This FAQ is for personal use only. Do not distribute it or use it for
profitable purposes. If you want to post this FAQ on a website, contact me
at kof_2k@hotmail.com before doing anything. Plagiarism is a crime, just
ask. I have no objection on my FAQ being posted on someone else's website
but you must give credit where it is due.
If you have contributions, questions or just want to offer some feedback
about this guide, e-mail me at the same adress and put "Battle City" as
the subject. Failure to do so means your e-mail will just be ignored.
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GAME OVERVIEW
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Battle City is an action game where you control a tank and your objective is
to destroy all the enemy tanks around you, while ensuring that your base
isn't attacked. Your base is represented by the phoenix symbol and is always
found at the bottom of the screen while the enemy tanks will appear at the
top of the screen.
The game is in top view. There are various items which also appear from
time to time. One of these (the star) enables your tank to become more
powerful and thus allows you to cope with the nightmare that the later
stages are. But, of course, you return to normal once you lose a life and
thus, you'll have to do your best to remain alive.
Anyway, the game is very long but it needs only a short FAQ. No walkthrough
is needed for this kind of game as it is very straightforward. Of course,
difficulty is another thing! ;) Hope you enjoy my guide and it is of any
use to you.
~ Press the directional buttons to move about. You cannot move diagonally
but can move up, down, left and right as long as nothing is blocking your
way..
~ Brick walls can be destroyed by firing at them. You will notice that the
enemy tanks will also destroy the walls to move on and to reach your base
as quickly as possible.
~ Grass doesn't count as an obsctacle. The tanks will appear to pass below
it.
~ Steel walls cannot be destroyed normally but you can do so once your tank
is at Level 3.
~ Water acts as an obstacle to your tank but your bullets will go over it.
So, you can be on one side of a water patch and still destroy a tank which
is on other side.
~ Your tank can level-up through Stars (refer to "Items" section). There
are 3 levels in all.
Level 1 : Default (you start as this and return to this level after dying)
Level 2 : 2 stars
Level 3 : 4 stars
At level 1, your tank is just a decent one with weak firepower.
At level 2, it gains in speed and becomes slightly stronger. Your bullets
also come out faster, thus allowing you to face enemy tanks.
At level 3, your tanks becomes considerably more powerful. One bullet is
enough to destroy a brick wall and you can even destroy steel walls. You
are also faster. But this doesn't mean you are invulnerable, so don't
act like a jerk!
Grenade - All the enemy tanks will explode. It is always better to wait
before taking it such that a maximum number of tanks will be
destroyed. Of course, don't wait too much or it'll disppear.
Star - Makes your tank stronger. Stars have an accumulated effect. Your
tank can evolve into a gigantic one with awesome firepower. When
this happens, your tank can move more quickly and only one bullet
is needed to destroy a brick. Grab these as soon as they appear.
Shovel - Increases your base's defense. The brick wall will turn into a
steel one. Thus, your base is invulnerable during that time.
Clock - Immobilizes all enemy tanks for a short period of time. You may
then safely destroy those. Once you've grabbed a clock item, it
affects everything. Even tanks which appear after you've taken
the item will be immobilized, provided the effect is still being
observed.
Helmet - Makes you invincible for some time. Your tank will be surrounded by
a barrier and can take anything as long as the latter is present.
Tank - D'oh, a life-up! Don't miss those, you'll need them! :)
There are 4 types of enemy tanks throughout the whole game. At the start
of the game, you will logically encounter more A and B tanks but as you
reach the later stages, tanks C and D will literally flood the screen! :)
Tank A : These tanks are very easy to destroy and are quite slow. Firepower
is basically the same as yours when you start the game. Destroyed
in one shot.
Tank B : These are the fastest tanks in the game but they are weak
defensively. They can be very annoying though as they'll travel
across the whole screen within seconds. Destroyed in one shot but
they are fast enough to avoid your bullets, so be careful!
Tank C : Slightly stronger versions of Tank A and faster (but not as much as
B). Destroyed in one shot.
Tank D: The equivalent of your tank at Level 3. They are extremely slow
though, so you can try to take advantage of this. These tanks also
require several shots before they explode. Don't ever try to face
these unless you are in a critical position. They will win in
such situations anytime.
Here are a few hints and tips which will help you in beating the game.
~ Be always on the look-out for tanks which will try to get to your base.
When this happens, backtrack immediately and take care of those tanks.
Remember, it's Game Over if they shoot at your base.
~ A cheap way of playing would be to remain at the top where the tanks
appear (they will do so to the left or to the right, and also in the
middle of the screen) but keep in mind that you can also lose this way
if 2 or 3 tanks show up at the same time.
~ If an item appears but you have to deal with some dangerous opponents,
scrap the item. Who knows what may happen while you are heading for that
item?! ;)
~ At Level 3, you can destroy the steel walls. But don't forget that this
may be beneficial to the enemy tanks by allowing them to pass through
easily. Thus, don't abuse your new-found strength.
~ The number of enemies in a level are not fixed.
~ Don't let yourself get surrounded by the enemy tanks. This never works
and you will just lose. Of course, this doesn't apply when you are
invincible.
~ And finally, don't let the first stages of the game fool you. You will
soon find out that the enemy tanks have a good AI. In the first stages,
they may just run into you but later, some tanks will try to get you
to follow them and a few others will then head to your base. You have
been warned, Battle City isn't an easy game.
~ And keep in mind that you get a life for every 20,000 points. Once you
have cleared a stage, shoot at the walls until the menu shows up. This
will increase your score.
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OUTRO
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Well, that's all there is to this guide! Battle City is a simple game but
that doesn't mean it is easy. As a matter of fact, it is almost impossible
to beat this game unless you take the time to get used to any situation
during the earlier stages.
If you have questions, contributions or just want to give me some feedback,
e-mail me at kof_2k@hotmail.com and put "Battle City" as the subject. If
you don't do so, I will think your e-mail is a virus or something like that
and will thus be ignored.
