Atari STEEPLECHASE, Руководство по эксплуатации, техническому обслуживанию и ремонту

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(b) The speaker produces the bugle call sound, then goes
silent.
If the game is structured for 2 players/coin, additional
coins must be deposited in order for more than two players
to participate in a race. Depositing a second coin causes
horses
#2
and #5 to appear at the start position, and those
two push buttons to light up. The deposit of a third coin
likewise causes the remaining two horses, #3 and #6, to
appear on the TV screen and those buttons to light up.
To continue the game sequence, a player must next
depress the start push button. A signal from the start switch
goes to the electronic control circuitry and produces the
following responses:
(a) The racetracks for the pace horse and for each player
horse immediately change from a solid line to a
broken line,
(b} The speaker immediately produces the sound of the
starter's gunshot,
(c) Pickets appear to the right of the checkered finish
lines and begin to move toward the horses,
(d} The horse images begin to gallop,
(e) Each lighted player push button will cause its horse
to go into a jump position when the button is
depressed,
(f) The speaker will begin to produce hoofbeat sounds
continuously and background crowd roar sounds at
random times.
Just before each picket reaches the #7 pace horse, the
electronic control circuitry causes that horse to jump over
the picket. Because of this automatic response the pace
horse's advance toward the finish line is uninterrupted. But
jumping of player horses is under control of the push
buttons. In order to advance a horse toward the finish line,
each player must manually depress the push button just
before each picket (except those closest to the start position)
reaches his horse. As long as a player can cause a horse to
successfully jump over every picket, that horse's rate of
advance toward the finish line will be double that of the
pace horse.
If a player causes a horse to jump too soon, the horse
image will descend too soon and will fall onto the picket.
Or an approaching picket may strike a player's horse before
the player has managed to push the button. Any horse
striking a picket goes into a fall position momentarily, drops
back a short distance, and then gets up and resumes galloping.
Any time a horse strikes a picket (except the one closest
to the start position}, the speaker produces a cracking sound.
This sound will be louder if two horse� strike pickets simul­
taneously, and still louder if three or more strike pickets at
the same time.
Because a push button produces no response while the
horse image is either in the jump or fall position, players are
prevented from lengthening a horse':, jump and from forcing
a horse to get up from a fall.
The electronic control circuitry senses each time the
lead player horse has advanced over another one-eighth part
of the racetrack, and produces the following responses:
(a} The speed of the picket movement toward the horses
is increased somewhat,
(b} The length of the lead horse's jump is decreased some­
what,
(c) A whistle sound is produced by the speaker.
The accumulative effect of these incremental changes
is especially noticeable as the lead player horse approaches
closer and closer to the finish line.
The race ends when either the pace horse or one of the
player horses reaches the finish line, and at that moment
the game reverts back to attract mode. The leading player
horse(s) will continue to blink during this mode, the horse
images will retain their locations along the racetrack, and
the speaker ceases to produce sound. The design of the
electronic control circuitry includes features which prevent
ties for first place, whether between player horses or between
the pace horse and player horses.
3.3.4 OWNER/OPERATOR OPTIONS:
The Steeplechase
game has two option features which allow the owner/
operator to alter the game structuring. The two-po,ition
switch Sl mounted on the rrinted circuit board will struc•
lure the game for 6 players/coin when in ib "A" position,
and for 2 players/coin when in its "AP"* posi tiun. Par;1.
4.3.1 in Section IV of this manual gives the procedure for
adjusting this switch.
A jumpering point formed by two traces on the PCB
artwork provides the means for :idjusting the time required
for the pace horse to reach the finish line. The elapsed time
per play is maximum when the pace horse wins the race. If
the jumpering point is not soldered, the maximum elapsed
time per play will be 90 seconds. tf soldered, the time will
be two minutes. Para. 4.3.2 gives the procedure for making
this game time adjustment.
*Note: in future production runs, this "AP" position will
instead be ldbeled "2/4/6" on the bo,1rd.
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