Scorched Earth FAQ
by Ed the Moogle
Version 1.01
Copyright 2001-2002 Ed the Moogle
Not official in any way. Don't copy or alter this FAQ without
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This FAQ was written based upon the 1.5 Shareware version of the game. I
cannot answer any questions about older versions or the registered game.
1. Options Screen
-Sound: Tired of those annoying beeping noises yet?
-Hardware: Ever tried steering a tank with a joystick 90 times its size?
-Economics: Money makes the world go 'round, even if it has been
Scorched.
-Physics: Since you can't rely on Vertical Guidance all the time...
-Play Options: Choose everything from teams to how often your tanks
talk.
-Weapons: Disable some/all of the purchaseable weapons, among other
things.
2. The Scorched Earth Shop
- Weaponry: The bigger the weapon, the harder your opposition falls!
- Gizmos and Gadgets: Instant homing missiles and surviving falls from
high cliffs, among other things.
3. Player Setup
-Tank Types: Choose your weapon!
-AI Opponents: Stupid? Smart? Downright evil? You make the call.
4. On the Battlefield
- Scorched Tactics: "I feel like I could...TAKE ON THE WORLD!" -Purple
Tentacle
5. Other Stuff
- Glitches: Hey, even the world of Scorch has a few bugs in it.
- Tricks and Observations: Fun stuff.
- Special Thanks: People who helped move this FAQ along.
- Coming Attractions: Stuff Ed plans to add to this FAQ.
- Contact Info: Send Ed corrections, suggestions, additions, fan mail,
hate mail, whatever!
Enables or disables the PC speaker sound for Scorch. Since the Sound
tends to get quite annoying during long matches, I'd recommend turning
this option OFF. You can also turn it off in-game in case you forgot to.
-Flight Sound POS/VEL/OFF
POS- The sound the missiles make as they fly through the air depends on
their height while onscreen.
VEL- The sound missiles make as they fly through the air depends on how
quickly they are traveling through the air.
OFF- Turns off both those annoying flight sounds.
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Hardware
Graphics Mode- Set the graphics mode for Scorch. Note that you must
choose to Save Changes, then quit Scorch and restart to see any
noticeable effect. If the game hangs when you start it up as a result of
messing around with this option, delete/edit the file called SCORCH.CFG.
(The default is 320x200).
BIOS Keyboard- If your game locks up while playing, try toggling this
option on. It will run slower, but at least it will stop locking the
game. If your game runs fine, leave this option alone.
NOTE: I'm pretty sure this option has to be on if you're using a Windows
98 Keyboard.
Small Memory- Toggle this option if you don't have enough memory to run
Scorch smoothly. It will disable some of the game's features (mainly
graphical ones) in order to conserve memory. I'd recommend upgrading
your computer if you find yourself using this option.
Pointer- Lets you choose to use your Keyboard, Mouse, or Joystick to
explore Scorch's menus.
Mouse Rate .5-5 - Lets you choose how sensitive your Mouse/Joystick will
be to movement, and thus how quickly the cursor will move when you use
the device. The higher the number, the quicker it will go.
Firing Delay 0-500 - This determines how long it will take for shots to
travel across the screen. The higher the number, the slower it will go.
I'd recommend 10.
Falling Delay 0-1000 - This determines how long it will take for your
tank to fall to the ground when the rug is pulled from under them. The
higher the number, the longer the delay. I leave it at 10 myself, but
you can do whatever you want.
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Economics
Interest Rate- .0-.30 - Any money that you have not spent each round
will gain .0-.3 interest in the bank. Basically, this means if you have
unspent money in the bank, you will gain 0-30% more at the end of each
round. This can be adjusted to your liking.
Cash at start 0-1000000 - This determines how much money your character
and his opponents start with. Each tank will recieve anywhere from $0 to
$1,000,000. If you choose to start with higher than $0, you will enter
the shop before the first round begins.
Computers Buy- This option determines whether or not CPU-controlled
opponents will use their money to buy new weapons or tools between each
round. Makes the game significantly easier when turned off.
Free Market- This is an interesting feature. The shop between rounds
will simulate a "free market," meaning that frequently purchased items
will gradually become more expensive, while weapons that nobody's buying
will gradually drop in price. All of this info is carried over between
games in the scorch.mkt file. If you wish, you can delete it to restore
the "market" to its default settings and start over.
Scoring Mode- Basic/Standard/Greedy
Basic- The person with the most frags and wins the most rounds will be
the winner of the game.
Standard- The person who inflicts the most damage on, but not destroys,
tanks or shields will be the winner. Players will actually lose points
for destroying others. I guess the main strategy here is to chip away at
a tank until they have hardly any energy left, and then they'll blow
themselves up when they try to fire a shot.
Greedy- Whoever collects the most special weapons throughout the course
of the game will be the winner in the end.
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Physics
Air Viscosity 0-20 - This determines the air's viscosity, which, at
higher levels, will throw off some computer opponents' aim and disrupt
the Ballistic Guidance item.
Gravity- .05-10 - Determines the strength of the battlefield's gravity
in pixels per second. I'm not sure what this does, but I think it has
something to do with how much damage you take when you fall.
Suspend Dirt- 0-100 - This will cause dirt that would normally fall to
the ground (when a laser blasts through a mountain, for example) to hang
in the air. The rate at which it stays in the air is determined by the
percentage chosen. For example, if it's set to 20%, dirt will have a 20%
chance of staying in the air each turn. All suspended dirt will fall if
this percentage is not met the next round.
Tanks Fall - This is an interesting option. If it is turned off, your
tanks will simply hang in the air, even in a situation where they would
normally fall to the ground (having a mountain blown out from underneath
them, for example). Note that, for some reason, this doesn't seem to
work with Version 1.5.
Borders Extend- 0-10000 - This determines how far off the edge of the
screen a bomb can travel before it is automatically counted as a miss.
When at 0, any bomb that flies off the edge of the screen will never
return (even if the wind would normally have blown it back on). Just be
aware that you're in for a long wait for your bomb to impact if you set
it to higher values and fire offscreen. This option is only useful if
you're not using "walls." (see "Effect of Walls" below)
Effect of Walls- Concrete/Padded/Rubber/Spring/Wrap/Random/Erratic/None
This determines what effect the "walls" around the arena have.
None- No walls. Any shot that flies offscreen will continue its path for
the duration of the border's extension (see above). This appears as a
gray border.
Concrete- Any bomb that hits a wall will detonate. Appears as a white
border.
Padded- This wall reflects shots, but will reduce the bomb's velocity
somewhat first. Appears as a green border.
Rubber- Shots will bounce off of rubber walls with little to no loss in
velocity. A favorite of Poolsharks. Red border.
Spring- The Spring wall is similar to the Rubber wall, but it will
actually speed up the bomb's velocity slightly. Cyan (light blue)
border.
Wraparound- If a shot is fired off the left side of the screen, it will
continue its path starting from the right-hand end of the screen and
vice versa. Yellow border.
Random- Picks from one of the above walls at the beginning of each
round.
Erratic- Picks from one of the above walls between each character's
turn.
Note that the angle of a shot will remain the same if it hits any
"deflecting" wall. For example, if a shot hits the wall at a 45 degree
angle, it will continue its flight at a 45% angle unless the wind or
another factor prevents it from doing so.
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Landscape
Sky- Plain/Stormy/Stars/Shaded/Sunset/Cavern/Black/Random - This
determines the type of sky that will appear in the battleground.
Plain- Just a blue sky.
Stormy- A stormy sky. Occasional bolts of lightning may damage/destroy
your tanks or their shields on this setting.
Stars- A starry night. Shooting stars in this setting have a similar
effect to the Stormy sky's lightning bolts.
Shaded- Several shades of blue.
Sunset-A sky with a rainbow of colors and a bright yellow sun near the
bottom. Some tanks may be camoflagued by the colors in the sky.
Cavern- A dark background with dirt hanging off of the ceiling (it falls
down when shot). Computer Poolsharks tend to become very annoying in
these levels, as they keep making more and more dirt fall in an attempt
to get to the wall.
Black- A black background.
Random- Picks from any one of the above before each round (besides
Black).
Max. Wind- 0-500 - This determines how high the wind factor goes. The
higher it goes, the harder it will make it to aim shots. There is no
wind at a setting of 0.
Changing Wind - Toggling this option On will cause the wind to change
slightly between each player's turn. This makes targeting a bit more
difficult.
Hostile Environment - This turns off the shooting stars and lightning
bolts in the stormy and starry skies respectively.
Bumpiness- 0-100 - This determines how bumpy the terrain of each
battlefield will be. The higher the value, the more bumps.
Slope- 0-100 - This determines the slope of hills and valleys will be on
each battlefield. The higher the value, the steeper the slope.
Flatten Peaks - When toggled on, this will flatten out hills when they
reach a certain number of steepness.
Random Land - When this option is on, the Bumpiness, Slope, and Flatten
Peaks options will be picked at random at the beginning of each battle.
Percent Scanned Mountains- 0-100 - This determines how often scanned-in
mountains will appear as battlefields throughout the game.
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Play Options
Mode- Sequential/Synchronous/Simultaneous - Determines the mode of play.
Sequential- Players take turns in sequential order. Once one player's
turn is over, the next player's turn begins.
Synchronus Mode- This is an interesting option. Rather than each player
firing a shot one at a time and then waiting for their next turn, the
Synchronous Mode will pause until each character is done with their
turn, then all of the fired shots will be fired at once. When each shot
impacts, another turn will begin. This adds an interesting twist to the
game. Give it a try
Simultaneous- Simultaneous mode is the most difficult (but most frantic)
option of the three. This allows all players to control their tanks
simultaneously! It's pretty complex to explain here, but there is a full
description in the Scorched Earth manual.
Teams- None/Corporate/Vicious/Standard - Determines the type of teams
used in Scorched Earth. Each player will choose their team before the
first round begins (and what teams computer opponents will be on as
well).
None- A free-for-all where everyone is an enemy.
Corporate- All players on a Corporate team will share the same money
winnings and losses throughout the game.
Vicious- When all the other players are eliminated, the players on a
Vicious team then turn and fire upon each other until only one player is
left.
Standard- Just a standard Team VS Team play. Each player has their own
cash winnings.
Status Bar - Toggles the status bar that appears at the top of the
screen. Basically, it allows you to access Batteries, Parachutes,
Shields, Guidance, Contact Triggers, and Fuel Tanks by simply clicking
the proper icon on the bar.
Play Order- Random/Losers First/Winners First/Round-Robin - Determines
the order in which each player takes their turn.
Random- Chosen randomly at the beginning of each round.
Losers First- The person in last place will go first, and the person in
first place will go last.
Winners First- The opposite of Losers First- the highest ranked player
will go first, and the lowest will go last.
Round-Robin- The same as Random, but the round number corresponds to who
will go first (Player 1 will go first in round 1, Player 2 in round 2,
etc.).
Fast Computers - In the event that all human players are eliminated and
only computers are left, the game's speed will rise significantly until
the end of the round. This is a sanity-saver against those lower level
opponents who can't hit tanks within your lifetime.
Talking Tanks- Off/Computers/All - This determines which tanks will
"talk" (basically display a threat/death message). All means that all
tanks will talk when it is their turn. Computers means that only
computer opponents will talk. Off means that all the tanks are silent.
Talk Probability- 0-100 - This determines how often the tanks talk. 0 is
not at all, 100 is every turn.
Attack File - This determines what file will be used for the tank's
quotes whenever their turn comes up. The default is talk1.cfg, but you
can use any file of your choosing, so long as it is in ASCII format (or
you can simply add more lines to talk1.cfg).
Die File - This determines what file will be used for the tank's quotes
whenever they are killed. The default is talk2.cfg, but you can use any
file of your choosing, so long as it is in ASCII format (or you can
simply add more lines to talk2.cfg).
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Section 2: Weapons
Arms Level 0-4 - The Arms Level option will remove some of the more
"advanced" weaponry (special weapons, etc.) from the game with each
level taken off. At 0, there are only a few basic weapons to choose
from, while at 4 every weapon is selectable. This is a useful option for
newcomers to ease into the game.
Bomb Icon- Invisible/Small/Big - The Bomb Icon command will determine
what your projectiles will look like in-flight. They will either be
invisible, a small dot, or a large dot.
Tunneling- This option will determine if your tank's weapons will burrow
a short distance (varies upon the shell's velocity) into the dirt before
detonating. If not, each bomb will explode on impact when it hits the
ground.
Scale Normal/Medium/Large- This is an interesting feature. This will
"scale up" the explosions that your bombs make, so that they have a
wider range and are more destructive. The graphics won't look as nice in
this mode, but it does make the game quite a bit more hectic, especially
with some of the larger bombs in the game.
Trace Paths- Leaves behind a colorful trail of smoke with each bomb you
fire, making it easier to determine if you need to adjust your shot
angle or power. It's like having a Smoke Tracer attached to any weapon
you want!
Extra Dirt- Any of the "dirt" items will throw out more dirt when this
option is toggled. With the higher-level bombs, it can really lag up the
game, so if you're going to be throwing a lot of dirt bombs back and
forth you may want to think twice about using this option.
Useless Items- When this option is turned on, some "useless" items may
appear in the shop that you don't really need (for example, Smoke
Tracers when the Trace Paths option is on).
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Save Changes
Changes the default option set to the one you have currently configured.
This is very helpful if you don't want to have to re-set the options
every time you start the game. Delete the .cfg file if you decide to
return to the original default settings.
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HIDDEN OPTIONS
There is a hidden option for your gaming enjoyment. It is are only
accessible by editing the file scorch.cfg.
Impact Damage- Affects whether or not your tanks will take damage when
they fall. If it's off, your tank will be able to fall any distance and
emerge unharmed.
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Section 2: The Scorched Earth Shop
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Note: To sell objects back to the shop, press the "I" key to call up
your inventory, then click on the object you wish to sell. Next, select
the number of objects you wish to sell, and boom, it's done.
Another Note: If you buy a number smaller than the "set" number because
your inventory is nearly maxed out with the item you plan to purchase,
you will be required to pay extra in order to get the item. For example,
say you had 90 tracers, and attempted to purchase another 10 to make the
maximum of 99. You will only buy nine, but the game will charge you
extra because you didn't buy a full set of 10.
Tracer: $20 per 10 set- This isn't actually a weapon, but it can be
helpful nonetheless. This weapon fires out a small "blank" that will fly
across the screen until it hits something. It will not damage tanks or
the ground, but it can give you an idea of where to guide your next shot
if you don't want to risk destroying a section of ground or an opponent
for whatever reason.
Smoke Tracer: $500 per 10 set- Smoke Tracers are similar to Tracers, but
they leave behind a brightly colored trail of 'smoke' the same color as
your tank when fired, so that you can determine your shot's path as well
as where it impacts. If the screen starts getting covered with colorful
lines, simply hit F1 and choose "Clear Screen" to wipe all the 'smoke'
trails off.
Baby Missile: $400 per 10 set- The price and set statitistics for this
weapon are actually not important- every tank is armed with an infinite
supply of these basic explosives. These missiles do a very small amount
of damage to the surrounding area, and require a direct or near-direct
hit to damage a tank. Not particularly visually impressive, but at least
you have one thing to rely on in the world of Scorch.
Missile: $1,625 per 5 set- Missiles are basically a slightly powered up
version of Baby Missiles. They leave a slightly larger explosion area,
and require a very near miss or direct hit to do damage.
Baby Nuke: $10,000 per 3 set- Baby Nukes are the next step up from
Missiles. When they impact on something, a large sphere of nuclear force
will explode outward, devastating any landscape or tanks within its
range. Any tank caught near the center of the blast will almost
certainly be killed.
Nuke: $12,000 per 1 set- Nukes are the most powerful of any missile
weapon. When they impact, a HUGE sphere of nuclear force radiates
outward, destroying/severely damaging anything within its range. They're
very expensive, though, so use them wisely.
Funky Bomb: $7,000 per 2 set- Funky Bombs are a relatively inexpensive
alternative to Nukes/Baby Nukes. When they impact upon somethng, they
will randomly scatter several smaller, colorful explosions about the
size of a Missile blast across the area, and end with a blast roughly
the size of a Baby Nuke explosion where the first bomb hit. These are
handy due to the fact that they can damage/kill multiple enemies at a
time. Plus, they look cool.
Leapfrog: $10,000 per 2 set- The Leapfrog is actually three warheads,
which are deployed one after the other, striking three times with each
shot. Useful for drilling through enemy shields.
MIRV: $10,000 per 3 set- MIRVs are a wicked little device. These little
devices will fly into the air, and split into five smaller explosives at
the apogee of their flight, which will rain down on anything below. If
it hits something before it reaches the peak of its flight, none of the
bombs will detonate.
Death's Head: $20,000 per 1 set- Death's Head's are similar to MIRVs in
the fact that they split into smaller bombs upon reaching the peak of
their flight. However, The Death's Head is much more dangerous. It
splits into NINE bombs, all of which have a very large explosion radius.
These things are perfect for devastating entire mountains or blowing
away multiple enemies at a time. Just be careful you don't blow yourself
up with them, especially with the bomb sizes scaled up.
Napalm: $10,000 per 10 set- Napalm is a handy little device for damaging
tank shields or multiple tanks. Upon impacting, the Napalm will spread
across the ground, and then ignite, burning and damaging anything the
liquid touches. Apply a generous amount to shielded opponents to do a
ton of damage, or fire into a low valley or hill to incinerate multiple
opponents. Just be sure to use it with Contact Triggers, as it may not
get to spread out if the projectile sinks too far into the ground.
Hot Napalm: $20,000 per 2 set- Hot Napalm is a much more potent version
of Napalm. It has basically the same effect, but about twice as much
liquid is spread before ignition. Useful for nuking tons of enemies or
burning through shields.
Baby Roller: $5,000 per 10 set- Baby Rollers are a wierd little device.
Upon landing on a slope, they will continue to roll downhill until they
hit something that prevents them from going further, be it a tank, an
upward slope, whatever. It impacts with about the force of a Baby
Missile. If one strikes a shield, it will simply roll off.
Roller: $6,000 per 5 set- Rollers are the next step up from a Baby
Roller. These impact with about the force of a Missile.
Heavy Roller: $6,750 per 2 set- Heavy Rollers are the most powerful of
the Roller family. They impact with about the force of a Baby Nuke.
Plasma Blast: $9,000 per 5 set- The Plasma Blast is an unusual weapon.
Rather than firing a projectile, this weapon uses Battery power and
radiates a sphere of nuclear energy from your tank, damaging any nearby
tanks. The size of the sphere depends on the amount of Batteries used to
start the Blast. The amount of damage depends on how close your opponent
is to the center of the blast, and the size of the blast. Useful for
destroying enemy shields.
Laser: $5000 per 5 set- The Laser is another unusual but useful weapon.
When fired, the Laser will blaze through anything within its range, be
it a mountain, hill, or tank, for a short distance. This makes it a
useful tool for shooting at opponents through steep hills and cutting
through shields. Note that the shot will fire at an angle a few degres
below where the turret is aimed. Requires batteries to use effectively.
Riot Charge: $2,000 per 10 set- The Riot Charge will blast away any dirt
within a small distance of your tank's turret. Useful for getting dirt
off of your tank, tunneling into hills, etc. It has no effect on tanks.
Riot Blast: $5,000 per 5 set- The Riot Blast is a more powerful version
of the Riot Charge. It blasts away a larger amount of dirt, and has no
effect on tanks.
Riot Bomb: $5,000 per 5 set- The Riot Bomb is basically a projectile
version of the Riot Charge. Upon impact, it blasts away a small portion
of dirt.
Heavy Riot Bomb: $4,750 per 2 set- The Heavy Riot Bomb is a step up from
the Riot Bomb, blasting away a larger portion of dirt.
Baby Digger: $3,000 per 10 set- Baby Diggers aren't actually weapons,
but they can be helpful nonetheless. These will tunnel through a small
area of dirt, making removal of small bumps and hills easier. They have
no effect on tanks.
Digger: $2,500 per 5 set- Diggers are basically just a slightly more
powerful version of Baby Diggers, potentially digging through large
hills and the like.
Heavy Digger: $6,750 per 2 set- The most powerful of the Digger family-
these can eat up entire mountains and tear up the landscape.
Baby Sandhog: $10,000 per 10 set- Baby Sandhogs are similar to Diggers
in the fact that they burrow through the ground, but they also have the
ability to bypass enemies' shields and hit the tank directly. They do
have a short range, though, so you must fire the shell fairly close to
the enemy for the Sandhog to hit them.
Sandhog: $16,750 per 5 set- Sandhogs are basically an upgraded version
of the Baby Sandhog, this time with multiple shells that burrow through
the ground to attack enemies. Their range is improved over the Baby
Sandhog as well, so be sure to fire it a safe distance from your tank so
you don't end up being destroyed by your own Sandhog.
Heavy Sandhog: $25,000 per 2 set- Heavy Sandhogs are the ultimate
shield-killers. These drill over long distances with large numbers of
warheads. These can potentially destroy seven or eight tanks at a time,
and should be used with caution.
Dirt Clod: $5,000 per 10 set- Dirt Clods are a small bomb shell that
will erupt a small amount of dirt upon impact. It can be used to bury
opponents or create a makeshift shield against your opponents' attacks.
Dirt Ball: $5,000 per 5 set- A larger variation of the Dirt Clod.
Ton of Dirt: $6,750 per 2 set- The largest of the three "Dirt" warheads.
Liquid Dirt: $5,000 per 10 set- Liquid Dirt oozes out over the terrain,
filling in gaps and smoothing terrain. Useful to clear the path for
Rollers.
Dirt Charge: $5,000 per 5 set- Dirt Charges will throw a cone-shaped
blast of dirt into the air upon impact, which will rain down on tanks
and thus slow down their firepower for a few turns. If Suspend Dirt is
on, it will also make a very difficult obstacle for missiles to get
through.
Earth Disruptor: $5,000 per 10 set- Earth Disrupters are only useful
when the Suspend Dirt option is on. When they impact, they will knock
any dirt within their range to the ground.
Items
Heat Guidance: $10,000 per 6 set- Heat Guidance will speed your bomb in
a straight line towards any tank that you fire it fairly close to. If
you fire a bomb too far out of a tank's range, Heat Guidance is useless.
Ballistic Guidance: $10,000 per 2 set- Ballistic Guidance will attempt
to determine how much power will be needed to hit the target of your
choosing. However, if you have insufficient power to hit the tank or
your turret's angle makes the shot impossible, the guidance system will
fire at whatever setting it feels like. It cannot correct for air
viscosity.
Horizontal Guidance: $15,000 per 5 set- Horizontal Guidance will cause
your shot to go horizontally in a straight line once it lines up
vertically with your opponent. Useful for hitting opponents upon high
cliffs.
Vertical Guidance: $20,000 per 5 set- Vertical Guidance will cause your
shot to go vertically in a straight line once it lines up horizontally
with your opponent. Basically, you could use enough power to fire a shot
right over their head, but this will cause the bomb to drop right onto
them instead. Very handy.
Lazy Boy: $20,000 per 2 set- The ultimate guidance system. This will
cause your shot to run straight across the ground and into the target of
your choosing, thus destroying or at least damaging it. If it hits
another tank, however, it will explode prematurely.
Mag Deflector: $10,000 per 2 set- The Mag Deflector is basically a crude
shielding system. Any shot fired too near to it will be deflected upward
at an angle. However, if a shot comes down on it fast enough, it may not
be able to stop it. It can only take one or two hits before being
destroyed.
Shield: $20,000 per 3 set- The Shield will surround your tank with a
small shield that will protect it from bombs, bullets, and other
implements of destruction. Any bomb that hits the shield directly will
not explode, although it will damage the shield somewhat. The best way
to take out Shields is to detonate a bomb or Napalm near, though not
upon, them. Lasers and Plasma Blasts also work well.
Force Shield: $25,000 per 3 set- The Force Shield is a step up from the
normal Shield. Any bomb that hits the shield will actually reflect off
and do damage elsewhere, and the Force Shield itself is capable of
sustaining more damage than a normal Shield.
Heavy Shield: $30,000 per 2 set- The Heavy Shields are a step up from
Shields. They can sustain very large amounts of punishment before
burning out.
Super Mag: $40,000 per 2 set- The ultimate in shielding technology.
These are stronger than Heavy Shields, immune to lasers, and, like the
Mag Deflectors, they will deflect any shots that get too close to them.
The downside? They're expensive, and Sandhogs can still get around 'em!
Auto Defense: [Price varies] per 1 set- The price of this item depends
on how many rounds are left in the game. It allows you to activate any
defensive means on your tank before the round begins (shields,
parachutes, etc.). A very useful thing to have, but it's very expensive
early on.
Contact Trigger: $1,000 per 25 set- Contact Triggers will cause your
bombs to avoid "tunneling" when they hit dirt, and will instead simply
explode on impact. This is helpful when using Napalm, or trying to wear
down an opponent's shield with bombs.
Fuel Tank: $10,000 per 10 set- Fuel Tanks, as their name implies, allow
your tank to move. One unit of fuel will move your tank one pixel on the
screen (less if going uphill, more if downhill). Useful for throwing off
your opponents' aim.
Parachute: $10,000 per 8 set- Parachutes are life-savers in rounds where
opponents are using large bombs or ground-destroying devices. These will
open up if you're going to fall more than a set amount (defaults at 5
pixels), and will cause your tank to fall with no damage (unless you
land on another tank). Be sure to keep them Deployed at all times if
you're in a high area, such as the top of a cliff or mountain.
Battery: $5,000 pet 10 set- Last, but not least, there are Batteries.
These will repair damage to your tank. One battery will repair 100
damage. These are also used to power Lasers and Plasma Blasts. These are
a lifesaver, especially in Standard scoring mode.
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Section 3: Player Setup
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Tank Types
At the beginning of the game, each player selects their own type of
tank. Each character's tank has their own respective color scheme.
Player 1's tank is red, Player 2's is green, etc.
-Stationary tanks- These tanks, as their name implies, have no treads,
and thus cannot move around the battlefield by the use of Fuel Tanks.
These are fairly wide targets, too, so they should mainly be used for a
player who's looking for a challenge or who has another type of
advantage over other players. You can also elect to leave the other two
types of tanks out of the game with human and computer alike and just
duel with these.
-Treaded tanks- These tanks come in many shapes and sizes, from very
small to larger than the Stationary tanks, and can move around through
the use of fuel tanks. Best suited for the average Scorch player. One
can make the game slightly more difficult by choosing a larger tank, or
easier by choosing a smaller one.
-The Triple-Turreted Tank- This tank is off-limits to human players in
the Shareware version, but can still be assigned to computer players.
The TTT will fire three baby missiles or missiles at a time, which fan
out somewhat before detonation. A high-level TTT can be a serious havoc
to other players in the game. The downside to this tank? It's a larger
target than most of your other options.
AI Opponents
Hey, if you can't get 7 friends to play with, there's always the
computer. The computer has eight different levels of difficulty, ranging
from insanely easy to dead-on accurate shots almost every turn.
Moron- The dumbest AI opponent of them all. The Moron just picks a
random angle, sets the power to a random number, and fires away. These
guys will usually do more damage to themselves than any enemy tank-
especially when they set the power to a very low value or fire straight
into the air. This signifies a player with exceptionally poor eyesight.
Shooter- A bit smarter than a Moron, but not by much. They can fire upon
(and sometimes hit) their targets if they have a clear shot, but they
have trouble compensating for hills and slopes. This represents your
average beginning player.
Poolsharks- These guys are a bit smarter than Shooters, but not by much.
If you're playing in an area with walls that rebound shots, they will
attempt to bounce their shots off the walls at an angle to hit their
opponents. If not, they'll act just like a Shooter.
Tosser- Now THESE guys are annoying. They'll fire a shot in the general
vicinity of their opponent, turn up the power slightly the next turn,
fire another shot, turn up the power, etc. Until they hit their target.
Sometimes, though, they just prefer to fire without turning up the
power, thus wasting everyone's time when their turn comes up. Terminate
these guys before their shots inch close enough to hit you or they
become too big of an annoyance.
Chooser- Choosers basically pick one of the above four methods, and
decide which will be the most effective for the given situation.
Needless to say, they rarely select Moron, although they do seem very
fond of mimicing Tossers (ARGH!!!).
Spoiler- One of the most dangerous tanks in the game. These guys
carefully calculate where their shots will land by taking the wind
factor, gravity, etc. into account. Once they acquire a target, they
will relentlessly fire away until the target is no more. Fortunately,
though, they aren't able to compensate for high air viscosity or wind
factor.
Cyborg- The deadliest opponent of them all. They act like Spoilers, but
they choose their targets based upon who has attacked them in the past,
weakened units, or the winner of the previous match. Think Perfect
Dark's Vengesim, Preysim, and Judgesim, all rolled into one deadly
package.
Unknown- This opponent is an enigma. One of the above types of AI
opponents will be selected at random, but it will not inform you what
its selection was. You can find out only through monitoring their
behavior in a match.
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Section 4: On the battlefield
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-Scorched Tactics
First of all, the way to increase your chances of winning around is to
prepare before the battle even begins. Stocking up on defensive and
supportive items should be your top priority- buy shields and
guidance(if you can afford them), fuel tanks, contact triggers,
parachutes, and the all-important Auto-Defense system before spending
your money on weaponry.
Once that's done, go ahead and buy a few weapons. If you started the
game with money to buy some shields, chances are your computer opponents
have done the same, so buy some Sandhogs to remedy this problem. Some
other recommended buys are Napalm (for those pesky Mag Deflectors and
shielded enemies that Sandhogs can't reach) and Baby Nukes (for tearing
down mountains and frying your foes).
If you don't have any guidance systems, you're going to have to rely on
adjusting your power level and angle with each shot. I've found that the
Tosser's strategy of firing one shot, then inching slightly closer with
each shot once you're in the general vicinity of an opponent is an
effective one in this case, although you should still use discretion.
For example an opponent's about to fry you and you're not going to hit
them on the next turn with this strategy, you'll want to adjust
accordingly).
Don't forget about the level's scenery, though. Even the smallest pile
of dirt can have a significant outcome on your turn. Your bomb can
travel through small amounts of dirt if the Tunneling option is on,
although this will reduce the angle of the shot significantly. If your
shot hits a large hill, on the other hand, you may just have wasted a
turn. On the other hand, if you knock the dirt out from below your
opponent, they may take damage if they are not protected by a parachute,
or they may fall down the hill and become an easier target to hit.
If the walls are set to wrap around the screen or rebound shots in any
way, take this into account on your turn as well. If an opponent near
the top of the screen would normally get hit by your next shot, but the
wall gets in the way, don't try to hit them. Instead, adjust the angle
away from your opponent and turn up the power, so that you can hit them
with a rebound shot. The same goes for wrap-around- if you fire a bullet
off the side of the screen at an angle that will cause it to hit your
own tank or a close by enemy (and risk damaging you), then you'd
probably be better off trying a safer shot.
To get the hang of the fine art of firing shots, just start up a 10-
round game against a single Moron opponent and practice firing a few
shots around. Once you've gotten the hang of it, try your skill against
more advanced opponents, such as Poolsharks, Choosers, and Spoilers.
Before you know it, you'll be scorching with the best of them.
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Section 5: Other Stuff
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Glitches
If you use "Mass Kill" or "Start New Game" in the middle of a match a
few times, the game may have trouble determining when player's turns
come up. If you fire a shot into the air, for example, your opponent may
fire a shot of his own before yours even touches down. In some cases, no
shots will be fired at all. As soon as someone presses the Space bar,
the next person's turn will begin. The only way that I've found to fix
this problem is to quit and restart the program.
Tricks and Observations
When a tank is destroyed, it will perform one of several animations.
Some of these animations include bombs exploding, which can actually
damage and/or destroy an opponent caught in the blast as if it were a
normal bomb. In other words, it's probably not a good idea to shoot an
opponent that's two pixels away from you. Get away from them by the
means of a fuel tank or otherwise before firing.
Here's a list of the animations.
"Pop"- The tank simply explodes into a few pixels, which spread out
across the screen.
"Go towards the light!"- The tank "beams up" into the sky in a tunnel of
blue light. This one may "burrow" into the ground a bit.
"Burn up"- The tank simply ignites and burns away as if it were hit by
napalm. This may damage a tank that has landed on top of or very near to
it.
"Fireworks"- The tank flashes for a couple of seconds, then bursts into
a fireworks-esque explosion. This can damage nearby opponents.
Funky Bomb- The opponent explodes into a blast that behaves just like a
Funky Bomb. The core of the blast is centered on the tank.
Baby Nuke- The tank explodes into a blast that behaves just like a Baby
Nuke. The core of the blast is centered on the tank.
Double Nuke- Probably the deadliest animation of all. A blast the size
of a Baby Nuke will radiate from the tank, then stop, and follow up with
a blast the size of a Nuke. This one is infamouse for its "chain
reaction" capabilities, potentially blowing up one tank, then causing
that tank to explode in similar fashion, thus hitting another tank, etc.
I've seen seven tanks wiped out within the course of a single chain
reaction.
Special Thanks
Jason Knebel, for introducing me to this game.
CJayC, for being cool enough to add this game to the GameFAQs Database.
Everyone who reads this FAQ.
The Scorched Earth manual, for a lot of the weapon prices, telling me
about the ability to sell weapons, and the hidden game option only
available through altering the CFG file.
Wendell Hicken, for making such a fun game.
Coming Attractions
-I plan to add the Arms Levels to each of the weapon descriptions in a
later version.
That's about it, actually. If you have any suggestions, feel free to e-
mail me.
Contact Info
If you want to contact me, e-mail either brunerp@juno.com or
edmoogle@hotmail.com . Put the words "Scorched Earth FAQ" in the subject
somewhere so that it gets through my e-mail filters.
