Strategy Guide - Guide for Virtual On: Oratario Tangram
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Virtual On: Oratorio Tangram FAQ v 0.90 By Danny Chi6/1/00 ============================================================================= Table of Contents ============================================================================= 1. Introduction 2. Basics A. Controls / Schema B. Movement 1. Walking 2. Jumping 3. Dashing 4. Air Dash C. Attacks 1. Basic Weapons 2. Turbo Weapons 3. Crouch Weapons 4. Dash Attacks 5. Jump Attacks 6. Air Dash Attacks 7. Dash Crouch Attacks 8. Close Combat (CC) D. Enemy Acquisition E. Other Tidbits 1. Range 2. Getting Up 3. V. Armor 4. Weapon Capabilities 3. Virtuaroids (VR) A. Temjin B. Apharmd Battler C. Cypher D. Raiden E. Dordray F. Fei Yen Knight G. Bal Bados H. Grys-Vok I. Apharmd Striker J. Specineff K. Angelan 4. Intermediate Techniques A. Movement Revisited 1. Dash Revisited 2. Watari Dash (Vertical Dash) 3. SLD 4. Curve Dash B. Close Combat Revisited 1. Close Combat Activation Distance 2. Basics 3. Quick Stepping 4. Crouch Attacks 5. Quick Hop Attacks 6. Right Turbo Attacks 7. Left Turbo Attacks 8. Dash CC 9. Guard Cancel CC 10. Ground Attack 5. Advanced Techniques and Strategies A. Dash Vectoring B. Weapon Prediction C. Enemy Herding D. Doi-2 Dash E. Advanced Q-Step F. Tsubame Kaeshi (Swallow's Tail) 6. Extras A. How to play the import on a US DC B. Test Type Temjin and Raiden (VOOM Class) C. Getting Ajim D. Getting MSBS v 5.2 (Arcade version) 7. Stages 8. Thanks and Credit ============================================================================= 1. Introduction ============================================================================= Virtual On: Oratorio Tangram is the sequel to Virtual On: Oratorio Moongate by Sega. It is a 1-on-1 mech battle game in which you are viewing your own Virtuaroid (VR) through a 3rd person mode. The VRs have different weapons and armor as well as different characteristics which make their play- ing styles vastly different from each other. At the same time, the addition of a Y-Axis allows for true 3-D movement as the VRs can jump, dash, walk, hide under obstacles and jump over buildings to get a bead on the enemy. The base system is built upon Sega's Model 3 Step 2 hardware board and as a result boasts vastly improved graphics over its Model 2 predecessor. The changes are not purely cosmetic as the designers of Virtual On took into consideration player recommendations and added and modified the gameplay within VOOT. While VOOT still holds true to the physics and dash vectoring of VOOM, VOOT adds air dashes, watari dashes, curve dashes, turbo weapons, V. Armor and a completely redesigned Close Combat system into the game. Thus, even a veteran of VOOM will need to reacquaint themselves with the new game to understand the strategies that are to be developed. Because VOOT was built upon an expensive Model 3 Step 2 Board and VOOM's was released to a lukewarm response within the United States, there are only 6 to 8 working VOOT machines within the United States. The recent release of VOOT for the Dreamcast by Sega of Japan, and the impending release of this game for domestic use in the US by Activision means that more people will be introduced to the deep and innovative play that VOOT provides. This FAQ hopes to introduce both old and new players to VOOT as well as educating them upon the numerous strategies that have been developed to turn Virtual On into a game like no other. ============================================================================= 2. Basics ============================================================================= ################################## A. Controls / Schema ################################## Due to the nature of mech combat that the Virtual On series provides, the arcade system consisted of twin sticks with triggers and a top dash button. Between the sticks was a start button which is instrumental in employing some of the special techniques that various VRs had. Due to the nature of these controls, playing the game on a DC pad can be somewhat awkward, but not impo- ssible. After some practice, moving the VRs should become second nature no matter which controller is being used. NOTE: Twin Sticks are being sold for VOOT, but are very hard to find ** Twin Sticks Setup ** O-- O-- Both sticks left causes VR to walk leftwards --O --O Both sticks right causes VR to walk rightwards | | Both sticks toward you (down) moves VR backwards O O O O Both sticks away from you (up) moves VR forwards | | O | Sticks in opposite directions causes rotation | O depending on which stick is up or down O-- --O Sticks apart causes VR to jump --O O-- Sticks inwards causes VR to Crouch / Block / Cancel Right Turbo Right Turbo / Dash / Dash Cancel Left Turbo Left Turbo / Dash / Dash Cancel Right Trigger Right Weapon (RW) Left Trigger Left Weapon (LW) Both Triggers Central Weapon (CW) ** Dreamcast Controller ("A" Setup) ** DC Pad Right VR moves right DC Pad Left VR moves left DC Pad Down VR moves backwards DC Pad Up VR moves forwards Analog Up/Down Start Button Analog Left/Right Rotate VR Left Right A Button Crouch / Block / Cancel B Button Right Turbo / Dash / Dash Cancel X Button Left Turbo / Dash / Dash Cancel Y Button Jump Right Trigger Right Weapon (RW) Left Trigger Left Weapon (LW) Both Triggerss Central Weapon (CW) Start Button Pauses Game, Brings up menu ################################## B. Schema ################################## Throughout this FAQ, shorthand will be used to state specific actions and weapon usages RW Right Weapon LW Left Weapon CW Central Weapon RT Right Turbo type attacks LT Left Turbo type attacks RTRW Right Turbo Right Weapon RTLW Right Turbo Left Weapon RTCW Right Turbo Central Weapon LTRW Left Turbo Right Weapon LTLW Left Turbo Left Weapon LTCW Left Turbo Central Weapon CrRW Crouch Right Weapon CrLW Crouch Left Weapon CrCW Crouch Central Weapon AW All Weapons (usually for gauge reading) V. Armor Virtual Armor (chance of deflection of projectile) CC Close Combat RA-ERL Right Arm ERL (BAL series only) LA-ERL Left Arm ERL (BAL series only) RT-ERL Right Thigh ERL (BAL series only) LT-ERL Left Thigh ERL (BAL series only) ################################## C. Movement ################################## Movement is a big part of the Virtual On universe. Because the game is fully 3D with obstacles and multiple elevations, the ability to move const- antly while keeping the enemy in view is a must. ** Walking ** Walking occurs by moving the VR left, right, forward, back, or in some diagonal combination of the above. The walking speed of the VR varies from VR to VR. This difference is usually inherent upon the size and armor of the VR. Heavier VRs move slower and thus can not merely walk to dodge weapons while lighter VRs are able to dodge some weapons by simply walking sideways. ** Jumping ** Due to the 3D nature of VOOT, movement in the Y-plane is possible. To jump, pull both sticks apart (press jump on the DC pad) and the VR will engage its booster and jump into the air for a certain amount of time before falling back toward the ground. If you wish to stop jumping or simply speed up your descent, you can cancel the jump by pressing the sticks towards each other (or press the crouch button on the pad) and either the upwards motion will be terminated for a quick downward descent and/or your downward descent will become faster. Double jumping is possibly by jumping again before reaching the apex of your initial jump. It is useful in getting out of the opponent's view. Due to the nature of normal weapons in VOOT, horizontal tracking is usual- ly better then vertical tracking. Thus, a quick jump cancel (jump and then quickly cancel the jump) is often good for dodging an attack that would otherwise hit you. To do a jump cancel, pull both sticks apart and then quickly push them together. Depending on how fast this action if performed, the VR should jump and quickly descend while turning toward the enemy. Long- er j-cancels are useful for dodging attacks while faster ones are good for orienting on the enemy. As with walking, not all VRs can jump equally. Whereas Cypher and the Bal series can move through the air with ease and grace, big VRs such as Raiden and Dordray are often sitting ducks if in the air for too long. Despite this jumping is a useful skill to have. ** Dashing ** VR boosters can also be used to propel the VR in a horizontal direction. This allows the smaller and lighter VRs to motor around the arenas as well as giving the heavier VRs a chance to dodge incoming projectiles. To dash, move in one direction while pressing a turbo button (top button on sticks, dash / turbo button on the DC Pad). Your VR should engage its booster and propel itself in the direction chosen at a much faster speed. A dash is also cancellable IF the VR has not yet fired a weapon AND the boosters are still on. To cancel a dash, simply press the turbo / dash button one more time. This should cause the VR to skid to a halt almost instantly. It should be noted that attempting to dash by pressing both turbo buttons (on the sticks) can lead to the VR being jittery. This is because the input tells the VR to dash and then instantly getting cancelled. The ability to dash around the arenas adds a whole new dimension to move- ment. Suddenly speed is a big facto as well as proper use of structures with which to hid behind. Faster VRs can move faster and further with their dash- es while slower VRs are not able to dodge incoming shots. Dash cancels allow the VRs to jockey for position as well. It should be noted that most of the time, only forward and side dashes (with their diagonal variants) should be used. Back dashes are seldom useful due to their slow nature and their piti- ful dash attacks (see below). ** Air Dash ** A new addition to VOOT is the inclusion of an air dash. This is accompli- shed by jumping and before the apex of the jump, inputting in a dash command (with a direction). If all goes well, the VR should dash off in that direction while in the air and keep the same level distance from the ground until the end of the dash. As with standard dashes, you can cancel the dash at which the VR will float back down to the ground (NOTE: you can not cancel the jump at this point). Air dashes add a new facet to the game in which you can jump to dodge an attack while instantly moving in another direction to either attack or find a better strategic location. When dashes end, the rate of descent can be in- creased by crouching (pushing the sticks inward, crouch button on DC pad). ################################## D. Attacks ################################## ** Basic Weapon ** Every VR has 3 basic weapons, Left Weapon (LW), Right Weapon (RW), and Central Weapon (CW). The weapons are fired by pressing the right trigger, left trigger, or both triggers. Usually the RW is some sort of direct proj- ectile that has some sort of homing capability. The LW is an alternative projectile that is usually explosive or holds some special capability with which to press the attack. The CW is usually the best weapon of the bunch and holds some special ability such as extreme homing, stun attack, or close combat weapon. All weapons have an energy bar which will drain while firing. These bars recharge at a constant rate meaning that you will never run out of ammuni- tion. However, as some weapons drain the gauge faster then it recharges, care must be taken to ensure that you do not completely drain the weapon and have to wait for it to recharge again when you need to fire it. Most of the weapons also require a lock-on to be present on the enemy VR. This ensures that they will attempt to home in on the enemy. If no such lock-on is present, they will simply go off in a straight line. ** Turbo Attacks ** An addition to VOOT is the turbo attack. Turbo Attacks are enhancements of basic weapons that are accomplished by pressing a trigger with either of the dash buttons. The difference between left and right turbo (left and right dash) attacks is extremely important and thus care should be taken to make sure that the proper attack type is used. Right turbo attacks are usually a more powerful variant of the basic attack. They draw more energy and often freeze the VR in place while the attack is being done. The difference is that RT attacks ignore V. Armor thus allowing light weapons to actually do damage against a heavy VR at a decent distance. They also tend to have less or no homing capabilities whatsoever. Left Turbo attacks fall into the category of special attacks. They tend to either freeze the enemy VR in place (MSBS v 5.2) or strip of V. Armor (MSBS v 5.4 / 5.45) leaving the stunned VR more vulnarable to damage from other weapons. LT attacks tend to have less of a drain on the weapon gauge and are usually cancelable midway through the firing by either stopping the firing and/or dash/jumping away. ** Crouch Attacks ** Crouch attacks are done by pressing the sticks inward (or pressing the crouch button) and firing a weapon at the same time. Crouch attacks can not be turbo'd, but are a variant of the normal class of weapons that deserves special mention. In VOOM, crouch attacks were good attacks to make on air- borne enemies as they had an initial upward angle of fire as well as have and increase in speed over conventional fire. However, this also led to the weapons being abused against taller VRs such as Bal Bas Bow and Viper II. VOOT has changed the specific characteristics of crouch weapons for a new use. While they still do have better vertical tracking then conventional fire, it is often better to simply wait for a VR to land and try to hit that VR at its landing site. Instead, crouch weapons fire much faster and have a higher velocity then normal fire. They also allow sliding to occur while firing the weapon (see below) and thus are a good way to harry your oppo- nent. The increase in speed of the crouch weapon is balanced by its poor V. Armor penetration. As a result, crouch weapon fire should only be used at medium to close range, and even then as an alternative way to harry the opponent. The ability to crouch slide is a great boon in doing this attack. To crouch slide, engage in a crouch weapon attack while moving sideways. The steps for this manuever are to start moving, and then move both sticks in- ward (only one stick should move inward as the other is already facing in that direction) while firing a weapon (hitting crouch on DC pad). If done correctly, your VR should duck and slide in the direction of movement while firing. This slide is somewhat faster then standard walking, but only for a short period of time as the VR needs to stand back up. It is good to test out what specific crouch attacks do. Some will explode after a certain distance making range extremely important while others will bounce and allow you to go over structures. As always, crouch freeze does exist, but in a very small amount and especially if you use the crouch slide while doing such an attack. ** Dash Attacks ** Attacking during a dash is by far the meat of a Virtual On game. The abil- ity to fire a weapon during a dash allows increased change in distance be- tween the two VRs as well as rotation to focus on the enemy VRs. A dash attack is done by dashing in some direction and then firing your weapon be- fore the dash ends. The VR will start rotating toward the enemy during the middle of the dash and fire its weapons. Depending on the speed of its ro- tation and the angle between VRs, some shots may go errant. Dash attacks vary depending on what direction the VR is dashing in when it fires its weapons. Forward dashes often provide the best attack characteri- stics with an increase in V. Armor penetration, speed and damage. Forward diagonal type dashes hold true to most of the same such characteristics, but may also be weaker depending on weapon charge. Side dashes are useful for evading fire, but do not provide very powerful attacks. Back dashes are not recommended due to their slow speed and the weak shot that occurs. However, some VRs can benefit from a back dash attack. There are two important aspects of dash attacks that need to be address- ed. The first is that during a dash, the VRs V. Armor decreases in capa- bility. Because of this, getting hit during a dash will most often end in taking damage even if it was at long range and your VR had 100% V. Armor. The other aspect of dash attacking is much more important. This is the dash freeze, which occurs at the end of a dash attack. It keeps people from dashing endlessly and turns Virtual On into a much more strategic battle. The dash freeze causes your VR to freeze for a small amount of time at the end of a dash attack. During this time, you VR will be vulnerable to many attacks, and is often the focal point of an enemy's counter attack. Dash- ing by itself does not cause a dash freeze, only the use of a dash attack will cause the VR to freeze a the end of a dash. Thus care must be taken to ensure that your VR is safely behind cover or in otherwise safe positions at the end of a dash attack. ** Jump Attacks ** Just as attacks can be done while dashing, jump attacks can also be done. Jump attacks tend to have the same capabilities as standard attacks, with the exception that you are allowed to use the turbo variants during that attack (something dash attacks don't allow for obvious reasons). However, despite this bonus, jump attacks should seldom be done. They leave the VR a floating target and there are better things to do while in the air. ** Air Dash Attacks ** The obvious alternative to jump attacks is air dash attacks. With the inclusion of an air dash, VRs can now attack in the air. These attacks tend to have the same capabilities as standard dash attack, though some of the attacks may have added capabilities (or some capabilities taken away). Air dash attacks are often perfect ways to retaliate on an enemy dash attack. The jump in the air should throw off the homing of an enemy attack, and the ability to dash off in a counterattack is useful. However, air dash attacks do have their disadvantages. To compound the dash freeze that occurs at the end of a dash, the VRs also have to float to the ground (the descent can be sped up by crouching). Depending on the height of the air dash, this can leave the VR an obvious sitting duck. ** Dash Crouch Attacks Another combination of attacking is the dash crouch attack. In this case, the VR performs a low roll while launching its attacks. Crouch dash attacks tend to fire off fewer projectiles but specific VRs get benefits out of do- ing a crouch dash attack. There is also a small chance that the VR can duck under enemy fire. ** Close Combat ** When VRs get within a certain distance of each other, a second lock-on crosshair appears to surround the original crosshair. When this occurs, the VRs attacks are changed to close combat attacks. Each specific VR has its own Close Combat (CC) attacks and range from kicking, to gun bashing, to punches and kicks, to swords. CC is performed just like any other attack as long as the second cross- hair is present. (Your weapon gauges also light up in a yellow manner). Un- like standard combat, CC attacks can be blocked. This is done by pushing both sticks inward (hitting crouch button on DC pad). If the block is successful, a small amount of damage is done to the blocking VR. Due to the fact that most CC weapons do more damage then conventional weapons, CC can add some interesting spice to the game. Different VRs also have different CC activation distances allowing some VRs to attack before others are within range. ################################## E. Enemy Acquisition ################################## Now that you are no longer a sitting duck and can also fire back at the en- emy, it is instantly obvious that keeping the enemy on screen and with a lock- on is extremely hard. Fortunately, there are 3 ways to keep the enemy on screen and with a lock-on. The first is to simply rotate your VR toward the enemy. Depending on which side of you the enemy is, there should be an arrow at the side of your screen pointing in their general direction. Simply rotate that way, and the enemy should eventually appear on screen. Unfortunately, rotation makes your VR a sitting target (it can be done while walking, but can become disorienting). While still useful in Virtual On, rotation is better off used to guide shots rather then to find the enemy. Jumping also causes your VR to instantly acquire the enemy. While in the air, the VR will quickly rotate to face the enemy. While the enemy can then move out of view, the initial rotation helps to find the enemy. However, due to the fact that you are floating, you become a sitting duck as you fall to the ground. This can be solved by doing a jump cancel (j-cancel). By jumping for a split second and the cancelling the jump, your VR jumps, orients on the enemy and then falls to the ground quickly, allowing enemy acquisition with a minimum of wasted time. The final method is to do a dash attack (ground or air). Simply dashing does not find the enemy, but dash attacks cause the VR to rotate toward the enemy. During the rest of the firing cycle, the VR will attempt to keep the enemy in sight (not always an easy thing to do). However, dash attacks cause dash freeze so care should be taken. Out of all these methods, j-cancels are the best method for enemy acquisi- tion. Dash attacks are useful when you know the enemy is bearing down on you, but do not know from what direction and range. Rotation is sometimes good for centering an enemy, but usually, j-cancels are the method to use. ################################## F. Other Tidbits ################################## ** Range ** The sense of distance and range between VRs is an important skill to have in Virtual On. The onscreen HUD depicts a range indicator to the bottom of the crosshairs. The numbers on this HUD change extremely fast in a fluid game and are thus hard to keep track of. Yet, it is a good way to get a gen- eral approximation of distance between you and the opponent. The ability to understand range is especially important in medium to short ranges. Knowing about how far away the enemy is allows you to engage in CC as quick as possible as well as lob grenades and know that they will reach out and hit the opponent instead of falling short. ** Getting Up ** Despite the best battle plans, you will still get hit during a Virtual On game. In the worst case, this hit (or series of hits) will cause your VR to fall over onto the ground. There is little that you can do to stop this from happening (other then to not get hit), but knowing what occurs next is im- portant. While your VR is prostrate on the ground, attacks will do much less damage to it (but damage none the less). When the VR gets up off the ground, it is invincible for a split second. During that time, you can attempt to do an attack or dash off. If you attempt to do an attack, the invincibility will end leaving you vulnerable to counterattacks. Otherwise, you will not take any damage during that second of invulnerability. It is a good time to take a breath and decide what your next attack will be. ** V. Armor ** V. Armor is an added stat to the VOOT universe. It was added to help heavier VRs deal with fast VRs picking away at them from the distance. It encourages medium to close range combat because as the distance between VRs decreases, shots are more able to penetrate V. Armor. Heavy VRs tend to have more powerful V. Armor meaning that enemy VRs will either have to strip off their V. Armor of engage them at close distances. Some of the heaviest VRs can reflect shots at almost CC distance! Lighter VRs have a lesser amount of V. armor meaning that they can reflect some shots but only those from light projectiles. V. Armor takes affect when the VR is hit in the front, somewhat on the sides and almost never in the back. Dashing decreases V. Armor abilities. All starting VRs have 100% V. Armor but this will be stripped away over the course of combat. ** Weapon Capabilities ** The weapons of VOOT are of many different varieties and categories. They all have some basic capabilies that are important to understand so that the weapons will be used properly. Homing -- Homing weapons tend to arc toward the enemy VR as long as a lock on exists. Almost all weapons have some type of homing capability and your VR will attempt to fire in the enemy direction. Different homing weapons have different degrees of homing as well as speed. If no lock-on is presnt, the weapon will simply fire forward. Front Fire -- Front fire weapons simply fire forward. They have no homing capabilities whatsoever, but in return do quite a bit more damage then their homing variants. Most front fire weapons will also ignore V. Armor. Projectile Attacks -- These are the basic attacks that most VRs have. Most projectile attacks also have homing capabilities. They do not do very much damage and are affected by V. Armor at medium to long distances. Energy Attacks -- Energy attacks are very much like projectile attacks. Most energy attacks are front firing, but they are also able to cancel out in- coming projectiles if the projectile should cross their path. Energy attacks tend to eat up a lot of ammo gauge. Energy attacks tend to ignore V. Armor. Explosive Attacks -- Explosive attacks cause explosions to occur. While the explosions do not last very long, they are useful in obscuring view as well as cancelling out any attack that attempts to go through the explosion. If a VR fires from within the explosion however, its attack is not affected. Most explosive attacks ignore V. Armor and may also strip a small amount off on contact. Stun Attacks -- An addition to VOOT is the stun attack. These attack freeze the enemy VR in place for a short amount of time. They don't do damage, but do setup the stunned VR for follow up attacks. Selective Fire -- Some attack have selective fire. These are CW variants and allow the weapon to only fire half its blast, thereby saving charge. To do a selective fire, simply press both triggers and then let one up. This will result in the weapon only firing half its attack (and only half the side). ============================================================================= 3. Virtuaroids (VR) ============================================================================= VOOT starts with a basic 12 VRs with a final hidden Ajim that can be unlock- ed on the Dreamcast after a specific sequence and date. This section will describe the VRs, their weapons, capabilities, speed, and armor. There are no known differences between DNA (1st player) and RNA (2nd player) VRs other then different color and different targetting recticles. ################################## # A. TEMJIN ################################## ** Background ** This is VOOM's Temjin almost down to the last pixel. A good beginner's VR as well as a potent weapon in an advanced player's hands ** Notes ** Temjin has not changed very much since the first game. His beam rifle and grenade still exist and with the insertion of turbo attacks are very potent. However, the beam rifle is now very dependent on ammunition meaning that play- ers will now have to watch their gauges. His bombs have also been degraged quite a bit, leading to little damage as well as faster dissipation. Temjin has 2 special attacks, a gliding ram (surfboard attack) and the spinning sword. ****************************** Long Range Attacks ****************************** RW -- Long Launcher Temjin fires a single blue shot from his rifle that homes in on enemies. Does decent damage for a RW, but suffers from V. Armor deflection at long range. Temjin can machine gun his rifle (shoot faster) by wiggling the right stick sideways while continually firing. The jumping version of this attack fires off 4 shots in quick succession. If all 4 hit, they do quite a bit of damage. There are better uses, but it can be a devastating attack. LW -- Grenades Temjin throws a grenade at the enemy. It goes about 300m and explodes on contact. The grenade lasts about a second before it dissipates. During this time, projectiles fired through the blast don't do damage. The damage done by the grenade is minimal, but bypasses V. Armor. It also no longer explodes when enemy's are near it. It should be noted that any projectiles that Temjin fires through the bomb blast will damage the enemy, so in essence the explos- ion does not exist to give Temjin any disadvantages. The jumping version of this allows Temjin to throw it a bit further because of hit height. As a result, he can hit almost everywhere on the map if in the center. CW -- Beam Sword This is Temjin's primary CC weapon. At long range it emits a blue wave that travels horizontally. The beam sword homes very well and V. Armor does not affect it. However, it's damage is minimal. Due to the energy nature of this attack, the wave (and sword itself) will cancel incoming shots. The jumping version is like the standing version. LTRW -- Strip Shot Temjin shoots small blue beams that home decently and move faster then the standard rifle shot. These shots do no damage but strip of a decent amount of V. Armor. The jumping version is like the standing version. LTLW -- Bounce Grenade Temjin throws a standard grenade which homes a slight bit better then the standard LW. When it hits the ground, it bounces and is useful for going over structures. When it hits an enemy or bounces twice, it explodes for a small amount of damage. The jumping variant seems to float in the air before hitting the ground. The animation is the same, and there may be a bouncing portion of the grenade, but it flies quite far by itself. LTCW -- Vertical Beam Sword Wave Temjin throws out a vertical version of his beam sword. I guess this is better for hitting air enemies because it is about the height of a VR. Otherwise, this move seems useless. The jumping version is like the standing version. RTRW -- Beam Laser Temjin sets up, opens his rail gun and fires a straight laser in front of him. This attack is direct fire and does a lot of damage. While Temjin is firing, he is stuck in his position. This attack drains all of the ammo gauge. The jumping version is like the standing version except at a steep angle dep- ending on range. The jump rotation toward the enemy can make this a good hit. RTLW -- Long Grenade Temjin throws his grenade further away. It explodes in the air or on contact with an enemy. If it explodes in the air, the bottom of the explosion covers the ground. This grenade does a slight bit more damage and homes better. The jumping variant throws out the grenade very far. In fact, if this is used past about 550m, there is a possibility of the grenade going further then the VR. RTCW -- Wide Wave Temjin's sword emits a wider horizontal wave that does more damage to the enemy. However, it also drains 75% of the weapon charge. This attack also stuns the enemy to a degree. The jumping version is like the standing version. ****************************** Crouching Long Distance ****************************** CrRW -- Crouch Rifle Temjin crouches and shoots out 4 bolts at the enemy. They are pretty fast and have good upwards acceleration. This attack is useful for both air and ground combat, but not longer has the obscene homing abilities it used to. All in all a good pressuring attack. CrLW -- Rolling Grenade Temjin crouches and chucks out a grenade to his right side. When the grenade hits the ground it rolls a small distance before exploding. This allows it to roll over obstruction to the other side (thereby hitting hiding VRs). CrCW -- Crouch Sword Beam Temjin does a crouch slice and the beam comes out low off the ground. Other- wise it is like a standard sword beam. CrLTRW -- Crouch Strip Gun Temjin crouches and fires off of a crouching strip shot. Much like the stand- ing variant. CrLTLW -- Crouch Grenade Temjin throws off a crouching grenade that travels horizontally along the ground and homes somewhat at the enemy. It does a small amount of damage on contact. CrLTCW -- Crouch Vertical Wave A crouching variant of the LTCW. CrRTRW -- Crouch Laser This is a crouching variant of the laser. It does less damage but also takes off less weapon charge as a result. CrRTLW -- Crouch Grenade Temjin throws off a crouching grenade that travels horizontally along the ground and homes somewhat at the enemy. It does a small amount of damage on contact. CrRTCW -- Crouch Horizontal Wave Temjin crouches and throws off a horizontal wave. It takes off less ammo gauge but stuns less as well as doing less damage. ****************************** Dash Weapon Attacks ****************************** --Forward Dash RW -- Big Two Temjin dashes forward and unleases two big beam shots at the enemy. This is his best dash attack as the shots come out very fast and have good V. Armor penetration. They also do quite a bit of damage on impact. If the enemy is at an acute angle, only one of the shots will hit due to Temjin's rotation speed. This attack drains the ammo gauge quite a bit and successive uses of the forward dash attack leads to redline. The crouching variant of this does less damage as well as has less V. armor penetration. The air dash variant of this is very much like the standard dash variant. LW -- Forward Bomb Temjin dashes forward and chucks a bomb at the opponent. Due to the speed of Temjin, he will pass through the bomb explosion radius at the end of the dash. This is a good attack when you need to save RW ammo and can also end up ob- scuring enemy view of your VR. Lighter VRs caught in the air of this blast will fall down. The crouching variant of this attack throws the bomb in a shallower arc. Temjin does not really crouch when throwing the bomb. The air dash variant throws the bomb further (probably because you are higher in the air). Regardless, this variant flies further toward the enemy, but is as a result harder to hit an enemy close to the dash. CW -- Sword Beam Temjin dashes and then swings his sword to emit a sword beam. This attack is not very damaging but can cancel out other attacks. The crouch and air dash variants are not very different. --Side Dash RW -- Side 4-Shot Temjin dashes sideways and unleashes 4 shots at the enemy. Unlike the Big 2, these shots do much less damage and have less speed and penetration. Given a choice between this and the Big 2, the Big 2 should always be used. The crouch variant has Temjin ducking lower (almost enough to go under lasers) while firing the standard 4-shot. The air dash variant does not fire as fast, but the shots seem to home in on the enemy a bit more. LW -- Side Bomb Temjin chucks a bomb of to his side in the direction (or on) the opponent. The crouch variant goes a bit further, but is lower to the ground while the air dash variant is very much the same as the standard dash. CW -- Sword Beam Temjin dashes sideways and emits a sword beam. There is no real difference between this variant and the crouch and air dash versions. --Back Dash RW -- 3 Big Shots Temjin dashes backwards and unleashes 3 big beam shots at the enemy. These shots do not penetrate as much V. Armor as the big 2 or the side dash, but do a little more damage then a side dash shot. These shots move slowly. The crouch variant only fires 2 of these shots. The air dash variant is the same as the standard dash variant. LW -- Grenade Temjin drops a grenade behind him. The crouch version goes further as the grenade skims the ground until it hits something. The air dash version is like the standard dash version, CW -- Beam Sword Temjin throws a wave behind him. This can be used as a shield for oncoming projectiles. The crouch and air dash variants are the exact same. ****************************** Close Combat Weapons ****************************** RW -- Sword Poke, Sword Bash Temjin pokes forward with his sword/gun and then does a sideways type bash with it as his second attack. The speed of the attack is no longer as fast as it once was, but still has a good amount of priority to hit oncoming enemies. Knockdown occurs if both attacks hit. LW -- Sword Slice, Sword Slice Temjin slices two times with his sword. It is a relativily fast attack with good damage potential. Temjin starts the slice on the left slice and then goes for a right slice on the second hit. CW -- Big Sword Slice Temjin steps into the enemy for a huge sword slice that takes off a lot of enemy health. The attack is very impressive and starts from left to right. It has good range and arc in front of it. Because of the range that Temjin has with his sword, he can also slice through obstructions to get at VRs on the other side. CrRW -- Low Poke Temjin ducks and pokes upwards with his sword. It has good speed, almost on part with his standard poke. While damage is somewhat low, it is a crouch attack and a relatively fast one at that. CrLW -- Low Kick Temjin crouches and does a low kick (kind of like Chun Li's low RH). It does a bit more damage then the CrRW but is slower by a bit. CrCW -- Crouch Slice Temjin crouches and slices his sword while moving forward. This is a good combo to do after canceling the standing CW. The damage is good and Temjin swings from left to right. RTRW -- Somersault Sword hit Temjin somersaults in the air and comes down with his sword. There is little forward movement with this attack and thus will only hit close up front and possibly to the side. RTLW -- Shield Bash Temjin's shoulder glows blue and he swings it forward like a shield. The range of this move is extremely short. RTCW -- Spinning Slice Temjing spins around and slices with his sword. This move does more damage then a standard attack, but can not be cancelled and is somewhat slow. This is because Temjin spins before slicing. Dash RW -- Right Side Strike Temjin swings on his right side to hit the enemy. This move does a good deal of damage and has good range in comparison to other dash CC attacks. Dash LW -- Left Side Strike Same as above except to the left side. Dash CW -- Overhead Swing Temjin swings his sword in an overhead manner at an enemy in front of him. This move does more damage then the other dash CC attacks but also has no arc with which to hit the enemy Ground Hit Temjin pokes his sword at a fallen enemy. It does a good amount of damage and is relatively fast to come out. ****************************** Specials ****************************** Gliding Ram -- Jump, Forward Dash, CW (AW Full) Temjin gets on his sword which turns into a surf board and homes in on the enemey. He is vulnerable to damage at this time and can get knocked off if enough damage is done. All weapons need to be at full charge. Spinning Sword -- [In CC Range] Rotate, CW (CW Full) Temjin pulls out his sword and spins around like a top homing in on the enemy. This move does a lot of damage but can be blocked and comes out slowly. It is good to use on landing enemies or as a surprise. ################################## # B. APHARMD BATTLER ################################## ** Background ** This is VOOM's Apharmd. He now carries dual SMGs instead of a shotgun and has a variable grenade. ** Notes ** Battler has changed somewhat between the two Virtual Ons. While he still has his trademark tonfers, his switch in weaponry has a good and bad aspect. The much maligned shotguns have been swapped with SMGs. These weapons allow him to now pressure the opponent with a steady stream of bullets. However, the damage and armor penetration of this weapon is extremely low. His bomb has also been changed to either act as a napalm attack or a standard bomb depending on usage. Battler's tonfers not have more range as well as increased speed. Sadly, they are still not on par with Temjin's sword range or speed. However, Battler now has THE single most damaging attack, even more so then Raiden's lasers. The turbo variants of the tonfers also allow for stun tornados making Battler even more dangerous at close range. ****************************** Long Range ****************************** RW -- SMG Battler fires off his right SMG. A stream of bullets home toward the enemy. The weapon does minimal damage and has almost no armor penetration. It also empties the gauge quite quickly. Yet, it is a good pressuring weapon at medium to short range or when the enemy has no V. Armor left. The jumping version is like the standing version. LW -- Napalm Battler drops on his left side a napalm charge which sets off a column of explosions that proceed forward. This can cover Battler from projectiles if he dashes along it. Each explosion does a small amount of damage, but due to the nature of the napalm, and enemy can be hit multiple times. It also works well in going through obstructions. The jumping version is like the standing version. The napalm explosions begin at where Battler's feet would be. CW -- Tonfer Ring Battler swings his tonfers and two rings spin out and home in on the enemy. They do a small amount of damage and cancel out projectiles. It should also be noted that Apharmd no longer moves forward when he does this move. The jumping version is like the standing version except that the rings spin in a vertical manner. LTRW -- Strip SMG Battler shoots both SMGs and 2 streams of blue shots home in on the enemy. The shots are fast and home well. Each bullet strips off a small amount of V. Armor and an entire stream can nullify up to 50% of the enemy's V. Armor. The jumping version is like the standing version. LTLW -- Bounce Bomb Battler shoots out two bomblets from his chest which bounce at a fast rate toward the enemy. Upon contact with an enemy or an obstruction, they turn into a pillar of fire. Low homing capability, but V. Armor stripping is decent. The jumping version is like the standing version. They essentially fly out high enough and far enough that they do not need to bounce anymore. LTCW -- Fast tonfer Battler fires off one ring. It homes well and can knockdown lighter VRs or from successive hits. Damage and V. Armor stripping is minimal, but because it doesn't eat a lot of ammo gauge, quite a few rings can fill the screen. The jumping version is like the standing version. RTRW -- Twin SMGs Battler stands still and empties his entire gauge at the enemy. The shots home decently and ignore V. Armor. Upon contact, they explode dealing damage to the enemy. This attack has merits in that it ignores V. Armor, but few enemies will stand still long enough for the entire stream to hit them. As a result, it is not the best attack to use on a full gauge. The jumping version is like the standing version. Battler fires off what seems to be bursts, but are strung very close together. Damage is about the same as well. RTLW -- Soccer Punt Battler takes out a grenade and punts it at the enemy. The grenades flies pretty far, but does not home very well. However, it has the ability to knock down any airborne VR as well as medium VRs on the ground. The move takes up all of the ammo gauge and is not usable at close range because of its initial upwards arc. Battler jumps in the air and kicks the grenade in a downward manner. It strikes the ground at about 250-300m before bouncing toward the enemy. It will explode after the second bounce. As with the standing variant, this is not very good at close range. Also, because the grenade bounces, it is possible for an enemy to go under the bounce to avoid the hits. RTCW -- Tornado Battler spins his tonfers and creates a vertical tornado that homes in on the enemy. It dissipates upon hitting an obstruction but otherwise continually homes in on the enemy. Upon impact, it will stun the enemy allowing any followups Battler has in store for them. The jumping version simply spins out 2 rings that do more damage then the standard version. ****************************** Crouching Long Distance ****************************** CrRW -- Crouching SMG Battler crouches and shoots out a steady stream of bullets. This attack is faster then normal and has a bit of homing capability. CrLW -- Side Napalm Battler drops the napalm bomb further to his side. CrCW -- Tornado Battler crouches and creates a tornado that homes after the enemy. This tor- nado travels for a good distance and dissipates if it hits an obstruction. It stuns the enemy allowing for follow-up attacks as well as damaging them initially. This is a great attack that pressures the enemy. CrLTRW -- Crouch Strip SMG Battler crouches and fires off some strip shots at the enemy. Only one stream seems to go at the enemy. CrLTLW -- Crouch Chest Grenade Battler crouches and fires off two bomblets at a horizontal trajectory. They explode at 300m and take off some V. Armor on impact. CrLTCW -- Knockdown Hurricane Battler shoots out a slow hurricane that homes in on the enemy. This move does not drain a lot of ammo and is very good at homing in on the enemy. It also will knockdown lighter or damaged VRs. CrRTRW -- Crouch SMG Battler fires off 1 stream of the RTRW variant. Can not be cancelled but ends earlier with more ammo gauge remaining. CrRTLW -- Crouch Grenade Battler throws a grenade that bounces toward the enemy at a rapid rate. This grenade homes in on the enemy and does a lot of damage if it hits. CrRTCW -- Crouch Stun Tornado A crouch variant that stuns the enemy on contact. ****************************** Dash Attacks ****************************** --Forward Dash RW -- Dual SMGs Battler dashes forward and fires both his SMGs at the enemy resulting in a stream of ammunition flying at the enemy VR. The attack uses up a good amount of the ammo gauge (or as much as is left if close to redline). It still suffers from V. Armor deflection, but due to Battler's fast forward dash, you can quickly close the distance and some of the shots will penetrate. The crouch variant fires much less shots then the standard variant. The air dash variant explodes to do a bit more damage, but only if the shots are not deflected by the V. Armor. LW -- Grenade Battler drops a grenade much like Temjin's. It's affects are very much like a standard bomb and creates a spherical explosion on the ground. Damage is minimal, but it can provide a small amount of defense. The crouching version goes a shorter distance while the air dash version goes a slight bit further due to the height that Battler is at when he drops the grenade. CW -- Tonfer Ring Battler swings the tonfers to create two rings that home very well at the enemy. Damage is minimal, but as they are energy attacks, they ignore V. Armor as well as cancel out incoming projectiles. The crouching version of this is very important for Apharmd to use. It creates a stun hurricane that is very much like the RTCW version. It is useful for catching enemies and then doing a followup hit. Unfortunately, it only goes a certain distance before disipating. The air dash version shoots off a vertical version of the tonfer rings. --Side Dash RW -- SMG Battler dashes sideways and unleashes a spread of SMG shots. It is very much like the forward dash except that there is a higher chance of hitting due to the spread that occurs. Otherwise, a forward dash attack is a better choice. Apharmd does a roll and fires off less shells then the standard dash version. The air dash version explodes on contact but only on V. Armor penetration. LW -- Napalm Battler dashes sideways and drops a napalm canister toward the opponent. This induces a row of explosions going toward the opponent. It doesn't do that much damage and unfortunately is not very good as a defensive measure. The crouch and air dash variants are much like the standard dash variant. CW -- Tonfer Ring Battler swings his tonfer and lets loose 2 rings. The attack is the same as that of the forward dash. It can be a good defensive countermeasure. The crouch variant causes a stun hurricane that dissipates after some time. The air dash variant throws off 1 vertical ring. --Back Dash RW -- SMG Stream Battler turns around and fires a single stream of SMG shots at the enemy. Damage and V. Armor penetration is about the same and possibly lower then the standing variant. The crouch version fires 2 shorter streams at the enemy. The air dash version penetrates less V. Armor then the standard dash variant. LW -- Bounce Grenade Battler turns around and throws a grenade the bounces along the ground toward the opponent. It has slight homing abilities and explodes like a grenade. The crouch variant simply throws it out and lets it explode without bouncing. The air dash variant is like the crouch variant. CW -- Rings Battler flips and throws out a tonfer ring behind him. The crouch variant unleashes a stun hurricane while the air dash variant is like the standard dash variant. ****************************** Close Combat Weapons ****************************** RW -- Arm Bash, Arm Bash, Gun Poke/Punch Battler raises his right arm and bashes the enemy. He reverses the hit for a second attack and then punches forward for the third hit. Overall, these attacks have decent priority and are probably his fastest series of attacks. Damage is low per individual hit, but can be devestating should all three hit. The attacks don't stun, so continuation is very unlikely. Cancelling the first hit for repeated attacks is a good use of this move, with occasional second hit chains to stagger the speed of attack. LW -- Tonfer Slice, Tonfer Slice, Roundhouse Kick Battler slices with his left tonfer, then his right tonfer, and finally swings around a roundhouse kick to knockdown the opponent. This first swing is relatively fast, but the others are somewhat slower. Lighter VRs can get knocked down after the second slice. The range on the attack is better then the arm bash and also covers the sides which is useful in hitting Q-stepping VRs. CW -- Tonfer Slice, Tonfer Slice Battler slides forward and swings his left tonfer and then right tonfer. This is THE most damaging attack in the game and guarantees a knockdown after the first hit. There is a slight gap in between tonfer swings and some VRs can interrupt the second swing. Due to the long activation distance, Battler can slide in and attack a VR from almost 150m. However, due to Battler's straight slide, some VRs can "sidestep" the attack and cause Battler to miss. Also, the tonfers while longer then in VOOM are still somewhat short in range and Battler tends to miss more often then not/ CrRW -- Sweep Kick Battler ducks and sweeps his enemy's feet. A fairly fast attack and hits from the rightside inward. CrLW -- Low Left Tonfer Battler ducks and swings his left tonfer in a slightly upward direction. Hits from left to right and has decent speed. CrCW -- Crouching Tonfer Battler slides forward and swings both tonfers low. This is a crouch move and thus unguardable. The attack is slow, but does a good amount of damage when a hit occurs. RTRW -- Roundhouse Kick Battler swings his right leg in a roundhouse kick. A fast attack that has wow factor because it causes the opponent to flip in the air on contact. RTLW -- Flip Kick Battler flips in the air and brings his left heel down on the enemy. This attack only hits in the front and is somewhat slow to come out. I have not been knocked out of the hit, and may have also gone over a crouch attack with it, so it seems like a decent move despite the lack of hit area. RTCW -- Uppercut Tonfer Battler slides in and uppercuts with both tonfers. This move can hit jumping VRs at the beginning of their jump. It does a decent amount of damage and can catch VRs that attempt to jump out of Apharmd's CC attacks. Due to the long activation distance of Apharmd's tonfer, sometimes attempting to do a stun tornado can do this move so care should be taken. Dash RW -- Dashing Right Tonfer Battler strikes out with his right tonfer to hit the enemy. Not much range but a lot of damage on a successful hit. Dash LW -- Dashing Left Tonfer Much like the above but with the left tonfer. Dash CW -- Dashing Forward Tonfer Battler brings both tonfers down in an overhead hit. Does a lot of damage on successful contact but lacks range and arc. Ground Hit Battler attempts to strike the enemy with his right tonfer in a ground attack. This attack is only good if you can hit the instant the enemy falls because it takes awhile to come out. ****************************** Specials ****************************** Flying Kick -- Jump, Forward Dash, CW (CW Full) Battler jumps in the air, dashes forward and executes a flying jump kick at the enemy's head. This move goes straight forward and does a lot of damage. Despite the small hit area, it is a good attack for an enemy running away from you. This flying kick can also be used as a quick escape as well. Power Up -- Double Jump, CW Battler double jumps and then comes down with a glowing disk around his feet. In this mode, his weapons recharge faster and he moves faster. Damage is also increased along with V. Armor penetration. This mode only lasts for about 10 seconds and can only be done once per credit or challenger. ################################## # C. CYPHER ################################## ** Background ** Cypher has not changed much from his VOOM Viper counterpart. His armor is still very paper thin and the VR still excels over other VRs in the air ** Notes ** With the inclusion of V. Armor into the game, Cypher's vulcan is no longer nearly as good as a pressuring weapon. It suffers from about as much V. Armor deflection as Apharmd B's SMGs. Cypher now has daggers instead of 7-way missiles. This weapon functions in almost the same manner but no longer seem to have the same amount of knockdown ability. The homing beam is pretty much the same weapon as before. As noted above, Cypher excels in the air. It is the only VR to be able to launch two attacks during an air dash as well as engage in air dash CC. How- ever, the SLC has lost both its homing ability and its invulnerability. To make up for this, Cypher gains a jet mode in which it can fire its weapons while staying in the air above the enemy. ****************************** Long Range ****************************** RW -- Vulcan Cypher fires his vulcan shooting out quite a few bullets. Damage is minimal, but it does start to strip V. Armor on contatct. There is not very much V. Armor penetration, but after a few hits, enemy V. Armor will have depleted enough for the weapon to start doing damage. Cypher jumps in the air and fires off 3 streams at the enemy. The two side streams go a bit low and angle to the side while the middle one goes high and toward the middle creating a type of triangular stream of fire. As a result, it is possible for an enemy to stand such that the streams will fire above and top its sides. LW -- Daggers Cypher shoots off 5 daggers in a spray. They home somewhat and stick out of the enemy VRs while they drain energy. There may also be a small amount of slowing down the enemy. Damage is decent and there is also a small amount of V. Armor stripping. Cypher can also rotate back and forth while firing the daggers to cause them to go off at odd angles making the weapon harder to dodge. Cypher jumps in the air fires off 5 daggers that home toward the enemy. This attack will almost totally miss enemies at long range (only 1 dagger will hit) while it is very devastating if Cypher is above them (all 5 have a good chance of hitting). CW -- Homing Beam Cypher shoots out a ball of energy that homes in on the enemy at fast speeds. This is one of the better if not best homing weapons in the game. It does decent damage and has knockdown capability. The homing weapon is great as the end result of a vulcan / dagger combo. The jumping version is like the standing version. LTRW -- Strip Vulcan To add to Cypher's already impressive V. Armor stripping capability, this attack does no damage, but strips off quite a bit of V. Armor. These bullets do fly slower. The jumping version is like the standing version. LTLW -- Fast daggers Cypher launches a set of 3 daggers that home in on the enemy. They do less damage and strip of a bit of V. Armor. Because these weapons do not drain the ammo guage very much, it is possible to launch two sets of these daggers out in consecutive order. The jumping version is like the standing version. LTCW -- 4-Way Beam Cypher splits his homing beam in 4 rays that branch out before coming back in on the target. They do a decent amount of damage should all 4 beams hit the target. This attack also has a selective fire mode which is useful in harrassing the target because you can quickly recharge for another shot. The jumping version is like the standing version. RTRW -- Laser Beam Cypher plans itself and shoots a straight laser beam from the vulcan. This attack is extremely fast and does a good deal of damage. It also cancels out incoming projectiles. You can also fire this multiple times as the shot does not take a lot of ammo. The jumping version is like the standing version. Jumping also gives a better chance of hitting due to rotation. RTLW -- All Daggers Cypher fires out 7 daggers on the enemy. This attack redlines the ammo guage but causes a great deal more damage. The jumping version is like the standing version. RTCW -- Exploding Homing Beam Cypher fires off a homing beam that arcs toward the enemy before exploding like a bomb. This attack does a decent amount of damage, but otherwise there are better uses for the CW. The jumping version is like the standing version. ****************************** Crouching Long Distance ****************************** CrRW -- Crouching Vulcan Cypher crouches and fires some vulcan shots. These come out a bit faster and can be used to change timing on standard attacks CrLW -- Crouching Daggers Cypher ducks and shoots out a series of daggers. They exit the launcher fast- er then standard daggers, but otherwise have the same capabilities. CrCW -- Crouching 4-Way Homing Beam Cypher crouches and 4 small homing beams come out of his chest to converge on the enemy. CrLTRW -- Crouch Strip Vulcan This variant fires off faster shots then the standing variant but strips off less on contact. CrLTLW -- Crouch Fast daggers This variant seems to home in on further enemies more as the daggers all bunch up very quickly. It means that after a certain distance all or none will hit. CrLTCW -- Crouch Homing Beam Cypher fires off a crouching small homing beam that travels horizontally along the ground. CrRTRW -- Crouch Laser Cypher fires a crouching version of the laser. This variant takes off a bit more ammo. CrRTLW -- Crouch All Daggers A crouching variant of the RTLW. CrRTCW -- Crouch Exploding Homing Beam Cypher fires a low variant of the RTCW. ****************************** Dash Attacks ****************************** -- Forward Dash RW -- Dash Vulcan Cypher dashes forward and unleashes a stream of bullets at the enemy. They have a bit more V. Armor penetration and do a bit more damage. The crouch and air dash variants are not much different. LW -- Dash Daggers Cypher dashes forward and unloads 5 daggers at the enemy. The daggers do a bit more damage then normal but otherwise are the same as standard daggers and go in a straight line toward the enemy in an attempt for more to hit. The crouch and air dash variants are not much different. CW -- Forward Dash Homing Beam Cypher dashes forward and unloads a homing beam in a straight line toward the enemy. There is no arc on this shot and thus the homing beam will hit enemies directly in front of it. However, this means that it can not go over obstructions. The crouch variant is completely low to the ground while the air dash variant fires at a downward angle before gliding along the ground to hit the enemy. -- Side Dash RW -- Dash Spread Vulcan Cypher dashes and unloads a spread of bullets. They do less damage and have less V. Armor penetration then the forward dash Vulcan. However, due to their spread-like nature, there is a higher chance of some of the shots hitting. The crouch variant is like the standard dash. The aerial variant also has a row of shots gliding along the ground. LW -- Dash Daggers Cypher dashes sideways and fires 5 daggers. They are very much like the forward dash daggers. The crouch and air variants are very much like the standard variant. CW -- Side Dash Homing Beam Cypher fires off a homing beam which has a slight arc. As a result, close VRs will not be hit by it. The crouch variant glides lower to the ground. The air dash variant is a four-way homing beam. It does not have selective fire capabilities. -- Back Dash RW -- Single Vulcan Cypher fires off a single vulcan stream at the enemy. The crouch and air dash variants are the same. LW -- 3 Daggers Cypher unleashes 3 daggers that home in on the enemy. The crouch and air dash variants are the same. CW -- Homing Beam Cypher fires a homing beam at the enemy. The crouch variant fires a 4-way homing beam with no selective fire. The air dash variant is like the standard dash variant. ****************************** Close Combat Weapons ****************************** RW / LW -- Sword Swing, Sword Swing Cypher swings his sword from right to left and then left to right. This attack can be alternated with a LW / LW, or a LW / RW and vice versa with the RW varaint. The LW variant comes out a bit slower but does more damage then the RW variant. Contact with the sword strips V. Armor (even when guarding) and does a good amount of damage. Cypher's combo attacks may not knock down heavier VRs so care should be taken. CW -- Sword Swing Cypher spins around and swings his sword. The damage is better then either the LW or RW, but is also slower. On a successful attack, the CW will knock down the opponent, making it a good option for getting away from an opponent. CrRW -- Low Sword Cypher ducks and flicks his sword from right to left. A fast attack with decent damage. CrLW -- Low Sweep Cypher crouches and sweeps his opponent with his leg. Has good speed and decent damage for the attack. CrCW -- Low Spinning Sword Cypher spins around and ducks and swings his sword. Damage is good, but the attack takes awhile to develope. The swing goes from the left to right. RTRW -- Front Flipkick Cypher flips and attacks with his right front foot. This is a fast jump kick that contacts a small area in front. There is also no movement during the attack so enemies further then touching distance will be missed. RTLW -- Back Flipkick Cypher flips and attacks with the back leg coming of out of the attack. This attack is slower then the RTRW but has a larger contact area and does a small amount more damage. RTCW -- Spinning Sword Cypher spins around and then swings his sword from right to left. The damage is very good for this attack. Dash RW -- Right Sword Cypher swings his sword in the right arc. It does a good amount of damage on impact as well as stripping V. Armor. Dash LW -- Sword Backhand Much like above except that this is a backhand. Dash CW -- Upward Sweep Cypher sweeps the sword in an upward manner striking in front. No arc, but does more damage then the other dash CCs. Air Dash Attack This variant is like the Dash CW CC and due to its nature can hit an enemy slightly below Cypher as well as in front of Cypher. Ground Hit Cypher jumps a slight amount and swings his sword down. This move does not do a lot of damage and Cypher is probably better off hitting with a laser or some other attack. ****************************** Specials ****************************** SLC -- Jump, Forward Dash, CW (AW Full) Cypher jumps in the air and dives at the enemy in an attempt to ram it. There is a glow around Cypher, but he no longer homes and is invulnerable. As a result, you need to guide Cypher toward the enemy. Upon contact with the ground or taking enough damage, Cypher stops the SLC. Jet Fighter -- Double Jump, Rotate (AW Full) Cypher jumps in the air and transforms into a jet. The jet form lasts for about 10 seconds during which you can fly Cypher around. Dashing hovers Cypher while up and down (forward and back) change the altitude. Turning is done by rotation. While in jet form, Cypher can fire all the weapons and also do a SLC (which ends jet form). ################################## # D. RAIDEN ################################## ** Background ** Raiden returns with pretty much the same arsenal as before. The addition of turbo attacks has given him more range while his stun attacks are extremely helpful for his traps and followup hits ** Notes ** Raiden is very much the same as before. He is still very slow, but well armored. The addition of V. Armor has allowed him to keep up with lighter VRs by shrugging off their attacks. While his bazooka has lost some of its power and homing, the upgrades to his laser make it even more dangerous then before. Because Raiden's V. Armor causes enemy attacks to bounce off, Raiden players can be much more patient then before. However, playing Raiden on a DC pad is a slight bit harder then with twin sticks due to the lack of easy rotation. As a result, guiding his lasers on target is much harder. ****************************** Long Distance Standing ****************************** RW -- Bazooka Raiden still has his original bazooka. The damage has been toned down somewhat and the ammo drain is a bit more. V. Armor has been both a blessing and a curse for Raiden because the bazooka's V. Armor penetration is no the greatest but can still be used as a decent standby. The jumping version is 4 quick bazooka shots that do as much damage as a single bazooka if all 4 hit. LW -- Ground Bomb Raiden retains his ground bomb from before. It slides along the ground in front of Raiden with a slight bit of homing. The ground bomb will explode on contact with a VR or a change in elevation (uphill, structure, etc). The explosion has a bigger radius, and is still a good standby in CC. However, the activation distance has been increased making it harder to get off a G. Bomb at the enemy in CC. The jumping version is an EMP bomb which explodes on contact. V. Armor strip- ping is prevalent. CW -- Laser The laser is Raiden's big gun. Raiden sets himself up and fires two blue beams straight at the the enemy. If there is a hit, lighter VRs will find up to 75% for their energy knocked off. The laser is not much faster in firing and thus "dodging" the laser is harder then before. It also has a selective fire mode in which Raiden can fire either side. This allows Raiden to peek out of build- ings and fire whichever side is useful without wasting all of the charge. Another benefit of the new laser is that it can be cancelled, but only before the laser actually gets fired. Thus, doing a dash or a jump when the panels open, but before the laser comes out is possible. The jumping version is like the standing version. LTRW -- Strip Bazooka Raiden fires off a fast set of bazooka shots that strip of V. Armor. It is not a really good attack, but going with the trend of V. Armor stripping can be useful. However, there are better uses for bazooka ammo. The jumping version is like the standing version. LTLW -- EMP Bomb Raiden drops a bouncing blue mass of electricity that bounces and homes in on the enemy. After contact with the enemy or a certain distance, it explodes much like a grenade. However, enemy projectiles seem to go through the explo- sion with no problems. The bomb explodes after 4 bounces. The jumping version is like the standing version. LTCW -- Laser Cages Raiden fires off a set of lasers that create a tunnel like shell to the end of the arena. If the enemy touches this shell, they will be stunned and take a small amount of damage. This is a good weapon for penning the enemy and then attacking them while they can not dodge. The laser cage also has a selective fire mode in which a smaller area is built. It constructs only one side, but does not take that much ammo. The recharge time is less so two selective fire cages can not be made. However, it is possible to fire off a large cage before the smaller one dissipates. The jumping version is like the standing version. RTRW -- Big Bazooka Shot Raiden fires off either a single or two big bazooka shots that do a good amount of damage. This attack severely drains the ammo guage and fires slow but very good homing missiles. The jumping version is like the standing version. RTLW -- Ground Bomb Variant Raiden drops off a G. Bomb that creates a set of napalm explosions toward the side as it explodes. This allows the G. bomb to be more versatile and if it hits an obstruction can cordon off a side of the arena with napalm explosions for awhile. Raiden jumps and reaches back to create an EMP bomb. It does a bit more damage then the standard EMP bomb attack. RTCW -- Screw Laser Raiden firest two siginificantly larger laser beams outwards. They do about 10-15 % more damage and due to their size also cancel out more incoming pro- jectiles. The jumping version is like the standing version. ****************************** Crouching Long Distance ****************************** CrRW -- Crouching Bazooka Raiden shoots of a series of bazooka shots that streak toward the enemy. They explode at 350m. AS with Temjin they no longer home as well as before, but the explosive nature of the shots causes it ignore V. Armor. Damage is minimal. CrLW -- Low Ground Bomb Raiden drops a fast ground bomb to his side that goes toward the opponent. CrCW -- Crouch Laser Raiden crouches and fires 2 laser beams. They do almost as much damage as standard laser beams but come out a bit wider then the standard laser. The crouch attack has a small gap in the middle of its firing. On top of being a fast crouch attack, the crouch laser can be cancelled into a dash right after firing. This gives Raiden quite a bit of speed after the laser. CrLTRW -- Crouch Strip Bazooka This is the strip variant but explodes after 500m. CrLTLW -- High EMP Bomb This bomb flies further and higher before exploding at about 300m. CrLTCW -- Crouch Cage Much like the standing variant. No selective fire possible. CrRTRW -- Crouch Big Bazooka This fires off either one or two shots that are like the RTRW. They explode after about 500m however. CrRTLW -- Crouch Ground Bomb Variant Exactly like the RTLW standing variant. CrRTCW -- Crouch Screw Laser Crouching screw lasers. ****************************** Dash Attacks ****************************** --Forward Dash RW -- Forward Dash Bazooka Raiden dashes forward and fires off 2-4 bazooka shots depending on the charge left in the ammo guage. This is a damaging attack and has a better V. Armor penetration then the standard shot. The crouch and air dash variants fire off less shots. LW -- Ground Bomb Raiden dashes and lets loose a Ground Bomb that spins toward the enemy and explodes on contact. The crouch version is like the standard version. The air dash variant is an EMP bomb that is relatively fast and has good homing capabilities. CW -- 4 Laser Raiden dashes forward and unleashes 2 shots of 4 lasers from his batteries. Depending on the VR, this move can be extremely damaging. Medium VRs seem to suffer the most because they do not fall down and thus are more likely to take both blasts while light VRs will sometimes fall after the first volley. Because the lasers are an energy weapon, this ensures that nothing will hit Raiden from the front when he attacks in this manner. Raiden only fires off a 4 laser shot but is crouched while doing the crouch CW. The air dash is like the standing variant. --Side Dash RW -- Side Dash Bazooka Raiden unleashes about 9 smaller bazooka shots at the enemy while dashing. V. Armor penetration is pretty low, but there are more bazooka shots so there is a higher chance of hitting. Forward dash should be used if possible. Raiden fires off 5 smaller bazooka shots in the crouch side dash RW. The air dash variant is similarbut fires off 6 shots but at a slower rate. LW -- Ground Bomb Raiden dashes and lets loose a Ground Bomb that spins toward the enemy and explodes on contact. The crouch variant is the same. The air dash variant is an EMP bomb that flies further depending on Raiden's height. LW -- Side Laser Raiden dashes and fires off 4 laser shots consecutively, right battery first, then left, then right, and then left. This attack lasts some time so there is a good chance that Raiden will make contact with at least 1 laser hit if the enemy is in medium range. Damage is somewhat low compared to other laser attacks, but it is a good standby if side dashing. The crouch and air dash variants are like the standard dash variant. However, the crouching variant fires at a slower rate and obstructions can cause less shots to be fired overall. --Back Dash RW -- MIRV missiles Raiden fires off 2 missiles which after 150m explode into 4 small missiles each. The first stage homes a bit better while the second stage does a little more damage and has a better chance of hitting a dodging opponent. The crouch and air dash variants are the same as above. LW -- Ground Bomb Raiden drops a ground bomb which rolls toward the opponent and explodes. The crouch version has a bouncing ground bomb and ricochets off obstructions before exploding. The air dash variant drops an EMP bomb that floats in place after flying about 250m. This bomb will explode when an enemy gets near or after about 5 seconds. CW -- Laser Cage Raiden makes a laser cage as he dashes backwards. This can be selective fired to create a side of the laser cage instead. The crouch version and air dash versions are the same as above. ****************************** Close Combat Weapons ****************************** RW -- Bazooka Swing/Bazooka Swing Raiden swings his bazooka right to left and then one more time from left to right. The time between swings is pretty long and can be interrupted. Damage is decent, but knock-down capability is pretty low. LW -- Double Punch Raiden punches twice with his left first. The first attack is pretty fast, and the corresponding second attack is almost as fast. This is a good attack to start and counter with considering its range is the same as RW. CW -- Electrical Attack Raiden opens up his laser batteries and creates an electrical field in front of him as he moves forward. The attack is pretty fast coming out and has a great deal of priority because of the field in front. However, the activation range is extremely small. CrRW -- Low Swing R->L Raiden ducks and swings his bazooka from right to left. CrLW -- Low Swing L->R Raiden ducks and swings his bazooka from left to right. CrCW -- Bazooka Rolling Pin Raiden puts both hands on the bazooka and hits the VR from below with the side or the bazooka. It almost looks like Raiden is using a rolling pin. The attack is fast and does decent damage. RTRW -- Overhead Smash Raiden raises his bazooka and does an overhead smash on the enemy. The attack is fast and hits in front. RTLW -- Shoulder Ram Raiden attacks with his left shoulder by stepping into the opponent. This is a very fast attack because the attack phase occurs almost immediately. The only disadvantage is that it can not be cancelled and only hits to one side meaning that it can be Q-stepped. RTCW -- Swinging Electrical Attack Raiden swings his laser batteries from left to right in an attempt to hit the enemy. It is pretty fast, but if dodged leaves Raiden to be punished. Dash RW -- Right Swing Raiden swings with his bazooka to hit the enemy. This attack does a good amount of damage. Dash LW -- Backhand Like above but Raiden backhands with the bazooka. Dash CW -- Uppercut This looks a lot like the RW, but Raiden swings the bazooka upwards. It may also hit to the right a small amount. Does more damage then the other dash variants. Ground Hit Raiden raises the bazooka and with both hands hits the enemy on the ground. A relatively fast ground attack, but laser may be a better choice. ****************************** Specials ****************************** Armor Break -- Jump, Start Raiden jumps in the air all his armor flies off. 90% of current health is lost and V. Armor is dropped to 0%. On the good side, Raiden is faster then even Fei Yen Knight, has great dash rotation and dash freeze recovery. Lack of health is a problem, and this special should be done when low on health. ################################## # E. DORDRAY ################################## ** Background ** Dordray is a new version of VOOM's Dorkas. Of all the VRs, Dordray has possibly gone through the largest metamorphosis in terms of weapon capabi- lities. ** Notes ** Dordray now has the heaviest armor in the game in terms of V. Armor penetr- ation. Raiden still can absorb the most damage, but Dordray reflects proje- ctiles much better then Raiden does. Unlike other VRs, Dordray has what can be termed as 4 different weapons. He has the standard RW, LW, and CW, and then also has a series of "Rush" attacks that he employs during a forward dash. Dordray's drill and claw are very good weapons, but because they can be launched in one way or another, care must be taken to make sure that you still have arms are critical moments. His central weapon no longer deals out as much damage as it once did, but still fulfills critical requirements in stunning and being used in the "CD Rush" (see below). On top of all this, Dordray has a special maneuver that makes him 3 times as large and capable of destroying enemies. ****************************** Long Distance Standing ****************************** RW -- Fireballs Dordray uses his claw to shoot out a series of fireballs. They don't do that much damage but seem to penetrate V. Armor better then standard weapons. The jumping variant has Dordray shooting out 3 shots of 4 fireballs each. LW -- Drill Dordray fires off his drill which homes in on the enemy. The drill stays homed on the enemy for a small amount of time before returning to the launcher. When the drill hits, it "drills" into the enemy causing damage. This attack ignores V. Armor and has decent homing ability. However, if the drill is launched, LW CC is not possible. The drill can also go through obstructions (albeit slowly) which makes hiding from it very hard. The jumping version is like the standing version. CW -- V. hurricane Dordray fires what seems to be an orange horizontal hurricane at the enemy. It stuns the enemy on contact for a small amount of time during which you can punish the enemy. This move stuns better then any other VRs stun moves. It also cancels out incoming fire to leave Dordray safe. This move is direct fire and only hits in front of Dordray. The jumping version is like the standing version. LTRW -- Claw Dordray lets loose his claw to home in on the enemy. This weapon is very much like the drill and homes in on the enemy. This attack is great as an addon to the drill and if fired in staggered intervals will most likely cause a successful hit on the enemy. If the claw hits it slows down the opponent as well as shortens their dashes. The jumping version is like the standing version. LTLW -- Fast Drill Dordray shoots of his drill for a split second which goes out and attempts to hit the enemy. This drill is extremely fast and does not stay on the enemy. Instead, it instantly returns to Dordray, during which the ammo guage almost fills up again. It is a good move for annoying the enemy as it does do a small amount of damage. It only goes about 500m in distance. The jumping version is like the standing version. LTCW -- Flame Wave Dodray shoots out a horizontal flame wave at the enemy. It homes very well and is a fast attack. It acts very much like Apharmd B's tonfer rings or Temjin's sword beam. The jumping version is like the standing version. RTRW -- Lava Spout Dordray shoots off a stream of lava at the enemy. It contacts with the enemy or the ground after about 200m. IF it hits the enemy, this attack does a good deal of damage as well as stripping V. Armor. However, its range is somewhat short. Unlike other RT attacks, this attack can be cancelled with a dash or a jump. Dordray jumps in the air and shoots out a single fireball that explodes on contact for good damage. RTLW -- Homing Drill Dodray shoots a drill that flies off for a small amount, then re-orients on the enemy and goes straight at them at a high speed. It is a good attack that does decent amount of damage and is great for hitting enemies during their dash freeze. However, I find that with a constantly moving opponent, this attack is not likely to hit because it takes a small amount of time to get its bearings. It is probably good to switch between this and standard drill to shake up and opponent's timing. The jumping version is like the standing version. RTCW -- Super V. Hurricane Dordray spins around while shooting the V. Hurricane causing it to spiral like a real tornade. This variation seems to home a small amount with its fluct- uation, but will only hit enemies directly in front. This attack is good because it stuns the enemies and deals damage to them. However, should you miss, you are stuck in position for a very long time. The jumping version is like the standing version. You can also rotate slightly to redo your aim. ****************************** Crouching Long Distance ****************************** CrRW -- Crouching FireBalls Dordray crouches and fire fireballs upwards. CrLW -- Crouching Drill Dordray fires a drill straight out in front and at an upward angle. Slight amount of homing, but very fast. CrCW -- Crouching V. Hurricane A crouching variant of the V. Hurricane. CrLTRW -- Crouch Claw This claw fires faster then the standing variant but stays on the enemy for a lesser amount of time. CrLTLW -- Crouch Fast Drill This is a crouching variant fo the LTLW. CrLTCW -- Crouch Flame Wave Crouching variant of the LTCW. CrRTRW -- Crouch Lava Spout This stream goes out further but does not really do damage on the ground in front. CrRTLW -- Crouch Homing Drill Like the standing RTLW but only goes about 500m before returning to Dordray. CrRTCW -- Crouch Super V. Hurricane A crouching variant. Dordray spins sideways instead of vertically. ****************************** Dash Attacks ****************************** --Forward Dash RW -- Forward Fireball This is a very damaging variant of Dordray's fireball attack. On a full guage, it can deal out a lot of damage to the opponent. It also has higher V. Armor penetration then the standard attack. The crouch variant is like the standing variant but with less shots. The air variant fires off single fireballs that explode on contact. The shots are like those of his side dash. LW -- Drill Rush The first of Dordray's Rush attacks, Dordray suddenly speeds up during the dash and holds his drill in front while rushing the enemy. Dordray can be steered using rotation and goes a good distance (or contacts enemy) before stopping. This is a good attack mainly because it is fast and can be surpr- ising. Guidance is somewhat hard and hitting the target takes some practice. The crouch and air dashes are both rushes. The air dash may also go downward at an angle. CW -- CD Rush Much like the LW, Dordray rushes toward the enemy. This is called the CD Rush because it seems like a CD is in front of Dordray as it rushes the enemy. This attack does a lot of damage on contact and can be steered somewhat through rotation. Much like above, the air and crouch dashes are almost the exact same as the standard dash variants. --Side Dash RW -- Fireball Spread Dordray launches off a spread of fireballs that fly toward the enemy. V. Armor penetration is lacking as well as damage. The crouch and air dash variants are the same as the standard dash variant. LW -- Drill Dordray launches his drill which chases after the enemy. It does a decent amount of damage and homes well. The crouch and air dash variants are the same as the standard dash variant. CW -- Flame Wave Dordray shoots out 2-3 flame waves at the enemy. They home in and do some damage and ignore V. Armor. The crouch and air dash variants are the same as the standard dash variant. --Back Dash RW -- Fireball Dordray shoots out fireballs at the enemy. Little V. Armor penetration and damage. The crouch variant is the same as above. The air dash variant fires off a 4-leafed fireball much like the forward dash variant. Unfortunately, it does not have the same characteristics. LW -- Drill Dordray fires off a drill at the enemy. The crouch and air dash variants are the same as the standard dash variant. CW -- Flame Wave Dordray shoots out either one or two flame waves depending on the ammo gauge. The crouch and air dash variants are the same as the standard dash variant. ****************************** Close Combat Weapons ****************************** RW -- Claw Swipe, Claw Swipe Dordray swings twice with his claw. First a right to left, then left to right backswing. This is a slow move to begin with and hitting with the second is even slower. Damage is very good, though, so only the first hit should be used before cancelling occurs. LW -- Drill, Drill Dordray swings his drill at the enemy twice. This has shorter activation range then the RW but has a bit more priority due to the drill going forward. Damage is very good as well, but still suffers from being slow. This move knocks down on even one hit. CW -- Claw then Drill Dordray does a double hit that starts slow but ends fast. After a slow start, Dordray quickly swings his claw then drill. Both will hit and do a good amount of damage on the enemy as well as knocking them down. CrRW -- Crouch Claw This move is even slower then his other moves (*gasp*) but is good because it is a crouch variant. However, Dordray is slow enough at CC as it is, a RT attack would probably be better. CrLW -- Crouch Drill Same as above except with the drill. CrCW -- Crouch Twin Attack Dordray gets down and motors at the enemy becoming even shorter. After a small amount of time, he straightens up and bashes from in to out with both arms. Because Dordray is so short, most countermoves may go over him. However, I have missed at 0 range with this move because it take SO long to come out. RTRW -- Crouch Uppercut Dordray does a crouch uppercut that it if hits the enemy is pretty spectacular and damaging. I find this move a slight bit faster then the CrRW and even if it is blocked it will knock down. Because he swings upward he can also hit air opponents (?). RTLW -- Windup Drill This is Dordray's second slowest move. He winds up his Drill in a cartoon like swing before hitting the opponent. Activation time is insanely long and will most likely be interrupted. RTCW -- Dordray Throw Dordray grabs the opposing VR in the head and then smacks it with its drill. This move looks really cool and will grab an opponent even if they are block- ing. However, blocking opponents only take small amounts of damage. Dash RW -- Right Claw Dordray swings his right claw and does a good amount of damage to the enemy. If no claw is present, then no damage is done. Dash LW -- Left Drill Much like above but with the drill. If no drill is present, then no damage is done. Dash CW -- Spinning Drill Dordray throws itself forward spinning behind its drill to hit the enemy in a dash CC attack. This moves goes a good distance and does good damage. Unlike other dash CCs, it can also be guided (slightly) with the rotational controls. If no drill is present it does no damage. Ground Hit (LW only) Dordray hits the ground with its drill. A relatively fast ground attack. ****************************** Specials ****************************** Giant Mode -- Start Dordray grows large and can then attack the enemy. If in giant mode, his RW CC becomes a stomp. Dordray also has increased armor (standard and V. Armor) as well as doing more damage with each hit. If Dordray is hit while growing, the mode is cancelled. This can only be used once per credit or challenger. Mega Spinning Drill -- [In CC Range], Rotate, CW (AW Full) Dordray starts spinning around like a top with his drill on the outside. This is a good CC attack and can be used to hit landing enemies. ################################## # F. FEI YEN KNIGHT ################################## ** Background ** The darling of VOOM, Fei Yen Kn is back with avengeance in VOOT. On top of getting a new cuter look, Fei Yen Kn also has upgraded weapon systems making some of her attacks very powerful. ** Notes ** Fei Yen still has her original hand beam, but this weapon has gone through and enormous upgrade in power. While the walking hand beam is still a stand-by her dash handbeam is capable of stripping up to 20% energy on even heavy VRs. Couple that with her hyper mode and she can quickly turn the tides on the enemy. Her bowgun as been changed with a sword that emits a high power sword beam. Unfortunately, each use of the sword pretty much depletes the sword gauge. The biggest change is with her HeartBeam. It now also explodes on contact making its damage radius much higher. As with before, all of of Fei Yen Kn's weapons have their greatest value in Hyper Mode. However, she is much more dangerous in standard mode, and a Hyper Fei Yen is an opponent to be wary of. Fei Yen Kn is also capable of cancelling many of her LW attacks into other attacks causing a constant stream of damage to occur. ****************************** Long Range ****************************** RW -- Hand Beam Fei Yen's standby weapon, this shoots small pink balls at the enemy. There is not very much V. Armor penetration, but the weapon is useful for harrassing an opponent due to its steady stream and low use of the ammo guage. In Hyper mode, the Hand Beam's color turns golden and does a slight bit more damage. However, it does home a little better as well as have better V. Armor penetration. The jumping variant allows Fei Yen to fire off 3 streams of which two go out to the side. LW -- Sword Beam Fei Yen swings her sword to emit a sword beam. This shot takes quite a bit of ammo guage and does not seem to be able to have two shots on screen at once. Damage is decent as well as homing. In Hyper mode, the sword beam does a very good amount of damage. Much like the hand beam, it has increased homing and speed. The jumping version is like the standing version, but dissipates after about 500m. CW -- Heart Beam Fei Yen Kn shows her love for the other VR by shooting out a giant heart from her chest. It has decent homing and explodes on impact with the enemy. This is her most damaging attack. The Hyper Heart Beam (HHB) is even more dangerous. It is a much faster projec- tile as well as having more homing and doing more damage. On impact, it explodes for a longer amount of time. If the enemy is hit with the HHB, they have small hearts circling around their head for awhile. The jumping version is like the standing version. LTRW -- Strip Hand Beam A faster version of her hand beam which has an arc to it. Strips off V. Armor and can go over some obstructions. In Hyper mode, this strips off more V. Armor. The jumping version is like the standing version. LTLW -- Stun Sword Beam Fei Yen fires off a sword beam that homes in on the enemy and stuns them if it hits them. This attack is pretty fast and homes decently. The jumping version is like the standing version. LTCW -- Fast Heart Beam This is a very fast heart beam that doesn't eat up a lot of weapon charge. As a result, it is possible to fire about 5 or 6 of these at the enemy in rapid order. Homing ability is not very good, but it does a decent amount of damage. The ability to launch a lot of these is somewhat useful. The Hyper mode version of this attack homes better and flies even faster then before. The jumping version is like the standing version. RTRW -- Power Hand Beam Fei Yen launches a flurry of pink shots that home in on the enemy. This attack is capable of doing quite a bit of damage and is very much like her forward dash attack. It penetrates V. Armor very well. In Hyper mode, this is a double shot of the standard hand beam. Seems to do a bit more damage, but nowhere near the change that the other weapons have. The jumping version is like the standing version. RTLW -- Stun Heart Beam Fei Yen draws a heart with her sword that homes in on the enemy. This is one of her slower projectiles and does a small amount of damage. However, it also stuns the enemy allowing Fei Yen to do a more damaging attack to it. It does not stun nearly as long as the LTLW variant. In Hyper mode, it does more damage, but stun time seems the same. The jumping version is like the standing version. RTCW -- Super Heart Beam Fei Yen shoots off a fast Heart Beam in front of her with some homing. It is direct fire and can not be cancelled. If it hits the enemy, it does quite a bit of damage. This attack comes out relatively fast. It explodes on impact. The Hyper version lasts a bit longer and does a lot of damage. The jumping version is like the standing version. ****************************** Crouching Long Distance ****************************** CrRW -- Crouch Hand Beam Fei Yen crouches and unleashes a straight set of hand beams. It has no arc and does not seem very much different from her standard hand beam. There may be a bit more homing to this attack. CrLW -- Crouch Sword Beam Fei Yen unleashes a low version of the sword beam. Damage is a bit lower and homing is a bit better, but otherwise there is no big difference. CrCW -- Crouch Heart Beam Fei Yen ducks and shoots out a heart beam. Very much the same as the original except with less damage. CrLTRW -- Crouch Hand Beam A higher arced crouching variant of the standard LTRW. May go a lesser distance, but can easily arc over many obstructions. CrLTLW -- Crouch Sword Beam A crouch variant of the LTLW. CrLTCW -- Crouch Fast Heart Beam A crouching variant of the LTCW. It seems that the explosion lasts longer. CrRTRW -- Crouch Power Hand Beam A crouching variant of the RTRW. CrRTLW -- Crouch Sword Heart Beam A crouching variant of the RTLW. CrRTCW -- Crouch Super Heart Beam A crouching variant that doesn't do as much damage and also does not home nearly as much. It goes almost straight out in front. ****************************** Dash Attacks ****************************** --Forward Dash RW -- Forward Dash Hand Beam Fei Yen dashes forward and shoots out set of shots much like her RTRW. This attack does a good deal of damage and makes a dashing Fei Yen much more dangerous. The Hyper mode version fires off the RTLW and does a little bit more damage. The crouch variant is like the standard dashing variant. The air dash variant fires at a faster rate. LW -- Dash Sword Beam Fei Yen fires off a sword beam at the opponent. Damage is a bit more then standing sword beam. The Hyper version does more damage. There is no difference between the crouch and air dash variants and the standard variants. CW -- Forward Dash Heart Beam The Heart Beam comes out of Fei Yen in a straight line. It does a bit more damage but does not home as well as the standing HB. It explodes on impact. The Hyper mode variant does more damage and homes much better. The crouch and air dash variants are the same as above. --Side Dash RW -- Side Dash Hand Beam The side dash hand beam shoots out like a standard hand beam. It seems that V. Armor penetration is decreased but this could be mainly because Fei Yen is moving further from the enemy. The crouch and air dash variants are the same as above, but the air dash variant fires at a faster rate. LW -- Dash Sword Beam Much like the forward dash variant, but with less damage. The crouch variant is the same as above. The air dash variant is slower but covers a wider arc. CW -- Side Dash Heart Beam Fei Yen shoots a heart beam with a slight upward arc. As a result, closely dashing VRs have a chance of going under it (or crouch dash attacking under it). Otherwise, it is like the forward dash heart beam. The crouch and air dash variants are the same as above. --Back Dash RW -- 3-Way Stream Fei Yen Kn fires off 3 streams that go forward and to the left and right. There is a slight bit of homing found. The crouch and air dash variants fire off 1 stream at the enemy. LW -- Sword Beam Fei Yen Kn fires off a sword beam at the enemy. It has decent homing capa- bilities. The crouch variant is like the standard dash variant. The air dash variant is a bit wider and does a bit more damage. CW -- Heart Beam Fei Yen Kn fires off a fast Heart Beam to hit the enemy. On contact it explodes. The crouch variant is the same as above. The air dash variant is very slow but homes well making it possible to throw out 2 damaging heart beams at once. ****************************** Close Combat Attacks ****************************** RW -- Sword Slash, Sword Slash FY slashes right to left and then left to right. This is one of the faster attacks of the game but there is a bit of a pause in between slashes. It is better to cancel at the end of the RW and then do a LW to cause almost the same thing to occur. Damage is good, but this will seldom knock down on the first hit (only if enemy is already pretty damaged). LW -- Sword Slash, Sword Slash The reverse of RW, Fei Yen slashes left to right and then right to left. As with above, cancelling after the first slash is a good move. CW -- Sword Slash Fei Yen slashes with her sword from right to left. This move takes a bit long- er to do then the RW/LW CC attacks, but also does more damage as well as knocking over other VRs. CrRW -- Leg Sweep Fei Yen sweeps the enemy's legs out from under it. This is a pretty good move that has decent speed and damage. CrLW -- Crouch Sword Fei Yen ducks and swings her swords at the enemy's legs. This move is about the same as the CrRW and does about the same amount of damage. CrCW -- Leg Sweep Fei Yen sweeps the enemy's legs out from under it. It is a bit slower then the CrRW but does better damage. RTRW -- Slap Fei Yen slaps the opposing VR knocking it down. This move is funny to watch and will knock down no matter what. One of Fei Yen's fun finishing moves to do. It is pretty fast and does decent damage. RTLW -- Butt Ram Fei Yen turns around and hits the opponent with her butt. Hearts come out on contact. Another one of Fei Yen's fun move. This move is pretty fast and does decent damage. RTCW -- Somersault Kick Fei Yen flips and kicks the opponent. Kind of a let down after the ludicrous- ness of the RTRW and RTLW, but this move does good damage as well as being fast. Dash RW -- Right Swing Fei Yen Kn swings her sword to the right side. The amount of contact area is very small due to the small size of her sword. Damage is good. Dash LW -- Left Swing Much like above but to the left side. Dash CW -- OVerhead Fei Yen Kn swings her sword in an overhead manner to do a lot of damage to any enemy she hits in front of her. Ground Hit Fei Yen Kn pokes at the enemy on the ground with her sword. It is fast and does a good deal of damage. ****************************** Specials ****************************** Manual Hyper Mode -- Start Fei Yen goes into hyper mode. She will drop to below 50% life. The drop seems to be random and can go as low as 25%. During this mode she moves faster, has less dash freeze, and her weapons home and do better damage. This only occurs once per turn and can happen if Fei Yen drops below 50% through enemy damage as well. ################################## # G. BAL Series ################################## --Background The Bal series is composed of Bal Bados, Bal Keros, and Bal Baros. These are all the same VR, but are just names for their ground, space, and water versions. Bal Bados is a direct offshoot of VOOM's Bal Bas Bow and keeps many of his mines and laser weapons. --Notes-- Bal Bados is an upgrade to the Bal Bas Bow series. He still has the Bal Bas Bow type mines, but this new Bal VR can eject both his legs and arms in an attempt to hit the enemy with their homing capabilities. The Bal series has a weapon called the Ejectable Remote Lancher which can be changed in midflight to allow Bal Bados to damage his enemies in many different ways. He can also change his ring lasers and mine techniques making Bal Bados a hard VR to pilot and learn. However, a good Bal Bados pilot can create problems many other VRs can't even begin to do. ****************************** Long Range ****************************** RW -- Ring Lasers Bal Bados shoots some ring lasers from his right arm. They do decent damage and have great V. Armor penetration. Unfortunately, despite their energy type weapon, they do not cancel out incoming shots. Bal Bados can fire off about 10 of the rings before redlining. The jumping version is like the standing version. LW -- Mines Bal Bados drops a mine with each fire of this weapon. These mines hover in the air and home in on the enemy. They have very good homing and can come in from behind or from the front. Their damage is good and they ignore V. Armor. Bal Bados drops 4-6 mines (depending on the ammo left) when jumping in the air. CW -- ERLs Bal Bados ejects his arms that become laser bits and rush over to the enemy before firing 8 blasts of lasers. These lasers are slightly damaging, but if all hit, then they can quickly add up. Furthermore, since they home toward the enemy, Bal Bados can launch them and then move off while the bits harry the enemy. Unfortunately, Bal Bados can not do an attack activities while using the CW due to a lack of his arms. There is a selective fire mode in which only one side will attack. The jumping version causes the 2 ERLs to fly out and fire a laser straight ahead. After about 1 second, they converge on the VR. If they hit, the stun for a small amount as well. By this time, Bal Bados is usually on the ground. LTRW -- Launch / Return Right Arm ERL Bal Bados launches / returns his right arm as an ERL. See specials for more details. The jumping version is like the standing version. LTLW -- Launch / Return Left Arm ERL Bal Bados launches / returns his left arm as an ERL. See specials for more details. The jumping version is like the standing version. LTCW -- Twin Laser Bal Bados fires off a twin laser at the opponent. Damage is decent, but laser exits somewhat slowly. This is a direct fire weapon only. It is also capable of selective fire and can be cancelled into a dash relatively easily. The jumping version is like the standing version. RTRW -- Tracking Laser Bal Bados shoots off a twisted laser in front of him. IF a lock-on exists on the enemy, the laser will stop, turn into a ball and redirect as another twisted laser toward the enemy. Its tracking is decent and thus is can hit standing opponents off screen. However, an actively dodging opponent will cause this move to miss. Bal Bados jumps and shoots out 6 rings in a spread in front of him. They home in on the enemy. RTLW -- Big Mines Bal Bados unleashes a series of rectangular mines which home in on the enemy. They do a bit more damage then standard mines. Bal Bados creates 4 mines in a spread that home in on the enemy. They do a bit more damage then standard mines, but look no different. RTCW -- ERLs Bal Bados ejects his arm and legs to fire lasers at the enemy. This is like the CW version except the arms and legs also go off to attack the enemy. There is a selective fire mode in which only one side will attack. Bal Bados jumps and ejects both his arm and leg ERLs which fire straight a laser straight ahead. The laser does not converge on the enemy. ****************************** Crouching Long Range ****************************** CrRW -- Crouching Ring Laser Bal Bados crouches and shoots off some ring lasers at a small upward angle. The ring lasers reorient after a small distance and become like standard ring lasers. This move fires the rings a bit faster then the standing variant. CrLW -- Bouncing Spike Mines Bal Bados drops some spikes out which bounce toward the enemy. These spikes re-orient at each bounce allowing them to turn up to 90 degrees per bounce. They do decent damage and are good version of mines to put out. CrCW -- Ray From Above The bits fly out toward the enemy and create a laser hut above and onto the enemy. They keep firing for some 5 seconds before returning. This attack does no damage to Bal Bados so after this, Bal Bados can run in to get some cover from any enemy counterattack. CrLTRW -- Launch / Return Right Thigh ERL Bal Bados launches / returns his right thigh as an ERL. See specials for more details. CrLTLW -- Launch / Return Left Thigh ERL Bal Bados launches / returns his left thigh as an ERL. See specials for more details. CrLTCW -- Crouch Laser A crouching variant of the LTCW. Selective fire is possible. CrRTRW -- Crouch Leg Ring Laser Bal Bados sticks out his right leg to shoot off a ring laser. It is decent in damage. CrRTLW -- Crouch Big Mine Bal Bados sticks out his left leg to shoot off a big mine at the enemy. This mine does very good damage. CrRTCW -- Crouch Reflect Laser All 4 ERLs eject to fire off lasers which reflect at a certain distance toward the opponent. Damage is decent. This has a selective fire mode in which only 2 laser (1 side) are fired. ****************************** Dash Attacks ****************************** --Forward Dash RW -- Slinky Lasers Bal Bados fires off a set of ring lasers which act like a slinky as they home in on the enemy. Damage is decent and possibility of knockdown is very high if all the lasers hit. The crouch variant is the same while the air dash variant simply fires off ring lasers at the enemy. LW -- 1 Big Mine Bal Bados fires off a slimmer version of the big mines that home in on the enemy and do good damage. The crouch and air dash variants are the same as the standard dash variant. CW -- ERLs Bal Bados fires off his arm ERLs which go above the enemy and fire down lasers at the enemy from above. Very much like the standing CW variant. Selective fire is possible. The crouch variant has the ERLs become energy claws and they attempt to catch the enemy between the two claws. Selective fire is possible. The air dash variant ERLs stay near you and fire off the laser blasts from long distance. Selective fire is possible. --Side Dash RW -- Ring Laser Bal Bados fires off a single stream of ring lasers at the opponent. They home decently. The crouch variant and the air dash variant fire off 3 streams of ring lasers at different angles. Homing on these shots is lower. The air dash variant also shoots off 1-2 rings below the shots to hit the ground below Bal Bados. LW -- Mines Bal Bados unleashes about 8 mines (depends on ammo gauge) at the enemy. These mines fly around attempting to home in on the enemy. The crouch variant drops the boucning spiky mines instead of standard mines. The air dash variant drops standard mines. CW -- ERLs Bal Bados ejects his arm ERLs to fire lasers. Selective fire is possible. The crouch variant is a bit different. The right ERL will fire lasers while the left ERL fires off mines at the enemy. Once again, selective fire is possible so that you can choose what to fire. The air dash variant is like the standard dash variant. --Back Dash RW -- Ring Lasers Bal Bados fires off a single stream of ring lasers at the enemy. The crouch variant fires dual streams of ring lasers. The air dash variant is the same as the standard dash variant. LW -- Mines Bal Bados fires off a stream of mines behind him. The crouch variant fires off the spiky mines while the air dash variant fires off 2 streams of mines. CW -- ERLs Bal Bados ejects both arm ERLs to fly above the enemy and cause a lot of explosions to occur. It does not seem to do any damage however. Also the ERLs are stuck in place after firing for about 5 seconds during which the explo- sions occur. The crouch variant causes the 2 ERLs to face each other at a low level and create a laser between the two. They then attempt to clothesline the enemy. This move knocks down the enemy, but can be easily jumped over. The air dash variant is like the standard dash variant. ****************************** Close Combat Attacks ****************************** RW -- Arm Energy Bars Much like Apharmd B's tonfers, Bal Bados creates two energy bars and slices the enemy with them. A very fast move with decent damage. LW -- Claw Bal Bados creates an energy claw that spins and drives it into the enemy. This move stays out for awhile and can catch incoming enemies as well as over- zealous enemies that drop their guard to early to counterattack. CW -- Dual Claw Much like the LW, but with two claws. Hits in a better arc and better damage. CrRW -- Crouch Right Energy Bar Bal Bados creates an energy bar with his right arm and swings it low. Fast and decent damage. CrLW -- Low Claw Bal Bados creates an energy claw with his left arm and hits low. CrCW -- Low Dual Claw Same as CrLW but with 2 claws. Does more damage. RTRW -- Tekken Bal Bados drops off his right ERL which then slams into the enemy for a lot of damage. There are a lot of things that can be done with the Tekken. RTLW -- Energy Claws Bal Bados creates an energy claw in each arm and also sprouts energy claws from his chest. This can hit in a 180 degree arc. RTCW -- Spinning Energy Bars Bal Bados creates energy bars in his arms and his right leg. He spins on his left leg twice to hit the enemy. Dash RW -- Kick and Swing Bal Bados kicks out and swings his right bar. This has very good range and may also hit a bit on the left side. Dash LW -- Dual Bars Bal Bados uses both bars to hit in a 180 degree arc from in front of him to his left side to behind him. Dash CW -- Wheel Bal Bados flips forward with energy bars coming out of his arms and legs and rolls over the enemy. This goes a decent distance and does good damage. Ground Hit Bal Bados hits the ground while pivoting on his left foot. Fast and does decent damage. Range seems a bit lower then other ground hits. ****************************** ERL Specials ****************************** Bal Bados does not have standard specials. Instead, these specials are done by changing the ERL from laser to mine mode and vice versa. ERLs are the arms and legs from which the Bal series fire their weapons. On added advantage to being modular is that these arms and legs can fire their specific attack even if not attached to the Bal body. To eject the ERLs, LT and CrLT attacks are needed, LT for arms, CrLT for thighs. When the ERLs are ejected, they will stay with Bal Bados for about 1-2 seconds before hovering in whatever spot they are. As a result, it is possible to put ERLs high in the air by ejecting them and then double jumping. Also, because the ERLs can hover, Bal Bados can throw off 2 ERLs and run around drawing an enemy close to their location before unleashing their attack. Ejected ERLs have two settings, B and M. B is for beam (laser) and M is for mine. They also have an "ammo" gauge which starts at 24 and rapidly diminishes depending on what attack they do. The Start button will change the setting between B and M. B attacks take 1 ammo while M take 2. Basic ERL usage is simply with the LW and RW. An ejected left arm will fire whenever LW is hit (including any turbo configurations). Because of the B/M setup, even a LW can fire a ring laser. By crouching and firing a weapon while a thigh ERL is ejected, Bal Bados causes the thigh ERL to fire what would be a standard shot. For example, Bal Bados ejects his right arm ERL and his left thing ERL by doing a LTRW (right arm ERL) and CrLTLW (left thigh ERL). He places them in various places and then decides to fire them. Suppose the RA-ERL is set to M and the LT-ERL is set to B. Thus, hitting RW will fire off mines from the RA-ERL which CrRW will fire off a crouch ring laser from Bal Bados itself. At the same time, CrRTLW will fire off Big Mines from the LT-ERL while RTLW will fire that same thing from Bal Bados. Listed below are specific oddities that the ERLs can do which can not be done while attached to the body. Mine Snake -- RA-ERL, set to M, Jump, RTRW This causes the ERL to eject 4 standard mines and then a line of big mines move toward the enemey. The line of big mines looks like a snake from the side hence its name. Mine Bridge -- RA-ERL, set to M, Gauge at 1 or 2, RW, Move Fire off the RA-ERL and deplete its ammo to 1 or 2 shots. Make sure that RW is at 100%. Move away from the ERLs location and hold down the RW trigger. The ERL will start ejecting lots of mines while attempting to follow you. It is possible to create an arch as long as you hold the trigger down and the ERL has not yet reached you to dock. Oni Mine -- LA-ERL, RA-ERL, Set to B/M, Side Dash LW This causes the RA-ERL to return after unleashing 5 high speed standard mines at the enemy. They do decent damage as well as have good knockdown capability. This move can also be done with the thigh ERLs by using the Cr variants. Oni Balkan -- Selective CW RW, LA-ERL, Set to B/M, Side Dash LW This technique makes use of the Oni Mine but first sends the RW-ERL above the enemy before unleashing the 5 oni mines. It takes good timing because the Side Dash LW must be hit before the RA-ERL begins firing. However, if done properly, the enemy has to dodge 5 mines coming in above and possibly from his blind side at close range. Reflect Laser -- Jump RA-ERL, RT-ERL, Both Set to B, Jump, RTRW Drop the RA-ERL while in the air and then the RT-ERL any other way. Jump and do an RTRW to make the RT-ERL fire a laser that reflects off the RA-ERL toward the enemy. Damage is decent and this can be done at any time while keeping the ERLs around the enemy. There is a Left Side ERL version too that is done the same way. Make sure that the ERLs are set to B (Left Side ERLs default to M). Dual Reflect Laser -- Eject All 4 ERLs, Full Gauge, Jumping RTCW Make sure that at least 2 of the ERLs are set to Beam mode. This is a variant of the above except that 2 sets of lasers are fired out. At the same time, Bal will dance for the viewer. Black Hole -- Eject All 4 ERLs, Full Gauge, RTCW The ERLs point together and create a Black Hole in front of Bal. All of the enemy's shots will be drawn into the black hole and will not harm Bal at all. This move can only be done once per game or challenge. The ERLs can then be used for other attacks. Pyramid Shield -- Eject All 4 ERLs, Full Gauge, CrRTCW The ERLs fly over to the enemy and create a pyramid of energy around them. The enemy can not move past the pyramid's boundaries and also can not fire out of the pyramid. The ERLs are still active while forming the pyramid and can thus attack. However, after they attack, the pyramid dissipates. ################################## # H. GRYS-VOK ################################## ** Background ** Grys-Vok is the next variant of Belgdor. This is a primary missile VR who has a great deal of homing missile weapons. ** Notes ** As stated above Grys-Vok is only second to Bal Bados in the amount of hom- ing weapons that he can launch at the enemy. His RW standard missile launcher is a good standby, though somewhat low in homing capability and he also holds napalm to flush out his enemies. However, Grys-Vok's main weapon comes from his CW Central Launcher which is capable to throwing out up to 8 homing missiles as well as a tactical nuke. Grys-Vok is somewhat slow compared to medium VRs as well as lacking in V. Armor compared to heavy VRs. However, Gyrs-Vok is easily capable of dropping quite a bit of damage on the enemy. ****************************** Long Range ****************************** RW -- Missile Launcher Grys-Vok fires off a steady series of missiles at the enemy. Homing capability is pretty low as well as the damage and V. Armor penetration. It is a good standby while the other weapons are charging. Grys-Vok jumps and fires off about 6 small rockets at the enemy. They do small damage. LW -- Napalm Grys-Vok drops a napalm bundle in front of him. Unlike Aph B's napalm, this goes straight forward meaning that a bit of aiming is required. It does more damage then Aph B's napalm and as a result can stop oncomming VRs even in their dashes. The weapon is somewhat slow to charge meaning that 2 consec- utive fires while empty the gauge. It is also good for flushing out enemies. The jumping version is like the standing version. He drops the canister a bit in front of him. CW -- Shoulder Launcher Grys-Vok unleashes a series of missiles from his shoulders. These shots have very good homing capability and also have two versions of selective fire. The first version involves only launching a side of missiles. This is done in the standard manner and launches either the left or right side missiles. The other variant is to let up the trigger instantly resulting in only 2 shots being fired (keeping the trigger down launches 4 missiles). These first two missiles do a good deal of damage while the second set quickly speeds up to catch up to the first set. The second set of missiles may do a bit more damage then the first set. The side selective fire seems to do more damage then the standard variant, but the standard variant is more capable of hitting far away dodging enemies. The jumping version is like the standing version. Because there are 4 missiles it is possible to fire 1, 2, 3 or 4 using selective fire. To fire less, simply let go of a trigger earlier. The jumping version is like the standing version. All the missiles come out at the same time causing up to 4 trails to speed toward the enemy. LTRW -- Fast Machinegun Grys-Vok unleashes some red shots from his center that home in on the enemy. These shots don't strip a lot of armor, and also do not home very well. How- ever, they do a lot of damage on contact with the enemy. The jumping version is like the standing version. LTLW -- Fast Strip Machinegun Grys-Vok fires a series of blue machine gun shots from his center. Like the above, they do not home or go very fast. However, their V. Armor stripping capability is very good, capable of stripping up to 16% from only one bullet. The jumping version is like the standing version. LTCW -- Fast Shoulder Missiles Grys-Vok fires off a series of fast shoulder shots that spit out 2 fast homing missiles. Due to the speed of the missiles, a side dashing enemy can dodge them pretty easily. However, this attack takes little ammo and thus Grys-Vok can launch up to 6 of these at will without redlining. A successful hit takes off both energy and V. Armor. Grys-Vok jumps and shoots out 4 bombs from his shoulders. They arc forward and then bounce toward the enemy. Upon impact, they explode into a single napalm explosion. RTRW -- 4-Shot Missiles Grys-Vok uses up about 75% of his gauge to launch off 4 missiles that have good homing ability and streak toward the enemy. On a successful hit, they do quite a bit of damage to the enemy. Depending on Grys-Vok's ammo gauge less then 4 shots may be fired. The jumping version is like the standing version. RTLW -- Bouncing Homing Napalm Missile Grys-Vok launches a homing napalm missile which bounces once and then explodes on contact into a Napalm spiral with a grenade blast. If the enemy stands still it doesn't do any damage. However, if the enemy runs into the blast, this attack deals out a good amount of damage. The jumping version is like the standing version. This version does not bounce and simply explodes on contact with the ground. RTCW -- 6 Shot Grys-Vok fires off 6 shots of his shoulder launcher that home in on the enemy. These missiles do more damage then standard launcher and home a little better then the standard missile launcher. If all 6 hit and the VR stays up, they can take off up to 60% energy. In the jumping variant, Grys-Vok unleashes 10 missiles at the enemy at stagg- erred intervals. This makes them very hard to dodge. ****************************** Crouching Long Distance ****************************** CrRW -- Crouch Missiles Grys-Vok fires off a crouch variant of his missiles. They go a slight bit faster, but their low homing capability makes them miss quite a bit. CrLW -- Phalanx Grys-Vok launches 4 grenades up in the air that arc down about 150m in front. On contact with the ground, they explode into grenade hits. It is possible for enemies to be hit multiple times by this attack. CrCW -- Crouch Shoulder Launcher Grsy-Vok launches 8 or 4 missiles (depending on ammo gauge) that go after the enemy. They are about the same as the standard CW. CrLTRW -- Crouch Fast Machinegun Same as LTRW. CrLTLW -- Crouch Strip Machinegun same as LTLW CrLTCW -- Crouch 4 Fast Missiles A crouching variant of the LTCW, but 4 missiles are launched instead of two. Takes up a bit more ammo. CrRTRW -- Crouch 4 Shot Same as RTRW but does a slight bit less damage and the missiles are not as clumped as they exit the missile launcher. CrRTLW -- Phalanx + Homing Grys-Vok launches 6-8 bomblets that bounce on the ground before exploding into grenades blasts and napalm blasts. There are 3 napalm blasts, to the center, right and left. From these napalm blasts come out 3 homing missiles that converge on the enemy. A good attack that has a chance of hitting the enemy if they dodge the initial blast. CrRTCW -- Mini Nuke Grys-Vok crouches and launches a small nuke that takes about 5 seconds to hit. The nuke goes straight up and then can be seen moving by a small shadow on the ground before falling on the enemy. Standing under the sanctuary building is not enough to dodge the nuke as it does some damage below. This attack can be dodged by a constantly moving VR and can also hit Grys-Vok. A good attack to do and then pressure the opponent into forgetting about it. ****************************** Dash Attacks ****************************** --Forward Dash RW -- Dual Missile Stream Dual sets of missiles come from the RW to hit the enemy in exploding shots. These shots seem to penetrate V. Armor very well and are also very good at homing in on the enemy. They do a good amount of damage. The crouch variant is the same as the standard dash variant while the air dash variant launches larger single missile shots in much the same manner. LW -- Dash Napalm Grys-Vok rotates and drops a napalm that goes straight. Crouch and air dash variants are the same. CW -- Dash Shoulder Launcher Standard dashing is the launching of 4 shots that do good damage and have good homing capabilities on top of that. Crouch variant launches a mini nuke at the enemy that has the same character- istics as the CrRTCW. Air dash variant is the same as the dash CW. --Side Dash RW -- MIRV missiles This fires off about 2 missiles that after traveling about 250m break up into smaller missiles that converge on the enemy. The initial phase (non MIRV) homes better, but the second phase does more damage. The crouch variant and the air dash variant are the same. LW -- Napalm Depending on the gauge Grys-Vok drops either 1 or 2 napalm bomblets at the enemy. They explode toward the enemy. The crouch and air dash variants are the exact same. CW -- 2 Sets of 2 Missiles Grys-Vok shoots off 2 sets of 2 missiles at the enemy. They have good homing as well as do good damage to the enemy. The crouch variant launches all 4 at the same time while the air dash variant is the same as the standard dash variant. --Back Dash RW -- Homing Ground Missiles Grys-Vok launches two homing ground missiles that go slowly at the enemy. These missiles have very good homing capabilities and unless they hit a build- ing, will continue to pursue the enemy. Upon hit, they explode into a small nuke for good damge. The crouch variant launches 4 at slightly faster speeds. The air dash variant is simply the standing RW except in dash mode. LW -- Napalm Grys-Vok drops a napalm in front to obscure the enemy and enemy fire from himself. A good retreating tactic. The crouch variant shoots off 4 homing ground missiles that move extremely fast. This is a good mix-up as enemies may be used to the RW version and the speed of these missiles will surprise them. The air dash variant is like the standard dash variant. CW -- 2 Sets of 2 Missiles Grys-Vok launches 2 sets of 2 missiles at the enemy. The crouch variant launches all 4 at the same time. The air dash variant is the same as the standard dash. ****************************** Close Combat Attacks ****************************** RW -- Missile Launcher Bash, Backhand Grys-Vok swings his right arm and hits the enemy. He then returns it in a backhand that will send the enemy to the ground. The second hit knocks down and does good damage. The first hit comes out relatively fast. LW -- Grenade Laucher Swing, Shoulder Bash Grys-Vok swings his left arm and then pauses before doing a shoulder bash. The second hit has knock-down capability, but comes out a bit slowly meaning that enemies can interrupt it. Best to do the first hit and cancel into a guard. CW -- Spin Strike Grys-Vok spreads his arms horizontally and then spins once to hit his enemy. This move will hit all around him and does good damage. The start-up is a bit slow tho. CrRW -- Low Missile Launcher Strike Grys-Vok hits at the enemy's legs with his right arm. Fast and does good. CrLW -- Low Grenade Strike Grys-Vok hits with his left arm at the enemy. Unlike other LW attacks, this one goes from R->W. CrCW -- Low Dual Arm Sweep Grys-Vok ducks, puts his arms center and then sweeps them outward at the enemy's legs to trip the enemy. This attack is pretty fast and does good damage. RTRW -- Overhead Smash Grys-Vok raises both arms and does an overhead smash on the enemy. A very fast attack that does good damge. RTLW -- Dual Arm Strike Grys-Vok spreads his arms and then moves them inward to hit the enemy. This move is pretty fast, but it is better to simply do the RTCW variant. RTCW -- Dual Arm Strike There doesn't seem to be much difference between this and the RTLW except that this variant does a bit more damage. It may also be somewhat slower, but is a better variant to do. Dash RW -- Right Arm Strike Grys-Vok hits out with his left arm. This move has very low range and hits pretty fast meaning that it is easy to miss the enemy. Dash LW -- Left Arm Strike Same as above except to the left side. Dash CW -- Overhead Bash Grys-Vok hits with both arms in an overhead bash. Ground Hit Grys-Vok hits at the ground with his right arm. Range of this move is pretty horrendous. ****************************** Specials ****************************** Tactical Nuke -- Crouch and press start Grys-Vok crouches and then launches an ICBM into the air. After about 7 seconds it attempts to hit the enemy from above. This move is easy to dodge if you are expecting it, and does a lot of damage on contact. Grys-Vok can also be caught in the explosion. There are rumors that it is possible to explode the nuke as it leaves Grys-Vok causing him to take all the damage instantly. ################################## # I. APHARMD STRIKER ################################## --Background-- Apharmd Striker (Aph S) is Apharmd Battler's brother in arms. New to VOOT, this VR has gone through many changes through the updates and has gone from a weak VR into a much better one. --Notes-- Unlike Battler, Striker is not solely a close combat machine. This can be seen in the removal of his tonfers. Instead, Striker has a Missile Launcher which is simply a bazooka that does a very good amount of damage and has many selective fire variants. His close combat weapon is now a combat knife which is decent but does not have the same fear as a tonfer. Striker also drops the SMGs for a Funny Launcher and carries a napalm grenade launcher much like his brother. Striker has a bit more armor but is a bit slower then Battler. ****************************** Long Range ****************************** RW -- Funny Launcher There is no real reason for the name, but Striker's RW is a missile launcher much like Grys-Vok's RW. It does decent damage and has decent V. Armor pen- etration. Unfortunately, it does not home very well. The jumping version is like the standing version. LW -- Napalm Striker drops a napalm canister that goes rolls in explosions toward the opponent. It ignores V. Armor and does a small amount of damage with each explosion. The jumping version is like the standing version. The canister drops to his feet below him. CW -- Missile Launcher Striker fires off 2 missiles at the enemy. One is slow and homing and does a good amount of damage on impact. The other one (which fires afterward) is much faster but does not home as well. It is possible to selectively fire each of these missiles. The RW is the slower missile while the LW is the fast- er missile. This weapon homes very well and is a good complement to Striker's arsenal. The jumping version is like the standing version. LTRW -- Strip Shot Striker fires off 4 close missiles which home in on the enemy. These weapons home very well and strip off about 25% armor if all 4 hit the enemy. The jumping version is like the standing version. LTLW -- Single Bounce Grenade Striker fires off 1 bouncing grenade from his chest at the enemy. This has decent homing capabilities and does a small amount of damage. It also strips off a good deal of V. Armor. The jumping version is like the standing version. LTCW -- Bouncing Missile Striker shoots off a bouncing missile that attempts to home on the enemy. It is not very good in the horizontal homing direction. However, this grenade can and does bounce over obstructions making it a good chaser tactic. It does decent damage and strips off V. Armor. The jumping version is like the standing version. RTRW -- 4 Funny Launcher Shot Striker launches 4 Funny Launcher missiles at the enemy. They have decent homing but do a lot of damage. If all 4 hit, up to 60% energy can be taken off a light VR. These shots are unfortunately somewhat slow. The jumping version is like the standing version. RTLW -- Soccer Punt Striker punts a grenade at the opponent. This move has decent homing and is very good against air and ground enemies. It will knock down most medium VRs and also does very good damage. Striker jumps in the air and kicks a grenade at the enemy. This grenade travels downward and bounces off the ground at about 250m. It bounces twice and explodes after the second bounce or contact with the enemy. As with above, it is not good for close enemies. RTCW -- Variable Missile Striker shoots off 2 missiles at the enemy. Unfortunately, this is not a good tactic up close as after about 150m, the two missiles change. It has a selec- tive fire variant which allows you to control which missile to fire. The RW missile explodes after 150m to turn into 4 smaller missiles which home in on the enemy. The LW variant flies forward at a fast speed and explodes in a grenade explosion upon impact. Both of these do a lot of damage and if both hit, the enemy will lose a lot of energy. Unfortunately, the LW usually gets to the enemy earlier and can cause a knockdown to occur before the RW variant hits. The jumping version is like the standing version. ****************************** Crouching Long Distance ****************************** CrRW -- Crouch Funny Launcher A crouching variant of the standing RW. CrLW -- Crouch Napalm Striker drops a napalm canister in front of him to explode. CrCW -- Crouch Missile Launcher Much like the standing it also has a selective fire option enabled. CrLTRW -- Crouch Strip Shot Much like the standing LTRW, it homes in on the enemy. May be a bit faster. CrLTLW -- Fast Bounce Grenade This crounching variant doesn't bounce. However, it comes out extremely fast and explodes after 300m. This can be a good surprise move because the bomb actually exits faster then most crouch RW streams. CrLTCW -- Short Explosion The LTCW variant, this explodes almost in front of Striker. Maybe useful in close combat as an alternative to the knife. CrRTRW -- Crouch 4 Funny Launcher shot Crouch variant of th RTRW. CrRTLW -- Crouch Spike Grenade Crouch version of the punt grenade but this one travels horizontally along the ground toward the opponent. Has decent homing. It bounces and can go over some obstructions but will most likely explode on contact. CrRTCW -- Crouch Variable Shot Crouch version which has selective fire like the standing version. ****************************** Dash Attacks ****************************** --Forward Dash RW -- Funny Launcher Striker fires off his Funny Launcher to fire multiple missiles at the enemy. This attack does decent damage if a shot hits. The crouch variant and air dash variants are much like the standard dash variant. The crouch variant explodes after about 300m. LW -- Grenade Striker throws a grenade at the enemy. Low damage, but it does obscure the vision of the opponent. The crouch variant goes much less in distance while the air dash variant goes a bit further. CW -- Missile Launcher Striker dashes and fires off both missiles at the enemy. Very much like the standing variant even down to the selective fire method. The crouch and air dash variants are the same as the standard dash variant. --Side Dash RW -- Funny Launcher Striker fires off a stream of smaller missiles at the enemy. Low V. Armor penetration and damage. The crouch and air dash variants are the same as above. LW -- Napalm Striker drops a napalm canister to the side that explodes toward the enemy. The crouch and air dash variants are the same as above. CW -- Missile Launcher Striker fires off a weaker version of the standard CW at the enemy. Selective fire is possible, but the missiles do much less damage then before. The crouch and air dash variants are the same as the standard dash variant. --Back Dash RW -- Funny Launcher Striker fires off a series of weak shots from his Funny Launcher. Damage and V. Armor penetration are very low. Crouch and air dash variants are same as above. LW -- Grenade Striker fires off a grenade that bounces about 6-7 times while homing. The homing capability diminishes as the bounces become shorter and shorter. It explodes into a grenade explosion doing a small amount of damage. The crouch and air dash version do not bounce and simply explode on contact. CW -- Missile Launcher Like the standing variant but even less damage then the side dash variant. Once again selective fire is possible. Uses almost no ammo gauge. Crouch and air dash variants are the same as above. ****************************** Close Combat Attacks ****************************** RW -- Funny Launcher Bash, Backhand, Roundhouse Striker swings his right arm Funny Launcher at the enemy, then backhands, and finally pulls off a roundhouse at the enemy. The first move is pretty fast, while the successive moves are bound to be interrupted. Overall, it does a lot of damage if all 3 hit. Light VRs will be knocked down by the second hit. It is recommended to soley use the first hit and cancel into other moves. LW -- Knife Swing, Knife Swing, Knife Stab Striker pulls his combat knife out from behind his back and swings from left to right, then right to left and finally a stab. This move does a bit more damage but comes out slower. Use the first hit and make something out of the rest. CW -- Knife Strike (twice) Striker pulls out his trusty knife and swings from left to right and quickly from right to left. Damage is very good with this move and it is very fast. It works faster then Battler's tonfer as there is very little chance to interrupt the return swing. CrRW -- Low Swing Striker swings his right arm low and clips the enemy. Decently fast and damage is good for this move. CrLW -- Low Stab/Swing Striker either stabs or swings his knife low. It seems to go from the left side as an arc and then stab forward. It may hit enemies to the side of you as well. CrCW -- Low Double Swing Striker swings from left to right upwards and then goes down and hits from right to left upwards again. A double attack that is very fast. The initial swing does not hit as often but the second swing does and deals good damge. RTRW -- Overhead Bash Striker raises his Funny Launcher and bashes the enemy with an overhead punch. It is a fast move with decent damage. RTLW -- Multiple Stab Striker draws his knife and stabs multiple times to the left side of his body. Fast and does decent damage. There is no multiple hits unfortunately. RTCW -- Overhead Swing Striker draws his knife and steps forward with an overhead swing. This move is fast and does good damage. It also seems to hit downed enemies either from Striker stamping with his feet or the knife swinging down enough to hit the downed enemies. Dash RW -- Funny Launcher Bash Striker sticks out his right arm and attempts to clothesline the opponent. Hits well to the right side. Dash LW -- Knife swing Striker hits with his knife to his left side. It is like the above but does not seem to have as much range. Dash CW -- Overhead Knife Swing Striker draws his knife with a fluorish and attempts to hit the enemy in front of him. Very hard to hit with due to its low range. Ground Hit (LW) Striker draws his knife and hits the enemy on the ground. This is very fast as an attack and has a good chance of hitting an enemy as long as it is in activation range for the ground hit. ****************************** Specials ****************************** Jumping Punch -- Jump, Forward Dash, CW Striker flies downward at an angle with his fist flaming. It is short in range but does a lot of damage if it hits. This move only hits forward and the CW must be at full. Power Up -- Double Jump, CW Striker double jumps and then comes down with a glowing disk around his feet. In this mode, his weapons recharge faster and he moves faster. Damage is also increased along with V. Armor penetration. This mode only lasts for about 10 seconds and can only be done once per credit or challenger. ################################## # J. SPECINEFF ################################## --Background-- Specinef is a new VR to the Virtual On universe. He runs around as if he is rollerblading and carries a scythe. This VR is the death of the VO universe. --Notes-- Specineff has a series of abilities that other VRs do not have. First he can move extremely fast by simply dashing a lot. His dashes are short, but as a result, he also has minimal dash freeze if he does not fire a weapon. Thus, Specineff can move extremely fast around an enemy and with good accuracy. Specineff also has a series of weapons which allow him to disable enemy weapons on successful hit. This is very useful as it keeps the enemy on the defensive while allowing Specineff to force the issue. Unfortunately, Speci- neff is very weak in both V. Armor and normal armor making him on par with Cypher is taking damage. ****************************** Long Range ****************************** RW -- Long Launcher Specineff has a long lancher which fires off purple bolts at the enemy. Damage is decent as well as good V. Armor penetration. The bolt slowly speeds up as it tracks the enemy. The jumping version is like the standing version. LW -- Homing Ball Specineff shoots off a blue homing ball which moves slowly but tracks the opponent for a long time. It will avoid obstructions and gain speed for about 20 seconds before disappearing. It does a small amount of damage, but at any one time Specineff can have upt to 3 or 4 of these harrying the opponent. A successful hit will also strip V. Armor by about 5%. The jumping version is like the standing version. CW -- Scythe Wave Specineff swings his scythe and generates a purple wave that move extremely fast at the enemy. Damage is decent, but a successful hit of this weapobn will strip V. Armor by about 20% as well. The jumping version is like the standing version. LTRW -- RW Disable Specineff generates a light blue ball that has decent homing. It moves at a medium speed and if it hits the enemy VR, it will disable their RW systems for about 15 seconds. The jumping version is like the standing version. LTLW -- LW Disable Same as above, but it disable LW for 15 seconds. This variant is a pink ball. The jumping version is like the standing version. LTCW -- Boomerang Specineff throws his wings at the opponent. This is a fast move that deals a decent amount of damage. Unfortunately, it has low homing ability but is fast. The jumping version is like the standing version. RTRW -- Diamond Shot Specineff shoots off a diamond shaped projectile that is very fast. Homing capability is low but the damage done by this move is decent. It also take very little ammo and thus can be used to launch a few of this projectiles. The jumping version is like the standing version. RTLW -- Black Orb Another one of Specineff's homing projectiles, this move creates a slow blue-purple orb that homes in on the enemy. It tracks the enemy for about 20 seconds before dissipating. It will explode for a lot of damage if the enemy is close, but is a very slow projectile. The jumping version is like the standing version. RTCW -- Large Wave Specineff creates a larger version of his CW attack that goes straight forward at the enemy. If it hits, it does a lot of damage. The jumping version is like the standing version. ****************************** Crouching Long Range ****************************** CrRW -- Crouching Long Launcher Specineff fires off a faster version of the RW shot. V. Armor penetration and damage are down compared to the standing variant. CrLW -- Crouching Homing Ball Specineff throws the ball up a bit higher before it homes in on the enemy like the standing LW variant. CrCW -- Crouching Scythe Wave Crouching version of the standing CW variant. CrLTRW -- Crouching RW Disable This variant goes much faster but does not home as well. Upon impact, it will disable the RW weapon for about 8-10 seconds. CrLTLW -- Crouching LW Disable Same as above except for LW. CrLTCW -- Crouching Boomerang Same as LTCW but ducking. Wings also return faster. CrRTRW -- Crouching Diamond Shot Same as RTRW. CrRTLW -- Crouching Black Orb Same as RTLW. CrRTCW -- Crouching Large Wave Same as RTCW. ****************************** Dash Attacks ****************************** --Forward Dash RW -- Long Launcher Specineff fires off a single blue shot that homes in on the enemy and does a decent amount of damage. Also has decent V. Armor penetration. Unfortuntately, Specineff does not have great rotation so this shot may miss if the enemy is not in the forward arc. The crouch and air dash variants are the same as the standing dash variant. LW -- Homing Ball Specineff throws out a homing ball which tracks the enemy. This ball does not do as much damage as the standing variant. The crouching variant moves faster and does not track as well. It dissipates upon leaving the arena or hitting an obstruction. The air dash variant simply flies forward and explodes upon hitting the ground. CW -- Scythe Wave Specineff throws out a a scythe wave at the enemy. It does not track very well but if it hits, it does good damage. The crouch variant is a Rush attack in which Specineff glows blue and attacks the enemy. This attack empties out all the gauges and can only be done if the CW ammo gauge is full. The air dash variant is like the standard dash variant. --Side Dash RW -- Long Launcher Like the forward dash but less damage. LW -- Homing Ball Like the forward dash variant. CW -- Scythe Wave Like the forward dash variant. --Back Dash RW -- Long Launcher Like the forward dash but less damage. LW -- Homing Ball Like the forward dash variant. CW -- Scythe Wave Like the forward dash variant. ****************************** Close Combat Attacks ****************************** RW -- Right Swing, Backhand Specineff swings his Long Launcher from right to left and then left to right. He is very fast with this wing and can also knock down from the first hit. Damage is decent but not spectacular for this move. Due to the speed of the first RW, you should do that move and then cancel to some other hit. LW -- Claw, Claw Specineff swings his left arm in a claw manner and then swings back again. This is his fastest move and while it will not always knock down, it does a decent amount of damage and is good for hit and runs. CW -- Scythe Specineff swings his scythe in an 180 degree arc. This is a fast move, knocks down and does good damage. CrRW -- Low Swing Specineff swings his long launcher low and clips the opponent. Like all his other moves, this is fast, but not very damaging. CrLW -- Low Claw Very much like the CrRW, but may have less arc and range. CrCW -- Low Sweep Specineff sweeps with his feet to knock the enemy down. Another fast move from Specineff. RTRW -- Kick (?) Specineff kicks (?) the enemy for some damage. RTLW -- Claw Stab Specineff stabs forwards with his claws. A fast move with decent damage pot- ential. RTCW -- Wing Impale Specineff ducks and impales the enemy on his wings. This knocks down, is fast and does a good amount of damage to the enemy. Dash RW -- Right Long Launcher Specineff swings his Long Launcher from right to left. Due to his low dash distance, it is pretty hard to hit with a dash CC. Dash LW -- Left Long Launcher Much like RW but from left to right. Dash CW -- Claw Specineff stabs forward with his claws. Ground Hit Specineff hits the ground with his Long Launcher. Fast and does decent damage. ****************************** Specials ****************************** Dual Laser -- Both Turbos, CW Hit both turbos and both weapons triggers causes Specineff to shoot off a purple laser. This shot it slow and only to the front. If it hits however, it disables the opponents CW weapon for 15 seconds. Burning Arc -- Rotate, LW (LW Full) Rotate Specineff and hit the LW trigger. He will throw out about 12 burning purple balls that home in on the enemy. These balls have very low distance, but this move at close range is devestating. Death Mode -- Start Twice (Less Life then enemy) If you have less life then the enemy pressing start twice will start the Death mode. During this mode, you are invincible and your weapons do not use up any charge. This mode lasts for 13 seconds during which you must kill the enemy. If time runs out and the enemy is still alive (or the round times out) Specineff loses the round. Can be done once per round. ################################## # K. ANGELAN ################################## --Background-- Angelan is another new VR. She is a witch-type VR who can summon up ice dragons and other such weapons on the enemy. --Notes-- Angelan has one of the higher V. Armor ratings around despite her armor rating being low (ie, she can repel projectiles, but if they penetrate, she takes a lot of damage). She has some specialized weapons which allow her to both hide from hits (Ice Shield) as well as send out homing attacks (Ice Dragons). Her attacks also strip V. Armor very well. ****************************** Long Range ****************************** RW -- Ice Shards Angelan fires off a series of Ice Shards. They do very good damage if they penetrate the V. Armor. However, since many of her weapons strip V. Armor on impact, this is a very good weapon to use endgame. The jumping version is like the standing version. LW -- Ice Column Angelan conjures up a column of ice which homes in on the enemy. If it hits, it does good damage and can also block some projectiles from Angelan. The jumping version is like the standing version. CW -- Ice Dragon Angelan conjures a dragon that flies towards the opponent before attempting to hit them with ice balls coming from its mouth. If the shots hit, they do good damage as well as strip away a lot of V. Armor. The jumping version is like the standing version. LTRW -- Laser Angelan fires off a very thin laser that does decent damage. However, it is very thing and as such is hard to hit with. The jumping version is like the standing version. LTLW -- 7-way Shard Angelan sweeps her wand in an arc and unleashes 7 snowflakes that home in on the enemy. They do decent damage and also strip away V. Armor on contact. A good attack to do when you want to set up the enemy for another attack. The jumping version is like the standing version. LTCW -- Ice Shield Angelan creates a diamond purple shield in front of her that stays there for about 5 seconds. During this time, few projectiles can penetrate it, while Angelan is able to fire through it. This shield shatters after time expires or on contact with another VR. Stepping into the shield does a decent amount of damage to the enemy VR. The jumping version is like the standing version. However, this shield does not wait 5 seconds and instead homes in on the enemy. RTRW -- Freeze Ray Angelan shoots of a straight ray in front of her. If the enemy gets hit by it, they are frozen in a big ice crystal. Damage is steadily done to them while they are in the crystal. The jumping version is like the standing version. However, the enemy only takes damage in this variant, no freezing occurs. RTLW -- Big Ice Column Angelan throws up a diamond which then falls to become an ice column. This column is larger then the other columns and move toward the enemy slowly. It does more damage then the LW variant. The jumping version is like the standing version. RTCW -- Twin Dragons Angelan summons two dragons that attempt to ram the enemy. If they hit, they do a lot of damage to the enemy. Sometimes, one will miss and the other will come from behind to hit the enemy. These dragons home on the enemy VR and stay on screen for about 5 seconds. The jumping version is like the standing version. ****************************** Crouching Long Distance ****************************** CrRW -- Crouch Shard Angelan crouches and fires off a quick stream of ice shards at the enemy. CrLW -- Crouch Ice Column Angelan throws out an ice column that moves faster toward the enemy. It does a bit less damage as a result. CrCW -- Crouch Ice Dragon Angelan conjures a faster dragon that races toward the enemy and then fires. If the enemy moves, the dragon will most likely miss with its ice bolts. CrLTRW -- Crouch Laser Faster firing, but still as hard to hit with. CrLTLW -- Crouch 7 Way Faster firing, and homes a little less. CrLTCW -- Crouch Shield This shield does not stay in front of Angelan as long. Instead, it homes in on the enemy and attempts to hit him. CrRTRW -- Crouch Freeze Beam Faster version, does less freezing damage. CrRTLW -- Crouch Ice Column Almost the exact same as RTLW. CrRTCW -- Crouch Double Dragon These dragons attempt to ram the enemy faster. If they miss, they don't try to come around for a second hit. ****************************** Dash Attacks ****************************** --Forward Dash RW -- Ice Shards Angelan shoots out a series of ice shards that do decent amount of damage to the enemy. They also penetrate V. Armor relatively well. The crouch and air dash variants are the same as above, except that the crouch variant fires less shards. LW -- Ice Column Angelan forms an ice column which races at the enemy. It does decent damage. The crouch variant takes a little longer to come out (it may home better as it will target hopefully near dash freeze). The air dash variant drops down below and then homes on the enemy. It is good if you are above the enemy. CW -- Ice Dragon Angelan summons a dragon which comes out, locks onto the enemy, and then attempts to ram them. If it hits, it does a good amount of damage to the enemy. The crouch and air dash variants are much the same. --Side Dash RW -- Ice Bolts Angelan fires 3 bolts at the enemy. They do less damage then the forward dash variant. The crouch and air dash variants are the same as the standard dash variant. LW -- Ice Column The same as the forward dash variant. CW -- Ice Dragon Angelan conjures a dragon that homes in on the enemy and then fires out ice bolts from its mouth. It may fire less bolts then the standing CW. The crouch and air dash variants are the same as the standard dash variant. --Back Dash RW -- Ice Crystals Angelan fires out 3 crystals that do little damage to the enemy. The crouch and air dash variants are the same as the standard dash variant. LW -- 7-Way Shards Angelan unleashes 7 ice shards at the enemy. These shots have low homing, but come out in a spread so they have a chance of hitting the enemy. The crouch and air dash variants are the same as the standard dash variant. CW -- Ice Dragon Angelan conjures a dragon that homes in on the enemy and then fires out ice bolts from its mouth. It may fire less bolts then the standing CW. The crouch and air dash variants are the same as the standard dash variant. ****************************** Close Combat Attacks ****************************** RW -- Staff Swing, Staff Swing Angelan goes forward and swings her staff from right to left and then from left to right. This move is decently fast and does good damage. It is very unlikely for the first hit to knock down an opponent. LW -- Ice Punch, Ice Punch Angelan forms an ice ball in her left fist and swings downwards before swing- ing upwards again. The second hit may miss because she steps forward into it and may bypass the opponent. It does good damage and has knockdown ability. CW -- Staff Swing Angelan swings her staff downwards and smacks the opponent. It does good damage but is somewhat slow. CrRW -- Low Staff Swing Angelan clips the opponent with her staff from right to left. CrLW -- Ice Stalagmites Angelan creates some ice stalagmites on the ground toward or past the oppon- ent. If the opponent runs into them, he will take damage. This move may not automatically damage the opponent, but the stalagmites stay in place for about 5 seconds and are a danger to the opponent. CrCW -- Ice Fence Angelan grows a larger version of the CrLW attack. This attack will only hit if the enemy is right next to Angelan. Otherwise, the simply pop up in front. These can be good to get out of CC with or as a way to corner the opponent. RTRW -- Ice Spray Angelan points her staff and sprays the opponent with ice. This move does good damage, but takes awhile to come out. If it does fire, the spray is pretty good range. RTLW -- Ice Punch Angelan creates a large ice first and hits the enemy. RTCW -- Ice Punch Same as above. Dash RW -- Staff Swing Angelan swings her staff on the right arc to hit the enemy. Dash LW -- Staff Backhand Angelan backhands with her staff to hit on the left arc. Dash CW -- Ice Drill Angelan turns herself into an ice drill and attempts to run into the enemy. The range on this move is pretty short. Ground Hit Angelan swings her staff in an overhead hit to strike the enemy on the ground. ****************************** Specials ****************************** Wings -- Crouch, Start Angelan grows wings and as a result moves much faster. Unfortunately, she loses 50% of her health. These wings stay for about 15 seconds after which the wings can be regrown for another 50% of your health. In close combat, with wings, Angelan can regain life by doing a RTRW. Great Ice Shield -- Both Triggers, CW Angelan creates an Ice Shield much like the LTCW, but this one lasts for about 10 seconds. However, it requires a lot of ammo gauge. ============================================================================= 4. Intermediate Techniques ============================================================================= ################################## A. Movement Revisited ################################## ** Dash Revisited ** In Virtual On, the ability to control your dash and understand what to do before, during and after a dash are extremely important for survival. Dashing allows you to move around the arena while engaging an enemy. Dashing in Virtual On can be split into 3 different sections. The tim- ing of these sections varies from VR to VR, but their general characterist- ics are the same among the VRs. ----------------------------------------------------------------------|\ | | | \ |Initial | Main Dash | End | | | | / ----------------------------------------------------------------------|/ In the Initial phase of a dash, the VR accelerates from standing / walk- ing to dash speed. This phase is punctuated by the high whine that dashing creates. The Initial phase is great for dodging incoming shots due to the sudden change of speed that the VR does. It can also be canceled extremely quickly leading the VR to move in a direction in bursts. However, the VR can not attack in any manner during this phase. The Main Dash phase is the longest phase of the dash. During this phase, the VR can attack, watari, or cancel its dash. As with the Initial phase, it is very hard to hit the VR unless the angles are right. Often times, a VR can watari dash and then fire its weapons, all while still in the Main dash phase. The End Dash is different from the other phases in that the VR begins to slow down and end the dash. Should the VR have attacked, the end phase is punctuated by a Freeze phase in which the VR stands still for a split sec- ond. VRs at the end of their dash are very likely to be hit by shots from an enemy (both standing and dashing). Also, watari and dash cancelling is not possible during this time. The Main Dash phase is usually when most of the action occurs. However, being able to cancel in the Initial phase allows your VR to jerk forward in small steps, allowing you to close on the enemy while still being able to dodge incoming shots through the acceleration. The Main Dash phase allows for manuevering as well as attacking the enemy. Finally, the End Phase should be realized simply because it can lead to loss if you ignore the consequences that can occur. Various VRs have different timings between their dashes. Most will have fast Initial phases, long Main dash phases and a short End phase. However, lighter VRs may have longer Main phases while heavier VRs are subject to a longer End Phase. ** Watari Dash (Vertical Dash) ** NOTE: This is called the Vertical Dash in the US VOOT Instruction Book The Watari dash is an essential part of any VOOT game. It allows a VR to change direction while dashing. To do this, dash with the VR, then return the sticks to neutral before inputting a new direction. This move requires some dexterity, mainly to return the sticks back to neutral properly. The DC pad makes a watari very simple because you simply let go off the DC pad before inputting a new direction. If done properly, and the VR is not yet entering the End phase of its dash, your VR should re-orient in a new direction. Only turns of up to 90 degrees are allowed, so to go in a full circle, your VR must watari 4 times. Attacking during a dash also nullifies any further wataris as your VR then goes in a straight direction while firing. The watari dash is important because it allows you to move around in your dash and not commit to one direction. A powerful use of this is to use a side dash to dodge and then watari into a forward dash for a forward dash attack (which is more powerful then a side dash attack). ** Curve Dash ** A VR can also curve in the middle of a dash. To do this, rotate the VR in the Main phase of a dash. The VR should thne begin curving in the direction of rotation. While not inherently useful this can save you from hits as well as allow you to get behind a building. Also, due to the shallow nature of the curve, it can give you better accuracy during a forward dash as your VR turns toward the enemy before firing. ** SLD ** The SLD is another advanced technique that is useful to know. While most pilots have done this technique unknowingly, efficient use of the Super Low Altitude Dash (SLD) is useful in battle. The SLD attempts to impart air dash benefits while cutting down on the freeze and landing time of a dash. To do a SLD, jump and then instantly dash in a direction. If done properly, the VR should do an air dash that is very low over the ground. This means that the falling distance at the end of the dash is very minimal keeping the VR from harm. While somewhat useful, the SLD is especially important for Cypher due to it's ability to fire twice in the air as well as engage in air dash CC. ################################## B. Close Combat Revisited ################################## Close combat is what a lot of Virtual On pilots live for and what other pi- lots fear. As an added incentive to simply shooting each other, the VRs are also able to use their fists, swords, spiky things, and even butts in an attempt to bludgeon the opposing VR senseless. Because of the complexities that exist in CC, it has been given its own little section in the FAQ. ** Close Combat Activation Distance ** (Information taken from http://virtualon.cjb.net) Virtuaroid | LW | CW | RW | Temjin | 59.9 | 99.9 | 69.9 | Bal Bados | 64.9 | 49.9 | 84.9 | Grys-Bok | 54.9 | 69.9 | 64.9 | Raiden | 69.9 | 34.9 | 64.9 | Specineff | 54.9 | 79.9 | 69.9 | Apharmd Striker | 74.9 | 99.9 | 64.9 | Apharmd Battler | 79.9 | 134.9 | 64.9 | Fei-Yen Knight | 69.9 | 94.9 | 44.9 | Dordray | 54.9 | 69.9 | 79.9 | Angelan | 64.9 | 79.9 | 69.9 | Cypher | 59.9 | 64.9 | 79.9 | * Basics ** As stated above, CC occurs when a VR gets into CC activation distance for some of its weapons (as seen above, not all weapons have the same activation distance). When the VR enters this range (anywhere from 49.9 to a whopping 139.9 for Apharmd B), the weapon becomes CC activated and no longer fires long range projectiles. Instead, it takes the form of some close combat attack such as a sword strike or a punch. A close combat attack can be blocked by pushing both sticks inward (crouch on the DC pad). The blocking VR will take a small amount of damage, but can then do a counter strike. Countering a hit off a block drastically increases the speed at which the counter comes out such that even the slowest attacker can launch a blistering hit. As a result, a blocking VR has a chance of interrupting an attacking VR's series of hits. Your VR can only block IF one of your weapons is CC activated. This is especially important because Apharmd B can launch his attack well before most VRs can begin to block (they will either stand there or crouch is a block command is inputted). However, with most VRs blocking will occur at the same distance that the attack is activated. All VRs have at least 3 methods of attacking. These come from their weapon types (LW, RW, CW). The LW and RW are usually fast attacks that come from the different sides (useful for hitting enemies to your side). They can also chain into a series of strikes such as Fei Yen Kn's 3 combo slashes with her LW. CW is usually a bit slower then LW or RW, but does more damage. Should the attack get through, damage will be done. Depending on the hit VR's size, armor and the attacking VR's weapon, the hit VR may or may not fall down. If the VR does not fall, the attacking VR can attempt to hit again while the defending VR may attempt to counter attack or block. Most combo series will knock down opponents after a certain amount of damage is done. However, some combos don't do enough damage, and as there is a bit of lag time at the end of a combo series, your VR is game for punishment by the defender. So what if you miss? At this point two things can occur. Doing a cancel at any time in the CC will allow you to stop your attack and do something else. To cancel a CC attack, you can either jump, block, or dash midway through the animation. Your VR will stop attacking and perform the attack. Because CC attacks can be canceled at any time, you can swing and then cancel if the defending VR blocks. This way, you can do some other move while the enemy is expecting you to attack. It should be noted that unlike VOOM, the VRs only block damage when in block mode. Jumping no longer does a block for you, so attempting to "dance" in CC will result in you getting your legs hit from under you. ** Quick Step ** Quick steps are VOOT's version of the Circle Slice. However, they are much more then just a circle slice and have many good uses. To initiate a quick step, push the turbo button when a doubl lock-on is active. Then push in a specific direction. This step must be done fast, but the distinction is important. Pushing in a direction and then turbo will result in a dash. Doing the move too slow will result in the VR moving sideways. If the timing is proper, the VR will circle around the enemy in either a counter-clockwise or clockwise direction (depending on the direction you inputted. This movement is usually only 90 degrees and puts you on the side of the enemy VR. Pressing the attack during a quick step will cause your VR to side step and then attack the enemy VR from the side. The added bonus of going to the side of an enemy VR is that the quick step nullifies the current guard. This means that the enemy VR will drop its guard (even if it had been inputted ahead of time). To regain the guard, the defender must return the sticks to neutral and the block again (hit crouch twice, one of the few times the DC pad is easier to use). Even with the pad, this act requires reflex and tim- ing. Quick steps attacks are not cacnellable but do cause a knock-down on a successful attack. They are also slower then a standard attack due to the timing of the quick step. However, they are very useful if the enemy is in a defense mode or when attempting to predict when the enemy will attack. Since attacking VRs step into their attacks, the quick step will take you out of danger and hit the enemy VR's side or back. It is also possible to Q-Step forward or backward. The forward Q-step usually sets you flush agains the other VR while the backwards Q-step can differ in distance between VRs. ** Crouch Attacks ** Another of the unblockable types attacks, the VR swings at the legs of the enemy VR in some manner. This attack will guarantee a knockdown but at the cost of doing less damage. Whereas quick-step attacks can be re-guarded, crouch attacks must be dodged or interrupted. To do a crouch attack, simply input the crouch command (push both sticks inward or hit the crouch button) when doing a CC attack. The VR should then duck and swing at the legs of the opposing VR. The crouch attack allows for some range as your VR will slide forward to hit enemies. Crouch attacks are not cancellable and can be avoided with a side dash, quick step or jumping. They are best used against a defending opponent and can be cancelled off a standard attack. ** Quick Hop / Jumping CC ** VRs can also do a jumping attack. This allows the VR to hop into the air and then come down on the enemy's head. Much like the quick-step, a jumping attack must be re-guarded. To do this attack, jump at the same time the CC command is inputted. If done correctly, the VR should jump up and then come down with some sort of downward attack. Quick hop attacks guarantee a knockdown if damage is given and are great counters to crouch attacks. They are also a good move after you've fallen over and the enemy comes forward to yomi. When you jump, some opponents will stand for a second waiting for you to commit. If the jump is instead a quick hop attack, the surprise factor is very good. Quick hops are not cancellable and take a small amount of time to happen as the VR jumps to a specific height before starting the descent. ** Right Turbo Attacks ** As a further augmentation of CC, VRs are given a right turbo variant of their standard attacks. By hitting RT and then a weapon (LW, RW, CW), you can do a variation of a standard attack. Most of these moves have a cool factor and while they are slower to come out then a standard move, they guarantee a knock-down on ANY hit (even guarded). However, they can only be cancelled before a hit occurs, not after. ** Left Turbo Attacks ** Left Turbo attacks aren't really CC attacks. Instead this is the LT var- iant of the long range weapon fire. While LT attacks are very powerful, a devious pilot can engage a ranged weapon to surprise his enemy and chew off some damage and V. Armor (that guarding does not stop). Some attacks shouldn't be done at close range, but other LT attacks are nice for a small amount of damage. LT attacks are also more powerful in MSBS v. 5.2 because they employ a bit of stun into the hit, allowing you to do a follow up hit on the VR. ** Dash CC ** By far the best way to finish off a round, dash CC is also one of the hardest moves to hit with. A dash CC occurs when one VR cuts down another while dashing. Unlike other CC, dash CC does not require a double lock-on. As a result, you can attack from anywhere, but also lose some of the homing capability that the double lock-on gives CC. To do a dash CC, simply dash, and while in a forward dash (through start or watari), pull both sticks back (press down on D-pad) while pressing the button. The VR should swing his weapon. The LW gives a left side swing, RW a right side swing, and CW causes the VR to swing out in front of itself. A dash CC can be blocked but it takes great timing to do so. Also, dash CC can not be cancelled and so you are left with the dash freeze that occurs after a dash attack. ** Guard Cancel CC ** A variation to crouch CC is a guard cancel attack. This attack is only doable with the LW and RW. To do this attack, crouch and then release the crouch while inputting the attack. Instead of doing a crouch attack, you get a standing attack that does not slide forward nearly as much, but comes out faster and knocks down the enemy better. ** Ground Attack ** VRs can also now hit opponents on the ground with their CC weapon if at close range. If the opponent is on the ground and your RW is active, the VR will attempt to hit the enemy with a specific ground attack. This attack usually does about an additional 10% damage to the enemy. However, it is not cancellable and if the enemy rises at this time, the attack will miss leaving you open for a counter. You usually have about a second after the enemy falls to attempt this attack with any measure of success. It also depends on the VR as some are faster at the attack then others. If you are weary of missing, walking out of CC and doing a long range attack will chip a small amount of health from the fallen VR. ============================================================================= 5. Advanced Techniques ============================================================================= To complement all the techniques above are a series of strategies that have been collected by Virtual On players over the years. A fundemental understand- ing of each of these strategies and techniques go a long way to ensuring a win over an opponent. As always, familiarity with the VR is also necessary as the differences between the VRs lie not only in speed and armor, but in dash rot- ation, weapon speed, weapon firing and manueverability. ################################## A. Dash Vectoring ################################## Presented by Christopher Tan in his VOOM FAQ, dash vectoring is an essential part of Virtual On combat. Its basic tenent is to force the enemy VR to dash attack first. When this occurs, dash vectoring comes into play as it allows you to draw a bead on the enemy as well as jockey for better position. As stated above, you must force your opponent to move first. Virtual On is a game of reflexes and reactions. Pressure the opponent with a steady stream of attacks or engage in CC. Hopefully the enemy will break under pressure and dash away. This is when dash vectoring comes into play. In VOOM, dashes were straight and unless cancelled or hit an obstruction kept going in the same direction with the VR rotating its body to fire at the enemy. Dash vectoring allows you get a better angle on the enemy as well as attacking in such a way that the enemy shots will not hit you. Below are a couple of examples to introduce this concept. E = Enemy U = You Example 1 Step 1 Step 2 Step 3 E E------> E--> ^ | | U U U Basic position Enemy side dashes Forward dash to get a good facing each other angle as well as a good shot In this example, if the enemy side dashes, it needs to rotate at least 90 degrees to shoot you. If you then do a forward dash, the rotation needed in- creases for the enemy. At the same time, you have a nice angle on an enemy with a rotation of up to 90 degrees. Furthermore, the enemey is going in a straight line and thus most of your shots should hit while the enemy's misses. Example 2 Step 1 Step 2 Step 3 E E | E | | \ / \ / U U U ---------> Basic position Enemy forward dashes Side dash to avoid to attack you shots and get a shot on enemy This example is somewhat harder to work with. In this case, the enemey dashes at you with a forward dash. In order to avoid the shots you should do a side dash. This gives you the greatest change in angle for the shots (not enemy VR!!) and will cause most if not all the miss. At the same time, you are dashing past where the enemy will end up and have a good bead on the enemy VR. These are two examples of the most basic of dash vectoring principles. More often then not, the situations will not be as nearly clear cut with changes in elevation, obstructions and non-optimal angles to use. As players become better and better, a lot of dashes will have no real conclusion leading to more vectoring and attacks. Should this happen, make sure that you are not the first to commit to a dash attack (not exactly the easiest thing to do). Unless the possibility of a drive-by dash attack is high, making the first move will usually result in you getting hit. While the above tactic is great in VOOM, it needs to be modified in some manner in VOOT. The addition of the watari makes dash vectoring a harder concept, but also makes it much more fluid. An addendum to the first example: Example 3 Step 1 Step 2 Step 3 Step 4 E E ---> E-- ---> | | E ^ | | | | \ / U | | \ / U U U Basic position Enemy side As you fw dash You watari to counter dashes enemy wataris and shoot In this case, the enemy side dashes, and you vector a forward dash to coun- ter. However, the enemy knowledgeable in vectoring (well no too much, other- wise he/she wouldn't dash first), wataris to try and cause a stalemate (2 opposing forward dash attacks will most likely totally miss). In response, you watari into a side dash so that the diagram ends up much like that of Example 2. Depending on the VRs, the this watari countering can go on longer, but will usually result in the enemy being hit. Thus in VOOT, you can usually wait a small amount before committing to a dash attack. This will both keep you from being tricked by a dash cancel and allow you to make changes for a watari by the enemy. The beauty of the watari is that it will give you optimal angles on an enemy and even if you do dash first, there is still a chance to turn around the fight and attack the enemy. Example 4 Step 1 Step 2 Step 3 Step 4 E E <---E <-E ^ ^ ^ | | | |--- | U U U U Base position You fw dash Enemy vectors You watari and vector attack with side dash Now granted, this is an unlikely prospect as the enemy will probably watari again and attack, but it does show the possibility of turning the fight against somebody who becomes a bit over-zealous. Still, it is best to force the enemy to show his/her hand and then punish the enemy during their dash and dash freeze (dash is now optimal mainly due to a reduction in V. Armor capability during a dash). Practice with dash vector- ing and after awhile, it will become second hand. ################################## B. Weapon Prediction and Herding ################################## On top of dash vectoring is weapon prediction. VOOT has many direct fire weapons compared to VOOM and thus predicting where the enemy will go helps in the long run. Good aim is also a bonus in hitting with these weapons, but due to the fluidity of the battlefield, you will usually be better off trying to herd the enemy and firing the weapon along those lines. The basis behind this is to force the enemy to commit in one direction and then rotating the VR to face in that general area while firing a weapon. The faster firing effects of the direct fire weapons makes this job easier then in VOOM. The enemy can also be herded in a specific direction. VRs with grenades and other such explosives can roll them toward the enemy and force them to dash in another direction. If you are ready for this, then you can simply rotate in the other direction and fire. The enemey should intersect your beam in the haste to escape the other attack. This type of "trap" existed in VOOM but could really only be used well by Raiden (and to a point Dorkas). With the new RT variants in VOOT, many VRs have direct fire weapons and can also do a trap. An addition to using direct fire weapons was presented by Rolander. You can also use a forward or forward diagonal dash CC to knock down the enemies. Most players will begin with a side dash to evade attacks. An enterprising player will hazard a guess at which side the enemy will run and then do a forward diagonal dash CC in response. If the timing is right, you will cut down the enemy as he dashes away. ################################## C. Enemy Prediction ################################## On top of weapon prediction is the ability to predict where the enemy is go- ing. Most pilots inherently have a favorite side that they like to side dash towards. Knowing this habit can allow you to get an early bead on them and launch a devastating attack. There are other small tidbits such as if the other pilot dislikes CC, then engage in CC as much as you can. Often these pilots will dash or evade the combat and give you a good openning on them as they avoid that part of the game. On top of understanding what the other pilot enjoys, you should also try to keep from getting into a rythm. If you always try to do a quick-step during CC, a good pilot will be able to make use of this and either attempt to knock you out of the quick step motion with side swings or concentrate on re-guard- ing the quick step attack so as to counter hit back. ################################## D. Doi-2 Dash ################################## There is a way to cancel the dash freeze in VOOT. Just as the single frame central weapon cancel worked in VOOM, the Doi-2 dash uses the CrLT attack to do the same thing. At the end of a dash, perform a CrLT attack. Then instantly cancel out of this attack with a jump or a dash. If done properly, your VR should instantly take off at the end of the dash. Depending on how well the timing is, you VR may fire a crouch attack, crouch, or simply just dash off. Care should be taken with this move. If the specific weapon that you are engaging has a redlined gauge, this move will not work. Also, while a single frame cancel is very useful in avoiding a dash freeze and instantly counter- attacking, repeated use of it can lead to sloppy vectoring. A good opponent who does not know the Doi-2 dash can still defeat you by simply vectoring in on you during your dash. ################################## E. Advanced Q-Step ################################## Presented by Rolander, quick steps can be used for more then just CC attacks. Unlike a circle slice, a q-step can be done multiple times resulting in your VR circling the enemy VR. The range from which you can perform a quick step is slightly less than that of your activation distance. Thus some VRs such as Temjin and Apharmd can quick step at long distance. During the first Japan VOOT match the finalist was a Temjin (the eventual winner) versus an Angelan. There was an encounter when Temjin was dashing forward toward Angelan. Angelan put up a LTCW Ice Shield. Running into the Ice Shield would knock down Temjin. However, Temjin dashed forward until slightly below 100m range, hit and held the turbo button to stop the dash, and while still holding the turbo button, pushed his sticks to the side. This caused Temjin to quickstep AROUND the Ice Shield! Angelan panicked and dashed through her Ice Shield (Angelan can fire through / walk through their own Ice Shields) and Temjin simply did another quick step to clear the Ice Shield from view before running down Angelan with a forward dash Big Two. Rolander also has his own story in which he was playing Apharmd B against another Apharmd B. He was leading in the final seconds of the round and the opponenet dashed forward to do a dash CC and finish the round. He reacted with a 180 degree quick step to get around the attack and the did his own dash CC to kill the enemy Apharmd B (who was in the midst of a dash freeze from the failed dash CC). Q-Stepping can be used much like a sidestep and does not need to have an attack added to it. While both Apharmd and Temjin obviously have an advantage over the other VRs, but Q-Stepping without attacking takes you out of the opponent's view. As a result, you have an advantage and can dictate what will occur. ################################## F. Tsubame Kaeshi (Swallow's Tail) ################################## This specific technique allows a VR to engage to a dash CC while at in close combat range. To do this move, simply dash forward (or forward diagonally) in CC range and pull back while pressing a trigger. The VR should skip forward and do a dashing CC move. To do this in a fast manner, put the sticks in neutral and move the left stick forward while hitting the dash button. Almost after that, move the right stick backward while hitting the right trigger. This should cause a Dash CC to occur in CC range to the right side. To do this move on the pad (pretty hard), dash forward and instantly press back while hitting a trigger. ============================================================================= 6. Extras ============================================================================= ################################## A. How to Play Import on US DC ################################## I recently purhcased the import and have a US DC. You can either get a modchip for the DC or mess with the battery and bios in an attempt to clear the BIOS each time. I found another method in which you can bypass soldering. 1. Open the DC and rubberband the cover sensor to the bottom of the board. This will tell the DC that its cover is always closed. 2. Close the DC and pop in the Web Browser CD. Hold down B+X on the second controller through the entire sequence. The screen should be white with some words on it. Upon releasing the buttons, the web browser screen should pop up. 3. Shut down and pop in a demo disc. The bios has been cleared so it should ask for a date and time. Wait 3 minutes for the DC motor to spin down (don't stop the motor manually, you can damage it) and pop out the demo disc. Put in VOOT, set the time and play! From Keith Bergman: The swaptrick's main problem is that music will usually not work right. Basi- cally, each DC game has a certain number of music tracks, each of them diff- erent lengths (duh, right? :-P). When the DC loads your disk you are using to swap, when it grabs the region info, it also grabs the music info. It then tries to use THAT info on your import game, which doesn't work unless by some miracle they are idential (or maybe near-identical). I have tested a LOT of swapdisks, and the best one seems to be the demo disk you are using (demo disk is the one that comes with the DC). The March DC Magazine Demo disk (one with Chu Chu Rocket and MDK2) does actually let you hear MORE music, but unfortun- ately most of it only plays for 15 seconds and then repeats, switches to a new song, or stops. The levels do NOT play the music they are supposed to, either. I usually prefer the original demo disk, as the music is longer usually, but if you want a taste of more music, give the DC mag demo a try. A general rule seems to be that the more tracks your swap disk has, the better it works, but it is all pretty much trial and error, unfortunately. NOTE: With the Activision release coming soon, this may no longer be needed. ################################## B. Test Type Temjin and Raiden ################################## Courtesy of Johnson These are VOOM's original Temjin and Raiden with their test colors To Get Temjin -W/ auto save & fog mode on, complete 5.45 w/ Temjin w/out continue -VR Select -Temjin LTx1 -Random Monolith LTx1 -Raiden LTx2 -Bal-Bados LTx2 -Angelan LTx2 -Grys-Vok LTx3 -Temjin RW ** Taken from RGVA posting courtesy Scott Robinson He's the MBV-707-A, a _way_ early prototype Temjin. A trait shared by all the prototypes, he doesn't have an turbo variations, aerial dashing, or watari. Kinda like playing VOOM with the CC modified for VOOT. Beating Tangram was a snap, just like normal Temjin. To Get Raiden -W/ Auto save & fog mode on, complete 5.45 w/ Raiden w/out continue -VR Select -Apharmd B LTx1 -Apharmd S LTx1 -Dordray LTx2 -Specineff LTx2 -Fei Yen Kn LTx2 -Cypher LTx3 -Raiden RW ** Taken from RGVA posting courtesy Scott Robinson This gets a little more tricky. My Prototype Raiden (MBV-502-B) is just like Mr. Prototype Temjin in what's been removed. (or what was later added, depend- ing on your view.) Both of them are quite fun to play just for challenge. Beating Tangram is tough for Raiden-B. It took me about 20 rounds with the Red Eye before realized that his standard lasers DO NOT PUT OUT ENOUGHT DAMAGE to take Tangram out, in time. Instead, use selective jumping lasers. The delay between jumps is nice enough so that you can pretty much go non-stop. Another advantage is since you re-orient, you can tage extra damage between eye- openngs. Only clipping, sure, but still damage. ################################## C. Getting Ajim ################################## Ajim is the anti-chicken (runaway) VR that comes out as asemi-boss when a single player is running away from the computer too much. It becomes a play- able VR when you beat him in single player mode. To do this, set a timer to the arcade battles and then proceed to runaway after doing a small amount of damage. Win these battles by time out. After a couple of battles (2-5) Ajim will take over the place accupied by another VR. Ajim is extremely powerful in this manner. It only takes half damage and has extremely destructive attacks. On top of that, you must destroy him in battle (no more time-outs). If and when you do finish off Ajim, keep playing until you die (or win). Save the game to VMS and then set the internal DC clock to 4/29/00 (or any date after). Ajim should no be playable when you go to random select and hold down B+X. ################################## D. Getting Various Revisions ################################## The DC default revision is MSBS v 5.45. This revision contains yet more tweaks for VOOT to become a more balanced game. However, it is possible to open up the MSBS v 5.2 arcade mode. This previous arcade version (current arcade version is v 5.4 (arcade variant of 5.45)) has many changes including LT attacks are stunning type, slower fights, and slightly different arenas. The VRs are also somewhat different. To open this mode up, beat the game with all VRs at any difficulty rating. When this is done, the option to play v 5.2 is openned. ============================================================================= 7. Stages ============================================================================= This will eventually have descriptions of the stages (possible ASCII art) and what to do on each stage. ################################## # A. Abandoned Quarry ################################## 3th Plant Moony Valley ################################## # B. Airport ################################## Rent Area #71 ################################## # C. Ascent Corridor ################################## 3rd Plant Moony Valley ************************** B Buildings * * * * * BBB * * B B * * B 1 B * * B B * * * * B B * * B 2 B * * B B * * BBB * * * * * ************************** ################################## # D. AutoBahn ################################## Neutral Zone #29 ################################## # E. Blank Frank ################################## 6th Plant Satchel Mouth ************************** B Buildings * * * B B * * B B * * B * * 1 * * * * BB * * * * 2 * * B BB * * B BB * * B * * * ************************** ################################## # F. Distorted Shrine ################################## 4th Plant TSC Drammen ################################## # G. Floating Carrier ################################## 8th Plant Flesh Refoe ************************** B Buildings * * * B * * B * * * * B * * B 1 B * * B * * B * * B B * * 2 * * * * B BB * * BB * * BB * * BB * * * ************************** ################################## # H. Public Port ################################## 7th Plant Reference Point ################################## # I. Sanctuary (Day and Afternoon) ################################## 4th Plant TSC Drammen ################################## # J. Space Dock ################################## 8th Plant Flesh Refoe ################################## # K. Storage Depot ################################## 1st Plant Dancing Under ################################## # L. Tangram ################################## 9th Plant Tangram ################################## # M. Undersea Plant ################################## 8th Plant Flesh Refoe ************************** B Buildings * * * * * BB BB * * BB BB * * BB BB * * 1 * * BB BB * * BB BB * * BB BB * * BB BB * * 2 * * * * BB BB * * BB BB * * BB BB * * * * * ************************** ################################## # N. Unholy Cathedreal ################################## 5th Plant Deadly-Dudley (Abandoned) ************************** <, > Ramps *XXXXXXX>> < > < > < > <