All Star #3--Reactor

Overview:      Reactor was by far and away the least produced game on my list. Actual figures are unknown, but generally believed to be in the range of 1100-1400 units. It was created by the video game division of D. Gottlieb & Co. (The Q-Bert folks) in 1982, with Tim Skelly as the lead programmer/designer. Tim had previously worked on classics such as Star Castle and Armor Attack for Cinematronics, and this would be his only released game with Gottlieb. Unfortunately, most gamers never got to see it in the arcades. With the natural attrition rate of breakdowns, conversions, etc. a dedicated Reactor has become one of the biggest prizes for collectors, with working examples (when available) selling for $700 or more. The Gameplay:      The gameplay of Reactor is simple and unique. You are a diamond-shaped ship trapped in the core of a nuclear reactor. Your enemies are a bunch of subatomic particles: Photons, Positrons, Neutrinos, Nucleons, Pions, Leptons. All of the outer walls are death to touch. All you have to do is smash your atomic assailants into the walls without letting them return the favor. Sounds easy, right? Well, not quite. You see, as you spend time in the chamber, the core of the reactor is slowly heating up and expanding outwards, forcing you closer to the wall and giving you less room to maneuver in. The only way to cool off the core is to either destroy all of the particles in the wave (some have as many as 47 particles to smash), or to knock in an entire set of the control rods which line the sides of the walls by knocking particles into them.
     Your ship is not entirely defenseless however. The 2.5" trackball gives you excellent maneuverability and precise control, which you will definitely need. Your ship can emit an unlimited energy field which kicks the enemies around more strongly than just using your ship (of course the opposite also applies!). And if all else fails, your ship carries a limited supply of decoys, which when dropped will cause the bad guys to completely ignore your ship in favor of the decoy, at least for a few seconds.
     The solid core of the reactor does not directly help or hinder you. It functions more as an expanding inner wall than anything else. You may rest against it without taking any damage. However, after a certain number of waves have been cleared, the music starts up, the screen flashes, and the core changes into a whirling vortex! The vortex is definitely not your friend. If you get too close to it, you will be sucked right in and destroyed! And like its solid core counterpart, the vortex expands. Tips & Tricks:        The first technique to learn is how to deal with the hostile particles. The attract mode says it best: "Keep particles between you and the wall". Obviously you can't kill the particles without being able to knock them into the wall, and they will hug the core if you let them. Practice bouncing with them and learn to keep control of your ship when it gets hit. Watch how they bounce off you, because if you try to follow up a hit and the particle went off at an unexpected angle you will throw yourself right into the wall.
     The second technique to learn is the one that will make or break your score. When the core changes into a vortex, you MUST know how to deal with it if you don't want to lose all your ships. Always try to move with the vortex as it spins around. Be careful, because it periodically slows and reverses the direction of its spin. If it catches you circling in the wrong direction, you will instantly be sucked in and killed. But if you move with it, there is a moment when it grabs you where you can quickly spin the trackball in the direction you were going to skirt the edge and be thrown clear (though hopefully not into the wall).
     There are several effective ways to use decoys to your advantage, rather than just as a desperate defensive measure.
1) Plant a decoy right next to a set of control rods. If the hovering particles don't want to hit the rods, help them out a little. Remember, knocking in both sets of control rods is worth an extra decoy, though you can't have more than eight at any time. Generally, I use decoys this way on vortex levels when the size of the core is making me nervous.
2) Set a decoy inside a bounce chamber. The particles will follow it in and start bouncing off the walls, netting big bonus points. The risk is that if you can't get out before the particles come in, you will die, which is why I prefer method...
3) Set a decoy at the mouth of a bounce chamber just before the level starts. Preferably a level with Nucleons or Leptons, as they break into multiple particles when they start bouncing around in the chamber, and the points add up in a hurry. Station yourself at the entrance, and knock any that bounce out back in. This can net 3,000+ points if played right.
     Don't waste your decoys. If nothing else, each one you have at the end of the game is worth 500 points, and several times I have had enough unused decoys to net an extra ship and keep playing when my game would otherwise have been over.
     It is generally not advisable to try for bounce chamber points on vortex levels. Most players have trouble killing all the particles quickly enough as it is. Time spent gathering bounce chamber points is time not spent killing particles. This is not a problem on core levels, but a large vortex is practically automatic death.
     If the solid core has practically filled the chamber, get the enemy particles on the opposite side, turn your shield off, and retreat into a bounce chamber (if possible, if not hug that core). The hostile particles will either die quickly or knock in a set of control rods trying to stay off the wall. If you're steady and keep your shield off you will outlast them every time.
     I also received some great additional strategies from JoustGod:
1. First and foremost is to be able to move your ship in a very controlled and subtle manner. Any sudden, rash movement will spell death most of the time.
2. Control rods- Getting to these early when there aren't so many to knock out is a key to higher scoring. As you know, knocking both sets out will give you an extra decoy. The more of these, the better because...
3. Bounce chambers- I never use decoys on anything but the chambers. I prefer the lower one as it has more room to accommodate my movement. Remember to always use decoys in the chamber in the later waves of each round as there are more particles to bounce around and thus higher scoring per decoy. I plant a decoy right before the beginning of a new set of enemies. This time right before the new set begins enables me to slip into the chamber (usually just a bit inside the entrance), drop the decoy and clear out of the way. Now, as the new set of enemies begin to appear, they will head for the chamber. As they all gather in there, I now move my ship
over to the entrance of the chamber with the energizer on and pretty much just keep bouncing any stray particles back into the chamber. This is where the points can really add up!
    When the later boards come up with the invisible walls, I use a very simple trick to find the entrance of the chamber...I just put my finger on the screen where the chamber entrance is and that serves as a kind of landmark for me so that I don't go crashing into the wall. You can see where the entrance is briefly in between waves.
Your suggestions are very much on target in dealing with the vortex (I hate the vortex!). I still use the chamber on the vortex rounds, finding that I'm fairly safe as long as I stay on the outer edge of it. Technical Info and Miscellaneous Documents Screenshots

The Title Screen The list of enemies The first phase: solid core

Followed by the infamous vortex So you think you're good? Try invisible walls The vortex with invisible walls. Good luck Some Cabinet Pictures (Warning: these are quite large): (Many thanks to Ed for these Photos!) General Cabinet Picture Sideart Marquee/Control Panel PCB/Interior Return to the main page