_ _ _ _ | | | | | | | | | |_| | ___ __ ___ ___ _ | | | | ___ __ _ _ __ ___ _ __ | _ |/ _ \/ _` \ \ / / | | | | |/\| |/ _ \/ _` | '_ \ / _ \| '_ \ | | | | __/ (_| |\ V /| |_| | \ /\ / __/ (_| | |_) | (_) | | | | \_| |_/\___|\__,_| \_/ \__, | \/ \/ \___|\__,_| .__/ \___/|_| |_| __/ | | | |___/ |_| Atomic Tank! Version 1.0 Authored by DBZFan102 -----------------------------Table Of Contents-------------------------------- 1. Introduction and Disclaimer (intr1) 2. How to Play (howt2) 3. Mode overview (Mode3) 4. Power-Ups and Upgrades (Powu4) 5. Frequently Asked Questions (faqs5) 6. Level run-through (leve6) 7. Boss guide (boss7) 8. Special thanks (Thx8) ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ -----------------------Introduction and Disclaimer (intr1)-------------------- Greetings, soldier! This here's my guide and walkthrough for the PC version of Heavy Weapon Deluxe! Just listen to me, and you'll be able to destroy all the forces of Red Star all by yourself - or die trying! If you feel like it, you can also post this guide on other websites - as long as you don't try anything funny like pretend YOU wrote it! But enough with the jibber-jabber - Let's get started! Ten-hut! ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ -------------------------------How to Play (howt2)---------------------------- The game will teach the controls should you click the 'help' button in the main menu screen, but should you need a reminder, here they are: Moving the mouse moves the firing reticle/Tank Left-click to fire primary weapon/s. Hold for continuous fire. Right-click to fire nukes. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ ------------------------------Mode overview (mode3)--------------------------- There are primary modes in Heavy Weapon: Mission Mode and Survival Mode. Survival Mode is unlocked by completing 3 stages in Mission Mode. MISSION MODE: You're the last line of defense against the Red Star invasion! Journey through 9 action-packed levels set in countries with names like 'Blastnya' or 'Tankylvania' and restore order to the world! Rise up the army's ranks as you progress - from simple private to a full-fledged General of the Army! SURVIVAL MODE: Those darned commies have won... No one is left to stand against them. The entire civilized world has been razed to the ground. Well, you won't stand for it! This may be a losing battle, but before you go down, you'll make sure to take as many dirty Red Star soldiers to hell with you! How long will you last, I wonder? ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ --------------------------Power-Ups and Upgrades (Powu4)---------------------- What would a classic arcade game be without power-ups? From increased shielding to laser cannons, these doohickeys are sure to turn your Atomic Tank into a fearsome engine of mass destruction! POWER-UP 1: ATOM BOMBS You get one of these to start, and can get more as you progress. They have amusing effects on the background ocasionally, but you'd better save them for the bosses. If you decide to use them in the level itself, their primary purpose is basically to remove all threats currently on-screen. POWER-UP 2: SHIELDS Your energy shield is quite literally the only thing standing between you and total obliteration. I guess that tank must be made of wet paper. Either way, like the atom bombs you also start with one level of shielding. Getting more throughout the level results in better protection, so keep a lookout for them. Be warned, however, that bulldozers and enemy nukes disregard your shield level, one-shotting you if you're not careful. POWER-UP 3: MEGA-LASER! A super-weapon so powerful it's been divided into four parts. Getting them all temporarily upgrades your primary weapon from 'peashooter' into 'unstoppable laser cannon'. It burns out after a while, but it's so powerful it one-shots anything unlucky enough to be hit by it! There doesn't seem to be a pattern as to when the parts for the mega-laser appear, but the one constant seems to be that you'll never ever be able to use it on a boss. POWER-UP 4: SPEED BOOST Upgrades the Atomic Tank's treads, making it capable of faster movement. Useful in the later levels, where you'll have to make lots of precise moves. Make sure to get as many as possible. POWER-UP 5: RAPID FIRE Upgrades the tank's primary firing mechanism, allowing you to fire faster. Do I even need to explain why this is useful? POWER-UP 6: GUN POWER UP Arguably the most self-explanatory power-up, your shots do more damage now. Don't skip out on these - You'll need that fire power to avoid those darn atom bombs! POWER-UP 7: SPREAD SHOT Instead of firing single shots in a straight line, you now fire multiple shots at once - up to five. This is one incredibly useful power-up, as it basically increased your effective range and DpS all at once! UPGRADE 1: DEFENSE ORBS Availability: Unlocked from the start Effect: An energy orb revolves around your vehicle in a clockwise formation, blocking rockets and plasma orbs that hit it. It can even protect you from atom bombs! Upgrade for extra orbs (Up to 3.) UPGRADE 2: HOMING MISSILE Availability: Unlocked from the start Effect: Your primary weapon will also ocasionally fire a homing missile which... well, homes in on enemies. It seems to be as accurate as a red rocket. Upgrade for faster firing rate. UPGRADE 3: LASER Availability: Unlocked from the start Effect: Not to be confused with the Mega-laser, this upgrade will make your primary weapon ocasionally also fire a thin laser beam. Though not very powerful, a laser beam by any other name is still a force to be reckoned with. Upgrade for increased damage. UPGRADE 4: ROCKETS Availability: Unlocked after beating Mission 2 Effect: Simple rockets that will fire in the direction of your firing reticle. Unlike the homing missiles, they lack a targeting system, so you'll have to do the legwork here. Upgrade for more rockets at once. UPGRADE 5: FLAK CANNON Availability: Unlocked after beating Mission 3 Effect: Fires explosive shells in the area of your firing reticle, encouraging you to position it wisely. The word Flak is a contraction of the german word for anti-aircraft cannon: (Fl)ugzeug(a)bwehr(k)anone! I have another german word for you: Gesundheit! Upgrade for increased radius & duration. UPGRADE 6: THUNDERSTRIKE Availability: Unlocked after beating Mission 4 Effect: Adds a blue radiation symbol on the side of your tank, which for some reason causes your primary weapon to release lightning bolts. So why is it called 'Thunderstrike' then? Shouldn't it be called Lightningstrike or something? Guess there wasn't enough space. Upgrade for increased duration & power. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ ------------------------Frequently-asked questions (faq5)--------------------- Q. The controls are really finicky! How do I make them better? A. Play the game on windowed mode. Having less space to move your mouse through makes your response time better. OR you can purchase the XBLA version of the game, which allows you to move your firing reticle separately from your tank. Why wasn't this simple improvement ported over to the PC version? Who knows! It probably has something to do with the fact that PopCap was bought by EA and now they don't remember this game exists! Q. I bought a new computer or need to format my current one. How do I make sure I don't lose my progress on this game? A. Your information, as well as other players', is saved in the 'userdata' folder located in the same folder as the game executable. Q. If there are only 9 levels, doesn't that mean I won't be able to upgrade all my weapons to maximum power? A. Oh, don't worry about that. You most certainly will get the chance to upgrade all of your weapons to their fullest. I guarantee it... ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ -----------------------------Level run-through (leve6)------------------------ Mission 1: FRIGISTAN The first level is of course the easiest, with nothing but a few airplanes to fight. Some of them don't even carry bombs! Surely Red Star can do better... Mission 2: BLASTNYA Things start ramping up pretty fast, as you can tell from the enemy variety in this level. Armored planes, planes that drop multiple bombs, planes with laser-guided bombs... try not to die here, as it'd be pretty humiliating. Mission 3: PETROVAKIA Be especially wary of the pickup trucks, as they fire very close to the ground, and can easily hit you if you're not careful. Also of note are the two helicopters, one firing slow energy pellets that can't be destroyed by conventional means, and the other firing very fast, guided missiles that are easily dispatched by a skilled marksman. Mission 4: DICTASTROIKA This level introduces two new types of bombs: Armored bombs and frag bombs. Armored bombs are harder to get rid of than normal ones, and if your firepower isn't that great, you should avoid them instead. Frag bombs are nasty - they split into four energy pellets when hitting the ground! Make sure to blast them whenever you see them. Finally, there are ballistic missiles and Kamikaze planes. The missiles are easy enough, but the Kamikazes can appear rather suddenly. Fortunately they tend to show up in groups. Mission 5: ZAMBLAMIA This level is mostly comprised of enemies you've seen before, as well as harder versions of the same, with one exception: The blimps. Exercise extreme caution when dealing with these, as they explode in a rain of energy pellets that can be very hard to dodge. Mission 6: TANKYLVANIA A spooky level with a VERY spooky addition to the enemy roster: The atomic bomber! Remember to blast their nukes at all costs - they will kill you if they hit the ground regardless of your shielding! Speaking of shielding, there's a new plane that has one. Hitting it disperses energy pellets in random directions until you manage to break through. Mission 7: VODKAVANIA The atomic bombers are gone, and so are the blimps! This is basically a breather level - After the tension of Tankylvania, you can kind of relax and not try as hard here. The real challenge lies in the fact that this level is very long, way longer than the ones preceding it. Be careful not to lose your edge! Mission 8: ANTAGONISTAN Well, that was a short breather, wasn't it. Both the atomic bombers AND the blimps have returned for a diabolical tag-team that you'll be sure to lose at least one life to! The only real relief is that there are no ballistic missiles popping up in the horizon. Mission 9: KILLINGRAD The final level adds two new enemies to the mix: The bulldozer and the attack satellite. They're both quite difficult to shake. The bulldozer charges ahead indefinitely, killing you instantly if it reaches your tank, regardless of shield level. The attack satellite charges up a laser beam at a random location - which, if you happen to be trying to kill it, might very well be where you are. They are quite sturdy, actually. Also, the amount of ballistic missiles launched per volley has reached its maximum of six. Prepare yourself for the hardest final battle of all... or is it? ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ -------------------------------Boss guide (boss7)----------------------------- The ultimate weapons of the Red Star army, incapable of being mass-produced. They will give the hardest challenge to your atomic tank! BOSS 1 - TWINBLADE Pretty sure this guy was the only boss in the browser version of the game. Surprisingly he isn't all that easy, throwing out homing missiles and energy pellets at fast rates and not leaving much room for your atomic tank to maneuver. My suggestion? Bring some nukes to the battle to chip away at some of his health! BOSS 2 - BATTLESHIP The Battleship has several turrets that you can destroy on it, diminishing its damage output. Do note that they're not part of the boss's health bar, though, which means you basically have two routes you can take here: Focus solely on the center, putting you at more risk but killing the boss faster, or blowing up the turrets first and dealing with the actual boss later when he's more vulnerable. BOSS 3 - WAR BLIMP A flying doohickey with the capabilities of launching 'roto-mines' at high frequency at your direction, as well as the ability to literally summon meteorites. Having low DpS at this point is a bad idea, since it's very possible for those roto-mines to overwhelm you if you can't take them out easily. And they move at weird angles to boot... BOSS 4 - WAR WRECKER Remember the first boss in Sonic 1? This is a slightly more complex version of that. Just look at the ball's pattern of movement and dodge under it when you see it drop lower. This boss literally does nothing else. BOSS 5 - KOMMIE KONG This socialistic simian will throw missiles that split into six energy pellets in your direction, or failing that, start jumping all over the place. Poor motor coordination is your enemy here, as you'll need to ride your tank under him when he jumps! BOSS 6 - EYEBOT A multi-eyed flying octopus thing. The smaller eyes on its tentacles(?) release purple lightning that can one-shot you, so get out of the way when they light up. As for the center eye, it released your favorite - energy pellets! BOSS 7 - BUSTCZAR The robotic likeness of some communist leader's head. Launches very durable homing missiles from the holes in its face, and can do a bombing run using several armored bombs, though fortunately you're strong enough by this point to deal with them easily. BOSS 8 - MECHWORM Sandworm alert! This overgrown vermin jumps out of the ground with very little warning, throwing up rubble that can damage you if you're close. While it's in the air, those holes in its body release armored bombs for you to deal with. If only the head remains, it also launches homing missiles at high velocity. Not actually all that difficult - just annoying. BOSS 9 - H-Bot A giant robot that continually jumps to and fro while releasing homing missiles and eye beams. If you managed to survive Red Star's assault up to now, he shouldn't pose any considerable threat to you. After all, you should have had a lot of practice ducking under bosses by this point. FINAL BOSS - SECRET WEAPON A three-phase final boss to cap off the game. The first phase uses tons of laser beams - straight beams, diagonal beams, wavy beams, you name it. After you blow up the exterior shell, it begins throwing energy pellets all over the place at random directions, and the ocasional atom bomb that you have to blow up. After blowing up even more of the machine, the communist leader is revealed, and you're assaulted with a veritable torrent of homing missiles, both normal and the Bustczar variety. Fortunately there are no more atom bombs being thrown, and once you beat this form, the Red Star offensive is finally done for. As for how you'll find this boss in the game... Well, like its name says, it's a secret! ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ -------------------------------Special thanks (Thx8)-------------------------- I thank PopCap Games for making this highly enjoyable game. Most of the people who made this may not work there anymore, but it still counts. I also thank anyone who might be interested in this game enough to read this. As this is the very first Heavy Weapon FAQ on this site, any suggestions for improvements are welcomed. Finally, I thank GameFAQs itself, for helping me more times than I can count and inspiring me to help others with my own video game knowledge.