Do! Run! Run!(Arcade) FAQ version 1.0.0 copyright 2002 by Andrew Schultz schultza@earthlink.net Please do not redistribute this FAQ for profit without my consent. I write these documents for the memories and to help others to relive them as well, and in addition Do! Run! Run! is a pretty tough game on later levels. However, sending me an e-mail asking me for this game 1. by its name and 2. by my first name *should* get you a more favorable response, although I am very bad about responding to e-mails. ** AD SPACE ** My home page: http://www.geocities.com/SoHo/Exhibit/2762 ======================================== OUTLINE INTRODUCTION MONSTER INFO THE GREENS THE BLUES THE LETTER MONSTERS SCORING STRATEGY THE BASICS AVOIDING FIXES GETTING RID OF MONSTERS GETTING THE E-X-T-R-A CIRCLING THE BOARD CLEARING THE BOARD MAXIMIZING POINTS PER LEVEL A FUNNY QUIRK THE BREAKDOWN LEVEL 1 + 10X LEVEL 2 + 10X LEVEL 3 + 10X LEVEL 4 + 10X LEVEL 5 + 10X LEVEL 6 + 10X LEVEL 7 + 10X LEVEL 8 + 10X LEVEL 9 + 10X LEVEL 10 + 10X 11 AND BEYOND ARE TOUGHER BECAUSE... VERSIONS/CREDITS ======================================== INTRODUCTION Do! Run! Run! is a nice little action game and in my opinion the strongest of the Mr. Do canon even if it seems the mellowest. You zap around on a 9x15 board with three levels collecting dots to build your powerball, which you can fire at any time. It will bounce back and forth until it runs out(takes a while) or hits a monster, of which there are green clam-like things and blue snakey things which launch themselves as fireballs at you. If your current path(denoted by a white line) traces out enough of the board(usually 2/3) when you close it, then a circle with a letter will appear over a random dot. Even if you don't cut enough of the board out, the dots improve to something better: cherries, peaches, lemons, and a green pineapple looking thing. Collect it to release a letter monster, which is similar to those in the earlier Mr. Do levels. It's actually easier to get an extra Mr. Do in this game than in any others. There are also logs to release that roll down the board(it has three levels) and run over the monsters, which are surprisingly vulnerable; they don't move out of the way! You can complete the level by killing all the monsters(the usual,) getting all the dots on the board, or getting an extra man. However there is a time limit before the monsters get faster. MONSTER INFO In general you start off faster than the monsters but get a bit slower. This is remedied by climbing between levels, which the monsters cannot do nearly as fast as you can. In general the monsters do not change direction between dots. Neither do you, and so if you stop between two and move perpendicularly, you'll finish your journey before moving. So always try to anticipate your turning moves a bit, or you will find you've gone a square too far. THE GREENS The green monsters seem to be the dumbest but can also be the most annoying if you put your mind on cruise control. They get very unpredictable on the later levels and can reverse or even just sit around(that is VERY annoying) without warning. A couple randomly walking around may in fact create a blockade that will annoy you. On later levels they even grow smart and they may away once you shoot at them unless they are in close range. If you wait too long these green/red clam/oysters will turn into weird blue hedgehogs reminiscent of Mr. Do's Castle. They will also be faster. But they are just as vulnerable. After a while they will change back but will not have lost any speed. THE BLUES The blue monsters can be nuisances, and the more you can wipe out earlier, the better. If they are behind and on a level with/above you they may turn into flames and shoot themselves quickly at you. Although this is dangerous, you can avoid it pretty easily. The sound that heralds this is pretty clear, and you can always duck out briefly and come back. If you hit a flame with a power ball, the ball shifts direction ninety degrees. This can be great(greens may walk into it eventually) or annoying(you wanted to nail a monster behind you.) If you wait too long these snakes will puff up and grow fangs. After a while they will change back but will not have lost any speed. THE LETTER MONSTERS The screen changes color, and the letter monsters are accompanied by a posse of three blobs if you step on a circle with a letter in it. Letter monsters also seem to come out a fixed time after you start a level--and if you finish a level very quickly the letter monster may still come out on the next level on time. Letter monsters aren't counted in the list of monsters you need to destroy for the next level and if neglected will return to the top of the screen where the "Extra" is. Also if you complete a level with a letter monster about to come out it will be preserved until the next level. However, if you complete a level with an extra monster still out there, it will disappear for the start of the next one. Monsters with three blobs in front generally try to track you down. The best bet is to get under a log, knock its support out, and wait for the blobs to catch up--almost--to you. If you can make it so your trail is in the log's path, that is good, since the blobs tend to follow your path. If your path has recently switched between levels, the letter may get held up and not reach the log's path in time for you. The second best bet is to try to outflank the blobs using different levels. If you can make things so you get behind them, you can shoot the letter monster from behind. When you shoot the letter monster with blobs left, you get the same value for each blob(which disappears) as you do for the monster. The second way is not so lucrative or easy, but if you are out of logs, it is not a bad idea and sometimes makes for a fun action variant from the first way. It works particularly well at a corner of a platform where you walk down in one direction and come back in the other, although of course you only get 500 points per monster, a far cry from the logs. Individual letter monsters are a bit more reticent. The best hope is to try to pin it in a corner and when it moves away, run after it. They don't outright duck and are loath to bend their path, so this should work. Also if you hear the siren going off, head for the top center and try to shoot for the space where they'll re-enter--or just leave a powerball bouncing across the top. SCORING --each time you block off an area with your path(white line,) everything inside it gets promoted. The point lists for all of it is below: --10 points for each dot --20 points for each cherry --40 points for each peach --80 points for each lemon --160 points for each green pineapple thing. In general you get more of your powerball recharged for each item with more points you pick up. I think you need 12 dots for a powerball, 8 cherries, 6 peaches, 5 lemons and 4 pineapples. --blasting any monsters with a powerball gets you 500+500*(# of bounces off walls) up to a maximum of 3000. --nailing monsters with a log gets you 1000, increasing by 500 up to 3000 for each subsequent one. (To get a log rolling, walk over the perpendicular support under it and then walk out from under the log. Note you can walk away from the log and it will chase you, so you may want to walk to the side.) --destroying a letter monster gets you the same points for any trailing blob as well --5000 point bonus in addition to the extra guy when you spell E-X-T-R-A I find I can get 15000-18000 per level. STRATEGY THE BASICS Well, I find a counterclockwise or clockwise circle to start things off is the best. Once you've roped off a good section of the board, step on the letter and pick off the letter monster. Then pick off some more monsters, wait and see if a letter monster will come out, blast it, and complete the level. This all seems simple enough, but the details can sometimes be a hassle. You'll find that monsters may pin you in a corner, you may have to cut off your path, or you may be short the material you need for a new power ball. What to do? AVOIDING FIXES: GOOD STARTS Well, when you start you may want to gravitate to the part of the board that's least populous. Also you may want to use a powerball to take out a monster nearby. Remember, the earlier you shoot it, the earlier you'll get one back. It's one of those cases where it's ok to fire away early. Also cut out of a corner if too many monsters creep up around you. You don't have to encompass the entire board and in fact get no bonus points for doing so. Also if you do get killed at the beginning remember to take an alternate route picking up dots only if you can shoot a bad guy quickly. And don't go the same way twice if you're killed early. General video game strategies such as moving all the time are usually quite good unless you have a very long path that you want to close; remember that if you go more than one square back on your path, it disappears. So if you must keep moving, don't trail back. You also want to watch for narrow stretches where you get trapped in to the side--by a platform or a green monster above--and a blue fireball comes shooting at you. Not pretty. A log can also function as a monster since it is lethal if it runs over you. So you may want to try to avoid running out from under a log to an edge. Be sure also not to waste a log until a bunch of monsters are chasing you. Generally they get mesmerized by the log, which helps to get you out of a pinch. And also if you are trapped with a log on one side, you can push it. It has the same effect as taking out the log from under. GETTING RID OF MONSTERS Although you can usually pick off a monster to your side with a quick motion, there are more surefire ways to ambush. Generally if you sneak up behind a monster it won't see you firing. Similarly if it is climbing down and you fire at where it's about to go, it is easy picking. Also if you are just climbing up a platform and the monster is on the square next to you, you can fire and hit it for an easy kill. On the flip side, if you are climbing down, you have to be a bit more careful and wait 'til the last minute--or your powerball will bounce harmlessly back past your dead skeleton. There are two logs on each level, and although you can push one and get it rolling if you need an emergency way out of a situation, you should try to nail at least three monsters per log. They will get you the majority of the level's points unless you are lucky enough to be able to circle around a lot. Original monsters are mesmerized by falling logs but letter monsters are not. Monsters that trail and gain on you can be annoying. However, shoot a powerball away from them and just as it is coming back, duck at the last minute. It's a nice way to get an extra 500 points and you can still flee a group of monsters--while picking up the dots you need for the next power ball. Besides, turning around can be lethal if you face a pack of monsters. If you can learn where to place a ball so it will bounce back and forth a lot and likely hit a monster, the extra 3000 points can come in handy. For instance you will probably want to shoot it vertically for the simple reason that the game map is wider than it is tall(9x15.) You can also walk across its area while it is bouncing away to try to goad the monsters. If the powerball is trapped in a smaller area, hide behind it if possible. GETTING THE E-X-T-R-A For the first few levels it is not so bad. Generally you can encompass most of the board, get a letter, wait under a log, run the letter monster over, wait for another letter to come out, and shoot it. I've gotten an extra man on level three although excessive dawdling and dodging hasn't turned up a way to get it on level two. You can only grab one letter in a circle per level, but if you're killed before you can grab one, you can circle the board and have one appear again. In general when goading the letter monster into following you, you want to keep the way clear of other monsters. I recommend getting under a log and letting the blob follow you. If you duck out at the last instant, the letter monster should get caught under the log. Remember that the letter monster doesn't count as a monster you need to kill to win the level, and if you kill everything else, the level ends automatically. CIRCLING THE BOARD Try for the corners if there are no monsters around, but be sure to duck if a lot seem to be congregated on the side. Also if there is a monster or two ahead be sure to shimmy and try to blast any one in your path. You should be able to make continual progress. I generally just head counterclockwise but if there are a lot of monsters in that direction to start out then you can head the other way. I've actually managed to get a letter to appear without clearing very much of the board at all. If you have a choice I think you want to clear the area directly below the EXTRA to increase the likelihood a level will appear. In order to get lots of points picking up pineapples you may need to make progressively smaller circles. This is because monsters speed up and you will need to duck up and down the platforms to shake them off. It's not physically possible to outrun them and still circle the board fully given time constraints. But it can potentially net you an extra 5000(a 5x6 square is not out of the question and would net 30 pineapples) points if you play it right. CLEARING THE BOARD This is not recommended but is fun to try. Obviously it will take a while to run over every single square, and the monsters will probably have seriously sped up in the meantime. It is obviously easiest to pick up the board without circling it but if you want to get anything resembling decent points then you probably should convert a bunch of dots to pineapples. It would also be good to kill all monsters except one; less distractions that way. You get no bonus for clearing the board, just a sense of variety, I guess. MAXIMIZING POINTS PER LEVEL Remember that most of your points will come from rolling the logs downhill. So stack up a bunch of monsters there and be sure to use the two logs productively. Failing that you usually want to try to bounce a powerball once whenever you get the chance. Also if you are about to get an extra guy, you may want to get as many points as you can, since the level ends right away once you get the final letter in the EXTRA. It's also a bit risky, but with one monster left, if you can duck up and down, you can rope off and pick up a lot of points. But it's not as fun as blasting action. A FUNNY QUIRK If you are against one monster, you fire, and it catches you, the powerball may come back to hit it. You will then revive and not lose the guy you thought you did. WARNING: over long distances this does not work so well. The powerball will bounce past everything. Good timing is needed especially on later levels when the monsters tend to pause a bit, leaving you holding the powerball when you thought you'd be able to blast the monster. But it is cute and fun to try. [does this happen with the 5th letter monster as well?] THE BREAKDOWN Each level of DRR has three platforms: top, middle and bottom. They are labeled *, : and . respectively where they have dots. The logs are labeled in the direction they fall. Although you can figure it out(logs roll down) I figured it would be a convenience. * = top level : = middle level . = level ^v = where logs start <> Every ten levels the map pattern cycles. Some monsters appear in new locations not found ten levels ago and sometimes monsters are taken out of the mix although the net change is nonnegative. The most monsters are 11. I put these notations just to the right of the square where the monsters are. I didn't go past level twenty because the general monster formations are the same, and if you get that far consistenly you're doing better than I can. I lose focus and cop out in the mid-teens--on a good day. A = where green monster first materializes(levels 1-10) a = where blue monster first materializes(levels 1-10) B = green(11-20) b = blue(11-20) [Note monsters materialize at different times.] The ledger for the maps is as follows: LEVEL 1 + 10X . . : * * *B* *B* *A* * : . . . . : * * * * * * * * * : . . vvv vvv . . : : : : *a* *a: : : : . . . . : : :a: * * * : :a: : . . . . : : : : * * * : : : : . . . . : :a: : : : : : : :b: . . . . . : : : : : : : : : . . . . . . . . : : : : : . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . LEVEL 2 + 10X : : * * *a* *B* * * * * * : : : : * * * * * * * * * * * : : : : : : : : . . . . . . > . . . . . . : : :>. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . The UR blue monster doesn't appear in scene 14. LEVEL 5 + 10X : : * * * * * * * * *a* * * * : : * * * * * * * * * * * * * vvv : : : : : : * *A* * *A* * *A* : : : : :a: * * *a* * * * * * vvv : : : : : : : : : : : : : : :a : : :a: : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : . . . . . . . . . :a: : : :a: . . . . . . . . . : : : : : : . . . . . . . . . The UL blue monsterdoesn't appear in scene 15. LEVEL 6 + 10X : : * * * * * *a* * * * : : . : : * * * * * * * * * : :a: . vvv : : : : : * * *A* * : : :a. . : : :A: : * *a* * * : : : . . vvv : : : :b: : : : :a: : : : . . : : : : : : : : : : : : . . . : : :A: . . . . : : . . . . . : : : :b. . . . : : . . . . . : : : : . . . . . . . . . . . LEVEL 7 + 10X : : : * * * * *B* * * * * * * : : : : : < * * * * * *A* * * < : : : : : < *a* * *a* * * * * vvv . : : : : :a: * * : : : : * * . : : :b: : : * *a: : :a: :a* . . . : : : : : : : : : : : : . . . . . . . . . : : : : : : . . . . . . . . . : : : : :B: . . . . . . . . . : : : : : : LEVEL 8 + 10X * * * * *a* * *a* * *a* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * vvv * * *a* : : : :B: : : * *a* * * * * * : : : : : : : * * * * vvv * : : : : : :b: : : : : : : * * : :a: : . . . . . : : :B: * * : :A: . . . . . . . : : : * * : : : . . . . . . . : : : * : : : : . . . . . . . : : : : LEVEL 9 + 10X . : : : : * * * * * * * * * * . : : : : : * * * * * *a*A* * . . . . : :a: *a* *a* * * * * . . . . : : : * *a: : : : : : . . . . : : : * * : : : :A: : . . . . : : : : : : : . . . . . . .a. . < : . . . . . .b. . < . .b. . . < : . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . The DR snake is gone in level 19. LEVEL 10X * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * > : : : : : > * * : : * *a: : *b> : : : : : : : : : : : : : : :A: : : : : : : : :a: : :a: :a: : :a: : : : : . . : : : : : . . : : . . . . . . . . : :b: . . . . . . .A. . . . . : : : . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . The UR snake is gone in level 20. 11 AND BEYOND ARE TOUGHER BECAUSE... --on the first ten levels you almost always get a letter monster you need to form "EXTRA." Usually the circle with a letter in it will change until it hits a letter you can use. Past level ten you need to time when you step on the letter in the circle(which changes) or hope you get lucky with the monster that drops by. You need to time your step into the circle very carefully. I think on level 30 the circle letter changes even more inflexibly--it may get stuck on E and A. --a few more monsters --less time to pick up the circle with the letter in it, or the letter monster for that matter --green monsters duck you more or stay put or reverse more randomly So be careful out there! End of FAQ proper ======================================== VERSIONS 1.0.0 sent to GameFAQs 5/18/2002. Should be reasonably complete although I don't know when monster positions loop and so forth, so this FAQ is not exhaustive. CREDITS mame.net for the cheats that let me explore this game and for the screenshots which helped with my text maps.