Hired Guns


 CHEAT MODE:

 At any time on the title screen or during play type in any of the
 following cheat codes for various effects:

 'APPLEGATE' - Opens all doors.
 'CHRISTINA' - Move to any area on the campaign map and allows you to -
               select the same team member more then once.
     'AMIGA' - As above plus infinite ammo and invulnerability.

                       HiRED GUNS - PLAYERS GUiDE
                       --------------------------
                         Typed By: Homer/Rvg+Afl
                         -----------------------

         O.k,heres  a  few  basic survival tips and tactics.Enjoy!


THE FULL CAMPAIGN
-----------------
While  you  might  overhear  one  of  other  of  the  Minogoe sisters being
described as "Not big and not clever",you most certainly wont hear the same
said  of  Hired  Guns.Finding all those fusion power rings and bunging them
into  the  coil  gernerator  is  such  an  enormous  task  that it would be
impossible  to  detail  the solution of every problem you might encoounter.
So  instead here are a few general tips to make life in the Graveyard a tad
easier.

DREAM TEAM
----------
Picking  the  right squad for the job is crucial.Each of the twelve members
has  their  own strengths and specialities,all of which might come in handy
at  some  point  in  the  game.The  key to selecting a good team is balance
(remember  to  include  at  least  one  robot,though,as  they  can  survive
indefinetly  under  water).There  is no single perfect teeam,but mt own fab
four are:

1.CIM-Life  - Not quite as resilient as CIM (lower physique value),but more
agile   (can   withstand   longer  falls)  and  starts  with  an  excellent
Hyd-Flourine hand laser and 3 multi-directional Sentry Guns.

2.Bonden - Fine support for CIM-Life,with high physique and agility values.
Unfornutetly  he doesnt start with a descent close range weapon,but you can
easly pick up the hidden mounted min-gun near the campaign`s start (see the
Switch Section on SOLVING PUZZLES).

3.Cheule  - Retains superb agility for surviving perilous drops while still
having  a  reasonable resilient physique.Also has good weapons in the Naomi
IV  Assault  Rifle  and  a  grenade  launcher,and a very useful Cure Poisen
Psi-amo.  Can carry a lot too.

4.Jenillee  - A much needed battle medic.Low physique,but splendid agility,
masses  of  experience  and an excellent array of medical aids.Her rubbishy
sonic stunner weapon needs replacing as early as possible.

BASIC SURVIVAL
--------------

As  you soon discover,Graveyard is teeming with vast quantities of severely
hostile lifeforms all gagging to sink their teeth,calws,bullets or whatever
into  your oh-so-weak flesh.But hopefully the following tips willl help you
make  your  life  on  Graveyard a little longer.If youre moving as a party,
always  lead  with  your  battle specialist.You never know whats around the
next corner,but you can be sure it will be hostile,so have you best fighter
ready to deal with it.

Always  make  sure  before  entering  an  unexplored  area  that  all  your
characters weapons are in their hands ready for use,and check how much ammo
they  have  left.This  latter precaution is of course particulary important
for  characters  using  rapid fiire projectile weapons like the mini-gun or
assault rifles.

The  best  approach  to  searching  a new zone,is to leave the weaker party
members  at  the start point (as long as it is safe to do so) and just send
in  your  fighters  who  clear  a  path  to the end level for the others to
follow.   This  prevents the chance of a weaker member suffering a surprise
attack  from  behind.The  only drawback with this approach is that the best
fighters  cant  fall far,even though this may be necassary to find a key or
card to finish some levels.Furthermore they wont have backup or medical aid
if  they  get  seriously  injured and weak team members might not last more
than  a  few  seconds  if  any  creatures  find  their  way  to  the  start
point.Luckily this doesnt happen too often.

When  you  first  enter a new zone,your party frequently comes under attack
almost  immediately.Make  sure  you  take  control  of  your weakest member
first,since they wont be able to take much of a battering as everyone else.

BATTLE FEVER
------------

In  the  heat  of  battle  try  not  to  panic.If  you have to turn to face
assailants  make  sure you do it carefully otherwise you`ll end up pressing
the  mouse  button  too  often and turning too far.Also,keep reloading your
weapon  every  few  shots rather than waiting for that dreaded sound of the
trigger  hitting  an  empty  chamber.Try to engage tough enemies in an open
place,so  you  can  easily run away if necassary.The only exception to this
rule   applies  when  dealing  with  those  giant  seahorse  thingies.These
sometimes  just  stand behind open doors without actually coming through,so
you  can stand a few paces back from the door and blast away to your hearts
content - as long as you remain ready to bid a hasty retreat if the beastie
comes out afterall.

Another  point to remember is that thanks to grenades you can actually take
out enemies on levels below the one youre on.If you see some monsters heads
below  you,just  keep  lobbing  grenades  down  there until all seems quiet
again.The added bonus of this mode of attack is that there is absolutely no
risk  for  you.The  creatures are not able to attack you,while you are also
out of range of the grenades back-blast.

WEAPONS
-------

Basically,hand-held  and  siingle  shot  weapons are the best things to use
against  small  targets  like  ppuppies  and  lizards,while  the rapid-fire
automtaics are the best against big targets.If you examine different kkinds
of  ammo  you  are  told  about  their  different  strengths and weaknesses
againtst  soft  (tissue)  and hard (metal) targets.So,having found out (the
hard way,no doubt) what sort of enemies inhabit a level,try and choose your
fighters ammunition carfully and accordingly.

Recommended   all-purpose  weapons  are  the  mounted  mini-guns,CIM-Life`s
Hyd-Fluorine  laser and the Naomi IV Assault rifle - most of the others are
either too low powered or need reloading too often.

If youre willing to take a risk to get thhem,other well--potent weapons can
be  found  scattered around.If for istanc eyou manage to survive the hordes
of  `seahorses`  in  the  Laboratory  Test  Site  zone,you`ll  be liberally
rewarded  with a nifty rocket launcher and an excellent particle beam rifle
(this  makes  wiping  out  the tough Ed 209`s in the Fusion Reactor Zone as
easy as a piece of cake).

THE MAP
-------

The  four core rings are found in the zones with amber rings round them, so
all of these levels must be explored.Choosing the best path to them is very
important.Generally,the  game  tries  to  guide  you to a certain extent by
making  zones which you dont have to visit extremely difficult.This usually
means,at  least  on  early zones,that theyre stocked up to the rafters with
seahorses.Thus the easiest way to the first core ring in the Fusion Reactor
zone  is  to go to the Abandoned Depot and then on to the Artificial Island
(dont  forget  on  this  level to press the ift button at the bottom of the
first deep shaft so it returns to the top for later use).

Sometimes  though,a  tough diversion might be worthwhile.For instance,while
there  doesnt seem much point in going into the Cave System at the very top
of the map,there is certainly a lot to be said for taking on the Laboratory
Test  Site,just  so  youu  can  get those extra special weapons i mentioned
earlier.Remember  that  you can always go back through a zone that you have
completed without having to actually do it all over again.


SOLVING PUZZLES
---------------

Sometimes simply splitting up your party so someone can operate a llift for
another chap stuck below is enough to solve a problem.  But more often than
not  puzzles  are  generally  solved by one of the three types of solution:
switches,psi-amps and movable objects.


SWITCHES
--------

Switch puzzles tend to be the most difficult,as the switches can sommetimes
be both well hidden and along way from the section of the zone they affect.
A  good  example  of  this  can be found right at the beginning of the very
first   zone.Run  around  to  the  back  of  the  first  building  you  can
enter,rather than going inside,and find the cluster of movable objects in a
corner.Pull  one  out,kill  the  allien  which emerges,and press the switch
hidden  round  the corner behind the blocks.Now when you get to the section
inside the complex whre a series of three lifts take you to a security card
on  a  small  edge,you`ll  find that the wall to the left has vanished.this
lets you reach a mounted mini-gun hidden on another ledge above some stairs
you  came  up earlier (make sure someone agile goes for the gun because you
have  to fall down a deep drop to get it).Another very uuseful switch crops
up  at  the  start  of the good old laboratory test site.Select one of your
team  to  run North from the start between two columns and you`ll come to a
recessed  switch.Press this and a square will open in the ground right next
to  the  rest  of  your  party in the middle of the patch of checked floor.
Your  team can now drop down this hole into the main  caverns below without
first having to go through the severely hazardous sea-horse-filled trenches
on the surface.


PSI-AMPS
--------

While most psi-amps produce very obvious effects,iit is sometimes difficult
to see exactly why a particular effect might be useful.The best thing to do
with  a  new  psi-amp is to try it oout and think how the result might help
you access a place hadnt been able to before.

Heres  an  example from the first short action game,the Animal Enclosure.To
the foward right oof yoour start position there is a semmingly inaccessible
door  accross  a  trough of water and half way up a wall.But you can get to
it.Enter  the  main  complex,go  to  the large cavern containing a horde of
winged  devils  and take the first door on the right.In there you`ll find a
Psi-amp  Wall  Machine.Using  this  makes a 3D block appear infron tof you.
Take this back to the suurface,drop it into the water in front of thhe high
door,and use a combination of the lidt on the right and the wall Psi-amp to
make  and get an artificial platform from which you can enter the door.Your
efforts  are  well-rewarded:behind  the  door  is  Graveyards most powerful
weapon - The Disruptor Cannon.

Most  of  the  psi-amps  really  are exceptionally useful.They come in four
different   types   -   weapons,healers,shields  and  specials.The  special
ones,indicated  by  a  sign a bit like a radioactivity symbol on their left
hand  side,are  by  far the most interesting and often the most useful.They
include  the psi-amps for bridges,parting water,gills(so humans can breathe
under  water),and  farsight(which  greatly  enhances  the range of your map
scanner).


MOVABLE OBJECTS
---------------

These  are quite simply to use in principle,but infact it can sometimes be
a real test of your spatial awareness trying to figure out exactly how best
to  position them in a situation.They come in most handy as either a way of
filling  in an otherwise impassible gap or for pushing off ledges to lessen
the  drop  for the poor soul who has to try it.Usually it it worth taking a
few  moments to plan exactly how you are going to manouevre each block into
the  correct  position  -  if you make a mistake you could end up getting a
much needed block stuck in an irretrievable position.If youre quick,you can
also  use  blocks  to  trap enemies,which can be surprisingly useful if the
enemy  in  question  is  a particulary vicious brute or,heaven forbid,youve
might even have run out of ammunition.


MULTI-PLAYER SHORT ACTION GAMES
-------------------------------

If youre playing with a friend an want to actualy complete a section,theres
not  much  to  add  to waht Ive already said.If,however, you really want to
have  some  fun and just play a game where you want to kill each other,then
hres a couple of things which might help.

First,its  worth  agreeing  before  choosing your protagonists that certain
weapons are dissallowed - CIM`s mounted mini-gun,for instance - since these
kill  opponents too fast to make a descent game.Picking the same characters
and sticking to the same weapons makes the competition most fun.

In  a  two  player  game,avoid  making  your characters into a two man team
because this doubles the size of the target for your opponent and means you
could  loose  both men in a single attack.Avoid using mines and sentry guns
unless you good at remembering where you put them...

Finally,if  yooure  in a big room (the Lemmings War level is a good one for
shoot-outs) try standing back against the wall looking out across the room.
This  lets you see an enemy approaching early,often without hhim being able
to see you.And of course no one can sneak up behind you.