Gunstar Heroes'
                    TIMERON'S CHALLENGE

   A brief, ASCII art free document containing information
     relating to the second encounter with Timeron in the
        Sega Genesis shooter classic, Gunstar Heroes.


   TABLE OF CONTENTS
   --------------------
   INTRODUCTION                     by Benjamin Paul Galway
   TIMERON DETAIL                e-mail = [email protected]
   -- About Timeron              PayPal = [email protected]
   -- Timeron's Attack
   -- Tips For Survival                  March 15, 2006
   -- The Satori Mind                       ver. 1.2
   CREDITS


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                          INTRODUCTION
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 This guide is born from a "code" a GameFAQs user, SaviourV,
 submitted to the GameFAQs site. The code stated that there is a
 "hidden" message at the end of the Timeron challenge as well as
 telling of other attack waves. I was fascinated enough by this to
 check it out and was surprised and bored by the results.

 The document is a rewriting of an e-mail I had sent to the
 authors of the Gunstar Heroes' FAQs asking that they add this new
 information to their guides. Both neglected to respond or do so,
 so I took it upon myself to convert that e-mail into a mini-FAQ.

 This is neither a code or an Easter egg; the game specifically
 challenges the player to survive the encounter. It's just that no
 one has bothered to do it since Gunstar Heroes is not really a
 good scoring game nor is the challenge worthwhile or particularly
 fun. The fact that it takes a full 20 minutes before the attack
 changes doesn't really encourage anyone to play further. I know I
 never bothered, and, after playing through it, it's really not
 worth the effort. :/

 I survived Timeron's second encounter as played on my Japanese
 MegaDrive copy of Gunstar Heroes on normal difficulty. There
 doesn't appear to be any significant changes among all regions of
 the game, so the tips and information within this document should
 be applicable using any version of the game.

 Guide history: -- Timeron's Challenge 1.0 guide released
                   April 11, 2002.
                -- Updated to version 1.1 April 6, 2004 to
                   include Hugo Resende's contribution regarding
                   the meaning of the "Satori Mind."
                -- Updated to version 1.2 due to minor editing.

 As always, this document may be used if and only if it is not
 altered in any way or profitted from either directly or indirectly.
 The latest updates can be found at GameFAQs [ gamefaqs.com ].


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                         TIMERON DETAIL
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  ·=·=·=·=·=·=·=·=·=·=·=·=·=·=·=·=·=·=·=·=·=·=·=·=·=·=·=·=·=·=·=·
   ·    About Timeron    ·
    ·=·=·=·=·=·=·=·=·=·=·


 Timeron, a space pod of sorts, first appears in Black's Dice Maze
 as a mini-boss. Late in the sixth level (which has Red and Blue
 piloting a spaceship), Timeron reappears and challenges the
 player to dodge shots for bonus points. The longer the player can
 evade the bullets, the more bonus points will be awarded. The
 bullet challenge ends when either the player dies from absorbing
 too many bullets, fires on Timeron, or survives through the timed
 challenge in its entirety.


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               ·   Timeron's attack  ·
                ·=·=·=·=·=·=·=·=·=·=·


 Timeron's second attack spans several waves of various shots. The
 following details exactly what attacks the player can expect from
 Timeron once the specific time mark has been reached.


 00'00"00 -- Timeron attacks with small orange homing shots.

 20'00"00 -- Timeron attacks with small orange homing shots; large
             glowing orb appears over Timeron and slowly tracks
             player for two minutes then explodes.

 40'00"00 -- Timeron attacks with small orange homing shots; large
             glowing orb appears over Timeron and slowly tracks
             player for two minutes then explodes.

 45'00"00 -- The small orange homing shots disappear; Timeron begins
             attacking with a five way spread of small orange shots.

 50'00"00 -- The spread attack is replaced with a handful of small
             orange homing shots; a multitude of large blue bouncing
             shots appear and initially home in on ship then bounce
             four times around screen before disappearing.

 60'00"00 -- The small orange homing shots disappear; Timeron
             continues attacking with the bouncing blue shots;
             glowing orb appears and tracks ship for two minutes
             before detonating.

 64'00"00 -- Timeron attacks with small orange homing and spread
             shots.

 70'00"00 -- Timeron attacks with small orange spread shots; homing
             attack disappears.

 75'00"00 -- Timeron attacks with small orange homing shots; spread
             attack disappears.

 80'00"00 -- The small orange homing shots disappear; Timeron begins
             attacking with the bouncing blue shots; glowing orb
             appears and tracks ship

 90'00"00 -- The large blue shots vanish; Timeron finishes attack
             wave with spread shots.


 At 100 minutes, the challenge ends. If the player can survive
 the entire Timeron encounter, a message is displayed about opening
 "The Satori Mind" (see same named section below). The player is
 awarded 930,410 points as a "soul bonus."


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                               ·   Tips For Survival   ·
                                ·=·=·=·=·=·=·=·=·=·=·=·


 The challenge tests the player's endurance more than anything.
 It is possible and recommended to pause the game if one's hand
 becomes tired or the challenge becomes too boring.

 The bullets track the spaceship's position, so it helps to remain
 in one location until all bullets are heading toward the ship,
 then shifting position to another spot on the screen. A clockwise
 motion around the screen works best. The ship is too large too
 really weave through most of the shots, so this should be the
 primary method used to avoid the bullets.

 The spaceship is equipped with a speed booster, and it helps to
 use this to maximize the number of bullets tracking the ship's last
 position. Since the ship can quickly dart out the way, the player
 can avoid having to initiate a position change until the bullets
 are just about to strike. Also use the boost for those times when
 the ship must move between a number of incoming bullets if the
 gap large enough for the ship to pass through will close at its
 normal speed.

 The only time the player will not be able to lead the bullets is
 during the bouncing bullet waves. Thankfully, there are not quite
 as many shots to track, and the paths are easy enough to predict.
 Just keep looking for spots on the screen where the bullets are
 expanding and clearing space.

 The slow tracking orb is easy to avoid, and the player should be
 able to avoid it just by focusing on avoiding the other bullets
 flooding the screen. Be sure to never strike the glowing orb that
 tracks the player, however.

 Finally, remember that the spaceship can absorb some hits if
 needed. If it is impossible to avoid getting hit, it is
 better to strike the smallest bullets as they do the least damage.
 Try to move into a better position if contact is unavoidable,
 though, to prevent more damage.


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                                       ·   The Satori Mind     ·
                                        ·=·=·=·=·=·=·=·=·=·=·=·


 Upon completion the following messages are displayed one after the
 other:


                               GIVE UP !!

                             YOU OPENED THE
                             - SATORI MIND -

                             REPROGRAMMED BY
                                1993-NAMI

                           SOUL BONUS 00930410


 It can be assumed that Nami is claiming credit here for programming
 this second Timeron encounter. I can't say for certain, though, nor
 do I know what the "Satori Mind" is supposed to mean.

 It is not known why it takes so long for Timeron to switch attack
 patterns or why this challenge is set to 100 minutes (which is
 longer than the actual game can be played through).

 Hidden messages or references in point totals have appeared in
 a few other shooters including Treasure's own Radiant Silvergun.
 Unfortunately, I don't know what the soul bonus may or may not
 indicate.

 [begin April 6, 2004 update]

    Hugo Resende sent in this bit of information I decided to
    include regarding the meaning of "satori" in the above:

       I don't know if you already know this or if you REALLY want
       to know this, but... "Satori" is a state (or a moment) of
       enlightenment, comprehension of all the things (it's like
       when a guy says "Eureka").It's a Buddhist term related to
       that "Nirvana" stuffs. I still had no patience to try the
       "Satori mind" challenge...but i'll try it someday.

    Kind of odd that it says "GIVE UP !!" once "enlightenment" is
    reached. I still don't know the meaning of the soul bonus
    score.

 [end April 6, 2004 update]



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                            CREDITS
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  SaviourV [ saviourv AT hotmail DOT com ]
       "No one" would know this whole thing exists without
       SaviourV's posting of this Gunstar Heroes' "code." It amazes
       me that someone can find something new about a game a decade
       old.

  Benjamin Paul Galway [ bpgalway AT netscape DOT net ]
       I get credit for expanding upon SaviourV's initial
       description of Timeron's attack patterns, providing some
       advice to help players survive the encounter, and writing
       this document.

  Hugo Resende [ subaro AT bhamc DOT zzn DOT com ]
       Information on the meaning of the "satori mind."

  If anyone else has something to contribute, by all means let us
  know.


                        End of Document

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