Air Ranger: Rescue Helicopter - Strategy Guide (Page 03)

Below are the cheat codes, hints and help for Air Ranger: Rescue Helicopter - Strategy Guide (Page 03).

*    On that very same ridge's LEFT high point, before the hill starts to 
loose height, there is a clearing in the forest. You will notice a group 
of 'non-fir' trees, forming a cross like shape, the coin being right in 
the middle of it.

*    Go to the same bridge, where you found the coin in the first mission. 
This time the coin is very close to the water, hiding in the construction 
of the red pillar, close to the riverbank near the landing point.

*    By now you know about the river and the lake. And the two red bridges: 
There were two coins under one of them. On the way from the bridge, where 
you got the two coins -the one close to the start of the first mission-, 
to the other one-, where you first met the train-, there is a dam. The coin 
is hovering above that dam in a quite narrow place. Don't bother Bob. You 
can get it without him.

*    Go under the second red bridge, the one where you were waiting for the 
train in the first mission of this stage. Follow the river to the left (not 
the one you followed on your approach!), until it broadens to a kind of 
small lake. Do not give up; it takes some time to get there! The coin becomes 
visible if you approach the middle of the lake.

CONGRATULATIONS!  You've got all of the coins! Now, go and get your new 
helicopters and enjoy doing the remaining missions. Don't forget though, 
that they will react differently to the controls. Try them out before you 
go to a mission!

2.6.    The Missions

2.6.1.    General Tactics

Some basic things apply for all the missions, and if you are aware of them 
before you start a mission, you might have fewer problems, to finish it 
successfully.

-CONTROL YOUR HEIGHT
Pushing the L1 button makes your helicopter go faster. It also makes it 
gain height, and if you are not careful, you will reach a considerable height 
quite soon! To descent again at the rescue point might cost you a lot of 
time - sometimes more, than you've gained from your speedy approach! So 
- try to find a good balance between flying fast and avoiding excessive 
climbing.

-DECIDE ABOUT THE VIEWS
Find the most practical camera views and angles, and decide about the timing, 
when to change them.

-DECIDE THE ANGLE OF APPROACH
Depending on weather conditions and the specific circumstances at the rescue 
locations, there will be angles for your approach, which are more practical 
and less dangerous. Find the most promising angle and stick to it! That 
way you can establish a pattern, which you can practise each time you try 
the mission. You will get better each time, because by repeating the same 
maneuvers they will become more naturally and almost automatic! 
If you prefer the 'random' approach, you may get lucky some times, but if 
you have to start the mission again for some reasons, you will face the 
same difficulties again!

-FIND THE FASTEST ROUTE
 The quickest way to reach your destination is not always found by following 
the orange arrow! If you know the terrain of the stage well, you may come 
up with faster routes. You can use clearings in the woods to keep your altitude 
low, and there are also ways, to use the wind to your advantage. In these 
cases you will have to take some kind of detour from the obvious, direct 
course, but you will ultimately gain some time! 

-DON'T WASTE TIME BY TRYING TO GET COINS
Do them separately! You can look for them without any time pressure and 
as many times, as you like. There is no reason to waste the precious time 
of an actual mission for them.

-DON'T HURRY AT THE RESCUE POINT
On your approach flight you should try to be as fast as possible. At the 
actual rescue point the important thing is precision, not speed! Some 
maneuvers are very difficult and cannot be done quickly! But also seemingly 
easy moves you should not do in a hurry - mistakes will cost you more in 
the end than you hoped to gain!

-WATCH YOUR SHADOW
It indicates your actual position very clearly under all weather conditions, 
even at night.(!) (...which is a surprising, but nonetheless a welcome 
phenomenon). Use it to your advantage, especially at landings.

-BE AWARE OF YOUR SURROUNDINGS!
Try to memorize where all those rocks, trees, walls, pillars and posts are 
BEFORE you crash into them. Also: Don't do spectacular lift offs 
(...immediately going up, forward and left at the same time, like you always 
see the guys doing in that action movies...), before you really know where 
those masts are on the heliport! (I remember one of mine well - when I did 
a VERY elegant, YET powerful liftoff in the second Canyon mission, and 
crashed IMMEDIATELY in the mast next to the lift off point. The whole 
performance took less than a second, was quite embarrassing and actually 
very funny!! The only good thing about it was, that nobody was watching...)

I will now try to explain the important details of each mission. 
I will not mention obvious things, which are clearly shown during the 
missions, such as the time or points needed to get medals, or the locations 
of the events, if they are not particularly difficult to find.
If you think, that some important information is missing, don't hesitate 
to tell me. I will add it! 

FIRST STAGE (San Felnando)

First Mission:
  
OBJECTIVE: There has been an accident in the city. You have to pick up an 
injured person at the scene of event and to fly as quickly as possible to 
the hospital across the bay.

PRACTICAL HINTS: The obvious thing would be to fly over those high buildings 
and approach the scene from above. It is possible to finish the stage in 
time by using this approach, but it takes a lot of time to reach the necessary 
height and to descent to street level again! It is also quite difficult 
- especially if you are new in the game - to maneuver your helicopter between 
all those buildings without hitting every second one.
A much faster and safer way is: After take off fly straight ahead, climbing 
to about 200 ft. Keep this height and follow the street along the shore. 
You will soon notice two smaller, identical buildings of a light brown color 
ahead of you, to your left. BEFORE there is a quite big street, leading 
into the city. If you follow that street, you already should be able to 
see the target identification to your right. Follow the street to your right 
and gradually reduce height and speed. When you reach the target a red circle 
with a red cross in its middle will appear on the street.  Steady your 
helicopter, hover above the cross (use different cameras to check your 
position!) and slowly descent. The tail of your helicopter should point 
now towards the shore. This is the position, which allows Bob to get to 
the victim without delay. If the tail points towards the place, where the 
victim is, he runs all the way around the helicopter instead of taking the 
quickest way! (I guess he does it in order to avoid the tail rotor...) Takes 
ages!! 
You have to press R1 to open the doors right after you touched down. After 
Bob got out, turn the helicopter slightly to the right, pointing the tail 
a bit more towards the direction he ran to. If you turn too far to the right 
though, he will start that jogging thing again on his return...
(As always in crowded locations, use collective lever and pedals ONLY and 
SEPERATELY!) Wait a little bit until Bob returns, carrying the victim to 
the helicopter. Take off immediately after the doors close! Bob will swear 
at you, but you will save some precious seconds by leaving him behind. Turn 
the helicopter on the spot towards the direction your tail pointed last. 
If you have the confidence, fly between the buildings towards the hospital, 
keeping your height low. It is a little difficult, but it saves you the 
lengthy descent at the hospital. If not, climb to a safe height, fly to 
the hospital, trying to sink as early as possible. Take your time to steady 
the helicopter before the landing. (Remember the advices about separating 
the movements...)

Second Mission:

OBJECTIVE: There was a traffic accident on the bay bridge. A big tank trailer 
hangs halfway across the edge of the bridge. Pick it up with the rope of 
your helicopter and transport it to a safe place in the middle of the bridge, 
before it falls down into the water.

PRACTICAL HINTS: While the problems in the first mission were mostly about 
timing, it becomes quite difficult on a 'technical' level already in this 
mission: You have to use the rope for the first time, and there is also 
now some wind present.
Approach the bridge from the right, turning your helicopter towards the 
hills in the distance when reaching the point of action. The hospital side 
of the city should be on your right now and your helicopter should be 
positioned in a right angle to the street. (The reason for this is, that 
you can move easier towards the water without hitting things, after you 
picked up the trailer.) Steady the helicopter, push R1, choose a close view 
and slowly descent. Try to keep the same height, after the rope touches 
down in the designed area. (It doesn't have to touch the cross - put it 
anywhere within the circle and close to the trailer.) If you go down too 
much, the ranger on the ground cannot pick up the rope! Try to avoid any 
movements besides up and down. After the ranger gets hold of the rope and 
has put it around the trailer, carefully go over the trailer, hover, go 
up ONLY, then go forward a little in order to get some room. Stop, turn 
around and approach the target area in the middle of the bridge by going 
forward ONLY. Stop over the target area, go down slowly and drop the trailer 
carefully. After the drop, climb and go forward, getting away from the bridge 
safely and fast. Fly to the heliport on the hospital side. Land as usual: 
Carefully.
You will most likely not clear this mission right away! The technique of 
controlling that rope needs some practice! Use some 'sparring' missions 
for that - missions you don't start with the intent to clear the stage, 
but with the intent to get better at dropping the rope.
Especially if you are of old age or suffer of high blood pressure, I strongly 
recommend considering that kind of approach.
(There is always the chance, you get lucky and clear the thing by 'accident'; 
just try to keep this possibility out of your mind during the training 
session.)

SECOND STAGE  (White Cliff)

First Mission:

OBJECTIVE:  A passenger ship is sinking slowly but steadily near the coast. 
You have to rescue 8 passengers by using the winch. Lower Bob down and bring 
him as close as possible to the victims. He will grab them one by one and 
put them safely into the helicopter. Your helicopter has only place for 
four victims, so you'll have to go once to the improvised hospital in the 
middle of the mission to drop of a load of four there.

PRACTICAL HINTS: (This is a very difficult mission. It can become quite 
frustrating, if you don't find a way soon, how to pluck those people from 
the ship, without damaging your rotor or hurting      Bob. The game gives 
you some lenience with the winch man: Bob performs sometimes very impressive 
'grabbing' acts, covering distances, which would require some REAL LOOOONG 
pair of arms... Take advantage of his surprising talents: You don't have to 
get him with pinpoint accuracy at the people; it is enough if he gets kind 
of close to them.
Fly towards the sinking ship and keep low. Locate the person at the front 
of the ship, which will go into the water first. Turn your helicopter by 
using the right stick until Bob faces the ship. Get closer by moving in 
one dimension, stopping, moving in the next dimension, etc... Take your time 
and move with small, repeated movements. (Don't try to get the people in 
one fast, hazardous try. You might get lucky once or twice, but what you 
really are after, is developing a technique, which is reliable and which 
always works!)
Next on your schedule are the child and the mother, standing at the bulwark 
slightly above. After you got both of them, either get the guy, standing 
on the deck above the two, or look for the man, who is going to fall (or 
already fell) in the water - the decision about that depends on the time 
you spent until now. If you were quick, take the closer one, the one near 
mother and child. (The other guy will be in the water that way, when you 
get to him, but there will be no damage yet; his life gauge should still 
be green.) You have to go to the 'hospital' tent and drop the four passengers 
there. Wait, until all of them have left the helicopter. Then return to 
the ship and get the rest of them. One will be in the water by now - get 
him first. One is going to suffer the same fate soon - find and get him 
next. You will know soon, who it is - the remaining other two ones are clearly 
out of danger! They will keep waving and their gauges stay unchanged until 
the very end. 
There are two major problems in this mission: Hitting the ship with your 
rotor and bumping Bob against the ship. Move slowly and use the cameras 
heavily!  The winch should always face the ship; otherwise you'll hit 
something with the rotor!
One last thing: Bathing Bob will make him angry; it doesn't get you minus 
points, though... 
              
Second Mission: 

OBJECTIVE:  It is night and a heavy rainstorm reduces visibility to a minimum. 
You have to find a little boat, drifting in the sea and carrying a helpless 
man, waiting for help. After you get him with Bob's help safely on board, 
you have to search for a second person, which is somewhere not too far swimming 
in the water.

PRACTICAL HINTS: (This mission is technically not so difficult. The problem 
is to find the second victim! There seems to be no foolproof way to locate 
him, besides having patience...)
Fly out; locate the small boat and fish the man from it. On this mission 
you have to watch your altitude, because you have nothing around you, which 
you could use to estimate your height! It is very important to keep the 
same, quite low height - especially in the second part of the mission. This 
time I can't give you much more help, because this mission seems to be 
unpredictable, just like the storm itself! When you think, you finally got 
the right angle for your approach at the ship a wave will flush it away 
under your helicopter! The constantly present waves make it very difficult 
to keep the same height! And there seems to be no real pattern, where and 
when exactly the second guy will show up!
I have drowned a fleet of helicopters in this mission, but - I got also 
platinum a couple of times! Meaning: A major factor here seems to be luck! 
(I would be only too happy, if somebody would proof me wrong on this one. 
I am not particularly fond of this stage...)
One thing seems to be of importance, though: You have to stay as low as 
possible, when searching for the second guy! If you are too high, the AI 
doesn't let you find him!

THIRD STAGE (Missoula Mts.)

First Mission:

OBJECTIVE:  You are back at the controls of the big CH-27J. There was an 
accident in the mountains, involving a trailer truck transporting trees. 
You have to fly over the mountains to a valley and move some trees, which 
are in the way. Your last task is to transport the truck back over the 
mountains and drop it at the yard of its owner.

PRACTICAL HINTS: (It is not overly difficult, to finish this mission in 
time - you have plenty of it. The real problem is getting a gold medal! 
It is very easy to make mistakes and get a sack full of minus points. The 
actual objective of the mission is: Using the time wisely, operating 
carefully and avoiding mistakes!)
To reach the truck you have to fly over the mountains to your right. Fly 
to the right and forward, until you reach the end of the town. Look for 
the path between the two mountain ridges. Going through there saves you 
a lot of time. Don't climb more than absolutely necessary,- fly as closely 
to the ground as you can; as long as you don't see the shadow of your helicopter 
beneath, you are safe. After crossing the mountain ridge turn slightly to 
the left until you see a tunnel and a street coming out of it. Follow the 
street, starting to sink already. You will see a couple of cars parking 
at the edge of the street. The truck is near there, besides the street. 
You'll have to move three trees first. (... and you will understand soon, 
why there are so many possibilities to get minus points!)
Steady the helicopter, choose a good camera and angle and go down slowly. 
Don't watch the rope while you try to make the helicopter steady - it will 
make you nervous and you will be misled about the amount of swinging your 
helicopter actually is doing! Don't try to compensate for the movements 
of the rope - you will overreact and make the helicopter swing even more! 
Watch the helicopter instead, calm its motions down and go down after the 
rope doesn't move anymore. After the rope is around a tree, go up STRAIGHT 
and quite quickly! That way you avoid hitting the trees or dragging your 
tree across the snow. Both will earn you minus points! Turn the helicopter 
with the right stick; go straightforward until you are near the dropping 
zone. Make last corrections in the usual way: Separately. You can drop the 
thing quite rudely; just keep it within the red circle. Go to the next tree 
in the same organized way. Use the step-by-step technique for all the 
remaining tasks, including the truck. After the truck is safely tied to 
your helicopter, start the return flight by taking the same way you came. 
Watch the shadow of the truck on the snow and look out for the trees. Your 
goal is near the town you started from - a yard slightly separated from 
the town. Put the truck down there very carefully - I ruined my chances 
for platinum there more than once ...

Second Mission:

OBJECTIVE:  Night and snowstorm! Perfect conditions to try the lightest and 
weakest of your helicopters!  
The assumed location of the victim is on some small plateau at the shore 
of a river, surrounded by steep rock walls. Which is why you have to use 
the smallest possible helicopter! After you got the man out there, you have 
to search for a second one upriver, lying unconsciously on a rock in the 
middle of the river. Pick him up and transport both men quickly to the next 
hospital! 

PRACTICAL HINTS: (This is for me the most difficult mission in the game! 
It resembles the second mission of the previous stage, but has some extra 
surprises for you, in case you found it to be too easy. There is plenty 
of wind, too, but this time it makes you not only miss your target, but 
also makes you crash into rock walls, you aren't even able to see because 
of the weather! Granted, the second target is easier to find, but to pluck 
the guy from that rock without accident, seems to be the ultimate challenge 
of the game. AND you have to get them to the hospital as fast as possible 
with that grasshopper of a helicopter! The makers gave this mission 3 
difficulty stars out of 4, the same they gave the stage's first mission 
and the previous stage's second one!! I cannot really agree about this - 
I believe THIS mission to be the major challenge in the game. (Many other 
games also have the most difficult boss in the stage BEFORE the final one...)
Enough complaining - my real point is: Don't give up at this point of the 
game! It is a difficult mission, but you will do it somehow. I had to 'retry' 
many times, too. Don't get upset and try different tactics. Luck also might 
help...)
Follow the river after take off. Stay close to the river surface and try 
to go straight by compensating for the wind, using the right stick. (It 
gives you a nice taste how it is to fly a helicopter without torque 
compensation...) When the target shows up, keep to the right and turn around, 
facing the landing spot. Approach the plateau in a straight line and land 
as fast as possible, your tail facing towards the river. Don't try to get 
your helicopter in a longer hover at that place  - there is too much wind 
and not enough room for that! If you see, that you can't do a proper landing, 
go back to the river and try again. I recommend going for a hard and quick, 
but relatively accurate landing, rather than risking a lot of minus points 
by trying to control your helicopter in that cursed place.
When the guy is finally on board, you have to search for one more weekend 
adventurer, having terminated his ambitions on a lonely rock in the middle 
of the river. Get to him, before it becomes a final termination by following 
the left river arm. It will take some time to reach that rock - don't give 
up and - don't crash! There are some very sharp turns, and the wind doesn't 
help, either!
Fishing the 'customer' from the rock is very similar to the first part of 
the previous stage's second mission. The only, small difference is, that 
you have MUCH less space.
(If you are oversensitive, you might get the impression, that I don't really 
like this mission so much...)
Your tail always should point away from the closest rock wall (meaning: 
it should point to the opposite direction you came from - keep it possibly 
parallel to the river.), and your height shouldn't change much. Easily said, 
I know! But, I've been through it, too - be assured of my compassion!
After you got the guy, go to the hospital as fast as you can, taking a left 
at the fork. After that, take basically the same route as in the first mission 
of the stage. Stay as low as possible and land calmly - the real problems 
are over by now.
 
FOURTH MISSION (Hickory Canyon)

First Mission:

OBJECTIVE:  There are two people on a train, which is bound to derail: It 
cannot be stopped and approaches a curve on a bridge, where it will fall 
down into the river below! You have to get both men from the train, before 
that happens!

PRACTICAL HINTS: (This seems to be a difficult mission at first. After 
finding the best angle of approach (...and having a little luck) it can be 
done very quickly.)
Fly to the red bridge, crossing the river. (There are two red bridges: One 
near your start point and one past the settlement, which is ahead of you, 
after you take off and cross the hill. The bridge you have to go to is the 
latter one.) If you arrive fast enough, the train will be just before the 
bridge. The easiest way is to get the man at the end of the train first. 
(There is another one at one of the diesel engines in front.) Bring your 
helicopter to a height, which lets Bob hover above the train. He is not 
out yet, but by now you can estimate, where he will be. If you fly parallel 
to the train, it is very easy, to hit it with your rotor. I found it easier, 
to fly side wards, and to approach the train with a forward motion.
If you get him very quickly, you can try to get the other one also, before 
the train enters the first tunnel! Be careful - the tunnel comes quite soon! 
If you didn't get the second one (or either of them) by now, don't panic 
- there is still plenty of time left.  Climb over the hill and be careful, 
that Bob doesn't hit any trees! Wait at the exit of the tunnel and use the 
time to position your helicopter. The distance to the next tunnel is much 
longer this time. You should be able to get them now. After having both 
of them in your helicopter you have to return to your start point. Try to 
keep low and fast. If you are too low you will hit some trees, which will 
slow you down - it doesn't cost you minus points, though.
One last point: You will see a coin, tempting you by sitting within easy 
reach on a flatbed wagon in the middle of the train. Don't try to get it, 
if you are after a gold medal! You might be lucky, but the chances that 
Bob will hit something are too big! Get it later; it will still be there. 

Second Mission:

OBJECTIVE:  There is a fire at a tree processing company near the river. 
You have to assist the fire fighters on the ground by using your water cannon. 
You might run out of water in the middle of the mission. In this case, fly 
over the lake, keep low and hover over the surface to fill up your water 
tank.
PRACTICAL HINTS: (Your last mission! Not an easy one, but not the most 
difficult one, either. You might need some retries, but you'll do it!)
Cross the ridge, keeping slightly to the right. As usual - keep low,- there 
is quite some descent necessary at the fire site.  The major problems of 
the mission are: The wind, the confined space and the back thrust, caused 
by your water cannon.
Try to steer frontal into the wind. You will not always be able to do that, 
so - constantly compensate for the wind with the right stick. Use frequent 
and small motions to keep the helicopter from turning too much. You don't 
have to keep it perfectly still, - just get it under control.
You can try to neutralize the back thrust from the cannon by pushing the 
left stick forward, when you press the R1 button. It might be a good idea 
again to 'sacrifice' a trial for practicing this technique. As for the 
confined space: Watch your tail all the time! The first priority is, not 
to hit too many things! You have plenty of time, to put the fires out. You 
don't have to be as close as possible to them - actually you get minus points 
for getting too close or for flying over them! 
You should start with the fires, which are not being attended to by the 
ground troops. (There are some fires, which are not identified by the orange 
target indicators. Leave them alone: You don't have to extinguish them to 
clear the mission.) Shoot your cannon in short, well aimed bursts; don't 
waste the water. That way you should be able to put out two fires, before 
you have to refill! 
If the tank is empty keep calm! Gain some height first, then go to the lake 
without hitting any of the buildings. Hover over the surface and try to 
position the helicopter for the return to the fire. (Approach the surface 
slowly - the hose is quite short! Deep down that lake rests quite a number 
of my helicopters - silent witnesses of one pilot's panic and carelessness...)  
After you return to the fire you will see that the ground rangers already 
took care of the fires to some degree. Finish off what is left and return 
to the heliport.

Lean back, enjoy the ending movie and ponder about your next goals: Beating 
it again in ONE try; getting ALL platinum; writing a better guide than THIS 
one...

3. CONCLUSION
     
Let me repeat the points, I believe to be the most important ones, one last 
time:

Use Normal Control

Switch the control level to EASY

Use different cameras and camera angles

Choose the far behind camera in a slightly above position for your standard 
view

Watch your shadow

Separate your movements

Don't hurry in the actual rescue operation

Get the coins separately

Plan and organize your mission schedules

Don't get angry

Have fun!

It is possible to beat the game with a flight time of around three hours 
(or even less). Nobody can do this in the first or even the second attempt, 
- I needed MUCH more the first couple of times! It doesn't actually matter, 
how fast you can beat the game; my point is to show, that the game is less 
difficult than you might think in the beginning.

I hope you could use some of my advice and start to like the game better, 
in case you didn't like it right from the beginning, as I did.

If I did a major mistake in my rather lengthy 'work', - either concerning 
technical or grammatical aspects - don't hesitate to tell me! I will make 
the necessary correction(s) immediately.

4.   AIR RANGER/AIR RANGER 2 - MINI SYNOPSIS

While I was at this FAQ I got my hands on Air Ranger 2. It was very tempting 
to do a FAQ for it at the same time. But I think it is not really necessary, 
at least not now. There is already a nice FAQ from 'wellgert' about it, 
which helps people who can't read the manual (like me) and explains the 
basics of the stages. I tried the first couple of missions, which does not 
entitle me, to give a final judgment about the game. But I can draw some 
comparisons of both games, which might give some help in case you want to 
play one of them, but don't want to get both.

First the obvious question:      Did they include a training stage?

Answer:                               YESSSS, you bet they did!

There is almost more than I would ever have asked for: A set of training 
drills concentrates on certain maneuvers ONLY, featuring a quite snappy 
female instructor. Then, after you pass all of them, you open the 'Trial' 
section and face several, mission-like challenges. Actually they are a kind 
of 'disguised' training stage and prepare you for the maneuvers needed in 
the missions!
Finally you receive your license and become an official member of the Air 
Ranger team!
Getting your license allows you to tackle your first mission; and you will 
be well prepared!
This feature is really a nice surprise and will make the game more popular 
than the first one, I am sure.

Next 'obvious' question: Did they change the controls?
They did: The helicopters react now faster to the controls and it is easier 
now, to prevent the infamous 'swing swaying' phenomenon of the first version.
      
Now, this is only my modest and private opinion (- author approaches his 
favored 'shelter desk' -), but I am NOT so happy with the 'new' feeling 
of the instruments.

 The helicopters seem to be lighter than before, and sometimes they behave 
like being led by an invisible wire or a similar device, which basically 
keeps them on their forward path. 
Landing is also quite different: The machines keel sometimes almost over 
if you land them hard, balancing for moments in very dramatic stances - 
leaving you waiting and guessing which way they will finally fall down.
While this may be a progress from the first version because you now survive 
lousy landings (...if you do THIS kind of landings in the 'original' your 
heli is gone! No anxious moments, no dramatic balance miracles - scrap yard 
it is.), it takes away a lot from the reality of the original.
'wellgert' nicely described one of the trial stages as a kind of 'Crazy 
Taxi' for helicopters. This particular stage for instance is actually fun 
- picking up people from roofs and getting them down on another roof without 
caring for the repair costs - but that has not much to do with a helicopter 
simulator.
The new control made a step towards the 'RC feeling', and whether you 
appreciate this development or not depends on your expectations.

Shortly the other innovations:

You now get points instead of medals, which you can use to buy new helicopters.
You get them quite easily - just repeat some of the trials often enough 
to earn the necessary points.
Your instruments underwent some upgrading - you have for example a compass 
now, which makes orientation much easier.
There are more options now to do something 'productive' if you don't want 
to (or can't go to) the missions yet. You can play and improve your skills 
in the trial stages, AND get some 'cash' points out of it! The missions 
themselves seem to become more complex and dramatic.

To come to an impartial conclusion is very difficult for me:
I really did like the straight forward, no nonsense, down to earth and real 
to life approach of the first Air Ranger game.
There is no audience applauding you, you don't have to transport cute and 
colorful balls. You don't have to fly through the seemingly inevitable rings. 
Your job is not really flashy or dramatic - it is a thing SOMEBODY has to 
do.
BUT, it has to be done professionally: You need skills and experience.

(One scene in the original game can explain this much better than I can 
do:
After you got the eighth guy from the sinking ship in the first of the 'White 
Cliff' missions, Bob sneezes during the flight 'home' and says: "Brrr, that 
WAS cold, I wonder if there are any showers over there..."
That is a kind of modest reward for a guy, who picked eight people from 
a ship, hanging at the end of a rope, being tossed around by a mediocre 
pilot like your humble author is one!) 

In Air Ranger 2 people WILL applaud you for flying through some... - rings 
or successfully carrying or hitting a beautiful... - ball.
Your reward is instantly, but also is tasting a little stale...

Don't misunderstand  - I don't regret to have gotten Air Ranger 2. 
I will enjoy it and beat it.
If you want an entertaining flight game, you will be perfectly happy with 
the game.

If you want a helicopter simulator, there is only one game on this planet, 
which I would recommend you!

5. VERSIONS/UPDATES

Version 1.1.

Typos removed  / TABs removed (I didn't use TABs, my overeager computer did 
that!) / Paragraphs 4 and 5 added / Got some new cheap gags from my ghostwriter 
and put them in. This was one of them.




6.   ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS AND DISCLAIMER

* I want to thank GameFAQs, my favorite site on the Internet! 
I've read many great guides from them, and I hope this modest FAQ shows, 
that I learned a little bit from them.

* I also want to thank ASK for making a beautiful and well-made game!
  It was the game I was waiting for (without knowing it), when I got my PS2!

* Air Ranger is designed by ASK, a company to which I have no connection 
of any kind.
I have no other personal interests by writing this guide than to help people 
to beat the game, who already own it or plan to buy it. 
I have no financial interest of any kind - the point of this guide is not 
to advertise the game, but to explain it.

* I am not a pilot.
  I also am not an engineer.
  I tried to be careful, but I might have written some things about 
helicopters, which are wrong!
Don't sue me!
Tell me - I will correct.

* I am not a native English speaker.
There will possibly be tons of mistakes and strange expressions in this 
FAQ.  
  Don't tell me the small mistakes - my email account is too small for that. 
  Do tell me the major mistakes - especially if they make things hard to 
understand!

7. COPYRIGHT

I, Clemens Doll wrote this FAQ in May/June 2002 and therefore am the sole 
owner of its copyrights.
If it will be accepted, I will allow GameFAQs to use it at their discretion.
If somebody else wishes to use it for anything besides reading it, please 
contact me:

ludwigpay@yahoo.com



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