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XM
A comprehensive guide to the action/shooting game for the Sega Master System.
By Matthew Stephenson (Ringworm)
ASCII created using ASCGEN (
http://go.to/ascgen/)
Version 1.01, 5 November 2004
Next update: Not sure, need to find a copy of the manual to get the names of
vehicles. May just ignore this bit though.
Table of Contents:
See the 5 character code next to each entry below? It's there to make
navigating this FAQ much simpler. Press CTRL+F together, type the 5 character
code next to the entry you are looking for, and press enter twice. You'll be at
the appropriate section. Awesome. This method works in many programs I have
tested it in, such as Notepad and Microsoft Word. I'm sure it's similar in most
programs though.
1. What's New in this Version?.............. AFWNV
2. Legal Info/ Contact details etc. ........ AFLCE
3. Introduction ............................ AFINT
4. Controls ................................ AFCON
5. Enemy Vehicles .......................... AFENV
6. General Hints and Strategies ............ AFGHS
7. Walkthrough ............................. AFWTH
7.1. Mission One ........................ AFMI1
7.2. Mission Two ........................ AFMI2
7.3. Mission Three ...................... AFMI3
7.4. Mission Four ....................... AFMI4
7.5. Mission Five ....................... AFMI5
8. Codes ................................... AFCOD
9. Frequently Asked Questions .............. AFFAQ
10. Concluding Remarks ...................... AFCRM
11. Version History ......................... AFVEH
_________________________________________________
1. What's New in this Version? (AFWNV)
_________________________________________________
Version 1.01: Completely new format. I improved the ASCII header at the top of
the guide significantly, and made a few layout changes. I didn't alter any of
the actual information in the guide though.
_________________________________________________
2. Legal Info/ Contact details etc. (AFLCE)
_________________________________________________
This FAQ is Copyright of Matthew Stephenson (Ringworm), 2004. It can be found
on the following websites ONLY:
www.gamefaqs.com
Want to host this FAQ? Found it on another site not listed above? Let me know:
ringwormrulez[at]gmail[dot]com
I may let you host it. Ask. The only requirement is you post the ENTIRE FAQ,
UNEDITED. No changing any of it, and it has to be all there. Try to keep it
updated as well; the most recent version will always be found at GameFAQs.
MAKE SURE YOU HAVE MY PERMISSION BEFORE HOSTING THIS! If not, you are in breach
of the law. Obviously, you can not make profit from this guide by selling it or
anything similar. Once again this is illegal. You can make a copy for personal
usage though if you're that way inclined. I got no problems with that. It's
your printer ink and paper you are wasting.
Got a question or got some info you feel should be included? Again the best way
to contact me is by emailing:
ringwormrulez[at]gmail[dot]com
I may take a while to respond, just letting you know. Also, make sure what you
want to ask is not covered already. Generally, I respond to anybody that needs
help. If I feel the FAQ makes it perfectly clear, and you just haven't read it
properly though, I may not.
IF YOU DO EMAIL ME: Include the game name, or something which makes it obvious
what it's about. I will NOT read ANY emails with attachments, or ones with no
subject line.
I'd like to take some time to thank the people that have helped with this
guide. Firstly, I'd like to thank Sega for making the game. The webmasters that
host this FAQ should get a bit of credit too I guess, as you wouldn't be
reading this otherwise. Thanks also to the other FAQers on the FAQ contributors
board at GameFAQs, and especially Masamune3 and Joni Philips for running the
SMS Completion Project. Without you, I never would have got the urge to write
this guide. I'd also like to thank you, the reader, for choosing this guide,
and I hope I helped in some way.
All names, characters, games and related material are Copyright of Sega, 1986.
_________________________________________________
3. Introduction (AFINT)
_________________________________________________
The aim of Action Fighter is to stop your enemies over 5 missions. Each mission
involves you controlling your vehicle which can transform between motorcycle,
car and jet plane (provided you collect the correct parts). All five missions
have both land and air based sections, with different controls for each. At the
end of each level, the screen will stop scrolling, and you will fight the
'boss' of the mission - the vehicles you need to destroy to complete your
mission.
I am warning you, this game is not easy. I hope to help out any way I can, but
as the enemy vehicles you encounter change every time, I can only give a brief
walkthrough for each mission.
_________________________________________________
4. Controls (AFCON)
_________________________________________________
The game can be played either by 1 player, or two players (alternately,
switching every time you lose a life).
Road controls (Motorcycle and Car):
Left/Right: Move your vehicle left or right
Up: Makes your vehicle speed up
Down: Makes your vehicle slow down
Button 1: Fires a ground to air missile, for destroying helicopters (only after
using two SEGA trucks without losing a life - See section 6)
Button 2: Shoots your weapon.
Button 1+2 together: Switches from motorcycle to car, and vice versa. You must
have the four car pieces (Shown by the letters A through D) to perform this
move.
Air controls (Jet):
Left/Right/Up/Down: Move your jet in the relevant direction. The speed is
fixed.
Button 1: Fires at ground based targets, such as tanks and boats
Button 2: Fires at air based targets such as jets and helicopters
_________________________________________________
5. Enemy Vehicles (AFENV)
_________________________________________________
Some of these vehicles are not available on all missions. "Boss" vehicles, or
the ones that are required to complete a mission are also not listed in this
section. I've split it into vehicle you see in the land based sections,
followed by vehicles found in the air based sections. Vehicles on the ground
have a (g) symbol, vehicles in the air are denoted by an (a) symbol.
******** Land Based Vehicles ********
Motorcycle (White) (g): Common, and easy to destroy. These are the only
vehicles you can crash into as a motorcycle without losing a life.
Ambulance (White with red cross) (g): Common, nothing special.
Car (Black) (g): Common, Nothing special.
Helicopter (Blue) (a): Not too hard to avoid, sometimes drops land mines, but
can't hurt you otherwise.
Car (Black with a bit of white) (g): Mission 2 onwards. Takes a few more shots
to destroy than a regular car. Looks almost identical, but you can tell the
difference if you look closely.
Motorcycle/Sidecar (g): Mission 3 onwards. A motorcycle with a sidecar, that
shoots at you.
Car (White) (g): Mission 3 onwards. A large white car.
******** Air Based Vehicles ********
Invaders (Blue, sort of bug shaped) (a): Not sure of the real name for these,
but they look like the enemy ships in Space Invaders. Two types exist - some
shoot at you, some don't. Come in a group of 6.
Jet (Red) (a): These come in a few formations, some shoot at you, some move
diagonally to try to hit you. They can be quite tough to avoid.
Helicopter (Blue) (a): You normally see these in groups of 4, but also come in
groups of 2 and 3. They can fire homing bullets at you, and can also fly into
you. They are very annoying.
Car (Blue) (g): Does nothing, just for points.
Raft (Brown) (g): Does nothing, just for points.
Submarine (Blue) (g): Moves horizontally on screen, and fires at you.
Tank (Blue) (g): Both are the same. Watch the direction the turret is pointing
and make sure you are in line with it.
Homing Missile (Looks like a missile. I'm sure you'll recognise it) (a): Comes
down from the top of screen and will always target you. Shoot it from front on
to destroy it.
Gunship (a): Mission 3 onwards. Appear on one side of screen and fires in 5
directions at once.
_________________________________________________
6. General Hints and Strategies (AFGHS)
_________________________________________________
Try to transform into a car ASAP. You will be much safer. Although you can
transform back into a motorcycle at any time (for increased mobility), I very
rarely do this. To transform between vehicles, you need to pick up the relevant
parts (found by destroying enemy vehicles). Collecting the letters A, B, C and
D will enable you to transform into a car. Collecting E and F will transform
your car into a jet (at the next bridge). Parts are only available on the land
based sections.
The SEGA truck is invaluable, and you should make every effort to use any you
see. You need to be going at around the same speed as it, and drive up behind
it. If done correctly, you will go into the back of the truck, be moved to the
centre of the road, and you should have extra firepower! One truck grants you
rocket launchers (nearly essential for beating the game - it's MUCH tougher
without these), visiting a second lets you shoot down helicopters, and a third
time will give you around 20 seconds of invincibility! Obviously, you cannot
get these trucks in the sky sections, however, there are occasionally pickups
you can find. These work in much the same way, and are identifiable by a small
P symbol.
Use an emulator and ROM to play the game. It's almost impossible otherwise.
Although I guess some people may be able to defeat the game without save
states, it'd be extremely unlikely. I congratulate anyone that manages to do
this.
_________________________________________________
7. Walkthrough (AFWTH)
_________________________________________________
This section is brief for a reason. The vehicles you come across change every
game, only the end of mission vehicles will be the same each time.
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
+ 7.1. Mission One (AFMI1) +
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Mission Brief: Destroy 3 Big Submarines.
You start the game driving a motorcycle. Accelerate to around the speed of the
enemy vehicles (just below full speed), then shoot repeatedly. You need to
collect 6 parts, A through F. I also suggest stopping in at least one SEGA
truck before getting the sixth piece. Parts will be dropped very frequently,
probably every second vehicle on average will have a part. Anyway, familiarize
yourself with the controls, watching the road signs (stay near the middle
unless you get a fork sign), and try not to hit other vehicles, or the edge of
the road. Eventually you'll get all 6 parts, and will take to the skies.
This section is reasonably long. It shouldn't take long to realise which enemy
vehicles require you to press button 1 to destroy (land/sea vehicles) and which
you shoot with button 2 (air vehicles). Once you get this figured out, it's all
a matter of staying alive as long as possible, as the rockets from the SEGA
truck are handy for the sky sections of the game. Dodging bullets is the key,
anything else you can destroy is a bonus. Once you see a dock area on the right
with blue barrels, you know you are near to the submarines you need to destroy.
******** Boss Vehicle Strategy ********
You will be constantly fired upon during this boss fight. Each submarine moves
left and right, and also submerges below water every few seconds. You can only
hit them when they are on the surface (button 1). Whilst all three subs are
around, the firing rate is quite slow, and the bullets are easy to avoid. Once
you destroy one sub, it picks up significantly, and after destroying a second
sub, it's near continuous.
Each sub will take three shots to destroy. My advice is to hit each one twice.
After doing this, each one will only take one hit to sink. I advise you to make
the last three shots very quickly, trying to destroy all three subs within
about 5 seconds. If you don't do this, prepare to dodge a LOT of missiles. It
is not all that tough really, but it may take a few attempts to work out what
you need to do.
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
+ 7.2. Mission Two (AFMI2) +
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Mission Objective: Destroy 6 green and purple tanks.
This mission begins with you in the sky. Fly forwards for quite a while and
you'll eventually land. You know this is about to happen not long past an
island in the middle of the screen (quite noticeable).
Back on land, you will have quite a long driving section. You will get to the
boss not long after the second wide divided section (where the central divider
is around the same width as the road on either side). If you time it right, you
can get to the end of this section with invincibility still. This is helpful
for the next boss section, but by no means essential.
******** Boss Vehicle Strategy ********
You will see the tanks roll at you from the top of the screen. Each takes
around 8 rockets to destroy (haven't counted exactly). If you are very quick,
you can destroy most before they even shoot at you, but I'll assume you don't.
To defeat the tanks, I suggest moving in front of them, firing two rocket shots
(quickly), then moving to the side. Wait for the shots to go past you and
repeat. I find this section easy, probably easier than the one at the end of
the first mission. With invincibility, it's even easier.
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
+ 7.3. Mission Three (AFMI3) +
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Mission Objective: Destroy 3 red and blue helicopters.
You start driving a car, and need to get parts E and F as quickly as possible.
This time, only the more advanced vehicles will drop parts - helicopters, white
cars and motorcycles with sidecar.
Back in the sky, you have a long air section. The end is not far past an island
(like mission 1), and comes after a string of missiles are fired at you.
******** Boss Vehicle Strategy ********
You will be destroying one helicopter at a time. Fire about 4 or 5 quick shots
at it, then move to the side. It will continuously shoot at you, your aim is to
keep moving, avoiding them all and shooting the helicopter when you get a
chance. It's quite tough, but not impossible. Each takes around 12 rockets to
destroy, I'm not sure how many regular shots it takes.
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
+ 7.4. Mission Four (AFMI4) +
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Mission Objective: Destroy 6 red and blue tanks.
You'll fly for quite a while to start the mission. Eventually, you will be
flying over a large town. Just after you pass this, you'll see some clouds -
this is where you will land again. You need to get the E and F parts again, as
you will be taking to the sky again. Shouldn't take long, but it's likely you
would of run out of time by this stage, and be onto your extra lives.
You'll fly for a while. The vehicles you need to destroy appear when you see a
beach on screen.
******** Boss Vehicle Strategy ********
This requires a fair amount of skill, but the tanks only take 5 hits to destroy
each (they come in two waves of three). I start at the left, and work my way
right. Get very close to the left hand side of the left hand tank, and go as
far up the screen as possible. You need to move in front of the tank and shoot
it with button 1. You WILL be shot at doing this, so it requires good timing,
to move in between shots. I don't find it all that tough at all.
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
+ 7.5. Mission Five (AFMI5) +
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Mission Objective: Destroy 2 large battleships.
Fly for a long time. Not far past an oil rig (think that's what it is anyway),
you will land.
Driving, get parts E and F. Yeah, again. Back to the air again for the final
time.
Fly for a while. It's not all that far to the final battle. There's no real
noticeable features of the landscape to let you know you are there sorry :)
******** Boss Vehicle Strategy ********
Final battle time. You face the two battleships one at a time. They are SEA
based, so you need to use button 1 to hit them. Each takes a whopping 30 shots
to destroy, so prepare for a LONG battle.
A point to note is they won't start firing (and you can't hit them either)
until they reach the centre of the screen. When they do, the ships fire three
shots at once, then two at once, then repeat. There's no real delay between
shots, you just need to keep moving. I suggest flying to one of the top
corners, waiting for one lot of shots, then moving in front of the ship,
hitting it once, and going to the other top corner. This pattern works a bit,
but it is not foolproof. Keep at it though, and you'll eventually destroy them
both (hopefully). If you can, you'll be finished with this very tough game!
Won't ruin the ending, but it's a bit of a let down.
_________________________________________________
8. Codes (AFCOD)
_________________________________________________
Codes are taken directly from gamefaqs.com, credit goes to the original people
that posted the codes there. I have verified that these codes do work.
CODE: EFFECT:
SPECIAL. Start with ABCD, Bulletproof, 3 extra lives after timer runs
out.
DOKI_PEN Start with ABCD, rockets, ground to air missiles.
GP_WORLD 3 extra lives after timer runs out.
HANG_ON. Start with ABCD.
Enter these codes on the name entry screen. These are the only codes I know of.
Make sure you include the . or _ in the code, or it won't work. If done
correctly, your name should be PLAYER 1 when you start the game.
_________________________________________________
9. Frequently Asked Questions (AFFAQ)
_________________________________________________
None yet. Got a question? Ask me via email, and I'll be glad to help.
_________________________________________________
10. Concluding Remarks (AFCRM)
_________________________________________________
To be honest, I am no expert at this game. It's a little bit hard for my
liking, but I managed to finish it (on an emulator). If you have good
reactions, and enjoy this style of game, you could probably finish the game
reasonably easily, especially with the codes in section 8.
This was one of the games I used to play occasionally when I was 7 or 8.
Obviously, I wasn't very good at it then, but it's a game I've been meaning to
pick up and try to beat for a few years now. When I saw the game had no FAQ for
it, I decided to write one as I played through the game. That could be why it
seems slightly disorganised (to me anyway), I may fix this one day. I'll try to
track down the game manual as well, as I'm fairly sure it contains the proper
name for each of the vehicles.
_________________________________________________
11. Version History (AFVEH)
_________________________________________________
1.0 (31/10/04): Initial Release. Complete. May be a format update soon, but
this could be the only version. I think it needs a little bit of work still.
1.01 (5/11/04): Format change, ASCII improved, layout made more readable.
Copyright Matthew Stephenson (Ringworm) 2004.
