Duck Guardian One
From Homestar Runner Wiki
A game where you try to save the ducks from various hazards and lead them into a spaceship.
Page Title: Duck Guardian One! Save a Duck, Save THE WORLD!!
Date: August 30, 2004
Instructions
Protect the ducks using a variety of rays! Use the mouse to move the ray target crosshairs, and the desired number key to fire a ray (The keys used are noted below). Use P or the Enter key to "paws" the game at any time. There are 33 Levels total.
Ray Types
- Direction Ray (1): The ray you begin the game with. When fired at a duck, it will reverse the direction it is going in, useful for dodging falling robot heads.
- Jump Ray (2): Earned in Level 3. Enables ducks to jump over pits and robot dogs.
- Freeze Ray (3): Earned in Level 9. Freezes ducks solid, rendering them temporarily immune to robot dog attacks. Be warned that other ducks cannot pass frozen ducks, and robot heads still crush frozen ducks.
- Double Jump Ray (2): Replaces the normal Jump Ray in Level 13. Enables ducks to jump in mid-air.
- Hatch Ray (4): Earned in Level 17. Cracks open falling eggs, causing ducks to come out. Be warned that, if used on live ducks, it blows them up.
- Armor Ray (5 or Space Bar): Earned in Level 27. Renders ducks immune to robot heads and dogs, but unable to jump.
Hazards
- Robot Heads: Fall from the sky to crush your ducks. Only the armor ray renders your ducks immune to a Robot Head attack.
- Spaceship Door: In certain levels, opens and closes. If closed, ducks cannot enter the ship.
- Bombs: Fall from the sky to open pits in the ground. Will kill any ducks they fall on.
- Pits: Holes in the ground created by Bombs and Hatched Eggs. Will kill any duck unlucky enough to wander into it.
- Robot Dogs: Run from the left side of the screen to the right, eating any ducks unfortunate enough to get in their way. The Freeze and Armor rays protect your ducks from a Robot Dog attack. Can be jumped. {The city light will flash shortly before the Robot Dog comes out on the prowl.}
- Falling Eggs: Fall from the sky and crush ducks. They remain on the ground and block ducks that walk up to them, but can be transformed into two or more ducks using the Hatch Ray, but will leave a pit in the ground. Can be jumped.
Fun Facts
Explanations
- This game was first mentioned in the Email FAQ's, where one of the many things Strong Bad does is hold up a game and says "I gotta' play my new copy of Duck Guardian 2!" That also explains why this game is sometimes called Duck Guardian 1.
Trivia
- When you beat the game, a screen shows up that has an astronaut handing one of the ducks (dead) on a plate to a strange alien (which has the same color scheme as Bubs), and the text says "Well Done, Duck Guardian!! Now the people of Vexar VII will not go hungry!"
- Users without Flash Player 7 installed receive an interesting note, which seems to cleverly reference player culture.
Remarks
- Using the Direction Ray on a duck repeatedly agitates it, causing it to run faster and jump farther. Holding the Direction Ray and firing it constantly at the left of the screen (where the ducks come out) wil cause the ducks to walk back and forth; the longer you hold it, the faster the duck will run when you release the Ray.
- If you have an extra duck very near the closed space ship door and you complete a level by pushing a duck through with the Direction Ray, you can make the TO SAVE number become -1.
Glitches
- If you pause the game, the Spaceship Door still opens and closes. So if the door is shut at the moment your duck arrives at the door, simply pause the game and wait for the door to open.
- You can still use the various rays on the ducks while the game is paused, by using the number keys. It's possible to hold down the direction ray on a group of ducks near the starting point for several minutes, then press the jump ray: you'll end up with a lot of flying ducks moving at incredible speeds, crossing the screen in under a millisecond.
- Sometimes, if you use the direction ray right when a duck is next to a closed spaceship door, they will go in.
- You can armour then quickly unarmour ducks in midair, then make them double jump again! With this glitch, ducks can make it all the way across without even touching the floor. If robot heads are falling, simply armour them when they're up high, then unarmour them once the robot head has passed.
- If you are playing in the Flash file, right-clicking and pressing "Play" will cause the "Wave beated" screen to appear and you can move on to the next level.
Real-World References
- The carton pack for this game is reminicent to the Pitfall! Atari 2600 game, using the graphic style from many of the Activision games of that era. Secret Collect also uses this style on its carton package.
- The game pays homage in many ways to the now-defunct gaming company Psygnosis.
- The theme of the game is reminiscent of "Lemmings" - cute little creatures walking blindly into their doom, with only you to control them giving them a chance of survival
- When you pause the game, it includes the "Paws" pun found in many of Psygnosis' games.
- The way the ducks explode is reminiscent of the way the "Wabbits" explode in the Psygnosis game "Wiz 'N Liz".
- The eggs look like Yoshi's eggs from the Mario video games.
- The hint for Level 11 is a reference to the old adage "A bird in the hand is worth two in the bush."
- The hint for Level 31 is a possible reference to the Frog and Toad series of books.
- The style of animation of exploding ducks from the logo screen and when using the hatch ray looks to have been copied from arcade game "Dig Dug"
Fast Forward
- The ducks are seen later on Main Page 22, where two of them walk across the screen and explode, as well as Stinkoman 20X6 Level -0, where they are used as ladders.
Level Guide
Level One
GOAL: Save 5 Ducks out of 15
HINT: Shoot Ducks With The DIRECTION RAY To Turn Them Around.
RAYS: Direction Ray
HAZARDS: Robot Heads
Level Two
GOAL: Save 5 Ducks out of 10
HINT: Ducks Cannot Enter The Escape Ship When The Door Is Closed.
RAYS: Direction Ray
HAZARDS: Robot Heads, Closing Spaceship Door
Level Three
GOAL: Save 5 Ducks out of 10
HINT: You Now Have The JUMP RAY. Press 1 To Fire The DIRECTION RAY, Press 2 To Fire The JUMP RAY.
RAYS: Direction Ray, Jump Ray
HAZARDS: Robot Heads, Pits, Closing door
Level Four
GOAL: Save 5 Ducks out of 15
HINT: Use The JUMP RAY To Get Ducks Over Dangerous Pits.
RAYS: Direction Ray, Jump Ray
HAZARDS: Robot Heads, 1 Bomb, 1 Pit
Level Five
GOAL: Save 5 Ducks out of 25
HINT: Airborne Ducks Can Be Reversed With The DIRECTION RAY.
RAYS: Direction Ray, Jump Ray
HAZARDS: Robot Heads, 2 Bombs, 2 Pits, Closing Spaceship Door
Level Six
GOAL: Save 5 Ducks out of 20
HINT: The DIRECTION RAY Agitates Ducks With Repeated Use.
RAYS: Direction Ray, Jump Ray
HAZARDS: 2 Bombs, 2 Pits
Level Seven
GOAL: Save 5 Ducks out of 15
HINT: Watch Out For Robot Dogs. They Love To Eat Ducks.
RAYS: Direction Ray, Jump Ray
HAZARDS: Robot Heads, Robot Dogs
Level Eight
GOAL: Save 5 Ducks out of 12
HINT: The City Light Will Flash When A Robot Dog Is On The Prowl.
RAYS: Direction Ray, Jump Ray
HAZARDS: Robot Heads, Robot Dogs, Closing Spaceship Door
Level Nine
GOAL: Save 15 Ducks out of 25
HINT: You Now Have The FREEZE RAY. Press 3 To Fire The FREEZE RAY And Freeze Ducks.
RAYS: Direction Ray, Jump Ray, Freeze Ray
HAZARDS: Robot Heads, Robot Dogs
Level Ten
GOAL: Save 5 Ducks out of 15
HINT: Robot Dogs Don't Like Eating FROZEN Ducks. Not So Much, No.
RAYS: Direction Ray, Jump Ray, Freeze Ray
HAZARDS: Robot Heads, Robot Dogs, 1 Bomb, 1 Pit
Level Eleven
GOAL: Save 10 Ducks out of 35
HINT: A duck In The Ship Is Worth Two Somewhere Else.
RAYS: Direction Ray, Jump Ray, Freeze Ray
HAZARDS: Robot Heads, Robot Dogs, 2 Bombs, 2 Pits, Closing Spaceship Door
Level Twelve
GOAL: Save 10 Ducks out of 25
HINT: Today's Forecast: No Deadly Robot Heads Inexplicably Falling From The Heavens.
RAYS: Direction Ray, Jump Ray, Freeze Ray
HAZARDS: Robot Dogs, 4 Bombs, 4 Pits
Level Thirteen
GOAL: Save 10 Ducks out of 20
HINT: You Now Have The JUMP RAY DOUBLE JUMP RAY Upgrade. Shoot An Airborne Duck A Second Time For Serious Duck Air.
RAYS: Direction Ray, Double Jump Ray, Freeze Ray
HAZARDS: Robot Heads, Robot Dogs, 2 Bombs, 2 Pits
Level Fourteen
GOAL: Save 5 Ducks out of 15
HINT: Falling Eggs Will Crush Unwitting Ducks, And Obstruct Them Once They've Landed.
RAYS: Direction Ray, Double Jump Ray, Freeze Ray
HAZARDS: Robot Heads, 1 Bomb, 1 Pit, 1 Egg
Level Fifteen
GOAL: Save 5 Ducks out of 30
HINT: Videogames Are Just As Good As Reading A Book.
RAYS: Direction Ray, Double Jump Ray, Freeze Ray
HAZARDS: Robot Heads
Level Sixteen
GOAL: Save 5 Ducks out of 15
HINT: Airborne Ducks Can Be FROZEN, But FROZEN Ducks Cannot JUMP.
RAYS: Direction Ray, Double Jump Ray, Freeze Ray
HAZARDS: Robot Heads, 1 Bomb, 1 Pit, 2 Eggs
Level Seventeen
GOAL: Save 10 Ducks out of 20
HINT: You Now Have The HATCH RAY. Shoot An Egg With The 4 Key To HATCH 'Em Up.
RAYS: Direction Ray, Double Jump Ray, Freeze Ray, Hatch Ray
HAZARDS: Robot Heads, Robot Dogs, 0-1 Pits, 1 Egg
Level Eighteen
GOAL: Save 10 Ducks out of 20
HINT: Don't Let Ducks Die Or Perhaps You Will Lose The Game.
RAYS: Direction Ray, Double Jump Ray, Freeze Ray, Hatch Ray
HAZARDS: Robot Heads, 0-2 Pits, 2 Eggs, Closing Spaceship Door
Level Nineteen
GOAL: Save 15 Ducks out of 35
HINT: Attempting To HATCH A Live Duck Is Not Recommended.
RAYS: Direction Ray, Double Jump Ray, Freeze Ray, Hatch Ray
HAZARDS:Robot Heads, Robot Dogs, 1 Bomb, 1-2 Pits, 1 Egg, Closing Spaceship Door
Level Twenty
GOAL: Save 15 Ducks out of 60
HINT: Why Don't Robot Dogs Fall In The Pits? It's Not Really Fair.
RAYS: Direction Ray, Double Jump Ray, Freeze Ray, Hatch Ray
HAZARDS: Robot Heads, 4 Bombs, 4 Pits
Level Twenty-One
GOAL: Save 10 Ducks out of 10
HINT: Phew. Take A Breather!
RAYS: Direction Ray, Double Jump Ray, Freeze Ray, Hatch Ray
HAZARDS: None
Level Twenty-Two
GOAL: Save 10 Ducks out of 20
HINT: Press Enter For Pause If You Find Yourself Getting Too Excited.
RAYS: Direction Ray, Double Jump Ray, Freeze Ray, Hatch Ray
HAZARDS: Robot Heads, 1 Bomb, 1-2 Pits, 1 Egg
Level Twenty-Three
GOAL: Save 5 Ducks out of 40
HINT: You Can REFREEZE Ducks To Keep Them In Place.
RAYS: Direction Ray, Double Jump Ray, Freeze Ray, Hatch Ray
HAZARDS: Robot Heads, 1 Bomb, 1 Pit
Level Twenty-Four
GOAL: Save 30 Ducks out of 50
HINT: The Next Gun Is Pretty Awesome.
RAYS: Direction Ray, Double Jump Ray, Freeze Ray, Hatch Ray
HAZARDS: Robot Heads, 1 Bomb, 1-3 Pits, 2 Eggs
Level Twenty-Five
GOAL: Save 5 Ducks out of 40
HINT: Special Goal: DOUBLE JUMP 5 Ducks Into Ship To Advance.
RAYS: Direction Ray, Double Jump Ray, Freeze Ray, Hatch Ray
HAZARDS: Robot Heads, Robot Dogs, 2 Bombs, 2 Pits
Level Twenty-Six
GOAL: Save 25 Ducks out of 50
HINT: Avoid Repetitive Stress Disorder By Taking Frequent Rest Breaks Or Through The Healing Power Of Meditation.
RAYS: Direction Ray, Double Jump Ray, Freeze Ray, Hatch Ray
HAZARDS: Robot Heads, 1 Bomb, 1 Pit
Level Twenty-Seven
GOAL: Save 10 Ducks out of 12
HINT: You Now Have The ARMOR GUN. Press SPACE Or 5 To Fortify Your Duck With Vitamins And Minerals.
RAYS: Direction Ray, Double Jump Ray, Freeze Ray, Hatch Ray, Armor Ray
HAZARDS: Robot Heads, Robot Dogs
Level Twenty-Eight
GOAL: Save 10 Ducks out of 20
HINT: Shoot An ARMORED Duck A Second Time To Remove Its ARMOR.
RAYS: Direction Ray, Double Jump Ray, Freeze Ray, Hatch Ray, Armor Ray
HAZARDS: Robot Heads, Robot Dogs, 1 Bomb, 1-2 Pits, 1 Egg
Level Twenty-Nine
GOAL: Save 5 Ducks out of 25
HINT: Special Goal: Jump 5 FROZEN Ducks Into Ship To Advance.
RAYS: Direction Ray, Double Jump Ray, Freeze Ray, Hatch Ray, Armor Ray
HAZARDS: Robot Heads, Robot Dogs, 1 Bomb, 1-2 Pits, 1 Egg
Level Thirty
GOAL: Save 5 Ducks out of 20
HINT: Special Goal: Save 5 ARMORED Ducks To Advance. No Refund On Flesh Ducks.
RAYS: Direction Ray, Double Jump Ray, Freeze Ray, Hatch Ray, Armor Ray
HAZARDS: Robot Heads, 3 Bombs, 3 Pits
Level Thirty-One
GOAL: Save 5 Ducks out of 15
HINT: ARMORED Ducks And Robot Dogs Are The Best Of Friends.
RAYS: Direction Ray, Double Jump Ray, Freeze Ray, Hatch Ray, Armor Ray
HAZARDS: Robot Heads, Robot Dogs, 1 Bomb, 1 Pit
Level Thirty-Two
GOAL: Save 5 Ducks out of 4
HINT: To Make An Omelet, You Have To Break A Few Eggs.
RAYS: Direction Ray, Double Jump Ray, Freeze Ray, Hatch Ray, Armor Ray
HAZARDS: Robot Heads, 0-4 Pits, 4 Eggs
Level Thirty-Three
GOAL: Save 5 Ducks out of 15
HINT: This Is Pretty Much The Last Round. You Are Doing Great.
RAYS: Direction Ray, Double Jump Ray, Freeze Ray, Hatch Ray, Armor Ray
HAZARDS: Robot Heads, Robot Dogs, 2 Bombs, 2-4 Pits, 2 Eggs
External Links
- Play Duck Guardian
- View the Flash file for Duck Guardian
