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E M E R G E N C Y C A L L A M B U L E N C E
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f a q & d r i v e t h r o u g h
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by jt.kauffman 07nov99 ver.0.77
Emergency Call ambulance FAQ & Drivethrough
by J.T.Kauffman
07nov99
ver.0.77
====================================================================
#0. Table of Contents.
#1. Intro.
#2. Basics.
#3. Drivethrough.
- Case #1
- Case #2
- Case #3 (unfinished)
#4. Misc.
- Techniques
- Release Info
#5. Outro.
- Notes
- Version
- Legal
- Contact
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\ / \ /
#1. Intro. - / )( \ -
====================================================================
Emergency Call ambulance (ECA) is the latest arcade game in Sega's Real
Life Occupation series. Joining the ranks of Crazy Taxi and Brave
Firefighters, ECA is a slightly over-the-top, fast-paced racing game
with a twist: you've got a dying patient in the back seat.
ECA has you racing through the streets of Chicago in an ambulance,
attempting to get to the hospital without your patient permanently
flatlining. Running on the Model 3 board (which offers improved quality
over the Naomi/Dreamcast board), ECA is a game that sounds slightly
offbeat, but in reality is a total blast to play.
This document will attempt to give those who have never played the game
a better look at it, and also give those who have played it some tips on
how to become a better ambulance driver.
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#2. Basics. - / )( \ -
====================================================================
As mentioned earlier, the basic premise of the game is simple: you're an
Emergency Call ambulance driver who has been summoned to the scene of an
accident, and you must race through the streets of Chicago to get your
patient to the hospital before they expire. Of course, like many other
racing games, this means that you have a limited amount of time.
However, unlike many other racing games, your time is affected by how
well you drive; it just so happens that your patient's health is
measured in seconds, and any bumps, scrapes, or collisions will decrease
this number.
Luckily, you're not alone on these cases. You have a navigator who will
direct you (in spoken English as well as on screen symbols) on which way
to go. There are also doctors in the back caring for the patients,
making sure that your driving doesn't kill them (literally). While these
doctors can't give you time back onto the clock, they add to the realism
of the game as they are constantly giving you updates on the patient's
condition.
The interface of the game is simple. The controls in the game are kept
simple: you have a steering wheel, gas, brake, and up/down stick shift,
as well as a start button and view change button that don't really
affect gameplay. The on-screen display is simple as well, but at the
same time is informative: in a very large and easy to read font, smack
dab in the upper middle of the screen is your time, in seconds. The
lower right corner features a speedometer and tachometer, as well as
your current gear. The upper right corner has a picture-in-a-picture
view of the ambulance's rear compartment, where you can check up on your
patient and the doctor's tending for them. Also at the top of the screen
is a life monitor for your patient that will tell you his or her
heartbeats rate in numerical form, as well as giving you a graphical
display. However, the majority of the screen is left wide open, giving
you a clear view of the road, either from a first-person view or a
behind the car view.
As you drive through Chicago you will encounter normal Chicago traffic.
Of course, since you are on a strict time limit, it basically just gets
in the way (which, being a video game, is it's purpose). In a similar
vein to Crazy Taxi, you can drive anywhere you like - the correct lane,
the wrong lane, the sidewalk, the grass - if there's nothing blocking
your way, it's all yours. In fact, to max out your score it's necessary
to drive a little bit of everywhere.
Your main enemy, past the ever-decreasing health of your patient, is
said traffic, as well as anything else solid, such as light poles and
buildings. If you even manage to lightly brush against anything solid
(including the ground), you'll lose some of your patient's life, which
translates into you having that much less time to get to the hospital.
You start out every level with 99 seconds, which is plenty of time to
get where you're going, as long as you drive decently. While a light
pole here and there will only take off around a second for each
incident, doing something like crashing head-on into a tractor-trailer
will take off massive amounts of health. Also, while a light pole may
not take off that much, hitting five or six in a row, and then smacking
into an El (Elevated Train, Chicago's version of the subway) support
will do just as much damage, if not more. In short, if it's solid, don't
hit it.
When it comes down to it, this is a game that you have to practice to be
good at. While making the turns isn't that hard, you never really know
where the traffic will or will not be the first time you play, so you're
going to find yourself doing the same cases over and over, practising to
make perfect.
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#3. Drivethrough. - / )( \ -
====================================================================
As mentioned in the above paragraph, this is a memory game - you really
have to know where the traffic is going to be to complete the level with
an alive patient. With any luck, this section of the document will help
your learning curve on each level by offering some tips and techniques
for the streets of Chicago.
When you first insert your coins, you'll be taken directly to the
transmission selection screen. On the right you have Automatic (AT),
which is the default; on the left is Manual (MT). Select whichever you
wish using the steering wheel, then step on the gas, or hit the start or
view change button. You'll then be taken to your first case...
- Case #1: Traffic Accident---------------------------------------
Type: Traffic Accident Victim
Patient: Young Boy
Time: Mid-morning
Length: 1800m (approx.)
A truck has jack-knifed, causing a family car to flip, injuring all
persons inside. While the parents are taken by other ambulances, your
job is to transport the young boy, rescued from the car from his trusty
(and un-hurt) dog, to the nearest hospital. You can watch the events as
they unfold, or fast-foward them by holding the Start button. Pressing
Start and View Change together will allow you to start the Case
directly.
This Case starts out with a slight warm up; you'll find yourself on the
freeway with some gentle curves ahead. If this is your first time
playing the game, get this is where you can get used to the controls,
and the interface with your navigator. After a few simple curves, you'll
be faced with another jack-knifing truck, and your first flashing arrows
turn; follow the arrows and the navigator and turn to the left.
>From here, try to stick on the left hand side of the road. You'll have
to face oncoming traffic, but it's light. Eventually you'll see some
police cars rushing your way - I prefer to hit the sidewalks at this
point, but you definately need to watch out for the poles - they can
easily get in your way. Don't worry about pedestrians - they're quick on
their feet. Also, while there may be a lot of poles together here, there
is more than enough room to maneuver your ambulance.
Continue hugging the left lanes. After the police cars pass, you'll have
to avoid a green car in the right lanes. Do so, and then head straight
for the grassy area, the first of two in the Case. Keep on the left side
and go straight through the lawn, being careful of the ambulance that is
coming from the right hand side of the screen. You'll see some dirt skid
marks in the grass, which is where Sega recommends that you cut through,
but going to the right of these skid marks will cut a second or so off
your time - you just need to make a sharper turn immediately after the
grassy knoll.
Heading up the slight hill after the lawn, you should be around 62-64
seconds if you haven't hit anything. At the top of the hill you'll go
airborne for a slight bit, but should land safely. Continue straight
(don't worry about cross traffic - there shouldn't be any by the time
you're cutting across these lanes). Next, you'll face some hard right
and left hand turns - whenever possible, cut the corner as close as you
can - it's possible to go inbetween the building and the light pole that
is on every corner. Occasionally, you will have to look out for red cars
that enjoy putzing along in the far right lane. If need be, don't cut
the corner - it's much better to avoid hitting cars than cutting these
corners.
After a few hard 90 degree turns, you'll find yourself heading into a
clearing, with some more still cross traffic. Again, just shoot through
the space in the traffic - it will be clear by the time you arrive.
Following the cross traffic you'll see a large colorful sign to your
left, and the second grassy area. Go down the small hill, and take an
immediate left, following the dirt skid marks through the grass. You
should have some trees on your right and the sign on your left. Continue
to hold the wheel, thus continuing the turn - you'll need to to a 180
here, once everything is said and done. Again, the people who are
picnicing will dash out of your way - I believe that it is literally
impossible to hit them. Anyway, at this point, you should be at 40-45
seconds left on your clock, if all is going well.
Following the second grassy area you'll have some more hard turns. Once
you're about 500m from the hospital, you'll do another turn - here,
watch out for a grey car that is in the left hand lane - if you turn too
wide, you'll hit it. This should be the second to last turn.
>From there, turn sharp and avoid the rest of the cars. If everything
went well, you'll reach the hospital with upwards of 20 seconds to
spare. Doing so without hitting anything will net you over 5000 points.
Congrats - you've saved your first patient. But your work is not nearly
done...
- Case #2: Street Shootout----------------------------------------
Type: Street Shootout Victim
Patient: Young Police Officer
Time: Mid-afternoon
Length: 2100m (approx.)
Your next case is the victim of a gang shootout, where three polic
officers were injured, one seriously. Of course, you've got the serious
condition one...
You'll start out in the lower level of a parking garage. Take the next
few turns fairly wide as you spiral up and out of the garage - after the
second turn, a police car will be coming down into the garage on the
left hand side; keeping your turns wide will keep you on the right hand
side, and will also help you accellerate faster (I believe...). As you
exit the garage you'll see some more police cars whiz by, as well as a
large black van (the gang members' van). Continue turning left, and out
of the garage.
Your first turn once you're completely out of the garage will be a left
turn up a small hill - take it at a diagonal, as the turn directly after
will be to the right; cutting corners like this, especially in this
level, will save you a decent amount of time. The turn at the top of the
hill can be taken in-between the light pole and the fence on the right,
if you're careful.
Keep your turn tight to avoid oncoming traffic, as well as the El
supports, which are scattered all throughout the level. Once you're
headed straight again, change into the oncoming traffic lane to avoid an
incredibly annoying green car that is sputtering along in the right-hand
lane. Don't head too far left, as there will be about six police cars,
as well as the black van, coming down the bridge ahead of you. Avoid
these cars, and head up the bridge.
This is a tough spot to avoid getting damaged. If you're not careful,
you'll scrape the back end of the ambulance as you head up the bridge,
and it's very easy to land wrong. Neither of these will do much damage
(usually greatly under a second, and as little as 0.10 seconds), but
they will take away your 'No Damage' category that you can get at the
end of the level. I seemed to take less damage the wilder that I took
the jump - I would land at 15 degree angle and be fine, but land at a
0.5 degree angle and take damage. Go figure...
Once you land the jump from the bridge and take the wide left, you'll be
back in El support land. Cut the corner close, and then, while avoiding
oncoming traffic and El supports, funnel through the two police cars
that will spin out in pursuit of the van. Staying in the middle here
should work fine. At this point, if memory serves, you should have
around 45 seconds left.
You'll have a few more tight turns coming up, with El supports on either
side. Stay in the middle, and brake slightly going around these turns,
and you should be alright. The biggest danger here is the traffic, so
just watch yourself.
After a bit of a straightaway, you'll be directed to turn off, away from
the El track above you (which will continue straight). You've about to
enter a very zig-zagged area. Here, if you're careful, you can go almost
directly across in a diagonal manner - just hug the corners, and avoid
the poles. The fourth turn in this section is a bit further than the
others, so hitting the brakes and swinging the tail of the ambulance
around a bit will help you there.
Following the series of five zig-zags, you'll come to a more wide open
area, with some blue stone ground to the left of you. You're in the home
stretch now, and should have around 25-30 seconds left. Take the next
two turns wide, as you'll face one police car on the first (which is
easy to avoid), and two on the second - these two are very hard to
avoid, and can only be missed by keeping to the far left. Don't be
afraid to brake hard here - it's much better to miss the cars and slow
down then to hit them (which will in turn slow you down) and get 10 or
more seconds taken off (I've lost as many as 17 in this area).
After you make the turn sucessfully, you'll be on ths final stretch.
It's not quite over yet, though. When you're somewhere around 300 meters
from the hospital, the black van will blaze past you, followed by two
police cars - stay in the middle here, and try not to get hit. After
that, the police cars will spin out on either side of the road, and the
van will to a 180 and head your way. The van will then head slightly to
the right, so counter by going slightly left, then swerving right to
miss the police car that is sitting on the left. Be careful not to go
too far right, as the police car on the right hand is still moving a
bit.
Once you've cleared the police cars, you're home free. You should pull
into the hospital with around 10-15 seconds, possibly more.
- Case #3: Fire---------------------------------------------------
(unfinished)
Type: Fire Victim
Patient: Expectant Mother
Time: Night
Length: 2400m (approx.)
I must say that I've only played this stage once, so it's nowhere near
done. This case involves a smoke-inhalation victim that also happens to
be an expectant mother. It also takes place at night, so it's much
harder than the other two.
You'll start out with a swarm of fire trucks coming towards you. These
aren't that hard to dodge, as most will swerve out of the way. The final
truck on the right hand side, however, lacks any kind of intelligence at
all, so some quick maneuvering might be in order.
After that, you'll find yourself on some of the more twisting streets of
Chicago, most of which happen to be narrow as well. Listen to your
navigator - she's quite important here.
Eventually you'll reach Lower Wacker Drive - the turn here (I believe
it's a right) is somewhat odd, as it appears that the road should keep
going straight. However, you need to swerve to the right and head down
Lower Wacker, which is a semi-underground street. There's lots of
traffic here, so you really need to be careful. I, however, managed to
smash head first into a car here, killing my both mother and child. I
don't think I even made it half way to the hospital...
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\ / \ /
#4. Misc. - / )( \ -
====================================================================
- Techniques------------------------------------------------------
This section is currently going to be rather short, and is currently
more of a tips section, but more will be added in time as I play the
game more...
: Learn to cut corners. While a single corner won't do much, cutting all
of the possible corners will save you a few seconds.
: Don't be afraid of pedestrians. They'll move for you, and if they
don't, there are always other ambulances...
: Keep your eyes out for any type of shortcut, and don't be afraid to
try something. A lot of this game is experimentation to find the best
route through the traffic.
: Practice - it's the only real way to get good at the game. If
possible, play a whole bunch in a row, as opposed to a little at a time.
Watch others play as well, and learn from their mistakes.
: Remember that you're faster than the other vehicles, and use this to
your advantage to avoid them. If they're really in the way, though, just
slam on the brakes - it's better than slamming into them.
: Avoid solids - anything and everything can hurt you in this game.
: Remember that your ambulance is three-dimensional. I've swung my tail
around only to smash into a tree or light pole. Give yourself enough
room...
: Hitting light poles head on will take off a little over a second,
while hitting other vehicles can take off 5 seconds or more. Remember
this.
- Release Info----------------------------------------------------
Title: Emergency Call Ambulance
Company: Sega Enterprises
Format: Arcade Model 3 Board
Type: Single-Player Dedicated Cabinet, Sit-Down*
Price: 1 play=100 yen
Region: Japan**
Release: Nov.1999
Controls: Steering Wheel, Gas Pedal, Brake Pedal, Gear Shift, Start
Button, View Change Button
CabColors: Red with silver, white, & black highlights
Misc: Flashing lights on top of cabinet, speakers in headrest.
* a stand up version may exist, but I have yet to see one
** as I live in Japan, I'm not sure if it has been released in other
regions yet. A North American release is a definate possibility...
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\ / \ /
#5. Outro. - / )( \ -
====================================================================
- Notes-----------------------------------------------------------
This FAQ is a sort of fluke - up until today I had played the game
twice. However, in a search for a Crazy Taxi machine (which I had a
craving to play), I found another arcade that had EMA. I sat down at it,
and to my surprise, found that it had about 7 credits already in it, in
addition to the 100yen coin that I inserted. After playing through the
remaining credits, I found that the machine was mismarked at 100yen/play
- it was actually set to 100yen/2plays. I ended up playing around 30
games, and spending under 1000 yen (less than US$10). Needless to say,
after 30 consecutive games, my head was full of EMA stuff, so I went to
a restaurant, ordered a meal, and started scribbling notes. This
document is the result. I'm not sure when Case #3 will be updated, as no
arcades in my town have the game (the ones that I've played it at are
20-30 minutes away), and I'm not sure when I'll find another machine set
so low (I'm sure someone messed up the dip switch settings...). Anyway,
all contributions/questions/etc. are welcomed...
The machine that was used to write this document is located in Sega
World in Minami-Sendai, Miyagi, Japan.
- Version---------------------------------------------------------
ver.0.77: 07nov99 -
First version. Written in one sitting after playing some 30-odd games
in a row of EMA, then writing down notes afterwards. Some info may be
slightly off, but it's all pretty correct...
- Legal-----------------------------------------------------------
Emergency Call Ambulence, Crazy Taxi, Brave Firefighters, and all
related names/terms are copyright Sega Enterprises. All other copyrights
are properties of their respective owners.
This document is copyright J.T.Kauffman 1999 and cannot be reproduced
for profit in any form. It can be freely distributed over the internet
as long as it is unaltered and is only distributed on free (i.e. non-
subscription) sites. If you do choose to post this document on your
site, please email me to let me know.
- Contact---------------------------------------------------------
jt.kauffman
stormwalker@hotmail.com
since 07nov99,
shibata, miyagi, japan.
jtk.
