RED DOG: Superior Firepower for the Sega Dreamcast FAQ/Walkthrough V1.5 by Greg G. Table of Contents 1. Introduction 1.1 Legal Info 1.2 Revision History 1.3 Story 1.4 Basic Gameplay and Tips 1.5 Editorial Comments 2. Single Player Missions 2.1 Volcanic Island Outpost 2.2 Arctic Research Center 2.3 Grand Canyon Docks Zone 2.4 Underground Hydro Generator 2.5 Red Dog Research City 2.6 The Haak Mothership 3. Hard Single Player Missions 4. Challenge Missions 4.1 Vehicle Maneuvering 4.2 Shooting Range 4.3 Survival 4.4 Search and Collect 4.5 Footsoldier Rampage 4.6 Advanced Vehicle Maneuvering 4.7 Heavy Duty Rampage 5. Bonus Features 5.1 Trippy Trails 5.2 Permanent Boost 5.3 Permanent Shield 5.4 Assistance Bot 1 5.5 Assistance Bot 2 5.6 Unlimited Weapon Charge 5.7 Invulnerability 5.8 Double-Speed Challenge 1 5.9 Infinite Initial Drones (Sidearms) 6. Multiplayer Mode 6.1 Game Types 6.2 Maps 6.3 Play Modes 7. Bugs 8. Closing Comments 1. Introduction My reasons for writing this FAQ are simple; this is a tough game that I really struggled to finish, and there is surprisingly little information out there for how to get through it. I thought I'd share what I've learned along the way. This document is largely devoted to getting through the six single player missions and the seven challenge missions. Other aspects of the game, such as the single player rating system and multiplayer gameplay are covered, but in less detail. 1.1 Legal Info 'Sega' and 'Dreamcast' are registered trademarks of Sega Enterprises, LTD. 'Red Dog: Superior Firepower' is a registered trademark of Argonaut Games PLC. This document is copyright 2002, by the author. It was written exclusively for GameFAQs.com and it may not be posted elsewhere. This document may not be published, in whole or in part, in any publication, or included in any electronic compilation of game information. It may however, be printed or forwarded for 'personal use'. Questions concerning this notice should be submitted to the author at gregmg@bigmailbox.net 1.2 Revision History Version 1.5 - Final version. All missions detailed. Helterskelter map problem resolved. Version 1.4 - Table of contents added. Bug section revised. Section 2.1 completed. Version 1.3 - Helter Skelter map revealed. Minor corrections. Version 1.2 - Added multiplayer tips. Completed section 2.5. Minor revisions throughout. Version 1.1 - Added section for bugs. Revised bonus section. Added boss fight descriptions for each level. Corrected errors. Version 1.0 - Initial Release - A few missions covered in detail. Basic overview for everything else. 1.3 Story After three years in Earth orbit, the Haak forces were invited to the surface. The Earth Council and the Haak forces negotiated agreements which were mutually beneficial and maintained peace for seven years. But now things have gone awry. Contact has been lost with a number of human populations near Haak settlements. Three recon teams sent to investigate were blown out of the sky. It looks like war is about to start, and as the commander of the Red Dog assault vehicle, it's up to you to lead the fight. 1.4 Basic Gameplay and Tips There are several control schemes for Red Dog which are selectable from the options menu. All references to the controls in this document are correct for the default settings. Red Dog's primary weapon is the main cannon. This weapon has unlimited ammo, and it can be 'overcharged' for greater effect by picking up the energy balls that destroyed enemies leave behind. Press the "Y" button to overcharge the main cannon, but don't waste it. The over- charged energy will gradually seep away if you don't use it. Red Dog also has lock-on missiles at its disposal. Press and hold the "A" button to lock onto a target, then release to fire. You can lock on to multiple targets at once. With the shield up, the main cannon cannot be used. However, in single player mode, the lock-on missiles will still work. This isn't the case for multiplayer mode; the missiles will hit the shield. Red Dog's shield can be an effective offensive weapon. Many enemies, especially the stationary laser cannons, will destroy themselves as their shots ricochet off of your shield. Try to use this whenever possible. Tapping either trigger twice, and then holding it, will engage the boost. After a few seconds of having the boost engaged, you'll notice the rear of the vehicle glowing red. This in itself isn't a problem, but it will make Red Dog more vulnerable to damage from enemy fire. Master the art of strafing. Holding both the left and right triggers will turn Red Dog sideways, and allow you to continue shooting while moving left and right. Strafing is necessary in a couple of spots, and helpful pretty much everywhere else. Red Dog's health or 'armor level' is indicated by the red bar in the lower right hand corner of the screen. When this is depleted, Red Dog is history. In each single player mission, you're given three lives. Once you've used those up, the mission is over, and you're brought back to the main menu. There are no intermediate save points within the missions. Throughout the single player missions, you'll find sidearm power-ups either hidden within crates that you must destroy, or just waiting there for you in the open. In the multiplayer levels, power-ups are represented by crates that float mid-air. See the owners manual, or the in-game weapons menu for a description of what each of these are. Just drive through these crates in the multiplayer levels to pick up the power-up. All side-arms (aka drones) are fired using the "B" button. While playing through the single player and challenge missions, it's best to alternate between each play mode. In other words, try to complete the first primary mission, then complete the first challenge mission. This is the best approach because the upgrades that you earn in challenge mode will make subsequent missions much easier. In single player mode, power-ups can be hidden in barrels, boxes, or other objects, so shoot at anything that looks interesting. You never know what you'll find. Additionally, you'll earn points as you destroy stuff; These points contribute to your overall rating for that level. At the end of single player mission, you'll be given a rating which is based on four things: Score, Lives, Time, and Boss (time). Simply completing a mission is all that's needed to move on to the next mission, but achieving an 'A' rating on the single player levels opens up additional multiplayer game maps or bonus features. To improve your rating for any level, here are some tips; first, look for extra stuff to destroy. The more things you destroy, the higher your score will be. Also, don't waste time, but don't be too hasty either. If you try too hard to finish the level quickly, you could end up using additional lives. In order to get an A rating, you've really got to finish the level with no 'continues'. If you don't get an A, consider carefully your overall results. Which of the four components of the rating brought it down? Spend some time with it until you determine just the right approach. 1.5 Editorial Comments I think what is most notably absent from Red Dog, and what would make it a far more involving game, is the human element. If Red Dog had the drama of Metal Gear Solid, or the humor of MDK2, I think the player would be much more anxious to move on to the next level and see what else is in store. There is no voice acting in the game at all, and there is only one very short cut scene which shows animated human characters at the end of fifth level. But what I think most gamers will find problematic though is the level of difficulty. With limited continues and no intermediate save points, this is a very difficult and often frustrating game. If you use this FAQ/Walkthrough though, you should make it through the whole game without tossing your Dreamcast out the window. :-) Where Red Dog really shines is in multiplayer game play. This is one of the best multiplayer games I've ever played, on any platform. With three game types, sixteen maps, and seven play modes, it never gets old. 2. Single Player Missions 2.1 Volcanic Island Outpost Proceed forward. As you go down into the small valley, the cavern entrance will close and two doors will open. Three aliens will come out of each of the doors. Make short work of them will either your lock-on missiles or main cannon. With them taken care of, the main door will open, and two tanks will appear. Lock a missile on to each one; use your shield to reflect their shots. Before you enter the cavern, find and destroy the three small ships that were to your right as you entered this area. The middle one will leave behind an enery ball after you destroy it. Make sure to get this one as well as the two left behind by the tanks. There are several other things in this area that can be destroyed. If you're trying to improve your score/rating, make sure to get them all. Now enter the cavern. Two spider-bots, three aliens, and three scorpian-bots are waiting for you inside. Deal with them, then grab the energy power-ups at the cave opening to your right. Watch out though for the two spider-bots. If you're trying to improve your rating, you'll need to destroy them. Otherwise, just turn around and run. Enter the cave that was to your left as you came in. You'll encounter several spider and scorpian bots as you proceed through this cavern. Several are hanging out above you, so proceed carefully your first time through. Grab the zapper drone and the end of this path and drop down below. Note the laser cannon in the center of this area and the three aliens on the catwalk on the far side. Use your lock-on missiles to take them all out, then head to the center of this area. There are a bunch of scorpian-bots waiting for you at the center, so be careful. The lava in this area will drag down Red Dog's armor meter very quickly; try to stay out of it. With the scorpian-bots taken care of, take the path to your left. Destroy the barrels to the left to reveal two energy power-ups, and enter the cavern. You'll encounter a number of spider-bots in this cave, and you may be tempted to use your zapper drone on them. Try not to, you'll need it later for the boss fight. As you exit the cave, you're in another large volcanic cavern. You'll need to raise your shield almostly immediately because the tank near you will start shooting. Use the lock-on missiles to take care of the two tanks at your level. Then get on the boost and take the path uphill to your left. There's another tank up there. As you take that path, a large alien bot will rise from the lava. If you keep moving, you can safely ignore it. After taking out the tank up above, you can shoot and destroy the rock wall to your left. Two more tanks and a drone or sidearm power-up are waiting for you there. Destroy the tanks if you want, but leave the drone where it is. Taking it will displace the zapper drone that you have, and that you'll need for the boss fight later. There are a number of energy power-ups in this volcanic cavern. Grab them only if you really need them. Several large alien bots will rise up from the lava as you head around to get the power-ups. The exit from this area is in the large cavern, and not in the room you just uncovered. It's straight across from where you entered at. As you enter the cave to exit this area, immediately be on the lookout for spider and scorpion bots. You'll see a number of them before you clear this cavern. As you reach the end of this cavern, don't drive all the way down to the bottom of the area ahead and below. Instead, from the ledge just below, you can deal with several of the aliens and one of the large stationary lasers. With that done, then drive down and deal with the rest of them. Once the large door opens, you can enter the next room. As you do, shoot and destroy the barrels to your left. This will reveal several energy power-ups. Scorpio Boss: The giant scorpion at the end of the level will go through several phases of attacks. At first, he'll throw energy blasts at you from his head. Just avoid these as best you can, or use the shield to deflect them. As soon as you can, lock a missile on his head. As soon as you launch the missile, immediately start shooting at his head with the main cannon. Continue dodging his energy blasts, and shooting at his head until he starts the next phase of his attacks. Next comes what appears to be a giant laser beam that eminates from his face. If you're in the middle of the floor, launch a missile at his head and take as many shots as you can before you have to get out of the way of his sweeping laser. Use the boost to make it over to either his right or left side, depending on which side of his laser you are on. There's a safe zone near him on either side where you can wait until he's done with the attack. If you get too close, he'll raise his shield; that's ok, just keep a little distance so that his shield doesn't drag down your armor level. Next comes the bugs. With any luck, you picked up the 'zapper' drone earlier in this level, and it still has plenty of 'rounds' left. When the giant scorpion starts spawning the regular sized scorpions, just zap them as you continue to fire your main cannon at his head. If you don't have the 'zapper' drone... you're screwed... well, maybe not screwed, but this isn't going to be easy. Head over across from the giant scorpion, face him, and as he spawns the regular scorpions, shoot them. Whenever you get a chance, launch a missile or two at his head. Without the zapper, this could take a while. His final attack phase is a lightning-like energy blast that comes from his tail. These blasts can take you out quickly, so it's imperative that you avoid them. The good news is that his entire body is now vulnerable to your attacks, and there are several points on his body that will provide 'locks' for your missiles. Now is the time to throw everything you have at him. This level is almost over. 2.2 Arctic Research Center At the start of this level, you have two choices for how to reach the cavern entrance. Either head straight and hit the boost to clear the massive jump ahead, or take the longer path to the right. You'll encounter aliens on either route, so be ready. As you reach the end of either path, you'll find two large doors, one of which is heavily guarded. Destroy the tanks and laser cannons and that one will open. Three more aliens will appear. Take them out, and head inside. Yet more aliens are waiting for you there. Make sure to destroy the crates inside; several power ups are hidden in them. With all of the enemies destroyed, head up to the top of the ramp and doors on your left will open. Take care of the aliens that come out, but don't head inside too quickly. First over- charge the main cannon slightly. As you enter this chamber, the giant laser cannon will begin to rotate. Wait a moment until the rear of the weapon starts to face you, then start firing. You'll quickly find the one spot on the rear of the cannon that is suspectible to damage. Alien ships will start to appear as you're doing this, so it's best to take out the laser cannon on one rotation. If you can't completely destroy it on one pass, launch a few missiles at the floating ships, then head around to your left and prepare to fire at it again. With the laser cannon destroyed, the doors will open and you can leave. This door opens to a large chamber with an ice floor. You may feel inclined to drive straight across to the other side, but I wouldn't suggest it. The laser on the far side will start firing at the ice beneath you. Driving straight at it may cause the ice to give way, and if that happens, you'll drop into a chamber below. You can still continue through this level using a different path, but it takes a bit longer. Instead, as you begin across the ice, try zig-zagging back and forth with the boost engaged, as you work your way towards the other side. This could also be described as driving in a "Z" pattern. This will prevent the ice from being hit from too much laser fire and melting away. As you reach solid ground on the other side, you'll find two small caverns. Take either one, they both lead to the same place. You'll encounter one more tank on your way out of this area. This takes you to yet another room or chamber. In this one you'll first encounter tanks, then foot soldiers. Don't forget to blast the crates. Several power-ups are hidden in them. With that done, you can pass through the doors to the chamber with the second laser cannon. Don't proceed too quickly though. First take note of the four devices with electricity arching from them to the laser cannon. There are two of these devices across from you and two that you can't yet see. Try to take them all out before you completely enter the room. The two on the opposite side are easy enough, but firing at the two on your side of the room can be difficult, if you haven't already entered the room. Try switching to first-person mode by using the digital pad, then creep forward just enough to fire at them. You don't really need to see them in order to hit them with your cannon fire. Once you've taken them out, go ahead and enter the room. The laser will begin turning, and just like before, you need to shoot at the weak spot on the rear of it. With the second laser taken care of, you can then pass through the doors to a small, maze-like ice cavern. The quickest, easiest way out is to follow the wall on the right. You'll pick up a side arm or drone along the way, and you'll need deal with several foot soldiers and tanks. Look for the drain pipe; this is your exit. The drain pipe takes you to the "Frogger" area. This is a large outdoor area with icebergs floating back and forth. If you've ever played Frogger, you'll know what to do. It's really not that hard to get across. Just make sure you start out all the way to the left. However, before you cross, you really should take out the two small laser cannons. There are several power-ups hidden in the crates. You may or may not need to get them. Your exit from this area is the middle opening in the far wall with a grate serving as a ramp. As you pass through this large drain pipe, stay on the boost and keep firing as you encounter the sheets of ice. This pipe drops you off in yet another room; this one is filled with crates. There are several foot soldiers with shields in this area, all standing up on top of crates. For this reason, try to stay on the crates as you enter this area, long enough at least to take care of the foot soldiers up high. There are a number of power-ups hidden in crates below; again, you may or may not need them. Once you've taken care of tanks, you can proceed through the doors and deal with three more shielded foot soldiers. With that done, the doors will open to reveal the third giant laser cannon. I think you know the routine at this point. Once you've finished off the third laser cannon, all that's left is a small chamber with some flying aliens. These guys are easy enough to take out. Don't forget to blast the crates; you may need the power-ups at this point. Chick Boss: This bi-ped has several phases of attacks, but you can deal with them all the same way. Basically, stay on the boost as you circle the area. While holding the 'A' button and staying on the boost, turn to face him just long enough to lock on one or more missiles, and let them go. If you have a drone or sidearm, this would be a good time to use it, but you can beat this boss with only your standard missiles. Just keep blasting around the area, and launching missiles at him until he's finished. With him taken care of, your ship will come to take you away. 2.3 Grand Canyon Docks Zone This is an escort mission. You've got to stay ahead of the tanker, or else it will keep going and sustain damage. Take out the first enemies you see, then slowly proceed. Up ahead, after taking out a few more foot soldiers and other enemies, you'll notice a passage on your left. Use the boost to blast through this path. Part way through you'll pick up a side-arm or drone power-up. Don't slow down or the tanker will get ahead of you and sustain damage. As you come out into the open, you'll have enemies on both your left and right. Take them out, and shoot at the stacks of crates on either side. There are some energy power-ups hidden in these crates. At this point, you have to allow the tanker to head straight into the water, while you take either the left or right path. The left path might be the best choice, as it allows you a good vantage point to take out some enemies up ahead. Each drawbridge will only come down when the tanker has reached a certain point. There is a ship half way through that is blocking the tanker's path. Go as far as you can and destroy all of the enemies you can before you take a few shots at the ship to crack it in half. Hidden in a crate on the beach is another side arm or drone. Make sure you get it. At this point, you're at a large door, with two greenish bars at its center. Destroy these bars to open the door. Several more enemy ships and foot soldiers await you inside. Make short work of them with your lock-on missiles. Head on through this area into the large cavern. Be careful though. A number of spider-bots are lurking about. Just be patient and look carefully for them. If you picked up 'zapper' drone a little earlier, you can use it now, but I wouldn't suggest it. Try to save it for the level boss, you'll need it. Now you're at another door. Destroy the green bars at its center. You'll see a brief cut scene, and then be given a short amount of time to get back out to the awaiting ship. Use the boost and try not to bounce off of the walls on the way out. Canyon Boss: There are four phases to this bosses attacks. The first phase, which consists of white energy discharges, is best dealt with by just avoiding it. Try to move about and use your shield if necessary, and shoot whenever you can get lined up with the other ship. The second phase of attacks are the easiest to deal with. Just stay centered in the screen and keep shooting. You may need to move a little in order to shoot the first missile out of the sky, but after that just stay centered and keep shooting. The third phase consists of circular energy blasts. You can try to avoid them altogether, or try to center the ship in the middle of them. If you get hit, it hurts, so now might be a good time to use the side arm or drone if you still have it. If you don't, you might want to try overcharging the main cannon. The fourth phase consists of a straight, constant energy beam. Your first priority needs to be staying out of the line of fire. Just keep shooting as you move about. 2.4 Underground Hydro Generator At the start, blast the gates ahead on your right, and follow the canal down to the revolving force fields. You'll encounter every type of alien threat enroute, but you shouldn't have any problems getting through. Time your passage through the force fields in order to minimize damage. This takes you to the spider room. As soon as you try to leave through the open doors, spider bots will emerge from every passage. Stay on the move and keep shooting. Use the side arm or drone if you have it. With the spider bots taken care of, the doors will open and a large alien bot will appear. Use your shield and lock-on missiles to take him out. As you pass through the doors, exiting the spider room, you can go to the right or left, it doesn't matter which way you go. You'll encounter the same number of enemies either way. Deal with them as best you can, and exit through the drain pipe. Now comes a tricky part. As you drop out of the drain pipe into the next area, you end up in what amounts to a large bowl. The trick to scaling the walls of the bowl is to go up at an angle. If you use the yellowish stripes as a guide, you should make it out. At the top, you'll have quite a few enemies to deal with. Make good use of your shields, main cannon, and lock-on missiles, and you should make it out ok. As you finish off the last of the aliens in this area, a door will open to another passageway. Follow it to... you guessed it, the next area. As you drop out of the passageway, get your shields up and turn to your left. Several aliens and a small laser cannon are waiting for you here. Take care of them, then look down below. It's best to go ahead and take out the small laser cannon down below at this point. With that done, carefully traverse one of the two pipes to reach the lower area, and position Red Dog where the arrow is pointing. This will put Red Dog on a hovercraft. As you resume control, fire at the grate ahead to expose your exit from this area. Proceed cautiously; several homing mines will come after you as you pass through this area. You'll need to carefully time your passage through the rotating force fields in order to minimize damage. This passage will take you to the level boss. Level Boss: As you enter the chamber, the doors will close on either side, and the sub will rise up in front of you. Start shooting immediately. If you have a sidearm, fire it simultaneously. The sub will launch a number of airborne missiles at you, but if you start moving towards it, they shouldn't hit you. As you near the sub, it will submerge. Hit the boost and head over to the other side of the chamber and wait for it to appear again. As it rises, overcharge your main cannon a bit, and start shooting again. Try shooting at the taller structures on the sub, so that as it submerges, you can continue to inflict damage for as long as possible. In addition to the airborne missiles, the sub will launch mine or torpedo attacks. There are two ways to avoid these. You can either turn one way or the other, hit the boost, and try to get out of their way as they come towards you, or you can depress both triggers and strafe from side to side. Try to throw everything you've got at this boss; you'll have no need for any weapons for the remainder of this level. Time to Go: With the sub destroyed, a door will open. Pass through the door and position Red Dog where the arrow is pointing. You'll be able to seperate Red Dog from the hovercraft it's been on. Water will start rising, so you've got to get out of there pronto. Stay on the boost to clear the passageway; as you reach the bowl or storm drain, stay on the boost, and start climbing the side. If you don't touch the analog stick, Red Dog will climb too fast and lose its momentum. You need to steer just slightly down hill in order to keep the vehicle's momentum up, and to get out of this. Keep a consistent amount of pressure on the stick; just enough to keep the wheels pointed slightly downhill from center, and the vehicle's body pointed slightly uphill. Also don't let off of the boost. The next passageway has a number of rotating force fields. Like other similar obstacles you've encountered, clearing these is all a matter of timing. Once you're clear of the force fields, you'll come to a large room with a gangway that meanders about. Stay on it and use the boost in the straight stretches until you reach a pipe. As you come to the end of this gangway, you'll see the pipe extending on either side. Take the pipe on the left. On this pipe you'll climb rather quickly. As you near the end of the pipe, you'll see another gangway on your right. Drive down onto it and up a little, then turn left and hit the boost to enter the green passageway which will take you to your waiting ship. If the water reaches you at any point, don't panic. Remember, Red Dog won't immediately blow up when it touches water. Just stay on the gas and you might escape anyway. 2.5 Red Dog Research City Reach the Scientists: The arrow at the top of the screen will lead you in the right direction. At several points along the way, you'll encounter several enemies at once. Make use of both your lock-on missiles and main cannon to deal with them all at once. If you're trying to improve your rating, make sure to take out the small ships up in the sky. Use your lock-on missiles to take care of them. Save the sidearm until the last part of this stage; you'll come up against quite a few enemies at once as you near the scientists. The 'nuke' sidearm will finish them quickly. Escort the Scientists: Ok, now that you've reached the scientists, you've got to escort them to the bunker. Follow the path marked by the green flares, and keep your eyes open. You'll encounter enemies of all types around every corner, and many will be waiting on the roof tops for you. If you're going back through this level again to improve your rating, make sure to destroy everything you can along the way. Many of the derelict vehicles can be destroyed. As you reach the end of the lit path, the large doors will open and you can enter; but before you enter, head over to your right. Behind that burnt out bus, there's a sidearm power-up waiting for you. Defend the Bunker: In this stage, you've got to eliminate each of the bi-ped bots as quickly as possible. Don't waste time shooting them from the front, as none of your weapons will do any damage to them. You've got to shoot at an area on the rear of the creature. As this stage starts, an arrow will appear at the top of the screen. This will lead you to a bot that has appeared. Use the boost to reach it as quickly as possible. You need to get positioned behind it asap; you can drive right between its legs if you need to. As you near it, overcharge your main cannon a bit, so that you can destroy it with only a few shots. With it destroyed, it's only a matter of seconds before the next one shows up. If you're in a far corner, you might want to head back more towards the center of the area while you wait for the green arrow to appear again. After a few times through this stage, you'll be able to anticipate where the next one will show up and start driving in that direction even without the arrow. Don't waste time fighting them from the front. You can't do any damage to them from the front, and the next one will come even if this one isn't destroyed. 2.6 The Haak Mothership If you've made it this far, you probably don't need a detailed walkthrough. Let's skip straight to the level bosses. Mid-level Boss: This is probably the toughest boss in the whole game, but he's not impossible to beat. As he materializes in front of you, immediate press and hold the 'A' button to lock a missile onto him. Once you have the lock, let go and get moving. His shots and his laser (which he'll start using in a minute or so) do a lot of damage, so you'll need to adopt a hit and run approach for dealing with him. Try running around the perimeter of the area with the boost engaged. Be careful not to hit the wall, as that could slow you down, thereby allowing him to hit you. As he comes back into your sights, lock on another missile or two, let them go, and get going again. If you've got a homing drone (sidearm) now might be a good time to use it. Also try over- charging your main cannon as you're heading away from him, so that as you head back towards him, you can hit him with a few good cannon blasts. He will occasionally disappear and rematerialize elsewhere. Just keep at it until his life bar on the left is down to nothing. Final Boss: Actually, this boss is easier than the last. If you play it right, you won't even take any hits. The object of this fight is to take out the central core while it's exposed. It's only exposed at the very first of this fight, and thereafter only when you've killed the boss. The boss will reappear several times before you're finished. As you reach the circular platform around the central core, wait for a second, then start overcharging your main cannon. As the central core becomes exposed, start firing both your overcharged main cannon and sidearm simultaneously. Continue firing even as the final boss comes out. He won't bother you right away; use every second you've got to inflict as much damage as possible on the exposed central core. As the 'shield' or armor starts to come down to cover the core, hit the boost and head around to the far side of the circular platform. It's best to get the armored central core directly between you and the boss. The final boss can't take any damage from direct hits; you have to shoot at the tiles on the floor beneath him. After a few hits, a blast of energy from the floor will do some damage to him. It takes about six of these blasts before he dies, and you get to shoot at the core again. If you have the boss directly behind the central core, watch carefully. Look to see which side he's coming out on, and start shooting at a tile that you think he'll stand on soon. If you're daring, you might try taking out two tiles before you reposition yourself to put the core between you and the boss again. Keep up this routine until he disappears, and you get a chance to shoot at the core again. If you managed to take the central core's lifebar down to almost nothing at the start, then you'll have no problem finishing it off on the second pass. If this is the case, use your drone or sidearm to take out the tiles beneath the boss. But if you weren't able to inflict much damage on your first chance at the core, you'll need to be more conservative and save some sidearm ammo for the central core. Time to Go: With the core destroyed, you've got limited time to make it off of the mother ship. You've got to use the boost the whole way out. Try not to get caught up in the falling debris; it's designed to trip you up, so be careful. The Ending: Congratulations! Any sane person would have given up a long time ago, but you stuck with it, and here you are. As you make it to the end of the route, you're treated to a very short cut scene of the Red Dog vehicle making it to the ship, just before the Haak mothership blows up. The credits roll, as various droids come out for a bow, or to stroll across the screen. If you get bored with the credits, resist the temptation to turn off or reset your Dreamcast. The game information isn't saved until the credits are finished. 3. Hard Single Player Missions After completing the six primary missions, 'Hard Difficulty' mode becomes selectable from the main menu. Basically, you get to repeat the same six missions you just completed, just with slightly more difficult level bosses, and slightly smarter aliens and droids along the way. The differences between normal and hard difficulty mode are too slight to justify repeating all of section 2 above. If you made it through the six primary missions, and the seven challenge missions, you should have no problem with the 'hard' mode. 4. Challenge Missions 4.1 Vehicle Maneuvering Double tap the right trigger to engage the boost just as the timer ticks down at the start. Head straight, turn left, then right, then left again. You've got two jumps ahead; you'll definitely have to use the boost to get over each one. Now comes the first precarious part, traversing a pipe. The first time through, don't try to use the boost. If you fall off of the pipe, you'll have to back track a little, and start over with the pipe. After clearing the pipe, blast over the floating barrels, and follow the path as it zig- zags through the acid swamp. You'll need to use the boost, at least in a few spots to save time, but be careful not to slip off of the path into the swamp. Red Dog won't last long in the acid. Follow this path to the jump. You'll definitely have to use the boost to clear this jump and make it into the passageway. As you continue into this passageway, you'll find a stationary fan, then several that are operational. Making it past the moving fan blades is all a matter of timing. Getting this down may take some practice. After you leave the passageway, engage the boost, and try to hold an almost straight line as you clear the last obstacles (structures) in your way. Try to avoid driving through this area in an exaggerated 'S' fashion. You'll only lose time. Bonus Challenge: Clear this challenge in under 1 minute, 10 seconds. Practice, practice, practice... that's what it takes to complete this bonus challenge. That, and a shortcut. In the acid swamp, about half way through, did you notice how close the path was to the ramp that took you up to the passageway? You'll need to cut across the swamp, in a real big hurry, at that point. You'll see the red 'armor level' meter take a hit while you're in the acid, but if you're quick you'll make it across. You'll also need to stay on the boost the entire way through this level, even over the pipe and through the swamp. Double-Speed Challenge 1: After completing the Haak Mothership mission with an A rating, the double-speed challenge 1 becomes available in the Bonus menu. With this enabled, the 1st challenge now operates at double speed. Both your vehicle and the timer are operating at twice the norm. Use the Bonus Challenge instructions to complete this challenge. There is no reward for completing this challenge in under 1:40. 4.2 Shooting Range This is a fairly straightforward challenge. You're presented with four batches of still and moving targets. The best way to clear this challenge is just shoot constantly and aim carefully. Also make use of extra power to overcharge the main guns. You'll need to 'lead' the moving targets a bit, since it takes your shots a little time to reach them. Bonus Challenge: Just practice. There's no special secret to completing this in a shorter amount of time. 4.3 Survival This seems to be one of the easier challenge missions. Just stay on the boost and keep moving. Their shots will hit right behind you. Bonus Challenge: More of the same. It may take a few tries, but if you just stay on the go, you should be able to make it through without taking any hits. 4.4 Search and Collect In this mission you have to pick up 22 time-ups. As you near each time-up, you'll notice the arrow at the top of the screen turns from green, to yellow, to red. At the start, as the timer ticks down to zero, engage and hold the boost. Almost immediately you'll get the first time-up, and as you hear the tone from this, start turning right. You need to slide around the corner, and head straight for the next one. As you pick up the next one, start turning left. Turning in advance of reaching the turn is really the key to completing this level. Just follow the arrow and stay on the boost. Many of the time-ups are well hidden, so this mission will take a number of attempts. Bonus Challenge: This takes a lot of practice. You've got to know the location of every time-up in advance, and do everything perfectly to complete this with 20 seconds remaining. The only real shortcut is to be found at the very end, and it's a minor one. After picking up the last time-up, it's possible to jump across from the stack of crates that you're on to the one with the ramp that takes you up to the 'END' at a diagonal. Jumping across at a diagonal might shave a couple of seconds off of your time. Of course, turning in advance of the actual turn is also important to saving time. 4.5 Footsoldier Rampage You'll need to use the lock-on missiles and the main cannon to take out all of the footsoldiers. Remember also that you can simply run over them as well. Bonus Challenge: Take them all out in less than 2 minutes, 40 seconds. This was the last challenge that I completed, and I think it's the most difficult of all of the challenges. Try this, engage and stay on the boost as you drive in a large circle around the area. Depress the 'A' button to lock the missiles onto multiple targets, while keeping the sights set at eye level, and slowly turn more towards the center of the room. Release the 'A' button to launch the missiles, and turn back to your original heading. As you turn back, take a few shots with your main cannon. Continue this until they're all destroyed. Circle, lock, launch, shoot, and repeat. 4.6 Advanced Vehicle Maneuvering There are three parts to this course, and there are any number of ways to complete the first part. Alternate between the boost and regular speed to make the best time without dropping into the liquid below. You'll have to use the boost to clear the jumps. 4.7 Heavy Duty Rampage Completing this mission requires using everything you've got and all that you've learned. Try alternating between firing with your main gun overcharged, and using the lock-on missiles. Remember that you can lock on to multiple targets at once, then fire all of the missiles simultaneously as you release the 'A' button. 5. Bonus Features Each of the following bonus features become selectable after certain bonus challenge missions are completed, or an "A" rating is achieved for a particular single player level. If you're looking for some hidden cheats that will help you finish the game, then these won't help. If you enable any cheats, except for 'Trippy Trails', no records will be kept. In other words, if you use cheats to finish a level that's been giving you trouble, it doesn't count and you can't move on to the next level. 5.1 Trippy Trails With this enabled, your track marks are now a shiny blue-green. Does not affect gameplay, and doesn't prevent 'record keeping'. 5.2 Permanent Boost With this cheat selected, you can use the boost continuously without overheating the vehicle and making it more vulnerable to enemy shots. 5.3 Permanent Shield Allows you to keep your shield up for an unlimited amount of time. 5.4 Assistance Bot 1 This is basically a drone; it fires at whatever you're firing at. 5.5 Assistance Bot 2 Another drone. 5.6 Unlimited Weapon Charge Self-explanatory. 5.7 Invulnerability Not much explanation is needed. With this enabled, you are invulnerable to enemy shots, but you can still loose armor level if you fall into water, lava, or various other liquids. Red Dog can also suffer damage from force fields with this enabled. 5.8 Double-Speed Challenge 1 With this enabled, go back to the first challenge mission and try it again. You'll notice very quickly that your vehicle and the timer are both operating at double-speed. Use the Bonus Challenge tips to make it through this challenge. There is no reward for completing this double-speed challenge. 5.9 Infinite Initial Drones (Sidearms) You get to start out with 9999 rounds of ammo with any of the following drones. Be aware, however, that if you pick up a new drone enroute, you'll lose your initial drone and ammo count. 5.9.1 Shell 5.9.2 Charge 5.9.3 Homing 5.9.4 Lockon 5.9.5 Swarm Pod 5.9.6 Ultra Laser 5.9.7 Vulcan Cannon 6. Multiplayer Mode One way to really dominate in multiplayer mode is to grab the 'explosive' power up before your opponent does. These explosives are something like a tactical nuke, and if you're not careful, they'll take you out as well. 6.1 Game Types 6.1.1 Skirmish 6.1.2 Team 6.1.3 Tournament 6.2 Maps Several of these maps are unlocked by achieving an 'A' rating for the single player levels. 6.2.1 Ruined 6.2.2 Space Station 6.2.3 Storm Drain 6.2.4 The Circus 6.2.5 V.R.B.F 6.2.6 Wasted 6.2.7 Acid Bath 6.2.8 Black Ice 6.2.9 D.O.D. (Drive or Die) 6.2.10 D.O.D. Expert In order to access this map, select it from the menu, then depress and hold both triggers for several seconds. You'll see the icon change, then you can start your game. 6.2.11 Dune 6.2.12 Ganymede What's noteworthy about this map is that it's not just an alternate map, it seems that the physics are different as well. Gravity seems to be reduced on this level, just as if you really are on a moon. 6.2.13 Helterskelter Unlocking this map takes a bit of work. You've got to complete twenty or more multiplayer games, then drop back into single player mode and force a 'save'. Completing twenty 'real' multiplayer matches would take quite a while, so to expedite things, just play twenty knockout matches against an idle controller with lives set to '1'. Before you leave multiplayer mode, check 'player statistics' to make sure you've really played through twenty matches, then drop back into single player mode and find a way to force a save. Changing your controller settings is a quick way to do this. This map isn't open until you see 'Saving, Do Not Power Off' at the top of the screen. Don't be surprised if you do all of this perfectly, but still can't immediately access the helterskelter map. Don't give up yet. Try going back into multiplayer mode and play a few more matches, then force another save in single player mode. It may take several attempts, but you will eventually get this map open. 6.2.14 Industrial Zone In this map, there are a number of walls that can be destroyed, revealing hidden ramps, power-ups, and shortcuts. These walls each have a small triangular sign, with an exclamation point in the center. There are also lifts located throughout this map. They're just square objects on the ground; you could easily miss them if you weren't looking. Just sit on one for a second or two to get a lift up to the higher level. 6.2.15 Medieval 6.2.16 Molten 6.3 Play Modes 6.3.1 Deathmatch 6.3.2 Knockout 6.3.3 Bomb Tag For bomb tag and suicide bomb tag, there's a way you can pass off the bomb to another player just before you get stuck with it. At the beginning of the game, just as the bomb stops alternating between players, the player who is about to get stuck with it can use the digital pad to pass it off to someone else. Once the bomb flashes though, it's too late to pass it. 6.3.4 Suicide Bomb Tag See the comments above. 6.3.5 Stealth Assassin 6.3.6 Flag Runner 6.3.7 King of the Hill (unlocked in single-player mode) 7. Bugs The bugs you are most likely to encounter (except for those spider and scorpian bots :-) are related to the camera (viewing perspective). It's possible to get the camera stuck behind an object or surface. On one occasion, during the mid-level boss fight on the Haak Mothership, I managed to get the camera stuck beneath the floor. Talk about disorienting. Most occurances of this problem can be overcome by switching to 1st person mode, then back to 3rd person. Use the digital pad to switch perspectives. If you 'die' when you are not expected to die, the game may crash or hang. This problem is easiest to reproduce in multiplayer mode. Play a multiplayer game against an idle controller; select a map like D.O.D. expert, where you can fall to your death. Wear down your opponent to practically nothing. Position Red Dog next to the acid bath, then finish off your opponent. As you get the "You Win" message, immediately drive into the acid. If you time it right, the screen go black and the audio will loop. Opening the helterskelter map, and keeping it open, seems a bit quirky. Previous versions of this document described this as a bug, and that still may be a fair description, but there is a workaround for this problem. After playing twenty-plus multiplayer matches, just keep alternating between forcing a save and playing multiplayer matches until it becomes available. 8. Closing Comments Many thanks to those who emailed me with words of encouragement and gratitude. This document, such as it is, represents a fair amount of work on my part. It's nice to know that someone appreciates my efforts. Many thanks also to the talented folks at Argonaut Games PLC. It's surprising and unfortunate that Red Dog wasn't a bigger commercial success. In my opinion, this is one of the best games that has been released for the Dreamcast. This is intended to be the final version of this document, however, if anyone is willing to share any Easter eggs, tricks, or cheats that aren't already covered, I might just revise it one more time. Please forward anything noteworthy to 'gregmg@bigmailbox.net'.