How to play Joust online
- Turn and move left or right: left and right arrow keys
- Flap your wings: Space bar. Tap it repeatedly to climb
- Player 2 (on the stork): F and H to move, A to flap
- Choose Easy or Skilled, one or two players: F11 (the console’s Select switch)
- Start or restart a game: F12 (Reset) or fire. The difficulty switches are not used
- Save and load your progress: Ctrl + 0–9 saves to a slot, Alt + 0–9 loads it
Gameplay
The rule is simple: when two riders collide, the one whose mount is higher wins. There are three kinds of buzzard riders: Bounders in red, Hunters in grey and Shadow Lords in blue, each more dangerous than the one before. A beaten rider turns into an egg. Grab it for bonus points, or it will hatch into a new and tougher enemy.
You start with five lives and gain one for every 20,000 points. After you lose a joust you reappear on the bottom ledge, safe until you move. After the second wave, fire pits open at both sides of that ledge, and anyone who flies too close falls into the lava. If a wave drags on, a pterodactyl shows up to hunt you. It can only be killed by a hit right on the beak. The wave ends when every rider is unseated.
| Action | Points |
|---|---|
| Unseating a Bounder | 500 |
| Unseating a Hunter | 750 |
| Unseating a Shadow Lord | 1,500 |
| Collecting eggs | 250 for the first, 500 for the second, 750 for the third, then 1,000 each |
| Destroying the pterodactyl | 1,000 |
| Unseating the other player | 2,000 |
| Survival, Team or Gladiator wave bonus | 3,000 |
| Losing a life | 50 |
Special waves and variations
A letter at the lower right of the screen tells you what kind of wave is coming next:
- S – Survival (one player) or Team (two players): 3,000 points for getting through the wave without dying, or, with two players, for both players if neither unseats the other
- G – Gladiator (two players): 3,000 points to whoever unseats the other player first
- E – Egg: every enemy starts as an egg, so collect them fast
- P – Pterodactyl: the pterodactyl is there from the start
There are two skill levels, Easy and Skilled, each for one or two players. Easy games show a teddy bear next to the score. You face only one enemy at a time, and no Hunters, Shadow Lords or pterodactyls appear.
Tips
- Height is everything. Get above an enemy before you go in, and never meet it level.
- Collect eggs at once. Each egg is worth more than the one before, and waiting lets them hatch into stronger riders.
- Finish waves quickly. The longer a wave lasts, the sooner the pterodactyl arrives.
- Start on Easy. Learn steady, even flapping there before you meet the Shadow Lords.
History
The arcade Joust was designed by John Newcomer at Williams, who wanted a flying game for two players working together and deliberately avoided the space themes of the time. Squeezing it into the 2600 took some tricks. To show more moving objects than the hardware normally allows, GCC drew the player and the enemies on alternate frames, which is why the screen flickers. The eggs reuse the flying code, so they float around the arena instead of bouncing to a stop as in the arcade. Atari released another home version for its 7800 console in 1986.
Similar games to play next
- Mario Bros. – another platform game for two players who can help or hinder each other
- Defender – the 2600 version of Williams’ arcade shooter
- Stargate – the 2600 version of the Williams sequel to Defender
- Phoenix – an arcade conversion also programmed by Mike Feinstein