Help beating the volcano tank boss

help a new player...

I just got the game last Friday, and I've spent the last day or so trying in vain to beat the tank in the volcano level (the boss you meet after getting the second ship and the beam gun). I've discovered that it is vulnerable from the back, but I'm having problems staying alive long enough to get in more than one or two hits before either it shoots me or I'm overwhelmed by the mines. Are there any tricks to it? Thanks!

It's helpful to just run right around behind it and unload all your missiles at his weakpoint. If you can do that, then a few jabs with the beam should take him down.

This post has been edited by PiSketch : 20 March 2007 - 04:22 PM

He's a hard one alright. Your best bet is to get right up to it's weak point the second your in the door, and keep your finger on the Missile fire button and Normal fire button. You should be able to destroy him after a few tries if you use this method. Good luck fellow Sketchfighter!

EDIT:

I solute you Pi, the fastest on the draw as always. :laugh:

This post has been edited by Silverwind : 20 March 2007 - 04:28 PM

Thanks guys... I've given it another few tries and haven't gotten him, but I'll keep at it... I knocked him down to 1/3 health which is the best I've done so far. If he would just stop moving for a second or two ...

This post has been edited by moose14 : 20 March 2007 - 04:48 PM

@ Silver: Thanks, but i think it's just that i spend waaaaay too much time checking the boards...

@ Moose: There's the riskey but effective tatic of luring him into the lower left. If you can get him to back into there, he'll be stuck for some time. Of course, to do anything you need to be in there too, and you need to kill him faster then he can drop mines and take you out.

This post has been edited by PiSketch : 20 March 2007 - 05:28 PM

I guess I'm not really sure I follow what you mean by leading him into the lower left... the corner down there's pretty much like all of the others... I've kept at it but still can't beat the guy. I did go and get the Racetrack upgrade that I had somehow neglected to get earlier, but it didn't seem to help much...

The lower left is the corner with the door, right? If you can get him to back into it he gets stuck.

Yeah, okay... how exactly do you go about getting him there and stuck?

@moose14, on Mar 22 2007, 01:15 AM, said in Help beating the volcano tank boss:

Yeah, okay... how exactly do you go about getting him there and stuck?

I find not doing anything will do it... But that boss seems to behave differently for me than for other people.

The tank will generally try to track you while staying a certain distance away. Using that you should be able to manuver it around the field.

After not playing the game for a few weeks, I've come back and still can't beat the sucker...

Did you pick up the beam? It can help against this boss. Also, the way it turns is entirely predictable: if you're left (relative to it) of his symmetry axis, it will turn left, if you're right of this axis it'll turn right. So if you cross that axis behind it it will suddenly change its turning direction which won't help hitting its weak point, so try to stay behind it the same side of this axis so that it will keep turning in the same direction and you can follow its movement and keep firing at it. Fire the beam to the weak point at the limit of its range (to avoid nasty surprises), help with a few missiles, don't hesitate to back away and come back if mines come up. Also, try to be behind it as soon as possible in the battle, any time you spend in front of it is not only a waste of time, but also very dangerous.