=============================================================================== == Freelancer "Rhino" Walkthrough == =============================================================================== 2006-2007 Steve Breslin License ======= You will be welcome to republish this howsoever you like, but please do not alter the text in any way, and please let me know in advance. My contact information is at the end of the file. Gamefaqs is explicitly licensed to distribute this work. The very latest version of this work can always be found at . Introduction ------------ This Rhino Walkthrough is designed purely to stretch your limits as a pilot, by setting a single goal: get to the end of the standard campaign flying only the Rhino, which you can purchase on Pittsburgh after the first leg of Mission 1. Be warned that this is a really difficult challenge, particularly the later missions of course. -- It's for those who are already superb players and want to perfect and prove their skills on an insanely difficult run. And even to those brave souls, if you have not already done so, I recommend you complete the somewhat easier challenge of beating the game in a Starflier, before venturing too far into this territory. While the Rhino is very slow to maneuver, and it's an uncomfortably big target, its number of hard-points makes for a significant advantage -- but *what* to equip is the pressing question, and it's the question with which we begin. ================================== Loadouts =================================== Equipping the Rhino turns out to be a simpler art than it might first appear: there are relatively few equippable guns, and two or three stand out as superior to the others on multiple counts. This makes the logistics of loadout selection unusually straightforward. First we'll introduce the two main loadouts we'll use, then we'll discuss the theory of this, and the axes upon which to balance your variations and experiments. The two basic loadouts ====================== Simplifying things a bit, we'll say there are two main types of missions: ones which involve mostly dogfighting, and ones where shieldless stationary targets are prominent. You're dogfighting in Mission 1 all the way through the first half of Mission 7, the middle of 10 (the battle before Bruchsal), and Mission 11. You're taking down heavy targets in the second half of Mission 7 (engaging the Rheinland Fleet), the first and last parts of Mission 10, and Missions 12 and 13. (Missions 8 and 9 are border cases which we'll treat separately.) In dogfighting missions or sub-missions, you need to worry about enemy shields and making sure the projectile speed of your guns match (otherwise, one set will normally miss when you're shooting a moving target). In "heavy target" missions, you want to maximize damage and energy efficiency. Basic dogfighting loadout: 3x Slingshot Rowlett's Revenge 2x Stunpulse Turret 2x Barrager Turret Mark I Basic "heavy target" damage loadout: 3x Slingshot Rowlett's Revenge 4x Lavablade Turret Mark II Explanation and variations ========================== Missile management ------------------ You almost always want to put missiles in the three gun slots because you'll be draining your gun battery very quickly anyway. Making it bottom out faster typically doesn't really help, and missiles help a whole lot. In most cases, you can make it through the current leg of the mission without running out of missiles, even if you triple-up on Slingshots. Where you're likely to run out, you can stretch your munitions by adding a Javelin to the mix. Generally it's better to conserve your missiles for hull shots, and use your guns (particularly 'pulses) for the shield. Dogfighting ----------- First, Rowlett's Revenge is the most damaging weapon available to the Rhino, and it matches speed perfectly with the rest of the dogfighting loadout, so obviously you'll always use this one. The Barragers are the most damaging *and* most efficient of the hull-damage dogfighting Turrets, so that's a no-brainer. -- Plus, the Stunpulse Turrets match the Barragers (and the Revenge) perfectly, which means that the only real question is how many of each to use. Dogfighting means shielded targets. (The only dogfight against non-shielded targets is the second half of Mission 12, which you can skip by flying directly back to Toledo.) If you're fighting shielded targets, it's far faster, and far more energy-efficient, to mix your loadout with Stunpulses. Since the shield is almost half the fight, and 'pulses drain the shield *far* faster and more efficiently than any conventional weapon, this easily cuts the energy and time cost in half. Heavy targets ------------- Aside from the Revenge, which is superior on all counts, the Lavablades are the most efficient *and* the most damaging turret available to the Rhino. So picking the right loadout for unshielded stationary targets is, once again, a no-brainer, since the recommended loadout maximizes both efficiency and damage output. The speed mismatch between the Revenge and the 'blades is irrelevant if you're shooting stationary or near-stationary targets. Borderline cases ---------------- There's a couple places, specifically Tekagi's Transport and Tekagi's Arch, where you need both to dogfight and to take down hardened targets, and these missions afford no opportunity to re-equip midway through. In both these cases, the fighters can be taken down with two Slingshots and sometimes a little cleanup, so this opens up the third gun slot, and we can get some mixed use from the rest of the loadout. This "golden middle" is a rather ugly-looking compromise, but it works extremely well in these borderline cases: 2x Slingshot Advanced Scorpion 2x Stunpulse Turret 2x Lavablade Turret Mark II Rowlett's Revenge A couple notes on the Rhino's eccentricities -------------------------------------------- The Rhino's gun slots #5 and #6 are on the fragile wing/hump thingies along its sides, and you're likely to lose any turrets mounted on them in later missions when your wings get blown off by enemy fire. So you'll probably want to buy some backups early on, while it's convenient to do so. Slot #7 does fire forward, but not very well. It doesn't pivot past the center mark smoothly without having to rotate, so if you go shooting from the left side of the screen to the right side of the screen (a sort-of clockwise movement), the turret will often feel the need to rotate all the way around counter-clockwise. So always put something useful in slot #7, but don't put in your strongest gun or something that you need to rely on all the time. =============================================================================== = Mission-by-Mission Walkthrough = =============================================================================== ========= MISSION 1 ========= Sell off your nanobots, shield batteries, and your shield too if you're brave, and fill up on Pharmaceuticals and Water, which sell for a profit on Philadelphia. Fly the first leg of the mission aggressively, and kill the three extra Rogues in the convoy ambush after King gives the "re-enter formation" order (which nets you a surprise bonus, the first of the game's two easter-eggs). Sell all loot and buy a Rhino on Pittsburgh, and outfit it as well as you can. My favorite loadout is... 2x Justice I Javelin Stunpulse Turret Starbeam Turret ... which you can barely afford (along with a decent number of missiles) if you flew the first leg of the mission aggressively and got lucky with loot drops. ==== After Mission 1 ==== Get some cash together: visit the shipwreck Flint, located in the lower-right part of sector 6C, and loot the silver DSE depot near Fort Bush. With that, you should be able to afford the following equipment. From Rochester, acquire: the Heavy Thruster Improved Countermeasures 9x Barrager Turret Mark I one or two Javelin missile launchers From Baltimore (or Newark, etc.), acquire: 9x Stunpulse Turret From Battleship Missouri, acquire: Advanced Sentry shield -- the best shield for Mission 2 9x Lavablade Turret Mark II Mission 9 forwards, you'll be losing turrets during battle -- no two ways about it. So get a few extra, and you won't feel so strong an urge to reload when you drop one. You might also want to acquire a Slingshot or two by killing and looting Police around Manhattan or elsewhere. You need over about 55,000 "net worth" before they'll drop this item. If you don't feel the urge, you can simply buy all three of them after Mission 2. ========= MISSION 2 ========= Recommended equipment for this mission: 3x Javelin (mixing in any Slingshots you bothered to acquire) 2x Stunpulse Turret 3x Barrager Turret Mark I This is an opportunity to practice your skills of pulse/missile technique, and you might also practice reverse-thrust, and perhaps engine-kill rotation, though the mission is quite easy no matter what techniques you employ -- you're going to simply steamroll these guys. ==== Before Mission 3 ==== Get an Advanced Scorpion from the Xenos. If you don't want to go through the whole reputation-fixing thing, you have decent chances of looting one if you take a "hunt down the leader" mission out of Pueblo. The leader ship always packs an Advanced Scorpion, and gun drops are significantly more likely in random-generated missions than they are in purely freelance hunting. ==== Getting the Revenge ==== What revenge? "Rowlett's Revenge" -- the best Class 3 turret in the game, and the second of two easter eggs. As Mission 3 is approaches, you'll be called to Manhattan. After you talk to the bartender, and before you ender California, *save your game on West Point*. (Don't rely on autosave: you only get one crack at this; loading from autosave will put you after the fight, not before.) Before you enter the jump-gate to California, select your Improved Countermeasures in the right-hand HUD display, so they turn green like your guns. Now they'll shoot out wildly when the Navy launches their missiles at you, which is exactly what you need, as the three Navy vessels are fully loaded with some killer Moonstalker missiles. You might also want to select your mines for this operation. Avenge Rowlett, and you'll get a prize: Rowlett's Revenge, a nice laser turret (Class 3) -- the finest that the Rhino can equip. Very useful for finishing the Rhino campaign, and an absolute must-have in terms of style. ========= MISSION 3 ========= Recommended equipment for this mission: 2x Slingshot Advanced Scorpion Rowlett's Revenge 2x Barrager Turret Mark I 2x Stunpulse Turret When you reach California Minor, acquire triple Slingshot launchers. A single will destroy the Outcasts in Barrera, and the pair is sufficient for speed kills in the rest of Missions 3 and 4, but you'll need all three later. When you get to Willard Research Station, buy the Guardian shield. The Guardian shield is the only one you need throughout the rest of the campaign. The better specs on the Guardian more than made up for the weapon-matching characteristics of the Cuisse and Sconce: the 33% higher capacity and 38% better regeneration more than overcomes the weapon matching potential (which is around 25%). You now have the ideal loadout, although a top performance probably means looting the Outcast graveyard in Omicron Alpha for the Ripper mines. (The best time to do this is just after you reach Kyushu.) This is strictly unnecessary, though you might like to have the extra bump during the final leg of Mission 13, which is quite difficult no matter how you slice it. Before you leave Manhattan for Mission 4, buy a load of Luxury Consumer Goods, which will get you a level when you reach Cambridge. ========= Mission 4 ========= Recommended equipment for this mission: 2x Slingshot Advanced Scorpion Rowlett's Revenge 2x Stunpulse Turret 2x Barrager Turret Mark I The mission is still relatively easy, but you might also want to equip the Improved Countermeasure Dropper, and your mine-dropper of choice. To pick up the next mission, just fly to Cambridge and sell your Luxury Consumer Goods. Then you can go directly to the Bar to meet Juni. But before you start, buy as many Diamonds as you can afford -- this will get you leveled when you return to Leeds. ========= Mission 5 ========= Recommended equipment for this mission: 3x Slingshot Rowlett's Revenge Barrager Turret Mark I 3x Stunpulse Turret The combat is fairly light in the first half of the mission, but the combat turns up a bit after Baxter, so at that time make modifications to your loadout as you see fit. You'll run out of Slingshots on the run back to Leeds unless you're extremely precise with your missiles, so unless you never miss, I'd probably recommend switching to... Javelin 2x Slingshot Rowlett's Revenge Barrager Turret Mark I 3x Stunpulse Turret Back on Leeds, sell your Cambridge Diamonds, and you can buy a load of Mining Machinery to sell on the Hood. ========= Mission 6 ========= Recommended equipment for this mission: 3x Slingshot Rowlett's Revenge Barrager Turret Mark I 3x Stunpulse Turret (Tadpole mine) The first part of this mission (the race against Dexter Hovis) would be quite difficult, except Hovis always screws up during the final stretch of the race. You'll still need to fly it without making any major errors, but since you made it this far you can probably handle a Rhino well enough to make it through. You can sell the Mining Machinery and buy a partial load of Gold for selling on Leeds, but you'll make more money if you leave some room to tractor loot from the two Gunboats coming up. The rest of the mission should be pretty straightforward. You'll want to reload Slingshots when you reach Glorious, unless you're a sharpshooter. When you land on Leeds, sell whatever cargo you got, and buy a full load of Light Arms. This will make it easy to skip the remaining inter-mission freelancing interludes. ========= Mission 7 ========= Recommended equipment for this mission: 3x Slingshot Rowlett's Revenge Barrager Turret Mark I 3x Stunpulse Turret Tadpole mine For all the action in the first leg of this mission, you can get to Shinkaku doing very little work. One Rheinland fighter outside Leeds, two by Stokes, and yes the blockade outside the jump gate, but you have Tobias and company to help. -- And you need not fire even a single shot once you reach Tau-31. On Shinkaku, buy the Advanced Thruster and Advanced Countermeasure Dropper, and prepare your Rhino for its first proper encounter with the Rheinland fleet. The battle primarily involves blasting stationary targets, so I'd recommend: Javelin 2x Slingshot Rowlett's Revenge 4x Lavablade Turret Mark II Tadpole mine You might also link your new Advanced Countermeasure Dropper to your main weapons, this being the first battle of any significant difficulty. The easiest approach to this battle is to fly into one of the Schiller's holes (at the very front, or behind the bar along the middle of each side), and blast it with your hull-damage weapons. Play somewhat defensively during cleanup, and the battle should go your way. Proceed to Kyushu as directed, and sell your full load of Light Arms, immediately buying back 39 units of Light Arms. This will get you an instant level, and you'll have enough Light Arms reserved, so you can get another speedy level when you reach Kyoto. Now would be the time to get the Ripper mine if you so choose. It would be useful during Mission 13, but it's not strictly necessary. ========= Mission 8 ========= This mission and the next are the only missions where hardened targets are mixed with dogfighting in any significant way, which makes the fundamental theory of loadout a difficult call. In another case, for instance, it's maybe a close judgment call whether an additional Stunpulse is better or worse, but here it's the whole question of what we're trying to accomplish. Destroy the platforms quickly, or destroy the fighters more easily? I'm inclined to try to meet all the needs, with a sort-of compromise (or "golden middle") loadout, which becomes possible only because the fighters are weak enough to be taken down with two Slingshots and some extra gunning for cleanup: 2x Slingshot Advanced Scorpion Rowlett's Revenge 2x Stunpulse Turret 2x Lavablade Turret Mark II But if you think the Dragons are the harder part, and you want to take them down decisively without leaving slivers, you might prefer the fighter-oriented loadout: Javelin 2x Slingshot Rowlett's Revenge 2x Stunpulse Turret 2x Barrager Turret Mark I Tadpole mine The platforms go down a little more slowly, but hey, that's the tradeoff. Still another valid loadout would be... Javelin 2x Slingshot Rowlett's Revenge 4x Lavablade Turret Mark II ... if you want to take down the platforms as quickly as possible. If you go with the fighter loadout, you might make maximum use of it by starting with the fighters, turning to the platforms only after you've nailed a few enemy Dragons. This lightens things up a bit, making it much easier to survive the rest of this short mission. On Kyoto, sell the rest of your Light Arms to gain the final level that you'll need cash for. ========= Mission 9 ========= Like the last one, we have to choose between a loadout that makes the dogfight easier or a loadout that makes the hardened targets fall faster. Again I think the dogfight is harder, but you don't need all three Slingshots to take down a fighter, so I'll recommend two Slingshots and two Stunpulses, and the rest geared for the generators. What with the Stunpulses taking up damage-potential space, you'll have to take more passes at the shield generators, but that part is probably easier. So, my recommendation for this mission is again the "golden middle": 2x Slingshot Advanced Scorpion Rowlett's Revenge 2x Stunpulse Turret 2x Lavablade Turret Mark II It's perfectly logical, however, to simply optimize for the dogfight: Javelin 2x Slingshot Rowlett's Revenge 2x Stunpulse Turret 2x Barrager Turret Mark I Driller mine Again, it's also logical to recommend playing very defensively during the dogfight, and optimizing for the Arch, which would mean the following loadout: Javelin 2x Slingshot Rowlett's Revenge 4x Lavablade Turret Mark II Driller mine Either way you go, this is the first really difficult mission. Try to save your shield batteries and nanobots in the initial dogfight, as you'll really want them when you're dealing with the arch. Fly conservatively, and let your allies work a little bit. As you approach the arch, make sure your Advanced Countermeasure Dropper is linked to your weapons. Destroy each of the shield generators in circular runs, firing full damage guns and missiles, then dropping a mine or two as you circle back towards the main asteroid and cylinder, in which area you're mostly shielded from the Battleship's nasty turrets. Select and dock on the arch as soon as the waypoint appears. In the final battle as you flee the system, I find it's *much* easier to take out the fighters, then focus on the gunboats, not the other way round. ========== Mission 10 ========== Here you have to make another choice. The Sigma-13 battle finishes as soon as any one of three conditions is met: 1) all eight Valkyries are destroyed; 2) all four Cruisers are destroyed; 3) two Battleships are destroyed. The battleships take the longest time, so the safest choice is probably between the cruisers and the fighters. If you want to take the cruisers (or the battleships), equip the heavy-target loadout: 3x Slingshot Rowlett's Revenge 4x Lavablade Turret Mark II Driller mine If you're good at dogfighting, I would recommend: 3x Slingshot Rowlett's Revenge Barrager Turret Mark I 3x Stunpulse Turret Driller mine Naturally, link your Countermeasures to the main guns before the battle begins. If you're going for the cruisers, on approaching the fleet, aim for the leftmost cruiser, flying towards it with all guns and missiles blazing, and then fly past it, to take a chunk out of the cruiser behind it. Then fly well past, letting the guns recharge, then take a run at the second one, flying past to hit the first one again. (The idea here, about taking two at once, is that you're cutting your "turn around" time in half.) When the first pair have fallen, concentrate on the third and fourth cruisers, one of which might even be destroyed by your allies. Another pattern might work better for you, but that one seems to work pretty well. I've also had some luck with circling a cruiser, and dropping Drillers all around it. If you're going for the fighters, strip the shields with the 'pulses, as you fire the Slingshot salvo, finally cleaning up with the hull guns. You'll find they spawn in pairs, and can be taken down surprisingly quickly if you're good. It's technically much harder to do this well, but it's much faster and probably significantly safer once you get it down. Either way, when you've done your job, you can go into cruise, and flee as soon as you get the go-ahead from Hakkera. On New Berlin, prepare your Rhino for the dogfight outside of Bruchsal: 3x Slingshot Rowlett's Revenge 2x Stunpulse Turret 2x Barrager Turret Mark I On Bruchsal, prepare for the main heavy target at the experimental shipyard: Javelin 2x Slingshot Rowlett's Revenge 4x Lavablade Turret Mark II Driller mine Destroy the nearest experimental (Nomad) battleship, then go into cruise until you get the waypoint. There's a weird dogleg in the exit from the shipyard, so if you want to take the minefield in cruise, you'll have to be very sharp indeed. Personally, I drop out of cruise as I enter the minefield. ========== Mission 11 ========== This mission gets pretty tough, and the enemy shields are so strong that the standard dogfighting kit is no longer practical. Something more radical is in order: 3x Slingshot 5x Stunpulse Turret Yes, a loadout to die for -- and the initial ambush should go pretty easily. But two words of advice for the Satellite battle: SUPPORTING ROLE. Let Juni and King perform the initial approach, and remain on the periphery of the battle thereafter. When you do intercede, start firing off Slingshots at 1000-M or more, and strip the shields with the pulses while the missiles are on the way. Turn away immediately if your target starts "jousting" you -- and definitely avoid getting into the thick: you're toast if the fighters triangulate you, and they'll go for you unless one of your allies is directly between, so keep your owl's head on (i.e., consider what's developing behind you). After the fighters are down, you can stand at a safe distance, watching Juni and King take down the satellite -- no need to waste munitions or risk damage. There's still challenges to come. The rest is the purest form of "Rhino style" dogfighting: strip the shields with 5 pulse turrets, and follow with multiple missile salvos. -- But if you get into trouble during the part outside the Alaska gate, you have a couple options: 1) drop out of cruise quite a distance from the battle, and watch it progress for a while; and 2) go into cruise and circle the cruisers -- your allies can stand up to the fighters. Fleeing Alaska is relatively low-risk: just stay in cruise and the only dangerous part is docking with the gate back to New York. It's the same story fleeing from the Alaska gate back to the soon-to-appear Osiris: stay in cruise, and the only risk is at the end when you need to dock. If you're getting killed when you (automatically) drop out of cruise for the second time (when the Osiris appears), try this: the first time you (automatically) drop out of cruise (when you're 5-K distance from the Omaha), go back into cruise as usual, but circle back towards the Alaska gate rather than towards the Omaha. This will keep the fighters surrounding the Omaha off your tail, so the second time you drop out of cruise, when the Osiris appears, it's not so dangerous. Then just cruise to the Osiris and dock as usual. ========== Mission 12 ========== The first half just involves stationary targets, and the second involves straight dogfighting. Naturally, equip for one and you'll be at a disadvantage for the other, but luckily, the second part of the mission is strictly optional -- you can just fly back to Toledo. So we'll equip for maximum damage to the stationary generators. 3x Slingshot Rowlett's Revenge 4x Lavablade Turret Mark II Driller I take the generators out by going in a circular pattern, slowing down on approach to unload my gun battery and missiles, and dropping mines when I get close enough. Be sure your hull is not too badly damaged going into the lair: the radiation towards the core is pretty aggressive. The battle on the other side is pretty difficult, so you'll probably want to just skip it by heading back to Toledo. As you approach you'll be given permission to land. If you're crazy enough to want to stick around, you could go into cruise and try to stay well away, but perhaps the better way to respond to the risk is to eliminate it swiftly: take out as many Nomads as you can, as quickly as possible. As with the other difficult dogfights, you want to avoid the center of combat. The greatest danger by far is the gunboats, and your loadout is perfect for dealing with them. If you want to do this part of the mission, you might want to replace one of the Slingshots with a Javelin, so you'll have some missiles left over for the big fight. ========== Mission 13 ========== Recommended equipment for the beginning of the mission: 3x Slingshot Rowlett's Revenge 4x Lavablade Turret Mark II Driller The first leg of this mission is a bit difficult. Just be sure to keep a defensive posture, and let your allies do most of the work. The easiest way to position yourself safely is to cruise in the general direction that the Battleship will appear, then when your allies quit talking, cut your engines and turn around (so you're coasting backwards at cruise speed). When Toledo starts disappearing into the haze, you're in the right place. Just tap [W] (accelerate), and wait for a moment for the Battleship to uncloak. When the Battleship appears, head for and tuck inside the recessed area immediately behind the largest part of the front half. From here, none of the Battleship's guns can target you, and the Battleship itself shields you (mostly) from the Nomad fighters. You can also adjust your position so that mines head backwards when you release them, while you fire missiles forwards. You can just stay here and keep firing, and the Battleship falls easily. With the Battleship down for the count, just cruise around for a little bit until you hear from Orillion, at which point you're free to land on Toledo. You can then fly to the Osiris without re-equipping or anything -- you just flee, so no fighting or anything. When you get to the Osiris, equip for the final leg of the mission. You'll be running out of everything, so you might as well bring 150 missiles to the fight: Windstalker Javelin Slingshot Rowlett's Revenge 4x Lavablade Turret Mark II Driller mine, or Rippers if you got them Do not engage whatsoever in the battle outside the Nomad Gate. Your allies will handle this perfectly well on their own, and you don't want to waste any expendables or take any premature damage. Once through the gate, steady yourself for the most difficult challenge in the game. It takes some pretty outlandish tactics to pull it off, but if you can get it, you know you've aced the game. Head to the barrier, and make your run at the first generator. Start shooting missiles as soon as you get close enough for them to hit when fired dumb (about 2-K distance), and go all guns as soon as you get within the Lavablades' stabbing distance. Finally, drop mines as soon as you get close enough to turn. Ok that was the easy part. Turn and fly to the next generator and do the same thing, but this time when you turn, turn upwards, and of course go to maximum thrust speed. At full speed, kill your engines and rotate to point towards whatever Nomad fighters are in the area. You'll be coasting away from the action at thrust speed, but pointed at your pursuers, which causes them to drop back. This is the critical maneuver, without which this mission is practically impossible to carry off. (Well, if you got the Rippers you might be able to get by with more conventional tactics.) Whenever you make another maneuver, do it in full thrust, then kill engines and point at the Nomad Interceptors so they don't chase you too much. So, run at the generator again, fire missiles, then guns, then mines, then turn upwards, go full thrust, kill engines, and point towards the Nomad fighters. If you're lucky, you'll live to make it through the barrier. So good luck! Once you're through the barrier, cruise to the nearest Nomad Satellite, but not to its center blue-ring part: around its pointy base is safer. Spend what missiles you have left (if any) on this first one, and fire guns at it. Juni and King will help with this one quite a bit, so it's probably smarter to save your remaining mines for the second one. The first satellite down, head for the final target, and fly around its blue belt, following the path around its belt, dropping Drillers the whole time. Just keep flying around it, letting your thruster recharge in the odd moment when things stop shooting at you. When that one goes down, just live one more second and you've made it. Congratulations! You've just completed the hardest challenge possible in the game. Welcome to the Rhino Tank Club! =============================================================================== Anyway, I hope you found this walkthrough enjoyable. Let me know if there's anything significant that I have left out. ======= Credits ======= This trail was blazed by T-hawk back in 2003, on the forums of -- I just came later to perfect the strategy a little bit, and mostly just to revise and document. Thanks to John Harris for several corrections, suggestions and analysis. ======= Contact ======= steve breslin Corrections and suggestions gmail com are warmly welcome. Please put [freelancer walkthrough] at the beginning of the subject line, to make sure I don't accidentally delete your mail. === End ===