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/ PONG: THE NEXT LEVEL \______________
_____/ FAQ Version .2 \_______________________________
/ \

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==THE NEXT LEVEL==
FAQ

Pong: The Next Level for PC / Windows
-------------------------------------

FAQ Written By: whiz kid
Copyright 2001 Sean Handwerk (whiz kid)
whizkid@nintendofact.com

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______________________
_____/ TABLE OF CONTENTS \_______________________________________________
/ \

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 \___________________
______________________
_____/ A. The Next Level! \_______________________________________________
/ \

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.

______________________________________________________________________________
_________________
________________________________________/ II. Game Info \___________________
______________________
_____/ A. The Rules \_______________________________________________
/ \

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 \_______________________________________________
/ \

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 \______________________________________________
/ \

-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.


______________________________________________________________________________
_________________
________________________________________/ 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)

______________________
_____/ A. Zone 1 \_______________________________________________
/ \

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Level 1: PENGUIN PONG
GB needed: 0
Powerups: Seal (SEAL SAVER)
Bear (POLAR POWER)
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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.

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Level 2: SOCCER STARS
GB needed: 3
Powerups: None
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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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