All-Star Slammin' D-Ball
                          Player Guide

   This is a very short list of the special throws and other brief
  miscellaneous information about the fun, little known PlayStation
             dodge ball game, All-Star Slammin' D-Ball.

     by Benjamin Paul Galway             March 15, 2006
  e-mail = [email protected]            ver. 1.1
  PayPal = [email protected]

    Created April 12, 2002 (1.1). Latest update: Minor editing.

 ___________________________________________________________________

   TABLE OF CONTENTS = SPECIAL THROWS -> GENERAL ADVICE -> SECRETS
 ___________________________________________________________________


 ------< Special Throws >-------------------------------------------
 ------------------------------------< Special Throws >-------------
 ---------------------< Special Throws >----------------------------


 The manual does an okay job of listing all of the basic special
 throws, but it doesn't detail the level 3 team captain secret moves
 nor explains how to pull them off. Think back to the first Street
 Fighter II when trying to perform the rolling motions since the
 movements must be entered slowly and precisely. Quick taps will not
 register and make the special throws impossible to perform. Despite
 the slower input speed, all moves can be entered during a jump --
 don't exagerate the sluggish commands.

       D-pad key:    D = down  U = up  L = left  R = right

 Note that any two directions not separated by a space indicate a
 diagonal move, such as the "UR" being "up-right" in the grenade's
 input. All directions given are for the left team. Reverse the
 left and right positions if playing on the right court.

 The factors which allow a special throw to be performed are
 explained well enough in the instruction manual, so consult it for
 information about acquiring points, how the players' level affects
 earning points, and so forth.


     ---------------=======  LEVEL ONE  =======---------------


 Canon
    Input: D DR R + (square)
           The canon is a really good move. The ball moves very fast
           along a straight path to the selected target and can
           quickly get by an opponent's reaction time of he or she
           is close to the release.

 Slow
    Input: L L R + (square)
           The slow ball is a straight, slow release that simply
           isn't useful. Every players' catch animation resets
           quickly enough so that the person can make a second grab
           to catch a slow ball.

 Random
    Input: R R U + (square)
           This will release the ball with a randomly selected
           level one special throw, which is pointless. Unless
           you're having trouble with the rolling controller inputs
           required for the canon or grenade, there's no point in
           using the random throw.

 Double
    Input: R L R + (square)
           The double special throw is one of the better moves in
           the whole game. The ball is thrown fast along a straight
           path and soon followed by a second ball. Both balls can
           knock the opponent and each must be avoided. However, if
           a player can catch the first ball released before the
           second is thrown, then the special will end prematurely.

 Grenade
    Input: R UR U + (square)
           The grenade special throws the ball along a slight
           elevated arch toward the target. It is useless.


     ---------------=======  LEVEL TWO  =======---------------


 Screw Driver
    Input: D R R + (square)
           This puts a brief twisting motion into the ball's path
           after it is thrown. It's not too good and can only be of
           some use at close range since the ball's speed isn't fast
           enough to hope to catch a player off guard with its
           initial jerk release.

 Snake
    Input: D U D + (square)
           The snake very much resembles the canon for speed except
           this special throw travels along a high arch toward the
           player. It's one of the better level two moves which
           isn't saying much since it's more or less does the same
           as a level one throw.

 Hyper Magnum
    Input: D U U + (square)
           The ball size doubles when thrown. Unless it freaks out
           an opponent, this special throw serves no real purpose
           since the size has no affect on the difficulty of
           catching the ball.

 Boomerang
    Input: R DR D + (square)
           The boomerang toss releases a slow ball which travels
           along a side arch. It may very well return to the player,
           but the ball is simply too slow to not have your opponent
           catch it by the time it could start returning. As with
           most all slow moving throws, this is useless.

 Flasher
    Input: D DL L + (square)
           As the name implies, this ball will flash (disappear and
           reappear) over and over until it stops. Despite being a
           slow ball, the flashing can disorient a player and could
           prove useful.


    ---------------=======  LEVEL THREE  =======---------------


 Wild Cats' Captain Special
    Input: L DL D DR R + (square)
           A myriad of light circles surrounds the captain and forms
           a sort of vortex then trail behind the ball like a comet.
           The ball is thrown very fast (this is the fastest throw
           unless one counts the trip around the Earth for the Ninja
           team) and is very difficult to catch. Still, with really
           quick reflexes and being familiar with the Wild Cats'
           special team captain throw, it's not impossible to stop.

 Pranksters' Captain Special
    Input: L DL D DR R + (square)
           A black cylinder of light surrounds the captain and he
           launches the ball up into the air. After a few seconds
           the ball flies back down fast into the target opponent.
           This is perhaps the best special throw in the game. More
           often than not the opponent will have little warning as
           to when the ball is coming down, particularly for a
           character near the top of the screen.

 Heart Breakers' Captain Special
    Input: L DL D DR R + (square)
           Hearts rain from the ball around the captain a moment
           before she throws the ball to the opponent. The ball
           zigzags a bit toward the target along a pair of heart
           wings. This special throw is just pathetic. It will not
           fool anyone and lacks speed.

 Ninjas' Captain Special
    Input: L DL D DR R + (square)
           The captain throws the ball off the screen to the left,
           the game switches to a shot of the ball actually
           traveling around the Earth, and then it finally returns
           to the court from the right side of the screen. As with
           the Pranksters' special throw, this one can be especially
           good if the targeted player is close to the edge of the
           screen so that as little "warning room" as possible is
           available. Unfortunately, the short Earth clip is a good
           give-away to the timing of the catch, reducing the
           special throw's effectiveness somewhat.

 Snipers' Captain Special
    Input: L DL D DR R + (square)
           The captain jumps and throws the ball at the selected
           opponent amid a shower of transparent balls. Besides not
           being fast, this special throw is also weakened thanks
           to the fact that the "ghost" balls which are supposed to
           trick the opponent are obviously different from the real
           one. None of the transparent balls affect the player in
           any way as well.

 Fireballs' Captain Special
    Input: L DL D DR R + (square)
           This is a basic fast ball but with flames streaking
           behind it. Flames will stream around the captain before
           release to warn of the approaching fast ball. Since there
           are "cheaper" special moves which achieve the same
           effect, there really is no point in using this move.

 Thunder Bolts' Captain Special
    Input: L DL D DR R + (square)
           A couple of lightning bolts strike the ball in the
           captain's hands. The captain then throws the ball along a
           quick zigzag route toward the opponent while lightning
           bolts tag behind. This special throw is both visually
           impressive and fairly decent if only because the bolts of
           lightning tend to help confuse players trying to catch
           the ball (as opposed to the Heart Breakers' special).

 Elementals' Captain Special
    Input: L DL D DR R + (square)
           The screen turns completely black, white spheres eminate
           from the ball, and then it's thrown to the targeted
           player with the spheres trailing behind. This is a very
           weak special throw for the "boss" team to have. It looks
           nice, but there's really nothing special about it.


 -----------------------------------------< General Advice >--------
 --< General Advice >-----------------------------------------------
 ----------------------------< General Advice >---------------------


 Random tips for random people!

 -- The best attack is a dashing leaping throw. The Pranksters and
    Ninjas are the best at this since their players can leap far
    across the half court line and throw the ball well into the
    opponent's territory.

 -- Remember to mix up the special moves when used. An over-reliance
    on one move will rob it of any usefulness. It helps to throw out
    even a pathetic move once or so before unleashing something
    worth doing.

 -- Special throws aren't nearly as effective as they could have
    been thanks to the fact that all players must shout out some
    word bubble before performing the throw. Unless you're playing
    against the computer, most all hits are going to come from
    regular throws.

 -- The basic throw can be thrown at different speeds depending on
    the length of time the button is pressed, so use this to your
    advantage to catch opponents off guard. This can be used
    advantageously when playing against or with the clock.

 -- It is possible to leap and catch the ball when the opponent
    tries to pass to the far outside teammate. Although difficult to
    do, it's a good technique to know and to watch out for. While
    this can be avoided by passing the ball around the court along
    the sides, this also does eat up the number of passes allowed on
    a given possession.

 -- Finally, using the shoulder buttons to switch the targeted
    opponent just before release can really confuse your opponent
    and catch him or her off guard. This coupled with the fast
    leaping attacks explained above can really cut down on an
    opponent's reaction time.


 ------< Secrets >--------------------------------------------------
 --------------------------------< Secrets >------------------------
 -----------------------------------------------------< Secrets >---


 There's only one secret -- the code to unlock the Elementals as a
 playable team. The code is given upon winning the tournament. To
 unlock the Elements, enter the following at the title screen:

              D L U R X (square) (triangle) (circle)

 The Elementals are a good team, but surprisingly aren't the best
 available. They're still fun to play with, though.

 ___________________________________________________________________


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