%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%% % % % STRIKERS 1945 II % % beginner's guide for clearing the first round % % by Bernard Doria % % % %%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%% // NOTICE: I will leave this guide as-is to help beginners // clear the first round of Strikers 1945 II. The changes // in strategy I would make to meet more demanding goals // will be continued in a separate guide, subtitled "in // search for the optimal strategy". I will likely tighten // the strategies presented here, however--the beginner may // choose find better explanations in that separate guide. % CONTENTS Introduction - My Goal - The Ki-84 Hayate - Bomb Distribution First Round Missions - Mission 1-Philippines (sky) - Mission 1-Greenland (sea) - Mission 1-United States (mine) - Mission 1-France (town) - Mission 1-5 - Mission 1-6 - Mission 1-7 - Mission 1-8 Appendix - Acknowledgements % MY GOAL I want to clear Strikers 1945 II in one credit. To accomplish this, I intend to minimize the number of threatening situations. To meet this objective, I will consider the following: (1) Which plane eliminates these threats the easiest? (2) How should I distribute my Support Attack bombs such that I eliminate the most threatening situations? (3) How should I use my plane's powers to eliminate these threats? In particular, how should I manage my level gauge? (4) What techniques should I use to evade the less threatening situations in the game? I will discuss these considerations later in this guide. Notice, however, that I never consider any scoring techniques--waiting for gold to shine at its brightest, mingling with the boss to make extra planes appear, and the like. These would only create more threatening situations which would hurt my objective. Moreover, I find it unnecessary to consider score as a means to earn the Extend quicker. I should be able to earn it before clearing 1-6 if I shoot down as many enemies as I can. Right now, there are too many threats for me to handle, so it's impossible for me to clear the game. Thus, I have defined smaller goals that would lead me into completing the game. First, I want to clear the first loop. Then I want to clear it with one fewer death until I can do so without dying. Then I want to clear it with one more bomb in stock until can do so with nine. From here, I should have enough bombs for the second round. Finally, I want to clear each stage in the second round one by one until I can clear the entire game. % THE KI-84 HAYATE I choose the Ki-84 Hayate, because its secondary weapons allow me to destroy enemies quickly and without being in line with the enemies at all times. These weapons are so powerful that they allow me to exploit the rank system. First, the sub-weapon Seeking Wingmen (SW). They hunt for the nearest enemy and destroy it before moving on to another enemy. Since these wingmen can move all over the screen, they can destroy enemies out of my reach. If I'm dealing with one threat on one side, I can let them weaken any threat on the other side; when I'm done dealing with the first threat, I can destroy the next one quickly. Moreover, they allow me to recharge my level gauge quickly so I can summon the other powerful attack, the super-shot Wingmen Attack Formation (WAF). The super-shot is where the power of the Hayate lies. Place a wingman somewhere on the screen and it will stay there for a while, firing a rapid stream of shots upwards. Not only are their shots powerful enough to destroy threats right away, they allow me to strike preemptively, before a threatening enemy arrives. I can set a wingman where strong enemies would appear, and then I can move on to another threat immediately. The WAF's power allows me to keep my Shot Level low in order to keep Rank low. This way, bullets move slower, slow enough so I can dodge them easily--very handy when bullets fly faster in the second half of the round. But to ensure I can use the WAF when I need it, I maintain a Shot Level of 2--two power-ups which damage enemies quick enough to replenish my level gauge. If I accidentally pick up an extra power-up, I bump into an enemy to power down. Because of this, my regular shot remains weak. But it still has some key strengths. The shot spread out enough to destroy a group of drones quickly. And when I approach an enemy at point-blank range, it can finish off the enemy quickly. When these weapons fail to destroy the enemy in time, I can use the support attack Bomber Air Support (I will refer to this as a "bomb"). It flies from the bottom of the screen to the lower third of the screen and it blocks bullets. I cannot use it for emergency evasion because the bomber takes a bit of time to move up the screen. I can, however, use it to clear the toughest bullet barrages in the game and in the meantime, to strike the enemy at point-blank range. Later on, I will outline how I plan to use these bombs. A final note. Although the Hayate is one of the slower planes, speed has little impact on my chances of survival. Unlike Gunbird 2, there's less need to move in point-blank against the enemy and only a few bullet barrages require a quick, wide sweep around the perimeter of the screen. Plus, the secondary weapons can destroy anything not in my plane's reach, so there's little need for me to zip all over the screen just to survive. % BOMB DISTRIBUTION To clear the first round with at least 0 lives and 0 bombs, I can use up to 16 bombs. This is how I should distribute them. MISSN BOM SCENE (Random missions 1-3 and 1-4) 1-PHI 2 giant plane, blocked gap 1-GRL 1 flower pendulum 1-USA 2 aimed compound, seeking pods 1-FRA 3 turret belt, airship's front, spread mess (All missions) 1-12 0 1-34 5 (as described above) 1-5 1 fortress's front 1-6 1 packed compound 1-7 3 CANY bosses, BLOCK-ADE's arms, explosion pods 1-8 6 mid-boss's bay, two UFOs, hairy squeeze (x2), unsafe spot, fake through Depending on what stage the game chooses for missions 1-3 and 1-4, I may use as little as 3 bombs or as many as 5. Thus, I've set aside 5 bombs for these two stages. The bombs left over after mission 1-4 will be used for emergency evasion. I will now describe where I will use these bombs and why I chose that scene. As I limit my bombs more and more, I will continue to bomb only the toughest scenes and learn to dodge the rest. Thus, I have ranked these scenes, the easy ones denoted by one star and the hard ones by three stars. . 1-Philippines (2 bombs) (* ) GIANT PLANE. This white plane spanning more than half the screen is supported by many smaller enemies. These enemies fire bullets that could put me out of position. For the moment, it's easier for me just to use a bomb. (* ) BLOCKED GAP. The boss's first form fires two arcs of white bullets. The easiest way to get through this is by running through the arcs' intersection point but the drones' bullets could block it. It's hard to see the bullets' trajectories if I try to dodge from the side, so to be safe, I use a bomb here. . 1-Greenland (1 bomb) (** ) FLOWER PENDULUM. The core of the boss's third form fires a fast multi-way shot that resembles a flower. In the later stages, these streams are longer and I would have to cross them to avoid being cornered. But the bullets move so quickly that I have lack enough confidence to dodge it. . 1-United States (2 bombs) (* ) AIMED COMPOUND. After a while, the boss's first form fires many small 3-way bullets and fast white bullets, all aimed at me. I may become trapped if I try to move around the perimeter of the screen. (***) SEEKING PODS. The boss's second form summons pods that fire small bullets aimed at me. The real trouble, though, is that the boss fires another pattern quickly after he summons the pods. Holes in the pattern may be blocked by the pods' bullets, and I would be trapped. . 1-France (3 bombs) (** ) TURRET BELT. 5 groups of turrets near the end of the stage fire plenty of fast white bullets. I must perform lots of cutbacks here, which is too difficult for me to handle. (** ) AIRSHIP'S FRONT. The boss's second form summons lots of helicopters while firing a mess of bullets from itself. Running around the perimeter of the screen is too dangerous, so it's safer for me to use a bomb. (* ) SPREAD MESS. The boss's third form opens with bullet spreads, with drones clogging potential holes. It's very difficult to find the gaps, here. . 1-5 (1 bombs) (** ) ROMMEL'S FRONT. The boss's first form has turrets too close to me. I could die here if I fail to react quick enough. . 1-6 (1 bomb) (***) PACKED COMPOUND. After a while, the boss's second form raises its arms and fires off a confusing mix of bullets. Dodging this requires either very large sweeps or very small sweeps, neither of which are easy to do. . 1-7 (3 bombs) (** ) CANY BOSSES. Either Strikers 1945 boss has one tough pattern that scare me. For the United States boss (the white one), it's the charged burst of red bullets. For the Russia boss (the green one), it's a mix of pods and a clump of fast bullets. (** ) BLOCK-ADE'S ARMS. This large enemy before the boss fires bullets from its arms. The hole is easy to distinguish--it's below the enemy's nose. But it's hard to return here when I need to dodge it a second time. (***) EXPLOSION PODS. The boss's third attack fires five pods that explode into a bullet mess. It's hard to see the bullets when they're firing at me from the sides. . 1-8 (6 bombs) (** ) MID-BOSS'S BAY. Before the mid-boss, there are two UFOs and plenty of turrets. Because I have no clue how to handle this, the bullets from the UFOs trap me into a corner. (** ) TWO UFOS. After the ring of orbs, two UFOs arrive simultaneously. Again, I have no clue how to handle this, so I become trapped. (** ) HAIRY SQUEEZE. (x2) In the boss's second form, the boss swings a fast wave of bullets whose holes are difficult to see. Proper positioning is also difficult. This attack happens twice. (** ) UNSAFE SPOT. The boss's third form fires a strange pattern which is easily managed just by sitting at the center. This is tough to find, though. (** ) FAKE THROUGH. The boss's fourth form rushes down and dumps a bucketful of bullets. He follows this up with a pattern whose safe spot is aligned with the center of the boss. I'm usually out of position because I have to dodge the bucket of bullets first. From here on, I will use the following acronyms: . LHS, left-hand side . RHS, right-hand side . CL, center line . SW, seeking wingmen . WAF, wingmen attack formation (super-shot) % MISSION 1-PHILIPPINES (SKY) WAF Distribution: Lv.1 : 1st large plane, RHS Lv.1 : GIANT PLANE, CL Lv.1 : 3rd large plane, LHS Lv.1 : 4th and 5th large planes, RHS Lv.1x?: Boss, all forms--until boss core remains Destroy the small planes on the left, then use a Lv.1 WAF on the right side to destroy the large plane there. Move to the left side to destroy the other plane. After a while, a GIANT PLANE will appear in the center. Aim a Lv.1 WAF at it, then move to the left. Dodge the first set of white bullets by running over to the right. It should be destroyed in a couple of moments. In 1-3 and 1-4, dodging might be difficult to do, so use a bomb instead. In 1-2 and beyond, collect the power-up that this plane drops--this will be handy later. To avoid the rest of the bullets from the other planes, just remember where the planes are located. They fire two sets of bullets straight down. It's safe enough just to squeeze between the first and second sets. Once the skies clear and battleships appear in the background, place a Lv.1 WAF aimed at the leftmost plane. This will destroy the third large plane that appears later. When the fourth plane appears, aim a Lv.1 WAF on its left wing. This will help destroy it and the fifth plane that appears after. Now for the boss. Deploy Lv.1 WAFs as they become available--I will describe when to stop later. For the opening attack, it's easy to dodge the crossing waves of white bullets through the intersection; in 1-3 and 1-4, however, the stray bullets from the drones may create a BLOCKED GAP. Use a bomb until you feel comfortable dodging this attack from its side. Dodge the patterns however you wish, but it's important to decide how to dodge the white bullets ahead of time. Either use the intersection or use the sides. When this form is destroyed, it will now scatter bullets. Use the top of the screen to avoid it all--you will bump into the boss once (this is why it's important to take the power-up from the giant plane). Do this quickly, or else you will run into the next attack--look for openings the right side of the screen. The rest of the patterns are easy to dodge, but pay attention to the 2-3-2 pattern formation of white bullets. The middle bullet is aimed, so just sidestep to dodge this attack. When only the boss's core remains (i.e., no wings to destroy), use one more Lv.1 WAF to finish it off. % MISSION 1-GREENLAND (SEA) Lv.1 : large planes, RHS Lv.1 : 2nd battleship, LHS Lv.1 : 3rd battleship, CL Lv.1 : 4th battleship, LHS Lv.2 : Boss, 1st form, turrets on RHS Lv.1 : Boss, 2nd form, core on LHS Lv.1x2: Boss, 3rd form, runway on RHS twice Lv.1 : Boss, 3rd form, core on CL While you're still invincible, destroy the battleship over on the right. Then overlap the two submarines to destroy them quickly. Move to the right side and place a Lv.1 WAF there (if the gauge approaches Lv.2 earlier than expected, just use a Lv.1 WAF earlier). Focus on destroying the drones. The second battleship will soon appear from the left--destroy it quickly with a Lv.1 WAF. Then destroy the two planes on the right. When the third plane appears, focus on destroying the drones, instead. Soon, the guns of the third battleship appear--place a Lv.1 WAF to destroy them early. Avoid placing it too soon, because this WAF can also destroy the upcoming plane in the center. Then destroy the planes from the left with the shot. After this, just sweep to the right and back to the left to destroy the annoying drones. Destroy the left plane suitably with the shot. When the fourth battleship on the left appears, use a Lv.1 WAF to destroy it. The rest of the large planes can be destroyed with shot. They appear from the right to the left. You should have a Lv.2 WAF ready for the boss's first form. Place it when the turret from the right side appears. Move to the left side to destroy the rest of the turrets with the shot. When the turret appears, circle counterclockwise with the flow of the turret's fire. Overlap it when you have the chance--there is plenty of time to do so. The turret is quickly destroyed from here. Then use a Lv.1 WAF on the left side to destroy the battleship. Now for the third form. Move to the right side and place a Lv.1 WAF to damage the runway, then follow it to the left side. To dodge the bullets, start from the right side of the runway and move into the middle--there's less of a chance to run into stray bullets this way. Follow it to the right side and finish it off with a Lv.1 WAF. Don't worry about the other arm, since the WAFs should destroy it. The core will now fire the FLOWER PENDULUM. In 1-1 and 1-2, the first flower can be dodged by using the lower-left corner and the second, the upper-right side of the screen. The first safe zone fails to exist in 1-3 and 1-4, however, so use a bomb, instead. Use one more Lv.1 WAF in the center upon earning it. It should be destroyed after the boss fires off large, red bullets (easy to dodge). % MISSION 1-UNITED STATES (MINE) WAF Distribution: Lv.1 : 2nd train, CL Lv.1 : 3rd train, LHS Lv.1 : 4th train, RHS Lv.2 : Boss, 1st form's body Lv.1 : Boss, 1st form, used immediately Lv.1x3: Boss, 2nd form Destroy the large plane on the left side with the shot. When the first train appears, place a Lv.1 WAF along the center. This will destroy the second train that appears after. Destroy the rest of the enemies suitably. Once the second train is destroyed, place a Lv.1 WAF along the tracks on the left side to destroy the third train. Destroy the plane on the right side with the shot. Next is the octagon building housing four turrets. Move to the right side of the screen. When the turrets begin to fire, slowly move to the left side of the screen. Even if you fail to destroy the turrets while you're under them, keep moving away--let the SWs finish the job. Ignore the plane that appears on the left side, and place a Lv.1 WAF on the left track on the right side--that's where the fourth train appears. Then destroy the long building as you would with the turret building before. Quickly move to the right once the building is destroyed to finish off the train. Collect the power-up--the extra firepower is worth having for the boss's first form. Then move to the middle to prepare for the many planes that appear. Use the right side to evade all the bullets. For the boss, try to earn a Lv.2 WAF to use here. Stay close to the left side of the boss. When it begins firing, circle counterclockwise around the turret openings--this is safer than using the bottom of the screen to dodge. Place a Lv.1 WAF as soon as it becomes available. The extra firepower gained from the power-up will destroy this boss soon. Otherwise, the AIMED COMPOUND attack will strike next, which is difficult to dodge in 1-3 and 1-4, so a bomb must be used. Stop firing and use the planes on the left to power down. Now, the second form varies greatly among each stage--learn how the boss attacks and where it will jump. To dodge the SEEKING PODS, start on one side of the screen (preferably, right next to the boss) and use the entire screen to lead them away. Place WAFs such that the pods will run into them. In 1-3 and 1-4, use a bomb if the SEEKING PODS become a threat; that is, if their stray bullets will get in the way of being at a certain position or dodging the otherwise easy bazooka blast of red bullets. To dodge the flower pattern, start on the right side of the screen, press left to dodge the second wave, and run over to the upper-left corner to evade the third. It will likely take 3 WAFs to destroy this boss. % MISSION 1-FRANCE (TOWN) WAF Distribution: Lv.1 : 1st turret hatch, RHS Lv.1 : 2nd turret hatch, LHS Lv.2 : 15-turret belt, LHS Lv.1x?: 15-turret belt, RHS--until all are destroyed Lv.2 : Boss, 2nd form, CL Lv.1x3: Boss, 3rd form--until boss moves L->R Destroy all enemies suitably until a lone drone from the right side appears. This is a cue to place a Lv.1 WAF aimed at the turret hatch on the right side. Zip over to the left side to place a Lv.1 WAF aimed at the turret hatch on the left side. These two WAFs should destroy those turrets and the large planes that appear. Destroy the third turret and the plane with the shot. Next are carriers which eject smaller kamikaze planes. In 1-2 to 1-4, these carriers fire a wave of bullets that are awkward to dodge. It's difficult to create a firm pattern here, but try to use the entire screen to get to the lower-right corner. Next is the TURRET BELT. A Lv.2 WAF can be placed on the left side; in 1-3 and 1-4, however, it's difficult to aim with bullets flying all over the place--use a bomb as cover. Now there's less need to cut back and forth, since the bullets come from only the right side. Use Lv.1 WAFs to destroy the rest of the turrets until all of them are destroyed. Large planes will appear from here on. Destroy them all with shot. In 1-4, there will be one plane lingering on the right side--be aware of it. There is a way to disallow this plane from appearing--let a plane linger until the boss appears--but I have trouble making this work consistently. The boss's first form is easy. Let the SWs destroy the drones on the left side. Quickly circle counterclockwise around the turrets--it's better than staying at the bottom of the screen and performing cutbacks. Destroy the drones that appear from the right side. Quickly circle around the turrets again, before the drones from the left side appear. Otherwise, they will fire bullets along the top of the screen, trapping you. On the second form, the CASKET'S FRONT, use a Lv.2 WAF at the center of the screen. Move to the left side of a screen and slowly move to the right to lead the bullets away. This is tricky to do in 1-3 and 1-4, though, so it's safer to use a bomb here. Now, the third form. It takes 3 Lv.1 WAFs to destroy this boss--deploy them as they are earned. When the boss begins shooting, move to the right, looking only for openings ahead of you. This SPREAD MESS may be difficult to dodge in 1-3 and 1-4, so feel free to use a bomb instead. The boss will rush down, leaving behind a barrier of small bullets--dodge through the holes on the right side. The following patters are easy to dodge, but pay attention to the clump of small bullets--those can be led to the right side of the screen. Next, the boss will hover on the left side, open its arms, and fire a spread of fast bullets as it rushes to the right. Dodge the first bullet on its right side and the rest on the left to take better advantage of the large gap in the pattern. It should be destroyed here. % MISSION 1-5 WAF Distribution: Lv.1 : Large tank, LHS Lv.2 : Building with 3 turrets, LHS--empty gauge here Lv.1 : Large plane, RHS Lv.1x?: Boss, all forms--until 2nd form's claws are gone Sweep from the left to the right and back to the left to destroy the enemies. When the large tank appears, place a Lv.1 WAF on its left edge. This WAF will also destroy the large plane on the left side. In the meantime, cross over to the right side and destroy all the enemies with shot suitably. Pay attention to the big brown tank there--try overlapping it to seal its fire. After a while, there are two hatches on the left side. Overlap them to seal the turrets' fire. Once they're destroyed, empty your gauge (it should be Lv.2, but Lv.1x2 is fine, too) here to destroy the turret and the large plane above. Move to the lower-right corner. When white bullets begin to fly, slowly move to the left side. Avoid cutting back to the right--let the wingmen do their job. After, destroy the roof hiding the inactive brown tank on the right side. Then place a Lv.1 WAF there to destroy the large plane on the right. To dodge the bullets, start from the lower-right corner and sweep to the lower-left. For the plane on the left, just run counterclockwise around the perimeter of the screen. Place all available WAFs on the center of the screen. Continue to place the WAFs on the core of both boss forms until boss's second form loses its claws. When the FORTRESS'S FRONT begins to attack, use a bomb to clear the way and attack the front turrets right away, then destroy the side turrets. The fortress should be destroyed here, but if it remains alive, move to the center of the screen and use the sides to evade any oncoming bullets. Now for the second form. The boss fires two sets of bullets in a 4-3 formation--find a lane near the center of the screen and let the attack pass through. Then step over to the left side to get through the wave of white bullets. After, run over to the right side to avoid the clumps of bullets. After the fourth aimed white bullet, return to the large gap in the center--be fearless, as the only point of those crossing bullets is to keep you away from the sides. Next is a flower pattern with a hole in the center. Move through it right away, because the boss's gun will clog the center shortly. Finally, the boss will fire waves of small bullets. Try to find the shortest path between the waves' endpoints and follow it. The boss should lose its claws here and it will die soon. If not, hold off using the bomb until it traps you with its white bullets. % MISSION 1-6 WAF Distribution: Lv.1 : Small building, RHS Lv.1 : Large building, LHS Lv.1 : 1st large plane, LHS Lv.1 : 2nd set of helicopters, rightmost one Lv.1 : Bomb hatch, LHS Lv.1 : Hatch on RHS before large turret Lv.2 & Lv.1x3: Boss, 2nd form--until attack pattern loops Destroy the bottommost tank and then use a Lv.1 WAF on the right side. Help the WAF destroy the building above before it fires any bullets. Soon, another building on the left side will appear. Prepare by placing a Lv.1 WAF on the left side (not edge), and then help it destroy the building. Next are the large, brown planes. There is some freedom to dodge their 3-way white bullets, but try to avoid dodging them along the edge of the screen. Also, stick to destroying one plane--avoid dancing between planes so that the patterns do not cross over and become too confusing to dodge. When the first large plane appears, place a Lv.1 WAF on the left wing of the plane. When the second plane appears on the right, this will destroy the bottommost helicopter on the left side. By then, be on the right side to destroy the bottommost helicopter there. Destroy the third plane on the left and then the fourth on the right. Place a Lv.1 WAF on the bottommost helicopter on the right, too. Then proceed to destroy the rest of the planes suitably. Although the planes alternate in appearance, sometimes they refuse to appear if the previous plane was destroyed too slowly. Watch out for that. Next, destroy the box holding the bomb with a Lv.1 WAF. This will also destroy the left hatch. When the right hatch appears, place a Lv.1 WAF there. Finish off the hatches by overlapping them. To deal with the large, mobile turret above, start from the left side and swing around to the right side. This should lead the entire barrage to the left side of the screen. Deal with the barrage three times before finishing it off. Stay in the middle to avoid the missiles and the floating mines (their shots are typical even-way spreads, so there's no need to dodge them). Then the boss will appear. Move under the left turret and when the boss fires, run to the middle, move up a little bit and run back to the lower-left corner to avoid the barrage from the right side. Stay in this corner--this is a safe spot for the next attack. Repeat this once more. (Caution: this safe spot does not exist in the Original 1 monitor mode in the console ports. Safe spots may fail in other parts of the game in this mode, too, so try to use TATE mode instead.) It takes one Lv.2 WAF and three Lv.1 WAFs to destroy the second form--use them as they become available. Move to the lower-left corner. When the right arm attacks, rush over to the right side and find an opening to the left side again to avoid the left arm's attack. Then move to the right side, away from the bottom of the screen to stay above the left arm's next attack. Return to the lower-left corner. The boss will now raise its shoulders and fire one of the most dangerous attacks in the game--the PACKED COMPOUND. Use a bomb. The boss will be destroyed shortly, but repeat the above exercise to dodge the remaining attacks. % MISSION 1-7 WAF Distribution: Lv.1 : Building in background, LHS Lv.2 & Lv.1 : CANY BOSSES Lv.1 : Ruffian tank, CL Lv.1 : UFOs, CL Lv.1 : BLOCK-ADE's box, LHS Lv.1 : BLOCK-ADE itself Lv.1x?: Boss, until 2nd laser attack Once you descend into base, there's a building in the background on the left side. Place a Lv.1 WAF along the right edge of this building to destroy the upcoming enemies. Sweep to the right and to the left to destroy the drones, then help the WAF destroy the plane and the crane. Move to the right side and destroy these enemies there. After, a ruffian tank will reveal itself over on the upper-left corner. Run over to the hatch there and overlap the tank to seal its fire. Destroy the blue tank on the right side and destroy the rest of the enemies suitably. It's best to circle counterclockwise around the center two turrets to avoid fire. The CANY BOSSES from Strikers 1945 will appear--either will need one Lv.2 WAF and one Lv.1 WAF. Their appears seems to be chosen randomly. For the green U.S.S.R boss, use a bomb when the white bullets after the mines appear. To dodge this attack, move as close to the upper-left of the screen to draw fire away, and then move to the open space on the lower-right. Then step away from the center of the screen to avoid running into the red bullets. Repeat until the boss dies. For the white U.S. boss, stay away from the middle for the first attack, then sidestep to the middle for the odd-way spread. You can bomb the red balls, but they can be dodges just by sidestepping to the left as the balls are fired. Repeat this until the boss dies. After, you will see a hatch. The ruffian tank here will veer to the right just after it appears so place a Lv.1 WAF along the right edge of the hatch. To dodge its bullets, start at the center and then move to the right. After two volleys, run to the left side and it will be destroyed. Destroy all the blue tanks as they are seen, and when the two cranes appear, place a Lv.1 WAF along the center. There is a safe spot on the lower-left corner for all sets of UFOs except the third (count the explosions to time this properly) but if there are any UFOs in the center, their bullets will cross the safe spot so they should be destroyed. To dodge the third explosion, just sidestep to the right and then return to the corner. As for the BLOCK-ADE, place a Lv.1 WAF along the right edge of the box. Collect the power-up and a bomb--there's no time to avoid the power-up. Also, remember to place another Lv.1 WAF when it becomes available. Now, align yourself at the bottom of the screen with BLOCK-ADE's nose. This is a safe zone for the next attack. Next, the BLOCK-ADE's ARMS will charge an attack that will scatter bullets everywhere. Use a bomb to remain settled into the safe spot. To dodge, start from the left side and find openings to the right. Try to return to the safe zone--you can move vertically along the safe zone to avoid any stray bullets. When it's destroyed, use the planes on the upper-left corner to power down. The boss will be destroyed with a couple of Lv.1 WAFs--use them as they become available. To start, overlap it, just above the boss's head. This is a safe spot to avoid the homing balls. Next, move down and over to the boss's left side. It will fire tons of white bullets--keep tapping over to the right side, and make one leap towards the edge. Move as high as you can for the EXPLOSION PODS. When they start firing, keep tapping down to avoid the bullets. Use a bomb to be safe. Then it will fire another batch of white bullets but it's easier to see them this time. Next, the boss will fire lasers from its sides. It's enough to move along with the boss's center. It's easy to spot the openings of the next attack--there's little need to move. Stop deploying WAFs now, since the boss is about to die. The boss will fire its lasers again. Move to the left edge (the left lasers will be off-screen, here), close in on the boss, and finish it off. It's important to have more than a Lv.1 gauge for the next mission. % MISSION 1-8 WAF Distribution: Lv.2 : 2nd large UFO, LHS Lv.1 : Mid-boss, CL Lv.1 : Mid-boss, RHS (not CL--very important) Lv.2 : last two UFOs, RHS Lv.?x?: Boss; start in 2nd form, use when available First off, destroy all the turrets while you're invincible. Since I play on the two-player side, I start from the lower-right turret, and pick off the rest in a counterclockwise direction. Next, destroy the tanks and the UFOs. Stay above the upper-right debris from the tank. The first large, orange UFO will arrive here, but its side bullets will pass through your wings and the center bullet is sealed if you're close enough. Be brave--this is much easier than dodging bullets from below. It will then move to the left, where it can be destroyed. Empty your gauge (it should be at Lv.2) over the debris from the tanks on the left lane. Help destroy the second large UFO that appears there, then follow it to the right side to finish it. The third will appear from the right. This time, avoid its bullets by moving to the left. And when it moves to the left, swing to the right. It's tricky to handle all sorts of fast bullets here at the MID-BOSS'S BAY, so use a bomb if it's available. Dodge the rest of the bullets suitably. Now for the mid-boss. Place a Lv.1 WAF immediately along the middle of the screen. Run over to the left edge to avoid the first laser burst. Then move over to the right side and place a Lv.1 WAF there. Do not place it in the center again--there will be a UFO that will be useful later. Next, wait until the mid-boss fires some homing balls, then run to the left side to avoid everything. Now align with the boss's center, since the next attack has holes along the center. After, move to the upper-left corner and wait for the homing balls again. Lead them to the lower part of the screen, but keep away from the corners. The next attack will destroy you instantly unless you're centered. Then move to the right side to avoid the next wave. Move to the left side of the screen and let the wingmen finish the mid-boss. Collect all of the power-ups and the bomb. A UFO will arrive from the center. Do not destroy it (and do not let a WAF destroy it, either)--use it to power down once. The move to the lower-right corner and use the UFOs there to power down once more. Place a Lv.2 WAF on the right side to destroy the right of the TWO UFOS. Skip over to the middle. Since the dodging here is tricky, use a bomb. Otherwise, you have to move to the left edge, before the white bullets pick you off and after you lead the small bullets away from the left edge. Circle around the UFOs to finish them off. Now for the final boss. The first form. Align with the boss's left claw and focus on the left waves (they are 5-way). Counting from the right, go through the first wave's first opening and the second wave's second opening. Then find suitable holes in the next attack. You will need to go through this three times. The second form. Now's the time to start deploying those WAFs until the boss dies. The first attack can be a HAIRY SQUEEZE, so use a bomb. If there are none, start in the center and find an opening to the left. Slide to the left and to the right to dodge. The boss will likely move to the right so align with the center of the boss. Stay within the boss--although it will snap its claws, the bullets will move outward. Next, zip under and out of the red barrage and then move towards the middle again to avoid the fast bullets. You will need to go through this twice. The third form. The small-bullet barrages here are even-even-odd and even-odd-even. Dodge to the left and back to the middle to prepare for the UNSAFE SPOT. There is a safe zone in the middle of this fast but strange attack, but (1) the boss will fire a 2-3-1-2-3 pattern to throw you off, and (2) it will fire the same attack so you must be re-centered. Use a bomb if it's available. Otherwise, dodge the 2-3-1-2-3 pattern with a swift left-right jiggle so that it's easy to re-center yourself for the next attack. You will need to go through this twice. The fourth and final form. Stay in the center until the boss fires a sweeping barrage of red bullets. Dodge the first set to the left--I'll leave it to you to dodge the second one. The attack that follows is a FAKE THROUGH. The boss rushes down and leaves behind a barrier of small bullets. You must go find an opening through this well in advanced because you have to stay still for the remainder of the attacks. If you keep moving, you may run into the white bullets. Standing still when there are bullets everywhere is so difficult. Consider keeping one bomb for this. This way, you can stay in the center, bomb the sweeping red attack, and then earn an easy victory after much hard work. % ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS http://www.kit.hi-ho.ne.jp/zapzap/strikers.htm ... ZAP's Website. This site provided me with good advice to approaching each stage. http://page.freett.com/touryuumonn/1945/top.html ... The gateway to shooting games. This site has pictures to help me visualize his strategies, although I find some of his strategies inferior to ZAP's. http://www.network54.com/Hide/Forum/message?forumid=52937&me ssageid=980272986 ... Raiden Forum. Just some simple information about the locations of each stage. Just so I can stop labeling the stages as sky, sea, mine, and town. It's a silly quirk... %%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%% This document is Copyright (C) 2003 by Bernard Doria. It may be reproduced ONLY for personal, private use. It may NOT be distributed by any other means. If you see this document anywhere else but the Bee Preying website (http://www.shmups.com/beepreying), it is an ILLEGAL COPY.