M*A*S*H

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M*A*S*H is a 20th Century Fox developed action video game that was programmed by Paul Munsey and Flora Ng for the TI-99/4A home computer system. It was distributed via Solid State SoftwareTM Command Module cartridge as part # PHM 3158. It was released fourth quarter of 1983 and sold originally for $39.95 (USD). It is loosely based on a television series with the same name.

M*A*S*H
M*A*S*H Front Cover
M*A*S*H Manual Front Cover[1][2]
Publisher(s) 20th Century Fox
Original Retail Price $39.95 (USD)
Programmer(s) Paul Munsey & Flora Ng
Part# PHM 3158
Format(s) Solid State SoftwareTM Command Module
Release 1983 (4th Quarter)
Genre(s) Action

Advertising Blurbs

Front Cover of Manual

Fly your helicopter into battle to rescue wounded soldiers as you evade gunfire from an enemy tank. After the rescue, perform surgery and remove shrapnel from patients in a race against time.

Triton Catalog - Spring 1984

The beloved TV show becomes one of TI's most popular games. As Hawkeye, you airlift wounded soldiers from the battlefield to the 4077. If you survive firing tanks and your opponent, you've still got only 30 seconds in the Operating Room to remove deadly shrapnel. (Speech Synthesizer and Wired Remote Controllers recommended.)

Gameplay

The player plays the game as the television character and army surgical doctor Hawkeye Pierce during the Korean war (1950-1953). M*A*S*H is a two-stage game. Hawkeye first starts out in the field rescuing wounded soldiers on the battlefield and getting them on his helicopter to return them to the M*A*S*H 4077 army surgical hospital for surgery. He must do so without getting hit by gunfire from enemy tanks.

The second phase of the game involves Hawkeye Pierce performing surgery to remove shrapnel from these wounded soldiers. This section of the game is similar to the classic board game "Operation" where the foreign objects must be removed without touching the edges of the open wound.

Manual

Introduction

With M*A*S*H, you face the perils of a Mobile Army Surgical team on the front lines of Korea. Developed for Texas Instruments by Fox Video Inc., the game is based on the popular movie and television series "M*A*S*H" and its characters, Hawkeye and Trapper. The surgeons have assumed new hazardous tasks in this version of M*A*S*H. They not only operate brilliantly to save lives, but also fly to rescue soldiers in the field. You become either Hawkeye or Trapper. You fly bravely into danger to rescue wounded soldiers, or assume a different but equally harrowing role-a surgeon in a Mobile Army Surgical Hospital.


With M*A*S*H, you can

  • Play any one of five exciting versions of the game
  • Play alone or with a friend • Use Wired Remote Controllers Joysticks) or keyboard control
  • Enjoy graphics that create a 3-D effect
  • Use the "Helpful Hints" feature for tips on game play
  • Have more fun with synthesized speech that simulates the action, excitement, and humor in M*A*S*H

Note: M*A*S*H is designed to work with or without the Texas Instruments Solid State SpeechTM Synthesizer (sold separately). However, the Speech Synthesizer must be attached to activate the voice of the computer.

Game Options

M*A*S*H offers five exciting versions of play for more fun. In each of the five versions, the first player to reach a score of 4077 wins.


Rescue with Tank Fire and Surgery

In the first part of the game, a tank fires on your helicopter as you fly to rescue wounded soldiers in the field. After 18 soldiers are picked up, the scene shifts to the operating room of M* A *S*H. There you operate to save the lives of your patients.

Rescue with Cease Fire and Surgery

In the first part of the game, you rescue wounded soldiers during a Cease Fire. As you fly to save the soldiers, the tank continues to patrol menacingly, but does not fire. After 18 soldiers are picked up, you move to the M*A*S*H operating room where your surgeon's skills are necessary to save the patient.

Rescue only with Tank Fire

You rescue the wounded as a tank fires on your helicopter. (Surgery does not follow automatically.)

Rescue only with Cease Fire

You rescue the wounded during a Cease Fire. (Surgery does not follow automatically.)

Surgery only

You operate to save the wounded.

Player Options

M*A*S*H allows you to play against the computer or with a friend. After you select the game you want, you then indicate the number of players.


One-Player Games

If you choose a one-player Rescue game, the computer plays the game as Trapper John (blue helicopter and landing pad), and you play the game as Hawkeye Pierce (red helicopter and landing pad).

If you choose a one-player Surgery game, the computer does not perform surgery but gains points for each second you operate and for each unsuccessful operation. In one-player Surgery, the scalpel appears on the left side of the screen and you begin surgery there. At the top of the screen, a score counter records your successes.

Two-Player Games

If you choose a two-player Rescue game, you can be either Trapper John (blue helicopter and landing pad) or Hawkeye Pierce (red helicopter and landing pad).

If you choose a two-player Surgery game, Hawkeye uses the left-hand scalpel and Trapper, the right-hand. Hawkeye goes first every time, and each player has 30 seconds to remove the shrapnel. A time clock and score counter located at the top of the screen show your success.

Getting Started

When the M*A*S*H title screen appears, press any key to begin. Follow the directions displayed on the screen to begin to play M*A*S*H.


When the selection list appears, you see these choices:

  • Rescue with tank fire and surgery
  • Rescue with cease fire and surgery
  • Rescue only with tank fire
  • Rescue only with cease fire
  • Surgery only

Making Your Game Selection

Move the long white band up or down until it is over the desired game.

  • When using left-side keyboard control, press the E key () or the X key () to position the long white band. When using right-side keyboard control, press the I key () or the M key ().
  • When using Wired Remote Controllers (Joysticks), move the joystick lever forward or backward.

Making Your Player Selection

Move the short white band to the left or right until it is over the desired number of players.

  • When using left-side keyboard control, press the D key () or the S key () to position the short white band. When using right-side keyboard control, press the K key () or the J key ().
  • When using the Wired Remote Controllers (Joysticks), move the joystick lever left or right.

To Begin the Game

Once you have made your selections, you are ready to begin the game.

• When using left-side keyboard control, press Q or V to begin play. When using right-side keyboard control, press Y or . to begin.

• When using the Wired Remote Controllers (Joysticks), press the FIRE button on the controller to begin play.


To Pause in the Middle of a Game

To pause during a game, press and hold the P key. R&R flashes at the top of the screen. Press any key to resume the game.

To Play Again

At the end of a game, either press REDO to play again or wait for the game to begin again automatically.

Controlling Action from the Keyboard

You move the helicopter in the Rescue game and the scalpel in the Surgery game by using the same keys. The helicopter has additional movements. You can raise and lower it for take-off and landing.


Helicopter and Scalpel Movements

Control the movement of the helicopter in the air and of the scalpel during the operation by using these keys.

Keys Direction on the screen
()E (↑)I Up
(←)S (←)J Left
(→)D (→)K Right
(↓)X (↓)M Down

Note: On the keyboard, the left-side keys control the red helicopter (Hawkeye), and the right-side keys control the blue one (Trapper).

Special Helicopter Movements

Raise the helicopter from the ground and lower it for landing by using these keys.

Keys Direction from the "ground"
(↑)R (↑)O Raises the helicopter
(↓)C (↓). Lowers the helicopter

Note: These special keys for helicopter movement do not work with the scalpel.

Controlling Action with the Wired Remote Controllers

You use the lever of the Wired Remote Controllers to move both the helicopter and the scalpel.

Helicopter and Scalpel Movements

Use the same position of the lever to move the helicopter or the scalpel up, down, left, or right on the screen. For up, down, left, or right diagonal movement, simply move the lever in the desired direction.

Lever Position Direction on the screen
Forward (toward the FIRE Bold textbutton) Up
Backward (away from the FIRE button) Down
Right Right
Left Left
Diagonal Diagonal

Note: The ALPHA LOCK must be in the OFF (up) position when using the Wired Remote Controllers.

Special Helicopter Movements

You can' 'lift the helicopter up and down for take-off and landing. Raise the helicopter from the ground and lower it for landing by pressing the FIRE button and moving the lever in the direction you want to go.

Lever Position Direction from the "ground"
Forward (toward the FIRE button) Raise the helicopter
Backward (away from the FIRE button) Lower the helicopter

Playing the Rescue Game Option

To win when playing the Rescue game option in M*A*S*H, you must use your helicopter to pick up more wounded soldiers than your opponent.

Rescuing Wounded Soldiers

  1. Fly your helicopter to one of the soldiers and place the helicopter's shadow over the soldier. (The shadow can cover the wounded soldier either partially or completely.)
  2. Lower the helicopter to the shadow, and the wounded soldier disappears.
  3. Raise the helicopter to rescue the soldier.
  4. Fly either to the next wounded soldier or return to the M*A*S*H base. You can pick up a maximum of five wounded soldiers before your helicopter is full. Note: If you try to rescue a wounded soldier when your helicopter is full, the wounded soldier

remains visible.

Unloading Wounded Soldiers

  1. You can return to base with a minimum of one or a maximum of five soldiers. Note: When your helicopter is full, it changes color. You must then return to the landing pad to unload. After unloading, the helicopters return to their usual colors.
  2. Fly to your landing pad. Note: You cannot unload wounded soldiers at your opponent's landing pad.
  3. Maneuver the shadow to the landing pad, and lower your helicopter. A beep signifies that you've successfully unloaded, and the point value in the block at the top of the screen increases by three.
  4. Raise your helicopter from the landing pad and fly back to rescue more wounded.

Helicopter Flight

When a helicopter is touching the "ground" (its shadow), it cannot move. Raise the helicopter to its fullest height to clear trees. (The helicopter stops when its shadow is even with the base of a tree, except when it is raised to its fullest height.)

The two helicopters do not collide, but automatically pass each other on different flight patterns.

Continuing Play

At the beginning of a Rescue game, six wounded soldiers appear in the field. After all six soldiers are picked up, six more appear in the field.

If you are playing a Rescue game only, this pattern continues until one player earns 4077 points and wins the game.

If you are playing a Rescue game combined with a Surgery game, the Surgery game option begins when a total of 18 soldiers have been picked up. Note: Following the Surgery segment of the game, the Rescue game begins again and both players start from their landing pads with empty helicopters.

Tank Fire or Cease Fire

You can play the M*A*S*H Rescue game either with Tank Fire or during a Cease Fire.

Cease Fire

During Cease Fire, the tank moves left and right across the bottom of the screen, but does not fire.

Tank Fire

You can increase the difficulty of the Rescue game by selecting the Tank Fire option. The tank moves left and right across the bottom of the screen and fires upward toward the helicopters. If the tank shoots your helicopter, you lose the points for all rescued soldiers aboard and are automatically returned to the landing pad. Note: The tank chases the helicopter with the higher score.

Playing the Surgery Game Option

To win when playing the Surgery Game option in M*A*S*H, you must use your operating skills to remove shrapnel successfully and score more points than your opponent.

Operating Successfully

1. Move your scalpel next to the shrapnel.
2. Move the tip of the scalpel forward or backward until the scalpel is attached to the shrapnel.
3. Move the shrapnel carefully through the maze toward one of the exits.
4. When you reach an exit,
  • You hear a tone indicating the operation is complete
  • The patient smiles
  • You receive the points for your successful operation
  • The scalpel returns to its starting place
  • Another piece of shrapnel appears in a different area of the body
5. Try as many operations as possible in the time remaining.

Operating Unsuccessfully

If you touch any part of the body,

  • You hear a tone indicating an unsuccessful attempt
  • The patient frowns
  • Your opponent receives the points for that operation
  • The scalpel returns to its starting place

Note: You can try again if you have time remaining on the time clock.

The Scoring Screens in M*A*S*H

In both the battlefield scene and the operating room of the M*A*S*H base, important score information is recorded at the top of the screen. These sample scoring blocks show how your score is displayed for each game.



In Rescue games, the numbers at the top of the screen are the points awarded for each soldier rescued (from 5 to 50 points) and the total score for the game (0 to 4077).

In surgery games, the numbers at the top of the screen are the point value for the operation (20 to 80 points), the total score for the game (0 to 4077), and, in the center of the screen, the seconds remaining for operations (0 to 30).


Mash - Rescue Game Screen.png


Mash - Surgery Game Screen.png


Note: In this example, Trapper does not have a value listed for the operation because these numbers appear only for the person operating. The time clock is also not displayed in one-player games against the computer.

Scoring in M*A*S*H

In all games, the first player to reach a score of 4077 wins.


Point Values for Rescues

Your point value for each soldier rescued increases as you make more deliveries to the M*A*S*H base. Following each successful delivery to the M*A*S*H base, the point value for each soldier rescued increases by three points from a minimum of 5 to a maximum of 50 points.


Delivery Number Points Per Soldier Delivery Number Points Per Soldier
0 5 8 29
1 8 9 32
2 11 10 35
3 14 11 38
4 17 12 41
5 20 13 44
6 23 14 47
7 26 15 50

The frequency of delivery is a matter of strategy, depending on factors such as how close you are to the landing pad, whether the Surgery segment is about to begin, and so on. If you pick up and deliver one soldier at a time, you increase your point value rapidly. However, you may save time by picking up several soldiers on each flight.

Scoring with Tank Fire

If the tank shoots your helicopter, you lose the scores for all rescued soldiers aboard. Your helicopter automatically returns to the landing pad, and you begin again.

Point Values for Operations

In playing Surgery games, the value of each operation depends upon the location of the shrapnel. The values range from 20 to 80 points.

If you touch any part of the body, the points for that operation go to your opponent.

In a one-player game of Surgery only, the computer scores five points every second you play and gains points from your unsuccessful operations.

When a Player Wins

The first player to score 4077 wins the game. At the end of the game, a Welcome Home screen with a map of the United States and Korea appears. The winner flies by helicopter from Korea across the Pacific Ocean to the United States.

Downloads

References

External Links