TRON/Walkthrough

Game Grid

The Game Grid

When you start the game, a cursor will appear in the middle of a the Game Grid. You have eight seconds to go one of four directions on that grid. If you don't, you will be randomly sent in one direction. Once you have completed an area, you can no longer go to that area until you get to the next level. The areas are randomized on this computer grid so you won't know what you will get next.

If you lose a life, you are sent back to the Game Grid and the area you just attempted will be marked with an icon for its game.

Each of the 12 difficulty levels has a different keyword. They all relate in some way to computing, and most of them are programming languages. The keywords are, from lowest difficulty to highest: RPG, COBOL, BASIC, FORTRAN, SNOBOL, PL1, PASCAL, ALGOL, ASSEMBLY, OS, JCL, USER.

Light Cycles

Don't collide with any trail

In this game you are driving the blue Light Cycle. A trail of blue light is left wherever you go. Your opponents are driving the Yellow Light Cycles (anywhere between 1 and 3 of them). The joystick controls the direction your Light Cycle will go. The trigger on the joystick controls the speed of your Light Cycle. If you pull it, your Light Cycles speed will be approximately doubled. If you release it, you will slow down again. You cannot stop or back up. You cannot touch the walls or any light trail, including your own. If you do, you will be derezzed. You must out maneuver your opponents, causing them to run into the walls, your light trail, or their own light trail, which will eliminate them.

• The arena for this game is a 9 x 9 grid. Use the grid lines to gauge distances and to also know where the turns are.
• The computer controlled cycles follow prescribed patterns. Learn how to recognize them as quickly as possible and develop counter-patterns that will work every time you encounter a certain pattern.
• There are one of two tactics to follow: Trap the enemy or trap yourself.
  • If you choose to trap the enemy, remain at full speed until the enemy light cycles are entirely trapped. Move around the outside to fence the cycles in, and let off the trigger until the enemies wipe themselves out.
  • If you choose to trap yourself, block off the lower left or right corner. Create as much space for yourself as you can at full speed until you box yourself in. Then let off the trigger and spiral inward until you have no where left to go. If you gave yourself enough room, the enemies will kill themselves before you run out of room.
• The enemy cycles become much quicker after level 10.

Battle Tanks

Be the sole survivor

You drive the red Tank on this stage. The knob on the control panel aims the Tank's gun. The joystick controls your Tank's direction of travel and the trigger on the joystick fires your Tank's gun. All blue enemy Tanks must be hit three times each to be eliminated. However, they only have to hit your Tank once to eliminate you.

• In certain stages, the Tanks are replaced by rust-colored Recognizers, which do not fire but can travel much faster than the enemy Tanks. If a Recognizer crashes into your Tank, you will be derezzed.
• It takes three hits to destroy an enemy Tank or Recognizer. You have the advantage, though, by being able to use rapid fire and bouncing your shots off the walls. Enemy Tanks can only fire one shot out a time.
• Ricocheting your shots against walls is a very effective offensive measure. You may be able to hit Tanks from afar or hit them around corners by reflecting your shots just right. Prevent enemies from getting close.
• The opening to the central teleporter area is the key to surviving most stages. Just don't go too far in or you may end up teleporting to a hostile environment very quickly.
• If you stay off the blue trails, enemy Tanks will not fire on you. They can, however, ram your Tank (this is especially true if you are hanging out in the teleportation area).
• Like other parts of Tron, you can develop patterns on specific Battle Tanks stages to ensure your survival.

I/O Tower

Enter the tower before time runs out

On this stage you are placed on the grid which contains the I/O Tower (Input/Output Tower) in the center. Grid Bugs are positioned all around it. The I/O Tower is equipped with a counter that counts backward from 1000 to 0 at a high rate of speed. This is equal to about 35 seconds. (Some versions of the machine count down from 500 for the first stage only.) The joystick controls Tron's movements to the left, right, and up or down. The knob on the control panel moves Tron's arm. Pulling the trigger on the joystick fires Tron's weapon in the direction that his arm is pointing. The object of this game is to shoot as many Grid Bugs as you can during the allotted time while working your way to the entrance to the I/O Tower. You must enter the I/O Tower before the counter reaches zero. If you fail to enter the I/O Tower before the time runs out, or if you are touched by a Grid Bug, you will be derezzed.

• Establish where the Grid Bugs are as early as possible. That way you can quickly aim to clear out a path to the tower.
• The Solar Sailer comes out at random times and drops the Bit off. Do everything you can to get to it for a free 5,000 points.
• Work your way to one of the exits and hold your position. Use the spinner to aim high and low to take care of the Grid Bugs. Once the timer hits 100, go inside and exit the screen.
• It is possible to get over 13,000 points in this area alone (5,000 for the Bit and over 8,000 for Grid Bugs killed).
• On the earlier levels, taking out all of the Grid Bugs will send you automatically into the I/O Tower.

MCP Cone

Break a hole in the cone and enter

For this stage, you are placed underneath a rotating multicolored cylinder which has a cone on top of it. The cone will descend on top of you and you cannot get out from underneath it. You have two choices: 1) shoot out all the blocks of the descending multicolored cylinder and then enter the cone at its top or 2) shoot a path through the blocks and enter the cone at its top through the path you created. The latter of these two choices is faster but more dangerous. If you are touched by any part of the multicolored blocks in the rotating cylinder you will be derezzed. The joystick controls Tron's movements to the left, right, and up or down. The knob on the control panel moves Tron's arm. Pulling the trigger on the joystick fires Tron's weapon in the direction that his arm is pointing.

• First, determine the cone's speed and direction of travel. You can accomplish this by shooting at the blocks to determine which way the hole travels.
• Next, determine the speed of the cone's decent. This will inform you of how much time you have to break through the cone to get to the exit.
• Once you have determined these things, go over to the side that the blocks are rotating in from. For example, if the blocks are moving from left to right, then aim for the left side and start shooting.
• Four block cones are pretty easy. Fire as rapidly as possible to create a path and go up.
• Six block cones are a little harder. You need to open up the bottom part of the cone. Enter this new opening and start to chip away at the top. You will end up having blocks rotate below you as you head up. Monitor your surroundings since you will end up surrounded by blocks before you enter the exit.
• The hardest cone to get through is when the cone is descending quickly and the blocks are moving fast. You have to blast a path as quickly as you can or you will collide with the blocks.
• For extra points, you can position yourself half-way out of the exit and blast at the top blocks. On the earlier levels, try to get the 1,000 point bonus.