Serious Sam: The First Encounter

Alright, welcome back to Serious Sam! This next section of the guide is going to cover Part 2 of the game. We'll be diving into the weapons, items, and the actual walkthrough for a bunch of levels. Think of this as your essential cheat sheet to get through the tougher parts and find all the goodies.

What's Covered in Part 2:

• All the health and armor pickups you'll find.
• A full rundown of every weapon available.
• Detailed walkthroughs for Levels 1 through 13, including secret levels.

Let's get started by looking at what you can pick up to keep yourself alive and kicking.

Items

First off, let's talk about keeping Sam alive. You'll be finding a lot of different health and armor pickups scattered throughout the levels. Knowing what each one does is key to managing your resources, especially when things get hectic.

• +25 Health Bottle: Your standard health refill.
• +50 Health Box: A more substantial health boost.
• +100 Health Heart: The biggest health pickup you'll find.
• +1 Health Shard: A small health boost, often found in multiples.
• +10 Armor: A small amount of armor to soak up some damage.
• +25 Armor: A decent chunk of armor.
• +50 Armor: A good amount of armor to keep you protected.
• +100 Armor: The max armor pickup, great for tough spots.
• +1 Armor Shard: A small armor refill, similar to health shards.
• Shells: Ammo for your shotguns.
• Bullets: Ammo for your pistols and submachine guns.
• Rockets: Ammo for your rocket launcher.
• Grenades: Ammo for your grenade launcher.
• Cells: Ammo for your lasergun and minigun.

Weapons

Now for the fun part – the tools of destruction! Serious Sam throws a ton of awesome weapons at you, each with its own strengths. Make sure you know what you're carrying and when to use it.

• Schofield .45 w/TMAR: Your starting pistol. Reliable but not super powerful.
• Military Knife: Your close-quarters melee weapon. Use it when you're really desperate or want to save ammo.
• 12 Gauge Pump Action Shotgun: A classic. Great for close-range encounters, especially against groups.
• M1-A2 Thompson Submachine Gun: Good for laying down suppressing fire and dealing with multiple enemies at medium range.
• XPML21 Rocket Launcher: Your heavy hitter. Excellent against tougher enemies and large groups, but ammo can be scarce.
• Double Barrel Coach Gun: A more powerful, slower-firing shotgun. Devastating up close.
• MKIII Grenade Launcher: Lob explosive projectiles. Good for clearing out rooms or hitting enemies behind cover.
• XL2 Lasergun: Fires a continuous beam of energy. Great for sustained damage and cutting through enemies.
• XM214-A Minigun: Unleash a hail of bullets. Perfect for when you need to mow down a horde.
• SBC Cannon: The ultimate power weapon. Deals massive damage, but ammo is extremely rare. Use it wisely!

Walkthrough Introduction

This is where the real action begins. Part 2 of the walkthrough covers a significant chunk of the game, taking you through some iconic Egyptian locales. Get ready to face hordes of enemies and solve environmental puzzles.

• Hatshepsut Temple - Level 1
• Sand Canyon - Level 2
• Tomb Of Ramses - Level 3
• Valley Of The Kings - Level 4
• Moon Mountains - Secret Level (Keep an eye out for hidden paths!)
• Oasis - Level 5
• Dunes - Level 6
• Suburbs - Level 7
• Sewers - Level 8
• Metropolis - Level 9
• Alley of the Sphinxes - Level 10
• Karnak - Level 11
• Luxor - Level 12
• Sacred Yards - Secret Level (Another chance for hidden goodies!)
• The Great Pyramid - Level 13

That covers the scope of Part 2. We'll be going level by level, detailing enemy encounters, item locations, and any tricky puzzles or secrets you might stumble upon. Stick with this guide, and you'll be blasting through these levels in no time!

Alright, let's get into Part 3 of our Serious Sam walkthrough. This section is going to cover a few different things to get you fully prepped before you really start blasting through those hordes. We'll touch on the game's story, how to get the game installed and running, and a quick look at the main menu.

The Story...

So, the setup for Serious Sam is pretty wild. It's the dawn of the 21st century, and humanity stumbles upon ruins of an ancient, super-advanced civilization buried deep beneath the sands. This discovery leads us to explore the far reaches of the universe, and things seem almost too good to be true.

Then, BAM! In 2104, everything goes south. A massive alien invasion kicks off, with countless monsters pouring in from another dimension. Earth's forces fight hard, but they're getting overwhelmed, losing planet after planet as the alien menace pushes back towards our solar system.

Amidst all this chaos, Sam 'Serious' Stone becomes a legend. He's this incredibly brave soldier who's taken a beating countless times but never stayed down. He's the symbol of Earth's resistance, but even he can't stop the tide alone. With Earth under direct attack and annihilation staring us in the face, world leaders have one last desperate hope: the 'Time-Lock'.

This is an ancient artifact, a relic from a long-lost race, that can send one person back in time. And who's the obvious choice? You guessed it – Serious Sam. He's humanity's final hope, tasked with jumping back to the past to rewrite history and save everyone from a galaxy-purging evil.

Installing Serious Sam

Getting the game installed is pretty straightforward. Here’s how you do it:

1. First off, make sure you quit out of all other applications. Then, pop the Serious Sam CD into your CD-ROM drive.
2. Quick Tip for Windows 98 users: To make sure everything is closed down tight, press CTRL+ALT+DELETE. Then, select 'End Task' for every program listed except for SYSTRAY and EXPLORER. This really helps prevent installation issues.
3. Normally, the installation screen should pop up automatically. If it doesn't (maybe autoplay is off), don't worry. Just double-click the 'My Computer' icon on your desktop, then double-click your CD-ROM drive (it's usually D: or E:), and finally, double-click 'setup.exe' to kick things off.
4. Just follow the instructions that appear on your screen.
5. If the game prompts you to reboot, go ahead and do that.

Note on Autoplay: If you want to make sure autoplay works for future installs, here’s how to enable it:

• Click 'Start', then 'Settings', then 'Control Panel'.
• Find and double-click the 'System' icon (it looks like a computer).
• In the box that pops up, click the 'Device Manager' tab.
• Look for 'CDROM' in the list. You might need to double-click it or click the little plus sign next to it to expand it.
• Double-click the name of your CDROM drive. A Properties box will appear.
• At the top of this box, click the 'Settings' tab.
• Make sure the box next to 'Auto insert notification' has a checkmark in it.
• Click 'OK', and reboot if prompted.

Main Menu

Once you get the game loaded up, you'll be greeted by the main menu. From here, you can jump into the action. The primary option you'll be looking at is 'Single Player', which is where you'll start your journey through the campaign.

A Note on Sound and Music

Seriously, the sound design in this game is fantastic. You'll hear those Kamikazi guys screaming their lungs out long before they're anywhere near you, which is both terrifying and awesome. And when the action really heats up, especially against bosses or huge waves of enemies, a killer heavy metal track kicks in. It perfectly matches the chaos and really amps up the intensity. It’s a big part of what makes the game so much fun.

Multiplayer Thoughts

The multiplayer is pretty standard stuff. You've got your classic Deathmatch, which is always fun for some quick fragging. The Cooperative mode is also a blast – my workmate and I got pretty far in it before he decided to rocket-jump me into oblivion! Still, it’s incredibly enjoyable. While a team game like Capture The Ankh or a built-in server browser would have been nice additions, the Co-op as it is offers a ton of fun.

Overall Impression

When all is said and done, Serious Sam is just a pure, enjoyable kill-fest. It’s the kind of game that’ll numb your finger from all the shooting, but definitely not your mind. If this were a formal review, it'd be a solid 9.5 out of 10 from me.

Recommendation

BUY THIS GAME! Seriously, it's an absolute blast.

SloDeth's Additions

I have to echo the sentiment about the sheer number of enemies. While I love mowing down hordes, sometimes it really does feel like 'Goddamn, enough is enough!'. However, the game is priced really well. If it were more expensive, I might hesitate, but at around $20, it's absolutely worth every single penny.

This section covers various game modes, difficulty settings, and the NETRICSA interface in Serious Sam: The First Encounter.

Game Modes:

• Network: Set up and play multiplayer games.
• Split Screen: Start a 1-4 player game on the same computer.
• Demo: View or record pre-recorded demos.
• Mods: Activate installed modifications (MOD's).
• High Scores: View the High Score table.
• Options: Configure game settings and computer specifications.

Single Player Difficulty Level Differences:

• Tourist Mode: For new or occasional FPS players. Enemies are slow, less intelligent, easier to kill, and deal less damage. Few spawns.
• Easy Mode: For players new to FPS games. Enemies are fairly slow, not very bright, easy to kill, and deal low damage. Some spawns.
• Normal Mode: For experienced FPS players. Enemies have moderate speed, intelligence, strength, and damage. A good number of spawns.
• Hard Mode: For long-time FPS players seeking a challenge. Enemies are fast, smart, tough to kill, and deal significant damage. Many spawns.
• Serious Mode: For dedicated FPS players. Enemies are faster than the player, extremely intelligent, difficult to kill, and deal tremendous damage. Near-constant spawns.

NETRICSA (NEuroTRonically Implanted Combat Simulation Analyzer):

NETRICSA is a computer implanted in Sam's skull, providing combat data and analysis. It connects to his brain's perceptual cortexes, offering feedback on audio-visual experiences. It translates texts, displays information on a heads-up-display (HUD), tracks targets, and aids in tactics.

NETRICSA Interface:

• Heads-Up-Display (HUD): Active during gameplay, showing ARMOR and HEALTH (lower left), CURRENT WEAPON and AMMUNITION (next to health), ammo icons and bars (far right), SCORE (upper left), and MESSAGE COUNTER (upper right) when new messages are available.
• Target Detection Display (Center Screen): A CROSSHAIR indicates where your weapon will hit. It changes color based on target state: WHITE (no target), GREEN (new enemy), RED (damaged enemy).
• USE Indicator: Appears above the crosshair when targeting usable items (like switches) or items for analysis. Press the USE BUTTON to interact. Analyzing items provides research results via a new message.
• Fullscreen NETRICSA: Invoked by double-clicking the USE BUTTON. Displays four windows:
  • CATEGORY SELECTION (Upper Left): Buttons for Tactical Data, Strategic Data, Weapons, Enemies, and Statistics.
  • MESSAGE LIST (Upper Right): Lists messages in the selected category.
  • MESSAGE TEXT (Lower Right): Displays the message content.
  • MESSAGE IMAGE (Lower Left): Shows any attached visual information.

You can exit fullscreen NETRICSA by clicking EXIT, pressing ESCAPE, or pressing the RIGHT MOUSE BUTTON.