Difficulty Levels.
There are 3 difficulty levels in Nova 9. As you move up to more advanced levels the enemies will become more aggressive and difficult to destroy. On Easy, you have 3 opportunities
to win on each world, on Regular there are 2 opportunities, and on the Hard level, you get only one chance.
Access to Preferences Menu.
You can access the Prefs Menu, Credits, and Score at the bridge console. A limited Prefs Menu can be accessed during sim play; it does not include the ability to set difficulty
levels. Alt-G will take you directly to sim play.
Display graphic and sound options.
Typing INSTALL M at the command line gives all possible Graphic and Sound options.
Skipping intro screens and S.A.R.A.H.
Hitting the spacebar during the intro or S.A.R.A.H.'s initial message skips intro scenes and takes you directly to the bridge. Spacebar in other instances will advance the
text.
Powers - General Description.
Powers are available on each world. Some are generated when an enemy or object is destroyed, others are located within puzzles and are only available when these are solved,
and a few are just there for the taking. The powers are in the form of colorful, floating, geometrical shapes.
Powers - Types.
There are 15 powers in all: Fast Reload Smart Bomb 5-way Shells Rotational Velocity Thruster 3-way Shells Velocity Heavy Shells Invincibility Seek Shield Recharge Decoy Shell
Speed Exploding Shell Electric Shield
Power activation.
Fast Reload, Rotational Velocity, Velocity, Seek, and Shell Speed are automatically activated when picked up. All other powers are activated with the joystick in combination
with the right joystick button or the keyboard keys that correspond with their position in the cockpit power panel: Q W E A D Z X C
Weapon Upgrades.
Weapon upgrades are given when the Raven II returns to the base. If the Raven has suffered a lot of damage, the upgrades may be limited. Weapons include: cannons, mines, lasers
and rockets. The game starts with cannons and mines available. These can be accessed with the +/- keys or the keyboard #'s 1 and 2 respectively. Lasers and rockets are upgrades
and are accessed with the +/- keys or the keyboard #'s 3 and 4.
Switching views.
Different playing views are available using the function keys. Playing views can also be customized and set using the floating camera view (toggled on and off with the F key),
and the numeric key pad or the joystick. Views can be saved using a Ctrl and function key combination and restored with Alt and the corresponding function key.
Teleporters and Warp Links.
There are purple teleporters on 4 of the worlds: Hydros, Searon, Typhieus, and Matricon. These will return you to base for upgrades and repairs. When the guardian of a world
is destroyed, a yellow Warp Link will appear allowing you to advance to the next world.
Guardians.
Each guardian takes several shots to destroy, depending on what type of shells are used to shoot them, difficulty level, and whether or not they get damaged by any other enemies.
(Except for the guardians on Typhieus and Matricon.)
Special features of Kryon.
No base teleporter. 3 puzzles.
List of Kryon puzzles.
(1) Large block inside force field. (2) Small block on hot spot (3) Hot spot inside laser gates
Large block, puzzle solution.
Shoot block through either of the two gaps in the force field and the force field will turn off, allowing you to get the two powers.
Small block, puzzle solution.
Push block off of hot spot and the force field near the hot spot will turn off, allowing you to get the power.
Hot spot, laser gate, puzzle solution.
Park on hot spot, the laser gates will turn on. Pick up the power inside the gates to trigger kamikaze sleds. Then stand on hot spot to make them run into laser gates.
Defeating the Kryon Guardian.
Guardian [Snowplow]: The snowplow is invincible to attacks from the front. The snowplow is vulnerable to attacks to the rear or either side.
Special features of Hydros.
There is a teleporter back to base on this world. No puzzles.
Defeating the Hydros Guardian.
Guardian [Large boat]: To destroy the boat, simply shoot it several times.
Special features of Sauria.
There are no special features on Sauria.
Defeating the Sauria Guardian.
Guardian [Lizard]: To destroy the lizard, shoot it in the mouth when it opens to shoot at you.
Special features of Searon.
There is a teleporter back to base on this world. There are 2 puzzles on Searon.
List of Searon puzzles.
(1) Large block Inside force field. (2) Four transmitting towers.
Large block, puzzle solution.
Large block Inside force field: Use thruster to go over jump and drop mine on the block when you are above it. (Jumping over the block also allows you to get the power that
is in the air.)
Transmitting towers, puzzle solution.
The transmitting towers are arranged in a square and can be destroyed in sequence by starting with the tower nearest to the lump and continuing in a clockwise direction around
the square. When a tower is destroyed, it turns off the force field around the next tower. Destroying the last tower also turns off the force field around the big block, allowing
you to shoot or move the big block. (The towers can also be hit with seeking shells when the force fields are on.)
Accessing the base teleporter.
After getting rid of the large block, the force field around the teleporter will turn off. The teleporter MUST be used before destroying the guardian.
Defeating the Searon Guardian.
Guardian [Large tank]: To destroy the tank, you must take the purple teleporter back to base and Sparky will give you shells that can destroy it. After coming back, just shoot
the tank several times.
Special features of Pestula.
There are no special features on Pestula.
Defeating the Pestula Guardian.
Guardian [Centipede]: Shooting any section of the centipede, besides the front or back section, will cause the centipede to split and generate a new head. Shooting the head
takes more shots than shooting a rear section.
Special features of Typhieus.
There is a teleporter to back base on this world. There are 3 puzzles on Typhieus.
List of Typhieus puzzles.
(1) Teleporter to base and laser gates. (2) Large block and one laser cannon. (3) Large block and two laser cannons.
Teleporter to base and laser gates, puzzle solution.
Push the large block onto the hot spot to start the laser gates cycling. Go through the laser gates and shoot the block through the gap in the force field. Go back through
the laser gates and drive over the hot spot outside of the force field. The puzzle and the force field around the base teleporter will turn off.
Large block, 1 laser cannon, puzzle solution.
Push the small block onto the hot spot to turn the force field into a red, reflecting force field. Park Raven where the cannon will shoot the large block with a ricochet.
After the large block explodes, park Raven where the cannon will shoot itself with a ricochet. The puzzle will turn off, allowing you to get the powers.
Large block, 2 laser cannons, puzzle solution.
Push small block onto the hot spot nearest to the block. There will be an opening in the force field and you can go in and push the large block against the wall near the two
laser cannons. Exit the puzzle and push the small block onto the other hot spot. Go to end of the puzzle and make the cannons shoot the large block. The large block will destroy
the cannons and the puzzle will turn off, allowing you to get the powers.
Defeating the Typhieus Guardian.
Guardian [Electro-man]: To destroy Electro-man, you must shoot the four shorter electric towers that turn on when the guardian appears. The towers have blue lights on their
tops when they are on. The towers are off otherwise and can't be damaged. They are arranged in a square with large electric towers between them.
Special features of Teflar.
No base teleporter. One puzzle on Teflar.
List of Teflar puzzles.
(1) Attractor mine and laser gates.
Attractor mine and laser gates, puzzle solution.
To turn off the force field around the attractor mine, go through the laser gates and over the hot spot.
Defeating the Teflar Guardian.
Guardian (Bouncing ball]: Shooting the ball will cause it to split up. When the balls are red, they will split in two when they are shot. When the balls become yellow, they
will be destroyed when shot.
Special features of Matricon.
There is a teleporter back to base on this world. There are 4 puzzles on Matricon.
List of Matricon puzzles.
(1) First puzzle and base teleporter. (2) Laser gates and floating mine. (3) Laser gates and power module. (4) Eight cannons.
First puzzle and base teleporter solution.
When you first arrive on Matricon, go through the base teleporter. You have to go through the base teleporter before touching the first hot spot after arriving on Matricon.
You won't be able to go through at any other time because there will be a force field around it. Next, go through the orange teleporter. You will cross a hot spot which will
generate a laser cannon. Stand on the hot spot in the middle of the puzzle and the cannon will shoot itself. Go across the hot spot behind where the cannon was. Exit the puzzle
through the orange teleporter and the puzzle and first gate in the spiral will turn off.
Laser gates and floating mine, puzzle solution.
This maze is to the right after finishing the first puzzle. Go into the puzzle through the opening and go to the hot spot that is just around the corner from the opening.
This hot spot will turn on two diagonal walls and turn off the laser gates. Get right next to the wall and face the laser gates. The mine will float right next to you and
go back and forth across the hot spots behind you. After the mine bounces off of the diagonal wall behind you, get off the hot spot and wait by the laser gates. The mine will
turn the laser gates off and on in a pattern. Follow the laser gates when they turn off the way you want to go. Cross the hot spot on the other side of the laser gates and
go through the orange teleporter. Turn left and go across the two hot spots and pick up the power. Use the power and back up to the end hot spot. Stay here and shoot straight
ahead with lasers. The lasers will bounce off of the diagonal wall and destroy the mortar launcher. Turn left and exit through the orange teleporter. The puzzle will turn
off and so will the second gate in the spiral.
Laser gates and power module, puzzle solution.
Go straight through the laser gates and the power module will recharge your shields. Go through the orange teleporter and park on the hot spot. Two cannons and a number of
walls will appear. Go forward to the wall, quickly back up and the cannons will destroy each other. Go shoot the floating mines, then shoot the cannons that appear. Now, go
activate the hot spot nearest the jump, then the hot spot on the other side. Go back to the middle hot spot and park on it. Shoot your lasers at the wall at an angle to hit
the mine behind the teleporter. Exit through the teleporter. Part of the puzzle will remain and the third gate in the spiral will turn off. (if the last mine leaves a power
module, you won't be able to get it.)
Eight cannons, puzzle solution.
Go to the opening just counter-clockwise from the orange teleporter and drive straight through. Let the cannons shoot themselves or use rockets or anything else you want to
try. Activate the hot spot clockwise from the orange teleporter and go through the teleporter. Turn right, go forward to the hot spot, and quickly back up to the hot spot
next to the teleporter. Stay there until the mine bounces off the diagonal walls towards the cannon. Now activate the hot spot that was in front of the cannon and exit through
the orange teleporter. This will turn off the puzzle and the last gate in the spiral.
Defeating the Matricon Guardian.
Guardian [Generator]: To get through the spiral to destroy the generator, the four puzzles should be solved. Simply shoot the generator through the gaps in the force field
to destroy it. Then, exit the spiral and go over the jump to get to the warplink.
Special features of Malevolon.
There are no special features on Malevolon.
Defeating the Malevolon Guardian.
Guardian [Gir Draxon]: When Gir first appears, he has the Sardiax crystal, which pulls you towards him. To destroy the crystal (the red eye), you must hit it with a rocket,
exploding shell, or a smart bomb. When the screen turns red, your unguided shots will turn away from Gir, but they are unaffected when the screen is its normal color. After
destroying the crystal, you have to destroy Draxon's teleporter. To do this, drop a mine behind you as far away as Gir is when he teleports behind you after you shoot at him.
When the mine is the correct distance away, directly behind you, shoot at Gir and he will teleport onto the mine and his teleporter will be destroyed. After destroying his
teleporter, Gir will stay in one place until you face directly at him, then he will shoot at you and chase you. After you have destroyed his teleporter, simply shoot him several
times to defeat him.
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