HIRED GUNS

HIRED GUNS (?) (?)

During gameplay, try typing the following:

CHRISTINA: Will let you move to any location on the campaign map, regardless if you've explored the locations which lead there. Also allows you to select the same team member more than once.

APPLEGATE: Will let you open ANY doors, even if you don't have the needed key/card.

AMIGA: Will give you infinite ammo and energy.

SOLUTION TO LEVEL "UNLISTED":

I know a lot of people who have come to the level called "Unlinsted" and quit. This level contains a puzzle wich is almost impossible to complete. You walk into a teleporter and enter a room with four teleporters, one in each direction (E, W, S, N) when you walk into one of the teleporters you come to another room witch four new teleports. Believe you me, I spent hours and hours completing this one. Here is the solution:

You enter at position 29 then go N, E, S, E, N, W, E, S, N, S and don't forget the key in one of the rooms (cant miss it, its right infront of you). Also see the map at the top of the page.

How to use the map: You start in in the middle of room 11. From there on just follow the above directions. You can also follow the directions from the sign from the opposite wall by the teleporter you use to enter this labyrinth. The directions are: N, E, W, W, N, E, N, W, E, S, N, S. Note: The last S isn't on the sign, but otherwise it gives the full directions through the labyrinth!

This is the only puzzle wich is too hard in my opinion, all other might take some time but they are not impossible.

GENERAL HINTS:

Select you characters carefully, all have different stenghts and weaknesses. Remember that you should have at least on mech in your team (either CIM or CIM-lite), because they have no need for air they can stay under water for long periods of time. But there weapons still take damage (laser and electrical weapons).

Best way to kill the more hard enemies is by luring them to a point where you can fire from two points, this often stuns the victim.

PLAYERS GUIDE:

OK, here's a few basic survival tips and tactics. Enjoy!

THE FULL CAMPAIGN:

While you might overhear one of other of the Minogoe sisters being described as 'Not big and not clever', you most certainly wont hear the same said of Hired Guns. Finding all those fusion power rings and bunging them into the coil gernerator is such an enormous task that it would be impossible to detail the solution of every problem you might encounter. So instead here are a few general tips to make life in the Graveyard a tad easier.

DREAM TEAM:

Picking the right squad for the job is crucial. Each of the twelve members has their own strengths and specialities, all of which might come in handy at some point in the game. The key to selecting a good team is balance. (remember to include at least one robot, though, as they can survive indefinetly under water). There is no single perfect team, but my own fab four are:

CIM-Lite - Not quite as resilient as CIM (lower physique value), but more agile (can withstand longer falls) and starts with an excellent Hyd-Flourine hand laser and 3 multi-directional Sentry Guns.
Bonden - Fine support for CIM-Life, with high physique and agility values. Unfornutetly he doesn't start with a decent close range weapon, but you can easly pick up the hidden mounted mini-gun near the campaign's start (see the 'Switch Section' on SOLVING PUZZLES).
Cheule - Retains superb agility for surviving perilous drops while still having a reasonable resilient physique. Also has good weapons in the Naomi IV Assault Rifle and a grenade launcher, and a very useful Cure Poison Psi- Amp. Can carry a lot too.
Jenillee - A much needed battle medic. Low physique, but splendid agility, masses of experience and an excellent array of medical aids. Her rubbishy sonic stunner weapon needs replacing as early as possible.

BASIC SURVIVAL:

As you soon discover, Graveyard is teeming with vast quantities of severely hostile lifeforms all gagging to sink their teeth, calws, bullets or whatever into your oh-so-weak flesh. But hopefully the following tips will help you make your life on Graveyard a little longer. If you're moving as a party, always lead with your battle specialist. You never know what's around the next corner, but you can be sure it will be hostile, so have you best fighter ready to deal with it.

Always make sure before entering an unexplored area that all your characters weapons are in their hands ready for use, and check how much ammo they have left. This latter precaution is of course particulary important for characters using rapid fire projectile weapons like the mini-gun or assault rifles.

The best approach to searching a new zone, is to leave the weaker party members at the start point (as long as it is safe to do so) and just send in your fighters who clear a path to the end level for the others to follow. This prevents the chance of a weaker member suffering a surprise attack from behind. The only drawback with this approach is that the best fighters can't fall far, even though this may be necassary to find a key or card to finish some levels. Furthermore they won't have backup or medical aid if they get seriously injured and weak team members might not last more than a few seconds if any creatures find their way to the start point. Luckily this doesn't happen too often.

When you first enter a new zone, your party frequently comes under attack almost immediately. Make sure you take control of your weakest member first, since they won't be able to take much of a battering as everyone else.

BATTLE FEVER:

In the heat of battle try not to panic. If you have to turn to face assailants make sure you do it carefully otherwise you`ll end up pressing the mouse button too often and turning too far. Also, keep reloading your weapon every few shots rather than waiting for that dreaded sound of the trigger hitting an empty chamber. Try to engage tough enemies in an open place, so you can easily run away if necassary. The only exception to this rule applies when dealing with those giant seahorse thingies. These sometimes just stand behind open doors without actually coming through, so you can stand a few paces back from the door and blast away to your hearts content - as long as you remain ready to bid a hasty retreat if the beastie comes out afterall.

Another point to remember is that thanks to grenades you can actually take out enemies on levels below the one you're on. If you see some monsters heads below you, just keep lobbing grenades down there until all seems quiet again. The added bonus of this mode of attack is that there is absolutely no risk for you. The creatures are not able to attack you, while you are also out of range of the grenades back-blast.

WEAPONS:

Basically, hand-held and single shot weapons are the best things to use against small targets like puppies and lizards, while the rapid-fire automtaics are the best against big targets. If you examine different kinds of ammo you are told about their different strengths and weaknesses against soft (tissue) and hard (metal) targets. So, having found out (the hard way, no doubt) what sort of enemies inhabit a level, try and choose your fighters ammunition carefully and accordingly.

Recommended all-purpose weapons are the mounted mini-guns, CIM-Life`s Hyd- Fluorine laser and the Naomi IV Assault rifle - most of the others are either too low powered or need reloading too often.

If you're willing to take a risk to get them, other well-potent weapons can be found scattered around. If for instance you manage to survive the hordes of 'seahorses' in the Laboratory Test Site zone, you`ll be liberally rewarded with a nifty rocket launcher and an excellent particle beam rifle (this makes wiping out the tough Ed 209`s in the Fusion Reactor Zone as easy as a piece of cake).

THE MAP:

The four core rings are found in the zones with amber rings round them, so all of these levels must be explored. Choosing the best path to them is very important. Generally,the game tries to guide you to a certain extent by making zones which you don't have to visit extremely difficult. This usually means, at least on early zones, that they're stocked up to the rafters with seahorses. Thus the easiest way to the first core ring in the Fusion Reactor zone is to go to the Abandoned Depot and then on to the Artificial Island (don't forget on this level to press the lift button at the bottom of the first deep shaft so it returns to the top for later use).

Sometimes though, a tough diversion might be worthwhile. For instance, while there doesn't seem much point in going into the Cave System at the very top of the map, there is certainly a lot to be said for taking on the Laboratory Test Site, just so you can get those extra special weapons I mentioned earlier. Remember that you can always go back through a zone that you have completed without having to actually do it all over again.

SOLVING PUZZLES:

Sometimes simply splitting up your party so someone can operate a lift for another chap stuck below is enough to solve a problem. But more often than not puzzles are generally solved by one of the three types of solution: switches, psi-amps and movable objects.

SWITCHES:

Switch puzzles tend to be the most difficult, as the switches can sometimes be both well hidden and along way from the section of the zone they affect. A good example of this can be found right at the beginning of the very first zone. Run around to the back of the first building you can enter, rather than going inside, and find the cluster of movable objects in a corner. Pull one out, kill the allien which emerges, and press the switch hidden round the corner behind the blocks. Now when you get to the section inside the complex where a series of three lifts take you to a security card on a small edge, you'll find that the wall to the left has vanished. This lets you reach a mounted mini-gun hidden on another ledge above some stairs you came up earlier (make sure someone agile goes for the gun because you have to fall down a deep drop to get it). Another very useful switch crops up at the start of the good old Laboratory Test Site. Select one of your team to run North from the start between two columns and you`ll come to a recessed switch. Press this and a square will open in the ground right next to the rest of your party in the middle of the patch of checked floor. Your team can now drop down this hole into the main caverns below without first having to go through the severely hazardous sea-horse-filled trenches on the surface.

PSI-AMPS:

While most psi-amps produce very obvious effects, it is sometimes difficult to see exactly why a particular effect might be useful. The best thing to do with a new psi-amp is to try it out and think how the result might help you access a place you hadn't been able to before.

Here's an example from the first short action game, the Animal Enclosure. To the forward right of your start position there is a semmingly inaccessible door accross a trough of water and half way up a wall. But you can get to it. Enter the main complex, go to the large cavern containing a horde of winged devils and take the first door on the right. In there you`ll find a Psi-amp Wall Machine. Using this makes a 3D block appear in front of you. Take this back to the surface, drop it into the water in front of the high door, and use a combination of the lift on the right and the wall Psi-amp to make and get an artificial platform from which you can enter the door. Your efforts are well-rewarded: Behind the door is Graveyards most powerfull weapon - The Disruptor Cannon.

Most of the psi-amps really are exceptionally useful. They come in four different types - weapons, healers, shields and specials. The special ones, indicated by a sign a bit like a radioactivity symbol on their left hand side, are by far the most interesting and often the most useful. They include the psi-amps for bridges, parting water, gills(so humans can breath under water), and farsight (which greatly enhances the range of your map scanner).

MOVABLE OBJECTS:

These are quite simply to use in principle, but infact it can sometimes be a real test of your spatial awareness trying to figure out exactly how best to position them in a situation. They come in most handy as either a way of filling in an otherwise impassible gap or for pushing off ledges to lessen the drop for the poor soul who has to try it. Usually it it worth taking a few moments to plan exactly how you are going to manouevre each block into the correct position - if you make a mistake you could end up getting a much needed block stuck in an irretrievable position. If you're quick, you can also use blocks to trap enemies, which can be surprisingly useful if the enemy in question is a particulary vicious brute or, heaven forbid, you've might even have run out of ammunition.

MULTI-PLAYER SHORT ACTION GAMES:

If you're playing with a friend an want to actually complete a section, there's not much to add to what I've already said. If, however, you really want to have some fun and just play a game where you want to kill each other, then here's a couple of things which might help.

First, it's worth agreeing before choosing your protagonists that certain weapons are dissallowed - CIM's mounted mini-gun, for instance - since these kill opponents too fast to make a decent game. Picking the same characters and sticking to the same weapons makes the competition most fun.

In a two player game, avoid making your characters into a two man team because this doubles the size of the target for your opponent and means you could loose both men in a single attack. Avoid using mines and sentry guns unless you're good at remembering where you put them...

Finally, if you're in a big room (the Lemmings War level is a good one for shoot-outs) try standing back against the wall looking out across the room. This lets you see an enemy approaching early, often without him being able to see you. And of course no one can sneak up behind you.

Well, thats all there is for now.

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