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=                               BLUE MAX 2001                                 =
*                               COMMODORE 64                                  *
=                            FAQ / STRATEGY GUIDE                             =
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Author: Sashanan
Date: 21 September 2005
Version: 1.2

DISCLAIMER
This document is a copyright of Peter "Sashanan" Butter, 2003-2005. All
rights reserved.

You are granted permission to make copies of this FAQ (electronical or
physical) for your own, personal use. Furthermore, non-commercial, freely
accessible websites are allowed to upload a copy of this FAQ as long as it is
posted in its full, original form (including this disclaimer) and credited
to Sashanan.

You are not authorized to upload this FAQ on a commercial website and/or
charge for its viewing, or make money off it in any other imaginable way,
without my explicit written permission. Furthermore, you are not allowed to
edit this guide in any way, use it as a basis for your own guide, or post it
without giving proper credit. This is considered plagiarism.

This FAQ is protected by international copyright laws and failure to
comply with the terms in this disclaimer will result in legal prosecution.


===============================================================================
TABLE OF CONTENTS
===============================================================================

[1] About this FAQ
[2] The basics
[2.1] Overview
[2.2] Game settings
[2.3] Controls
[3] The details
[3.1] Your craft
[3.2] Enemy craft
[3.3] Your base
[3.4] Regular enemy base
[3.5] Aquatic enemy base
[3.6] Secret enemy base
[4] Playing tips
[5] Odds and ends
[6] Revision history
[7] Final words


===============================================================================
[1] ABOUT THIS FAQ
===============================================================================

The sequel to the highly popular Blue Max is not nearly as well known, and
frankly it's a shame. Blue Max 2001 is an excellent shooter title in its own
right with lots of action, and without the two main flaws of the original Blue
Max. First, it doesn't have the mostly random deaths that would frequently
plague you in Blue Max. You'd always run the risk to suddenly crash into a
head-on enemy plane before you could avoid it, and a random hit on your fuel
tank early in a sortie meant it was all over, too. Second, you are always
guaranteed to be able to finish the game. Blue Max required you to shoot a
number of "primary" targets (indicated by a blue flashing symbol) to advance to
the final stage, where you had to bomb the Reichstag in Berlin to win. However,
there was a finite number of primary targets and if you missed too many, the
game would just go on and on until you died. And missing could happen easily if
most of the primary targets felt like being head-on planes, which are very hard
to shoot down.

Neither problem is present in Blue Max 2001 - you can always keep
advancing through the game no matter how many times you miss your target,
and death does not come randomly. Blue Max 2001 is, however, a bit more
complicated than its predecessor and without a manual (I sure don't have
one) it is tricky to figure out exactly what is expected of you. Fear not!
This FAQ will help you on your way. After reading this document, you will
know all about your craft, the opponents you will face, your objectives,
and how to make the most out of every game of Blue Max 2001 you play.

The latest version of this document can always be found at GameFAQs
(www.gamefaqs.com). If you have a question that is not covered in this
document, you may want to check there first to see if there is an update. If
you found this FAQ somewhere else, there's no telling if it's the most recent
version.

This guide is dedicated to my brother René. Many years ago when he reached the
yellow secret base for the first time, he told me in his most ominous voice:
"watch closely, you will never see this again". I was at the age where
everything your older brother says seems true by default; but see it again I
did, and in time I figured out *how* to reach said base. It's probably those
very words that challenged me to figure out Blue Max 2001's inner workings, and
without them, this FAQ would not be here.


===============================================================================
[2] THE BASICS
===============================================================================

This chapter will describe the basics of Blue Max 2001. First I will give
an overview of the game and its objectives. Then, I will discuss the
various settings you can choose from before starting a game. Finally, I
will list the controls.


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[2.1] OVERVIEW
-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-

For all I know there's a great, complicated story behind Blue Max 2001 -
without documentation it's a little hard to tell. What it comes down to,
however, is that we're fighting a one man war as is all too common in
Commodore games. Their side has a bunch of different bases and a vast air
force. We have one extremely powerful saucer-shaped fighter, and a bunch of
small bases where it can rearm and refuel. Naturally, Blue Max 2001 puts you in
control of this highly specialized air force, and your objective is to find and
destroy three secret enemy bases where new fighter models are being developed.
The enemy headquarters are at the last of these bases, and destroying them will
end the game. Alternatively, the game ends if the enemy manages to shoot you
down before you get that far.

If you've played Blue Max before, you'll be right at home with the game's
style. It still uses the isometric view, allowing you to move in six directions
on a horizontal plane and to climb or dive as well. Unlike in Blue Max, it is
also possible to stop in mid air, so the screen isn't always scrolling by. In
fact, you'll find that your craft is a lot easier to control than the plane in
Blue Max ever was, and far more forgiving when it comes to taking damage, as
well.

Every game starts on a friendly base. After taking off and flying forward for a
bit, you'll come across an enemy base. Afterwards, you will find a friendly
base again where you can refuel, reload your bombs and get any damaged systems
repaired. There are three types of enemy bases, and which you come across
depends on if you manage to complete your objective.

This objective is a special target known as the Sequencer, which is found on
every regular enemy base. If you manage to either bomb or capture the Sequencer
(depending on game settings, see paragraph 2.2), the game will advance. If you
fail, you will have to try another regular base. As long as you keep failing,
you keep seeing regular enemy bases, until you manage to get the Sequencer.
When you do, the game advances.

If you get enough Sequencers (a total of 5 through the entire game), you will
have to fight your way through enemy aquatic bases and eventually reach the
three secret bases. At each of these, you will have to fight several enemy
fighters that are a little more deadly than usual. At the last of the secret
bases, you will find the enemy headquarters and destroy them, winning the game.

The order of levels is as follows:

Regular base
Aquatic base
Regular base
Aquatic base
Yellow secret base

Regular base
Aquatic base
Regular base
Aquatic base
Blue secret base

Regular base
Aquatic base
Red secret base

Remember that at each regular base, you must get the Sequencer or you will not
advance. At the aquatic bases, you merely have to get through alive, there are
no specific targets you must get. At the secret bases, you must destroy all
enemy fighters before the game will allow you to continue your flight. As you
can see, you need to get 2 sequencers to reach the first secret base, 2 more
for the second, and then only 1 for the final base.

And that's basically it. If you manage to get all Sequencers on the first try,
a full session of Blue Max 2001 will last about 30 minutes. Obviously it will
take longer if you miss a Sequencer here and there and have to retry regular
bases.


-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-
[2.2] GAME SETTINGS
-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-

Prior to starting the game, there are four options you can set: the difficulty
level, the control type, the gravity and the sequencer mode. Scroll through
these options and select them using the function keys, then press F7 to start
the game. All options you choose last for the entire game session and cannot be
changed halfway.

DIFFICULTY LEVEL
Choose between Novice, Intermediate and Advanced. The difficulty level affects
the aggressiveness of your enemies and the percentage of quick fighters you
encounter. At Novice, many enemy fighters are of the slow variety, and enemies
don't shoot often. At Intermediate, you will see many more quick fighters and
enemies shoot back in earnest now. At Advanced, nearly every fighter is a quick
one and bullets will buzz around your ears all the time.

I'd recommend starting at Novice and only upping the level when you've
completed the game before on the lower levels.

CONTROLS
Choose between Normal and Pilot Controls. This affects the way you climb and
dive. Under Normal Controls, pushing the joystick up will raise your craft and
pushing it down will lower it, as you'd expect in a third person view like Blue
Max 2001 has. However, if you prefer you can use Pilot Controls to have them act
like a flight simulator's instead. Now, pushing the stick forward makes you
dive and pulling it back makes you climb.

Normal controls feels more natural for an outside cockpit view in my opinion,
but this is personal preference. Go with whatever feels right for you.

GRAVITY
Choose between Normal Gravity and No Gravity. With gravity turned on, your
craft will slowly lose height whether it's moving forward or not, and you will
have to climb a bit now and then to compensate. This makes the game
considerably more difficult as you will need to pay attention to your altitude
all the time. It will also make dogfighting a pain as it's hard to keep a
proper engagement attitude.

While turning on gravity can add an extra challenge, I find it merely annoying.
I'd certainly keep it off until you've completed the game at least once, after
that you can see if you like the extra challenge of having it on. I don't.

SEQUENCER MODE
Choose between Bomb Sequencer and Touch Sequencer. As stated in paragraph 2.1,
the Sequencer is your primary target at every regular enemy base, the one you
must deal with to advance through the game. In this setting, you choose *what*
you are supposed to do with the Sequencer. In Bomb Sequencer, the default mode,
you must drop a bomb on it to destroy it. In Touch Sequencer mode, bombing it
will net you the points but you will not advance; rather, you have to stop your
craft above it and land to pick it up.

Touch Sequencer mode is a little trickier especially on higher difficulty
levels, where you will make yourself an easy target when you stop your craft.
It's definitely more fun, though, and it's my preferred setting to add just a
little extra challenge. Go with whatever mode is more appealing to you, but be
sure to try them both.


-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-
[2.3] CONTROLS
-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-

Blue Max 2001 is controlled entirely with the joystick in-game. You will only
use the keyboard to change settings before the game or to pause. The joystick
has to be plugged in port 2.

- To climb or dive, move the joystick up or down. In normal controls, pushing
the stick up/forward will cause you to climb and pushing it down/back will
cause you to dive. In pilot controls, this is inverted.

- To move around without changing altitude, push the joystick in the desired
direction. You can move in four diagonal directions and straight left or right
for a total of six directions.

- To start scrolling the level, move to the top right corner. Once the screen
has started scrolling, you can move away from there.

- To stop scrolling the level, move to the bottom left corner. Once the screen
has stopped scrolling, you can move away from there.

Note: you are not allowed to start the scrolling while you are at any of the
three secret enemy bases. You must defeat the enemies there to be allowed to
proceed from the first two. Also, you cannot stop the scrolling while moving to
or from a secret base.

- To fire your cannon, hold down the fire button while moving in any of the six
directions. You will fire in that direction. If you do not move the stick in
any direction and you press the fire button, you will always fire to the top
right (i.e. forward).

Note: if you move in a direction and then press the fire button, you will keep
moving and start firing as well. If you press the fire button first and then
push the stick in any direction, you will start firing in that direction but
not actually move there.

- To drop a bomb, push the stick down and hit the fire button.

Note: you will always move down a little while dropping a bomb, this
cannot be stopped. Be sure to climb again afterwards, and be careful not to fly
so low that a bombing run puts you at risk of colliding with terrain or
structures.

- The space bar will pause the game.

- F1 will abort the current game (if any) and call up the game settings.

- F3 will let you scroll through the game settings.

- F5 lets you change the currently selected game setting.

- F7 starts a new game from the main menu or game settings, or lets you abort
the current game and start a new one with the same settings.


===============================================================================
[3] THE DETAILS
===============================================================================

With the basics out of the way, let's take a closer look at each aspect of the
game. First we'll look at our own craft and the two types of enemy fighters,
then at each of the locations in the game.


-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-
[3.1] YOUR CRAFT
-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-

Your fighter is well armed with infinite cannon rounds and no less than 40
bombs, which can be restocked at every friendly base. You are quite a bit more
powerful than any of the enemy fighters, but then, you're on your own, so you
need all the firepower you can get.

INDICATORS
At the bottom of the screen is a series of status indicators which mean the
following:

Score: how many points you've scored so far in the game. Every enemy you
destroy yields a number of points.

Fuel: your fuel gauge. A full tank equals 200 units, which are expended in
flight. If you run out of fuel, you will slowly lose altitude until you hit the
ground. If the ground you hit is not your home base, you'll explode. Fuel
consumption is normally so slow that you don't have to worry about fuel unless
you stop to destroy targets too often, or miss a landing. However, things get
tricky when you suffer a fuel leak from combat damage.

Bombs: how many bombs you still have. Obviously, when you use your last one,
you won't be able to drop any more bombs until you get them refilled. Again,
unless you're really gung ho with the bombs or you miss a landing, you're not
going to run out of these.

Altitude: your current altitude, between 0 and 90. 0 is ground level, and you
don't want to be there unless it's at your home base. 0-10 is low altitude
where you will likely crash into hills and ground targets. 10-25 is strafing
altitude where you can destroy certain ground targets with your cannon. Between
26 and 90, you can't do this anymore. The higher you are, the harder it will be
for enemies to hit you, but bombing becomes a pain when you're up high too.

Shield: by default, you have no shields and this indicator will show 'off'.
However, if you pick up a shield at an enemy base, it will show 'on' in green
font. A shield will absorb one hit and keep you from taking damage from it. You
can only have one shield at a time.

XX: when a red 'XX' flashes at the bottom of your display, an enemy fighter is
inbound and will enter the screen in about two seconds.

Damage indicators: a B, G, F or M will appaer if any of your systems has
suffered damage.

SCREEN BORDER
The border of the screen, normally black, can take a number of different
colours to draw your attention to various circumstances. These are:

Light blue: you are at the same altitude as the enemy fighter that is currently
on the screen, meaning you can hit each other.

Brown: you are at strafing altitude (11-25). There is no risk of flying into
ground targets, but you can destroy some of them with your gun.

Flashing yellow: you are at low altitude (1-10). You run the risk of crashing
into hills or ground targets and taking damage that way. You can strafe at this
altitude.

Red: you just suffered damage. You are in "stunned" state for a few seconds.
You can still move, but you can't drop a bomb or fire your gun until the stun
passes and the red border disappears. You are also invincible to further hits
while stunned, however.

DAMAGE
Whenever you crash into a ground target or hill because you are flying too
low, when you ram an enemy fighter, or when you are hit by gunfire from
an enemy fighter, flak, or a laser cannon, you will suffer damage to one
of your systems. If you're lucky enough to have picked up a shield, it
will absorb the next hit you take, but otherwise one of your systems will
be damaged. With each hit, one system at random takes damage. It can be
one of the following:

Bombs: indicated by a B on your display. Your bombs will work erratically,
often when you try to drop one it just refuses to be launched. With time and
luck, you can still bomb, it has just become unreliable. This is merely
annoying and not dangerous.

Gun: indicated by a G on your display. As with the bombs, your guns have not
been destroyed completely but they will function erratically. It'll feel like
they fail you when you need them the most, although you can still shoot down
enemy fighters if you just hold the fire button long enough. A guns jam is
mostly annoying but can be a little dangerous, especially if you're in a tough
dogfight over a secret enemy base.

Fuel leak: indicated by an F on your display, this spells trouble. Your fuel
consumption is doubled due to a leak in your fuel tank, and you will have to
drop what you're doing and head home at the highest speed possible to get this
repaired. A fuel leak is potentially deadly, although if you start for home
right away without stopping when you get one, and you didn't expend a lot of
fuel getting where you were when you took the hit, you should usually be able
to survive it. You will likely want to maximize your altitude so that if you do
run out of fuel before you reach your base, you can still glide for a bit.

Maneuverability: indicated by an M on your display. Your craft will become
very sluggish and move more slowly. It's different from the bombs and guns
damage in that it still responds to all your joystick input, it just takes
twice as long to get from one place to another. This is very dangerous as it
makes it much harder to dogfight or to dodge enemy projectiles, and is probably
the worst damage you can take. Especially on higher levels, the 'M' appearing
on your display is usually just a sign that more hits are coming.

If all four of your systems have been damaged and you take another hit,
your craft will be destroyed and the game is over.


-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-
[3.2] ENEMY CRAFT
-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-

No matter what area you are in, enemy fighters will appear every few seconds.
There can be only one on the screen at any time, and it can be one of two
types, which I usually dub the cruiser and the fighter. Either can be either a
slow or a quick variant - obviously, the quick ones are more dangerous.

To destroy an enemy fighter, you must first match its altitude. Look at its
shadow to figure out roughly how high it is. Once you match altitude, use your
gun to bring them down - but be careful, because at this point they can hit
you, too!

CRUISER
The cruiser is pod-shaped, enters the screen from the left or the right, and
then just cruises to the other side in a straight line. It cannot turn, stop,
or change altitude, but it can shoot straight up or down, something that you
can't (those are the only two directions in which you *cannot* shoot). Just how
much it shoots depends on the level - on Advanced, this is easily the most
triggerhappy enemy, and it will fill the screen with its bullets. However,
because their movement is completely predictable, cruisers are easy to avoid or
to shoot down. A cruiser looks roughly like this:

 XXXXXXX
XXXX   XXXX
 XXXXXXX

FIGHTER
Fighters are shaped like two squares touching each other at one corner, and are
much more dangerous than cruisers. They can move in the same six horizontal
directions you can, match altitude with you, fire in four diagonal directions,
and generally be a nuisance. They will actively hunt you for a while, matching
your altitude and trying to get a good shot on you. They may or may not try to
get close and ram you. After a while, they'll give up and leave the screen,
assuming you don't destroy them first.

As if they aren't dangerous enough in the air, fighters may decide to drop a
bomb on you if you're currently refueling on your base. If a fighter enters the
screen while you're doing so and comes close, you'll want to take off, bring it
down and land again. If you don't and it decides to bomb you, that's instant
death. A fighter looks roughly like this:

XXX
X X
XXX
  XXX
  X X
  XXX

Normal cruiser and fighters are grey. However, at each of the secret enemy
bases, you will face eight special fighters with a colour that matches that of
the base. The fighters at the yellow base are of the slow variety and not that
dangerous. The ones at the blue base are the quick type, and eight of them in a
row may be quite challenging. The ones at the red base are quick as well, and
also seem to be a bit smarter and more aggressive than the regular quick
fighters and the blue ones. Defeating them is your ultimate challenge.


-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-
[3.3] YOUR BASE
-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-

At the beginning of the game you'll be at one of your bases, and after every
enemy base you pass (regular, aquatic or secret), you'll reach a friendly base
again. It's nothing spectacular - a single landing platform and a few small
buildings next to it - but it's the place where you can get yourself patched up
for your next sortie. You'll learn to love it soon enough.

The buildings don't serve any purpose. You can drop bombs on 'em and nothing
happens (as opposed to the original Blue Max where bombing your own hangar
meant death). You can land anywhere on the platform, but if an enemy (or you,
for whatever reason) dropped a bomb on it, be careful not to land on the
damaged patch.

Once you're down, the game will, in the following order:

- Repair your fuel tank, your maneuverability, your guns and your bombs;
- Refill your fuel tank;
- Reload your bombs.

If for whatever reason you need to have something else done in a hurry,
you can skip a step by hitting the fire button. So if you are being
refueled but you want bombs quickly, just press the fire button and it
will skip the refueling. I haven't found a practical purpose for this
option, but it's there.

As in the original Blue Max, there's a threat of being bombed while you're on
the ground. However, only fighters can do this (so if a cruiser comes by you
have nothing to fear), you can see them coming from a mile away, and all you
have to do is take off, shoot him down, and land again to continue refueling.
You'll likely have to do this a time or two every time you've landed, but as
long as you pay attention, there is no real threat.


-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-
[3.4] REGULAR ENEMY BASE
-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-

A regular enemy base consists of a series of concrete platforms connected by
roads. The platforms will hold one target or another, and the roads are filled
with stationary vehicles. Also dotted about the area are small cannon
emplacements. Each regular base will feature the following targets:

Vehicles: these are stationary, small targets on the roads. Not worth many
points, but numerous. They were practically made to be strafed, just follow
a road at strafing altitude with guns blazing and you can take out an entire
row of them. You can bomb them as well but this isn't very efficient.

Bunkers: large brown domes which are easy to hit with a bomb. They cannot be
strafed.

Building: a little smaller than the bunkers, with a red circular roof. Not sure
what these are meant to be. Like bunkers, they can be destroyed with a bomb,
and they're worth the same number of points.

Bridge: frequently you will encounter bridges on the enemy bases, and you
can get some extra points for bombing these.

Small cannon: these are placed on little platforms scattered throughout the
bases. They are small and can be hard to target, and they fire back. You can
either bomb them (takes good aim) or strafe them. Strafing is easier, but be
careful - they will also have an easier time hitting you when you're on
strafing altitude.

Big cannon: these large black cannons are just as deadly as the small ones,
and cannot be strafed. To destroy one, you'll have to use a bomb, and you will
have to place it exactly on the center of the cannon. Although they look big,
the area to hit isn't any larger than that of a small cannon and so they aren't
any easier to hit. Beware.

Laser cannon: these buildings can project a laser beam straight up, and will
usually do so when you get close. Depending on your altitude, you may or may
not be hit by this. Laser cannons are generally not as dangerous as the other
cannon types as they can only fire straight up, and they can't harm you
unless you come close. Typically you only take damage from them if you try to
bomb them and do it carelessly. It's even more common to carefully maneuver
around a laser cannon and in doing so, put yourself in the line of fire of
another cannon instead. Laser cannons can only be destroyed with a bomb.

Shield: these appear only once per enemy base, and look like a shimmering
brown oval. If you stop your craft over one and land to pick it up, your craft
will be shielded from the next hit it takes and not suffer any
damage from it. You can have only one shield at a time (picking up any
more has no effect), but it lasts indefinitely until you get hit. You can
also drop a bomb on a shield for good points, and this is what you should do
if you come across one but still have another shield active.

Sequencer: appearing once on every regular base, this is your primary target.
It has the same colour as the shield, but it is shaped like a circle on a dozen
little legs which slowly turns around. Depending on the Sequencer mode you
chose when you started the game, you have to either bomb the Sequencer or pick
it up in the same way you'd pick up a shield; hover over it and then land on
it. In Bomb Sequencer mode (the default), you get points for destroying the
Sequencer and you will advance through the game when you do. Trying to pick it
up will have no effect. In Touch Sequencer mode, bombing it nets you the same
points but you will not advance through the game. Now, however, picking it up
will get you the same points as well as advance you.

When you spot the Sequencer, you must bomb or touch it ASAP, as it will
disappear if you wait too long. If this happens or if you fly past it (or
you bomb it when you were supposed to pick it up), you will not advance, and
after you finish this enemy base and refuel at your home base, you will have
to do a new regular base. This goes on until you get the Sequencer.


-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-
[3.5] AQUATIC ENEMY BASE
-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-

You'll reach an aquatic enemy base whenever you deal with the Sequencer
correctly. The terrain turns to water and the aquatic base is basically a
fortress of buildings placed on it. Most of the buildings seen on the regular
enemy bases are present, but the small cannons have been replaced by gunships.
Also, aquatic bases are much more heavily defended than regular ones. You
have no specific target to hit here, you're just supposed to get through
alive - and hopefully bag some juicy targets along the way. You will come
across:

Bunkers: they're still here, and function exactly the same as on the regular
bases. They do look slightly different with a flat black roof.

Building: they have blue roofs instead of red ones now, but they're still
exactly the same buildings as they were on the regular base.

Gunship: the replacement of the small cannon, these mean business. There
are a lot of them, they fire in the same way the small and the big cannons
do, except that they are more aggressive and also appear to be a little
more accurate. They are easily the most dangerous ground based enemy in
the game, especially on the higher levels. Only a bomb can destroy one
of these, and they're worth more points than any other building (barring
the Shield and the Sequencer). These guys are the reason why aquatic bases
are both more profitable and more dangerous than regular ones.

Big cannon: exactly the same as on the regular bases, these are still
around and a little more numerous, but not as dangerous as the gunships.

Laser cannon: the laser cannons now have a nice shade of blue and they are
placed in groups of three linked together, each firing in turn. They now
form solid barriers that you will have to break through or fly around, and
are definitely more dangerous. However, destroying just one will break the
circuit and cause the other two to stop firing, allowing you to stop right
over them and bomb them all away for good points.

Shield: these appear in aquatic bases as well. As before, there's only one
of them on each base.


-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-
[3.6] SECRET ENEMY BASE
-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-

After getting past the second aquatic base, you will not receive another
regular one - instead, you are taken to the yellow secret base. Afterwards, if
you survive, you are taken to a regular base again and have to deal with two
more Sequencers (and subsequent aquatic bases) to get the blue secret base.
Finally, you will have to take out one more Sequencer and go through the fifth
and final aquatic base to get the red secret base, which is the final area of
the game.

You'll know a secret base is coming when you see a series of small cannon
emplacements in the colour of the secret base you are approaching, and you
cannot stop the scrolling. Your craft will fly on relentlessly, and the small
cannons are totally immune to bombs or strafing gunfire. Eventually you will
reach the secret base and forcibly stop right over it.

Each secret base consists a large slab of concrete with eight armored
bunkers arranged in square formation, and a small landing square in the middle.
Around the slab are laser cannons and small guns. Everything here is immune to
your guns and bombs, so you can do nothing except dodge all the fire that comes
at you, and wait to see what happens.

Soon, a fighter will come out of one of the underground bunkers and you will
have to dogfight it. Unlike regular fighters, these never flee, and you must
fight it to the death. A few seconds after you destroy it, a second fighter
comes out of another bunker and this goes on until you've had one from each
bunker. When you've destroyed them all, the screen will resume scrolling and
you will be taken to a home base again.

The enemy fighters at the yellow base are slow and not very dangerous,
although they seem a little smarter than usual. The ones at the blue base
are quick and more dangerous, and the ones at the red base are just as
quick and definitely better at dodging your shots and firing back than
anything you've ever encountered before.

As mentioned before, there is a landing spot in the middle of the eight
bunkers, and for some reason, you can get yourself repaired here. If you suffer
damage from the fighters or the various ground defenses, just put down here
after you've destroyed an enemy fighter (to keep them from bombing you) and you
can get yourself patched up. You can't get extra bombs or fuel here, but all
damage can be repaired just like at home. I'm not sure why this service is
available in the heart of enemy territory, but it's there; at least, until you
destroy five out of eight enemy fighters. At that point, the landing patch
suddenly disappears and you'll have to defeat the last three fighters without
this help.

At the red base, after you destroy the last fighter, the screen will not
continue scrolling. Instead, the enemy headquarters appear, looking
suspiciously like the communist symbol of hammer and sickle. Guess that answers
the question who we're fighting here. Drop a bomb on it (I do hope you have
one, otherwise you're not going to destroy it) for 500 points, and the game is
won.


===============================================================================
[4] PLAYING TIPS
===============================================================================

- Since you'll have to deal with enemy fighters everywhere you go, learn
how to deal with them properly. Best place to practice is right above your
home base. Just hang around there and all types (cruisers and fighters,
fast and slow) will come by steadily, and you can refuel and get yourself
repaired at any time.

- For cruisers, get in a straight horizonal line with them (preferably
behind them but in front is fine if there's enough distance), match
altitude and shoot them. They can only fire straight up or down so it's
completely safe as long as you don't collide with them. Once you're more
confident with cruisers, you can engage them from different angles.

- Fighters do maneuvering of their own so getting a good shot at them is
harder. Try to catch them while they're not moving (they stop every few
seconds to gain their bearings), and go for a straight left or right shot
as well. Angle shots are tricky because they can fire along all four
diagonals as well, and you will likely end up getting hit in return if you
try this. If a fighter is about to ram you, climbing or diving is more
effective than moving out of the way. Just make sure you move away
directly after changing altitude, or they'll come right after you.

- If you're in a tricky dogfight with a fighter, try not to have cannons
shooting at you as well. Unless there's an important target currently on
the screen, fly on until you find a quiet spot, stop there and deal with
the fighter on your own terms.

- When you're flying over an enemy base, stop the scrolling to engage
your most important targets, especially the Sequencer. It's a lot easier
to place a bomb on target then.

- Bombs scroll along with the screen. They land ahead of the point where
you dropped them if the screen is scrolling, but they land in place if
the screen is not scrolling. Realistically it would depend on whether or
not you're moving forward while you drop the bomb, but this is not the
case. Experiment with tossing bombs while the screen is scrolling and
while it isn't to see the difference.

- All ground based enemies can only start firing on you when you have
flown past them. Bomb them as you fly past them and you can often take
them out before they can even open fire on you. In particular, try to
strafe small cannons while you're still below them on the screen. You won't
have to worry about them at all if you do this.

- If you're trying to cause damage to the enemy bases, fly low. If you're
trying to avoid damage to yourself, fly high.

- If you suffer a fuel leak, drop what you're doing, max out your altitude and
head home. You can't afford to do any more hovering, you must reach the base
ASAP. You *can* risk taking out the Sequencer but it's probably wiser not to do
so. You get another shot at it directly after, anyway, so all you lose is a
little time.

- At a secret base, definitely repair any damage you suffered after
destroying the fourth fighter, as this is your last chance. The landing
spot will disappear upon destroying the fifth. Count them and act
accordingly. Stay near the middle of the screen and away from the laser
cannons and small guns.


===============================================================================
[5] ODDS AND ENDS
===============================================================================

Just some random observations here which may be of interest, but aren't
directly related to game strategy.

- For some reason, cruisers can be destroyed with a bomb in midflight
(fighters can't). Hover above one and drop a bomb on it. Of course it's
easier to just gun it down, but it's a fun alternative.

- The game assigns you a rank at the end based on your performance. Every
rank has a name and is divided into four classes. "Class 4" is the worst
within any rank and "class 1 is the best". There are different ranks
available based on whether you actually beat the game or got killed on the
way.

- I believe the rank you get if you complete the game is not based on
points, but on how clean a game you played - getting Sequencers the first
time around, not taking damage, that sort of thing. I don't know exactly
what factors in and what doesn't. At any rate, stretching a game for
hours and hours and racking up a bunch of points by obliterating enemy
bases and downing one fighter after another doesn't seem to help the rank
any, you still tend to end up with "Mission Commander class 4", the worst
possible for completing the game. However, I've gotten the "Blue Max" rank
before for completing the game quickly even though I had less than 10000
points at the end. It's possible that the rank is entirely based on finish
time.

- The hardest challenge to overcome that's set by the game itself would be
to finish an Advanced level game in Touch Sequencer mode, with gravity on,
and get the Blue Max rank.

- It is possible to complete the game using only a single bomb, as long as
you play in Touch Sequencer mode. Apart from getting the sequencers,
destroying the fighters at the secret bases and bombing the headquarters
at the end, you don't actually have to *do* anything.

- Theoretically, it's possible to complete the game without firing your guns
even once. Just bomb or touch the Sequencer at every regular base and dodge
enemy fighters (cruisers go by easily and fighters will eventually give up and
leave too). At the secret bases, *ram* each enemy fighter and get yourself
repaired after you do. Make sure you are completely repaired after you destroy
four fighters this way. Ram the fifth and the landing platform disappears. Ram
number six, seven and eight and you will have damage to all four of your
systems, but you will still live. Then just reach home alive or destroy the
headquarters with a bomb. This would be a hard challenge to overcome as you may
not make a single mistake at the secret bases (like take a gun hit while trying
to ram), but it would definitely be interesting.

- For those who are after a high score, you can score an infinite number
of points just destroying fighters while hovering over your home base, or
by deliberately missing Sequencers. Of course, neither is particularly
challenging and it will get dull soon. If you're competing with your
friends, see who can get the highest score without missing any Sequencers
and without destroying any enemy fighters except those at the secret
bases.

- Random thought: it's a shame that, apart from the secret bases, the game
does not become harder over time. Every regular base is just like every
other one, every aquatic base is mostly the same, and even though you go
through both types several times (at least 5 regular bases and always 5
aquatic ones), they never change or become more dangerous. I'd say this is
a missed opportunity. By scaling up the difficulty for every new base you
come across, two of Blue Max 2001's problems would be solved at once: it
wouldn't be as monotonous, and it'd be more challenging. Similarly, I
wouldn't have minded seeing two enemy fighters on the screen at once on
Intermediate and three on Advanced. Cruisers are wimps and fighters are only a
little tricky once you're used to dealing with them. Being outnumbered would be
the perfect way to make things hairy.


===============================================================================
[6] REVISION HISTORY
===============================================================================

v1.0: (16 Apr '03) First version of the FAQ. May well be the final version
as well, unless I think of anything else to add or I get reader input.

v1.1: (26 Oct '04) Corrected an error in the order of enemy bases. Full
revision of the FAQ's text and layout. Updated contact info.

v1.2: (21 Sep '05) Updated contact information.

===============================================================================
[7] FINAL WORDS
===============================================================================

ABOUT THIS FAQ
Well, that's typed up. Blue Max 2001 is a fun game and it feels good to have
dedicated a FAQ to it, especially since I'm pretty sure I'm the first to do so.
Commodore FAQs are few and far between, and hopefully by contributing this
document to GameFAQs I've taken a little step to change that. It's not my first
C64 FAQ and will certainly not be my last; I intend to keep contributing to the
Commodore gaming community as long as I can.

If you are reading this and found this document helpful at all, you can make my
day by dropping me a quick mail. Don't care if you don't have any questions or
suggestions, just good to know that there was somebody out there reading this.
Do you share that old Commodore nostalgia and sometimes feel that games aren't
what they used to be ("Why in my day, you young whippersnapper, a game was
8kb...")? Then you ought to consider doing what I do: write reviews, write
FAQs, and keep it alive.

For questions, comments, suggestions, praise and criticism, please contact
the author, Sashanan, at [email protected]. This e-mail address is for
FAQ feedback only. Whatever you wish to share about this document or Blue
Max 2001, chances are I'll want to hear it. Any serious mail will be
answered.

If you wish to do anything with this FAQ except for just reading it, check the
Disclaimer section at the top of the FAQ to find out what you can and can't do.
When in doubt, you can always mail me.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Sashanan was born in 1980 in the Netherlands and reluctantly works as a
software engineer as he's apparently good at that kind of thing. An actually
interesting job - preferably one related to gaming - is still pending. Outside
of the boss' time, he enjoys playing games of all eras and writing FAQs,
reviews and random forum posts about the experience. Other interests include
but aren't limited to carnivorous animals, Bruce Springsteen and the reverse
orbit of Venus.

This document is a copyright of Peter "Sashanan" Butter, 2003-2005. All
rights reserved. Disclaimer at top of document.

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