Tony Hawk's Pro Skater FAQ
Version 1.2 (9th July, 1999)
Written by Slateman (te0011@cnsvax.albany.edu)
Newest Version available at:
www.albany.edu/~te0011/slate/tonyhawk.txt
www.gamefaqs.com (may take longer)
======================================================================
Section A: Version Updates, Foreward/Comments, News
Section B: The Basics, Special Tricks, Key, Commands
Section C: Undiscovered Moves, The Point System, Tips & Strategies
Seciton D: Final Notes, Credits, Links, Legal Info
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+++++++++
Section A: Version Updates, Foreward/Comments, News
+++++++++
---------------
Version Updates:
---------------
Version 1.2 (9th July)
- Point totals for all moves verified.
- Listed information about each skater in the Basics section.
Version 1.1 (8th July)
- Reformatted much of this document. If you've read it before,
flip through it again! :)
- Added Christ Air, Backflip, Kickflip to Airwalk, and 540 board
varial. (which were somehow not in version 1.0--Note below)
- More moves to be discovered. All the 'hidden' moves are in the
demo, we just have to find them!
- Cool Announcement coming next week? Check News section below!
- Non text companion version coming soon!
Note:
----
The first version of this FAQ had info about the characther
exclusive moves, but for some reason, I didn't transfer the correct
file. I recieved quite a few email messages from other people who had
done these moves. I didn't give credit to every single person that
emailed me, but I didn't want people to think that I just took their
info and didn't thank them. Thanks to everyone who mailed me, I
really do appreciate it!
-----------------
Foreward/Comments:
-----------------
This FAQ is based upon the Demo of the game. This means that
there may be changes, and that information contained herein may not be
100% accurate upon release. All known differences have been listed in
this document.
The Tony Hawk's Pro Skater demo can be found in the following
demo discs:
-Jampack Underground (Summer 1999)
-Official Playstation Magazine (June 1999, Vol 2, Issue 9)
-Playstation Underground (Issue 3.2)
For the rest of this FAQ, THPS will stand for Tony Hawk's Pro
Skater, FS signifies Frontside, while BS represents Backside. U means
up, D means down. S, T, C, and X will signify the buttons on your
game pad.
THPS offers analog control. However, I've found that doing the
angled moves (i.e. down/right + triangle) is much more difficult to do
w/ the analog controller. There isn't much need for it anyway, and
I'd suggest using the digital pad for maximum control.
Enjoy the FAQ, and please email me if you have any comments or
criticisms. I'm always looking for feedback. Thanks!
----
News:
----
It's just a demo, what news could I possibly report?
Well, 2 things. First off, this game will allow the player to
do a 900 spin. This is a 2 1/2 rotation. I've done it with a
Kickflip to Indy, and my friend has done it w/ an Ollie and a Varial.
In real life, this move was deemed impossible. Until Tony Hawk
finally completed the move late last month. Congratulations to one of
the world's best athletes! You can find out more information, and a
video file of the feat on www.skateboarding.net.
Secondly, I received mail from one of the designers of THPS. He
filled me in on a lot of the game's details, and said the following:
"Be sure to keep your eyes peeled for a pretty cool announcement
coming up in the next week or so (regarding the game)!" (7/7/99)
"Boy do you have your work cut out for ya when the full game comes
out, we have a TON of tricks and lots of cool secrets & Easter eggs."
I'll include info on this FAQ when I get it, but keep checking
Neversoft.com for info on this announcement!
======================================================================
+++++++++
Section B: The Basics, Special Tricks, Key, Commands
+++++++++
The Basics:
----------
I will not go into too much detail about skating. I'll just
assume that you know what an ollie is, and the difference between
a grind and a boardslide. I'm not a skateboard expert, but I know
a decent amount, and just playing the game will teach you the basics.
Not knowing everything won't make the game any 'less fun'. If you
have any questions, feel free to email me at te0011@cnsvax.albany.edu,
or post to rec.games.video.sony
The following is the information on each skater as listed in the
game. Please not that only Tony Hawk and Bob Burnquist are available
in the demo version of the game.
Skater Name Age Country Resides Yrs Pro Foot Height
----------- --- ------- ------- ------- ---- ------
Tony Hawk 31 USA Carlsbad 16 goofy 6'2"
Bob Burnquist 22 Brazil Encitas 7 regular 5'11"
Kareem Campbell 25 USA Los Angeles 6 regular 6'0"
Rune Glifberg 24 Denmark Costa Mesa ? regular 5'11"
Bucky Lasek 26 USA Carlsbad 9 regular 5'11"
Chad Muska 22 USA Los Angeles 5 regular 5'10"
Geoff Rowley 25 UK Huntington Beach ? regular 5'8"
Andrew Reynolds 20 USA Huntington Beach 3 regular 6'2"
Jamie Thomas 24 USA Encitas 6 regular 5'10"
---------------
Special Tricks:
---------------
There is something called a Special Meter that is not found in
the demo. Neversoft mailed me the following:
"Each skater has 3 unique special tricks. Specials can be performed
when you've accumulated a certain number of points and tricks without
falling. This gradually fills a "Special" meter that we have in the
upper left corner of the screen. Once full, the skater is able to
pull as many of their "Special" or signature moves as they can before
the meter dwindles back down and must be re-filled. This meter will
instantly empty when you bail/fall."
"Anyway, the demo didn't have the meter system implemented, but a few
of the special tricks snuck in (primarily for testing) in their early
form."
In the demo however, this meter hasn't been implemented. Moves
like Tony Hawk's Christ Air were among the implemented tricks. In the
final version you will not be able to do this move without having a
full special meter. I've listed 4 of these moves below (2 for each
character) I was told that they are most likely the only ones in the
demo, but he said that there may be more!
---
Key:
---
Most of this is self explanatory, but the major point is the use
of the comma (,) and the plus (+).
+ Do one button press (or direction) at the same time as the other
U + C means press up and circle at the same time.
, Do one button press then the other. Pressing both at the same
time will not produce the desired effect.
------------
The X Button:
------------
The X button is the main button used in this game. You'll pretty
much want to hold it down at all times to get speed, releasing it to
ollie, and then holding it down again when landing.
Beginners may experience problems getting out of the bowl (or
pool, whichever you want to call it). The trick here is to hold up
before releasing the X button. This will let you jump. It is also
useful if you're trying to ollie out of the half pipe.
Commands:
--------
X (hold) Crouch/Gain Speed
X (release) Ollie
U + X: Jump
Note: Pressing (or releasing) X while next to a wall will make
your character do a Wall Jump.
-----------------
The Circle Button:
-----------------
The circle button will make your character grab their board.
Essentially, the direction you push on the pad will determine where on
the board you grab, or where you push your foot after grabbing.
Commands:
--------
U + C Rocket Air
D + C Tail Grab
R + C Indy Nosebone
L + C Method
UR + C Rocket Air
UL + C Madonna
DR + C Benihana
DL + C Stalefish
Exclusive Moves:
---------------
L, R, C Christ Air (Tony Hawk Only)
U, D, C Backflip (Bob Burnquist Only)
Notes on Exclusive Moves:
------------------------
The button presses for the exclusive moves is slightly
different. A Kickflip for instance is performed by holding Left
and Square at the same time. With these moves, you must tap left, tap
left again and then press square. At no point will you be pressing 2
things at the same time. Doing so will probably produce a normal
move.
The timing is a bit tricky, but with practice, you shouldn't have
much difficulty doing them.
-----------------
The Square Button:
-----------------
This button will do a kick trick. Kick tricks are done when your
board does some sort of flip or spin.
Commands:
--------
U + Sq: Shove it
D + Sq: Impossible
L + Sq: Kickflip
R + Sq: Heelflip
UR + Sq: Finger Flip
UL + Sq: Kickflip to Indy
DR + Sq: 360 Flip
DL + Sq: Varial
Exclusive Moves:
---------------
L, L, Sq: 540 Board Varial (Tony Hawk Only)
L, L, Sq: Kickflip to Airwalk (Bob Burnquist Only)
-------------------
The Triangle Button:
-------------------
This button will make your character slide their board, or their
trucks. This can be done on pipes, coping in the halfpipe, the ridge
around the pool, or pretty much any corner area.
Grinds are done when your trucks (the things that hold your
wheels onto your board) grind against something. Boardslides is when
your board slides.
Commands:
--------
U + T: Nosegrind
N + T: 50-50 Grind (neutral + triangle)
D + T: 5-0 Grind
Notes:
-----
50-50 Grinds are done when both trucks are grinding.
A 5-0 Grind is where your back truck is grinding and you lean back so
that your front truck does not.
A Nosegrind is the opposite of a 5-0, the front truck grinds while the
back one doesn't.
Pressing left and right will make your character turn in that
direction. Doing so will make them do a boardslide. If you turn your
back on what you're sliding on, it will be a backside boardslide.
--------------------
The Shoulder Buttons:
--------------------
The 4 shoulder buttons will make your character spin. L for left,
and R for right
Commands:
--------
L1: 180 spin to the left (spins you 180 degrees)
L2: Variable (hold down to spin as long as you wish)
R1: 180 spin to the right (spins you 180 degrees)
R2: Variable (hold down to spin as long as you wish)
Note:
-----
In certain cases, 2 different degree readouts will be printed
on the screen. For example:
180 360 Varial
The first number shows how much you've spun.
The second number is how much the board has spun/flipped.
======================================================================
+++++++++
Section C: Undiscovered Moves, The Point System, Tips & Strategies
+++++++++
------------------
Undiscovered Moves:
------------------
Initially, I didn't believe that these moves were included in the
game. But, they are, and it's up to all of us to discover them!
Crooked Grind: Nosegrind with the nose sliding at the same time.
-------------
Fastplant: The character puts their foot on an object, pushes off
--------- and ollies.
Hardflip: An ollie where you push both feet out and lose
-------- complete contact with the board, and then regain contact.
Nollie: An ollie done with the front end of your board (nose ollie).
------
McTwist: It seems doubtful that it is in the demo, but I'm
------- certain it will be in the game!
----------------
The Point System:
----------------
The point system in THPS is as follows:
Doing a trick the first time will give you 100% of the points listed
below. Each successive time your score decreases.
1st: 100%
2nd: 50%
3rd: 25%
4th on: 10%
Adding spins to your moves is the best way to gain major points. With
each 180 degree spin, your score multiplier goes up.
180: 1.5x
360: 2.0x
540: 2.5x
720: 3.0x
900: 3.5x
Below are the point totals for the basic moves. Remember scores will
differ according to the rules above.
Ollie: 0
Wall Ride: 50
180 Ollie: 50
360 Ollie: 100 (each successive rotation gives you 50 points more)
Kickflip: 100
Heelflip: 100
Nollie: 200
Indy Nosebone: 220
Method: 220
Tail Grab: 220
Stalefish: 270
Japan Air: 320
Kickflip to Indy: 320
Rocket Air: 370
360 Flip: 400
360 Shove It: 400
Impossible: 400
Madonna: 420
Hardflip: 480
Fastplant: 500
Varial: 500
Finger Flip: 620
Benihana 620 (may be 420 in final version)
Christ Air 1020
540 Board Varial 1200
Fingerflip Air Walk 1200
Backflip 3620
Grinds: Varies
Boardslides: Varies
Grinds and Boardslides don't have a base amount of points. The
amount of points you receive is governed by the duration of the move.
All grab moves have a base number to begin with. The longer you
hold that move, the more points you receive.
Comboing 2 or more moves together will give you different point
totals. Doing an Impossible (400) into a finger flip (620) will give
you 1020 X 2 points. Add a third move, and multiply by three.
Of course, this is only if it's the first time you've done each
move, and you didn't spin at all.
-----------------
Tips & Strategies:
-----------------
Here are a few pointers on how to score major points. If you
have any ideas that you'd like included, please email me, and I'll try
to get it on the FAQ!
Highest Point Total:
-------------------
The highest score I've reached was 46,000 or so. My friend, using the
Grind Cheese method listed below, has reached over 52,000 points!
What's your highest total!?
First Rail Madness:
------------------
When approaching the first rail in the demo, hold down to slow down,
but don't come to a complete stop. While holding down, do an 180
Impossible to a 5-0 Grind, since both moves require a down press.
Then, push up, and do a Shove It (still trying to get a 180 in
there!) to a Nose Grind, again, since both require an up press.
Finish off with a Benihana (probably the most points) or whatever
you wish. While each time you'll get a different amount of points.
Highest Score Seen: 15,000+
Grind Cheese:
------------
This is my friend's trick, and I think it's a bit cheesy for me, but
if you want crazy points, try this out.
Head over to the pool. Do some sort of kick trick into a grind (on
the corner of the pool). Now, just ollie to grind to ollie to grind.
I can't do this very well, but each time you do an ollie to grind (or
kick trick to grind if you're brave) your point multiplier will go
up. 2nd grind=2X, 3rd grind=3X and so on. You won't be able to grind
around the whole pool, (I don't think so at least) but you can get
pretty far, and get a 10-15x multiplier.
Highest Score Seen: 35,000+
======================================================================
+++++++++
Section D: Final Notes, Credits, Links, Legal Info
+++++++++
-----------
Final Notes:
-----------
The way the game is now, this looks like it will be one of the
best games ever! (though I can't help but keep Street Fighter at #1)
When the full version does come out, I hope to complete the rest of
this FAQ. Latest reports say that it won't be out until at least
September, possibly October, so we have a long time to wait.
-------
Credits:
-------
Adam Lanza Skuppy@aol.com The rock-n-roll THPS Master!
20th Century Vole Atori1@hotmail.com Christ/Backflip info!
Jeff Weaver jacquismo@hotmail.com Great ideas for V 1.2!
Chris Rausch Neversoft Designer Many blurbs of info!
Many Many more!
-----
Links:
-----
www.neversoft.com The design team that is creating the game!
They have a nice Hawk section, w/ footage of
his 900.
www.activision.com The publisher of the game.
www.tonyhawk.com Not much here, but it has a link to...
www.b-house.com Which is Birdhouse, Tony Hawk's skate team.
www.videogames.com Check here to find 2 AVIs of the game, including
some footage of moves and stages not in the demo!
www.skateboarding.net Good skateboarding site, has Hawk's 900 footage.
----------
Legal Info:
----------
This document Copyright 1999 Trevor Esposito (te0011@cnsvax.albany.edu)
This FAQ cannot be reproduced or distributed in any way without
consent from the author, nor can it be used for profit.
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