The Circus Convoy all spoilers hidden, only get the hints you want, guide/walkthrough thread

[+wongojack]

Because of my recent experience playing Circus Convoy, I realized that there is a need for a "hidden hint" style guide for this game that does not reveal the solutions but instead gives you only the hints you want when you are stuck or have questions.  This is similar to the Universal Hint System guides that exist for a lot of older point and click adventure games, but I'm trying to do it here on the AtariAge forums.  Think of it like an experiment, and if it helps you - awesome.

 

First, note that I've included a map with this post.  I made an effort to not include things on the map that weren't mentioned in the manual, but please know that looking at any map could be considered a spoiler.  View at your own risk.

 

The rest of this thread will be organized by the "Truck" that you are most likely to encounter in your progression through the game.  Only reveal the spoiler tags you think you need to solve your immediate puzzle in the order they appear from top to bottom and you'll be following the spirit of this guide/walkthrough.

 

START

Where am I?

Spoiler

You're on top of your dressing Trailer in a Circus Convoy for the Heartland Travelling Circus.

Spoiler

This Truck is actually Truck #2 in the Convoy.

 

Truck 2

How do I get off the low flatbed Trailer?

Spoiler

You can climb on a Circus Prop in your inventory to get high enough to jump off.

Spoiler

Check the manual if you are having trouble using the inventory.

Spoiler

Brick Walls are useful for climbing in this game.

 

How do I jump off the front cab to the next Truck?

Spoiler

Is there a Circus Prop you could use to speed up the Truck?

Spoiler

What makes Trucks go fast or stops them when it runs out?

Spoiler

There are 2 Gas Cans on this Truck you can try

Spoiler

That first Gas Can you encounter is suspicious, leave it alone for now

Spoiler

In fact, I think that first Gas Can needs to be blown up.  Come back later to finish things off.

 

How many Trucks are there anyway?

Spoiler

Do you really want to know?  You just started playing.

Spoiler

There are 10 Trucks.  All the Trucks are pulling a number of Trailers.

Spoiler

When he's writing Q&As, "The Chameleon" doesn't count the cab (very first part) of the Truck as one of the Trailers.

 

Truck 1

Can I pause the game?

Spoiler

Toggle GAME SELECT to bring up the QR codes for online guides.

 

What is this door with the Gold Key?

Spoiler

When you first start, you can't use the door with a Gold Key.  Keep exploring.

Spoiler

Inside is a teleporter.  Take note of the color of the floor and walls to help navigate

 

There's a switch?

Spoiler

Yep - just walk over it.

Spoiler

Switches will open hatches throughout the game.

 

CircusConvoy1PageMap.pdf

[+wongojack]

Truck 3

How do I get to the lower part of the Gator Alley?

Spoiler

Have you read the online guide?  Get the QR Code by pushing GAME SELECT.

Spoiler

Is there something unique on one of the Trailers next to Gator Alley?

Spoiler

Maybe you could move the big spool of wire on the Trailer to the left.

Spoiler

Maybe violence will help.

Spoiler

Shoot it with the Toy Gun of course!

 

How do I get the Jade Key?

Spoiler

Have you explored the lower section of the Homage to Pitfall?

Spoiler

There's a large unique item on the Trailer to the left of Gator Alley.

Spoiler

Maybe you could move the big spool of wire on the Trailer to the left.

Spoiler

Maybe violence will help.

Spoiler

Shoot it with the Toy Gun of course!

Spoiler

The area you want to reach is to the lower right. Take a leap of faith.

Spoiler

Run through the bottom (avoiding the Scorpion) and jump through the far side.

 

What's with this Giraffe?

Spoiler

He's got a nice hat on doesn't he?

Spoiler

Seems like he's bobbing up and down.

Spoiler

Maybe he bobs low enough to jump on.

Spoiler

You'll get a Circus Prop if you can push him down into his Trailer.

 

I can't get past the Rattlesnakes.

Spoiler

Maybe you can try out some of the Chameleon's acrobatic skills

Spoiler

You can get past with a well-timed jump from a neighboring Trailer

Spoiler

Have you tried sliding?

 

I can't open the Padlock.

Spoiler

Did you read the scrolling message while standing on top of the lock?

Spoiler

Do you have the Black Key?

Spoiler

Did you already use the Black Key?

Spoiler

If you've already used the black key then just restart.  This is one of the few no-win situations in the game.

 

Truck 4

It seems impossible to get 5 Stars on the Klobber the Klown game.

Spoiler

Have you read the online guide?  Get the QR Code by pushing GAME SELECT.

Spoiler

Maybe you should sit and watch for a while.

Spoiler

Do the clowns' faces change?

Spoiler

What happens if you hit the clown when he's smilling vs frowning?

Spoiler

Can you study the pattern enough to never miss?

Spoiler

Standing between the first and second positions on the left is the easiest strategy to get 5 stars

Spoiler

Count the clowns.  You will need 8 hits without a miss.  The easiest solution is to hit frowning clowns on these positions:
Pos 2
Pos 2 (wait for smile to turn to frown)
Pos 1

Pos 1, 2, 3, 4 in quick succession

Then the pattern repeats

 

I've got a Toy Gun but I'm running out of Ammo.

Spoiler

You can find unlimited Ammo on Truck 4.

Spoiler

Investigate the hole/gap above a skull and bones.

 

How do I get across this gap with a skull and bones.

Spoiler

What's that object on the other side of the gap?

Spoiler

Do you have something in your inventory that could help you reach it?

Spoiler

It looks pretty tough, maybe it would help to use some violence.

Spoiler

Shoot it with the Toy Gun of course!

Spoiler

Be careful as it might bounce bullets back at you.

 

There's 3 Stars on the top half of a Trailer that I can't get to.

Spoiler

Can anything in your inventory help?

Spoiler

You can't put the Brick Wall in the usual spot on the Trailer to the left, but can you put it elsewhere?

Spoiler

What other Circus Prop can you use to stay up high and get to the Stars?

Spoiler

If you have to go back two Trailers to the Trailer with the Electric Spark that's ok.

Spoiler

What could you use to jump from the Trailer with the Electric Spark to the 3 Stars?

 

 

[+wongojack]

Truck 5

How do I get to the Jade door?

Spoiler

Maybe you can try out some of the Chameleon's acrobatic skills.

Spoiler

There's a ladder on the Trailer to the right of the door.

Spoiler

You can get to it from the Trailer to the left of the door with a well-timed jump.

Spoiler

Have you tried sliding?

 

I'm having trouble with the walls in Beware the Unicycle.

Spoiler

Have you read the online guide?  Get the QR Code by pushing GAME SELECT.

Spoiler

Bombs or bullets?

Spoiler

Each wall takes 8 bullets to destroy, so you'll run out fast. There is a way to get an unlimited supply.

Spoiler

Walking across a dangerous gap marked with a symbol of death will get you what you need.

 

I'm having trouble with the Unicycles in Beware the Unicycle.

Spoiler

Have you read the online guide?  Get the QR Code by pushing GAME SELECT.

Spoiler

Unicycles are narrow when they are facing you, but when might they look wider?

Spoiler

Try timing your shots to hit the Unicycle when it is turning.

Spoiler

Careful as some unicycles will bounce your bullets back at you.

Spoiler

Can you use the word "Audacity" on the lower left to help you with location and timing?

 

Avoiding the Electric Sparks is difficult.

Spoiler

There is more than one way to avoid them.

Spoiler

Have you tried sliding?

Spoiler

Have you tried jumping?

 

I used a Gold Key and found something what is it?

Spoiler

It's a teleporter to help with navigation around the Convoy.

Spoiler

Note the color of the wall and floor to keep track of where you are.

 

Truck 6

I can't get past the big snake in the Snake Pit.

Spoiler

Have you read the online guide?  Get the QR Code by pushing GAME SELECT.

Spoiler

It moves pretty slowly.  When is it slowest?

Spoiler

You can avoid the snake when it's moving back into its original position.

Spoiler

Be careful to only fall through the holes in the top of the Trailer if there is something to break your fall.

 

I can't get past this Propane tank.

Spoiler

Maybe violence is the answer.

Spoiler

If you shoot it, can you avoid the consequences?

Spoiler

Video game rules demand you shoot it more than once.  Keep trying.

 

[+wongojack]

Truck 7

The "bird watching" is excellent on Truck 7.

Spoiler

How do I get the key the bird is holding?

Spoiler

Maybe you could get higher and then jump and grab it.

Spoiler

What Circus Prop have you been using to climb higher?

Spoiler

Are there any unexpected Trailers where can you put a Brick Wall?

 

Is there a faster way to catch the saboteur in The Chase?

Spoiler

There's a control combination you can do here that you can't do outside.

Spoiler

It sure would be nice if Andre could jump farther wouldn't it?

Spoiler

Practice different states of jumping, try things from other games.

Spoiler

I bet Andre could jump farther if he got lower to the ground.

 

What is the Crystal Key for?

Spoiler

Did you read the description?

Spoiler

Try using it on anything that has been open, shut, or locked (single use only).

Spoiler

Repeat your favorite Sideshow to get 5 additional Stars.

 

The Flaming Loop killed me what's the correct way to get past?

Spoiler

What do circus animals do with a Flaming Loop?

Spoiler

Keep practicing and you'll jump through.  You're a good boi!

 

There's a blue Circus Prop in the lower area of one of the Trailers that I can't get to.

Spoiler

It's a Travel Drone.  I need that!

Spoiler

Is there a ladder on one of the Trailers you just passed that can help?

Spoiler

When you jump from a Trailer can you change where you land?

Spoiler

Try jumping earlier or later to change where you land on the next Trailer to reach new areas.

Spoiler

On the Trailer with the ladder, jumping from the last wheel on the right will let you reach the lower area of the next Trailer.

 

Truck 8

The Evil Clown just keeps shooting at me.

Spoiler

Maybe try leaving and come back.  Does it do anything different?

Spoiler

Try jumping from the previous Trailer and back to different parts of the clown's Trailer.

Spoiler

Does the clown ever look away?

Spoiler

You can get past if it can't see you.

Spoiler

Jump to the area furthest from the clown and wait for him to turn away.  Then run and jump over him.

 

I've used up all my Bombs is there a way to get more?

Spoiler

Do you have anything else explosive?

Spoiler

Can you combine 2 explosive things to break open a Trailer?

Spoiler

Put down a Gas Can and then use your Toy Gun to open the way.

Spoiler

You can also shoot gas cans before you pick them up, but is that useful?

 

Some of these snakes in the lower areas of Trailers look different.

Spoiler

Have you ever heard a famous rhyme about the color of snakes?

Spoiler

Which colors reveal if a snake is poisonous?

Spoiler

A search for the difference between King Snakes and Coral Snakes will help you.

Spoiler

Try picking up non-poisonous snakes.  They are usually alone in the Convoy.

 

[+wongojack]

Truck 9

I could swear there was a Gold Key on this Truck.

Spoiler

Do you have one in your inventory?

Spoiler

If you do NOT have a Gold Key in your inventory, they will respawn at specific points.

Spoiler

Truck 9 Trailer 5 is a Gold Key spawn point.

 

Truck 10

There's a certain blue Circus Prop that would be useful on this Truck.

Spoiler

Don't worry, you can find another Travel Drone soon.

Spoiler

Do you have one in your inventory?

Spoiler

If you do NOT have a Travel Drone in your inventory, they will respawn at specific points.

Spoiler

Truck 10 Trailer 6 is a Drone spawn point.

 

What do I do with all these Burgers?

Spoiler

What message is displayed when you examine the Burgers in your inventory?

Spoiler

You're Andre the Magnificent A.K.A. "The Chameleon," but are there any other Chameleons in the Convoy?

Spoiler

Maybe you should try using the burgers near a Chameleon?

Spoiler

There was a Chameleon on the side of your dressing Trailer where we started.

 

Can I fly on that blue Circus Prop past the end of the Convoy?

Spoiler

Yes you can fly the Travel Drone past the end or the beginning.

Spoiler

But there's nothing to find (we think).

Spoiler

However, you can use the Drone to fly over many Trailers at a time without dropping - try it!

 

I heard there was an actual Easter Egg in this game.

Spoiler

Yes that's true, it is in one of the Sideshows.

Spoiler

Are there any Sideshows that let you explore more than others?

Spoiler

Maybe there's some space in Beware the Unicycle you haven't explored yet.

Spoiler

Try jumping over one of the Stars in Beware the Unicycle to get some ideas.

Spoiler

Jump over a Star and go all the way to the top of Beware the Unicycle.

Spoiler

The Easter Egg at the top is worth a whopping 15 Stars.

 

[+wongojack]

I'll also include a review of this game that I wrote for the Games Beaten thread.  It contains no spoilers, but I'll put it behind spoiler tags because it is not really the main point of this thread

Spoiler

I got a "Perfect Game" over the US Labor Day weekend on Circus Convoy.  JIC you don't know what Circus Convoy is, you can check it out on the Audacity Games page.  It seems two programmers from the fabled golden era of Atari/Activision got together over the pandemic to develop a new game for the 2600.  And what a game it is.  Apparently, David Crane and Garry Kitchen used a larger ROM than any 2600 game before it, and you can read a bit about the development on two different threads on AtariAge that were active at the time of its release in 2021.

 

• https://forums.atariage.com/topic/318076-ex-activision-designers-launch-retro-game-publisher-audacity-games™/
• https://forums.atariage.com/topic/318208-qa-for-world-premiere-of-circus-convoy-interview-with-david-crane-garry-kitchen-dan-kitchen/

 

There was a little drama around the release of the game.  In the above referenced Q&A Crane and Kitchen weren't very accepting of the term homebrew.  They also weren't that delicate in describing the differences between what they do and what homebrewers do, and while I can understand that professionals don't want to be confused with hobbyists, there are a lot of very professional homebrews for the Atari 2600.  To add a little more fuel, the release of Circus Convoy didn't go too well.  Buyers were unable to secure a copy of the most expensive and exclusive edition due to website issues.  I don't know if these got resolved and everyone who wanted one got the VIP edition, but I do know it sold out quickly.

 

Besides some friction around the release Circus Convoy has sorta dropped under the radar a bit.  The high price tag and lack of an inexpensive download option has probably kept a lot of gamers away.  I myself didn't purchase until they started to sell the game on Amazon, and I could justify the purchase with some Amazon credit.  However, once I did get the game, I was very pleased.

 

I actually went in skeptical if I would like Circus Convoy.  At such a high price tag, the game needs to be sort of amazing to justify its existence.  I also am aware that while David Crane is a brilliant creator of content, not all of that content is fun.  Games like Canyon Bomber, Freeway and Dragster are nice but not my favorites.  He also created Ghostbusters which I've covered to death in other threads.  I love Ghostbusters, but it isn't exactly the most "fun" game.  Finally, there's A Boy and his Blob which may mark sort of the end of the David Crane as a high-profile auteur period.  ABAHB got some positive critical acclaim but was/is praised mostly for its uniqueness.

 

Anyway, I wondered if Circus Convoy would end up being a very polished experiment or something that I would actually enjoy playing.  I think in the end it is more on the "fun" side, but there is an experiment in here too.  Playing Circus Convoy really feels like playing a game in 3 stages.  In the beginning you are learning and probably a little confused and frustrated.  The inventory system (which works incredibly well) isn't like anything on the 2600 and the core concept of traversing trailers of a road convoy just seems like something kinda made up.  You'll probably find yourself stuck in the first hour wondering what to do to progress.  However, once you get past that initial stage, the game opens up and introduces you to some solid item-combo style puzzles as well as some very light action-oriented "sideshows."  The game is at its best as you begin to discover how to make progress along the 10 trucks in the convoy and how to unlock all of the sideshows.  Some puzzles require you to visit one of the trucks in the convoy and obtain an item before using that item on a different truck.  This borders on what some might call Metroidvania gameplay, but I'd stop short of calling it that.  As you play, you'll find the connections between the trucks are complicated enough that you'll probably want to jot down a few notes as you play, but in the end, things are straightforward enough that you probably won't need to.

 

There is a third stage in your journey to finish Circus Convoy and that's collecting the last few stars to get a "Perfect Game."  I think I spent as much time in this endgame phase than I did actually solving the puzzles and discovering the sideshows.  Perfecting your performance in the sideshows and tracking down all of the game's stars takes quite a bit of repetition and a little bit of blind experimentation.  Some solutions just aren't obvious and require generous expansion on the very few hints you are given in the game or the manual.  I was at a point for more than a few hours where I needed to find the last 3 stars, and it took quite a bit of time and effort to come up with some hints that wouldn't spoil the game but would still get me the perfect outcome.  To facilitate the next player on this endeavor, I created a no spoilers thread for the game that hides various hints behind spoiler tags.  Check it out if you find yourself scratching your head while playing this game.

 

The graphics in Circus Convoy are quite excellent.  The main protagonist is decked out in multiple colors and a variety of cleverly drawn background animals and enemies are used on each screen.  In fact, I think they may have developed some new kind of trickery to display so many colors on the same line without any flickering at all.  It is truly an amazing looking 2600 game.  The sound might be a little disappointing to some players however.  There's only a very short tune that plays when the game starts and then no music at all during the various stages.  The sound effects themselves are nice and very Atari-TIA-esque, but there could have been a few more of them.  Ah well, we're not usually coming to the 2600 for music and sound.

 

Overall, I'd say I really enjoyed Circus Convoy.  The gameplay feels like a mix between an adventure game and an action puzzler.  In trying to find a game to compare it to, I found myself naming things like Oddworld or even Gameboy Donkey Kong.  The puzzles are satisfying to solve and the action sequences are not too difficult to be frustrating.  The presentation is quite good overall, and I didn't even mention the QR code generating high score system which is truly impressive.  I still haven't decided if the game is worth the price tag, but it is worth a 5 out of 5 from me.  If you have a chance to play this game, you definitely should.  It is bigger and more complicated than almost any 2600 game I've ever played but still manages to streamline the experience and high score saving in a way that needs to be seen to be appreciated.

 

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