Strikers 1945 II FAQ by peropero11 my email is down at the moment Currently : V 1.10 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Contents ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- A. Introduction/Version History I. P38 Lightning II. F5U Flying Pancake III. Ta152 Focke-Wulf IV. Ki84 Hayate V. J7W Shinden VI. DH98 Mosquito VII. Some more comments but about the game... VIII. Credits IX. Legal Blahblah X. Things to do ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- A. Introduction/Version History ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Strikers 1945 II is an old game. But even though it is old, I still find it very challenging and fun. I hope anyone who still plays the game and manages to come across my guide/FAQ will find it useful. Also, do note that all of these observations were made only in Normal Mode. I didn't explore the other difficulty levels as up to now, I can't finish Normal without using a continue. I won't try another difficulty level, especially the more difficult ones until I can finish the game without using a continue. Finally, I played the game mostly on single player. So I have little to no idea as to what things will change (especially regarding enemies) when in Two player mode. Version : 0.40 (guide started, general impressions of the ships) Version : 0.50 (P51 Lightning part finished) Version : 0.60 (F5U Flying Pancake part finished) Version : 0.70 (Ta152 Focke-Wulf part finished) Version : 0.80 (Ki84 Hayate part finished) Version : 0.90 (J7W Shinden part finished) Version : 1.00 (DH98 Mosquito part finished) Version : 1.10 (tips, more research into the ships) **Speed** - Determines how fast the ship moves across the screen. Slow - Easy to dodge bullets with, but creates a problem when avoiding lots of enemy fire. Best to move between shots when faced with boss fire*. Average - A compromise between slow and fast speeds. Can evade both scattered enemy shots and zigzag in-between boss fire. But doesn't excel at either when compared. Fast - Best for circling around huge scattered shots. Not advised to zigzag with as its easy to fly into enemy fire. * Scattered Enemy Shots - Seen when mid-to-huge ships drop lots of enemy fire. Also, this type of enemy fire has patterns which can be memorized by players and evaded easily with Slow aircraft. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- * Boss Fire - This is what I term for the one of the most annoying types of enemy fire. This type usually is a mix of patterned shots AND random shots (generally in your direction). The two sure fire ways of avoiding them are using bombs or specials which can destroy enemy fire. **Weapon Type** - Determines how the weapons spreads across the screen. Each ship has a primary gun and a rocket/option. The following are limited to the primary guns of the ships. The rocket/option weapons will be covered in the individual sections of the ships themselves. Concentrated - This weapon pattern is usually contained to the width of your craft, with the maximum taking up the entire width of the ship. Also, this weapon type has one of the fastest firing rates and shot speeds in the game. Spread - As the name implies, this type of weapon fire spreads across the screen. It's usual coverage with 2 or 3 powerups is around 1/3 to 1/2 of the screen at full spread (being at the lowest part of the screen). Doesn't fire as fast as the other type and can only have around 3-4 volleys of fire on screen at a time. **Weapon Strength** - How powerful the weapons of the ship are. Weak < Average < Good < Excellent These are based on my observations. They may be inaccurate. **Special Weapon** - What the special weapon does, how powerful it is. Special Weapons can be charged up to Level 3. In order to charge your special weapon gauge, you only have to destroy enemies. You can delay the release of the special weapon by holding down the shot button. **Bomb** - What happens when you use it, how powerful it is. **Comments** - My opinions and observations regarding the ships. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- I. P38 Lightning ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- **Speed** - Average **Weapon Type** - Primary Gun : Concentrated - Rocket/Option : Homing Missiles These missiles when launched have a very short launch delay before accelerating towards enemy craft. Each Missile will home in on its own target unless there are too few targets on screen where they concentrate on the poor SOB. Can only be launched in volleys and will not relaunch unless all missiles have exploded or have gone off-screen. This is problematic as sometimes, there is one missile circling the screen trying to smash into small ships unsuccessfully (either you destroyed them first with gunfire or they went offscreen and another target presented itself). This is because the missiles have very good turning rates and high top movement speeds but bad acceleration. 1 Power Up - 2 missiles 2 Power Ups - 3 missiles 3 Power Ups - 4 missiles **Weapon Strength** - Primary Gun : Good. Can take down mid-sized enemy ships easily. - Rocket/Option : Average. Looks strong, but is relatively weak in the later stages. When powered-up, 1 missile can take down 2-3 enemy fighters before exploding. **Special Weapon** Level 1 : Launches two small green rockets forward. Will burst and spread lots of bomblets when it reaches an enemy, with the bomblet dispersal mostly in a circular pattern. The bomblets spread to only a small area of the screen but lasts for 2-3 seconds. Level 2 : Launches two big white bombs ahead. Will explode and deal lots of damage to a large area but the explosions fade quickly. The explosion balloons horizontally, around 4/5ths of the screen. Level 3 : Launches 1 big green bomb ahead. Will explode into a huge fireball (around 3/4 of the screen) which will destroy enemy fire and nearly everyelse on the screen. Lasts for around 4-5 seconds. **Bomb** The Lightning will perform a loop and 5 P51 Mustangs will enter the screen in a V formation centered on the Lightning. These Mustangs take a lot of damage and deal above average damage even though it doesn't look like it. After 3-5 seconds, the Mustangs will veer towards the edge of the screen that they are closest to but still firing away. The Mustangs can be destroyed by enemy fire. Covers around 1/3 or 1/2 of the screen (where they are deployed). Overall Bomb Quality 3/5 (Bad deployment can make it ineffective) **Comments** Very effective for the early stages but seems to get weaker as you progress as it is a rather large target and its Homing Missiles can't seem to cut it especially when matched up against mid-size to huge ships. The best strategy I have when using this ship is concentrating on the tough ships with the Primary Guns and letting the Homing Missiles take care of any or all of the small fry. Use level 1 bombs on the tough ships once later on in the game in order to kill them before they spread a huge amount of scattered fire on the screen making concentrating on them difficult. Don't use the bomb special when in a corner. Best used when in the middle. This is the biggest ship in the game and also seems to have a shorter charge time for its special weapon gauge compared to other ships (second observation still unconfirmed). My overall rating for this ship is 3 out of 5. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- II. F5U Flying Pancake ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- **Speed** - Fast **Weapon Type** - Primary Gun : Spread - Rocket/Option : Auto-Target Lasers Located on the tail-wing tips of the Pancake, these lasers will automatically target and try to shoot down any and all enemy craft. The priority of these lasers are usually on the smaller and weaker enemy craft. When upgraded, the laser reloading-rate increases along with a slight increase in damage dealt. 1 Power Up - 2 lasers 2 Power Ups - 3 lasers, primary gun spreads to 1/4 of screen at max 3 Power Ups - 4 lasers, primary gun spreads to 1/2 of screen at max **Weapon Strength** - Primary Gun : Weak. Probably the weakest in the game, it takes around 3 to 4 seconds or more of full fire on a mid-sized ship before it goes down...on full upgrade. - Rocket/Option : Average. Individually, the lasers are weak but the rapid fire especially at full upgrade more than compensates for the lack of power. **Special Weapon** Level 1 : Creates a single laser beam in front of the craft. Deals a good amount of damage but fades quickly. Estimated to last for four seconds. Level 2 : Creates two laser beams at the sides of the Pancake. The damage it deals is astonishingly good and lasts for a good amount of time too. Powerful enough to take down 2-3 mid-sized enemies just by strafing the beam along them. Estimated to last for five seconds. Level 3 : Creates one HUGE beam that envelops the ship and takes around 1/4 of the screen. All enemy fire that enters the beam is vaporized, along with any unlucky ship that strays into its path. Lasts a bit longer than the Level 2 charge. Note : Unlike the other special weapons of the other aircraft, this is one that cannot be 'spammed'. That is you cannot fire off another special until the previous laser beam has dissipated. **Bomb** 2 B-35 Flying Wings suddenly enter the screen, each one occupying half of the screen and advance up to around half of the screen where they stay for a moment. The Wings don't deal a lot of damage and also can't take that much damage compared to the bomb/specials of the other ships, but you can be assured that they will soak anything that comes their way. The Wings will veer to their respective sides of the screen once their runs are completed. Overall Bomb Quality 2/5 (It's just a portable umbrella.) **Comments** Its speed is its main weapon. With good eyes and excellent reflexes, you can probably last for good amount of time on this ship. Its damage is pathetic but the special weapon more than makes up for it. My strategy for this is to use the special weapons when possible on the mid-sized enemies while keeping to the near bottom of the screen. This is the smallest ship in the game. My overall rating for this ship is 4 out of 5. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- III. Ta152 Focke-Wulf ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- **Speed** - Above Average **Weapon Type** - Primary Gun : Concentrated - Rocket/Option : Spinning Rockets When launched, these spinning rockets sort of prep themselves before accelerating rapidly ahead. They explode upon impact leaving a roundish explosion, that has a considerable radius for a normal weapon, and lasts for at most a second. The delay in launch can be irritating at times as the enemy you planned the rocket to become intimate with can move and evade the rocket completely. 1 Power Up - 2 rockets 2 Power Ups - 3 rockets 3 Power Ups - 4 rockets **Weapon Strength** - Primary Gun : Average. Can usually take down a medium-sized enemy with 1 - 2 seconds of fire. - Rocket/Option : Good. The long delay before the explosion dissipates is the main cause for its damage. **Special Weapon** Level 1 : Releases a plasma mine that creates a purple web of energy just barely the size of your ship. It lasts for about 2 seconds on screen but the greatest thing about this is that it can destroy enemy fire. Additionally, the plasma mine deals above average damage to any enemy it comes into contact with. Level 2 : Releases a plasma mine that creates a bigger web of energy, one that even newbies will find easy to hide in. It lasts longer than the first. Level 3 : The energy web that this plasma web creates is so huge, you can fit two Focke-Wulf's in it wing-tip to wing-tip. For those that can't imagine its size, it is almost 1/4 of the screen. Lasts a good amount of time. **Bomb** The Focke-wulf does a loop and a HUGE rocket passes by, the A9 A10. The Focke-Wulf comes back into the game smack dab in the middle of the rocket. This would mean that Focke-Wulf is guaranteed a safe place to start again with. The missile takes around 1/3 of the screen horizontally and deals average damage to anything it smashes into. Too bad it doesn't go boom. I'd love to see the fireworks loaded into this one. Overall Bomb Quality 3/5 (Ensures that you will be alive when the bomb hits) **Comments** Admittedly, this is a ship that I don't use too often. This doesn't mean I don't have a healty dose of respect for it. With good firepower and a special weapon that can destroy enemy fire at level 1, this ship can and will prove powerful in the hands of a skilled player. I don't recommend using the level 3 special. It takes too long to charge. Either time the level 1 special to release just when the enemy ship/boss is about to release a huge amount of firepower. With proper timing, you could have an area clear of enemy fire just when you need it. This ship's special weapon gauge seems to charge up slower compared to the other ships. I'd give this ship a 4 out of 5. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- IV. Ki84 Hayate ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- **Speed** - Between Average and Fast **Weapon Type** - Primary Gun : Spread - Rocket/Option : Mini-Fighters (J8M Syusui) Probably the most effective and useful rocket/option in the game. The J8M Syusui can only fire upward, meaning that it has to position itself in front of an enemy before it can fire. It practically homes in on enemies and will keep on firing until the enemy is dead. 1 Power Up - 1 Mini fighter 2 Power Ups - 2 Mini fighters, primary gun spreads to 1/3 of screen at max 3 Power Ups - 3 Mini Fighters, primary gun spreads to 1/2 of screen at max **Weapon Strength** - Primary Gun : Average. Nothing remarkable except that it seems to spread faster per upgrade compared to the other ships. - Rocket/Option : Good. With a fast firing rate and tracking capability, the Syusuis are one of the most powerful rocket/options in the game. **Special Weapon** Level 1 : Will deploy a single Syusui on the location where the Hayate is on and will keep on firing forward (while moving left and right a bit) until its time runs out. It has an astonishing amount of firepower for its size and is usually enough to take down medium sized enemies before they are able to fire. Level 2 : Reploys two Syusuis this time. They rotate, giving the fire that they shoot a helix like image. Level 3 : Delpoys four Syusuis. **Bomb** When the bomb button is pressed, a bomber swiftly moves up into the screen. This is the Fugaku. Can absorb huge amounts of enemy fire and has numerous guns on it, this support ship is one of the best covers in the game. This ship roughly takes up 1/3 of the screen. Compared to other bombs that call up support aircraft, this one seems to be able to soak up more damage than the rest. Overall Bomb Quality 4/5 (I think of it as a Flying Tank) **Comments** This is probably the easiest, cheapest, and most effective ship of the whole lot. Quick, with good firepower and a better than most bomb weapon, it is hard not to like this ship. It is however, one of the few ships whose special weapon cannot destroy enemy shots even at level 3. The strategy I use for this ship is to memorize per stage where the big ships pop out of and deploy a level 1 special whose firing path is on the ship. This will almost instantly kill the ship once it arrives. Also, avoid using its level 3 special as it is a waste of time. Using a level 1 special is more efficient, faster, and seems to have more firepower compared to a level 3. This ship gets a 5 out of 5 for me. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- V. J7W Shinden ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- **Speed** - between Average and Fast **Weapon Type** - Primary Gun : Concentrated - Rocket/Option : Energy Rockets These energy rockets move quickly across the screen in a slightly diagonal manner once launched, that is the left rockets veer slightly right while the right rockets veer slightly to the left. Once they make contact with an enemy they don't explode. Rather they slow down, stop moving diagonally, and continuously deal damage to the enemy. They keep on moving through the enemy until either that enemy is destroyed or they managed to drill through the enemy without killing it. They will continue doing this until they go off screen. You can only launch a specific number of rockets per upgrade and you can't fire any more unless a rocket goes off screen. 1 Power Up - 2 rockets 2 Power Ups - 4 rockets 3 Power Ups - 6 rockets **Weapon Strength** - Primary Gun : Good. It looks weak since it only begins with a single stream of shots at initial level. Trust me, it just looks weak. The rapid fire of the guns seems to be the cause of its damage. - Rocket/Option : Average. Each rocket just passes through small fighters like a hot knife through butter. Medium ships are destroyed after 2 seconds with 4 rockets knifing through it. Just the rockets mind you. **Special Weapon** Level 1 : Will propel a Shinden-shaped energy blast forwards. Starts off a bit slow then suddenly breezes across the screen. When it hits something, there is a telltale sound like a sword-slice SFX. It deals HUGE amounts of damage even at Level 1, just a single pass of this can destroy most enemy ships with ease. Level 2 : Almost no perceptible difference from a level 1 special. I think that this deals more damage than a level 1 and that it is slightly bigger than the level 1. Level 3 : The Shinden Performs a loop and a HUGE slab of energy (again shaped like a Shinden) takes up 1/2 of the screen and annihilates everything in its path. This weapon is so powerful, that some bosses die from it instantly. Plus, the energy slab also destroys enemy fire. **Bomb** B7A Ryusei Kai's bomb the area, destroying enemy fire and dealing good damage to all enemies on-screen. Then 6 of the Ryusei Kai's swoop in to provide fire support for a second or two then leave via the nearest screen edge (left or right). This last part of the bomb provides good cover but the Ryusei Kai's seem to be easily destroyed/shot down by enemy fire. Overall Bomb Quality 3/5 (The Ryusei Kai's just leave too quickly) **Comments** Probably has the most POWERFUL special in terms of dealing damage in the shortest possible amount of time. Its special also has one of SFX in the game that I like the most. The strategy I use for this is to spam the Level 1 special at any medium sized enemy I can see and to relentlessly use it against bosses. I give this ship a 4 out of 5. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- VI. DH98 Mosquito ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- **Speed** - Slow **Weapon Type** - Primary Gun : Spread - Rocket/Option : Hi-explosive Rockets Nothing special with this weapon's launch style. Just zooming on ahead after launch. The explosion radius seems to be smaller than the Spinning Rockets of the Focke-Wulf but they make up for it in terms of damage and fire rate. 1 Power Up - 2 rockets 2 Power Ups - 4 rockets, primary gun spreads to 1/4 of screen 3 Power Ups - 6 rockets, primary gun spreads to 1/3 of screen **Weapon Strength** - Primary Gun : Average. Seems to spread more slowly per upgrade compared to other ships with spread weapons. - Rocket/Option : EXCELLENT. These rockets can take down most medium sized enemies with 3 or 4 hits. **Special Weapon** Level 1 : Will deploy a single bomb that detonates quickly. The following firestorm from it will advance forward zigzagging left and right. Takes up around 1/5 or 1/6 of the screen. Level 2 : Will deploy two bombs. The firestorm it creates will have two explosion paths moving in a helix like formation upwards. Takes up around 1/3 of the screen. Very powerful. Level 3 : Will deploy two bombs. The ensuing firestorm it creates will destroy any enemy in its path except bosses. We're talking about at least 1/2 of the screen being cleared of baddies in 2 seconds. Frightening to behold...and a waste of energy in my opinion. This is because it takes too long to charge up. Note : This is another special weapon that CANNOT destroy enemy fire even at level 3. **Bomb** Mosquito FB's will fly overhead, bombing the whole area. Most enemies and and ALL enemy fire will be vaporized almost instantaneously. This bomb runs last for at most 2 seconds, after which the 5 Mosquito FB's will fly into the screen and provide supportive fire and soak up enemy shots. The sad part here is that these aircraft will leave the screen quickly, after about 3 seconds. **Comments** This ship probably has the most firepower concentrated on it, especially when paired with its special attack. Also, this has the only bomb that can obliterate most enemies and enemy fire instantaneously. Although its rather slow speed can be annoying especially when facing higher stages with lots of enemy fire. Timing the level 1 special right can reap huge benefits by releasing it just in time as the mid-sized enemy ships are entering the stage. You can almost destroy them without allowing them to fire a single shot. Spamming the level 1 or level 2 specials at bosses is highly recommended since the level 3 special can't destroy enemy fire. Its better to release a huge lot of these than zigzagging through bossfire waiting for the special gauge to fill up. This ship gets a 4 out of 5 for me. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- VII. Some more comments and tips about the game... ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- - The enemies get stronger as the game progress. They shoot more projectiles and get tougher as you progress. - Be thankful if you get the area with the SYUMI TYPE ZERO Boss as your first stage. This area is VERY difficult when you encounter it as stage 3 and onwards. This is because of the Big browninsh airplane that appears around 5 seconds after the stage begins. Usually, it takes at least 1 bomb to survive this part of the area. - It seems that regardless of the difficulty, the ships in each stage pop out in specific numbers and locations only. - In the later stages, weapon upgrades drop more infrequently. So don't die. - Train yourself to smack that bomb button when you are sure that an enemy shot WILL hit you. Its better to waste one bomb than to lose 4 bombs, the weapon upgrades you have accumulated and one life. - As much as possible, try to memorize where big enemies in each stage appear. - Ships with concentrated fire-type weapons seem to have better bombs for clearing stages of enemy fire. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- VIII. Credits ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Psikyo - For releasing the game revolverroach - For introducing me to the game back in highschool The other guy - For making a FAQ on Strikers 1945 II. I hope that my FAQ completes what your FAQ began. ADMU (my college) - For giving me a schedule that allows me to have time to do this. Home of the Underdogs - I like old games. GameFaqs - For hosting this faq ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- IX. Legal Blah Blah ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- All trademarks and copyrights contained in this document are owned by their respective trademark and copyright holders. This may be not be reproduced under any circumstances except for personal, private use. It may not be placed on any web site or otherwise distributed publicly without advance written permission. Use of this guide on any other web site or as a part of any public display is strictly prohibited, and a violation of copyright. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- X. Things to do ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 1. Ship strategies 2. A stage guide maybe? like what enemy appears when and where... 3. upgrades per power up attained (including increase in width for concentrated type weapons and number of volleys of shots for spread type weapons) 4. Ships speeds seem to be inaccurate to some degree, will try out more.