Introducting the... Captain Novolin FAQ/Walkthrough Version 1.2 Author: ThunderFist(djbadd@infi.net) Date written: August 27, 2002 Updated: August 30, 2002 ________________________________________________________________________________ Table of Contents 1: Introduction/Disclaimer 1.1: What is Captain Novolin about? 1.2: Updates 2: Walkthrough 2.1: List of questions and answers(will be updated in the future) 2.2: Information requested 3: Copyright statement 4: Thanks 5: Contact information ________________________________________________________________________________ Introduction I apologize first of all for the lack of flashiness in the faq. I am not an ascii artist by any stretch of the means, so I won't even try it. :P This is my first faq I have attempted to get published on a site like gamefaqs.com, so I am really happy that all of you reading this have taken the time to browse this faq. First of all, I do not claim ownership to Captain Novolin, nor do I hold any stock in Raya Systems or Sculptured Software(the distrubting and designing companies respectively). ________________________________________________________________________________ What is Captain Novolin about? "Captain Novolin is a game that teaches you about diabetes. But remember, this game doesn't tell you how to manage your diabetes. Your doctor will tell you about your individual care. WARNING: ANY CHANGE IN INSULIN SHOULD BE MADE CAUTIOUSLY AND ONLY UNDER MEDICAL SUPERVISION." This quote is seen upon beginning the game, and is almost all you need to know to get started. Captain Novolin is basically a very easy game in the vein of the Super Mario Bros. series, which teaches about diabetes. I bought this game because my best friend became diabetic not long after I met him for the first time and I wanted to learn more about his condition. In the walkthrough, I will discuss the foods that the doctors in the game tell Captain Novolin are safe for him to eat, as well as basic strategies for the enemies you will find in the game. In addition, I will also introduce some of the questions that the game may ask at the end of each level. The game includes a password feature, but I do not know how this feature works(see section 2.2). ________________________________________________________________________________ Updates At this point, there is not much to report on updates. Version 1.1 is simply a better proofread version of 1.0, and thus almost all changes are spelling and grammatical changes. However, I also changed the level 7 walkthrough slightly - the strategy of getting past the ice cream cone at the tricky jump has been changed to a more effective strategy, and one question and answer has been added to section 2.1. In version 1.2, a few changes were made to ensure that the faq shows up better in ascii format. ________________________________________________________________________________ Walkthrough In a typical city, Mayor Gooden has been captured by "sugar baddies" - aliens from another world who are disguised as sugary foods - and taken to the top of Mt. Wayupthar. Mayor Gooden only has enough diabetic supplies to last for 2 days, so he desperately needs help... help from none other than Captain Novolin! Unfortunately, the Captain is also diabetic, so he must beware of contact with the sugar baddies, as well as making sure that his blood sugar stays in the safe zone. At the beginning, Captain Novolin's female doctor reminds him to take his insulin, and the usual dosage is automatically selected when the down arrow is pressed. You cannot change the dosage, which is a good thing, because anyone who knows anyone with diabetes knows how important it is for them to have just the right amount of insulin in their system. After the Captain takes his insulin, a male doctor tells him what is safe for him to eat in his breakfast meal plan, which consists of: Peanut butter toast, half a banana, a bowl of cereal, and a glass of milk. The doctor also tells him to eat an apple and crackers for a morning snack. With this done, Captain Novolin begins his mission to save Mayor Gooden! The terrain in the first level is simple enough that you should be able to get through on just a little info on how the sugar baddies move, and I will also introduce a few basic icons that come into play during the game. The first thing you will notice is that there is a big star on an awning. This is not a decoration - it contains a clue that will help the player answer a question at the end of each level. Be sure to touch each star at the beginning of each level and take note of what the clue says. After doing this, the first enemy you will meet is a doughnut with pink icing. Doughnuts always come at you bouncing high - they never move any other way except this very high bounce. The best way to do away with them is to wait until they are on their way down from a bounce, and then jump at them. I should note here that during my first few attempts to beat this game, since I did not have an instruction manual when I first played this game, I didn't think stomping was possible after I simply jumped and ended up atop the enemy and took damage. You must press down while you are in the air to stomp an enemy. Cereal boxes and soda cans just go straight at you - they should be easy to defeat. Candy bars go straight at you also, but they pick up speed as they get close, so be watchful of this. Cookies make small hops toward you, but if you jump, they will also jump high, making them more difficult to handle. The best way to deal with cookies is to jump at them when you are somewhat close, during one of their small leaps. It will make a big jump, but directly under you, so you will stomp it. Mainly, these are all the baddies you will find in the first level. I should also mention to you that you should eat one of each food, but only one, so that your blood sugar does not get too high. However, if you eat less than one of each food, your blood sugar will get too low. Near the end of each stage is a blue square which, when you touch it, will take you to a screen where you can check your blood sugar. At the end of each level, you get bonus points if your blood sugar is in the safe(green) zone(5,000 for levels 1 and 5, 10,000 for levels 2 and 6, 15,000 for levels 3 and 7, and 20,000 for levels 4 and 8). Level 2 is the same setting - the city - only now it's afternoon, and it is now time for lunch. Here is your lunchtime menu: Carrots, grapes, a tuna sandwich, and a glass of milk, with pretzels and cheese for an afternoon snack. Once again, the terrain is very simple, so you shouldn't have much difficulty getting through this level. Just deal with your enemies as usual and you will be fine. Level 3 marks the middle of Captain Novolin's waking period - time for another dose of insulin. Captain Novolin's dinner consists of: A chicken leg, a potato, green salad with dressing, cherries, and a roll. Now things are starting to get different. Not only is it night, but Captain Novolin is on a lake driving his speedboat. Same basic controls apply - Captain Novolin can still stomp while in the boat, just like when he is on land, though the difference here is that instead of using left and right to walk, you will be using them to brake and accellerate the boat. You will face 3 enemies here, each of them new: packs of gum, twizzlers, and a soda bottle. Try to avoid the twizzlers - they fly in a zigzag pattern, going up and down, so it is a bit tricky to stomp them. In some areas, if you see a piece of food you have already gotten, it may be difficult to avoid the next piece if an enemy is near it. In this case, try to brake before you reach it, stomp the enemy when your movement is under control, and then maneuver past the food without eating it. If you find this too hard to accomplish, the next time you try the level, try to avoid that piece of food at the beginning so that you won't have to avoid it at the point where it gets difficult. Other than that, nothing big to mention. Level 4 - time for an evening snack. Captain Novolin will have an appetite for: A turkey sandwich, and a glass of milk. The setting for this level is a forest. Mostly familiar enemies here, though the twizzlers will show up here. This will be your first time dealing with them on land. They're much easier to stomp on land - wait for them to dip, jump really high, then come down on them when they're at their low point. Also, you will meet ice cream cones here. These don't move, but they do pick off specks of ice cream from their crowns and fling them at you. The ice cream travels in an arc and has decent range, but they are easy if you stay out of range on their first throw, then jump before they get the second off. When you land, get close to the cone and duck. The third throw will go over your head. When it does, jump and stomp the cone. They only present a real problem when there are 2 of them - 1 behind another. In this case, stay out of the closer one's range and try to get close to the one closer to you and duck. Both ice cream particles should go over your head. Stomp the first cone, then keep holding down so you will duck the moment you touch the ground. This will enable you to duck the second cone's ammo and do away with it like you did the first. Congratulations! You have gone through your first day as Captain Novolin! You will now see your logbook, which shows which foods you ate at which times, your blood sugar level, and the number of insulin doses you took(which is always 2 if you play without passwords). Level 5 starts off day 2 with another insulin shot and another ride in your speedboat. Your breakfast will be the same as it was the first day. Dockmaster Joe greets Captain Novolin at the dock this time and offers him a pair of shoes to protect his feet(an area of concern for diabetics). Captain Novolin thanks Joe and says will be sure to wear them. The only thing different about this level is that the packs of gum now blow bubbles. These bubbles travel upward at an angle toward the left, and cause injury to Captain Novolin just like touching a sugar baddie would. The best way to deal with packs of gum in this level is to brake as soon as you see one, then wait for it to blow a bubble. When it gets a little bit up the screen, before it can blow another, accellerate, jump and stomp the pack of gum. 2 packs of gum are very tricky - much moreso than 2 ice cream cones. You may take a hit getting by them, and in this level you are much more likely to see a piece of food you will have trouble avoiding, because of the gum packs blowing their bubbles. Level 6 - time for a hike up Mt. Wayupthar! You are getting close to the end here. Lunch will consist of the same food items as before. Captain Novolin greets Ranger Betty at the start of the mountain and tells her he is diabetic, then asks her if there is anything he needs to know before climbing the mountain. Ranger Betty tells the Captain that exercise like mountain climbing makes the body's insulin level change a bit, and reminds him to bring plenty of snacks with him. Luckily, he is going to eat on his way up anyway. ^_^ The terrain is a bit uneven here, and the mountain is the only place where you can fall to your death. Just deal with the jumps accordingly and you should do fine. In some areas, the uneven terrain actually helps you. If you are on a higher level than a cookie, you can jump while it's hopping(small hops), and it will be much easier for you to stomp it than if you were on the same level. Level 7 - insulin dose number 2 of the day as Captain Novolin continues to make his way up Mt. Wayupthar. The Captain meets Ranger Ralph here, and notifies him also that he has diabetes. A medical card is shown here with the following written on it: I HAVE DIABETES If I am found ill or fainting, please give me some sugar. If this does not revive me, please call a doctor or an ambulance immediately. This medical card is one that diabetics always carry with them. Ranger Ralph tells Captain Novolin that this card will let the rangers know that he has diabetes, and that with that card, they will have a good idea of how to help him. The only tricky spot of mention in this level involves a jump over a hole from a lower cliff to a higher one. The problem is that an ice cream cone is waiting for you on the higher perch. Stay out of its range for a few shots, then get to where they are landing, jump as a speck of ice cream is in flight, land in that area(you will come down after the ice cream, so you will not be hurt), then jump toward the cone from there as he is getting another speck of ice cream to throw at you. You should land before it can throw the ice cream. This should put you in front of the ice cream cone. You know what to do from there. Level 8 - the alien spaceship, and the final showdown against the sugar baddies. The bad news is that Mayor Gooden's diabetic supplies have run out, so you'd better get to him pronto. Here, the terrain is much like the city and the woods, except for patches of the floor that are electrified. The doughnut reappears at the beginning of the level for the first time since the city. Stay back and stomp it before you try to get past the electrified area of the floor. Basically every enemy will show up here except for the packs of gum(thank goodness). Just deal with them as you have before, taking care to watch out for the electrified floor. When you reach the sugar baddies' boss, you will find him levitating and throwing pies at you at 2 different levels. Jump or duck them as they come, also jumping the electrical currents in the floor. Those currents aren't all bad, however - they are the key to beating the boss. What you must do is hit the lever so that it points in his direction instead of yours - jump the pies and currents and come down on the lever. The next current that comes will go to him and shock him, returning the lever to facing your direction once again. Simply hit the lever twice more, and after the third shock, the boss turns to dust, allowing you to face the final challenge(don't worry, it's not a fight or anything). Captain Novolin finds Mayor Gooden suffering from hypoglycemia(low blood sugar). Captain must do something to help the mayor, and fast, but what should he do? At times, Mayor Gooden's blood sugar will read 50, and at times 30. If his blood sugar is 50, then Captain Novolin should feed the mayor sugar packets to revive him, and then cheese and crackers to help stablize his blood sugar. If it is 30, he needs a shot of insulin and fast. Once the mayor receives the shot, feed him cheese and crackers and he will be fine. If you make the wrong choice, don't worry - the Captain will automatically perform the correct action, so Mayor Gooden won't die. Check your logbook, then as the sugar baddies make their way off Earth, Captain Novolin receives the key to the city(which is never named) from a grateful Mayor Gooden. Well done! ________________________________________________________________________________ Questions and answers Hypoglycemia is when blood sugars are ____. * low Hyperglycemia is when bloos sugars are ____. * high When checking your feet, make sure to look for: * rubbing from shoes, white spots that aren't always there, and I believe chafing(all of the above) When the body does not have enough insulin, this could lead to: * Type I diabetes When the body has too much insulin, this could lead to: * Type II diabetes Which of the following is not a good place to take an insulin shot? * in the knee It is best to stay away from which types of foods? * sugary foods Where should unopened bottles of insulin be kept? * in the refrigerator How does insulin help your body in regards to food? * insulin helps your body derive energy from food Which of the following is a symptom of diabetes? * going to the bathroom all the time More in the future. ________________________________________________________________________________ Information requested There is a password feature in the game, with which you enter a 3 digit password. The game tells you to enter the password your doctor said is best for you, or 000 if you were given no password. There are no passwords given in the game, so I am guessing that either a real doctor or the instruction booklet (since I do not have it, I am not certain) gave these passwords. I received an email from someone who claims to be an employee at Sculptured Software who wanted to get a copy of the game for himself, but he was unable to tell me how this feature is used. If anyone knows of any passwords and/or how they affect the gameplay, please contact me at the address below so that I can share the information in this faq. Thank you. ________________________________________________________________________________ Copyright statement This faq is copyright 2002 by ThunderFist, and may not be used on any website without prior concent from the author. In the event that permission is granted to post this faq elsewhere, it must remain unchanged - ThunderFist alone will be the sole updater to this faq. However, anyone to whom ThunderFist has given permission to post this faq, will be allowed to update to the current version of the faq, and that person will be notified when a change has been made so that they may update. If this faq is found to be posted without prior concent from the author, a request will be issued to take it down immediately. If this request is not obeyed, further action shall be taken as it is deemed necessary by the author. Thank you for your anticipated respect of this request. ________________________________________________________________________________ Thanks Thanks to all the faq writers out there who inspired me to write one of my own, and thanks also to the gamers who take the time to read this faq. I hope this helps any who have played, or who are considering playing, Captain Novolin. ________________________________________________________________________________ Contact information I would prefer all readers of this faq to browse it carefully before emailing me. However, in the event you know something that I do not have here or if I made a mistake in posting an area or enemy description, please send a POLITE email to: djbadd@infi.net If you find a mistake, do not flame me or your address will be blocked and your email ignored. Thanks to everyone reading this for taking the time to read my first faq - I hope to write more in the future! ThunderFist