Missile Command/Gameplay

Controls

 * Trackball: Use the trackball to direct the onscreen cursor. The cursor indicates the position in space where you would like your ABM's to explode, and hopefully burn up a missile or smart bomb.  You can rolls the cursor to any position on screen above the landscape and below the score.
 * ABM Fire: You are in control of three missile silos, Alpha, Delta and Omega. Each silo contains 10 missiles per stage.  When the cursor is in the correct position, press the button that corresponds to the silo that you want to fire at the cursor.
 * 1-2 Players: Press either button to begin a one or two player game.

Defense System
Your city defense system consists of the on screen cursor and the three missile silos, one on the right, one on the left, and one in the center. In order to engage the defense system, you must position the cursor in space where you would like one of your 30 antiballistic missiles to explode, and press the launch button for one of the three bases. A missile will fire out of the chosen silo and explode where the cursor was positioned. Note that any object that collides with the original explosion will form a secondary explosion. It is possible for an explosion chain like this to occur over multiple generation. The two side bases launch AMBs at a slower speed than the center base, so you must plan further ahead when launching missiles from either side. If any of your missile silos are stuck by an enemy missile or smart bomb, the remaining stock of missiles for that stage are destroyed, and the silo is rendered useless until the next stage. You receive bonus points for ever missile you have remaining at the end of the stage.

Cities
These are the objects of defense that you are commissioned to protect. There are six cities in total, three on either side of the center missile silo. If one enemy missile or smart bomb manages to strike a city, that city will be wiped out. When all six cities are destroyed, your game is over. You receive bonus points for every city that is still standing at the end of each stage. For every 10,000 points that you accumulate (by default, changeable by operator), one destroyed city will be rebuilt when a stage is completed. Even if the last city was destroyed, if you reach the next point level, you will earn the bonus city and begin the next round with just one city to defend.

Missiles & Smart Bombs
This is the threat that you must contantly defend the cities below from. Every stage starts off with a hailstorm of enemy missiles. While they are deadly to the citizens of the cities below, one fact helps you defeat them: they never deviate from their path. Other missiles may, however, splinter off from a missile on it's way down. In addition to missiles, smart bombs begin to fall from the sky starting from level 5. Smart bombs are deadlier than missiles in that they can deviate from their path if they sense an explosion nearby. In order to hit them, you must fire an ABM so that it explodes right on top of a smart bomb, or squeeze them in between two explosions.

Bombers & Satellites
Bombers and Satellites begin to appear after the first stage. The fly across at a mid level altitude, and deposit more missiles into the air as they move along. You can destroy them with your missiles, and if you destroy them early enough, you will prevent them from adding more missiles that you will have to deal with. Since each stage has a set number of missiles, if you destroy the bomber or the satellite before they deploy their missiles, you will likely see their missiles added to the down pour, or more missiles will splinter apart from an existing missile.

Strategy

 * Use the side missile silos (Alpha and Omega) to destroy missiles when they are higher up, and save the center missile silo (Delta) for when the missiles are closer and need more immediate attention.
 * Aim just in front of missiles, satellites, and bombers, and let them travel into your exploding ABM's. As soon as you've launched an ABM and marked the target for detonation, move the cursor to another target. Don't wait for the explosion.
 * Hit bombers and killer satellites before they can drop missiles. Also, the sooner you destroy them, the sooner they'll reappear and the more points you can score. You may want to launch "insurance" ABM's at the left and right sides of the screen even before a bomber or satellite appears, in the chance that one will travel into the ABM explosion.
 * Hit missiles before they divide into multiple warheads. If you notice that a missile has splintered into multiple warheads, try to destroy as many of them with a single ABM explosion as possible.
 * Hit smart bombs dead on, since they're designed to evade your ABM detonations. If you're not good at direct hits, try surrounding smart missiles with detonations.
 * Hit targets before they cross radar line. The radar line is an invisible line marking the cursor's lower limit. Since you can't position the cursor below this line, any enemy missile that crosses it is beyond the range of your ABMs.
 * Don't waste ABMs on enemy missiles that are heading for dirt (bomb craters or vacant sites). Defend your missile base and cities first. If all your cities are destroyed or you are on the verge of earning a bonus city, then it is good strategy to go for the high-score targets like smart missiles, even if they are heading for dirt.
 * Don't let smart bombs distract you. Sometimes you can try so hard to hit smart bombs you forget to defend your planet. Remember that a smart missile can only hit one target.
 * As waves become more difficult, you may be forced to sacrifice some cities. Choose the left or the right, and give up the cities on the other side. When waves become really tough, you may want to defend only one city and go for as many high score targets as possible.
 * Protect your cities with a missile umbrella. This is a line of ABM explosions spread across the screen to trap and destroy oncoming enemy weapons. To setup a missile umbrella, move the cursor rapidly across the screen, just below the enemy missiles and leave a string of detonation marks. Space the marks close enough to form a chain of explosions beneath enemy targets. If possible, spread the missile umbrella in the path of a bomber or satellite