Subject: [VOOT] Ajim FAQ v1.0 From: Christopher Tan Date: Fri, 05 Jun 1998 05:48:16 +0000 Newsgroups: rec.games.video.arcade I enabled Ajim as a playable character at AMK Funland, Machines C & D on Thursday afternoon. (Warning: Machine D's right trigger is glitchy!) Go check him out! :) -- Chris ====================================================================== =========================== VOOT CVT-001 Ajim FAQ v1.0 << Christopher "XAQ" Tan >> =========================== ======== Contents ======== * FAQ Version Info * Introduction * Setup * Combat system * Right Weapon * Left Weapon * Central Weapon * Anti-Boss Tactics * General Tips * Cinematics * Legalese ================ FAQ Version Info ================ v1.0 FAQ created on 4 June 98. Found a VOOT machine with an open game cabinet, so I finally had the opportunity to set the game clock to "1999", thereby enabling Ajim as a playable character (see SETUP section for details). After some hours of experimentation, I can now complete the game with Ajim on a regular basis, using a single credit. This brings my completion total to all 12 VRs after 3½ weeks of play. Yeah! :) ============ Introduction ============ Ajim is the secret character in Virtual On: Oratorio Tangram. CPU Ajim tends to appear when you use "machi" tactics to beat computer opponents, ie. winning by Time Out or fighting continually at long range, both of which rack up your "escape time". CPU Ajim has super-dense armor, extremely powerful weapons, and fast speed to boot. After all, Ajim needs to be deadly enough to punish players who waste too much time playing against the computer! :) As a playable character, Ajim's weaponry and mobility are unimpaired. However, his armor is literally paper-thin, even worse than Cypher's. (A single hit by Apharmd's tongfer saps 100% life... I kid you not!) Presumably, this reduction in armor level is in the interest of maintaining game balance (much like Akuma took 50% more damage in SF Zero to compensate for his added Shotokan capabilities, IIRC). ===== Setup ===== Sega AM3 configured Ajim to be a time-release secret character. After approximately a month of play, Ajim becomes a playable character. However, there is a way to circumvent this waiting period. Here's how: 1. Open the game cabinet (the coin slot area). You either need the help of the arcade attendant, or great skills as a lock-picker. :) 2. You will see a control box. Below is a diagrammatic representation: Volume Test Svc Demag +------------------------+ | OO O O O | Left machine | O O OOO OOO OOO | | OO O O O | +---------------------+--+ | OO O O O | Right machine | O O OOO OOO OOO | | OO O O O | +------------------------+ 3. Press either test button. This will cause the screens on the pair of VOOT machines to go blank, and then display the configuration menu. 4. Enter the following sequence: ST, ST, SVC, ST, ST, ST, SVC, SVC where ST and SVC are the start and service buttons on the left machine, respectively. 5. Then, press the test button associated with the left machine to enter the secret clock setting menu. 6. Use the service button to move the arrow down to the "Year" field, then press the test button once to change the year to 1999. 7. Exit the clock and configuration menus, using the service button to move down the fields, and the test button to select "exit". 8. The above steps will enable Ajim on the left machine. Repeat steps 4-7 to enable Ajim on the right machine. Finally, when choosing your VR, go to the Random Select monolith, press both turbos, and Ajim will appear. While holding both turbos down, press either trigger to select him. Voila! Many thanks to Hirotoshi Shimizu (a.k.a. KenBanYa) for the above info! Incidentally, when the machine is in attract mode or game mode (ie. not configuration mode), pressing the service button gives you a credit. You can chalk up a maximum of 9 "free" credits for every "real" credit that you pump into the machine. This 9-credit limitation is a quirk that seems to be in most Sega games. ============= Combat System ============= Ajim has a slightly more complicated combat system than most VRs, except for Bal-Bados. (I *love* playing BBD and Ajim!) ARMAMAMENT LEVEL Default = 1, Minimum = 1, Maximum = 3 Ajim starts off each round at A.Level 1. You can increase A.Level by one temporarily by executing forward dash CW or diagonal-forward dash CW. After 10 seconds, A.Level drops by one, but you can always increase Ajim's A.Level again. The higher the A.Level, the more damage per shot. You can tell which A.Level Ajim is at by looking either at his head or torso diamonds -- pale blue = 1, green = 2, red = 3. MOBILITY LEVEL Default = 3, Minimum = 1, Maximum = 5 Ajim starts off each round at M.Level 3. You can increase M.Level by one for the entire round by executing forward airdash CW or diagonal-forward airdash CW. The higher the M.Level, the faster Ajim moves. If, for some strange reason, you want Ajim to move really slow, a forward dash crouch CW will set your M.Level to 1... but believe me, you don't want to do that! Ajim's M.Level is not reflected via any color scheme. COLORED BALLS Some of Ajim's CW attacks result in various colored balls being launched. Most of these balls cause damage to the opponent, but dark-blue (I think) balls replenish an enemy VR's health to 100%... definitely not a good idea! I am not sure whether you can "collect" a dark-blue ball for yourself in order to regain health. The colors of the balls are randomly determined at time of launch. ============ Right weapon ============ Ajim's primary weapon -- this is because the RW gauge replenishes fast! Apart from RTRW Streamer and LTRW Disc, all other RW attacks use up negligible ammo, so fire away! (Used in conjunction with A.Level 3, a single polygon shot can dock off 30-40% of an enemy VR's health.) STANDING - RW Polygon shot: Hold or tap trigger for continuous fire - RTRW Streamer: Uses 100% RW gauge. A single fast-moving missile streams out that packs a big punch and knocks most VRs down. - LTRW Double disc: Uses approximately 30% RW gauge. Two discs are fired in quick succession. Doesn't seem to do much damage, but perhaps the disc can disable an enemy's weapons? (Ajim definitely has at least one weapon-disabling move.) CROUCH - RW Up to 10 polygons are launched in a row - RTRW Crouching streamer - LTRW Crouching disc (only one disc launched) JUMP - RW 4 polygons launched - RTRW Jumping streamer - LTRW Jumping disc (only one disc launched) DASH - Fwd 2 fireballs launched in a row. Possible knockdown. - Diag-fwd 4 polygons launched in a row - Side 4 polygons launched in a row - Diag-bwd 2 polygons launched in a row - Bwd 2 polygons launched in a row DASH-CROUCH - Fwd 2 fireballs launched in a row. Possible knockdown. - Diag-fwd 4 polygons launched in a row - Side 4 polygons launched in a row - Diag-bwd 2 polygons launched in a row - Bwd 2 polygons launched in a row AIRDASH - Fwd 2 fireballs launched in a row. Possible knockdown. - Diag-fwd 4 polygons launched in a row - Side 4 polygons launched in a row - Diag-bwd 2 polygons launched in a row - Bwd 2 polygons launched in a row =========== Left Weapon =========== Mini-cruise ball (MCB). A smaller version of Specineff's RTLW cruise ball that moves faster and homes almost as well. Hits enemy VR for a near-guaranteed knockdown and decent damage (phenomenal damage when used in conjunction with A.Level 3). When the MCB hits the enemy VR, an obstacle, or certain enemy projectiles, it explodes, neutralizing enemy fire in a small radius. The MCB seems to have the same properties whether it is launched from a standing position, a crouch, a dash or an airdash. LTLW makes Ajim launch the MCB like a bowling ball, whereas RTLW makes him throw the MCB like a baseball... but the only difference seems to be visual. (Boring...) Each MCB requires 25% LW gauge, so try not to go trigger-happy here, as the LW gauge replenishes rather slowly. ============== Central Weapon ============== Ajim's central weapon system is what makes him unique! Apart from the A.Level and M.Level moves and the colored balls, Ajim also has the atom smasher, the blackboard, and the hex field. CW gauge requirements vary significantly, and it is important to know the gauge requirements of the various CW attacks, as the CW gauge replenishes very slowly. STANDING - CW Atom smasher: Fast projectile in the shape of an atom streaks out towards enemy VR. Uses 100% CW gauge, but it does major damage if it hits (approx 60% against all VRs). - RTCW Blackboard: Cancels all projectile weapons except for Specineff's ground wave (just like Angelan's ice shield). But, the blackboard homes (well) toward the enemy, and is a guaranteed knockdown if it hits! Uses 35% CW gauge. - LTCW Hex field: Ajim creates a hexagonal field around himself. The field does not protect Ajim from damage, but I think it disrupts an enemy VR that comes into contact with the field (either by stunning him or disabling a weapon, but I'm not sure). Does not use CW gauge at all, but a maximum of 3 hex fields can exist at any given time. CROUCH - CW Crouching atom smasher - RTCW Crouching blackboard - LTCW Crouching hex field JUMP - CW Jumping atom smasher - RTCW Jumping blackboard - LTCW ??? DASH - Fwd A.Level + 1 - Diag-fwd A.Level + 1 - Side 6 or 7 colored balls launched sequentially - Diag-bwd 2 x blackboard, each uses 35% CW gauge - Bwd 2 x blackboard DASH-CROUCH - Fwd M.Level set to 1 (slowest) - Diag-fwd M.Level set to 1 (slowest) - Side 6 or 7 colored balls launched sequentially - Diag-bwd 2 x blackboard - Bwd 2 x blackboard AIRDASH - Fwd M.Level + 1 - Diag-fwd M.Level + 1 and 2 colored balls launched - Side 6 or 7 colored balls launched sequentially - Diag-bwd 2 x blackboard - Bwd 2 x blackboard SPECIAL MOVE: SELF-NUKE Left stick UP + Right stick DOWN + CW when all weapons gauges are full makes Ajim spin round and round, then explode. Ajim loses 50% life, but if the enemy is in the blast radius, the explosion causes 60-70% damage. During the starting spin phase, any enemy projectile that hits Ajim will terminate the move. If the enemy survives the explosion, or is outside the blast radius, prepare to suffer the consequences because Ajim needs 2-3 seconds to reform, during which time, he is vulnerable to all enemy attacks, projectile and close combat. ================= Anti-Boss Tactics ================= BRADTOS Start by moving East, then when you hit the edge, move NorthEast and then North (following the boundary of the arena). When you hear the sound of rectangular stun lasers being launched dash NorthWest + CW to increase A.Level. Then, avoid the second set of turret lasers, and when the second set of stun lasers is launched, diagonal-forward dash + CW to increase A.Level to 3. Jump-cancel to center Bradtos in your sights, and when the core opens, fire Streamer (RTRW), then Atom Smasher (CW). Dodge the spread lasers by moving left and right, all the while firing polygons (RW) continuously. You can kill Bradtos in the first transformation. TANGRAM Keep moving to the right at the start. 5 seconds into the round, dash forward-right + CW. Again move to the right for a couple of seconds, then dash forward-right + CW to bring your A.Level to 3. Now, with 75" left on the timer, Tangram's eye will open up. Fire RTRW, then CW, then move right to avoid the 3 sets of spread lasers, all the while firing RW. Tangram should be vanquished just after the third set of spread lasers. A CAVEAT Game specifications preclude Ajim from setting time records. No matter how good your time is, you will not be able to enter your name if you have used Ajim. A pity, really, because I got a 2'40 on a single round machine after just a few hours of play -- a whole minute faster than my best completion time with Apharmd B. (Generally, Ajim can finish the first round in 3.5 seconds, rounds 2-4 in 10 seconds each, Angelan in 15 seconds, rounds 7-8 in 10-15 seconds each, and Raiden in 20 seconds.) ============ General Tips ============ Ajim's rotational performance is exceptional. In fact, he turns so fast that it is more of a hindrance than a help. (Try this out to see what I mean -- after a side airdash attack, try to see how many times you can rotate Ajim on the way down.) As such, you should avoid using rotation to reorient yourself to the enemy. A quick jump-cancel or a dash attack is much better. The atom smasher should only be used when you know you are definitely going to hit, eg. against a heavy mech that is about to land. (Against light mechs, RTRW is a pretty good substitute for CW.) Otherwise, you want to conserve your CW ammo for blackboards. Don't bother with the colored balls. If the opponent knows which ball to collect, you're doing yourself a disservice. After a dash attack, use the blackboard to prevent opponents from getting shots in during your freeze time. Avoid close combat like the plague. Ajim's armor is really weak, and so are his CC moves. A good substitute at close range is to forward dash and use either LW or RW. Both do good damage and have knockdown potential. Also, don't keep trying to increase A.Level when the enemy has a clear line of fire to your VR. It's a better idea to use A.Level + 1 when the enemy is knocked down. For that matter, don't use fwd dash CW, use diag-fwd dash CW. (Fwd airdash CW to increase mobility is fine, though.) ========== Cinematics ========== FLOATING CARRIER TAKEOFF Ajim poses, then transforms into a diamond and takes off into the skies. NORMAL WIN Ajim brandishes his sword and poses for the, er... crowd? PERFECT WIN Ajim transforms into a diamond. ENDGAME Ajim rematerializes in outer space and is caught in the Earth's gravity field. Upon reentry into the atmosphere, Ajim blasts off on his own, without any help. He transforms into a diamond yet again, but this time has 4 surrounding diamonds moving in a circle around the big diamond (hmm... reminds me of Bradtos). 2 sets of 3 airplanes swoop to either side of Ajim (perhaps one set from DNA and the other from RNA?), all to an endgame tune that is unique to Ajim. ======== Legalese ======== Feel free to download and print out this FAQ for yourself and your friends. I would appreciate it if people AVOID DOING the following things, however: - charging people for this FAQ - chopping off the header and the acknowledgements section and sending the truncated FAQ to others - appending some extra information to this FAQ and trying to pass it off as your own work Videogame magazines, some of which are notorious for ripping off information from the net, should take special note. Information in electronic form is STILL copyrighted material. Stealing information for commercial use is a violation of intellectual property rights and therefore illegal; besides, news travels fast over the internet, and ripping information is the best way to anger the videogaming community (read: bad for business in the long run). ====================================================================== ====================== Christopher Tan ======================= _/_/_/_/ _/_/_/_/ _/_/_/ _/ _/ _/ _/_/_/ ® _/ _/ _/ _/ _/ _/_/ _/ _/ _/_/_/ _/_/_/ _/ _/ _/ _/ _/ _/_/ _/ _/ _/ _/ _/ _/ _/ _/ _/ _/ _/_/_/_/ _/_/_/ _/ _/ _/ _/_/_/ _/_/_/ _/ ============= Chris (at) Cybertroopers (dot) com =============