| | / _| | | |
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/ __| __/ _` | '__| _/ _ \ \/ / _` / __/ __|/ _` | | | | | __|
\__ \ || (_| | | | || (_) > < (_| \__ \__ \ (_| | |_| | | |_
|___/\__\__,_|_| |_| \___/_/\_\__,_|___/___/\__,_|\__,_|_|\__|
____ _ ___ _ _ _ ____ ____ ____ ____ Star Fox Assault
|__/ | | \ | |\ | | __ |___ |__| | | Vehicle Riding FAQ
| \ | |__/ | | \| |__] | | | |_\| Copyright 2007 TheUnruly1.
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|__/ |____ |___| | |
| \ | | | |_\| TABLE OF CONTENTS
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1. INTRODUCTION & OTHERS (inttuon)
2. HOW TO RIDE (htrdmns)
3. WEAPONS (wepsess)
4. RIDER COMBAT (rdvsveh)
5. HOW TO BEAR A RIDER (htbaruo)
6. CHARACTERS TO USE (chartus)
7. CONCLUSION
Best viewed in Courier New 10 point.
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|__/ |____ |___| | | 1. INTRODUCTION (inttuon)
| \ | | | |_\|
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To quote HAXage:
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"That's right, riding. Mission 4, mission 7. Only this time, you don't have the
Plasma Cannon, you fall off, and your friend doesn't go as slow as Wolf/Falco.
And there's always that thought that they might flip you off accidentally, or
your opponent might actually do some DAMAGE to you, unlike those dullard
Aparoids that fly at you.
So! Who wants to try?"
=-_-==-_-==-_-==-_-==-_-==-_-==-_-=
And that sums it up very well indeed. It's actually considered by some as a
"cheat strategy", but if every little secret in a game was a cheat strategy,
well, then competitive SSBM wouldn't be too much fun, would it? =D Of course,
that is but one example.
__________________________________
/ \
--------- ABOUT ME ---------
--------- ---------
\__________________________________/
Alrighty then, I'll start. My name's Will, and I go by TheUnruly1. I make no
claim of being a good player, although HAXage (whom I taught, and true to Star
Wars spirit far outgrew my tactical training wheels), in a character profile
referred to me in his FAQ as a "Krystal vet". As a matter of fact, I doubt this
very statement at the cost of my pride. I am an average player, and I
forever will be, in this game. The only thing true of that statement is that my
main character is Krystal. (I like Barriers.) I also think of new, fun ways
to attack my opponent when the chips are down. As a matter of fact,
this manner of thinking helped me instigate a set of common rules about
Riding, which is just one of those dangerous things.
Anyways, I'm excited, so I'm moving on.
__________________________________
/ \
--------- WHY RIDE? ---------
--------- ---------
\__________________________________/
The reason one would ride is quite simple - to use a form of SFA combat that
actually lets you and your teammate work with synergy. Such a team has the
advantage of double cover - that is, the rider covers the machine he rides on,
and the Arwing pilot keeps the rider safe. Strafes low to the ground from
off an Arwing's wing can be easily fatal to pilots on the ground. A fly-by
Gatling Gunning of a Landmaster can prove very satisfying indeed in killing
something that usually counters an Arwing. Unless you're loaded with Homing
Launchers, it takes a great aim and reflex(es) to be an effective rider, and
that's discounting the fact that your bearer has to have these as well.
__________________________________
/ \
--------- SOLO RIDES ---------
--------- ---------
\__________________________________/
Riding on your own is a weird concept, but the way it works is you get out
of your Arwing briefly by pressing Z so you can ride, firing your weapon, and
then getting back in. The downside, as compared to team riding, is that
while you are outside your Arwing your vehicle will just move in a straight
line. However, it can be a good tool for quickly dispatching enemy aircraft
if you have the right weaponry. Great sniping tool, too.
The OTHER way to use a solo ride is...bailing out - if in trouble, press Z and
then press Y. Nothing more. You will fall out through the neon lilac jetstream
of your previous vehicle and hope your opponent doesn't notice you did.
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|__/ |____ |___| | | 2. HOW TO RIDE (htrdmns)
| \ | | | |_\|
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First off, I've only mentioned in passing how to actually GET RIDING. So,
I will now take the time to detail all the major points of riding.
__________________________________
-------- THE PREPARATIONS ---------
--------__________________________________---------
You should always make sure you have a clear route up and a clear six, because
you don't want people ripping you apart as you scramble for the plane. First
and foremost, you need the designated rider (no one's drunk here, don't fear)
on the wing of choice. Now how much health do your wings have? 59. This makes
riding on the fuselage of the plane viable too... on a Wolfen, it's advised,
and for an Arwing it's silly (considering you have those two massive wings).
Getting up on the wing is tough for Falco, Krystal and sometimes Fox,
which makes many people name the higher jumpers in the game the best riders.
If you have problems, take a run at it, and try, try, again.
(until you are finally silenced after the 10 seconds it takes for the enemy
to seek and destroy you.)
After that, just get the designated bearer into the plane, and-HEY, COME
BACK, YOU DROPPED ME!
__________________________________
-------- THE TAKEOFF ---------
--------__________________________________---------
The takeoff, as we all agree, is the time where most riders fall off, because
the bearer rushes the ascent (but this is about HOW TO RIDE, HOW TO BEAR will
be covered later). Anyways, now is when you begin your R-button-holding spree
- there's no point in moving much, unless your wing's about to die and you
need to hop over to the fuselage. Just hang on, cover the plane's six, and
save the real combat for after you have gained a lot of altitude.
__________________________________
-------- STAYING ON ---------
--------__________________________________---------
During a fight, DON'T PANIC and do not jump off. You act as much needed
support for your friend's aircraft. KEEP R HELD DOWN if you're about to fall.
If your wing is about to go, you can do one of two things. The first, the
simpler but riskier one, is to hug the hull of the Arwing and move to the
very edge of the wing (not on the tip, you dorfus, but on the edge where it
connects to the plane). When a wing blows, everything but this little tip
is removed. You will then be staying on rather dangerously, and could easily
be shot off as the unbalanced aircraft teeters and totters. The upside of
this is you still get the same features - less chance of hitting yourself - as
you would on a full wing (kinda).
A reader, whose GameFAQs name is nivlac91, sent me this about the Arwing's
wing break area:
============
I found out where the arwings wings break at, if you look at them closely
enough you'll see a wavy line (I have 2 pictures as an attached file one is the
line and one is the broken wing) near the fuselage it's about peppy's width
away from the fuselage, as long as you're stopped it should be easy to see.
When your wing is almost gone it will spark there and when it's gone that's
where it breaks.
============
I saw this line, but I didn't quite click it that this is where the Arwing
wing breaks off, so thank you, nivlac91.
The other way, the safer but harder one, is to get your bearer to stop and
jump from the wing to the fuselage/hull. This will then allow you to ride the
fuselage just like solo riding, but with a movable aircraft.
Wolfens, bad luck: your wings get almost completely blown off, and riding
on your fuselage is the best option anyways, because your wings are so stubby.
__________________________________
-------- RIDING A WOLFEN ---------
--------__________________________________---------
Wolfens are a whole new game - in riding, you could say Wolfens are high risk,
low return (something you don't want a mode of transport to be, normally).
If you are merely sitting on one of the thin Wolfen wings that are menaces
to board, you might just walk off without even knowing you let go of R. The
fuselage is the only way to go, because as aforementioned, those wings are
hard as a week-old kaiser bun to get on and stay on.
There is, however a "safe spot" that is near the back: right where
either of the upper wings joins with the hull, kind of wedged inbetween the
wing and the upper brake on the back of the plane. You're good there,
but you can't shoot to many different angles from there; you can only shoot
out as if you were a fixed gun on the side of the Wolfen. After this two-
paragraph explanation, a simple point is made - the wings, the back, and even
the safe spot are worse options than just the fuselage.
Also, Wolfens can't stop, and their wings are short, tiny, and pointy,
making them very hard to Speedboard (will be explained later) or jump from
wing to fuselage, if you got on them already.
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|__/ |____ |___| | | 3. WEAPONS (wepsess)
| \ | | | |_\|
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__________________________________
/ \
--------- GOOD WEAPONS TO USE ---------
--------- ---------
\__________________________________/
Well, what weapons does one use when riding? There are two characteristics
that need attention:
**The weapon won't harm you. This is rather obvious, but we don't want to use
Sensor Bombs when riding, do we?
**Good control over the weapon is possible, or is offset by a large
usefulness. The last bit was added in for the Gatling Gun.
Therefore, I have a list of weapons that are useful for riding.
The stats showing how many hits the weapons take to break a wing
are to help you know when you're going to lose your footing (or when you'll
snatch it from your opponent). And by the way, Planes take 1/16 of their HP
in damage from hitting something (tested), and so do wings (guess).
__________________________________
-------- HOMING LAUNCHER ---------
--------__________________________________---------
Ammo per Item: 10
Max: 99
Lock-on
Blow Off a Wing? 2 Hits
Well, this is probably the best riding weapon there is. It locks on, comes in
bulk, and does a crapload of damage to Landmasters. Not only that, but it's
insured that it blows up away from where you are, and it's excellent at
killing other aircraft/riders. It's almost like giving the Arwing a second
Charge Shot, which is obviously good at dispatching Pilots too.
__________________________________
-------- GATLING GUN ---------
--------__________________________________---------
Ammo Per Item: 100
Max: 999
Blow Off a Wing? A mere 4 bullets
GATLING GUN? WHAT? It has horrible range and sporadic firing! Why would you
ride with one?
Well, the reason we use the Gatling Gun, is of course to do tons of damage,
kill vehicles in paltry numbers of seconds and whatnot. This makes it a
godsend against Landmasters that you can use to swoop and destroy on the
annoying tanks. The GGun also serves as your primary pilot killer, although
the Homing Launcher can also take this job if you need range. It's good at
tearing the wings off other rider-bearing planes as well if you can get close.
__________________________________
-------- MISSILE LAUNCHER ---------
--------__________________________________---------
Ammo Per Item: 3
Max: 5
Blow Off a Wing? 2 Hits
Okay, okay, the Homing Launcher's the best pick for going after aircraft, but
it's just too cool launching a guided missile off a plane and owning a
Landmaster with it. Missile Launchers are mostly luxury items, so don't expect
them to be your main weapon.
__________________________________
-------- SNIPER & DEMON SNIPER ---------
--------__________________________________---------
Ammo Per Item: 10 for Sniper Rifle, 5 for Demon Sniper
Max: 99 for both
Blow Off a Wing? Both 1 hit
These weapons are complete BEASTS when unleashed in a riding setting.
The Sniper, on one hand, is awesome against Pilots if you aim (extremely)
well, and will take an Arwing down in 2 hits (Landmaster with 3). It is
your oyster, and open to whatever purpose you want.
The Demon, on the other hand, does only one thing: break stuff. Aim at
selected target. Insure you will hit, as ammo is precious. Induce fear into
your opponent as you ready the shot. Up in the air like this, you couldn't
miss. You fire, annihilating the vehicle and leaving a hapless Pilot to be
finished off with the weapon of your choice. That's the Demon Sniper, and
that's how it usually ends up.
__________________________________
-------- GRENADE ---------
--------__________________________________---------
Ammo Per Item: 5
Max: 99
Blow Off a Wing? 2 Grenades, if you are actually dumb enough to let that happen
Explodes after 5 1/2 seconds
Yeah, there are oodles of grenade pros out there, saying "they're
excellent and do tons of damage!" They are right, but for the average FAQ
reader and myself, Grenades are a tool that is difficult to use. Sure, it's
very hard to hit an Arwing with 'em effectively, so why in the hell am I
recommending them? They can be used in bulk, and drop the hammer on
Landmasters. That's about it though.
__________________________________
/ \
--------- WHAT NOT TO USE ---------
--------- ---------
\__________________________________/
Wear whatever you like, fellas, but consider ignoring these weapons when
choosing your main kicks before taking off.
__________________________________
-------- MACHINE GUN ---------
--------__________________________________---------
Ammo Per Item: 200
Max: 999
Blow Off a Wing? 12 bullets
"But it's a lot more accurate!" That's very true. However, when we consider
the purpose of using it or the GGun while riding (gunning down vehicles or
anything at close range) we can easily see that the Gatling Gun does its job
3 times better (4 times if we're talking Pilots) because it does much more
damage per bullet.
Do, however, get a Machine Gun ready if you get shot down, so you can last
longer on foot.
__________________________________
-------- BLASTER ---------
--------__________________________________---------
Ammo Per Item: Start with weapon
Max: N/A (infinite ammo)
Blow Off a Wing? 2 full Charge Shots
The Blaster violates the very first rule. Y'know, the one we said was obvious?
**The weapon won't harm you. This is rather obvious, but we don't want to use
Sensor Bombs when riding, do we?
The Blaster will hit yourself with the large chargeup often enough (less
so when firing from the wings, however) to cause damage. This is most
particularly noticed when you are firing down at something.
However, the fully Charged Blaster does quite a significant amount of damage,
and it's definitely possible to have a great riding run using your Blaster
to own Landmasters - I just don't recommend it because of the charge time
that wastes your valuable airtime - yet another reason why high jumpers make the
best riders.
__________________________________
-------- SENSOR BOMB ---------
--------__________________________________---------
Ammo Per Item: 5 Bombs
Max: 99
Blow Off A Wing? 2 Hits (or maybe 1)
The only practical use of these while riding is doing a plane-to-plane transfer
(will be explained), dropping them and transferring back, and who the hell is
good enough to regularly do that?
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|__/ |____ |___| | | 4. RIDER COMBAT (rdvsveh)
| \ | | | |_\|
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__________________________________
/ \
--------- UNITY AND ALL THAT ---------
--------- ---------
\__________________________________/
When you're riding, there's one thing that should be the first one in your
mind:
YOUR UNITY between you and your plane CANNOT BE BROKEN.
Why? If you get shot off, lose a wing, get mauled but miraculously survive,
whatever, it's a hassle to get back together. You are then left not with
a unified vehicle but with an aircraft and a pilot, separate. The sturdier
you stand, the greater chance of survival your unified vehicle has. The
longer you last, the more you can whittle your opponent down.
This means no going off into your own little world, but instead shooting down
whatever threatens your plane. Your opponent, likely thinking that if your
plane goes down, you go down, will break the bond by wrecking the plane.
Thus, you protect your plane - the bonding force - over saving your own life.
If the plane goes down, you effectively both go down.
__________________________________
/ \
--------- AGAINST THE LANDMASTER ---------
--------- ---------
\__________________________________/
Landmasters pose huge problems for any aircraft. With an extra set of guns,
the threat is rather diminished, because you can use stuff like Grenades,
Homing Launchers, and most of all Gatling Guns. Using a swoop attack that
involves the Arwing pointing down and firing, you can simultaneously charge
Landmasters with Arwing fire and Rider fire. This will likely destroy the
Master before it can even hit you with a second Charge Shot, allowing you
to go heal yourself of pain.
MAKE SURE you are close before you start GGunning - you don't want to waste
precious ammo and have to go get some more.
Alternatively, you can annoy them by gaining lots of altitude, briefly
swooping down into the range of the Homing Launcher, firing, and boost away.
Doing this means that in about 3 hits, you'll wreck the Master. But you
get the basic idea - since the tank is grounded, use your altitude advantage
to keep yourself safe, and attack in bursts.
__________________________________
/ \
--------- AGAINST AN AIRCRAFT ---------
--------- ---------
\__________________________________/
Well, what do Pilots normally use against Arwings and stuff? Homing Launchers.
This same principle applies here too, because several of your other weapons
(GGun, Grenades) are unusable. Homing Launchers will always be the anti-air
weapon of choice, but since you're flying at their level and all, Snipers
(and definitely Demon ones) become a very viable weapon.
The reason for this phenomenon is because being up an the air with a plane
bearing you eliminates the flaw of trying to Snipe an Arwing from the ground -
it can't evade you as well anymore. Height no longer will work as an escape,
and neither will Boosting off.
Previously, it was like this...
-----------------------------------------------------
|--------|
| ARWING | <--------------< *MISS!*
|--------| B O O S T
S ^
H ^
O ^
T ^
|--------|
| SNIPER |
|--------|
-------------------------------------------------------
Now, it's like this...
-------------------------------------------------------
|--------| B O O S T
| ARWING | <--------------< |--------|
|--------|<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<| RIDER |
*BOOM* SNIPER SHOT |--------|
--------------------------------------------------------
That explain it? Snipers are one of the weapons of choice for riding against
aircraft. Missile Launchers aren't practical against Arwings, because not
only are they luxury items that you will rarely find, they do almost twice
as much damage to Landmasters. Still, if there are no Landmasters around, go
ahead.
Another thing about aircraft to use for your advantage: planes take a while
to turn around, so if you get on their six you can start hammering them.
If the aircraft tries to mix it up by doing a Loop, put on the brakes and try
either of two approaches. For one, you could probably get off 2 free Homers.
Or, if you're looking for the more complete ownage type attack, you could
try and Snipe it as it comes out of the Loop...hard to pull off, but deadly.
__________________________________
/ \
--------- AGAINST PILOTS ---------
--------- ---------
\__________________________________/
Pilots are kinda hard to fight, because the height advantage actually HINDERS
you. Not only that, but they're small as a pinhead, so Sniping is hard.
What's the solution? Go really low.
This too is dangerous because it leaves you open to GGuns and the like, which
are the same kind of weapons that you should be using on them. Thus, it's
basically whoever goes down first. Or it would be, but I'm forgetting that the
Arwing has attacks too. Arwing swoop attacks are fatal to Pilots, let alone
with an extra set of guns on your back. Use it. This does NOT mean that you
should do an almost vertical Dive-Bomb; that's a nice way to lose your rider.
Instead, you need to boost in and start from a long way away. After, pull out
quickly (to avoid GGun damage), circle around in a large arc and repeat.
So, let's recap, the main idea with Pilots is to use your noodle and your
vehicle's mobility to outclass the munchkins. If Homing Launchers come your
way, which they undoubtedly will, seek to destroy the guy (next time you dive)
in one round of battle because you don't have the luxury of time (you'll get
Homered). This is plenty easy to accomplish if you can get your Arwing bearer
some upgraded lasers. Then the one Homer that they get on you won't pose a
long term problem and can be shrugged off with a ring.
Well, if you wanted to be cheap, you could use Homing Launchers every now and
then while staying high so he couldn't hit you. But let's have fun, right?
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|__/ |____ |___| | | 5. HOW TO BEAR A RIDER (htbaruo)
| \ | | | |_\|
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"I'm awake, I'm awake!"
Okay, ladies and gents, this is the section teaching you how to be a big,
predatory furry animal commonly seen as dangerous to wandering hikers.
So, this whole time we've been discussing the Rider, but never the Bearer,
right? Bearers are still half the job, and must not be ignored. Besides
helping with combat, Bearers do plenty of things.
__________________________________
/ \
--------- MOVES AND STRATEGY ---------
--------- ---------
\__________________________________/
Your powerful ally, riding on your wing, is your main asset and is what gives
you an edge. This person is also a weapon to be deployed - upon mutual
agreement, there are several tactics to be employed letting you divide and
conquer, or even just conquer.
__________________________________
-------- SPEEDBOARDING ---------
--------__________________________________---------
Speedboarding can be defined as two things. One is slower,
the other one truly is SPEED-boarding. Anyways, they both entail a rider
boarding an aircraft without it having to land.
The first method involves your ARWING (not Wolfen, it won't work) braking to
a stop and letting the rider jump on, just like landing (but not actually
landing). This is hard except for Peppy/Slippy, really, and will usually end up
making you take some damage. This is handy if you don't have the time
to land, but daredevils have another option.
The rider jumps, you fly towards the rider, and pick them up. Sounds insane,
right? It's wicked fast if you do it, and you won't be wasting a moment in
getting the rider on your wing. Again, good for high jumpers.
__________________________________
-------- THE CATAPULT ---------
--------__________________________________---------
WHEEEE! This is always fun to do and never gets old. It's a perfect way to
either drop your little spy via airplane into enemy territory or to send him
flying to new heights. Hell, you can even make it up Katina Tower or the
Spire in Titania without booster packs.
Get your rider on a wing and simply barrel roll pointing the control stick to
the wing opposite the one they're on. WHEEE! You just sent your rider flying
as the wing rolled upwards. Often done accidentally by reflex; TheUnruly1 is
not responsible for injuries caused by mad riders after doing this by
accident. When done right, though, it's pretty cool.
__________________________________
-------- MIXING IT UP ---------
--------__________________________________---------
Be sure to switch positions once in a while, it surprises your opponent -
especially if you have very different sets of weaponry. Get one person to
pack heavy weapons and missiles, the other one packs GGun and Grenades. The
switch can be performed simply by the plane pilot pressing Z and then the
rider pressing Z: AT LEVEL FLIGHT. (Although, sometimes it is fun having two
riders on one plane at once. Can you say...battle on the planetop?)
For fun, you could even drop your rider onto an enemy plane for a little
sabotage. You may think that packing Motion Sensors is a good idea, but they
will only hurt yourself. (The Sensor Bombs often fly off the plane anyway.)
For this kind of battle, the best weapon is the GGun, because you're confined to
the space of the plane. Just point down, hold A and watch the plane die.
__________________________________
-------- TRANSFERS ---------
--------__________________________________---------
Here is, everyone, the ultimate in gosu-skill indulgence; the plane-to-plane
transfer. This is, in fact, the way to pull off the above paragraph. A plane
flies high above another, which is slightly behind it. Jump while holding the
control stick forward, and you just jumped from plane to plane. Can be
perfected for use in almost any environment.
You can also do something I call a catapult transfer by basic term, and a more
real-sounding thing for specific term. When done with a Landmaster I call it
a Defense Turret. In this, you are flying above a Master, braking to a halt and
Catapulting your rider down to the vehicle who gets inside posthaste. I named
it such because this is exactly what you're doing. You are quickly and
efficiently deploying an Arwing counter to destroy someone who's following you.
So, I call it a catapult transfer/Turret because I don't like the ring of
"Quick Deployment of Rider to Arwing Countering Vehicle by Barrel Roll".
A catapult transfer can also be done with an Arwing, but this is basically
just doing a fast P2P transfer.
__________________________________
-------- PLAN Bs ---------
--------__________________________________---------
Sometimes, for the rider's sake, ya gotta know when to quit. If your plane is
smokin' purple, it's good to not go down together. Get the rider off you and
go suicidal. Although you probably already knew that, there are signs you
can read as to WHEN to start thinking of a Plan B.
1. Your wings are gone. Not very rider-friendly, and your plane will teeter
and totter a little. If it's just the wings, chances are you can keep going,
but it's likely your body will be shot up too. Get a new plane for either of
you. If it's just wings, then go find a laser upgrade...they heal your wings,
strangely enough. Then you're good to go. Not one of the real problems that
can stab you in the back, but it happens a lot.
2. Your rider has no Barriers and little health. Barriers are lifesavers when
that Arwing flies at you shooting Rapid-fire lasers at your wing. If you get
on without a Barrier to begin with, it's a little troublesome. But you can get
over it. When the rider's health is low and with no barrier for backup,
they're as good as gone from the enemy's next attack. The solution? Bail him
out onto the ground by a vehicle. This way he can have another chance at life.
3. Your rider beigns to run out of weapons. DO NOT LET THIS SHUT YOU DOWN.
The enemy will love you for that. Say your rider runs out of GGun.
Does he still have ANYTHING to use against the enemy? Grenades, say? If not,
then he always has the Blaster, right? Although if your only option is the
Blaster, there's a far better solution; pack weapons yourself and let him
fly the jalopy. If you wanna read about that, look above in "Mixing It Up".
__________________________________
-------- MACHINE GUN FIRE ---------
--------__________________________________---------
The infamous MG (and GGun) pose problems for the Riding system possibly more
than anything else, except maybe the Homing Launcher. You can't Barrel Roll,
Loop or U-Turn to avoid it, so how do you safeguard your rider from MG or GG
fire? Let's fly away. Well, that only works if the person you're fighting is
on the ground. Your Arwing attacks have longer range than an MG, and even
more so for a GG. Strafing runs beginning from far away work well, and Homers
will save your butt by killing them from long range.
Of course, you could always outgun them, but you'll be licking your wounds
after that.
__________________________________
-------- THIS IS MY BOOMSTICK! ---------
--------__________________________________---------
Haha...a category about Bombs. As you may already know, one of these badasses
will wreck both you and your cargo in about a second. The way to go against
this is switch your positions, since you have more health from being covered
in the plane. This might be the time where you...
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-------- GET ANOTHER PLANE ---------
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It happens! No one lives forever in SFA/life! Should the purple smoke arise,
bail and find a new prize, be it plane or Landmasters. Get both people out of
the plane immediately. The way to do it: The Pilot flies above a vehicle,
brakes, and Catapults the rider down to it, who gets in immediately. (Also
known as a Defense Turret if done with Landmasters. HA! MEMORY TEST!) The guy
still left in then seeks out another fresh vehicle OR a Ring/Platinum Star to
refresh the one he's in if you've got the time.
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-------- LANDMASTER RIDING ---------
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WHAT? Yes, you can do it, have someone standing atop your Landmaster being an
extra set of guns. It may not be as useful as Arwing riding, and it may be
hazardous to the rider's health now and then but it can be done. It saves both
your butts if you're plane's going down and you would otherwise both need to
Defense Turret or do something like that. It's definitely easier to jump on top
of one.
The key of Master riding is to stay away from 1: the cannon, and 2: the wheels.
The cannon is for obvious reasons, and the wheel is so you won't get hurt as if
you were run over when you touch them. The perfect spot is on top of one of the
two protrusions on the back of the Landmaster, on either side. You're behind the
cannon and above the wheels.
Weapons? Since you're slow and low, MGs or GGuns are the weapons of choice. If
not, Snipers work well (just not as well as from a plane), Grenades are of
course more viable and the blaster could also work. The awesome Homing Launcher,
as you know, works anywhere.
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Now you see the Bearer's huge role? Maybe this FAQ should be called the Bearing
FAQ.
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|__/ |____ |___| | | 6. CHARACTERS TO USE (chartus)
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An OPINION BASED list on who is the best rider in the game, who is 2nd best,
who is...
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--> Slippy Toad and Peppy Hare #1
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WHAT THE HELL? People think this toad is the worst player in the game, but
alas, he is one of two best riders, and I'm gonna prove it. Is Peppy better?
No.
Slip's jump is but one less than Peppy's, and this still lets him do boardings
with ease compared to others. His running is a little better, too.
Slippy is small, and can't be seen easily, although the reticules take this
advantage away often. Your enemy might not realize you were there if you
position yourself behind something on the plane, though. The speedy chargeup
time for the blaster is again not as spectacular as Peppy's but still gets the
job done if you ever have to use it. There are two more trump cards I haven't
mentioned yet. The first? Slippy OWNS at Defense Turrets with his five stars
in Landmaster. The last, everyone, is the health - just look, bigger than
anyone's but the cheapo that is Wolf. That'll help you survive a lot,
since Slippy can survive two Grenades/three Homers/ten GGun bullets/two Bombs.
An awesome asset for a Rider. If skilled, Slippy surpasses all else on top of
a plane with his only disadvantage being the low crosshair size. Health bar
sizes might be overrated statistics that don't matter to skilled pros, but even
discounting the fact that most of you aren't, it sure helps in riding to have
lots of it. Then again, so are crosshair sizes... =D
Peppy seems to have no disadvantage at this, since he makes it all seem so
damn easy. A five star jump, the fastest blaster charge in the game and the
largest of any Pilot crosshair size means even someone with horrible reflexes
can play well as Peppy as a rider. You can board with ease by tapping Y and
soaring sky-high. Defense Turrets and other maneuvers like that can be done
well, but not as well as with Slippy.
And there's the two best.
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--> Wolf O'Donnell #2
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Wolf is Falco with a crapload of health, an even faster run and a slightly
better jump. Thus, 'tis general consensus he is really cheap, and people don't
like him. I guess it makes sense why he's #2, then, right? Wolf can even live
out a Sniper shot if someone hits you while you're riding. (which means in a
very stupid way Wolf will last as long as the freakin' PLANE ITSELF when it
comes to Snipers.)
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--> Fox McCloud #3
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A team of two Foxes can pull off any maneuver they like, because all across the
screen their stats are even. A Defense Turret could work as well as an abrupt
position switch, since they have high score in Arwing, Pilot and Master alike.
Not much more to say here than that, this position is earned for being able to
do anything with a four-star crosshair size.
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--> Krystal and Falco Lombardi #4
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Now that I've finished my Slippy rant, I don't have too much more to say. Maybe
I'm biased here, but Krystal is my main character above all else. Her stats
suck, but that's alright, 'cause she's got Barriers to spare, an invaluable
resource during an all out assault (heh...Assault is the name of the game,
after all). She thus has the best chance of survival if shot down.
But tell me this, is it really bias putting your favorite character in FOURTH
place and not first?
Falco does not have the health for riding...and also not the jump. Neither does
Krystal, but this is more blatantly extreme with Falco. He may be one of the
better characters (and hands down the best bearer character) in the game, but
not under these circumstances. He just gets killed a little too easy. Mind you,
this is if you actually manage to board with his (and Krystal's too) weak jump.
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|__/ |____ |___| | | 6. CONCLUSION
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Question answering time:
HOW THE HELL DID I DISCOVER THIS?
Well, it started with a friend of mine who introduced me to the game. On the
second ever time I played it, you could guess I wasn't that great...I tried to
bail out of my plane in mid-flight, to see what would happen. I joyfully found
I was still astride my plane, with a machine gun in hand. I then said "Look!
Here comes something new!" and shot up his plane with my MG. He turned to my
screen, saw me standing atop my Arwing with a machine gun finishing him off
and asked "How did you do THAT?" I explained.
Something like that. I then looked around online and saw I wasn't the only one
doing this. Now, I wrote a guide to it.
That's all the questions, look me up at
[email protected] for more
questions. Include something about Star Fox Assault or Riding in the title, or
through the spam filter you'll go on my direct order.
See you at my next guide!
TUn1
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|__/ |____ |___| | | 7. COMMENTS
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Sender: nivlac91
I found out where the arwings wings break at, if you look at them closely
enough you'll see a wavy line (I have 2 pictures as an attached file one is the
line and one is the broken wing) near the fuselage it's about peppy's width
away from the fuselage, as long as you're stopped it should be easy to see.
When your wing is almost gone it will spark there and when it's gone that's
where it breaks.
I saw this line, but I didn't quite click it that this is where the Arwing
wing breaks off, so thank you, nivlac91.
