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LOST PLANET: Extreme Condition
Vital Suit FAQ
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By John Melocoton
Copyright 1.2007
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Contents

 I. Introduction
II. VS Basics
III. VS Weapons
      A. Gatling Gun
      B. Shotgun
      c. Rocket Launcher
      D. Missile Launcher
      E. Cannon
      F. Grenade Launcher
      G. Laser Rifle
      H. EM Laser
      I. Homing Laser
IV. Vital Suits
      A. Unnamed VS
      B. GTF-11
      C. GTB-13M VS
      D. GTB-13M Bike
      E. GTB-22
      F. GAB-25M VS
      G. GAB-25M Tank
      H. PTX-140
      I. L-P-9999
 V. Conclusion
      A. Contact Me!
      B. Legal Stuff
      C. The End

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I. Introduction
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Capcom has done it again.  Lost Planet, released January 2007, is an action
filled third-person shooter.  The game excels in "impossible odds" type
situations, with a single man against legions of monsters, snow pirates,
corporate thugs, and bosses as large as mountains.  The odds are definitely
against you, but you have an ace up your sleeve: the Vital Suit.  Vital Suits
are essentially robotic, upright tanks capable of dealing damage and taking just
as much.  Vital Suits, or VS, are essential later in the game, where you will
spend 85-90% of the level in one.  The game features many different VS types and
weapons, and this FAQ will help to give you information on them.



================================================================================
II. VS Basics
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You can enter or exit VS by approaching one and pressing B.

All VS actions drain your T-Eng, with certain actions draining it faster than
others.  Generally, jumping, hovering, and dashing all drain T-Eng quickly.
You must have T-Eng to pilot a VS.  Running out of T-Eng will eject you from
the VS.

VS health does not regenerate, no matter how much T-Eng you have.

When you run out of VS health, you must tap B to eject from the VS.  If you
don't eject before the VS explodes, you will die.

All VS leaves huge pools of T-Eng, giving you up to 2000 in most cases.  Even
yours will leave T-Eng when it is destroyed, so if you're low on health and
T-Eng, just let your VS be destroyed, eject, then run back to the pool of T-Eng.

Most VS can handle two weapons at a time, one on each side.  VS weapons are
highlighted in blue.  Approach one and position it on either your left or right,
and press B to equip it on that side.

You can stack identical weapons on one side to give it more ammo, or equip
identical weapons on both sides to double your firepower.

Energy Weapons have no ammo, but drain T-Eng when used.

With the exception of the Missile Launcher, Cannon or Laser Vulcan, you can
grab and use, or attach any weapon from an empty VS.

Empty VS are indestructible.  If you like your equipped VS weapons, and are
about to die, you can exit from your VS even in a firefight and grab the weapon
off the VS.  If your VS is destroyed, you will loose the equipped weapons.

It's vital to keep switching VS in mission mode to keep up your health.
Remember that you can attach and detach weapons to keep the ones you want.



================================================================================
III. VS Weapons
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Gatling Gun
-----------
Damage: Poor
Firing Rate: Excellent

The most common VS weapon.  Damage is disappointing, even on-foot enemies can
withstand extended periods of sustaining fire from this weapon.  Not only that,
this gun has a large cone of fire, making aiming hard.



Shotgun
--------
Damage: Average
Firing Rate: Poor

The second most common VS weapon is a shot gun.  It acts like a shotgun
should, but this one has a particularly large cone of fire.  You have to be
even closer than usual to get the full damage of this gun.



Rocket Launcher
---------------
Damage: Excellent
Firing Rate: Poor

A single shot rocket launcher that deals a ton of damage.  The reload rate is
horrendous.  Make it a habit to double tap the trigger so you can reload as
soon as you're done firing.



Missile Launcher
---------------
Damage: Excellent
Firing Rate: Average

This deals less damage than the rockets, but you get to fire four before having
to reload.  Just like the rocket launcher the reload is long and painful, so
make it a habit to reload when you can.



Cannon
------
Damage: Good
Firing Rate: Good

This weapon is pretty rare, but it's a good one.  It's a single shot, but it
reloads quickly, and deals good damage.



Grenade Launcher
----------------
Damage: Excellent
Firing Rate: Average

This acts like a rocket launcher, but deals less damage.  However, once it hits,
it splits into five smaller explosives that deal extra damage.  Area attack FTW!



Laser Rifle
-----------
Damage: Good - Excellent
Firing Rate: Average

This is an energy weapon.  You can charge the laser rifle for extra damage.
There's two levels of charge, the only downfall being the T-Eng drain is pretty
bad when you're charging for a while.



EM Laser
--------
Damage: Good - Excellent
Firing Rate: Average

This is an energy weapon.  This deals less damage than the laser rifle, but
stuns enemies.  You can also charge this laser twice for extra damage, and it
lengthens the time of the stun.  Pretty effective if you match this with a high
damage weapon, like a rocket launcher or homing laser.  Stun, then damage!



Homing Laser
------------
Damage: Average - Excellent
Firing Rate: Poor - Average

This is an energy weapon.  By holding down the trigger, you can lock up to 4
targets for this weapon.  If all four hit a single target, the damage is
spectacular, but it takes time to get 4 locks.  Conversely, you can just tap
the trigger to fire single beams, but the damage is weak.  Note that this is an
indirect fire weapon, meaning it curves left or right when fired.  In a
confined space, the lasers can hit a wall, blocking it completely.  Be careful!



================================================================================
IV. Vital Suits
================================================================================

Unnamed VS (GTF-10??)
---------------------
Movement: Average
Defense: Poor
Controls: A - Jump
         RT - Fire Right Weapon
         RB - Reload Right Weapon
         LT - Fire Left Weapon
         LB - Reload Left Weapon

This VS is the very first VS you use in the regular missions (not counting the
PTX-140 from the intro).  It's not given a name, but it's essentially a GTF-11
without the hover and dash ability.  Visually, it's missing the wings and the
cockpit shield.  That's why I call 'em GTF-10.  There is no NEVEC version of
this VS.  This VS is the weakest of them all, and lacks any dodging or movement
special ability, making them easy targets even for on-foot enemies.



GTF-11
------
Movement: Good
Defense: Good
Controls: A - Jump
         A in Air - Hover, A again to cancel
         Y - Short Dash
         RT - Fire Right Weapon
         RB - Reload Right Weapon
         LT - Fire Left Weapon
         LB - Reload Left Weapon

The second basic VS is actually quite powerful.  Visually, the Snow Pirate
Version has an open cockpit but with a shield covering the front, while the
NEVEC version has a closed, angular cockpit.  Both version have stabilizers
coming out of the shoulders that I like to call wings.  It has a good vertical
jump and decent hover, but the dash is really short.  Still, it's good to use a
quick dodge against incoming rockets and lasers if you're fast enough to hit
the button.



GTB-13M VS
----------
Movement: Poor
Defense: Poor
Controls: A - Jump
         Y - Transform to Bike Mode
         RT - Fire Right Weapon
         RB - Reload Right Weapon

The GTB-13M is a transforming VS.  In VS mode, it closely resembles the reverse
joint AT-RT that the Clone Troopers used in the Star Wars movies.  Essentially
picture a futuristic bike on chicken legs and you get the idea.  The NEVEC
version is more angular than the snow pirate version. The GTB-13M is,
unfortunately, the crappiest VS in the game.  It's super slow, has a weak jump,
can carry only one weapon, and gets destroyed easily.  Too bad, since I think
it looks rather keen.



GTB-13M Bike
------------
Movement: Excellent
Defense: Poor
Controls: A - Accelerate
         X - Decelerate
         Y - Transform to VS Mode
         LB - Dashing Jump
         RT - Fire Right Weapon
         RB - Reload Right Weapon

The GTB-13M is a transforming VS.  The bike mode is much more useful than the
VS version, though I would still prefer any other VS.  It looks like an
elongated snow-mobile, and performs just like one.  You can't turn unless
you're moving, and you can't aim up and down, which limits the offensive
capabilities. However, you can perform quick strafing runs and against large
groups of enemies before they even know what him them, and ramming damage is
higher than any other VS.  The dashing jump's usefulness is limited to clearing
low obstacles and gaps, you can't use it defensively since you come almost to a
dead stop upon landing.



GTB-22
------
Movement: Excellent
Defense: Average
Controls: A - Jump
         A in Air - Double Jump
         Y - Charge Super Jump, Y again to cancel
         X - Smoke Grenades
         RT - Fire Right Weapon
         RB - Reload Right Weapon
         LT - Fire Left Weapon
         LB - Reload Left Weapon

This VS specializes in vertical movement, and is quite a treat to pilot.  It
looks like an elongated ED-209 from RoboCop, with a rounded cockpit for the
Snow Pirates and a triangular cockpit for NEVEC.  Its regular jump isn't that
great, but the double jump propels it incredibly high.  There's also a super
jump the fires the GTB-22 straight up like a rocket, and then by pressing Y
again you smash downwards, inflicting damage on anything you land on.  The
damage isn't that great, but it's still something to consider.  The smoke
grenade isn't effective against the CPU, but even then the size of the smoke
puff and time it lasts isn't good enough to consider tactically.



GAB-25M VS
----------
Movement: Poor
Defense: Excellent
Controls: A - Jump
         A in Air - Hover, A again to cancel
         Y - Transform to Tank
         Y while Moving - Slide
         RT - Fire Laser Vulcan
         LT - Fire Cannon

The GAB-25M is transforms from a 4 legged spider type VS into a tank.  There is
no Snow Pirate version of this VS.  In VS mode, the GAB-25M is an offensive
powerhouse.  While you can't change the weapons on this VS, the two included
weapons kick serious VS booty.  The Laser Vulcan, while not as fast as the
Gatling Gun, is accurate and highly damaging.  It's also an energy weapon, so
it'll never run out of ammo as long as you keep your T-Eng up.  The Cannon is a
fast reloading, high damaging gun.  While it doesn't have the oomph of a rocket
or missile, the cannon reloads in about 1.5 seconds, allowing you continually
blast an enemy.  The downside is the sluggish movement.  The VS also has a jump,
but it's weak, as is the incredibly slow hover.  The slide, however, is useful
defensively.



GAB-25M Tank
------------
Movement: Good
Defense: Excellent
Controls: X - Drill Dash
         Y - Transform to VS
         RT - Drill
         LT - Cannon

The GAB-25M is transforms from a 4 legged spider type VS into a tank.  When in
tank mode, the GAB-25M looses the ability to sidestep, but can still pivot in
place, just like a true tank.  You also loose the ability to fire the Laser
Vulcan, but now have access to the powerful Drill.  Pulling the right trigger
extends the drill for second, dealing good amounts of damage.  The real damage
comes from the Drill Dash.  After a short start up, the GAB-25M runs full steam
forward, inflicting massive damage on anything it hits.  It runs for about 4
seconds, and you can't stop once it's started.  You can still steer though, so
make sure to aim for those baddies.  You can still fire the cannon, but you
have a very shallow vertical aim.  While it can't jump, the tank is pretty fast
moving, so you usually see a tank rush in a combat zone, then transform into a
VS to deal the damage.



PTX-140
-------
Movement: Excellent
Defense: Good
Controls: A - Jump
         A in Air - Hover, A again to cancel
         Y - Slide, Y again to cancel
         X - VS Saw
         RT - Fire Right Weapon
         RB - Reload Right Weapon
         LT - Fire Left Weapon
         LB - Reload Left Weapon

The premium VS is the PTX-140.  It's hard to describe because it's pretty
unique, but it has a round top, and is the only VS to actually have arms.  One
of those arms carries a saw, which you can deploy by pressing X.  The damage is
crazy, but so is the drain on your T-Eng.  Movement is pretty impressive, it
seems to run compared to other VSs.  It can also dash for a few seconds, which
is quite useful.  Jump height is second only to the GTB-22, and you can hover
for a long period of time.  Defense is only above average, but mobility is what
makes this VS really pop.  T-Eng drain is pretty severe, so make sure you can
support it.

There's also a special version of the PTX-140 that you pilot in Mission 6.
It's just a PTX-140 with much higher defenses, and slightly slower T-Eng
consumption.



L-P-9999
--------
Movement: Are you kidding?
Defense: You're kidding, right?
Controls: A - Descend, A again to Cancel
         Y - Ascend, A again to Cancel
         X - Fire Dual Vulcan
         RT Tap - EMF Blade Wave
         RT Charge - EMF Blade Vertical Slash
         RB - Change Target
         LT - Fire Vulcan
         LT Charge - EMF Blade Horizontal Slash

The ultimate VS, which you get in the last mission, is, simply put, a pain in
the ass.  It's cumbersome, buggy, and quite annoying to pilot.  But I can't
deny its power.  The strangest fact of this VS is that X fires a powerful
Vulcan, but you can't really aim it since you have to hold it down.  Personally,
I use my trigger finger to hold down X while aiming with my thumb.  In any case,
it's awkward.  Tapping LT fires a weaker Vulcan as well, but it's not as good
as the dual Vulcan.  Tapping RT makes the L-P-9999 make a quick slashing
movement with the EMF Blade, which fires a wave like attack.  The damage on
this attack is good, but it's sort of slow.  By holding either RT or LT for a
second, you can unleash a slash with the EMF Blade, which inflicts massive
damage, literally destroying a regular VS with one hit.  The L-P-9999 is an
airborne VS, so you have to get used to moving in three dimensions.  You can
simply aim up or down and move forward to climb or descend, or you can tap A or
Y to dash down or up, respectively.  Since you can't aim straight up or down,
targeting enemies is tricky.  You can tap RB to automatically lock on the
nearest target, but this is buggy an often messes up the camera.  It's often
best to move away, and let the auto-aim take care of the shooting.  All in all,
I hate this VS with a passion.



================================================================================
V. Conclusion
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Contact Me
----------
Well, that's all for now.  Questions? Comments? Compliments? Mail me!

[email protected]



Legal Stuff
-----------
Whee!!! The fun part of writing a FAQ.  Here goes:

Lost Planet: Extreme Condition, the Lost Planet logo, and all characters within
are Copyright 2007 Capcom.

This FAQ is Copyright 2007, John Melocoton.  This FAQ may NOT be used for any
commercial purposes.  It may NOT be reproduced under any circumstance, except
for private use, and under direct written permission by the author.  It may NOT
be altered at all, in anyway, for public use.  Plagiarism is a crime and is
punishable by FEDERAL law.  And a sword.  A dull one.  They hurt more.



The End
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The End.  Hmmm...