SO is fun to play, but frustrating. There's lots of surprises and terrorists to hunt down, and occasionally one must employ more than just a loose and quick trigger finger. The frustration mounts up quickly after numerous saves and re-loads because of depleted health/armor/ammo. I prefer a more Wolfe/Doom style of gaming where I charge through levels, wasting anything that moves or attempts to move me, having the resources to efficiently or immaginatively carry out my dire deeds, and, most important, keeping up the momentum for an hour or few without having to re-start where I've already been. The enclosed level files increase the fun while decreasing the frustration. They're the next best thing to a full cheat/spoiler which as far as I know, doesn't exist.
SO What do I Get?
You get to start at any level you want to with full health/armor, a full compliment of equipment, all weapons available in the game, and, enough ammo to do some major damage, come out smelling like a rose and left-overs for your great grand-children. And here's the kicker. Just in case your greedy, there's a lot more where that came from as you can pick up more health/armor/ammo along the way.
SO What do I do With These Levels Anyway?
Pop em in your SO folder and double-klick whichever level you'd like to start from. Once loaded (except for level 01 for obvious reasons) you'll find yourself at the end of the level below it. I suggest that before doing anything else, klick on (or activate with the number keys) the weapons and equipment you intend to use. For those of you who haven't progressed far enough in the game to appreciate the finery of your newfound toys, your initiation is about to begin. Tread lightly and carry a BIG STICK.
I further suggest you hit the save button at stratigic points along the way. If you want your saved game to reference the level your playing, save it as something other than the name in the dialog box. Otherwise, the original will be gone. You'll have spoiled my work and that would be moore dasterdly than the medicine your about to administer to those poor dumb sods with severely limited vocabularys.
This All Sounds too Good to be True. SO What's the Catch?
Good question! Your perceptive nature is only exceeded by your intuitive spirit. There are two limitations to keep in mind.
The first is that you can't play levels below the level you start from. The terroists, traps, lasers, etc. have been cleaned out, destroyed or deactivated—I THINK. I might have missed a secret door or two; no rest for the wicked. Some of the weapons ammo and equipment have also seemingly disappeared. However, you can scoot down to lower levels at your pleasure to pick up more health/armor/ammo in order to play the current level without having to re-load the game which leads to the second limitation.
Your health/armor/ammo is finite. The game only allows so much at one time. However, you can refill to capacity at any time by collecting left-overs from lower levels or picking them up from the level your playing. Alternatively, you'll either have to re-load an existing level or saved game, or, you can employ that wonderful ResEdit hack kindly posted to C.S.M.G. by an individual whom I'd love to thank if only I could retrieve the lost article.
SO I'm Greedy. I Wanna be Armed to the Teeth. Tell Me How. It'll be our Little Secret.
I P R O M I S E!!!
There's a song by the late Harry Chapin called 'Odd Job Man.' Its a story set to music about a gas station flunkey whose enticed to do some odd jobs around a rich customer's house while the customer is out of town. The customer's well-endowed wife remains at home to supervise the flunkeys work. The flunkey accepted the list of jobs from the customer and began figuring prices. The customer stopped him in mid stream and firmly stated. "When your dealing with a gentleMAN, you get just what you earned." Such is life. Ya want it, ya earn it. Here's how.
For those of you who are comfortable with ResEdit simply copy the PLAY resource from a level containing items you want to a level requiring such items.
1) Start at the beginning of a level containing the items you want. Play the level by wasting the terrorists and obstacles that would otherwise attempt to impede your progress if you were to move through the level, unarmed in an attempt to gather the required items.
2) Save your played level; giving it a unique name. I use the name "a" <no quotes> as its easy to remember and its always at the top of the folder.
3) Quit the game and open ResEdit v2.12 or higher by double-klicking on its icon.
4) Choose OPEN from the ResEdit file menu. Search for any of the levels I've provided and open one of them by double-klicking on it or choosing OPEN from the ResEdit file menu.
5) Highlight the Play resource by klicking on it. (No need to open it).
6) Hit command-c or choose copy from the Edit menu.
7) Close the file or hit command-w. Don't quit ResEdit yet.
8) As in Step #4, open the level you saved in Step #2.
9) Repeat Step #5 and hit command-v or choose paste from the Edit menu.
10) Klick the YES radial button from the dialog box following the paste command.
11) Quit ResEdit and hit <return> when the save prompt appears.
12 Get back to the game and open your newly hacked level. You will start where you left off with full health/armor, ammo, etc.
13) Move through the level and pick up the items you want. If allowed, they'll be added to your bootey.
14) After you've pilaged the level (such are the spoils of war) save your level and continue playing. To add more ammo, you may use the above procedure again. This time you copy the PLAY resource from your newly saved level; not mine.
Yes its a long and arduos process if you want to load to the hilt. I had to go through the game twice to create these levels. But take heart. Like the flunkey, you may get your come-upins in more ways that are obvious at first. You see the customer eventually returned to the gas station to pay the flunkey for his labour. He pays the flunkey $100. The flunkey protested. "That's just a buck an hour sir." The customer replied. "That's all I pay for Jerks." So the flunkey accepts the money, feeling smug and self-assured cause afterall, when everything is said and done <quoting from the song now> there's justice to this life, cause what that man had done to me, I done to his wife.
SO What's With This emdear thing? Are you Trying to be cute or patronizing?
I'm sick of seing that R-word that clutters up my HD with its innocuous command. Now that's patronizing. I may be infected, but I ain't no carrier, therefore I put my immagination into over-drive and emdear appeared. I leave the rest to your encryptic abilities.
THANKS!
I deeply appreciate the folks at Reality Bytes who created the game and kindly permitted me to redistribute these levels. During the past year I've employed many freely provided resources from the net and the mac gaming community. I'm greatful to be in a position to freely and without obligation provide something that others may find useful. If you like/dislike what I've provided, feel free but not obliged to contact me. HAPPY PLAYING.
