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The Game | Star Fleet | Other | Forum |
The ManualPrologue![]() The year is 3002. In 2999, the Earth came under attack from a powerful alien force: The Imperial Alliance. The Earth's defence forces were unable to resist the onslaught and only the prototype space battleship: X-Bomber stood in the way of Earth's annihilation. The Alliance was temporarily repelled and X-Bomber left Earth in search of F Zero One; a legendary power capable of destroying the Alliance for good. F Zero One was finally found and the Alliance's space fortress destroyed, but not before terrible damage was inflicted on the Earth. This is where our story begins ... The Alliance's retreat from Earth and its surrounding sectors liberated several of Earth's neighbouring solar systems. In the two years following the war, Earth restored peaceful relations with Simetra: a former Earth colony that was subjected to countless years of Alliance tyranny. The process of rebuilding what the Alliance destroyed is underway. 6 hours ago, Earth's newly established Alpha Proxima Base reported an approaching Alliance Fleet then contact was lost. The Alliance has returned for revenge. X-Bomber, fully overhauled after its year-long mission, escorting 3 transport cruisers to Simetra, is the only warship within range to deal with the threat. X-Bomber the Game follows on where the TV series left off as X-Bomber's refit is completed and her crew are brought back together after their early 'retirement' to deal with the resurging Alliance threat. Your job is to pilot X-Bomber, destroying waves of enemy ships, on a frantic quest to save the galaxy once more, grabbing power-ups, dishing out excessive firepower and, of course, making lots and lots of things explode. System RequirementsThe game should run on DirectX 8 so it will theoretically work on Windows 95, 98 and ME. Installation![]() X-Bomber is a portable application. X-Bomber stores all of its configuration and save files within the directory where the program is located. Troubleshooting![]() If you have trouble running X-Bomber, please don't hesitate to get in touch with me either by email or on the forum. In the meantime, I recommend checking the following:
Main Menu![]() The Main Menu has seven options and can be navigated with mouse interaction, the arrow keys, Enter and Esc. StartDisplays the Missions menu, from which you can start the game from the beginning or start any level. You can also select which ship(s) to fly during the mission. When you return to the main menu while playing a level, the Start option is replaced with Resume, which returns you to the current level at the point where you left off. OptionsHere, you can adjust the sound and music volume and configure controls and game settings (including the game's difficulty). NewWhen you return to the menu while playing a level, this option displays the Missions menu, allowing you start any mission from scratch. Instructions... displays this help documentation in the default internet browser. Scores... allows you to save your current score, view your previous scores and upload any score to the Online High-Score Table. Credits... displays information about the game's production. Exit... prompts for confirmation before closing the game. You can close the game at any time without a confirmation prompt by pressing Alt + F4. Briefing Screen![]() Page through the mission briefing by pressing the left and right arrow keys. Clicking the image thumbnails on the right displays the image in the main window on the left. Press Fire 1 (Z) or Enter to start the level. Press Esc or click the red area in the upper-right corner to return to the Main Menu. Controls
* The power transfer controls perform a different function for The Skull player ship, where they are used to rotate the ship. Other Commands and Shortcuts
![]() Turn off the sticky keys keyboard shortcut in Windows, to allow you to use Shift as a select button. There are certain keys that the Clickteam Fusion runtime doesn't detect, such as Alt, meaning that they can't be used for assignable functions. Instruments
Shields![]() The shields filter damage away from ship's hull and, as the shield energy diminishes, the armour becomes more vulnerable. While holding down Shield (C), the shields operate in 'blocking mode'. In this mode, a protective bubble forms instantly around the ship. Your shields and armour take no damage from collisions but the shield energy drains relatively quickly. This is useful to escape tight spots, where the ship might otherwise sustain heavy damage. In this mode, you can use your ship as a battering ram. The shield energy is topped up by collecting shield power-ups. The shields also recharge at a rate of 1% per second. If your shields are already at 100%, the energy used to recharge them is diverted and your weapons energy recharges at double the normal rate. Equally, your shields recharge at twice the normal rate when your weapons energy is full. Armour![]() The armour indicator shows the ship's hull integrity. When this indicator reaches zero, your ship is destroyed. The armour does not repair automatically but can be repaired by collecting Armour power-ups. Weapons EnergyAll of X-Bomber's primary weapons, as well as some special weapons, consume energy from this reserve while firing. Weapons energy can be replenished by collecting Weapons Energy power-ups. Weapons energy also recharges automatically at a rate of 1% per second. Some Special Weapons power-ups also boost the weapons energy reserve, while some special weapons feature an additional power generators that increase the rate at which the weapons energy recharges. When the weapons energy reaches zero, these weapons can fire only intermittently. X-Impulse![]() This shows the number and type of available X-Impulse blasts, when the X-Bomber ship is selected. When ships other than X-Bomber are in-use, this indicator is replaced with one that shows the amount of ammunition for that ship's secondary weapon. When a ship is in-use that has multiple secondary weapons: such as Dai-X, the secondary weapon indicator is supplemented by a further indicator, showing which secondary weapon is selected. Weapon SelectThis indicator shows the currently selected primary weapon. Primary weapons can be selected by pressing Select 1 and Select 2 (Shift and Ctrl) to cycle forward and backward through the available weapons. This area also indicates whether a special weapon has been collected, and if so, which one. Special weapons are obtained by collecting the multicoloured 'special weapon' power-ups. These power-ups are colour-coded to the weapon that they install. For example, the yellow Special Weapons power-up installs the ADEN Cannons on X-Bomber. The special weapon indicator illuminates more strongly when the special weapon is selected and darkens when one of the built-in weapons is selected. This area also indicates how much ammunition the special weapon has, if applicable. If a special weapon that requires ammunition depletes its ammunition supply, then that special weapon is automatically ejected, since the only way to replenish the ammo is to collect another special weapon of the same type. ObjectiveThis typically shows how much more damage the current boss enemy can sustain. DistanceThis indicator shows the current distance from your objective and the estimated time needed to reach it in hundredths of a second. This objective can often be the end of the level, where typically, an end-of-level boss will be located. ScoreThis increments when enemies are destroyed and when escape capsules are recovered. The score indicator appears when incrementing, then fades out. MessagesMessages from the crew and other characters are displayed at the top of the screen. Objectives
To complete a mission, you must survive to the end of the level and destroy the end-of-level boss enemy. Other enemies can be destroyed at your discretion. Destroying too few can quickly leave you overwhelmed while destroying too many can deplete your resources unnecessarily. Keeping your ship intact is more important. If a single Dai-X fighter is destroyed, the remaining two fighters return to X-Bomber and X-Bomber can continue the mission. The destroyed fighter is re-assembled in X-Bomber's hangar. The Dai-X fighters and Dai-X can be used again later in the mission, or in subsequent missions, once that fighter has been sufficiently repaired. Missions may have other objectives, which are set out in the Mission Briefing.
HintsPrecautions
GeneralGlance at your instruments often but don't stare at them and take your eyes off the enemy for too long. You can change the position of the HUD or hide it altogether for an extra challenge using the options screen. Don't forget to change ships, by holding Select 1 (Shift), if yours is damaged or runs out of energy or ammunition. WeaponsUse the right weapon. Spreadfire weapons are effective for crowd-controlling swarms of small enemies but slower at downing stronger individual enemies; like bosses. Remember to make use of your secondary weapons by pressing Fire 2 (X). It's better to use an X-Impulse blast or two to get out of a snag than get the ship heavily damaged or blown up. With slower weapons, you need to 'lead' your targets by flying ahead of them, matching their direction and letting them fly into your bullets. The benefit, however is that it makes it difficult for the enemy to hit you in return. DamageYou can't collide with allied ships or with any ground targets such as tanks or buildings. Explosions can cause damage to you and to the enemy. Detonating one enemy can damage or destroy other nearby ones. Objects with over 50% damage trail smoke and those with over 75% shower sparks. Keep an eye out for damaged enemies and take them out first to clear the screen faster. MovementMake use of the whole screen and keep moving into open spaces. Constantly doing this gets you out of the way of lots of most bullets that are fired directly at you without you having to think too much about dodging them. Don't worry about getting hit by smaller bullets if it means avoiding enemy ships and heavier enemy weapons fire. Your ships can take a fair amount of damage. Sometimes it helps to stop firing back for a few seconds. Having fewer bullets on the screen can help you to concentrate on dodging hazards when you're in a pinch. Relax. Take a break and think up a different approach if you're tired or stuck. You can adjust the difficulty in the options screen. The game is meant to be hectic but I also meant it to be fun, rather than frustrating. Power-ups and ResourcesPower-ups can be found floating in space or they can be left behind when certain enemies are destroyed. To collect a power-up, fly your ship into it. As a rule, if you can't shoot it, try picking it up. System Power-upsThree power-ups can be used by any player ship. Each comes in three versions: silver, gold and platinum, giving 25%, 50% and 100% boosts respectively:
Power TransferWhen you collect a shield power-up, any surplus shield energy is transferred to weapons and vice-versa. You can transfer power between shields and weapons manually by pressing "S" and "W" (default), however, the transfer is only 50% efficient. Secondary Weapon Power-ups
Your energy/ammunition for secondary weapons is carried over between missions. Special Weapons Power-ups... are earned every 20,000, 30,000 and 45,000 points in Chapters I, II and III respectively.
Your special weapon and its remaining ammunition are carried over between missions. Additional FeaturesCustomisable MusicThe game's music is stored in the "mp3" folder. You can supplement or replace these files with your own music. The game supports MP3, OGG, MIDI files and anything else that your PC's codecs allow Windows Media Player to play. Night ModeNight mode creates a night-time darkness effect in planet levels (3, 8, 9 and 11). ScreenshotsYou can take a screenshot at any time during a level by pressing F12. The game gives the file a unique filename and places it in X-Bomber's screenshots folder. The game also captures screenshots automatically to display as previews of the levels in the game's menu. Section 2 - X-Project Player ShipsThe X-Project![]() The X-Project was designed by Professor Hagen, prior to his disappearance, and built by the EDF in an underground hangar on the Moon under the supervision of Dr Benn. The project was intended to maintain peace in Earth's Solar System and consists of the X-Bomber space battlecruiser, which serves as a mothership for the three Dai-X fighters: Braincom, Mainbody and Legtrax. These three fighters transform and combine into the giant robot: Dai-X. Dai-X SystemYou can choose to fly X-Bomber, the Dai-X or any of the three Dai-X fighters at any time in any of the game's levels. Press and hold Select 1 (Shift) to cycle between the X-Project ships in the following order: X-Bomber → Dai-X fighters → Dai-X If either X-Bomber or Dai-X are destroyed, the mission fails. However, if one of the Dai-X fighters is destroyed, the two remaining fighters return to X-Bomber automatically and you can continue the fight using X-Bomber. The lost fighter is slowly reconstructed inside X-Bomber's hangar. Once all three fighters are ready, they can then be launched again. X-Bomber![]() X-Bomber is a 260-metre-long prototype space battleship, which was launched unfinished in 2999 to fight the Imperial Alliance. It is a fast and powerful carrier ship for the three Dai-X Fighters, transporting them over long distances and re-arming them after missions. Its shields can withstand a good deal of weapons fire. A quantum reactor powers a devastating array of energy weapons. X-Bomber is the toughest and best-armed ship in the game, making it a well balanced ship for new players. It is, however, not the fastest ship available.
Primary Weapons
Press Select 1 and 2 (Shift and Ctrl) to cycle forwards and backwards, respectively, through X-Bomber's primary weapons:
2 x 250TW high-energy main lasers - Mounted in the ship's neck, inflict substantial damage but consume energy rapidly - Power transfer from shields may be required for sustained fire. - Recommended for fast disposal of dangerous enemies Secondary Weapon![]()
Auto Weapon![]()
Dai-X Fighters![]() X-Bomber carries three advanced astrofighters that are stored in conformal recesses, or attached to hardpoints on its hull. The fighters are boarded via a miniature internal monorail system that quickly transports the pilots from the bridge to their fighter craft. To launch the Dai-X fighters, while flying X-Bomber, press and hold Select 1 (Shift) for 1 second. X-Bomber will fly away and repair and re-arm itself in the background. The default fighter is Braincom. Pressing Select 1 (Shift) cycles through the Dai-X fighters in the following order, allowing you to select which one you want to fly: Braincom → Mainbody → Legtrax Pressing Select 2 (Ctrl) resets the selection back to Braincom. The remaining two fighters are controlled by the game and will form up on either side of you and help you to attack the enemy. The unselected Dai-X fighters try to fly in loose formation with you and escort you while also trying to actively engage the enemy. The unselected Dai-X fighters cannot be damaged or destroyed, cannot consume power-ups and repair themselves slowly, ready for you to use again later.
Weapons
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BraincomBraincom is small, extremely fast interceptor with a very small hit profile. It is far more fragile than the other two Dai-X fighters and its shield cannot block incoming fire for long. Its special weapon is a spread-gun that is effective in shooting down large numbers of smaller targets. It fires in a fan-out pattern either side of the ship in up to six directions. Secondary Weapon - Cluster bombs 640 TJ ![]() In the Look-In comics, Braincom releases a fuel pod and detonates it with its rear-firing lasers. You can see on Braincom that there are two fuel tanks or missiles on the underside (on the back of Dai-X's head). It may have been one of these that was jettisoned. I think this is where the idea of the cluster bombs came from. The behaviour of the cluster bombs mimics the plasma bombs from the beautiful doujin shooter: Creature Jungle. MainbodyMainbody is a large, powerful fighter-bomber. It is effective at destroying larger targets including capital ships but is relatively unmanoeuvrable. It can, however, withstand a fair amount of damage. Its special weapon is an array of four forward-firing guns that fire in support of the main pulse gun and increase in output, velocity and rate of fire. Secondary Weapon - Railguns 400 TJ LegtraxLegtrax is a versatile, balanced and highly-dependable assault ship. In the Star Fleet TV series, it is seen to transform into a tracked ground fighting vehicle. This ship is quite manoeuvrable but has a larger hit profile than the other Dai-X fighters. This compensated for in that Legtrax has an additional small-calibre pulse gun that fires intermittently. Its special weapon is a series of smart-guns whose projectiles have a homing effect. Secondary Weapon - Graviton blaster SummaryThe advantage of the Dai-X fighters is that you have three ships to engage the enemy with, rather than just one. Even so, in the most difficult parts of the game, these small ships can quickly become overwhelmed and you may need to junction them into Dai-X or have them return to X-Bomber, as was the case in the series. It can be quite fun replaying a mission just with the fighters, as this can provide a bit more of a challenge. Dai-X![]() The three Dai-X Fighters transform and combine to form the Dai-X; a 70-metre-tall robot that can fly and operate in space or within a planet's atmosphere. The Dai-X is well-balanced. It is equipped with a range of powerful weapons, is relatively agile and can withstand a substantial amount of damage. To assemble Dai-X, launch the Dai-X Fighters by holding down Select 1 (Shift) for 1 second. Hold down Select 1 again to start the docking sequence. Your fighter will move automatically to the middle of the screen and Dai-X junction with the others. To return to X-Bomber, press and hold Select 1 once more. The Dai-X Fighters will separate off from eachother. X-Bomber flies back onto the screen to recover the three fighters.
Primary Weapons
Press Select 1 (Shift) to cycle through Dai-X's primary weapons.
Secondary Weapons
Dai-X's weapons are more evenly split between primary and secondary categories than X-Bomber.
Auto Weapons![]()
Wingblade![]() WingBlade is a new, second-generation Dai-X fighter. It can serve as an augmentative weapon for Dai-X (if you collect the blue special weapon powerup while flying Dai-X). It can also undertake missions on its own. The ship is highly manoeuvrable and equipped with a wide assortment of advanced weapons for its size. It is suitable for experienced pilots as it is limited in how much damage it can withstand.
Primary WeaponsThe three selectable primary weapons can be cycled by pressing Select 1 (Shift):
Auto WeaponsWingBlade has two additional primary weapons that fire without needing to be selected:
Secondary WeaponsThe three secondary weapons can be cycled by pressing Select 2 (Ctrl): Dispersion cannon The chapter 1 version of the dispersion cannon is based on the weapon of the same name from Fury3: firing a stream of shots in a repeating pattern. The chapter 2 version mimics the spreadfire cannon from Descent, but in 2D form: firing a spread of three shots simultaneously in a rotating pattern. In chapter 3, the weapon works similarly to the dispersion cannon from The Fury3 sequel: Hellbender, and fires a randomised spread of 5 shots. The weapon has a fairly steady power drain in its later incarnations. Keep an eye on the weapons energy indicator during sustained fire. Beam cannons Wingblade is armed with two beam cannons that fire ahead of the ship. The Skull![]() The Skull is a mysterious space sailer that helps X-Bomber out of tight spots. The ship can be rotated through 360', allowing it to use its side guns to fire a broadside up the screen, for example. In the game, The Skull has a further feature; it can transform into the more powerful Azuris space galleon.
Side Weapons
Press Select 1 (Shift) to cycle the Side Weapons, which are fired by pressing Fire 1 (Z).
Forward Weapons
Press Select 2 (Ctrl) to cycle the forward weapons. These weapons fire in concert with the side weapons when you hold Fire 1 (Z).
Other Weapons
The Azuris![]() The Azuris is an upgraded mode of The Skull that can be accessed by holding Select 1 (Shift).
Side Weapons
Forward Weapons:2 x Pulse laser cannon X-Bomber Prototype![]() The X-Bomber Prototype player ship gives X-Bomber as it appeared in the original TV show. Crew: Shiro Hagan, Barry Hercules, John Lee, PPA Performance: 50 Primary Weapons
Secondary Weapon![]() X-Impulse system: 1700 Dai-XDai-X has a few differences in its prototype form, which affect the operation of the three secondary weapons. The missile launchers are loaded with different munition types and the x-tracer emitter behaves as it does earlier in the series. ![]() Mega Missile Incendiary spiral type The mega missile, rather than releasing a nuclear fireball, releases two powerful submunitions that spiral outwards from the detonation point, leaving a trail of explosions behind them, which eventually encompasses the entire screen. This mega missile type is quite impressive visually, but does less concentrated damage to bosses than the default. On the other hand, it can damage and destroy targets elsewhere on the screen. ![]() X-Tracer Type A The x-tracer works in the same way as in episode 19, where it fires a yellow beam in a sequence of three shorter pulses. The beam is a little narrower and can be blocked when an enemy flies into it. It is a bit less powerful than the default x-tracer, but also consumes slightly less energy. ![]() Micro Missiles Dispersion rockets The chest missile launchers work in a similar way to how you see them work in episode 25 ... Both launchers fire a simultaneous spread of 16 rockets that fans out ahead of the Dai-X. The dispersion shells are small, high-velocity, unguided rockets with high-explosive warheads that do significantly more damage on impact than the homing micro missiles. They detonate either on impact or after travelling a short distance, limiting the range at which they can be used effectively. One Missile power-up is sufficient to fire four salvos: twice as many as with the guided micro missiles. These rockets are substantially less complex and more compact than the micro missiles, occupying half as much space in the internal missile magazine. This ammunition type is quite effective against bosses, if you can get close enough to get a decent proportion of the rockets to impact. The downside is that it cannot affect targets outside the area in front of Dai-X. Special Weapons OverviewThis is Prof Hagan. I'm here to talk you through the special weapons that will be available to you during your missions. AvailabilityThere are two sets of 10 special weapons available: one for X-Bomber and one Dai-X. These weapons are introduced and upgraded gradually as the game progresses and are available, starting in the levels shown below:
There are reports of astrofighter squadrons having encountered Alliance booby traps with counterfeit EDF IFF transponder attached, designed to make them look like special weapons containers. In chapter 3, bogus Alliance special weapons power-ups start to appear. If you pick one up, it will destroy the currently-installed special weapon on your ship. It's hard to say exactly how these will appear on your HUD, so you need to be a bit careful which ones you collect. Resource ManagementSome special weapons consume their own ammunition, rather than consuming your ship's weapons energy. These weapons are useful if you want to conserve your weapons energy, or divert it to your shields. Alternatively, you can hold this type of special weapon in reserve, in case your weapons energy runs out. Other special weapons draw power from X-Bomber or Dai-X's internal weapons energy, meaning that they never run out of their own ammo but can deprive your other weapons that they might need to fire, later on. If a special weapon has its own ammunition, the amount provided is shown to the right of the heading. X-Bomber Special Weapons■ Yellow - ADEN Cannons 6,000,000The ADEN cannon pod contains 4 x 90mm, 8-barrel rotary gauss cannons that fire depleted-uranium penetrators. Upgrades, comprising armour-piercing and hybrid high-explosive rounds, are planned to substantially increase effectiveness against larger enemies. Ultimately, the ADEN cannons are oversized Gatling guns and require a short period to spin up before firing. ■ Blue - Guided Missiles 250 / 500 / 1000The Star Arrow missile system tracks any threat identified by X-Bomber's main computer via infrared and LIDAR. Each fire-and-forget, high-agility missile has a powerful anti-ship warhead. This weapon will be improved with a 500-missile magazine: firing through twin launchers, for a 50% increase in firing rate. The number of targets that can be tracked simultaneously will also be doubled. Eventually, the Star Arrow missile system will be replaced with the Hydra micro-missile system, which is currently under development. These missiles are significantly smaller but inflict almost as much damage, allowing for a 1,000-missile magazine. This system can also track and even larger number of targets simultaneously. ■ Orange - Rotator spread gun EThis pulse weapon features an oscillating muzzle with four diverging barrels, which are offset at 45' from the forward direction of the ship. Two barrels fire at any given time to release a diverging, cyclical pattern of fire that covers a wide area. The weapon also fires behind the ship between brief cool-down intervals. Planned upgrades to the weapon include increases in firing rate and muzzle velocity as well as allowing simultaneous fire with other ship's weapons when the rotator spread gun is unselected. ■ Green - Plasma Cannons EPlasma weapons were once reserved for use on space stations and planetary defence arrays, due to their high maintenance demands and power requirements. This miniaturised dual plasma cannon discharges over 5 shots per second per barrel. The weapon can blast through the toughest targets but has a steady energy consumption. An improved, multi-stage helium-3 pulse cooling system is planned to allow indefinite periods of uninterrupted, sustained fire. ■ Aqua - Scalar Mass Driver E / 50 / 75The scalar mass driver fires a 6-metre-long, cylindrical neutronium munition at multiples of lightspeed using scalar energy. The weapon has a 1 metre deviation over a range of 100,000 militons, making it the most accurate weapon in existence. Initially, the weapon needs to charge before firing, building up a full charge in 2 seconds. The scalar energy charge is built up by drawing power from X-Bomber's internal weapons energy. Hold 'Fire 1' (default: Z) to charge and then release Fire 1 to fire. This weapon is an 80-metre long sniper rifle and is extremely effective against large enemies but extremely limited in its effectiveness against large numbers of small targets. The SMD is being upgraded to add a magazine of 50 disposable scalar energy cells to propel the neutronium munitions, which will allow semi-automatic fire, rather than having to charge the weapon before firing. Miniaturisation of the firing mechanism will allow the magazine size to be increased to accommodate 75 rounds. The v1 version of the SMD doesn't run out of ammunition, to offset the fact that the weapon takes time to charge, and consumes the ship's weapons energy in order to do so. The special weapon ammo counter is used to indicate the weapon's charge level. In versions 2 and 3, once the 50 or 75 power cells respectively are depleted, the weapon is discarded. ■ Red - EM Napalm 3000 / 4500![]() The electromagnetic napalm dispenser works on a similar principal to laser torpedoes but lacks a collimating mechanism, and therefore engulfs a wider area, dissipating after a shorter distance. The weapon has a variable forcefield projector, which receives instructions from X-Bomber's flight computer. This in turn, manipulates the napalm stream, allowing it to snake and curve in accordance with X-Bomber's movement. The EM napalm causes impacted targets to continue to disintegrate: even in space, inflicting further damage, even once they're no longer directly exposed to the napalm stream. The EM napalm is a supercharged exotic matter plasma, stored in electromagnetic suspension. The weapon is supplied with a 3,000 litre fuel supply; sufficient for 60 seconds of operation. The fuel containment system is being miniaturised and reinforced to allow the weapon to be accompanied by a 4,500 litre supply; sufficient for 90 seconds of operation. In the original, Japanese X Bomber TV series, the "laser torpedo" weapons are referred to as "EM napalm". ■ Grey - Converging Laser TorpedoesX-Bomber's original laser torpedo system was modified in order to comply with the EDF's non-aggression treaty and defence pact signed with the Simetran government. Originally, the system fired four laser torpedo streams; one from each of X-Bomber's wingtip weapons pods, that converged ahead of the ship. A single, powerful laser torpedo blast was projected forward from the point where the four beams converged that created a very large fireball when it impacted a target. This configuration was regarded by EDF's new allies as too devastating to be equipped during peacetime. Therefore the weapon was modified to fire four individual, parallel streams directly ahead. This reduced the combined output of the weapon by over 20% but makes the weapon more effective against crowds of small targets since the weapon's field of fire is significantly wider. Now that war with the Imperial Alliance has flared up again, the Simetra Defence Directorate were quick to agree to us reverting the system back to its original configuration. This special weapon pack allows the laser torpedoes to be fired in their original mode. The pack contains a microcomputer that re-installs the firmware and emitter control algorithms necessary to restore the weapon to its original configuration. It also includes an additional power source that allows the system to be fired in converging mode for short periods of time without consuming any of the ship's internal weapons energy. Once this power external reserve is depleted, the weapon will rapidly consume X-Bomber's weapons energy. The external reserve replenishes quickly, however, when the weapon is either selected but not firing, or when another weapon is selected. A new weapon designed to replace this system; the Positron Blaster, is currently in development. ■ Purple - Gunboys 6 / 8These stationary sentry drones track targets and open fire on them with two laser machineguns that extend from behind slide-out side panels, whenever enemies are detected. The gunboys are heavily armoured for their size and hold a lethal surprise of 6 guided plasma missiles, which are released in the event that a gunboy is destroyed. The gunboy container tube holds 6 units, which can be deployed anywhere by pressing 'Fire 1' (default: Z). The gunboys will be upgraded with larger calibre pulse guns to make them more effective against larger targets. An extended container is in production, which will contain 8 gunboy units. Eventually, the gunboys' onboard power supplies will be augmented to power anti-ship pulse cannons. ■ Magenta - Laser SabreA rotating turret emits three diverging beams that damage and reflect off enemies. The beams cause greater damage the more times they reflect. ■ Lime - BoosterThe Booster docks with X-Bomber and adds two phased plasma beam cannons as well as two 24-tube rocket pods with 1,000 rockets each to its arsenal. The beam cannons fire only when the Booster is selected and do not consume X-Bomber's energy. The rocket pods fire regardless of whether the Booster is selected until the rockets are depleted. When unselected, the Booster also charges X-Bomber's shields, weapons and X-Impulse systems and repairs the armour. The Booster can be damaged and destroyed by enemy weapons fire. As the Booster sustains damage, its cannons become less effective. Dai-X Fighter Special WeaponsThe Dai-X Fighters' special weapons behave differently to those of X-Bomber and Dai-X. Special weapons power-ups charge and upgrade the special weapon. Therefore, the power-ups are colour-coded to the Dai-X Fighter instead; red for Braincom, green for Mainbody and blue for Legtrax. The power-ups provide 20 units of charge in chapter 1, 30 units in chapter 2 and 45 units in chapter 3. The fighters can hold a maximum of 1,000 units of charge and, the more charge is available, the more powerful the weapon becomes. The trade-off is that, the higher the power level of the weapon, the higher the rate of depletion of the special weapons energy. Each of the fighters' special weapons has 10 power levels, which are selected based on the amount of charge available, as follows: Charge Power level 1 - 99 1 100 - 199 2 900 - 1,000 10 The special weapon upgrade level is shared across all three Dai-X Fighters. If Braincom has 500 units of charge, so do Mainbody and Legtrax. ■ Braincom - Spead-fire Weapons PodBraincom's special weapon consists of a pair of roughly knife-shaped weapons pods that attach on either side of the ship. Each pod supplements Braincom's existing side-mounted, forward-firing, 30mm rapid-fire pulse guns with 3 further beam vulcans that fire in a diverging pattern. This makes Braincom highly effective at shooting down large numbers of smaller enemies. The first power level provides for only forward-firing guns to operate, while power levels 2-4 allow the first pair of side-firing vulcans to operate at increasing levels of output. Levels 5-7 and 8-10 allow the second and third rows of guns to fire respectively. Mean output: 256
Dai-X Special Weapons■ Yellow - Wildfire MissilesTwo 16-tube shoulder-mounted launchers release a swarm of semi-guided missiles from a 500-round magazine. ■ Blue - WingBlade 60 / 75 / 90 secondsWingBlade is an independent ship and an augmentative weapon for Dai-X. When unselected, it flies alongside the Dai-X, attacking the enemy independently. When selected, it docks with Dai-X and fires a stream of lightning that curves and locks onto enemies that it touches. This weapon is time-limited to 60 seconds - whether selected or unselected ■ Orange - Rapid-fire SpreadGun EA back-pack-mounted weapon that projects two streams of pulse lasers ahead as well as four smaller calibre streams to either side at a high rate of fire. ■ Green - Plasma Grenades 1000 roundsThe plasma grenades are fired from two multi-barrel launchers on the shoulders. The plasma grenades have no guidance or propulsion of their own. That means a larger warhead and more shots per magazine. The 1,000-round magazine lasts for a while. The grenades can land practically anywhere, creating extensive damage over a wide area. They leave behind a cloud of supercharged plasma that spreads out and damages nearby targets. The limiting factor is its short effective range. ■ Aqua - DRAGOON Pack 6 / 12 / 24The 'Six-Shooter' backpack stores and launches six 'remote weapon' attack drones; each with a beam cannon, that attack the enemy independently. ■ Red - Homing Lasers 3000, EThis backpack weapon is based on the smart laser technology featured on the Simetra Defence Directorate's Sylph gunships. It contains a large magazine of shielded nano-robots, each of which guides a plasma beam to its target. The weapon cycles between three diverging firing ports on either side of the backpack. When unselected, the weapon continues to fire at a lower rate. The weapon consumes both its own ammunition, plus Dai-X's own weapons energy in order to fire. Grey - Point Singularity Bomb■ Purple - Quantum BlasterThe quantum blaster consists of two beam rifles that combine to launch a fireball of quantum particles that can be charged up for increased power. Selected The Dai-X combines the rifles together. The weapon releases a quantum fireball with each press and release of the trigger. The fireball can be charged exponentially by holding the trigger. The fireball reaches maximum charge after 1.5 seconds, after which, an overload failsafe releases the blast automatically. The blast can be released manually at any point prior to this by releasing the trigger. The quantum blast travels through most small and medium targets. If the blast hits a target that it cannot destroy in a single hit, the fireball detonates, creating a radiating sphere that spreads out, creating heavy damage to that target and those nearby. Unselected The Dai-X separates the blaster into its two constituent rifles and dual-wields them independently. Each rifle fires charged particle beams in an alternating cycle. Technical Data The fireball inflicts between 62.5 and 562.5 units of damage on any target, with which it collides. If the enemy's health exceeds the amount of damage that the fireball can inflict, the fireball explodes, creating an area of splash damage that expands to 200% of the fireball's radius. The splash damage sphere dissipates after 1 second, inflicting gradually less-and-less damage as it expands. The total damage that the detonation can cause to any individual target ranges from 312.5 to 2812.5. Otherwise, the fireball destroys the enemy and keeps going. This is useful if you can wait until smaller enemies are lined up behind each other. When fired in unselected mode, the beam rifles output 300 units of damage per second. ■ Magenta - ClassifiedThe arc sabre is a backpack-based weapon that locks onto up to four enemies at once and joins them up with a gluon plasma beam, resembling an arc of lightning. The weapon is omnidirectional and requires no aiming. Each target in the chain receives slightly less damage than the one before, as follows: Target # Damage per second 1 200 2 150 3 100 4 50 If only one target is present, it receives the total 500 units of damage per second that would have been distributed out to multiple targets. The weapon runs from its own internal power reserve; sufficient for 30 seconds of operation only. However, this energy is only consumed when there is a target present for the weapon to engage. If the trigger is held while no enemies are present, this consumes no resources. This weapon is based on the weapon of the same name from the great vehicular shooter; Recoil and works in exactly the same way. One of the expansion packs for FEAR also contains a similar weapon, although I don't recall ever using it. ■ Lime - THOR - Tactical Heavy Ordnance ReinforcementWorks as a Booster for Dai-X, providing two phased plasma beam cannons as well as two guided missile launchers and two beam cannons. When not selected, THOR charges Dai-X's shields and weapons; reloads the missiles and repairs the armour. Underwater EquipmentRFUP: Rapid-fire Underwater Penetrator
CharactersShiro Hagan
Barry Hercules
John Lee
PPA
Rain
Ishida Bridges
Dr Benn Robinson
Lamia
General Kyle![]() General Kyle, supreme commander of Earth Defence Forces provides a model of unwavering defiance against the devastating Imperial Alliance onslaught. His dauntless composure in dealing with the Alliance serves to reassure those around him, even in the most desperate of circumstances. Professor Hagen![]() The father of Shiro Hagen and designer of the X-Bomber and Dai-X was presumed dead prior to being found by the crew of X-Bomber and returned to Earth where he returned to work completing his X-Project. The Professor's devastating weapons have continually saved the Earth from complete annihilation by the Alliance. Allied ShipsEDF AstrofightersMcDonnell-Martin F-215 - Ocean Patroller McDonnell-Martin F-218 - Mars Defender Sukoyan MU-129 - Pluto Defender Sukoyan MU-135 - Pluto SEW&C Sentry EDF PrototypesF-222 Viper, SU-237 Thunder, FMS-100 EDF/SDD Hybrid, MAC-15 Magnum, XXF-01 X-Fighter SDD AstrofightersSF-60, SA-80, SS-40, SI-40 Hunter, SV-70, ST-90 Impala Star Cruiser![]() The Impala Cruiser appears at random throughout the game to help you. It is a tough ally with a variety of weapons. It appears individually in Chapter 1 and in groups of 2 and 4 in Chapters 2 and 3 respectively. The ship was designed by Brad Smith. I don't know anything about it other than what you can see in the render and that I really wanted to include it in the game.
Section X - AppendixInformation
Cut ContentThe raising of X-Bomber's neck, to fire the neck lasers was originally activated via a separate button and would have impacted X-Bomber's performance and shield strength, but this made things a bit over-complicated. Now, the ship lifts the neck automatically, when the neck lasers are selected and fired. A similar mode change was available at one stage, where the Dai-X flew with its arms by its sides, which improved its performance somewhat, but prevented the firing of arm-mounted weapons. XBSW 9. Anti-matter Torpedoes The Antimatter Torpedoes are large, slow and easy to intercept. Should it reach its target however the weapon causes heavy damage to enemy capital ships. The torpedoes send out smaller bomblets upon detonation, seeking out surrounding targets. XBSW 10. Phase Plasma Cannon The Phase plasma cannon eventually became the THOR booster. The outcome is similar to the original idea. The phase plasma beams would have fired in shorter, rectangular pulses that travelled through enemies. It would have been the joint most powerful weapon, along with the anti-matter torpedoes X-Bomber 3-Way spread-fire pulse gun CIWS upgrade => laser torpedo turret Lock-on bomb Broadside spread lasers => The Skull Dai-X 3-Way spread-fire pulse gun - type B Rocket fists SpreadFire XM Torpedoes => plasma grenades X-Wave Hunter-Killer Drones => enemy drones, dragoon pack Missile Blossom Packs => enemy weapon Pulse Cannon Cut IdeasInvincibility Shield as a power-up / storable weapon This became redundant as soon as the blocking shield became a standard feature on player ships. About HelpI wanted X-Bomber's help document to be like the game manuals of yore, where it would have a story, some world-building and a decent bit of information about characters and weapons, so that you would have a pretty good idea of what to expect from the game: even before you got it back home. I've tried to make this manual a bit like a strategy guide as well to help people get the most out of the game. It also contains a good amount of behind-the-scenes information, in case people wonder why certain things were made the way they were.
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The GameGetting Started Prologue System Requirements Installation Troubleshooting Main Menu Briefing Screen Gameplay Controls Instruments Objectives Hints Power-ups and Resources Additional Features Information X-Project Player Ships X-Project Dai-X System X-Bomber Dai-X Fighters Dai-X Additional Player Ships Wingblade The Skull The Azuris X-Bomber Prototype Special Weapons Special Weapons Overview X-Bomber Special Weapons Dai-X Fighter Special Weapons Dai-X Special Weapons Characters Allied Ships Game MediaMore Quick Links
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