BATTLEZONE 2000

The rotating triangle (which I'm going to call a "Guardian"), when shot, reveals a pod, which can neither be picked up, nor identified by the "Pickinz scan". However, if you select the "Data Scan" scanner unit, and question the pickinz pod, then you will be represented with information on which zone and co-ordinates you should go to to obtain the next pod from.

If you aren't in a multi-player game, forget about the "Tank-scan" unit, as it's completely useless to you, it should really give you information about the tanks such as weaponry, shields etc., but all it does is say if the tank is player controlled, or Lynx-controlled (NPC).

Also, the zone you start in determines the equipment you have available. The more hostile the zone, (the higher Z-rate), the better the equipment, so starting in a "Bleak" zone, yields the best equipment. Some zones give better stuff than others. This gives you two choices, try to finish the zone with what you start with in a powerful tank, or just use it to get the equipment, get killed by the radiation, and then choose an easier zone to build up shields, fuel etc. with. Starting in the right zone will give you a 3rd-level engine (Zorbach, 500 motive power, .75 eff'), A 2nd-level drive-unit, (Sterium, Accel' 2), Ion laser (Range 2000, damage 800), LZX Missile (Laser guided, which seems to make little difference, as moving the sight _still_ makes the missile go straight ahead...), Daru-core fuel unit (Slow drain, 20-units), wide shields, tank-detector, and pickinz scan. (As well as the usual command-unit and readout). This makes for a pretty tough tank! Using this and getting the right pickinz will make things a lot simpler!

The standard game isn't very marvellous, but this hidden game is fantastic, Atari are morons for forcing the authors to "hide" it. Too complicated? Maybe, but they could at least have made it a menu option. With the doc's we have available, it's not all _that_ difficult. (Not much more so than Battlewheels or Steel Talons). If you don't have this game yet, Get it!

                Instructions for Battlezone 2000 Easter Egg



When you're on the tank configuration screen (the one with the red
flashing bars), press OPTION1 twice and then press restart. This
enables a COMPLETE HIDDEN GAME WITH 2000 LEVELS AND SOLID 3D!!
Battle Zone 2000 was a very deep, large game but Atari testers
thought it too hard. So we were going to throw away the whole solid
3D section. Instead, we've hidden it. This must be one of the
biggest easter eggs in history. 

<---Editor's note--->
        This is best done right when turning the unit on... if it
        didn't work, turn it off and try again.  Starting multi-player
        is NOT easy to acheive in this mode.

start screen:
show map of world -- 50 x 40 = 2000 levels
map coordinates displayed below map
also shown:
        terrain type
        tanks to destroy
        fuel canisters
        other canisters
        radiation level
use joypad L/R, U/D to select - map wraps from high numbers back to 0

types of levels:
----------------
Desert          sandy with cacti
Fescue          green forests
Arctic          white snow
Aftermath       orangish
Arboreal        green with trees
Twilight        fairly dark
Crystal         light blue
Crater          dark gray
Arid            sandy with trees
Jodrell         white with pink background
Desolation      pink in green ruins
Condo           weird (pink / lime green) colored
Bleak           whitish with satellite dishes
Locked          these levels are passworded - whitish with satellite dishes