Super Bagman(Arcade game) FAQ
version 1.1.0
copyright 2003
by Andrew Schultz
[email protected]
Please do not reproduce this FAQ for profit without my prior consent.
However, if you write a polite e-mail to me referring to me(and this
FAQ) by name, then I will probably say OK. But if I ignore you that
means no--and I am bad about answering e-mail. Sorry.
**** AD SPACE: ****
My home page:
http://www.geocities.com/SoHo/Exhibit/2762
================================
1. INTRODUCTION
2. THE BASICS
2-1. CONTROLS
2-2. SCORING
2-3. WAYS TO DIE
3. GAME MAP
3-1. LEDGER
3-2. LEVEL 1
3-3. LEVELS 2+
4-4-4. LUCKY SPECIAL TEXT BONUSES
4. GENERAL GAMING STUFF
4-1. WARDENS
4-1-1. WHAT THEY DO, IN GENERAL
4-1-2. HOW THEY SPEED UP
4-1-3. ROUGH AI
4-2. OTHER DETAILS/TRICKS
4-3. ITEMS
4-3-1. MONEY BAGS
4-3-2. PICKAXES
4-3-3. BOMBS
4-3-4. THE BIG MONEY BAG
4-3-5. THE WHEELBARROW
4-3-6. THE ELEVATOR
4-3-7. THE CRANE
4-3-8. THE MINE CART
4-3-9. THE GUN
4-3-10. THE KEY
4-4. MISCELLANY
4-4-1. MUSIC
4-4-2. STUFF BAGMAN SAYS
4-4-3. NASTY BUGS
4-4-4. LUCKY SPECIAL TEXT BONUSES
5. SCREEN TRICKS
6. WALKTHROUGH(MORE GENERAL AS YOU GO ON)
6-1. STRAIGHT THROUGH LEVEL 1
6-2. LEVEL 2 AND BEYOND
6-3. BONUS SCENE
6-4. WHAT IF I LOSE A LIFE?
7. VERSIONS/CREDITS
================================
1. INTRODUCTION
Super Bagman is the sequel to Valadon's _Bagman_ and although the
characters are essentially the same, you get new gadgets to play with
and two new screens to trek through. Here's the story: you're an escaped
convict in red and white stripes. Wardens chase you around a maze of
ladders and tunnels while you try to *ahem* liberate bags of money and
bring them to the top where you put them in the wheelbarrow before your
bonus runs out. You've got lots of ways to mess with the wardens: drop a
money bag on their head, take a pickaxe to them, or put the wheelbarrow
over them as they climb up the stairs. And that's just the legacy from
Bagman.
In Super Bagman you have an escalator and shafts you can slide down.
You need to be clever and drop money bags at the right time(usually this
loses time as you have to go back down.) There's a crane but you also
have your traditional elevator and mine cart friends from Bagman.
There's also a gun. Great in a pinch, but wardens shoot to kill
afterwards. Then the bonus round after that features you trying to grab
a heavy key in the same map and rescue your pal who's locked up--which
means an extra life.
With all this though the game has a few near-fatal flaws: first,
random bugs make the wardens take physically impossible leaps, and
sometimes the wardens will run back and forth, which is unsportsmanlike.
Second, when you're 90% done with a level and you die, it's so hard to
get that last bit that you may feel ripped off. Third, the pixelation
provides an unrealistic appraisal of just exactly what's going on. So
you wind up with some weird deaths to avoid.
Super Bagman is an extremely punishing game and should only be
undertaken by those who want a stiff challenge. Even with infinite lives
on MAME I find it hard to get through one of the tougher levels. In fact
for original arcade players it surely must have been frustrating to get
to a new place, have no clue what to do next, and die in short order.
2. THE BASICS
2-1. CONTROLS
You have a joystick, action and a fire button. Fire only works if you
have the gun. Action does several things. It can drop/get a money bag or
retrieve other special items. It also makes you jump; there are standing
and running jumps.
The main thing to watch out for with controls is how you can jump when
you mean to pick up the wheelbarrow or a money bag. This can be fatal if
you're being chased or near the edge. You'll jump if you want to grab,
or vice versa. Often you need to carry a money bag away from an edge and
then jump.
Another thing to note is that horizontal movement overrides vertical
movement. Sometimes diagonal movement can help you just get that extra
half-second.
Beginners will also need to learn how to slide down the 45 degree
slopes and jump--it's 3 steps and then you run across. Keep holding that
joystick down.
Picking up a bag slows you down by half--the blue bag does so by half
again. Other items don't do anything.
Generally unless you have to do a tricky move, wait 'til you're fully
over the item until you get it.
You also often need to learn to tip your joystick one way to make
Bagman face a certain way i.e. to drop money off a ledge. This seems
rather unscientific, and you'll have accidents. But note that if more
than half of him is over a chasm, he will fall down.
2-2. SCORING
300 points for each screen you walk across. This takes approximately 3
seconds.
4000-100 to your bonus every second or so, for each bag you put in the
wheelbarrow
100 points for catching the mine cart
500 points for each warden you kill. This includes them shooting each
other, you shooting or pickaxing one, bombing him, or dropping a
wheelbarrow or money bag over his head.
3x bonus for either 1)getting the blue bag or 2)rescuing your friend
in the bonus level(which also nets an extra life.)
2-3. WAYS TO DIE
There are a lot. Basic ones include running into wardens, getting
shot, running out of time, getting hit by the mine cart, elevator or
crane, falling off a ledge(or sliding and then jumping wrong,) or being
around when a bomb goes off. However there are some weird ones such as
being around a second bomb when you placed the other. You also die if
you descend from the mine cart. Note wardens can also catch up with you
when you make a turn.
3. GAME MAP
3-1. LEDGER
X = dirt
x = handhold for mine shaft
H = ladder
& = pick
$ = gold
+ = 3x bonus gold
| = wall to use pickaxe on
/\= slope up or down. The steeper ones, you fall through
^ = elevator up
^v= crane
JA
IL= jail where your friend is held
g = gun
W = wheelbarrow
' = bomb
3-2. LEVEL 1
Here is the map for the first level.
| SCREEN 1 || SCREEN 2 || SCREEN 3 || SCREEN 4 || SCREEN #5
' W $
XHXXXXXXXXHXXXXXHXXXXXXXXHXXXXXXXXXXXHXXHXXXXXXXXXHXX^XX
$HXXX ^^ H $H \XXXXHXXXXXXXXXXXHXXHXXXXXXXXXHXX^XXXXXX\\\
XHXX ^^XXXXXXXXXXXX\ \XXXHXXXXXXXXXXXHXXHXXXXXXXXXHXX^XXXH&HXXXXXX^vXX
XH ^^XXXXXXXXXXXJAXX\ \XXH $ &H H $ HXX^XXXHXH ^vXX
XH-XXXX $ XXXXIL X\ \XHXXXXHXX\ \XXXXHXX XXXXXXXXX^XXXHXHXXXXXX^vXX
XHXXXXXHXXXHXXXXXXXHXX\ HXXXXHXXX\ \XXXHXX $ & ' ^ $ H H $ ^vXX
XHXXXXXH H XXHXXX XHXXXXHXXXX\ $ HXXXX XXXHXXX^XXXXXXXXXXXX^vXX
XH-\ XXHXXXXXXH HXXX XHXXXXHXXXXX XXXHXXXX XXXHXXX^XXX XXXXXXX^vXX
XHXX-\ HXXXXXXHXXXXXX XHXXXXH g'XX XXXHXXXX XXXHXXX^XXX+ XH | ^vXX
XHXXXX-\$HXXXXXXH $ $ H XXXHXXxXX XXXHXXxX XXXHXXX^XXXXXHXHXXXX^vXX
XHXXXXXXXHXXXXXXXX XXX XXXXHX$H $ H H$ ^ XXXXH HXXXX^vXX
H & H XXX XXX XXXXHXXXXXXXXXXXXHXXXXXXXXXXXX^XXXXXXXXXXXX^vXX
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXH ' H ^ ' $ ^vXX
3-3. LEVELS 2+
For levels 2 and beyond, the money bags are slightly shifted, but you
have the same gadgets.
| SCREEN 1 || SCREEN 2 |
' W
XHXXXXXXXXHXXXXXHXXXXXXXXHXX
HXXX ^^ H $H \XXXXHXX
XHXX ^^XXXXXXXXXXXX\ \XXXHXX
XH ^^XXXXXXXXXXXJAXX\ \XXH
XH-XXXX $ $ XXXXIL$ X\ \XHXX
XHXXXXXHXXXHXXXXXXXHXX\ HXX
XHXXXXXH H XXHXXX XHXX
XH-\ XXHXXXXXXH HXXX XHXX
XHXX-\ HXXXXXXHXXXXXX XHXX
XHXXXX-\ HXXXXXXH$ $ H X
XHXXXXXXXHXXXXXXXX XXX XXXXH
H $ & H XXX XXX XXXXH
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXH '
Screen 4 also has an obnoxious money bag right of the elevator where
the mine cart can't reach.
4. GENERAL GAMING STUFF
4-1. WARDENS
4-1-1. WHAT THEY DO, IN GENERAL
Roughly, the two wardens try to chase after you. If wardens touch you,
you die.
Often wardens blip entirely off the screen. I know on the left of
screen 2 with a warden coming in from the top left and me just below, he
sometimes disappears.
Wardens take time before they fire a gun and so you are usually
quicker on the draw than they are. You can also run off the screen to
avoid a shot.
Wardens seem smarter than in the original Bagman and often can fall
down on top of you to kill you--this is especially relevant in the
bottom of screen 2. Also in the bottom of screen 2 an interesting part
of warden AI comes up. If you've dropped the bag on the island, stand on
the left part of the platform between the stairs to get a warden coming
down to go left. Otherwise he will cut you off; this way he will start
jumping randomly. Whether or not he falls is also random, but usually
you can bolt up the stairs when he drifts away and then you can make it
to the top.
Wardens also move back and forth on the crane in screen 5 just so they
don't get stuck on it.
Wardens also split up more than in the original; if you hit them on
the head with the wheelbarrow one after another they'll still wake up at
the same time, but when they get to the top/bottom of a ladder and can't
see you it's possible they will break off in different directions. In
some, they do get stuck(DL of screen 2) until you leave the screen, and
you can take advantage of that.
4-1-2. HOW THEY SPEED UP
Wardens start off half as fast as you but speed up every 10000 points
and eventually reach your speed at 40000. So at the start you are their
equal if you're carrying a bag, but later you have to rely on hiding to
get to certain areas.
4-1-3. ROUGH AI
Wardens generally see you if you're on level with you. They'll run
right at you whether or not a gap is in the way. For the smaller gaps,
they can make it across, so be warned. If they see you have a pickaxe
they'll probably run away, the exception being when they are on the
crane and automatically shuffle back and forth. Then they may leave and
run into you anyway. Wardens can also sense if you're above or on the
same screen, but often they get stuck in a corner. They never reverse
direction unless 1) they're at the top of the ladder with nothing to do
or 2) you appear behind them.
The key to psyching them out is often to move onto one screen, wait
for a while, and watch them go off that screen. They don't change
direction very much, so say you're on screen 2 and go right to 3. Stay
on the left edge. They'll try to follow and usually wind up on 4. Then
you can go back left and duck in to pick up a tough money bag.
One key thing to note is that, right of the long ladder on screen 2 in
the cave to level 3, you won't be followed if a warden was on the ladder
behind you unless he is close enough behind to follow you right.
Wardens also seem to take different directions randomly. So although
it's fun to pack two of them together it may not work all the time. Also
they do not go up or down if on a separate screen from you--they just
run at yours. Often this creates potential for them to fall although you
should be aware they can jump over gaps when you can't see them.
4-2. OTHER DETAILS/TRICKS
If a warden misses you on the escalator, wait at the top. He'll drop
down the stairs and take himself out of the action.
4-3. ITEMS
4-3-1. MONEY BAGS
Money bags are what you bring to the top and put in the wheelbarrow so
you can get a bonus. But they can also slow you down when you carry
them. This becomes a problem once you reach 10000 points and bad guys
then go faster than you. You can drop money bags down a ladder or chute
and in fact one thing you need to master that you didn't in the original
Bagman is the art of dropping a bag down a shaft to make it easier to
get to later.
To knock out a warden below, you must drop the money bag straight down
the center of the ladder. You can also pile up tons of points by
standing above wardens and dropping a money bag as they wake up and
repeating until you really should get to the top or die because you
don't get your bonus.
The number one annoying thing about money bags is that they can stop
you from jumping if they are near a ledge. Also it's hard to pull the
trick of dropping a money bag when facing away from the ledge, which is
necessary to get rid of some of them without dying.
On the other hand, if you die with a money bag in hand or falling, it
doesn't reappear. Usually this helps you get through the level a bit
quicker, but if it's the last one you skip the bonus, which is really a
nice variant.
If you die with a money bag(or key) falling it is counted as
disappeared for your next life. If you die with the final money bag, you
jump to the next level with no congratulations or bonus round.
4-3-2. PICKAXES
Pickaxes are useful for keeping wardens at bay. But don't think
they're TOO useful. If you manage to catch up with a warden, the pickaxe
will stun him. In fact you can pick one up right as he approaches and
BANG. Pickaxes last for eight paces before they disappear; you can put
them down and pick them up again to "recharge," so to speak.
Still they're only of limited use on level 1(hold one on the crane, or
with bad guys on the crane,) and on level 2 you might as well use guns.
In fact if you're climbing up stairs you can't use the pickaxe, and it's
tough to nail someone on the way down. At least they hold off wardens
even if they're authorized to use guns, and you can use them on a lift
or the crane.
One thing to beware of is that if you hold a pickaxe and the bad guys
run over a gap, they may have jumped over it.
4-3-3. BOMBS
Bombs are very fun and stun the wardens more spectacularly than
pickaxes but are not as helpful as they might seem. Push action to pick
them up and you can move them around until you push it again. Dropping
it above a warden is not lethal, but it will still explode. Also beware;
it takes two seconds for a bomb to go off, and even if it takes a warden
out, he'll lunge at you as a reaction from the explosion. It's easy to
die this way. If you manage to get both wardens, a very confusing
picture will appear--one may still be standing up, in place. You can run
by.
The most useful bomb is at the top of the first screen. You can move
the wheelbarrow to the right, release it, push the bomb to the right,
and then run by the stunned warden.
4-3-4. THE BIG MONEY BAG
The big money bag is blue and behind a wall you have to use a pickaxe
on. I suggest you drop it down the short ladder on the left, and if a
bad guy gets in the area, SHOOT HIM as you have nothing left to lose
anyway. The blue bag also makes you very slow. If you run out of time be
sure to HOLD ON to the bag.
If you break down the wall to the money it won't reappear if you die,
which is a nice break. You also don't want to leave the blue bag for the
very last, as if you die, there's a snowball's chance in hell of getting
to it and then the wheelbarrow in time. No bonus round for you!
The 3x bonus from this bag probably won't get you much, but it makes
for a good challenge.
4-3-5. THE WHEELBARROW
The wheelbarrow is probably your most useful offensive weapon in the
game. My best solution consists of letting wardens chase me upstairs and
leaving the wheelbarrow at the top--then they fall down. With the
wheelbarrow, you don't want to spend too much time moving it, but it's
best to move it from left to right and never backwards. Interestingly
it's not always best play to move the wheelbarrow one screen at a time
and get everything under it and so on. Some locations access others
more/less easily than you'd think.
The wheelbarrow can be put on the crane and you can take it across the
elevator, but you can't bring it to the bottom on the fourth screen. In
fact taking the wheelbarrow down the crane on screen 5 makes things
easier.
If you try to conk a warden going up on the elevator/crane, he'll lash
out a little at you before getting stunned.
Oh--on the human side, sometimes if I grab the wheelbarrow too soon I
go jumping. Best to hit action when clearly over it; it doesn't slow you
down.
4-3-6. THE ELEVATOR
The elevator isn't really terribly useful, but it makes four stops(1
second apiece) on the way up before an express trip down, and you can
exit it each way. From my experience the only thing to use it for is to
run the wheelbarrow across when you get to the top. However you can
possibly sucker wardens into taking it, running right to screen 5, and
getting the blue bag. This will preclude them from waiting for you at
the bottom. You can also use the elevator to move the pick from screen 4
to 5. If the wardens are coming up the elevator, keep a respectful
distance and don't brain 'em when you get on board. Then leave to the
right, one floor above them, or you can even hope to go all the way back
down to get to the crane.
Wardens will wait for you on the next stop even if you've got the
pick(and face away if you do,) and if you 'just miss' the elevator
you'll fall down the shaft to your death. You can make it a third of the
screen.
4-3-7. THE CRANE
The crane stops at each of five levels on the way up and down, which
makes it thorough and reliable and can make you impatient. It also
allows you to move the wheelbarrow, which you should--to the center.
However it's a bit unforgiving about getting the blue bag. Standard play
leaves bad guys waiting at the bottom for you as you unearth it and try
to leave. You really don't want to mess with this until you are near the
end, and in fact I advise you to, when dealing with the crane, wait to
put a money bag in the wheelbarrow until just before the crane comes up.
That gives the most time for, say, getting the blue bag--more a question
of survival than piling up the points.
4-3-8. THE MINE CART
First: you can't change the direction you face in the mine cart, never
go down from it, and never exit it the way it's going.
You'll need the mine cart to get bags on screen 4--fortunately you can
pick up bags from the cart. It seems to go about 50% faster than you(a
round trip of its path takes 800 bonus points) and although it doesn't
harm the bad guys it will harm you. You need to grab a handhold and wait
for it, which is dangerous. Be sure bad guys are well out of the way.
You can go up the stairs from it conveniently but not down.
The mine cart can really ambush you on the right handhold(check the
bonus timer to see if you've got the time) but remember that you don't
need to haul around money in its path--just get in the cart, go
right/left, get the money and place it in the wheelbarrow!
The cart also renders you invisible to gunshots and blocks gunshots in
general, although it's fun to watch your guy sit back and pick off the
wardens!
The only really thing about the cart is that if you follow it too
closely off-screen, you jump ahead of it. Then it catches up, and you
lose a life.
4-3-9. THE GUN
Shooting a warden lets them use their guns although this is moot after
the first scene. Missing with a shot does nothing. Be sure you have the
gun icon flashing below the playfield before you walk out of the
gunsmith's. Nice things about guns is that you can hold another weapon
too and for instance with a pick you are really tough stuff.
The gunsmith's is nicely hidden away on the third screen and if you
come from the left you can walk in unmolested unless wardens were hot on
your trail. Even if they were you can shoot your way out or(better)
leave a bomb behind just right of the stairs. The gun is great to use in
the minecart but on all but level 2 you only get six shots before it
disappears and a new one appears. Be sure you hear the noise before
firing again, and you may want to wait for the wardens to take the first
shot if they're lumped together. That is because the one who does will
lag behind and maybe take his friend out, so you only need to use one
bullet.
It's often wise to shoot someone while he's far away; your first need
to shoot shouldn't be until you get to the crane or elevator with the
wheelbarrow. If he's far away approaching from the left you have more
time to react in case he wakes up. Also you may need a gun to get to the
final money bag in the bottom of screen 5. Just shoot the warden.
The person coming from above has a slight advantage firing the gun,
but the wardens don't take advantage of that.
Bullets don't go between screens.
4-3-10. THE KEY
The key is like the blue bag. It slows you down tremendously, and it's
important to consider where you need to take it before you lug it
around. It doesn't even have offensive value, as it doesn't hurt anyone
if you drop it down the stairs--although doing so can speed your trip
tremendously. One thing about the key, though, is that it is placed
randomly on any of the first three screens.
To have any hope of getting the key anywhere if it's on the second or
third screen, you'll need the gun. Which is fortunately nearby.
4-4. MISCELLANY
4-4-1. MUSIC
Music plays whenever you hit scene 1, 3 or 5. "You are my Sunshine" is
one but I don't know about the others.
"Auld Lang Syne" plays once you've lost all your lives.
4-4-2. STUFF BAGMAN SAYS
Ai-yi-yi=lost a life
Greeef = takes handhold
Aba-weba=put gold in wheelbarrow
Hey-hupa=jumped in mine cart
4-4-3. NASTY BUGS
I've had bad guys appear from the right when going U/L from the
gunsmith. There's also the matter of having two bombs on one
screen(around the unlit one? tough!) Also you can pass the mine cart
when switching screens and then it catches you.
4-4-4. LUCKY SPECIAL TEXT BONUSES
[all appearing in a sort of typewritered-out way:]
On getting your friend out of jail:
CONGRATULATIONS
GOOD LUCK FOR THE NEXT
CHALLENGE
BUT WARNING!!
POLICE HAVE BEEN INSTRUCTED
TO SHOOT ON SIGHT
On solving one level:
FOUND THE KEY AND RESCUE YOUR FRIEND / GOOD LUCK!
5. SCREEN TRICKS
This is hinted at in other places, but here I'll summarize the one
used over and over again, especially when you can't outrun the wardens
any more: you'll need to remember if bad guys are to the left or right
of you. If you can hide where they won't find you(i.e. no ladders
nearby) they will run directly right/left when off the screen and
continue that way when you can see them. They won't even chance to turn
around until a good deal later.
You can fake out the wardens by briefly going onto an adjacent scene
and then cutting back as well. This is especially useful when you want
to cause them to miss the elevator or the crane.
You also seem to get a bit of a jump as you switch from one screen to
the next.
6. WALKTHROUGH(MORE GENERAL AS YOU GO ON)
6-1. STRAIGHT THROUGH LEVEL 1
This walkthrough assumes you don't lose any guys on the way. It's my
feeling that with practice it will become clearer and only the blue
money bag poses a real problem, ultimately. Of course the further you
get into the game, the bigger the penalty is for losing a guy. Given
your job this is morally correct(harsher punishments for repeat
offenders,) but it's a bit rough on your average gamer.
Screen 1:
The first thing to do is to go straight up, get the money bag, and go
down by the elevator. Wait for the warden to climb down the stairs and
go right. If the warden follows you, loop around to get the wheelbarrow
and place it just right of the long left ladder. Otherwise if he goes to
the bottom, wait a bit to climb up the stairs--he should head off right-
-and then put the money in the barrow and drag it left.
The next two money bags are tougher, and you want to get them while
the wardens are still very slow. The other warden may become a factor
soon as well and as they both act randomly there's no clear route
through the game.
Still what I like to do is to go down the ladder(if one warden is
coming up them, grab the wheelbarrow and have it hit him on the head)
and then jump down the stairs to the right. Get the one money bag and
drop it, then go into the circle on top and after climbing back down
above the lower right ladder, drop THAT money bag. This saves time in
the long run from carrying the bags down. Also dropping the bag just
left of center saves fractional time.
If you've been expedient enough, you can run to the right to the
second screen for a detour. Go down, jump over the gap, take the money
bag, go to the right edge, tap left, and drop the bag, which should fall
below. This takes a good deal of skill and just general knowledge about
when you fall and when you won't, which can seem random at times.
Once you get it right you can jump back across the gap and onto screen
1, although you may want to wait a bit until any wardens below are well
to the right. You have more time than you think--1500 is probably
necessary to get a money bag in the cart in the worst case.
Moving the money bag up is the big problem here. First you may need to
get by a warden. Climb up the lower ladder with a money bag and be
prepared to drop it on his head--if at all possible wait to use the
pickaxe, although if you must, move the money as far left as possible
and try to pick up the pickaxe just as the warden is close, so you can
brain him and run by and up the stairs with your bag. If you have no
idea where the other warden is(one is probably on the bottom,) you can
probably sneak to the top and dump the money in the wheelbarrow. You may
also get trapped between two wardens at the top; in this case you may
need to use the bomb as a safety valve and go right, down, and right.
To get back down, you may wish to use the wheelbarrow to conk any
warden climbing up, then circle around on the stairsteps and down to get
the money bag. However here two wardens may come after you and you may
have to drop the money bag several times. You may even have to drop it
on both of them, which gets good points but brings up another problem--
once you get 10000 the wardens get faster.
On the way back up you should be able to make it past a knocked out
warden up the stairs to the wheelbarrow. You can either use the pick or
drop the money on his head from a small height and then climb up.
The transition to screen 2 may be tricky without the bomb. With it you
just need to knock any warden coming up the ladder on the head with your
wheelbarrow, bring the wheelbarrow forward and if a warden comes in from
the right you can let go, retreat to the bomb, and leave it to explode
over him.
Screens 2 and 3 aren't in some hard and fast order, and sometimes
it'll make sense to take out something in scene 3 or 4 first before
getting the stuff on the bottom of scene 2. If the wardens are very far
off to the left, try for 3/4. If they're off to the right, try for 2.
Screen 2:
You might as well get the two money bags in the upper left right away.
The first can go right in the wheelbarrow after you leave the barrow
right of the short ladder. The only trickery is if the bad guys follow
you--you'll have to duck down and left and when both bad guys are on
screen 1 you can double back right, up, and right. Put the money in the
barrow and head to the right side of the screen. Release the wheelbarrow
and go down and right at the first opportunity. The money below is much
harder to get, but you'll want to get to it before you get to the easier
stuff on screen 3, as having the wardens go as slowly as possible most
beneficial here.
The basic trick for screens 2-3 is to go down and right from where you
left the wheelbarrow, wait for the warden(s) to head off to the right of
the third screen, and circle back to screen 2 to do what you need to.
It's important NOT to take the bag in the upper left of screen 3. That
is most useful when time is running out and you can't carry a money bag
of your own too far.
In fact the first time in level 3 instead of waiting for wardens to go
right you can go into the chamber to get the gun, which you won't need
for a while--you can even get the money bag tucked in the lower left as
the extra time you take there won't be wasted, as it should make wardens
go further to the right. Then one trip will be to get the money at the
very bottom, if you've followed this walkthrough. If not you'll need to
drop the money bag to the bottom. I actually started off by grabbing the
money bag and falling just to get to the later parts, and I still do it
by accident. And in fact you'll first need to get the money bag to the
right and bring it up before you can actually take a running jump over
the gap, go to the right of the island, face left and drop the isolated
money bag. This all requires time and it's very anxious with bad guys
set to appear from the upper right without notice. If you can remember
whether the bad guys are on the top or bottom then that helps too--both
lumped together make it easier for you.
The bottom bag is even harder and in fact you may need to circle all
the way to the left, up, and right just after placing one money bag(you
do have the time) to deposit this one, as opposed to waiting one screen
right and doubling back(especially if bad guys are on the top and
bottom.) If there is a bad guy coming down as you get the money you'll
want to stand at the bottom, between the long ladder and the hole to the
left. He'll run left to try to fall on you and you can circle
right/up/left. You can also back up, use a bomb, and run past a bad guy,
or even bring the pick in from the screen to the left, although this may
be too complex and time consuming. Marginal luck is involved here but if
you can get both bad guys on screen 4, then you can track back. If they
follow you closely on the way up, run right and let go of the money bag.
If one still follows you then you can move quickly to place the bomb at
the edge of the gun chamber and the warden following may just miss you
before going unconscious.
Screen 3:
You should find consistent shelter in the area I mentioned. The bag
below the gunsmith shouldn't be a problem.
However at some point you need to get a rather tough bag(a 2-part
solution) on screen 4 and for that you will want to go left and wait on
screen 2 for a bit. I'll present this hard bit first, as once you've got
the controls and ideas down it describes what you want to look to do
ASAP, but you may want to skip this next paragraph to get acquainted
with the easier stuff. The sooner this tricky part's done the better, as
very fast wardens will make it even tougher.
Let the bad guys almost find where you are and run right. Fall down
the slope and after three steps, jump. The timing here is sticky and at
first you'll probably fall off or touch the edge and then fall. Timing
is tricky here. At least although the wardens don't learn from their
mistakes, you do--one thing that is tougher to learn is how to go left,
drop the bag so it falls to the level with the mine cart bouncing back
and forth, and then go right. At this point you'll need to have a good
idea of where the mine cart is. You can go right and get on the handhold
if bad guys are close, or you can wait for the mine cart to pass by,
then go down, right, up the stairs on scene 4, left, jump left over the
gap, and get and release the money bag on the ledge. It will fall down.
Run left to get a start back right to be sure you bridge the gap. If bad
guys are following you, take up the pick and run down as soon as they're
past. Here you don't need to pick up any money, as you should have the
gold bag in the UL of level 3 still available. But you'll need to judge
where the cart is, and you can probably run a bit behind it and take the
right stairs on scene 3 up, wait for it to pass, and go down. If the bad
guys are too close behind you can get the pick right of the slide down
and circle around R-U-L-D-R to get the money. I often wind up cutting it
close here, but after this there's a lot of repetition.
Given that you've dropped the bags on the ledges in screens 3 and 4
the rest is about walking or riding along the mine-shaft level and
getting back up to the wheelbarrow on screen 2. For the scene 4 stuff
you'll definitely have to use the mine cart--hold the joystick up near
the stairs for the biggest jump--and you can probably take a trip back
and forth if bad guys are too close to the left ladder on chasing you.
In fact you'll probably get chased by them a lot, but the transitions
between screens tend to give you a bit of a jump, enough to get back to
the wheelbarrow. You shouldn't have to use the gun here but if the last
trip is a close shave, there are worse things to do. Most of the time,
though, you'll need to nail a warden or two on the head with it before
going on your next piece of business. Wardens can't see you from the
left in the hidden area, but they can from the right. You'll also want
to keep track of how many bags you have left on the mine cart level. You
don't want to move the wheelbarrow until they're all gone.
Screen 4:
Once all gold has been cleared from levels 2 and 3--and only two are
left on screen 4, both well above the mine cart--take the wheelbarrow
and move it right. You won't strictly need a big jump, but it's best to
try to get the bad guys to go down(they should be after you take the
mine cart) and hit them with the wheelbarrow as they climb. Then you can
move the barrow one screen east, go down and right to screen 4, and get
the money bag on the left there. It's a short walk back to the ladder.
Next here you can goad the wardens up the ladder and knock them down
with the wheelbarrow. You should bring it to the right next.
The next task is to get the wheelbarrow past the elevator. With the
bad guys knocked out this is easier. Stay at the top, and if you miss
the elevator as it comes up, you may wish to switch between screens so
that the wardens are running away from the elevator as it's coming up to
you. You may have to use a bullet or two to get rid of them--here it's
better to leave them far away than near. Run across the path and don't
worry about the gold on the right--yet.
Screen 5:
This is the screen that seems the most chancy and forces you to waste
the most time--at least as I see it with my strategies. I used to think
this of all of them. Nevertheless there are a few things that can be
done for the best shot at winning cleanly.
Once you bring the wheelbarrow over, try to get on the crane. Move
down two steps to the center platform and leave the wheelbarrow a square
left of the edge. Now bring down the pickaxe if you have the time. Note
here that you don't want to place the bag in the cart right away; the
crane takes up time, and time is more important than points. Even if you
lose out here, you at least want to get over to the blue bag, which is a
nuisance to remove and won't give many points anyway. Riskier souls
might try to place one yellow bag in, get the blue bag, place the second
yellow bag, and drop the blue in right after, but I find myself barely
getting through and suspect those who just want to see the bonus levels
do too.
So the next bag to put in is the one on screen 4. Here it's best to
try to get the bad guys to come after you, sort of. First you really do
want the pickaxe in place(just by the crane,) and in fact you can use it
very nicely. First, you may want to go to the elevator on level 4 and
pretend to wait. Let the wardens get in it going up, then go off to the
right. They'll be able to follow you, but that's a good thing. Pick up
and put down the pickaxe(they'll run to the other screen, but you don't
want it to expire) until the crane's at the top. Then put the bag in the
wheelbarrow and fend the bad guys off with the pickaxe. You might even
start this a bit earlier but the point is to put a yellow bag in and
then IMMEDIATELY attack the blue bag. Go right onto the crane and the
bad guys should come running back after you, much too late.
**NOTE: once you start after the blue bag, get it and HOLD ONTO IT. Even
if it means you'll run out of time. Otherwise you won't have the time to
get it later without losing another life. **
If you've managed to hold the bad guys at bay, with a little luck they
DIDN'T fall down the shaft on level 4. That means they'll come right
looking for you and instead of the bottom of the crane, which is a
better place to wait for you, they'll come in in the middle. But then
they'll get on the crane and go up, which is away from you, instead of
either 1)waiting for you to come down or 2)going up on the crane from
the bottom and right at you. In either case you have to get a bit lucky
with a shootout then, which is nice and dramatic, but it will probably
end in tears.
So if you manage to get back and bury the blue bag, the next stop is
the very bottom. You should be able to make it to the barrow in the
center and back before the crane comes down. The final bag is in the
lower right and if any wardens are waiting for you there, be sure to
have turned left and then FIRE AWAY. I actually prefer going down
quickly without the wheelbarrow and staying on the right side to give
breathing space but with good timing you can face left, fire and get
out. You'll want to keep firing once the stars disappear over the
wardens if you leave the barrow at the bottom, or if you just go down
there, don't be scared to use a bomb and also fire a shot--or even
better you might want to go off left and see about THAT elevator. You
can always peek back right and fire to discourage anyone over there--you
should have the bullets.
Most levels end with a shootout, a nice dramatic way to do things.
However there is a catch; if you die with the final bag on you, there's
no chance for the bonus scene. With it, you get something that is really
intriguing when it's not relegated to triviality by a random factor and
not as impossible as it first looks otherwise.
6-2. LEVEL 2 AND BEYOND
This is a bit rough as I'm really not that GOOD at level 2--often I
play Super Bagman just to get through the first level, and I feel very
accomplished afterwards. Level 2 is the same as level 1 except you need
to be aware of wardens firing shots. It shouldn't be too hard since they
take longer to aim.
Obviously there is more of a challenge to get stuff up to the top in
the first scene, and there's no "gimme" to start out. Still with
infinite bullets against shoot-to-kill guards you can afford to be
reckless in some different ways. The first one is a real doozy. You can
lead the warden over to the right ladder on the bottom(see if you can
drop the money bags above it down the shaft first,) drop the bag that
was between the ladders on him, run left and fire right at the ladder.
If it looks like you can't make it up then take the escalator and then
move the wheelbarrow to the left. You'll have to repeat this later, and
don't be afraid to fire away at the top, either.
On one of the trips over you may want to get the bag near the jail.
Drop it down the ladder and then carry it left to screen 1 where you can
drop it down the right ladder on screen 1 again. During all this the bad
guys will probably be off to the right--you can stand around a bit to
encourage them that way, but you may need to fire a shot before you
climb the ladder. You'll need the same sort of procedure for the bag
below it and it'll be tough to drop the bag on the island to the left
side this time in the middle of a run. You'll want to carry everything
up and to the left, and a pickaxe works well for scaring bad guys away
just long enough.
The fourth scene also contains a challenge in the form of another bag.
Once you've pushed the wheelbarrow to the far right, you can stand at
the very edge with a pickaxe facing left, drop the pickaxe when the
elevator is near, run across to get the bag, get back to the elevator
quickly, and exit right on the next stop.
Level 3 is even nastier. You have to reload your gun after six
bullets. Still so few people will get here that I feel justified in not
writing a walkthrough for this other than to say "get over to the gun
shop every so often for new bullets. Watch your supply and try to use
the edge of the screen to avoid the violent conflicts."
6-3. BONUS SCENE
In the bonus scene, there is a big key that you must carry to your
friend in jail, where you push the ACTION button to unlock the jail, and
you carry him off the screen. You then get an extra life for your
efforts. Given that the big key acts like a money bag in weighing you
down, and you'll probably have 60000 points at the start of the first
bonus level, it seems easy for bad guys to catch up.
UNLESS...YOU...HAVE...THE...GUN! The key appears randomly on one of the
first three screens, and you have 4000 bonus points(in time) to get
there. When it's far away, you need to be precise.
Note that if you're caught or run out of time with the key, you lose a
life and the next level starts. So if you're somewhat close to rescuing
your friend, it may be worth it to die and pick up the key again and
bring it around the rest of the way as you'll get that life back. This
all seems a bit arbitrary and the path isn't immediately obvious, but
after a few tries you should have this down.
Now it's entirely possible that they key will appear on the first
screen. In that case, walk up the right ladder, R/D/R/U/L and you're
done. Even if the key appears on the top, you can run up, drop the key
down the long ladder, and run around a bunch.
In fact the key(rim shot) thing to remember is that as you cannot jump
with the key, the main task is to get the key to the bottom of screen 1,
below the right ladder, and if you've got 1000 time you should be able
to make it to your friend's cell.
If a key is on the top of the second screen, drop it down the long
ladder, go inside for the gun(pushing the bad guys to the right,) and
drop the key to the right down the short stairs once you return. Get the
key and start going left. Someone's bound to come in from the right.
Shoot him immediately and keep going. Shoot him again just before you
get to the edge. This should give the time to climb up the stairs on
scene 1 and off to the right.
If a key is on the third screen, it is a bit tougher. As before you'll
want to hide out in the corner and get the gun. If the key is on the
mine cart's level, take it left and drop it down. If it's on the top you
may want to wait for bad guys to go way right, take the key and push it
left, shooting right. Drop the key down the long ladder in level 2.
Anywhere else and you may want to drop the key down screen 3's long
ladder and then drag it left as you fire right to get rid of followers.
In any case it's a real breakout with lots of firepower, and it's a pity
that even people who solve the first level may not get to see much of
what it's about.
6-4. WHAT IF I LOSE A LIFE?
REAL robbers are fearless of that sort of thing, and they only get
ONE! So suck it up.
Err...seriously...losing a life is very nasty in Super Bagman, as in
the original, because it interrupts the flow of the game AND kicks you
back to the left part of screen 1. If you're in the right part of screen
5, this makes it very hard indeed to get back and do anything in time.
If you lose a life on the first screen, proceed as normal. Dig the
gold out from the right corner. If you lose one on the second scene, you
may want to wait for a bad guy to come from the right, brain him, and
bring the gold chest on the bottom up to the wheelbarrow--it's a
relative freebie. On the third scene, push up immediately, take the
escalator, run right, fall down the diagonal shaft and jump over the
next one. Then go R-U-R to screen 3. You can then pick bags off the
bottom.
Losing after clearing screen 4 is another matter. Again take the
escalator and the first diagonal shaft. You'll probably need the gun, so
pop in for it before going back up and down the slope. Right, up(fake
past a guard if necessary) and right should get you to the elevator.
Shoot at anyone appearing behind you, and you'll have 1000-1500 units of
time to place the next bag in.
The exception to this is if you only have the DR bag in level 5 to go.
In that case just go DR after you get the gun--watch out for the cart--
and fire a gun at anyone trailing behind. Then make your stand by the
crane, go up the crane with the money bag, and stay on the left so you
can walk out and solve the level.
End of FAQ proper
================================
7. VERSIONS/CREDITS
1.0.0 Submitted to GameFAQs 4/22/2003 with basic level info, walkthrough
for the 1st level(which should satisfy most people,) the bonus level,
rants about how hard it was, and funny Franglais.
1.1.0 Submitted to GameFAQs 4/25/2003 with item detailing
Thanks to MAME for letting me get infinite lives until I figured out
strategies.
Thanks to classicgaming.com for featuring this and Bagman as "Game of
the Week." I think I saw this game in arcades once and always wanted to
try.
The usual GameFAQs crew. They know who they are, and I don't know where
that cut-and-paste piece naming them is.