(Konami/Centuri '82)
Time Pilot has you flying through the centuries, fighting enemy aircraft along the way. Time is divided into periods, or eras, each one with
appropriate enemies. In all, there are five eras to contend with, beginning with 1910, where the enemies are mere Bi-planes, up through the
present and beyond to 2001. After a certain number of aircraft within a period are killed, a large Mother Ship distinctive to that time will fly
onto the screen. It will take several shots to kill this ship, but when you have, your plane will be transported through time to the next period.
There is a scale at the bottom of the screen that lets you know when you've killed enough of the enemy to expect the Mother Ship. In the 1910
period, your enemies appear as Biplanes, and the Mother Ship is a Blimp. In the next period, 1940, you are battling Prop Fighters and a large
Bomber is your ultimate enemy. By the time you reach 1970, you are fighting Helicopters, replaced by Jet Fighters in the 1980 period. Another
large Bomber is the Mother Ship here. As you pass into the future, the year 2001 pits you in battle against Flying Saucers, the Mother Ship
being an even larger Saucer.
Each period demands specific strategies because the various enemies behave differently.
Flying straight up through the first time period
The Biplanes in the first period can only shoot and bomb. The bombs drop from the Biplanes and fall to the bottom of the screen. A good
strategy is to fly toward either of the upper corners of the screen. Since your plane is in the center, you reduce the chances of being bombed
and have more time to react to enemies appearing on the edge of the screen in front of your plane.
Watch for formation attacks and falling Parachutes. If all the enemies in a formation attack are killed you earn 2000 points. Parachutes are
important: the first is worth 1000 points and the value increases by 1000 points with each one until the maximum value of 5000 points is reached
on the fifth Parachute. From that point on, all Parachutes will be 5000 points unless your plane is destroyed or you kill the Mother Ship and go
on to the next period.
Trying to save a Parachute in the 1940 time period
In 1940 Prop Fighters are your enemy. They can only shoot, so flying toward any corner is good, but the upper corners are preferred because
Parachutes fall slowly downwards and this will make it easier to pick them up. Once again you should watch for formation attacks worth 2000
points. Another enemy to watch for in 1940 are the dark brown Bombers that will fly horizontally across the screen. They are worth an easy
1500 points, but remember that it takes three shots to kill them.
In 1970, Cruise Missiles begin chasing your plane
Your mission begins to get dangerous when you reach 1970. The enemy Helicopters are capable of launching Cruise Mis-siles and since linear
flying becomes impossible it is now hard to pick up many Parachutes. The best way to deal with Cruise Missiles is to shoot them. You must be
bold when they come in behind your plane and turn around and shoot them. A great deal of circling is needed to survive these later periods.
Flying in circles to kill the Jet Fighters in 1982
In 1982 your enemy has developed faster Jet Fighters and more accurate Cruise Missiles, but circling and reversing directions is still the best
way to stay alive.
Fighting to stay alive in 2001
In 2001 you encounter the most hectic of all the time periods. The Flying Saucers have two new types of weapons - one that acts much like a
Cruise Missile in that it can change directions, and another that follows straight lines. But both of these weapons can be shot and destroyed. If
you survive 2001, you will be sent back to 1910 to do it all over again.
Time Pilot, as with many video games, has a hunting strategy associated with it. You can stay in one time period without killing any of the
enemies and continue to pick up Parachutes. The 1940 period is the best in which to hunt Parachutes.
Another slower but safer hunting strategy is to stay on one of the first two waves shooting the planes as they come. When the Mother Ship
appears, ignore it and keep going after the planes. This isn't really playing the game, but it's good practice and can last a long time.
READ THE FOLLOWING HINT:
1. Blast through the first stage ASAP.
2. On the 1940 stage NEVER EVER touch the fire button, after a while Parachutes start appearing, simply collect each Parachute as it appears. If you are good enough you can avoid the fighters indefinitely, and the stage continues forever.
3. The machine I played as a school kid kept handing out free men every 100,000 points (20 'chutes). It was too easy. On one game lasting 16+ hours the owner of the arcade tossed me out. There were 32 free men and a score of over 4,500,000 (Time Pilot "clocks" at 999,990). And still on the 2nd frame!! It was a very boring stategy though.
HINT: Fly on the diagonal most of the time. The 'chutes are easier to get.
This additional hint comes from Ray Whiteman, Whiteman Computers
At last there is a great Time Pilot Emulator for the PC available, written by Mike Cuddy.
Download the latest version from his Time Pilot Page.
