A.C.E. 3/ACE CD 3.iso/files/docs/syndicae.lha/SyndicateTips.doc

Text File | 1994-11-27 | 14KB | 242 lines

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               <================ PRESENTS ================>

                              SYNDICATE HINTS
                                 TYPED BY
                               RODDERS & TRA
                                  FOR LSD
                          TAKEN FROM AMIGA FORMAT


GETTING STARTED: The first step is to get used to the controls and to how the
man will react in different situations.  Be aware of where you are clicking
on the screen as your man will try to reach the exact point.
  As you are viewing the cityscape from an airship it is hard for you to
direct your man to an area that you cannot see (behind a building, for
example).  Sometimes it is easier to click the location on the scanner.
  For the first missions you should only take in a single agent.  If you take
in too many agents then you run the risk of losing some while you are
concentrating on just one of them.  Stick with one agent until you feel
confident with your degree of control.  Then gradually start increasing the
number of agents and use `GROUP` mode alot.  Once you have got the hang that
then you can move on to advanced tactics.

CLOSED BARS

A major gameplay feature in Syndicate is the use of the slider bars to affect
each agent`s performance.  It is possible to complete the game without
altering the bars, but it isn`t recommended.  Although the way in which you
interact with the bars is very simple, the way in which they affect the agent
is highly complex.  Each bar has three values: the Actual Level (light bar),
Grabber level (dark bar) and Natural level (white line).
ACTUAL:  The level that you set is the Actual level.  This is the value that
affects the agent directly.  Moving the Actual level to the right of the
Natural level raises the amount of fluid in the body, while moving it to the
left lowers the amount.
GRABBER:  The Grabber level is the agent`s natural bodily defence systems.
Overexposure to any fluid damages the body, so the other systems in the body
 try to counter this.  The Grabber level works its way toward the Actual
level.  When it gets there it begins to drag the Actual level back towards
the Natural Level.
NATURAL :  The Natural level is the base level of the fluid in the body.
Exposure to alot of the fluid will raise the Natural amount in the body
and thus reduce the body`s capacity for more.  In short the person will
not be able to gain as much from a fluid boost as the Grabber level will
react more quickly.
  What all of this means is that you cannot turn the agent into a superhuman
indefinitely.  Boosting all the values at the start and keeping the agent
running at full throttle for the whole game is impossible.
  After a period of major activity and boosting, it is advisable to find a
quiet spot, if possible, to give your men a rest.  Likewise, if you are
expecting to have a prolonged period of extreme fluid use then rest the
agents beforehand.  By `rest` means move the Actual Level in the opposite
direction to the way you will use it.  So, if you expect a situation that
demands high Perception, reduce the agent`s Perception beforehand.  This
will trick the body`s defences (Grabber level) and give you a longer
period of higher Perception.

ADRENALINE: In its simplest form, the Adrenaline level alters the agents`
speed.  The higher the amount, the faster the man will run.  If the Adrenaline
level is reduced to the minimum then the agent enters `rest` mode.  The body
reacts to the fluids quicker and tries to balance itself out.  What this means
is that the Grabber and Natural levels sort themselves out quicker.  It also
allows enhanced Chest Modifications to conduct spot reapirs on the body
faster that they would normally.

PERCEPTION:  Perception governs how aware the agent is of his surroundings.
When it comes to weapon using a high Perception will result in very accurate
shooting, excellent for sniping or making every shot count.  A low Perception
results in shots going wild.  With automatic weaponry such as the Uzi and
Mini-gun this makes them ideal for mowing down enemy hordes.  In addition,
Perception is best used in conjuction with Intelligence to allow the agent to
react to people in a wider area.  Of course, if you don`t want the agent to
react then lower the Perception so that he cannot see them.

INTELLIGENCE:  Intelligence has to be used in conjunction with Perception.
The intelligence of an agent affects how he reacts to certain situations.
With high Intelligence he will react to people he considers to be a threat.
A threat is usually somebody trying to shoot him.  If the agent has a
selection of weapons then he will pick the best avaiable weapon and shoot the
threat.  This is useful for letting the agent clear out hostile buildings
since you cannot see where the targets are.  If the agent doesn`t have a
weapon, or he is out of ammo, then a high Intelligence will ensure that he
runs away from the threat.  This does mean that he is unlikely to make the
mad run to the gun lying on the floor when it is surrounded by armed psychos
 - lower Intelligence for that one.  There are also situations where you don`t
want the agent whip out his weapon and start blasting (like when you are
surrounded by police officers).  Lower Intelligence for that one as well.

THE BEST LAID PLANS:  The most important thing about any mission is the
briefing.  READ IT!  There is alot of useful information in the briefings and
it is always worthwhile spending the money on extra information.
  After reading the briefing you should then think about the equipment you
will need.

`I`D LIKE A BIG GUN THAT HOLDS LOTS OF BULLETS` SCENARIO:  Getting the right
equipment for the right situation is always important.  Take the very first
level as an example.  Most of the guards are armed with pistols.  You have a
choice of Pistol or Shotgun.  ~Aha!~ says an observant player. ~Shotguns are
more expensive than pistols, they must be better! I`ll have half a dozen pump
action 12 gauges.~  In walks Rutgar Hauer Jr with his arsenal and gets picked
off by a weedy bloke with a hand gun. By the time he gets close enough to use
his weapons he has been seriously wounded. It all boils down to the right
tools for the right job.

  Pistols in the early levels can easily outrange people with shotguns. A
Shotgun will kill an enemy agent a lot quicker than a Pistol or even an Uzi,
if you get close enough to use it. It`s no use trying to pop a guy standing
a screen away, even with a Mini-gun. Use a Long Range Rifle instead.

WHAT WEAPON?

PISTOL: A free weapon, with a slightly longer range than a shotgun. It`s good
as a backup weapon or for use when the oppoents have Shotguns.

SHOTGUN: Cheap and devastating at close range. Hide in doorways or around
corners of buildings and wait for some poor sap to appear before firing. It
will damage even the most armoured agent.

UZI: All agents should carry an Uzi-they should become the mainstay of your
arsenal. Relatively cheap to purchase and maintain, the Uzi has a moderate
range, is useful against light vehicles such as ground cars or dust carts,
but can run out of ammo fast.

FLAMER: The most lethal weapon at a close range. It should be used in the
same way as a Shotgun, although it is a tad on the heavy side and unmodified
agents should stick to Shotguns. It has stacks of ammo and one blast is
usually enough to barbecue even the toughest of agents.

LONG RANGE RIFLE: The ideal sniper weapon. Use it to pick off your targets
from rooftops far away from the combat zone. It`s not much use against
heavily armoured targets or vehicles but is quite good at keeping enemy
agents at bay.

WE`RE A TEAM AND THERE`S NOTHING WE CAN`T HANDLE: Moving around the city as
part of a team is fairly simple. With `GROUP` mode on, all agents will accept
commands at once. This is devastating if you instruct them to fire at a
target. However, it does turn them into a nice target for the enemy agents
because they are all bunched together, hence the `SCATTER` option. When moving
around in a city that has an active police force, always ensure your weapons
are stashed away and not carried openly. You may have to lower the agents`
Intelligence to stop them getting their guns out whenever they are startled
by something.
  When you enter a combat situation that looks like it may continue for longer
than a couple of bursts of Uzi fire, you should try to split your squad up.
Try to come at the enemy from as many different sides as possible, the
principle being that they cannot shoot in all directions at once and you
should be able to tag them before they get you.
  Vehicles and other transport systems should be used as often as possible.
Not only are they a lot faster tham an unmodified agent, but they provide a
larger amount of protection. If the vehicle comes under heavy fire then be
prepared to get out and make a run for it; you don`t want to get caught in
an exploding car!  While they cannot leave the road, vehicles under your
control can run over people at pedestrian crossings or enemy agents that get
too close.
  The same applies to defending an area. Set your men up with high
Intelligence and Perception and ensure they have plenty of ammo. Cover all the
attack points and keep your men spread out. Leave them in `GROUP` mode so that
you can bring them all to fire on a single point if it looks like the enemy
are about to get through.
  Once you have got the hang of moving in `GROUP` mode you may like to try
these other, more complex methods of moving around.

  The `Skirmish Line`: Your agents line out side-by-side to cover almost the
screen. They then move forwards until the enemy is engaged. When the enemy is
found, then the line can concentrate its firepower on one spot. With any luck
you should almost have sufficient width in the line to negate almost all cover
that the enemy may have and you also automatically attack from multiple
directions.

  The `Drag` formation: One agent on point with two others as flankers, three
blocks behind and to either side. The fourth agent hangs back with support
weaponry (either a Mini-gun, Long Range, Laser or Gauss Gun). The point man
will reveal where the enemy is (ensure he is well armoured or has an energy
shield) and if the flank agents cannot deal with them, then open up with the
support agent. Don`t worry about shooting your own lads unless you are using
the Gauss Gun because the explosion will kill your guys too.

DUG IN DEEPER THAN AN ALABAMA TICK: Here is how to get rid of those annoying
guards in hard to reach places....

Any guard in the open: Shoot them with a Long Range Rifle. Wait well out of
range and then pop them in the head.

Guards in the open but not far enough away:  If possible, drive past them in
a car and give them a taste of Shotgun in the gut. If not, then split the
squad and come at the guard from two directions. Get the agents as close as
possible using available cover. When in position switch to `GROUP` mode and
move them in, shooting as you go.

Guards at the end of road bridges: Run `em over. Bounce `em off the bonnet. If
they`re not on the road then drive up and shoot them.

Guards behind closed doors: Come at the door from both sides. You should get
right up on it before it opens. Make sure you have Shotguns selected and high
Intelligence and Perception. Turn your Adrenaline right down so that if you
do get hit you will heal alot faster. When you are ready move your agents to
the doorway so that the door opens. If the guards are too far back you will
need to select a differeent weapon.

PLAYING THE FIRST COUPLE OF LEVELS

Western Europe: Before starting the mission, set your research boys looking
into Automatics. Take in two agents with Pistols. Leave one agent at the
start zone and move the other towards the base entrance. He should be
approached by two guards, one from the west and one from the south.  As long
as his Intelligence and Perception are high then he should deal with them
himself. The building to the north of the courtyard (top left of screen)
also houses a guard. Be aware of him as you move towards the target building
to the north west. As you approach the building, the target will attepmt to
leave in the ground car. When he opens the door then blow him away. If he
makes it to the car then shoot the car as well.
  There is also an Uzi up for grabs which will come in handy for the research
team. It is currently being used by a guard on the south entrance to the base.
Drive up to him in the car, park next to him and shoot him in the head. The
Uzi is then yours for the taking.

Scandinavia:  Take in two agents. Only use the second agent if the first is
lost. Equip them with
Persuadertrons and Pistols. If you have an Uzi then bring that too. Head
straight for the first target, west of the city. Select your Persuadertron
on for the journey, as when you arrive you may be able to pick up a couple
of unlucky civvies on the way.
  You should now be facing a small building at the top of a large area of
steps. There are three guards here; one has a Pistol, one a Shotgun and one
a Uzi. If you have onyl got Shotguns then you will get hammered going up the
steps. Try another way. If you have Pistols or Uzis, go for high
Intelligence and Perception before going up the steps. Once you have disposed
of the guards and robbed them of their weapons head inside and <Persuade> the
target. To do this, select the Persuadertron, and click the pointer on the
south east corner of the building (pointer be a crosshair first). Once he is
taken, head towards the second target leaving the persuadertron on and finally
the drop zone.

                             - END -