Nuclear Plant
Pander Island Nuclear Power Plant
Pander Island, Minnesota
Main Building (Computers)
You can access the Computer Room by follwing the ramp that runs alongside - alternatively, lighter vehicles can Afterburn up the steep incline to beat opponents to it. There are three terminals in the room, with alternating red/green lights - ramming them while lit causes them to activate with one of two results...
Green will activate the repair feature - drive between the turbines to top up your health. Red activates the electrical charge - any enemies caught between the turbines will be fried. Be careful when collecting the health, as an unscrupulous player may be in the room above ready to deal out a jolt or two.
Main Building (Turbines)
See the Computer Room section for details on the two ways you can use the turbines - this area also conceals powerups beneath the U-shaped pipes.
Nuclear Reactors
It wouldn't be much of a Nuclear Reactor level without featuring some major destruction! Both of the core builidings can be primed and detonated, resulting in one of the biggest and most devastating explosions in the game.
Firstly, drive up to one of the green doors (cunningly marked with a radiation symbol), fire a few times an it will open revealing the inner chamber. There are a few powerups scattered round the edges, but be careful not to touch the toxic goo as it causes damage and you'll be sucked in and spat out of a tunnel if you get in too deep.
To set of the reactor simply involves hitting it with a continual barrage - it will turn bright red/orange as it approaches critical mass (but if you ease off, it will return to normal.) Ideally, you want the final few hits to be from a safe distance, using Bulls-Eye Rockets - but if you're lucky enough to have a shield, you can take it out up close. When it blows, the blast radius is massive and will effect any nearby vehicles, hopefully producing a few barbecued coyotes in the process!
Tunnels
As with other tunnels in Vigilante 8, these will transport you to another area of the level - useful for escaping pursuers.
Electricity Generators
Getting too close to these generators isn't recommended, as they'll start to draw your vehicle inwards before dealing a health sapping jolt. They don't stand up to too much punishment and will blow up after only a few hits, giving off a medium-sized blast radius. You can usually expect them to release a Powerup on destruction, use this to both knock enemies into them and reap the rewards!
Weapons & Powerup Spawn Points
There are lots of pickups to be found on the main road, but try leaving the main complex area and you'll find other powerups hidden away, especially beside the electricity generators. You can also get to other side of the 'moat' by carefully driving along the bank. Not only are there a couple of powerups here, it's also a good spot to pick off enemies. The key location for wrenches is the Main Building.
Fork-Lift Trucks
The Fork Lift Trucks are Vigilante 8's equivalent of NPCs. They trundle around the arenas, following the pathways but don't pay any attention to players, so be careful if one's coming your way. Each truck holds three barrels of toxic waste - which they'll drop one at a time after a few hits with the Mosquito. It's not advisable to use more powerful weapons as it will likely result in the truck being destroyed. If you are successful in dislodging a barrel, it will drop onto the surrounding area and detonate after around 30 seconds, or if it's shot at. The best tactic is to attack them when they're near enemies as the explosion will deal out additional damage.