Mega Man 3 (PC) Game Manual =========================== [ Editor's Note: The typewritten manual that accompanied the game was either incomplete or proofread wrong, as there is no section entitled "Arm Yourself for Combat", and the section "Robot Master Weapons" abruptly cuts off in the middle of a listing of keystrokes, and just as abruptly picks up again with a description of the Plasma Cannon. Other, similar mistakes are present in this text (another notable example is a paragraph that leads into an explanation of power-up items, and instead gives some hints for winning, with said power-up listings appearing further down), leading to the conclusion that it was an editing error on the part of Hi-Tech Expressions. ] GETTING MEGA MAN STARTED 1. Turn on your computer system, insert the Mega Man disk into drive A. 2. Type A: and press the Enter key to get to drive A. 3. Type MM and press Enter to start the game. 4. A menu appears with options you can set for optimum game play on your system. Use the Up/Down arrow keys to select an option, and the Left/Right arrow keys to change its setting. 5. Insert Mega Man(TM) disk #2 into drive A when prompted. Graphics Card Select the graphics card for your system. - CGA: 4-Color Graphics - EGA: 16-Color Graphics - Tandy: 16-Color Graphics Animation Choose to have the backgrounds animate or be still during play. (For slower PC's, choose OFF for still backgrounds.) Masking Choose whether or not the characters can walk in front of and behind obstacles. (Slower PC's choose OFF. Characters will always be in front.) Sound Turn the game's sound effects ON or OFF. Joystick Choose ON to use a joystick for game play. Choose OFF to use your keyboard. Start Game When all the other options are set, choose this option and press Enter to continue. CHOOSING YOUR MASTER FOE The Robot Masters selection screen appears. What a nightmare! Choose Bit Man, Shark Man, Wave Man, Oil Man, Blade Man or Torch Man. Six different enemies--six different horrible ways to die! Use the Left/Right arrows or move the joystick left or right to choose one of the Robot Masters. Mega Man's eyes will move to stare at the mighty foe you select. Press Enter or Button 1 on your joystick. The game will begin at the entrance to that Robot Master's domain. The Master Weapons are important. Each weapon can be very effective in certain situations or in destroying certain Robot Masters. As you defeat each Master, you'll gain his weapon and move one step closer to Dr. Wily's castle. Then you'll return to the Robot Masters selection screen. Continue to choose undefeated Masters until you've destroyed them all. With all six weapons, you can go on to the final cataclysmic battle with Dr. Wily. INTO THE MAZE You've got a power pack and three lives. But you'll take plenty of hits! As you're injured, your power will seep away. Watch your Power Meter on the top left of the screen. When it's depleted, you'll lose one life. If you still have lives remaining, you'll revive at an earlier point in the level. SURVIVAL MOVES Here's how to use your keyboard and joystick. ACTION KEYBOARD JOYSTICK Move Left Left Arrow Joystick Left Move Right Right Arrow Joystick Right Climb Up Up Arrow Joystick Up Climb Down Down Arrow Joystick Down Jump Up or Off Ladder J key Button 1 Jump Down J key + Down Arrow Button 1 + Joystick Down Fire Weapon Space Bar Button 2 Move left or right while jumping by moving the joystick or pressing the arrow keys. The longer you press the jump button (Button 1 or the J key), the higher Mega Man will jump. Learn to guage the height and distance of your jumps. Sometimes, a high or long jump is the worst thing you can do. Mega Man can fire at any time, while jumping, running, and climbing ladders. It's a good thing, too, since there's never a time when he isn't in danger! SPECIAL KEYS While using the joystick or keyboard, you can also use these special keys: KEY ACTION F9 Toggle to pause and resume the game. F10 Quit the game and return to DOS. Esc Display Weapons Select menu. To exit this menu and return to the fray, press the letter (P, C, S, W, O, B or T) for any available weapon. See Arm Yourself for Combat. LIFE SAVERS Getting into the complex maze is fairly easy. Staying alive is another matter. As you fight through the metal madness, watch for these Life Savers that drop from defeated robots. Run over them to pick them up. Don't miss any--you'll need every micro-ounce of energy and power. NUTS AND BOLTS FOR WINNING - Fire past obstacles to hit enemies at long range. - If you start falling, move up/left/ or up/right. - Life Savers crop up in the strangest places. You'll never know what you'll find, so explore every room and corridor, climb every ladder. Be wary--some drop-offs may plummet you into the Inky Void. Blast every enemy to get as many of those rare Life Capsules as you can. - When Mega Man is damaged, he can't be hurt for a second or two. Use this time to get past tough spots. - Figure out how the Master Weapons can help you. Then go after the Robot Masters in the right order to get the weapons you need for the next battle. Power Pill: Increases the level of your Power Meter. Extra Life Capsule: Gives you another life. Extra Weapons Energy Pellet: Increases the Energy Meter for the Master Weapon you're currently using. If you're using the Plasma Cannon, this pellet has no effect. Energy Canister: Increases your Power Meter to its maximum level. Each canister you collect can be used once, at any time in the game. See Arm Yourself for Combat. ROBOT MASTER WEAPONS When you destroy one of the Master Robots, you gain his weapon for your own combat use. You can select a weapon, as well as an Energy Canister, from the Weapons Select menu. To see it, press the Esc key. Use these keys when the Weapons Select menu is showing: KEY ACTION P Select Plasma Cannon C Bit Cannon S Shark Boomerang W Water Shooter O Oil Stream B Blade Launcher T Torch Arm E Use the Energy Canister F4 Center joystick, then press F1 to recalibrate it for precise control of Mega Man's movements. F10 End Mega Man's current life and return to the last starting point in the PLASMA CANNON This plasma-shooting firearm is always available. Its Energy Meter is your Power Meter. If the meter runs out, you lose one life. When you're using a Master Weapon, an Energy Meter for it appears next to your Power Meter on screen. As you use the weapon, its energy level decreases. If it gets too low, the weapon becomes useless. You'll need to grab some Extra Weapons Energy Pellets to increase your current weapon's energy level.Each Master Weapon, as well as your own Plasma Cannon, affects each enemy differently. Experiment with your weapons to understand their power and to find out which one is most effective for the battle you're undertaking. BATTLING THE MASTERS The different levels of Dr. Wily's compound are nightmarish mazes full of the most insistent, obnoxious and deadly enemies. The Robot Masters--Bit Man, Shark Man, Wave Man, Oil Man, Blade Man or Torch Man--wait like nasty surprises at the end of their particular levels. When you reach them, a tremendous battle begins. The Robot Master's Power Meter appears on the top right of the screen. Each time you hit the Robot Master with your weapon, his power level decreases. Keep a watch on both meters. Find the way to keep your level higher than his. Otherwise, you lose! You'll have to learn the special tactics for defeating each Robot Master, and it won't be easy. But that's the only way to gain the weapons and keys you need to finally get to Dr. Wily. CONTINUING THE FIGHT If you lose all your lives during a battle, the Continue or Start Over box appears. Press C to Continue the battle from the beginning of the level. Press S if you want to end the game and start over. NOTE: If you lose all your lives while you're still in the security area, press C to continue. THE REACTOR ROOM Armed with Master Weapons, make your final strike, staunchly invading Dr. Wily's sanctum. You've withstood the attacks, injuries and madness of his entire robot army. But can you survive what waits here in the Reactor Room?