Author: Jason "nimerjm" Nimer
Version: .01
Version Date: 6/17/07


Time Ace FAQ/Walkthrough

By nimerjm



Author's Note:

Hey guys, nimerjm here. Let me start by saying that this is my very first FAQ
so if I screw anything up, well, this is me apologizing in advance. If you see
a problem or have anything to say or add, my email is nimerjm at hotmail dot
com (< - spammer protection). Please put "Time Ace FAQ" in the subject
line. If you don't, I can't promise you'll get a response.


Also, remember that this guide is not to be used, in whole or in part, without
nimerjm's (mine) express permission. If you do decide to steal my FAQ and I
find out, let's just say that all those years in Media Law classes will finally
pay off. I haven't decided yet whether a slip and fall in a store or a stolen
FAQ would provide me with a larger financial settlement, but either way, if you
steal my work, I'll be using your money to buy myself a boat and your tongue to
clean it. With that out of the way, lets get to it!

FAQ Update Dates and Info Fixes

June 18, 2007: Whole FAQ finished, with the exception of the confirmation of
methods for unlocking the Star Glider and level twelve. Level six pretty much
unlocks itself, but we still don't have a confirmed method on how.

Table Of Contents

*You'll notice that there is a number/letter combo for each part of the FAQ.
Simply use CTRL - F (or Apple - F for all my Mac users out there) to skip to
the section you are interested in.

(W-1) 1. Introduction
(W-2) 2. Story
(W-3) 3. Control
(W-4) 4. Aircraft
(W-5) 5. Weapons
(W-6) 6. Power-Ups
(W-7) 7.Walkthrough
	(L-1) 1917 - The Western Front
		(L-X1) Aircraft Repair Mini-Game #1
	(L-2) 1942 - South Pacific
	(L-3) 1943 - United States
	(L-4) 1944 - England
		(L-X2) Aircraft Repair Mini-Game #2
	(L-5) 1945 - United States
		(B-1) - Boss: Tank Stella (or Crab Rangoon With Chimneys)
		(U-6) - Unlocking Level Six
	(L-6) 2015 B.C. - Atlantis
		(B-X1) - Extra Boss: Winged Fortress (or Golden Snitch)
	(L-7) 1955 - North Africa
	(L-8) 1972 - Eastern Europe
	(L-9) 1970 - Vietnam
	(L-10) 2007 - Middle East
	(L-11) 2007 - United States
		(B-2) Boss: Robot Frog (or Pizza Saver)
		(U-12) - Unlocking Level 12
	(L-12) 1502 - Italy
		(B-X2) Boss: DaVinci's Helicopter Boat
	(L-13) 2097 - Russia
		(B-3) Boss: Robot Scorpion (insert funny name here)
	(L-14) 2160 - Russia
	(L-15) 2160 - Moon
	(L-16) 2160 - Mars Orbit
		(B-4) Boss: Dreaming God (or Giant Pokeball)
	(L-17) 2160 - Mars
	(L-18) - Unknown
		(B-5) Boss: Dreaming God 2: Electric Boogaloo
		(B-6) Boss: Return Of The Robot Frog
	(L-19) 2015 B.C. - Atlantis
		(B-7) Boss: Atlas
(W-8) Endgame
(W-9) Extras And Secrets
(W-10) Closing/Thanks

Ok! Welcome to my Time Ace FAQ/Walkthrough! I hope it helps you make it
through this excellent game, which, by the way, is priced at only $19.99. So,
the best flying game to date on the DS is a bargain game?! Great, right?
Ok...lets get this show on the road.

(W-1) Introduction

Time Ace is an arcade style flying/shooting game for Nintendo's DS handheld.
Konami publishes the game, though a company called Trainwreck Studios is
credited as the developer. The game features a single player story mode, as
well as multi-card multiplayer (in layman's terms that means that everyone
wanting to play multiplayer needs to have a copy of the game themselves). For
the purposes of this guide, though, I will only be discussing the single player
campaign.

Time Ace is also considered to be a sequel of sorts to Konami's classic arcade
game Time Pilot. If you're interested in playing the original, Konami Classic
Collection: Arcade Hits is also available for the DS. It features not only the
original Time Pilot, but also other arcade classics like Contra and Gradius.

The game's American release date is a contested topic, as it was originally
listed as June 12. Due to what is no doubt a Gamestop blunder, the game was
delayed on its release date to a week later (June 19). As of this writing,
Gamestop's website still lists the game as a pre-order and no actual Gamestop
location has received a single copy. I never thought a Wal-Mart would have a
new game before an actual game store, but that is exactly how it worked out
with Time Ace. Could this be the beginning of the end for Gamestop? We can only
watch the skies and pray...

(W-2) Story

	From the instruction booklet:

"In Time Ace, you play as Dr. Hubert Clock, an eccentric scientist who, in
1914, builds a time machine. When he travels a short distance into the future,
Dr. Clock discovers that the world has been engulfed in a Great War.
Endeavoring to prevent the outbreak of war, Dr. Clock returns to his own time
and tells his assistant, the overambitious Klaus Scythe, of his plans for
peace. However, the next morning, Dr. Clock discovers that Scythe has stolen
his time machine, with the aim of gathering weapons throughout time and
constructing a massive army to conquer the world."

"Dr. Clock builds another time machine and follows his evil opponent, trying
to destroy all of Scythe's machines and stop his army from ruling the world.
Dr. Clock's new assistant, the beautiful and smart Nadia, becomes his
navigator, informant and supplier, sending him data about Scythe's weaponry and
the different power-ups to help defeat the evil Scythe. Throughout the game,
the battles through time progress in intensity, leading Dr. Clock through
ancient, current and future battlefields, concluding with the final battle with
Scythe and his great war machines."

So the story is a bit lame, I know. Fortunately, this isn't an RPG where the
story plays a big part in the game. This game is all about flying, shooting and
explosions, with a little history thrown in for good measure.

(W-3) Control

Ok, people. Those of you who couldn't shut up about Starfox DS and its stylus
control, your prayers have been answered. Time Ace only uses the touch screen
for a few small things. The d-pad and buttons handle most of the actions in
this game.

*D-Pad: Aircraft movement (with the old inverted axis for you flight sim people)

*L and R Shoulder Buttons: Evade right/left ("Do a barrel roll!")

*A Button: Primary weapon

*B Button: Rockets (Secondary weapon)

*X Button: Speed boost

*Y Button: Reduce speed

*Touch Screen: Used for three special weapons (in-flight) and aircraft repairs
(between level aircraft repair mini-games).

(W-4) Aircraft

These are the aircraft listed in the instruction booklet. Whether or not more
are available remains to be seen.

*Biplane (WWI)
*Fighter (WWII)
*Twin Fighter (WWII)
*Flying Wing (WWII)
*Jet Fighter (Cold War/Modern)
*Tek Fighter (Prototype)
*Star Glider (Future)
*Space Fighter (Future)

New aircraft can be unlocked by finishing stages in story mode (and perhaps by
other means...this FAQ/Walkthrough is not yet complete). All unlocked aircraft
are usable in all previous levels, making for some fun replay. What sounds like
more fun than raining death on WWI Biplanes from the cockpit of your space
fighter? When going for better rankings, the more modern the aircraft, the
better your chances will be, as the modern aircraft can take and deal out far
more punishment than the older ones.

(W-5) Weapons

These are the weapons listed in the instruction booklet. Whether or not more
are available remains to be seen.

	Primary Weapons - Obtained by selecting new fighters and/or picking up
specially marked weapon boxes. Fire with the A button.

*Machine Gun - Default
*Heavy Machine Gun
*Gatling Gun
*Painless
*Sonic Cannon
*Laser Gun

	Secondary Weapons - Differs aircraft to aircraft. Regain ammo by picking up
specially marked ammo boxes. Fire with the B button.

(W-6) Power-Ups

Power-ups are obtained by simply flying into them. Some are used automatically
and others require the touch screen to use. You can check the availability of
touch screen power-ups by looking for a green dot next to said power-up. A red
dot means you have not collected that power-up and you cannot use it.

	Automatic Power-Ups

*Fuel (Yellow can with flame on it) - Refills your afterburner fuel (speed up).
*Extra Life (Cube with a plane on it) - One extra life (duh).
*Small Repair Kit  (Small cube with red medical cross) - Replenishes a little
life.
*Large Repair Kit (Large cube with red medical cross) - Replenishes more life.
*Extra Rockets (Orange cube with missile on it) - Replenishes rocket supply.

	Touch Screen Power Ups

*Mega Bomb (Red touch screen button) - Destroys all visible enemies.
*Shield (Yellow touch screen button) - Grants temporary invulnerability.
*Twister (Green touch screen button) - Grants temporary enhanced range of
movement.

(W-7) Walkthrough

After all that, we are finally at the only part of this FAQ that will ever get
read. Select your difficulty level (easy, normal or expert) and take to the
skies!

Note: This walkthrough is for the normal difficulty setting. The only
differences I've found between the difficulty levels is enemy accuracy, the
number of shots enemies take to kill and how much damage you take from getting
shot and/or running into things. There might be other differences, but I am not
yet aware of any.

Also, I will not detail specific story or plot points here. I will explain
everything else, so if you don't want to have a boss fight or new location
spoiled for you, skip that section and come back to it later. Finishing
different difficulties might result in unlocking content, but that remains to
be seen - I'll update this FAQ as I progress through the game.

(L-1) 1917 - The Western Front

Since this is the first stage, you'll only be able to use Dr. Clock's default
aircraft, the Biplane. Take a few minutes to get used to the controls and
you'll be given an objective in a few seconds.

The game will halt your forward motion and explain that Scythe is on a train a
small distance in front of you. It is your job to take out the train before
Scythe can escape. Use the X button to speed up until you see the train in
front of you. While using X, make sure to keep an eye of for yellow tanks to
replenish your afterburner fuel as it burns up very quickly. Now that you can
see the train, use your Y button slowdown and attempt to match the planes speed
with the trains.

During all this, keep an eye out for Biplanes shooting at you, the turrets
firing from the top of the train and all the other environment hazards like
trees, tunnels and mountains. You aircraft can take quite a few direct hits but
running into something spells instant death.

Work your way towards the front of the train, blowing up the train cars one by
one. Always try to take out the turrets before firing on the train cars, as the
actual train can't hurt you bur those lasers sure can.

After blowing up the first segment of the train, the game will tell you that
Scythe has escaped. Damn. Continue to fly forward, snagging power-ups and
shooting down Biplanes and soon you'll see a massive grey structure. Point your
plane toward the top of this structure and the game will once again give you
some instructions: Blow up those four turrets!

Immediately after finishing off the last of the four turrets, four more will
appear. Just do what you did a second ago but this time, Biplanes will also be
attacking your plane. Ignore them and just try to get the turrets out of the
way as fast as you can.

Also, when turret blasting, make a note of the numerous power-ups just sitting
around this area. If you blow up all eight turrets, the game won't allow you to
go back and get them. Kill seven of the eight turrets, fly around and get all
the power-ups and then blow up the eighth and final turret.

When the last turret is gone, the game will instruct you to blow up a bomber a
little ways away. If you have enough juice, use X to catch up the giant plane.
Again, match your speed to the bombers and start taking out the propellers one
by one (there are four total, two on either side of the plane's body). Once you
blast them all, the game will auto-save and you will have finished the first
level! The game will then rate your performance and assign you a title. Make
sure to take note of your performance; you'll no doubt beat that score when you
return with a better plane.

(L-X) Aircraft Repair Mini-Game # 1

I'm sure some will view these as tacked on uses for the touch screen but
actually, they is pretty fun and serve to break up the action. Your objective
in the first of these mini-games is to use your stylus as a soldering gun and
repair the bullet holes in your damaged ship.

Not only is the segment timed, but the difficulty is increased by the fact
that if you hold the stylus in one spot for too long, you'll end up damaging
your plane rather than fixing it. Damage is indicated by the color red, so when
you see some of the metal changing color, move your stylus away from that area
toot sweet (<- southern for "quickly").

Once time runs out, the game will tell you what percent of your plane you were
able to restore. This is not an exact science; let go of your dreams of getting
100%. The highest percent I have seen is 91%, and I was about as close to
perfect as it gets. If you manage to repair your ship by 85% or above, you
regain 50% of your total health. If you score below 85%, you will restore 25%
of your health. If you score under 50%, you'll get nothing and the game will
let you know that you, in fact, suck. Anyway, with that out of the way, on to
the next stage!

(L-2) 1942 - South Pacific

Once again, as in the first level, you have no choice in aircraft. Don't worry
- you'll be getting new ones in no time.  The first thing you'll notice about
this level is that it is mostly water with a few islands here and there. While
the water eliminates the possibility of ground attacks, it gives rise to a far
more dangerous enemy: The submarine. Avoid these at all costs, as your machine
gun is too weak to take one down and you'll need your rockets for later.

Start the level by just flying forward, but remember to look out for Biplanes
that come at you from your sides. Before too long, you'll see an aircraft
carrier. Gee, I wonder if I'll need to blow that up?

The aircraft carrier has seven weak spots for you to attack - six turrets and
the bridge (the tall grey structure on the carrier). When blowing things up,
you can either use your guns (beware - those turrets can take a lot of shots
before the explode) or your rockets. You might want to hang on to a few rockets
for the next few parts of this stage, but that is your call.   Take care of all
seven and the carrier will sink.

You'll soon see a second carrier to blow up in the same manner, though this
time the ship launches planes to take you out. It is only slightly more
difficult than the first ship. Remember to hang on to some rockets; you'll need
them soon.

Next, you will have to destroy two sets of three buildings each. With first
set, just fly toward them and fire your machine gun. You *might* be able to
kill one or two, but for the most part, you are going to need to use those
rockets. Take the three buildings out and be careful not to crash into the
mountain directly behind them.

	Continue to fly forward and soon, you'll get prompted to blow up three more
buildings. The trick is that they are behind a mountain, causing you to have to
u-turn at least once. With all the water in this stage, it can be easy to get
disoriented. Use the radar and the arrow at the top of the screen to get
yourself back on the right track. Explode those last three buildings and you've
finished. Congrats on beating the second level!

Now, what we've all been waiting for. After a short story sequence, you have
access to the Fighter aircraft. I recommend using that plan exclusively until
you unlock a better aircraft because the Biplane can't inflict enough damage to
do anyone any good from here on out. Also, if you want, you can go replay the
first two levels with the Fighter, which is kind of fun. You can always go back
and try for a better score on previous levels, which become easier and easier
to achieve with the more powerful planes you'll get later.

	When you are ready, repair your ship and get on with level three!

(L-3) 1943 - United States

The first thing you'll notice about the third level is the appearance of
Nadia, your assistant and owner of the worst and phoniest accents in the
history of the universe. She will appear every now and then on your radar to
offer encouragement, give you objectives or, more often than not, say something
unintentionally hilarious. Not only is her voice bad, she is pug ugly to boot.
Note to self: If all early 20th century women are this unattractive, give up
plans to build a time machine.

The other new addition in this level is free-roaming flight. This stage takes
place in a mountainous area and it seems that there are at least three places
where the path splits and you choose where to go next. Granted, no matter which
path you choose, you'll end up in the same place, but it is still a neat idea.

Being that there are so many different paths, I can't really explain how to
get to the beach on the other side of all these mountains. All I can say is
don't crash and you'll make it there eventually. Also, Nadia pops in every now
and then to congratulate you. It is yet to be determined whether or not she
does this randomly or only when you blow up specific targets.

Also important to this stage is the appearance of the black helicopter, which
usually attack you in groups of three to five. If you manage to destroy a whole
pack of them, you will get a power-up. These range from health to extra lives
to rockets to my favorite, upgraded machine guns. Try to get your hands on
these guns as early in the level as you can manage - they are very powerful and
make things a lot easier. Land bound tank battalions and sentry guns also drop
power ups from time to time, so if something can be shot at, it is in your best
interest to blow it up.

Do not, repeat, do not waste rockets on the enemies in this stage. None of the
enemies can absorb more than two or three hits, and due to the speed of both
your plane and the enemies, you'd probably miss if you were to try and fire
rockets at anything. Save them until the boss at the end of this stage, you'll
need them.

Eventually, you'll fly out of the mountains and over a beach. Where the water
meets the sand a little way in front of you, there are four or five turret guns
that can really put a hurt on you. Kill as many as humanly possible before
flying past them and out to sea. They will relentlessly shoot you in the back
if you don't take care of them, so it is just a good idea to take them all out.
Once you are out to sea a bit, prepare yourself for a boss fight!

For a submarine as huge as this one, you'd think that it would be a bit harder
to destroy. Oh well, don't look a gift horse in the mouth I suppose. To beat
the sub, simply
get along one of its sides and fly parallel to it. Then, turn your line of
sight/fire slightly inward, so you are still flying mostly parallel, but you
have enough of an angle to shoot the sub. This will keep you out of the sub's
machine gun sights.

If you are having trouble with this, note the area around you. There are many
smaller boats on the water and blowing them up will yield much-needed
power-ups. Keep your life bar full and pump every rocket you have into the sub.
It should go down fairly quickly and without much resistance.

	That wasn't so bad, was it? Sadly, we are not awarded a new airplane after
completing this stage so buck up, repair your ship and get ready for the next
level.

(L-4) 1944 - England

This stage starts much like the last one ended, over some water. A few enemies
will attack from both the sea and the air, but they are really nothing to
concern yourself with. After a minute or two, you'll be brought face to face
with your real enemy in this stage - a battleship. Surprisingly, this
monstrosity is relatively easy to bring down. It has three to five gun turrets
on its deck and none of them is particularly accurate. If you do get hit, it
will take a good chunk of health so keep moving and shooting until the
battleship is no more. Make sure that after you bring the ship down, you fly
through the area thoroughly; you'll find a large health power-up and either
some extra rockets or an extra life.

Next up, you'll be facing wave after wave of a new type of aircraft. I'm not
an Air Force historian or a war buff, so I'll just say these new planes are a
lot like the ones you've faced previously, only they are slightly larger and
can absorb more shots before going down. They attack in groups of two or three
and the best way to avoid their guns is to keep moving and shooting. Also be on
the lookout for ships firing at you from the ocean, as they can quickly make
your chore of dealing with the enemy aircraft more difficult by filling your
airspace with blue lasers. Even though these planes are tougher to destroy than
the ones in previous levels, you'll want to kill as many as you can - a few of
them will leave you a machine gun upgrade in their wake. That upgrade comes in
very handy with this level's boss, especially if you are low on or trying to
conserve rockets.

After a few waves of these new fighter planes, you'll be asked to bring down
another battleship. Simply do just as you did before, only this time, be on the
lookout for a few more fighters in the air. A lot of them drop power-ups; so if
you are hurting for health or rockets, take out a few planes before getting
back to the battleship. Once it is gone, search the area for a few more
power-ups and move on.

	Almost immediately after destroying the second battleship, a purple, half
submerged sub emerges from the sea. It can take a bit more punishment than the
battleships could and it is slightly more accurate, but overall it shouldn't be
too difficult to finish off. After blowing up these three ships, you are
probably very low in the health and/or rocket department, so spend some time
destroying tanks on the islands in the area. Most will give you afterburner
fuel, but every so often you'll snag a health pack or rocket refill.

Now, to finish off the level, you'll need to blow up three sets of three
heavy-duty bomber planes. These planes can really cut your health down in a
hurry, so fly around crazy and avoid their shots first and attack them second.
There is no time limit so you don't have to rush. If you are in a hurry,
however, one direct hit from a dual rocket shot will take down a bomber.
Considering these planes are easy to avoid and kill with standard machine gun
fire, you might want to hang onto your rockets for the next level.
Kill off all nine and you'll have finished this stage!

As a bonus, after finishing this stage, you'll be given two fun new things: a
new aircraft and a new aircraft repair mini-game! The new aircraft is the Twin
Fighter - an extremely slow and cumbersome airplane that can pack a huge punch.
In these early levels, agility is far more important than firepower so you
might want to wait a while before taking this new plane out for a test flight.

(L-X2) Aircraft Repair Mini-Game #2
Well, for finishing the last mission, you're awarded a slightly useless new
aircraft and this new repair mini-game. The good news is that this new game is
far easier to perfect, so your chances of getting 100% (50% of your total
health regained) are much better than with the soldering gun.

You'll be presented with a circuit board that resembles a top-down maze. Your
job is to use the stylus to connect two dots in the maze without touching the
walls (circuits). It is actually a very simple game of connect the dots, and it
is very easy to connect the three pairs of dots in the time allowed. Connect
all three pairs without hitting the circuits too often and you'll be given a
100% completion rate and 50% of your total health back. It is very, very easy
so you should be fine on health for the next few stages.

(L-5) 1945 - United States

There are two very different approaches to beating this level. Both work well
enough, and which you choose depends entirely on your personal style. You can
choose the "smash everything in sight with no regard for personal safety" route
or the method you have been using, the "float like a butterfly, sting like a
bee" approach. Since the first method requires less explanation, I'll start
there. Oh, and one more thing: level six is only available for play if you
complete a special action in this stage. Otherwise, you'll jump ahead to level
seven and six will be marked with a padlock on the Mission Select screen. More
on that later...

For the brute force method, select the Twin Fighter airplane for this mission.
You won't have much speed or a great range of movement, so your aim is to just
deal out as much punishment as you can before you die. And you will die. A lot.
If you do choose this method, the stage is short enough that you'll probably
reach the end before you run out of lives. Just keep an eye out for power-ups
and you'll be ok.

For the finesse approach, select the Fighter and you can continue to play the
game as you have been - lots of dodging, firing when you have an opening and
keeping out of harm's way. In my opinion, this is the way to go, but if you
just want to plow through the game as quickly as possible, the other method
might be for you.

At the beginning of this level, it will seem a lot like level three (the
canyon level with the multiple paths). That will change soon enough. Like the
beginning of nearly every level so far, you'll have a few meager enemies to
deal with right off, but the real fight is a few seconds off. Just keep an eye
out for the ground enemies and turrets; they are far more dangerous to you than
the few aircraft in the area. Keep an eye out for a series of black helicopters
- they carry a machine gun upgrade that will be very useful very soon.

The game will eventually cut to a cinema of a giant, futuristic looking crab
with pink chimneys climbing out of the river and forming a shield. This is the
first "real" boss in the game. It goes by the name Tankstella and it isn't very
tough.

(B-1) Boss: Tankstella

If you've made it this far in the game, you should have the fundamentals down
well enough to make this boss a breeze. To kill the boss, you'll need to blow
up all five pink chimneys on top of the structure. Each can take a few hits so
you'll be flying past each one at least twice.

If you'd like to make the battle even easier, spend a few minutes taking out
the guns on the structures. There are four on the ground and four or five on
the structures "legs". You can win the fight without destroying a single gun
placement, but taking them out will make things easier.

After taking out four of the five chimneys, try to position yourself in the
circular arena near where you flew in. Destroy the last chimney from as close
to the entrance as you can. Why? Because Tankstella will drop an extra life and
a health power-up and if you are on the wrong side of the arena, the game won't
let you turn around and you can kiss those goodies good-bye.

Now, with the boss beaten, you can move into the last leg of the level with a
near-full life bar and at least one extra life. As an added bonus, a wave of
five helicopters will fly in front of you as you leave the boss arena. Get them
all to net some rocket ammo, some more health and an afterburner boost.

For the last part of the level, you be flying in between skyscrapers and
chasing down a large purple bomber. There are plenty of other enemies to keep
you busy as well, but the last part of this stage shouldn't be too much trouble
to finish. Whether or not you manage to destroy the purple bomber, when you
exit the city, fly over a river and see what looks to be sand in front of you,
you will have beaten the level.

For finishing this level, the game gives you your first truly awesome
aircraft, the Flying Wing. This ship is extremely powerful, fast as hell and
handles like a dream. Until further notice, this is the plane you'll want to
use for the levels to come.

(U-6) Unlocking level six - 2015 B.C. - Atlantis

As of this writing, no one has yet figured out the exact method for unlocking
this level or level twelve (the other locked level in the game). For now, I'll
explain how I did it by accident. In future versions of this FAQ, I'll post
other GameFAQ user's methods and hopefully we can come to some consensus on
what ACTUALLY unlocks these levels.

I unlocked the level after playing each of the first five missions at least
twice. When I played level five, I played it once through with the Twin
Fighter, once with the Fighter and once with the Flying Wing. I also finished
level five by both having blown up the purple bomber and letting it survive.
Level six was unlocked after completing the aircraft repair in preparation for
level seven. For those who are wondering if they have unlocked level six or
not, you actually get a screen that tells you when you unlock the level.

Here are a few GameFAQ users ideas:

M3rox - "I think you unlock level six by repairing your ship before level
seven".

Unlocking level twelve seems to have something to do with your score or pilot
ranking - it is unclear whether or not this level does as well. I'll put any
other methods here as I get them from other users - and yes, I'll credit you
for your contribution.

Author's Note: From here on out, you should be able to get through these stages
without much help. Shoot stuff in the air, shoot stuff on the ground, avoid
being hit, etc. I won't slavishly detail every last thing about each stage
anymore; I will, however, be hitting all the main points, larger enemies,
bonuses and bosses.

(L-6) 2015 B.C. - Atlantis

Atlantis is most definitely one of the best and most interesting stages in the
game. It is also one of the longest. Most of the stage is spend shooting down
incoming fighters (no land or sea enemies in this level...except the Galleons).
About halfway through the level, you'll come across a pack of pirate ships.
Yup, pirate ships. You'll need to blow them all up to move on, and there are
seven ships in all. Fairly simple work if you are using the Flying Wing or Jet
Fighter.

Next, you'll fly quite some distance, taking out planes on the way. Use this
as an opportunity to max out your rockets, upgrade your machine gun, get an
extra life or two and refill your health. It won't be too tough as nearly all
the planes shot down drop some kind of power-up. Soon, you'll run into the boss
of this great level.

(B-X1) - Extra Boss: Winged Fortress (or Golden Snitch)

This is a very simple battle, but the amount of damage this boss can take
makes this fight pretty entertaining. The only thing you'll need to worry about
here is the boss itself; there are no gun turrets, tanks, boats or planes in
the area.

For those of you who have seen the Harry Potter movies, this boss looks
remarkably like the Golden Snitch from Quidditch. If that sentence doesn't mean
anything to you, the boss looks like an Oldsmobile Delta 88 with huge wings.

This boss, thankfully, only has one attack - shooting huge and very damaging
fireballs at you. They are easy to avoid but if you get careless and get hit,
it will either kill you outright or drop your health way, way down. If so don't
feel like trading blows with this guy while avoiding fireballs, simply use the
boost (X button) and fly around to his back side. He won't be able to hit you
until he turns around, which takes a second or two.

Also, try to remember that this boss can take a ton of damage before dying. If
you are low on health, play it safe and hit him from behind. Once you finally
win, you can get back to the main missions.

(L-7) 1955 - North Africa

Chances are that if you are reading this, you are cursing the game for
skipping over level six. Even worse, is the locked level you can't get to yet
is Atlantis, the lost city. You could be raining hot molten lead on the forces
of a mythical city, but instead, you are stuck in boring North Africa. Oh, well
- I'm trying to figure out what unlocks levels six and twelve (see (U-6) for
info) but for now, just promise yourself that you'll get to play it a little
later. For now, suck it up and head to Africa.

To add insult to injury, this level is one of the most boring so far. When you
start the mission, Nadia will explain that that you need to destroy some
rockets before they can be launched. You would think that this objective would
warrant a time limit of some kind, but don't worry - you have all the time in
the world and only three inanimate rockets to take out. Each rocket can take
some serious punishment, but the areas in which they are located have plenty of
room to move around in. It is entirely possible to destroy one rocket in one
pass, provided you have the upgraded machine guns and use your rockets
liberally. After you have taken out all three, the level will end.


Finishing this stage will also unlock the Jet Fighter, which is arguably a bit
better than the Flying Wing. I feel that the Flying Wing's agility outweighs
the Jet Fighter's power, but the decision is yours.

(L-8) 1972 - Eastern Europe

This mission will take place in what looks to be an energy factory housed in a
canyon. Standard fair works here, shoot and dodge, dodge and shoot. There are a
remarkable number of enemy planes in this stage, but you'll be fine if you keep
on top of them and don't let their numbers grow too much. Also, make sure you
keep an eye on your surroundings. It is easy to misjudge distance and those
smoke stacks will be your end. It isn't worth your effort to show off, it is
very hard to fly between, under or over some of the obstacles here.

As the level progresses, you'll need to blow up a series of cylinders, one by
one. They are fairly close to the ground but they are still pretty easy to take
care of. Just destroy them and move toward the end of the stage. It is much
easier to take these out if you have found a machine gun upgrade or two.

You'll know you've reached the end when you see a large generator surrounded
by blue lasers. First, you'll need to destroy the four power stations at the
generator's base. They are pretty easy to take out and no one station should
take more than one pass. After all four stations are gone, the laser will
disappear and you are free to take out the generator at your leisure. It can't
attack you so winning shouldn't be very tough.

(L-9) 1970 - Vietnam

This level is almost identical to the last one, but instead of cylinders,
you'll be blowing up satellite dishes. There are a few black helicopter groups
in this stage, so keep an eye out for them.

So just like in the previous level, kill airplanes and ground vehicles until a
satellite dish appears, blow it up, move on - rinse and repeat.

The last objective for this level is a giant circle (The Fargate? I don't see
a mohawk or a wheelchair...) flanked by two satellite dishes and a large
floating metallic Kat-Kat. Take the Kit-Kat out first, then the satellite
dishes and finally, the metal circle. It is all very simple.

The only thing positive about this level is that by finishing, you get a new
awesome aircraft - the Tek Fighter. It isn't much different from the Jet
Fighter, it just has better stats but in almost equal proportions. Due to its
speed, piloting this new plane can be tough from time to time, but the
adjustment is only minor and it only takes a second to get used to.

(L-10) 2007 - Middle East

Ok, this level is pretty short, but at least it is something new for a change.
You'll by flying around, and even through, Middle Eastern-type landmarks,
including the set for Disney's Aladdin and some other Arabic style buildings.
This can provide for some tense moments, as your new aircraft has a very high
rate of speed and some of the sharp turns are very hard to predict.

After flying through the city, you'll end up in an open area with a whole
bunch of tanks and trucks. It is up to you to take out every last one of them.
By now, you should be an expert at this so I won't say any more about it.

After you've finished the tank/truck obliteration, the game will swing you
back in the direction you came. Nadia will tell you that she has picked up
enemy reading underground. Don't panic, there is no fancy flying necessary.
You'll just be guided into a large cave with four turrets and another
generator, just like the one from level eight. Take the four turrets out first,
then take out the generator at your leisure.

(L-11) 2007 - United States

	Level eleven is another fun one. You'll fly through two cities filled with
skyscrapers and separated by a river (New Jersey, New York?), all while taking
on the most enemies seen in a level yet. It still isn't overly challenging, but
it can be a ton of fun to be fancy when flying through the concrete jungle.
Make sure to keep an eye out for a couple of black helicopter clusters. The
extra lives and rockets they drop are quickly becoming far more important than
any health replenishment.

(B-2) Boss: Robot Frog

After passing through the second city you'll be confronted by a huge robot
frog, which could also be described as a huge, mobile and metal version of one
of those things that they put in the middle of pizzas to keep the box from
crushing your food. Anyway, there isn't any trick to beating this guy; just
pummel him with the machine gun (again, the upgrade makes all of this much
easier) and your rockets. He should die in no time.

You'll notice that after this thing takes a few hits, it will jump straight up
into the air and above the clouds, effectively making it impossible for you to
damage it until it drops to your level again. Make sure you use the break in
the fight to take out a few planes - they'll drop precious health and rocket
ammo.

(U-12) Unlocking Level Twelve

Much like level six, no one is yet sure of the exact method for unlocking this
stage. Possible solutions to this have been suggested, such as total game score
or meeting certain conditions in a previous level.

No one yet knows...but I will add any answers to this FAQ and I will make sure
credit is assigned where credit is due. I have managed to unlock it personally
and by my estimation, unlocking level twelve has something to do with pilot
ranking (mine was Time Virtuoso) and/or overall game score. Keep trying and
send me your answers!

(L-12) 1502 - Italy

This is the second of the unlockable bonus levels and one of the coolest in
the game. It takes place mostly over water (in Italy?) but it does have a few
new enemies that look like they are based on Renaissance-era concepts. Neato.

Without wasting too much space here, this stage consists of some flying over
water, a boss fight and the destruction of a castle. The flying part is old hat
by now, but the boss fight is beyond cool.

(B-X2) Extra Boss: DaVinci's Helicopter Boat

This boss is extremely cool and probably one of the best the game has to
offer. If you are at all familiar with the artists' work, you'll recognize this
as a copy of one of DaVinci's drawings.

Sadly, aside from looking cool, the boss is extremely easy. Just pummel it
with rockets and lasers and it should go down easy. Be wary of its fireballs,
but you shouldn't have any problems.

For the rest of the level, you'll just be shooting down more planes. Right
before you are finished, Nadia will instruct you to blow up a castle on a
hilltop. A couple of rockets should do it. Then just fly straight until the
level ends.

Beyond being one of the most fun to play levels, Italy also gives you the Star
Glider airship upon completion. It is a lot like the Twin Fighter in that is
moves slowly and handles terribly, but it can take out nearly anything with one
shot.

(L-13) 2097 - Russia

Here it is everyone - out first level set in the future. It came just in time
too...I was getting sick of the past and the present. With the forward jump in
time, we (finally) will have some new enemies and obstacles to deal with.

The level starts in a snowy canyon and your first, and almost immediate task,
is to take out a small airplane hanger. It is a tiny building and should only
take a few machine gun rounds to destroy. You'll also notice the new enemy
aircraft. They are yellow and red in color (I guess in the future humans no
longer need camouflage) and instead of bullets or lasers, the fire green
circular death rays. The only major difference between these guys and the
present day aircraft is that these move slightly faster and take one or two
more hits to destroy.

After the hanger is gone, you'll need to fly through a narrow canyon that is
littered with green bubble machines. Apparently, these green bubbles are toxic,
so try not to run into them. Chances are you aren't playing this level
blindfolded, so you shouldn't have too much trouble avoiding getting hit. If
you do mess up and get hit, well, I hope you had an extra life or two.

As you continue through the level's tight twists and turns, you'll see the
black helicopter's future replacement. It is a bit tough to describe them other
than they resemble quick, flat honeybees. They swarm in groups of three to
five, just like the copters and, also like the copters, they drop the best
power-ups. Keep an eye out for them.

As you make your way through the stage, Nadia will warn you about turrets
every so often, but they are no different than any other turrets in the level.
They go down easy and should present you with no problems. She also warns about
a power station that you must blow up, but in my experience, I've usually
destroyed it by accident before she can give me instructions.

Soon after the end of the world's most non-threatening power station, you'll
come to a clearing filled with what look like giant floating submarines. There
are five of them to take out before you can move on - just keep an eye out for
smaller craft and blow up the larger craft one by one. After they're gone, just
fly through the rest of the stage as normal and when the canyon turns into a
larger open area, get ready for your next boss fight.

(B-3) Boss: Robot Scorpion (insert funny name here)

Another boss?! That is three in a row (if you count Italy, which you most
likely haven't unlocked yet...)! Anyway, this boss is just as simple as the
robot frog. As you approach the scorpion, you'll notice it can take damage in
two different ways - on it's tail or anywhere else on its body. Technically,
you could blow up the tail first, but since it serves almost no purpose, just
concentrate on the body and end the fight quickly.

You'll also quickly figure out that the scorpion's legs are invulnerable, its
lasers are quite damaging and there is enough room below the boss' main body
for you to fly under. Not that you need a strategy but I found that starting at
a high altitude, flying and shooting diagonally at the scorpion and getting to
its other side by flying under it works best. The scorpion's lasers can't get
at you when you are under it so just watch out for those legs and you should be
ok.

As always, upgraded machine guns makes this easier and if you are running low
on something (health/rockets), shoot some planes in the area to collect the
power-ups you need. Lastly, this boss takes almost twice as many shots to kill
than any previous boss. Just use everything you have, avoid its attacks and
feel free to use as many rockets as you see fit.	I didn't mention it earlier
but as you progress through the game, power-ups become more and more abundant.
Conserving rockets was a necessity in earlier levels; now it is just a waste of
perfectly good rockets not to use them.

(L-14) 2160 - Russia

At first, this stage seems like it will be more of the same, even though it is
one hundred years further into the future than the last stage. Thankfully, a
few things have indeed changed in those hundred years.

For the first part of this level, you'll again by flying through a canyon and
taking out enemy aircraft. This time, to change things up a bit, you'll be
asked to destroy a series of bridges as well, which we are told will serve to
cut out enemy reinforcements. Also, you'll be shooting at large rockets
stationed around the canyon. Nadia warns you to fly at a lower altitude to
avoid them, but they explode so easily you most likely will never get into a
rocket's range before you have destroyed it.

Soon, you'll be at the gates to what looks like a large robotic city. To enter
the city, simply blow up the gate and the turrets surrounding it.

For the last leg of the level, you'll be following your directional arrow at
the top of the screen, trying to find a launch pad to the moon. Even this far
in the future, nefarious stereotypical villains are still using the moon as a
base. I would have thought the villain real estate association would have
staked out some new territory in the future, but I guess not. Anyway, you'll be
in the middle of the city for a while so be careful around some of the tighter
turns - sometimes hit detection can be a bit "off" and you'll die for crashing
into nothing.

When you finally leave the city, you'll be back in another canyon (surprise)
with more turrets, enemy aircraft and rockets (double surprise). Do your best
to destroy as many enemies as possible and eventually, you'll make it to the
launch pad. It looks strangely like every other metallic landmark in this level
but whatever. Destroy the three towers the game points out to you and you'll
have finished the level.

As a bonus for finishing this level, you'll unlock the Space Fighter, which,
as you can see by its stats, is an awesome vehicle. If you haven't already done
so, go back and breeze through a few of the first missions. It will boost your
overall score and show you just how terrible the Biplane and Fighter look in
comparison.

(L-15) 2160 - Moon

Ok, well it isn't technically the moon. It is an asteroid field but who am I
to judge? You'll get to the moon soon enough. This part of the level is fairly
simple, so grab your power-ups while you can. Kill the enemy fighters as an
afterthought as the giant space rocks are far more dangerous and more important
to avoid. Eventually, you'll make it to the moon's surface and the challenge
level will shoot way up.

Suddenly, you'll be facing tons of enemies of all kinds on top of some very
tricky obstacles to avoid. As you fly over the moon surface and finally into
the moon itself, pay careful attention to your directional arrow. It can really
serve to get you through some tight ninety-degree turns and a few paths that
are less than obvious. Also, be mindful of the extra paths you see; it can be
fun to explore them but, like in the last level, some hit detection problems
can easily cause some unnecessary deaths. Stick to the main paths and you
should be fine. In a few areas, the green, toxic death bubbles from a few
stages ago will be back...only this time they're red. Avoid them at all costs.

Eventually, your path will end abruptly. Ahead, you'll see a wall with two
holes in it - a top right hole and a bottom left one. Choose the top right
path, as the bottom left one is not a path at all. It is just some rocks and an
instant death for you.

Now, you'll be inside a moon base that has an "early Death Star" architectural
appearance. As you weave your way through this part of the level, always be
mindful of paths hidden in the floors or ceilings. If it seems you are headed
for a dead-end, check the areas above and below you. As always, use your
directional arrow to help yourself out of any tight jams.

The first landmark you'll get to in this level is a train that, according to
Nadia, is filled with weapons. Blow it up and move on past more tight spots and
a few more red death bubbles.

The second landmark will be a huge gate. Nadia will instruct you to shoot
three switches - do so and the gate will open. Now, you'll be back on the moon
surface and faced with another gate. Don't bother trying to open this one up.
Merely destroy it and move on to the last part of the stage.

To finish up this stage, you'll be flying near what looks to be a robot
graveyard. Something that looks like the Hubble telescope looms up ahead
and...um...level's over. What?

(L-16) 2160 - Mars Orbit

In what seems like an afterthought of a level, you'll be chasing down and
destroying a robot that has become autonomous and now considers itself a God.
We're we supposed to be stopping our evil assistant? Either way, this level is
a bit different than those previous so it is a welcome change.

Actually, aside from the premise and the boss, this level is more of the same.
There are a few high points worth mentioning, so instead of trying to explain
all the twists and turns this level takes, I'll just concentrate on the parts
that aren't just more spaceships and turrets.

The first objective will come up while you are flying through some robotic
looking tunnels. Nadia will tell you to destroy some robots. They only take a
few shots each but remember what they look like - you'll need to know later on.
In case you miss them or are reading ahead, they look like small purple and
black R2-D2s.

The next new obstacle is a large hallway lined with huge fans. They will blow
your aircraft a little bit from side to side, but it you get too far off track,
use your X booster to speed up and right yourself.

	They next area worth mentioning is another metallic looking hallway where
Nadia instructs you to take out four generators. Just like all the other "blow
this up to move on" tasks before, blow them up to move on. There are only four
of them so you shouldn't have too much trouble.

After the generators, you'll see a series of opening and closing walls. They
look dangerous, but some creative use of your X boost and Y slowdown will get
you through with no problems at all. Between the end of these walls and the end
of the stage, the caves become extremely twisty. You'll find yourself flying
upside down, which is quite discombobulating when the game refuses to let you
ship vary from its axis. Good think the hit detection on some of the walls is
off; otherwise this could be very, very difficult. If you find yourself either
stuck in a wall or flying through one, attempt to make it back to the main
path. You'll most likely end up dead but every so often, you'll get lucky.

(B-4) Boss: Dreaming God (or Giant Pokeball)

This boss is actually kind of fun and a little bit different than those you've
faced so far. Make good and sure you don't miss the robot's prayers to the
yellow giant, as they are hilarious. Whether that was intentional on the
developer's part, I'm not sure. It is funny though.

Anyway, you can't actually hurt this boss. Go ahead and shoot it until you
turn blue in the face but you'll never win that way (The word "Un-blow-up-able"
is tossed around a lot these days...). Instead, concentrate on the little
robots that are praying to their new God. They can take a few more hits than
their brothers from the start of the level, but they should still be no
problem. After taking out around ten of them, the boss will be finished and you
can move on.

(L-17) 2160 - Mars

In this level, you'll actually be inside the planet Mars. As you start, you'll
need to blow up two generators and a docked spaceship. Not too tough, but the
sheer amount of turrets and enemy aircraft will make your life much more
difficult. Make it through here and you'll end up back in another robot
base-like environment.

The only thing that you'll need to worry about in here is the reappearance of
those fans from the last level. In the last stage, it was almost possible to
make it by them without noticing their existence; in this level they are a huge
pain. To make matters worse, some of them are situated near narrow openings in
your path. Use your X boost to power past these tough areas and stay as far
from the walls as you can.

Soon, you'll be back in a cave with the most dangerous obstacle you've seen in
a while: falling rocks. The enemy flow is still pretty heavy and the larger
rocks can be seen in the ceiling before they fall. The smaller rocks, however,
are invisible until they are falling. If you keep your speed up and stay low,
you should be able to make it through without getting hit.

This level ends in a huge foggy cavern. Use your directional arrow to find
each of the four towers Nadia asks you to blow up. The fog makes it a little
tougher than normal but if you've made it this far, you shouldn't have any
issues.

(L-18) - Unknown

This level is very short, but actually kind of difficult. You find yourself
back in the asteroid field from earlier and guess what? Now there is a giant
black hole to your right and it is constantly sucking you in. Keep firing at
enemies and use your X boost to get out from the black hole's gravitational
pull. Nadia will let you know when you're clear. Soon after, you'll be face to
face with someone you've seen before.

(B-5) Boss: Dreaming God 2: Electric Boogaloo

This time, the God won't have any robot followers - it is just you, the God
and about a billion of his closest friends. To damage this boss, you'll need to
shoot him in the "mouth". He'll be firing space fighters and lasers at you from
this mouth, so be mindful of those as well.

The best way to take this guy down is to fly at him as slow as possible and
unload everything you've got. When you get uncomfortably close, simply turn
around and fly as far away as the game's boundaries will let you. Also, do some
barrel rolls as you are flying away from the God; it should cut down on the
amount of damage you take while escaping. When you've been forced to turn
around, slow yourself down and do it all again. About three to five runs should
take him out.

(B-6) Boss: Return Of The Robot Frog

You thought you were done, huh? Not so much. Now you'll be fighting the second
incarnation of the Robot Frog from earlier. Nothing new here - just kill him
the same as you did before. The only difference between the first Robot Frog
and the second are his attacks. Avoid those blue fireballs at all costs. Even
the toughest of aircraft can be brought down easily by three or four direct
hits. Just keep blasting him until he goes down.

(L-19) 2015 B.C. - Atlantis

Even though you just got a "The End" screen, you've got one more level - your
return to Atlantis!

Your first task in this stage is much like the first time you visited
Atlantis. Remember those pirate ships from before? Here is your chance to blow
up a few more. After about five ships, Nadia tells you that to get any further
here, you'll need to fly...underwater? Ok, whatever you say.

You'll be forced to dive under the water's surface and you'll see a new,
rapidly decreasing blue bar right below your health bar. This is your air
supply (I'm all outta love...). If it runs completely out, you're dead. You can
refill it by flying into the blue bubbles that rise from the ocean floor. It
seems hard at first, but once you get the hang of it, it becomes very easy.
Keep yourself alive for long enough and you'll return to the surface
automatically.

Now, you'll be entering the lost city of Atlantis. The city is separated by a
series of very tall walls. Each wall has an obvious (or not so obvious) crack
in it for you to fly through. Exit the city and you'll see the last boss in the
game.

(B-7) Boss: Atlas

This isn't really a boss fight in the strictest of senses - it is more of a
massacre of an unarmed opponent. You'll see the famous statue of Atlas holding
up his giant globe. Simply pummel the globe until it shatters.

For the second phase of this fight, you'll see a power source among some
buildings that were previously unseen in Atlas' globe. The power source has
three orange globes revolving around it. Ignore them and destroy the yellow
power source. That's it! You've finished Time Ace...almost!

(W-8) Endgame

So, now you've finished this game. Congrats! The question is, "What, if
anything, is there left to do? Should I just put this game away or sell it now
that I'm done?"

You actually have a couple things left to do. You could finish the game again
on Expert mode, but seeing as the challenge levels aren't too much different
from one another, you really don't need to play through the whole thing again.
Don't bother unless you don't have anything else to do or you really, really
love this game.

The last two "real" objectives are unlocking level twelve and unlocking the
Star Glider. At the time of this writing, it is still unclear on how to do
either of these things. I have done it and I believe it has something to do
with pilot rank (Time Virtuoso when I unlocked it) or overall game score, but I
am waiting on confirmation from other GameFAQs users.

The Star Glider is obtained simply by finishing level twelve. It is large and
slow moving but it can bring down nearly anything with one direct hit.

If you figure any of this out for sure before I do, either email me (see
Author's Note at the beginning of this FAQ) or post something on the GameFAQs
Time Ace message board.

After obtaining the last two unlockables, you really don't have much else to
do aside from beating your high scores and letting me know your methods for
aquiring level twelve.

(W-9) Extras And Secrets

Aside from the Star Glider, level six and level twelve, there aren't any other
secrets or unlockables...that we know of. Again, if you figure something out,
email me or post it on the Time Ace GameFAQ message board.

(W-10) Closing/Thanks

Well, that's it. My first FAQ completed! Here are a few acknowledgements and
thank you messages:

Thanks to:

*CJayC for GameFAQs
*M3rox for providing a possible level six unlock method
*Konami and Trainwreck for making this fun and inexpensive game
*HateAndPlague for recommending Croket DS - the very best DS game no one has
heard about. - and a bunch of other great imports
*TowelFight for setting aside differences and being an all-around nice and
helpful guy in the end (even though he likes Dracula X: Rondo of Blood...we'll
never agree on that one...)
*Wax paper, boiled football leather and dog breath
*Sonata Arctica and Heavenly for being the best bands ever
*My friends, family and job for leaving me alone so I could write this
*Wendi for leaving me out of any conversation concerning HGTV (aka the world's
worst cable channel)
*Nintendo for being the greatest game company of the past, present and future
*...and you, for reading my FAQ

Anti-thanks to:

*Okita for being a hater
*Gamestop for refusing to get anything in on time (shipping dates are only an
excuse for not getting product on release date)
*Bambi (not the deer, the annoying middle aged woman) for having no class
*People who claim the PS2 version of RE4 was anything but crap
*Pirates but not for pirating...for ruining the DS General board with a million
new, useless and stupid flashcart topics a day
*The anti-Nintendo crowd that has currently overrun the Wii General board
*People who claim to be experts on games but have never played Mike-Tyson's
Punch Out!! (mostly teenagers)
*...and most of all, a big anti-thanks to Kelly for trying to steal my job
(even though I'm way better at it)

That's it! End of FAQ! Thanks for checking it out!