Paradroid
Platform: Commodore 64
Gametype: Undefined
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In Paradroid you have to clean a ship fleet from hostile robots. For this you control an influence device of the series (001), which can connect to other robots, to control them after a successful takeover. This is really necessary as the (001) series is only equipped with a weak laser and a low protection shield. Unfortunately, the circuits of each "host robot" get damaged by the external control, the higher developed the robot, the bigger is the damage. The task of the player is to eliminate the hostile robots on 16 decks per ship, either by taking them over or by the use of a weapon. There are altogether 24 robot types in 10 classes.

Class 	Type 	No.1 	Characteristic 	No.2 	Characteristic 	No.3 	Characteristic 
0 	Influence 	001 	weak laser 
1 	Disposal 	123 	/ 	139 	/ 	/ 	/ 
2 	Servant 	247 	/ 	249 	/ 	296 
3 	Messenger 	302 	fast 	329 	slow 	/ 	/ 
4 	Maintenance 	420 	immune against flash 	476 	good laser 	493 	/ 
5 	Crew droid 	516 	/ 	571 	/ 	/ 	/ 
6 	Sentinel 	614 	slow 	615 	fast 	629 	strong laser 
7 	Battle 	711 	flash disruptor 	742 	flash disruptor 	751 
8 	Security 	821 	strong laser 	834 	fast 	883 	robust 
9 	Commando Cyborg 	999 	Based on 821, but burns out quickly due its primode brain 

The gameplay itself on the individual decks is displayed from the birds view with a mobile and fast scrolling. Additionally there are static information screens and transfer sequences. 

The sound is largely limited to coherent effects. 

Joystick port 2 Right/left/up/down = move the droid into the corresponding direction 

Fire + direction = shoot 

Keep fire pressed = transfer mode 

In the static screens choose with the corresponding direction and confirm by pressing fire. 

 Transfer 

At the start of the transfer you can choose which side of the controls you want to have (left is yellow, right is purple), thereby you should look for continuous conducts, recolouring mechanisms and repeaters. Furthermore there are conducts, which reach several fields by y junctions with one energy capsule or need several energy capsules for activation due to the joining of conducts. 

After the time has run out or confirming by pressing fire the actual transfer takes place. The aim is to have more than 6 fields in your own colour at the end of the process. If a draw is reached (both have 6 fields), then the transfer is repeated with a new circuit diagram. If you have less than 6 fields, the hostile robot overcharges the influence unit and the previous host gets lost. If there was no host robot before the transfer, the 001-device explodes and the game is over. The higher the serial number, the more energy capsules has the corresponding robot and the energy capsules only last for a limited time, unless a circuit with a repeater was activated. When both sides try to activate the same field, it will -at the end of the transfer- have the colour which was activated at a later point or the one with a repeater in the circuit. 

 Tips 
 Normal game 
 You can control robots with a lower number longer than the ones with a higher number. Especially when you have the 999, you should be prepared to change the host very soon. 
 On recharching fields, the robots can be regenerated to their maximum energy (which declines with time) against the subtraction of points. Only the 001 doesn't lose maximum energy, it can always be recharged fully. 
 
500s and 600s are very useful for exploration, the smaller robots can be shot with them and the bigger should preferably get withdrawn from service by taking over. 
 Higher robtos cause damage when colliding with lower robots. Especially when you control the 001, you should be carful not to get between two higher robots. If you control a 711 or a 742, you can ram the robots which are immune against your weapon (especially the 420s) until they are destroyed. 
 
If you drive through explosions, you lose energy. 
 If you destroy many robots in a short time, the alarm display changes from green to yellow and red respectively. During this tim you get extra points for robots destroyed or taken over. 
 Transfer 

 As long as you aren't proficient in the transfer 100%, you should only take over robots that are 2 categories higher than you, i.e. from the 001 to 200s, then 400 and with this a 600. 
 You should place your energy capsules as late as possible and concentrate on conducts which are connected to several fields. 

 When transfering robots with middle numbers, you should allocate the enemy the side, which has the most colour changers and dead ends. Colour the "secure" fields first and then the recoloured fields from the enemy. 

The colours of the robot classes correspond the ones of the description on longplayer.de 

Deck 1, 2, 13 and 14 contain several divided sections. They count as done (get grey), when 'all sections of the deck are free of robots. 

On some decks there are several lifts. The ones, which are further left on the map, are on the deck further in the west. 

 Tactic for beginners 

First train the transfer of smaller robots on decks 4-6 and memorise the position of the lifts on these decks. Then you can go on with decks 7, 9 and 10, to get to the points in a rather secure way. 

 Tactic by FXXS 

On each stardeck take over a small robot (100/200), change to deck 6 and take control of a 400, with this get a 600 or a 700 on deck 10 and change to deck 12. 
Carefully cross deck 12 on the upper side to get to the other lift, on the way destroy all 100s and 300s and take over the 700s and 800s. 

On deck 16 you can start the first thorough cleanup, best with the 711s and the 742s. Take over all the other robot "flash things" and the rest of the 711/742s until the deck is clean. Now back to deck 12 and start with the cleanup there. Thereby try to stay near the lift, to be able to get quickly back to deck 6 and 10 to work yourself up again in case of emergency. (see point 1) 
When deck 12 is empty, deck 11 is next. There you'd better stay only on the left and upper corridor, until hardly any robots are on the deck. Then clean the rest of the deck. 
Now you can fully clean deck 10 and change to deck 9 via deck 6. From there clean the "edge decks" of deck 13 and 14 (below deck 9), so the cleaning of the main decks 13 and 14 is display by the grey colour. 
After that the rest of the decks can be cleaned rather safely. 

 Cheats 

Load the game as usual by Load"*",8 then enter the following poke: Poke 8410,0 and start with run. From now on you will win every transfer easily.

Trivia 
 There were several versions of Paradroid released: An original version, a Competition Edition and a Heavy Metal Edition. The game is also included in the C64DTV. The Competition Edition is primarily considerably faster and more fluent than the original version, the Metal Edition offers also an additional graphics style. Both versions should be preferred to the original version, but altogether much better is the Redux version.

 Since 23.05.2008 the game is available for Nintendo Wii as Virtual Console title for 500 Wii points (about 5 EUR). 
 The Paradroid ships are named: Paradroid, Metahawk, Hewstromo, Graftgold, Blabgorius IV, Red Barchetta, Retta-beast, Itsnotardenuff. 
 The 883 droid looks like a Dalek, and is said to inspire terror in humans for some unknown reason. 

 Paradroid Redux 

For all Paradroid fans, who like a faster and more fluent gameplay, there is the PARADROID REDUX version by TNT/Beyond Force, a brushed up version of the classic. 

Features in brief: 
 Hardly shaking or slowing down when there is a lot going on. 
 Additional "statistics" Option at the consoles. 
 Intelligent droids, that depending on the rank difference react different to the player and even look for it! 
 Radar option, when you occupy a high level droid: stand still for 3 seconds, when there is no enemy in the room/field of vision. A lamp on the own droid will appear that shows direction and degree of danger of the next droid. 
 Storabel highscore list, etc.

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Description from the packaging:

Vaporize Droids...
Shoot-em-up arcade action at its best.
The situation is bleak. The battle Droids on a galactic space freighter have mutinied. The cargo and crew on the space freighter, now headed for enemy air space, are in grave danger. Equipped only with a special anti-Droid weapon, you must board the ship and destroy mutinous Droids. Victory won't be easy.

Features.
Arcade-style action.
Strategy. Decide when to attack, reenergize, and transfer from one Droid to the next.
Extensive color graphics. Fight your way through 20 decks (over 400 graphic screens) on the ship.
Challenge. Confront 24 different types of Droids.

By Andrew Braybrook.


http://c64-wiki.com/index.php/Paradroid
