Games PC FEAR-STRATEGY User Manual

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In F.E.A.R., you find yourself trapped in an office complex full of assas­sins and a supernatural horror that dogs your every move. You must
rely on your instincts and cunning to make it out of here alive.

F.E.A.R. follows the exploits of the First Encounter Assault Recon
team, an elite force tasked with cleaning up messes that possibly
have origins beyond the fringe. You are a highly-trained soldier given
full access to a vast arsenal of weaponry (including some high tech

gear that will blow your
mind). In addition, you also
have full clearance to use
any means necessary to stop
your enemy.

The only catch in F.E.A.R.
is that you know little about
your opposition, save for its
terrifying ability to kill. To put
it bluntly, something has

gone awry. It seems that Fettel, a psychic commander, has caused an
uprising, making short work of his minders and overrunning a secret
complex with mind-controlled clones. His agenda is a mystery and his
methods are...extreme. That's where F.E.A.R. comes in. You haven't
spent any time in the field with the team, but it's up to you to get down
there and put a stop to the situation. They may not have much confi­dence in your experience but at least one teammate thinks you can

get the job done. Now you just have to prove it....

Fearful Features

F.E.A.R. certainly capitalizes on its name. Developer Monolith's goal is
to create an experience that transcends the traditional first-person
shooter. There is certainly no shortage of action, but the infusion of
horror movie elements serves to heighten the tension and drama that
unfold alongside the spiraling plot.

In order to create the atmosphere of dread, Monolith is employing
some tricks from the classics of horror cinema. Sound plays a particu­larly large role. A droning soundtrack inspires dread—creating the ulti­mate in mood-setting music. Distorted voices linger in far-off hall­ways, confusing you as to where you think it originated from. Was that
the sound of a tormented man in his last moments of agony? Or the
giggling of an innocent child? Aural tricks like these keep you on your
toes, and turning up the volume on your PC ensures that you absorb
every last bit of the tension.

The visuals work in tandem with the audio to further

intensify the madness. The sights you see are not always real,

so you cannot completely trust your eyes. Why is there a lake of

blood on the ceiling? Did you really just see that little girl round

the corner, only to vanish into thin air moments before you catch

up with her? Even your on-screen head's-up display (HUD)

flickers in and out of view, furthering the mind-tweak.

Sometimes the best chills come from straight-up

horror, and F.E.A.R. has no shortage of this. Your ene-

mies have long since left the realm of the sane

behind, and it appears that some of them aren't

even human anymore. They attack with

frightening skill and in dizzyingly erratic

patterns. Just when you think you have

a bead on a foe, it rethinks its strategy.

The thrill-ride that is F.E.A.R.

ships this fall, but to whet your

appetite for destruction, mayhem, and
otherworldly madness, we will discuss

some of the features and weapons

you'll find in the final game. In addi-

tion, we also have two maps from
F.E.A.R.'s multiplayer game, which

is currently undergoing a success­ful closed beta test.

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Welcome to F.E.A.R.

Welcome to F.E.A.R.

PRIMA OFFICIAL HINT BOOK

PRIMA OFFICIAL HINT BOOK PAGE 2

Hardware

No matter if you are wading into the
thick of an online deathmatch or daring
to venture further into the wicked conspiracy of
the single-player campaign, you are armed to the
teeth with the latest in weapons. Your loadout includes
basics like pistols and shotguns—both of which are effective in the
hands of a skilled player—but you also have eventual access to some
high-tech tools of destruction.

Who can deny a MOD-3 Multi-Rocket Launcher that volleys three
rockets at your target, or the ferocity of the Type-7 Particle Weapon
that doubles as a high tech sniper rifle? Or who would pass up a
chance to wrap their fingers around the barrel of a MP-50 Repeating
Cannon, which can peel the paint off a house from a mile away?

In F.E.A.R., you can only carry three weapons at a time. When you
come across a more desirable weapon, you must discard one from your
current inventory. This not only introduces an element of realism to the
game, but it also inspires an increased level of strategy. For example,
the MP-50 Repeating Cannon is indeed a precious piece of weaponry,
but if you're about to slog your way down a hall full of enemy assas­sins, wouldn't the VK-12 Combat Shotgun be a little more effective?

You can also use all of the weapons as melee weapons when you are
out of ammunition. Pistol-whipping may take a little time, but it's certain­ly a satisfying method of bludgeoning an enemy into the great beyond.

AT-14 Pistol

Rounds per Clip: 18

AT-14 Pistols are the most basic weapon in F.E.A.R.. By themselves,
they are able to drop low-level foes or perhaps offer a last-ditch attack
when better hardware is on empty. However, you can fill both hands

with a pistol apiece, doubling
your stopping power. Pressing

fire rapidly pulls the trigger on a

random pistol each time, increas-

ing the rate of fire.

VK-12 Combat Shotgun

Rounds per Clip: 12

The best of the close-quarters weapons, the VK-12 Combat Shotgun

can destroy a foe with a single well-placed blast. One shot

direct to the chest or head is usually enough to stop

most basic enemies. (The opposition you

encounter later in the game will have

enough vitality and armor to withstand a

blast or two.) However, in a multiplayer

game, popping out and offering one well-

aimed shot is enough to get the job done.

The hard stock of the VK-12 Combat Shotgun, along with the rest of the
weapons, also makes it an effective melee weapon. If you can sneak up
on your quarry, a good crack to the back of the neck with the butt of
this gun (as well as many of the bigger artillery) is enough to drop him.

RPL Sub-Machinegun

Rounds per Clip: 50

The RPL Sub-Machinegun (RPL SMG) is a fast-firing weapon that special­izes in close-up killing power. Its primary drawback is its short
range. You cannot target a foe from across a
courtyard with the RPL SMG and hope for
an easy kill, but if
you run right up
alongside an oppo­nent or enemy
and start unload­ing the fifty-round clip,
you score a kill before the last bullet
casing hits the ground.

G2A2 Assault Rifle

Rounds per Clip: 30

The G2A2 Assault Rifle is an excellent all-around weapon. What it lacks
in accuracy it makes up for in power. Running straight for an enemy
with your finger on the trigger eliminates him if he doesn't figure out
your location first. This rifle is a good weapon to use when taking

cover because its fast rate of fire works well in situations where

you have only sporadic chances to lean out and squeeze

off a few rounds. In a deathmatch round, you will find

stronger weapons, but this gun will

never serve you wrong should you

get caught in a firefight before

finding a more advanced gun.

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The Gear of F.E.A.R.

The Gear of F.E.A.R.

PRIMA OFFICIAL HINT BOOK PAGE 3

ASP Rifle

Rounds per Clip: 30

The ASP Rifle is a force to be reckoned with when in the hands of a
capable shooter. You cannot just hold down the fire button and unload,
as you can with the G2A2 Assault Rifle.
However, this
more con­trolled rate of fire has the
benefit of greater accuracy. If
you can find a good, safe position to
fire upon enemies in a lobby area
(don't forget to fortify your position
with AT-5 Proximity Mines), switch to
sniper mode and zoom in on enemies
to line up lethal headshots.

10mm HV Penetrator

Rounds per Clip: 25

This weapon sounds like a novelty, but if used correctly in the field, it
has tremendous stopping power—literally. The 10mm HV Penetrator
can actually nail enemies to flat surfaces, such as walls, and holds

them in place. Not only do you get a very satisfying kill, but

your artwork will hang on the wall for

all to see.

MP-50 Repeating Cannon

Rounds per Clip: 50

There is no recourse from a direct hit from the MP-50 Repeating
Cannon. This brute unloads so much lethal force that it actually bends
space as the round rockets to its target. Even if you miss, the resulting
shockwave has the power to kill, or at least seriously reduce the tar­get's health to a fraction of its original level. If you spy a grouping of
enemy assassins, this is the way to wipe them all out with a single
shot. To unleash maximum destructive force, hold down the fire button to
unload up to 15 shots in a row.

Type-7 Particle Weapon

Rounds per Clip: 10

This experimental weapon fires a blast that cuts like a knife through
the air—and your enemies, too. The Type-7 Particle Weapon is akin to
a railgun, firing a single round that slices through its target. With a
well-aimed shot, you can pierce through multiple enemies at once.

The Type-7 Particle Weapon features a more advanced zoom mode

than other weapons. In this sniping mode, you can really dig in and

start dishing out death from above. However, you better

make every shot count. The Type-7 Particle Weapon

leaves a trail that, while difficult to see, is still visible to

a trained eye. All an enemy survivor has to do

is follow the trail straight to you.

MOD-3 Multi-Rocket Launcher

Rounds per Clip: 15

The MOD-3 Multi-Rocket Launcher may not be the most graceful
weapon—its rockets are not always on-target, thanks to their spiraling
trajectory—but it's among the most lethal. This weapon fires three
missiles at a time, which zip toward your target with a velocity that
makes dodging a none-too-easy task. The drawback of wielding such
power is that not only are reloads a little slow, but you also run

through your ammo quickly,

thanks to the three-

shot blasts.

N6A3 Fragmentation Grenades

N6A3 Fragmentation Grenades are thrown explo­sives set on a timer. While they are on a timer, contact
with an enemy will cause the grenades to explode instantly. Once the
handle is released, the seconds count down to detonation. If you see a
grenade roll toward your feet, it is best to get out of there quickly.

There are several occasions when you have reason to celebrate
frags, such as when you spy an enemy dug into a make-shift bunker
and realize they have yet to see you. Throw a grenade into their posi­tion. By the time the grenade lands, the timer has run out and the
resulting explosion tears their body in two. If you are stalking an
enemy down a hallway, bounce a frag off of a wall, banking it around
the corner to clear out any potential hazards just out of view.

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