Guide - Guide for Pop'N Tanks

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                             G  U  I  D  E    Ver. 0.1

                           By Edsa M A 
           

============================DESCLIMER==================================

This document is copyright by Edsa Midiotomo 2001 All right reserved.
The content of this guide is for private and personal use only. You may 
distribute this guide freely as long as it's distributed as it is. You
may not use this guide for any commercial use.
If you would like to post this guide on your page, do email me!
Give credit where it is due.
You could always find the newest version of this guide at CheatCC and
Gamefaqs.

POP'N TANKS! and all related characters are trademark of ENIX.
=======================================================================



|Updates|:
---------
Ver. 0.1    14/07/01     First posting of this guide.

- Finished story mode player & tanks section
- Need help for storyline and weapon names
- Sorry, no Tank World yet!





|Table of contents|
-------------------

    - Introduction
    - General gameplay
    - Controls
    - Game modes
    - Story mode characters and tanks
    _ End note
    _ Credits



|Introduction|
--------------

   Welcome to my POP'N TANKS! guide. I've started this guide mainly 
because this game doesn't have one...in over 2 years (I know some games 
in gamefaq's bounty is older). It's a sad thing though, because this 
game has so much to offer. I'll try my best to give you that. 
ENJOY!!!


What is a "POP'N TANKS!" (PNT!)?
 PNT! is a game released in 1999 by Enix.  This is a tank battle game,
 a fun, addictive, and cute tank battle game.

CUTE?!?
 Yep, this is not you're usual tank battle with dark and sinister 
 weapons that can shred the very existence of every living thing on 
 earth and gothic-mean-looking-nightmare-producing-tank designs.  
 This game is the very opposite of the above.  The tank design is SD 
 (super deformed, think: Choro-Q) with cute colourful textures and cool
 hand drawn anime characters as the pilots. Hey, one of the tanks is a
 caramel pudding with a strawberry on top complete with breadsticks!

How about the battle system?
 The battle system consists of 2 rounds. Your objective is to empty the 
 energy bar of your enemy.  In the case of a time out, the tank that 
 has the most energy wins.

Can you customise your tanks?
 YES...YES..YES!!! You could do just that by playing Tank World. More
 on this later.

Can you play your customised tanks besides in Tank World?
 Yes, but only on CUSTOM BATTLE mode, more on this later.

Enough with the small talks and lets get the guide going, shall we?



|General gameplay|
------------------

  As stated above, this is a tank battle game. The person who win
2 rounds win the match. In order to win a match you must empty your
enemy's energy bar. How? shoot them of course! 

[PICK YOUR TANK]
  Before you go to battle you got to select your tank. Each tank has
  4 statuses and they're different from tank to tank. You can see the 
  tank's status in the story mode's tank selection and Tank World's 
  garage. The stats are:

  :This determine the damage caused by the cannon shots.
           The longer the bar, the better to kick some butt. 
  : This is for the damage of the special weapon.
           The longer the bar, the more damage your specials will be.
  : The speed of your tank. Longer means speedier & faster.
  : Determine the quality of the tank's armor. Longer bar means
           better defence


[THE ARSENALS]

  Your arsenals consist of cannon shells and machine guns. Like real 
tanks, the shells need to reload. If you ran out of shells the circle
beside the energy bar will be red (empty), you must wait for it to 
turn white before you could shoot cannon shells again.
You can check your shells below your energy bar. When you need to reload, 
use your machine gun!
  Many of the cannon shells have additional attribute when it hits,
such as Panzer-Sinamon's ice blast. It freezes the enemy for a brief
time. Other attributes are fire, electricity, missile, etc.


[TANK ABILITY]

  T.A is different from tank to tank. It usefulness also differ from
tank to tank. Few of these abilities are useful, like Type-38's Spin
Dash, others are plain useless or too hard to use, like Petit's Stomp.
All T.A cause knock down if it hits.


[SPECIAL WEAPON]

  This is the equivalent of bombs is shooter games. You can do a LOT of
damage to the enemy and it also differ from tank to tank (unique move).
There is a catch, you need to charge up before unleashing this baby.
If you're hit while charging, it'll cancel the move. You get a stock
of 2 specials every round so use it wisely, but don't get stingy either.


[KNOCK DOWN]

  In battle you can be "knocked out". This happens when you get hit
many times in a row (think: combo...dizzy animation). Your tank will
be blast to the air and slams to the ground. After a brief pause
you'll get control of your tank. At this time your tank is invincible
(the tank is blinking) YAY...but, you can't use your specials or tank
ability (oh pooh!). You can only shoot cannons and machine guns until 
it wears off.


[BATTLE ARENA]

  In PNT! you'll get to battle in all sort of arena with different
terrain ranging from lush forest, down town area, to spooky caves.
The arena can be your friend or your foe. Friend because you could hide
from enemy attacks behind the many objects there. Foe because it can
hurt you, such as the lava at the Tarin mining area. You'll need to add
some strategy in your battles by using the arena. For example, the walls
at Gaidenberg castle are indestructible so you can hide there to cover
yourself from enemy attack. Here's another one, shove your enemy to lava,
lakes, ponds, etc. to slow 'em down, then 

  In each arena they'll be hidden item boxes. The boxes are hidden inside
the obstacles scatered in the arena. These boxes can really help you in 
the heat of battle. There are 2 kinds of boxes, health item and bomb item. 
They add health and bomb stock respectively. 



|Controls|
----------
  Piloting your tank is a snap, but you'll need to practice to handle 
it as a pro. Learn to strafe with your tank. Its very usefull!
Here's the control (BTW, you can't change the configuration):
 
D-pad UP   : Move the tank forward
D-pad Down : Move the tank backward
D-pad Left : Turn the tank left
D-pad Right: Turn the tank right
Triangle   : Machine gun
Circle     : Tank ability
Square     : Shoot cannon shells
X          : Special weapon 
L1 [hold]  : points cannon to left  
R1 [hold]  : points cannon to right
L2/R2      : turn to face enemy

Here are some additional commands:
Dash   : Tap UP UP
Crouch : hold L2+R2  ; Really don't know what this is use for.
                       If you know about this, mail me!
Is there anymore???
Maybe ;)


|Game Modes|
------------
  When you start the game, you'll be treated with a FMV that briefly 
introduced the cast of the game. After that, came the main menu
The main menus are:

 TANK WORLD
 STORY MODE
 QUICK BATTLE
 CUSTOM BATTLE
 OPTION

Here's a brief explenation of each mode:

[TANK WORLD]
 This is where PNT! really shines. In this mode you get to create your 
 own tank (based on the default tanks) to customise and compete in the
 tank world's tank competition. You're objective is clear, to be #1.
 More on this mode later. 

[STORY MODE]
 Pick from 8 character to battle it out in his/her story. Be sure to 
 watch those FMV, some of them are hilarious.

[QUICK BATTLE]
 1 or 2 players pick a tank and battle it out on your chosen arena.
 The tanks you could choose are the ones in the story mode.

[CUSTOM BATTLE]
 2 players only. You get to battle with your customised tank from TANK
 WORLD. Just load your tank from the memory card and blast away!

[OPTION]
 Inside you'll find:
  VIBRATION    [ON]      [OFF]
  SOUND        [Mono]    [Stereo]
  Battle timer [2 Min.]  [3 Min.]  [Unlimited]



===================================
STORY MODE, IT'S CHARACTERS & TANKS
===================================
  In story mode you get to pick one of the 8 characters with their
respective tank. The opponent varies from person to person, but always
consist of 6 battles with the 6th being a boss battle. Until now, I
don't know if the Boss, Tarin and his Tarinsenkan, is playable.
I'll try my best to describe the character's tank and it's many attacks
in this section. Here's the layout:

 Name    : --the character's name--
 Tank    : --the tank's name--
 Cannon  : --type of cannon on the tank--
 T.A     : --Tank Ability. Activated by pressing circle (O)--
 Special : --Tank's special weapon. Activated by pressing X--

The names of the tank abilities and specials are my own so they're 
not accurate.

======================/
 Name    : Puel
 Tank    : PT "Petit" Mk I
 Cannon  : Red fireball 
 T.A     : [Stomp]
             The Petit Mk I launches to the air and stomp the enemy.
 Special : [Mega cannon]
             The Petit Mk I shoot out a charged fireball at the enemy 
             This special is semi-homing.  
  
  The Petit Mk I is one of the balanced tanks in the game, but it's 
T.A not very effective. If you miss, your tank will spin around and
leave you wide open for any attack. It's special has medium speed and
range. This is an all-around tank, good for beginners to try out.

======================/
 Name    : Bit-Man
 Tank    : Petit Mk II
 Cannon  : Missile
 T.A     : [Stomp]
             The Petit Mk II launches to the air and stomps the enemy.
 Special : [Rocket Pack]
             The Petit Mk II launches 8 homing missiles on the enemy
             that blows up on impact. 

  The Petit Mk II has better defence than Mk I, but it's also slower.
The missiles blow up when they hit the ground. So if your missiles 
doesn't hit the enemy, the blast might.
  Like the Mk I, Mk II's stomp is still hard to use. Mk II's special is
something else though. It's fast, it's damaging, and the blasts can
can do multiple damage on the enemy. This is one nasty special.I LOVE it!
  

======================/
 Name    : Puela
 Tank    : Forglan
 Cannon  : Grenade bomb
 T.A     : [Top spin]
             Forglan spins forward and knock the enemy down.
 Special : "Have a nice day!"
             The Forglan drops a HUGE bowling bomb that explode on 
             impact while Puela wishes you a good day.
             (Awww...isn't she nice ^_^)

  Forglan is faster than the Petites. The cannon shots are great for
long range shooting and it lobs like a real grenade. Its T.A is best
used when cornered because, like the Petit's stomp, when it finishes
the attack it turns the tank away from the enemy making easier escape.
Forglan's special is cool to see but it's too slow to be use effectively.

======================/
 Name    : Vokkle
 Tank    : Malgopork
 Cannon  : Blue fireball
 T.A     : [Boar charge]
             The Malgopork rushes to the enemy sending them flying.
 Special : [Bomb circle]
             The Malgopork throws 8 skull-faced bombs encircling the
             enemy. It'll explode after a brief period of time or if 
             the enemy touches it.
 
  The Malgopork has the fastest speed plus very manuverable, but it's 
other stats are low. Its cannon shots are identical to the Petit Mk I, 
but with blue fireballs instead of red. Its T.A is very useful in a 
pinch, like ramming your enemy while they charge for a special. Its 
range is short though.
  Malgoporks's specials is a mixed package, it can be very useful or
just plain suck! There are gaps between the bombs, so the small tanks
can slip through it unharmed. But when it hits, 8 bombs will detonate
sequentially and MIGHT give you multiple hit on your enemy. 

======================/
 Name    : Domina & Hekkle
 Tank    : Panzer-Sinamaon
 Cannon  : Ice blast
 T.A     : [Spinning blade]
             The PZ rushes to the enemy with blades spinning around it.
 Special : [Banana revenge]
             The Panzer-Sinamon leaps to the air and throws 3 banana
             sickle blade bombs(?)

  Don't be fooled by it's cute appearance, this tank can packs a mean
punch. For starter, this tank is fast, the Ice blast is effective for 
slowing down the enemy and when it doesn't hit, it makes nice crystals. 
The spinning blade is good 'cause it's fast and it does send your enemy 
flying. The special is another mixed package it can be very deadly or 
plain lousy, depends on the terrain. If the arena is flat and wide, 
this special shines, but If it is small and full of obstacles (Castle 
Gaidenburg), the enemy can safely hide behind the obstacles.
The armor on this tank is low (what did you expect from a pudding?).


======================/
 Name    : Ferina
 Tank    : Dorilger
 Cannon  : Electric chain
 T.A     : [Drill charge]
             With drill spinning, the Dorilger rushes to the enemy.
 Special : [Proton cannon]
             A giant glowing ball that detonate on impact making a 
             HUGE explosion. 

  The highest point from the Dorilger is it's very high power. Its
special is THE most powerful in the game. How powerful you say? well,
it can wipe out 1/3 of Type 38's energy bar in one shot, and Type 38
has the highest armor stat. The Dorilger's T.A is good for ramming your
enemy, knocking them down for a quick escape.
 

======================/
 Name    : Gunt
 Tank    : Long Tom
 Cannon  : Twin missile launcher
 T.A     : [Rush charge]
             Similar with Malgopork's and Dorilger's rush. It's fast 
             but it slow in recovering (almost all T.A is slow in re
             covering).
 Special : [Mine-orning star]
             Gunt throws a big ball of spike that act like a morning
             star. The enemy will be flatten it hit.

  This is the Zangief in this game. It's slow but it has the highest 
attack stat compare to others. It's defence is 2nd best, only surpassed
by Type-38. The special falls to the useless bin. It's weak, it's short
and it's silly looking. The best way to beat your enemy senseless is 
with the Oh-so-magnificent Twin missile launcher.
  

======================/
 Name    : Date
 Tank    : Type-38
 Cannon  : Fire grenade
 T.A     : [Flaming spin charge]
             Engulf in flames, Type-38 spins forwards knocking anything
             in it's way.
 Special : [Flamethrower]
             Type-38's cannon become a flamethrower for a period of 
             time, toasting anything in its way (hmm.. Deja vu).

  Type-38 has the highest armor stat, giving it the best defence there 
is. It's cannon shot can hit twice making this tank efficient (and 
powerful too!). Its T.A is, once again, good for escapes and dealing
damage. The Special does multiple damage and if you sway your cannon,
you can make a fire barrier around your tank.

 

======================/
[BOSS BATTLE]
 Name    : Tarin
 Tank    : Tarinsenkan
 Attacks : Yellow fireball
           Missiles
           Homing lasers
           Spinning battle ship

  I know his the boss, I know he isn't playable but his here because he
is in the story mode. Nothing much is known about him or his tank 
besides he is the ruler of Tarin and his tank is actually a huge 
amphibian battle ship with insane armor and crazy arsenals.
The Boss Battle is the last battle in story mode. This battle is unique
because it only consist of 1 round and always with unlimited time.
This means you got to destroy the boss finish story mode and watch the
ending (sorry, no time-up victory allowed).
You'll battle in a very large square area (did I mention the battle 
ship is so HUGE?) with 2 health-ups and 2 bomb-ups on it's corner.
[Strategy]
Well if you've made it this far, you'll have no trouble defeating him.
I'll just help you with some tips, ok?
 - Try to attack if from the front or the rear.
 - Avoid the sides, this is where the attack come from. Just KEEP AWAY!
 - Use all your specials! Use it! You'll have 4 bombs in this battle.
 - Pick up the health-up items!
 - Try to always shooting at it, either with your cannons or guns.
 - Practise using the L1/R1 button to sway your cannon sideways. It'll
   help a lot. Use it for strafing the sides of the boss while shooting
   at it.
 - Avoid its attacks especially its spinning battle ship attack (duh!).

If you defeat Tarin, Congratulation! Now sit back and watch that nude
bastard run and of course, the ending.
I need help in storyline, if you know anything about this, then do 
contact me! 




|End Note|  
----------
I'll be adding the Tank world section soon (I hope) and maybe got you 
some juicy cheats and codes too.
Don't forget, if you see anything missing on this guide (which are a 
whole lot) feel free to email me at . So if you 
have any question, info, suggestions, donation, FFVII for PSX that you 
never play anymore but still playable and want to give them to a guy 
like me, etc. then dont hesitate! contact me!



|Credits and Thanks|
--------------------
Enix for producing this game.

CJayC at Gamefaqs for hosting this guide.

[Put your name here] for [insert your contribution here]..hint,hint ;)

And You for reading this guide!


~Fin

Pop'N Tanks (c) Enix 1999

Pop'N Tanks guide (c) Edsa Midiotomo 2001 
=======================================================================
D O N ' T   S T E A L !