+----------------------------------------------------------------------+
| |
| T H E X E N O P H A G E F A Q |
| Version 1.2b |
| Dated February 5, 1998 |
| |
+----------------------------------------------------------------------+
| |
| X E N O P H A G E: |
| Alien Bloodsport |
| |
| "...revolutionary game design, it may indeed knock fighting fans |
| into another universe of apocalyptic action. " |
| --Strategy Plus Magazine |
| |
+----------------------------------------------------------------------+
The XENOPHAGE FAQ is a document with answers to some frequently asked
questions about the game XENOPHAGE.
Author: Doug Howell - Copyright 1996-1998 - e-mail: dhowell@bigfoot.com
Check out the web version of The XENOPHAGE FAQ at:
http://users.erinet.com/3422/xenopage
+----------------------------------------------------------------------+
+-------------------------->> Please Note <<---------------------------+
| Changes & Additions since Version 1.1 |
| are marked with '}' marks in the left margin. |
+----------------------------------------------------------------------+
LEGAL STUFF
-----------
If you need to copy any of this document, just give a reference on where
you got it.
XENOPHAGE is Copyright 1995-1996, Argo Games - All Rights Reserved. The
name XENOPHAGE and any characters mentioned from the game are trademarks
of Argo Games.
Any trademarks or intellectual property referred to within this FAQ
remain the property of their owner(s).
------------------------------------------------------------------------
TABLE OF CONTENTS
-----------------
1 FAQ Purpose and Comments
1.1 Reason for this FAQ
} 1.2 Changes made in FAQ Version 1.2
1.3 Changes made in FAQ Version 1.1
2 What is XENOPHAGE?
2.1 What it is
2.2 The Creators and Publisher
} 2.3 Hardware Requirements & Technical Help
2.4 Software Versions
2.4.1 Beta Demo
} 2.4.2 Shareware Version
} 2.4.3 Registered Version
} 2.5 Where you can get it
3 The Story - Why are these strange creatures fighting?
4 The Fighters and Their Environments
4.1 Mouth
4.2 Nick
4.3 Toad
4.4 Bat
4.5 Spike
4.6 Worm
4.7 Squid
4.8 Selena
4.9 Parasite
4.10 Champion
4.11 Grand Champion
4.12 Fighter Stat Comparison
4.13 Fighter Twins
5 The Demo Intro
6 Game Options
6.1 Controls, Sound, & Music
6.2 Display Options - The Blood Meter!
7 The Modes of Play
7.1 Training
7.1.1 Player Options Screen
7.2 Free Play
7.2.1 Match Options Screen
7.2.2 Player Options Screen
7.2.3 Current Stats Screen
7.3 Story Mode
7.3.1 Match Options Screen
7.3.2 Difficulty Modes
7.3.3 The Fighter Wheel
7.3.4 Life Credits
8 FIGHT!
8.1 Huh?--For Beginners Only
8.2 The FIGHT Screen
9 The Moves!
9.1 Shortcut Codes
9.2 Move Intro
9.2.1 Pointers
} 9.2.2 Combos
9.3 The Basic Moves for All Fighters
9.4 Two Special Moves Plus a Goodie
} 9.4.1 Overkills - The MEAT Move
9.4.2 The Flambe'
9.4.3 Resurrections
9.4.4 Post-Mortem Humiliations
} 9.5 Moves by Fighter
} 9.6 Moves by Execution Sequence
} 9.7 Strategy Stuff
}10 Secrets!
} 10.1 Cheat Codes
} 10.2 Command Line Parameters
}11 Trivia and Fun Stuff
}12 Thanks go to...
}13 Final Words
------------------------------------------------------------------------
1 FAQ Purpose and Comments
--------------------------
1.1 Reason for this FAQ
-----------------------
The reason I wrote this FAQ is quite simple. I love to play fighting
games but hate to figure out the moves. Mastering the moves and
whipping the other fighters is what makes a fighting game fun! I hate
it when fighting game developers leave it up to the players to figure
most everything out. And you know, most all of them do this. Who the
heck started this dumb practice anyway? :)
Well for those of you who want to know most of the fighting moves when
you boot up the game, this FAQ's for you! Prepare yourself for some all
out, blood-spurting fighting fun!!
}1.2 Changes made in FAQ Version 1.2
}-----------------------------------
}I added the following:
} * More detail on Combos in Section 9. Combo moves are now designated
} as such.
} * Meat moves for Parasite and Champion in Sections 9.5 and 9.6.
} * A new combo move for Spike in Sections 9.5 and 9.6.
} * A summary of command line parameters in Section 10.
} * Instructions in Section 11 on how you might be able to play the
} registered version of XENOPHAGE directly from the CD.
} * A quick fix for the install program bug (with 64 mb computers) in
} Section 2.3.
}I deleted the following:
} * Bat's Turn-Around Kick move that was listed in prior FAQs. It was
} pointed out to me that this move doesn't work, and it doesn't. It
} worked in a beta version of the game and I didn't catch this when
} the actual game was released.
}I also made various minor changes throughout the entire FAQ.
1.3 Changes made in FAQ Version 1.1
-----------------------------------
I added the following:
* More fighter data in Section 4.
* Flambe' move sequence in Section 9.
* Moves for Parasite, Champion, and Grand Champion in Section 9.
* Selena's 2nd Meat move in Section 9!
* A big bunch of secret codes in Section 10--BISHOP, BLARNEY, BLOOD,
CHAMPS, GLASSJAW, HELIUM, INVISIBLE, ORCHID, SHADOWS, THOUGHTJINX,
and XACMAN!
* More fun stuff in Section 11.
* A new section, Section 12 "Thanks go to...", to give credit to those
who have helped hunt down XENOPHAGE's secret stuff.
I changed the following:
* Spike's Tail Spike move now shown with the correct easier sequence
in Sections 9.5 and 9.6.
------------------------------------------------------------------------
2 What is XENOPHAGE?
--------------------
2.1 What it is
--------------
XENOPHAGE is a fighting game for the PC that's in the same genre as the
arcade classics Street Fighter II and Mortal Kombat. The game displays
a 2-dimensional scrolling side view of the combatants during each fight.
What makes this game unique is the camera panning feature which zooms
the view in and out depending on how far away each fighter is from the
other fighter. And if you want it to look like other 2-D fighting
games, you can easily turn the zooming feature off.
Other features include:
* 8 fighters and 2 boss champions (ummm...actually 3 boss champions!)
* Support of high-res (SVGA) 640x400 and 640x480 modes for greater
graphic detail
* Fighters that are fully rendered, extremely detailed, and quite
large--almost as tall as the computer screen when you have the
camera panning feature turned on
* Adjustable shadows
* Animated background environments/arenas for each fighter
* Unique moves/combos for each fighter
* Humiliation of defeated fighters
* Resurrection moves to bring your "defeated" fighter back to life
* Story mode, Free Play mode, and Training mode
* Fine-tune adjustment of your fighter(s) in both Free Play and
Training modes
* A meter to adjust the amount of bloody gore on the screen
* An Instant Replay Box that pops up after you execute a fancy combo
move
* Different music for each fighter/environment
2.2 The Creators and Publisher
------------------------------
XENOPHAGE was developed by Argo Games and is published by Apogee
Software, Ltd. The retail store version is distributed by FormGen
Incorporated.
The game lists the creators as being:
Jason Blochowiak - Producer and Programmer
Rowan Atalla - Design and Character Actions
Abraham Edlin - AI Personalities
Robert Prince - Music and Sound Effects
Jim Dose' - Apogee Sound System
Saffire Corporation - Backgrounds, Original Character
Models and Motions
Dov Jelen - Art Bits
Lori Richards - Art Bits
Additional credits for the registered version booklet:
Michael Hadwin - Graphic Design
Bob Depew - Cover Illustration
2.3 Hardware Requirements & Technical Help
------------------------------------------
Apogee lists a minimum required system as being an IBM PC or 100%
compatible 486DX/33 with at least 8Mb of RAM memory, a double speed
CD-ROM (for the registered version), and MS-DOS 3.3 or higher. However,
they recommend a Pentium 66 mhz PC or better, 16 Mb of RAM memory, Vesa
Local Bus or PCI video, VESA BIOS compatible 256 SVGA at 640x400 or
640x480, a quad speed CD-ROM (for the registered version), a 16-bit
sound card with wavetable synthesis, and a speed compensating joystick.
}For more information, run the On-Disk Technical Support Manual program
}that comes with both shareware and registered versions (XPHELP.EXE).
}This help program gives a whole bunch of tips on setting up the game
}and fixing any problems. There's also a nice section on XENOPHAGE
}fighting tips, most of which are mentioned in this FAQ. And it has a
}good listing too of all the command line parameters for running
}XENOPHAGE. These parameters are mostly used by Apogee Tech Support to
}assist the customer in those rare situations where XENOPHAGE won't
}function properly. (If you are interested in the command line
}parameters and what they do, I've listed a short summary of them in
}Section 10.2 of this FAQ.)
}Those of you who have a computer with 64 mb Ram memory might experience
}problems installing the registered version of XENOPHAGE. There is a
}bug in the installation program for 64 mb computers only, and the
}On-Disk Technical Support Manual program doesn't mention it (the bug
}showed up after the game's release). Here's how to fix it. Go out to
}DOS, make a directory on your hard drive where you want to install
}XENOPHAGE, and then copy all the files from the CD's XENOINST directory
}to your new directory on the hard drive. Easy fix, isn't it? But be
}sure you don't use WIN95's Explorer program to do this, since that
}program keeps all the read only attributes set to on for the files that
}are copied, and prevents XENNOPHAGE from running correctly.
2.4 Software Versions
---------------------
Apogee has released 3 versions of XENOPHAGE (plus a preview and a
slideshow).
2.4.1 Beta Demo
---------------
The first XENOPHAGE release was a beta demo version that was released on
12-28-95. This was a work-in-progress of the shareware version to get
feedback on any potential hardware bugs. You should probably forget
trying to find the beta version. I only mention it here as a point of
reference. The shareware version is the one to try out since it is
virtually bug-free with smoother animations and better gameplay, and
gives you a better feel for the registered version.
2.4.2 Shareware Version
-----------------------
}The next release of XENOPHAGE was the shareware version 1.0 of
}XENOPHAGE on 4-26-96. The shareware version features 3 fighters:
}Spike, Bat, and Toad, and has 2 of the 3 fighting modes: Practice mode
}and Free Play modes. This version is more like a demo, since it only
}gives you a tiny taste of what the registered version is like. The
}latest shareware version number 1.1 was released on 12-6-96. It
}includes some very minor fixes to version number 1.0 to correspond with
}the fixes done in the initial release of the registered version.
2.4.3 Registered Version
------------------------
}The registered version of XENOPHAGE is really what this FAQ is about.
}This version features 8 regular fighters plus 2 champion boss fighters,
}3 fighting modes: Story mode, Free Play mode, and Training mode, a new
}intro animation with voice-overs, and a different ending animation for
}each of the fighters in Story mode. The current and initial registered
}version number 1.1 was released 7-96.
2.5 Where you can get it
------------------------
}You can download the shareware version from the following sites:
} From the Internet - Apogee's web site - http://www.apogee1.com
}The registered version can be ordered directly from Apogee by calling
}1-800-APOGEE1. You can also buy it in retail software stores too.
------------------------------------------------------------------------
3 The Story - Why are these strange creatures fighting?
-------------------------------------------------------
The Apogee catalog gives a good summary of the story:
"A godlike alien race has become so bored that they rely on other
species to provide them entertainment. They've snatched
representatives from the universe's most feared species and organized
a fighting tournament. The loser forfeits breeding rights for its
entire race! The tournament winner gets the honor of dying at the
hands of the Grand Champion."
Of course, you'll get a better gist of the story when you watch the
animated intro in the registered version. Among other things it shows
poor Nick and Selena being snatched by the aliens plus a cool planetary
explosion.
------------------------------------------------------------------------
4 The Fighters and Their Environments
-------------------------------------
There are 11 alien fighters (12 if you count the secret Blarney fighter)
in the registered version. (See Sections 2.4.2 and 2.4.3 on what is
different between the shareware and registered versions.) You can play
as 8 of the regular fighters in all 3 fighting modes. You are able to
fight the 3 Boss fighters, Parasite, Champion, and Grand Champion, in
Story mode. (By using a special cheat code, you can also play as the 3
Boss fighters too in all 3 fighting modes, as well as fight them in Free
Play and Story modes. See Section 10.)
BTW, I have purposely not assumed that any of the alien fighters are
male or female (unless it is obvious like Selena or Nick). I leave it
up to your judgment on whether an alien fighter is a male, a female, or
an IT!
The fighters/environments are listed in the order that you see them on
the Fighter Selection Screen in the registered version, from left to
right. And the last 3 Boss fighters are listed in the order that you
fight them in Story Mode.
4.1 Mouth
---------
Mouth has a huge blue head with beady red eyes. Its head-body walks on
4 short-legged webbed feet with 2 arm-hands hanging out the front. Mouth
comes from Orus, a world that has a deep space observatory for studying
the universe. Be careful of Mouth's large strong hands and its leaping
attack!
4.2 Nick
--------
Nick looks to be a man of nature well-versed in the martial arts. He
comes from Earth and lives the rough life out in the woods by a
waterfall. Check out the dripping deer carcass hanging on his cabin!
Nick is very good doing kick attacks and can even throw out a mental
field of force!
4.3 Toad
--------
Toad is a fierce, green lizard-type creature with huge teeth and a
spiked tail. Its homeworld, Zong, looks to be swampy with lots of small
oozing plants. Watch out for Toad's fast attack and swinging spiked
tail!
4.4 Bat
-------
Bat is a red, bat-humanoid creature. It has the ability to fly and spin
quickly through the air. The homeworld of Bat, Fleder, appears to be
dark, moist, and underground with small luminous creatures flying about.
Bat has various spinning attacks and can avoid being hit by just flying
up and away. Like a true bat, this critter will suck your blood if
given a chance.
4.5 Spike
---------
Spike is yellow and spider-like and one of the more dangerous fighters.
Spike comes from SFPN-10, a purplish, bubbling world. Watch the eggs in
the background drop to the ground and hatch into crawling worms! You
best beware of Spike's quickness and green goo attacks. Like Bat, Spike
also loves to suck blood from an opponent now and then.
4.6 Worm
--------
Worm is just that....a blue-grey worm creation with 3 appendages for
movement, and a 4th appendage used as a head with a biting pincer. Worm
comes from Moreau's World, which has a laboratory filled with a
collection of alien life-forms stored in jars. Worm has rolling
quickness with a fierce rolled-up flying attack.
4.7 Squid
---------
Squid looks like a huge orange-brown alien squid with long tentacles for
arms and a round sucking mouth. This large critter hails from Calamis
and fights in what looks to be a ship-like hull with big electrodes
shooting electricity in the background. Squid is big and strong and
loves to do belly-flops on your head!
4.8 Selena
----------
Selena is a city girl from Earth who is a lean, mean fighting machine!
She lives in a well-furnished penthouse apartment complete with big
screen TV, fireplace and fishtank! Selena has a vicious kick attack and
knows how to wield her mental force sword!
4.9 Parasite
------------
Parasite is a fast, evil-looking scavenger alien. This reddish boss
critter has a head with pincers in the middle of upper and lower legs
that move around like a pinwheel. Its homeworld of Bysmol has living
purplish caves with sucking mouths in the walls. Yellow fields of
energy are this creature's specialty along with a fast warping move.
4.10 Champion
-------------
Watch out for Champion. This "alien" creature is big, dark-green, and
wants you very dead. Champion's home-world environment of Mallochia is
dark grey and purple with floating, grinning heads! The big critter
throws some sharp spikes and knows how to do a quick change when needed!
4.11 Grand Champion
-------------------
This creature is one big, nasty surprise! This morphed, bigger version
of Champion has 2 arms with claws on an alien body with 4 horse-like
legs. Beware of flying spit!
4.12 Fighter Stat Comparison
----------------------------
Check out the cool fold-out picture of all the fighters in the
registered booklet! Below are some fighter stat comparisons from that
fold-out. There were no stats given for Grand Champion, but I would
assume that the Stamina, Strength, and Weakness stats of Grand Champion
closely correspond to those of Champion.
Fighter Wt(lbs.) Ht. Stamina
-------- -------- ---- -------
Mouth 400 4'2" High
Nick 211 6'2" Average
Toad 336 5'1" Average
Bat 130 5'11" Low
Spike 187 6'4" Low
Worm 253 4'0" Average
Squid 650 6'0" High
Selena 112 5'7" Average
Parasite 145 5'6" High
Champion 1652 6'1" Average
Fighter Strength Weakness
-------- ------------------- ------------------------------------
Mouth Long reach Bulky & slow
Nick Military training No natural defenses
Toad Sharp, razor teeth Long, bulky body
Bat Aerial Combat Not very strong
Spike Very fast! Short reach
Worm Very compact! No long range contacts
Squid Very strong! Very slow!
Selena Speed & flexibility No natural defenses
Parasite Variety of attacks Some attacks are hard to recover from
Champion Fast, aggressive Very few!
4.13 Fighter Twins
------------------
Each of the 11 fighters that you can pick in the registered version of
Free Play and Story modes has a corresponding fighter twin. (You need
a special cheat code to fight as the 3 Boss fighters. See Section 10.)
That is to say, for example, that Nick can battle Nick or Worm can
battle Worm. It would get very confusing in a fight if the
corresponding twin looked exactly like your fighter. So in XENOPHAGE
there are easily distinguishable differences between the 2 fighters.
Here's a list of the 11 fighters and what makes them different from
their related twin:
Normal Fighter Twin Fighter
---------------------------- ----------------------------
Mouth blue body green body
Nick red shirt green shirt
Toad green body brown body
Bat red body with red blood blue body with blue blood
Spike yellow body with green blood green body with yellow blood
Worm blue body purple body
Squid orange-brown body light yellow body
with orangish blood with light yellow blood
Selena red-brown hair & blue skirt brown hair & green skirt
Parasite pink & red body light blue & dark blue body
Champion green & black body tan & black body
Grand
Champion green & black body tan, black, & brown body
with grey blood with blue-grey blood
------------------------------------------------------------------------
5 The Demo Intro
----------------
When you start XENOPHAGE you get a demo sequence that gives you a
briefing of the game story, a view of some actual fights, and a listing
of the game's creators (the first time through the demo loop). You can
exit the demo to XENOPHAGE's Main Menu by hitting any keyboard key, and
can go back to the demo at any time by selecting the Return to Demo
option on the Main Menu.
The shareware version has a short animated game briefing. It shows an
alien creature explaining to you why you are fighting. The registered
version has a much longer animated story intro. You first catch a
glimpse of Nick and Selena being captured. Then you see Nick watching a
holographic screen, and actually get to hear the alien telling Nick why
he was captured. A cool planetary explosion animation follows with Nick
being whisked away in the alien space ship.
Whereas the shareware demo only shows fights with the demo characters,
the registered version demo has fight sequences between the 8 main
fighters of the full version. BTW, you don't get to see any fights with
the boss fighters. You earn that right by fighting your way completely
through Story Mode.
The fight sequences in the demo are a good place to watch the fighters
do some of their special moves and combos. Watch carefully and you'll
see some cool moves that you'll want to try.
------------------------------------------------------------------------
6 Game Options
--------------
One item you can select on XENOPHAGE's Main Menu is Options. This takes
you to a screen where you can set up or change the player control
devices, sound, music, and display parameters.
6.1 Controls, Sound, & Music
----------------------------
I won't go into much detail about the controls, sounds, and music
options since these items are pretty much self-explanatory by looking at
the screens. In the controls section you can set up and calibrate your
joysticks and reassign keys that you'll be using for the fighting moves
of Players 1 and 2. In the sounds and music sections, you can adjust
volumes and do some other minor adjustments.
One very nice feature in XENOPHAGE is that you have complete access to
these options while fighting in the Story and Free Play modes. (See
Section 7 for information on these modes of play.) You just hit the
Escape key to temporarily exit out of the current fight. You'll see an
option on the menu that comes up that says Options, where you can
fine-tune your controls, sound, and music. When you're finished with
your adjustments, you can go back into the current fight by picking
Return to Fight off the menu.
6.2 Display Options - The Blood Meter!
--------------------------------------
The Display Options Screen is where you can turn on and off some of the
cool stuff in the game. Here's a list of the options:
Super VGA - On/Off
Background Animation - On/Off
Fast Palette - On/Off
Palette - On/Off
Palette Animation - On/Off
Camera Zooming - On/Off
Shadow Type - None, Solid, Better, Best
Amount of Blood - Adjustable Meter - move to right for
more blood
Instant Replay - On/Off
Loading Icon - On/Off
Gamma Correction - Adjustable Meter - move to right for
brighter screen
If you have a low-end 486, a low-end video card, or just 8 Meg of
memory, and the game is running slow or having display problems, you can
experiment a little bit by turning some of these options off and seeing
what happens. If you have a fast Pentium machine with lots of memory,
you'll want to set most of these to On for the best fight experience.
Here is a short description of XENOPHAGE's 3 cool display features you
can turn on or off:
* Camera Zooming is one of XENOPHAGE's most unique features. Turn
this on if you want to see the game zoom up close to the fighters
(when they're close together) and display them almost as high as
your computer screen. If you want to get a good view of the
background environment, turn Camera Zooming off. You'll see the
full background that the fighters are fighting in like in other 2D
fighting games, but the fighters will be much smaller.
* The Amount of Blood meter adjusts how much blood is thrown off the
fighters when hit. If you want no blood, push the meter all the way
to the left. If you like lots of blood, then push the meter over to
the right.
* The Instant Replay feature can be turned on or off from this menu.
If turned on, when you execute a successful 3-hit combo or better
against the opposing fighter, a small Instant Replay box will appear
in the middle bottom of your screen and replay your cool combo move
along with all the bloody effects!
------------------------------------------------------------------------
7 The Modes of Play
-------------------
I've listed the playing modes in reverse order of how they appear in the
game menus since it is easier to talk about them this way.
7.1 Training
------------
Training mode is where you go to figure out moves for each fighter. You
can also use this mode to practice and hone the moves you know without
being beat up by the opposing fighter, at least not too much! You get
to do your training against a pumped up punching bag that looks like a
clown. You have to be careful when punching the clown-bag since it'll
swing back and forth, and just might swing back and hit you. If it
does, it'll let out a laughing squeaking sound.
7.1.1 Player Options Screen
---------------------------
An extremely useful feature of Training mode is the Player Options
Screen. Here you can fine-tune how your fighter will act in this
practice mode. Here's a list of what is on the Player Options screen and
the range of options:
Player Control - Keyboard or Joystick 1 (or 2)
Specials - Enabled or Disabled
Throws/Pummels - Enabled or Disabled
Auto Block - On or Off <----If you are just beginning or
are having trouble blocking
the clown as it swings back and
forth, turn this option on!
Meters (for extra-fine adjustments):
Strength - To the left is weak and to the right is strong. For
example, put the meter farther to the right for
stronger punches.
Speed - To the left is slow and to the right is fast (or
turbo).
Health - To the left is bad health and to the right is good
health. For example, the health meter of a fighter
that has a low health setting will drop quicker when
being hit than a fighter with a higher health
setting.
For example, suppose you want to just concentrate on doing special moves
and don't want your fighter to screw things up by also doing throws or
pummels (see Section 9 for info on these differing move types). It's
easy to do by toggling Special Moves to the enable setting and toggling
Throws/Pummels to the disable setting. Or suppose you want to have your
fighter practice in a super turbo mode. Just move the Speed meter all
the way to the right.
7.2 Free Play
-------------
Free Play is a great play mode for a number of reasons. Here you can
have a 2-player fight and go head-to-head with a buddy. You can also do
a 1-player fight against the 8 different computerized alien fighters of
the registered version. (See Sections 2.4.2 and 2.4.3 for differences
between the shareware and registered versions.) Or you can switch off
the opposing fighter, by setting that fighter's controls to keyboard or
joystick, and practice executing the Overkill (MEAT) moves (see Section
9.4.1 for more information on Overkills).
One important thing to note. Free Play mode is especially useful when
you get stuck in Story mode (see Section 7.3 for a discussion on Story
mode). You might find that you just can't get past a tough alien in
Story mode. Don't give up! Just go to Free Play mode, adjust the
fighter settings the way you want them, and then practice against your
computerized toughie like crazy until you figure out the right moves to
beat 'em to a pulp!
Free Play has a wide range of options you can set to fine-tune your
fighter, the opposing fighter, and the matches. Most anything you want
to adjust can be found in the Match Options and Player Options screens.
7.2.1 Match Options Screen
--------------------------
Here's a list of what is on the Match Options Screen and the range of
options:
Rounds per Match - 1, 3, or 5
Match Time - 15 secs, 30 secs, 60 secs, 90 secs, or 5 minutes
Overkills - On or Off
Post-Mortem Humiliations - On or Off
Resurrections - On or Off
Overkills (MEAT moves), Post-Mortem Humiliations, and Resurrections are
cool options to turn on. See Section 9.4 for a discussion on what these
moves/features are about.
7.2.2 Player Options Screen
---------------------------
And here's a list of what is on the Player Options Screen and the range
of options. I'm only listing the column for Player 1. There is also a
second column where you can adjust the settings for Player 2. One very
nice feature of the Player Options is that you can adjust them while
you're in the middle of a fight by just hitting the Escape key. This
way you can get these options set just the way you want them without
having to restart a fight:
Player 1 Type - Keyboard or Joystick 1 (or 2)
Specials - Enabled or Disabled
Throws/Pummels - Enabled or Disabled
Auto Block - On or Off <----If you are just beginning or
are having trouble blocking
your fast opponent's moves,
turn this option on!
Meters (for extra-fine adjustments):
Cunning - To the left is dumb and to the right is smart. This
meter can only be adjusted for the computerized
fighter.
Strength - To the left is weak and to the right is strong. For
example, put the meter farther to the right for
stronger punches.
Speed - To the left is slow and to the right is fast (or
turbo).
Health - To the left is bad health and to the right is good
health. For example, the health meter of a fighter
that has a low health setting will drop quicker when
being hit than a fighter with a higher health
setting.
7.2.3 Current Stats Screen
--------------------------
After you win or lose a fight in Free Play mode, the game will show you
a screen listing the current stats for all the players. I won't detail
what all the screen shows, but let me just say it contains a complete
record of Wins/Losses for Players 1 and 2 for all fights, listed by
fighter in an easy to read format. Do you have a friend who swears they
beat you at XENOPHAGE all the time? Just pull up the Current Stats
screen from the Free Play menu and prove just who is the boss! If you
tire of the collected stat information, there's an option on the Free
Play menu to reset the stats back to zero.
7.3 Story Mode
--------------
Most all fighting games have a "Story Mode". This is a single-player
mode where you pick a fighter and have them do battle, one at a time,
against all the other computerized fighters. It's called story mode
since this tournament style of fighting follows the initial story of the
game. In XENOPHAGE, the story is that your fighter has been captured
and must battle other alien fighters so that you can then suffer defeat
at the hands of the Grand Champion and lose your species' propagation
rights. But if you can miraculously beat the Grand Champion of
XENOPHAGE, then you get a special, unique animated ending based solely
on your winning fighter! Are you good enough to see all the different
animated endings?
7.3.1 Match Options Screen
--------------------------
Like Free Play mode, Story mode also has a Match Options Screen. Here's
a list of what is on the Match Options Screen and the range of options:
Rounds per Match - 1, 3, or 5
Match Time - 15 secs, 30 secs, 60 secs, 90 secs, or 5 minutes
Overkills - On or Off
Post-Mortem Humiliations - On or Off
Resurrections - On or Off
Overkills (MEAT moves), Post-Mortem Humiliations, and Resurrections are
cool options to turn on. See Section 9.4 for a discussion on what these
moves/features are about.
7.3.2 Difficulty Modes
----------------------
After you have selected your fighter in Story mode, the game lets you
select from 5 different Difficulty modes:
Very Easy (No Bosses)
Easy (Only One Boss)
Normal
Hard
Very Hard
XENOPHAGE differs from most all other fighting games in that its Story
mode can be played and enjoyed by all players, whether you are just
starting out with virtually no fighting skills or a seasoned gamer who
think you are hot stuff. In most all other fighting games I've played,
you have to have some good practiced fighting techniques before you can
even touch Story mode.
If you are a novice to fighting games, select Very Easy. This mode is
strictly for beginners, and seasoned players will find it way too easy
and probably boring. If you are relatively good at fighting games,
start at Normal and work your way up. Normal mode is tough but very
playable. Hard mode will give you a good sweaty workout. And Very Hard
mode will, shall we say, really test the die-hard fast-fingered players.
7.3.3 The Fighter Wheel
-----------------------
After you have selected your mode of difficulty, Story mode pops up a
screen with the Fighter Wheel. This is a wheel with head pictures of
the 8 fighters you must defeat (including your fighter twin), one at a
time, before you face the 3 Boss fighters. If you are playing in a
Difficulty mode where you will fight the Boss fighters (see Section
7.3.2 for description of Difficulty modes), then the picture of the Boss
fighter you will face will appear in the middle of the wheel right
before you do battle with that Boss.
A nice feature of XENOPHAGE that makes the Story mode of play more
unpredictable and exciting, is that the order of the 8 fighters you will
face are always different. Each time you play Story mode, you never
know who you are going to face first or when, until you see the pictures
of the other fighters on the Fighter Wheel.
7.3.4 Life Credits
------------------
Story mode gives you 3 life credits in case you should lose a fight with
any of the fighter opponents. In other words, you can lose 3 fights and
still continue. But if you lose the 4th time, then the game is over.
If you lose a fight and choose to use a credit, the game shows your
fighter being zapped back to life. You can also choose to forfeit the
game, and in this case the game is over and you are shown an animation
of being packed away into one of the many body drawers on the alien
space ship.
------------------------------------------------------------------------
8 FIGHT!
--------
Okay. You just booted up the game and want to play right away without
reading a bunch of stuff. But you're not really sure what you're doing
or what the stuff means on the Fight Screen. Here are some quick
comments and info to help you get going.
8.1 Huh?--For Beginners Only
----------------------------
You've never played a fighting game before and have no idea what to do?
I would suggest you try Training mode first to get your feet wet and to
get some feel on how to move ONE of the fighters. Read through Section
9 of this FAQ so that you know how to move the fighter you're using and
try some of the basic moves...jump, move forwards, move backwards,
punch, kick, block, etc. When you feel comfortable with the basic
moves, then try executing some of the fancier moves that are also listed
in Section 9 for your fighter.
Next, go to Free Play mode where you can try the moves you've learned
for your fighter against one of the computerized fighters. If you get
frustrated because you keep losing, go into the Player Options and turn
your Health meter all the way to the right, turn your opponent's Health
meter all the way to the left, and turn your opponent's Cunning and
Speed meters to the left a few notches. This should give you enough of
an advantage to beat the other fighter. Once you're feeling more
confident, you can readjust the meters you changed to tougher settings.
A quick way to do this is just select Reset Player Options off the menu,
which will turn the meters back to their default settings.
After you've practiced against some of the other computerized fighters
in Free Play mode and you start feeling somewhat confident with your
fighter, try going against a friend in Free Play mode. Or try your luck
in Story mode. If you want to feel good about your fighting skills,
play Story mode at the Very Easy (No Boss) Difficulty level. You should
be able to beat the other fighters without too much of a problem.
Next try practicing using other fighters. Experiment with various
Player Options and Match Options. Try Story mode at higher difficulty
levels. You're on your way to mastering XENOPHAGE!
8.2 The FIGHT Screen
--------------------
The layout of the Fight Screen is very simple. Most of the screen shows
the action of the fight. At the bottom of the screen, you'll find an
area that shows the current status for each of the 2 fighters. The area
on the left shows the stats for the fighter that started on the left, or
Player 1, and the area on the right shows the stats for the fighter that
started on the right, or Player 2. A small head picture is shown beside
each status area to remind you which stats go to which fighter. In the
middle of the 2 fighter status areas is an area that reminds you that
you can hit "F1" for basic help with the fight moves.
The status area for each fighter has 3 main areas of information. The
top part shows a health bar of the fighter's blood. As a fighter gets
hit, the blood starts flowing out of the meter. When the blood is gone,
the fighter is dead and loses that round of the fight. Below the health
bar is small area that shows the number of fight rounds the fighter has
won. A green circle appears for each round a fighter has won. (Of
course, this part of the status display isn't used for Training mode.)
The bottom part of the display shows the number of points the fighter
has scored on the other fighter.
As you fight, you'll notice the computer will quickly flash up a message
when you've scored a Combo, executed a Resurrection move, or performed a
Post-Mortem Humiliation on the other fighter. You'll also notice that
sometimes the screen will turn red, and it's during this period of time
when you can execute a Meat move. (See Section 9.4 for more information
about these moves.) The Resurrection move, Meat Moves, or Post-Mortem
Humiliation can't be performed in Training mode, so you won't see any
messages for these moves while practicing in this mode. (See Section 7
to read about the different modes of play.)
------------------------------------------------------------------------
9 The Moves!
------------
Here's the meat of the FAQ. This is what you're reading this for, isn't
it? So let's get going!
9.1 Shortcut Codes
------------------
Before I start a discussion on the fighting moves, you need to know the
shortcut codes I'll be using for the keystrokes/joystick buttons you'll
be pressing to execute the moves. For consistency, I'll be using most
of the same codes that Apogee lists in their XENOPHAGE On-Disk Technical
Support Manual.
The shortcut Directional Codes listed here correspond to the arrow keys
on your keyboard (default setup for first player or whatever other keys
you have assigned in the Setup program), the directional pad on your
gamepad, or the movement of your joystick lever. If your fighter is
facing to the right--------->, the shortcut Directional Codes are:
UA U UT UA=Up Away U=Up UT=Up Towards
A . T A=Away T=Towards
DA D DT DA=Down Away D=Down DT=Down Towards
Apogee lists the following shortcut Attack Codes for punching and
kicking:
P=Punch (Weak or Strong)
K=Kick (Weak or Strong)
WP=Weak Punch
SP=Strong Punch
WK=Weak Kick
SK=Strong Kick
However, I WILL NOT be using these when I describe the moves. Instead I
will spell out the word and use that in place of the shortcut code. If
it is a Strong Kick, I will use "Strong Kick" and won't show it as "SK".
I think this should cut down confusion on having too many codes, and
should get you learning the moves more quickly.
Also in many of the moves, I list just the generic form of the attack
like "Punch", instead of being more specific with "Weak Punch" or
"Strong Punch". Usually, just try using the weak attack key first when
practicing the move and that should work.
Important to Note: The Punch/Kick moves correspond to the keys/buttons
you set up for your keyboard/joystick. If your joystick/gamepad has 4
buttons, then the weak and strong moves can be executed by pressing
separate buttons. However, if your joystick/gamepad is set up as only
having 2 buttons, then the weak and strong moves are executed by the
amount of time you hold a button down. For example, a quick tap on the
joystick button would do a weak attack, while a longer press on that
same button will do a strong attack.
9.2 Move Intro
--------------
Read this section especially if you are having problems executing some
of the moves for the fighters.
9.2.1 Pointers
--------------
You'll notice that most of the moves are continuous quarter sweeps of
the directional keys which are followed by pressing an attack button.
Take a look down at Toad's Projectile and Tail Swipe moves for some good
examples (Section 9.5).
You should note that if you do these moves with the KEYBOARD, that the
pressing of the keys should be very smooth from one to the next. You
should press down on the second key before you let go of the first key.
And the last directional key should be held down while the attack button
is pushed. Also if you are doing a quarter sweep on the keyboard where
you're going from one direction to the other, the middle key of the
sequence can be ignored as long as you press down on the third
directional key before you release the first directional key. For
example, Toad's Tail Swipe move could be executed by doing: D,T-Punch.
9.2.2 Combos
------------
Combos are a fast sequence of successful attacks that are done so
quickly that the attacker doesn't stop moving between the attacks.
Combo-finishers are special moves that can only be done after a
successful execution of a Combo attack. And some fighters can even do a
fancy move after the Combo-finisher. All the fighters are capable of
doing the Combo moves. Look down at Nick's moves and you'll find a cool
Combo/Combo-finisher that he can execute.
}An example of a simple 2-hit Combo that all fighters can execute would
}be: Weak Kick,Weak Punch (or Weak Punch,Weak Kick). A message will
}display on the screen by the fighters saying "2-Hit Combo" when you
}successfully do the 2-hit Combo move. (This message displays for all
}fighters EXCEPT for the Grand Champion.) If you are VERY fast, you can
}do a 3-hit or 4-hit Combo by just continuing the prior sequence. For
}example, a simple 3-hit Combo move might be: Weak Kick,Weak Punch,
}Weak Kick.
}In Sections 9.5 and 9.6 where the fighters' moves are listed, I have
}tried to designate which moves are Combos. I'm sure there are probably
}plenty more fighter Combo moves that I haven't listed. Hopefully, I'll
}be able to list more in a future version of this FAQ with the help of
}some gamer feedback. I'm especially interested in hearing about
}Combo-finishers and the fancy moves some of the fighters can execute
}after the Combo-finishers.
9.3 The Basic Moves for all Fighters
------------------------------------
Here's the basic moves common to all the fighters (refer above to the
shortcut Directional Codes in Section 9.1):
Basic Movement - A = Walk backwards
T = Walk forwards
U = Jump up
UA = Jump left
UT = Jump right
Block an Attack - A = Standing block while walking, or will just
block if at the far edge of the screen
DA = Crouching block
If you are just beginning and trying to learn
the moves or have a fighter opponent who is just
too fast for you, you can turn on the Auto Block
feature in the Player Options screen of either
Training or Free Play modes.
Throw the Opponent - T-Punch while near the other fighter (in other
words, hold down the T directional key as you
then hit the Punch key)
Pummel the Opponent - T-Kick while near the other fighter (in other
words, hold down the T directional key as you
then hit the Kick key)
9.4 Two Special Moves Plus a Goodie
-----------------------------------
The following 3 special moves, Overkill, Flambe', and Resurrection, plus
the extra goodie, Humiliation, can be done by the fighters only if you
have them turned to On in the Match Options Screen for the Story and
Free Play modes. (The special Flambe' move can only be done if you have
Overkills turned on.) They will not work in Training mode. Each
fighter has their own key sequence on how to launch the 3 special attack
moves.
9.4.1 Overkills - The Meat Move
-------------------------------
Right at the very end of a fight (say at the end of Round 3 of a 3 Round
fight) when the other fighter's health is close to nothing, the screen
will turn red. When this happens, move up close to the other fighter
and execute your fighter's special Meat move. Your fighter will do a
very bloody head-ripping-type of move to the other fighter, and the
screen will say "MEAT" in big red letters. Here's a list of the Meat
moves for each of the 11 fighters.
Mouth - D,DT,T-Punch
Nick - D,DA,A-Strong Kick
Toad - D,DT,T-Kick
Bat - U,T-Punch
Spike - D,DT,T-Kick
Worm - D,DT,T-Kick
Squid - D,DA,A-Strong Punch
Selena - D,DT,T-Kick
Selena - T,DT,D,DA,A-Strong Punch <--- Meat Move #2!
} Parasite - A,T-Kick
} Champion - A,T-Punch
Grand
Champion - NA
}There doesn't seem to be a Meat move for Grand Champion since there's
}no Meat move opportunity (screen turning red) when you're fighting as
}this fighter. (See Section 10 on how to use a special cheat code to
}activate the Boss fighters.)
9.4.2 The Flambe'
-----------------
Would you like to cook your MEAT?! This is called the Flambe' move and
will flame broil your bloody opponent right after an Overkill! (You
must successfully execute a Meat move to do the Flambe' move.) The
Flambe' move is easy to do! Execute the move sequence for the Flambe'
while your fighter is performing the Meat move on the screen (or
sometimes right at the very end of the Meat sequence). If the move
doesn't seem to work, quickly do the move sequence again.
Here's the list of Flambe' moves for each of the 11 fighters. Unknown
move executions are shown with a "??".
Mouth - A,T,A
Nick - A,T,A
Toad - A,T,A
Bat - ??
Spike - A,T,A
Worm - A,T,A
Squid - A,T,A
Selena - A,T,A
Parasite - ??
Champion - ??
Grand
Champion - NA
9.4.3 Resurrections
-------------------
Whenever your fighter gets killed (no health left), you can bring your
fighter back to life if you quickly execute the Resurrection move. Your
fighter will jump back up and have a small amount of health left so you
can continue on with the fight. You'll find this "cheat" feature is
very handy in getting through some of the tougher fights in Story mode,
especially since you can use the Resurrection move multiple times in the
same fighting round!
Here's the list of Resurrection moves for each of the 11 fighters.
Unknown move executions are shown with a "??".
Mouth - Clockwise on the directional keys
Nick - Clockwise on the directional keys
Toad - ??
Bat - Clockwise on the directional keys
Spike - Clockwise on the directional keys
Worm - ??
Squid - ??
Selena - Clockwise on the directional keys
Parasite - Clockwise on the directional keys
Champion - Clockwise on the directional keys
Grand
Champion - ??
9.4.4 Post-Mortem Humiliations
------------------------------
Post-Mortem Humiliations is an option that most sadistic players like to
leave on. When this is on, you can continue beating on the other dead
fighter for a short period of time after a round is over and keep
racking up points. As the old saying goes, "Kick them when they're
down!". :)
9.5 Moves by Fighter
--------------------
Here's the list of moves I have found for each fighter. Unknown move
executions are shown with a "??".
MOUTH: Ball Throw: A,DA,D-Punch (In other words, hit Away
directional key, hit Down-Away directional key,
hit Down directional key and at the same time
hit either one of the 2 Punch keys)
Flying Attack: U,D-Kick
} +Punch into Ground: Weak Kick(or Weak Punch),A-Strong Punch
(plus you get an Instant Replay if you
have that feature turned on)
Meat: D,DT,T-Punch
Flambe': A,T,A
Resurrection: Clockwise on directional keys all around
NICK: ForceField Throw: D,DA,A-Punch
Upward Punch: UT(or UA)-Punch
Cartwheel Attack: A,T-Kick
} +Strong Upward Punch: Weak Kick(or Weak Punch),A-Strong Punch
} +Cool Combo Punch: Weak Kick(or Weak Punch),A-Strong
Punch,U-Punch (In other words do a Weak
Kick when you're close to the other
fighter, and then very quickly hit the
Away directional key and hit the Strong
Punch key, which gets the other fighter
flying into the air, and quickly follow
by hitting the Up key and Punch key, so
that Nick flies into the air with an
upper punch.)
Meat: D,DA,A-Strong Kick
Flambe': A,T,A
Resurrection: Clockwise on directionals
TOAD: Fast Attack: A,T-Punch
Projectiles: A,DA,D-Punch
Tail Swipe: D,DT,T-Punch
} +Tail Toss: Weak-Kick,A-Strong Punch
Meat: D,DT,T-Kick
Flambe': A,T,A
Resurrection: ??
BAT: Spin Attack: D,DT,T-Punch
Nose Spin Attack: A,T-Punch
Fly: Hold U (plus UT or UA for direction) and hit
the Punch key repeatedly
Flying Nose Attack: U-Strong Punch
} +Head to Ground Move: Punch or Kick the other fighter up
close, then T,A-Strong Punch
Meat: U,T-Punch
Flambe': ??
Resurrection: Clockwise on directionals
SPIKE: High Spit: D,DT,T-Punch
Low Spit: A,DA,D-Punch
Tail Spike: Get close to other fighter, then T,UT,U-Kick
} +Mid-leg Kick: Get close to other fighter,
} then Weak Kick(or Weak Punch),A-Strong Kick
} (plus you get an Instant Replay if you
} have that feature turned on)
Meat: D,DT,T-Kick
Flambe': A,T,A
Resurrection: Clockwise on directionals
WORM: Flying Spin Attack: A,T-Kick
Upward Punch: UT(or UA)-Strong Punch
} +Quick Spin Punch: Weak Kick(or Weak Punch),A-Strong Punch
} (plus you get an Instant Replay if you
} have that feature turned on)
Meat: D,DT,T-Kick
Flambe': A,T,A
Resurrection: ??
SQUID: Double ForceField: D,DA,A-Kick
Flying Attack: U,D-Punch
} +Punch Across Screen: Weak Kick(or Weak Punch),A-Strong Punch
(plus you get an Instant Replay if that
feature is turned on)
Meat: D,DA,A-Strong Punch
Flambe': A,T,A
Resurrection: ??
SELENA: ForceField Arrow: D,DT,T-Punch
Spin Kick Attack: A,T-Kick
Handstand Flying Kick: U-Kick
(Push the Up key to make Selena jump
and continue holding it as you hit the
Kick key when she touches the ground)
} +Fast Jump Over Opponent:
Weak Kick(or Weak Punch),A-Strong Kick
Meat #1: D,DT,T-Kick
Meat #2: T,DT,D,DA,A-Strong Punch <---Big Meat Attack!! :)
Flambe': ??
Resurrection: Clockwise on directionals
PARASITE: Energy Toss: D,DT,T-Punch
Jump & Suck: D,DA,A-Kick
} +Fly Back with Fast Forward Attack:
Weak Kick(or Weak Punch),A-Strong Punch
Fast Scurry Attack: A,T-Punch
} Meat: A,T-Kick
Flambe': ??
Resurrection: Clockwise on directionals
CHAMPION: Nasty Spit: D,DA,A-Punch OR D,DT,T-Kick
Mad Claws: D,DT,T-Punch
Slider Kick: A,T-Kick
Flying Head Butt: U(or UT)-Strong Punch
Kick Out & Back Flip: U(Hold)-Strong Kick a few times
Big Forward Jump: U(Hold)-Punch a few times
} +Head Butt Combo: Weak Punch,A-Strong Punch
} Meat: A,T-Punch
Flambe': ??
Resurrection: Clockwise on directionals
GRAND
CHAMPION: Nasty Spit: D,DT,T-Punch
Double Back-leg Kick: A,T-Kick
Up on Hind Legs: U(Hold)-Punch a few times
Meat: Doesn't appear to have one---Free Play mode doesn't
turn screen to red to allow you to do one!
Flambe': If no Meat move, then no Flambe' move!
Resurrection: ??
} +These moves (the ones with a '+' beside them) are Combos.
} Most all the Combos will show a 2 or 3-hit Combo message on
} the screen when successfully executed near the other fighter,
} except for the Combo for Toad and the Combo for Bat.
9.6 Moves by Common Execution Sequence
--------------------------------------
These are the same moves listed in Section 9.5. Instead of them being
listed by fighter, they are listed by common method of execution. I've
also tried to list the moves that have common directional sweeps next to
each other too. This list is for those of you who are only good at
executing one or two of the moves! :)
A,T-Punch: Toad - Fast Attack
Bat - Nose Spin Attack
Parasite - Fast Scurry Attack
} Champion - Meat Move
A,T-Kick: Nick - Cartwheel Attack
Worm - Flying Spin Attack
Selena - Spin Kick Attack
} Parasite - Meat Move
Champion - Slider Kick
Grand
Champion - Double Back-leg Kick
A,T,A: Mouth - Flambe' Move
Nick - Flambe' Move
Toad - Flambe' Move
Spike - Flambe' Move
Worm - Flambe' Move
Squid - Flambe' Move
A,DA,D-Punch: Mouth - Ball Throw
Toad - Projectiles (throwing of tail spikes)
Spike - Low Spit (low shooting of green goo)
D,DT,T-Punch: Mouth - Meat Move
Toad - Tail Swipe
Bat - Spin Attack
Spike - High Spit (high shooting of green goo)
Selena - Force Field Arrow
Parasite - Energy Toss
Champion - Mad Claws
Grand
Champion - Nasty Spit
D,DT,T-Kick: Toad - Meat Move
Spike - Meat Move
Worm - Meat Move
Selena - Meat Move #1
Champion - Nasty Spit
D,DA,A-Strong Kick:
Nick - Meat Move
D,DA,A-Kick: Squid - Double Forcefield (throws out double
fields of force)
Parasite - Jump & Suck
D,DA,A-Strong Punch:
Squid - Meat Move
D,DA,A-Punch: Nick - Force Field Throw
Champion - Nasty Spit
T,DT,D,DA,A-Strong Punch:
Selena - Meat Move #2
UT (or UA)-Punch: Nick - Upward Punch
UT (or UA)-Strong Punch:
Worm - Upward Punch
U,D-Kick: Mouth - Flying Attack
U,D-Punch: Squid - Flying Attack
U,T-Punch: Bat - Meat Move
U-Strong Punch: Bat - Flying Nose Attack
U(or UT)-Strong Punch:
Champion - Flying Head Butt
Hold U (plus UT or UA for direction) and hit the Punch key repeatedly:
Bat - Fly
U(Hold)-Hit the Punch key a few times:
Champion - Big Forward Jump
Grand
Champion - Up on Hind Legs
U(Hold)-Hit the Strong Kick key a few times:
Champion - Kick Out & Back Flip
U-Kick: Selena - Handstand Flying Kick (Push the Up key to
make Selena jump and continue holding it
as you hit the Kick key when she touches
the ground)
}+Weak Kick(or Weak Punch),A-Strong Punch:
Mouth - Punch the other fighter into the ground,
plus you get an Instant Replay (if turned
on)
Nick - Strong upper punch
Toad - Tail toss of the opposing fighter
Worm - Quick spin punch
Squid - Punches the other fighter into the air
across the screen, and you get an Instant
Replay (if turned on).
Parasite - Fly back with fast forward attack
}+Weak Kick(or Weak-Punch),A-Strong Kick:
} Spike - Mid-leg Kick
Selena - Fast Jump Over Opponent
}+Weak Kick,A-Strong Punch,U-Punch:
Nick - Cool Combo Punch
}+Kick or Punch the other fighter up close, then T,A-Strong Punch:
} Bat - Head to Ground Move
}+Punch the other fighter up close, then A-Strong Punch:
} Bat - Head to Ground Move (another way to do it!)
}+Weak Punch,A-Strong Punch:
} Champion - Head Butt Combo
Get close to other fighter, then T,UT,U-Kick:
Spike - Tail Spike
Clockwise on Directionals:
Mouth - Resurrection Move
Nick - Resurrection Move
Bat - Resurrection Move
Spike - Resurrection Move
Selena - Resurrection Move
Parasite - Resurrection Move
Champion - Resurrection Move
??: Toad - Resurrection Move
Worm - Resurrection Move
Squid - Resurrection Move
Grand
Champion - Resurrection Move
Parasite - Meat Move
Champion - Meat Move
Bat - Flambe' Move
Selena - Flambe' Move
Parasite - Flambe' Move
Champion - Flambe' Move
} +These moves (the ones with a '+' beside them) are Combos.
} Most all the Combos will show a 2 or 3-hit Combo message on
} the screen when successfully executed near the other fighter,
} except for the Combo for Toad and the Combo for Bat.
9.7 Strategy Stuff
------------------
Here's some playing tips you may find useful:
* It is important to remember that the strong punches and kicks can
cause more damage at a farther range, but these moves are SLOWER.
Conversely, the weak punches and kicks cause less damage at a
shorter range, but these moves are much QUICKER. Practice both
types of moves and execute them when most appropriate. Sometimes
using a combination of both types can be more effective too.
* It is very hard to remember to block while fighting. However,
blocking is one of the more important moves if you are going to stay
alive. If someone is trying to constantly beat on you, try blocking
and then using a quick weak punch or kick.
* Many of the opposing fighters will try to throw things at you from a
far distance. Remember that most times you can jump over what is
being thrown.
} * Both Bat's Spin Attack and Mouth's Ball Throw moves can be executed
} while they are jumping and in the air. Learn these moves well since
} this extra capability may add just that little fighting edge you
} will need to beat really tough opponents.
} * Worm and Mouth can crouch down and avoid most of the objects being
} thrown by the other opponents. (The exceptions are Spike's Low
} Spit, Squid's Double ForceField, and Mouth's Ball Throw--if executed
} when Mouth jumps and is close to the ground.) This holds true too
} of Toad's Fast Attack.....Toad will just go flying by without
} touching them.
* Learn to do the Resurrection move! This move will help you win a
few fights where you would normally end up dead.
* I highly recommend playing XENOPHAGE with a 4-button gamepad or
joystick. It's much easier and quicker to learn and execute most of
the moves.
} Better yet, buy one of the newer programmable gamepads or arcade
} sticks. You can program in most of the major moves for a fighter
} and easily kick butt. Some that I that I have tried and can
} recommend are Act Labs' PowerRamp arcade stick, Act Labs' PowerRamp
} MITE gamepad, and Thrustmaster's Pazer Pad.
* Make full use of Training and Free Play modes to practice the moves.
Remember that the Player Options screen for these modes has a wide
range of options that you can fine-tune so that you can practice and
better your moves.
* Practice. Practice. Practice. And then, practice some more!! :)
------------------------------------------------------------------------
}10 Secrets!
}-----------
}This section lists the cool secret cheats that are hidden in XENOPHAGE,
}along with the special command line parameters that may be helpful in
}fixing some problems with running the game.
}10.1 Cheat Codes
}----------------
Here's a bunch to try out. These are the only ones that I know about, but
there might be some more.
This first table lists the cheat codes, which game version that they are
available in (S=Shareware, R=Registered), and how to activate them.
BTW, the codes that you type in the Fight screen last for the current
fight only. You have to retype them for each new fight. Also, you can
deactivate these codes by simply retyping them.
Game
Cheat Code Version How to Enable
----------- ------- -------------------------------------------
BISHOP S,R Type in Fight Screen
BLARNEY R XPR.INI file change
BLOOD S,R Type in Fight Screen
CHAMPS R Type in Menu Screen or Player Select Screen
GLASSJAW S,R Type in Fight Screen
HELIUM S,R Type in Fight Screen
INVISIBLE S,R Type in Fight Screen
ORCHID R Type in Fight Screen
SHADOWS S,R Type in Fight Screen
STAIN S,R Type in Fight Screen
THOUGHTJINX S,R Type in Fight Screen
XACMAN R Type in Menu Screen
This next table lists the cheat code, what it does, and any additional
information about the code you might find useful:
Cheat Code What It Does & Comments
----------- --------------------------------------------------------
BISHOP The announcer says in a very deep voice, "YOU SUCK!".
BLARNEY You get to fight the secret fighter, Blarney!!
The booklet that comes with the registered version
states that the BLARNEY cheat code is activated by
typing it in during any menu screen. I think this is a
bunch of blarney!! Sorry, I couldn't resist! ;)
To activate Blarney, you need to edit the XPR.INI file
with a text editor. BE SURE TO BACK UP THE XPR.INI FILE
BEFORE YOU DO THIS! (Take a look at Section 11 for some
more fun stuff you can change in this file!) Below the
[Xenophage] heading up at the top, change the value for
Player2 to equal Blarney ("Player2=Blarney").
Run the game and select Free Play mode, and you'll see
that Blarney now is the name for Fighter 2. Look in the
Choose Player 2 Menu option, and you'll see a cute
picture of Blarney in the cast of characters! Go into a
Free Play game and fight a round or two with Blarney.
Watch the massive buckets of blood fly off Blarney and
stain the ground....dead dino meat!!! :)
BTW, you can change Player1 to Blarney and play as the
deadly dinosaur, but it's not much fun and the game gets
a little buggy!
And you can change the XPS.INI file in the shareware
version too, but all you'll get is a picture of Blarney
in the Player Selection screen. If you try to go into a
Free Play fight with Blarney, you'll be thrown to DOS
with an error message.
BLOOD You like lots of blood? Use this one to increase the
blood that flies off each of the fighters.
CHAMPS This is the one you want! You can select any one of the
3 Boss fighters, Parasite, Champion, or the Grand
Champion, in the Choose Player screens! You can now
practice fighting the Bosses in Free Play mode. Or if
you like, practice being a Boss in Training and Free
Play modes, and then whip their counterparts in Story
Mode!
GLASSJAW The booklet that comes with the registered XENOPHAGE
game says that activating this code will stun your
opponent after each punch or kick. Well be careful with
this one. It'll stun YOUR fighter if punched/kicked as
well! And if you hit your opponent again while stunned,
this second hit will make the fighter active again
instead of doing the stun effect.
HELIUM This makes the fighters jump higher and come down to the
ground a little slower. This one makes you feel like
you're fighting on a lower gravity planet. It's a nice
code to use to change the pace and gameplay of the
fights.
INVISIBLE Both fighters become completely invisible!
ORCHID This one only works with Selena on the screen. She
stiffens and sorta blossoms and grows! ;) Try it with 2
Selenas on the screen at the same time for a really nice
effect!!
SHADOWS The bodies of both fighters disappear from the screen
and all you can see is their shadows.
STAIN The blood that flies off the fighters stains the ground.
If you love blood, use this one with the BLOOD code.
THOUGHTJINX Both fighters fall down and die! The fighters will
continue falling down and dying (with a match TIE) until
you type in the code again.
XACMAN Type this code in when the Main Menu (or other menu) is
on the screen. As soon as you do, another menu option
will show on the Main Menu screen that says, "Play
XacMan!". WOW! A mini-game you can actually play
within XENOPHAGE! I bet you can't guess which game this
is similar to!
}10.2 Command Line Parameters
}----------------------------
}Command line parameters can be typed in when you first start the game,
}and are mainly used by Apogee Tech support in assisting customers who
}are having problems with running the game.
} Parameter What It Does & Comments
} ----------- --------------------------------------------------------
} /FORCE16 Forces 16 bit sound.
} /FORCE8 Forces 8 bit sound.
} /JOYMAX:n Limits the maximum joystick read value where "n" is the
} the top limit.
} /LOG Redirects the output text displayed when using the
} /START parameter, to a text file called "log.txt".
} /MAXMEM:n Limits the amount of memory that XENOPHAGE will try to
} use in "n" megabytes.
} /NOCONFIRM Stops XENOPHAGE from asking you confirming questions
} such as "Are You Sure You Want to Quit?", etc.
} /NODOSMEM Alters the way XENOPHAGE allocates memory, and can be
} used as a last ditch effort to get the game running.
} /NOFRAMEBUF Alters the way XENOPHAGE allocates memory, and can be
} used as a last ditch effort to get the game running.
} /NOJOY1 Stops XENOPHAGE from searching for a joystick on Port 1.
} /NOJOY2 Stops XENOPHAGE from searching for a joystick on Port 2.
} /NOJOYS Stops XENOPHAGE from looking for joysticks.
} /NOMOUSE Stops XENOPHAGE from looking for a mouse.
} /POLLJOYS Gets XENOPHAGE to ignore joysticks.
} /POLLKEYBOARD Gets XENOPHAGE to ignore the keyboard.
} /POLLMOUSE Gets XENOPHAGE to ignore the mouse.
} /SETUP Forces the game to start in setup mode.
} /START Displays extra information when starting up the game.
} /SVGA400 Makes the SVGA mode 640x400 instead of 640x480 (assuming
} that SVGA is available).
} /VALID Tells XENOPHAGE that it is being run from the .BAT file
} (always found in XPR.BAT or XPS.BAT).
} /VERSION Displays what version number of the game you're running
} when starting up the game.
------------------------------------------------------------------------
11 Trivia & Fun Stuff
---------------------
There's more meat to this section in this version of the FAQ. Check out
some little known stuff about XENOPHAGE and some fun things you can
fiddle with:
} * XENOPHAGE was not always called XENOPHAGE. The previous working
} title for the game was ARENA.
* During the development of XENOPHAGE, some of the fighters had
different names. Did you know that Worm was called Jack, and that
Parasite was called Pinwheel?
} * You don't need your watch to check the time of day while playing
} XENOPHAGE. Just take a glance at Selena's penthouse clock. It
} shows the time based on your computer's clock. Of course, if your
} computer's time is messed up you'll still need your watch! ;)
* Watch the larvae in Spike's environment carefully. Some of them
crawl over and jump into the bubbling goo pool, while some of the
others head off toward the edge of the cliff and jump off. You can
move your fighter over the worms before they jump and actually
squish them! Splat! But for some reason, the yellow Spike can't
harm the yellow ones and the blue Spike can't touch the blue ones!!
* XENOPHAGE has a file with all your configuration settings. The
shareware file is called XPS.INI and the registered file is called
XPR.INI. Using a text editor, try changing the following settings
and watch what happens! MAKE A COPY OF THE FILE BEFORE YOU DO THIS!
If for some reason you mess up this file beyond recognition, there's
a copy of your original file in the XENOPHAGE directory called
XPSORIG.INI (shareware) or XPRORIG.INI (registered).
> Look under the [Display] section and change BloodVolume to
499998. This will give you buckets of blood (even more than the
BLOOD code) when the fighters are hitting each other!
> Look in the [FPPlayer1] and [FPPlayer2] sections for "Type =".
Set the value for both to 2 (joystick). Now when you play in
Free Play mode, you can do some "shadow boxing". Every time
your fighter throws a punch or kick, the other fighter will do
the same. (You won't control the directional movement of the
other fighter, just the punching and kicking.)
Here's a fun one to try with the same parameters! Try also
setting the "Type =" values for both to 4 (computer). You can
now watch the fighters duel it out in Free Play mode without you
doing a thing, just like the demo! You can also change the
options in the Player Options screen (don't change "Player
Type"!), options like Cunning, Strength, Speed, Health, etc., so
that the computer fighters will act differently in your Free
Play "demo". And try testing some of the cheat codes mentioned
in Section 10 while the demo is playing too!
> Look under the [Match] section for "OverkillZone=". Change the
value of this parameter to equal 1000000. Now just one punch or
kick will almost kill your fighter or the opponent in the match
round! What changing this parameter does is allow a larger or
smaller health range for Overkills (or Meat moves). Normally,
you have to get your opponent's health way down before the
screen will flash red and you can execute a meat move. When you
increase this parameter, you decrease the amount your opponent's
health has to fall before you are in the "Meat Move Zone".
> Look under the [Match] section for "Gravity=". Change the value
of this parameter to a low of 1 for little gravity or up to
around 100 for heavy gravity. This setting affects the height
and speed of the jumps done by both your fighter and the
opponent. Try setting this parameter to 8 and you'll have fun
with your fighters flying across the screen. The special cheat
code HELIUM mentioned in Section 10 temporarily lowers this
value so that the fighters jump higher and come down slower than
normal.
> Look under the [ApogeeSound] section for "Rate=". Based on your
type of sound card, you might be able to change this parameter
to get improved sound quality. Try setting it first to 22000
and see if you notice any difference.
} * You MIGHT be able to run the registered version of XENOPHAGE
} directly from the CD without installing it to your hard drive. I
} have tested this on several computers and was able to get it to work
} on all but one. So, this MAY or MAY NOT work! Please don't e-mail
} me if it doesn't work for you. And definitely don't bug Apogee's
} Tech Support either. That said, here's what you do:
} > Create a directory on your hard drive. For this example, let's
} say you create a directory called D:\GAMES\XENO.
} > Copy all files with an INI extension from the XENOPHAGE CD
} directory XENOINST to the directory you just created on your
} hard drive (in this example, D:\GAMES\XENO).
} > If applicable, remove the "Read Only" attribute from the INI
} files you just copied to your hard drive.
} > Type the following SET command at the command prompt:
} SET XENOCD=D:/GAMES/XENO
} Notice that forward-slashes, "/", are used in the command.
} > You should now (hopefully) be able to run the XENOPHAGE Setup
} program, SETUP.BAT, and the registered XENOPHAGE program,
} XPR.BAT, directly off the XENOPHAGE CD. (These batch files are
} located in the XENOINST directory of your CD.)
------------------------------------------------------------------------
12 Thanks go to...
------------------
}Rich Weeds Nagel....A HUGE special thank you!! Rich hacked and found
}most all the cheat codes you find in Section 10 of this FAQ. He also
}took the time to play with some of the XPR.INI settings for most of the
}Fun Stuff you see in Section 11. And he figured out how to play
}XENOPHAGE off a CD which is shown in Section 11. Oh, and Rich also
}reminded me about how Selena's penthouse clock tells the perfect time.
}Thanks Rich! I couldn't have gotten this latest FAQ update out without
}all your help.
Mark Forsman (Almighty Ruler) for reminding me about the BLOOD code.
Thanks Mark!
}Lief Bjornstad for a bunch of stuff in this latest edition of the FAQ:
}a list of Combo moves, telling me that Bat's Turn Around Kick move
}(that I had listed in prior FAQs) didn't work, pointing out Squid and
}Mouth can do damage to Mouth and Worm when crouched, mentioning the
}added in-air capability of Bat's Spin Attack and Mouth's Ball Throw,
}and reminding me of the blinking eyes of Nick and Selena. Nice job,
}Lief! Keep them coming.
}Malachi Mullinax for giving me Parasite's Meat move and Champion's Meat
}move. Thanks Malachi!
}John Marshall the Great for also giving me Parasite's Meat move. The
}feedback is much appreciated!
}Samuel Stoddard (ss1@christa.unh.edu) for some release date info, and
}also his trivia fact on XENOPHAGE's prior working title which I show in
}Section 11 of this FAQ. BTW, be sure and check out Mr. Stoddard's THE
}"OFFICIAL" APOGEE FAQ if you enjoy playing other Apogee/3D Realms
}games.
------------------------------------------------------------------------
13 Final Words
--------------
That's all the info I have for now. If you should discover any other
secret moves or hidden stuff that I haven't listed, discover any
mistakes in what I've written, or just want to drop me a line, send me
e-mail at dhowell@iac.net. If any new secret stuff you send me can be
verified and if I don't have it already, I'll be sure to give you credit
in the next XENOPHAGE FAQ.
}I still don't have the Flambe' and Resurrection moves for some of the
}fighters. Can anyone figure these out? HELP!! :)
Also thanks to Jason Blochowiak for the STAIN code, for giving some
initial tips on how to do some of the moves, and for verifying most of
the info in the initial FAQ. Thanks Jason!
------------------------------------------------------------------------
