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+----------------------------------------------------------------------+ | | | T H E X E N O P H A G E F A Q | | Version 1.2b | | Dated February 5, 1998 | | | +----------------------------------------------------------------------+ | | | X E N O P H A G E: | | Alien Bloodsport | | | | "...revolutionary game design, it may indeed knock fighting fans | | into another universe of apocalyptic action. " | | --Strategy Plus Magazine | | | +----------------------------------------------------------------------+ The XENOPHAGE FAQ is a document with answers to some frequently asked questions about the game XENOPHAGE. Compiled by Doug Howell - Copyright 1996-1998 - e-mail: dhowell@iac.net Check out the web version of The XENOPHAGE FAQ at: http://www.iac.net/~dhowell/xenopage +----------------------------------------------------------------------+ +-------------------------->> Please Note <<---------------------------+ | Changes & Additions since Version 1.1 | | are marked with '}' marks in the left margin. | +----------------------------------------------------------------------+ LEGAL STUFF ----------- If you need to copy any of this document, just give a reference on where you got it. XENOPHAGE is Copyright 1995-1996, Argo Games - All Rights Reserved. The name XENOPHAGE and any characters mentioned from the game are trademarks of Argo Games. Any trademarks or intellectual property referred to within this FAQ remain the property of their owner(s). ------------------------------------------------------------------------ TABLE OF CONTENTS ----------------- 1 FAQ Purpose and Comments 1.1 Reason for this FAQ } 1.2 Changes made in FAQ Version 1.2 1.3 Changes made in FAQ Version 1.1 2 What is XENOPHAGE? 2.1 What it is 2.2 The Creators and Publisher } 2.3 Hardware Requirements & Technical Help 2.4 Software Versions 2.4.1 Beta Demo } 2.4.2 Shareware Version } 2.4.3 Registered Version } 2.5 Where you can get it 3 The Story - Why are these strange creatures fighting? 4 The Fighters and Their Environments 4.1 Mouth 4.2 Nick 4.3 Toad 4.4 Bat 4.5 Spike 4.6 Worm 4.7 Squid 4.8 Selena 4.9 Parasite 4.10 Champion 4.11 Grand Champion 4.12 Fighter Stat Comparison 4.13 Fighter Twins 5 The Demo Intro 6 Game Options 6.1 Controls, Sound, & Music 6.2 Display Options - The Blood Meter! 7 The Modes of Play 7.1 Training 7.1.1 Player Options Screen 7.2 Free Play 7.2.1 Match Options Screen 7.2.2 Player Options Screen 7.2.3 Current Stats Screen 7.3 Story Mode 7.3.1 Match Options Screen 7.3.2 Difficulty Modes 7.3.3 The Fighter Wheel 7.3.4 Life Credits 8 FIGHT! 8.1 Huh?--For Beginners Only 8.2 The FIGHT Screen 9 The Moves! 9.1 Shortcut Codes 9.2 Move Intro 9.2.1 Pointers } 9.2.2 Combos 9.3 The Basic Moves for All Fighters 9.4 Two Special Moves Plus a Goodie } 9.4.1 Overkills - The MEAT Move 9.4.2 The Flambe' 9.4.3 Resurrections 9.4.4 Post-Mortem Humiliations } 9.5 Moves by Fighter } 9.6 Moves by Execution Sequence } 9.7 Strategy Stuff }10 Secrets! } 10.1 Cheat Codes } 10.2 Command Line Parameters }11 Trivia and Fun Stuff }12 Thanks go to... }13 Final Words ------------------------------------------------------------------------ 1 FAQ Purpose and Comments -------------------------- 1.1 Reason for this FAQ ----------------------- The reason I wrote this FAQ is quite simple. I love to play fighting games but hate to figure out the moves. Mastering the moves and whipping the other fighters is what makes a fighting game fun! I hate it when fighting game developers leave it up to the players to figure most everything out. And you know, most all of them do this. Who the heck started this dumb practice anyway? :) Well for those of you who want to know most of the fighting moves when you boot up the game, this FAQ's for you! Prepare yourself for some all out, blood-spurting fighting fun!! }1.2 Changes made in FAQ Version 1.2 }----------------------------------- }I added the following: } * More detail on Combos in Section 9. Combo moves are now designated } as such. } * Meat moves for Parasite and Champion in Sections 9.5 and 9.6. } * A new combo move for Spike in Sections 9.5 and 9.6. } * A summary of command line parameters in Section 10. } * Instructions in Section 11 on how you might be able to play the } registered version of XENOPHAGE directly from the CD. } * A quick fix for the install program bug (with 64 mb computers) in } Section 2.3. }I deleted the following: } * Bat's Turn-Around Kick move that was listed in prior FAQs. It was } pointed out to me that this move doesn't work, and it doesn't. It } worked in a beta version of the game and I didn't catch this when } the actual game was released. }I also made various minor changes throughout the entire FAQ. 1.3 Changes made in FAQ Version 1.1 ----------------------------------- I added the following: * More fighter data in Section 4. * Flambe' move sequence in Section 9. * Moves for Parasite, Champion, and Grand Champion in Section 9. * Selena's 2nd Meat move in Section 9! * A big bunch of secret codes in Section 10--BISHOP, BLARNEY, BLOOD, CHAMPS, GLASSJAW, HELIUM, INVISIBLE, ORCHID, SHADOWS, THOUGHTJINX, and XACMAN! * More fun stuff in Section 11. * A new section, Section 12 "Thanks go to...", to give credit to those who have helped hunt down XENOPHAGE's secret stuff. I changed the following: * Spike's Tail Spike move now shown with the correct easier sequence in Sections 9.5 and 9.6. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ 2 What is XENOPHAGE? -------------------- 2.1 What it is -------------- XENOPHAGE is a fighting game for the PC that's in the same genre as the arcade classics Street Fighter II and Mortal Kombat. The game displays a 2-dimensional scrolling side view of the combatants during each fight. What makes this game unique is the camera panning feature which zooms the view in and out depending on how far away each fighter is from the other fighter. And if you want it to look like other 2-D fighting games, you can easily turn the zooming feature off. Other features include: * 8 fighters and 2 boss champions (ummm...actually 3 boss champions!) * Support of high-res (SVGA) 640x400 and 640x480 modes for greater graphic detail * Fighters that are fully rendered, extremely detailed, and quite large--almost as tall as the computer screen when you have the camera panning feature turned on * Adjustable shadows * Animated background environments/arenas for each fighter * Unique moves/combos for each fighter * Humiliation of defeated fighters * Resurrection moves to bring your "defeated" fighter back to life * Story mode, Free Play mode, and Training mode * Fine-tune adjustment of your fighter(s) in both Free Play and Training modes * A meter to adjust the amount of bloody gore on the screen * An Instant Replay Box that pops up after you execute a fancy combo move * Different music for each fighter/environment 2.2 The Creators and Publisher ------------------------------ XENOPHAGE was developed by Argo Games and is published by Apogee Software, Ltd. The retail store version is distributed by FormGen Incorporated. The game lists the creators as being: Jason Blochowiak - Producer and Programmer Rowan Atalla - Design and Character Actions Abraham Edlin - AI Personalities Robert Prince - Music and Sound Effects Jim Dose' - Apogee Sound System Saffire Corporation - Backgrounds, Original Character Models and Motions Dov Jelen - Art Bits Lori Richards - Art Bits Additional credits for the registered version booklet: Michael Hadwin - Graphic Design Bob Depew - Cover Illustration 2.3 Hardware Requirements & Technical Help ------------------------------------------ Apogee lists a minimum required system as being an IBM PC or 100% compatible 486DX/33 with at least 8Mb of RAM memory, a double speed CD-ROM (for the registered version), and MS-DOS 3.3 or higher. However, they recommend a Pentium 66 mhz PC or better, 16 Mb of RAM memory, Vesa Local Bus or PCI video, VESA BIOS compatible 256 SVGA at 640x400 or 640x480, a quad speed CD-ROM (for the registered version), a 16-bit sound card with wavetable synthesis, and a speed compensating joystick. }For more information, run the On-Disk Technical Support Manual program }that comes with both shareware and registered versions (XPHELP.EXE). }This help program gives a whole bunch of tips on setting up the game }and fixing any problems. There's also a nice section on XENOPHAGE }fighting tips, most of which are mentioned in this FAQ. And it has a }good listing too of all the command line parameters for running }XENOPHAGE. These parameters are mostly used by Apogee Tech Support to }assist the customer in those rare situations where XENOPHAGE won't }function properly. (If you are interested in the command line }parameters and what they do, I've listed a short summary of them in }Section 10.2 of this FAQ.) }Those of you who have a computer with 64 mb Ram memory might experience }problems installing the registered version of XENOPHAGE. There is a }bug in the installation program for 64 mb computers only, and the }On-Disk Technical Support Manual program doesn't mention it (the bug }showed up after the game's release). Here's how to fix it. Go out to }DOS, make a directory on your hard drive where you want to install }XENOPHAGE, and then copy all the files from the CD's XENOINST directory }to your new directory on the hard drive. Easy fix, isn't it? But be }sure you don't use WIN95's Explorer program to do this, since that }program keeps all the read only attributes set to on for the files that }are copied, and prevents XENNOPHAGE from running correctly. 2.4 Software Versions --------------------- Apogee has released 3 versions of XENOPHAGE (plus a preview and a slideshow). 2.4.1 Beta Demo --------------- The first XENOPHAGE release was a beta demo version that was released on 12-28-95. This was a work-in-progress of the shareware version to get feedback on any potential hardware bugs. You should probably forget trying to find the beta version. I only mention it here as a point of reference. The shareware version is the one to try out since it is virtually bug-free with smoother animations and better gameplay, and gives you a better feel for the registered version. 2.4.2 Shareware Version ----------------------- }The next release of XENOPHAGE was the shareware version 1.0 of }XENOPHAGE on 4-26-96. The shareware version features 3 fighters: }Spike, Bat, and Toad, and has 2 of the 3 fighting modes: Practice mode }and Free Play modes. This version is more like a demo, since it only }gives you a tiny taste of what the registered version is like. The }latest shareware version number 1.1 was released on 12-6-96. It }includes some very minor fixes to version number 1.0 to correspond with }the fixes done in the initial release of the registered version. 2.4.3 Registered Version ------------------------ }The registered version of XENOPHAGE is really what this FAQ is about. }This version features 8 regular fighters plus 2 champion boss fighters, }3 fighting modes: Story mode, Free Play mode, and Training mode, a new }intro animation with voice-overs, and a different ending animation for }each of the fighters in Story mode. The current and initial registered }version number 1.1 was released 7-96. 2.5 Where you can get it ------------------------ }You can download the shareware version from the following sites: } From the Internet - Apogee's web site - http://www.apogee1.com }The registered version can be ordered directly from Apogee by calling }1-800-APOGEE1. You can also buy it in retail software stores too. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ 3 The Story - Why are these strange creatures fighting? ------------------------------------------------------- The Apogee catalog gives a good summary of the story: "A godlike alien race has become so bored that they rely on other species to provide them entertainment. They've snatched representatives from the universe's most feared species and organized a fighting tournament. The loser forfeits breeding rights for its entire race! The tournament winner gets the honor of dying at the hands of the Grand Champion." Of course, you'll get a better gist of the story when you watch the animated intro in the registered version. Among other things it shows poor Nick and Selena being snatched by the aliens plus a cool planetary explosion. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ 4 The Fighters and Their Environments ------------------------------------- There are 11 alien fighters (12 if you count the secret Blarney fighter) in the registered version. (See Sections 2.4.2 and 2.4.3 on what is different between the shareware and registered versions.) You can play as 8 of the regular fighters in all 3 fighting modes. You are able to fight the 3 Boss fighters, Parasite, Champion, and Grand Champion, in Story mode. (By using a special cheat code, you can also play as the 3 Boss fighters too in all 3 fighting modes, as well as fight them in Free Play and Story modes. See Section 10.) BTW, I have purposely not assumed that any of the alien fighters are male or female (unless it is obvious like Selena or Nick). I leave it up to your judgment on whether an alien fighter is a male, a female, or an IT! The fighters/environments are listed in the order that you see them on the Fighter Selection Screen in the registered version, from left to right. And the last 3 Boss fighters are listed in the order that you fight them in Story Mode. 4.1 Mouth --------- Mouth has a huge blue head with beady red eyes. Its head-body walks on 4 short-legged webbed feet with 2 arm-hands hanging out the front. Mouth comes from Orus, a world that has a deep space observatory for studying the universe. Be careful of Mouth's large strong hands and its leaping attack! 4.2 Nick -------- Nick looks to be a man of nature well-versed in the martial arts. He comes from Earth and lives the rough life out in the woods by a waterfall. Check out the dripping deer carcass hanging on his cabin! Nick is very good doing kick attacks and can even throw out a mental field of force! 4.3 Toad -------- Toad is a fierce, green lizard-type creature with huge teeth and a spiked tail. Its homeworld, Zong, looks to be swampy with lots of small oozing plants. Watch out for Toad's fast attack and swinging spiked tail! 4.4 Bat ------- Bat is a red, bat-humanoid creature. It has the ability to fly and spin quickly through the air. The homeworld of Bat, Fleder, appears to be dark, moist, and underground with small luminous creatures flying about. Bat has various spinning attacks and can avoid being hit by just flying up and away. Like a true bat, this critter will suck your blood if given a chance. 4.5 Spike --------- Spike is yellow and spider-like and one of the more dangerous fighters. Spike comes from SFPN-10, a purplish, bubbling world. Watch the eggs in the background drop to the ground and hatch into crawling worms! You best beware of Spike's quickness and green goo attacks. Like Bat, Spike also loves to suck blood from an opponent now and then. 4.6 Worm -------- Worm is just that....a blue-grey worm creation with 3 appendages for movement, and a 4th appendage used as a head with a biting pincer. Worm comes from Moreau's World, which has a laboratory filled with a collection of alien life-forms stored in jars. Worm has rolling quickness with a fierce rolled-up flying attack. 4.7 Squid --------- Squid looks like a huge orange-brown alien squid with long tentacles for arms and a round sucking mouth. This large critter hails from Calamis and fights in what looks to be a ship-like hull with big electrodes shooting electricity in the background. Squid is big and strong and loves to do belly-flops on your head! 4.8 Selena ---------- Selena is a city girl from Earth who is a lean, mean fighting machine! She lives in a well-furnished penthouse apartment complete with big screen TV, fireplace and fishtank! Selena has a vicious kick attack and knows how to wield her mental force sword! 4.9 Parasite ------------ Parasite is a fast, evil-looking scavenger alien. This reddish boss critter has a head with pincers in the middle of upper and lower legs that move around like a pinwheel. Its homeworld of Bysmol has living purplish caves with sucking mouths in the walls. Yellow fields of energy are this creature's specialty along with a fast warping move. 4.10 Champion ------------- Watch out for Champion. This "alien" creature is big, dark-green, and wants you very dead. Champion's home-world environment of Mallochia is dark grey and purple with floating, grinning heads! The big critter throws some sharp spikes and knows how to do a quick change when needed! 4.11 Grand Champion ------------------- This creature is one big, nasty surprise! This morphed, bigger version of Champion has 2 arms with claws on an alien body with 4 horse-like legs. Beware of flying spit! 4.12 Fighter Stat Comparison ---------------------------- Check out the cool fold-out picture of all the fighters in the registered booklet! Below are some fighter stat comparisons from that fold-out. There were no stats given for Grand Champion, but I would assume that the Stamina, Strength, and Weakness stats of Grand Champion closely correspond to those of Champion. Fighter Wt(lbs.) Ht. Stamina -------- -------- ---- ------- Mouth 400 4'2" High Nick 211 6'2" Average Toad 336 5'1" Average Bat 130 5'11" Low Spike 187 6'4" Low Worm 253 4'0" Average Squid 650 6'0" High Selena 112 5'7" Average Parasite 145 5'6" High Champion 1652 6'1" Average Fighter Strength Weakness -------- ------------------- ------------------------------------ Mouth Long reach Bulky & slow Nick Military training No natural defenses Toad Sharp, razor teeth Long, bulky body Bat Aerial Combat Not very strong Spike Very fast! Short reach Worm Very compact! No long range contacts Squid Very strong! Very slow! Selena Speed & flexibility No natural defenses Parasite Variety of attacks Some attacks are hard to recover from Champion Fast, aggressive Very few! 4.13 Fighter Twins ------------------ Each of the 11 fighters that you can pick in the registered version of Free Play and Story modes has a corresponding fighter twin. (You need a special cheat code to fight as the 3 Boss fighters. See Section 10.) That is to say, for example, that Nick can battle Nick or Worm can battle Worm. It would get very confusing in a fight if the corresponding twin looked exactly like your fighter. So in XENOPHAGE there are easily distinguishable differences between the 2 fighters. Here's a list of the 11 fighters and what makes them different from their related twin: Normal Fighter Twin Fighter ---------------------------- ---------------------------- Mouth blue body green body Nick red shirt green shirt Toad green body brown body Bat red body with red blood blue body with blue blood Spike yellow body with green blood green body with yellow blood Worm blue body purple body Squid orange-brown body light yellow body with orangish blood with light yellow blood Selena red-brown hair & blue skirt brown hair & green skirt Parasite pink & red body light blue & dark blue body Champion green & black body tan & black body Grand Champion green & black body tan, black, & brown body with grey blood with blue-grey blood ------------------------------------------------------------------------ 5 The Demo Intro ---------------- When you start XENOPHAGE you get a demo sequence that gives you a briefing of the game story, a view of some actual fights, and a listing of the game's creators (the first time through the demo loop). You can exit the demo to XENOPHAGE's Main Menu by hitting any keyboard key, and can go back to the demo at any time by selecting the Return to Demo option on the Main Menu. The shareware version has a short animated game briefing. It shows an alien creature explaining to you why you are fighting. The registered version has a much longer animated story intro. You first catch a glimpse of Nick and Selena being captured. Then you see Nick watching a holographic screen, and actually get to hear the alien telling Nick why he was captured. A cool planetary explosion animation follows with Nick being whisked away in the alien space ship. Whereas the shareware demo only shows fights with the demo characters, the registered version demo has fight sequences between the 8 main fighters of the full version. BTW, you don't get to see any fights with the boss fighters. You earn that right by fighting your way completely through Story Mode. The fight sequences in the demo are a good place to watch the fighters do some of their special moves and combos. Watch carefully and you'll see some cool moves that you'll want to try. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ 6 Game Options -------------- One item you can select on XENOPHAGE's Main Menu is Options. This takes you to a screen where you can set up or change the player control devices, sound, music, and display parameters. 6.1 Controls, Sound, & Music ---------------------------- I won't go into much detail about the controls, sounds, and music options since these items are pretty much self-explanatory by looking at the screens. In the controls section you can set up and calibrate your joysticks and reassign keys that you'll be using for the fighting moves of Players 1 and 2. In the sounds and music sections, you can adjust volumes and do some other minor adjustments. One very nice feature in XENOPHAGE is that you have complete access to these options while fighting in the Story and Free Play modes. (See Section 7 for information on these modes of play.) You just hit the Escape key to temporarily exit out of the current fight. You'll see an option on the menu that comes up that says Options, where you can fine-tune your controls, sound, and music. When you're finished with your adjustments, you can go back into the current fight by picking Return to Fight off the menu. 6.2 Display Options - The Blood Meter! -------------------------------------- The Display Options Screen is where you can turn on and off some of the cool stuff in the game. Here's a list of the options: Super VGA - On/Off Background Animation - On/Off Fast Palette - On/Off Palette - On/Off Palette Animation - On/Off Camera Zooming - On/Off Shadow Type - None, Solid, Better, Best Amount of Blood - Adjustable Meter - move to right for more blood Instant Replay - On/Off Loading Icon - On/Off Gamma Correction - Adjustable Meter - move to right for brighter screen If you have a low-end 486, a low-end video card, or just 8 Meg of memory, and the game is running slow or having display problems, you can experiment a little bit by turning some of these options off and seeing what happens. If you have a fast Pentium machine with lots of memory, you'll want to set most of these to On for the best fight experience. Here is a short description of XENOPHAGE's 3 cool display features you can turn on or off: * Camera Zooming is one of XENOPHAGE's most unique features. Turn this on if you want to see the game zoom up close to the fighters (when they're close together) and display them almost as high as your computer screen. If you want to get a good view of the background environment, turn Camera Zooming off. You'll see the full background that the fighters are fighting in like in other 2D fighting games, but the fighters will be much smaller. * The Amount of Blood meter adjusts how much blood is thrown off the fighters when hit. If you want no blood, push the meter all the way to the left. If you like lots of blood, then push the meter over to the right. * The Instant Replay feature can be turned on or off from this menu. If turned on, when you execute a successful 3-hit combo or better against the opposing fighter, a small Instant Replay box will appear in the middle bottom of your screen and replay your cool combo move along with all the bloody effects! ------------------------------------------------------------------------ 7 The Modes of Play ------------------- I've listed the playing modes in reverse order of how they appear in the game menus since it is easier to talk about them this way. 7.1 Training ------------ Training mode is where you go to figure out moves for each fighter. You can also use this mode to practice and hone the moves you know without being beat up by the opposing fighter, at least not too much! You get to do your training against a pumped up punching bag that looks like a clown. You have to be careful when punching the clown-bag since it'll swing back and forth, and just might swing back and hit you. If it does, it'll let out a laughing squeaking sound. 7.1.1 Player Options Screen --------------------------- An extremely useful feature of Training mode is the Player Options Screen. Here you can fine-tune how your fighter will act in this practice mode. Here's a list of what is on the Player Options screen and the range of options: Player Control - Keyboard or Joystick 1 (or 2) Specials - Enabled or Disabled Throws/Pummels - Enabled or Disabled Auto Block - On or Off <----If you are just beginning or are having trouble blocking the clown as it swings back and forth, turn this option on! Meters (for extra-fine adjustments): Strength - To the left is weak and to the right is strong. For example, put the meter farther to the right for stronger punches. Speed - To the left is slow and to the right is fast (or turbo). Health - To the left is bad health and to the right is good health. For example, the health meter of a fighter that has a low health setting will drop quicker when being hit than a fighter with a higher health setting. For example, suppose you want to just concentrate on doing special moves and don't want your fighter to screw things up by also doing throws or pummels (see Section 9 for info on these differing move types). It's easy to do by toggling Special Moves to the enable setting and toggling Throws/Pummels to the disable setting. Or suppose you want to have your fighter practice in a super turbo mode. Just move the Speed meter all the way to the right. 7.2 Free Play ------------- Free Play is a great play mode for a number of reasons. Here you can have a 2-player fight and go head-to-head with a buddy. You can also do a 1-player fight against the 8 different computerized alien fighters of the registered version. (See Sections 2.4.2 and 2.4.3 for differences between the shareware and registered versions.) Or you can switch off the opposing fighter, by setting that fighter's controls to keyboard or joystick, and practice executing the Overkill (MEAT) moves (see Section 9.4.1 for more information on Overkills). One important thing to note. Free Play mode is especially useful when you get stuck in Story mode (see Section 7.3 for a discussion on Story mode). You might find that you just can't get past a tough alien in Story mode. Don't give up! Just go to Free Play mode, adjust the fighter settings the way you want them, and then practice against your computerized toughie like crazy until you figure out the right moves to beat 'em to a pulp! Free Play has a wide range of options you can set to fine-tune your fighter, the opposing fighter, and the matches. Most anything you want to adjust can be found in the Match Options and Player Options screens. 7.2.1 Match Options Screen -------------------------- Here's a list of what is on the Match Options Screen and the range of options: Rounds per Match - 1, 3, or 5 Match Time - 15 secs, 30 secs, 60 secs, 90 secs, or 5 minutes Overkills - On or Off Post-Mortem Humiliations - On or Off Resurrections - On or Off Overkills (MEAT moves), Post-Mortem Humiliations, and Resurrections are cool options to turn on. See Section 9.4 for a discussion on what these moves/features are about. 7.2.2 Player Options Screen --------------------------- And here's a list of what is on the Player Options Screen and the range of options. I'm only listing the column for Player 1. There is also a second column where you can adjust the settings for Player 2. One very nice feature of the Player Options is that you can adjust them while you're in the middle of a fight by just hitting the Escape key. This way you can get these options set just the way you want them without having to restart a fight: Player 1 Type - Keyboard or Joystick 1 (or 2) Specials - Enabled or Disabled Throws/Pummels - Enabled or Disabled Auto Block - On or Off <----If you are just beginning or are having trouble blocking your fast opponent's moves, turn this option on! Meters (for extra-fine adjustments): Cunning - To the left is dumb and to the right is smart. This meter can only be adjusted for the computerized fighter. Strength - To the left is weak and to the right is strong. For example, put the meter farther to the right for stronger punches. Speed - To the left is slow and to the right is fast (or turbo). Health - To the left is bad health and to the right is good health. For example, the health meter of a fighter that has a low health setting will drop quicker when being hit than a fighter with a higher health setting. 7.2.3 Current Stats Screen -------------------------- After you win or lose a fight in Free Play mode, the game will show you a screen listing the current stats for all the players. I won't detail what all the screen shows, but let me just say it contains a complete record of Wins/Losses for Players 1 and 2 for all fights, listed by fighter in an easy to read format. Do you have a friend who swears they beat you at XENOPHAGE all the time? Just pull up the Current Stats screen from the Free Play menu and prove just who is the boss! If you tire of the collected stat information, there's an option on the Free Play menu to reset the stats back to zero. 7.3 Story Mode -------------- Most all fighting games have a "Story Mode". This is a single-player mode where you pick a fighter and have them do battle, one at a time, against all the other computerized fighters. It's called story mode since this tournament style of fighting follows the initial story of the game. In XENOPHAGE, the story is that your fighter has been captured and must battle other alien fighters so that you can then suffer defeat at the hands of the Grand Champion and lose your species' propagation rights. But if you can miraculously beat the Grand Champion of XENOPHAGE, then you get a special, unique animated ending based solely on your winning fighter! Are you good enough to see all the different animated endings? 7.3.1 Match Options Screen -------------------------- Like Free Play mode, Story mode also has a Match Options Screen. Here's a list of what is on the Match Options Screen and the range of options: Rounds per Match - 1, 3, or 5 Match Time - 15 secs, 30 secs, 60 secs, 90 secs, or 5 minutes Overkills - On or Off Post-Mortem Humiliations - On or Off Resurrections - On or Off Overkills (MEAT moves), Post-Mortem Humiliations, and Resurrections are cool options to turn on. See Section 9.4 for a discussion on what these moves/features are about. 7.3.2 Difficulty Modes ---------------------- After you have selected your fighter in Story mode, the game lets you select from 5 different Difficulty modes: Very Easy (No Bosses) Easy (Only One Boss) Normal Hard Very Hard XENOPHAGE differs from most all other fighting games in that its Story mode can be played and enjoyed by all players, whether you are just starting out with virtually no fighting skills or a seasoned gamer who think you are hot stuff. In most all other fighting games I've played, you have to have some good practiced fighting techniques before you can even touch Story mode. If you are a novice to fighting games, select Very Easy. This mode is strictly for beginners, and seasoned players will find it way too easy and probably boring. If you are relatively good at fighting games, start at Normal and work your way up. Normal mode is tough but very playable. Hard mode will give you a good sweaty workout. And Very Hard mode will, shall we say, really test the die-hard fast-fingered players. 7.3.3 The Fighter Wheel ----------------------- After you have selected your mode of difficulty, Story mode pops up a screen with the Fighter Wheel. This is a wheel with head pictures of the 8 fighters you must defeat (including your fighter twin), one at a time, before you face the 3 Boss fighters. If you are playing in a Difficulty mode where you will fight the Boss fighters (see Section 7.3.2 for description of Difficulty modes), then the picture of the Boss fighter you will face will appear in the middle of the wheel right before you do battle with that Boss. A nice feature of XENOPHAGE that makes the Story mode of play more unpredictable and exciting, is that the order of the 8 fighters you will face are always different. Each time you play Story mode, you never know who you are going to face first or when, until you see the pictures of the other fighters on the Fighter Wheel. 7.3.4 Life Credits ------------------ Story mode gives you 3 life credits in case you should lose a fight with any of the fighter opponents. In other words, you can lose 3 fights and still continue. But if you lose the 4th time, then the game is over. If you lose a fight and choose to use a credit, the game shows your fighter being zapped back to life. You can also choose to forfeit the game, and in this case the game is over and you are shown an animation of being packed away into one of the many body drawers on the alien space ship. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ 8 FIGHT! -------- Okay. You just booted up the game and want to play right away without reading a bunch of stuff. But you're not really sure what you're doing or what the stuff means on the Fight Screen. Here are some quick comments and info to help you get going. 8.1 Huh?--For Beginners Only ---------------------------- You've never played a fighting game before and have no idea what to do? I would suggest you try Training mode first to get your feet wet and to get some feel on how to move ONE of the fighters. Read through Section 9 of this FAQ so that you know how to move the fighter you're using and try some of the basic moves...jump, move forwards, move backwards, punch, kick, block, etc. When you feel comfortable with the basic moves, then try executing some of the fancier moves that are also listed in Section 9 for your fighter. Next, go to Free Play mode where you can try the moves you've learned for your fighter against one of the computerized fighters. If you get frustrated because you keep losing, go into the Player Options and turn your Health meter all the way to the right, turn your opponent's Health meter all the way to the left, and turn your opponent's Cunning and Speed meters to the left a few notches. This should give you enough of an advantage to beat the other fighter. Once you're feeling more confident, you can readjust the meters you changed to tougher settings. A quick way to do this is just select Reset Player Options off the menu, which will turn the meters back to their default settings. After you've practiced against some of the other computerized fighters in Free Play mode and you start feeling somewhat confident with your fighter, try going against a friend in Free Play mode. Or try your luck in Story mode. If you want to feel good about your fighting skills, play Story mode at the Very Easy (No Boss) Difficulty level. You should be able to beat the other fighters without too much of a problem. Next try practicing using other fighters. Experiment with various Player Options and Match Options. Try Story mode at higher difficulty levels. You're on your way to mastering XENOPHAGE! 8.2 The FIGHT Screen -------------------- The layout of the Fight Screen is very simple. Most of the screen shows the action of the fight. At the bottom of the screen, you'll find an area that shows the current status for each of the 2 fighters. The area on the left shows the stats for the fighter that started on the left, or Player 1, and the area on the right shows the stats for the fighter that started on the right, or Player 2. A small head picture is shown beside each status area to remind you which stats go to which fighter. In the middle of the 2 fighter status areas is an area that reminds you that you can hit "F1" for basic help with the fight moves. The status area for each fighter has 3 main areas of information. The top part shows a health bar of the fighter's blood. As a fighter gets hit, the blood starts flowing out of the meter. When the blood is gone, the fighter is dead and loses that round of the fight. Below the health bar is small area that shows the number of fight rounds the fighter has won. A green circle appears for each round a fighter has won. (Of course, this part of the status display isn't used for Training mode.) The bottom part of the display shows the number of points the fighter has scored on the other fighter. As you fight, you'll notice the computer will quickly flash up a message when you've scored a Combo, executed a Resurrection move, or performed a Post-Mortem Humiliation on the other fighter. You'll also notice that sometimes the screen will turn red, and it's during this period of time when you can execute a Meat move. (See Section 9.4 for more information about these moves.) The Resurrection move, Meat Moves, or Post-Mortem Humiliation can't be performed in Training mode, so you won't see any messages for these moves while practicing in this mode. (See Section 7 to read about the different modes of play.) ------------------------------------------------------------------------ 9 The Moves! ------------ Here's the meat of the FAQ. This is what you're reading this for, isn't it? So let's get going! 9.1 Shortcut Codes ------------------ Before I start a discussion on the fighting moves, you need to know the shortcut codes I'll be using for the keystrokes/joystick buttons you'll be pressing to execute the moves. For consistency, I'll be using most of the same codes that Apogee lists in their XENOPHAGE On-Disk Technical Support Manual. The shortcut Directional Codes listed here correspond to the arrow keys on your keyboard (default setup for first player or whatever other keys you have assigned in the Setup program), the directional pad on your gamepad, or the movement of your joystick lever. If your fighter is facing to the right--------->, the shortcut Directional Codes are: UA U UT UA=Up Away U=Up UT=Up Towards A . T A=Away T=Towards DA D DT DA=Down Away D=Down DT=Down Towards Apogee lists the following shortcut Attack Codes for punching and kicking: P=Punch (Weak or Strong) K=Kick (Weak or Strong) WP=Weak Punch SP=Strong Punch WK=Weak Kick SK=Strong Kick However, I WILL NOT be using these when I describe the moves. Instead I will spell out the word and use that in place of the shortcut code. If it is a Strong Kick, I will use "Strong Kick" and won't show it as "SK". I think this should cut down confusion on having too many codes, and should get you learning the moves more quickly. Also in many of the moves, I list just the generic form of the attack like "Punch", instead of being more specific with "Weak Punch" or "Strong Punch". Usually, just try using the weak attack key first when practicing the move and that should work. Important to Note: The Punch/Kick moves correspond to the keys/buttons you set up for your keyboard/joystick. If your joystick/gamepad has 4 buttons, then the weak and strong moves can be executed by pressing separate buttons. However, if your joystick/gamepad is set up as only having 2 buttons, then the weak and strong moves are executed by the amount of time you hold a button down. For example, a quick tap on the joystick button would do a weak attack, while a longer press on that same button will do a strong attack. 9.2 Move Intro -------------- Read this section especially if you are having problems executing some of the moves for the fighters. 9.2.1 Pointers -------------- You'll notice that most of the moves are continuous quarter sweeps of the directional keys which are followed by pressing an attack button. Take a look down at Toad's Projectile and Tail Swipe moves for some good examples (Section 9.5). You should note that if you do these moves with the KEYBOARD, that the pressing of the keys should be very smooth from one to the next. You should press down on the second key before you let go of the first key. And the last directional key should be held down while the attack button is pushed. Also if you are doing a quarter sweep on the keyboard where you're going from one direction to the other, the middle key of the sequence can be ignored as long as you press down on the third directional key before you release the first directional key. For example, Toad's Tail Swipe move could be executed by doing: D,T-Punch. 9.2.2 Combos ------------ Combos are a fast sequence of successful attacks that are done so quickly that the attacker doesn't stop moving between the attacks. Combo-finishers are special moves that can only be done after a successful execution of a Combo attack. And some fighters can even do a fancy move after the Combo-finisher. All the fighters are capable of doing the Combo moves. Look down at Nick's moves and you'll find a cool Combo/Combo-finisher that he can execute. }An example of a simple 2-hit Combo that all fighters can execute would }be: Weak Kick,Weak Punch (or Weak Punch,Weak Kick). A message will }display on the screen by the fighters saying "2-Hit Combo" when you }successfully do the 2-hit Combo move. (This message displays for all }fighters EXCEPT for the Grand Champion.) If you are VERY fast, you can }do a 3-hit or 4-hit Combo by just continuing the prior sequence. For }example, a simple 3-hit Combo move might be: Weak Kick,Weak Punch, }Weak Kick. }In Sections 9.5 and 9.6 where the fighters' moves are listed, I have }tried to designate which moves are Combos. I'm sure there are probably }plenty more fighter Combo moves that I haven't listed. Hopefully, I'll }be able to list more in a future version of this FAQ with the help of }some gamer feedback. I'm especially interested in hearing about }Combo-finishers and the fancy moves some of the fighters can execute }after the Combo-finishers. 9.3 The Basic Moves for all Fighters ------------------------------------ Here's the basic moves common to all the fighters (refer above to the shortcut Directional Codes in Section 9.1): Basic Movement - A = Walk backwards T = Walk forwards U = Jump up UA = Jump left UT = Jump right Block an Attack - A = Standing block while walking, or will just block if at the far edge of the screen DA = Crouching block If you are just beginning and trying to learn the moves or have a fighter opponent who is just too fast for you, you can turn on the Auto Block feature in the Player Options screen of either Training or Free Play modes. Throw the Opponent - T-Punch while near the other fighter (in other words, hold down the T directional key as you then hit the Punch key) Pummel the Opponent - T-Kick while near the other fighter (in other words, hold down the T directional key as you then hit the Kick key) 9.4 Two Special Moves Plus a Goodie ----------------------------------- The following 3 special moves, Overkill, Flambe', and Resurrection, plus the extra goodie, Humiliation, can be done by the fighters only if you have them turned to On in the Match Options Screen for the Story and Free Play modes. (The special Flambe' move can only be done if you have Overkills turned on.) They will not work in Training mode. Each fighter has their own key sequence on how to launch the 3 special attack moves. 9.4.1 Overkills - The Meat Move ------------------------------- Right at the very end of a fight (say at the end of Round 3 of a 3 Round fight) when the other fighter's health is close to nothing, the screen will turn red. When this happens, move up close to the other fighter and execute your fighter's special Meat move. Your fighter will do a very bloody head-ripping-type of move to the other fighter, and the screen will say "MEAT" in big red letters. Here's a list of the Meat moves for each of the 11 fighters. Mouth - D,DT,T-Punch Nick - D,DA,A-Strong Kick Toad - D,DT,T-Kick Bat - U,T-Punch Spike - D,DT,T-Kick Worm - D,DT,T-Kick Squid - D,DA,A-Strong Punch Selena - D,DT,T-Kick Selena - T,DT,D,DA,A-Strong Punch <--- Meat Move #2! } Parasite - A,T-Kick } Champion - A,T-Punch Grand Champion - NA }There doesn't seem to be a Meat move for Grand Champion since there's }no Meat move opportunity (screen turning red) when you're fighting as }this fighter. (See Section 10 on how to use a special cheat code to }activate the Boss fighters.) 9.4.2 The Flambe' ----------------- Would you like to cook your MEAT?! This is called the Flambe' move and will flame broil your bloody opponent right after an Overkill! (You must successfully execute a Meat move to do the Flambe' move.) The Flambe' move is easy to do! Execute the move sequence for the Flambe' while your fighter is performing the Meat move on the screen (or sometimes right at the very end of the Meat sequence). If the move doesn't seem to work, quickly do the move sequence again. Here's the list of Flambe' moves for each of the 11 fighters. Unknown move executions are shown with a "??". Mouth - A,T,A Nick - A,T,A Toad - A,T,A Bat - ?? Spike - A,T,A Worm - A,T,A Squid - A,T,A Selena - A,T,A Parasite - ?? Champion - ?? Grand Champion - NA 9.4.3 Resurrections ------------------- Whenever your fighter gets killed (no health left), you can bring your fighter back to life if you quickly execute the Resurrection move. Your fighter will jump back up and have a small amount of health left so you can continue on with the fight. You'll find this "cheat" feature is very handy in getting through some of the tougher fights in Story mode, especially since you can use the Resurrection move multiple times in the same fighting round! Here's the list of Resurrection moves for each of the 11 fighters. Unknown move executions are shown with a "??". Mouth - Clockwise on the directional keys Nick - Clockwise on the directional keys Toad - ?? Bat - Clockwise on the directional keys Spike - Clockwise on the directional keys Worm - ?? Squid - ?? Selena - Clockwise on the directional keys Parasite - Clockwise on the directional keys Champion - Clockwise on the directional keys Grand Champion - ?? 9.4.4 Post-Mortem Humiliations ------------------------------ Post-Mortem Humiliations is an option that most sadistic players like to leave on. When this is on, you can continue beating on the other dead fighter for a short period of time after a round is over and keep racking up points. As the old saying goes, "Kick them when they're down!". :) 9.5 Moves by Fighter -------------------- Here's the list of moves I have found for each fighter. Unknown move executions are shown with a "??". MOUTH: Ball Throw: A,DA,D-Punch (In other words, hit Away directional key, hit Down-Away directional key, hit Down directional key and at the same time hit either one of the 2 Punch keys) Flying Attack: U,D-Kick } +Punch into Ground: Weak Kick(or Weak Punch),A-Strong Punch (plus you get an Instant Replay if you have that feature turned on) Meat: D,DT,T-Punch Flambe': A,T,A Resurrection: Clockwise on directional keys all around NICK: ForceField Throw: D,DA,A-Punch Upward Punch: UT(or UA)-Punch Cartwheel Attack: A,T-Kick } +Strong Upward Punch: Weak Kick(or Weak Punch),A-Strong Punch } +Cool Combo Punch: Weak Kick(or Weak Punch),A-Strong Punch,U-Punch (In other words do a Weak Kick when you're close to the other fighter, and then very quickly hit the Away directional key and hit the Strong Punch key, which gets the other fighter flying into the air, and quickly follow by hitting the Up key and Punch key, so that Nick flies into the air with an upper punch.) Meat: D,DA,A-Strong Kick Flambe': A,T,A Resurrection: Clockwise on directionals TOAD: Fast Attack: A,T-Punch Projectiles: A,DA,D-Punch Tail Swipe: D,DT,T-Punch } +Tail Toss: Weak-Kick,A-Strong Punch Meat: D,DT,T-Kick Flambe': A,T,A Resurrection: ?? BAT: Spin Attack: D,DT,T-Punch Nose Spin Attack: A,T-Punch Fly: Hold U (plus UT or UA for direction) and hit the Punch key repeatedly Flying Nose Attack: U-Strong Punch } +Head to Ground Move: Punch or Kick the other fighter up close, then T,A-Strong Punch Meat: U,T-Punch Flambe': ?? Resurrection: Clockwise on directionals SPIKE: High Spit: D,DT,T-Punch Low Spit: A,DA,D-Punch Tail Spike: Get close to other fighter, then T,UT,U-Kick } +Mid-leg Kick: Get close to other fighter, } then Weak Kick(or Weak Punch),A-Strong Kick } (plus you get an Instant Replay if you } have that feature turned on) Meat: D,DT,T-Kick Flambe': A,T,A Resurrection: Clockwise on directionals WORM: Flying Spin Attack: A,T-Kick Upward Punch: UT(or UA)-Strong Punch } +Quick Spin Punch: Weak Kick(or Weak Punch),A-Strong Punch } (plus you get an Instant Replay if you } have that feature turned on) Meat: D,DT,T-Kick Flambe': A,T,A Resurrection: ?? SQUID: Double ForceField: D,DA,A-Kick Flying Attack: U,D-Punch } +Punch Across Screen: Weak Kick(or Weak Punch),A-Strong Punch (plus you get an Instant Replay if that feature is turned on) Meat: D,DA,A-Strong Punch Flambe': A,T,A Resurrection: ?? SELENA: ForceField Arrow: D,DT,T-Punch Spin Kick Attack: A,T-Kick Handstand Flying Kick: U-Kick (Push the Up key to make Selena jump and continue holding it as you hit the Kick key when she touches the ground) } +Fast Jump Over Opponent: Weak Kick(or Weak Punch),A-Strong Kick Meat #1: D,DT,T-Kick Meat #2: T,DT,D,DA,A-Strong Punch <---Big Meat Attack!! :) Flambe': ?? Resurrection: Clockwise on directionals PARASITE: Energy Toss: D,DT,T-Punch Jump & Suck: D,DA,A-Kick } +Fly Back with Fast Forward Attack: Weak Kick(or Weak Punch),A-Strong Punch Fast Scurry Attack: A,T-Punch } Meat: A,T-Kick Flambe': ?? Resurrection: Clockwise on directionals CHAMPION: Nasty Spit: D,DA,A-Punch OR D,DT,T-Kick Mad Claws: D,DT,T-Punch Slider Kick: A,T-Kick Flying Head Butt: U(or UT)-Strong Punch Kick Out & Back Flip: U(Hold)-Strong Kick a few times Big Forward Jump: U(Hold)-Punch a few times } +Head Butt Combo: Weak Punch,A-Strong Punch } Meat: A,T-Punch Flambe': ?? Resurrection: Clockwise on directionals GRAND CHAMPION: Nasty Spit: D,DT,T-Punch Double Back-leg Kick: A,T-Kick Up on Hind Legs: U(Hold)-Punch a few times Meat: Doesn't appear to have one---Free Play mode doesn't turn screen to red to allow you to do one! Flambe': If no Meat move, then no Flambe' move! Resurrection: ?? } +These moves (the ones with a '+' beside them) are Combos. } Most all the Combos will show a 2 or 3-hit Combo message on } the screen when successfully executed near the other fighter, } except for the Combo for Toad and the Combo for Bat. 9.6 Moves by Common Execution Sequence -------------------------------------- These are the same moves listed in Section 9.5. Instead of them being listed by fighter, they are listed by common method of execution. I've also tried to list the moves that have common directional sweeps next to each other too. This list is for those of you who are only good at executing one or two of the moves! :) A,T-Punch: Toad - Fast Attack Bat - Nose Spin Attack Parasite - Fast Scurry Attack } Champion - Meat Move A,T-Kick: Nick - Cartwheel Attack Worm - Flying Spin Attack Selena - Spin Kick Attack } Parasite - Meat Move Champion - Slider Kick Grand Champion - Double Back-leg Kick A,T,A: Mouth - Flambe' Move Nick - Flambe' Move Toad - Flambe' Move Spike - Flambe' Move Worm - Flambe' Move Squid - Flambe' Move A,DA,D-Punch: Mouth - Ball Throw Toad - Projectiles (throwing of tail spikes) Spike - Low Spit (low shooting of green goo) D,DT,T-Punch: Mouth - Meat Move Toad - Tail Swipe Bat - Spin Attack Spike - High Spit (high shooting of green goo) Selena - Force Field Arrow Parasite - Energy Toss Champion - Mad Claws Grand Champion - Nasty Spit D,DT,T-Kick: Toad - Meat Move Spike - Meat Move Worm - Meat Move Selena - Meat Move #1 Champion - Nasty Spit D,DA,A-Strong Kick: Nick - Meat Move D,DA,A-Kick: Squid - Double Forcefield (throws out double fields of force) Parasite - Jump & Suck D,DA,A-Strong Punch: Squid - Meat Move D,DA,A-Punch: Nick - Force Field Throw Champion - Nasty Spit T,DT,D,DA,A-Strong Punch: Selena - Meat Move #2 UT (or UA)-Punch: Nick - Upward Punch UT (or UA)-Strong Punch: Worm - Upward Punch U,D-Kick: Mouth - Flying Attack U,D-Punch: Squid - Flying Attack U,T-Punch: Bat - Meat Move U-Strong Punch: Bat - Flying Nose Attack U(or UT)-Strong Punch: Champion - Flying Head Butt Hold U (plus UT or UA for direction) and hit the Punch key repeatedly: Bat - Fly U(Hold)-Hit the Punch key a few times: Champion - Big Forward Jump Grand Champion - Up on Hind Legs U(Hold)-Hit the Strong Kick key a few times: Champion - Kick Out & Back Flip U-Kick: Selena - Handstand Flying Kick (Push the Up key to make Selena jump and continue holding it as you hit the Kick key when she touches the ground) }+Weak Kick(or Weak Punch),A-Strong Punch: Mouth - Punch the other fighter into the ground, plus you get an Instant Replay (if turned on) Nick - Strong upper punch Toad - Tail toss of the opposing fighter Worm - Quick spin punch Squid - Punches the other fighter into the air across the screen, and you get an Instant Replay (if turned on). Parasite - Fly back with fast forward attack }+Weak Kick(or Weak-Punch),A-Strong Kick: } Spike - Mid-leg Kick Selena - Fast Jump Over Opponent }+Weak Kick,A-Strong Punch,U-Punch: Nick - Cool Combo Punch }+Kick or Punch the other fighter up close, then T,A-Strong Punch: } Bat - Head to Ground Move }+Punch the other fighter up close, then A-Strong Punch: } Bat - Head to Ground Move (another way to do it!) }+Weak Punch,A-Strong Punch: } Champion - Head Butt Combo Get close to other fighter, then T,UT,U-Kick: Spike - Tail Spike Clockwise on Directionals: Mouth - Resurrection Move Nick - Resurrection Move Bat - Resurrection Move Spike - Resurrection Move Selena - Resurrection Move Parasite - Resurrection Move Champion - Resurrection Move ??: Toad - Resurrection Move Worm - Resurrection Move Squid - Resurrection Move Grand Champion - Resurrection Move Parasite - Meat Move Champion - Meat Move Bat - Flambe' Move Selena - Flambe' Move Parasite - Flambe' Move Champion - Flambe' Move } +These moves (the ones with a '+' beside them) are Combos. } Most all the Combos will show a 2 or 3-hit Combo message on } the screen when successfully executed near the other fighter, } except for the Combo for Toad and the Combo for Bat. 9.7 Strategy Stuff ------------------ Here's some playing tips you may find useful: * It is important to remember that the strong punches and kicks can cause more damage at a farther range, but these moves are SLOWER. Conversely, the weak punches and kicks cause less damage at a shorter range, but these moves are much QUICKER. Practice both types of moves and execute them when most appropriate. Sometimes using a combination of both types can be more effective too. * It is very hard to remember to block while fighting. However, blocking is one of the more important moves if you are going to stay alive. If someone is trying to constantly beat on you, try blocking and then using a quick weak punch or kick. * Many of the opposing fighters will try to throw things at you from a far distance. Remember that most times you can jump over what is being thrown. } * Both Bat's Spin Attack and Mouth's Ball Throw moves can be executed } while they are jumping and in the air. Learn these moves well since } this extra capability may add just that little fighting edge you } will need to beat really tough opponents. } * Worm and Mouth can crouch down and avoid most of the objects being } thrown by the other opponents. (The exceptions are Spike's Low } Spit, Squid's Double ForceField, and Mouth's Ball Throw--if executed } when Mouth jumps and is close to the ground.) This holds true too } of Toad's Fast Attack.....Toad will just go flying by without } touching them. * Learn to do the Resurrection move! This move will help you win a few fights where you would normally end up dead. * I highly recommend playing XENOPHAGE with a 4-button gamepad or joystick. It's much easier and quicker to learn and execute most of the moves. } Better yet, buy one of the newer programmable gamepads or arcade } sticks. You can program in most of the major moves for a fighter } and easily kick butt. Some that I that I have tried and can } recommend are Act Labs' PowerRamp arcade stick, Act Labs' PowerRamp } MITE gamepad, and Thrustmaster's Pazer Pad. * Make full use of Training and Free Play modes to practice the moves. Remember that the Player Options screen for these modes has a wide range of options that you can fine-tune so that you can practice and better your moves. * Practice. Practice. Practice. And then, practice some more!! :) ------------------------------------------------------------------------ }10 Secrets! }----------- }This section lists the cool secret cheats that are hidden in XENOPHAGE, }along with the special command line parameters that may be helpful in }fixing some problems with running the game. }10.1 Cheat Codes }---------------- Here's a bunch to try out. These are the only ones that I know about, but there might be some more. This first table lists the cheat codes, which game version that they are available in (S=Shareware, R=Registered), and how to activate them. BTW, the codes that you type in the Fight screen last for the current fight only. You have to retype them for each new fight. Also, you can deactivate these codes by simply retyping them. Game Cheat Code Version How to Enable ----------- ------- ------------------------------------------- BISHOP S,R Type in Fight Screen BLARNEY R XPR.INI file change BLOOD S,R Type in Fight Screen CHAMPS R Type in Menu Screen or Player Select Screen GLASSJAW S,R Type in Fight Screen HELIUM S,R Type in Fight Screen INVISIBLE S,R Type in Fight Screen ORCHID R Type in Fight Screen SHADOWS S,R Type in Fight Screen STAIN S,R Type in Fight Screen THOUGHTJINX S,R Type in Fight Screen XACMAN R Type in Menu Screen This next table lists the cheat code, what it does, and any additional information about the code you might find useful: Cheat Code What It Does & Comments ----------- -------------------------------------------------------- BISHOP The announcer says in a very deep voice, "YOU SUCK!". BLARNEY You get to fight the secret fighter, Blarney!! The booklet that comes with the registered version states that the BLARNEY cheat code is activated by typing it in during any menu screen. I think this is a bunch of blarney!! Sorry, I couldn't resist! ;) To activate Blarney, you need to edit the XPR.INI file with a text editor. BE SURE TO BACK UP THE XPR.INI FILE BEFORE YOU DO THIS! (Take a look at Section 11 for some more fun stuff you can change in this file!) Below the [Xenophage] heading up at the top, change the value for Player2 to equal Blarney ("Player2=Blarney"). Run the game and select Free Play mode, and you'll see that Blarney now is the name for Fighter 2. Look in the Choose Player 2 Menu option, and you'll see a cute picture of Blarney in the cast of characters! Go into a Free Play game and fight a round or two with Blarney. Watch the massive buckets of blood fly off Blarney and stain the ground....dead dino meat!!! :) BTW, you can change Player1 to Blarney and play as the deadly dinosaur, but it's not much fun and the game gets a little buggy! And you can change the XPS.INI file in the shareware version too, but all you'll get is a picture of Blarney in the Player Selection screen. If you try to go into a Free Play fight with Blarney, you'll be thrown to DOS with an error message. BLOOD You like lots of blood? Use this one to increase the blood that flies off each of the fighters. CHAMPS This is the one you want! You can select any one of the 3 Boss fighters, Parasite, Champion, or the Grand Champion, in the Choose Player screens! You can now practice fighting the Bosses in Free Play mode. Or if you like, practice being a Boss in Training and Free Play modes, and then whip their counterparts in Story Mode! GLASSJAW The booklet that comes with the registered XENOPHAGE game says that activating this code will stun your opponent after each punch or kick. Well be careful with this one. It'll stun YOUR fighter if punched/kicked as well! And if you hit your opponent again while stunned, this second hit will make the fighter active again instead of doing the stun effect. HELIUM This makes the fighters jump higher and come down to the ground a little slower. This one makes you feel like you're fighting on a lower gravity planet. It's a nice code to use to change the pace and gameplay of the fights. INVISIBLE Both fighters become completely invisible! ORCHID This one only works with Selena on the screen. She stiffens and sorta blossoms and grows! ;) Try it with 2 Selenas on the screen at the same time for a really nice effect!! SHADOWS The bodies of both fighters disappear from the screen and all you can see is their shadows. STAIN The blood that flies off the fighters stains the ground. If you love blood, use this one with the BLOOD code. THOUGHTJINX Both fighters fall down and die! The fighters will continue falling down and dying (with a match TIE) until you type in the code again. XACMAN Type this code in when the Main Menu (or other menu) is on the screen. As soon as you do, another menu option will show on the Main Menu screen that says, "Play XacMan!". WOW! A mini-game you can actually play within XENOPHAGE! I bet you can't guess which game this is similar to! }10.2 Command Line Parameters }---------------------------- }Command line parameters can be typed in when you first start the game, }and are mainly used by Apogee Tech support in assisting customers who }are having problems with running the game. } Parameter What It Does & Comments } ----------- -------------------------------------------------------- } /FORCE16 Forces 16 bit sound. } /FORCE8 Forces 8 bit sound. } /JOYMAX:n Limits the maximum joystick read value where "n" is the } the top limit. } /LOG Redirects the output text displayed when using the } /START parameter, to a text file called "log.txt". } /MAXMEM:n Limits the amount of memory that XENOPHAGE will try to } use in "n" megabytes. } /NOCONFIRM Stops XENOPHAGE from asking you confirming questions } such as "Are You Sure You Want to Quit?", etc. } /NODOSMEM Alters the way XENOPHAGE allocates memory, and can be } used as a last ditch effort to get the game running. } /NOFRAMEBUF Alters the way XENOPHAGE allocates memory, and can be } used as a last ditch effort to get the game running. } /NOJOY1 Stops XENOPHAGE from searching for a joystick on Port 1. } /NOJOY2 Stops XENOPHAGE from searching for a joystick on Port 2. } /NOJOYS Stops XENOPHAGE from looking for joysticks. } /NOMOUSE Stops XENOPHAGE from looking for a mouse. } /POLLJOYS Gets XENOPHAGE to ignore joysticks. } /POLLKEYBOARD Gets XENOPHAGE to ignore the keyboard. } /POLLMOUSE Gets XENOPHAGE to ignore the mouse. } /SETUP Forces the game to start in setup mode. } /START Displays extra information when starting up the game. } /SVGA400 Makes the SVGA mode 640x400 instead of 640x480 (assuming } that SVGA is available). } /VALID Tells XENOPHAGE that it is being run from the .BAT file } (always found in XPR.BAT or XPS.BAT). } /VERSION Displays what version number of the game you're running } when starting up the game. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ 11 Trivia & Fun Stuff --------------------- There's more meat to this section in this version of the FAQ. Check out some little known stuff about XENOPHAGE and some fun things you can fiddle with: } * XENOPHAGE was not always called XENOPHAGE. The previous working } title for the game was ARENA. * During the development of XENOPHAGE, some of the fighters had different names. Did you know that Worm was called Jack, and that Parasite was called Pinwheel? } * You don't need your watch to check the time of day while playing } XENOPHAGE. Just take a glance at Selena's penthouse clock. It } shows the time based on your computer's clock. Of course, if your } computer's time is messed up you'll still need your watch! ;) * Watch the larvae in Spike's environment carefully. Some of them crawl over and jump into the bubbling goo pool, while some of the others head off toward the edge of the cliff and jump off. You can move your fighter over the worms before they jump and actually squish them! Splat! But for some reason, the yellow Spike can't harm the yellow ones and the blue Spike can't touch the blue ones!! * XENOPHAGE has a file with all your configuration settings. The shareware file is called XPS.INI and the registered file is called XPR.INI. Using a text editor, try changing the following settings and watch what happens! MAKE A COPY OF THE FILE BEFORE YOU DO THIS! If for some reason you mess up this file beyond recognition, there's a copy of your original file in the XENOPHAGE directory called XPSORIG.INI (shareware) or XPRORIG.INI (registered). > Look under the [Display] section and change BloodVolume to 499998. This will give you buckets of blood (even more than the BLOOD code) when the fighters are hitting each other! > Look in the [FPPlayer1] and [FPPlayer2] sections for "Type =". Set the value for both to 2 (joystick). Now when you play in Free Play mode, you can do some "shadow boxing". Every time your fighter throws a punch or kick, the other fighter will do the same. (You won't control the directional movement of the other fighter, just the punching and kicking.) Here's a fun one to try with the same parameters! Try also setting the "Type =" values for both to 4 (computer). You can now watch the fighters duel it out in Free Play mode without you doing a thing, just like the demo! You can also change the options in the Player Options screen (don't change "Player Type"!), options like Cunning, Strength, Speed, Health, etc., so that the computer fighters will act differently in your Free Play "demo". And try testing some of the cheat codes mentioned in Section 10 while the demo is playing too! > Look under the [Match] section for "OverkillZone=". Change the value of this parameter to equal 1000000. Now just one punch or kick will almost kill your fighter or the opponent in the match round! What changing this parameter does is allow a larger or smaller health range for Overkills (or Meat moves). Normally, you have to get your opponent's health way down before the screen will flash red and you can execute a meat move. When you increase this parameter, you decrease the amount your opponent's health has to fall before you are in the "Meat Move Zone". > Look under the [Match] section for "Gravity=". Change the value of this parameter to a low of 1 for little gravity or up to around 100 for heavy gravity. This setting affects the height and speed of the jumps done by both your fighter and the opponent. Try setting this parameter to 8 and you'll have fun with your fighters flying across the screen. The special cheat code HELIUM mentioned in Section 10 temporarily lowers this value so that the fighters jump higher and come down slower than normal. > Look under the [ApogeeSound] section for "Rate=". Based on your type of sound card, you might be able to change this parameter to get improved sound quality. Try setting it first to 22000 and see if you notice any difference. } * You MIGHT be able to run the registered version of XENOPHAGE } directly from the CD without installing it to your hard drive. I } have tested this on several computers and was able to get it to work } on all but one. So, this MAY or MAY NOT work! Please don't e-mail } me if it doesn't work for you. And definitely don't bug Apogee's } Tech Support either. That said, here's what you do: } > Create a directory on your hard drive. For this example, let's } say you create a directory called D:\GAMES\XENO. } > Copy all files with an INI extension from the XENOPHAGE CD } directory XENOINST to the directory you just created on your } hard drive (in this example, D:\GAMES\XENO). } > If applicable, remove the "Read Only" attribute from the INI } files you just copied to your hard drive. } > Type the following SET command at the command prompt: } SET XENOCD=D:/GAMES/XENO } Notice that forward-slashes, "/", are used in the command. } > You should now (hopefully) be able to run the XENOPHAGE Setup } program, SETUP.BAT, and the registered XENOPHAGE program, } XPR.BAT, directly off the XENOPHAGE CD. (These batch files are } located in the XENOINST directory of your CD.) ------------------------------------------------------------------------ 12 Thanks go to... ------------------ }Rich ¥Weeds¥ Nagel....A HUGE special thank you!! Rich hacked and found }most all the cheat codes you find in Section 10 of this FAQ. He also }took the time to play with some of the XPR.INI settings for most of the }Fun Stuff you see in Section 11. And he figured out how to play }XENOPHAGE off a CD which is shown in Section 11. Oh, and Rich also }reminded me about how Selena's penthouse clock tells the perfect time. }Thanks Rich! I couldn't have gotten this latest FAQ update out without }all your help. Mark Forsman (Almighty Ruler) for reminding me about the BLOOD code. Thanks Mark! }Lief Bjornstad for a bunch of stuff in this latest edition of the FAQ: }a list of Combo moves, telling me that Bat's Turn Around Kick move }(that I had listed in prior FAQs) didn't work, pointing out Squid and }Mouth can do damage to Mouth and Worm when crouched, mentioning the }added in-air capability of Bat's Spin Attack and Mouth's Ball Throw, }and reminding me of the blinking eyes of Nick and Selena. Nice job, }Lief! Keep them coming. }Malachi Mullinax for giving me Parasite's Meat move and Champion's Meat }move. Thanks Malachi! }John Marshall the Great for also giving me Parasite's Meat move. The }feedback is much appreciated! }Samuel Stoddard (ss1@christa.unh.edu) for some release date info, and }also his trivia fact on XENOPHAGE's prior working title which I show in }Section 11 of this FAQ. BTW, be sure and check out Mr. Stoddard's THE }"OFFICIAL" APOGEE FAQ if you enjoy playing other Apogee/3D Realms }games. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ 13 Final Words -------------- That's all the info I have for now. If you should discover any other secret moves or hidden stuff that I haven't listed, discover any mistakes in what I've written, or just want to drop me a line, send me e-mail at dhowell@iac.net. If any new secret stuff you send me can be verified and if I don't have it already, I'll be sure to give you credit in the next XENOPHAGE FAQ. }I still don't have the Flambe' and Resurrection moves for some of the }fighters. Can anyone figure these out? HELP!! :) Also thanks to Jason Blochowiak for the STAIN code, for giving some initial tips on how to do some of the moves, and for verifying most of the info in the initial FAQ. Thanks Jason! ------------------------------------------------------------------------