Nectaris FAQ v1.0
By Peter Beattie (petrus@mnsinc.com)
for PSX Import Review (http://www.execpc.com/~mulholl/psx/)
As you may or may not be able to tell, this is the first FAQ I've ever written.
If I have made any mistakes, or if you have a suggestion as to something I
should add, feel free to email me. The translations I provide are all taken
from "Military Madness," the Turbographix 16 (U.S.) translation of the PC-
Engine's Nectaris. BTW, I'm dedicating this to the "real" FAQ writers... the
ones who write 25 page FAQs which take days to complete. You know who you are.
You are greatly appreciated!
CONTENTS
1. Storyline
2. Menu Navigation
3. Basics
4. Unit Descriptions/Hints
1. STORYLINE
...The 21st Century... The Earth has become all too small for man's insatiable
needs. However, the moon has offered cast resources for Earth's greatest
countries. The most powerful nations have staked their claims for the moon's
riches and much fighting has occurred. The evil Axis (For the American version,
Axis replaced Guicy, and Allied replaced United) Empire has been behind much of
this terror. Finally, on April 6, 2089, the Axis Empire's Army launches an all
out attac and captures most of the moon. All innocent people must now fight or
perish. The Axis army now occupies the moon's factories where they are
continually producing new weapons for their secret assault on the planet Earth.
The Axis secret police have rounded up many members of the Allied Powers and put
them in prisons. Without their key people, the Axis Empire draws closer to
launching their "S.A.M." or Supreme Atomic Missile... the weapon they will use
to destroy the Earth. The Allied Powers know they must free their prisoners if
they stand a chance to stop the S.A.M. before launch time. You must free the
prisoners and stop this military madness before the Axis Empire and their secret
weapon S.A.M. destroy the Earth and all its people!!!
2. MENU NAVIGATION
The main menu options are in English, but the menu screens for battle are in
Japanese (the basic rule in every menu is O selects, and X cancels). When in a
battle, there are 4 options to choose in the right hand side of the screen. The
first from the top is "Move," the next is "Attack," the next is "Guide," and the
last is "End." When you have selected one of your own units: "Move" shows you
all of the spaces where you can position your unit, "Attack" shows you all of
the enemy units you can attack, "Guide" brings you into a screen where you can
rotate a 3d model of the selected unit, as well as see its statistics (the large
body of Japanese text is the same text found in the Unit Descriptions section),
and "End" ends your turn and gives it over to the computer. If you select one
of the computer's units: "Move" shows the spaces where the unit can move,
"Attack" shows you the places where the unit attack (helpful for artillery and
SAM sites), and "Guide" lets you view a 3d model of the unit as well as check
out the unit's statistics.
3. BASICS
To win a battle in Nectaris, you must do one of two things: either capture
Guicy's prison/base with troops or motorcycles, or eliminate all Guicy units.
While guiding troops to the base or destroying the enemy's force, there are many
different types of terrain to do battle on. Move the cursor over any position
and on the bottom of the screen, a little to the right, you will see a small
image of the terrain type as well as a percentage. The higher the percentage,
the better your defense/offense will be. The basic ways to gain an advantage in
battle is to use terrain bonuses, and by surrounding the enemy. The more units
you have that are next to the enemy, the more each unit's attack and defense
values will be raised. By far the most effective way to quickly off a single
enemy unit is to attack it from opposite ends. This cuts your victim's attack
and defense power in half, and nearly doubles your own attack. Also, you don't
even have to attack with both units... if you have a very weak unit who probably
could not live through an attack, simply position it behind an enemy unit, and
then attack at the opposite end with a healthy unit. You will still get your
increased attack power, as well as slicing your enemy's attack and defense in
half. Also, the surround effect works for defense as well... if you have a
damaged unit you want to protect, move other units near him to increase his
defense.
Besides your base and the enemy prison/base, there are factories. These
buildings manufacture units, but they are usually independant of Guicy or United
(they would be yellow in that case). Capturing them requires that you move an
infantry unit (GX-77, GX-87, CBX-1) on the factory space. Once a factory is
captured, you can select it and press O. This will show you what units have
been produced by the factory. Hit O when selecting the unit you would like to
take out of the factory, and it will show you what spaces you can move this unit
to. The other use of factories is for replenishing weakened units. Just move
any unit into a factory which you own, and by the next turn, that unit will be
refilled to 8 (even if the unit only had 1 member before!). This is a tactic
you will have to use often to defeat the greater size of Guicy armies. And
remember, Guicy can do the same! If you have severly weakened an enemy unit
that is near the enemy's factory, you had better destroy it completely or by the
next turn all of your work will be wasted, and that unit will be back in full
strenth.
That just about sums up the basic tactics to use in Nectaris. For unit-
specific strategies, look under Unit Descriptions.
4. UNIT DESCRIPTIONS/HINTS
Before I get started, where is a guide for what the unit stats mean:
In the game, from top to bottom: Land attack, land attack range, air attack,
air attack range, movement, defense.
In the manual, from left to right: Land attack, air attack, land attack range,
air attack range, movement, defense.
I will have the stats mimick the in-game order. The text in paranthesis was
written by me.
___Planes___
FX-1 Falcon X - X - 90 - 1 - 12 - 30
The fighter has the ultimate in anti-air attack power and mobility but has no
surface attack power and low defense abilities. Keep away from the Hunter and
the Hawkeye. ( They say to keep this plane away from the Hunter? Then what are
you supposed to use against the Hunter, strictly the Hawkeye? I've found the
Falcon to be of little importance, unless you don't have any Hawkeyes to take
out opposing air units... If you find yourself with a Falcon and no enemy air
units to kill, don't just forget about it... You can still use it to place
behind enemy units to get that great offense/defense bonus. )
AX-87 Eagle 70 - 1 - 20 - 1 - 10 - 30
This attack plane is armed with light Stinger anti-air missiles and heavy
surface bombs. It has high mobility but a weak defense so watch out for anti-
air missiles. ( Once you have cleared off any anti-air units, the Ax-87 Eagle
is an excellent bomber who can reach almost any unit on the map. )
EF-88 Hunter 70 - 1 - 70 - 1 - 11 - 50
This figher-bomber is armed with heavy air missiles and heavy surface bombs. It
is the supreme aircraft with permanent power, mobility and defense. ( This is
probably the most effective unit in the game. [And unsuprisingly, the computer
gets plenty of them!] Even the anti-air AAG Seeker can be beaten by this
behemoth, so use the M-107 Hawkeye and/or the FX-1 Falcon to rid the air of
these menaces. )
___Transports___
NC-1 Mule 10 - 1 - 10 - 1 - 6 - 10
The Mule transports mines, infantry, motorcycles and field guns. Vulnerable to
attack during transportation so support is needed. Fair mobility and limited
attack. ( Once you have no need of transporting troops, you can use this unit
in much the same ways as the FX-1 Falcon: set it up behind enemy units to get
the attack/defense bonuses. )
C-61 Pelican X - X - X - X - 9 - 10
This transport plane can air lift all units except other aircraft. There is no
attack ability and defense is small but mobility is great. Watch for other
attack aircraft. ( Watch for any chance to pile some troops in and rush to
Guicy's prison/base for an easy win. You may never get such an opportunity, but
nevertheless keep your eyes open. )
___Armored Vehicles___
T-79 Grizzly 70 - 1 - X - X - 4 - 50
This heavy battle tank is armed with a 120mm recoiless cannon. Its heavy
defense armor makes it durable but slow. Best used as support for front line
battles. ( In my opinion, the best tank in the game. Low mobility doesn't
detract too much from it's brute force and capable armor; keep this tank in
your main attack force! )
PT-6 Polar 60 - 1 - X - X - 4 - 60
This medium-sized heavy tank is equipped with a 105mm turret gun. Its limited
mobility is compensated by its high armor plating and defense capacity. ( Much
the same as the T-79 Grizzly, except with a slightly weaker attack and slightly
better defense. )
S-61 Bison 50 - 1 - X - X - 6 - 40
The Bison is a main battle tank with a 105mm turret gun and durable armor
plating. This mass production tank is the primary force of front line battles.
( The mainstay of the United forces, you will find yourself with a lot of these
tanks. They have mediocre attack and defense, but above average mobility can
allow you to surround enemy units. )
GS-81 Slagger 50 - 1 - X - X - 7 - 50
The Slagger is a main battle tank with good mobility. It can quickly enlarge a
front line battle and has good defense capacity. Equipped with a 105mm class
gun. ( The GS-81 Slagger is basically the S-61 Bison with improved mobility and
defense. )
GT-86 Titan 60 - 1 - X - X - 5 - 50
This heavy tank is equipped with a 120mm heavy cannon. It has fair mobility and
its heavy armor is good defense. Use to support the Slagger and other front
line tanks. ( Basically, it's the PT-6 Polar with lighter armor, hence slightly
better mobility. )
HNB-2 Giant 90 - 1 - 40 - 2 - 80
The Giant fortress tank has supreme firepower with a 180mm surface gun and a
35mm anti-air turret. Has heavy armor but is slow. Can only be transported by
a Pelican. ( This is the mother of all tanks. It dominates in all battles;
the only problem is getting it to where the action is. If you have a C-61
Pelican sitting around, use it! )
TT-1 Lenet 45 - 1 - X - X - 5 - 30
This twin turret tank has two guns of 95mm and 75mm. Only a small number of
these tanks were made for trial purposes so its performance has been below
satisfactory. ( First of all, I believe they meant to say, "so far, it's
performance has been below satisfactory." The TT-1 Lenet is the worst tank in
the game, and should be used to surround the enemy, eliminate any lingering non-
threats, or as bait. Don't be afraid to use it as a sacrificial lamb to wipe
out a near-dead unit in enemy territory.)
___Anti-Air Vehicles___
AAG-4 Seeker 30 - 1 - 65- 1 - 6 - 30
The Seeker is a high power anti-air vehicle with fair surface missiles as well.
It has 4 connected 20mm machine guns and has good mobility but is weak in
defense. ( I found the AAG-4 Seeker to be a mediocre unit overall. It is good
when pitted against the FX-1 Falcon or the AX-87 Eagle, but it can be hard
hitting them because it is a land-based unit with an air attack range of 1.
It's minimal land attack power also makes it of little consequence in ground
battles. )
M-107 Hawkeye X - X - 85 - 5 - 5 - 30
The Hawkeye has enormous indirect anti-air attack power but no surface attack
and little defense. Best if used behind the front line to shoot down incoming
air. ( This is an excellent anti-air SAM (Surface-to-Air-Missile, not Supreme
Atomic Missile) vehicle. Keep it in the same place as your artillery to protect
your front line tanks from bombers. )
___Artillery___
SG-4 Hadrian 45 - 5 - X - X - 4 - 30
This self-propelled gun has a precise 155mm indirect attack cannon. Because of
no direct attack ability, it must have additional support from other units to
survive. ( The SG-4 Hadrian is your average artillery unit. Keep it a few
spaces behind your front line tanks to soften up the enemy. )
MR-22 Octopus 60 - 4 - X - X - 4 - 30
This self-propelled gun has 24 connected 6mm rockets for indirect attacks. It
has good firepower but lacks precision. Support is needed because of its light
armor. ( The MR-22 Octopus has a significantly more powerful attack than the
SG-4 Hadrian, though it's low mobility and attack range means you'll have to
keep it closer to the front line. )
___Buggies___
MB-5 Rabbit 70 - 1 - 10 - 1 - 8 - 20
The Buggy has great mobility and a capacity to move after attack. Has powerful
anti-surface missiles and a small anti-air gun. Its thin armor gives it minimal
defense. ( This buggy serves as an excellent anti-tank vehicle, if used
correctly. It is best to attack from terrain that gives it a defense boost,
which is the only area in which the MB-5 Rabbit is lacking. If you cannot
attack from advantageous terrain, try to move to such terrain after you attack,
or at least move to safety behind front-line tanks. )
MB-4 Lynx 40 - 2 - 10 - 1 - 6 - 20
This buggy is equipped with indirect attack missiles. It has the ability to
move after attacking but it has a weak defense and is not as mobile as the MB-5.
( Since the MB-4 Lynx can only attack from 2 spaces away, it can be hard to use
correctly at first. Keep it directly behind your front line, and if there is
any danger of the line breaking, move to safety after you attack. )
___Infantry___
GX-77 Charlie 10 - 1 - 10 - 1 - 3 - 4
Charlie can capture and occupy factories and prisons but has minimal attack and
defense power. Movement is slow so it is best to use transporters to get close.
( It is best to move the GX-77 Charlie once you are winning the main battle, and
there is little chance of defeat. Trying to sneak into the Guicy prison/base is
very difficult, as Guicy units will attack infanty as their top priority. Also,
use the GX-77 Charlie to rush into nearby factories to start pumping out units.
)
GX-87 Kilroy 40 - 1 - 10 - 1 - 2 - 10
The heavy infantry has some surface attack and a small air attack. They can
capture and occupy factories and camps but movement is slow and defense is low.
( Use the GX-87 Kilroy as you would the GX-77 Charlie; only if you are
desperate and there are no more factories to capture should you use infantry in
battle. )
CBX-1 Panther 10 - 1 - 10 - 1 - 9 - 8
These motorcycle troops can capture and occupy factories and camps but have only
a machine gun for attack and defense is minimal. Speed and mobility are very
good. ( The CBX-1 Panther's impressive range allows you to capture factories
much earlier on than with the other slow infantry units. Use this advantage! )
___Stationary Units___
SS-80 Atlas 90 - 6 - X - X - X - 20
The ultimate battle gun with long range and awesome power - a great performer.
Needs transport for mobility and can only be moved once. No anti-air ability.
( This is by far the best artillery unit in the game. The only downside to it
is that it cannot move, so make sure when you place it that you are placing it
in an area where it will help you for a long time. If you can, take them out
with your bombers, or rush in with buggies to eliminate this huge threat. )
SS-80 Trigger X - X - X - X - X - 80
The land mines are used to interrupt enemy advancement. Movement is only
possible by truck or air transporter and can only be moved once. High defense
capacity. No attack. ( I haven't used these much, but I believe that they
severly slow down your units when you are trying to pass them. BTW, it may be a
misprint in the manual, but SS-80 is used twice... In the U.S. TG16 version,
the Trigger was numbered M-77 )
Hope this helps! Email me if you have any further questions.
