============================================= ______
== Robot Wars: Extreme Destruction (GBA) == | |
== The Fairly Complete Guide == | |
============================================= _____/ \_____
\ ____ /
Author: Sorceror Nobody \ / \ /
Email:
[email protected] \ / \ /
Version: 1.1 \ \ / /
\ \ / /
============================================= \ \ / /
== Table of Contents == \__\/__/
=============================================
Section 1: Basics
1.1 Controls [CTRL]
1.2 Workshop [WRKS]
1.2.1 Building robots
1.2.2 Custom arenas
1.3 Arenas [ARNS]
1.4 Battle modes [BTTL]
1.5 Multiplayer [MLTP]
Section 2: Spoils of War
2.1 Earning your Spoils [RWRD]
2.1.1 Tournament
2.1.2 Bash 'n' Dash
2.1.3 Mayhem
2.1.4 Gauntlet
2.2 The Index of Spoils [INDX]
2.2.1 Chassis
2.2.2 Power
2.2.3 Traction
2.2.4 Armour
2.2.5 Weapons
2.2.6 Special Moves
2.2.7 All-Star Robots
2.3 All that Glitters... [GOLD]
2.3.1 The Gold Parts
2.3.2 The Gold Bot
Section 3: Extra Info
3.1 Cheats, Tips and Tricks [TIPS]
3.1.1 Cheats
3.1.2 Unfair Advantages
3.2 Frequently Asked Questions [FAQS]
3.3 Important Stuff [INFO]
3.3.1 Legal Chitchat
3.3.2 Version History
3.3.3 Other Information
3.3.4 Thanks
3.3.5 Glossary
To move quickly to a subsection, press Ctrl+F to bring up the Find box and paste
the relevant tag, including the square brackets. For example, to go straight to
the Spoils of War index, use the [INDX] tag.
=============================================
== Section 1: Basics ==
=============================================
-----------------------
1.1 Controls [CTRL]
-----------------------
In menus:
D-pad Move cursor
A button Select option
B button Cancel/Previous menu
L button N/A
R button N/A
Start N/A
Select N/A
During battle:
D-pad Steer robot
A button Trigger primary weapon
B button Trigger secondary weapon
L button Use special ability 1
R button Use special ability 2
Start Opens the pause menu
Select N/A
-----------------------
1.2 Workshop [WRKS]
-----------------------
Here you can create robots and custom arenas.
1.2.1 Building robots
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The New Robot option allows you to build a robot using the parts available to
you. You can save up to five robots. The robot is limited to no more than 100kg,
thus preventing the creation of absurdly powerful robots with all the best
parts. Well, that is unless we're talking about the Gold Bot... see subsection
2.3 for details.
The Quick Build option allows you to set the general stats (Offence/Defence and
Speed/Control) of a robot, then the game chooses from the available parts to
make a robot for you that fits the bill. This is for those of you who don't want
to carefully consider every detail of the robot's construction. Any new robot
has the Quick Finish option while being built, which performs much the same
process on the remaining parts to be chosen, although without the control of the
stats. The stats are paired; a stronger robot has lower defensive capabilities,
and the faster a robot moves, the harder it becomes to control. Both pairs work
vice versa as well, so a balance must be achieved.
To make changes to an existing robot, select Edit Robot. All of the components,
abilities and name can be altered, with the exception of the chassis. If you
want to change that, you'll have to build a new robot.
1.2.2 Custom Arenas
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Once you unlock the Arena Editor, you can customise the existing arenas to
create up to three custom arenas. Use the L and R buttons to switch between
hazard placement, hazard selection, and options. Hazards cannot be placed in the
corners of a custom arena, and there can only be one of each of the Pit, Disc of
Doom, Spikes, Drop Zone and Flipper. The other hazards (i.e. floor jets) are
limited only by available spaces. There are no rewards to be gained from victory
in a custom arena, and the central pit hazards of Acid Bath and Melting Pot are
always closed off.
---------------------
1.3 Arenas [ARNS]
---------------------
Studio: The default arena and the only one initially available. All
Tournaments are held in the Studio.
Melting Pot: An arena with a large pit in the centre containing molten
material.
Acid Bath: Similar to Melting Pot, but the large pit in the middle
contains acid.
Deep Freeze: The floor is slippery, making control difficult.
Desert Storm: I'm still not sure what special properties this arena has.
Red Planet Rumble: Normal arena, but since it's on Mars the gravity is weaker.
Flipping enemies is can propel them to spectacular heights.
Even Sir Killalot can be thrown reasonably high!
Slay and Display: This is not a battle arena; the Gauntlet challenges take
place here.
---------------------------
1.4 Battle Modes [BTTL]
---------------------------
Quick Battle: Starts a single-round battle in the Studio between two randomly
selected All-Star Robots.
Tournament: Your robot must progress through the Heats, Quarters, Semis and
the Final to win.
Bash 'n' Dash: Your robot must either defeat the three opponents or survive
until time's up. All three opponents are targeting your robot
and will not attack each other.
Mayhem: Essentially the same as Bash 'n' Dash, but you are no longer the
sole target. This means that mere survival does not guarantee
you the win!
In Tournament, Bash 'n' Dash and Mayhem, replaying the Gold level after initial
completion pits you against House Robots! The Tournament rounds are versus Dead
Metal, Matilda, Sgt. Bash and Sir Killalot (in that order). The other battle
modes have the opposition selected randomly as usual, though there is relatively
little scope for variation with only five possible House Robots to occupy the
three available opponent slots!
Gauntlet: Not really a battle mode, this sees your robots striving towards
slightly less destructive goals...
Slalom - Move quickly, but don't stray or hit the cones.
Speed and control are _both_ vital.
Skittles - Knock over all of the skittles in the time limit.
Speed is slightly more useful here.
Long Jump - Speed, speed, speed all the way. Just drive onto
the flipper and watch your robot fly!
Sumo-Basho - Either push Shunt out of the ring, or destroy
him. The latter is sometimes quicker!
Dump - Push the objects into the pit. Flippers, pincers
and grab-claws are all useful.
Drop Zone - Drive though the barrels, but watch out for the
damaging green ones. Defence is good.
--------------------------
1.5 Multiplayer [MLTP]
--------------------------
My knowledge of this is slightly limited, since I have never yet met anyone else
that has a copy of the game!
Bash 'n' Dash: Same as the normal one-player version, but the players have to
select a 'King' (i.e. the victim).
Mayhem: Same as the normal one-player version.
Grudge Match: A one-on-one battle between two players. Each player has the
option to set an unlocked Spoil of War that the other can win.
The loser doesn't forfeit the Spoil, the winner just gains it.
=============================================
== Section 2: Spoils of War ==
=============================================
----------------------------------
2.1 Earning your Spoils [RWRD]
----------------------------------
2.1.1 Tournament
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Bronze Rollover Chassis
Silver 6 Wheel Traction
Gold Strike Attack
2.1.2 Bash 'n' Dash
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Studio Bronze Track Traction Melting Pot
Silver Heavy Flipper Thunder Charge
Gold 800W 12V Power Destructive Criticism
Melting Pot Bronze 650W 24V Power Medium Axe
Silver 750W 24V Power Hypno-Disc
Gold 800W 24V Power Tricerabot 3.0
Acid Bath Bronze 650W 12V Power Medium Flipper
Silver 750W 12V Power Heavy Saw
Gold Steel Armour X Heavy Spikes
Deep Freeze Bronze Stealth Camouflage Thermidor II
Silver Heavy Disc Acid Bath
Gold X Heavy Flipper X Heavy Saw
Desert Storm Bronze Medium Lance Medium Srimech
Silver Heavy Pincers Heavy Lance
Gold Panzer MK4 Red Planet Rumble
R. P. Rumble Bronze Medium Spikes Medium Disc
Silver Heavy Spikes Heavy Axe
Gold X Heavy Disc X Heavy Axe
2.1.3 Mayhem
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Studio Bronze Titanium Armour
Silver 750W 36V Power
Gold Razer
Melting Pot Bronze Deep Freeze
Silver Heavy Drill
Gold X Heavy Lance
Acid Bath Bronze Wheely Big Cheese
Silver Desert Storm
Gold Rosie the Riveter II
Deep Freeze Bronze Medium Saw
Silver Pussycat
Gold 800W 36V Power
Desert Storm Bronze 650W 36V Power
Silver Berserk
Gold X Heavy Pincers
R. P. Rumble Bronze CPZ Evasion
Silver Perspex Armour
Gold Arena Editor
2.1.4 Gauntlet
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Slalom Bronze Medium Drill
Silver Chaos II
Gold X Heavy Drill
Skittles Bronze Medium Pincers
Silver Heavy Claw
Gold X Heavy Srimech
Long Jump Bronze 650W 48V Power
Silver 750W 48V Power
Gold 800W 48V Power
Sumo-Basho Bronze Aluminium Armour
Silver Heavy Srimech
Gold Propeller-Head
Dump Bronze Tornado
Silver Polycarbonate Armour
Gold Kevlar Armour
Drop Zone Bronze Medium Claw
Silver Automatic Opponent Lock-On
Gold X Heavy Claw
All those not listed above (with the exception of the Gold
Parts - see subsection 2.3) are available initially.
----------------------------------
2.2 The Index of Spoils [INDX]
----------------------------------
2.2.1 Chassis
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Plough 26.0kg Requires srimech
Wedge 27.0kg Requires srimech
Block 28.0kg Invertible
Rollover 29.0kg Self-righting
Gold Chassis 17.0kg Can't be flipped
2.2.2 Power
~~~~~~~~~~~~~
500W 12V 15.0kg Power 1.0 Torque 1.0 Reliability 5.0
500W 24V 16.5kg Power 2.0 Torque 1.0 Reliability 6.0
500W 36V 18.0kg Power 2.0 Torque 2.0 Reliability 7.0
500W 48V 19.5kg Power 3.0 Torque 2.0 Reliability 8.0
650W 12V 17.5kg Power 3.0 Torque 2.0 Reliability 9.0
650W 24V 20.5kg Power 4.0 Torque 3.0 Reliability 10.0
650W 36V 22.0kg Power 4.0 Torque 4.0 Reliability 11.0
650W 48V 25.0kg Power 5.0 Torque 5.0 Reliability 12.0
750W 12V 23.0kg Power 5.0 Torque 5.0 Reliability 13.0
750W 24V 26.0kg Power 6.0 Torque 6.0 Reliability 14.0
750W 36V 27.5kg Power 7.0 Torque 6.0 Reliability 15.0
750W 48V 30.5kg Power 8.0 Torque 7.0 Reliability 16.0
800W 12V 28.5kg Power 8.0 Torque 7.0 Reliability 17.0
800W 24V 31.5kg Power 9.0 Torque 8.0 Reliability 18.0
800W 36V 34.0kg Power 9.0 Torque 9.0 Reliability 19.0
800W 48V 37.0kg Power 10.0 Torque 10.0 Reliability 20.0
Gold Power 17.0kg Power 10.0 Torque 10.0 Reliability 20.0
2.2.3 Traction
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
2 Wheels 9.5kg Clearance 4.0 Reliability 10.0
4 Wheels 11.0kg Clearance 2.0 Reliability 8.0
Tracks 21.0kg Clearance 6.0 Reliability 12.0
6 Wheels 8.0kg Clearance 1.0 Reliability 6.0
Gold Traction 7.0kg Clearance 0.0 Reliability 12.0
2.2.4 Armour
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Fur 6.5kg Strength 5.0
Plastic 13.0kg Strength 10.0
Fibreglass 19.5kg Strength 15.0
Wood 26.0kg Strength 20.0
Aluminium 26.0kg Strength 25.0
Titanium 26.0kg Strength 30.0
Perspex 13.0kg Strength 35.0
Polycarbonate 19.5kg Strength 40.0
Kevlar 13.0kg Strength 45.0
Steel 26.0kg Strength 50.0
Gold Armour 5.5kg Strength 50.0
2.2.5 Weapons
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Light Flipper A/B 16.0kg Speed 2.0 Power 3.0 Reliability 7.0
Light Axe 8.5kg Speed 6.0 Power 4.0 Reliability 4.0
Light Lance 8.0kg Speed 2.0 Power 3.0 Reliability 6.0
Light Drill 10.5kg Speed 1.0 Power 1.0 Reliability 7.0
Light Spikes 2.5kg Speed 1.0 Power 1.0 Reliability 10.0
Light Claw 25.5kg Speed 4.0 Power 6.0 Reliability 9.0
Light Saw 10.0kg Speed 3.0 Power 5.0 Reliability 6.0
Light Pincers 12.5kg Speed 3.0 Power 5.0 Reliability 10.0
Light Disc 18.5kg Speed 4.0 Power 6.0 Reliability 8.0
Light Srimech 11.5kg Speed 4.0 Power 4.0 Reliability 10.0
Medium Flipper A/B 19.0kg Speed 4.5 Power 5.0 Reliability 7.5
Medium Axe 12.5kg Speed 7.0 Power 5.0 Reliability 4.0
Medium Lance 10.0kg Speed 3.0 Power 4.0 Reliability 6.5
Medium Drill 13.5kg Speed 2.0 Power 3.0 Reliability 8.0
Medium Spikes 5.5kg Speed 1.5 Power 2.0 Reliability 10.0
Medium Claw 28.0kg Speed 6.0 Power 7.0 Reliability 9.0
Medium Saw 14.0kg Speed 5.0 Power 6.0 Reliability 6.0
Medium Pincers 15.5kg Speed 5.0 Power 6.0 Reliability 9.0
Medium Disc 22.0kg Speed 6.0 Power 7.0 Reliability 7.0
Medium Srimech 14.5kg Speed 6.0 Power 6.0 Reliability 10.0
Heavy Flipper A/B 25.0kg Speed 7.0 Power 7.0 Reliability 8.0
Heavy Axe 17.0kg Speed 8.0 Power 6.0 Reliability 4.0
Heavy Lance 12.5kg Speed 4.5 Power 5.0 Reliability 7.0
Heavy Drill 17.0kg Speed 4.0 Power 4.0 Reliability 9.0
Heavy Spikes 8.0kg Speed 2.0 Power 3.0 Reliability 10.0
Heavy Claw 31.0kg Speed 8.0 Power 8.0 Reliability 8.0
Heavy Saw 17.0kg Speed 7.0 Power 7.0 Reliability 6.0
Heavy Pincers 18.5kg Speed 7.0 Power 7.0 Reliability 8.0
Heavy Disc 26.0kg Speed 8.0 Power 8.0 Reliability 6.0
Heavy Srimech 20.5kg Speed 9.0 Power 9.0 Reliability 9.0
X Heavy Flipper A/B 28.5kg Speed 8.0 Power 8.0 Reliability 8.5
X Heavy Axe 22.0kg Speed 9.0 Power 7.0 Reliability 4.0
X Heavy Lance 16.0kg Speed 6.0 Power 6.0 Reliability 7.5
X Heavy Drill 20.0kg Speed 5.0 Power 6.0 Reliability 10.0
X Heavy Spikes 11.0kg Speed 4.0 Power 4.0 Reliability 10.0
X Heavy Claw 36.5kg Speed 10.0 Power 10.0 Reliability 8.0
X Heavy Saw 22.0kg Speed 9.0 Power 9.0 Reliability 6.0
X Heavy Pincers 24.5kg Speed 9.0 Power 9.0 Reliability 7.0
X Heavy Disc 32.5kg Speed 10.0 Power 10.0 Reliability 5.0
X Heavy Srimech 24.0kg Speed 10.0 Power 10.0 Reliability 9.0
Gold Flamethrower 15.0kg Speed 10.0 Power 7.0 Reliability 10.0
Gold Grab-Claw 18.5kg Speed 9.0 Power 10.0 Reliability 10.0
2.2.6 Special Moves
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
180°-Turn Rotates the robot instantly by 180°.
360°-Turn Rotates the robot instantly by 360°.
Power Slide Robot becomes faster but harder to control.
Feint Robot turns first left then right.
Stealth Camouflage Robot becomes less noticed by CPU robots.
CPZ Evasion Robot temporarily resists moving into the CPZs.
Berserk Robot moves erraticaly in all directions.
Thunder Charge Robot moves rapidly forwards.
Automatic Opponent Lock-On Robot faces constantly towards target enemy.
Strike Attack Robot moves rapidly forwards.
2.2.7 All-Star Robots
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Destructive Criticism Rosie the Riveter II Wheely Big Cheese
Tricerabot 3.0 Bigger Brother Propeller-Head
Firestorm III Thermidor II Dominator 2
Hypno-Disc Panzer MK4 Chaos II
Pussycat Tornado Stinger
Razer 101
-----------------------------------
2.3 All that Glitters... [GOLD]
-----------------------------------
2.3.1 The Gold Parts
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The fabled Gold Parts are harder to get than normal Spoils of War. Any one game
can have up to five of the six parts, and the only way to gat the other one is
to start a new game (but you'll forfeit another one instead) or win it from
another player via Grudge Match (see subsection 1.5). The Gold Parts are
basically super-powered parts on a level with the best of the normal Spoils, but
all light enough to be used together in one robot... the Gold Bot. Some of the
parts have unique properties: the Gold Chassis is completely impossible to flip,
the Gold Grab-Claw Weapon is the only weapon with three stages to its use (open,
grab, pull) and the Gold Flamethrower Weapon is more powerful than it may seem.
If you use the Gold Chassis, the weapons and traction are _forced_ to be the
Gold ones. However, all of the other Gold Parts can be used independently of
one another. Any old robot can utilise the Grab-Claw Weapon, Flamethrower
Weapon, Traction, Power, or Armour. On the Gold Chassis, the Grab-Claw is the
front weapon and the Flamethrower is the rear one. For any other robot
chassis, they can often be either the front _or_ back weapon.
I daresay there is some debate as to what abilities to give the Gold Bot. I
personally like Power Slide, as it gives that extra bit of engine power, which
comes in very handy for dragging stubborn opponents to the Pit's edge. Still,
each to their own. If you want, you can let me know what you suggest. Just
explain the reasons as well.
Repeated plays through the game have given some insight into obtaining these
elusive parts, and I list my findings here. These should be treated as
speculation, though they do seem reliable:
(1) Win the Gold rank Tournament.
(2) Win the Gold rank Tournament versus the House Robots.
(3) Win _all_ of the Gold rank Bash 'n' Dash versus the House Robots.
(4) Win _all_ of the Gold rank Mayhem versus the House Robots.
I still can't figure out where the fifth one comes from, and I have a sneaking
suspicion that I once found one after doing a Gauntlet challenge, suggesting
replaying a random challenge is needed to get the last Gold Part for the game.
Any further information for this would be incredibly valuable, so please do
let me know if you can tell me anything!
For reference, here is a guide to the Gold Bot's statistics. I've never had
the whole robot, but I have independently had all of the Gold Parts at some
point, so I have pieced most of this together. Any special change occuring
on completion of the Gold Bot remains beyond me, so if there is any such
thing (admittedly, I doubt it) it obviously won't be seen here.
2.3.2 The Gold Bot
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Weight 80kg
Speed 12mph*
Armour Gold Armour
Weapon Strength 1/2 10/7
Weapon Speed 1/2 9/10
Strengths Presumably everything
Weaknesses Presumably none
* This may be wrong. Although the best non-Gold Power has the same stats as Gold
Power, it is heavier. A heavier robot may be slowed down by the excess weight.
For reference, the robot used to get this stat weighed 94.5kg.
=============================================
== Section 3: Extra Info ==
=============================================
--------------------------------------
3.1 Cheats, Tips and Tricks [TIPS]
--------------------------------------
3.1.1 Cheats
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
It is always dubious whether built-in 'cheats' (unlike glitches) are truly
cheats. After all, they were put into the game on purpose. The following cheats
are even listed on the BBC website for the game! To use them, simply build a
robot and give it the relevant name. All of these have to be refreshed if the
console is turned off, but you can do this by just going to Edit Robot and
okaying all the existing parts. You don't even have to save the changes, just
get to the 'Save Changes?' choice after finishing the robot. The HARD CASE robot
isn't the only one to become invincible; the cheat affects all robots used until
the game is turned off, including All-Star Robots if you use them.
HARD CASE Makes robots invincible. However, you can still fall into the
Pit/Melting Pot/Acid Bath. You are also not immune to the Refbot
so your robot still needs to stay the right way up!
CONVERSE Unlocks all of the All-Star Robots.
SPARE PARTS Unlocks all of the robot parts except for the Gold Parts.
GLADIATOR Unlocks all Arenas, including the Arena Editor.
GOLD FINGER Allegedly unlocks all Gold Parts, but it's fake.
The last one is quoted on many websites, including the BBC site. It doesn't
work. I've tried it, along with about twenty variations. Why the _official_ BBC
site would list a false code is beyond me...
3.1.2 Unfair Advantages
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Here I list a few little tips and tricks which, while not spectacularly
impressive, can sometimes prove a handy little boost to your chances of success.
If anyone has any others to suggest, let me know. Full credit will be given.
> A quick win is sometimes in hand if you can get an opponent to follow you
across the Pit just as you open it. While timing is tricky, and opponents
aren't always daft enough to drive across the Pit, even the House Robots fall
for it sometimes. Even Sir Killalot can be dumped in the first few seconds of
the match if you're _very_ lucky!
> The Gold Grab-Claw is brilliant when combined with a powerful engine. Just
lurk near the open Pit, wait for your opponent to venture near, then grab,
turn, and drag them into the Pit (sideways - you don't want to fall in too).
If a little extra push is needed, repeat the 'open' stage of the claw...
the kick it gives is surprisingly strong.
> It doesn't matter if you lose as long as all your opponents lose first.
Kamikaze methods such as powering into the Pit are fairly okay provided
your demise occurs even fractionally after the last opponent's.
> Don't underestimate the usefulness of a Flipper. A flipped enemy may not take
a huge amount of damage, but if they land badly they can be almost disabled
for several seconds while they attempt to regain their normal orientation.
Take advantage and push them into the Pit or attack them (carefully – you
don't want to help them return to normal), or just sit and watch (popcorn is
optional) while the Refbot counts them out.
> The House Robots can help you in the Studio - sometimes they make faster work
of an opponent than you can manage. If you're bored, use my satisfying method:
kill the resident House Robots before taking down the designated opponents!
> If you are using the HARD CASE cheat, you don't need armour at all. Exploit
this to make a stronger-than-usual robot with the weight limit being a lesser
problem. No armour means a _minimum_ of 6.5kg spare, which is pretty handy.
-----------------------------------------
3.2 Frequently Asked Questions [FAQS]
-----------------------------------------
Q. I've completed all of the challenges, and the Player Information shows that
I've got all of the trophies, but I'm still missing some of the Spoils of
War. Why haven't I got them?
A. Assuming the Spoils you are missing aren't just Gold Parts, it might be a
consequence of a cheat, particularly one of the 'Unlocks all...' ones. Just
replay the rounds you should have won them from and you'll get them.
Q. Where are the Gold Parts?
A. I wrote this guide for a reason.
Q. Is it possible to unlock the House Robots?
A. I wish. If it is possible, I don't know about it.
Q. What does <X> mean?
A. If the term you need isn't in the glossary already, I'll be happy to add it.
Q. Do you have a cheat for <X>?
A. No. If I did, it would be in the guide by now.
Q. Do you have any good robot ideas?
A. Apart from 'Gold Bot', no. If you want to suggest any, I could add a section.
Q. <Anything irrelevant>
A. Stop wasting my time.
-------------------------------
3.3 Important Stuff [INFO]
-------------------------------
3.3.1 Legal Chitchat
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
DISCLAIMER: I am nothing to do with the BBC, Mentorn, Warthog, Gamezlab,
Nintendo etc. They own all the rights, and the TV show's roboteers
get credit for their robots. I own none of it... but I do own a copy
of the game.
This guide is the property of Sorceror Nobody, aka Jacob Turner. Plagarism is
not acceptable. This is intended for private use, not distribution. I have not
used material from other guides, but since there's not _that_ much to say about
this game really, shared material may occur. I assert that all such cases are
coincidental and don't constitute plagarism on my part. It's my first ever
serious guide (not in a humour sense, obviously), so be nice.
My brand of humour might not be to your liking. If this is the case, either
deal with or find another guide.
3.3.2 Version History
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Version 1.1 completed 12th April 2008. A few small typos and continuity errors
corrected, and two sites added to the allowed sites list (see below).
Version 1.0 completed 31st March 2008. No further versions planned unless new
material comes to my attention!
3.3.3 Other Information
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Feel free to contact me at
[email protected] with suggestions, info or
even just typo alerts. I'm not the most frequent checker of emails, so don't
worry if you don't hear back quickly. If you want to host this guide, ask me
first. Any contributors receive full credit. Just don't bombard me with email.
Sites that have permission to host this guide:
GameFAQs (www.gamefaqs.com)
Super Cheats (www.supercheats.com)
Neoseeker (www.neoseeker.com)
3.3.4 Thanks
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
All those companies for making the TV show and game.
You if you're reading and appreciating this.
Me...ah come on, don't I get some credit for writing this thing?
Anyone else who contributes. As of this version, there isn't anyone.
3.3.5 Glossary
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Are you confused by any of the words or terms I've used in my guide? Desperate
for some clarification? Fear not, for I have created a glossary! The bracketed
numbers refer to footnotes at the end.
Robot A mechanical construct which, in this context, is built to try
and defeat other robots, purely for entertainment purposes, on
a television program (and in games based on said program).
Robot Wars The aforementioned television program.
Arena The place in which participating robots cause metal carnage.
Spoils of War The token term for the rewards in this game.
Multiplayer More than one person making metal carnage, rather than letting
the CPU do it for them. Usually involves two to four humans, a
similar quantity of GameBoy Advance consoles and copies of the
game, and a GameBoy Advance Link Cable. Failing that, the same
but with GameBoy Advance SP consoles.
Single Player A bit like Multiplayer, except with only one person and a lot
more CPU. In other words, not that much like Multiplayer.
CPU Central processing unit. In other words, controlled by the game.
House Robots Robot Wars's own robots, who kill any competitor who dares stray
near. The ones you'll meet in the game are Matilda, Dead Metal,
Shunt, Sgt. Bash and the dreaded Sir Killalot.
CPZ Corner patrol zone, ordinarily inhabited by a House Robot. Which
makes me wonder quite where the 'patrol' comes into it, since
they generally stay pretty much in one place.
Chassis The main body of a robot. Without this you have a lot of exposed
components and not much of a robot.
Power This is the robot's engine which lets it charge into battle, run
away, or wander aimlessly while being slowly smashed into small
pieces by the opponents. The last one is not recommended.
Traction The robots use this to avoid being stuck in one spot forever.
Goes well with an engine in this respect.
Weapon Thing attached to the robot to make it somewhat more capable of
actually harming its opponents.
Armour A futile attempt to delay a robot's imminent transformation into
a sorry little heap of fragments.
Special Ability A subroutine in the robot control programming that is activated
by a certain operator on the control device. In other words,
press L or R to make the robot do something that wears off after
a while and prevents both itself and the other one from being
reused until just _after_ they would come in handy.
Srimech A dodgy contraction of the words 'Self-righting mechanism'.
Linguistic experts are still conducting an extensive five year
study to try and ascertain how to pronounce it. Robot experts
advise that you simply build a robot that doesn't need a srimech.
All-Star Robot Some of the more famous robots from the repeatedly aforementioned
television program. In other words, some of your favourites, some
you hate, and some that you've just never even heard of.
Roboteers The people holding the remote controls, and usually the ones who
made the robot. Their job is commanding robots with a combo of
electrical signals, sinister mind control, and raspberry jam.(1)
Pit The region of lesser altitude within an arena, which is safe
until some damn fool blunders into a 'great big threatening
BUTTON'(2) on the wall. Once open, robots can undergo rapid
descent into it.
Disc of Doom Absurdly overdramatic name for a spinning thing on the floor
which damages robots who drive onto it. It is triggered much
like the Pit, but with a yellow button instead of a red one.
Refbot A nonaggressive House Robot which is nonetheless capable of
one-hit KOing a robot... very slowly.
Gold Parts Used to make the Gold Bot.
Gold Bot The coolest robot in the game.
Light Used to describe a weapon which is not as heavy as a heavy one.
Medium Weapon which weighs a few kilograms more than the light version.
Heavy Like X Heavy, but less so.
X Heavy Like heavy, but more so.
Currency A concept which, while common to many games, doesn't enter into
this particular game. If it was in the game, the Gold Bot would
presumably be worth quite a lot of it.
Srimech A word that looks stupid no matter how many times you see it.
Melting Pot An oversized Pit containing a molten material which is
essentially pointless as it has no effect on the fate of any
robot which falls in. Also the arena in which it is found.
Acid Bath An oversized Pit containing a corrosive fluid which is
essentially pointless as it has no effect on the fate of any
robot which falls in. Also the arena in which it is found.
Weight A value assigned to all robot parts to ensure that no robot is
too powerful by way of a simple yet blunt method. All the best
robot parts are of a large weight, so the 100kg limit restricts
the use of too many such parts. Fortunately, the Gold Parts are
not so heavy and have no such problem.(3)
HARD CASE The best cheat in the game. Period. Well, unless someone knows
a _working_ Gold Parts cheat.
GOLD FINGER So worthless I won't even bother to put it in the glossary.(4)
Glitch An unintentional mistake in the programming of a game which is
invariably found and usually exploited by the video gaming
community. In other words, the spawn of MissingNo.
Offence Something you shouldn't take at my guide. Seriously though,
it's how good the robot is at attacking.
Defence Makes a robot slightly less prone to being destroyed i.e. how
resistant the robot is to damage.
Speed An illegal substance, or a film starring Keanu Reeves.
Alternatively, how fast a robot can move.
Control Oppression of the populace. If not, then it's how easy it is
to stop the robot crashing into the Pit.
FAQs Queries that are made on a very regular basis.
Disclaimer The bit where I deny everything and claim nothing.
Gauntlet In a completely wrong context for this game, an armoured glove.
In the correct context for this game, a set of six challenges
designed to test your robots' less carnage-based capabilities.
Red Planet The fourth planet (with two natural satellites) in orbit around
Sol, about halfway along the Orion arm of the Milky Way galaxy.
In simpler terms, it's a popular brand of chocolate bar.(5)
Reliability A value assigned to most of the robot parts. What it actually
means is never really explained.(6)
Sir Killalot Dangerous and hard to beat. If you finally manage to flip him,
he has a seemingly perfect srimech that always flips him the
right way up. Experience tells me he has srimechs on all sides.
Srimech One of those things that has the property of endlessly cropping
up where it is not wanted. The frequency of its appearance has
been mathematically proven to be directly proportional to how
irritating it is, which explains why my guide has so many of the
damn thing turning up in it.
Glossary The very last bit of my guide, where I explain loads of things
that don't really need that much explaining, just so that I get
an opportunity to make a lot of really bad jokes.(7)
FOOTNOTES:
~~~~~~~~~~
(1) The mind control and raspberry jam are absurd lies. At least I hope so,
otherwise we need to be very afraid.
(2) Which should never ever ever be pressed.(8)
(3) Despite being made, presumably, of a fairly heavy meatallic element.
(4) I did warn you about my brand of humour.
(5) Just in case you still don't get it, it's Neptune.(9)
(6) The same goes for all the other part stats. A couple of them are fairly
obvious, but sadly many of them aren't.
(7) Sadly, this is completely true.
(8) Twenty-five (non-existent) points to whoever can identify this quote.
(9) Seriously though, it's Mars. I'm honestly not joking this time.