The Background Story

Something horrible has happened at McElroy Federal Penitentiary. A devastating infection has infiltrated the ranks of the inmates... a virus of cunning evil which can control body and mind... and is intent on escaping and spreading itself to the rest of the world. It's method of killing is violent. Pandemonium has ensued. The prison guards have fled, and the zoo has been abandoned to the animals. As one of the inmates, this would be a great opportunity for you to escape. But first you're going to have to figure out who's who, because if the virus escapes with you, the human race may very well come to an end!

Controls

You can customize both Joystick and Keyboard controls from the Settings menu. These are the default Keyboard Keys for Infect: Cursor Keys Walk Right CTRL Punch 1 Right ALT Punch 2 SPACE Search (must also be walking into the object to be searched) D Activate or Deactivate Drug Test. Either Punch key can be used to drug test someone. Right SHIFT Activate or Deactivate Shank. Punch 2 must be used to attack with the shank. Note that in "Infector Mode," this key activates your intent to Infect, at which point either Punch key will initiate the tentacle attack. (see "Bonus Play-Modes" below). F6 Save your game. You can save one game for each character. Saved games can be loaded from the Begin menu (where you choose your character). PAUSE Pause / Resume the game ESC Abort the game.

Fighting

Hand to hand combat is a major part of Infect. Here are some fighting tips.

Alternate between Punch 1 and Punch 2 for best effect. A combo can be executed by striking with Punch 1, then Punch 2, then Punch 1 when your Combo Vitality bar is at its peak. If successful, your character will follow up with a devastating triple-hit combo. A neck-wringer can only be achieved if you are facing downwards, and your opponent is facing either completely toward or completely away from you. When a Shank is active, press the Punch2 key to strike with the shank (note: only every other strike actually uses the shank, so you may have to plan your attack). Infected prisoners get more desperate to infect you the weaker they are. Plan your strategy accordingly. When your strength is enhanced, your punches will do more damage. See "Things You'll Find" below. If someone's Health bar is green instead of red, this means they are known to be infected.

Things You'll Find and What They Do

The penitentiary is full of things which can help you in your quest to eliminate the infection and escape from MAC.

	The Drug Test. The inmates think this is prevention for the infection. It is actually a test which will reveal who's who. Activate it with the Drug Test key, and use either Punch key to administer the test. Then bear with the suspense as you wait for the outcome...
	The Shank. A shank is a crudely-fashioned weapon formed with anything the inmates can get their hands on. One of these will quickly shorten your fight with any inmate. Activate it with the Shank key. Then use the Punch 2 key to attack with the shank. Note: only every other strike actually uses the shank, so you may have to plan your attack.
	Strength Enhancers. These will increase your punching strength (noted by the small red vitality bar to the left of your character's photo), and can be built up to make you a serious powerhouse! But watch out. They fade as you fight, so you might not want to waste them.
	Health Bonus. If you've been wounded, these will give you a good portion of your health back.

Other Things

Some miscellaneous notes about MAC:

The prisoners will talk to you when you walk up to them. This can help you learn more about your character as you strive to learn the rest of his/her story. Conversation will not help you determine who is infected, though. Infected and non-infected prisoners behave alike! Your character can operate cell doors simply by running into them. This can be useful. You can lock other prisoners in a cell to keep them safe, or to keep them away (you are the only one who can operate the doors). Map Computers, located throughout the prison, give you limited information about MAC's inhabitants. The yellow dot is your position. The red dots are main character positions. The blue dots are 'generic' prisoner positions. To activate the Map Computer, simply walk up to it. The map will be active until you walk away, or you are hit.

Winning the Game

To win, you must find and kill all infected prisoners. At that point, your character will be able to escape before the guards know it's safe to return, and you will learn what happens to your character after he escapes. Finishing the game with a new character will also reveal a new Bonus Mode to add more variety (and/or difficulty) to your gameplay (see "Bonus Play-Modes" below). You never know what truth you may learn about your character...

Bonus Play-Modes

Each time you finish the game with a new character, a new Bonus Mode will become available. Bonus Modes can be accessed from the Settings menu. Here are a few of the 10 Bonus Modes that can be uncovered:

Hack Mode: In this mode, there are no infections, no drug tests, and no searching necessary. It's simply you against the other nine main characters. This mode is the first mode revealed, and it has its own End Story. Anti-Grav Blood Mode: Just a neat little effect to make gameplay more interesting. Infector Mode: In this mode, you are the infected. Your job is to wear down and infect the other nine main characters. There are no shanks, drug tests, or searching necessary. This mode, too, has its own End Story.