  "Fate depends upon one man.  It is now clear why Con-Human is the world's
  troublemaker." 

     oooooo
     888888P
     88  888P     oo    oo  oo  oooooo  ooooooo  oo  ooooooo  oo  ooooooo
     88  88P     d88P   88  88  88888P  88  88P  88  88  d88  88  88  d88
     88888P     88  88  88  88  88      88888P   88  88P      88  88P
     88  88P    888888  888888  88      88  88P  88   d888P   88   d888P
     88   88P   88  88    88    88888P  88  88P  88      88P  88      88P
     88    88P  88  88    88    88888P  88   88P 88  8888888  88  8888888
     88     88P 
     88      88888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888P
 
      "You must select the future as it quickly advances towards you."
===============================================================================
                                * RAYCRISIS *
                               FAQ Version 1.43
                         For The Taito G-Net Arcade
                         Game & Its PlayStation Port
                             (c) Steven Ives 2000
                       Send Comments & Suggestions To
                           saives@gameoverdude.com
===============================================================================
TRADEMARKS:
  RayCrisis, RayForce, RayStorm, Zuntata, and Taito G-Net are trademarks of
Taito Corporation.  PlayStation is a trademark of Sony.

  Any other trademarks are those of their respective owners.
===============================================================================
LEGAL CRAP (Terms & Conditions):

        This FAQ is (C) Steven Ives 2000.  It may be posted only on 
 the following sites:

      www.gamefaqs.com   GameFAQS
  www.gameoverdude.com   Game Over, the author's web site.
    www.gameadvice.com   Game Advice
vgstrategies.about.com   Video Games Strategies
            shmups.com   Shmups!
  www.gamingplanet.com   The Gaming Planet

       Did you see this FAQ on another site?  Tell me pronto.  It is to be
       on these sites listed above ONLY.  If you have permission to host my
       FAQ, it is to be in the original unaltered plain text form.

        For now you can check gamefaqs.com for the latest version.  The author
  reserves the right to post this FAQ on gameoverdude.com at a future time.
  If you wish for permission to host this FAQ on your page, email the author.
  
        No one is to profit from this FAQ.  This includes but is not limited
  to magazines, COP-DN or other for-profit sites, and others.

        Don't plagiarize.  If you wish to use any info found herein in a FAQ
  or other material you are working on, ask the author for permission first.
  If permission is granted, you are to credit the author in your work for the
  information used.  If permission is not granted, then believe me- you'll
  be looking for trouble if you use any of this info in your FAQ.

        The author reserves the right to litigate if the TERMS & CONDITIONS
  are violated.  If you disagree, you may not use this FAQ.

  SPAM: I do not put up with any Unsolicited Commercial E-Mail (UCE).  If you
  send me any UCE, your E-Mail will be filtered and forwarded to SpamCop.
  Spamming is a good way to get yourself into some deep you-know-what.

  OK, I think I've bored you enough with this legal crap.  Let's go!
===============================================================================
HISTORY:

       August  4, 2000     Work started on Version 1.0.

       August  8, 2000     Version 1.0 readied for release.

       August 11, 2000     I've added a few more sites to the May Be Posted On
                           list.  Now there is some info on the bosses.  Some
                           info is added about the pending US release of the
                           Sony PSX version.

       August 13, 2000     Yes, a new version of this FAQ gets readied for
                           release already.  You're looking at V1.32 here.


       August 14, 2000     Jazzed up the FAQ a little.  ASCII art has been
                           added at the top.

       August 16, 2000     D'OH! Corrected a mistake in the "Extra Boss"
                           section.  I meant to say "With NO Continues"!
                           (regarding the arcade version)
   
       August 20, 2000     WR03 is available in both versions, but it has to
                           be earned.  Info on "Pocket-Ray", a PocketStation
                           mini-game, is added.

       August 24, 2000     Version 1.39 reaches Release status.

       August 25, 2000     I grant permission to gamingplanet.com to host the
                           RayCrisis FAQ.

    September 14, 2000     I take another look at the FAQ, thinking about some
                           stuff that could be added.  

    September 18, 2000       Unfortunately, the US release of RayCrisis has
                           been DELAYED to September 28.  Note that the 
                           Encroachment meter affects the stage patterns. Some
                           info on the arranged music CD "RayCrisis: Rayons de
                           l'Air" is included.  This is a minor update to the
                           FAQ, but still worthy of a release.  This is V1.43.
                           It gets uploaded to Game FAQs for release.
===============================================================================
ABOUT RAYCRISIS:                           

  RayCrisis is the 3rd in the RayForce series.  The arcade version runs on the
Taito G-Net system.  A Sony PlayStation port is now available in Japan.
  
  This PSX version will be localized for the US by Working Designs, who
plans a September 28 release with a MSRP of $34.99.  It will bear the subtitle
"Series Termination", due to the fact that this is the final entry of the
series that began with RayForce.  The ESRB rating is "E", for Everyone.
  The story of this game actually takes place not too long before Operation
RayForce.  A neuro-network computer known as Con-Human has basically gone
berserk.  It has created some pseudo-life forms by blending man and machine in
what it believes is good for the continued existence of mankind.  Eventually,
the remaining humans were slain by Con-Human.  A mecha-neurologist jacks in to
the Con-Human system in an attempt to regain control of the rogue machine by
means of the Wave-Rider Cybernetics Link.
===============================================================================
GAME START:

Arcade: After you have hit the start button, you will get to enter your
initials plus a 4th "security code" character.  The game will track your
stats this way.  If you have registered data from a previous play, you can
choose the Previous Map to replay it again or try the randomly generated
New Map.  After that, you choose one of two ships.

The first stage is the Self Area- fairly short, with no boss.  It's the same
each time.

Stages 2, 3, and 4 will have been chosen for you at random unless you are
using a "Previous" map.  These stages can be one of the following areas-
Emotion, Consciousness, Intelligence, Memory, or Consideration.

Stage 5 takes you to the area of the Con-Human Emergency Control Program
(Dis-Human, the last boss).

PlayStation version Differences:
1- The initial entry is done from the Options menu.

2- You do not have to reenter initials before every new game.  You can change
   stages in your map, and can even play the same one 3 times in a game.

3- An original mode lets you play all the available 7 areas in one game.  It
   offers bonus point items and 1-UP icons, additionally.

4- The arcade version's graphics are somewhat better (G-Net is more powerful
   than the PlayStation).

5- You cannot play 2 players on the PlayStation version.  Doesn't that
kinda stink, especially after you could do so in RayStorm?  However, 2 Player
is available in the Taito G-Net Arcade version.

High Scores:

High scores in the G-Net version will be saved and do not disappear when the
game is powered down.  The Memory Card saves your high scores in the PSX one.

===============================================================================
GAME PLAY:

  Basically, it is similar to RayStorm with some upgrades.  The Wave-Rider
 (the player's ship in this one) comes in two different types:

WR-01R: Like the R-Gray 1 from RayStorm or the RVA-818 fighter from RayForce.
       It uses the Lock-on Laser which lets you lock-on to up to 8 targets
       by passing the sight over them.  When you hit the button, laser blasts
       will shoot out toward whatever you've locked on to.  It has a max
       lock-on capacity of 8.  Its main gun is a wide shot.

WR-02R: Like the R-Gray 2 from RayStorm.  It has the Thunder Laser.  A thunder
       bolt shoots out and attacks anything you've locked on to.  While it's
       attacking this batch of targets, you can pass the sight over other
       enemies so that it will get them as well.  It has a max Lock-on capacity
       of 16.  Its main gun is a laser.
    
WR-03: This one appears after you have earned it in the arcade version.  It is
       readily available on the PlayStation one.

All enemies can be shot down by Lock-on or your main gun. Lock-on kills earn
more points.  WR-01 and WR-02 have a special attack called a Hyper Laser.
If you can get all your available Lock-ons onto one enemy in the same spot,
your Lock-on attack will be converted into a Hyper Laser.  This is easier to
do with the WR-01 as fewer lock-ons (5-8) are available for it.

If you've played RayStorm, you will notice a tweak to your Lock-on sight.  When
your ship is at the bottom of the screen and you continue to move down, you
will notice that the Lock-on sight will move toward your ship a little in
RayCrisis.

The Hyper Laser is more destructive than it is in RayStorm.  Why?  Well, that
explosion around the target you just HLed will now take out other smaller
enemies that run into it.  That's a good way for you to rake in some points.

Also like RayStorm you have the Round Divider gauge.  It fills up whenever you
kill enemies.  Get it filled up, and you can use the Round Divider attack which
is a screen-clearing bomb.  No smaller enemy shall survive it, and the larger
ones take considerable damage.  Enemy fire will be dissipated.  A good use of
this can also get major points for you.  Essentially, the Round Divider will
leave you invincible for a few seconds.
                         ______
       |||||||||||||||| /USABLE\  The USABLE sign will light up when your
                        \______/  Round Divider gauge is full.


Bonus points earned from Lock-on, Hyper Laser, or Round Divider attacks will
be shown at the top of the screen.  Individual point values of Lock-on kills
will show onscreen where the downed enemy was before you smoked it.


Lock on Point multipliers are as follows:

       WR-01R   WR-02R
 1     x   2    x   2     
 2     x   4    x   4
 3     x   8    x   8
 4     x  16    x  16
 5     x  32    x  24
 6     x  64    x  32
 7     x 128    x  48
 8     x 256    x  64
 9              x  80
10              x  96
11              x 112
12              x 128
13              x 160
14              x 192
15              x 224
16              x 256

  For WR-03, the multiplier is the number of hits (1=x1, 256=x256).
  If it's POINTS you're after, try the WR-01R because the multiplier reaches
  x256 after just 8 Lock-ons.  An added bonus is the ease of performing Hyper
  Laser attacks, which can jack your score up when done right.  With this ship
  I've been able to get scores of over 250,000 on the relatively short "Self"
  area at the start of the game.  It's possible to get a little over 300,000
  if you get this part just right.

===============================================================================
Power Ups

Your ship's weapons can be powered up by grabbing these items:

 Red Pyramid- Powers up your shot one step.

 Green Diamond- Raises your Lock-on capacity by one unit.

 Blue Star- Raises shot power 3 steps and adds 3 units to Lock-on capacity.
            (Different than RayStorm, where it maxed your abilities.)

If you get a power up and its affected weapon is already maxed, you will get
bonus points instead.
===============================================================================
Encroachment Meter (EM):

                                                ENCROACHMENT
                                               ___  ___
                                              | _ || _ |
                                              ||_|}||_||
                                              |__ ||__ |
                                               __|| __||
                                              |___||___|.5324 %

 Throughout the game, there's the Encroachment Meter in the upper right corner
of the screen.  Keep it down as well as you can by killing enemies.
If it reaches 100%, the screen will waver and fade, then the Last Boss will
come out right away.  If this happens, you must have been goofing off.  Keep
the kills coming, and it will certainly not reach 100%.

 When you destroy a boss, you gain some bonus points for "Network Condition".
This will be a letter grade ranging from A+ to E based on where the EM is at.
Naturally, a lower percentage will mean a better NC and more points for you.
If you're QUICK about destroying a boss, you may get an additional decrease
in the EM.

 Enemy attack patterns are dependent on the Encroachment percentage.  If you
got it low at the end of the last stage, additional enemies will show up.
This does not affect stage 5 (the battle with Dis-human).

 NOTE: If you can supply an exact Network Condition breakdown, please email
me and you will be credited.
 
 During the Last Boss battle, the EM will be frozen at where it was when you
destroyed the boss of the 4th stage.  You need not worry about it while you
fight the Last Boss.

===============================================================================
THE BOSSES:

  Here are the bosses you will face in RayCrisis.  Names are taken from the
Sony PlayStation version:

  Sem-fray
     This boss is a large airplane type vehicle.  It attacks with red laser
blasts.  Sometimes, it goes off the bottom of the screen and will let fly
some homing missiles which are a bit longer than your ship.  These missiles
can be destroyed with 4 Lock-ons.  After it comes back, it uses a green
spreadshot.  Once it has taken a tremendous amount of damage, it will
resort to an occasional hit & run attack (flying away fast and shooting off a
barrage of red laser blasts or bullets).

  Sem-loke
     This boss is a submersible hovercraft type vehicle.  It has two guns, one
on each side of its cockpit.  The guns can be destroyed with Lock-ons but will
regenerate.  After a certain time, it dives into the water and a few
cone-shaped things will try to scorch you with wide laser beams. (I hate
 these!) You can destroy them with two Lock-ons if you're fast enough.
When Sem-loke comes back, it will prepare to launch a laser grid attack.  This
one will be telegraphed at first, so pay attention and find a safe spot.  Some
green missiles will also be launched- they can be shot down.  It will continue
this general pattern of attacks until you kill it.

  Sem-slut
     This boss is a huge mecha type vehicle.  It uses these attacks in its
     Mecha form:
      - Regular bullets
      - A sword: it also has a sword like Guardian Knight of Thunder Force V.
        The sword leaves a trail of blue fire, which is to be avoided.
      - If you've destroyed the sword, Sem-slut will use an alternate attack
        unleashing two blue orbs that attack with laser spread shots.       
      
     It has an alternate spaceship form that it turns into, which has these
     attacks:
      - Green Missile Shower: You can destroy these missiles by Lock-ons.
        These come from launchers on Sem-slut which can be taken out.
      - Plasmorbs: A few missiles are fired, leaving plasmorbs in their wake
        which eventually home in on you. 
      - Red Fireballs: It dives into the lava, and then shoots some red
         fireballs up at you.  These are destructible.

  Pro-tor
     This boss is a 4-legged walking "Spyderbot" type thing. 
     - Near its back legs, there are cannons that spew a lot of bullets. You
       can take these out with Lock-ons.
     - Near its front, there are a couple of missile launchers which also can
       be destroyed.
     - The central module houses a couple of satellites which are sometimes
       turned loose.  The satellites use a wave-beam spreadshot.
     - A plasma spreadshot will be fired from the central module.
     - Sometimes, Pro-tor will shoot a nuke weapon (an X-shaped mark appears
       on the ground to warn you).  When the shot hits the ground, there is a
       blast that expands outward a bit.  If it hits you, you're history.
       Several of these are fired in succession.
     - When it's about to die, it will go into a desperation attack where it
       shoots out spreadshot bombs as well as a Lock-on laser of its own.
       Flutter around a bit to thwart Pro-tor's aim, while being sure to dodge
       the spread fire.  The tip-off here is when it appears you are circling
       around Pro-tor.

  Dis-Human
     It is the boss you see in the 5th stage.  You may recognize it from the
     original RayForce.  Yes, the big green badarse is back in 3D glory and
     generally uses similar attacks.  


===============================================================================
EXTRA BOSS:
  If you meet certain conditions, you will fight an additional boss "Infinity".
There are two endings, by the way.  You must get Infinity to come out and then
destroy it if you want to see the good one.

PlayStation version: Defeat Dis-Human using fewer than 5 continues.

Arcade version: Not sure yet.  If you know, please email me and you will
                be credited.  I beat the game once using ONLY ONE continue,
                and Infinity did not show up.  I still got the bad ending
                which says "Are we supposed to be destroyed?".  Maybe you are
                supposed to do it with NO continues?

If you didn't meet the criteria, the game is completed when Dis-Human goes down
and you will see the bad ending.  Try again!
===============================================================================
POST GAME SUMMARY:

  When you finish a game by killing the last boss or refusing a continue, the
data screen appears showing your game summary and best score.  If you destroyed
the last boss, the ending and credits will appear before this.

  If you beat your best High Score entry, it will show "NEW RECORD" on the
screen.  Various data are shown such as the game-end Encroachment percentage,
the network condition at the end of each stage, the Lock-on Shootdown
percentage, etc.
===============================================================================
POCKETSTATION SUPPORT: "Pocket-Ray" Minigame (Home Version Only)

  If you have the PocketStation, then a game called "PocketRay" will be
available.  Using Lock-on attacks, you are to keep the enemies from escaping
the screen. 

  To download the mini-game to your PocketStation, put it into Memory Card
slot #1.  It takes 14 blocks to install.  You move the targeting sight with
the directional keys and hit Enter to fire the Lock-on laser.  If too many
enemies escape, the game is over.

===============================================================================
SOUNDTRACK INFO:

The original Arcade soundtrack is released by Taito's Zuntata Records division.

ZTTL-0034 "RayCrisis"  Retail Price: JPY 2,550 
 Music Composed by:
   Tamayo Kawamoto (Zuntata)
 Produced by:
   Hiroshige Tonomura (Zuntata)
 Directed by:
   Tamayo Kawamoto
 Recording Engineered by:
   Munehiro Nakanishi (Zuntata)
 Mastering Engineered by:
   Hidekazu Sakai (Sony Music Entertainment Inc.)
 Recording Studio at ZTT Studio
 Art Directed:
   Hiroshige Tonomura & Tamayo Kawamoto
 Jacket Designed by:
   Munehiro Nakanishi
 Graphic Designed by:
   Tatsuo Okawa, Kensaku Nagao (INTFC CG Inc.)
 Production Coordinated by:
   Koji Kurosaki (Zuntata Records)
 Special Thanks to:
   Yoshiaki Hosoda (Sony Music Communications Inc.)
   Taito CP Section
   Taito AV Section
   Taito Public Relations & Advertising Section
 Executive Produced by:
   Koichi Nakamura (Taito Corp.)

Tracks: 01 "Or can it be said that her behavior is a crime?" (attraction)
        02 "The models" (waiting)
        03 "There is no sence unless everything is arranger completely"
            (player select)
        04 "Lavande bleu" (story 1 bgm)
        05 "Vit-symty" (story 2 bgm)
        06 "Non-sentimentalisme" (story 3 bgm)
        07 "Son dessein" (story 4 bgm)
        08 "Blood and tide" (continue)
        09 "Formless living bodies" (last boss type A)
        10 "Root of all evil" (last boss type B)
        11 "All is shut down" (ending type A)
        12 "There are no nails at my tiptoe" (ending type B)
        13 "Love is not enough" (game over)
        14 "All is shut down" (complete version, ending type A)

 An arranged soundtrack is also available.  It is entitled "Raycrisis: Rayons
de l'Air".  The remixed tunes are in a slightly different order than on the
arcade soundtrack.  It too costs JPY 2,550 and its item number is ZTTL-0041.

Tracks: 01 "Lavande bleu"
        02 "Or, can it be said that her behavior is a crime?"
        03 "The models"
        04 "There is no sence unless everything is arranger completely"
        05 "Non sentimentalisme"
        06 "Son dessein"
        07 "Blood and tide"
        08 "Formless living bodies"
        09 "Root of all evil"
        10 "There are no nails at my tiptoe"
        11 "Love is not enough"
        12 "Vit-symty"
        13 "All is shut down"

Some remixes have vocals (the remix of "Lavande bleu" has French lyrics,
"Vit-symty" has lyrics in English, etc.)  The remixed tracks are not available
in the PSX version of RayCrisis.
=============================================================================== 
 
SHOUT-OUTS (The Credits):
  If you supply me any information that is used in this FAQ, you're going to
be credited here.  Corrections are welcome as well, if something is wrong.
NOTE: Your email address will be kept PRIVATE.

Taito Corporation, for the lock-on point multiplier breakdowns found in the
 Sony PlayStation version's manual, and for making RayCrisis an awesome game!
 Taito also gets credit for the boss names (found in the PSX version).  The
 quotes beside the ASCII art at the top of the FAQ were from Taito as well.

Zuntata Records, a division of Taito Corporation, for information on their
 RayCrisis soundtrack CD and the arranged version "Raycrisis: Rayons de L'Air."  

Working Designs, for the release info of their US localization of the Sony
 PlayStation version.  Thank you for allowing more people a chance to check out
 this game.

Jeff Veasey of Game FAQs ( gamefaqs.com ) for hosting a great FAQ site.

You, for checking my FAQ out.  Thanks!


===============================================================================
  This FAQ publication is (C) Steven Ives 2000.  All Rights Reserved.
  Breaking the Copyright is a prosecutable offense subject to applicable
  civil & criminal penalties.

  Taito Corporation is the sole owner of all copyrights and trademarks that
  are relevant to RayCrisis or the Taito G-Net Arcade System.  Any other trade
  marks are the properties of their respective owners.

   Last note: If you find something out about the game that I've not covered
    in this FAQ, I'd like to hear about it.  Please give me any comments or
    suggestions you may have as well.
    
  saives@gameoverdude.com          www.gameoverdude.com
===============================================================================