Rabbit Transit

Rabbit Transit by Starpath is an odd game about a rabbit who's hoping to start a family. But first you have to help him cross several screens of peril to reach his goal, the "Bunny Bushes", where a female rabbit is waiting (I guess). This guide isn't intended to be walkthrough since I don't know how many rounds there are in the game - instead I try to help with strategies and what to expect when you are playing the game.

Controls
Fire Button: Makes your rabbit hop.

Joystick: Moves your rabbit around. But you can only move diagonally.

Game Select Switch: Changes to a one or two - player game.

Difficulty Switch(es): Selects the difficulty level for player 1 and player 2.
 * In the B position, the turtle will always stay above the water.
 * In the A position, the turtle will submerge and surface at intervals. The enemies will also move quicker on both screens.

Starting the Game
If you have the real game (which is a tape, btw), you will need three things:


 * An Atari 2600 (obviously)
 * A Starpath Supercharger
 * A portable tape player

Insert the Supercharger into the Atari 2600 label up and insert the cable for the Supercharger into the earphone jack of the tape player. Any tape player should do the job according to the manual but I figure a portable one is easier to use. Insert side A of the tape, rewind it if you need to, and then press play. Some tape players may not load the tape reliably on side A so use side B if it's not working.

If you are using an emulator and the .bin or .a26 file of the game (and you probably are), you shouldn't have much trouble running the game. The only thing to watch out for is whether or not the one you download is broken up into several files (usually Rabbit Transit A, B, and C), or just one file. I prefer using the whole file one just because it's easier to use but if you have the one broken up into different files you will have to combine them using the method described in the manual of the emulator.

Progressing Through the Game
A round consists of two different screens each with different goals.

The goal of the first screen, which is referred to as the "Mysterious Meadow" in the manual, is to reach the Turtle at the bottom. There are Snakes, Butterflies, and other wildlife, as well as fences that you have to avoid running into along the way. The enemies appear from the side of the screen at either fast or slow speeds but only appear one at a time on each row. As you progress through the game the enemies will speed up more and more.

Watch the screen for a second or so until you see where the enemies appear and how fast they move. Plot a path to take and then start moving but keep in mind that you can't pass through the fences, only through the gaps you see here and there. Take your time and don't be afraid to back up if there's an enemy coming on two rows. You will have to time when you make a dash for the turtle if you see the difficulty switch at A but otherwise you should be okay.

Start Screen 1       ..................                 ..................                 ..................                 ..................                 ..................                 ..................                 .................. End

The goal of the second screen, referred to in the manual as the "Land of Ledges", is to change the color of the dashes to the target color, which you can see at the top left side. The idea is similar to Q*Bert basically. Complicating the matter is the jerk at the top of the screen who will try to drop blocks onto you. As you progress through the game the guy will appear at shorter intervals and move across the screen and drop the blocks more quickly.

The blocks will also change the dashes back to their original color once you reach round 3. The best way to finish this screen in my opinion is to either start going along a diagonal. When you can't go any further in that direction start on another diagonal until you turn all of the dashes to the target color. Another way is to hop up and/or down until you complete the column of dashes. Don't try to do it row by row because it will be frustrating.

Once you reach round 3 however, you will have to backtrack a little to change the dashes back to the target color because the blocks that the guy tosses will inevitably mess some of them up. Work first to change all of the dashes to the target color with as little damage to the dashes as possible. That means you should back up onto dashes that have already been changed by the blocks to minimize the amount of work you have to redo. You have to be as quick as possible here since your going against the clock and the blocks so don't hesitate and hop onto any remaining dashes before a block can change to finish.

Screen 2         =   =   =   = =  =   =   =   =                   =   =   =   =                 =   =   =   =   =                   =   =   =   =                 =   =   =   =   =                   =   =   =   =                       Start

After you complete screen 2, you will get a short intermission scene called the "Bunny Bushes", where your rabbit will hop across the screen and then hop back with another rabbit and a bunch of little rabbits. All to the "For He's a Jolly Good Fellow" song, or cheer rather since he was um, starting a family there before he returns to the Mysterious Meadow. Which means of course, you will start the next round at this point.

FAQ
Q: I'm having trouble playing the tape or running the game on an emulator.

A: Try this if you are using the real deal (from the manual):


 * 1) If the tape player makes a screeching noise, you have not plugged the Supercharger cable into the earphone jack.
 * 2) If the tape doesn't move, check the batteries in the cassette player.
 * 3) Rewind the tape completely and try again.
 * 4) Try Side B of the game cassette if Side A won't load properly.
 * 5) Set volume and tone controls at high or maximum.
 * 6) Move the cassette player farther from the TV set and try again.

If you are using an emulator, try looking below (starting the game) or the manual of the emulator you are using on Starpath games if it has one.