_______
/ ( __________
/ / // / / / // / / / / / // // \
/ __ //////__///////__/ /__///__////// /// __ __ \
| /__\ | |__)|__| /__\ |__) / \ | | |\ | / |__ |
| | | (__ | | | | |_|__) \__/ (__) | \| \__ |__ |
| '====================/ \========================' |
| / -----------------\__/--------------------- |
\__/ /// ///// ////// //// /// ///// //// /// /
/ / // / /// // / / /// / / /
ALPHABOUNCE /
_________________________________________________
AlphaBounce Envelopes Guide v0.70 |
Copyright (C) 2010 Michael 'Exp HP' Lamparski |
_________________________________________________|
vvv!!!ATTENTION!!!vvv
It is strongly recommended that you read this guide in a fixed-width font.
.........................-
MMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMM-
If the minus signs above line up, you are reading in a fixed-width font.
If not, you may want to save this document and open it in an external text
editor like Notepad.
I used Courier New when composing this document, so if you're using another
font, it is to be expected that some of the ASCII art will look odd. On Linux,
Deja Vu Sans Mono is a fair alternative.
Also, unless you love scrolling left and right to read every line, you may want
to stretch your window horizontally if the entire two lines below do not fit.
0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7
1234567890123456789012345678901234567890123456789012345678901234567890123456789
79 characters is the max width of this document, and a lot of text is justified
to fill that entire width.
^^^!!!ATTENTION!!!^^^
| |
/\================================================/\ /|__|_|
|| Table of Contents [TOC] \/ / __|_|__|\
|| ( o <---- you are here) \| |_|__ \
\/__________________________________. | | |/
Welcome to the Table of Contents, your one-stop shop for getting around!
The words in parentheses after each section title are search codes for jumping
around the document. To use them, press Ctrl+F and type the code IN SQUARE
BRACKETS (not parentheses). The first result - which should also be the only
result - will be the corresponding section.
Table of Contents ==================(TOC)
Section 1. General Info ===========(SECT1)
1.0 Introduction =================(INTRO)
1.1 Version History ==============(DIFFS)
Section 2. Stuff You Should Know ==(SECT2)
2.0 Planets ======================(ROCKS)
2.1 Your Fleet ===================(FLEET)
2.2 Bonuses and Maluses ==========(BONUS)
2.3 P-Bonuses ====================(PPPPP)
Section 3. Envelope Reference =====(SECT3)
#01 ESC-STD ======================(ESC1)
#02 ESC-FGT ======================(ESC2)
#03 ESC-AOD ======================(ESC3)
#04 AB-MIN_500 ===================(AMIN)
#05 GROMENS ======================(GROM)
#06 TWINEE =======================(TWIN)
#07 HERBO ========================(HERB)
#08 ASTERON ======================(ASTR)
#09 API-DYA ======================(APID)
#10 SABOT ========================(SABO)
#11 TAS-VOODOO ===================(TASV)
#12 EXPLORER =====================(EXPL)
#13 CHIMERA ======================(CHIM)
#14 LOGICO =======================(LOGI)
#15 BEGNE-TWO ====================(BEGN)
#16 GC-MAGMOD ====================(MAGM)
#17 INSOMNIA =====================(INSO)
#18 SOLSTICE =====================(SOLS)
#19 GALEON =======================(GALE)
#20 ARTEMIS ======================(ARTE)
#21 BATTLE-SHK ===================(BSHK)
#22 ISPA-87 ======================(ISPA)
#23 COMMANDER ====================(COMM)
#24 PHOENIX ======================(PHOE)
#25 ZERO-G =======================(ZERO)
#26 I-GUAN =======================(IGUA)
#27 M-ALMOTH =====================(MALM)
#28 HILAN-DR =====================(HILA)
Section 4. Important Info =========(SECT4)
4.0 Frequently Asked Questions ===(FAQ)
4.1 Contacting Me ================(EMAIL)
4.2 The Fine Print ===============(LEGAL)
4.3 Thanks =======================(AWSUM)
_____________________________________________________________________________
( )
\___________________________________________________________________________/
\ Section 1. General Info [SECT1] /
=======================================================================
It's time to debrief you about envelopes and this guide.
In this section:
Section 1. General Info ===========(SECT1)
1.0 Introduction =================(INTRO)
1.1 Version History ==============(DIFFS)
_
/\================================================/\ (_)
|| 1.0. Introduction [INTRO] \/ _
|| (just in case you have no idea why you're here) | |
\/__________________________________. |_|
There are a total of 28 different ships - or, as some of the game's flavor text
calls them, "envelopes" - in the game. These ships serve as your paddles. You
control your envelope with your stylus and use it to catch the balls and bounce
them towards the blocks (called "conglomerates") in each level.
You start with only one envelope, the ESC-STD. You gain additional envelopes
by clearing planets - if you complete every single level on a planet, you are
rewarded with a new envelope.
While I find there are some balancing issues with weapons and ball types, the
game balances ships quite well, and most people will want to use different
ships depending on their own strategy. This is quite an accomplishment given
how unique each ship is; instead of going for a generic stat-based system,
AlphaBounce gives each and every ship a unique skill unlike that of any other.
There is a ship that heals itself over time. There is a ship that fires lasers
faster. There is a ship that ignores bad Bonuses. There is a ship that gets an
extra 3rd ball out of each Multiball bonus. And perhaps one of the things I
appreciate most is that there is one ship - and only one ship - that boosts the
[hidden] Defense stat. This is a prime example of how the game tries to make
sure each ship's ability is unique, because the game very easily could've
instead given each ship varying ammounts of innate Defense.
The primary reason this guide was made is to let you the reader know what
special skill each ship has, because sometimes the game doesn't do a very good
job at explaining it. Nobody would know from reading the in-game description
of INSOMNIA that the ship is immune to negative Bonuses. That is what this
guide is for. I've also devoted ample amounts of time to researching each
envelope, performing countless tests and experiments to provide you with all
the details. While I can't guarantee that everything in this guide is accurate,
I will say that, especially in the Envelopes reference section, you will seldom
come across a statement that I wrote without first playing at least 2-5 levels
"just to make sure." I have played this game TO DEATH. To say I'm sick of
AlphaBounce would be an understatement.
This guide also will serve as a reference to let you know which planet has each
ship and what P-Bonus each ship has.
Last but not least, I will also take the opportunity to rate each envelope. Now
you must note that I am playing on Easy mode. I cannot switch because I do not
want to start a new file and lose all the envelopes that I'm writing about. I
will admit that, being on Easy mode, my assessment of some of the ships
probably isn't fair or accurate.
You have a right to disagree with me, of course. But if you think I'm critic-
ally off the mark with one of my assessments, feel free to shoot me an email
and tell me why I'm wrong. I'd like to hear what other people have to say
about envelopes, and the guide could probably use a second voice.
____ ,
/\================================================/\ \ \|/\|\_|\/\/\/ \
|| 1.0. Version History [DIFFS] \/,/ New package, /
|| (because seeing progress is GRRRREAT!) \ SAME GREAT TASTE!>
\/__________________________________. |/\/\_|\|/\___/\_/
v0.70 August 11, 2010. Approx. filesize 92 KB
-First version submitted to GameFAQs. It has plenty of extra sections in
addition to the envelope reference.
-9 Envelopes have unknown abilities.
_____________________________________________________________________________
( )
\___________________________________________________________________________/
\ Section 2. Stuff You Should Know [SECT2] /
=======================================================================
Before we get to the Envelope Reference, there are some things that you
should understand. Let's get right to them, shall we?
In this section:
Section 2. Stuff You Should Know ==(SECT2)
2.0 Planets ======================(ROCKS)
2.1 Your Fleet ===================(FLEET)
2.2 Bonuses and Maluses ==========(BONUS)
2.3 P-Bonuses ====================(PPPPP)
/\================================================/\ ___ I'm big.
|| 2.0. Planets [ROCKS] \/ / \ / Hooray.
|| (you know, them big things? Can't miss em?) | |
\/__________________________________. \___/
To expand your selection of ships to use in levels, you need to complete plan-
ets. Clearing every level on a planet earns you its envelope. You can check
the list of planets and their completion status by selecting the Planets tab
(or by pressing Right) on the settings screen.
There are 27 planets in the game. 26 of them are normal, playable planets that
yield envelopes when cleared. You may notice something special about the names
and - with the exception of Quasmik - the order of these planets in the list.
The 27th planet, Earth, is a special case. I'll get to that soon.
For the most part, Planets that are further out are not necessarily harder than
those closer to the origin. In general, all except the very furthest will be a
mixed bag, because planets are placed differently in each difficulty level. In
Easy mode, Asmech is one of the first planets you see, and Keunoth is somewhat
far out. In Normal mode, Keunoth is one of the first planets you see, and
Asmech is instead further out. So in other words, the developers didn't have a
specific order to the planets in mind, and so the difficulty curve is a little
erratic at times.
The goal of the game is find Earth, the 27th planet. Earth is placed randomly
in each game, and in order to find out its coordinates, you will need to
complete the Earth map. The Earth map is split into many fragments that are
hidden on some of the planets. The Sonar (if you have it) can determine which
planets have Earth map fragments; those that do will be marked with a star on
the radar. You only have to play a specific level on the planet in order to get
the fragment, so if you don't care about a planet's envelope, you can feel free
to leave the planet once you get its Earth map fragment.
01 02 03 04 05
Asmech* Bimourde Confolens Dustiny Epigore
CHIMERA ESC-AOD TWINEE GC-MAGMOD ASTERON
06 07 08 09 10 11
Foshagrune Gorgonat Huskari Iductys Jokulh Keunoth
LOGICO HERBO TAS-VOODOO ISPA-87 ZERO-G GROMENS
12 13 14 15 16
Lomax Monathir Nomenjade Ozaris Pouchine
PHOENIX SOLSTICE EXPLORER ARTEMIS SABOT
17 18 19 20 21 22
Rosanhydre Soldemas Tartinours Uzeek Vanister Quasmik
AB-MIN_500 ESC-FGT GALEON BATTLE-SHK M-ALMOTH API-DYA
23 24 25 26 27
Wanoeth Xolt Yubong Zatonga Earth**
BEGNE-TWO INSOMNIA COMMANDER I-GUAN HILAN-DR
* Asmech is impossible to complete 100% in Hard mode thanks to a glitch.
See section (CHIM) for more information.
** Earth never actually appears in spot 27 of the list because you cannot play
any of its levels, and therefore you cannot get any % completion on it. Attemp-
ting to play a level on Earth will play a cutscene and end the game. The
reward for beating the game on Easy and Normal modes is Hard mode. On Hard
mode, will you be rewarded with the exclusive HILAN-DR.
/\================================================/\ , ,
|| 2.1. Your Fleet [FLEET] \/ -==o==-
|| (though "fleet" is probably an overstatement) .==A==.
\/__________________________________. (]======[)
In the setup menu (accessed by the screwdriver button when not in a level), you
can tap the wrench icons to set up your fleet. At first you have 3 spaces for
ships. Somewhere out in space is a plus-shaped item called Additional Ship that
will increases the number of ships you can command to 4.
If you have more than one ship set up in your fleet, the rest serve as backup.
When your first ship is destroyed, the rest will be sent out one by one in
order. The number of ships you have left as backup is indicated by a series of
yellow rectangles in the lower left.
Want some strategy tips?
In general, I try to balance offense and defense in each ship in my fleet. A
ship that can't deal quick damage to conglomerates can be frustrating and slow
to use, and any ship that isn't prepared for the dangers at hand is as good as
destroyed. Your primary focus should be making sure that each ship is bearable
to use and protected from what threats the upcoming level has to offer. If you
can build two ships that complement each other, that's great, but for the sake
of your own sanity, make sure both of them are all-around decent ships on their
own, because it will often be luck that decides if and when you switch ships.
I'd say it's up to you whether you want your favorite ship to be first or last,
but one thing I will say is that any ships after the first should have 5
Defense MINIMUM, if not more, because they'll often have to fly through enemy
fire on their way up from the bottom of the screen. It's not good if your ships
are dying before the game even lets you control them.
/\================================================/\ _______
|| 2.2. Bonuses and Maluses [BONUS] \/ (___A___)
|| (because nobody knows what to call them) _______ (___B___)
\/__________________________________. (___L___)
As you destroy conglomerates, letters will fall. Picking these up will invoke
special events and abilities that can either hurt or help you. The game has
some interesting terminology for these: Good ones are called "Bonuses," and bad
ones are called "Maluses." I can only assume the word "Malus" is a bastardized
translation of the original terms in French, because even though "malus" is a
pretty logical extension of "bonus" ("mal" = bad in French), no dictionary
recognizes it as such.
There's a total of 32 Bonuses and Maluses in the game, one for each letter of
the alphabet except for P, which is special and will be explained later.
As this is an Envelopes guide, I won't go too far into detail on most of the
Bonuses and Maluses. I will list which ones are Bonuses and which ones are
Maluses, though. These lists are based on how the ship INSOMNIA treats the
individual powerups; INSOMNIA is immune to Maluses.
The following are Bonuses:
-Attraction -Barrier -Chaos Field -Extension
-Frenzy -Halo -Javelin -Laceration
-Multiball -Nebula -Open!!! -Quasar
-Regeneration -Sapper -Terraforming -Ultraviolet
-Vendetta -Xenox
The following are Maluses:
-Diminish -Gelato -Indigestion -Kamikaze
-Whisky -Yoga -Zealot
I do have to question some of the classifications here. In particular, I do
not see why Gelato is a Malus, as it has absolutely no negative effect what-
soever; it freezes conglomerates, which allows tough conglomerates to be taken
out in one hit.
/\================================================/\ ___ zzZZZzz
|| 2.3. P-Bonuses [PPPPP] \/ / | \ /
|| (wherein I explain why you should hate them too) | | | .=====.
\/__________________________________. \/_\/
The P-Bonus is special because it changes depending on which ship you use.
There are 7 different possible P-Bonuses, described in detail below.
Some of them are Maluses. Actually, more than half of them are.
Pilot:
The ship enters autopilot mode, automatically following the
balls and catching them for you. This lets you focus on doing
more important things, such as screaming at the game while your
ship blindly flies right into enemy fire and collects Maluses
like Indigestion.
This is one of those things that is meant to be helpful, but
really isn't in a game like AlphaBounce. This is likely the
first P Bonus you'll encounter, as the ESC-STD has it. It can
help ease you into the flow of the game, but, as you'll later
find, many levels simply are too dangerous for autopilot.
Note that Pilot only automates horizontal movement. If you
have the Gravitron, you will still be able to move your ship up
and down.
It is assumed that the game classifies Pilot as a Bonus because
it is INSOMNIA's P-Bonus and INSOMNIA is not immune to it.
Pyromancer:
Pyromancer deals damage to a random area of conglomerates. It
doesn't deal enough damage to take anything out on its own, but
it will at least make conglomerates easier to take out with
your guns, and you will begin to see it destroy some
conglomerates if you're lucky enough to get two Pyromancers in
the same area. If you want to make the best of Pyromancer, try
to pick up every single one that falls, because this Bonus only
works in numbers.
Provision:
Completely restocks your missiles to their maximum count. Note
that Provision has a display glitch: The missile count in the
lower-right-hand corner will not be updated until you fire a
missile.
Be aware that Provision ignores Ammo Supplies if you have it
equipped, so be careful not to pick up any Provisions until you
use your extra missiles. You will *lose* your extra missiles
when you pick up a Provision.
Pogo: (Malus!)
All your balls will periodically change direction for a while.
I've had some particular luck using Pogo to get my balls to
turn into otherwise tricky passages, but it is almost certainly
meant to be a Malus. Pogo will make your balls unpredictable
and difficult to manage, forcing you to react on a moment's
notice if you want to keep them alive.
Paradox: (Malus!)
Left and right is temporarily reversed! You will need to move
your stylus to the right to move your ship to the left, and
vice versa. If you have the Gravitron, note that Up and down
movement is not reversed. Tricky!
Pause: (Malus!)
Your ship will freeze temporarily, making it impossible to
move. It's like Pilot, except that this time even your balls
are doomed! Avoid at all costs!
Peace: (Malus!)
Your ship will begin to sleep. You can tell it's sleeping
because little Z's are coming out of it. Uhhhh... Anyways,
when your ship is, er, asleep, it will move a lot slower,
making it difficult to keep up with the onslaught of balls,
Bonuses, and enemy fire.
Out of the 7 available P-Bonuses, only 2 are decidedly helpful. Many of the
bad ones are quite bad, so if you don't know what P-Bonus your ship has, I
recommend avoiding any P's you see.
/\================================================/\ _|_
|| 2.4. About Equipment [EQUIP] \/ | |
|| (because it's vaguely relevant) | |
\/__________________________________. |___|
Several of the ship's abilities are related to equipment, and combined with the
fact that I rate each ship and provide some strategy info, I found it necessary
to include a section to brief you on equipment. So here's what you need to know
about equipment:
Each envelope in the game has anywhere from 2 to 6 slots for equipment.
Equipment is a huge part of strategy in AlphaBounce, so slots are very
important and I place a lot of weight on number of slots when rating a ship. I
consider any ship with less than 4 slots to be at a serious disadvantage.
Equipment you find falls into one of several different categories.
Top-Mounted Weapons:
Lasers and Cannons go on top of the ship. You use them with
the Up button or the X button. Most can't even match the power
of a Standard Drilling Ball, but they provide supplementary
firepower, and they never run out of ammunition.
Limit 1 per ship.
Missiles:
Missile bays are placed on the left and right sides of the
ship. You can fire missiles with the Left, Right, Y, and A
buttons. Most are situational, providing you with special ways
to clear conglomerates (such as clearing rows/columns,
terraforming regions, and hitting behind Walls with large blast
radii). They have limited ammunition, which will require you
to be conservative unless your ship has the Provision P-Bonus.
In general, Missiles are meant to be used only against
conglomerates, not enemies.
Limit 1 per ship.
Balls:
Balls are your primary weapons against the conglomerates.
Without them, you cannot mine. This is partly because ships
are designed to spontaneously combust if every ball is lost.
Eh... just go with it.
Your ship must have at least 1 ball. If you equip more than
one ball, the extras will be distributed between the right and
left sides of the ship.
Drones and Mines:
Drones go out and do some dirty work for you. Each has its own
"target" - a specific type of conglomerate/enemy that it can be
deployed onto. They do some work on their target, and then
jump to the next target until there aren't any left. Drones
each have very specific applications. They tend to do oddball
things, such as disabling turrets or converting steel
conglomerates into rock.
Mines are a special case of Drone. They target any
conglomerate and stick there until the conglomerate is
destroyed or is moved (i.e. by Open!!!), at which point they
explode. In addition to Mines you equip, you can also get
Mines from the Sapper Bonus.
If there's a valid target for the drone in the level, you
deploy the drone simply by having a ball bounce off your ship.
It will jump straight to its target when deployed. If nothing
happens the first bounce, that means there aren't any valid
targets for your Drone in the level. Drones stay out once
deployed, so needless to say, it doesn't take very long after
launching the ball to get all your drones out.
Multiple Drones can be equipped on a ship, but beware: They
deploy strictly in the order you equip them. If one Drone
cannot be deployed because there are no valid targets for it,
the rest in series will also not deploy. (Mines are an
exception to this; the game will allow them to be launched
ahead of their spot in the sequence if the drones before them
are shipbound). For this reason, always place the Drones that
are most likely to have targets first.
Extensions:
These increase the starting size of your ship. They can also
make your ship heavier, which confers undesireable-but-
thankfully-quite-negligible decreases in speed.
No limit.
Armor:
Armor Plating and Shields provide you with some Defense.
Metal Scraps : 1 Defense
Steel Plates : 2 Defense
Shield : 5 Defense
Advanced Shield : 7 Defense
Defense is a hidden stat that protects you from damage. For
each point of Defense you have, everything that can hurt you
deals 1 less point from damage.
To put things in perspective: Even the weakest armor, Metal
Scraps, is able to nullify the weakest threats. A Shield (5
Defense) will nullify most damage and take away 1/2 the damage
of OHKO attacks.
BEGNE-TWO is the only ship with any Defense on its own, so
Armor plays a significant role when it comes to keeping your
ships safe
Limit 1 per ship.
Miscellaneous:
There's also some miscellaneous equipment found at the end of
the list. From force field generators to guns that fire with
each ball bounced, this category houses a creative subset of
equipment.
I will note the Ammo Supplies item, though; this item increases
your initial ammo supply. But note how I say "initial";
provision does not care about whether or not you have this
equipped.
No limit.
There is only one copy of each piece of equipment in the game, so pick wisely
when deciding which ship in your fleet gets what.
_____________________________________________________________________________
( )
\___________________________________________________________________________/
\ Section 3. Envelope Reference [SECT3] /
=======================================================================
Welcome to the main attraction! This is where I go into detail about each
envelope, list their specs and rate them.
Now, without further ado...
In this section:
Section 3. Envelope Reference =====(SECT3)
#01 ESC-STD ======================(ESC1)
#02 ESC-FGT ======================(ESC2)
#03 ESC-AOD ======================(ESC3)
#04 AB-MIN_500 ===================(AMIN)
#05 GROMENS ======================(GROM)
#06 TWINEE =======================(TWIN)
#07 HERBO ========================(HERB)
#08 ASTERON ======================(ASTR)
#09 API-DYA ======================(APID)
#10 SABOT ========================(SABO)
#11 TAS-VOODOO ===================(TASV)
#12 EXPLORER =====================(EXPL)
#13 CHIMERA ======================(CHIM)
#14 LOGICO =======================(LOGI)
#15 BEGNE-TWO ====================(BEGN)
#16 GC-MAGMOD ====================(MAGM)
#17 INSOMNIA =====================(INSO)
#18 SOLSTICE =====================(SOLS)
#19 GALEON =======================(GALE)
#20 ARTEMIS ======================(ARTE)
#21 BATTLE-SHK ===================(BSHK)
#22 ISPA-87 ======================(ISPA)
#23 COMMANDER ====================(COMM)
#24 PHOENIX ======================(PHOE)
#25 ZERO-G =======================(ZERO)
#26 I-GUAN =======================(IGUA)
#27 M-ALMOTH =====================(MALM)
#28 HILAN-DR =====================(HILA)
______________________________________
|LEGEND
|
|Each envelope has its own section.
|The first thing in each section is the IN-GAME DESCRIPTION. It's in quotes.
|
|
|This is followed by a box with the following:
|
|Envelope Name: The envelope's NAME
|Obtained From: The PLANET with the envelope (followed by the PLANET'S NUMBER)
|Slots: The number of EQUIPMENT SLOTS
|P-Bonus: The ship's P-BONUS. See (PPPPP) for more information.
|
|If the envelope is only available on certain difficulties, I will note the
|DIFFICULTIES IN WHICH IT IS AVAILABLE to the right of the box.
|
|
|After the box are notes about the envelope itself. There's three parts:
|
|Skill: A one-line summary of the envelope's SPECIAL ABILITY.
|Further notes: An EXPLANATION and/or DETAILED NOTES of the skill.
|My thoughts: This is where I RATE the envelope. I don't actually give it a
| numeric score or anything like that, but I do give my opinion.
|
|_______________________________________
All set? Well, if not, then too bad! Here we go!
o=-=-=o=-=-=-=o=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=o=-=-=-=o=-=-=o
|1. ESC-STD [ESC1]
o=-=-=o=-=-=-=o=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=o=-=-=-=o=-=-=o
"Standard ship provided by the ESCorp."
+-------------+------------------+
Envelope Name| ESC-STD |
Obtained from| ---- |
Slots| 2 {}{} |
P-Bonus| Pilot |
+-------------+------------------+
Skill: None.
Further notes:
What? No special skill? Villains!
My thoughts:
You start with ESC-STD. As soon as you unlock another ship,
you'll want to switch to that. With no redeeming traits whatso-
ever, this ship will be bumped out of the fleet as soon as
possible.
o=-=-=o=-=-=-=o=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=o=-=-=-=o=-=-=o
|2. ESC-FGT [ESC2]
o=-=-=o=-=-=-=o=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=o=-=-=-=o=-=-=o
"Advanced version of the ESC-STD ship.
the ESC-FGT is fitted with improved laser
firing systems."
+-------------+------------------+
Envelope Name| ESC-FGT |
Obtained from| Soldemas (#18) |
Slots| 3 {}{}{} |
P-Bonus| Pyromancer |
+-------------+------------------+
Skill: Top-mounted weapons fire more rapidly.
Further notes:
According to tests I have run, the speed boost appears to apply to all top-
mounted weapons (not just lasers), and cannons seemed to be affected.
I would not call my data very reliable, though, and thus I cannot confidently
state how much faster the lasers are. Human error is tough to minimize when
working with non-automatic weapons.
/!\ Please see the Contacting Me section if you've been able to collect some
accurate data. /!\
My thoughts:
I got this from the second planet I completed. I loved it.
Before long, I couldn't stand mounting lasers on anything but
this.
But most weapons are fine without this. Slow weapons still feel
slow, and I can't quite say that the fast weapons feel any more
efficient, either.
Also, 3 slots is a serious limitation later in the game, espe-
cially when one of those slots will be a gun.
o=-=-=o=-=-=-=o=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=o=-=-=-=o=-=-=o
|3. ESC-AOD [ESC3]
o=-=-=o=-=-=-=o=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=o=-=-=-=o=-=-=o
"Only the most experienced ESCorp
prisoners have access to the ESC-AOD.
Whenever a ball is launched from an
ESC-AOD, demolition charges are sticked
onto it, which makes their first impact
devastating."
+-------------+------------------+
Envelope Name| ESC-AOD |
Obtained from| Bimourde (#02) |
Slots| 3 {}{}{} |
P-Bonus| Provision |
+-------------+------------------+
Skill: Balls deal excessive damage to the first conglomerate hit after launch.
Further Notes:
The very first conglomerate hit by the ball after you initially launch it will
be destroyed. Balls caught by Attraction do not count; it's the initial
launch after deploying the ship ONLY. One conglomerate, period.
An exception is the Safe Ball, which becomes destructive again after it falls.
My thoughts:
It's pretty obvious why only the most experienced pilots have
access to the ESC-AOD: Using it requires skill. In order to even
take advantage of it's skill, you need to have precise aim and
hit the desired conglomerate with the initial launch.
I think it goes without saying that ESC-AOD is no good. You
would get a lot more value out of simply equipping a ball with a
high attack power on a different ship, because at least that
wouldn't be limited to a single conglomerate.
o=-=-=o=-=-=-=o=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=o=-=-=-=o=-=-=o
|4. AB-MIN_500 [AMIN]
o=-=-=o=-=-=-=o=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=o=-=-=-=o=-=-=o
"Abandoned for years right between two
superplanets, this ship was horizontally
stretched by the two opposite
gravitational forces of the two planets."
+-------------+------------------+
Envelope Name| AB-MIN_500 |
Obtained from| Rosanhydre (#17) |
Slots| 2 {}{} |
P-Bonus| Pilot |
+-------------+------------------+
Skill: Extra long.
Further notes:
It's the length of a ship with a Heavy Extension. In other words, it's two
pixels wider than an Advanced Extension, but still plenty short of a
Professional Extension.
My thoughts:
With only two slots, it's downright worthless.
Think of it as a 3-slot ship that has no special traits, and
whose third slot is always a Heavy Extension. In all honesty,
you can do much better with an extension on a 4 slot ship.
o=-=-=o=-=-=-=o=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=o=-=-=-=o=-=-=o
|5. GROMENS [GROM]
o=-=-=o=-=-=-=o=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=o=-=-=-=o=-=-=o
"Designed to be used for longer
operations, GROMENS has a lot of
equipment slots. However, this extra
loadout makes it a bit slower than other
ships."
+-------------+------------------+
Envelope Name| GROMENS |
Obtained from| Keunoth (#11) |
Slots| 4 {}{}{}{} |
P-Bonus| Pause |
+-------------+------------------+
Skill: None / Not known at this time.
Further notes:
(this ship is believed to have a detrimental skill)
I am inclined to believe that in some way or another, this ship is slower.
But I've spent hours drawing loops, tapping, and counting frames and found no
conclusive proof that it is slow.
If it actually is slower than other ships, the amount by which it's slower is
so marginal that I've yet to construct a single test where the margin of human
error wasn't at least twice as big.
/!\ Please see the Contacting Me section if you have figured it out. /!\
My thoughts:
Depends on when you get it.
In Easy mode, it's just simply no good. Half of Keunoth is
outside the red box for the Level C Area. Considering that the
CHIMERA (also 4 slots) is available from the very start of the
game, and several other 4 slot ships and the 5 slot LOGICO are
available inside the Level C Area, you'll be laughing when you
complete Keunoth and take a look at your brand new ship.
GROMENS is one of the few ships that never entered my roster. It
was just no good by the time I got it.
In Normal mode, it's a completely different story. GROMENS is
almost undoubtedly the first ship you get. You won't even know
what to do with all those slots when you first get it. GROMENS
can become quite an asset.
But whatever the case, don't worry about the "slow" bit. GROMENS
is a perfectly good ship. Except for the fact it has Pause.
o=-=-=o=-=-=-=o=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=o=-=-=-=o=-=-=o
|6. TWINEE [TWIN]
o=-=-=o=-=-=-=o=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=o=-=-=-=o=-=-=o
"Fitted with a Balixtean cloning system,
TWINEE can duplicate all the balls just
before launching them."
+-------------+------------------+
Envelope Name| TWINEE |
Obtained from| Confolens (#03) |
Slots| 3 {}{}{} |
P-Bonus| Peace |
+-------------+------------------+
Skill: Not known at this time.
Further Notes:
I spent a whole day just trying to figure out how to use TWINEE's ball-cloning
ability while watching South Park. Those are 11 hours I'll never get back.
...in related news, I've now seen every episode of South Park made to date.
/!\ Please see the Contacting Me section if you have figured it out. /!\
My thoughts:
For a ship we can't figure out, it seems TWINEE is meant to be an
inferior ship anyways. The game even denounces TWINEE in the de-
scription for the other ball- cloning ship, SOLSTICE.
o=-=-=o=-=-=-=o=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=o=-=-=-=o=-=-=o
|7. HERBO [HERB]
o=-=-=o=-=-=-=o=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=o=-=-=-=o=-=-=o
"HERBO used to be a combat ship before it
was turned into a mining ship, hence it has
extended missile bays."
+-------------+------------------+
Envelope Name| HERBO |
Obtained from| Gorgonat (#07) |
Slots| 3 {}{}{} |
P-Bonus| Provision |
+-------------+------------------+
Skill: 2x missile count.
Further notes:
Unlike the 2x bonus from the "Ammo Supplies" equipment, this bonus affects
your base missile count, meaning Provision will take your bonus into account
and give you 2x missiles.
Speaking of "Ammo Supplies", equipping one on this ship will indeed let you
start out with 4x the missile count.
My thoughts:
Ah, HERBO, the ship everyone wants to call "HERB0" due to the
unusual font. HERBO isn't very good. I think Provision is fine
enough on its own. HERBO will let you get twice as many missiles
to use between Provisions, but unless your missiles are very
limited to begin with, chances are many of those extra missiles
will just go to waste.
If you like missiles, I would highly recommend using BATTLE-SHK
or even GALEON instead. Both of those have Provision and 5
equipment slots, and BATTLE-SHK even makes your missiles
stronger.
o=-=-=o=-=-=-=o=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=o=-=-=-=o=-=-=o
|8. ASTERON [ASTR]
o=-=-=o=-=-=-=o=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=o=-=-=-=o=-=-=o
"The ASTERON was forged into an
extremely solid metal and is probably the
most resistant ship. Although it's not
very useful against piercing or thermal
damage, it can tank very well any kind of
explosive damage, such as the collision
with other ships."
+-------------+------------------+
Envelope Name| ASTERON |
Obtained from| Epigore (#05) |
Slots| 4 {}{}{}{} |
P-Bonus| Paradox |
+-------------+------------------+
Skill: Offers full protection from contact damage with enemies.
Further Notes:
Enemies deal contact damage at a rate of 10 HP per frame. With no Defense,
this is instant death. With some Defense, it would still deplete your entire
life bar faster than you can blink because this is damage incurred *every
frame*.
The only way to have any assurance against contact damage is to have 10
Defense or use ASTERON.
However, if you're in Easy mode like I am, none of this matters because the
game prevents enemies from approaching your ship; the game freezes them and
turns them harmless if they enter your play area. They can still hurt you
for about 3 frames if you park your ship right where the enemy enters at the
top of the play area, though, because the game waits a split second after they
enter your play area before it turns them harmless.
My thoughts:
ASTERON is just about useless in Easy mode, and while I can't
vouch for Normal or Hard mode, I have witnessed how quickly the
game deals contact damage (like I described above, it is possible
to get a taste of it in Easy mode), and so I would imagine that
protection against contact damage is a big deal.
However, you can accomplish the same - and much, much more - with
a Shield on a BEGNE-TWO, which is what I recommend you do
instead. Forget ASTERON.
o=-=-=o=-=-=-=o=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=o=-=-=-=o=-=-=o
|9. API-DYA [APID]
o=-=-=o=-=-=-=o=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=o=-=-=-=o=-=-=o
"When a ball exits the ball launchers of the
API-DYA, it's coated with pure alcohol,
which makes it extremely efficient
against organic entities like Enzoimas.
However, the ESCorp asked the owners of
an API-DYA to reduce the size of their
ships, so they are less dangerous when
flying them * API-DYA pilots tend to get
quite drunk onboard."
+-------------+------------------+
Envelope Name| API-DYA |
Obtained from| Quasmik (#22) |
Slots| 3 {}{}{} |
P-Bonus| Pogo |
+-------------+------------------+
Skill: Not known at this time.
Further Notes:
LIES, ALL LIES!! THE EARTH CHILD LIES!!!
I spent hours counting ball hits and weapon fire against various Enzoima
blocks and conclude that the API-DYA does NOT deal extra damage to Enzoima as
the description strongly suggests.
I don't know what else to say.
/!\ Please see the Contacting Me section if you have figured it out. /!\
My thoughts:
API-DYA already loses points for being a 3-slot ship, but I
cannot give a fair assessment of the ship until its ability is
discovered.
o=-=-=o=-=-=-=o=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=o=-=-=-=o=-=-=o
|10. SABOT [SABO]
o=-=-=o=-=-=-=o=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=o=-=-=-=o=-=-=o
"SABOT is an old Balixtean prototype,
optimized for the use of mining drones*
Balixtean miners use mostly drones for
their mining operations."
+-------------+------------------+
Envelope Name| SABOT |
Obtained from| Pouchine (#16) |
Slots| 4 {}{}{}{} |
P-Bonus| Pause |
+-------------+------------------+
Skill: Drones work faster.
Further Notes:
Drones take about 20% less time to complete their tasks.
My thoughts:
SABOT's okay, but I wouldn't find it really worth using over
other ships unless it's fitted with multiple drones. That makes
it somewhat disadvantaged as a four-slot ship.
I do wish the speed boost was more significant. 20% gives SABOT
an "edge" for sure, but, much like with ESC-FGT, it isn't enough
to give SABOT an advantage.
o=-=-=o=-=-=-=o=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=o=-=-=-=o=-=-=o
|11. TAS-VOODOO [TASV]
o=-=-=o=-=-=-=o=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=o=-=-=-=o=-=-=o
"Forbidden by the ESCorp, TAS-VOODOO is
a pirate ship equipped with special ball
launchers: metallic chains and spikes are
attached to the balls to improve their
efficiency."
+-------------+------------------+
Envelope Name| TAS-VOODOO |
Obtained from| Huskari (#08) |
Slots| 2 {}{} |
P-Bonus| Pyromancer |
+-------------+------------------+
Skill: Not known at this time.
Further Notes:
TAS-VOODOO does not deal extra damage to conglomerates, Enzoima, or enemies.
Unless it deals extra damage to Nexus, I'm out of ideas.
/!\ Please see the Contacting Me section if you have figured it out. /!\
My thoughts:
Though I don't know TAS-VOODOO's ability, I must say that, as a
two-slot ship, there's very little that TAS-VOODOO could do to
redeem itself.
o=-=-=o=-=-=-=o=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=o=-=-=-=o=-=-=o
|12. EXPLORER [EXPL]
o=-=-=o=-=-=-=o=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=o=-=-=-=o=-=-=o
"Legendary ship which once belonged to
the famous explorer known as "Bouncer",
the EXPLORER is supposed to bring luck
to its pilot."
+-------------+------------------+
Envelope Name| EXPLORER |
Obtained from| Nomenjade (#14) |
Slots| 4 {}{}{}{} |
P-Bonus| Pilot |
+-------------+------------------+
Skill: More conglomerates drop Bonuses/Maluses.
Further Notes:
EXPLORER's effect is comparable to that of the Scout Ball, but I'll explain it
anyways.
Like many things in AlphaBounce, Bonus/Malus placement is randomly generated,
but to hide the fact that it's computer generated and not designed by hand,
it's generated from the exact same random "seed" each time, making it seem
static.
So, for instance, let's say that there's a 6x2 region of conglomerates in a
level. Every time you play that level, that region will have the following
Bonuses:
[A] [B] [ ] [D] [ ] [ ]
[ ] [ ] [B] [ ] [ ] [Z]
This arrangement was randomly generated, but it will be the same every time
you play the level.
So what happens when you switch to EXPLORER? Simple:
[A] [B] [D] [D] [ ] [ ]
[ ] [K] [B] [ ] [Q] [Z]
EXPLORER will not touch the Bonuses/Maluses that already exist in the level,
but it will add more.
(thanks goes to bubblebenj on the forums for his lucky guess (pun intended))
My thoughts:
A lot of levels in the game come down to Bonuses. Very often,
the best way to beat a level is to hunt down Open!!!s,
Ultraviolets, and Quasars. After all, it only takes 4 Open!!!s
to beat a level. This makes EXPLORER a great ship for when you're
looking for an easy way out of a level. However, you can't
depend on it; in some levels, it will barely add anything at all.
o=-=-=o=-=-=-=o=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=o=-=-=-=o=-=-=o
|13. CHIMERA [CHIM]
o=-=-=o=-=-=-=o=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=o=-=-=-=o=-=-=o
"The CHIMERA is the one and only ship
that was developed by the Enzoima. It's
entirely made of organic matter,
imitating the mechanical systems of the
classic ships. Basically, the CHIMERA is
a living creature... Which is quite handy,
since it can heal its wounds by itself!"
+-------------+------------------+
Envelope Name| CHIMERA | EXCLUSIVE TO:
Obtained from| Asmech (#01) | Easy
Slots| 4 {}{}{}{} | Normal
P-Bonus| Pyromancer |
+-------------+------------------+
Skill: Heals HP at a rate of 1HP/sec.
Further Notes:
You have a total of 10HP, so it will take at most 9 seconds to heal completely
from even the gravest damage.
Due to an unfortunate glitch, CHIMERA is only available on Easy and Normal
modes. In Hard mode, the level at coordinates (-21,-12) on Asmech does not end
even after clearing all the conglomerates; it is unwinnable. People have
tried icing and terraforming everything in the level hoping to fix any buggy
conglomerates, but the level still could not be conquered.
(Thanks goes to YakraXIII for pointing this out on the forums)
My thoughts:
A fantastic ship for defense. It's right up there with BEGNE-TWO
and PHOENIX. For best effect, equip it with a weak shield like
Steel Plates so that it can survive OHKO attacks.
CHIMERA is one of the first ships you can get in Easy mode,
surely making it a staple in your fleet. This is in stark
contrast to Normal mode, where you don't see the CHIMERA until
you leave the C Area.
It's a shame that the ship is impossible to get in Hard Mode.
o=-=-=o=-=-=-=o=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=o=-=-=-=o=-=-=o
|14. LOGICO [LOGI]
o=-=-=o=-=-=-=o=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=o=-=-=-=o=-=-=o
"Unique model first owned by Qsixtus, aka
"The Loser", LOGICO is known to be the
worst ship ever!"
+-------------+------------------+
Envelope Name| LOGICO |
Obtained from| Foshagrune (#06) |
Slots| 5 {}{}{}{}{} |
P-Bonus| Pause |
+-------------+------------------+
Skill: Dies when a single ball is lost.
Further Notes:
LOGICO will die if a single ball falls, so you must keep every ball up.
Multiball and Frenzy become liabilities, and Chaos Field and Wave Generator
become your biggest assets.
Balls that are vaporized by Black Holes (a.k.a. antimatter conglomerates)
count. This makes LOGICO absolute suicide on Dustiny.
My thoughts:
LOGICO is a bad ship in every sense of the word...
But I highly recommend it if you want a challenge.
This ship was a staple in my fleet for a very long time. I found
to make the game very fun. Think of it as a "Challenge Mode."
It adds a layer of complexity to the game, and you need to modify
your strategies to make sure you leave no ball behind. Using it
will train you to become a master at chasing balls and timing
saves with the Wave Generator.
However, once you discover the devastating Fire Ball and
Explosive Ball, the story changes. If you use these balls, the
game's debilitating "selective lag" will begin to rear it's ugly
head, causing your ship to slow down and miss many balls it
should've been able to catch. I find that whenever there's lag,
LOGICO stops being fun. It becomes just plain frustrating.
o=-=-=o=-=-=-=o=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=o=-=-=-=o=-=-=o
|15. BEGNE-TWO [BEGN]
o=-=-=o=-=-=-=o=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=o=-=-=-=o=-=-=o
"Initially created as a piece of art for an
exposition about miner prisoners,
BEGNE-TWO was designed like a giant
chestnut, representing the
imprisonment of the miners. The idea
turned out ot be a success and
BEGNE-TWO was made into a real mining
ship."
+-------------+------------------+
Envelope Name| BEGNE-TWO |
Obtained from| Wanoeth (#23) |
Slots| 4 {}{}{}{} |
P-Bonus| Pogo |
+-------------+------------------+
Skill: +5 Defense (same as equipping a Shield).
Further Notes:
Ironically, BEGNE-TWO - whose description does not allude to defensive capa-
bilities at all - is the only ship that confers additional Defense.
BEGNE-TWO has an innate Defense of 5, the same as that of a Shield. This means
that BEGNE-TWO takes 5 less points of damage from everything that can harm a
ship. This bonus stacks with armor plating.
My thoughts:
BEGNE-TWO, PHOENIX and CHIMERA comprise the top three defensive ships.
5 innate Defense is a Big Deal (TM). To put things in perspec-
tive, the deadliest hazards in the game deal around 10 damage,
and almost everything else deals five damage or less. This means
BEGNE-TWO halves the damage from instant death hazards, is well
protected against Pirates and Engorgers, and completely nullifies
all other damage.
Equipping a Shield on the BEGNE-TWO (for a total of 10 Defense)
will make it pretty much invincible. There are few - very few -
enemies that deal more than 10 damage. The only one I know is
the purple Nexus, which deals 12. For the most part, I think
it's safe to save the Advanced Shields for other ships in your
fleet.
o=-=-=o=-=-=-=o=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=o=-=-=-=o=-=-=o
|16. GC-MAGMOD [MAGM]
o=-=-=o=-=-=-=o=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=o=-=-=-=o=-=-=o
"Using a powerful force field deployed on
its bounding surface, GC-MAGMOD
enables the pilot to have an excellent
control over his balls when he launches
them."
+-------------+------------------+
Envelope Name| GC-MAGMOD |
Obtained from| Dustiny (#04) |
Slots| 4 {}{}{}{} |
P-Bonus| Paradox |
+-------------+------------------+
Skill: Not known at this time.
Further Notes:
I really wish I could tell you what this ship does, because ships with cryptic
descriptions like this are the primary reason this guide exists. But I'm
afraid you'll have to tell me. I've been trying to figure this ship out since
the day I got it.
/!\ Please see the Contacting Me section if you have figured it out. /!\
My thoughts:
I definitely expect GC-MAGMOD's ability to be interesting, but
will it be useful? Only time will tell. In the meanwhile, those
trying to figure it out will need to dodge a few Paradoxes,
because those can be nasty.
o=-=-=o=-=-=-=o=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=o=-=-=-=o=-=-=o
|17. INSOMNIA [INSO]
o=-=-=o=-=-=-=o=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=o=-=-=-=o=-=-=o
"INSOMNIA is an antique Zonkerian ship
with unknown powers. Some believers
claim it's a living mechanic entity. It
seems anyway its ability to survive the
most dangerous situations is not a
legend."
+-------------+------------------+
Envelope Name| INSOMNIA |
Obtained from| Xolt (#24) |
Slots| 4 {}{}{}{} |
P-Bonus| Pilot |
+-------------+------------------+
Skill: Immune to Maluses.
Further Notes:
INSOMNIA is immune to Maluses. Again, those are:
-Diminish -Gelato -Indigestion -Kamikaze
-Whisky -Yoga -Zealot
Nothing will happen when you pick up any of these.
My thoughts:
It's liberating to not have to worry about dodging Indigestions
and Whiskys, but I do have to question some of the choices for
immunities. As I have stated before, Gelato has no negative
side-effects (as far as I know). Also, while I can understand
that Kamikaze is considered a Malus because it's damaging, that
doesn't mean I don't miss having it when using this ship.
o=-=-=o=-=-=-=o=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=o=-=-=-=o=-=-=o
|18. SOLSTICE [SOLS]
o=-=-=o=-=-=-=o=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=o=-=-=-=o=-=-=o
"Pirate ship reserved to the most skilled
miners, SOLSTICE can remotely clone its
balls even after launching them (unlike
TWINEE)!"
+-------------+------------------+
Envelope Name| SOLSTICE |
Obtained from| Monathir (#13) |
Slots| 4 {}{}{}{} |
P-Bonus| Pyromancer |
+-------------+------------------+
Skill: Multiballs give a third clone.
Further Notes:
After a ball splits from a Multiball, one of the balls will split again, form-
ing three balls.
My thoughts:
SOLSTICE is by no means a bad ship, but you probably have better
ships to put in your fleet. Getting a third ball to every clone
would be nice were it not for the 8-ball limit. The SOLSTICE
reaches the limit in two Multiballs while other ships reach it in
three.
I would only recommend SOLSTICE near the back of the fleet so
that it deploys when there's not as many Multiballs left in the
level. That's the only way it might have an actual advantage
over other ships.
If the game had a higher ball limit and didn't have Frenzy, this
would be a far better ship. Unfortunately, since you spend most
of the time already with max balls, using SOLSTICE makes little
difference.
o=-=-=o=-=-=-=o=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=o=-=-=-=o=-=-=o
|19. GALEON [GALE]
o=-=-=o=-=-=-=o=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=o=-=-=-=o=-=-=o
"GALEON is made of an intelligent hull
which analyzes its own structure when
it's being hit and dynamically transforms
it to prevent any damage to be applied to
it. It's supposed to be flawless."
+-------------+------------------+
Envelope Name| GALEON |
Obtained from| Tartinours (#19) |
Slots| 5 {}{}{}{}{} |
P-Bonus| Provision |
+-------------+------------------+
Skill: Not known at this time.
Further Notes:
I find the assertion that "It's supposed to be flawless" quite humorous given
the fact that I cannot figure out at all how to invoke this alleged self-
protection. I haven't noticed GALEON ever not take the full brunt of any
bullet it bites.
/!\ Please see the Contacting Me section if you have figured it out. /!\
My thoughts:
GALEON certainly wins points for both Provision and having 5
slots, but if it wants to be a defensive ship, it has tough
competition.
o=-=-=o=-=-=-=o=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=o=-=-=-=o=-=-=o
|20. ARTEMIS [ARTE]
o=-=-=o=-=-=-=o=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=o=-=-=-=o=-=-=o
"ARTEMIS is surrounded by a very
unstable electric field, which reacts
violently if it collides with another
object. The electric arcs generated by
these reactions can come in really handy
for mining ops."
+-------------+------------------+
Envelope Name| ARTEMIS |
Obtained from| Ozaris (#15) |
Slots| 4 {}{}{}{} |
P-Bonus| Pyromancer |
+-------------+------------------+
Skill: Fires mini Pulse Cannon shots when the ball bounces on it.
Further Notes:
This is a lot like the Mass Cannon, though the projectiles are different. Like
regular Pulse Cannon shots, the shots fired by ARTEMIS tend to extend their
damage to horizontally adjacent conglomerates.
Like with the Mass Cannon, you can trap a ball under your ship with the Wave
Generator and the Gravitron, unleashing a continuous destructive beam of fire.
My thoughts:
The shots are powerful; their Pulse Cannon area of effect lets
you take down three columns of conglomerates at once. I still
prefer other offensive ships over this one, but the ARTEMIS is
certainly a force to be reckoned with.
o=-=-=o=-=-=-=o=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=o=-=-=-=o=-=-=o
|21. BATTLE-SHK [BSHK]
o=-=-=o=-=-=-=o=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=o=-=-=-=o=-=-=o
"The BATTLE-SHK model was created by
the ESCorp for military purposes. It's
actually a combat ship disguised into a
mining ship, and its use is supposed to be
restricted to militaries only, because of
its devastating weapon systems."
+-------------+------------------+
Envelope Name| BATTLE-SHK |
Obtained from| Uzeek (#20) |
Slots| 5 {}{}{}{}{} |
P-Bonus| Provision |
+-------------+------------------+
Skill: Missiles are more powerful.
Further Notes:
Missiles deal 1.5x as much damage.
As far as I can tell, other "weapon systems" are not affected.
My thoughts:
If BATTLE-SHK makes the difference between destroying something
in one missile and destroying it in two, it's probably well worth
using. Not to mention it has Provision, earning it's title as
the ultimate missile-lovers ship.
o=-=-=o=-=-=-=o=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=o=-=-=-=o=-=-=o
|22. ISPA-87 [ISPA]
o=-=-=o=-=-=-=o=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=o=-=-=-=o=-=-=o
"The weapon slots of the ISPA-87 were
removed and the freed space can be used
to fit more mining tools, which makes the
ISPA-87 an excellent choice for long
missions in safe areas."
+-------------+------------------+
Envelope Name| ISPA-87 |
Obtained from| Iductys (#09) |
Slots| 6 {}{}{}{}{}{} |
P-Bonus| Pause |
+-------------+------------------+
Skill: None / Not known at this time.
Further Notes:
(this ship is believed to have a detrimental skill)
The weapon slots were removed? You can still equip all weapons, so I'm not
sure what exactly this flavor text means and how it impacts the ISPA-87.
/!\ Please see the Contacting Me section if you have figured it out. /!\
My thoughts:
The ISPA-87 is the only 6-slot ship. The game hints to there
being a catch to the ship, but I haven't seen it. The only issue
I can see is Pause - a minor hindrance forcing you to avoid P's.
This ship is very much in the same boat as GROMENS, down to the
fact that the only problem I can see with either is the P-Malus
Pause that they both happen to share.
If you need six slots, ISPA-87 is indeed the way to go.
o=-=-=o=-=-=-=o=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=o=-=-=-=o=-=-=o
|23. COMMANDER [COMM]
o=-=-=o=-=-=-=o=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=o=-=-=-=o=-=-=o
"The COMMANDER is an old ESCorp model,
created during the third interstellar war,
when prisoners had to fly into alien
territory to find minerals. There are still
a few COMMANDER models out there,
somewhere, and are actively sought for
their efficiency against alien
conglomerate networks."
+-------------+------------------+
Envelope Name| COMMANDER |
Obtained from| Yubong (#25) |
Slots| 5 {}{}{}{}{} |
P-Bonus| Pogo |
+-------------+------------------+
Skill: Not known at this time.
Further Notes:
I don't know. I just don't know.
/!\ Please see the Contacting Me section if you have figured it out. /!\
My thoughts:
I can't fairly rate COMMANDER without knowing its skill. But I
have used this ship on some levels with tricky steel structures
as it is the only 5-slot ship with Pogo, and I've always had
decent luck with balls Pogo-ing into narrow crevices. Once I
discovered BEGNE-TWO's ability, though, BEGNE-TWO became my new
favorite Pogo ship.
o=-=-=o=-=-=-=o=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=o=-=-=-=o=-=-=o
|24. PHOENIX [PHOE]
o=-=-=o=-=-=-=o=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=o=-=-=-=o=-=-=o
"Mythical alien ship, unique in the
universe. They say the PHOENIX can rise
from its own ashes... and that coffee is
free onboard!"
+-------------+------------------+
Envelope Name| PHOENIX |
Obtained from| Lomax (#12) |
Slots| 5 {}{}{}{}{} |
P-Bonus| Pyromancer |
+-------------+------------------+
Skill: Can revive itself when fallen.
Further Notes:
When the PHOENIX is destroyed, there's a 50% chance it will return instead of
having the next ship in your fleet be deployed. Note that there's a display
glitch involving PHOENIX with the remaining ships counter in the lower left
corner of the screen; when the PHOENIX is reborn, the counter will decrease
even though effectively no ship was lost.
On its second life, PHOENIX is impervious to damage. The only way PHOENIX can
be destroyed on its second life is by losing all the balls.
PHOENIX can be revived multiple times. Just before writing this paragraph, I
played a level where PHOENIX lived 4 lives.
My thoughts:
PHOENIX ranks in the top three defensive ships with BEGNE-TWO and
CHIMERA. In fact, PHOENIX is arguably the best of all three, as
not only can it live twice, but on its second life, it's invin-
cible. It also has 5 slots compared to the 4 on the other ships.
PHOENIX is best in the front of your fleet. I recommend putting
the most helpful equipment on it save for armor, because you
might be able to use this equipment more than once. If a level
has many cannons or gun-toting enemies, you can try repeatedly
replaying the level and suiciding PHOENIX early on until it
revives itself. This way, you can take advantage of its post-
mortem invincibility.
I've found PHOENIX particularly useful far, far out into the
universe. On Easy mode, around (750,0) you begin to see lots and
lots of Nexus sentries that deal more damage than even BEGNE-TWO
with an Advanced Shield can tank. With all the lag making their
projectiles near-impossible to dodge if you used Fire Balls,
M-ALMOTH and even BEGNE-TWO were no longer options, and my best
chance of survival was to put an Explosive Ball on a PHOENIX and
back it up with a Stealth Ball on a powerful ship like M-ALMOTH.
If PHOENIX didn't get revived after its inevitable death, I would
just hope my backup ship could last long enough.
o=-=-=o=-=-=-=o=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=o=-=-=-=o=-=-=o
|25. ZERO-G [ZERO]
o=-=-=o=-=-=-=o=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=o=-=-=-=o=-=-=o
""The Gods created the Universe in 8
days... And on the 8th day, the Gods
created ZERO-G, the Ship of the
Gods.* Extract of the Zonkerian
Scriptures, verse 5-13."
+-------------+------------------+
Envelope Name| ZERO-G |
Obtained from| Jokulh (#10) |
Slots| 5 {}{}{}{}{} |
P-Bonus| Pilot |
+-------------+------------------+
Skill: Deploys spectral balls for additional firepower.
Further Notes:
Each time a ball bounces off of your envelope, 5 "ghost" balls will be
launched. They look just like normal balls afflicted with Halo, but they are
not the same. These ghost balls will damage the first thing they hit and then
disappear.
The ghosts can bounce off the left and right sides of the screen, but if they
touch any conglomerate/enemy, the top/bottom of the screen, or your envelope,
they'll vanish.
These phantasmic balls have some strange properties... some neat, some inter-
esting, and others just indicative of lazy design. They're almost all caused
by the same design flaw: The game treats them too much like regular balls.
First of all, these balls contribute to the 8 ball limit, meaning less than 5
will be generated if you have more than 3 balls in play. It also limits the
effectiveness of Multiball and Frenzy when there's too many ghost balls.
If you duplicate a ghost ball with Multiball/Frenzy, you will produce a solid
Standard Drilling Ball... one which doesn't disappear on contact.
Actually, the ghost balls count as balls to EVERY Bonus. They're affected by
Attraction, Halo, Nebula, Whisky, Xenox, and Zealot, and they'll also serve as
targets for Pilot and triggers for Sapper. In most of these cases, they
behave logically but suffer from graphical flaws; with Attraction, even though
the balls still disappear when the ship touches them, they'll make the "pop"
effect as if they stuck. Similarly, Nebula and Whisky both change the appear-
ance of the balls to become particularly solid-looking even though they'll
still vanish after the first thing they touch.
Halo's also mostly a graphical issue. Since they're already ghosts, they
don't look any different on their way up. They'll pass through conglomerates,
hit the top of the screen, *turn opaque*, and fall back down. Note that even
though they look solid, they'll still vanish after one hit.
Also interesting to note about their behavior under Halo is that this is the
only case where one doesn't disappear when touching the top of the screen.
Whisky has another side-effect: Any ghost balls that manage to survive the
drunk phase will be turned into solid Standard Drilling Balls when the buzz
wears off. With sobriety comes mortality, I suppose.
(A huge thanks goes to YakraXIII on the forum for a post enumerating many of
the quirks listed above; there certainly is a lot to say about ZERO-G.)
My thoughts:
I tried ZERO-G for a while and found it very neat, but over time
I discovered that all its little quirks add up to a generally
counterproductive ship.
The biggest problems are with Multiball and Frenzy. You will be
seeing a lot of Standard Drilling Balls popping up out of
nowhere, taking up valuable slots that could be occupied by more
copies of the arguably stronger balls you have equipped.
It might not be so bad in the back of the fleet, though. Let's
say you clear out all you easily can in a level, and you're left
with a bunch of hard-to-reach conglomerates tucked away behind
steel. Switching out to a ZERO-G with an Ice Ball might be your
fastest bet; all the ghost balls flying around make the ZERO-G
remarkably good at shattering whatever you freeze. It's an ideal
alternative to waiting for one of your balls to navigate through
a complicated maze with 1-wide openings.
o=-=-=o=-=-=-=o=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=o=-=-=-=o=-=-=o
|26. I-GUAN [IGUA]
o=-=-=o=-=-=-=o=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=o=-=-=-=o=-=-=o
"I-GUAN is a very special alien ship. It
transforms the matter of everything
which touches it, may it be balls, or power
letters. Powerful and random at the same
time!"
+-------------+------------------+
Envelope Name| I-GUAN |
Obtained from| Zatonga (#26) |
Slots| 5 {}{}{}{}{} |
P-Bonus| Pilot |
+-------------+------------------+
Skill: Randomizes balls and makes the level yield different Bonus/Maluses.
Further Notes:
Balls change type every time they bounce. The new type takes effect BEFORE
they actually make contact with what they bounced against.
About the Bonuses/Maluses...
If you haven't read my explanation about Bonus/Malus placement in EXPLORER's
section (EXPL) yet, I suggest you go do so. But basically what you need to
understand is that, under most circumstances, a level will produce the exact
same Bonuses and Maluses every time you play it.
Anyways, what I-GUAN does is change Bonuses and Maluses to a different type
just before they appear. The moment you destroy the conglomerate holding the
Bonus is the moment when I-GUAN does its thing.
And what exactly is "it's thing," you may ask? Simple. It shifts the Bonus/
Malus one letter forward in the alphabet.
So in other words, the example level I used in (EXPL):
[A] [B] [ ] [D] [ ] [ ]
[ ] [ ] [B] [ ] [ ] [Z]
Would produce this if you used I-GUAN:
[B] [C] [ ] [E] [ ] [ ]
[ ] [ ] [C] [ ] [ ] [A]
Attraction transmutes to Barrier, Barrier transmutes to Chaos Field, and so on
up to Zealot, which transmutes to Attraction.
Remember, I-GUAN only transmutes the Bonus/Malus right when you destroy the
conglomerate holding it. This means that any other ships in your fleet - even
those after I-GUAN - will get the normal Bonuses/Maluses. Only conglomerates
destroyed by the I-GUAN itself will produce different Bonuses/Maluses.
Last but CERTAINLY not least, I-GUAN is very, very unstable in Easy mode. Any
time a ball bounces, the game might crash. The crashes are far, far less
frequent in Normal and Hard mode, indicating that the crashes might be caused
by the ball attempting to become a type that isn't supposed to be available to
the player.
With that knowledge, I can only assume the crashes are *by design*; I'd be
willing to bet the crashes are an anti-cheating measure that was put in place
by a programmer who clearly wasn't considering the fact that there was a ship
that could randomly change a ball into a type not normally available.
But whatever the cause, I must say: Unless the only people beta testing this
game were the programmers themselves, I'm very disappointed this issue went
unnoticed.
My thoughts:
I-GUAN is unusable on Easy mode. I am not kidding. I have yet
to beat a single level with this ship because it crashes so
frequently. In fact, I'm afraid to beat a level because I don't
want it to crash right when it autosaves after beating the level.
But even aside from the crashes, I-GUAN's not the best ship
around. Now technically, this ship is, by its very nature,
equipped for every situation. But it'll require patience on your
part to get the right type of ball to appear at the right time.
What I find most frustrating is that, as I stated above, the
ball's new type takes effect before the collision occurs. So
whenever a ball collides with something, the effect it has on
what it touches depends on what type it becomes, not what type it
currently is. This creates a neverending sense of uncertainty.
You cannot predict what any ball will do. Any ball could change
into a Plasma Ball when you touch it, and every time this occurs,
you lose almost a third of your HP. From my experience, an I-GUAN
without a Shield is a ship on death row.
However... provided you're on Normal or Hard mode and you have a
Shield on, abusing its Bonus/Malus-shifting ability could be a
pretty cool way to tackle an otherwise frustrating level.
o=-=-=o=-=-=-=o=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=o=-=-=-=o=-=-=o
|27. M-ALMOTH [MALM]
o=-=-=o=-=-=-=o=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=o=-=-=-=o=-=-=o
"According to the legends, M-ALMOTH was
forged with the flames of a supernova.
The very few pilots who ever piloted it
never found the words to describe how
immense its powers are. Almost divine."
+-------------+------------------+
Envelope Name| M-ALMOTH |
Obtained from| Vanister (#21) |
Slots| 5 {}{}{}{}{} |
P-Bonus| Pyromancer |
+-------------+------------------+
Skill: Adds Fire Ball powers to all balls.
Further Notes:
All balls have the area-burning effect of Fire Balls and Explosive Balls. Now
not even Whisky can take away your fire.
Fire Balls are doubled in range; they now burn conglomerates up to two spaces
away. This makes them considerably more effective than Explosive Balls, which
still have a 1-tile burn radius. Hey, I didn't make it this way, I'm just the
messenger.
!!! A WARNING TO PEOPLE TRYING TO GET THIS SHIP ON HARD MODE !!!
On Hard mode, you will find an item called the "Drilling Pulse Cannon" right
next to Vanister. It looks like two blue thrusters attatched to a metal
plate. AVOID THIS ITEM AT ALL COSTS. IT WILL GLITCH YOUR GAME.
(Thanks are extended to Gamercube on the GameFAQs forums, who discovered this
the hard way)
My thoughts:
This. Ship. Is. Broken.
M-ALMOTH is awesome beyond words. It makes sense, because it
took everyone a good while to actually find Vanister. Vanister
is the furthest planet in the galaxy, and it's also the biggest,
with a diameter of 15 spaces (149 levels!).
M-ALMOTH will mow down most common conglomerate formations faster
than you can blink. This ship is all about speed. Levels are
much quicker when the ball just plows right through blocks in-
stead of bouncing off. They're also significantly less challeng-
ing, meaning this ship probably isn't for those who enjoy playing
levels normally.
If you do plan to use M-ALMOTH, get it early. M-ALMOTH will do
you little good if you get it too late. You need to get it early
when there's still a lot of planets to use it on.
Even when using M-ALMOTH, it is still worth your while to equip a
Fire Ball. The doubled range makes it incredibly menacing. But
I also always equip an Ice Ball. The Ice Ball really benefits
from this ship because it no longer takes a second hit to shatter
the frozen block; except with those purple wall conglomerates
(the ones that can only be damaged by balls bouncing off them),
the fire ability of the Ice Ball will be able to shatter the ice
before the ball gets too far away. So the Fire Ball will plow
through everything it can, and the Ice Ball will rend anything
else.
As a guide writer frantically trying to document all the ships,
and also as a member of the GameFAQs AlphaBounce community trying
to explore this oversized game, I really appreciate this ship...
but it is b0rken with a capital zero. Use with discretion.
o=-=-=o=-=-=-=o=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=o=-=-=-=o=-=-=o
|28. HILAN-DR [HILA]
o=-=-=o=-=-=-=o=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=o=-=-=-=o=-=-=o
"There were once hundreds of HILAN-DR models.
Known to be immortal, they all have disappeared,
one by one, until there was only one left."
+-------------+------------------+
Envelope Name| HILAN-DR | EXCLUSIVE TO:
Obtained from| Earth (#27) | Hard
Slots| 4 {}{}{}{} |
P-Bonus| Paradox |
+-------------+------------------+
Skill: Not known at this time.
Further Notes:
HILAN-DR is rewarded to you after completing the game ON HARD MODE ONLY. I
cannot obtain this ship, and thus I cannot experiment with it.
Until I receive any word about its special ability, it will remain a mystery.
/!\ Please see the Contacting Me section if you have figured it out. /!\
!!! A WARNING TO PEOPLE TRYING TO GET THIS SHIP !!!
Because you will need to visit Vanister for an Earth map fragment on Hard
mode, I'll copy my warning here. On Hard mode, you will find an item called
the "Drilling Pulse Cannon" right next to Vanister. It looks like two blue
thrusters attatched to a metal plate. AVOID THIS ITEM AT ALL COSTS. IT WILL
GLITCH YOUR GAME.
(Thanks are extended to Gamercube on the GameFAQs forums, who discovered this
the hard way)
My thoughts:
The 4 slots and Paradox are huge disappointments. HILAN-DR's
ability would have to be absolutely *groundbreaking* for it to be
worth all the trouble of beating the game twice.
_____________________________________________________________________________
( )
\___________________________________________________________________________/
\ Section 4. Important Info [SECT4] /
=======================================================================
Now for some sections that every guide needs.
In this section:
Section 4. Important Info =========(SECT4)
4.0 Frequently Asked Questions ===(FAQ)
4.1 Contacting Me ================(EMAIL)
4.2 The Fine Print ===============(LEGAL)
4.3 Thanks =======================(AWSUM)
_____
/\================================================/\ / ___ \
|| 4.0. Frequently Asked Questions [FAQ] \/ L/ \ |
|| (not that real people have actually asked me these) /_/
\/__________________________________. (_)
Q. How many envelopes are there total?
A. 28.
Q. But that leaves three empty rows in the Envelopes list. Couldn't there be
anywhere from 9 to 12 undiscovered envelopes?
A. That would leave 9-12 completely unlisted planets as well, and thus a total
of 18-24 level-loading blurbs that nobody has ever seen.
Q. I CAN'T FIND THE LAST PLANET AND I'VE LOOKED EVERYWHERE!
A. The last planet is Earth. See (ROCKS) for more information.
Q. Are any envelopes exclusive to a specific difficulty?
A. HILAN-DR is exclusive to Hard mode. See (HILA).
CHIMERA is only possible to get on Easy and Normal mode. See (CHIM).
The others are all known to be obtainable on every difficulty.
Q. Wait, what do you mean when you say stuff like "See (HILA)"?
A. When 4 or 5 letters are all caps in parentheses, those are search codes.
Type Ctrl+F and enter in the code, replacing ( and ) with [ and ].
You will jump straight to the appropriate section!
Q. I want to get M-ALMOTH early. Where's Vanister?
A. Easy: (-167,43)
Normal: (188,-54) (thanks to YakraXIII and others on the forum)
Hard: (-127,-218) (thanks to Dr_Khan on the forum)
Q. How many HP does envelope X have?
A. The answer is 10. It's always 10.
Q. I picked up a Provision and nothing happened. Where's my extra missiles?
A. Fire a missile to update the count. It's a display glitch.
Q. How can I quickly tell which ships have x number of equipment slots?
What about those with at least x equipment slots?
A. For a specific number x, try searching for "Slots| x"
For at least x slots, try searching for that many pairs of curly braces.
For instance, " {}{}{}{}{}" will find all the ships with at least 5 slots.
Q. Why won't my drone deploy? The ball did already bounce off the ship!
A. If a drone doesn't deploy, it could be due to one of two things:
1. There's nothing for the drone to do in the level.
2. One of the drones before it has nothing to do. Drones MUST be deployed
in order, so if one drone can't deploy, neither will any of the drones
after it.
Q. This is an envelopes guide, but you have a lot of information that isn't
necessarily about envelopes. Why didn't you just make a general guide?
A. AlphaBounce has no guides yet, so I wanted to make sure this guide was self-
sufficient; if I'm going to list which P-Bonus each ship has or say that you
would be better off equipping more than one drone on SABOT, I need a P-Bonus
section that explains what the P-Bonuses do, and I need an Equipment section
where I can tell you how drones work and in what order you need to equip
them when you have more than one.
But if I made a general guide, I would also have to go into detail about
each planet, and I would also have to explain enemies and list conglomerate
types. I would need to make sections about controls and menus and Hard mode
and it's around that point that it becomes a little too ambituous for my
/first guide ever/. So this guide is specifically about Envelopes... plus
any other information that is necessary for you to understand what I write
in the Envelopes reference.
Q. What's this Defense stat you keep mentioning? Where is it listed?
A. It isn't listed anywhere in the game (it's a hidden stat), but Defense
is what I call the protection you receive from equipping armor plating
(like Metal Scraps and Shield) and by using BEGNE-TWO. It's a number
that gets subtracted from each thing that can damage you.
Q. Does Defense apply to Kamikaze? To Plasma Balls? To collision damage?
A. Yes, yes, and yes. Kamikaze deals 2 damage (nullify with Steel Plates
or above), Plasma Balls deal 3 damage (nullify with Shield or above),
and colliding with enemies deals 10 damage (nullify with Shield or above
on a BEGNE-TWO).
Q. What doesn't Defense apply to?
A. The green blobs dropped by the Vesicles of the Enzoima (those green webs).
Those are armor-piercing and will hurt you several times for 1 damage each.
Also, Defense obviously doesn't protect you from death by losing balls.
Q. Is there anything that deals more than 10 damage?
A. While most OHKO hazards (collision damage, Eye of the Enzoima, etc.) only
hit you for 10 damage, there are some really nasty Nexus you can find far
out in space; purple Nexus turrets deal 12 damage, and red ones deal 20!
Q. What are Sentries? Enzoima? Nexus?
A. I guess I'll explain these, too. These are all enemy conglomerates.
-Sentries are those turrets that look like Tie Fighters with fat wings. They
shoot or zap you when the ball hits them. The color of the circular gem in
the center determines their weapon; blue Diminishing Sentries shrink you,
yellow Glueak Sentries slow you down, and the others hurt you.
-Enzoima are those pink alien conglomerates with hearts and eyes and mouths.
Destroy the heart and they all go away.
-Nexus are golden blocks with blue circuits running through them. If properly
connected, the Generators power the Turrets, which fire at you whenever the
ball gets close to them.
There is some warranted confusion over the names of Sentries and Nexus...
particularly due to the fact that Hacking Drones and the Stealth Ball both
use the term "Balixtean Sentries" to refer to Nexus turrets. However, I'm
naming them according to their respective entries in the level-loading
blurbs; "Diminishing Sentry", "Glueak Sentry", and "Nexus Generator" are all
entries I've seen many times.
Q. What is love?
A. Baby, don't hurt me.
Q. I see 4 places to put ships in the equipment screen, but I can only use
three. What's the big deal?
A. Find an item called Additional Ship. It looks like a giant plus.
Q. Where are you getting the names "Bonus" and "Malus" from?
A. The in-game text can't seem to pick a name for it, so I just went with what
it says in the instruction manual.
Q. Which P-Bonus does ship X have?
A. It's all in the envelope reference that you scrolled past on your way to
the FAQ.
Q. Which ships have P-Bonus Y?
A. It's all in the reverse P-Bonus reference. You know, the one I just decided
to make right now.
REVERSE P-BONUS REFERENCE
Pilot: (6)- ESC-STD AB-MIN_500 EXPLORER INSOMNIA
\_____ ZERO-G I-GUAN
Pyromancer: (7)- ESC-FGT TAS-VOODOO CHIMERA SOLSTICE
\_____ ARTEMIS PHOENIX M-ALMOTH
Provision: (4)- ESC-AOD HERBO GALEON BATTLE-SHK
Pogo: (3)- API-DYA BEGNE-TWO COMMANDER
Paradox: (3)- ASTERON GC-MAGMOD HILAN-DR
Pause: (4)- GROMENS SABOT LOGICO ISPA-87
Peace: (1)- TWINEE
Q. Are you making up these questions?
A. No, don't be silly.
Q. But... the tagline for this section implies you are making them up.
A. That is not a question.
Q. That is not an answer.
A. ...
Q. ...
A. Cookie?
________ _
/\================================================/\ |~~ ~~~, |//
|| 4.1. Contacting Me [EMAIL] \/ |~~~~ ~~~//
|| (because, believe it or not, I'm not perfect) |~~~ ~ ~L/
\/__________________________________. |________|
Please send your comments, flames, questions & corrections to:
exphp at DomainNameBelow dot com
\ /See Below\ /
Y Y
This is a Yahoo! Mail address, so replace "DomainNameBelow" with "yahoo".
(for those of you who were just born yesterday, it's all broken up like that to
avoid spambot detection)
If you plan on emailing me with a question about the game, you had better *at
least* read the Frequently Asked Questions section first and make sure it's not
already answered there. I made that section for a reason.
To increase your chances of me receiving the email, please include
the phrase "AlphaBounce Envelopes Guide" in the subject. This will
make the email automatically get put in a folder specially made
for emails about the game.
_____
/\================================================/\ / __ \
|| 4.2. The Fine Print [LEGAL] \/ | / |
|| (everything you could care less about in one place!) | L__ |
\/__________________________________. \_____/
COPYRIGHT OF THIS GUIDE
This guide is written, published, and protected under international
copyright law. With the exception of passages copied from the game,
all text in this guide is Copyright 2010 Michael Lamparski.
You know what plagiarism is. Don't do it. I'm allowed to take legal
action against you. I might even eat your children.* This guide was
not written by you, and you know it.
You're allowed to save the document on your hard drive for personal
review and such. I mean, as long as you don't share it, nobody else
will know, and nobody else will care. Nor will I come after you with
a lawsuit if you share it among friends on, say, a CD or USB flash
drive. Just don't put it anywhere online without my permission.
You're also protected by Fair Use to reproduce small parts of the
guide for the purposes of commentary, research, news reporting, and
stuff like that so long as you cite my guide as the source (otherwise
it's plagiarism). I don't know what kind of crazy news report would
mention my guide, but hey, stuff happens.
Also, I'm perfectly fine with you copy & pasting a passage from my
guide to, for example, answer somebody's question on the forums. The
intent of this guide is to help people. I'm not going to bash you
for violating copyright if you post something from the guide and
forget to cite me.
HOSTING THIS GUIDE ON YOUR SITE
If you are the webmaster of a website and wish to publish my guide,
and you are not on my Blacklist of Banned sites, e-mail me and we can
set up arrangements for hosting my guide. I might to keep you up to
date and notify you of new versions of the guide on GameFAQs, but
ultimately it will be up to you to keep your own version of the guide
up to date.
I prefer that you post the guide in its entirety without any changes.
Any changes that you need to make to the content of the guide must be
approved by me. Don't worry; unless you replace every instance of my
name with "John Doe", I'll most likely approve any changes, even
those that revamp the entire structure or split it into pages.
Here's where the guide can and can't be.
Main Site:
GameFAQs.com
Always check this site for the latest version of the guide.
Whitelist of Approved sites:
[none yet]
The above sites have all gained my permission to host the guide.
I do not personally maintain these, and so they may be outdated.
Blacklist of Banned sites:
[none yet]
The above sites have a bad reputation and I can guarantee that, if
you find this guide on their site, it is without my permission.
If you see this guide on a banned site or a site that's not listed in
the Whitelist, contact me and let me handle it.
AS FOR THE STUFF THAT ISN'T MINE
AlphaBounce is owned by Mad Monkey Studio and/or Motion Twin.
Nintendo DSi is a trademark of Nintendo.
For anything I missed, all trademarks and copyrights contained in
this document are owned by their respective trademark and copyright
holders.
This guide includes text copied from the game, namely the in-game
descriptions of the envelopes. These passages do not fall under the
scope of the other legal statements in this section above. They are
the intellectual property of Mad Monkey Studio and/or Motion Twin,
and are used in this guide without permission. These passages are
included in quotation marks at the top of each envelope's section and
are very easy to identify. I assert that my use of them is protected
under Fair Use for the following reasons:
1. These passages are the only clues the game gives to each ship's
abilities. As the primary purpose of this guide is to explain the
ability each ship has, I often need to draw comparisons to the pas-
sages when they refer to a ship's ability. As such, their inclusion
in this document is commentary in nature. See API-DYA and BEGNE-TWO
for examples.
2. This guide does not compete with the copyrighted work. This is a
guide. The copyrighted work is a game. People will not use this
guide as a substitute to owning the game, and the inclusion of these
passages does not change that.
3. The passages are small, anyways.
If you are a copyright holder to something included in this document
and feel that your copyright has been violated, please contact me.
*I am required to clarify that, no, I do not actually have the legal
right to eat your children. But that doesn't mean I won't. Sometimes
I get hungry, y'know?
_ _ _ _ _
/\================================================/\ \\(_) (_) (_)//
|| 4.3. Thanks [AWSUM] \/ \| |\/| |\/| |/
|| (this guide is brought to you in part by...) | |\/| |\/| |
\/__________________________________. |_| |_| |_|
I have plenty of people to thank for the creation of this guide.
Thanks goes to:
-Me. I don't think I could've done it without me.
-My parents. I don't think I'd exist without them.
-God/Big Bang/Whatever. Having a universe for the guide to exist in is nice.
-cjayc, for creating the fantastic site that hosts this.
-Mad Monkey & Motion Twin, for making a ridiculously large game.
-The world. If it didn't suck, we'd all fall off.
-Notepad++, for being an awesome text editor.
-Emacs, because C-x f 79, M-1 M-q is a lot faster than having to rejustify a
paragraph myself every time I edit it.
-Kongar1985, Platinumashes, Jedermaen, YakraXIII, and Dunkelheit666, because
by the time I decided that my guide should include which planet each envelope
comes from, there were already 16 envelopes I had unlocked without recording
where I got them from. Thanks for filling those in!
-YakraXIII (again) for the groundbreaking discovery of Vanister.
-Gamercube, who died for our sins.
-Stoneman6666 & trezuraat, both of whom wanted to help me with the guide.
-Dr. Khan, who on August 8th finally found the last envelope, HILAN-DR, thus
allowing me to finish work on the guide - which had come to a standstill over
the past few weeks.
-Everyone I already credited in the appropriate sections of the guide. Thanks
again for all your contributions!
-Everyone else on the GameFAQs/GameSpot forums. Exploring a game like this
takes an entire community!
Honorable mentions:
-All the people who didn't write guides for AlphaBounce. Were it not for your
collective laziness, I would not have needed to write this guide. Thanks?
-All the online personalities whose blogs and online shows kept me entertained
through what would otherwise have been some of the most grueling, boring, and
time-consuming experiments.
Deepest apologies to whomever I forgot to mention.
,
And, of course, in a totally clicheed manner, the biggest thanks goes to:
-You, the reader, because you're the reason I made this guide.
Thank-a you so much for-a reading my guide!
TEH EDN
_____________________________________________
Copyright (C) 2010 Michael 'Exp HP' Lamparski
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