=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= = No Gravity: The Plague of Mind = = For the Sony PlayStation Portable = = FAQ / Walkthrough v1.20 = = Written by: Tom Ross = = Date: March 10, 2009 = = Updated: March 16, 2009 = =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= ### ### ###### ### ## ## ## #### ## ## ## ## ## ## ## ## ## ## ## ## ## ## ## ## ## ## ## #### ## ## ## ### ## ## #### ## ###### ## ###### ######### #### ### #### ## ######## ### #### ## ## ## ## ## ## ## ## ## # ## # ## ## ## ## ## ## ## ## ## ## # ## #### ## ### ######## ## ## ## ## ## ## ## ## ## ## ## ######### ## ## ## ## ## ## ## ## ## ## ## ## ## ## ## ## ###### ## ### ### M #### ### #### ### ### MM. N .MM NMM MMM MMN MMM. MMN.MMMMMMMMMM....... .MMMMMM....MOMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMNN .MMNMMIMM..ONMMMMMMMMMDOMM... MMMMM....MMMMMMMMMMMMMN.8..MMNM. MZNNMNM.MMMMMMMMMMMMM..D..DMM8MO88MMMMM MMMMMMMMN$MMMMMMMMMMNMMN. ..8D.MMMD8MMMMMMZMM7MZZZZN.. 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Copyright 2009 Tom Ross /-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/ -=/><\=-=/><\=-=/><\=-=/><\=-=/><\=-=/><\=-=/><\=-=/><\=-=/><\=-=/><\=-=/><\=- \ / > Table of Contents < / \ -=/><\=-=/><\=-=/><\=-=/><\=-=/><\=-=/><\=-=/><\=-=/><\=-=/><\=-=/><\=-=/><\=- 1.0 - Introduction .................................................... [INTRD] 1.1 - About this guide ............................................. [ABTGD] 1.2 - Legal disclaimer ............................................. [LGLDS] 1.3 - Contact rules ................................................ [CNTCT] 1.4 - Common questions ............................................. [CMMQS] 2.0 - Gameplay ........................................................ [GMPLY] 2.1 - Basics ....................................................... [BASCS] 2.1.1 - Flying ................................................. [FLYNG] 2.1.2 - Perspective / view ...................................... [PRSPC] 2.1.3 - Shooting / targeting .................................... [SHTNG] 2.1.4 - Power-up level .......................................... [PWRUP] 2.1.5 - Thrust / boost .......................................... [THRST] 2.1.6 - Evasive maneuvers ....................................... [EVSMN] 2.1.7 - Difficulty settings ..................................... [DFFCL] 2.1.8 - Saving your game ........................................ [GMSAV] 2.2 - Controls ..................................................... [CNTRL] 2.2.1 - Control functions ....................................... [CNTFN] 2.2.2 - Control setup options ................................... [CNTSO] 2.3 - Display ...................................................... [DSPLY] 2.3.1 - In-game screens ......................................... [INGMS] 2.3.2 - Health display bar ...................................... [HLBAR] 2.3.3 - Boost display bar ....................................... [BSBAR] 2.3.4 - Power-up level display bar .............................. [PUBAR] 2.3.5 - Secondary weapon main display bar ....................... [S1BAR] 2.3.6 - Secondary weapon alternate display bar .................. [S2BAR] 2.4 - Weapons ...................................................... [WPONS] 2.4.1 - Main guns ............................................... [MNGNS] 2.4.2 - Photon torpedo .......................................... [PHTRP] 2.4.3 - Missiles ................................................ [MSSLS] 2.4.4 - Plasma .................................................. [PLSMA] 2.4.5 - Shield .................................................. [SHLDS] 2.4.6 - Ion blaster ............................................. [IONBL] 2.5 - Pick-ups / Bonuses ........................................... [PCKUP] 2.5.1 - Power-up ................................................ [PWRPU] 2.5.2 - Energy .................................................. [ENRPU] 2.5.3 - Boost ................................................... [BSTPU] 2.5.4 - Missile ................................................. [MSSPU] 2.5.5 - Plasma .................................................. [PLSPU] 2.5.6 - Shield .................................................. [SHLPU] 2.5.7 - Photon torpedo .......................................... [PTRPU] 2.6 - Pilots / ships ............................................... [SHPSC] 2.6.1 - Captain Mc Cudden ....................................... [CPTMC] 2.6.2 - Captain A. Kazawa ....................................... [CPTAK] 2.6.3 - Captain W. Bishop ....................................... [CPTWB] 2.6.4 - Colonel J. Anderson ..................................... [COLJA] 2.6.5 - Professor G. Rana ....................................... [PRFGR] 3.0 - Walkthrough (Veteran difficulty) ................................ [WALKV] 3.1 - 1st episode .................................................. [EPSV1] 3.1.1 - mission 01 .............................................. [MSV01] 3.1.2 - mission 02 .............................................. [MSV02] 3.1.3 - mission 03 .............................................. [MSV03] 3.1.4 - mission 04 .............................................. [MSV04] 3.1.5 - mission 05 .............................................. [MSV05] 3.2 - 2nd episode .................................................. [EPSV2] 3.2.1 - mission 06 .............................................. [MSV06] 3.2.2 - mission 07 .............................................. [MSV07] 3.2.3 - mission 08 .............................................. [MSV08] 3.2.4 - mission 09 .............................................. [MSV09] 3.2.5 - mission 10 .............................................. [MSV10] 3.3 - 3rd episode .................................................. [EPSV3] 3.3.1 - mission 11 .............................................. [MSV11] 3.3.2 - mission 12 .............................................. [MSV12] 3.3.3 - mission 13 .............................................. [MSV13] 3.3.4 - mission 14 .............................................. [MSV14] 3.3.5 - mission 15 .............................................. [MSV15] 3.4 - 4th episode .................................................. [EPSV4] 3.4.1 - mission 16 .............................................. [MSV16] 3.4.2 - mission 17 .............................................. [MSV17] 3.4.3 - mission 18 .............................................. [MSV18] 3.4.4 - mission 19 .............................................. [MSV19] 3.4.5 - mission 20 .............................................. [MSV20] 3.5 - 5th episode .................................................. [EPSV5] 3.5.1 - mission 21 .............................................. [MSV21] 3.5.2 - mission 22 .............................................. [MSV22] 3.5.3 - mission 23 .............................................. [MSV23] 3.5.4 - mission 24 .............................................. [MSV24] 3.5.5 - mission 25 .............................................. [MSV25] 3.6 - 6th episode .................................................. [EPSV6] 3.6.1 - mission 26 .............................................. [MSV26] 3.6.2 - mission 27 .............................................. [MSV27] 3.6.3 - mission 28 .............................................. [MSV28] 3.6.4 - mission 29 .............................................. [MSV29] 3.6.5 - mission 30 .............................................. [MSV30] 3.6.6 - mission 31 .............................................. [MSV31] 4.0 - Extras .......................................................... [EXTRS] 4.1 - Unlockables .................................................. [UNLCK] 4.2 - Entitlements ................................................. [ENTTL] 4.3 - Movies ....................................................... [MVIES] 4.3.1 - Introduction ............................................ [INTMV] 4.3.2 - Prologue ................................................ [PRLMV] 4.3.3 - The asteroid world ...................................... [ASTMV] 4.3.4 - Aurea system ............................................ [AURMV] 4.3.5 - Hyperion ................................................ [HYPMV] 4.3.6 - Final battle ............................................ [FNBMV] 4.3.7 - The mother planet ....................................... [MPLMV] 4.3.8 - Epilogue ................................................ [EPLMV] 4.4 - Jukebox ...................................................... [JKBOX] 4.5 - Artwork ...................................................... [ARTWK] 5.0 - Appendix ........................................................ [APPND] 5.1 - Version history .............................................. [VRSNH] 5.2 - FAQ credits .................................................. [FQCRD] /-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/ /-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/ -=/><\=-=/><\=-=/><\=-=/><\=-=/><\=-=/><\=-=/><\=-=/><\=-=/><\=-=/><\=-=/><\=- \ / > 1.0 - Introduction [INTRD] < / \ -=/><\=-=/><\=-=/><\=-=/><\=-=/><\=-=/><\=-=/><\=-=/><\=-=/><\=-=/><\=-=/><\=- > No Gravity: The Plague of Mind is a sci-fi flying and shooting game that takes place in outer space. A strange disease has begun to infect your homeworld, and you are sent on a mission to investigate. This game was developed by Realtech VR, published by Anozor SARL, and is available for purchase from the Playstation Store. See www.nogravitythegame.com for more details. > I saw No Gravity on the Playstation Network US Store the day it was relased - February 26, 2009. I had no idea what the game was like, but the screenshots looked great and the idea of a sci-fi shooter for $10 was too good of an offer to pass up. I immediately took a liking to the game and played it through to the end in only a few days. I have been a GameFAQs user for a long time, and I figured I was overdue to actually contribute some content for a change. Because there were no FAQS available for No Gravity at the time and nobody else seemed to be working on one, I decided to go ahead and do it; this guide is the result. I hope you find it useful, and I hope it makes your experience with the game enjoyable. Thanks for choosing this guide as your source of information about No Gravity: The Plague of Mind. /-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/ =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= = 1.1 - About this guide [ABTGD] = =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= > The intent of this guide is twofold. First, I want this guide to serve as a single source of information for all things No Gravity. My hope is that you can continuously refer back to this guide as you have questions or want to find out more details about a certain aspect of the game. Second, I want the player to be able to sit down with this guide and play through the game step- by-step from beginning to end with detailed instructions throughout. > This guide contains spoilers. If you don't want to find out all the secrets the game has to offer, don't read the entire guide from beginning to end. Although the Veteran difficulty walkthrough (section 3.0) is not intended to be spoiler-free, you are safe going through it as you play the game without having the ending or unlockables ruined for you. Most of the "Gameplay" portion of this guide (section 2.0) is spoiler-free as well, athough some of the unlockables are mentioned. > You may notice that there are grammar and spelling issues in this guide. If they are contained in quotation marks, then the mistakes are intentional. The game contains several errors, particularly in the mission descriptions. For the sake of accuracy, I have reproduced all quoted text exactly as it appears in the game. If you find a grammar or spelling error not inside quotation marks, I want to know about it! Send me an e-mail at sleep.optional@gmail.com and I'll fix it. I'll even give you a mention in the "FAQ credits" section. > Instead of including a dedicated "tips and tricks" section, I decided instead to include any and all gameplay tips in the sections to which they are related. For example, if you are looking for advice on which secondary weapon is the best one to have, check the "Weapons" section. If you need to know how to beat a certain mission or boss, check the "Walkthrough" section. > I consider this FAQ to be a work in progress. As of the initial publication date (March 10, 2009), there are several areas still requiring additional information (e.g., entitlements, bonus missions, etc.). I will continue to work on this document and update it as necessary, and I am planning to include a complete Hero difficulty walkthrough in the near future. For now, I hope that this FAQ as it stands will answer the vast majority of players' questions about the game. > I did not receive any form of compensation for creating this guide, monetary or otherwise, and I do not expect any. This guide is a free resource to all and is intended to benefetit the gaming community as a whole. /-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/ =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= = 1.2 - Legal disclaimer [LGLDS] = =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= > You are NOT permitted to post this FAQ, in part or in whole, on your website or anywhere else without my explicit permission in advance. If you would like to post this FAQ on your site, e-mail me at sleep.optional@gmail.com and I will most likely say "yes". If you choose to ignore this request, I guarantee you will never be permitted to post this FAQ or any portion of it. > If I allow you to post this FAQ on your website, you may not alter the content in any way or I will withdraw my permission. If there's something you want changed, ask me first and I will make the change. > If I allow you to post this FAQ on your website, no form of monetary benefit to any party is to be involved. In other words, if you are charging people to access your website and/or use or view this FAQ, I will withdraw my permission for you to post it. If you have ads on your website that you earn revenue from, that's fine. > You may not sell this guide in any form, printed or otherwise. > Currently, this FAQ is only authorized to be hosed on GameFAQs (www.gamefaqs.com) and Anozor S.A.R.L.'s website (www.anozor.com). /-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/ =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= = 1.3 - Contact rules [CNTCT] = =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= > Send all e-mails to sleep.optional@gmail.com. Please mention "No Gravity FAQ" in the subject line so that I know you're not spam. > I don't really have any other rules besides that. I welcome all e-mails and will always answer them. Feedback of any kind, positive or negative, is greatly appreciated. > If you find something that I missed, let me know. I am always happy to include additional content. I will of course give you full credit for your contribution by including your name/alias in the "FAQ credits" section. > While I don't mind answering questions, if you ask me about something that is explained in the guide, I will probably just refer you to the section that contains your answer. /-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/ =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= = 1.4 - Common questions [CMMQS] = =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= > What do all those bars on my display mean? -> They provide the status of everything from your health to your secondary weapon to the amount of remaining boost fuel you have. See the "Display" section of this guide for details. > What is the best pilot / ship to use? -> It depends on your play style. Bishop is faster and has better main guns, Kazawa better shields and more powerful secondary weapons, and McCudden is a good mix of the two. > How do I get Colonel Anderson and the additional paint schemes for my ships? -> Complete the game on normal (Veteran) difficulty. > How do I unlock the hidden mission? -> You need to complete mission 30 following "alternate ending" path. See the "Walkthrough" section for details. > Help, I can't beat the boss in mission 25! -> That is a very difficult fight, but there are ways to beat him without too much trouble. See the mission 25 walkthrough for a detailed explanation of exactly what you need to do in order to win the fight. /-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/ /-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/ -=/><\=-=/><\=-=/><\=-=/><\=-=/><\=-=/><\=-=/><\=-=/><\=-=/><\=-=/><\=-=/><\=- \ / > 2.0 - Gameplay [GMPLY] < / \ -=/><\=-=/><\=-=/><\=-=/><\=-=/><\=-=/><\=-=/><\=-=/><\=-=/><\=-=/><\=-=/><\=- > This section will detail everything you need to know about playing the game. Some of the stuff here is obvious, some is not. It is advisable to read through this entire section (or at least just skim it) before playing No Gravity, but it is not necessary. A lot of things about the game that initially don't make sense are explained here. /-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/ =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= = 2.1 - Basics [BASCS] = =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= >> 2.1.1 - Flying [FLYNG] << > Flying your ship is exactly like any other flight-based game, except that there isn't an "up". You can orient your ship in any direction you like without penalty, even on missions which take place on the surface of planets. In fact, surface missions are sometimes easier if you fly through them sideways or upside-down. You get a better view, your weapons are less likely to impact prematurely, and your evasive maneuvering options are improved. > If the up and down motion of your ship seems to be backwards to what you are used to, go into the options menu and change the "Y-axis invert" setting. /-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/ >> 2.1.2 - Perspective / view [PRSPC] << > You can play this game from either a first-person view (inside the cockpit) or from a third-person view (in which you appear to be floating above and behind your ship). Both views have their advantages and disadvantages. > First-person view pros: -> Includes a radar screen and a target close-up window, which can be very useful for locating and correctly identifying targets that are not in your immediate field of view and/or are too far away to see. -> Status display bars are more clearly shown and easier to read. -> Provides a more "close up" view of the action. -> Your ship's movements are more pronounced, enhancing the feeling of flight. -> It is easier to see what is immediately in front of and below your ship. > First-person view cons: -> Peripheral vision is restricted somewhat. -> Can be difficult to see how close you are to death-inducing objects, such as a planet's surface. -> The screen is more cluttered with displays, restricting your overall view of the area. -> The camera switches to third-person during barrel rolls, then back to first-person; can be disorienting. -> When your ship is damaged, the cracks that appear on your screen make it hard to see. > Third-person view pros: -> Dogfighting is generally easier in this view and allows you to better see nearby enemies that are not directly in front of you. -> You get to see your ship and the paint scheme you've selected. -> Your ship's movements are less pronounced, reducing the feeling of motion sickness. -> It is easier to see when you are about to run into a death-inducing object, such as a planet's surface. -> Keeping your bearings and figuring out what direction you're facing is less confusing. -> View of the area is zoomed out somewhat, allowing you to see more at once. -> There is no camera-switching during barrel rolls. > Third-person view cons: -> You can't see what is directly in front of and below your ship. -> You have no radar screen or target close-up window. -> Status display bars are dim and hard to read. > To summarize, you should choose your view depending on the situation. Generally speaking, I like to use third-person for dogfighting and first- person for everything else. Surface-based missions are a mixed bag. Although you can better see when you are going to run into something, your view of targets can often be blocked by your ship. /-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/ >> 2.1.3 - Shooting / targeting [SHTNG] << > Your main guns have an auto-targeting feature that will automatically lead moving targets. This means that, if a target is moving from left to right, your guns will compensate for the movement by aiming farther to the right. The auto-targeting function works well in most cases, but it has trouble at times. If an enemy is flying around in a circle, you will never be able to hit it. The auto-targeting assumes straight line movement, so any type of curve will throw it off. In a case such as this, use a weapon with homing capabilities such as missiles. > Available targets show up on your screen in colored boxes. The colors of these boxes correspond to the colored blips on your radar. -> Red targets are always enemies - you are always safe shooting at these. -> Green targets are often considered "neutral", meaning it doesn't matter if you destroy them or not. However, some allied targets may show up as green, and some enemy targets may be green as well. Pay attention to the mission objectives to determine if you should be shooting at green targets or not. -> Blue targets are always allied. I would say that you should never shoot at these, but there is one mission where you need to destroy your own allied bases. Blue targets will leave pick-ups behind just like anything else, so depending on the mission, you may want to destroy a blue target on purpose in the hopes of receiving a pick-up. > Homing weapons (i.e., missiles, torpedoes, and plasma) can be unpredictable until you get used to the way the game handles target lock. The best way to make sure a homing weapon hits what you want is to follow these three steps: First, select your desired target using the target lock button. Second, fire some shots at the target with your main guns. Third, once your target has received damage from you via your main guns, launch the homing weapon. It is not necessary to follow these steps, especially if there are no other targets around, but they will give you the highest probability of a successful hit. Homing weapons will also be more accurate if you aim first. Try to keep the center target reticle inside the target box before launching the weapon. > Ammunition is unlimited for all weapons in the game. /-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/ >> 2.1.4 - Power-up level [PWRUP] << > No Gravity uses a system of power-ups to upgrade your weapons. The levels range from one to six, with each level number corresponding to the number of projectiles shot from your main guns. Power-up level one means you will shoot one projectile at a time from your guns, while power-up level six means you will shoot six shots simultaneously every time your guns fire. > Secondary weapons are affected by your power-up level as well, but the effect varies. Missiles and torpedoes will increase in number, plasma increases in power, and shields increase in duration. Power-up level has no effect on the ion blaster. See the "Weapons" section for more details on each specific secondary weapon. > Power-up levels can be obtained by means of pick-ups. (See "Pick-ups / bonuses" section for more details.) When you fly through a power-up pick-up, your ship's power-up level will increase by one for 30 seconds. Regardless of its previous status, the power-up level bar on your display will fill up all the way to the right and then begin slowly decreasing, moving to the left. When 30 seconds have expired and the bar reaches the far left, you will hear a sound and you will be downgraded one power-up level. The power- up level bar will then reset to full and the process repeats. > Flying through a secondary weapon pick-up has an effect on your power-up level as well. If you fly through a weapon pick-up for a weapon that is *different* than the one that is already equipped on your ship, your power-up level will remain the same but your downgrade timer will reset. For example, let's say you have a power-up level of five and are equipped with shields. If you fly through a plasma weapon pick-up, your power-up level will remain five but your downgrade timer will be reset to 30 seconds. If you fly through a weapon pick-up for a weapon that is the *same* as the one that is already equipped on your ship,that pick-up will behave as though it were a power-up. Using the example above, let's say you have a power-up level of five and are equipped with shields. If you fly through a shield pick-up instead, your power up level will increase to six and your downgrade timer will be reset to 30 seconds. > Your beginning and maximum power-up level vary throughout the game, but both will increase as you progress. In the early missions, you will begin at level one and max out at level three. In later missions, you will start at level three or four and max out at six. The power-up level range will be the same for all missions within an episode. Check the beginning of of each episode in the "Walkthrough" section for the power-up level range of all missions in that episode. /-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/ >> 2.1.5 - Thrust / boost [THRST] << > Pressing the "thrust" button will activate boost. Your ship will speed up for a few seconds and the background will brighten and blur slightly. It's a good way to get somewhere quickly, but it can sometimes make targets and other objects difficult to see. > Boost is the only thing in the game that uses up a resource - in this case, fuel. You begin most missions with your boost meter filled to about 50%. Each use of the thrust button uses seven points of boost, meaning that you begin most missions with seven available boosts before you run out of fuel. When you run out of boost, you can still fly but will no longer be able to boost. Look for "Boost" pick-ups to replentish your fuel. > There are times to use boost and there are times not to. If you are on a "protect" type of mission, boost is extremely useful and will greatly aid in passing the mission. If you are in confined quarters, boosting can be a very bad idea. There is no way to turn it off once activated, and it is easy to accidentally slam into a wall or a planet's surface and damage or destroy your ship. > Boosting while dogfighting is a mixed bag. It can be useful to gain distance between you and a persistent enemy, but your controls will be very sluggish while boosting. By the time you are able to stop and turn around to face your opponent, they may already be behind you again. Enemies never run away from you, so there is no need to use it as a pursuit aid. /-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/ >> 2.1.6 - Evasive maneuvers [EVSMN] << > There is really only one evasive maneuver in the game, and that is the barrel roll. Execute a barrel roll by double-tapping either the "roll left" or "roll right" buttons. It does not matter which direction you barrel roll, but watch out for obstacles and try not to barrel roll into them. > The time to barrel roll is when an incoming projectile is in flight. If you barrel roll when you first see it, you will usually avoid getting hit. Some projectiles have the ability to turn around and hit you from behind if they miss, such as the plasma attacks from the boss ship in mission 25. It is possible to dodge these attacks multiple times, but it is very difficult. > You can use multiple barrel rolls to "circle strafe" a target. Just set your ship's speed to minimum and continuously do barrel rolls in one direction while you shoot. It's not quite as elegant as what you can do in a typical FPS, but it works. This technique is particularly useful in the last few missions of the game where you are facing multiple land-based missile turrets. Turning your ship sideways and strafing while shooting is an easy way to take out these turrets without getting killed. > Aside from all that, there isn't much else you can do to avoid attacks. Setting your ship's speed to maximum seems to make you harder to hit, and setting it to minimum seems to make you more prone to receiving damage. This is unfounded, however, and just a guess on my part. /-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/ >> 2.1.7 - Difficulty settings [DFFCL] << > When you first play through the game, there is no option to select a difficulty. By default you will play on normal difficulty, otherwise known as "Veteran" difficulty. After you finish the game, you will unlock "Hero" difficulty. From this point forward, you will be able to choose between Veteran and Hero when you start a new game. From that point forward, the difficulty setting you have chosen will be displayed on the mission selection screen and on your save data file header. /-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/ >> 2.1.8 - Saving your game [GMSAV] << > This might seem like an overly obvious thing to include in a FAQ, but No Gravity handles its game saves a little differently than the average game. The general rule you should follow is: If in doubt, create a new save game file. Although you will never lose any progress or unlockables, you may not always be able to access all of the missions if you want to replay them. > Once you load a game within No Gravity, that "profile" will remain active until you quit the game or load another game. If you decide to start a new game, all of the progress you have made on that profile will remain intact, including your earned entitlements, purchased artwork, unlocked movies, etc. However, you will no longer be able to access all the missions (until you have played them again) and the completion percentage indicated on your save file will be reset to zero. I ran into this little snag while writing this FAQ. I completed Veteran mode, started a new Hero mode game, and saved the new file over my old one. When I needed to go back to some of the later missions to fill in information for the walkthrough section, I realized that I couldn't access those missions any more. I had to play the entire game through again on Veteran mode in order to access those missions and complete my writeup. So, once you finish the Veteran campaign and decide you want to replay the game on Hero difficulty, I recommend creating a new save file. /-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/ =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= = 2.2 - Controls [CNTRL] = =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= >> 2.2.1 - Control functions [CNTFN] << > In this section, I will outline the basic operation and function of each control input, along with some of my observations. While the specific button used to execute each function may vary depending on which control setup you choose, the function itself remains the same. > Control ..... This is always the analog stick. It will point the nose of your ship up and down and yaw it left and right. You have the option to invert the Y-axis in the "Options" menu. > Fire ........ This will fire anywhere from one to six projectiles at once from your main guns, depending on your current power-up level. Holding down the fire button will result in rapid fire; your main guns will never run out of ammunition or overheat. > Alt. Fire ... Launches your secondary weapon. If you have the "shield" bonus, this button will activate your shields. If you have the plasma secondary weapon, holding this button down will charge the plasma gun. Your secondary weapon will never run out of ammunition. > Lock ........ Activating target lock will help you locate targets. In normal difficulty mode, it will generally only lock onto green or red targetable objects and spacecraft - it usually will never lock onto blue targetable (i.e., allied) objects and spacecraft. Target lock will look for the nearest onscreen target or, if a target is already highlighted, will cycle through any other onscreen targets. If there are no onscreen targets, target lock will locate the nearest offscreen target and will cycle through available offscreen targets. Lock is most useful for locating offscreen targets when in first-person view. The target close-up window will show what you are locked on to, allowing you to cycle through any targets in the area and find the one you want (e.g., that last mine in the asteroid field to complete a mission). Target lock will also help guide missles and torpedoes to a desired location, but it isn't foolproof. (See "Weapons" section for more details.) Any non-blue target receiving damage from you will automatically be selected as the active target. Damaging a blue ship or structure may allow it and/or other blue objects to be targeted. > Thrust ...... Good for getting around quickly. You have a finite amount of thrust available, so depending on the mission you may need to conserve thrust until you really need it. Also referred to as "boost" in both the game and this guide. You begin most missions with enough fuel for seven boosts. > Roll Right .. Rolls your ship clockwise. Double-tapping this will result in a clockwise barrel roll. > Roll Left ... Rolls your ship to the counter-clockwise. Double-tapping this will result in a counter-clockwise barrel roll. > Speed + ..... Increases your ship's off-boost speed by one level. Only four levels of speed are available for most ships, ranging from slow to fast. > Speed - ..... Decreases your ship's off-boost speed by one level. Only four levels of speed are available for most ships, ranging from slow to fast. > Autonav ..... When you are close enough to a NAV point, pressing this will enter you into autopilot mode. Look for the "AUTONAV" indicator on-screen before activating. If you fly close enough to a NAV point, your ship will automatically enter autopilot mode. > Camera ...... Toggles between first- and third-person view. Both options have their advantages and disadvantages - see "Perspective / view" section for more details. This function is always assigned to the [Select] button. > Rear ........ Shows you a rearward-facing view. This view is always in third-person and does not change regardless of the currently selected display mode. > Pause ....... Freezes the action and opens the pause menu. Hey, that's awesome. Every video game should have this! Oh, wait. Every video game does. This function is always assigned to the [Start] button. /-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/ >> 2.2.2 - Control setup options [CNTSO] << > The following control setups are available in the options menu: > Control Setup A Triangle ...... Thrust X ............. Fire Square ........ Alt. Fire Circle ........ Lock L1 ............ Roll Left R1 ............ Roll Right D-pad Up ...... Speed + D-pad Down .... Speed - D-pad Left .... Rear D-pad Right ... Autonav Analog Stick .. Control Start ......... Pause Select ........ Camera > Control Setup B Triangle ...... Autonav X ............. Fire Square ........ Alt. Fire Circle ........ Lock L1 ............ Speed - R1 ............ Speed + D-pad Up ...... Rear D-pad Down .... Thrust D-pad Left .... Roll Left D-pad Right ... Roll Right Analog Stick .. Control Start ......... Pause Select ........ Camera > Control Setup C Triangle ...... Speed + X ............. Fire Square ........ Alt. Fire Circle ........ Speed - L1 ............ Roll Left R1 ............ Roll Right D-pad Up ...... Thrust D-pad Down .... Autonav D-pad Left .... Rear D-pad Right ... Lock Analog Stick .. Control Start ......... Pause Select ........ Camera /-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/ =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= = 2.3 - Display [DSPLY] = =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= > In this section I will provide details on the in-game display and some of its functions. One of the more confusing things about this game, and probably the single largest source of questions, is the display. There are several tiny little bars that serve a variety of purposes; understanding what they all do will make your in-game experience much more enjoyable. > I will include ASCII versions of the first-person view display windows for each of the five available pilots as they appear in-game. I will also include ASCII versions of the small icons that appear on the different status bars. While my attempts at ASCII art may not exactly duplicate the actual appearance of the various display components, they should hopefully be close enough to help you identify what you see in the game. > Throughout this guide I use the terms "display", "heads-up display", and "HUD". These terms are interchangeable and should be considered equivalent to one another. /-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/ >> 2.3.1 - In-game screens [INGMS] << > Captain Mc Cudden --------------------------------------------------------------------------- | / \ | | | | | | | Radar | | | \ / | | --___-- | | | | | | | | | | | | | | O | | | | | | | | | | | |------------------------- | | Secondary weapon (alt.)| ------------------ | |------------------------- | Target | -------------------------| | Power-up level | | close-up | | Boost | |------------------------- | window | -------------------------| | Secondary weapon (main)| | | | Health | --------------------------------------------------------------------------- > Captain A. Kazawa --------------------------------------------------------------------------- | \ | | | | | | Target | | | Radar | | close-up | | |\ / | window | | | --___-- ------------------ | | | | | | | | | | | |------------------------- -------------------------| | Power-up level | O | Boost | |------------------------- -------------------------| | Secondary weapon (main)| | Health | |------------------------- -------------------------| | Secondary weapon (alt.)| | |------------------------- | | | | | | | | | | | | | --------------------------------------------------------------------------- > Captain W. Bishop --------------------------------------------------------------------------- |------------------------- | | -------------------------| | Power-up level | | Target | | Boost | |------------------------- | close-up | -------------------------| | Secondary weapon (main)| | window | | Health | |------------------------- ------------------ -------------------------| | Secondary weapon (alt.)| | |------------------------- | | | | | | | | | | O | | | | | | | | | | | | ___ | | -- -- | | / \ | | | Radar | | | | | | | \ / | --------------------------------------------------------------------------- > Colonel J. Anderson --------------------------------------------------------------------------- | | | | | | Target | | | | close-up | | | | window | | | ------------------ | | | | | | | | | | | |------------------------- -------------------------| | Power-up level | O | Boost | |------------------------- -------------------------| | Secondary weapon (main)| | Health | |------------------------- -------------------------| | Secondary weapon (alt.)| | |------------------------- | | ___ | | -- -- | | / \ | | | Radar | | | | | | | \ / | --------------------------------------------------------------------------- > Professor G. Rana --------------------------------------------------------------------------- | / \ | | | | | | | Radar | | | \ / | | --___-- | | | | | | | | | | | | | | O | | | | | | | | | | | | | | ------------------ | |------------------------- | Target | -------------------------| | Secondary weapon (alt.)| | close-up | | Boost | |------------------------- | window | -------------------------| | Power-up level | | | | Health | --------------------------------------------------------------------------- /-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/ >> 2.3.2 - Health display bar [HLBAR] << XXXXXXXXX X X X XXXXX X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X XXXXX X X X XXXXXXXXX > Your ship's current health is shown here, both as a bar and as a number. You begin every mission with the maximum 100 points of health. > If your health drops to 45, light cracks will form on your screen (first- person view) and your ship will begin to smoke (third-person view). If your health drops to 25, heavy cracks will appear on your screen, your ship will emit thicker smoke, and you will hear a warning alarm. > The health display bar can be refilled by energy pick-ups. (See the "Pick-ups / bonuses" section below for more details.) /-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/ >> 2.3.3 - Boost display bar [BSBAR] << XX X XX XX X XX XX XX XXXXX XXX XXXXX XXX XXXXX XX XX XX X XX XX X XX > Your ship's current amount of available boost is shown here as a bar. No number is specified by this bar, but for the purposes of this guide I use a scale of 0 to 100, same as the health bar. > Your beginning and maximum possible boost varies depending on the mission, but generally speaking you start with the bar halfway filled (50 boost). Maximum boost typically seems to be around 70, but in the last few missions it is 100. > Each time you press the thrust button, you will accelerate for a few seconds and use seven points of boost. So, your starting available boost of 50 represents seven uses of the thrust button. > The boost display bar can be refilled by boost pick-ups. See the "Pick-ups / bonuses" section below for more details. /-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/ >> 2.3.4 - Power-up level display bar [PUBAR] << XXXX XXXX XX XX XX XX XX XXX XX XX XX XX XX XXXX XXXX > This shows the time remaining to your next power-up level downgrade. Each power-up level has a duration of 30 seconds, during which time the power-up level display bar will slowly decrease to the left. When the bar reaches the far left side, the current power-up level will be decreased by one and the bar will reset to full. When the minimum power-up level for your current mission has been reached, the bar will remain filled. See "Basics" section for more details on the power-up level system. /-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/ >> 2.3.5 - Secondary weapon main display bar [S1BAR] << > This bar shows your currently equipped secondary weapon as a small icon; the icon will vary depending on the weapon. (See "Weapons" section below for more details.) > Your current power-up level is also displayed here, both as a bar and a number. A full bar represents a power-up level of six. /-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/ >> 2.3.6 - Secondary weapon alternate display bar [S2BAR] << > The function of this bar varies depending on the currently equipped secondary weapon. The specific status of the current weapon may cause this bar not to be displayed. (See "Weapons" section below for more details.) Some secondary weapons do not use the alternate display bar at all. /-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/ =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= = 2.4 - Weapons [WPONS] = =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= > In this section, I will provide details on all the weapons available in the game. I will also include ASCII versions of the weapons symbols that appear on your heads-up display. Note that the bonus pick-ups associated with these weapons may have different symbols. (See the "Pick-ups / bonuses" section for more details.) > The "Alternate display bar function" refers to the purpose of the secondary status bar visible in the heads-up display. Not all weapons have alternate status bars. (See the "Display" section for more details.) > While my attempts at ASCII art may not exactly duplicate the tiny in-game HUD symbols, they should hopefully be close enough to allow you to identify them. > My ratings are purely subjective and are only intended to give you an idea of each weapon's relative performance. > All weapons listed are secondary, with the exception of the main guns which are primary. /-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/ >> 2.4.1 - Main guns [MNGNS] << XXXX XXXX XX XX XX XX XX XXX XX XX XX XX XX XXXX XXXX --------------- > Power .............. Low > { 1 2 3 4 } 5 6 7 8 9 10 < High --------------- > Homing Ability ..... None ---- > Range ............ Short > 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 { 10 } < Long ---- --- > Projectile Speed .. Slow > 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 { 8 } 9 10 < Fast --- > Reload Speed ...... N/A - Automatic rapid fire > Availability: Always equipped > Alternate display bar function: N/A > Notes: This is your primary weapon. Will fire one to six projectiles at once, depending on your current power-up level. Minimum and maximum power-up level will vary depending on the mission. Although the relative power is fairly low, the rapid fire characteristics of your main guns more than make up for it. At higher power-up levels, these guns can do nearly as much damage over a given peroid of time as any other weapon in the game. While the shots themselves do not have any homing ability, your ship will auto-target to a certain degree. Auto- targeting generally works quite well, except when attempting to hit turning or fast-moving targets travelling perpendicular to your line of fire. /-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/ >> 2.4.2 - Photon torpedo (aka neutron torpedo) [PHTRP] << XXXX XX XXXXXXXXXXXX XXXXXXXXXXXX XXXXXXXXXXXX XXXX XX --------------- > Power .............. Low > 1 2 { 3 4 5 6 } 7 8 9 10 < High --------------- --- > Homing Ability ..... Low > 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 { 9 } 10 < High --- --- > Range ............ Short > 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 { 9 } 10 < Long --- --- > Projectile Speed .. Slow > 1 2 3 4 { 5 } 6 7 8 9 10 < Fast --- --------------------------- > Reload Speed ...... Slow > 1 2 { 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 } 10 < Fast --------------------------- > Availability: Photon torpedoes are the starting secondary weapon for McCudden for missions 01 to 19, and for all pilots for missions 20 to 23. They are available as pick-ups in missions 20 to 31. Prior to mission 20, the only way to get photon torpedoes is to play as McCudden. > Alternate display bar function: The exact funtion of the alternate display bar is currently unclear, but here are a few facts. The bar will not show up until torpedoes have been fired, at which time it will remain on your display screen until you pick up a different weapon or complete, fail, or quit your current mission. If there are no targets in the sector when you first fire your torpedoes, the alternate bar may not show up. The bar will partially or completely fill when you fire torpedoes and may decrease over time, perhaps to indicate reloading. When the bar has been completely filled, it will flash. It has been suggested that this is an indication of "overheating", but it seems to have no bearing on your ability to launch additional torpedoes. If you do not fire torpedoes for a while, the bar may stop flashing, but not always. Higher power-up levels and areas filled with larger numbers of targetable objects both seem to more quickly result in a flashing bar. > Notes: The game initally calls this weapon a "Photon torpedo" in the unlock message that appears after the completion of mission 20, but then later refers to it as a "Neutron torpedo". For the sake of simplicity, I will stick with "photon". Up to six torpedoes Will fire at once, depending on your current power-up level. Rate of fire varies greatly, but generally speaking you can only have one set of *targeted* torpedoes in flight at once. If there are no targets available, or the torpedoes do not lock on for some reason, multiple concurrent torpedo volleys are possible. Note the subtle difference in the icon for missiles versus torpedoes - missiles have only tail fins while torpedoes have fins on both the nose and the tail. Although torpedoes are fairly agile and have very good homing abilities, they are highly unpredictable and will often hit your own ships on their way to whatever they feel is the best target. Target lock is more of a request than a command, and they may choose to completely ignore what you've locked on to. Torpedoes are best used when you have a clear shot in open space on a single enemy, and they are also useful for supplementing your main guns when strafing larger targets. The shorter the range of your shot and the fewer other targets nearby, the higher the chance a torpedo will hit what you want. Torpedoes cannot damage and will fly through certain non-targetable objects, such as land-based structures. Torpedoes appear as white, glowing points of light and are characterized by thin, white contrails. /-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/ >> 2.4.3 - Missiles [MSSLS] << XXXX XXXXXXXXXXXX XXXXXXXXXXXX XXXXXXXXXXXX XXXX ------------------- > Power .............. Low > 1 2 3 { 4 5 6 7 8 } 9 10 < High ------------------- --- > Homing Ability ..... Low > 1 2 3 4 5 { 6 } 7 8 9 10 < High --- --- > Range ............ Short > 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 { 8 } 9 10 < Long --- --- > Projectile Speed .. Slow > 1 2 3 4 5 { 6 } 7 8 9 10 < Fast --- --------------------------- > Reload Speed ...... Slow > 1 2 { 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 } 10 < Fast --------------------------- > Availability: Missiles are the starting secondary weapon for Kazawa for missions 01 to 19, and they can be found as pick-ups in these missions as well. Missiles are not available after mission 19. > Alternate display bar function: Same as photon torpedoes. See section 2.4.2. > Notes: Up to six missiles will fire at once, depending on your current power- up level. Rate of fire varies greatly, but generally speaking you can only have one set of *targeted* missiles in flight at once. If there are no targets available, or the missiles do not lock on for some reason, multiple concurrent missile volleys are possible. Note the subtle difference in the icon for missiles versus torpedoes - missiles have only tail fins while torpedoes have fins on both the nose and the tail. Missiles are much more accurate than torpedoes, they are considerably more reliable, and they pack a little more punch. They do not have the ability to turn sharp corners like torpedoes do, but they are more predictable and are less likely to accidentally damage friendly targets. Missiles cannot damage and will fly through certain non-targetable objects, such as land-based structures. Missiles are characterized by yellow contrails. /-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/ >> 2.4.4 - Plasma [PLSMA] << XX XXX XXXXXXXXXXX XX XXX XXXXXXXXXXX XX XXX XXXXXXXXXXX XX XXX XXXXXXXXXXX XX XXX XXXXXXXXXXX XX XXX XXXXXXXXXXX ------------------- > Power .............. Low > 1 2 3 { 4 5 6 7 8 } 9 10 < High ------------------- --- > Homing Ability ..... Low > 1 2 3 4 { 5 } 6 7 8 9 10 < High --- --- > Range ............ Short > 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 { 8 } 9 10 < Long --- --- > Projectile Speed .. Slow > 1 2 3 4 5 6 { 7 } 8 9 10 < Fast --- --- > Reload Speed ...... Slow > 1 2 3 4 5 { 6 } 7 8 9 10 < Fast --- > Availability: Plasma is the starting secondary weapon for Bishop for missions 01 to 19. Can be found as a pick-up in all missions. > Alternate display bar function: Shows the charge level of the weapon. Hold down the secondary fire button to charge. When the bar has been filled, it will flash, indicating readiness to fire. Releasing the secondary fire button at this time will fire a plasma burst. If the secondary fire button is released before the bar is fully charged, the weapon will not fire. > Notes: A plasma burst of varying size and intensity will be fired from your ship depending on your current power-up level. This is one of the better all-around weapons to have. Its targeting characteristics are similar to those of your main gun, although a little more care is required to successfully hit targets. Generally speaking, you need to make sure that your center target reticle is inside the desired target's highlighted target box on your HUD before you fire. The plasma burst has only moderate tracking abilities, so faster enemies will be able to dodge the shot. One convenient feature is that you can charge the plasma gun at the same time you are firing your main guns. You must briefly stop firing your main guns to launch the plasma burst, otherwise the plasma gun will not fire. When you get used to the pattern of releasing and pressing your primary and secondary fire buttons and get into a good rhythm, you can dish out some serious damage. In my opinion, plasma is the best secondary weapon to have during all the boss fights. The plasma gun can hit anything your main guns can, targetable or not. /-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/ >> 2.4.5 - Shield [SHLDS] << XXXXXX X X X XXXX X X X X X X X X X X XXXX X X X XXXXXX > Power .............. N/A > Homing Ability ..... N/A > Range .............. N/A > Projectile Speed ... N/A --- > Reload Speed ...... Slow > 1 2 3 4 5 { 6 } 7 8 9 10 < Fast --- > Availability: Shields are the starting secondary weapon for Anderson and can be found as pick-ups in all missions. > Alternate display bar function: Shows the status of the currently deployed shield. When a shield is deployed, this bar appears and is filled completely, but immediately begins decreasing in size from right to left. When the bar reaches zero on the far left side, the shield disappears. The shield will also disappear whenever it receives damage equal to or greater than what it is able to absorb. The bar will then immediately begin filling from left to right, indicating charge status of the next shield. When the bar has been refilled, it will disappear and a new shield can be deployed. > Notes: A spherical shield will surround your ship for a brief duration and will absorb small amounts of damage. The duration of the shield depends on your current power-up level. Five seconds of shield duration are granted for each level; five seconds total for level one ranging to 30 seconds total for level six. The exact amount of damage the shield will absorb before disappearing depends on which ship you are flying, but generally speaking it can only handle one hit from a small missile or two hits from enemy fighters' basic guns. Damage in excess of the shield's deflection ability will be transferred to your ship. For example, if a large missle normally does eight damage and your shield will absorb three damage, when you are hit your shield will disappear and you will receive five damage. I don't particularly like shields for several reasons. First, a deployed shield obstructs your vision and makes it difficult to both aim and avoid obstacles. Second, you are usually better off dealing more damage with a better secondary weapon than trying to absorb less damage and using only your main guns. This of course all depends on your own play style, but I find many of the boss fights to be much more difficult when using shields as my secondary weapon. In many of the Hero difficulty missions, however, shields can be a real advantage; they often mean the difference between death and a completed objective. /-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/ >> 2.4.6 - Ion Blaster [IONBL] << XXX XXX X XXXXXXX X X XXXXXXX X XXXXXXX X XXXXXXX X X XXXXXXX X XXX XXX ---- > Power .............. Low > 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 { 10 } < High ---- > Homing Ability ..... None --- > Range ............ Short > { 1 } 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 < Long --- ---- > Projectile Speed .. Slow > 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 { 10 } < Fast ---- --- > Reload Speed ...... Slow > 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 { 8 } 9 10 < Fast --- > Availability: The ion blaster is the starting secondary weapon for all ships for missions 25 to 31. They are not available as pick-ups. > Alternate display bar function: N/A - Alternate display bar is not used. > Notes: A wide, short beam of ion energy fires from the nose of your ship for about one second. After a brief two or three second delay, the ion blaster can be fired again. Power-up level does not appear to have any effect on this weapon. This is a fun weapon to have, but it can get you into trouble quickly if you're not careful. The one main drawback of the ion blaster is its very short range, but it is brutally powerful. One hit is guaranteed death for nearly all fighter types, and many large ships can be taken down with only three or four blasts. A unique feature of the ion blaster is that it not only does damage directly in front of you, but there is also a "halo" effect of ion damage that surrounds your ship. If you switch to third-person view, you can see the glowing halo around your ship when you fire the weapon; this loosely correlates to the area you are capable of damaging. The ion blaster is most useful in dogfights, particularly when dealing with faster types of enemy fighters. If a fighter is buzzing around in close proximity and keeps flying around behind you, the halo effect of an ion burst will quite effectively destroy it with little effort on your part. If there are allied fighters or ships anywhere nearby, you should not use the ion blaster. It is very easy to catch an unseen allied craft in the halo of a blast, an event which results in friendy fire at best and a failed mission at worst. Provided you are close enough, the ion blaster can hit anything your main guns can, targetable or not. /-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/ =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= = 2.5 - Pick-ups / Bonuses [PCKUP] = =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= > The game refers to all items you can pick up as "bonuses". To me a bonus is quite a different thing, and while I use both terms in this guide I will most often refer to the items detailed here as "pick-ups". > With that said, in this section I will provide details on all the pick-ups available in the game. I will also include ASCII versions of the pick-up shapes themselves to help the you identify them in-game. (Note that these will be the shapes of the pick-ups themselves, *not* the large icon that briefly flashes on your display when you obtain the pick-up.) While my attempts at ASCII art may not exactly duplicate the actual appearance of each pick-up, they should hopefully be close enough. > Pick-ups can be very difficult to spot, especially in the middle of a cloud of debris. One way to locate pickups is to continue shooting into the debris cloud and listen closely. If you hear your gun volleys hitting something, there's a pick-up waiting for you. This can also work against you, as sometimes pick-ups will block your fire and prevent you damaging what you are trying to destroy. This is particularly common with stationary targets. > One major key to success in this game is managing your pick-ups. You do not always want all pick-ups, and you may want to save one for later. Not grabbing a pick-up is almost as important as grabbing one, so learn the shapes and be prepared to pull out quickly. Lowering your ship's speed to minimum as you get closer will help. /-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/ >> 2.5.1 - Power-up [PWRPU] << XXXXXXXXX XX XXXXXXXXXXXXXXX XXXX XXXXX X XXXXX XXXX XXXXX XX XXXXX XXXX XXXX XXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXXXXXXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXX XXXX XXXX XXXXX XX XXXXX XXXX XXXXX X XXXXX XXXX XXXXXXXXXXXXXXX XXXX XXXXXXXXX XX [ FRONT VIEW ] [ SIDE VIEW ] > This pick-up looks like a short lightning bolt. It sits flush within the outer ring, making it difficult to identify edge-on. Can be found in any mission. > When you fly through a power-up, your ship's power-up level will increase by one for 30 seconds. You will gain an extra projectile per volley from your main guns, and your secondary weapons will be improved as well. (See "Basics" and "Weapons" sections for more details.) > Regardless of its previous status, the power-up level bar on your display will fill up all the way to the right and then begin slowly decreasing, moving to the left. (See "Display" section for more details.) When 30 seconds have expired and the bar reaches the far left, you will hear a sound and you will be downgraded one power-up level. The power-up level bar will then reset to full and the process repeats. > This is probably the most common pick-up in the game, as well as one of the more useful ones. Collecting enough power-ups can sometimes make or break a mission. They will almost always make your life easier, and if you are going for that elusive "S" mission rating, they are usually essential. > The minimum power-up level is one and the maximum is six. Depending on the particular mission you are playing, the minimum and/or maximum possible power-up levels will likely be different, but within the range of one to six. For example, in earlier missions the minimum level is one and the maximum is three. In later missions, the minimum level is three or four and the maximum is six. /-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/ >> 2.5.2 - Energy [ENRPU] << XXXXXXXXX XX XXXXXXXXXXXXXXX XXXX XXXXX XXXXX XXXX XXXXX XXXXX XXXXX XX XXXX XXXX XXXXXXXXXXX XXXX XXX XXXX XXXX XXXXXXX XXXXXXX XXXX XXXXXXX XXXX XXX XXXX XXXX XXX XXXX XXXXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXXX XXXX XXXXXX XXXXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXX XXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXXXX XXXXXX XXXX XXXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXXXX XXXX XXX XXXX XXXX XXX XXXX XXXXXXX XXXX XXXXXXX XXXXXXX XXXX XXXX XXX XXXX XXXXXXXXXXX XXXX XXXX XX XXXXX XXXXX XXXXX XXXX XXXXX XXXXX XXXX XXXXXXXXXXXXXXX XXXX XXXXXXXXX XX [ FRONT VIEW ] [ SIDE VIEW ] > This pick-up looks like a Star Wars emperial symbol or, if you don't know what that is, kind of like an inside-out gear. The inner disk sits at an angle to the outer ring, making it a little easier to spot than most other pick-ups. Can be found in any mission. > Flying through an energy pick-up will add 50 points to the health bar in your display. (See "Display" section for more details.) These are absolutely crucial for most of the nastier fights and longer missions in the game. Learn what these look like, where to find them, and how to conserve them. > Energy pick-ups seem to be most commonly dropped by green-targetable, stationary mission objectives such as generators, depots, and silos. Other green-targetable objects (e.g., neutral containers) are another semi-reliable source. /-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/ >> 2.5.3 - Boost [BSTPU] << XXXXXXXXX XX XXXXXXXXXXXXXXX XXXX XXXXX XXXXX XXXX XXXXX X XXXXX XXXX XXXX X XXXX XXXX XXXX XX X XX XXXX XXXX XXXX XX X XX XXXX XXXX XXXX XX XX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXXX XXXXX XXXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XX XX XXXX XXXX XXXX XX X XX XXXX XXXX XXXX XX X XX XXXX XXXX XXXX X XXXX XXXX XXXXX X XXXXX XXXX XXXXX XXXXX XXXX XXXXXXXXXXXXXXX XXXX XXXXXXXXX XX [ FRONT VIEW ] [ SIDE VIEW ] > This pick-up looks like a small starburst, or I suppose some type of flower. It sits flush within the outer ring, making it difficult to identify edge-on. Can be found in any mission. > Grabbing a boost pick-up will add 50 points to the boost bar in your display. (See "Display" section for more details.) Each time you hit the thrust button you will use seven points of boost, so each boost pickup is worth about seven boosts. > This is not a particularly useful pick-up, but it can come in handy depending on the situation. It never hurts to grab one of these when you see it. /-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/ >> 2.5.4 - Missile [MSSPU] << XXXXXXXXX XX XXXXXXXXXXXXXXX XXXX XXXXX XXXXX XXXX XXXXX XXXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXXX XXXXX XXXX XXXXX XXXXX XXXX XXXXXXXXXXXXXXX XXXX XXXXXXXXX XX [ FRONT VIEW ] [ SIDE VIEW ] > This pick-up actually looks exactly like what it is - a missile. It sits flush within the outer ring, making it difficult to identify edge-on. It's easy to confuse these with plasma pick-ups unless you look carefully. Can be found in missions 01 to 19 only. > This will equip your ship with the "missile" secondary weapon. (See "Weapons" section for more details.) If you're using McCudden this is a nice little upgrade from the standard-issue photon torpedoes during the first nineteen missions. > If your ship is already equipped with missiles, this pick-up will act like a power-up instead. /-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/ >> 2.5.5 - Plasma [PLSPU] << XXXXXXXXX XX XXXXXXXXXXXXXXX XXXX XXXXX XXXXX XXXX XXXXX XXXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXXX XXXXX XXXX XXXXX XXXXX XXXX XXXXXXXXXXXXXXX XXXX XXXXXXXXX XX [ FRONT VIEW ] [ SIDE VIEW ] > This pick-up is just a simple, flat bar. It sits flush within the outer ring, making it difficult to identify edge-on. It's easy to confuse these with missile and torpedo pick-ups unless you look carefully. Can found in any mission. > This will equip your ship with the "plasma" secondary weapon. (See "Weapons" section for more details.) This is an excellent upgrade for any ship and works great during boss fights. > If your ship is already equipped with plasma, this pick-up will act like a power-up instead. /-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/ >> 2.5.6 - Shield [SHLPU] << XXXXXXXXX XX XXXXXXXXXXXXXXX XXXX XXXXX XXXXX XXXX XXXXX XXXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXXX XXXX XXXXXX XXXX XXXXXXXXX XXXX XXXXXXXXXX XXXX XXXXXXXXXXX XXXX XXXXXXXXXXXX XXXX XXXXXXXXXXX XXXX XXXXXXXXXXXX XXXX XXXXXXXXX XXXX XXXXXXXXXX XXXX XXXXX XXXX XXXXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXXX XXXXX XXXX XXXXX XXXXX XXXX XXXXXXXXXXXXXXX XXXX XXXXXXXXX XX [ FRONT VIEW ] [ SIDE VIEW ] > This pick-up is a small sphere. Looking at it edge-on, the sphere protrudes past the outer ring, making it the easiest pick-up to identify. Can be found in any mission. > This will equip your ship with the "shield" secondary weapon. (See "Weapons" section for more details.) Some people may consider that an upgrade, but I prefer to leave these pick-ups behind. There are some missions in Hero difficulty, however, where shields are almost a requirement in order to succeed. > If your ship is already equipped with shields, this pick-up will act like a power-up instead. /-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/ >> 2.5.7 - Photon torpedo (aka neutron torpedo) [PTRPU] << XXXXXXXXX XX XXXXXXXXXXXXXXX XXXX XXXXX XXXXX XXXX XXXXX XXXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXXX XXXXX XXXX XXXXX XXXXX XXXX XXXXXXXXXXXXXXX XXXX XXXXXXXXX XX [ FRONT VIEW ] [ SIDE VIEW ] > This looks identical to the missile pick-up. In fact, it actually is identical and will even show the flashing "missile" icon and text on your display when you fly through it. Instead of missiles, however, you will receive photon torpedoes. It's easy to confuse these with plasma pick-ups unless you look carefully. Can be found in missions 20 to 31 only. > This effectively replaces the missle pick-up starting with mission 20. Your default secondary weapon changes with mission 20 as well, so unfortunately there is no way to get missiles after mission 19. Sorry, but you're stuck with photon torpedoes. They're not really that bad, they just aren't as good as missiles in my opinion. Photon torpedoes are good in dogfights against fast enemies. > If your ship is already equipped with photon torpedoes, this pick-up will act like a power-up instead. /-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/ =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= = 2.6 - Pilots / Ships [SHPSC] = =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= > This section contains a listing of the five available pilots and ships in the game. Each pilot has only one ship and vice versa. My ratings are based on the graphs displayed in-game when choosing which pilot to use. > "Fire" refers to the relative power of energy weapons, which include the main guns and the plasma secondary weapon. > "Missile" refers to the relative power of projectile weapons, specifically photon torpedoes and missiles. > "Speed" refers to the relative speed of the ship, both on- and off-boost. > "Shield" refers to the relative toughess of the ship and general resistance to damage. This also includes the effectiveness of the "shield" secondary weapon. /-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/ >> 2.6.1 - Captain Mc Cudden [CPTMC] << --- > Fire ............... Low > 1 2 3 4 5 6 { 7 } 8 9 10 < High --- --- > Missile ............ Low > 1 2 3 4 5 { 6 } 7 8 9 10 < High --- --- > Speed .............. Low > 1 2 3 4 { 5 } 6 7 8 9 10 < High --- --- > Shield ............. Low > 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 { 8 } 9 10 < High --- Availability: Always available Missions 01 to 19 default secondary weapon: Photon torpedoes Notes: McCudden is a good all-around choice. If you can't make up your mind which pilot to use, go with him. His photon torpedoes can make escort missions challenging due to accidentally shooting down allied ships, but they are great for dogfights. /-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/ >> 2.6.2 - Captain A. Kazawa [CPTAK] << --- > Fire ............... Low > 1 2 3 4 { 5 } 6 7 8 9 10 < High --- --- > Missile ............ Low > 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 { 9 } 10 < High --- --- > Speed .............. Low > 1 2 { 3 } 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 < High --- --- > Shield ............. Low > 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 { 9 } 10 < High --- Availability: Always available Missions 01 to 19 default secondary weapon: Missiles Notes: Kazawa is an excellent choice for all escort type objectives in missions 01 to 19. The precision and punch of his missiles make picking off enemy fighters easy and quite a lot of fun. He's not a bad choice for boss fights either thanks to his strong shields. The controls on Kazawa's ship are kind of "mushy" and his ship sometimes takes a moment to change direction; precision maneuvers and grabbing pick-ups can take some getting used to. Because of the control response issue, he is not a particularly good choice for land-based missions or anything that involves piloting through tight quarters (e.g., mission 31). /-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/ >> 2.6.3 - Captain W. Bishop [CPTWB] << --- > Fire ............... Low > 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 { 9 } 10 < High --- --- > Missile ............ Low > 1 { 2 } 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 < High --- --- > Speed .............. Low > 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 { 9 } 10 < High --- --- > Shield ............. Low > 1 2 3 { 4 } 5 6 7 8 9 10 < High --- Availability: Always available Missions 01 to 19 default secondary weapon: Plasma Notes: Use Bishop on any mission where you need to get around fast or do a lot of damage quickly. She is probably the best overall choice for all boss fights, but her weak shields can be a problem if you're not careful. Bishop is great on all missions involving larger targets, such as enemy cruisers, but she is not a particularly good choice for escort missions. /-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/ >> 2.6.4 - Colonel J. Anderson [COLJA] << --- > Fire ............... Low > 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 { 9 } 10 < High --- --- > Missile ............ Low > 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 { 9 } 10 < High --- --- > Speed .............. Low > 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 { 9 } 10 < High --- --- > Shield ............. Low > 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 { 9 } 10 < High --- Availability: Unlocked by completing the game in Veteran difficulty. Missions 01 to 19 default secondary weapon: Shields Notes: There are only two reasons not to use Anderson: 1) You haven't unlocked him yet, or 2) You are on missions 01-19 and need a different default secondary weapon besides shields. Anderson is the best of the best and does everything well. He is great for boss fights and his strong shields will keep you alive for quite a while. Escort missions, however, can be a little tricky due to the lack of a homing secondary weapon. If you like using third-person perspective, the large size of his ship can sometimes obstruct your view. He is the best overall choice for playing through Hero mode. /-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/ >> 2.6.5 - Professor G. Rana [PRFGR] << --- > Fire ............... Low > 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 { 9 } 10 < High --- --- > Missile ............ Low > 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 { 9 } 10 < High --- --- > Speed .............. Low > 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 { 9 } 10 < High --- --- > Shield ............. Low > 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 { 9 } 10 < High --- Availability: Unlocked by completing the game in Hero difficulty. Missions 01 to 19 default secondary weapon: None Notes: Rana generally plays about the same as Anderson, but his lack of a starting secondary weapon for the first nineteen missions can make him a little more of a challenge. Although he has no secondary weapon main display bar visible on his display, he can still use all secondary weapons normally. His ship is lower in profile than Anderson's, so playing in third-person perspective is a little more pleasant with Rana. If you like flying saucers, Rana is your guy. /-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/ /-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/ -=/><\=-=/><\=-=/><\=-=/><\=-=/><\=-=/><\=-=/><\=-=/><\=-=/><\=-=/><\=-=/><\=- \ / > 3.0 - Walkthrough (Veteran difficulty) [WALKV] < / \ -=/><\=-=/><\=-=/><\=-=/><\=-=/><\=-=/><\=-=/><\=-=/><\=-=/><\=-=/><\=-=/><\=- > In this walkthrough section, I will describe each mission in detail and provide a few pointers on how to get through them all. My methods are by no means the only way to pass a mission, and in fact may not even be the best way. > I have broken down each mission into a series of stages. These stages are defined purely by my own criteria and are intended to help keep the content logically organized and easy to follow. I typically consider a stage to be over when you need to use a NAV point, but some stages end without the use of NAV points. > At the beginning of every episode I have included a scale that indicates the power-up level range. This represents the minimum and maximum power-up levels for all missions in that episode. > This walkthrough covers the default "Veteran" difficulty setting. "Hero" difficulty missions are not currently included in this guide. /-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/ =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= = 3.1 - 1st episode [EPSV1] = =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= ----------- > Episode power-up level range ... > { 1 2 3 } 4 5 6 ----------- >> 3.1.1 - mission 01 - Naebean [MSV01] << ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- | "In this first mission, you are able to test your ship under fighting | | conditions. Patrol to the next NAV (navigation) point, and clear the sector | | from its asteroids. Protect ships from asteroid collisions." | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- > Selecting this mission will play the "Prologue" movie. > Stage 1: "Patrol to the NAV point" Look for the little diamond-shaped thing with white lights on it. It will show up on your radar as a blue dot and will have a blue target reticle around it when you're facing it. Fly over towards it, and when you get close enough "AUTONAV" will appear on the screen. Press the AUTONAV button to proceed to the next sector. > Stage 2: "Destroy every asteroid. Press [X] to fire." It doesn't get much simpler than this. Destroy the nine asteroids in this sector. Use the target lock button to help locate your next target. > Stage 3: "Protect convoy from asteroid collision. Use [triangle] for quick acceleration." Shoot the asteroids before they collide with the allied ships. The first wave of asteroids will show up one or two at a time. After the first six have been destroyed, the next wave of 11 asteroids show up in rapid succession. Use boost for getting from one asteroid to the next before they collide with your ships. Destroy all of the asteroids to complete the mission. Finishing this mission will grant you the "Novice" entitlement for completing the tutorial. /-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/ >> 3.1.2 - mission 02 - First contact [MSV02] << ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- | "The new base is now operational. Patrol to the next area where activity is | | reported." | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- > Stage 1: "Patrol to the NAV point" Self-explanatory. > Stage 2: "Destroy 70% of the mines in this sector. Use [circle] to locking target." When you first begin this stage, the sector will be empty. Several waves of mines will appear when you arrive, filling up the area quickly. There are a total of 33 mines, but you only need to destroy 23 of them to clear the sector. Be careful not to run into any mines or allow them to detonate too close to you as they will take off a chunk of your health bar. When 23 of the mines have been destroyed, you will be asked to proceed to the NAV point to investigate some unusual activity. > Stage 3: "Eliminate the enemy threat. Press [square] to use the secondary weapon." A group of nine enemy fighters will appear - you need to destroy seven of them to clear the sector. These are pretty easy targets, but they do move around and shoot back. Evasive action should not be your main concern here - just lock on and fire. When the fighters have been eliminated, head to the NAV point to proceed to the next sector. > Stage 4: "Protect the allied bases." A small group of about six fighters shows up to attack your allied bases. You will notice that the screen is starting to get crowded, so you'll need to be very careful not to shoot your own ships. It is very easy to hit the larger allied ships with missiles and especially photon torpedoes, so don't use them unless you have a clear shot on an enemy in open space. Your guns are a little more precise than missiles, but they will still hit anything between you and whatever you're shooting at. The best strategy is to pick off enemy fighters as they stray outside of the skirmish. Destroy all the enemy fighters to complete the mission. /-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/ ` >> 3.1.3 - mission 03 - Counter attack [MSV03] << ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- | "After surviving the assault, we were able to find where the enemy is | | hiding. Go to coordinates 2000233210 clear a minefield so that | | reinforcement can assist you. Then destroy all enemy ammunition stocks." | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- > Stage 1: "Unknown spacecraft has been detected ahead. Go to the next NAV point for re-con." Before you can proceed to the next sector, you will need to execute two barrel rolls with your ship. Double-tap L1 or R1 to execute a roll. > Stage 2: "Destroy every mine for allowing reinforcements to help." In addition to the nine mines you need to destroy in this sector, there are a bunch of cylinders that I call "neutral containers". Destroy these for pick-ups. Shortly after your arrival, an enemy cruiser will also show up and start taking shots at you. Watch for the flashing "DANGER" message on the screen. When you see this, barrel roll your ship left or right to avoid the incoming missile. Concentrate on destroying the mines for now. Once you have completed that task, the next stage will begin. > Stage 3: "Destroy flagship" Now that you're done with the mines, it's time to deal with the enemy cruiser - a squadron of allied fighters will show up to help. Powerups from the nearby neutral containers will help make the fight go quicker but are not absolutely necessary. The cruiser will periodically transform into a robot and fire two sets of missiles at you. The enemy ship is only vulnerable while in robot form - more specifically, it is only vulnerable while it makes its strange "robot grunting" noise. Start shooting as soon as you hear the noise and stop when the noise stops. If the robot cruiser gets too close, turn around and boost away from it to gain some distance. It helps to reduce your fighter's speed during approaches so that you get more time for your strafing runs, but be ready to execute a roll as soon as you see incoming missiles. When the robot ship has been destroyed, go to the NAV point to move on to the next sector. Completing this stage will grant you the "Destroy xenomorphic robot in battle" entitlement. > Stage 4: "Destroy enemy threat" A squadron of six enemy fighters will show up to try and ruin your day. There isn't much collateral damage to worry about in this stage, so fire at will. Be sure to look for powerups in the debris clouds of destroyed enemies. When you're done with those, another four fighters will show up for you to destroy. Following that, head to the NAV point to proceed to the next sector. > Stage 5: "Destroy the force field generator." In this sector you'll encounter four enemy structures surrounding a central force field generator. A handful of enemy fighters will show up as well to make things interesting. Once you destroy the generator, you will be asked to "Eliminate every enemy depot." Each of the four structures consists of ten cylinders - each cylinder is a depot. There will be plenty of bonuses from all the destroyed depots, so pick them up to make the rest of the mission easier. The bonuses may also partially block your fire, so if you're having trouble targeting or destroying any of the enemy structures, do a flyby to get those powerups out of the way. Wipe out all 40 of the depots to complete the mission. /-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/ >> 3.1.4 - mission 04 - Seeds of War [MSV04] << ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- | "We are sending more reinforcements. However, the enemy will probably try | | to attack our convoy. Escort the convoy. 50% of the convoy must survive | | safely." | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- > Stage 1: "Escort convoy. 50% of the cargo must survive" There is only one stage in this mission. When you arrive in the sector, you will see sixteen allied cruisers. Very shortly, enemy fighters will start appearing and attacking your cruisers - you must ensure that at least eight of your ships survive. Over the next few minutes, you must destroy all fourteen enemy fighters that appear in order to clear the sector. There is no allied fighter support, and while some of the cruisers will provide weak return fire, it's all up to you to destroy the enemy. Believe it or not, you are the single largest threat to your own ships. The enemy fighters don't do all that much damage, but your own friendly fire can be quite deadly. Do not shoot at any enemy fighters that are directly in front of (or behind) your allied ships. Instead, look for the fighters that are closest to you and try to get between them and the cruisers they're attacking. Once you get them into open space, fire at will. Increase speed to maximum, make liberal use of boost, and hit the target lock button often. Keep a sharp eye out for bonuses, as the right pick-up at the right time can make or break this mission. Weapons powerups are the most useful here, and stick with plain old missiles as your secondary weapon if you can get them. Plasma is moderately useful, but shields are completely useless as nothing will be shooting at you. Proceed to the NAV point when all enemy fighters have been destroyed, then proceed to the WARP. /-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/ >> 3.1.5 - mission 05 - Dreadnought [MSV05] << ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- | "According to our latest reports, it seems that the enemy is building a | | vast structure at coordinates 34402342. You must prevent them at all costs | | from completing its construction." | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- > Stage 1: "Patrol to the NAV point." Self-explanatory. Flying through the rings will provide free boost and also refill your boost bar. > Stage 2: "Destroy every generator." The next sector provides a series of targets, including 4 generators, a large enemy saucer, and a handful of enemy mini-saucers which seem to serve no particular purpose. Destroy the mini-saucers for powerups while you hunt for the generators. > Stage 3: "Destroy flagship." Focus your fire on the large saucer. Watch out for the saucer's missile attack - execute a barrel roll as soon as you see the incoming missile or notice the flashing "DANGER" warning on your screen. Enemy fighters will spawn throughout this battle and will attack you relentlessly. You have no allied support of any kind in this sector, so mix in plenty of evasive maneuvers. Decrease your figher's speed to minimum to increase the length of your strafing runs on the saucer, and increase it to maximum when you're ready to dogfight or circle around for another pass. Destroy the enemy fighters when there are two or more of them. This will provide valuable bonuses and will also get some of the supressing fire off of your back. It is easy to die quickly in this level if you choose to ignore the enemy fighters. Lastly, if you so desire, destroy the nearby asteroids to look for bonuses. While I don't tend to seek out asteroids specifically, I will fly through the rubble if I destroy one by accident. When the saucer has been destroyed, the next stage will begin and you will have been granted the "Defeat flying saucer boss in battle" entitlement. > Stage 4: "Recover the UFO core." The exploding enemy saucer will leave behind a core that you need to recover - fly through it to pick it up. Any remaining enemy fighters will continue to shoot at you, so take them out to prevent post-mission death. Proceed to the WARP to complete the mission, finish the first episode, and earn the "Recruit" entitlement. /-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/ =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= = 3.2 - 2nd episode [EPSV2] = =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= ----------- > Episode power-up level range ... > 1 { 2 3 4 } 5 6 ----------- >> 3.2.1 - mission 06 - Delivery [MSV06] << ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- | "A convoy, transporting the heart of the enemy battleship, is on its way to | | our outpost for analysis. The enemy will try to intercept it." | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- > Selecting this mission will play "The asteroid world" movie. > Stage 1: "Escort convoy. It must survive." You and a handful of allied fighters are responsible for escorting a convoy - actually, just one ship - through this sector. Interestingly, the convoy ship will show up on your radar as green and targetable, as will several asteroids. A few enemy fighters will be flying around as well, and a few more will show up partway through this stage. Destroy all enemy fighters and targetable asteroids, and be careful not to target the ship you're supposed to protect. Proceed to the NAV point to move on to the next sector. > Stage 2: "Escort convoy. It must survive." Essentially identical to stage 1, this sector has a few enemy fighters in it and enemy mines you'll need to destroy. There are also some green-targetable neutral containers that contain bonuses. Once the convoy ship reaches the NAV point, an enemy cruiser will show up, automatically leading us to the next stage. > Stage 3: "Destroy flagship." The enemy ship has three targetable sections: two on the ends and one in the center. Although it appears that you can target whichever section you like, attacking the ship will always destroy the two ends first, followed by the center. When each of the ends have been destroyed, some of the ship's weapons will be disabled. Destroying the center and final target will detonate the ship. You can engage the enemy fighters if you like, but I prefer to just go straight for the cruiser. It's a fairly easy task, and the destroyed ship will yield up to three bonuses. The mission will be considered complete at this point, so you can either proceed directly to the WARP or knock out the remaining enemy fighters first if you like. /-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/ >> 3.2.2 - mission 07 - Recovery [MSV07] << ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- | "During your previous mission, the enemy had destroyed a number of our | | carriers at coordinates 4102234211. Go there, recover as many things as you | | can. Be careful because the enemy may still be around." | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- > Stage 1: "Search every cargo wreck for containers. Use your short range scanner." You find yourself in a graveyard of destroyed ships. Your objective is locate and pick up the one small container located in the area. The container will never show up on your radar and will not be targetable until you are very close, so you'll need to listen to the beeps coming from your scanner. You'll need to turn up the sound on your PSP for this one or, ideally, use headphones. The beeps will increase in frequency as you get closer to your objective. If you know what to look for and assuming you have a clear line of sight, you can actually locate the container visually at quite a distance. It has two very small yellow lights on it that appear about one pixel in size each from the other side of the sector. The container is located behind the wreck that is straight ahead of you when you arrive in the sector. Do not touch the analog stick at all until you arrive at the wreck, then just fly around behind it and grab the container. Proceed to the NAV point to move on to the next sector. > Stage 2: "Recover every container." More of the same, only this time there are ten containers to locate. Enemy fighters will show up one at a time to annoy you. Shoot them down if you want or just focus on the mission objective. There are four wrecks in the area: three wrecks with three containers each and one wreck with one container. Proceed to the NAV point when you have all ten containers. > Stage 3: "Recover every container." A slightly ramped-up version of Stage 2, this sector features a few mines, a few enemy fighters, some neutral containers, and an enemy cruiser. There are only five containers to recover here and two wrecks to search. Both wrecks have two containers each, while the fifth container is floating out in open space. It's not necessary to engage any of the enemy units, but the cruiser will shoot missles at you constantly while you fly around. I recommend taking out the cruiser right away, then pick off the fighters as you conduct your search. Proceed to the NAV point when you have all five containers, then proceed to the WARP to complete the mission. /-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/ >> 3.2.3 - mission 08 - Relay stations [MSV08] << ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- | "Patrol to the next NAV point. Protect our communication stations. 50% of | | stations must survive." | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- > Stage 1: "Go to the NAV point." Self-explanatory. > Stage 2: "Prevent relay stations from destruction." There are 28 allied relay stations in this sector, 14 of which must survive the upcoming enemy assault. There are a few allied fighters in this sector as well to lend a hand. A few moments after your arrival, a series of eleven enemy fighters show up a few at a time. Be extra careful of friendly fire in this stage - the relay stations are delicate and only take a few shots to destroy. One misplaced missile or torpedo volley can easily take out two stations at once. Separate the enemy fighters from the crowd and blow them out of the sector. Your wingmen won't be much assistance as far as firepower goes, but they will help draw fire away from you. When all of the enemy fighters have been destroyed, proceed to the NAV point. > Stage 3: "Prevent relay stations from destruction." This is a downsized version of Stage 2 with a twist. There are only five relay stations, but four of them must survive. There are three enemy fighters to deal with, and they will almost immediately target and destroy one of the relay stations, You must act quickly to wipe the fighters out. When you enter the sector, immediately boost past the relay stations to intercept the enemy fighters. Keep hitting the lock button until you locate a target, and open fire with everything you have as soon as possible. You will likely need to engage the second and third fighters while they are attacking the relay stations; shoot with care! If you are not precise with absolutely all of your shots, you are guaranteed to fail the mission. Avoid using missiles or torpedoes at all costs unless you have a point-blank shot at a fighter in wide open space. Head to the WARP to end the mission. /-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/ >> 3.2.4 - mission 09 - Breakthrough [MSV09] << ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- | "According to our last reports, an important source of radio emission was | | detected on the planet Amragan. Prior to infiltrating the planet, you have | | to clear a path through the mine belt. Destroy the threat if needed. Your | | time is limited before locating enemy." | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- > Stage 1: "Clear all the mines before timeout." In this single-stage timed mission, you have two minutes to destroy 22 mines. There are some neutral containers in the area, as well as a few enemy fighters. Although you may have enough time to pick off a few of the containers or fighters, it's best just to ignore them and focus on the mines. Don't bother boosting or flying around too much - just spray the area liberally with missiles and cannon fire and you should be able to complete the mission easily. I find first-person view easiest to use here, as the target close-up window will show at a distance if you have targeted a mine, container, or an enemy fighter. A warning buzzer will start going off when you have 30 seconds left. When you have destroyed all the mines, you will probably already be very close to the NAV point, which will send you into AUTONAV mode automatically. If not, proceed to the NAV point. Interestingly, completing this mission will immediately start you on mission 10. /-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/ >> 3.2.5 - mission 10 - Wipeout [MSV10] << ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- | "You are now on the planet Amragan. Destroy the two force field | | generators, and then destroy the central processing unit." | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- > Stage 1: "Destroy every generator." Before I get into the details, it is worth noting that the in-game description of this level is incorrect. There are actually *three* generators to destroy, not two. I should also point out that this is the only mission in the game where contact with the surface of a planet will result in instant death. None of the other surface-based missions have this characteristic. With that said, you find yourself on the surface of a planet on a search and destroy mission. Although there aren't any enemy ships, there are plenty of surface-mounted turrets. There are no allied ships here of any kind. You will also notice that there are an abundance of towers scattered around the landscape - they look like futuristic skyscrapers. The towers cannot be directly targeted, but they can be destroyed by manually aiming with your main guns. Missiles will not work against towers but the plasma gun will. These towers are a great source of pick-ups, so if you are running low on health or power-ups, shoot a few of them down and fly through the debris clouds. The first of the three generators will be right in front of you when you start the mission - it will show up as a green target and is located in a small cluster of towers. Take it out along with the nearby turrets. The other two generators are located inside the "volcanoes" in the area. See those glowing conduits? They will lead you straight to your targets. One of the volcanoes has two conduits coming out of it; this one contains the main radar dish which you will not be able to damage yet, so ignore it. Two of the other volcanoes will have only one conduit coming out of each of them - these contain the generators you are looking for. Search them out and destroy the generators at the bottoms of the craters. Watch out for the missile turrets in the area, and don't forget to destroy towers when you need energy or powerups. When you have knocked out all three generators, you will automatically begin the next stage of the mission. > Stage 2: "Destroy the main radar" Make sure your health is at 100, then locate the volcano with two conduits and dive in. Reduce your speed to minimum and focus your fire on the missile turrets flanking the radar dish. Your instincts will tell you to barrel roll to avoid the missiles, but resist the urge. More often than not, you will smash into the side of the crater and fail the mission. Just soak up the missiles and destroy the turrets as fast as you can. If you get low on health, bail out and look for some towers. If you have enough power-ups and are accurate with your shots, you should be able to destroy the radar dish and the turrets all in one pass. When you've eliminated your target, head to the WARP directly overhead to complete the mission, end the second episode, and earn the "Corporal" entitlement. /-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/ =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= = 3.3 - 3rd episode [EPSV3] = =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= ----------- > Episode power-up level range ... > 1 2 { 3 4 5 } 6 ----------- >> 3.3.1 - mission 11 - Round Check [MSV11] << ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- | "Men are missing in sector 55HH. I124I. DD00. Your mission is simple: | | Patrol and check our installations in this sector." | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- > Selecting this mission will play the "Aurea system" movie. > Stage 1: "Patrol to the NAV point." Self-explanatory. > Stage 2: "Prevent relay stations from destruction." This is an easy sector. There are ten small relay stations here, five of which must survive the incoming enemy mines. Seven mines will appear - your wingmen may help shoot down one of them, but mostly they will just fly around and leave the work to you. Destroy the mines and proceed to the NAV point. > Stage 3: "Prevent relay stations from destruction." There are five large relay stations in this next sector, and at least four of them must survive. Fortunately, they have a lot of hit points and will endure a considerable amount of enemy fire. Several enemy fighters appear, followed closely by two enemy cruisers. Use boost to engage the fighters quickly and do your best to destroy one or two of them before the cruisers arrive. Generally, one of the cruisers will shoot at you and the other will target the relay stations. They can pack quite a punch, so you need to get rid of them as soon as possible. Your wingmen are no help against these larger ships, but they will keep the fighters busy for a while. Concentrate on the cruisers and destroy them both as quickly as you can. Once the cruisers are gone, clean up the remaining fighters. They like to stick close to your relay stations, and it can often be difficult to get a clean shot. Reduce your speed to minimum, be patient, and clear them out without damaging your own installations. When all enemy craft have been destroyed, proceed to the NAV point and then to the WARP. Mission complete. /-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/ >> 3.3.2 - mission 12 - Incoming [MSV12] << ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- | "As you have learned, we have been attacked in sector 55HH. I124I. DD00. We | | believe that this attack is a diversion. We think you should check anyway." | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- > Stage 1: "Unknown spacecraft has been detected ahead. Go to the next NAV for re-con." Self-explanatory. > Stage 2: "Destroy enemy threat." Aside from having one of the more amusing descriptions of "We think you should check anyway", this mission also provides a pretty good fight. Two enemy robot cruisers are in this sector - they are the same as the one you fought in mission 03. You will be under a lot of incoming missile fire, so it's often best just to constantly barrel roll your ship throughout this battle. Reduce your ship's speed to minimum for long strafing runs, and dodge the missiles as best you can. Because the enemy ships are only vulnerable in robot form, alternate your fire between the two ships and only shoot at whichever ship happens to be a robot at the time. When your health is low, bust open one of the four neutral containers in the area for an energy pick-up. Fly to the NAV point when both enemy vessels have been eliminated. > Stage 3: "Obliterate enemy threat." Wipe out the eight enemy fighters in the sector. After you have shot down the first four, another four will appear. There are also two neutral containers here, as well as three allied relay stations. It doesn't matter if the relay stations survive, so feel free to blow them up for bonuses. Your level rating will be negatively affected, but if you don't care about that then go for the bonuses. Watch out for the glowing red orbs as running into one will result in instant death. Proceed to the NAV point when all enemy fighters have been destroyed. > Stage 4: "Rejoin the convoy for mission completion." You have two minutes and thirty seconds to regroup with your convoy. Flying through the rings is not required, but it will provide you with free boost. In addition to providing boost acceleration on the spot, the rings also instantly fill up your boost bar to about 60%. The quickest way through this sector is to cut corners through the twisting path of rings, using your own boost and taking a straight path back to your convoy. When you run out of boost, fly through a ring or two to replentish it. Regardless of what path you take, you should have more than enough time to make it within the 2:30 time limit. The mission is complete when you arrive at your convoy. /-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/ >> 3.3.3 - mission 13 - Convoy protection [MSV13] << ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- | "We do not have much time! Our long-range sensors have detected many | | enemies approaching. Protect the convoy and hold on until reinforcements | | arrive." | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- > Stage 1: "Protect convoy until reinforcements." This is a timed mission in which you must protect your convoy against an enemy assault. It's just you and six allied cruisers; at least four of your cruisers must survive over the course of the next four minutes. You are up against two enemy cruisers and about ten fighters. There are also a few neutral containers around for you to break open for pick-ups. You can approach this mission a number of different ways, but I prefer to focus on the fighters at first, shooting down as many as I can until the enemy cruisers get closer. Once the enemy cruisers are in position near your convoy, they will begin sending a lot of missle volleys your way. They also attack your convoy ships, but for the most part they seem interested in you. Take out the two enemy cruisers, replentish your health if necessary, and finish off the remaining fighters. When there are 30 seconds left, the timer will begin flashing and beeping at you menacingly. Don't panic - this is just how much time is left for you to protect your convoy. When time is up, a large number of allied ships and fighters will appear out of hyperspace and engage any enemy ships still in the sector. The "objective" meter will start counting upwards from 80% or so, and after about ten seconds the game will declare that the sector objectives have been achieved. Proceed to the NAV point to complete the mission. /-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/ >> 3.3.4 - mission 14 - Make the right choice [MSV14] << ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- | "We have found the enemy's hideout that we have searched for some time, | | near the communication stations. Wipe them out but do not damage our | | stations." | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- > Stage 1: "Join the NAV point for reinforcements." This is just a different way of telling you to proceed to the NAV point. > Stage 2: "Join the NAV point for reinforcements." You have apparently been ambushed, because shortly after telling you to head to the next NAV point, you are instructed to "Destroy enemy threat." Six enemy fighters will show up for you and your squadron to deal with. When those six fighters are gone, another six will show up. Wipe those out and head to the NAV point to move on to the next sector. > Stage 3: "Destroy every structure." In this brief stage, you will encounter a handful of allied structures and about half a dozen enemy pods. Your job here is actually to destroy the pods, not the structures. The pods are completely harmless to you and your squadron, but they have the ability to capture your structures. Unless you are extremely fast, you the will pods attach themselves to the allied structures and, after about ten seconds, the structures will change from blue targets to green. It doesn't matter if any of the allied structures remain intact and/or uncaptured. Proceed to the NAV point when all the enemy pods have been destroyed. > Stage 4: "Destroy the force shield generator." There's a huge enemy structure in this sector for you to blow up, along with two enemy cruisers that will take shots at you from time to time. Based on the description of this level you might think this is a force shield/field generator, but it is actually a mind control machine. The structure has nine targetable points: eight around the perimeter and one in the center. You need to destroy the eight perimeter targets in order to release the force field on the center target. Ignore the cruisers - the allied fighters in the area will keep them busy. A unique feature of this mission is that your display screen will get increasingly fuzzy the closer you get to the structure. It's a neat effect, and I assume it has something to do with your mind being taken over by the enemy. It is nothing more than a visual effect, however, and has no effect on the mission. When the force shield generator is down, you will be asked to "Destroy mind control machine." Target that central point and keep shooting until it goes boom. You can destroy the cruisers if you like, or just head straight to the WARP to end the mission. /-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/ >> 3.3.5 - mission 15 - Mind control [MSV15] << ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- | "We are experiencing dark hours. We have underestimated our enemy and we | | must retreat. Before that, destroy all our installations." | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- > Stage 1: "Destroy every allied base." You have been assigned the unfortunate task of destroying your own bases before withdrawing from the area. There are no less than five enemy cruisers in this sector, as well as a handful of enemy pods that fly around and capture your bases. You can pick off the pods and go head-to-head with the cruisers if you like, but it's a lot easier just to destroy the eight bases and get out of there. Proceed to the NAV point. > Stage 2: "Destroy every allied base." This is essentially the same as Stage 2, except that there are no cruisers around. There are also nine structures here, but you only need to destroy eight. Proceed to the NAV point when you've cleared out the area. > Stage 3: "Kill every mind controlled friend unit." This time it's your own fighters that have been captured by the enemy. All this really is, though, is just another dogfight with enemy fighters. There are two fighters to begin with, followed by three more. This is a pretty easy fight. When the five captured friend units have been destroyed, proceed to the NAV point to dock with your allied flagship, complete the third episode, and earn the "Sergeant" entitlement. /-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/ =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= = 3.4 - 4th episode [EPSV4] = =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= --------------- > Episode power-up level range ... > 1 { 2 3 4 5 } 6 --------------- >> 3.4.1 - mission 16 - Mine Sector [MSV16] << ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- | "Your new mission is the clean up of sector II55. G122. 3321. of all its | | mines and then retrieve some containers. Proceed with caution, as pirates | | have been reported in this area." | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- > Selecting this mission will play the "Hyperion" movie. > Stage 1: "Destroy every mine in this sector." You start inside a giant cave that looks a lot like a sewer - there are even roaches on the walls. Your task here is to destroy 82 of the 89 mines scattered throughout the caves. If you don't already have the "Mine Sweeper" entitlement, this mission will definitely help you get it. I would tell you not to do any barrel rolls in these tight quarters, but that function has been disabled for this mission anyway. Your radar and display screen will be filled with targets; the mines will turn from green to red as you approach them, making it much easier to determine what you need to aim at next. Shoot down the mines as you move through the caves, and be careful not to miss any. They will detonate as fly by and take a nasty chunk out of your health bar. There are a few neutral containers along the way, so you can grab an energy pick-up or two if necessary. Proceed through the cave until you reach the NAV point at the end. > Stage 2: "Recover every container." There are six containers here for you to collect. Unlike previous previous missions, these are visible from a distance thanks to standard blue target boxes. Six enemy fighters will show up one after the other soon after you arrive and harass you while you pick up the containers. Although you aren't instructed to do so, you also need to destroy all six fighters before the mission will end. Proceed to the WARP when you have collected all containers and shot down all enemies. /-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/ >> 3.4.2 - mission 17 - Surprise attack [MSV17] << ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- | "The outpost Hyperia II is under attack. Go to the sector at coordinates | | 5535. 3152. 4886. and defend the base against the enemy. Then go to the | | sector 52F5. 252C. EFS1." | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- > Stage 1: "Go to the NAV point." Self-explanatory. > Stage 2: "Protect the allied bases." There are two allied bases here, along with several neutral containers and a few allied fighters. A series of eight enemy fighters will appear, and it's your job to take them out. Assuming your two bases are still intact, proceed to the NAV point when all enemy fighters have been destroyed. > Stage 3: "Destroy every enemy conveyor." There are five large enemy conveyors in this sector. They are the same as enemy cruisers in that they have three target boxes each, but they don't move and they don't shoot back. They have a lot hit points, but they pose no threat whatsoever. The dozen or so enemy fighters in the area, however, do pose a threat. There are about the same number of allied fighters here as well, so your display screen will be a multi-colored mess of target boxes and radar blips swarming around one another. Take out some of the enemy fighters if you like, or just go straight for the stationary targets. When all five conveyors have been destroyed, go to the WARP to end the mission. /-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/ >> 3.4.3 - mission 18 - The Spy Radar [MSV18] << ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- | "Our long-range sensors have detected a pirate presence at sector G025. | | 5332. FF11. We believe that one of their spy radar is hidden in one of the | asteroids. Find it, and destroy it." | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- > Stage 1: "Go to the NAV point." Self-explanatory. > Stage 2: "Find and destroy the fake asteroid." There are a bunch of asteroids in this sector, one of which you will need to destroy. You'll be using your short range scanner again, just like you did in misson 07, only this time it will be helping you locate a target instead of a container. Just as you begin your search, five enemy fighters appear and start buzzing you like crazy. These are slightly different than the other fighters you've faced in the past. They are a bit tougher and a lot faster; it can be a real challenge to keep them in your sights. Guided weapons like missiles or photon torpedoes will make fighting them much easier. It can be difficult to find the asteroid, especially with the fighters all over your back, so I suggest focusing on the fighters first and worrying about the asteroid last. Even though you are not instructed to do so, you'll need to take down all five fighters before you can leave the sector anyway, so you might as well get it over with. Break open a few of the neutral containers in the area for pick-ups if you need to. As you fly around the sector battling with the fighters, listen to your scanner. If you hear it beeping faster, you might want to take a break from dogfighting and blow up a few asteroids to see if you can locate the correct one. I find it easier to just shoot all the asteroids instead of trying to look for the right one. When you have destroyed the fake asteroid, your scanner will stop beeping. Proceed to the NAV point when all five fighters and the fake asteroid have been destroyed. > Stage 3: "Destroy every communication installation." There are eleven communication stations in the sector that you need to destroy; one of them is larger than the others and has more hit points, but aside from that it's nothing special. Another five enemy fighters show up to give you some trouble. You can engage the fighters if you like or just focus on the stations. When all eleven stations have been wiped out, head to the WARP to end the mission. /-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/ >> 3.4.4 - mission 19 - Enemy Cruisers [MSV19] << ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- | The enemy is preparing a counter attack at sector II55. G122. 3321. Be | | ready for battle. | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- > Stage 1: "Search every cargo wreck for containers. Use your short range scanner." This is another straightforward container-finding mission. There are three wrecks in the sector, two of which have one container each. When you have picked up both containers, you will be instructed to "Patrol to the next sector and clear the path for our cargos." Proceed to the NAV point. > Stage 2: "Clear the mine field." There's a mine field in the way of your convoy and you need to make a path. Two enemy fighters show up to shoot at both you and your convoy. Shoot them down if you feel so inclined, or ignore them. Destroy 19 of the 24 mines in this sector, then head to the NAV point. > Stage 3: "Escort convoy. It must survive." You need to defend your convoy of four ships as they make their way across the sector. Three of the ships must survive. There will be three smaller enemy cruisers for you to destroy, as well as about half a dozen fighters. When your (hopefully intact) convoy has reached its destination a few minutes later, you will be asked to go the NAV point. > Stage 4: "Eliminate every enemy depot." There are five enemy depots here that you need to destroy, and there will be an enemy cruiser and two enemy fighters defending them. You do not need to worry about the cruiser and fighters if you don't want to, but feel free to get them out of your way if you prefer. Proceed to the WARP when you have cleared out the five depots. /-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/ >> 3.4.5 - mission 20 - Dreadnought Base [MSV20] << > Regardless of which pilot you are using, your starting secondary weapon for this mission will be photon torpedoes. See "Weapons" section for more details. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- | The enemy base has finally been detected. You will take off from our ship | | carrier the 'Librium'. Prepare yourself to attack the main pirate battle | | cruiser." | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- > Stage 1: "Destroy flagship main antenna." After launching from your own allied carrier, fly a short distance and engage the huge pirate flagship. There are quite a few enemy fighters here as well, but you can ignore them. Only one target box will appear on the pirate ship, located at the end of the antenna - concentrate your fire on this point. When the antenna has been destroyed, you will receive instructions to "Destroy flagship reactor core." Before you can get inside the ship and get to the core, however, you need to destroy the two large panels on either side of the pirate ship. They are brightly lit and will have target boxes on them, so they should be easy to spot. when these panels have been knocked out, Stage 2 will begin. > Stage 2: "Infiltrate flagship." You will now see three target boxes appear on the pirate ship. Two of them are the large doors on either side of the ship, and the third is the reactor core. After you have destroyed one of the doors, you will be instructed to "Destroy flagship." Note that you can also get inside the ship by entering one of the two large hangar bays located on the other end of the ship, but you will still need to destroy one of the doors before moving on to the reactor. When the door is out of the way, concentrate your fire on the reactor core. It helps to set your ship's speed to minimum to prevent you from bouncing off of the walls too much. When you have destroyed the reactor core, Stage 3 will begin. Note: This particular stage of the mission has glitched on me several times. If you do not seem to be able to cause damage to the reactor core even though one or both doors have been destroyed, you will need to quit out to your PSP's system menu and reload your game. Simply restarting the mission does not seem to help. > Stage 3: "Get away from explosion!" You have 30 seconds to get out of the ship and gain some distance. You need to get a good long ways off to avoid being caught in the explosion, so don't waste any time here. Generally speaking, you need to be three full boosts away from the pirate flagship before it detonates - two boosts is not enough. This means that you have about fifteen seconds to get out of the ship, followed by fifteen seconds of constant boosting. When the ship explodes, it will probably also destroy every enemy and allied fighter in the area; you will also earn the "Defeat pirate battle cruiser in battle" entitlement. Proceed to the WARP to end the mission, bring the fourth episode to a close, and earn the "Officer" entitlement. You have now unlocked photon torpedoes for use by pilots other than McCudden and also as an in-game pick-up. /-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/ =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= = 3.5 - 5th episode [EPSV5] = =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= --------------- > Episode power-up level range ... > 1 2 { 3 4 5 6 } --------------- >> 3.5.1 - mission 21 - Missile strike [MSV21] << > Regardless of which pilot you are using, your starting secondary weapon for this mission will be photon torpedoes. See "Weapons" section for more details. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- | "Intergalactic ballistic missiles were detected moving toward our outpost. | | You must protect it at all costs. Then, you must find the origin of their | | hostile missile launch. A new weapon is now available: The Neutron | | Torpedo." | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- > Selecting this mission will play the "Final battle" movie. > Stage 1: "Destroy ICBMs missiles. Every allied base must survive. In this sector, twelve large missiles are on their way to impact your allied carrier. The carrier is the only other ship here besides you, so it must survive. It will explode after ten missile strikes, so that means you only have to destroy three of the missiles to pass this stage. The first missile will show up by itself a good distance away. A couple volleys of photon torpedoes is all it takes to bring this one down. The next five missiles will show up in rapid succession in the same general area as the first one. Your torpedoes will not be as effective now, as they will tend to get "confused" and seek out different targets from one another instead of all concentrating on a single target. Direct your fire towards the missiles that are farther away and keep your main guns firing constantly. Focus on a single missile and keep shooting until it detonates. Missiles are much more difficult to hit as they approach, so ignore the ones that are getting closer to your cruiser and just shoot down the ones you know you can get. After these first six missiles have been destroyed, the other six will appear on the opposite side of your carrier. Use boost to get there quickly, and shoot down as many missiles as you can. When all twelve missiles have detonated, either through being shot down or by impacting your carrier, the sector will be clear. Proceed to the NAV point. > Stage 2: "Destroy enemy base." You weren't expecting another boss fight so soon, were you? This "base" will launch volleys of ICBMs at you every so often, and it will also teleport on occasion. It has two rings of asteroids spinning around it that will block your fire; fortunately, they block the base's missile attacks as well. The asteroids can be destroyed by your weapons, but it's better to leave them intact. Be sure not to run into them, however, as any contact with the asteroid ring is instant death. The base's missile attack isn't particularly powerful and will often miss you completely, so you can win easily by just sitting in one spot and holding down the fire button. When the base is destroyed, head to the WARP to end the mission. /-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/ >> 3.5.2 - mission 22 - Force field [MSV22] << > Regardless of which pilot you are using, your starting secondary weapon for this mission will be photon torpedoes. See "Weapons" section for more details. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- | To protect ourselves against mind control waves, we deployed new force | | fields that protect our bases. | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- > Stage 1: "Exit the force field and go to NAV point." You don't have to do anything special here. The force field is not solid - just fly through it on your way to the NAV point. > Stage 2: "Destroy every enemy silo for allowing reinforcements." These silos are identical to the depots from mission 03. Each of the two enemy structures here consists of ten cylinders - each cylinder is a silo. There are three enemy cruisers here that you also need to destroy, but I recommend going for at least some of the silos first. You should receive a lot of pick-ups from the silos which will help with the cruisers. When you have emptied out the sector of all enemy ships and structures, proceed to the NAV point. > Stage 3: "Destroy every enemy relay station." The three relay stations you need to destroy each look like a cross between a hermit crab and a yo-yo. The two halves of the stations split apart to reveal the inner workings, and will then slowly close again. You can only damage the stations when they are open, and they all open and close at the same time. It is possible to get crushed inside a relay station, so it's best not to get too close. While you're waiting for the stations to re-open, you can amuse yourself by shooting down the six enemy fighters and six mines in the sector. Destroy the three stations to begin Stage 4. > Stage 4: "Destroy wormhole portal." The wormhole portal looks like a flat glowing disk attached to one end of an enemy cruiser. The only part of this structure you will be able to target is the disk itself. The other end of the structure has a moderately powerful laser attack that it will hit you with repeatedly. To avoid this attack, stay close to the glowing disk - the lasers won't be able to reach you at all. The disk has plenty of hit points but is an otherwise easy kill. Proceed to the WARP when you have eliminated the portal. /-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/ >> 3.5.3 - mission 23 - Trap [MSV23] << ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- | "We have deployed four small traps with force fields. Use them to capture | | four mind control units. First, learn how to activate them, and then | | attract them to one of our radar, and resume the force field to capture | | them." | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- > Regardless of which pilot you are using, your starting secondary weapon for this mission will be photon torpedoes. See "Weapons" section for more details. > Stage 1: "Go to the NAV point." Self-explanatory. > Stage 2: "Switch on the 4 force fields by shooting green targets." There are four allied bases in this sector. Next to each base is a small square object that will show up on your display as a green target. Shooting these targets will activate shields that surround your bases. The targets act as toggles and will turn the shields on or off every time they are hit. Turn on all four shields to begin the next stage. > Stage 3: "Capture 4 enemy units in the force fields." Four enemy pods appear in the sector as soon as you have turned on the four shields. You need to capture these pods inside the four shields. If you destroy any of the pods or allow them to capture a base, you will fail the mission. Some of the pods will usually capture themselves by getting caught in the force fields, so if you wait a few moments you'll probably have less work to do. Look at which base the pods seem interested in and turn off the force field. Turn it back on after a few seconds to capture the pods. Once a pod has been captured, it is gone - there is no danger of it getting away later. Head to the NAV point, then proceed to the WARP. /-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/ >> 3.5.4 - mission 24 - Infiltration [MSV24] << ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- | "Thanks for the capture of mind control units; you will be able to | | infiltrate the enemy base to retrieve their central command unit." | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- > Stage 1: "Go to the NAV point." Notice anything different? You're piloting one of the enemy pods you captured in the last mission. It has no weapons, no health bar, no radar, no boost... In fact, the only things you can do are steer, roll, barrel roll, and change speed. The pod is extremely fragile - running into asteroids at any point during any of the stages will result in destruction and mission failure. When you are done checking out your new ride, head to the NAV point. > Stage 2: "Disable 3 generators. Avoid scanner beams." There are three generators in the sector, and each one is flanked by two enemy cruisers. The cruisers have scanner beams that rotate past the generators. If you get caught in a beam, you will draw attention to yourself, along with hostile missiles and laser fire. There are some other enemy pods in the area as well, but they serve no purpose whatsoever; ignore them. To disable a generator, you need to fly right up it and actually bump into it. You will see a status bar that says "reprogramming" - you need to stay in contact with the generator for a few seconds to complete the process. When the reprogramming procedure is complete, make a sharp U-turn and get out of there quickly. The way to successfully accomplish this is to watch the pattern of the beams and adjust your pod's speed accordingly. Unlike the other ships you have used, the pod has a total of five different speeds to choose from, with the minimum being a dead stop; you can sit and wait as long as you need before diving in. When you have disabled all three generators, head to the NAV point. > Stage 3: "Disable the 4 control modules of the space portal." This is essentially the same as the Stage 2, except that now you are dealing with a space portal structure instead of generators. Look for the four targeted points on the space portal and carefully disable them. When you have knocked out all four modules on the structure, allied fighters will start coming through the portal and engaging the enemy ships in the area. Head to the WARP to complete the mission. You have now unlocked the ion blaster as the starting secondary weapon for all pilots; unfortunately, it is not available as a pick-up. If you complete this mission without getting detected, you will earn the "Spy Game" secret entitlement. /-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/ >> 3.5.5 - mission 25 - Last stand [MSV25] << > Regardless of which pilot you are using, your starting secondary weapon for this mission will be the ion blaster. See "Weapons" section for more details. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- | "Congratulations! You made it! The enemy will issue its final attack. All | | our forces are engaged for the last battle. You must destroy the last warp | | gate. We are adding a new weapon to your arsenal: The Ion Blaster." | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- > Stage 1: "Protect every ship." You begin the mission launching from your carrier. There are several allied cruisers and structures in the area, and oddly they show up as green targets instead of blue. You need to take out the six enemy fighters in the area - if any of your ships or structures are destroyed, you will fail the mission. Although this stage of the mission is not too difficult, you will probably repeat it a few times. The next stage can be quite a challenge, so you will need to search for pick-ups and get yourself a secondary weapon better suited for the upcoming fight. When you clear the sector, you should ideally have plasma as your secondary weapon. If you can't get plasma, photon torpedoes will work. Shields aren't too useful, and although your new ion blaster is a neat toy, it won't do you any good at all in the next stage. After the six fighers have been destroyed, the hangar bay on your carrier will open. Flying through it will replentish your health, set your power-up level to six, and fill up your boost bar. This is a crucial step, so don't skip it. When you are ready, proceed to the NAV point and get ready for a heck of a fight. > Stage 2: "Destroy flagship." This is the single most difficult battle in the game, hands down. You are faced with an enemy ship that is surrounded by a rotating sphere of shield panels. This thing launches a never-ending barrage of brutal rocket attacks that, even if you dodge them, will make U-turns and probably still hit you anyway. It teleports frequently, making it very difficult to damage for any period of time, and any contact with the rotating shield is instant death. There are four neutral containers in the area that usually contain energy pick-ups, but if you're not careful you may not even live long enough to bust one of them open. Now, let's get down to business. Rushing headfirst into the enemy ship is hopeless, so don't even bother. Running away from it doesn't work either, because its attacks have very long range and it will follow you via teleport anyway. The key to success is to reduce your ship's speed to minimum and hit the enemy ship with everything you have the instant you enter the sector. Don't hesitate - start shooting immediately. If you have plasma, charge it while you shoot your main guns and keep blasting away. Barrel roll a lot. If you are having trouble timing the rolls to the incoming rockets, just keep rolling constantly. If you have followed my advice correctly, the enemy ship should first teleport away when it has about 50% of its health left. If your health is low, use this opportunity to crack open a neutral container and pray for an energy pick-up. You will probably have plasma bursts coming at you from behind, so don't forget to barrel roll. With your health (hopefully) recharged, locate the enemy ship as quickly as you can and continue blasting it from a distance with your main guns and secondary weapon. When you get its health down to 25%, you will see it "explode". All that really means is that the outer shield has been destroyed. The bad news is that boss ship once again has a full health bar; the good news is that it no longer has any weapons. It will fly around helplessly, waiting for you to kill it. There may still be left-over rockets looping around the sector for a few moments, so watch out. When the enemy ship has been destroyed, you will earn the "Defeat rocket boss in battle" entitlement. You will then be asked to "Go to the intergalactic portal". Instead of flying to the WARP as usual, you need to use the portal. Simply fly into one of the glowing disks on either end of the structure to complete the mission, bring the fifth episode to a close, and earn the "Colonel" entitlement. /-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/ =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= = 3.6 - 6th episode [EPSV6] = =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= ----------- > Episode power-up level range ... > 1 2 3 { 4 5 6 } ----------- > Regardless of which pilot you are using, your starting secondary weapon for all missions in this episode will be the ion blaster. See "Weapons" section for more details. >> 3.6.1 - mission 26 - Moon dawn [MSV26] << ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- | "We are now on the enemy planet. You must cut all their communications | | channels. Destroy the four land communication stations. This should be an | | easy task because their stations are poorly protected. However, be careful | | with their anti aircraft batteries." | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- > Selecting this mission will play "The mother planet" movie. > Stage 1: "Destroy every generator." > You find yourself on the enemy homeworld; your mission is to knock out the three generators located on the planet's surface. There are a lot of missile turrets around, and they are relentless. You'll need to do a lot of barrel rolling to dodge the missiles and keep your health up. The specific technique I use is to reduce my ship's speed to minimum, turn sideways, and then barrel roll *away* from the planet's surface. You will effectively be circle strafing your targets and gaining altitude while you do it. This will not only dodge the incoming missiles, but it will give you a better perspective of the landscape while ensuring that you don't die by crashing into the ground. Going back to the mission... To find the generators, just look for the bright points of light in the distance. The first generator will be directly behind you, so make a U-turn. Take out the turrets before moving on to the generator. Grab the resulting pick-ups to recharge your health and/or change your secondary weapon. Now, look for a valley in the immediate area of the last generator and follow it. After a short distance you should see the second generator on the horizon to your right. There are no turrets in the area, so it should be an easy kill. Make a sharp left turn and head to the small "city" nearby. The generator is just on the other side of it. There are a lot of missile turrets here, and by now you probably have some fighters on your back as well, so it's probably a good idea to take a break from generator hunting and clear the area of enemies. If you need health or power-ups, don't forget to shoot some of the towers and other non-targetable structures in the area. When you have destroyed the third generator, the next stage will begin. > Stage 2: "Obliterate every radar." > With the generators out of the way, your focus is now the three large radar installations in the vicinity. They look exactly like the surface-mounted radar dish you destroyed in mission 10 on the surface of Amragan. If you followed my directions in Stage 1, you will already be right next to the first radar structure. After destroying it, take a look at the horizon. You should be able to see the silhouettes of two other cities - there is one radar installation in each. When all three radar installations have been wiped out, head to the NAV point to finish the mission. /-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/ >> 3.6.2 - mission 27 - Canyon [MSV27] << ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- | "Go into the canyon, find all generators, and eliminate any threat you | | find. The enemy is hiding with weapons of mass destruction." | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- > Stage 1: "Destroy every communication installation." > The enemy is hiding with weapons of mass destruction? Hmm, what does that remind me of? Anyway, you are now flying through a large canyon looking for eleven cylindrical communications towers. This is a linear mission, so just destroy everything you see along your path. There are loads of missile turrets here, so be sure to use my "sideways strafing" method I described in the previous mission to avoid taking too much damage. Go slowly, always target the turrets first, and scavenge for pick-ups as necessary. When you have knocked out the eleven communication installations, the next stage will begin. > Stage 2: "Destroy main radar." > You are looking for another one of the large radar structures like the ones you destroyed in the previous mission. You may also notice a new type of enemy show up in your target close-up window - I call them "walkers". They look like robotic four-legged spiders, and they behave exactly like missile turrets. Follow the twisting canyon for a moderate distance until you find the radar structure; only one walker will be guarding it. When the radar has been destroyed, head straight upwards to the NAV point. /-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/ >> 3.6.3 - mission 28 - Blast objective [MSV28] << ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- | "You must destroy the giant stellar cannon which threatens our sub-orbital | | stations but destroy firstly the generator that protects it." | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- > Stage 1: "Disable 2 generators." > Your task is to destroy a very, very big gun. You begin the stage flying towards a large crater in the distance. If you watch for a few moments, you will see a huge green laser beam shoot into the sky - the source of that laser is the gun you're looking for. Before you can accomplish your main task, however, you need to take out two generators, just like the ones from mission 26. Both are located on the back edge of the crater. Imagine the crater as a giant clock with the stellar cannon in the middle of it. When you began the mission, you approached from six o'clock; the generators are located at ten and two o'clock, respectively. You'll need to clear the area of enemies as well, or this will be a very short mission. There is usually one enemy fighter that will attack you within the first thirty seconds or so - your trusty ion cannon should make short work of him. There are also at least a dozen total walkers and missile turrets in and around the crater as well. I like to circle around the outer edge of the crater in a wide, sweeping path towards the generators, taking out walkers and turrets as I go. When you have finally knocked out both generators (and hopefully most of the enemies), the next stage will begin. > Stage 2: "Obliterate the giant cannon." > The stellar cannon's force field is down, so it's time to start your attack run. In case you haven't noticed already, the cannon will periodically open its four large panels like a flower in order to fire. You can only damage the cannon while the panels are open, but don't get caught in the beam - as you might guess, it's instant death. Between strafing runs, while you're waiting for the panels to reopen, eliminate any remaining turrets or walkers in the area. Note: Like the pirate flagship reactor core in mission 20, sometimes the stellar cannon is glitched. If you do not seem to be able to damage the cannon while the panels are open, quit the game completely and exit to your PSP's system menu. Reload the game, reload the mission, and it should work. When the cannon has been destroyed, proceed to the NAV point directly overhead to complete the mission. /-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/ >> 3.6.4 - mission 29 - Space Mountain [MSV29] << ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- | "Patrol in the mountains; destroy all the enemy bases and other ammunition | | depots that you find. this will prevent our enemy from refuelling." | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- > Stage 1: "Eliminate every enemy depot." This is a fun, satisfying mission with plenty of destruction involved. Search out and destroy the eleven dome-shaped enemy depots in the area, and watch out for missile turrets. There aren't nearly as many enemies in this mission as the last one, so it should be a breeze. One or two enemy fighters will appear from time to time as you enter new areas, but they are of no real concern. Just give them a taste of your ion blaster and move on. I have no particular pattern for you to follow to find all the depots but don't worry - it's a fairly easy task. Just keep pressing you target lock button until you see something pop up on your display and head that direction. If you can't find any targets, scan the horizon for anything that looks like a tower - the small lights towards the tops of them are dead giveaways. Destroy everything in your path and proceed to the NAV point when you've eliminated the eleven depots. /-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/ >> 3.6.5 - mission 30 - Glory [MSV30] << > Mission 30 is unique in the regard that there two different ways to pass it. One way will result in the "normal" ending of the game and one version of the epilogue movie, while the other way will unlock an additional hidden mission. This hidden mission will result in the "alternate" ending of the game and a different version of the epilogue movie. *** If you want to play mission 31, follow the alternate ending walkthrough. *** > Regardless of which ending path you follow, finishing the game in Veteran difficulty will unlock: -> pilot Colonel J. Anderson -> two new paint schemes per ship -> "Hero" difficulty mode -> the "General" entitlement -> the alternate ending epilogue movie vieweable in the "Movies" list > The paths for the normal and alternate endings branch depending on your actions in Stage 3 of this mission. It is not necessary to play through both endings to obtain any of the unlockables. In fact, the only real reason to play through the normal ending, besides personal satisfaction, is to see the "normal" version of the epilogue movie. If you only feel like playing mission 30 once, go for the alternate ending. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- | "You are close to the end! We must attack the heart of the enemy. Destroy | | its headquarters, disable the force field that protects the city, and then | | decide the fate of the enemy. You will also need to find a secret base, | | where you will have to upgrade your ship." | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- > Stage 1: "Destroy every generator." > You have finally arrived at the enemy homeworld. Similar to mission 27, you will be travelling through a large canyon. This mission, however, is not linear. The canyons branch at several different points, so you will need to be careful not to get lost. You need to find and destroy three generators and then find a "secret base". The first thing you will notice is that you are headed towards a large set of doors. Each door panel is a non-targetable destructible structure, even the tiny little pieces that stick out of the canyon along the sides. Every panel is capable producing a pick-up, so if you're running low on health, door panels are a good place to start looking. Your ion blaster is unfortunately once again useless here, so keep your eyes open for a better secondary weapon as well. After a few sets of doors and a couple enemy walkers, you will come across a large force field on your left side. This is the entrance to the enemy's central city, which we will be seeing again shortly. Immediately across from the city entrance is a small dead end - the first of the three generators you need to destroy is inside. These "generators" do not look like the white, glowing generators from prior missions. Instead, they look like the dome-shaped depots you were hunting in the previous mission. Destroy the generator inside, as well as the single turret in there if you like. Exit the dead end, make a right turn, and continue along the canyon in the original direction you were heading. You will encounter a set of doors directly ahead, followed by another set of doors on the right immediately afterwards. Ignore the doors on the right and continue heading straight. Follow the canyon as it curves around to the left. At the end of the curve you will find a set of doors on your left with a turret in front of them. Go through these doors, followed by two more sets of doors straight ahead. Start hitting your target lock button and keep your eyes open for green target boxes, as these will be the last two generators. Both generators are in this area, as is the secret base you're looking for. The base is a large structure that looks like a landing platform, so when you find it be sure not to accidentally destroy it. When you have destroyed the last two generators, the next stage will begin. > Stage 2: "Find the star port." > If you haven't found it already, locate the star port structure that looks like a landing platform. It's easy to get lost in this area, so if you managed to get turned around, don't worry. The star port isn't far from the generators you just destroyed, so you know at least you don't have to go far. Once you locate it, reduce your speed to minimum and land on the platform to begin the next stage. Landing on the platform will also restore your health to 100. > Stage 3: "Destroy pirates' before they can destroy the city." > A fleet of five pirate ships is on the way to bomb the enemy city. At this point you must choose which ending path you are going to follow. For a complete description of what is involved in each of the two endings, see the notes at the beginning of this mission. If you choose the "normal" ending, continue to the section directly below. If you choose the "alternate" ending, skip the next section. ==================== Normal ending ===================== > Forget about destroying the pirates... We're going to help them. You are now allowed to leave the canyons, so locate the pirate fleet and boost to meet them. They will be dropping bombs on the enemy central city we saw behind the force field earlier. Don't get in the way of the bombs as they will do moderate damage to you if they hit you. The target you're looking for is a large structure with multiple towers - there will be three green target boxes on it. Watch where the bombs are falling and you should be able to find it easily. If you wait long enough, the pirates will actually destroy this structure for you. If you don't feel like sitting around while they drop bombs, help them out by concentrating your fire on the center tower. When the tower has been destroyed, you will trigger the normal ending, finish the last episode, and view the "normal" epilogue movie. You will also receive a number of unlockables - see the notes at the top of this mission for details. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- | "You made it! In a desperate act, the pirates have destroyed the city... | | Setting a nuclear reaction down to the planets core... Your action has set | | us free and you will be remembered. However, the threat reallocates in | | parallels worlds. In worlds with no gravity." | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- =================== Alternate ending =================== > Because we're feeling nice, we're going to rescue the enemy from being destroyed by pirates. You are now allowed to fly out of the canyons, so boost towards the pirate ships and take them out. You have quite a bit of time - several minutes actually. If you leave all of the pirate ships intact and you wait long enough, they will eventually destroy a large structure in the center of the city and trigger the "normal" ending. Because we don't want that, destroy the five ships and go to the WARP in the center of the structure that was being bombed; this will automatically begin mission 31. /-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/ >> 3.6.6 - mission 31 - Overlord [MSV31] << ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- | "After stopping the pirate's attack, you are now in the city s underground. | | Make your way to the central core. We have no more information. Good luck." | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- > Stage 1: "Destroy the force shield generator." > This is a very unique mission and one of my favorites. The only way to play it is to follow the "alternate ending" path in mission 30 - you cannot select mission 31 from any menu. It's fairly easy, so you can relax a bit. You are flying through a large passage on your way deep underground to knock out a force field generator. There aren't any enemies in this mission or anything that attacks you in any way. Instead, you need to dodge laser beams and force fields as you fly through the passages of the underground complex. The force fields are solid and you will bounce off of them, but you can fly right through the laster beams - both do the same amount of damage to your ship if you run into them. Set your speed to maximum, but you may want to slow down a little for some of the tighter spots. Boost has been disabled for this mission, but you don't really need it anyway. You will pass a force field, followed by a series of laser beams, then another force field, a long empty stretch, and one last force field. When you arrive in the large chamber, you can destroy the targetable object in the center if you like, but it isn't necessary. Destroying it will disable one force field in one of the next two passages you need to go through, but that's it. There are four entrances to the chamber you just entered: There's the one you came through, one each on the left and on the right, and one straight ahead. The passage ahead is blocked, so you'll need to head down the other two passages. It's easy to get turned around and forget which passage you need to go into, so pay attention to what you see when you first enter each passage. The one you first used will be empty after the initial force field. The passage on the left will have a second force field visible a short distance in, while the passage on the right will have laser beams just inside the entrance. At the ends of each of these passages are chambers that contain two generators each. These generators are domes and look the same as the ones from mission 30. They will probably drop energy pick-ups for you, so if your health is low due to poor piloting, grab one. When the four generators have been knocked out, return to the center chamber. You will notice that the fourth passage has now been opened - this is the way to the NAV point. You can identify the fourth passage because it is the only one without a force field right at the opening, or you can simply follow the small arrow near your center reticle. After dodging an array of beams and fields, you will enter the WARP at the end of the passage, trigger the alternate ending, finish the last episode, and view the "alternate" epilogue movie. You will also receive a number of unlockables - see the notes at the top of mission 30 for details. In addition, finishing mission 31 will grant you the "We've done it" secret entitlement for completing the alternate ending. /-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/ /-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/ -=/><\=-=/><\=-=/><\=-=/><\=-=/><\=-=/><\=-=/><\=-=/><\=-=/><\=-=/><\=-=/><\=- \ / > 4.0 - Extras [EXTRS] < / \ -=/><\=-=/><\=-=/><\=-=/><\=-=/><\=-=/><\=-=/><\=-=/><\=-=/><\=-=/><\=-=/><\=- =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= = 4.1 - Unlockables [UNLCK] = =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= > The currently known unlockables are listed throughout this guide in their respective sections, but I will summarize them here in the approximate order they appear in the game. -> Movies ................ One movie is unlocked for the completion of each episode. See "Movies" section. -> Artwork ............... Various artwork is available for purchase with the "P" earned through the earning of entitlements. See "Artwork" section. -> Photon torpedoes ...... Available as pick-ups and for use by all pilots at the beginning of mission 20. -> Ion blaster ........... Available for use by all pilots at the beginning of mission 25. -> Mission 31 ............ Complete mission 30 using the "alternate ending" strategy. -> Colonel J. Anderson ... Unlocked by completing the game in Veteran difficulty. -> Ship paint schemes .... Two new paint schemes per ship are available following the completion of the game in Veteran difficulty. -> Hero difficulty mode .. Unlocked by completing the game in Veteran difficulty. -> Professor G. Rana ..... Unlocked by completing the game in Hero difficulty. /-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/ =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= = 4.2 - Entitlements [ENTTL] = =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= > Below are the entitlements as they are listed in the "Entitlements" section of the "Extras" menu. See the notes section at the bottom for any entitlements that have numbers next to them. 1> Novice ................ 5 P .... Complete the tutorial Recruit ............... 10 P ... Complete the 1st episode Corporal .............. 10 P ... Complete the 2nd episode Sergeant .............. 10 P ... Complete the 3rd episode Officer ............... 10 P ... Complete the 4th episode Colonel ............... 10 P ... Complete the 5th episode General ............... 100 P .. Complete the 6th episode 2> We've done it ......... 25 P ... Complete the alternate end game Space monkey .......... 50 P ... Complete the 1st episode in Hero difficulty Starbuck .............. 50 P ... Complete the 2nd episode in Hero difficulty Our Hero .............. 50 P ... Complete the 3rd episode in Hero difficulty I am Legend ........... 50 P ... Complete the 4th episode in Hero difficulty Epic .................. 50 P ... Complete the 5th episode in Hero difficulty Elite ................. 200 P .. Complete the 6th episode in Hero difficulty 3> Been there, done that . 25 P ... Complete the alternate end game in Hero difficulty Space Ace ............. 10 P ... Perform 50 rolls Mine sweeper .......... 25 P ... Destroy 150 mines Eliminator ............ 25 P ... Destroy 50 enemies Space wrecker ......... 50 P ... Kill 100 enemies Gauntlet of Doom ...... 25 P ... Kill 5 enemies with Ion blaster Armageddon ............ 25 P ... Destroy 50 asteroids The Collector ......... 10 P ... Collect 50 bonuses 4> Hunger of Knowledge ... 10 P ... Watch every cinematic 5> Vogue ................. 10 P ... Complete a level with all the different ships 6> Spy Game .............. 10 P ... Complete the infiltration level without getting detected Untouchable ........... 50 P ... Complete 5 levels without getting damaged 7> Tireless .............. 15 P ... Retry a mission 20 times Defeat Robot .......... 15 P ... Defeat xenomorphic robot in battle Defeat Pirate ......... 15 P ... Defeat pirate battle cruiser in battle Defeat Mind master .... 20 P ... Defeat mind master alien in battle Defeat UFO ............ 15 P ... Defeat flying saucer boss in battle Defeat Rocketeer ...... 15 P ... Defeat rocket boss in battle > Note 1: Mission 01 is considered the "tutorial". > Note 2: Complete mission 31 in Veteran difficulty. This is one of the three secret entitlements in the game. > Note 3: Complete mission 31 in Hero difficulty. This is one of the three secret entitlements in the game. > Note 4: You must watch all movies from start to finish through the "Movies" option under the "Extras" menu. If you quit before the movie has ended, it will not count; this includes all of the the ending credits in the "Epilogue" movie. Watching the movies during the course of the game does not count towards this entitlement. > Note 5: You must complete any mission with each of the first four ships available in the game: McCudden, Kazawa, Bishop, and Anderson. You do not need to play the same mission with these four ships, and you do not need to complete a level with Rana to receive this entitlement. > Note 6: This is one of the three secret entitlements in the game. > Note 7: You do not need to retry the same mission 20 times. As long as you use the "retry" option 20 times, regardless of the mission or missions, you will receive this entitlement. /-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/ =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= = 4.3 - Movies [MVIES] = =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= >> 4.3.1 - Introduction (initial game startup) [INTMV] << ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- | "Year 8002. System OOLRO 3. Where the oldest and most powerful empire ever | | existed: The KROSSO Empire. Which consists of thousands of colonies. The | | celebrations of the 9th millenium have just ended and the good days seem to | | be over. A few cases of an unknown sickness have been found. Rumors are | | spreading the possiblity of a mind disease. An invisible threat has been | | born. The plague of mind appeared like a thief in the night. There are | | signs that it came from space..." | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- /-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/ >> 4.3.2 - Prologue (episode 1 beginning) [PRLMV] << ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- | "Our empire was threatened by an unknown mind sickness... There are signs | | that the plague of mind came from space... Our best pilots were dispatched | | to start the investigation. Unusual radio waves were detected in the red | | system of Naebaen." | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- /-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/ >> 4.3.3 - The asteroid world (episode 2 beginning) [ASTMV] << ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- | "Our colonial fleet was sent to outer space and the face of our enemy was | | revealed. A new war has begun. We have recovered an artefact... and our | | scientists gave us the hint... that the enemy is hiding in the asteroids | | world." | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- /-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/ >> 4.3.4 - Aurea system (episode 3 beginning) [AURMV] << ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- | "The asteroids world was conquered... One of the mind desease emitters | | have been found... Our scientists are developing a cure for the mind | | disease. However, we need to go further, Your next stop is the Aurea | | system." | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- /-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/ >> 4.3.5 - Hyperion (episode 4 beginning) [HYPMV] << ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- | "We have underestimated our enemy... With their psychic units, the enemy | | took our weapons against us... We must retreat to get time to find counter | | measures... You are now heading to Hyperion... ... the pirate s territory." | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- /-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/ >> 4.3.6 - Final battle (episode 5 beginning) [FNBMV] << ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- | "Thanks to your effort, the piracy in Hyperion was defeated... Meanwhile, | | we've had enough time to develop our new psychic force shields... We must | | strike deep into our enemy's nest... Our fleet is ready to deliver the | | final battle." | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- /-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/ >> 4.3.7 - The mother planet (episode 6 beginning) [MPLMV] << ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- | "The battle in space was won... The enemy is now retreating to its mother | | planet... You must deliver the last strike... You will be sent to the | | surface of their world to take all their defences down..." | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- /-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/ >> 4.3.8 - Epilogue (game ending / credits) [EPLMV] << > Note: This is the "alternate ending" movie shown following the completion of mission 31. You will unlock this movie regardless of whether you completed the game with the normal or alternate endings. The "normal" epilogue movie can only be seen by completing mission 30 by using the "normal ending" strategy detailed in the walkthrough. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- | "Great work! The war was long and hard. Many lives were sacrificied on the | | battlefield. But a new era has begun. We have prevailed against the evil | | that corroded us. However, there is no time to rest until the evil cease to | | exist. The Krosso empire will need you in the future." | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- /-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/ =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= = 4.4 - Jukebox [JKBOX] = =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= > Below are the songs played throughout the game and available in the jukebox. No artist information is available at this time. -> Then you came - part 1 -> Then you came - part 2 -> For the sun -> zero-g -> free zone -> Solar ranger -> Evaporated -> Sunless Garden II -> 6 days -> Color around -> Time has passed /-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/ =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= = 4.5 - Artwork [ARTWK] = =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= > You can purchase artwork images using the "P" you have earned by unlocking entitlements. If you do not have enough "P" to purchase an image, no price will be shown. > There are no names associated with these images, so I have come up with my own. The images are listed in the order they appear: -> 25 P - Allied relay stations -> 25 P - McCudden vs. enemy fighters I -> 60 P - Pirate bombers -> 15 P - Kazawa near Jupiter -> 15 P - Bishop near Saturn -> 60 P - Eyeball boss -> 25 P - Pirate fighters -> 25 P - McCudden vs. enemy fighters II -> 60 P - Anderson near ringed planet -> 60 P - Enemy fighters -> 60 P - McCudden multi-view -> 60 P - Kazawa multi-view -> 60 P - Bishop multi-view -> 60 P - Anderson multi-view -> 60 P - Enemy fighter multi-view -> 25 P - Xenomorphic robot -> 25 P - Bishop vs. enemy fighters I -> 15 P - Destroyed enemy city -> 25 P - McCudden concept drawing -> 15 P - Allied bases -> 25 P - Allied cruisers -> 60 P - Stellar cannon -> 15 P - Captured base -> 15 P - Enemy fighter concept drawing -> 25 P - Bishop vs. enemy fighters II -> 25 P - Pirate flagship /-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/ /-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/ -=/><\=-=/><\=-=/><\=-=/><\=-=/><\=-=/><\=-=/><\=-=/><\=-=/><\=-=/><\=-=/><\=- \ / > 5.0 - Appendix [APPND] < / \ -=/><\=-=/><\=-=/><\=-=/><\=-=/><\=-=/><\=-=/><\=-=/><\=-=/><\=-=/><\=-=/><\=- =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= = 5.1 - Version history [VRSNH] = =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= > v1.00 - March 10, 2009 -> Initially published > v1.10 - March 12, 2009 -> Added mission 31 walkthrough -> Rewrote mission 30 walkthough to reflect normal and alternate endings -> Added power-up level range information to each episode -> Added "Common questions" section -> Added "Saving your game" section -> Added "We've done it" to entitlement list -> Corrected "Epilogue" movie description -> Updated artwork names -> Added "Appendix" -> Added "Version history" -> Updated episode and mission shortcuts -> Made various spelling and grammar fixes > v1.20 - March 16, 2009 -> Added Professor G. Rana to "Pilots / ships" section -> Updated "Entitlement" section with the "Been there, done that" secret entitlement -> Added spoiler disclaimer to "About this guide" section -> Added content to the power-up description in the "Gameplay" section to reflect how weapon pick-ups affect your power-up level -> Added homing weapon tips to "Shooting / targeting" section -> Added notes to pilot descriptions -> Updated photon torpedo and ion blaster descriptions in "Weapons" section -> Updated descriptions of missions 10 and 20 -> Updated artwork names -> Updated "Legal disclaimer" section - Anozor has permission to use this FAQ -> Corrected references to photon torpedoes - they appear starting in mission 20, not 21 -> Made various spelling and grammar fixes /-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/ =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= = 5.2 - FAQ credits [FQCRD] = =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= > Thanks to Realtech VR for producing this excellent game and to Anozor SARL for publishing it. > Much appreciation and gratitude goes to my wife for putting up with my video game habit and for not minding that I am really just a big kid. > Thanks to GameFAQs user SethJessa for providing additional detail on the functionality of the secondary weapon alternate display bar. /-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/