Snake Byte FAQ(Apple game)
by Andrew Schultz schultza@earthlink.net
Version 1.0.0

Snake Byte is copyright 1981 by Sirius Software Inc. and Chuck 
Sommerville.  I am not affiliated with them in any fashion but wanted to 
make a brief document to keep this interesting game's memory alive.

If you wish to post this on your web site, please drop me a note 
addressing me by name(don't depersonalize me, man :) ) and it will 
likely be received favorably.  I don't intend to profit off this, and I 
don't think there's much profit in this, but I appreciate people asking.

********
AD SPACE
********

My site with stuff about other Apple games:
http://www.geocities.com/SoHo/Exhibit/2762

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WHAT IS SNAKE BYTE?

FAQ GUIDELINES

POINTS

OTHER IMPORTANT STUFF

SNAKE BYTE LEVELS

VERSIONS/CREDITS

*************************

WHAT IS SNAKE BYTE?

  You're this snake that goes around collecting apples on a 40x40 grid.  
You have to collect 10 before you can exit at the top center, but for 
each apple you collect(shown one at a time for the most part) you get 
bigger--and you are more likely to crash into yourself.  As the levels 
increase, different obstacles are placed in the grid.  In addition, 
there's a timer for getting the apples.  If you don't, three more 
appear, and if you die, those three are added to the 10 required next 
time you go apple hunting.  But you have to pick them up singly, which 
is a pain.  There are cheat versions of Snake Byte floating around that 
don't have you timed after you pick up the first apple, allow you to 
start on a higher level, or get a bunch of snakes.  They make the game 
rather more interesting and playable.

FAQ GUIDELINES:

  y=0 is the top of the screen, as in Apple GR.
  In the map, - may indicate more than one unit on the screen.  * never 
does.

POINTS

  You receive 10x points for each apple you hit, where x=1+.5p and p=# 
of plums.
  You receive a bonus of 20x points if you get through a level without 
losing a snake.  In any case you receive an extra snake when you win a 
level.
  Each arena is 40x40, including the border on the outside.

OTHER IMPORTANT STUFF
  You have approximately 100 moves to nail an apple before more appear.  
Your snake head goes three times as fast as the counter.
  Your snake's length starts at 12 units.  It grows by 10 units for each 
apple you hit until you crash or win the level.  Note that this means 
you can never catch the very end of your tail.
  PROOF:  Make the arena a 40x40 checkerboard.  Assume your head is on a 
BLACK square.  Then the next move will lead to a white, then black, and 
so on.  Given that your tail is (11+10x) moves away from your head, and 
that is an odd number, it will be on a WHITE square if your head is on 
BLACK.  Similar reasoning for if your head is on a WHITE square.  So you 
can never hit it.
  You enter at x=20, y=39 and must leave at x=20, y=0.
  If you hit left or right before starting a level, you will crash into 
the bottom wall you come out of.
  Plums move diagonally and bounce predictably.
The plum below, going SE, will bounce back in the direction it came:
  o
   +<-apple
The plum below if it is bouncing SE will bounce back NE.  However the 
one to the right will bounce backwards.

 o             o
====+ <-you     /=+
                |

Plums may travel in one of the four cardinal directions if they are 
pressed for space.  Also on many boards they will bounce back and forth 
until you break up their patterns, particularly the one in the upper 
left.


SNAKE BYTE LEVELS

  There are 29 levels in Snake Byte.  After you complete them, you go 
through them again.  Hooray.  Note that the * in the maps below may be 
points on the 40x40 grid but the - and | are lines.

  LEVEL 1
  Blank.

  LEVEL 2
  Bar in middle (10, 20) to (30, 20)
  Color:  Orange/green stripes
$$$$$$$$$
$       $
$       $
$       $
$ *-*-* $
$       $
$       $
$       $
$$$$$$$$$

  LEVEL 3
  Plus sign
  Color:  red/orange stripes
$$$$$$$$$
$       $
$   *   $
$   |   $
$ *-*-* $
$   |   $
$   *   $
$       $
$$$$$$$$$

  LEVEL 4
  E
  Color:  white
$$$$$$$$$
$       $
$ *-*-* $
$ |     $
$ *-*-* $
$ |     $
$ *-*-* $
$       $
$$$$$$$$$

  LEVEL 5
  Double-H
  Color:  white/green
$$$$$$$$$
$       $
$ * * * $
$ | | | $
$ *-*-* $
$ | | | $
$ * * * $
$       $
$$$$$$$$$

  LEVEL 6
  Box with opening at (20, 10) and (21,10)
  Color:  black/purple
$$$$$$$$$
$       $
$ *- -* $
$ |   | $
$ *   * $
$ |   | $
$ *-*-* $
$       $
$$$$$$$$$

  LEVEL 7
  Zigzag in middle.  Openings at (11-14, 10/30) as well as (26-29, 20).
  Color:  Orange/black
$$$$$$$$$
$       $
$ * *-* $
$ |   | $
$ *-* * $
$ |   | $
$ * *-* $
$       $
$$$$$$$$$
(NTS)

  LEVEL 8
  Two lines.  From (1,19) to (18,19) and (21,20) to (38,20).
  Color:  green/red
$$$$$$$$$
$       $
$       $
$       $
$-*- -*-$
$       $
$       $
$       $
$$$$$$$$$


  LEVEL 9
  Columns
  Color:  white/green
  Lines at (5/10/15/20/25/30/35, 10-30).

  LEVEL 10
  Interlocked E(holes at (26-29, 10/20/30) and (11-14, 15/25))
  Colors:  blue E, green interlocking
$$$$$$$$$$$$$
$           $
$ *-*-*-* * $
$ |       | $
$ * *-*-*-* $
$ |       | $
$ *-*-*-* * $
$ |       | $
$ * *-*-*-* $
$ |       | $
$ *-*-*-* * $
$           $
$$$$$$$$$$$$$
(NTS--box boundary at (10,10)/(30,30))

  LEVEL 11
  Box with vertical line(10/30, 19/20)
  Color:  green/orange stripe
$$$$$$$$$
$       $
$ *-*-* $
$ | | | $
$   *   $
$ | | | $
$ *-*-* $
$       $
$$$$$$$$$

  LEVEL 12
  Box with sides(10/30, 20)open and line (20, 18-22) inside
  Color:  red/orange stripe box with orange line
$$$$$$$$$
$       $
$ *-*-* $
$ |   | $
$   *   $
$ |   | $
$ *-*-* $
$       $
$$$$$$$$$

  LEVEL 13
  Maze that starts at (7,7) and each vertex to (31,31) is at (6x+1, 
6x+1)
  Color:  white/blue
Maze map: (upper left removed so plum can bounce around)
  *-* *-*
|   |   |
*-* *-* *
        |
*-* * *-*
  | |
* * *-*-*
|       |
* *-*-* *

  LEVEL 14
  Rooms.  A big box with corners at (5,5) and (34,34) and holes at 
(10/30,19) and (5/19/34,20) and reflections about y=x thereof
  Color:  black/green

  LEVEL 15
  Two square rooms.  (18,1) to (18,18) to (1,18) on top, (23,38) to 
(23,23) to (38,23) on bottom.  Holes at y=9, 10, 29, 30.
  Color:  white/blue

  LEVEL 16
  Broken-up plus, making four rooms.  (19,1) to (19,16), (19,22) to 
(19,38), and reflections about y=x thereof

  LEVEL 17
  Four lines, (1,18) to (18,18), (21,1) to (21,18), (18,21) to (18,38), 
(21,21) to (38,21).
  Color:  white/green

  LEVEL 18
  Lnes at x=y=19, breaks at (9,19), (19,9), (29,19), (19,29).
  Color:  purple/black

  LEVEL 19
  Squares with corners (5,5)/(34,34) and (10,10)/(29,29) and holes at 
x=20 and y=20(i.e. 4 holes each.)
  Colors:  red/orange stripes for outside square, blue/black for inside

  LEVEL 20
  Maze.  Six columns/rows with corners at (5,5) and (35,35).
  Color:  Blue
(The top pixel is out so that the plum can move around.)
 -* *-*-* *-*
  |     | |
* * *-* * * *
|     |     |
* *-* * * *-*
| |     |   |
* * *-*-*-* *
  |
* *-* *-*-* *
|           |
* * * *-*-* *
| | |     |
* * *-*-* *-*

  LEVEL 21
  Two squares, with corners at (5,5) and (34,34) and (10,10) and (29,29) 
respectively.  They have holes at (5/34, 19/20) and (29, 19/20).
  Color:  purple

  LEVEL 22
  Box with horizontal lines through (10/20/30, 10/20/30) and points 
removed in 1-square radius from (10/20/30, 10/20/30).
  Color:  blue
  *****
    *
*   *   *
*       *
***   ***
*       *
*   *   *
    *
  *****
(NTS)

  LEVEL 23
  Vertical lines at y=18 and y=21.  Holes at (18, 9/10) and (21, 29/30).

  LEVEL 24
  A bunch of horizontal lines from x=5 to x=34, broken at x=20.  From 
(19,16 to (19,23) there is a straight line as well as from (21,16) to 
(21,23).  Above and below there are horizontal lines every other 
coordinate.

Rough sketch:

    etc.
 **** ****

 **** ****

 **** **** y=16
    * *
    * *
 **** **** y=23

 **** ****

 **** ****
    etc.

  LEVEL 25
  A bunch of bent lines.
  Color:  Blue/black and green/black.

  ggggggggggggggggggggggggg
    g
  b g bbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbb
  b g b
  b g b ggggggggggggggggggg
  b g b g
  b g b g bbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbb
  b g b g b
  b g b g b ggggggggggggggg
  b g b g b g
  b g b g b g bbbbbbbbbbbbb
  b g b g b g b
  b g b g b g b ggggggggggg
  b g b g b g b g
  b g b g b g b g bbbbbbbbb
  b g b g b g b g b
  b g b g b g b g b ggggggg
  b g b g b g b g b g
  b g b g b g b g b g bbbbb
  b g b g b g b g b g b
  b g b g b g b g b g b ggg

This structure's upper corner is (3,6) and its lower corner is (36,33).

  LEVEL 26
  Four rooms--tough to describe so I'll give a text map below.
  Colors:  orange in upper left, blue/black in upper right, green/purple 
in lower left, blue in lower right.

                           *  *  y=7
                           *  *
                           *  *
********  ********* ********  ********
*      *  *       * *                *
*      *  *       * *                *
*      *  *       * *                *
*                 * *                *
*                 * *                *
*                 * *                *
*                 * *                *
*                 * *                *
*                 * *                *
******************* ******************

******************* ******************
*                 * *                *
*                 * *                *
*                 * *                *
*                 * *                *
*                 * *                *
*                 * *                *
*                 * *      *  *      *
*                 * *      *  *      *
*                 * *      *  *      *
********  ********* ********  ********
       *  *
       *  *
       *  * y=32

  LEVEL 27
  Vertical and horizontal lines at x, y= 9, 19 and 29, except for when 
y, x=4, 14, 24, 34.  This creates a "room" effect.  Most have 4 units on 
each side of the door unless they are at the top or left, in which case 
there are 3 and 4.
  Color:  blue

  LEVEL 28
  Divided in two parts by a winding maze.
  Color:  blue
*********
*   *   * y=1
* * * * *
  *   *
********* y=18

********* y=20
  *   *
* * * * *
*   *   * y=38
*********
 x=20^

  LEVEL 29
  Vertical and horizontal lines at x, y= 9, 19 and 29, except for when 
y, x=4, 34.  Much tougher than 27, and you'll find that you may have to 
fill up a room by "swimming" back and forth.

  LEVEL 30
  See level 1.  Bonus and points are reset.

******************
End of FAQ proper

VERSIONS/CREDITS

ftp://ftp.apple.asimov.net for having this old favorite from my 
childhood.
Some people I've forgotten at the GameFAQs board, for bringing this 
game's memory back to me.

1/28/2000:  submitted first version to GameFAQs.com.  Might add more 
level-specific strategy later.
