Bat Patrol

Description

Alert! Alert! Sensors have detected a huge cloud of dangerous space bats in the vicinity – and our station is headed right for it! It's too late to correct our course and take evasive action. We have no choice but to pass through the swarm.

Based on our positioning, the bats are poised to fly through the station's vulnerable residential and life support sectors. With no weapons stationed there, we've had to scramble to deploy a pair of magnetic gun turrets discovered in the cargo bay. Unfortunately, they were meant for terrestrial use, and can inflict serious structural damage if used recklessly.

Your mission is to operate your turret, guard against the oncoming bats, and protect the space station's precious sectors. But be careful where you aim! Misplaced gunfire risks demolishing the sectors you're supposed to save. You don't want to pose a greater hazard to the space station than the bats!

Controls

Action	Player 1 (Red)	Player 2 (Blue)
Move Turret	UP / DOWN	E / D
Aim Cannon	LEFT / RIGHT	S / F
Fire	X, V, M	Q, A
Center Cannon	Z, C, N	W, SHIFT (L), TAB
Select Game Mode	LEFT / RIGHT	N/A
Confirm Mode Selection	X, V, M	N/A
Restart (After Game End)	Z, C, N	W, SHIFT (L), TAB

The game detects and automatically maps any connected controllers. Controllers are assigned to players in roughly the order they are detected upon startup. There is no mechanism for assigning specific controllers to specific players. If a controller is connected while the game is running, the game program must be restarted before the controller can be used. 

Game Modes

Bat Patrol features three game modes:

• Solo: Defend the space station all by yourself against the bat onslaught.
• Team: Bring along a companion and fend off the bat swarm together.
• Versus: Try to destroy your opponent while protecting yourself against the space bats.

How to Play

Bat Patrol is designed to be easy to play, but challenging to master. The game adheres to the following mechanics and rules.

Game Mechanics

• Endure the bat swarm: The space bats attack in waves of varying size, composition, and difficulty. There are 45 waves in total. A wave ends when all the bats in it have passed through the station or been destroyed.
• Aim your cannon for precision shots: You can change the trajectory your bullets follow by adjusting the aim of your cannon. To restore your cannon to its central position, press the "Center Cannon" button.
• Protect your sectors: You must protect the seven sectors behind your turret. A single bullet will break a sector. If all seven of your turrets are destroyed, it's game over.
• Preserve your turret: If your turret is struck by a bullet or bat, it will be destroyed. If you have any turrets in reserve (represented by the icons under your side of the display bar on the top of the screen), you can continue playing. If your turret is destroyed when you have no turrets in reserve, it's game over.
• All bullets are destructible: Every bullet fired, whether belonging to a player or an enemy, can be destroyed by shooting it. Take advantage of this principle to eliminate bullets that threaten you or your sectors.
• Friendly fire is always on: Bullets do not distinguish between friend and enemy! Player bullets can destroy turrets and sectors alike.
• Fight a boss every five waves: Every fifth wave represents a boss battle. If the boss is defeated, all players gain one life (up to a maximum of five), and one of their damaged sectors is repaired at random.

Special Rules

Each of Bat Patrol's three modes features rule variations that change how gameplay is approached.

• Solo Mode: The opposite wall reflects any bullets that strike it. Use caution when firing your cannon, as your missed shots might come back to you!
• Team Mode: The survival of both players and their sectors is essential. If either player loses all their lives or sectors, then it's game over.
• Versus Mode: The game continues until one player destroys all of their opponent's sectors or depletes all of their remaining lives. If the players manage to complete all of the game's 45 waves without defeating one another, the waves will begin again from the first.

Tips and Tricks

• It not always necessary to defeat all the bats in an ordinary wave. Prioritize eliminating bullets first.
• Your bullets move far more quickly than your turret. It is often more advantageous to aim and fire from afar than to steer your turret toward the enemy.
• Every boss has a distinct pattern for its movements and attacks. Study their behaviors, and strategize accordingly.
• Depending on the state of the game, lives and sectors do not always have equal value. Learn when each one should be prioritized.
• In Solo Mode, the reflective wall can be used to your advantage. Try banking your shots off the wall to hit enemies when aiming at them directly would be too slow.
• If you are trailing your opponent in Versus Mode, it is sometimes opportune to speed through boss battles in order to replenish your lives or sectors. Try to determine whether it's better to push forward or stall the game in the current wave.

(Find Bat Patrol on the Lexaloffle BBS here.)