Mappy FAQ by Andrew Schultz schultza@earthlink.net Version 1.0.0 This FAQ is copyright Andrew Schultz 2000-2002. Its main purpose is to help other people remember a great game that really should have caught on more in the U.S., and on a personal note it's my first real Arcade Game FAQ. Please do not reproduce for profit without my consent. A written request to me(please use my name) is usually enough for me to grant you permission to do so. Mappy and its name are copyright 1982, 1997 Namco. ****AD SPACE**** My home page: http://www.geocities.com/SoHo/Exhibit/2762 My games page: http://www.geocities.com/SoHo/Exhibit/2762/games/games.htm +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ OUTLINE INTRODUCTION DRAMATIS PERSONAE CONTROLS SCORING STRATEGIES(GENERAL) LEVEL 1 LEVEL 2 LEVEL 3 LEVEL 4 LEVEL 5 LEVEL 6 LEVEL 7 LEVEL 8 LEVEL 9 LEVEL 10 LEVEL 11 LEVEL 12 LEVEL 13 LEVEL 14 LEVEL 15 LEVEL 16 (impressions) MAPS KEY LEVEL 1 LEVEL 2 LEVEL 3 LEVEL 4 LEVEL 5 LEVEL 6 LEVEL 7 LEVEL 8 LEVEL 9 LEVEL 10 LEVEL 11 LEVEL 12 LEVEL 13 LEVEL 14 LEVEL 15 VERSIONS AND CREDITS +++++++++++++++++++++++++++ INTRODUCTION You control Mappy, a nightstick-wielding mouse who's a member of the Micro Police and has the uniform to go with it. He is hot on the trail of Nyamco("Goro" in some versions,) the boss cat, and his "henchcats" the Meowkies. As the game begins Mappy is seen chasing Goro and three Meowkies across the screen. Then Mappy falls into the house, on a trampoline, and onto a platform to the left. A question mark appears above his head. Then the extremely catchy music starts as Mappy tries to recover the loot--ten pieces per level--while avoiding the cats, who can kill him in their own place. He can open doors in their faces to score more points, and if he catches them with a "microwave door" he can score points and buy time into the bargain. Meanwhile, catchy music plays throughout in the background. If you survive enough you get a bonus round where even if Mappy falls through a trampoline he still gets points. Trampolines are Mappy's main way to escape the cats, but bouncing on one three times in a row causes Mappy to fall. He can jump on a platform quickly and back, fortunately, and he can even bounce off a wall on the ascent if he is near the edge of the scrolling play fields. Mappy's also a bit faster than the cats on later levels in the air, very important because he is terrible on the ground. As the levels increase, more Meowkies appear, and they get faster than Mappy, who could ditch that worthless nightstick for a bit of extra speed but doesn't. Later you get to climb into the attic, and the "hurry" message that heralds new and faster cats kicks in sooner. Every four levels after the third, the bonus level heralds a change in gadgets Mappy can use. 3-6 : nothing new 7-10 : bell drops on enemies and stuns them 11-14 : flashing passage falls through, drops enemies down, reappears as solid ground after a bit. After level 3, there is a 16-level cycle in gimmicks, bonus rounds, etc., although the doors are differently placed. I quit keeping track of stuff around level 16, but there seem to be more doors at later levels, which Mappy must try to use to his advantage as the cats get quite fast. DRAMATIS PERSONAE Mappy--"Micro Police" and our hero. A mouse with a nightstick that vanishes mysteriously when he jumps. He also lands on his head and his eyes roll about when he dies. Goro(Nyamco in some versions)--"Boss the Big Bit" which seems like a mistranslation. A red cat about as big as Mappy who likes to hide behind treasures(he doesn't hide very well or very long) and jump out at you, but he's not big on chasing you. Sometimes he even takes a break. Some example for his followers! He hides behind a big balloon in bonus rounds. If you dispatch him with the microwave door he doubles your point total. He moves across platforms in a snakelike pattern and can even go into the attic on levels 4-6. Meowkies--"Naughty folks" who are small purple cats. They can follow Mappy vindictively. Because there are several of them, they can corner Mappy. They never hide and are constantly on the move. They never switch directions unless they have just landed on a platform. When chasing Mappy they can often be thrown off while on a trampoline. They get faster with each set of levels. CONTROLS You may move left or right, and there is a button to open/slam doors in the Meowkies' faces and stun them a bit. The button will also close doors but will not restore "microwave doors--" they will become normal doors. In addition, when you are jumping on a trampoline, moving left or right makes an attempt to land. If you run into a door or wall you hit it and bounce back down. This can be useful to throw off the cats, who follow the same rules of movement, although they are controlled by the computer. There are two exceptions--if you bounce three times on a trampoline, it will break and you will fall to your death if there is not another trampoline below, but the cats are not affected that way. Also, cats cannot open microwave doors, and you can open doors from either side, although Mappy or the cats will be stunned and pushed back if they use the handle. If you open a microwave door a sound blast will pick up the cats and drag them across the screen. They'll come back through the chimney over the middle platform. One big help is that you can call up a microwave door from the same platform it's on. This can save you if cats are chasing. You can also call regular doors a bit early as well. SCORING --extra men are awarded at 20000 and then every multiple of 70000. --you get 10 points for bouncing on a trampoline. --you get 50 points if you open the door in a cat's face, but none if you open it in your face and stun the cat too. --100 points for picking up a radio. --200 points for picking up a TV. --300 points for picking up a computer. --400 points for picking up a picture. --500 points for picking up a safe. --200, 400, 800, 1200, 1600, 2000, or 3000 for catching 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6 or 7 cats with the microwave door. The point total is doubled if Goro is one of the cats caught, but he doesn't count toward the cat total. Meowkies reappear in the top center and fall through the non-window in the roof. --there is a multiplier if you pick up two of the same item in a row. For instance, if you pick up two TV's in a row, you get 200x2=400 for the second, which flashes to indicate it would be a bonus to pick up. If you pick up two pictures in a row next, you get 400x3=1200. The multiplier is reset to one if you lose a life, and if you had picked up one item before you died, you cannot pick up a bonus for the other item. --maximum item points=100*3+200*4+300*5+400*6+500*7=8500. --you get 1000 points for catching Goro behind an item, but beware. He doesn't stay there very long, although you get a bit of a grace period. On the bonus level: --still 10 points for each trampoline, only they are not reset to green after you stop jumping on them. You need a serious reason to re-visit a trampoline after bouncing left from it, though(the second balloon under the trampoline.) --200 for each balloon(tallied afterwards) --2000 for touching Goro's balloon, which also ends the bonus round --5000 bonus for a perfect round --If you die, the bells and doors are not replaced, and you lose your bonus multiplier. STRATEGIES(GENERAL) You'll need to decide whether you are going for points or levels. If you are going for points, the best way to pick them up is to pick up the stolen goods in order. It is not really that inconvenient, and it's a good way to develop a plan to outfox your opponents, whom you are initially slightly faster than. When you first start playing, it's a bit risky to try to figure out which way Goro will go once he's been behind an item. But with some practice you should be able to catch him just as he hides. Of course you still want to keep track of the purple cats, but this sort of thing adds excitement and total points to your game. In any case, be sure to use the microwave doors to clear out cats. Developing timing can be a big help. Often opening the doors on cats(doors always hit out on the side with the handle) can send them off the platform and down, meaning you may not be able to catch them with a microwave. Also you may want to bounce off a wall or jump quickly on a platform and off(to avoid trampoline breakage) in order to distract Meowkies. They will often follow the platform you just jumped on, and they cannot change direction. You can also catch cats as they are bouncing on a trampoline above with the microwave. It often nails cats it doesn't look like it can. Don't panic if a Meowky looks like he's going to catch you. If you're close to the edge and you seem to touch(i.e. one of you is about to jump off,) you'll often pass by. Also remember that the Meowkies' main weapon is to trap you from each side, so the more you can keep track of them, the better. What you really need to watch out for is when you are overlapping a Meowkie and try to jump off. He'll blanket you, and you're dead meat. The painting is probably the easiest item to get the bonus multiplier on, followed by the television, radio, computer and finally the safe(each is on the opposite side of the board.) Note in general that there are four microwave doors per level, placed two on each opposite side. Bouncing on trampolines, if you are about to break it, wait until you are not overlapped by a cat, and bounce quickly off and on if you don't think you can make it to the next trampoline over. The trampoline will be recharged and the cats may even walk off away from your trampoline, although they will probably turn around quickly and bounce back on. It also seems cats can track you less accurately if you wait until the last instant to jump onto a floor. You can also throw them off by bouncing off a wall at the last instant, although I'd rather bounce off a top wall to give the cats more time to mess up. Take advantage of not having to be near the microwave doors to activate them. One thing you do not want to do at the start of a level past #3 is to veer left before it begins. It seems the meowky detects this and runs straight at you, resulting in a rather quick death. LEVEL 1 Three Meowkies challenge Mappy on this level and on level two. I prefer to go immediately left, jump on the trampoline, and pick up the other television on the left. I usually have to duck back right to avoid a meowky, after which it is easy to pick up the radio below the second TV. Then pick up the other radio, and the rest should not be too tough. I recommend drawing the Meowkies all to the top(bouncing twice on a trampoline seems to fool them) and then picking up the painting in the lower left and waiting behind the microwave to get them before jumping up to get the painting to the right. In the meantime getting the safes and the computer should not be too tricky. You should try for 10000 points in each of the first two levels to consider yourself a master of the early parts. This will likely include hitting all the cats with a microwave door or finding Goro behind a treasure. LEVEL 2 The strategy is very similar here, since the treasures are still all in the same places. The doors are moved around a bit, though, and the two extra trampolines next to each wall seem to hamper your movement. Bust them out if you can--the one on the left is particularly nasty, since it may put you in a tight spot when you get the painting in the lower left as the Meowkies will be hard to shake. Still, starting off the same way as level one(wait a bit first to take out a Meowkie) should give you something to build on. And if after picking up the second TV you pick up the radio below it next, you will miss the Meowky below. Then jump to the top right platform, open the microwave door, and bust the trampoline to the right. LEVEL 3(BONUS STAGE) This is a lot harder than the first two, since good timing is required, and there are no second chances. On the bright side you can't lose a life. I want to mention a few pitfalls and general tips below. Most of the balloons in the bonus stages appear in the same parts, so the strategy is pretty similar each round, with a twist to pick up a stray moved balloon or two. 1. Never go back for a balloon if you miss it unless it will be very easy. Goro's balloon is worth 2000 bonus points and should become top priority if you miss something. On the first bonus round you can afford to make mistakes, but not later. 2. If you jump directly left from the lower left trampoline, you will miss Goro's balloon. 3. To break through a trampoline quickly, you should try to jump left a lot if there is a wall to the west. It's quicker than jumping right. 4. For the quickest solution, you want to break all trampolines not at the bottom level, if they have balloons below them. This does not apply in level 7+ where breaking a trampoline may take more time than going back under and getting the balloon. If there is a balloon above you, then obviously you can lay off the controls and touch it. 5. You'll be more likely to under-jump a balloon than over-jump it, but there is a pretty good margin for error. 6. The stage doesn't end with the last note of music. You've got a grace period, but abuse it and you may get stuck about a half-inch from Goro. A warning if you try to cram one more balloon it. 7. Be sure not to break one of the bottom trampolines, since you'll almost certainly lose some free points that way. LEVEL 4 Four meowkies enter the fray now. There is a solid floor beneath one trampoline which will kill Mappy(the trampolines with trampolines beneath them can be broken,) and the platforms are not as evenly divided. It's a considerable jump up in difficulty. Watch the meowkie to the left. Whichever way he runs, you'll have an opportunity to go left and pick up the TV. Then back right and pick up the TV. Try to use trampolines as that gives Mappy a break from the cats' speed and even lets him edge out a bit. The bottom two and top two platforms are particularly harsh on him. I include the attic in this equation. Note that meowkies nailed by the door now get back into the action immediately as they are always dropped out of the center of the attic. You seem to get kicked more by the door now, but fortunately you aren't killed if you blast back into a cat. It's tougher to pick up the x6 bonus getting all five treasures in order but still possible. I don't recommend using the attic extensively, as you can't see yourself too well up there, and there are no treasures. Still I guess it's fun to try. If you must go on one of the lower two levels for transport be sure 1) to use the microwave doors and 2) to make sure no-one's behind you. You can still probably get 10000 points per level here although following Goro is a bit of a task. LEVEL 5 Few strategies altered from level 4, although again you may want to pick up the two TV's quickly. LEVEL 6 See above. LEVEL 7 There's a slight wrinkle here compared to level 3. The second area where you have a balloon under a trampoline is a bit tricky. You can't quickly bounce left a bunch, fall through, and pick it up, so do the following. Bounce left to pick up the balloon in the intersection(timing is critical here but not too tough. Still you can miss it) and then bounce back right and when you have the balloon, bounce left and continue as you did in level 3. This is tough to get the hang of and you may not get through it the first few times, but keep working at it. LEVEL 8 Five cats now. I found levels 8-10, especially level 8, to be a break compared to 4- 6. You actually have a way to neutralize the cats. The bells drop down on them. Goro's a bit tougher to nail since he has the predetermined pattern that means he won't follow you, but he's worth more. If there are not enough monsters under the bell and you are about to reach it, bounce off the wall so as not to waste it. I consider nailing three cats to be okay, but four is what you'd like to search for. The time gained is much more important than the points amassed. You may want to break the top two of the middle trampolines to make back-and-forth moving easier. Cats will lose more time this way. The nastiest item to pick up is the computer at the bottom. You may wish to nail the cats with the bell before picking this one up. LEVEL 9 That trampoline changed to a floor is nasty to deal with. It makes getting the television harder(you may want to use one bell to get the computer in the middle, one for the TV, or maybe you can get lucky with the microwave door to the right) and going through the center to get the painting may require some lucky bouncing as well. LEVEL 10 With one less door this is slightly tougher than level 9. But the similar strategies apply here, although "HURRY" seems to be coming rather quickly now. LEVEL 11 Follow the pattern for level seven, but ignore the balloons in the leftmost column. That's right, Goro bounces all the way up through the trampoline and knocks them out for you. Remember not to bounce left immediately to get him when you're at the next-leftmost trampoline, or you'll fall off the board. LEVEL 12 That floor above you is really nasty, isn't it? It breaks up where you are allowed to go to start. In my opinion it is now nearly impossible to get all the treasures in order to get the x6 bonus at the end. It's actually tough enough just to get out of the gate. Quick right, up, quick left, and get to the microwave door. You probably won't be able to go left after you open it, but you should be able to go back right, get the safe, go up and right and around as you have bought a little time and should make it past the falling floor with the door to protect you on the left. The microwave door in the upper left can help you pick up the safe if used as a defensive measure. If you just want to get through the level, I'd leave the bottom right for last. LEVEL 13 The extra trampoline here may make your life a bit easier, but that door in the opper right doesn't. Your previous route of escape has been blocked, and now a better option may be to open the microwave door to the left. You also might want to pick up the safe early although there is a risk a meowky will jump on the platform just after the floor re- appears. Fortunately many items are close to trampolines and the top, which may look daunting, has two microwave doors to help you get those treasures. LEVEL 14 Uh-oh. There's no regular doors to be seen anywhere. Level 12's strategy should work here, and at least the microwave doors are somewhat useful to clear the top. LEVEL 15 This bonus level is a lot like level 11 only Goro winds up in a different place. Follow the strategy for 11, but this time, ignore the second-left balloons and get the ones on the left. Goro bounces right to finish the job for you. LEVEL 16 Now you are almost back to the beginning although there is a small detail. The roof is painted blue, not red. Note that the roofs are in general painted blue/red/green for any set of three scenes after a bonus round. There was no blue to start out for levels 1-2. MAPS KEY C=computer, P=picture, R=radio, S=safe, T=television. -=trampoline X=platform >=door with handle facing right <=door with handle facing left } =microwave door with handle facing right {=microwave door with handle facing left ! = treacherous floor(levels 12-14) B=balloon(bonus level) b=balloon Goro pops if he bounces(bonus level) Each level seems to have ten doors, four being microwaves, and ten items. On your death the open doors are reset to plain doors. The first couple of levels are easy to draw at a cut-down size, so I did so. However after them I did not make such small maps even though the levels are the same size. LEVEL 1 C> {R XXXXX XXXXX XXXXX } P> XXXXX XXXXX XXXXX S T R< XXXXX XXXXX XXXXX { XXXXX XXXXX XXXXX P } < C T -XXXXX-XXXXX-XXXXX- LEVEL 2 "Innovations:" non-microwave doors may be on the edge, blocking Mappy's attempts to jump. Trampolines are not all on the bottom. >C {R XXXXX XXXXX XXXXX P < XXXXX XXXXX XXXXX- S} {T S XXXXX XXXXX XXXXX > R > -XXXXX XXXXX XXXXX XXXXX XXXXX XXXXX P } > C {T -XXXXX-XXXXX-XXXXX- LEVEL 3 +-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+ |B|B| |B|B| |B| |B| |B| |B| | |B| |B| | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |~| | B | | |~| | | | | |~| B |B| | |~| B B| | | | | | | | | | |~|~|~|~|~|~|~|~|~| LEVEL 4 "Innovations:" fewer doors overall. Long stretches of platform which are very dangerous to Mappy because the cats are faster. Roof now has 12 closed windows. Watch for the trampolines not on the bottom--break them and die. C} < R XXXXXXXXXXXX XXXXXXXXXXXX > P { XXXXX XXXXX--XXXXX XXXXX S T S XXXXX XXXXXXXXXXXX XXXXX R XXXXX--XXXXX XXXXX--XXXXX { XXXXXXXXXXXX XXXXXXXXXXXX P } C T< --XXXXXXXXXXXX--XXXXXXXXXXXX-- LEVEL 5 No innovations here, but notice the different door placement. There's also one more door here than in level 4, a slight advantage for you. C > R XXXXXXXXXXXX XXXXXXXXXXXX } P { XXXXX XXXXX--XXXXX XXXXX S T S XXXXX XXXXXXXXXXXX XXXXX > R < XXXXX--XXXXX XXXXX--XXXXX } { XXXXXXXXXXXX XXXXXXXXXXXX P < C T< --XXXXXXXXXXXX--XXXXXXXXXXXX-- LEVEL 6 Another extra door from level 5. C} < R XXXXXXXXXXXX XXXXXXXXXXXX > P { < XXXXX XXXXX--XXXXX XXXXX S T T< --XXXXXXXXXXXX--XXXXXXXXXXXX-- LEVEL 7 +-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+ |B|B| | |B| |B| |B| | | |B| | |B| |B| | | B| | | | | | | | | | B | | | |~| | | | |~| | | | | |~| B |B| | |~| B B| | | | B| | | | | | |~|~|~|~|~|~|~|~|~| LEVEL 8 "Innovations:" You can actually see yourself a bit better across the attic, at least near the edges. Also meowkies can't fall through the hole at the top center so they have to walk a bit before really entering the action. Note that there are bells at the top left and right. C P < XXXXX XXXXX--XXXXX XXXXX S> T {S XXXXX XXXXX--XXXXX XXXXX } R > XXXXX XXXXX--XXXXX XXXXX } XXXXX XXXXXXXXXXXX XXXXX P} C T < XXXXX XXXXXXXXXXXX XXXXX LEVEL 9 "Innovations:" Watch for the one middle trampoline that is now changed to a floor. C {R XXXXX XXXXXXXXXXXX XXXXX P } XXXXX XXXXX--XXXXX XXXXX S> T {S XXXXX XXXXXXXXXXXX XXXXX R XXXXX XXXXX--XXXXX XXXXX > { > XXXXX XXXXXXXXXXXX XXXXX P} < C T XXXXX XXXXXXXXXXXX XXXXX LEVEL 10 C T {S XXXXX XXXXXXXXXXXX XXXXX R > XXXXX XXXXX--XXXXX XXXXX > { XXXXX XXXXXXXXXXXX XXXXX P { C T XXXXX XXXXXXXXXXXX XXXXX LEVEL 11 +-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+ |b|B| | |B| |B| |B| | | |B| | |B| |B| | | B| | | | | | | | | | B | | | |~| | B | | |~| | | | | |~| |B| | |~| B B| | | | B| | | | | | |~|~|~|~|~|~|~|~|~| LEVEL 12 "Innovations:" the pointy varied roof with the different winows is cute here, isn't it? I don't recommend getting up there, though, as it's probably a quick death. There are also flashing floors that you can walk over. They are replaced with normal floors after they fall, but anything trying to walk over falls down a level. You're killed, the meowkies are stunned. There are also floors at the edge. This level's tough to get around. Doors are also getting a bit scarce right about now. C} < R XXXXXXXXXXXX XXXX!XXXXXXX P } --XXXX XXXXXX XXXXXX XXXX-- S { T S XXXXXX XXXXXX XXXXXX XXXXXX R > X!XX XXXXXX XXXXXX XXXX XXXX--XXXXXX XXXXXX--XXXX P } C> T --XXXXXXXXXXXX XXXXXXXXXXXX-- LEVEL 13 "Innovations:" none, although this level may be slightly easier as the flashing floor allows easier access to the right safe. C } { R XXXXXXXXXXXX XXXXXXXXXXXX P < --XXXX XXXXXX XXXXXX XXXX-- S > T S XXXXXX XX!XXX XXXXXX !XXXXX > R } XXXX XXXXXX XXXXXX XXXX XXXX--XXXXXX XXXXXX--XXXX P { C> T --XXXXXXXXXXXX XXXXXXXXXXXX-- LEVEL 14 "Innovations:" No doors whatsoever. Darned near impossible level. C } } R XXXXXXXXXXXX XXXXXXXXXXXX P --XXXX XXXXXX XXX!XX XXXX-- S T S XXXXX! XXXXXX XXXXXX XXXXXX R } XXXX XXXXXX XXXXXX XXXX { XXXX--XXXXXX XXXXXX--XXXX P C T --XXXXXXXXXXXX XXXXXXXXXXXX-- LEVEL 15 +-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+ |B|b| |B|B| |B| |B| | | |B| | |B| |B| | | B| | | | | | | | | | B | | | |~| | | | |~| | | | | |~| |B| | |~| B B| | | | B| | | | | | |~|~|~|~|~|~|~|~|~| +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ VERSIONS AND CREDITS 1.0.0 2/17/2002 completed through level 15(before looping begins) and submitted complete version to GameFAQs with many strategy brush-ups as well. 0.1.0 10/23/2000 sent to GameFAQs with first four levels information Thanks to http://www.download.net/win95/3arcade_games95.shtml ....for a good link to download an executable Mappy! NAMCO released this for free as a promotion, so you can check this out with a free conscience. Too bad the game crashed after level 3. It seems to have been a trial version and cut the game off--some Japanese double-byte characters popped up in a dialog box, which closed Mappy. Thanks to rabid doctor for pointing out that this document(and the review I wrote) had flaws, but no thanks for the tone of his e-mail, which went in my trash bin. Review revamp would've been quicker too. Thanks to the sites [ethically] hosting this FAQ. Thanks to NAMCO for a charming game. Thanks to the MAME folks for the big cheats.