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BASIC TRAINING
This walkthru of BUCK ROGERS: COUNTDOWN TO DOOMSDAY is divided into three
parts. Part one, Basic Training, contains basic game mechanics and game
universe information that the player should know before starting the game.
Part two, TOUR OF DUTY, contains game hints. Part three, INTELLIGENCE
REPORTS, contains detailed information on how to complete the game.
PARTY COMPOSITION
The Logbook indicates that a medic, rocketjock, and engineer are required;
having two medics is highly recommended, and a rogue is desirable.
Otherwise, the skill system allows for a variety of party compositions.
Tinkers are best created as engineers. There are no other obviously good or
bad matches between races and careers.
It is worthwhile to use the Modify command to maximize the various
attributes (such as Strength) after you add a character to the party.
SMALL ARMS
All guns come with a set of reloadable clips; reloading is done
automatically. As a result, there are no reloads to put in the Gear
inventory. A gun with all its clips filled has 250 rounds, which is quite
adequate for most missions. For the occasional longer missions, two guns or
500 rounds is sufficient. However, battles are won by having the right
weapon for the occasion. This means carrying from four to six different
weapons.
Needle guns are the best weapons. Nothing stops them, nobody is immune to
them, and only a few opponents have partial immunity to them. Partial
immunity means some rounds will hit for 0 hit points. The only disadvantage
of needle guns is their short range. Having two needle guns per character
is highly recommended.
Laser rifles are good long-range backups for needle guns. Aerosol clouds
will stop laser beams and combat robots have partial immunity to lasers.
For that reason, some characters should carry rocket rifles in place of, or
in addition to, laser rifles. Chaff clouds will stop rockets. ECM packages
protect against rockets. Combat robots have ECM packages built into them.
Bolt guns are as good as needle guns, but have an even shorter range.
Microwave guns are very effective against unarmored opponents, but useless
against anyone wearing armor. For these reasons, these weapons should not
be carried unless the party finds ones that improve THAC0 (e.g., a Lunarian
bolt gun will improve the THAC0 by 4!). All other guns are not worth
carrying unless they also improve THAC0.
Melee weapons (swords, axes, etc.) are not worth carrying with one
exception: Characters with high strength (18 or above) get hit bonuses when
they attack with melee weapons. It is worthwhile to equip your strong
characters with melee weapons for close combat.
GRENADES
All grenades have a 3x3 square blast area. Chaff grenades are extremely
useful for fighting heavy combat robots.
Since you will be outnumbered in most of the battles, stun grenades are
very useful for evening the odds by knocking some opponents out while you
fight the rest.
All explosive grenades are very useful. The remaining grenades are of
limited use for various reasons, the main one being that most of your
opponents are immune to their effects.
HEAVY WEAPONS
All characters should have a grenade launcher because they extend the range
a grenade can be thrown. This is very useful for throwing chaff grenades at
heavy combat robots. Like all heavy weapons, loading takes one combat turn.
Fortunately, the game regards the grenade as a regular weapon, so you can
have grenade launchers ready at the same time as another weapon.
Rocket launchers have a blast area of 5x5 squares. Grab all you find.
Plasma Throwers have a blast area of 7x7 squares. Get as many as you can.
Grenades, rockets, and plasma balls can all be stopped by chaff clouds.
Make sure there is no chaff in the way when you fire these weapons.
MISCELLANEOUS EQUIPMENT
Protective goggles protect against dazzle grenades, ECM packages protect
against rockets, and poison antidotes are extremely useful.
SKILLS REQUIREMENTS
The following skills are extremely important:
Zero-gravity maneuvering should be at least 40. Everyone, except for the
medics, should have First Aid. At the higher levels, First Aid also gives a
low-level Treat Light Wound capability. In this game, you have to be next
to a character to Bandage him.
One character should have Bypass Security and Open Lock at the highest
possible levels. (You do a lot of breaking and entering.)
Programming at a high level (20+) is recommended for one character. The
rocketjock should have Pilot Rocket at the highest possible level and
Navigation skill of at least 20.
Besides the engineer, at least one other character should have Juryrig
skill of at least 20; having two characters with this skill is preferred.
The engineer should have all the repair skills. Repair Weapons can be
spread around to the other characters. It is a good idea to have at least
one other character who can make repairs.
The medic should strive for the highest possible level at Treat Critical
Wounds first, then Treat Serious Wounds, and then Treat Light Wounds. If
some one else has a high First Aid, then Treat Light Wounds may be
neglected to increase the other medical skills. Diagnose and Treat
Poisoning need only be at least 15. Treat Stun enables a medic to unstun
someone who has been stunned. To do this, move the medic next to the
character and the Aid command should appear in the combat menu. Select Aid
and the character will be unstunned if the medic has a high enough skill
level (about 15+).
You should have the following skills spread among your party:
The party needs to get a set of keys (12) and a Lowlander child (13) from
the village. Helping the villagers out is optional but very much worth the
trouble (14). It is very important to keep the child alive.
Due south of the village is the ruin of a space elevator. Explore it
carefully, but do _not_ blow it up (15), at least not yet. It is useless to
explore this place first, as the game will hint to you if you try. Explore
all the squares to find needed hidden items.
Once you find the secret RAM base, the mission is to help some Lowlanders
escape from the base. In return, you will get something you need to
complete the game. The escape sequence is rather complicated. You need to
find the Lowlanders, find their leader, help the leader by finding the
secret exit, bring the Lowlanders to their leader, and get the location of
the thing from the leader (16). Only then can you leave the base. Upon
completing this part of the mission, you can blow up the elevator ruin.
MERCURY: This is the final mission. The first part is easy. You have to
find the entrance to the core. Hint: Join the parade (17). Once you enter
the core, carefully explore the first three floors before continuing (18).
Each floor has something you need. At Level 4, go directly to the Sun King
(Hint: Go northeast), and pretend to ally with him (19). Now you can safely
proceed up to the top of the core.
At this point, things get complicated. First, you must abort the firing of
the weapon by shutting down the power. There is a time limit to this
sequence, so have a saved game you can go back to if you cannot shut the
power down in time. Hint: The game tells you to use the stairs to get to
the floor with the power controls (20); this is a good idea. The stairs are
to the northwest. You want to go all the way to the top of the stairs. The
power control floor is also the floor with the doomsday weapon (21). The
battle for the weapon is a two-parter, but you will have a chance to save
between battles.
The end of the second battle starts another time-limited sequence. You have
to get out of the tower before it blows. The game suggests that you should
use escape pods. Hint: It is the next floor down (22). Have a saved
position you can go back to if you fail to make it out in time.
After the victory sequence, you can continue to play the game.
SIDE MISSIONS
TALON'S SECRET BASE: The knowledge of the base is automatically given to
you after you escape from Talon's ship, along with a clue as to whom to see.
Once you talk to Garrity, it's a simple matter of searching the asteroid
belt for the base. Hint: Try the bars. This mission is moderately tough
(23).
JUSTIN ROBENO: You will see Robeno's ship fleeing Mars after you complete
the Mars mission. The object is to find Robeno and help him retrieve some
RAM secrets for NEO. This mission is easy, but be prepared for a series of
running battles, including one in space (24).
JASON DUPARE'S RESCUE: This mission is given to you by NEO. Hint:
Programming skill is very useful for shutting down the security computer.
There is also a second "spear carrier" prisoner in the prison to be rescued.
This mission is tough (25).
WILMA DEERING: After Venus, you will get a call from NEO to meet Wilma
for computer consoles on every floor, and try to get information from them.
On Level 1 you will be taken to the base commander. Pretend to be a green
squad member who has had a rough time of it. Fast Talking helps here. It is
best to use the shaft at 42,62 to get to Level 2.
10. A white
passcard is
at 42,62 to
entrance to
11. After the battle, you are dumped at 48,59 on Level 0. The exit route
leads through locations 53,54 and 50,50.
12. The keys can be found at 9,14.
13. The child is at 12,5.
14. The Lowlanders are at 14,0. The medical kit they need is in the
building at 5,11.
15. The self-destruct key is at 8,1. The self-destruct controls are at 2,1.
The entrance to the main base is at 8,0.
16. The Lowlanders are at 0,2 on the 3rd floor. Landon is at 7,4 on the 4th
floor. The retinal lockpick is at 1,2 on the 1st floor, but you can find it
only after Landon "tells" you its location. The hidden door is at 3,0 on
the 4th floor. The elevator between floors is at 7,1 on all floors.
17. "Two if by sea" is the password at 1,9. The parade starts at 8,4.
Remember that you are innocent party-goers if stopped while you're in the
parade. Again, Fast Talk is very useful. You leave the parade at 13,7; the
core entrance is at 15,2.
18. The coins are at 7,12 on Level 1; 12,13 on Level 2; and 11,12 on Level
3.
19. The Sun King is at 14,3. There is little else of interest on this level.
Once you are allied with the king, go straight up the core to the security
level.
20. The emergency stairs are at 0,0. Go up two flights.
21. The power room is at 2,4. The Doomsday Weapon is at 10,11.
22. The pod controls are at 4,5. Search the nearby rooms for a pod.
23. Until you kill the RAM commander at 14,13, you will have random RAM
encounters. After you kill him (actually Talon does that), you will have
random encounters with Talon's heavy combat robots.
24. Go to Ceres and check the bars and restaurants. You will have no
problems until you go back to Pavonis. You then will have a series of
running battles, including a final one in space. There is no maze. All
movement is automatic.
25. You need to shutdown the security computer at 14,8.
26. The loot is at 0,6.
BUCK ROGERS: COUNTDOWN TO DOOMSDAY is published by Strategic Simulations,