Volcano Run Stradegy Guide
Final Version by Strawhat


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  NNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNN
 N Final Version      N
N Updates            N
NNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNN
|Final Version
|Sorry to disappoint readers, but this is the final version of my faq. There are
|no updates, and never will be for probably a really long time, until I feel the
|need to go play Neopets again. I hope my faq has helped you play Volcano Run
|better. Please do not send any more Neomails to me. Thanks for reading.
|
|
|Version 1.3
|7/24/03- faqs.ign.com are now allowed to use this guide. The brown clouds
|section has been rewritten as the effects became different when they returned.
|
|Versopm 1.22
|7/16/03- WOOHOO! An update. I decided to update after a long period of nothingness
|in all my FAQS. Well, added a new person in the Top Ten and brown clouds seem
|to be back again! That's all the news, so don't expect any update for a while.
|
|Version 1.21
|5/27/03-New person in high score table
|
|Version 1.2
|5/2/03-Added some more people to the top ten. Sorry if it takes a little while
|to get your neomails, but I've been quite busy and not able to go onto Neopets
|that much. On the brighter side, just 3 more people until we have 10 people in
|the top ten. Probably won't be as much updates anymore though, so this will
|probably be the final version if it weren't for the top ten which I am still
|updating.
|
|Version 1.1
|3/14/03-Added a new (and first) person that has submitted to the Volcano Run
|Gamefaqs Top 10. Also, I got another site to host this guide, my guild :)
|
|Version 1.0
|2/15/03-Big day today. Created The second section, the guide. Finished rules and
|basics. Also found out the name of the "pluses" and changed them all to
|crystals. Added Notes section, #1-7. FAQ is up. Realised that there were two
|introduction sections, so I changed the second one (under I. Introduction)
|into "About This Guide". I added a new section called Practicing to help those
|who need help practicing and some things you must learn how to do.
|
|Version 0.1 (Unreleased)
|1/9/02-A new FAQ is born. Welcome to the Volcano Run guide for Neopets.
|
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                  I. Introduction
                         <<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<

                                    ++  ++  ++  ++  ++  ++  ++
                                  + (1.1) Table of Contents    +
                                    ++  ++  ++  ++  ++  ++  ++
I. Introduction
  (1.1) Table of Contents
  (1.2) Disclaimer
  (1.3) About This Guide
  (1.4) Neonews
II. The Guide
  (2.1) Rules and Basics
  (2.2) Notes
  (2.3) FAQ
  (2.4) Practicing
III. Ending
  (3.1) High Scores
  (3.2) Credits

                                        ++  ++  ++  ++  ++
                                      + (1.2) Disclaimer   +
                                        ++  ++  ++  ++  ++

This may be not be reproduced under any circumstances except for personal,
private use. It may not be placed on any web site or otherwise distributed 
publicly without advance written permission. Use of this guide on any other 
web site or as a part of any public display is strictly prohibited, and a 
violation of copyright.

And the only sites that are allowed to use this guide are:
1. Gamefaqs
2. Guild of Booklovers (http://www.neopets.com/guilds/guild.phtml?oid=cute_chic4eva)
3. www.cheats.de
4. faqs.ign.com

                                        ++  ++  ++  ++  ++  ++
                                      + (1.3) About this Guide +
                                        ++  ++  ++  ++  ++  ++

Welcome to my second guide made, a guide dedicated to the Neopets game of
Volcano Run. Neopets can be accesed at any time by going to www.neopets.com
Now, if you look at the games section and onto the action games, you may
notice a game...on of my favorites to play with a Grand Master title.
And that game is Volcano Run. What is Volcano Run? Find out...

Why did I make this guide?
I made this guide because I love Volcano Run. It is one of my favorite games
to play on Neopets to earn Neopoints (the circulation of money in the world
of Neopia, in case you didn't know) and just to play all together! I am quite
proud of my score. I also like this game because it's not just a game of luck,
it's skill. Luck plays just a mere part in this game. Recently, I've seen
that most of my friends who were playing Neopets were struggling with Volcano
Run. I always thought it was easy, but I guess I was just a natural. Some of
my friend's best scores in Volcano Run were around the 1500's range. That's
when I started to help him learn and get a higher score. At that moment I
realized that Volcano Run is a difficult game to master, therefore wrote a
guide to help, and the result is what you see here.

                                          ++  ++  ++  ++
                                        + (1.4) Neonews +
                                          ++  ++  ++  ++

This section is devoted to the news that Neopets has made that's important to
your game.

Brrr...nothing yet on Neopets about this game...I hope they haven't forgotten?
:( 
All game scores are reset...DRAT! Now I have to redo my high score all over
again....waaaaaaaahhh.....

>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
                  II. The Guide
                         <<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<

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                                 + (2.1) Rules and Basics +
                                   ++  ++  ++  ++  ++  ++

This section discusses the rules of this particular game. Have a problem with
the rules? Don't know what to do? This section deals with all of that, but
only the basic basic stuff.

The Controls:
The rules are quite simple. It's reeeealy easy, but here they are for those
who need to refreshen a bit.

Left-click: Rise
Space Bar: Brake
Nothing: Drop

--------------------

Goal:
The goal of the game is also simple. It's to try to get as far as you can
through the tunnel. Sounds easy doesn't it? But sadly, it's the exact
opposite.

--------------------

Obstacles:
While you are flying, there are some items that will either enhance your game
points or make you lose. Be very ware of these items.

Note: For some reason, brown clouds were taken out of Neopets. I haven't
encountered any for a while, leading me to this conclusion.

Negatives

Fireballs: Makes you lose a life. Fireballs will increase in numbers as you
 get a higher score. The maximum there'll ever be however is 4. They are very
 skinny and easy to dodge so they shouldn't be a problem for you at all. Just
 duck or raise. But remember, they only appear where there are blue crystals.

Moving Rocks: As you play, there will be oval like rocks that move up and down
 the screen. Although they always stay the same speed, they become much more
 hazardous in my opinion. To avoid them, watch the direction that they are going
 in. If they move up, duck under, and vise-versa.

Walls: These are....walls....as you fly, there will always be walls. Don't crash
 into them, or you'll die.

Brown Clouds(BACK!): These Brown Clouds have been taken out for a while in Neopets,
 but are now back. They have a slightly different effect than before however.
 These Brown Clouds bounce up and down on the walls. When you hit one, you will
 have a yellowish glow that will make it harder to move up and down. The effect
 will wear off after a while. These clouds are spell death after 2000 points or
 so and bubble shields do not protect you from them, so beware!

Positives

Blue crystals: These appear where there is a large open area. They always come in
 groups of threes and are near fireballs. If you get three of them, they will
 enhance your points by about 100, 30 for each one. They are important, but don't
 kill yourself over getting one.

Blue bubbles: These give you an extra chance when you hit a life-threatening
 obstacle. These are IMO the most important things in the entire game, if you don't
 get them, chances are you will have a lower score. They are quite common, so make
 sure you get one! They dissapear after you reach 2000 points, so make the most out
 of them!

                              ++  ++  ++  ++
                            + (2.2) Notes    +
                              ++  ++  ++  ++

This section just tells you some notes and things you should remember while
playing the game. These are often very important and a must-read for beginners
as I will uncover some vital information that'll probably improve your playing.

1. Groups
Remember, some obstacles come in groups. These groups will often tell you what
may be coming up. Remember: Fireballs always come in a section where there is a
group of pluses. They are...maybe guarding them?

2. Fireballs
As said above, fireballs will always and only appear where there are crystals.
They will often appear before the wall opens up to the area and go through them.
Their number will increase as you get higher scores. Here's some I recorded:

500 points-1 fireball
700 points-2 fireballs
1000 points-3 fireballs
1600 points-4 fireballs

I think this is the max...Note: These are approximates are could be wrong. If you
wish to correct me, E-mail me or instant message me.

3. Predicting
When you are flying through the tunnel, after you see a certain obstacle, such
as a rock, predict where it is going when you reach there. When you see it and
it is going up, then go up as when you get there it would probably have hit the
cieling already and start coming down, or vice versa. Always try to predict when
the obstacles will hit you or where they are going.

4. Gliding
So, you see three crystals. You zoom through only to see that by the time you get
there, a rock probably would have went down enough to hit you, even with your
brakes. What do you do? Well, I like to do what I call gliding. First, if the
rock is going down, then I fly up higher than the rock when I get to the crystals,
then I stop flying up and float down to get the crystals as the rock is going down
as well. Chances are though, with this you probably won't get hit but will only get
1 or 2 of the crystals. But then again, better than losing.

5. Bubble shields
Bubble shield will only appear in an area where there is a flat wall on the right
side. Watch out for the wall and get the shield, usually there is not rock. If
there is, just glide and you'll probably get it.

6. More about bubble shields
Sometimes, when you touch a rock slightly with a bubble shield, you won't lose
it. Usually without it, you'll just burn to a crisp.

7. Even more about bubble shields
Bubble shields only come once every 4 "sections" (the places where there are blue
crystals and bubble shields).

                                ++  ++  ++
                              + (2.3) FAQ  +
                                ++  ++  ++

OK, before contacting me please read these questions first. If you ask a
question that was already answered here, chances are that I'm not going to
reply.

Q: How many neopoints do you get for this game?
A: Your score divided by 4.


Q: I can't win! Are there any cheats in this game to help me do better?
A: Cheating is bad for you. Other than what I posted, there isn't much else
that you can do.


Q: Gee, how did you get such a high score??
A: Practice, practice, practice.


Q: So you've been practicing all day and night?? You've got no life!
A: So you'll never be as good as I am.


Q: Would this game be better on a faster computer or a slower computer?
A: Slower, definately. I have a fast computer and I beat my high score on
a slow one on my friend's account on my first try.


Q: On some sites, I heard that you should press the brake when it is going
fast. Is this a good strategy?
A: No, because if you need the brake you won't have it.


Q: Do you have an account on Neopets?
A: I have, as I mentioned throughout the FAQ and an account on Neopets is
the only way that I can play Volcano Run, so obviously I have one, Shades167.

                                ++  ++  ++  ++  ++
                              + (2.4) Practicing   +
                                ++  ++  ++  ++  ++

This section is devoted to helping those who need help practicing to get better.
It's a bit like the notes section, but much less complex and it's to help those
who are absolute beginners.

First, there are some things that are IDEAL for practicing and if you don't
follow them, practicing is pointless.

The first rule to practicing is to NEVER GIVE UP. If you give up you will never
become good at anything, including this game. Although it is complicated, if
you continue to practice you will get better guaranteed.

The second rule is to RAISE THE BAR FOR YOURSELF. No, not pick yourself up
and go to the bar (corny joke), in other words, keep playing until you reach
a specific point level, then send your score. Don't send in a score that will
get you two neopoints when you know you can do better. Keep raising the bar.

Now, for some tips and things that you need to know how to do:
1. Don't take your eyes off the screen. I don't see why someone would when
playing an action game, but there are people. Don't scratch yourself or
anything until you get to a pause point where action is paused.

2. Learn to hover. Hovering is important to your game, because you will be
able to go over fireballs without being too shaky and accidently crash into one.
You'll be able to squeeze through some tiny barriers. Trust me, learn to do
this.

>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
                  III. Ending
                         <<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<

Well, all FAQs must come to a close. I thank you all for reading this, but
please credit the people in the credits section too! And remember, if you want
to use any part of my guide E-mail me and let me know.

                              ++  ++  ++  ++  ++
                            + (3.1) High Score   +
                              ++  ++  ++  ++  ++

Want a trophy in Volcano Run but can't get it? Well, perhaps you can get your
name mentioned here, Top Ten only...there's still plenty of room! If you want
to get you name up here, do NOT ABSOLUTELY NOT NOT NOT E-MAIL ME. I want proof,
so therefore neomail me at Shades167. There, I will look at your score. Don't
make any excuses, I will only put your score here if you got it before the scores
were erased.

Top Ten Rankings
1. darkweapon377 - 4154
2. sirlordbk - 3902
3. mizzundastuud - 3451
4. icyfirzencannon - 3296
5. Chiwowozdragon845
6. wrestling4ever - 2193
7. Shades167 - 2025
8. Gargool - 1941

                                ++  ++  ++  ++
                              + (3.2) Credits  +
                                ++  ++  ++  ++

Credits...please...you know the drill...

I would like to thank...
Gamefaqs for having this guide posted
Adam and Donna for making Neopets :)

Copyright © 2003 M.G. (strawhat)