Metroid Prime: Hunters Anti-Altspammer Guide Created by Mr. Ifafudafi Note: Say hello to the note. These make little comments that are not specifically dealt with. ///////// CONTENTS \\\\\\\\\ Note: Each section thingy has "sgiaa" and a number in parentheses on the end of it. Hit Ctrl+F and type in this little tag to head directly to said section. 0. Contents 1. Intro (sgiaa1) 2. General Anti-altspammer tips (sgiaa2) 3. Anti-Samus (sgiaa3) 4. Anti-Kanden (sgiaa4) 5. Anti-Spire (sgiaa5) 6. Anti-Trace (sgiaa6) 7. Anti-Noxus (sgiaa7) 8. Anti-Sylux (sgiaa8) 9. Anti-Weavel (sgiaa9) 10. FAQ (sgiaa10) 11. Copyrights and Other Legal Junk (sgiaa11) 12. Credits... of Doom (sgiaa12) ////// INTRO \\\\\\ (sgiaa1) The world is full of spammers; people who forget that the point of a video game is not, in fact, to pwn4g3xx0rz n00bs, but to have fun. Nearly every online game gives birth to these spammers, and MPH is no exception. The altspammer, one who turns into the alt-form and abuses its advantages in a boring and strangely efficient way, is the primary spammer, and this guide is designed to repel said altspammers. Every Hunter has their own little section about how to avoid and/or kill their respective altspammer, showing what to look out for and what to exploit. And that's about it. Questions? No? Good. Note: The techniqes described in this guide may not do anything to help prevent altspammers, as every player has their differences, but in majority these strategies work. ///////////////////////////// GENERAL ANIT-ALTSPAMMER TIPS \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ (sgiaa2) There are some things that apply for pretty much everything, so I list them here. First and foremost, DO NOT COUNTER ALTSPAM WITH ALTSPAM! The alspammer, being an altspammer, will nearly always have the advantage over you. Kind of in accordance with #1, remember that altspammers are limiting their own capabilities by seperating themselves from the main weapons. Exploit this as much as possible. Also, I refer to "speed weapons" and "power weapons" in the following sections. Speed weapons (Power Beam, Volt Driver, Battlehammer) have very rapid fire rates and moderate to high speeds, while power weapons (Imperialist, Magmaul, Missile) have moderate to low speeds and a low fire rate, plus limited ammo. (The Shock Coil and the Judicator don't fall into either category.) Altspammers love to chicken out, and will run away to find health right before you kill them. They'll be dashing in a straight line towards the nearest bit of health, so whack 'em with a power weapon while they're trying to escape. Alt-forms can almost never get high enough, so when you see ledges try your best to get up there and take them out. /////////// ANTI-SAMUS \\\\\\\\\\\ (sgiaa3) And so without further ado, let us find out how to annihilate Samus altspammers. Samus' alt-form is the Morph Ball. Morph Ball Weaknesses: Slow moving unless boost is used, large size, bombs do minimal amount of damage Morph Ball Strengths: Boost can damage opponents, bombs regenerate quickly You will rarely find a Samus altspammer. The Morph Ball is best used for escape rather than attack, but nevertheless there is the occasional one. Height is the trick here. Samus can't boost into an airborne hunter, and the bombs will only damage enemies on the ground, so keep jumping and take your shots after the Morph Ball spammer boosts. Powerful weapons are your best bet here, as the Morph Ball tends to slow down during sharpturns. Remember not to stray too far, or you'll get yourself a nice whack in the face by a boosting Morph Ball. Best Hunter to use against the Morph Ball: Spire If you jump and fire a charged Magmaul shot, the extra damage and fire effect will help cut down health severely, while the jumping protects you from its effects. //////////// ANTI-KANDEN \\\\\\\\\\\\ (sgiaa4) A more popular (though still rarely seen) altspammer, Kanden is generally used by new players who are still trying out the game. Kanden's alt-form is the Stinglarva. Stinglarva Weaknesses: It's attack has a very short range, and does little damage Stinglarva Strengths: Bombs will home in on a short range More of a balanced character, the Stinglarva makes a good candidate for close range altspamming. Should you be contfronted with one, keep your distance, and use a high-rapidity weapons such as the Battlehammer, (ideal as it does a good amount of damage and won't harm you if you're out of the Stinglarva's range) the Power Beam, and the Volt driver. A distanced Stinglarva is a dead Stinglarva. Best Hunter to use against the Stinglarva: Any As affinities won't really help in this case, the Power Beam is your best bet. /////////// ANTI-SPIRE \\\\\\\\\\\ (sgiaa5) The first common altspammer we'll deal with, Spire is most notable for his ability to use his alt-form to climb up walls. Spire's alt form is the Dialanche. Dialanche Weaknesses: Probably the biggest target, it is only about a thirdless tall than Spire himself, it is very slow moving, and it has a very limited range attack. Dialance Strengths: Allows Spire to climb up walls for a surprise attack, standard attack can do big damage Once again, try to stay away from this altspammer. Even if you're hit by the attack, it will do minimal amounts of damage if you're only hit by the tip of it. Although it is slower moving than most alt-forms, it is still faster than your standard biped, so make sure to use power weapons to kill him quickly. A charged Judicator with Noxus is also handy. Best Hunter to use against the Dialanche: Noxus Dialanche-spammers need to charge into you to attack you, so wait for the spammer to come and freeze them right before they hit you. You can either keep hammering them with the Judicator, or switch to a power weapon and continue. /////////// ANTI-TRACE \\\\\\\\\\\ (sgiaa6) The worst next to Sylux, Trace's alt-form will do huge amounts of damage, making it popular among many new and old altspammers. Trace's alt-form is the Triskelion. Triskelion Weaknesses: The lunge attack will often propel Trace off a cliff, and will leave the spammer vulnerable for a short time. Triskelion Strengths: Unbelievably fast, and the lunge attack will let it catch up to pretty much anything. Does about 49 damage when it hits. My god, the Trace altspammers. These are the most common among one to three stars, used to climb up the ranks quickly before pretending to fight fair and square. Now. As hard as it may be to believe, the lunge attack is actually pretty easy to avoid, and will leave you with a window of attack as well. But, above all, DO NOT JUMP. The lunge will still reach you, and it will only slow down your movement, which you need here. Don't circle them either, it will allow them to make a lunge just where you're about to be. This is, however, what you need to exploit. Make it so that they never know which direction you're going; and although you'll still get hit, it will happen a lot less, and give you the chance to go in for the kill. Power weapons are the best way to go here. Best Hunter to use against the Triskelion: Kanden Although he doesn't have a power weapon as an affinity, Kanden's ability to disrupt the opponent's screen with a charged Volt Driver will help considerably in preventing the altspammer from deciphering where you will be. /////////// ANTI-NOXUS \\\\\\\\\\\ (sgiaa7) Noxus is right in between Spire and Trace in terms of altspamming popularity, so you'll see him occasionaly, although he is generraly used for freeze-spamming more than altspamming. Noxus' alt-form is the Vhoscythe. Vhoscythe Weaknesses: Attack takes a while to ready, turns are hard and slow Vhoscythe Strengths: Large attack area, high speed Speed weapons will help you considerably here. Since the Vhoscythe has difficulties turning, curve, circle, and swerve as much as possible, while still keeping your distance. Fire whenever it is in front of you; you won't get another change. (Short description, I know, but not much strategy to this.) Best Hunter to use against the Vhoscythe: Sylux Speed weapons are indeed happy, but because the Vhoscythe has no way to raise itself, and it has difficulties turning, the Shock Coil will help you a ton here. You don't have to worry much about it hitting you, as the Coil will replenish your health, and you can keep it on until they're dead. /////////// ANTI-SYLUX \\\\\\\\\\\ (sgiaa8) The king of altspammers, Sylux is used by nearly all 4 and 5 stars. Sylux's alt-form is the Lockjaw. Lockjaw Weaknesses: Attack is hard to use at a distance, and is hard to place correctly. Lockjaw Strengths: Highest speed, attack can do unholy amounts of damage when at its most powerful, easy turns This will definitely be the hardest Altspammer to deal with. Sylux altspammers will lay a trip wire, run away, and hope you trip over it. If you don't, they'll try to triangle you, or get you in between three bombs. This will most likely kill you in a single hit, so don't let this happen. If they manage to get ahead of you, they'll bounce around the place nearly untouchable, especially in low-gravity areas. Of course, the biggest strength is the biggest weakness. Sylux is most vulnerable when he is trying to triangle you, so get in there and use whatever weapon you're best with to hammer him in his attempt to trap you. The problem is that you'll probably hit the two-bomb trip wire in the process, so be extremely careful. Best Hunter to use against the Lockjaw: None Whether you can repel a Sylux altspammer is based on how good you are with the game, as there are no glaring weaknesses that can be taken advantage of by a specific Hunter. Use the one you're best with. //////////// ANTI-WEAVEL \\\\\\\\\\\\ (sgiaa9) Weavel is loved by the cowards (who, incidentally, disconnect the most.) Weavel's alt-form is the Halfturret. Halfturret Weaknesses: Half of Weavel's health will go to the turret, leaving him with only half on his actual side. The upper half is also still vulnerable to headshots. Halfturret Strengths: The bottom half will spit out an endless volley of non-affinity Battlehammer shots, which are automatically aimed towards you. The top half is moderately fast, and can attack you with a slice. Dealing with these altspammers is fairly easy. If you can eliminate the bottom half, half of Weavel's health is gone, allowing for easy shots. Sniping is actually a good way to deal with Weavel, as the top half is vulnerable to headshots, and most Weavel altspammers usually make a beeline for the nearest health pickup. If sniping just isn't your thing, don't worry about getting down and dirty with the upper half. The slice almost never hits; and if it does, it won't do much damage. Best Hunter to use against the Halfturret: Weavel Weavel's biggest weakness is himself. An affinity Battlehammer will destroy the bottom turret half in no time, and can also take out the top half just as quickly. //// FAQ \\\\ (sgiaa10) This is where I answer questions you send me. Note: These are not actual reader questions, but I'm pretty sure I'll be getting some of these. Q: OMG sylux is t3h 1337 u n00b A: ... Q: I tried using your strategies... but one altspammer still got the better of me! A: ... Q: Can't I also use X Hunter against X altspammer? A: Thanks for the actual question. These are just based on affinity; you can use whatever you want. Q: wtf do u have against altspammers thats why were at the top A: It's not what I have agains y'all; it's what the general public does. Q: What does "sgiaa" stand for? A: Don't ask. Trust me. //////////////////////////////// COPYRIGHTS AND OTHER LEGAL JUNK \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ (sgiaa11) 'Kay... this guide may NOT be replicated for distribution outside of that for personal use, may NOT be sold, may NOT be claimed as property of any other than the FAQ writer, and may NOT be posted on any site other than http://www.gamefaqs.com. /////////////////// CREDITS... OF DOOM \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ (sgiaa12) Thanks to GameFAQs for posting this guide, the MPH GameFAQs board members for expressing their hatred of altspammers, tempting me to write this guide, and reviewing the guide, and thanks to Nintendo for keeping the record of no dissapointing Metroid games. Now go outside and... I don't know, make a BBQ or something. I'm hungry.