Pong: The Next Level for PC / Windows
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FAQ Written By: whiz kid
Copyright 2001 Sean Handwerk (whiz kid)
whizkid@nintendofact.com
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_____/ TABLE OF CONTENTS \_______________________________________________
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I. Introduction
A. The Next Level!
II. Game Info
A. Rules
B. The Powerups
C. General Strategies
III. The Levels
A. Zone 1
B. Zone 2
C. Zone 3*
D. Zone 4*
E. Zone 5*
F. Zone 6*
G. Zone 7*
IV. Secrets
A. Hidden Options
V. Miscellaneous
A. Update Info
B. Copyright Notice
C. Credits
*Coming Soon
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________________________________________/ I. Introduction \___________________
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_____/ A. The Next Level! \_______________________________________________
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Pong was one of the first video games ever made. It was produced by Atari.
This game involved bouncing a little white ball between two paddles,
trying to get the ball into your opponents goal.
Pong: The Next Level is a remake of this game, and with a lot of added
twists and features. Multiple balls, powerups, funky worlds filled with
obstacles and colorful characters give this game a modern-day twist.
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________________________________________/ II. Game Info \___________________
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_____/ A. The Rules \_______________________________________________
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The object of the game is to get the ball into your opponents goal.
(Usually the end of the playing field) Getting the ball in earns you 1
point. The amount of points needed vary depending on the level, but in
most levels you must score 10 points to claim victory.
When you or your opponent score nine points, the word MATCHPOINT will
appear at the bottom ofthe screen, warning you the end is near. If both
players score 9, the word TIE appears. The first player to score in a TIE
gets the ADVANTAGE. If that player scores again, he wins. But if a player
has the ADVANTAGE, and the other player scores, the score goes back to a
TIE. So this allows for some heated and extended matches, so stay on your
guard at all times.
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_____/ B. The Powerups \_______________________________________________
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Several powerups make an appearance in this game, and each has its own
helpful (or harmful) purpose. The powerups take the form of spinning tops.
When you hit one of these tops with a ball, it starts to spin toward you.
You must then "catch" the top with your pong to earn the power. You can
then use the powerup by pressing ENTER. If you have more than 1, you can
cycle through them by pressing SHIFT.
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Some of the powerups include:
Whack: Just as the name implies, a red top will let you WHACK the ball up
to 3 times. If timed right, the WHACKed ball will go flying toward your
opponent.
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Grab: This power up lets your pong (Surprise!) GRAB the ball. You must
press and hold ENTER to hold on to the ball. You can then maneuver the pong
and use the left and right arrow keys to tilt your pong. Release ENTER to
send the ball on its way.
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Slingshot: One of the more interesting powerups. As with GRAB, you must
press and hold ENTER to get the ball. By simply releasing ENTER, nothing
spectacular will happen, but if you release the ball while moving you pong
and/or tilting it, the ball will do something a bit more wild.
Upon release, a purple trail of smoke will come from the ball and it will
curve as it heads toward your opponent, changing its angle of approach on
the way there.
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Aftertouch: Grab the ball with your pong. You can move, but not tilt, your
pong when you have the ball. Be careful, though, because after you use it,
your pong will be severely slowed down for a second or two.
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Skull: On most occasions, you will want to avoid this. It will start the
playing field's "obstacles" running, and then some interesting things will
happen, such as the blowing of wind, which will throw off the ball's angle
making it more difficult to hit. If you are comfortable with your
skill/level, you might opt to take these to tilt (sometimes literally)
the game toward you. However, be warned. The computer is very good in
dealing with these and will often use them against you.
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Question Mark: Somewhat like the Skull, as in it will change the
conditions on the playing field... Really. However, the color of
the Q Marks can differ. For example, in LOG JAM: CUTS BOTH WAYS, getting
the teal Q Mark will make the teal logs roll, while getting the purple one
will make the purple logs go.
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_____/ C. General Strategies \______________________________________________
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-Keep your eye on the ball. It might sound like something out of baseball,
but be sure to do this, especially when any "obstacles" or powerups are in
play.
-Position your pong according to where the ball WILL be, not where it IS.
Failing to do this will make your life harder. Also be on the lookout for
obstacles affecting the ball's movement.
-Use powerups to your advantage. For example, if the comp is off balance
during a heated match, WHACKing the ball might be enough to make the comp
miss the ball.
-The ball is your FIRST priority. Don't risk missing the ball just to get
(or avoid) a certain powerup. Powerups are nice, but keeping the ball in
play is far more important.
-Everytime the ball is hit, if not interfered with, will speed up. Don't be
caught off guard. Also, when the ball reaches a certain speed, it will
change color each time it is hit to reflect the pong that JUST hit it. This
can help you know which way the ball is headed.
-When multiple balls are in play, there are two factors to consider in
deciding which ball to go for: The LOCATION of the balls and their SPEED.
Generally, you want to go for the ball that is closer to you. However, if a
ball farther behind is approaching at twice the speed, you'll want to go for
that first. Generally, this is a matter of eye judgment, and sometimes
you'll have to let a ball go off the edge or risk losing them ALL.
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________________________________________/ III. The Levels \___________________
-In this game, each zone has 4 levels, and each level has 3 variations. By
completing the first variation of a level, you earn 3 gold bars. Gold bars
are used to enter the subsequent levels. Completing the second variation
earns you two gold bars, and completing the third (and hardest) variation
of the level gets you 1 gold bar. (In the rest of this FAQ, Gold Bar will
be abbreviated GB)
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_____/ A. Zone 1 \_______________________________________________
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This is the first level. It's set on an iceberg with two penguins
marching around on it. When you hit a penguin, it will "lay" another ball
that goes into play.
SEAL SAVER: In this variation, obtaining a powerup will earn you 1 "seal
saver". When you press ENTER to activate this power, a seal will pop up
behind your Pong and will block balls for a limited amount of time. This
power is best used when multiple balls are in play.
POLAR POWER: The powerups change in this level. Activating one makes a
polar bear tip up your side of the field, causing any balls landing on
your opponents side to stay there, effectively cutting the field in half.
Also best used when multiple balls are in play.
SNOWSTORM: This can be hard. Pretty often, wind will start blowing and
change the speed and angle of the balls. A good thing to do would be to
watch the direction the snowflakes are blowing. Then you know which way
the balls are likely to roll.
In this level, you control two pongs. Set on a soccer field, one pong
is your "goalie" and the other is your "forward".
PLAIN PITCH: This is pretty straightforward. Knock the ball into your
opponent's goal. If a ball rolls into your goal, your pong will "grab" the
ball and let you aim it. Use the left/right arrow keys to tilt your pong,
and combine this with movement. The comp is pretty tough to get by.
MOLE HILLS: This time around, moles will appear and dig holes in the field.
These holes will distort the ball's angle and direction, so watch carefully.
MOLE HOLES: Moles will once again appear on the field, except this time the
ball can fall in one of these holes. When it falls in, it will come out of
another one of the holes on the field. This can actually be used to your
advantage, especially if you have trouble getting past the comp after it
just scored. Line up your pong so the ball will roll into one of the holes
(if any) in front of the comps pong. It will probably come out somewhere
near the middle of the field, and if your lucky, near your opponent's goal.
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Level 3: LOG JAM
GB needed: 6
Powerups: WHACK
Question Mark (ONE WAY)
Teal Question Mark (CUTS BOTH WAYS, SAW POINT)
Purple Question Mark (CUTS BOTH WAYS, SAW POINT)
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In this level, there are logs in the middle of the playing field that will
roll different directions when the appropriate power-up is collected.
Collect two of the same Q Mark quickly, and the logs will roll at double
speed. The trick here is to keep the comp playing defensively, or you'll be
in trouble.
ONE WAY: Obtaining the question mark here will cause the logs to roll in the
comps direction, making the ball go faster. *BEWARE* The comp can still get
the ball back to your side using the WHACK powerup. However, the comp will
usually miss a few balls during this period.
CUTS BOTH WAYS: In this one, the logs in the center are split into two
groups: teal and purple. Collecting the teal Q Mark will make the teal logs
spin, and collecting the purple Q Mark will make the purple logs spin. If
logs are spinning your way, try to keep the ball on the half of the field
that the logs aren't spinning on.
SAW POINT: Same as CUTS BOTH WAYS, but a saw blade spins across the center
of the field. Hitting this will either bounce the ball... or cut (!) it in
half, making two balls. Use that WHACK powerup or risk losing.
This level is gonna drive you batty... You start on a tilting board, with
different colored crates off to the sides, and your pong is at the front.
You must bounce the colored balls into the appropriate colored crates to
win. It's harder than it sounds... Trust me.
TWO TONE: Two colored crates. Four yellow, four red. Watch for the balls
to roll down. To get aball in one of the bottom crates, wait until it
reaches the third (from the top) arrow and do a full tilt in the direction
you want it to go. To get a ball in one of the third crates, wait until
the ball reaches the second arrow and full tilt. To get a ball in a second
crate, as soon as the ball lands, fully tilt the field. To get a ball into
one of the top crates, keep the field straight and bounce the ball off
your pong. As it heads back up, tilt the field to get it in one of the
crates.
COLOR MATCH: This time, you get four different colors... yeehaw. You also
get multiple balls. The first ball down should be a red. Land it in the
bottom left crate. A blue ball comes intoaction. Wait until it gets to the
second arrow and tilt the field. As soon as you do this, the green ball
comes, but if you've done it right, BOTH balls should roll into their
crates. The only other problem spot you might run in to is a green ball
followed by a red. In this case tilt the field to get the green one in,
then IMMEDIATELY tilt in in the opposite direction to get the red ball
rolling away from the edge. Then IMMEDIATELY tilt it back to land it in
the red crate at the bottom of the field...phew
MULTICOLOR: Prepare for nightmares. You get two yellow colored balls at
the same time almost immediately, so land one in the top crate and tilt
HARD to keep the other yellow one in play. You're going to have to do
some crazy tilting in this level (good thing this isn't a pinball machine),
and it may take several tries.
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_____/ B. Zone 2 \_______________________________________________
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This level ranges from medium hard to insanely challenging, depending on
which variation you are playing. This match takes place in an ocean near a
lighthouse. Each side has two pongs, like in Soccer Stars. What makes this
match challenging, though, is that every time the pong makes contact with
the ball, it automatically grabs it, making this level call for some
strategic action.
PLAIN SAILING: Your basic level. You need only 5 points to win, though, so
will be a quick match. When your offensive (right-hand) pong has ball
control, try a combination of rapid direction changing and bank shots to get
the ball past the computer. When your defensive (left-hand) pong has the
ball, bank it off one of the sides to get it past. This make take several
tries to perfect. Watch out when the opponent has the ball, as it will use
the same tactics on you.
ICED OVER: The hardest (in my opinion) of the three variations. You need 6
points to win this time. As the title implies, the water is frozen, making
your paddles feel the effects of inertia. Try not to move your pongs too
rapidly, otherwise you'll lose control and give your opponent an easy score.
Use the same strategies as in PLAIN SAILING, but also take the ice's effect
on your opponent's pongs, too.
LIGHTHOUSE: 7 points to win this time. The ice has melted, but now you're
playing in the dark. You're only source of light will be the lighthouse,
which will loosely follow the ball's movements. Try to remember where your
pongs are, especially when you're on the defensive. Apply your PLAIN
SAILING strategies here to win.
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Level 6: ROCK N ROLL
GB needed: 15
Powerups: TILT (Table Tips)
TILT, HUMP (Up and Over)
TILT, HUMP, DITCH (Total Tilt)
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Don't expect things to get any easier from here on out. This level puts you
on an air-hockey type table. Things pretty much seem normal at first, until
the powerups come into play. Now the real fun begins.
TABLE TIPS: The only powerup you will see here is TILT. Be sure to make a
point of snagging as many TILTs as you can. Why? When you use one, the whole
table will tilt sharply in your opponent's direction, leaving him to deal
with the ball by himself for several seconds. Make the most of this powerup
by using it when the ball is rolling at a good angle. Keep in mind that the
table will revert to normal in a few seconds, so keep your guard up. Also,
if the ball is moving fast enough, then it is possible that the ball can be
sent back to you, even if the table has been tipped.
UP AND OVER: The HUMP powerup comes into play here. And when you use it, a
big old hump appears in the middle of the table, causing the ball's angle to
distort every time it rolls over it. Be careful when the hump is in play, as
you never know which way the ball will go. If you plan on winning, try using
the HUMP and immediately after using TILT. This will almost guarantee a
score. Also, you might want to save your TILTs for when the computer tilts
the field toward you; simply use your own TILT to send the field right back
at him.
TOTAL TILT: Prepare for nightmares! The previous two powerups return, along
with the new DITCH. This will, for a very short, time, create a ditch in the
playing field in order to throw off the ball's angle. As in the previous
two, it is _very_ important to get as many powerups as you can (especially
TILT), and use them against your opponent at the appropriate time. Save your
TILTs for when the ball is angled hard, save HUMPs for when the ball is just
coming into play, and use DITCH when the ball is moving fast.
More of a minigame then a full fledged stage, but it's still challenging.
The idea here is to WHACK the ball onto the seals, where they will bounce it
on their noses. Get all the seals bouncing in order to win. However, if you
hit a seal that already has a ball, then that ball will come into play, along
with your first one!
SIMPLE SEALS: One word here. Easy. All you have is 3 balls and 3 seals. Just
wait until your ball is lined up with a seal, then WHACK. To add to the
simplicity, you can lose your ball up to twice before you lose.
TRAINED SEALS: This time, there are 4 seals. A bit of aiming is required to
avoid the seals that you have already hit. You can miss once in this level.
Any more, and you're sunk.
SEAL SKILL: Five seals. This levels requires loads of patience, as you must
hang in there until the ball is lined up perfectly with the seal you want to
hit. You cannot miss even once in this level, so this may take a few tries.
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________________________________________/ IV. Secrets \___________________
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_____/ A. Hidden Options \_______________________________________________
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Accessed from the pause screen _during_ a level, these options become
available when you have the right number of Gold Bars. (I don't know the
exact requirements... if you know, contact me and you'll be given full
credit here.)
PONG SPEED - Adjust the pong speeds for all 4 players seperately. These can
be set to Slow, Default, or Fast.
EXTRA POWERUPS 1 - Opens up GRAB and AFTERTOUCH for use in the levels.
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________________________________________/ V. Miscellaneous \_________________
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_____/ A. Update Info \_______________________________________________
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v0.2 (10/03/01) - Added Zone 2, added the Secrets section, and updated the
Powerups section.
v0.1 (09/21/01) - First writing of this FAQ. Expect an update of further
zones very soon.
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_____/ B. Copyright Notice \_______________________________________________
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This document Copyright 2001 Sean Handwerk. All rights reserved. This
document may not be copied, in whole or in part, and printed in a magazine,
forum, book, or anywhere else without written consent of the author.
If you would like to use this FAQ on your website, please contact me at
whizkid@nintenodfact.com. It may not be altered, edited, placed inside a
frame, or anything else that would alter its content / appearance.
If you use this FAQ as a basis for your own work, you do not need
permission, as long as the author is given credit.
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_____/ C. Credits \_______________________________________________
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CJayC - For posting this FAQ
You - For reading it
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Thus endeth this FAQ. You can stop reading now. c 2001 Sean Handwerk
