Mutant Virus Game for the Nintendo Entertainment System General FAQ Written by Reverend Eric "Vegita" Johnson (VegitaBOD@aol.com) Version 3.1415 Sections: I - Introduction II - Game Story III - General FAQ (Ten HUT!) A - Controls B - The Screen C - Combatting the Virus IV - Various A - Revision History B - Thanks C - No Thanks ================================= Mutant Virus ================================ ---------------------I: Introduction---------------------- ================================= Mutant Virus ================================ Welcome! I am Vegita, Guardian Of Destiny, and I see you want help for the Nintendo/Famicom game "Mutant Virus". Well...I can't say you've come to the right place, but I can say that I understand the game better than a lot of people who have played it (since I actually know what I'm doing), so I can at least help out. First off, let's get one thing straight: Even though I am Vegita, I will try to write from an un-biased point of view (although I still think I'm the best at everything). Second of all, if I catch anyone copying all or part of this FAQ, ANY part of this FAQ (not counting little, inconsequential sentences like "First off, let's get one thing straight), I will destroy you. I will rip you limb from limb like the excessively weak individual you are, and then I will sue you for copyright infringement. Well, ok, maybe I'll just sue you, but if I got the chance I'd certainly go for the ripping of limbs from other limbs. Third of all, I do not own the rights to this game, the names of the characters in this game or FAQ, or have any ownership whatsoever of this game (except for the cartridge sitting in my room, that is). Those are the property of their respective owners. If I find a website with this FAQ on it, and it has been changed in any way, does not give me proper credit, or is selling it without my knowledge and consent, then I WILL have my lawyers contact that site. Are we clear (this means YOU, Vertsk8!)? Hey folks, if you're going to write me about this game, I must insist that you put, in the subject header of the e-mail, the name of game that you are writing about. I am tired of having people write me, asking about games that I've written for, but they never tell me WHAT game they need help with. This will help me in identifying what game you are talking about, and will also help me weed your e-mails out from the Spam I constantly receive. If you do not put the name of the game in the Subject header, then I may not read your e-mail at all; I get a lot of spam, and people like trying to send me viruses, so if you don't do something that will actually help me in determining whether or not your e-mail is legitimate, you can only blame yourself. ================================= Mutant Virus ================================ ----------------------II: Game Story----------------------- ================================= Mutant Virus ================================ "The CPI Complex. Always Busy, Always in control. The heart of Earth's Artificial Intelligence System. But suddenly, a problem-" ::lights all over the city go out, as flying vehicles explode mid-air:: "A very big problem!" ::phone rings:: Trainer: Hello? Scientist: Master Debugger Ronald W. Trainer...you are ordered to report to your station. Immediately. Code Red. Trainer: Wait a minute... Scientist: Repeat - Code Red. ::phone clicks off:: ::later, inside the CPI Complex:: Trainer: What's the problem, sir? I'm on vacation this week. Scientist: Sorry, Ron...not anymore. We have a computer virus infection, and it's a killer. Trainer: Who's behind this, sir? Scientist: We don't know yet, but he's closed all inputs to the system and changed the access codes. Since we're locked out of the 5 major sections, we can't dump the program and reload. Trainer: If we're locked out of the system, then how are we supposed to deactivate the virus? Scientist: Not we, Ron...You! This one must be done from the inside. We will outfit you with a suit and launcher. When you fire at the virus, it will change color. When all the cells have been neutralized, the virus in that sector will self-destruct. After miniaturization is complete, you will be inserted at the comm level. Any questions? Trainer: Only one - how did I get myself into this? Reduced to a micro- dot, loaded into a sick computer system, and told that the only way out is to beat some unknown virus. Scientist: Once you beat the comm level, we should be able to insert bits of code that might help you out. Until then, you're on your own. Good luck! Trainer: Thanks...I think. ~~~~~ So that's the story. A virus has been inserted into the world's Artificial Intelligence System, threatening billions of people. The perpetrator is unknown, the cause is unknown...come to think of it, all you DO know is that you've gotta destroy that virus! Well, get to it! ================================= Mutant Virus ================================ -------------------III: FAQ/Walkthrough-------------------- ================================= Mutant Virus ================================ Here's where I cover the meat of the game - how to move, how to read the screen, and how to FIGHT!!! Let's get down to it. _____________ _~A~ Controls_________________________________________________________________ ============= Let's talk controlling your character. After all, that's one of the most important parts of the game, right? A BUTTON - Fires your Antibody Gun. B BUTTON - Jetpack fires, propelling you in the direction you are facing. SELECT - Changes the weapon style. START - Pauses the game. DIRECTIONAL PAD UP - When used in conjunction with the B Button, Ron travels faster in the direction he's moving. By lying flat, he is creating less resistance, and therefore can move faster with the same effort. DIRECTIONAL PAD DOWN - When used in conjunction with the B Button, Ron travels slower in the direction he's moving. By maneuvering himself into an upright position, he is creating more resistance, ultimately stopping his movement. This is due to the fact that when he is fully upright, the jetpack is no longer pointed in the direction he is facing; rather, it is pointed at the floor/ground/circuitry, and cannot propell himself forward. It's all basic physics, folks. DIRECTIONAL PAD LEFT - Turns Ron Counter-Clockwise. DIRECTIONAL PAD RIGHT - Turns Ron Clockwise. ~~~~~ Now then, let's talk weaponry. Ron comes equipped with his Antibody gun, which initially has 3 settings on it: Short-Range, Long-Range, and Automatic. Which mode you are on is designated by the letters written in the lower-right corner of the screen. In order to gain the Super Gun, a Shield, and the Counter Measures item, you have to pick up capsules located inside the computer (these are the "bits of code" the Scientist-guy was referring to earlier). SF = Short-Fire. Short-Fire travels a short range, then explodes. LF = Long-Fire. Long-Fire travels a long range, then explodes. AU = Automatic. Automatic (default setting) automatically explodes when it comes in contact with the virus. SG = Super Gun. The "Super Gun" bounces off walls until it hits a virus or has impacted off of 5 walls. CM = Counter Measures. The Cuonter Measures, when deployed, create a regenerating well-spring of antibody cells. It acts just like the enemy cell well-springs (cell-springs) do - every couple of seconds, it releases another set of cells that move about, battling. The shield acts as an added layer of protection, and allots you a few extra hits when being attacked by the virus. _______________ ___~B~ The Screen_____________________________________________________________ =============== In order to understand how to combat the virus, you have to know what you're looking at. The majority of the screen is the computer itself, where the battles take place. Along the bottom of the screen is the console, which has important features to be utilized if you are to survive the game. Player Energy - This is located on the left-hand side of the console, next to the Orange E. It's directly above the Player Score. If your Energy runs out, you're dead. Player Score - This is located on the left-hand side of the console, next to the Green S. It's directly below the Energy Meter. Rack up points by blasting the virus. Player Lives - These are located near the center of the console, and are represented by little men (one for each life remaining). Run out and you've lost, and have to continue. Message Box - This is located below the boxs that contain the player lives and the Player Energy and Score. It scrolls messages pertinent to your mission (such as "The virus kills you, dummy! What're you doing standing on it?"). The Map - The map is located to the right of the center of the screen. This shows the layout of the computer system you're in. The large rounded-rectangles are the rooms, while the grey lines connecting them are the hallways in between. If a room appears black on the map, then you haven't visited it yet. If it's completely purple, then you have visited it and it is overrun with the virus (with no antibodies inside). If it's checkered, then there are antibodies in the room, fighting the virus. Finally, if the room is blue, then you've cleaned the virus from it. The Weapon Selection - This is located on the right-hand side of the console, directly above the Counter Measures box. The weapon selection box shows which weapon you've currently selected, showing the initials (see above) of the weapon being used. Counter Maesures - This is located on the right-hand side of the console, directly below the Weapon Selection box. When you pick up a Counter Measures Capsule, the capsule will appear in this box. You can now select Counter Measures as one of your weapons. _________________________ _____~C~ Combatting the Virus_________________________________________________ ========================= Ah yes, what many would consider the most important part of the game: actually taking out the virus. Instead of giving a step-by-step account of how to defeat the virus, which would take entirely too much time and effort from me (and probably wouldn't work too well for you), I will instead give several pointers for dealing with the virus. You'll probably notice that the virus moves/grows along the same lines as the game "Life Genesis". That is because the two games are formatted after the same principles of microbiotic growth. The life of each strain will, through conflict and eventual depletion of resources, wain to small sectors living independently of one another, barely sustaining themselves. As long as there are other resources (other life forms, untouched territory, etc.), the strain will continue to thrive. There are 2 ways to counteract this growth: ~~~Remove the resources and prevent the strain from growing any further, then destroy the remaining cells, or ~~~Create your own cells to forcibly take the resources from the original strain, thus eventually defeating the virus. In order to succeed at this game, one must learn to do both while combatting rather frustrating controls and enemy retaliation. After all, you didn't expect the enemy to simply LET you defeat it, did you? -----Tactics for handling the Virus:----- 1) Blast the edges of the larger virus strains. By doing so, you can remove some of the resources and (if you're lucky) change some of the virus to antibodies that fight in your favor. 2) Nab those tiny, single-cell viruses that aren't going anywhere. By doing so, you can create a bridge from one section of antibodies to another. If you don't, the virus can use these as a bridge against you - so turn the tide as quick as you can! 3) Stem the virus as soon as you can. As soon as you enter a room, start blasting the fringes of the larger viruses and try to cut off their mobility. If you can split it into 2 factions, do so and take over the smaller one. 4) Blast as many squares as you can so there aren't any unaffected/mutated squares in the area. By doing so, you are allowing your antibodies more mobility and cutting off the movement of the enemy. 5) Drifting into the enemy? Your mobility can be a blessing and a curse. Learn to use DOWN + B BUTTON to stop yourself from moving entirely, so you can control your actions better. If the outbreak is too much for you to handle, turn tail and use UP + BUTTON to get out of there! 6) Having trouble positioning yourself so you can strafe certain areas? This is where the mobility is actually a good thing. Stop your movement in a safe area (an area that currently isn't rampant with the virus), then turn yourself towards the left wall (or right wall, or top wall, or bottom wall, depending on where you want to travel) and boost yourself. Now face the direction you're moving and slow your passage to a crawl. Now, turn perpendicular to your path and blast the virus there. Your gun will sweep a line slowly and effectively, so any intercepting virii will be destroyed as well. I'll add to this list when I come up with more strategies that are effective in usage. ================================= Mutant Virus ================================ -----------------------IV: Various------------------------ ================================= Mutant Virus ================================ _____________________ _~A~ Revision History_________________________________________________________ ===================== 05-09-01 (3:30 P.M.): Started writing this FAQ. 05-09-01 (5:00 P.M.): Submitted this FAQ. It's a new record for me - 1 1/2 hours spent, start to finish, on a FAQ! 05-17-01: Minor updates, formatting the FAQ to match my other FAQs. Yay! I find it extremely funny how the update to my FAQ is actually smaller than the previous version! Well, the reasoning behind this is that I did some editing to shorten some sections (like the changing of the headers), which resulted in less space used. Only with THIS writer will you find an update smaller than the original! 03-22-02: Here's another update for you, 10 months after the FAQ was first written. It's not like it took me that long to make the update, I just NOW decided to sit and update the blasted thing. More revisions, different headers and a different format in various sections, etc. Now with lemon-fresh scent! 03-14-03: Format revisions! ___________ ___~B~ Thanks_________________________________________________________________ =========== ~CJayC (CJayC@gamefaqs.com, www.gamefaqs.com) for putting this FAQ up, as well as putting up with me. ~Al Amaloo (www.gamewinners.com) for being such a cool guy, and having a great site. ~Vertsk8pro@hotmail.com for giving me a heart attack with your childish "I stole your FAQ and sold it with my name on it" antics. Because of that, I now do dozens of things to make sure people don't steal my work. If they do, I know exactly what to look for to see if they took MY work or not. ~Uh...I can't exactly thank God for the role he's taken in my life, because that would seem like I'm trying to force my religious opinions on someone else (which I'm not). Therefore, I'd like to thank "Murray" for the role he's taken in my life (Murray, you know who you are). ~The music for the latest update was "Gotta Knock a Little Harder," just the same as my Back to the Future FAQ update. The initial creation of the FAQ had Castlevania: Symphony of the Night's "Dance of Pales" as the white noise for my mind to digest. Thus, my last thanks go to Yoko Kanno and...well, whoever it was that wrote Dance of Pales. Thanks, folks! ______________ _____~C~ NO THANKS____________________________________________________________ ============== If you write me asking for help with the game, I'll send you a link to my FAQ. If you ask for specific help, I'll try to aid you. However, if you ask me about something that is already covered in the FAQ, I will simply refer you to the FAQ again. I wrote the FAQ so that your questions would be answered here, not so I could repeat that FAQ bit by bit through e-mail for the next few years. If you need clarification about something in the FAQ, ask about it - but don't ask me to repeat anything. =============================================================================== End FAQ =============================================================================== The following are sites that can NOT use my work. If you see these sites using ANY of my FAQs, please e-mail me ASAP. Each of these websites are sites that have plagiarised myself or others in the past, or simply taken our work(s) without our prior permission. Since they do not have enough respect for the authors (or an ignorance of the law), I am expressly forbidding them from using my work. I will not promote such sites that partake in these actions. 911 Codes http://911codes.com 9 Lives http://www.9lives.ru/eng/ Bean's PlayStation Dimension http://www.bean.dk/psx/index.htm Cheat Code Central http://www.cheatcc.com Cheat Index http://cheatindex.com Cheat Matrix http://cheatmatrix.com Cheat Search http://cheatsearch.com Cheatstop http://www.panstudio.com/cheatstop/ CNET Gamecenter http://games.netscape.com/Faqs/ Console Domain http://www.consoledomain.co.uk Dirty Little Helper http://dlh.net Dark Station http://www.darkstation.com/ Dreamland http://kirby.pokep.net Games Domain http://www.gamesdomain.com Game Express http://www.gameexpress.com Games Over http://www.gamesover.com/ Mega Games http://www.megagames.com Square Haven http://www.square-haven.net Ultimate System http://www.flatbedexpress.com VideoGaming.net http://www.videogaming.net/ Cheats.de http://www.cheats.de (Taken from Jim "Red Phoenix" Chamberlin's FAQ Theft Guide, as well as added onto.) As I stated above, if you want to use one of my guides, I ask that you e-mail me to gain my permission first. I like to keep track of which sites use my work, so I know where to send the updates, and it's a little difficult to keep you updated if you don't e-mail me. This FAQ Copyright Reverend Eric "Vegita" Johnson, March 2003