE).
- 2 additional 2516 EPROMs E0 = $41C6 and E1 = $7A9B
- 2 additional 63S141 PROMS left = $06AB and right = $0747
- a 74LS138
- a 74148
- either a GAL or custom PROM?

Checksums of captured ROM images

035820  (H1)  $5000 = 9E11
035821 (J/K1) $5800 = CC67
035822 (K/L1) $6000 = 551C
035823 (L/M1) $6800 = 203E
035824 (N/P1) $7000 = 56E6
035825  (R1)  $7800 = 3338

Roms were orginally checksumed using the Atari Cat Box and captured using 
a Needhams PB-10 connected to the Atari Test port of the Missile Command 
PCB and the 6502 removed from circuit board.

The image at R1 would not capture properly as installed but reconfiguring 
the Aux board connections allowed a good image.

Kev
mowerman@erols.com
http://www.erols.com/mowerman
-- 
Kev           http://www.erols.com/mowerman  <- Coin Op Video Game site

