Contest Weapon Data

The Contest Weapon set in MaGMML2.

The Contest Weapon Data, also known as alternate weapons, or alter weapons for short, is a feature introduced in Make a Good Mega Man Level 2. It is a unique set of unlockable Special Weapons that are typically based on the various Robot Masters showcased in the contest entries. Each weapon is designed and implemented by the devteam, and was not available for the entrants to use or test with during submission period; hence them being late-game unlockables.

Make a Good Mega Man Level 2

The Contest Weapon Data debuts in Make a Good Mega Man Level 2 as an unlockable obtained by talking to Knight Man at Chateau Chevaleresque upon having at least 170 Noble Nickels. As he gives them (along with the Alter Man costume) to Mega Man, he informs the player about their use. A purple Sniper Joe will also appear next to the counter on subsequent visits to the pub; talking to it while equipped with a Contest Weapon will prompt it to give a brief explanation about said weapon's properties. The original and alternate weapon sets are mutually exclusive, and can be toggled between by pressing the Fire button on the pause menu. The Contest Weapons in this game are as follows:

Weapon	Original Robot Master	Replaces
Haunt Pumpkin	Haunt Man	Hornet Chaser
Badge Barrier	Sheriff Man	Jewel Satellite
Neapolitan Bomb	Neapolitan Man	Grab Buster
Truffle Cluster	Truffle Man	Triple Blade
Cyber Distorter	Cyber Man	Flash Stopper
Force Beam	Force Man	Slash Claw
Hazard Trapper	Quarantine Woman	Wheel Cutter
Match Blast	Match Man	Sakugarne
Launch Rocket	Launch Man	Rush Coil
Shuttle Jet	Shuttle Man	Rush Jet
Chomp Claw	Chomp Man	Wire Adaptor
Carry	N/A	Super Arrow

Each weapon acts as a fairly direct counterpart to a weapon in the original set, not only in terms of function but going so far as to share the same ammo count and weakness calculations. For example, Milk takes the same amount of damage from Neapolitan Bomb as it would take from the Grab Buster. Launch Rocket and Carry are the exceptions, as Carry cannot damage enemies, and Launch Rocket shares the same damage table as Grab Buster due to an oversight.

Contest Weapons also face the same restrictions that are placed on the normal weapons for levels. For example, the only Contest Weapon that can be used in Quirky Unconsistent Incomprehensible Nonsensical Track is Force Beam, due to it restricting every Special Weapon but Slash Claw. Furthermore, they are entirely disabled in Escape Sequence, Inner Sanctum, and while Mega Man is transformed into another Robot Master in Identity Crisis and Reality Core.

Only certain costumes can use Contest Weapons, due to the presence of aiming frames for Cyber Distorter. The costumes that can use alternate weapons are as follows: Mega Man (default), Super Saiyan Mega Man, Mega Man (Hair), Roll, Bass, Proto Man, Cut Man, Alter Man, Mega Man?, Rockman CX, Rokko Chan, and Zero, along with certain Custom Costumes if a setting on the costume sheet is enabled.

Destroyable Blocks are changed when Mega Man switches to the alternate set. They take on new sprites matching the alternate weapon corresponding to their corresponding normal weapon (Jewel Blocks will be replaced with Badge Blocks, for example). If Mega Man switches back to the default set, the blocks will also return to their default appearance.

Switching to alternate weapons at any point during a playthrough of a stage forces the player into an alternate leaderboard for speedruns, aptly named the "Alter Run" (or a cheat run if cheats are also in use). This prevents players from registering times for normal, perfect, no-damage, buster-only, and no-death runs; however, they do not prevent players from clearing the Challenges for beating stages without taking damage.

Make a Good Mega Man Level Remastered

The Contest Weapons make their second appearance in Make a Good Mega Man Level Remastered, although there is only one available, purchased from Eddie's Shop for 300 bolts after obtaining all 24 Energy Elements in the entries.

Weapon	Original Robot Master
Power Orb	Glass Man

Unlike the MaGMML2 weapons, Power Orb takes up its own weapon slot in the menu, and is entirely distinct from the weapon set otherwise, sharing no traits or damage tables with any other weapon. There is also no limitation on what costumes can use it, nor does using the weapon lock the player out of any leaderboard category.

Due to being its own weapon, Destroyable Blocks are unaffected by equipping Power Orb, and Destroyable Blocks for Power Orb do not appear except when using the Power Orb Only cheat.

Make a Good Mega Man Level 3

Contest Weapons return in Make a Good Mega Man Level 3, and are greatly expanded upon compared to previous games, in part as a result of the large increase of entry bosses. Multiple sets of Contest Weapons are present, some of which are inaccessible to the player.

Contest Weapon Data

The primary set of Contest Weapons is obtainable at the Magic Card Casino, after purchasing the Altered Key from Chance Man for 100 Trickster Tokens. After opening the locked door on the top floor of the Casino, the Contest Weapon Data lies behind a corridor filled with portraits of the Robot Masters each weapon is derived from, with teleporters to their respective levels beneath them. In addition to nine entry Robot Masters, the three Make a Good Mega Man Robot Master contest winners also have weapons based on their submitted weapon concept, though their teleporters merely lead to the tier in which their level is hidden.

Unlike in MaGMML2, the Contest Weapons use their own ammunition pools separate from the normal weaponset, and Mega Man can switch between the two by either using the Select button in the pause menu, or by selecting the Contest Weapon Data icon in the Quick Item wheel.

Weapon	Original Robot Master
Mix Tape	Cassette Man
Lantern Flare	Lantern Man
Prismatic Laser	Prism Woman
Beet Tiller	Beet Man
Rec Can	Rec Man
Banshee Wail	Banshee Woman
Propeller Vortex	Propeller Woman
Electro Cable	Cable Woman
Track Shoes	Shoe Man
Royal Guard	King Man
Bait Bobber	Reel Man
Power Line	Static Man

Unlike the Contest Weapons in MaGMML2, each weapon has its own behaviour and damage tables separate from the main weaponset. They are incompatible with the Energy Saver upgrade, instead having their own Energy Saver NEO upgrade. Almost every boss has at least one Contest Weapon as an extra weakness alongside whatever weaknesses they have in the regular weaponset. Some Contest Weapons are disabled in certain levels, typically to match whatever weapons are disabled in the original level (Wily Rooms of Weapons, for instance, disables all the Contest Weapons due to the level's fixation on the original weaponset).

As many of Tier X's levels are designed around the Contest Weapons, collecting them is mandatory to access the tier; to that end, Ernest Will will give the Altered Key to Mega Man if he hasn't already purchased it after clearing the Wily Stadium. Possession of the Contest Weapons is also a prerequisite to the Pharaoh's Challenge minigame in the Magic Card Casino, as it relies extensively on Electro Cable and Track Shoes.

Upon collecting the Contest Weapon Data, the See You on the Flip Side achievement is awarded, and the Alter Playground opens up in the Weapon Tutorials; a teleporter to the latter is also included within the corridor.

All costumes can use the Contest Weapons, due to a lack of extra sprites needed for them.

In the battle against Ernest Will at the end of the True Arena, the Ernest Jet uses each of the Contest Weapons in its final phase.

Parallel Weapons

Alongside the Contest Weapons are Parallel Weapons, which merely reskin the default weapons into ones themed after various entry Robot Masters. They become available after clearing at least one of the respective Robot Masters' levels, at which point Doc Robot appears on the second floor of the Victor Heights hotel. When spoken to, Mega Man can purchase any Parallel Weapon of his choosing for 200 bolts each, and it will replace the respective weapon in his arsenal; it can be changed back to the original weapon by disabling the Parallel Weapon in the item menu.

Weapon	Original Robot Master	Replaces
Treasure Tracker	Treasure Man	Spark Chaser
Hero Guitar	Guitar Man	Laser Trident
Glitz Aegis	Glitz Woman	Water Shield
Propeller Crown	Royal Man	Tornado Blow
Thermal Blast	Thermal Man	Thunder Beam
Last Judgement	Judgement Man	Magnetic Shockwave
Mafia Goon	Mafia Man	Ice Wall
Castle Rush	Rook Man	Break Dash
Divine Beam	Aether Man	Magnet Beam

As the Parallel Weapons are only reskins, their functionality and damage tables remain unchanged from their base weaponset. However, they can still be used against the Robot Master they're derived on to earn the Lovers achievement. Purchasing all the Parallel Weapons from Doc Robot will also unlock the Quint costume and earn the Shine of the Other Side achievement.

Like the Contest Weapons from MaGMML2, all Destroyable Blocks for a normal weapon will be replaced with one for its Parallel Weapon equivalent while it is active.

In the True Arena, the first phase of the Ernest Jet reskins the Special Weapons used by the Wily Jet into the Parallel Weapons; however, these too are merely cosmetic differences.

Other Weapons

In addition to the Contest Weapons and Parallel Weapons, various other weapons based on entry bosses appear throughout the game; however, these are used by NPCs and are unobtainable:

• During his battle in the Judges' Choice Arena, Alter Man uses several of the Contest Weapons from MaGMML2.
• Each of the five rivals uses four weapons based on entry bosses during their battles in The Greatest Show of All Time; however, their names are not revealed in game.

Weapon	Original Boss	User	Weapon	Original Boss	User
Quantum Arrow	N/A	Hunter Woman	Forge Hammer	N/A	Forge Woman
Sniper Rifle	Sniper Man	Hunter Woman	Dyna Pick	Metall Man	Forge Woman
Cosmic Bomb	Cosmos	Hunter Woman	Dragon Smash	Ornstein & Smough	Forge Woman
Capture Drone	Stall Woman	Hunter Woman	Girder Drop	Girder Man	Forge Woman
Necro Laser	Zombie Devil	Hunter Woman	Shrapnel Beam	Beam Stack MK2	Forge Woman
Zephyr Buster	N/A	Element Man	Scrap Trapjaw	N/A	Cerberus Man
Alraune Bomb	Alraune Woman	Element Man	Gaster Blaster	Skull Sans	Cerberus Man
Blazing Star	Solaire Man	Element Man	Sulphur Bubble	Adult Wish	Cerberus Man
Battery Bolt	Battery Man	Element Man	Ruin Hex	Hex Man	Cerberus Man
Fountain Spray	Grand Tellow	Element Man	Wyvern Wave	Dark Wyvern	Cerberus Man
Presto Dash	N/A	Presto
Rainbow Rupture	Fracture	Presto
Token Hat	Token Woman	Presto
Devil's Eye	28 Devil Cores	Presto
Geyser Boost	Pipe Man	Presto

Trivia

• Concepts for an alternate weapon for almost every Robot Master in MaGMML2 were drafted before the list was trimmed and modified to suit the same archetypes as the default set of weapons. This was done primarily for the sake of the scrapped Tier X level, Alter Man's Revenge - the original inspiration and intended method of obtaining for the contest weapons.
• Launch Rocket and Shuttle Jet were unavailable in MaGMML2 at launch, instead being added in update 1.4.