`#####````####```######```####```##``##``######``######` `##``##``##``##````##````##``##``##``##``##````````##``` `#####```######````##````##``````######``######````##``` `##`##```##``##````##````##``##``##``##``##````````##``` `##``##``##``##````##`````####```##``##``######````##``` ``####```##``##``#####`` `##``##``###`##``##``##` `######``######``##``##` `##``##``##`###``##``##` `##``##``##``##``#####`` ``####```##```````####```##``##``##``##````` `##``##``##``````##``##``###`##``##`##```##` `##``````##``````######``######``####``````` `##``##``##``````##``##``##`###``##`##```##` ``####```######``##``##``##``##``##``##````` ``######````####```######``##``##```######`` `##````````##``##````##````###`##``##``````` `##``####``##``##````##````######``##``####` `##````##``##``##````##````##`###``##````##` ``######````####```######``##``##```######`` ``####````####```##````##``##````##```####```##``##``#####````####`` `##``##``##``##``###``###``###``###``##``##``###`##``##``##``##``##` `##``````##``##``########``########``######``######``##``##``##``##` `##``##``##``##``##`##`##``##`##`##``##``##``##`###``##``##``##``##` ``####````####```##`##`##``##`##`##``##``##``##``##``#####````####`` Ship Upgrade Guide This guide is to help people understand what to spend their precious Raritanium on at Slim Cognitos Ship Shack. The Ship Shack becomes available after you see the commercial for Slim Cognitos at Canal City, Notak. All of the upgrades available for your ship come from the vender at the ship shack. This guide will describe each upgrade available for your ship in detail. This is how the guide will work... ----------------------- | Name of the upgrade | ----------------------- Cost: Cost of the upgrade. (In Raritanium) Usefulness: How useful I believe the upgrade is ranked out of ten. Description: How I describe the upgrade, what it does, and how it affects your ship. Max Ammo: The maximum amount of ammo this weapon has. (Will not be included in all upgrades) Hint: Any hints I may have while using this upgrade. (Will not be included in all upgrades) Unlocked: How this item is unlocked. (Will not be included in all upgrades) ------------------------------------ | Triple Boost Acceleration Engine | ------------------------------------ Cost: 15 Raritanium Usefulness: 8/10 Description: The Triple Boost Acceleration Engine triples the amount of boost/turbo you have in your ship. This does not increase the normal speed of your ship, but only gives you more turbo when you press the square button. ------------------------ | Fusion Laser Cannons | ------------------------ Cost: 30 Raritanium Usefulness: 10/10 Description: The Fusion Laser Cannons are an extremely useful upgrade. They replace your standard red lasers with much more powerful blue lasers. This can take out enemy ships much faster then your normal red lasers. ------------------------- | Electro-Mine Launcher | ------------------------- Cost: 10 Raritanium Usefulness: 7/10 Description: The Electro-Mine Launcher launches a Mine that goes forward for a few seconds, and then stops. It then releases dozens of rays of electricity which will harm and destroy enemy ships that get close enough to them. Max Ammo: 15 Mines Hint: Launch a mine into a big group of enemies for the greatest effect. ---------------------- | Mega-Mine Launcher | ---------------------- Cost: 20 Raritanium Usefulness: 9/10 Description: The Mega-Mine Launcher does the same thing as the Electro- Mine Launcher, but the rays of electricity that are released from the mine are longer, thus hitting and destroying more enemies. Max Ammo: 15 Mines Hint: Launch a mine into a big group of enemies for the greatest effect. Unlocked: After buying the Electro-Mine Launcher. ----------------------------- | Fast-Lock Missile Launcher| ----------------------------- Cost: 20 Raritanium Usefulness: 8/10 Description: The Fast-Lock Missile Launcher is everything you loved about the standard missile launcher and more. It takes less then half the time required to lock onto an enemy, and also increases the missiles speed. Max Ammo: 12 Missiles -------------------- | Torpedo Launcher | -------------------- Cost: 10 Raritanium Usefulness: 7/10 Description: The Torpedo Launcher does not have a targeting system, but the torpedoes do much more damage and create a larger explosion then the normal missiles do. Max Ammo: 10 Torpedoes Hint: Since the Torpedo Launcher does not have a targeting system it is very inaccurate at long range, so just use the Torpedo Launcher when enemy ships get right in front of your ship and then fire. -------------------------- | Multi-Torpedo Launcher | -------------------------- Cost: 20 Raritanium Usefulness: 9/10 Description: The Multi-Torpedo Launcher is just like the Torpedo Launcher, but instead of launching a single torpedo it launches three torpedoes side by side that create a larger explosion, and does more damage then the normal Torpedo Launcher. Max Ammo: 10 Torpedoes Hint: Since the Multi-Torpedo Launcher does not have a targeting system it is very inaccurate at long range, so just use the Multi-Torpedo Launcher when enemy ships get right in front of your ship and then fire. Unlocked: After buying the Torpedo Launcher. ----------------------------- | Advanced Shielding System | ----------------------------- Cost: 20 Raritanium Usefulness: 9/10 Description: The Advanced Shielding System upgrades your shields from one bar to two bars. Thus increasing the number of hits you can take before dying. --------------------------------- | Ultra-Charge Shielding System | --------------------------------- Cost: 40 Raritanium Usefulness: 9/10 Description: The Ultra-Charge Shielding System upgrades your shields from two bars to three bars. Thus increasing the number of hits you can take before dying. Unlocked: After buying the Advanced Shielding System. ----------------------------- | Nuclear Detonation Device | ----------------------------- Cost: 60 Raritanium Usefulness: 9/10 Description: The Nuclear Detonation Device creates a gigantic explosion wiping out any enemies in its path. This weapon can destroy an entire wave of enemy ships in one blow. Max Ammo: 1 Nuke -------------------------- | Hyperspace Warp System | -------------------------- Cost: 45 Raritanium Usefulness: 4/10 Description: The Hyperspace Warp System transports your ship to a seemingly random point in the level when you press either L1 and R1, or L2 and R2 at the same time. Hint: The only time I ever found this upgrade useful is when there are a lot of enemy ships surrounding you, or you are about to hit an asteroid or something like that. Also I like hitting L2 and R2 at the same time because if you hit L1 and R1 then sometimes your ship does a barrel roll after you transport. Also sometimes it transports your ship into the middle of an asteroid and then doing a barrel roll inside an asteroid will make you hit the side and die. --------------------------------------------------------------------------- |NOTE: All wings/noses/paintjobs have no affect on your ships performance.| |NOTE: All wings/noses/paintjobs cost 5 Raritanium each. | --------------------------------------------------------------------------- --------- | Wings | --------- Standard Wings: The standard wings for your ship. Hi-Lift Wings: Wings with a rounded shape. Heavy Ordinance Wings: Looks like the Standard Wings, but with narrower ends. --------- | Noses | --------- Standard Nose: The standard nose for your ship. Scoop Nose*: A nose that is more boxed shaped then round. Split Nose**: A nose that splits into two near the tip. *Unlocked after getting 18 Skill Points. **Unlocked after getting 26 Skill Points. -------------- | Paint Jobs | -------------- ----------------------------------- | Require 3 Skill Points to Unlock| ----------------------------------- Blargian Red: Red color, the standard color for your ship. Borgon Blue: Dark blue color. Orxon Green: Green color. Drek's Black Heart: Black with some red stripes. Lombax Orange: Golden yellow with black tiger stripes. ------------------------------------ | Require 10 Skill Points to Unlock| ------------------------------------ Supernova: Brown color. Space Storm: Green camouflage. ------------------------------------ | Require 15 Skill Points to Unlock| ------------------------------------ Silent Streak: Grey with some rusty looking spots. Dark Nebula: Black/Blue color. Solar Wind: Blue/Purple color with flames. ------------------------------------ | Require 19 Skill Points to Unlock| ------------------------------------ Star Traveler: Yellow with checkered stripes, looks like a taxi cab. Neutron Star: Grey with a red stripe on each wing. ------------------------------------ | Require 25 Skill Points to Unlock| ------------------------------------ Lunar Eclipse: Tan with dark brown spots. Clowner: Red with pink dots. ------------------------------------ | Require 29 Skill Points to Unlock| ------------------------------------ Prepster: Purple with green stripes and a green ying-yang symbol on each wing. Plaidtastic: Dark pink with flowers and a smiley face. Insomniac Special: Black with the Insomniac logo (a moon) on the wings and nose. ------------------------------ | Frequently Asked Questions | ------------------------------ 1) Question: What order should I buy the upgrades in? Answer: This is the order that I suggest, however, feel free to buy them in any order you see fit. I am also including the cost of each upgrade. Electro-Mine Launcher-10 Fusion Laser Cannons-30 Advanced Shielding System-20 Fast-Lock Missile Launcher-20 Torpedo Launcher-10 Mega-Mine Launcher-20 Triple Boost Acceleration Engine-15 Multi-Torpedo Launcher-20 Ultra-Charge Shielding System-40 Nuclear Detonation Device-60 Hyperspace Warp System-45 2) Question: What is the nuke trick and what is it for? Answer: The nuke trick is a trick that gets you tons of bolts very quickly and easily. It is most commonly done on at the Thugs-4-Less Fleet, on Planet Gorn, but it can also be done in some other levels. It involves shooting the nuke and killing all of the enemies in the level in one shot, thus getting you all of the bolts for beating that mission in about five seconds. Here is a step by step guide to doing the nuke trick. First you have to have the nuke. Then start the challenge Fight the Bandits at the Thugs-4-Less Fleet, on Planet Gorn, you should notice a floating tower moving up and down on the right side of the screen. Fire the nuke at the middle of this tower, and if you hit it, then hopefully all of the enemy ships are destroyed. If all the enemy ships are destroyed, then you get the 2,750 bolts for completing the mission. (27,500 in Challenge Mode) If some of the ships weren’t destroyed then go around and collect all of the Raritanium floating around, normally I get around 6-8 Raritanium each time. Then go and destroy the remaining one or two ships to get the bolts. Copyright 2004 Steven Koch AKA Squeaky745 Squeaky745@hotmail.com This may be not be reproduced under any circumstances except for personal or private use. It may not be placed on any web site or otherwise distributed publicly without advanced permission from me via e-mail. Use of this guide on any other web site or as a part of any public display without my permission is strictly prohibited, and a violation of copyright. All trademarks and copyrights contained in this document are owned by their respective trademark and copyright holders. Credits: Me (Steven Koch) Insomniac for making this terrific game CJayC for creating GameFAQs