THE
GAME
What
the Red Zoids failed to see was a small Tankzoid scuttling
away from the wreckage. In it, mind merged with the
arachnid-like creature, was the Earthman, You.
Controlling
the Zoid is done via icons and a cursor. When an icon
is accessed, a window or series of windows emerges from
the screen, giving further information and icons. What
the Earthman has to do is recover the eight pieces of
Zoidzilla -- a very demanding task.
The
Red Zoid environment consists of eight city networks
each with several city domes, a mine, radio transmitters
and a power generator. Under one of the city domes in
each network is a piece of Zoidzilla, but recovering
requires forethought and a plan of action. All the networks
are integrated; start attacking a city dome and the
radio transmitter sends out an SOS signal to the other
cities and the Red Zoids come running. The power generator
supplies the energy to the city domes, which can be
converted to a defensive shield in times of crisis.
When
a piece of Zoidzilla is recovered, the Tankzoid's power
capsules and armoury are replenished to their full and
the Tankzoid is upgraded (starting at Slitherzoid rating,
the Earthman can progress through Scorpozoid, Trooperzoid,
Great Gorgon and finally Zoidzilla).
SENSORS
When activated, this icon relays
information gained from the Zoid's external sensors,
for example a missile launch against you.
RAILGUNS
This is the Zoid's primary offensive
system. The railguns propel high velocity metal projectiles
at any targeted enemy, Zoids or installations. When
activated, two sets of windows open, one showing the
target and the other the railgun targeting screen. Here
you have control over a cursor and have to fight against
enemy jamming and move it to the centre of the screen
for your shots to be effective. The jamming makes the
cursor difficult to control, and the stronger the enemy
the trickier the cursor is to target.
INFORMATION
This gives information about enemy
or enemy installations. Upon activation, windows open
containing details about the selected object.
MISSILES
The Zoid's secondary offensive consists
of 25 missiles. These should only be used against the
more powerful Zoids and installations. When accessed,
three windows open: one showing the target, one the
missile and the other a load fuel/ignition window. Place
the cursor over the load fuel screen to fuel up (the
more fuel the longer the range) and then move over to
the ignition icon. The three windows are then replaced
by another three, one showing the missile (which is
irrelevant) and two guidance windows. Both guidance
windows have to be used in conjunction to guide the
missile to its target.
THE
MAP SCREEN
Shows the position of your Zoid,
landscape features, cities, radio beacons etc within
map range. The scanner also shows any Zoids within the
locality -- useful so you can see how busy the road
ahead is. If you move the cursor over the map screen
and press fire, a small window emerges showing you any
objects and Zoids within range. Moving the cursor over
one of these results a series of windows opening to
identify the object. You can then decide whether to
attack it or not. This screen is also used to set the
Zoid in motion. Press the fire button twice and a roadmap
is overlaid on the screen. You can then select the direction
you want your Zoid to travel in by moving the joystick.
The Zoid now trundles along the road until you tell
it to do otherwise.
STATUS
When you activate this, the player
is given information about the Zoid's current status.
MANIPULATE
This icon is used to pick up and
drop objects. Mines, for example, can be dropped by
assessing this icon, and extra fuel pods or pieces of
Zoidzilla picked up.
SHIELD
When this icon is accessed, a window
opens showing the current condition of your shield.
Looking like a pie chart, it shows all eight vital functions
(the icons, in other words) and the strength of each
of their shields. As the Zoid is attacked, some of the
shields begin to fail (it depends on what part of the
Zoid the enemy is hitting). As time goes on, the shields
go through a series of colour changes, representative
of how weak they are becoming. Using this icon the player
can rotate the whole system so that the stronger shields
can protect the more vital functions.
JAMMING
Things like Zoids, radio stations
and cities all give off radio waves. This icon can be
used to isolate those types of objects (or Zoids) by
jamming their radio emissions. When this function is
activated a window opens, showing the radio signal being
transmitted, and your jamming signal underneath. What
the player has to do is tune his signal to match the
enemy's, by using three fine tuners. If the signal is
matched then it's cancelled out and successfully jammed.
The
main screen shows the plan and elevation trajectory
of the missile. These are used to make fine adjustments
to the course of the missile. The other, smaller screen,
shows the view from the missile's camera, which is located
in its head. This screen is used to guide the missile
around natural obstacles like hills and mountains.
In
the open window all eight icons are shown. The circle
around them represents the current status of the shield,
which isn't too bad at the present time. Don't forget,
the whole system can be rotated so the more vital functions
are protected.
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