
========================================================================
              A S T R O J U M P  -  INSTRUCTION MANUAL
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           For MSX1 Home Computers  -  16K ROM Cartridge

                   (c) 2026 Tiago T. & Freja L.


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                         T H E   S T O R Y
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  The year is 2187. You are Lieutenant Astro, a lone astronaut
  stranded on the edge of an uncharted asteroid belt after your
  shuttle suffered a catastrophic engine failure.

  Your only hope: jump. Jump higher. Jump from asteroid to asteroid,
  climbing ever upward through the void, collecting fuel canisters
  from derelict supply pods and avoiding the deadly debris that
  tumbles through this forsaken stretch of space.

  Mission Control has lost your signal. No rescue is coming. The
  only direction is UP.

  How far can you go?


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                       G E T T I N G   S T A R T E D
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  Insert the AstroJump cartridge into your MSX computer and turn
  it on. The title screen will appear, showing a bouncing astronaut
  on a platform.

  Press SPACE BAR or JOYSTICK BUTTON A to begin.

  A countdown will appear -- 3... 2... 1... GO! -- and you will be
  placed on a wide starting platform. The game begins!


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                        C O N T R O L S
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  AstroJump supports both keyboard and joystick input. You may
  use either one at any time.

  MOVEMENT
  --------
  Keyboard LEFT / RIGHT arrows ... Move astronaut left/right
  Joystick LEFT / RIGHT .......... Move astronaut left/right

  Your astronaut accelerates smoothly toward full speed. Releasing
  the direction key causes gradual deceleration.

  When a shield is active, movement speed increases, giving you
  extra agility to dodge debris.

  FUEL BUMP
  ---------
  SPACE BAR / JOYSTICK BUTTON A .. Consume 1 fuel for mid-air boost

  If you have collected at least one fuel canister (but fewer than
  three), pressing the button gives your astronaut a small upward
  nudge. This can be used while rising or falling.

  Each press consumes one fuel canister. You must release and press
  again for additional bumps.

  Note: The fuel bump does NOT activate a shield.

  MUSIC TOGGLE
  ------------
  M key ........................... Toggle music on/off

  Works at any time, even on the title screen or during pause.
  When music is muted, a speaker icon appears on the HUD.

  PAUSE
  -----
  P key ........................... Pause / unpause the game

  Works only during gameplay. The word "PAUSE" appears on screen,
  all sound is silenced, and the game freezes until you press P
  again to resume.


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                      T H E   P L A Y F I E L D
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  The screen scrolls upward as your astronaut rises. The camera
  follows smoothly, keeping the astronaut in the upper portion of
  the screen.

  SCREEN WRAP: If your astronaut walks off the left edge of the
  screen, it will appear on the right edge, and vice versa. Use
  this to your advantage!

  The background features a starfield that scrolls with the camera
  and faint nebula wisps that scroll at half speed, creating a
  sense of depth. The nebula color changes as you climb higher:

    Blue ........... Levels 0-2
    Dark Red ....... Levels 3-4
    Magenta ........ Levels 5-6
    Cyan ........... Level 7


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                      P L A T F O R M S
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  Asteroid platforms are your stepping stones through space. Your
  astronaut bounces automatically when landing on a platform (there
  is no manual jump button). Platforms come in four types:

  STABLE PLATFORM
  ---------------
  Appearance: Rocky cratered surface (dark yellow/red gradient)
  Behavior:   Solid and reliable. Does not move or break.
  Bounce:     Normal jump height.

  FRAGILE PLATFORM
  ----------------
  Appearance: Cracked surface with fracture lines (white/blue)
  Behavior:   Crumbles and disappears after a single bounce!
  Bounce:     Normal jump height.
  Bonus:      Awards 5 extra points when you bounce off it.

  MOVING PLATFORM
  ---------------
  Appearance: Chevron/arrow pattern (blue/cyan)
  Behavior:   Oscillates left and right in a smooth wave pattern.
              When you land on it, your astronaut receives a small
              push in the direction the platform is moving.
  Bounce:     Normal jump height.

  SPRING PLATFORM
  ---------------
  Appearance: Zigzag coil pattern (green)
  Behavior:   Launches your astronaut extra high!
  Bounce:     1.5x normal jump height -- use these to cover large
              gaps between platforms.

  Platform width ranges from 2 tiles (narrow) to 5 tiles (wide).
  As difficulty increases, the average with of the platforms
  becomes narrower.


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                      P O W E R - U P S
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  Power-ups float above certain platforms. Collect them by touching
  them with your astronaut.

  STAR
  ----
  Appearance: A bright 4-pointed star shape (yellow)
  Effect:     Awards 10 bonus points immediately.
  Frequency:  Found on roughly 4 out of 10 platforms.

  FUEL CANISTER
  -------------
  Appearance: A rounded canister shape (green)
  Effect:     Adds one fuel unit to your supply (max 3).
              - With 1 or 2 fuel: Use SPACE BAR for a mid-air nudge
              - With 3 fuel: Jetpack charges automatically (see below)
  Frequency:  Found on roughly 2 out of 10 platforms.

  SHIELD
  ------
  Appearance: A circular ring with inner energy pattern (cyan/white)
  Effect:     Activates a protective energy shield for 3 seconds.
              - Absorbs one debris collision without harm
              - Increases movement speed
              - Your astronaut's body cycles through vibrant colors
              - When the shield is about to expire, your body
                flashes white and a warning beep sounds
  Frequency:  Found on roughly 1 out of 10 platforms (rare!).


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                F U E L   &   J E T P A C K   S Y S T E M
------------------------------------------------------------------------

  Fuel canisters are the key to two abilities: the fuel bump and
  the powerful jetpack super-jump.

  FUEL BUMP (1 or 2 canisters)
  ----------------------------
  When you have collected fuel but have not yet reached 3 canisters,
  press SPACE BAR or JOYSTICK BUTTON to consume one canister for a
  small upward boost. This can be used at any time during flight,
  whether you are rising or falling. A brief flame appears below
  your astronaut.

  JETPACK SUPER-JUMP (3 canisters)
  ---------------------------------
  When you collect your third fuel canister, the letter "J" appears
  on the HUD and your astronaut turns light yellow, indicating the
  jetpack is fully charged.

  The jetpack activates AUTOMATICALLY on your next platform bounce.
  When it fires:
    - You launch upward with tremendous force (2.5x normal jump!)
    - A long flame trail blazes behind you
    - A protective shield activates for 3 seconds
    - All fuel is consumed

  The jetpack cannot be triggered manually, it always fires on
  the next bounce. Plan accordingly!

  FUEL DISPLAY (HUD)
  ------------------
  Your fuel count is shown as canister icons in the top-right
  corner of the screen. When the jetpack is charged, a "J"
  appears.


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                      D E B R I S   H A Z A R D S
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  As you climb higher, chunks of space debris drift across the
  screen horizontally. These jagged rocks are deadly!

  Appearance: Tumbling rock sprites (red) that rotate as they move.

  Behavior:   Debris enters from the left or right edge of the
              screen and travels horizontally. Some debris moves
              faster than others.

  WARNING:    When debris is about to enter the screen, a small
              blinking dot appears at the edge where it will emerge.
              Watch for these warnings!

  COLLISION:  If you touch debris without a shield, your astronaut
              tumbles and the game ends. If you have an active
              shield, the shield absorbs the impact (consuming it)
              and the debris is destroyed.

  Debris does not appear at difficulty levels 0-1. From level 2
  onward, debris becomes increasingly frequent.


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                      S C O R I N G
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  Your score is based primarily on altitude, with bonuses for
  collecting stars, bouncing on fragile platforms, and building
  combos.

  ALTITUDE SCORE
  --------------
  Your score increases as you climb higher.

  STAR BONUS ............. +10 points per star collected
  FRAGILE PLATFORM BONUS . +5 points per fragile platform bounced

  COMBO SYSTEM
  ------------
  Landing on different platforms in succession builds a combo.
  Your current combo count appears on the HUD as "X" followed by
  the number (e.g., "X5" for a 5-platform combo).

  Combo bonuses are awarded at every 5th consecutive landing:

    5 consecutive landings ...... +5 points
    10 consecutive landings ..... +10 points
    15 consecutive landings ..... +15 points

  Your combo breaks if:
    - You land on the same platform twice in a row
    - You spend more than 1.5 seconds in the air
      without landing

  When a combo breaks, dashes "--" flash briefly on the HUD.

  Your best combo of the run is displayed on the Game Over screen.

  SCORE MILESTONES
  ----------------
  Every 100 points (100, 200, 300, 400, 500...) triggers a
  celebration: the score display flashes and a jingle plays.

  ALTITUDE STARS
  --------------
  Small star icons appear on the HUD (row 0, columns 15-19) as
  you reach altitude milestones:

    1 star ........ 100+ points
    2 stars ....... 200+ points
    3 stars ....... 300+ points
    4 stars ....... 400+ points
    5 stars ....... 500+ points

  HIGH SCORE
  ----------
  Your highest score is remembered as long as the computer remains
  powered on. If you beat your high score, the Game Over screen
  displays "NEW" with flashing stars next to your new record.


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                  D I F F I C U L T Y   S Y S T E M
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  AstroJump features 8 difficulty levels that change automatically
  as your score increases. The current level is shown on the HUD
  as "L1" through "L8".

  LEVEL   SCORE     PLATFORMS        GAPS      DEBRIS    MUSIC
  -----   ------    ----------------  --------  -------   --------
  L1      0-63      Wide (5 tiles)    3-5 rows  None      Calm
                    All stable
  L2      64-127    Wide (5 tiles)    3-5 rows  None      Calm
                    5% fragile
  L3      128-191   Medium (4 tiles)  3-5 rows  Sparse    Calm
                    10% fragile
                    5% moving
  L4      192-255   Medium (4 tiles)  3-6 rows  Medium    Intense
                    15% fragile
                    10% moving
  L5      256-319   Narrow (3 tiles)  4-6 rows  Medium    Intense
                    20% fragile
                    15% moving
                    5% spring
  L6      320-383   Narrow (3 tiles)  4-6 rows  Frequent  Intense
                    25% fragile
                    15% moving
                    5% spring
  L7      384-447   Narrow (3 tiles)  4-7 rows  Dense     Frantic
                    25% fragile
                    20% moving
                    5% spring
  L8      448+      Tiny (2 tiles!)   4-7 rows  Dense     Frantic
                    30% fragile
                    25% moving
                    10% spring


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                        M U S I C
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  AstroJump features three original music tracks that change
  dynamically based on the intensity of your climb:

  "COSMIC ASCENT" (Levels 1-3)
  "SOLAR WINDS" (Levels 4-6)
  "RED ALERT" (Levels 7-8)

  Press M at any time to toggle music on or off.


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              H U D   R E F E R E N C E   C A R D
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  The top row of the screen displays all vital information:

  Position    Display          Meaning
  --------    -------          -------
  Col 0-1     SC               Score label
  Col 2-6     00000            Your current score
  Col 8-9     L1               Current difficulty level (1-8)
  Col 11-13   X5               Current combo count (if >= 2)
              --               Combo just broke (flashing)
  Col 15-19   *****            Altitude stars (1 per 100 pts)
  Col 25      [speaker]        Music is muted
  Col 27      [shield]         Shield is active
  Col 28-30   [fuel][fuel]     Fuel canisters collected (0-3)
  Col 31      J                Jetpack is charged and ready


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              T I P S   &   S T R A T E G I E S
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  * WRAP AROUND: Do not be afraid to walk off the edge of the
    screen! If a platform is far to the left and you are on the
    right, it may be faster and easier to walk off the right edge
    and appear on the left.

  * SAVE YOUR FUEL: Using fuel bumps to save yourself from a fall
    is tempting, but consider saving all three canisters for the
    powerful jetpack super-jump. The jetpack launches you far above
    the danger zone AND gives you a free shield.

  * OR SPEND IT WISELY: Conversely, a single fuel bump at just the
    right moment can save a run that would otherwise end. One fuel
    spent to reach a platform is better than three fuel lost to a
    fall.

  * COMBO BUILDING: Try to land on a different platform each time.
    The combo bonus at 5 and 10 consecutive landings adds up. Avoid
    landing on the same platform twice, because it resets your
    combo!

  * WATCH THE EDGES: At higher levels, watch for the blinking dot
    warnings at the screen edges. These tell you debris is about to
    enter.

  * FRAGILE PLATFORMS: Do not avoid fragile platforms, as they give
    a 5-point bonus and you only get one bounce anyway (good for
    the combo!). Just make sure you have somewhere to land next.

  * SPRING PLATFORMS: The green zigzag platforms launch you 1.5x
    higher than normal. Use them to skip past dangerous sections
    and cover large gaps with ease.


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                    G A M E   O V E R
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  The game ends when your astronaut either:

    - Falls below the bottom of the screen, or
    - Collides with space debris without a shield

  Upon death, your astronaut tumbles through space with a brief
  explosion effect, then the Game Over screen appears showing:

    - Your final score
    - The top (high) score for this session
    - "NEW" with flashing stars if you set a new record
    - Your best combo

  Press SPACE BAR or JOYSTICK BUTTON to return to the title screen.


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                    Q U I C K   R E F E R E N C E
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  LEFT / RIGHT ........... Move astronaut
  SPACE / BUTTON A ....... Fuel bump (mid-air, costs 1 fuel)
  M ...................... Toggle music
  P ...................... Pause / unpause

  Star pickup ............ +10 points
  Fuel canister .......... +1 fuel (3 = jetpack charge)
  Shield pickup .......... 3-second protection + speed boost
  Fragile platform ....... +5 points, crumbles after bounce
  Spring platform ........ 1.5x jump height
  Moving platform ........ Oscillates, pushes you on landing
  Combo bonus ............ +N points every 5th consecutive landing

  Fuel bump .............. Small upward nudge (costs 1 fuel)
  Jetpack (3 fuel) ....... Massive jump + free shield on bounce


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              JUMP TO THE STARS. HOW FAR CAN YOU GO?
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