Metro High School

Metro Highs stage starts off with a common beginning, then offers a 
choice of three paths.  These three paths lead to a common area that 
presents two potential final paths.

-Start- 

The Metro High stage starts in the gym of the high school.  As the race 
begins, doors open on the far end of the gym and players run a short 
distance through the main hall leading to the exit.  There are no enemies 
in the hallway but halfway down is the door to schools confiscation 
office.  Players willing to suffer a slight delay can make a stop at the 
office and obtain a randomly determined weapon (this is the big city - 
the schools pretty much confiscated every weapon imaginable).  Weapon 
deployment takes about five seconds and is handled one at a time - 
players arriving late with have to wait for those already in line to be 
served before obtaining their own weapon.  Players who have their 
weapon or opt to pass on the free powerup only need to travel a short 
distance to the schools main exit.

Once players leave the school the fun can begin.  The school exit opens 
right onto the Metro streets and players are immediately thrust into the 
skyscraper laden downtown area.  Oddly enough players wont find any 
cars on the main drag of the Metro High stage but they will randomly run 
into the following enemies: Street Thug, Punk Rocker, Senile Old Woman, 
The Phat Fatty, Policeman, Mad Dog, Mimes (A,B,C), Pigeon Army.  These 
enemies appear randomly and follow their traditional groupings and 
weapon tendencies.  

As players leave the school they travel for a moderate distance 
(suffering only the odd interference of random enemies) before 
discovering the reason that the streets are so deserted.   It seems that 
some bonehead scheduled the Battle School Fighters Marathon for the same 
day as the annual Metro City Marathon!  And said bonehead plotted the 
BS:FM course to run opposite the MCM course.  As players enter this 
section waves of generic looking marathon runners stream out from the 
front of the screen.  The MCM runners appear individually, in clusters, 
in strings  anything goes and theres no rhyme or reason to their 
groupings.  

The only given in this equation is that there are always two or three 
clear paths that run between the oncoming rush of MCM runners.  Players 
have to try to steer for the clear channels to avoid contact with the 
hordes of MCM runners.  Players unable to avoid the MCM runners will be 
slowed to a crawl when the MCM runners come in contact with them (and 
with the runners traveling in strings and groups that can mean a 
significant delay).  Players can hew out their own channels by attacking 
the MCM runners  one hit will cause a runner to fall back; any other 
runners a falling runner touches will go down as well (i.e. dominos).  
The immediate downside to this approach is that players have to stop 
moving to knock MCM runners down.  Theres a small chance that a fallen 
runner will drop a library card.  Players running over the card 
automatically pick it up  players obtaining a library card get a small 
card icon beneath their health gauge.  One or two random enemies might 
appear during the course of the MCM section  they are also subject to 
the slowing effects of the MCM hordes.

The MCM marathon rush lasts for a moderate distance before drying up 
(no stragglers here!).  Beyond the MCM section players are treated to a 
stretch of open road passing through Metros business sector.  As the 
players advance and fend off baddies they are faced with their first 
choice of paths.  About half way through the adjoining section players 
can find a large glass elevator attached to the outside of an office 
building.    The elevator will take characters to Path B; players 
continuing past the elevator remain on Path A.

Path A  Legitimate business and the American Pastime 

Shortly after passing the elevator players will find out that Metro City 
doesnt like punks interfering with its marathon event.  A group of four 
Bicycle Cops will appear from the back of the screen and make a beeline 
for the players.  The Cops will attempt to knock players over with their 
bikes so they can jump down and administer a MCPD style beatdown.  While 
the Bicycle Cops are not invulnerable the combination of their punishing 
attack power and copious life make flight the most advisable option.  
Further escape incentive comes from the fact that almost all the random 
enemies have vamoosed now that the cops have showed up.  

Unfortunately for fleeing players this smooth sailing doesnt last for 
long.  Shortly after the chase begins, players run into a section where 
workman are ferrying large panes of glass across the street.  Once the 
players reach this area the Cops shift into formation and attempt to 
herd the players forward.  The glass panes are of assorted lengths and 
are being moved across the street at various speeds and directions 
(although the workman always move perpendicular to the general forward 
direction of the stage).  The panes are tall enough that most players are 
unable to leap over them  only characters with the maximum jump rank 
could clear a pane and even then success depends on impeccable timing.  
Players can run through the panes but doing so causes moderate damage and 
will stagger the injured character for a moment.  Opportunistic players 
can advantage of this by knocking opponents through the glass panes with 
a well-timed attack, leaving them damaged and prone for police brutality.  

Players have to try and navigate this shifting maze at speed while 
straining to avoid the constant press of the Bicycle Cops.  As if this 
wasnt hard enough this section seems to be a favorite hangout for Mimes 
A, B, and C.  These troublemakers will frequently appear during this 
segment and wreak havoc with their antics (it should be noted that the 
Bicycle Cops are also effected by Mime Chicanery).  All together the 
pane section is slightly shorter than the MCM section.  As the last pane 
of glass passes off the screen one the Bicycle Cops will lose control of 
his bike and cause the whole formation to smash together.  The resulting 
Cop pretzel will fly by the players and crash into a street vendor 
wheeling his cart across the street.  The crash wipes out the vendors 
cart and causes Beer, Donut, and Gatorade items to spread across the 
field, allowing players to regain some of the stamina they expended 
running from the Cops.  If the players somehow managed to KO all four 
Bicycle Cops before this section ends then the vendor will not appear.

Just before the pane section ends a third route can be accessed.  At the 
very bottom of the screen players can find a set of stairs descending 
down to the Metro City subway line.  Players opting to take Path C need 
to be quick about outmaneuvering the glass panes (or just eat some 
damage by bursting through) in order to get to the station without 
taking a whooping from Metro Citys finest.  Needless to say, players 
passing the subway station will continue along Path A.

As players leave the glass pane section they hear an odd mechanical 
buzzing sound.  As the sound draws closer the players find out that the 
source is a fleet of street sweepers (someone has to clean up all that 
broken glass and marathon debris).  The sweeper fleeter quickly closes 
rank around the players and covers all four edges of the screen with 
their whirling brushes.  Anyone coming in contact with the street 
sweepers brush will take moderate damage and is thrown to the ground in 
the center of the screen.  The brushes will hit both standing players 
and players on the ground.  Unfortunately for the players, street 
sweepers arent the fastest of machines (they move at a rate slightly 
below a *** speed ranking) and most characters will have to slow down to 
avoid coming into contact with the sweepers.  The sweepers are too high 
to be jumped over, so players caught in the center have no choice but to 
weather the storm.

As players crawl along with the sweeper formation they are free to fight 
amongst themselves and try to knock each other into the brushes for 
extra damage.  Potential brawlers should be warned that characters 
thrown back by the brushes will knock down any other players they come 
in contact with.  Players hit by thrown characters take no damage but 
are prone to being hit by the brushes themselves as they recover.  To 
make matters worse, Street Thugs and Phat Fatties will occasionally leap 
off passing streetlights and harass the enclosed players (the Fattys 
stomps are particularly troublesome in this area).  Enemies are also 
vulnerable to the effects of the sweeper brushes.

The cleaning effort continues for a moderate distance before the sweepers 
break up and disappear off screen.  Players now enjoy a brief stretch of 
open roadway with only sporadic appearances by stage enemies.  Its 
during this bit of respite that players pass the Metro City Library.  
Any players who obtained a library card during the MCM segment can stop 
in the library and checked out a randomly selected book powerup.  The 
library checkout process takes a few seconds  players are immune from 
harm while receiving their book.  

Further down the path things take an ominous turn as players approach a 
pair of cars parked at the top and bottom of the screen; any remaining 
enemies will hightail it off screen as soon as the players reach this 
section.  Players will come to understand the wisdom of this decision 
once they pass the cars  they have stumbled right into the middle of a 
mob war gunfight!  This section is littered by well-dressed mobsters 
firing handguns at each other.  The majority of the mobsters skirt the 
outside of the screen but youll find the odd Mafioso traveling the 
center of the screen.  The mobsters completely ignore the players and 
seem incapable of hitting each other but are quite capable of hitting 
players with their stray gunfire.  

Players have to try to make it through this section without get destroyed 
by stray bullets.  There is no pattern to the gunfire; bullets just fly 
all over the area.  The players best bet is just run through the 
section and hope luck is on their side.  Anyone hit by gunfire will take 
medium damage and get knocked to the floor.  The players cannot harm the 
gangsters but can knock them down with an attack.  The downside to this 
technique is that a knocked down mobster will shoot directly at the 
offending player once he regains his feet, thus greatly increasing the 
chance of the player getting hit.  As players flee the resulting chaos 
they may come across a Professional Assistance powerup.  

The mob war section is mercifully short and ends when the players come 
across a blockade of cars preventing further passage down the road.  
Anyone who gets too close to the blockade will be surprised as several 
gangsters pop up behind the vehicles and open fire with Tommy guns.  The 
Tommy guns have a high chance of hitting players and do a great deal of 
damage  anyone attempting to force their way past the blockade will be 
quickly KOed.  The only means of escape appears to be a large doorway 
at the top of the screen leading into a large rounded building.  

As players enter the doorway they find themselves inside Metro Dome  
home of the Metro City Maulers, the citys world-renowned baseball team.  
Actually, players arent so much inside as they are on the field.  
Specifically on first base.  In the middle of a game.

As players take their place on the field the camera pulls back a bit, 
revealing all four bases and most of the outfield.  The only exit 
visible on field is a large archway located behind home plate.  Players 
can move within the line between home and first but will quickly 
discover that they cant advance beyond first base; any attempt to do so 
will cause a baseball umpire to appear and knock the player back to 
first base (causing mild damage in the process).  Likewise, any attempts 
to cross home plate will result in umpire assisted relocation (and 
significant fan booing).  Players cant hurt or avoid the umpires  their 
shove back attack overpowers all player actions.  

The only way for players to reach the exit is to advance along the bases.  
And in accordance with the rules of the game the only way to advance is 
to hope that the Mauler at bat gets a base hit.  Players on base have to 
wait as the batter takes pitches  for every pitch thrown there is a 
possibility that the player will get a hit.  All hits by the batter will 
give the players an opportunity to run (there are no pop fly outs).  The 
strength and direction of each hit is randomly determined  players have 
to decide whether or not to risk running for the next base.  It is 
possible to reach multiple bases if the batter gets a deep hit and/or 
the player has a high speed ranking.  Players can slide to the base 
while running by hitting the jump and R3 buttons simultaneously.  

If players reach the next base before the outfielder gets the ball to 
the baseman in question than they hold that base (and are now limited to 
movement between that base and the previous base).  Players still 
running when the ball gets to the baseman are declared out and will be 
forcibly bounced back to first base by the umpire (regardless of what 
base they were on or approaching).  Being called out not only delays the 
player, it also deals out a fair amount of damage  so dont get greedy 
in your base running!

While waiting for the batter to swing players have ample time to fight 
amongst themselves.  During this waiting period fans in the stands will 
throw items on field for the players to use (generally food items or 
broken bottles).  The baseball section lasts until players reach home; 
anyone crossing home plate can take the exit and progress to the final 
section of the Metro High Stage.

Path B  Reach the top of the corporate world

The first player to enter the elevator will hit the up button.  From 
this point the elevator doors will stay open for about one minute; any 
additional players who wish to take Path B need to make it into the 
elevator before the door closes or they will be forced to wait for the 
elevator to come back down (a process that takes several minutes).  Once 
the doors close any players inside the elevator will be whisked up the 
side of the building.  It takes the elevator a minute or two to reach 
its destination so players have plenty of time to fight it out in close 
quarters.  The glass sides of the elevator can be broken via repeated 
attacks or players hitting the sides (an attack string causes 50% damage 
to the glass; characters thrown against the side causes 33% damage  the 
glass breaks once 100% is reached).  If the glass is broken by a player 
being knocked into it, said player will fall out of the elevator and 
take moderate damage when they hit the street below.  Players knocked 
out the elevator have to wait for it to return or can proceed along Path 
A.  Once the glass is broken, anyone can be knocked off the elevator 
with similar results.

Eventually the elevator reaches the top floor and opens onto the 
buildings penthouse office suite.  As the players exit the elevator 
they are confronted by the fearful denizens of the office world: 
Corporate Raiders, Middle Management, and Mailroom Zombies.  These 
white-collar warriors will ruthlessly attack the intruding players with 
attach cases, interoffice mail, and an occasional copy machine!  
Players have to avoid or fend off the button down baddies as they make a 
run for the opposite end of the office.

The far side of the office ends in a wall featuring three huge windows.  
Fortunately for the BS:FM participants the windows are all open to let 
in a nice breeze.  In order to progress with the race players will have 
to choose a window and try to jump to an office in the neighboring 
building.  Jumping across the gap requires at least a *** jump ranking; 
players attempting the leap with less will plummet to the street below 
and take considerable damage.  Any players hitting the street are forced 
to continue the race along Path A.  It is possible for players to knock 
each other out of the windows and onto the street below.

As players jump the gap they will soon discover that only one of the 
corresponding offices windows is open!  Unfortunately for the players, 
they cant see the next building before jumping so they have to take a 
guess at which window to leap from.  Players who are lucky enough to 
choose the section with the corresponding open window will land in the 
adjacent office without a hitch and can continue on.  Players who choose 
the closed windows are not necessarily out of luck; they can break the 
window with a well time jump attack.  Players mistiming their attacks 
will bounce off the window and fall to the street.  If a player hits 
another player with their jump attack while shooting for the window, the 
attacked player will be knocked out of their jump and fall as well.  
Once the window is broken any subsequent players taking that route will 
pass through just as if the window was open all along.     

The adjacent office has its own group of office themed enemies and open 
windows.  Players continue along this way for an additional two office 
building before things get a little tougher.  After the third office the 
space between building increases a little and requires players to have a 
**** jump ranking or perfectly time their *** jump (a running jump 
executed just at the edge of the window).  Further complicating things 
is the fact that one of the adjacent closed windows now has a window 
washing platform on it.  Players who choose the window section with the 
washing platform will smack right into its side.  Hitting the platform 
causes players to fall; they can save themselves if they hit R3 just as 
they hit the platform.  A successful save attempt causes the player to 
grab onto the platform and hang from it; they can pull themselves up by 
rapidly hitting the jump button.  Once players pull themselves up, they 
can break the window from the platform and proceed.  Players hanging on 
the platform can act as a stepping-stone for another player leaping the 
same section.  If the second player reaches the platform before the 
first player pulls themselves up, the second player will land onto the 
hanging players head; knocking them off the platform.  The second player 
will be left standing on the platform; they can break the window and 
proceed.  

The office section continues for another four buildings.  Leaping from 
the final set of windows causes players to jump down to a nearby stretch 
of freeway.  As players reach the freeway, they each land on top of a 
moving car (initially each player lands on a separate car).  Players 
attempting this section must make sure that they stay on a car  anyone 
falling off and hitting the street with take considerable damage and 
will bounce off the freeway and crash into the Gang Warfare section of 
Path A.  Keeping ones footing is harder than it sounds though - the 
cars on the freeway move around at various speeds, frequently shoot on 
and off screen, take exits, or even crash!  Players are forced to leap 
from car to car in an attempt to navigate this ever-changing mass of 
vehicles.  Anyone still standing on a vehicle when it leaves the screen 
or crashes will fall off.  Vehicles that are about to leave the screen 
or crash usually give a brief hint of their behavior before taking 
action (i.e. car speeds up suddenly, turn signal comes on, driver lays 
on the horn and/or flashes highbeams). 

More than one player can ride a car at one time  daring participants 
can leap onto an opponents ride and try to knock them to the street.  
Unfortunately for the players Metro City residents really dont care for 
people standing on their vehicles.  While the freeway section is in 
effect, drivers will occasionally throw random items at the players.  
Players hit with thrown items take minor damage and are staggered for a 
brief second.  Quick players can grab the items for their own use (and 
avoid damage) by attacking the item just as it arrives.  The freeway 
section continues for a moderate distance before exiting onto the road 
just beyond the Metro Dome.

Path C  - The Seamy Underside

Players opting for the underground transit route descend onto a subway 
platform.  But nevermind waiting for a train  the BS:FM course dictates 
a leap onto the tracks below!  Players trying to travel along Path C are 
forced to wade into the darkness of the subway tunnels.  The tunnels 
consist of four sets of train tracks (two at the top of the screen and 
two at the bottom) separated by a line of consecutive support pillars.  
The tunnels themselves are largely uninhabited but participants will 
still run into the occasional Street Thug or Security Guard.  But it 
isnt these pests the players should be concerned with - the main threat 
in the subway is oncoming subway trains.

Periodically players will hear a train sound its horn.  The horn is 
quickly followed by an off-screen light suddenly shining on the end of 
one of the four tracks.  The occurrence of these warnings signs means 
that a subway train will momentarily be coming from the direction of the 
light!  Subway trains are very fast and will appear mere moments after 
the light appears.  Players on the track in question have to try their 
best to get out of the way before the train arrives.  Anyone hit by the 
train will take huge damage and be knocked to the floor for several 
seconds.  Initially only one train will appear at a time.  Halfway 
through the tunnel section the number of trains doubles and players are 
forced to contend with consecutive train appearances, concurrent train 
appearance, and even double train appearances!  Both tracks together 
cover the total available space on that part of the board  so anyone 
facing a double train onslaught better shoot for the gaps between pillars 
and try for the opposite side.

Players with an excellent jump (**** or better) can try to jump on top 
of a passing train.  The trains pass very quickly so this task is easier 
said then done.  Furthermore, players have to be sure to land on a train 
moving forward unless they wish to be whisked back to the being of the 
stage.  Players who hitch a ride on the train advance at an alarming 
rate (although not as fast as the train usually goes  the conductor 
takes it a little easier with outside passengers).  Surfing the train 
isnt a free ride  players have to avoid incoming ceiling beams in order 
to keep their tenuous perch.  Anyone hit by a beam takes a good deal of 
damage and is knocked off the train.  Detrained players are momentarily 
stunned after hitting the ground and are fair game for other players. 

The train section continues for a fair distance before the tracks curve 
upward and disappear into a tunnel at the top of the screen.  Players 
still riding a train need to jump off before reaching the tunnel or 
theyll slam into the entrance and take heavy damage.  Immediately 
beyond the tunnel entrance is an abandoned section of tunnel.  The 
abandoned area is blocked by a wooden partition and is protected by a 
small army of Security Guards.  Players need to jump over the partition 
(*** jump or better) or break it down (it can absorb a pair of attack 
strings) to advance.  The Security Guards will pursue players as they 
enter the off limits section.

As it turns out, the abandoned tunnel isnt quite as abandoned as theyd 
have you believe - the floor of this area is covered with sleeping hobos 
and their provisions (beer, cough syrup, lucky strikes).  The homeless 
wont bother players providing they dont run over them or pick up their 
items.  Anyone touching either man or item will cause the corresponding 
hobo to wake up and pursue the players in a ranting rage.  While its 
easy enough for players to plot a course around these sleeping beauties, 
pursuing security guards and the awakened homeless arent quite as 
careful and tend to end up waking up even more hobos.  Its quite 
possible that players will end up fleeing a sea of angry hobos.  And to 
make matters worse, one of the sleeping hobos is actually the dreaded 
Shin Mega Hobo!!  This wily bastard is totally invulnerable and will 
endlessly pursue players throughout the section.  SMHs placement is 
randomly determined and varies from game to game.

Hobos will chase after the players until they reach an old escalator 
leading to the surface.  Any hobos or security guards still pursuing at 
this point will give up and return to the tunnels.  The escalator leads 
players to just beyond the Metro Dome exit.  

Final Stretch:  One if by land; two if by sea

Players reaching the convergence point for Paths A, B, and C are treated 
to one of two paths  up toward the top of the screen or down toward the 
bottom.  

Lower Path  Players taking this route find themselves at the docks.  
The docks are little more than a large platform with a single pier 
stretching off to the right.  The pier is blocked by a gate and is 
guarded by a pair of burly police officers.  A large banner stretches 
across the back of the docks and states Take a trip to the BS:FM finish 
line!! Only $12.50 per person!! Exact change please.  

When the first player enters this section a clock appears at the top of 
the screen and starts counting down from the five-minute mark.   Players 
have until the clock hits zero to come up with the necessary money to 
buy a ticket.  Fortunately for players, the docks are populated by a 
large crowd of enemy characters (randomly selected from any human enemy 
in the game).  These opponents totally ignore the players and do little 
more than wander on and off screen in a never ending flow.  Players can 
KO any of these enemies with a single hit and cause them to drop a 
denomination of money.  Money appears in the following denominations  
nickel, dime, quarter, fifty cents piece, dollar bill, and five-dollar 
bill.  The actual denomination dropped is randomly determined  the 
enemy type has no bearing on the amount dropped.  Players running over 
these funds will pick them up  - any moneys obtained will be added to 
the characters total holdings and is shown underneath their health gauge.   

The tricky part of this section is coming up with exact change.  If a 
player is hit by another player while collecting money they will drop a 
randomly determined amount (one of the existing denominations).  Dropped 
moneys end up on the dock floor and are totally up for grabs.  Players 
who accidentally exceed $12.50 can drop all their money (in the original 
denominations collected) by hitting the R3 button.  Once a player has 
collected the correct amount they can go to the gate and buy their 
ticket.  Ticket holding players are taken off screen and have to wait 
until the clock hits zero before departing.  Any players who fail to 
collect sufficient funds before time runs out are forced to go back and 
try the Upper path.  

Players making the entrance fee are taken to a departing ferry.  Upon 
entering the vessel the participants are directed into a hallway 
decorated with BS:FM signs and posters.  Here players can find a table 
set up with a bevy of free stamina recovery items.  Best grab em while 
the gettings good  cause youre gonna need em.

Once snack time is over players are issued into the center of a huge 
room.  This room is decorated for the BS:FM contest and is packed wall 
to wall with screaming fans.  Upon entering the room players are 
immediately swarmed by mobs of BS:FM Fanatics.  Unfortunately for 
players the Fanatics clingy tendencies make them easy prey for the 
stages more serious enemies -  Police Officers, Security Guards, and 
even the odd Paratrooper.  These rigid bastards dont like their 
celebration ruined by disorder and will make every effort to get rid of 
the troublemakers causing it  - even if they are the reason for the 
celebration itself!  

It takes approximately five minutes for the ferry to reach the finish 
line area.  Players on the ferry have to hold off endless waves of 
enemies to make it off the boat alive.  Easier said then done.

Upper Path  The upper path leads to the old Metro City Bridge.  This 
rickety disaster is ready for demolition and as luck would have it that 
task is scheduled for today!  Players on the bridge dont have to deal 
with any enemies but have to worry about random explosions and 
collapsing sections of the bridge.  Anyone hit by an explosion take 
moderate damage and is stunned for a moment.  Anyone on a bridge section 
that collapses or who falls into a collapsed hole will plummet off the 
bridge and miraculously land on the BS:FM ferry (dont ask me how that 
works).  Players hitting the ferry will land in the center room, take 
moderate damage, and be stunned for a few moments (leaving them quite 
vulnerable to the ferrys aggressive enemies).  

The bridge section is fairly long and demands a brisk pace from the 
players (explosions seem to congregate behind the players).  Players 
can slightly anticipate the collapsing sections by taking note of the 
way they sink and crack before falling through.  Players making across 
the bridge are ushered to the final section.

Finish Line (at last!)

Both the Upper and Lower path terminate at the same point  an empty 
stretch of screen leading to the finishing line!  First player to drag 
what remains of their carcass across the line wins!

Design Notes:  Like most big cities, the Metro BS:FM stage offers a ton 
of different things to see and do.  And like most big cities, it can be 
quite harsh and punishing.  The three main paths offer avenues for 
different types of characters.  Path A is the longest and slowest route 
but offers the safest path for average characters.  Path B is decidedly 
shorter but offers significant threat and is best suited for quick and 
agile leapers.  Path C is by far the shortest but is quite risky for 
players with low life rankings.  Similarly, the ferry favors strong 
fighters while the bridge is for runners.  Success (or should I say 
survival) in this stage is contingent on selecting the best route for 
your character.  On the other hand, the stage offers significant 
challenge for those players who wish to try a tougher path and test 
their skills.

Creator: Apathy Wind