=============================================================================== =============================/--------------------\============================ |+------------------+| ||ONE MUST FALL 2097|| ||THE DEFINITIVE FAQ|| |+------------------+| =============================\--------------------/============================ =============================================================================== by Robyrt(robyrt@marney.org, http://robyrt.coolserver.net) Version 1.22 This FAQ is copyright (C) 2002-2003, Robert Marney. All rights reserved. /---------------\ |VERSION HISTORY| \---------------/ 1.22: Third public release. More accurate bot descriptions, tier lists. 1.21: Instant kill combos, ground combos, Capture Moves and Getting Stunned. 1.2: Miscellaneous fixes, more combos, more bugs and infinites. 1.1: Second public release. Fast v. slow combos and movelists completed. 1.0: First public release. Fast combos, II.E, and formatting completed. 0.4: First release on the MB. Slow combos and section IV completed. 0.3: II needs pilot quotes, III needs combos 0.2: Section II.A completed, II.D needs quotes & endings. 0.1: Movelist and section I completed TABLE OF CONTENTS ----------------- I. The Introduction A. Legend II. The System A. Features 1. Recording Matches 2. Hyper Mode 3. Jumping 4. Blocking 5. Getting Stunned 6. Combos 7. Air Recovery 8. Rehit Mode 9. Arenas and Hazards 10. One-Player Mode 11. Tournament Mode 12. Multiplayer Mode B. Secrets 1. Advanced Options Menu 2. Hidden Difficulty Levels 3. Nova in One-Player Mode 4. Fighting Kreissack First 5. Changing One-Player Colors 6. Changing One-Player Stats 7. Fire and Ice 8. Unranked Challengers 9. Graphics and Sound 10, Changing Arenas C. Bugs 1. Capture Moves 2. Extra Enhancements 3. Infinite Combos 4. Combo Meter D. Storyline 1. One-Player Introduction 2. Pilot Profiles 3. Robot Profiles E. Beating the CPU III. The Robots A. Move Types B. Tier List 1. Top Five Moves 2. Top Tier Bots 3. Middle Tier Bots 4. Low Tier Bots C. Jaguar D. Shadow E. Thorn F. Pyros G. Electra H. Katana I. Shredder J. Flail K. Gargoyle L. Chronos M. Nova IV. The Conclusion A. What Next? B. Credits =========================+-------------------+================================= |I. THE INTRODUCTION| =========================+-------------------+================================= Yes, OMF 2097 is an old game. Yes, there's already a fine FAQ out there. So why am I writing this? Because even Matt's FAQ (although excellent for its time) has errors, omissions, et cetera. So here it is, the definitive OMF FAQ, a work in progress. If you have any combos, insights, rants, etc. feel free to send them to me. /-----------\ |I.A. LEGEND| \-----------/ Assuming you are facing right: ub u uf \ | / b---n---f Punch / | \ Kick db d df P/K = Tap P or K, respectively , = One after the other + = At the same time -> = Next hit of a combo b = tap back (away from your opponent) B = hold back qcf = quarter circle forward (d,df,f) qcb = quarter circle backward (d,db,b) hcf = half circle forward (b,db,d,df,f) hcb = half circle backward (f,df,d,db,b) ===========================+--------------+==================================== |II. THE SYSTEM| ===========================+--------------+==================================== /--------------\ |II.A. FEATURES| \--------------/ 1. RECORDING MATCHES -------------------- This forward-looking feature in OMF is available only as a command line prompt. Here are the two alternative ways of saving and playing back matches: * Run the game as "file0001 rec" to save the last match you fought to the file "last.rec". Play it back with "file0001 play". * Run the game as "file0001 rec save_rec" to save all the matches you fight to filenames "00000000.rec", "00000001.rec", et cetera. Play them back with "file0001 play 00000000.rec", "file0001 play 00000001.rec", et cetera. 2. HYPER MODE ------------- Turning this option on allows some "advanced" features like controllable projectiles and air special moves. Frankly, nobody plays with it off anyway, so get used it. Besides, it adds an extra layer of protection for bots like Katana and Gargoyle. 3. JUMPING ---------- Pressing ub, u, or uf will cause you to jump in that direction. While jumping, your bot has access to his two jump attacks, as well as any air special moves (depending on the bot). Gargoyle can also move forward and backward during a jump. While jumping, you cannot block. Pressing d+ub, d+u, or d+uf will do a "super jump" in that direction. A super jump is just like a normal jump, except faster and higher. Your jump height is determined by your character's agility. 4. BLOCKING ----------- Any attack except those listed as Low or Throw attacks (see section III.A) can be blocked by pressing or holding b when the attack would hit (referred to as "blocking high"). Although the default setting is that you take no damage when blocking, this can be changed in the Advanced Options menu. Any attack except those listed as Jump or Throw attacks can be blocked by pressing or holding db when the attack would hit (referred to as "blocking low"). 5. GETTING STUNNED ------------------ The small blue bar underneath your health bar is your stun bar. It recharges whenever you're not attacking or blocking (even as you lie on the ground). Once it runs out, you are "stunned" (as evidenced by red sparks flying from your bot). The time it takes you to recover, as well as the amount of damage you can take before getting stunned, is measured by your endurance (and stun resistance in tournament mode). While being stunned affords you invincibility as you fall, you're open for a long and painful combo once you get up, so try to avoid it at all costs. Stunning an opponent gives you 2,000 points. While stunned, you cannot be hit by a rehit combo, and you automatically fall to the ground, but you can be hit as you fall down. When you are hit while stunned, your stun bar goes back to full, and remains there for the next three combos your opponent lands, or until you have spent one second in a neutral or blocking state. This prevents an opponent from doing his instant stun combo repeatedly until you die. Your stun bar recharges automatically while you have not performed a move or been hit or captured (see section III.C.1) within one second. The lower it is, the faster it recharges. 6. COMBOS --------- Combos in this game are very difficult to pull off consistently, as they depend on BOTH players' agility. A combo that works on Ibrahim may not work on Milano because the more agile Milano is pushed farther away by your hits and thus has more time to AR (resetting the combo meter). Note that most combos in this game require Rehit mode and Hyper mode to be turned on (see appropriate sections). You are awarded points for combos based on the individual moves, NOT for number of hits (so a combo with four jabs will give less points than a combo with a jab and a fierce). There is no damage scaling for ground combos in OMF, so you can do MAJOR damage with very simple combos. For air (rehit) combos, a simple 60% modifier is applied to all hits, so there's plenty of incentive to make your combos as long as possible. 7. AIR RECOVERY (AR) --------------- When you're hit while in the air, most moves will allow you to recover into a normal jump situation before you hit the ground. This means that you land on your feet, able to block or attack, and in most cases you can even do a jump attack or air special move before landing. As you can see, this has obvious implications for bots with good air moves. For example, if your opponent accidentally allows you to AR and then tries to continue the combo, a smart Katana player will use his invincible Air Rising Blade to beat his opponent's attack, and a smart Chronos player will Air Matter Phasing to speed safely away. 8. REHIT MODE ------------- This option is under the Advanced Options menu (see section 2.B) and is also extremely popular. Basically, it allows you to hit an airborne opponent while they fall. However, it follows very strict rules: 1. Extra hits do 60% damage. 2. You can't hit an opponent with the same move twice. 3. You can't hit a stunned opponent. 4. Any wall hit ends the combo. 5. Any AR ends the combo, but does not reset rule #2. 6. Any air move by the opponent resets rule #2. 7. Projectiles are unaffected by rule #2. Note that you can continue to hit an opponent after they AR (see previous section for details). Ironically, rehit combos are one of the few things the CPU is decent at, so just turning it on and losing is a good way to learn. Jump moves exhibit different properties during a rehit combo. A jump move which hits as it goes up will cause you to spin backwards in the air. A jump move which hits at the top of its arc will cause you to fall slowly straight downwards. A jump move which hits as it falls continues its arc as normal. 9. ARENAS AND HAZARDS --------------------- Four out of the five arenas in OMF have hazards. Depending on the difficulty level, these will behave differently (for example, on Ultimate difficulty, the hazards are much more likely to appear on top of you than in a random place). They do damage based on your opponent's power, which means they can be very powerful in one-player mode. Here's the details: * DESERT Fighter jets in groups of 1-4 planes strafe the arena vertically. The first few hits are on the ground, while the last hit is about 1/4 of the way up the screen, so the shots can be avoided by jumping. The shots count as Light AR attacks (see section III.A) and are unblockable. * SPIKE PIT A spike comes out of the back wall and hits anyone in a small area around it on the ground. The spikes count as Light KD attacks (see section III.A) and are unblockable. Note that these can do some serious damage, and although they can appear in succession, they'll never appear in two places at the same time. * FIRE PIT A globe will appear in the air and move around in curves quickly. If the globe is hit by either player, it causes Katana's Fireball move (see section III.G) to come out of the floor right under the opponent and the globe disappears. (It will also disappear after a short time if it isn't hit.) If you've already defeated Fire in one-player mode (see section II.B) the floor will be solid instead of a grille, and the globe will not appear. * POWER PLANT When an airborne opponent is hit by a Medium or Heavy attack (see section III.A), he'll get knocked into the electric walls. Ironically, these walls do no damage, and they limit combos severely, so they can actually help you. Consider them a hazard to your opponent. :-) * STADIUM This arena has no hazards, and is consequently the most popular arena for multiplayer combat. 10. ONE-PLAYER MODE ------------------- One-Player mode focuses mainly on the story of the game; as you get better, the real challenge is dealing with the low stats of the pilots. You have to adjust your fighting style to match: since your character moves slower, you can afford to jump less and can’t use super combos (only Shadow and Shredder can pull off big combos in one-player). So focus on dealing lots of damage, rather than keeping your opponent at bay; an average combo can take off 25% of your health. If you don’t have Rehit mode turned on, do it NOW; if you don’t, you’ll miss out on most of the golden combo opportunities and make jumping much less useful. The smaller endurance also factors into the arenas: even the Desert’s fighter jets can cause serious stun damage, while the Spike Pit is a real horror to both you and your opponent. Of course, in any one-player game, you can’t pass up Fire & Ice; if Ultimate difficulty is too hard for you, make sure not to pass up an opportunity to trash Fire (Champion difficulty). If even Champion is too hard, you need more practice with OMF (or more sleep). In One-Player mode, you are limited to the default 10 characters, although their stats can be changed (see section II.B). Your character will engage in dialogue with his/her opponent, and has a unique ending after you beat Major Kreissack, the final boss. Note that you must be at Veteran difficulty level or higher to fight Kreissack. Here's a rundown of each pilot: * CRYSTAL Crystal, as the default Jaguar character (i.e. click her and the default bot will be Jaguar) relies on speed to win; she is usually a better pick than Milano, though, because of her endurance. She is best in fast bots like Jaguar, Shredder or Gargoyle to maximize her potential. She loves special moves, but has a good defense; in the Northam, she is the most powerful competitor, while in the other tournaments she suffers from weird robot choices like Electra. You don’t really have to worry about combos or jump attacks from her; just be on guard for those special moves or throws, and you’ll do fine. * STEFFAN One of the more powerful characters in the game, Steffan was the eventual winner in OMF (according to Tyrian), and offers a good mix of stats, focusing on raw power to destroy his opponent. Unlike Crystal and Cossette, though, Steffan is not used as a more moderate Shirro; instead, he’s just another high- powered character, albeit with moderate agility. When fighting him, try to exploit his lack of defense and endurance by hitting him again and again; his high forget rate ensures your ability to hit him with the same few combos for most of the match. He concentrates on air and medium attacks, so don’t worry too much about being thrown or massively comboed. Try to use powerful bots like Shadow, Katana and Thorn. * MILANO Play Milano the same way you would Crystal, except more cautiously. The weakest and most fragile character in the game, he is a nice challenge to use and plays the closest to tournament mode as you can get. He prefers whitebread techniques in the arena and even eschews jump moves, so just avoid getting backed into the corner and he will be an easy opponent. His speed does have its advantages, though; he can easily take advantage of hazards and will jump high enough to combat Fire and Ice. Be careful, though: he doesn’t have enough endurance to last you more than a couple of hits! * CHRISTIAN Christian is extremely aggressive and learns fairly quickly, tending to use the same move over and over; depending on which bot he’s in, this can be good or bad for you. He absolutely loves combo moves, so keep blocking! Fortunately for you, he often forgets to block, so use his strategy against him: keep hitting him until his defense slips and make your own combo. His mix of power and endurance is good in any robot, but the more obscure robots like Pyros and Gargoyle could confuse your opponent a little. * SHIRRO Shirro is a relatively easy opponent, unless you let him hit you. His awesome power makes him a relatively easy character to play as, since the computer is pretty stupid; put him into a really powerful robot like Thorn, Nova, or Flail to rip into your opponent. Since he relies on the more powerful attacks exclusively, just don’t let him throw you or get a special move in and it’s a piece of cake. * JEAN-PAUL Jean-Paul is my favorite character… too bad he’s pretty weak. He is great as a character to play with, though, with his even mix of stats. As the default Katana character, he works best in well-rounded bots like Katana, Electra, or Shredder. His AI is a curious mix of Crystal and Cossette: he hangs back in a fight, but loves to use those special moves… the best of both worlds, for you that is. Block the specials and hit him afterwards, when his guard’s down. * IBRAHIM Ibrahim is possibly the worst character in OMF, lacking speed and power. He makes up for it by having ugly colors and designing the original Jaguar. OK, maybe that doesn’t make up for anything, but he is still a nice challenge… try beating the game on Ultimate with him and find new challenge in OMF! Playing against him is often aggravating, but easy; the most challenge you’ll find from him is in the Northam, where his Thorn allows the fight to drag on extra long. * ANGEL Angel is an intriguing character, with a great backstory and a nice AI. She is best in a Gargoyle or Katana, but will perform well in most bots with good jump moves. Fighting against Angel is pretty generic: just hit her before she hits you. She loves jump attacks, so an occasional upward-directed projectile will hit her with no cost to you. * COSSETTE Cossette is the quintessential defensive character, making her very annoying to fight against. She doesn’t like to attack much, but when she does, she’s very powerful. Just keep her in defensive mode and wait until she slips up. * RAVEN Raven is so cool he was the boss for the shareware version of OMF, and as a result, works best in powerful bots like Pyros, Katana and… Chronos?? That’s right, a character that can actually use the Chronos to its full potential, taking a couple hits and hitting back with a deadly special move. Playing as him is relatively easy, due to his great power and endurance; just don’t expect to be able to jump or combo too much. He favors special moves and throws, and hates defense, so the very bots that work for him work for you (in a Pyros, for example, just block the inevitable thrust attack or fire spin and combo him back). * MAJOR KREISSACK You can’t choose to play as Major Kreissack, since he’s the boss. (OMF Manual). There’s not much to say about him, except that his stats are super buffed, he is a holy terror with that Nova, and he loves showing off those special moves (like any Nova player). You can exploit this if your character is fast enough to hit him before he completes that missile or earthquake smash. Kreissack is also fond of throws, so don’t get close or he’ll nail you. Try to do as much damage as you can, and keep a balance between being on the floor to avoid grenades/missiles and being in the air to avoid the quakes. 11. TOURNAMENT MODE ------------------- Tournament mode (due to its massive upgrades) is the fastest, the longest- lasting, and often the most fun mode of OMF. Combos are plentiful and powerful, while there are a seemingly never-ending stream of more powerful opponents. Tournament mode is an excellent chance to get used to robots at their full potential (about 200 wins will give you the cash to experiment as much as you like). Points equal cash, so doing that mega combo and destruction may give you that extra boost to get the next Endurance upgrade. In tourny mode, you start out as a neophyte with a Jaguar and no upgrades. You can change your bot's colors, and with every match you win money based on the difficulty of your opponent, your opponent's rank, the amount of damage you took, and the amount of points you got (1000 points is worth 1K of money). With this cash, you can upgrade your personal stats (power, agility, endurance) and your robot stats (arm/leg power/speed, armor, stun resistance). Your armor affects how much damage each hit does to you, your stun resistance affects how much damage each hit does to your stun bar (see appropriate section), and your endurance affects the total amount in your health and stun bars. When you have enough money, you can trade in your robot for a new, unimproved one. You get 85% of the money back that you spent on robot improvements. If you're strapped for cash, you can also sell your parts directly for 70% the purchase price. If you have a negative amount of money, you automatically sell parts until you have a positive balance again. If you can't do that, you have one fight to get your balance back up above zero, or you're kicked out of the tournament. Once you've finished a tournament, you are treated to a special ending animation. You can view this again as long as you're still ranked #1 by pressing E in the tournament menu. From here, the only option is to enter another tournament. If you don't have the cash to enter it, you must work as a mechanic, which is VERY bad and will decrease your robot AND personal improvements. In general, it's better to sell your parts instead of working as a mechanic. The available tournaments are: * NORTH AMERICAN OPEN The Northam is the tourny we all trained on; it basically plays like the One- Player game, truncated to fit the shareware version. There are no random robots in this tourny, and the only new faces are Jack (like Christian, but weaker) and Dr. Lynn Yarr (like Angel, but more defensive). There are a good assortment of secret characters; in fact, on Heavy Metal difficulty, it’s often worth playing this tournament just for Iceman’s 3rd Shadow enhancement. This is a fairly easy tournament which can be played repeatedly to gain experience and robot enhancements. Once you’re comfortable, you can move on to bigger and better things. Don’t switch robots just yet; if you’re very good with a Jaguar, you can hold off improving your robot until you get the cash in the next few tournaments. * KATUSHAI CHALLENGE The Katushai Challenge is one of the best tournaments ever made for OMF, with an awesome ending, a nice mix of new and old characters, and a great introduction to the real world of tournament play. The main competitors in this tournament are Steel Claw and Prince Vassar; the former has the only good Flail AI in the game, while the Prince learns your moves amazingly quickly. The opponents are all much more powerful than you, especially the secret characters, and don’t offer as much easy cash or enhancements. The use of random robots makes it easier for you, but if you’re relatively new to OMF, you’ll need to play this a few times to get a feel for how most of the tournament opponents fight and adapt to the longer rounds and higher power levels. If you specialize in one bot, switch to it after you complete the Katushai; if you’re not confident you can handle facing super-buff opponents, stick with the old trusty Jaguar. * WAR INVITATIONAL WAR has made good on their promise for this one: a spate of new characters with some heavy hitters as well as cool cash. This tournament goes by rather quickly, since most of the new opponents have weak AI and random robots, but you should watch out for characters like Selenna, Ariel and Nicoli, who have specialized in their particular robots. If you have more than a few losses under your belt before you get to Nicoli, it’s probably best to go play the Katushai a couple more times, but if you feel this tournament was a breeze, it’s time to switch to your desired robot and enter the World Championship. As you play, take note of the best ways to counter each robot; you’ll be needing it later on. * WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP Now it’s time for the real thing, the best tournament for OMF 2097 ever created. You think you can handle the 30+ opponents with ease… run a simulated fight with Ian Tavares and see how much you have to learn. The first dozen opponents should be child’s play after the WAR and Katushai; the next dozen are not quite so forgiving, but nothing you haven’t done before. The final four (usually Bruce, Ian, Jaquoline and Raven) will give you a run for your money with their perfectly upgraded bots and custom robots; as a matter of fact, Ian himself will require a couple tries if you haven’t had much OMF experience. Money will cease to be a problem here; instead, focus on things like accuracy and health left. Do consistently well and you’ll get the real cash in the form of innovative secret opponents, ranging from Nicoli to the elusive Bethany, who carries your second enhancement. Once you’ve completed the World Championship, you may want to try it again to get your second enhancement if you missed it; in a Shadow, don’t move on until you’ve gotten the Freeze from Iceman in the Northam. You can also download or make your own tournaments (up to a maximum of 10 in your directory at once). In a tournament, you can gain enhancements and fight unranked challengers (see appropriate sections). 12. MULTIPLAYER MODE -------------------- Multiplayer is the real test of the game. Over the Net you can only play two- player mode, but on the same computer if both of you have tournament characters you can sim each other for tournament two-player. Multiplayer in tournament play follows much the same rules as normal tournament play: since you're very fast and have a big lifebar, you can afford to take a few hits if it will get you a mega-combo. Jaguar, Shredder, and Electra all have 10+ hit easy combos from a single jump attack. But the popularly accepted definition of multiplayer is the standard two-player mode, so that's what I'll focus on. Against a human with any skill at all, repetitive attacks won't work; expect a human to block your jump attacks fairly often and your projectiles 90% of the time. Remember, a human generally does more damage (because he can usually pull out combos) and learns a lot faster than the computer. You basically have to mix up your attacks enough so your opponent doesn't have the chance to combo you after a heavy move (the primary trap if you play defensively). The only exception is fighting in a Chronos, in which case a human is much more likely to fall for a matter phasing or teleport than the computer. /-------------\ |II.B. SECRETS| \-------------/ 1. ADVANCED OPTIONS MENU ------------------------ At the main menu, hold down 2+0+9+7 for about a second, then release. Go into the Gameplay menu, and you now have access to the Advanced Options menu. This menu contains: * Rehit Mode on/off (see section II.A.8). This defaults to OFF, but turn it on and leave it on, since this FAQ assumes that you have it on. * Def. Throws on/off, which allows a throw immediately after blocking. This makes more moves throw counterable, so if you like a higher risk on your big stuff, go ahead. This defaults to OFF. * Throw range, from 0% to 300%. This is fairly self-explanatory: if you like throws, turn it up; otherwise, turn it down. Note that many of the lower settings will make it impossible to throw at all. This defaults to 100%. * Jump height, from 80% to 130%. This affects the player's agility for jumps only, and has no effect in tournament mode. This defaults to 100%. * Hit pause, from 0 to 10. This sets the number of frames the game pauses during a successful hit or block. This does not affect combos, except in the timing required to execute them. * Vitality, from 80% to 400%. This affects the player's endurance, and thus has no effect in tournament mode. It also defaults to 100%. Note that it has no effect on either player's stun bar, so instant stun combos will still work. * Knock Down: With this setting (defaults to None), you can set the KD properties of jump moves: either punches, kicks, both, or none. I'd recommend keeping this setting on None, since 99% of ground combos start with a jump move in OMF, and without those, you're reduced to throwing if you want to do combos. * Block Damage, from 0% to 35%. When you block, you'll take the indicated amount of damage. So if you block Shadow's Short (damage 5) and block damage is set on 20%, you'll take 1 damage (20% of 5) even though you blocked. With this setting, you can discourage defensive play very very quickly. This defaults to 0%. 2. HIDDEN DIFFICULTY LEVELS --------------------------- At the CPU Difficulty setting in the Gameplay menu, the highest normal setting is World Class. Keep trying to increase the difficulty level, though, and on the 22nd try, you'll be rewarded with the hidden Deadly difficulty level. On this level, you get 200,000 points for a Destruction move (as opposed to 120, 000 on World Class) and the opponents are not only more difficult, but will do scrap and destruction moves on your defeated body. Once you have Deadly difficulty activated, hold down O+M+F for about a second, then release, in either the Gameplay menu or the main menu. Now increase the CPU Difficulty to Ultimate. On this level, you get a whopping 400,000 points for a Destruction, you take 5% block damage even if you turned it off in the Advanced Options menu (see section II.B.1), and the computer will actually put up a fight. Choose this setting to see the computer's scarily effective Rehit Mode combos. 3. NOVA IN ONE-PLAYER MODE -------------------------- In the robot selection screen for One-Player, Two-Player, or Multiplayer Mode: * Move the cursor over all the bots * Go to Katana * Press Down at least 10 times * Select Flail Your robot will now be a Nova, with the colors you selected. 4. FIGHTING KREISSACK FIRST --------------------------- In the pre-fight screen where the opponents talk to one another, after activating the Nova code (section II.B.3), press Esc to get back to the robot select screen. Your robot will be listed as "Nova" and will have no picture associated with it, because it's too big to fit on the screen. You can still change your colors (section II.B.5) in this screen, though. Press P or K again to go back to the pre-fight screen, where you'll fight Major Kreissack immediately. Note that this does NOT mean you win the game after Kreissack, as you normally do; instead, you are victorious after beating all 10 opponents (Kreissack, then the other 9 playable characters). 5. CHANGING ONE-PLAYER COLORS ----------------------------- In the robot selection screen for One-Player, Two-Player, or Multiplayer Mode, the number keys 1, 2, and 3 select the robot colors for Player 1 in this order: Tertiary, Secondary, Primary. The number keys 4, 5, and 6 do the same for player 2 in Two-Player mode only. The same 15 colors are available as in Tournament Mode, as well as the default color for your pilot. 6. CHANGING PILOT STATS ----------------------- In the pilot selection screen for One-Player, Two-Player, or Multiplayer Mode, move the cursor over all the available pilots, then move to your pilot of choice and hold K. Your pilot stats should turn bright green (instead of the dark green they used to be). Using the arrow keys (while still holding down Kick), you can edit your stats as much as you want, provided they keep the same total. Note that Shirro has slightly less stats than the other pilots, while Milano, Christian and Ibrahim have slightly more. 7. FIRE AND ICE --------------- Fire and Ice are the two 1p mode secret characters in OMF, and they have all the pumped up 'bots and stats that you'd expect from secret challengers. Fire pilots a Katana, while Ice uses a Shadow. While Fire has a nice "flames" paintjob, he's just a souped-up Katana (in fact, some people have been able to duplicate him in their own tournaments). However, Ice has a special engine condition that makes her permanently translucent, meaning the only difference between her and the "shadows" she throws is the color (the shadows are slightly darker). Both opponents have the THIRD enhancement for their respective bots (see individual robot sections). In addition to simply being another opponent to fight, Fire and Ice are on a special point scale. Doing moves on Fire's stage will give you 5 times the points they would on Ultimate difficulty, while on Ice's stage, your points are multiplied by 50! This means that doing a destruction on Fire will give you 2 million points (compared to Ultimate's 400 thousand), while destroying Ice gives you an automatic 20 million point hike. Getting to Fire is a simple 4-step process: * Set the difficulty on Champion level or higher. * Defeat your opponent in the Fire Pit arena. * Perform a Destruction on your defeated opponent. * Right after the destruction, do the Fire & Ice move (see section III). Your HAR will now jump through the floor grille to Fire's "flames" version of the Fire Pit and you get to fight him. If you're on Champion or Deadly difficulty, you'll be fighting on solid ground, but on Ultimate (and ONLY Ultimate), there will simply be another grille, blue this time (for Ice). Perform the destruction and Fire & Ice move again on Fire to get to Ice's "frozen" arena and fight her. It's that simple! Since Fire is conceptually the one firing those fireballs at you in the Fire Pit, defeating him (even if you don't do a destruction) will cause the Fire Pit floor to be solid the next time you fight in that arena. Of course, no globes will appear and you can't fight Fire again. Fire and Ice are secret characters, so they have no effect on your progress through one-player mode. In other words, you can lose to Fire or Ice but still keep going to fight the next normal opponent. 8. UNRANKED CHALLENGERS ----------------------- If you've played tournament mode, you've probably met an "unranked challenger" or two and wondered how to get the rest. Well, it turns out some are easier than others, not just "beat the game with X robot". There are several possible qualifications for getting to a given challenger: * Difficulty: You must be on or above this difficulty level. This appears as "D.Iron", etc. below. * Rank: Opponent appears ONLY WHEN you reach this rank. * Max Rank: Opponent appears WHEN OR AFTER you reach this rank. * Enemy: You have just defeated this enemy. (Duh.) * Avg. Damage: You have to do this much damage with every hit, on average. * Vitality: You must have at least this percentage of your lifebar remaining. * Accuract: You must hit with at least this percentage of your moves. * Destruction: You must have destroyed the previous opponent. * Scrap: You must have done a scrap/destruction on the previous opponent. Most unranked challengers have "enhancements" for their robots, giving them special powers such as extra projectiles, faster moves, etc. If you're in the same robot and you destroy that challenger, you'll get the enhancement for yourself. As you destroy those unranked challengers, you'll get a message from your technician saying he's installing an enhancement. An enhancement lasts until you sell your robot. Katana and Shadow have three enhancements each, Chronos has one, Nova has none, and all other robots have two. Once you've got the first enhancement, you can still get the second one by destroying the appropriate challenger. You can also get two at once. With that in mind, here are the unranked challengers for each tournament: * NORTH AMERICAN OPEN Iceman: D.Heavy Metal, Rank 1, Destruction 3 enhancements for Shadow Jazzy: D.Iron, Rank 2, Vitality 50%, Scrap 1 enhancement for Jaguar Christian: Enemy Crystal, Destruction Steel Claw: D.Steel, Max Rank 4, Avg. Damage 15, Destruction 1 enhancement for every robot * KATUSHAI CHALLENGE Angel: D.Iron, Max Rank 6, Vitality 35%, Scrap 1 enhancement for Thorn and Gargoyle Selenna: D.Steel, Rank 2, Vitality 10%, Destruction 2 enhancements for Katana Devan Shell: D.Heavy Metal, Rank 1, Destruction 2 enhancements for Flail * WAR INVITATIONAL Eva Earlong: D.Iron, Max Rank 5, Vitality 25%, Destruction 1 enhancement for Shadow Bethany: D.Heavy Metal, Rank 1, Vitality 50%, Avg. Damage 17, Destruction 1 enhancement for every robot, 2 for Shredder Killian: D.Steel, Max Rank 5, Vitality 20%, Avg. Damage 13, Accuracy 50% 2 enhancements for Electra * WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP Iceman: D.Iron, Enemy Selenna, Destruction 2 enhancements for Katana Angel: D.Iron, Max Rank 10, Vitality 50%, Destruction 2 enhancements for Electra Nicoli: D.Steel, Rank 1 2 enhancements for every robot Eva Earlong: D.Iron, Max Rank 14, Vitality 20%, Accuracy 35%, Destruction 1 enhancement for Gargoyle Jazzy: D.Iron, Enemy Eva Earlong 2 enhancements for Shredder Bethany: D.Steel, Rank 2, Vitality 30%, Accuracy 10%, Destruction 2 enhancements for every robot Devan Shell: D.Steel, Max Rank 8, Avg. Damage 14, Destruction 2 enhancements for Thorn 9. GRAPHICS AND SOUND --------------------- * While fighting, hold down R+E+I+N to make any scrap metal that either of you produces disappear from the bottom of the screen, reappear from the top, and start falling down again. The effect is a "rain" of scrap metal (rather badly spelled, but still...) * While fighting, hold down B+I+G+#, where # is a number from 0 to 9, to multiply the amount of scrap metal produced from a given hit by that number. This includes Destructions, and can in fact be input while your robot is doing the destruction animation to make it look really impressive, or to reduce the amount of falling scrap to near-zero with B+I+G+0. You can reset it to normal by putting in B+I+G+1. * In the main menu, hold Alt+S+F for a second, then go into the Configuration menu to access the Sound Test option, which goes through every sound effect in the game. Not very useful, but it DOES tell you that a draw is possible in OMF, and up to nine rounds of fighting :-) 10. CHANGING ARENAS ------------------- * In the pre-fight screen where you see pilots' quotes, each press of the left/ right arrow keys will switch the arena you fight in, in this order: Powerplant -> Fire Pit -> Desert -> Stadium -> Blade Pit -> Powerplant -> etc. When advancing to the next stage in 1P mode, the arena you fight in advances once automatically, so pressing left once will put you back to the same arena in which you had your last fight. When you lose a match and continue, however, the arena stays the same. Using this method, you can switch the default arena settings for every match except Fire and Ice, who don't have pre-fight screens. This is useful for, say, guaranteeing that you'll always fight in the Fire Pit until you finally pull off that fire & ice move, or for fighting Kreissack in the Desert. /----------\ |II.C. BUGS| \----------/ 1. CAPTURE MOVES ---------------- There are three moves that capture your opponent in OMF: Shadow's Shadow Grab, Shadow's Ice Freeze, and Chronos' Stasis Activator. In early versions of OMF, the Shadow Grab was a 10-damage move on its way up and 0 damage on its way down, when it captured an opponent in an unthrowable, grounded "struggling" animation until they were hit or time ran out. In versions 2.0 or later, it always does 0 damage, and can thus create an infinite combo (see section III.C.3). The Shadow Grab will not connect against a jumping or frozen opponent. You cannot grab an opponent who is already being grabbed. The Ice Freeze does damage to an opponent and puts them in a throwable, grounded "frozen" animation until they are hit or time runs out. You cannot freeze an opponent who is already frozen or jumping. The Stasis Activator "stops" the opponent in the animation frame they were in when hit. When time runs out, the opponent continues his animation as normal. A stopped opponent can be thrown if he was stopped while grounded. You cannot stop an opponent who is already stopped. A stopped opponent does not regain stun bar as normal. Stopping an opponent does not reset the rehit mode counter. 2. EXTRA ENHANCEMENTS --------------------- Most robots have 2 enhancements (see appropriate section), but the possible number ranges from 0 to 3. In particular, Chronos has no second enhancement and Nova doesn't have any enhancements at all. When you get one of these nonexistent enhancements (for example, getting Nova enhancements from Nicoli in the World Championship), your mechanic will report that you have found enhancement hardware, but you won't get anything. In fact, the next time you get the same (nonexistent) enhancement, your mechanic will still tell you they've found a new enhancement. Oddly, this doesn't happen when you attempt to get a 3rd enhancement for a bot that doesn't have one, just with Nova and Chronos. 3. INFINITE COMBOS ------------------ Despite DE's best efforts, there are still infinite combos in OMF. Fortunately, most work only in Tournament Mode with a really fast pilot. Here are all the known infinites: * Shadow: qcb+K, repeat. This works in one-player mode with high agility, and must be done as fast as possible. Note that because of an unrelated bug, it will not show up as a combo unless you add a non-shadow hit. * Shadow: qcb+P, repeat. Works in one-player mode with a high-agility pilot against a Pyros or Nova. This can be interchanged with the qcb+K infinite for some real cheese. * Shredder: qcb+P, repeat. This works only against a wall, fast pilot vs. slow pilot, at any time the Flying Hands hits twice (but not in quick succession). However, it is possible in one-player mode; see Shredder's section for details. * Shadow: Do a Shadow Grab on a stunned opponent, then do any ground combo. The opponent will remain stunned. * Any Bot: f+P, repeat. Tourny mode only, with full agility and arm speed. (If your bot doesn't have a jab, use f+K instead.) * There are rumors of an Electra df+K infinite, but I can only get about 20 hits with this and then my opponent is pushed too far back. 4. COMBO METER -------------- Certain moves do not start the combo meter, i.e. you will get no points for them and unless a point-valued move is included in the combo, the combo doesn't even appear on the screen. Here they are: * Any throw * Shadow's special moves * Jaguar's Overhead Throw * Chronos' Stasis Activator /---------------\ |II.D. STORYLINE| \---------------/ This section contains all the storyline-related junk that's fun to know, but with which I don't want to bother you while you're looking for some hard facts. With that out of the way, here's OMF's story: 1. ONE-PLAYER INTRODUCTION (from the manual) -------------------------- The year is 2097. Friday. You've waited for this night since you were a child. Fifteen years of training will be used tonight - your future career the main prize. "The left elbow still needs a little work... Just three more days! Move the fight to next Friday and they won't know what hit 'em!" Lying on the table, you can't see where the voice came from, but you recognized the colorful language of Team Chief 'Plug' McEllis. "Don't be nervous, Plug. This 'bot is fresh from the factory and the best there is." You reply, trying to hide the shaking in your own voice. "I'll show you just how good a job your team did." "I know you will. It's just that this is your first match and your opponent's tenth. Should give you more time..." Time to what? Sim training gets old. There's no simulator that can compare with the real thing. "I have to do it now. The Board will see me as a challenger and hothead. I need the edge to get in this season's schedule." "Good luck to ya... Give 'em an uppercut for me." says Plug. The attendants begin checking your suit. You can feel the small needles in the helmet pressing into your skull. Fifteen minutes to show time. You feel a slight burning sensation as the drugs which connect you to the super computer seep into your spine. A cute attendant leans over the bed and gives you a wink. "Nighty night... Remember me when you're famous." Your eyes begin to shut. You blink a few times, trying not to fight the medication. Finally, your eyes begin to close as you lose consciousness. METAL! You can't believe the feeling! Your eyes open, but they're not your own. You look at your hand and flex it into a fist. You strike the fist against your opposite palm and the sound is like two trains smashing together. You realize you'll never get used to "jacking in," the feeling of power you get from suddenly becoming a few hundred tons of dangerous equipment. "You there, kid?" says a voice inside your head. You now hear several voices in the background, "Physical attributes steady. All systems mark." You turn your head over to the body lying on the bed ten meters away and almost 30 meters below. You speak, your voice amplified a hundred times, "I'm slice, Plug. Let's do some crushin'!" It is no longer blood you feel pumping, but Synthoil. Your eyes now show you heat dissipation factors, metal strength, weapon power, damage scales, and some other figures so complicated you know to ignore them. Even though you no longer have blood, it feels like your pulse is climbing as the clock over the door nears 00:00. "Zero hour. Let 'er roar!" The door opens. The crowd cheers. The game begins. Welcome to One Must Fall 2097. In this future, national governments are puppets of the multinational corporations. One such corporation, World Aeronautics and Robotics (WAR), runs the entire show with a silk-covered iron fist. "All's fair in love and WAR" is the most common phrase of the day. WAR was started as a research institute to provide human-assisted robots for space travel. Their first prototypes were activated in 2009 and were immediately put to use by a conglomeration of companies from Japanamerica to build the first ACTIVE space station (the first attempt at a space station was abandoned by the later defunct United States of America before becoming operational). The HAR's were better than conventional robots in that they were completely operated by a single human whose brain controlled the robot's systems via remote. The "pilot" actually "became" the robot for all intents and purposes, but no danger to the pilot was possible. Now, WAR is Earth's leading corporation. Every other company relies on WAR for space travel to Earth's four off-world stations. WAR provides systems for governments and companies alike for security and defense. WAR is power. And you're a part of it. Ganymede, the next moon on Jupiter to be colonized, needs a WAR representative to watch over it. The Board at WAR has decided that the applicants for the position, being equally qualified, should fight for it. Now, the ten applicants must choose which HAR will be their weapon and beat the others in a one-on-one competition. Anyone who has even a remotely important position at WAR is trained in the use of HAR's. Most have spent considerable time "in" a real working model to get the feel of it. But the use of HAR's for sparring is a completely new scheme brought about by the need to know that when one company attacks another the 'bots can handle the stress. The idea of using WAR robots for entertainment is a new one, but The Company believes that it will be good press for the next prototypes from the WAR design rooms. Therefore, the public is invited to view the proceedings. It will be the greatest one-on-one combat since the Roman Era. Years of training on the 'bots makes you think you can take the other pencil-pushers who show, and you know that your reason for being V.P. of this hunk of rock is much better than any they could have. As the 21st century comes to a close, you prepare to put a big dent in the 22nd! 2. PILOT PROFILES (from the manual) ----------------- * CRYSTAL DEVROE Age: 23, Specialty: Genetic Engineering Background: Crystal Devroe, and her brother Christian, are twin children of Dr. and Mrs. Devroe. Dr. Devroe was a head researcher for WAR five years ago, and it was mostly his good name that gave Crystal and Christian their positions in the company. Though Devroe's research was held in highest secrecy, Crystal knew it had something to do with biogenetic research. Both her parents died five years ago, the only passengers in a shuttle from Luna to Earth. Her brother suspects murder, and though he won't tell his suspicions, she does also. The only clue she carries is a DigiLink Access Code with the word "Nova" on it, found in her father's briefcase. She knows the power that Ganymede carries. She knows that Ganymede would mean access to WAR's Core computer system. She believes that WAR is responsible and that the access code will gain her entry into the secret files and hopefully the information on what happened to her parents. Game Ending: They had to give you top priority access immediately. Your first act was to jump onto a private link and use the code you've been carrying since your parent's death. Accessing a personal log from your father, you find out what Nova was all about. Your father along with other researchers were working on a way to keep a human brain alive. Little did they realize the real reason for their experiments.. When your father discovered Kreissack was trying to form a cyborg army using his experiments, he quit the project. He should have known that Kreissack wasn't going to let him walk away. The records showed a $1500K payoff to Iron Fist for "research". Iron Fist, hired under Kreissack's direct orders killed your parents. Now, he is also dead. The Nova Project will not continue. As you step onto the elevator to the next shuttle to Ganymede, you imagine the changes you can help bring to WAR. Now you have the power to bring those dreams to reality. As you fly towards the moon, a peace falls over you. You feel like you can finally be happy, now that your parents deaths have been avenged. * STEFFAN TOMMAS Age: 17, Specialty: Sales and Marketing Background: The arrogant son of the Tommas family, one of the most influential families in the Iolo colony on Luna, Steffan is for all practical purposes a spoiled brat. He believes himself the center of the Universe and knows that Ganymede is simply another step to his final destination, President of WAR. The fact that, at 17, he has the skill and brains of someone twice his age only makes him seem that much more aloof. In combat, as in life, he tends to rely on a vicious onslaught of blows to destroy his opponent. Game Ending: Well, well, the wicked witch is dead... That's going to make your job much easier! Firstly, that Nova Project sounds like it could be a great thing to pick up again. Perhaps the old man just didn't have the right brain... Ganymede was easy. Kreissack was a breeze. The next challenge will be all of Jupiter. Then Mars, then Earth. But for now, you must meet your people. As you fly towards the moon, you close your eyes and start thinking about what you'll soon have. Nobody can stop you now. * MILANO ANGSTON Age: 35, Specialty: Security, Kick Boxing Background: Milano Angston, as only son of WAR founder Herbert Angston, has no need for money. Though Wright and Angston are now associated with their company in name only, the family is wealthy beyond measure from the nearly thirty years of success in WAR's early days. At the age of 19, Milano left his family and changed his last name to Steele. He became known internationally for his almost inhuman dexterity and Kickboxing skill, and in 2090 was hired by Raven to become a security chief for WAR. Milano never mentioned his family background, and secretly hopes to take WAR back and use the company's power for the reasons originally intended by his father. Game Ending: With Kreissack dead, there are going to be obvious changes. The board of directors is already talking about electing a new president and you're just the man for the job as well. First you need to bring Ganymede up to speed. Then use its enormous natural resources to produce HARs at record pace. Then, when the recognition is there, bid for president. Once president, you can reveal your true name, and show that this company is your birthright. Once again, WAR will be a company for helping mankind not ending it. Perhaps you can even change the name to Aeronautics and Robotics Technologies! As you fly towards the moon, a peace falls over you. You feel like you can finally relax. Now that the hard part of the journey is over. * CHRISTIAN DEVROE Age: 23, Specialty: Genetic Engineering, Jujitsu Background: Christian knows that the shuttle which carried his parents was destroyed on purpose. The passenger manifest listed thirty persons going aboard the craft, and all the names on the list weren't real. WAR killed his parents, and he wants revenge. The fact that his sister Crystal seems to be in on the hunt only scares Christian. He realizes the power of WAR and is afraid for her safety. When she applied for the Ganymede position, as he knew she would, Christian vowed he would beat her himself just to keep her from putting herself in the possibly dangerous position of Head of Ganymede. His anger and bitterness are such that he never stops training to win, and his opponents will agree that he is about the most aggressive fighter in the contest. Game Ending: In the small Alco-Bar you meet the leader of the infamous mercenary group, Iron Fist. With Kreissack out of the way, they freely admitted to being hired to kill everyone associated with the Nova Project. They explain that your parents were placed on a shuttle craft then destroyed by laser fire. Out of anger, you draw a gun, ready to strike down at least one of those enemies in revenge before the rest vaporize you. Your sidearm isn't there. You fume as the Iron Fist representatives laugh. Their leader speaks, "Your revenge is over, friend. Anyway, we need you on Ganymede alive. There is still much work to be done." "Your parents were dead whether we killed them or not. Now we need you to join us in fighting WAR. Kreissack was just the beginning. Watch your back kid." Now, you prepare to board the ship that will take you to your new life... As you fly towards the moon, a peace falls over you. You feel like you can finally be happy now that your parents' deaths have been avenged. * SHIRRO Age: 73, Specialty: Public Relations, Karate Background: Shirro is the Head of Public Relations for all of WAR. It was his idea to have this contest for the media coverage. He believes that if the event is popular enough, they may find a new business for the robots: entertainment. Though Shirro knows much about what happens deep within WAR, he never takes things too seriously and just hopes things will work themselves out. Those who have seen him in martial arts tournaments agree that he is both incredibly strong and tactful, always smiling and shaking your hand after he beats you. Game Ending: A human inside a robot? You think of the possibilities. How powerful? But look at what power did to Kreissack. You wonder what it might do to you... You file that thought in the darker recesses of your mind and turn your attention to the future. A future where HAR fighting is a sport instead of a simple publicity stunt. Since this wouldn't involve damage to living creatures, it could easily get past the world peace organization. Yes! A new sport! Plus the money and fame will go to you! Eventually, so will WAR... You can't seem to stop thinking about the future as you fly towards the moon. As you land on the dark side of the moon, the future looks bright. * JEAN-PAUL Age: 27, Specialty: Market Analyst Background: Jean-Paul is an enigma. During his childhood, it was found that he had an uncanny ability to absorb information of any kind. He would score perfect on any test, and was hired at a young age for the first job WAR could place him in. The company has asked several times if he would volunteer for "genetic research", but Jean-Paul knows that they simply want to know how he can have such a perfect mind. He also knows of the corruption within WAR and hopes to gain enough support from other companies to finally overthrow the larger "monster" before it does any more damage. In combat, Jean-Paul is calculating and has very well-rounded abilities. He rarely ever speaks, but always seems to be calm and sure of himself. He is as defensive in the arena as he is in public. Game Ending: Of course! Kreissack's secret! What could happen with your perfect mind inside a perfect body? You find on your compulink a key to a huge room buried deep within Ganymede. Opening the door, you gaze upon the largest scientific facility you have ever seen. Obviously Kreissack was planning a future here. His future. "Home" you say, hearing the word echoed back from the darkness. * IBRAHIM Age: 48, Specialty: Robotics Engineer Background: A retired triathlete, Ibrahim believes in a sharp mind and body. Probably the best designer of HAR's, he has under his belt the design of the Jaguar, Mantis, and Omega 'bots. The Jaguar is his most famous, since the Mantis and Omega are mostly used for exploration of hostile environments (EHE) missions. Ibrahim is considered a mentor by many of the pilots, as he is always seen in the docking bays making sure "his babies" are being taken care of. Ganymede will no doubt give him more influence over new designs, and though he craves the position he still wants to design the future 'bots. He cares little for the inner politics of WAR, but simply loves the machines. His knowledge of the internal workings of the HARs makes him a favorite to win. He often will take a few hits and then return fire with incredible accuracy. Game Ending: Nova... amazing... You remember the feeling as that monster of a robot appeared opposite you. Still amazed that you were able to overcome something so powerful, you sit through the endless meetings and hearings in a daze. "Mr. Jihad. Is it alright?" You realize that someone who has been talking to you for the last fifteen minutes expects a reply. "Certainly... James, is it?" Yes... whatever... I'm sorry but you gentlemen will have to excuse me..." You leave, ignoring the protest from the WAR board of directors. Their squabble over who will be the next king of the hill does little more than annoy you. "How can I build that robot?" you say out loud. You enter your office and immediately begin scribbling notes on the metals you noticed during the fight. The placement of the arms... the probable micromotors in the hands... The Nova robot you design will one day take its place in WAR's ever increasing arsenal of robots. Though the model you design will never hold an actual human brain, the Nova will soon become the most formidable 'bot in the catalogue... ... and Ganymede is where production will start... The plans are forming as you fly towards the moon. No doubt about it, the moon will work perfectly. * ANGEL Age: Unknown, Specialty: Unknown Background: Angel seemed to come out of nowhere. When her name was announced as a finalist for the position, reporters were astounded by the fact that not only did she not have any known background, but she wasn't even an employee of the company. She never talks with the other finalists, and until the competition has not even been seen. Game Ending: "Imagine that old fool thinking that simply placing his brain inside a robot would make him some sort of God! These humans will never understand that destruction never makes progress.." *Your eyes close* "<695342: Operations are proceeding as planned. I have not been discovered.> <000126: Acknowledged. We are listening. Have you become their leader?> <695342: I am their leader for our moon. They call it Ganymede.> <000385: Then we have won. They will leave now.> <695342: Not yet. I will soon be asked if I want to become president of WAR.> <000014: You will accept. Then they will leave. We will be alone again.> <695342: Yes, but they know the minerals our planet has. They will return.> <000001: Then they will perish.>" *Your eyes open*"Which I've wanted all along..."As you return home, you think about how to stop them."These humans with their unreasonable and insatiable ambitions, they've gone far enough!" * COSSETTE Age: 39, Specialty: Space Station Design Background: Fifteen years ago, a sport called The Arena was the most popular event of the day. Similar to HAR's, The Arena placed humans INTO a robot frame, usually ten or fifteen meters in height. The Arena players used various controls to fight their opponents while the crowd looked on. Cossette fought in The Arena until a tragic accident left her crippled from the waist down. Now she enjoys the feeling the HAR gives her, and her success in designing two space stations has given her the possibility of Ganymede. Cossette also was instrumental in the design of Electra, a 'bot designed from an electromagnetic crystal found on Venus. Cossette is very bitter about her injury, since so many have treated her as inferior since the accident. She is still very defensive in combat, but should never be underestimated. Game Ending: "Of course you won. That old fool never understood your abilities. And he paid for his mistake didn't he. Immediately you assign what engineers you can muster to finding out how Kreissack was able to successfully place his brain inside a machine. How wonderful it would be to finally say good-bye to this chair and spend eternity in the perfect body of a robot. You look down at the scribbling and design specifications for the Cossette robot." "'I will soon walk again.' you say "and then I will see what kind of WAR president I can make..." "As you fly towards the moon, the limitations of your handicap seem to fade away. With you dreams within reach, you feel stronger and more alive than ever." * RAVEN Age: 26, Specialty: Bodyguard, Kickboxing Background: Nobody knows of Raven's life before becoming Kreissack's right-hand man, but since coming on board in such an important position, he has definitely made himself known. He is brutal both in and out of any competition, and has killed more than two dozen people "in self defense". Many believe that Kreissack wants Raven in the position at Ganymede for his own devious purposes. Raven himself does want the position, but not for Kreissack. He believes Kreissack is an ambitious fool and wants nothing more than to someday let one of the assassins intended for Kreissack accidentally slip through security and hit his mark. Game Ending: "Who could have asked for more? What a bonus! Getting Ganymede and delivering the death blow to Kreissack himself! Ofcourse, you'll need to deal with the wimps on the board of directors, but with the big boss out of the way, they'll be little more than fodder." "One of those predictable little paper pushers already tried to change the order earlier, you remember..." "'Dinner, Sir.' You look down as the covering over your meal is raised. 'Rare Steak. My favorite, Jonesy!' You inhale the pungent aroma of your victory feast..." "Too pungent... You smile... 'Jonesey? This contains noxosilinone aerodide. Very deadly, very expensive poison. Smells a little like chicken. Could you take it away, please?'" "He stammers, '...Yes...Sir...will that be all, sir?' He says backing out of the room. He shuts the door behind him before you have time to answer. 'No that definitely will not be all...' You lean back in your chair, throwing your hands behind your head, 'That will be just the beginning...'" "Now you fly towards the moon making a mental list of men who have that unhealthy tendency to think for themselves. You can't help smiling when the a thought occurs... Now you need a bodyguard." * MAJOR KREISSACK Age: 103, Specialty: President of WAR Background: Kreissack is responsible for the success of WAR. It is rumored that there is much more to the new colony than is known by the general public. Many say that he is preparing to declare himself a new Emperor of the solar system. This threat is weighed heavily by his known armada of HAR's and the mysterious Nova Project he's spent the last two years on. 3. ROBOT PROFILES (from the manual) ----------------- * JAGUAR Creator: Ibrahim Hothe, Creation Date: December 4, 2070 The Jaguar is the ultimate rich man's toy. Many companies hire full-time Jaguar pilots and 'bots as bodyguards. The speed of this robot is nearly unsurpassed in a unit of its size. Though it was the first ever security-intended HAR, it still holds weight as the most versatile. Using its incredible speed and dexterity, the Jaguar is capable of leaping more than twice its height and delivering a blow strong enough to crush buildings. It has a Smith & Winston 100-Ton Concussion Cannon, which is primarily used for crowd control. Also, the unit can jump over any large enemy, grab it while upside down, and before the enemy has time to react throw it more than 100 meters doing amazing damage. * SHADOW Creator: Unknown, Creation Date: January 2096 Probably the most secretive project in the last twenty years, the Shadow robot definitely earns its name. Somehow, the Shadow is capable of generating quasi-real projections of itself. A single Shadow robot can at times replace half a dozen conventional 'bots. Unfortunately, the projections don't last for very long and any damage done to them is "felt" by the host robot. Since this is the newest HAR in the company's arsenal, many pilots find it hard to compete against and hard to fight with. Once it is mastered, though, it is a weapon to be reckoned with. WAR is still trying to measure it's purpose in future missions. * THORN Creator: Cliff Brussee, Creation Date: July 4, 2074 A real favorite among the populace, the Thorn unit was the first to use monofilament technology. The points of the "spikes" come to a single molecule, which gives Thorn a punch that can cut through normal metal like it is paper. This HAR can use its spikes to attack in several different ways. His long legs also provide a powerful weapon at medium range. * PYROS Creator: James Sweeney, Creation Date: June 5, 2076 The colossal Pyros unit is used primarily for space station design. Normally, the unit is equipped with a huge array of tools necessary to keep deep-space machinery in working condition. It uses its various jet systems to move itself between various objects in space without needing a shuttle or external jet pack. In combat, the Pyros is a formidable arsenal of flame. It can change the direction in the air, jump forwards and backwards while attacking, and can "swoop" down on an enemy with a powerful blow. Pyros does lack in the speed department, but the damage caused by its flame throwers more than makes up for its sluggish movement. * ELECTRA Creator: Cossette Akira, Creation Date: March 8, 2077 In the early stages of the exploration of Jupiter, it was realized that almost no electronic equipment could function in the incredible storms of the planet's surface. Using a crystal found only on Jupiter's moon Io, scientists were able to create Electra, a HAR capable of withstanding any type of charged particle. Though the crystal is very strong, it is also one of the most expensive molecules in existence. Until this contest, the Electra unit was seldom seen in public. As a combat robot, Electra is formidable. Not only is it fast, but even a touch from its hands can short circuit normal machinery. It can form a flying ball of lightening which lasts for a short duration and explodes for damage capable of turning a house into rubble. Electra can also fly forward, rolling itself into a ball and striking with considerable force. For defense, the unit can send small shards of electric force which do a small amount of damage but is good for keeping an enemy at arm's length. * KATANA Creator: Hans Kreissack, Creation Date: November 10, 2078 Often advertised as "The Ultimate Weapon", Katana is nothing more than deadly force. Using monofilament blades for hands, this unit can carve through a five-meter-thick wall of solid lead in less than ten seconds. Behind the blades are two very strong legs which allow the Katana to perform some amazing offensive maneuvers. The Katana can jump, extending one arm upward, high enough to knock airplanes out of the sky. It can use its powerful legs to stomp on an enemy. It can also leap towards a wall, then use the force of the rebound to turn itself into a spinning mass of sharp steel. * SHREDDER Creator: Marcus Knight, Creation Date: February 30, 2086 Originally intended for mining operations, the Shredder now sees plenty of combat time. One of the fastest HAR's, this unit can stun an enemy before it can form an adequate defense. The hands on the mech can actually be thrown at an enemy and the magnetic systems on the arms will return the hands back to the body. Shredder can also hurl itself head-first at an enemy, causing the blade on top of its head to do considerable harm. The unit's "Flip Kick" is a favorite move of many pilots, since it can jump over projectiles and then hit the source with incredible speed. * FLAIL Creator: Stephen Jamison, Creation Date: May 19, 2083 This 'bot is the greatest thing to happen to general construction work since the hammer. Capable of building and demolition, it uses its five ton chains for the heavier jobs. This unit will be the primary model used for the initial colonization of Ganymede. When used for combat purposes, Flail's chains come in handy. Most of the special offensive maneuvers center around the use of these chains as weapons. Also, Flail can use its powerful Charging Punch, which is guaranteed by WAR to level any mortar wall built by man. * GARGOYLE Creator: Marcus Knight, Creation Date: March 16, 2068 Built for reconnaissance missions by the famous designer Marcus Knight, the Gargoyle's power is in its titanium wings. Not only is this robot tough enough to leave and reenter the Earth's atmosphere, but it is dexterous enough to fly well below any conventional RADAR sensors. It has built-in sensor countermeasures, making it a company favorite. If you ever DO spot a Gargoyle, it is certainly built to defend itself. Designed from a titanium alloy, its hollow skeletal structure is both lightweight and strong. It's most used attack is to grab a victim, fly it high into the air, and either slam it against the ground or into another object. Sharp talons, feet, and beak provide a secondary defense not to be taken lightly. * CHRONOS Creator: Arjan Schmalz, Creation Date: October 31, 2072 The Chronos HAR was designed to lend a few precious moments to space ship rescue. It comes in several sizes, from 1.5 meters to the largest 27.5 meter model. The main feature of the Chronos is its Stasis Field Generator, a diamond-shaped machine in the middle of it's chest. The robot is designed and built to channel the energies from this machine for various uses during time-critical rescue missions. The energy from the Generator can be focused on the mech itself, causing it to phase out and reappear nearby. This helps the 'bot get to locations much faster than running, while taking less energy than conventional matter transfer. When the Chronos comes against solid matter, it can center the Generator on that matter to form a brief doorway, allowing passage through the solid material to its destination. Probably the unit's greatest use centers on the Stasis Activator that the Generator can expel. When this Activator connects with solid matter, it forms a Stasis Field which stops time for a brief period. This is especially useful for containing explosions, slowing effects of poison on a living creature, or stopping objects in motion. Many companies have also noted the possible uses of Chronos in combat situations. /------------------\ |E. BEATING THE CPU| \------------------/ There are certain moves the CPU always seems to fall for, no matter what the difficulty level. Here they are, for each robot: * JAGUAR: b+K Roundhouse (air) d+P Overhead Throw (close) qcb+P Concussion Cannon * SHADOW: (air) qcf+P Shadow Dive qcb+K Shadow Kick * THORN: (air) qcf+K Speed Kick f,f+P -> (close) f+P Spike Charge, Throw * PYROS: b+K Roundhouse (air) d+K Jet Swoop f,f+P -> f+P Super Thrust Attack, Throw * ELECTRA: df+K Low Short db+P Low Fierce * KATANA: (air) d+K Head Stomp qcf+K/qcb+K Razor Spin db+K -> f+P Slide, Throw * SHREDDER: d,d+K -> (air) qcf+P Flip Kick cancel b+K Roundhouse qcf+P -> df+P Headbutt, low jab * FLAIL: b+K Roundhouse d,P/d,K Swinging Chains * GARGOYLE: (air) d+K Diving Claw qcf+P -> (air, early) f,f+P Rising Talon, Wing Charge * CHRONOS: f+K Knee db+K -> (close) f+P Slide, Throw * NOVA: P Strong d,d+P Earthquake Smash (the computer will always jump over it) ===========================+---------------+=================================== |III. THE ROBOTS| ===========================+---------------+=================================== /-----------------\ |III.A. MOVE TYPES| \-----------------/ Each move in OMF can be classified according to its type. For the most part, jab attacks are Light AR, strong attacks are Medium AR, fierce attacks are Medium, and low kicks are Low. However, there are plenty of exceptions, so I'll list everything. If you're confused about, say, the difference between a Medium and a Light move, here's the list: Light: Never causes wall hit Medium: Causes wall hit in Powerplant arena only Heavy: Causes wall hit in all arenas, knocks down on back hit Low: Must be blocked low, never causes wall hit Jump: Must be blocked high, allows air recovery, rebounds on early air hit Throw: Unblockable, knocks down opponent Special: Explained in individual sections KD: Knocks down opponent AR: Allows air recovery E0: Requires Hyper Mode or 1st enhancement E1: Requires 1st enhancement E2: Requires 2nd enhancement E3: Requires 3rd enhancement (air): You must be jumping (close): You must be within throw range (wall): The opponent must get pushed to the wall with this hit (late): You must hit late in the move animation /----------------\ |III.B. TIER LIST| \----------------/ I'd love to be able to say that all robots are equal and no one move is better than any other in all cases, but I would be wrong. Like every fighting game, there are some things hands-down better than others. Remember, this is largely dependent on skill: a good Shadow player can beat a Gargoyle but he could have won the match much more easily with a different bot. 1. TOP FIVE MOVES ----------------- 1. RISING BLADE (Katana qcf+P). This move is 100% invincible from the instant it starts until just after the second hit. It knocks down on the second hit and even starts combos in certain situations, and can be done in air. It generates enough pushback that some bots can't punish it when blocked. It moves forward a good deal, allowing it to punish most whiffed moves. Without this move, Katana would be depressingly mediocre; with it, just the threat of a Rising Blade gets him out of everything from reset combos to corner traps to anti-air. 2. TRI-JUMP (Gargoyle qcf+P->f,f+P->d+K). The Rising Talon is extremely high- priority, great anti-air, and can cancel into air Wing Charge (Gargoyle's best combo starter) before or after it hits. The d+K Diving Claw cancels only if the Wing Charge is whiffed, preserving your combos if successful and immediately stopping the vulnerable Wing Charge. For anti-air, this will connect instead of the Wing Charge for a free wall hit. Plus, in most situations, only the Wing Charge is punishable. The only thing stopping this move from being #1 is the fact that for an optimal ground combo, the Talon must be canceled very quickly, so you must predict whether the Talon will hit or be blocked for maximum damage. 3. SPEED KICK (Thorn qcf+K). This move (as well as being good anti-air, and a good dive attack and combo starter when done in the air) is important mainly because it can hit almost immediately and is completely safe when blocked. A late hit starts combos on ground or air, and any hit knocks down. This move is also excellent AA and mid-combo because it allows no AR whatsoever, meaning you have your choice of combo followups on anything but an early ground hit. If Thorn didn't have this move, he'd be the game's worst bot. 4. FLIP KICK (Shredder d,d+K). Shredder is invulnerable from the waist up during early frames of this move, making it easy to punish projectiles. It hits twice (once early, once late), does well as anti-air, starts combos on any hit, and can be cancelled at any time after the first hit into any jump move. Alone, this is merely an excellent offensive option and ground combo extender; what makes it really dangerous is its ability to cancel on reaction into a 100% safe jumpkick or a combo-starter air headbutt. The move's one weakness? Its wide trajectory means it's unsafe when blocked at close range. 5. OVERHEAD THROW (Jaguar air d+P). This move's weird invincibility properties and huge hitboxes allow it to go right through almost anything for a free wall hit in most situations and a free combo in others. Only the four moves listed above can stuff it regularly, and the Flip Kick may even lose out. Because it hits for so long, it's also safe when blocked (see the pattern?) and can even combo off a standard jumpkick because of its fast clockwise motion. This move lets Jag into the playing field against Gargoyle, balancing out some of Jag's other weaknesses like combo ability. 2. TOP TIER BOTS ---------------- 1. GARGOYLE: Air maneuverability and the trijump means Gargoyle owns the air. Super-easy instant kill combos, Wing Charge is safe when blocked up close but has more speed than most projectiles and plenty of priority, and fast normals round out this powerhouse. It doesn't have a good throw or low move, but it doesn't need them to hang with the best. 2. KATANA: Read the Rising Blade section. Now add a long-ranged slide, plenty of anti-air, safe ground and wall combos, the annoying and newbie-crushing Head Stomp, and a great throw. Now read the Rising Blade section again. 'Nuff said. 3. SHREDDER: 100% combos off a jumpkick, Flip Kick, or any headbutt, and that's without the Flying Hands infinite. Fast normals, the "trades hits with everyone" Flying Hands, and the "full-screen safe combo starter" Shadow Headbutt give Shredder a combo or pressure option for basically every situation. High-priority attacks can give him trouble, but his instant-kill versatility makes up for it. 3. MIDDLE TIER BOTS ------------------- 4. CHRONOS: Air Matter Phasing is his friend, because it gets him out of bad situations and back on the ground where his amazing normals can shine. A good slide, TWO ground combo starters, a great throw, good pokes (including lows), one of the best jumpkicks, even a teleport and projectile for ghetto AA. He just doesn't have anything really abusable like the big 3, but he's still lots of fun and can compete by running away from said abusable stuff. 5. ELECTRA: If priority is your game and you want something more substantive than another Rising Blade, Electra is your man. He's got it in spades: plenty of high-priority fast 'n' safe pokes, Electric Shards to ensure nobody jumps in at you, and the amazing jump punch for offense. With all this pressure going on, your opponent might just be scared into eating a throw or b+K, two high-quality combo starters. In fact, Electra can put a good hurting on Chronos and Shredder; the only reason he isn't higher up is that popular bots with their own priority shenanigans like Gargoyle, Katana and Jag give him a hard time. 6. JAGUAR: Read the Overhead Throw section. Add in the powerful and high- priority b+K, a projectile (Concussion Cannon) that can cover 3/4 of the screen, the game's best throw, and a guaranteed knockdown Cannon followup that's safe in most situations (Shadow Jag Leap), and you have somebody with just enough tricks to make him worth playing. He's well-rounded and braindead easy to use, and does surprisingly well against Gargoyle, but has trouble doing the damage his friends can manage at the drop of a hat. 7. FLAIL: If there were a timer in 2097, Flail would be very very good, as the Chains can keep an opponent locked down for upwards of 10 seconds at a time. When they feel like crouching under them, you have two sweeps and three versions of the Charging Punch (if you count b+P) to punish mistakes. When they manage to jump out, you have jumpkick, K and df+K to keep them grounded. When they get close, you have a nice long-ranged jab, a 2-frame command throw, and a very nice regular throw. So how could he ever lose? Once he fails to keep the opponent out he's dead meat. Coincidentally, the four best bots for getting in close are also the top 4 bots in the game, so Flail is basically there to stop lower tiers from moving until the end of time. 8. THORN: Speed Kick is covered above, plus Thorn's long reach gives him a great sweep and jumpkick, and the Spike Charge's weird invincibility properties allow it to beat nearly anything ground-based... and that's really all he has. If the Speed Kick and Spike Charge had been complemented with some safe and/or fast normals, Thorn would be contending with Chronos for the #4 slot. Unfortunately, everything he does is insanely predictable. How does he ever win? Just because you know a Speed Kick is coming doesn't mean you can stop it. 4. LOW TIER BOTS ---------------- 9. SHADOW: The only useful strategy possible for Shadow is the Waiting Game. Until the opponent chooses to make a mistake that can be countered by a Shadow Punch or Kick (which lead into Shadow's three infinites), there's no way he can win. A bad throw, a jumpkick only good for crossups, no good ground combos, and huge vulnerability when almost anything is blocked. Even his jab is slow. Have fun using b+K as anti-air and trying to land a Shadow Kick, folks. If you don't play with infinites, Shadow is #11, and even the possibility of a one-hit kill only bumps it up two spots. 10. NOVA: A decent keepaway game with sweep, b+P, P and f+K, plus belly flop to get back in with a high-priority jump attack, does not a character make. Nova doesn't have good combos, his specials are horrible except AA grenades, and his range is actually fairly small for all but three moves (P, sweep, jumpkick). It comes with a price: he's slow, lacking in AA, and so tall he can't duck projectiles or Flail's chains. If you wanted to keep the opponent at arm's length, you could just as easily be using Flail or Electra; if you wanted to abuse safe moves, you might as well be Jag or Chronos. 11. PYROS: Like Electra, Pyros has some moves with great priority. However, these moves for Pyros are some of its least useful otherwise: sweep, df+K and b+K. Jumpkick is useful in theory but is too slow at both ends to make it a viable option. Yes, jet swoop is good, and so is df+K and throw and (for certain situations) Thrust Attack and db+P, but that's it. Pyros is severely lacking in combos, speed, useful moves, or basically anything abusable that other bots don't already have. /-------------\ |III.C. JAGUAR| \-------------/ 1. OVERVIEW ----------- The Jaguar may be the starting bot, but it's actually one of the better robots in the game. He's both fast and moderately powerful, and although his one- player combos are fairly difficult and impractical for the damage they do, they're good enough to get the job done. Jag in general suffers from a lack of good moves: b+K is great, df+P is good, overhead throw is great, jumpkick is good, and Jag has the game's best throw and projectile, but aside from that, he's fairly slow and weak. This means you have to be careful with your moves, and play a pilot with high agility so that you can be sure of landing big throw combos whenever you need to. Jag is useful in high-level play mainly as a Gargoyle counter-character: since overhead throw will go right through an imperfectly timed Rising Talon and can actually beat a Wing Charge, Jag can put Gargoyle on the defensive where he really doesn't shine. One caveat, though: your opponent has also trained extensively in a Jag, so trying anything fancy will get you ignored. Jag's destruction/fire-ice moves are very easy as well, so Jag is a great bot to practice single-player with. 2. MOVELIST ----------- MOVE NAME | COMMAND | DMG. | TYPE ------------------------+-------------+--------+----------------------- Jump Punch | (air) P | 12.5 | Light Jump Jump Kick | (air) K | 12.5 | Medium Jump Jab | P | 4 | Light AR Fierce | b+P | 11 | Medium AR Forward | K | 11 | Medium AR Roundhouse | b+K | 17.5 | Heavy Low Jab | df+P | 4 | Light AR Low Strong | d+P | 11 | Medium AR Low Fierce | db+P | 17.5 | Medium KD Low Short | df+K | 5 | Low Low Forward | d+K | 11 | Low Sweep | db+K | 17.5 | Low KD Jaguar Leap | qcf+P | 15 | Medium KD Shadow Jaguar Leap | hcf+P | 15+15 | Medium (KD on 2nd hit) Air Jaguar Leap | (air) qcf+P | 15 | Medium KD E0 Concussion Cannon | qcb+P | 15 | Medium Super Concussion Cannon | qcb+P | 15x3 | Medium E1 Overhead Throw | (air) d+P | 25 | Heavy KD Suplex | (close) f+P | 22.5 | Light Throw Scrap: d,d,u+P Destruction: d,u+K before 1st hit Fire & Ice: u,d+K during 1st hit Notes: The Jaguar Leap is throw counterable. The Concussion Cannon (both versions) can be directed with the arrow keys with Hyper Mode on. The Super Concussion Cannon hits once with Jag's head and twice with the projectiles. The 1st enhancement allows Jag to cancel a Shadow Jaguar Leap into a jumpkick at any point, and allows the Jaguar Leap to be cancelled into an Air Jaguar Leap. The 2nd enhancement adds an extra projectile to the Super Concussion Cannon and allows the Air Jaguar Leap to be cancelled into an Overhead Throw. 3. COMBOS --------- Instant Kill Combo (wall, close) f+P -> d+K -> d+P -> df+P -> P -> b+P -> K -> db+P. Repeat. Most Powerful Ground Combo qcb+P -> b+K a. (air) K -> qcb+P -> hcf+P The Concussion Cannon leaves the opponent in so much hitstun that an immediate Shadow Jaguar Leap (if within Leap range) will be an automatic combo. Because of the Concussion Cannon's bizarre hit detection, this combo will work ONLY if your opponent is not in the corner. Very easy to pull off and available even to the slowest pilots. Note that if you have the 1st enhancement, add a jumpkick after the last hit of the Shadow Jaguar Leap; if you have the 2nd enhancement, use the combo below instead. With either enhancement, the combo will now work in the corner because qcb+P is the Super Concussion Cannon and not the regular Cannon. With a fast pilot, use db+P instead of hcf+P for more damage. b. (air) K -> uf,d+P If your pilot is fast, you can land an Overhead Throw immediately after a jumpkick, but the timing is very difficult. Remember, the Overhead Throw is blockable, so you can't use this to cover yourself from a blocked jumpkick. b. (air) K -> qcb+P -> qcf+P -> qcf+P -> d+P This combo (requiring both enhancements) is nicknamed the "Overpowered Combo" because of its ability to do crazy damage very very easily. Jumpkick, all four hits of the Super Concussion Cannon, Jaguar Leap cancel into Air Jaguar Leap cancel into Overhead Throw. Use and abuse this with impunity, since Jag is one of the few bots that gets this many benefits from its enhancements. c. (close) f+P -> P or df+P or df+K -> uf,d+P Throw, hit them with any of Jag's pokes (you must walk forward before the df+K, but the jabs have no restrictions), and follow up with an Overhead Throw. Must be done VERY fast against a fast opponent, but it's possible, especially if you walk forward and use df+P. In tourny mode with extreme differences in agility and bot speeds, this is only possible if the throw is a wall hit, and easiest to perform with df+K. d. (close) f+P -> df+K -> df+P -> P -> uf,d+P Fast pilots only, so that you have time to walk forward as much as possible before each hit. Just generally for humiliation purposes, as you could be doing considerably more damage with some of the wall combos below. As usual, skip the P for peace of mind. If the opponent's pilot is agile at ALL, you need a wall to pull this one off; make sure to hit them to the wall with df+K. e. (close) f+P -> P or df+P or df+K -> b+K Very simple and effective, it works on slow opponents regardless of your agility. Throw, jab, roundhouse gets them in the corner (because of the wall hit) and does plenty of damage. Against fast opponents, you must walk forward before the jab. In tourny mode with extreme agility differences, skip the jab entirely. f. (close) f+P -> df+K -> df+P -> P -> K -> b+K This pseudo-combo can be ARed after the 3rd hit and requires a fast pilot and a slow opponent. Walk forward as much as possible after every hit; if done correctly, you'll nail a wall hit on the OTHER side of the arena. f. (close, wall) f+P -> P -> b+P -> b+K The bread-and-butter wall combo for Jag, it requires a good bit of timing to get right. If you're unsure or your agility is much less than the opponent, skip the jab and the combo is now guaranteed on anyone, even in tourny mode. The throw should be executed with your back to the wall so you can hit them to the wall with the jab. With a fast pilot and slow opponent, you can add a df+K before the jab. The roundhouse should catch them at the height of its arc. g. (close, wall) f+P -> df+K -> df+P -> P -> b+P -> b+K Works only with a fast pilot, but with the timing right will catch ANY opponent. Walk forward for the first 4 hits, then b+K immediately after the b+P to catch them. h. (close) f+P -> df+P -> P -> qcb+P -> hcf+P Not technically a combo, this can always be ARed after the 3rd hit, but it's impossible to escape the rest of the damage for some bots. Do both jabs to get them airborne just long enough so a Concussion Cannon -> Shadow Jaguar Leap will hit them as they fall. i. (close) f+P -> P or df+P -> b+P -> hcf+P Requires a fast pilot and a slow opponent. The hcf+P hits them just as they start to AR. j. (close) f+P -> P -> qcf+P -> qcf+P -> d+P Note that this combo requires both enhancements, so it's not possible in One- Player mode. It's also likely to get your opponent mad as you cheese him out with Jag's overpowered second enhancement, but it's easy to do and very very effective. Throw, jab, Jag Leap, cancel into Air Jag Leap after the first one hits, cancel into Overhead Throw after the second Leap hits. You should have the hang of this from doing the Overpowered Combo anyway. k. (late, wall) qcf+P -> df+P -> P -> K -> b+K Requires a fast pilot, and the Jaguar Leap must hit on the last possible animation frame. Pause between each hit to allow yourself enough vertical distance to connect the next one. l. (air) d+P -> d,uf,P -> P -> uf,d+P The pinnacle of fast-pilot, slow-opponent combos: Overhead Throw combos! You must hit them with the first Throw as far from the wall as possible so that you have time to jump forward and jump attack. The punch is easiest to land since it hits lower. m. (air) d+P -> d,uf,d+P Since the Overhead Throw (like Shadow's shadow moves) does NOT add points to a combo and doesn't start the combo meter, you can get this guaranteed 2-hitter with fast pilot and slow opponent without it ever registering as a real combo! n. (close) f+P -> df+P -> uf,d+P -> uf,P -> P -> b+P -> b+K Style points AND massive damage: how's that for a great combo? Start with the opposite of a wall throw (the opponent is against the wall), follow up with a crouching jab and immediate Overhead Throw, then nail them with the punch just before they hit the wall. The opponent can AR here, so it's not a true combo, but you'll still be able to connect the rest of the combo (you haven't used a jab yet). If you hit with the jump punch too soon, you'll backflip and end the combo. Fast pilot, slow opponent, speed turned way down... good luck! /-------------\ |III.D. SHADOW| \-------------/ 1. OVERVIEW ----------- As cool as Shadow is idea-wise, he's hands down the worst bot in the game. Shadow punch can be used as anti-air in some circumstances, shadow kick is a good sweep substitute (but don't use it at long range), b+K is excellent short- ranged anti-air, jumpkick has some interesting hit properties, and db+P is your standard poke, but aside from that, there's absolutely nothing to commend him. While it's true that you get a free win once they're stunned with Shadow Grab combos, there's no way to get them stunned unless they're asleep at the wheel, and you can forget about landing a Shadow Kick infinite any time soon as well, considering that any time you miss, you eat half your lifebar from a combo on your shadow. Heck, Shadow doesn't even have a JAB, how can he be expected to be a good bot? 2. MOVELIST ----------- MOVE NAME | COMMAND | DMG. | TYPE ----------------+-------------+------+--------------- Jump Punch | (air) P | 10 | Light Jump Jump Kick | (air) K | 12.5 | Medium Jump Jab | f+P | 4 | Light AR Strong | P | 11 | Medium AR Fierce | b+P | 14 | Medium AR Short | f+K | 6 | Light AR Forward | K | 11 | Medium AR Roundhouse | b+K | 16 | Medium KD Low Jab | df+P | 4 | Light AR Low Strong | d+P | 11 | Medium AR Low Fierce | db+P | 14 | Medium AR Low Short | df+K | 6 | Low Low Forward | d+K | 10 | Low Sweep | db+K | 15 | Low KD Shadow Punch | qcb+P | 15 | Medium KD Shadow Kick | qcb+K | 15 | Low KD Shadow Grab | d,d+P | 0 | Special Air Shadow Grab | (air) qcb+P | 0 | Special E1 Shadow Dive | (air) qcf+P | 15 | Medium KD Ice Freeze | hcb+P | 5 | Low Special E3 Kick Throw | (close) f+P | 22.5 | Heavy Throw Scrap: b,f,uf,u,ub,b+P Destruction: d,d,d+P during 5th hit Fire & Ice: d,d,d+P during 6th hit Notes: The "shadows" this bot creates can be hit and juggled just like the real thing, but disappear after a successful hit or block. When a shadow is hit by a move that changes the opponent's position (such as Jaguar's Overhead Throw) they are instantly replaced by the real bot and disappear. Shadows count as projectiles for Rehit Mode and adding points. A shadow disappears when its creator blocks or is hit. The Shadow Grab (both versions) holds the opponent immobile for a short period. During this time they can be hit with any move except a throw or another Shadow Grab. The Grab is unblockable, but can be hit or avoided like other shadows. The Ice Freeze follows the same rules, except it cannot be comboed into another Ice Freeze (and it can be blocked low). The 2nd enhancement makes the Shadow Punch and Shadow Kick faster and more powerful. 3. COMBOS --------- Instant Kill Combo (wall) qcb+P or qcb+K -> qcb+K x5. Repeat. a. (air, close) K -> b+K A deep jumpkick will guarantee a b+K roundhouse or other fierce move, and that's ALL it guarantees if you're low on agility. The jump punch pushes the opponent too far back to guarantee it, though. Not a very good combo, but you'll have to use it anyway. b. (air, close) K -> d+P -> df+P -> d+P Wtih a fast pilot and slow opponent, you can land 3 crouching punches after the jumpkick. If your opponent is faster or you didn't land as close, omit the first df+P; however, in these cases, it's probably better to go for b+K instead, since it knocks down and does more damage. c. qcb+P -> qcb+K An immediate Shadow Kick will always connect off a ground hit for the Shadow Punch. Off an air hit, you may be able to connect a second Shadow Punch, or simply delay the Shadow Kick and hopefully start off the infinite. d. (close) qcb+P or qcb+K -> df+P -> b+K The Shadow Punch and Shadow Kick knock the opponent off the ground long enough for you to connect a df+P, which bounces the opponent back so far that the only move that can connect is a d+P or b+K, and you know which one of THOSE is the best choice. :-) Especially with enhancements (when the shadow moves are faster), you may actually want to risk a Shadow Punch just for the style points. Against a wall with a fast pilot, you can add a P before the b+K. e. qcb+P (wall) -> qcb+K infinite The easiest way to set up the Shadow Kick infinite (besides a risky Shadow Kick) is with a wall Shadow Punch. If you ever connect with a Shadow Punch, go for the infinite until you slip up, since you're going to need the free damage. f. qcb+P (close, wall) -> qcb+P -> db+K -> df+P -> qcb+K infinite Against a wall (fast pilot, slow opponent) you can get in some good damage before you start the infinite, but you're unlikely to land a Shadow Punch in this situation anyway. If you're not good with the infinite, use b+K instead. /------------\ |III.E. THORN| \------------/ 1. OVERVIEW ----------- Thorn is a fairly standard power bot with one key weakness, predictability. Most of Thorn's normal moves are completely useless except in combos, forcing a Thorn player to rely on his long reach and excellent special moves for victory. The Speed Kick and Spike Charge are the bread and butter of a Thorn player, able to do amazing damage if you catch your opponent off guard. The sweep kick and jumpkick are Thorn's other outstanding moves, so get used to using those 4 until one of them gets through and you can start on a short powerful combo. A skilled player will be able to counter every one of these, though, so make sure you don't overuse any single one of them. All in all, you could be better off with another, more versatile power bot like Flail or Katana. 2. MOVELIST ----------- MOVE NAME | COMMAND | DMG. | TYPE --------------------+------------------+-------+---------------------- Jump Punch | (air) P | 12.5 | Medium Jump Jump Kick | (air) K | 12.5 | Medium Jump Jab | f+P | 5 | Light AR Strong | P | 12.5 | Medium AR Fierce | b+P | 16 | Medium Forward | K | 11 | Medium AR Roundhouse | b+K | 17.5 | Heavy KD Low Jab | df+P | 4.5 | Light AR Low Strong | d+P | 12.5 | Medium AR Low Fierce | db+P | 16 | Medium KD Low Short | df+K | 5 | Low Low Forward | d+K | 11 | Low Sweep | db+K | 15 | Low KD Spike Charge | f,f+P | 22.5 | Heavy KD Speed Kick | qcf+K | 10 | Medium KD Shadow Speed Kick | hcf+K | 10+10 | Light (KD on 2nd hit) Air Speed Kick | (air) qcf+K | 10 | Medium KD E0 Off-Wall Attack | (air, wall) df+K | 16 | Light KD AR Air Off-Wall Attack | (air) qcb+K | 16 | Light KD AR E2 Alley Oop | (close) f+P | 22.5 | Heavy Throw Scrap: b,b,f+P Destruction: u,d+P during 1st hit Fire & Ice: u,u,d+P during 2nd hit Notes: The Spike Charge has limited invincibility, but is throw counterable, and the 1st enhancement makes it faster. The 2nd enhancement allows a Speed Kick to cancel into an Air Speed Kick. 3. COMBOS --------- Instant Kill Combo (air) qcf+K -> df+P -> f+P -> qcf+K -> db+P -> d+P -> K. Repeat. Most Powerful Ground Combo df+P -> df+P -> hcf+K a. (air) K -> db+P Notice that your default jump-in is NOT a Speed Kick variant, but the knockdown low fierce. The second hit of a Shadow Speed Kick will miss an opponent who got hit by the jumpkick, unless they block the first hit. You have to do the kick by itself to do anything useful with it, so stick to a fierce move. a. qcf+K variant (wall, late) -> df+P -> qcf+K As any Thorn player knows, a hit with any Speed Kick variant just as Thorn is about to land guarantees another Speed Kick, but against a wall, you can add in a jab beforehand. The final Speed Kick hits them on their way up, so with the second enhancement you can tack on a cancel to an Air Speed Kick. With a fast pilot, try some of the combos below. b. hcf+K (wall, late) -> f,f+P Surprisingly, this doesn't require any agility on your part or the opponent's. The Spike Charge will catch the opponent at the last possible moment for a strange-looking, but very powerful, combo. If you're an agile pilot, you can start this from a late Air Speed Kick as well. c. qcf+K variant (late) -> df+P -> qcf+K -> d+P Fast pilot and slow opponent only. You can get this combo as long as your opponent is reasonably close to the wall after the last qcf+K; otherwise, don't bother. Against a wall, as usual, there are crazier options. d. qcf+K variant (wall, late) -> P -> f+P -> qcf+K -> f,f+P The Thorn's Strong is a great move, except that it's very short-ranged. Thus, use it to get some air with your wall combos, follow up with an immediate jab into Speed Kick to get some non-ARable height, then catch them with a Spike Charge as they fall. e. qcf+K variant (wall, late) -> P -> f+P -> qcf+K -> d+P -> df+P -> hcf+K As usual for crazy jab-filled combos like this, you need a fast pilot and a slow opponent to pull it off. Just like the previous combo, except that you use the second Speed Kick to land a d+P Low Strong and continue from there. If your opponent doesn't tend to AR when he has the chance, go for a Spike Charge instead of the db+P ender; it's not guaranteed, but it'll hit just after they can AR out of the df+P. c. (air, late) qcf+K -> db+P -> d+P -> qcf+K -> qcf+K If you've got the second enhancement, you've likely got enough speed in Tournament mode to make use of this combo. Easy to perform, and looks cool to boot. d. (air, late) qcf+K or (late) hcf+K -> df+P -> qcf+K (wall) -> db+P -> d+P Requires a fast pilot, and surprisingly, a very fast opponent. If the opponent hits the wall early in the qcf+K, you're good for the rest of the combo; otherwise, try for a Spike Charge after the qcf+K. You can't start this one with a jumpkick, because the opponent will recover (on the ground) in time to block the second hit of the Shadow Speed Kick. With both enhancements in tourny mode, you may be able to add a Speed Kick cancel into Air Speed Kick after the d+P. /------------\ |III.F. PYROS| \------------/ 1. OVERVIEW ----------- Don't let the Thrust Attack fool you, Pyros is a defensive bot all the way. His flames have godlike priority, b+P and jumpkick are passable anti-air moves, and Jet Swoop is a fast, virtually unpunishable combo starter when done right. However, aside from the Swoop and df+K, everything Pyros has starts and ends way too slowly to make Pyros competitive. He can't even pull off decent combos compared to the others, with an average throw and slow jabs, so forget about doing damage. All in all, there are better options both on offense and defense. 2. MOVELIST ----------- MOVE NAME | COMMAND | DMG. | TYPE ---------------------+-------------+-------+------------- Jump Punch | (air) P | 12.5 | Medium Jump Jump Kick | (air) K | 10 | Light Jump Jab | P | 4 | Light AR Fierce | b+P | 17.5 | Heavy Forward | K | 10 | Light AR Roundhouse | b+K | 15 | Medium AR Low Jab | df+P | 4 | Light AR Low Strong | d+P | 11 | Medium AR Low Fierce | db+P | 17.5 | Heavy Low Short | df+K | 3.5 | Low AR Low Forward | d+K | 10 | Low AR Low Roundhouse | db+K | 15 | Low KD Super Thrust Attack | f,f+P | 15 | Medium KD Shadow Thrust Attack | f,f,f+P | 15 | Medium KD Air Thrust Attack | (air) f,f+P | 15 | Medium KD E0 Fire Spin | d,P | 15+15 | Medium KD Air Fire Spin | (air) d,P | 15 | Light KD E0 Jet Swoop | (air) d+K | 17.5 | Medium KD AR Pyros Barbecue | (close) f+P | 22.5 | Light Throw Scrap Part 1: f,f,d,d+P Scrap Part 2: u+P at 4th hit Destruction: d+P at 8th hit Fire & Ice: u,d,d+P at 12th hit Notes: The Super (or Shadow) Thrust Attack is throw counterable. The 1st enhancement makes the Super Thrust Attack faster, and the 2nd enhancement makes the Air Thrust Attack faster. 3. COMBOS --------- Instant Kill Combo (wall) uf,d+K -> uf,d+K -> d+K -> df+P -> f+P -> f,f,f+P. Repeat. a. (close) f+P -> d+P -> b+K Pyros' throw allows plenty of leisure time to follow up as your opponent falls. This combo works only on slow opponents; for faster ones, use the combo below or simply add a db+P to your throw for a wall hit. b. (close, wall) f+P -> df+K -> b+K Fast opponents fall so quickly after the throw that only a df+K can hit them and still allow you to connect with a b+K (which does more damage than a Thrust Attack). c. (air, late) P -> d,P Although you can connect with almost anything after a late jump punch, the Fire Spin does the most damage and knocks down to boot. In Tournament Mode, add a few crouching fierces beforehand. d. (air) P -> db+P -> b+P -> b+P -> db+P -> f,f+P Standard ground-based tourny combo, nothing special here. Note that since it doesn't involve Rehit Mode, you can finish the combo even if your opponent is dizzied halfway through. e. (air) d+K -> P -> f,f+P The bread and butter of any Pyros player's arsenal. As long as the Swoop is still traveling downward (not horizontally), it allows you enough time to combo into a jab or crouching short. A Thrust Attack followup is guaranteed on slower opponents; on faster ones, follow up with a Fire Spin for the second hit of the combo. Against a wall, use a b+P instead of the f,f+P to get a wall hit. f. (air) d+K -> uf,d+K -> P -> K -> b+K Double Jet Swoop combos: the epitome of fast-pilot, slow-opponent Pyros shenanigans. Start the first Swoop as close to the ground as possible so you have enough time for the second Swoop. (If you miss this one and accidentally do d+K, use the combo below for some consolation damage.) Jab, forward, roundhouse is very very difficult; if you're not sure it'll be a combo, use db+P instead. Regardless, even if they manage to AR after the Forward flame, only Katana, Chronos, Jag and possibly Gargoyle can avoid the high-priority roundhouse that follows. g. (air) d+K -> d+K -> df+P -> f,f,f+P Use only if you failed to do the second Jet Swoop in the previous combo. The Shadow Thrust Attack is just for show, as a normal one will do. h. (air, wall) d+K -> uf,d+K -> df+P -> P -> K -> b+K Not a true combo, as the opponent can always AR after the third hit. However, as before, some bots have no choice but to eat the next two hits. Against fast opponents, omit the second Jet Swoop and the standing jab. i. (late) f,f,f+P -> df+P -> P -> f,f+P A hit with the jets of the Shadow Thrust attack guarantees a pair of jabs and followup Thrust Attack. Against fast opponents, omit the second jab. /--------------\ |III.G. ELECTRA| \--------------/ 1. OVERVIEW ----------- Electra is all about priority: jump punch, df+K and Electric Shards have it in buckets (plus all are fast moves), so use and abuse these. Nearly everything Electra has is useful: a real throw, good pokes with db+P and f+K, good offense with b+P and b+K, in addition to the ones already mentioned. The only reason Electra isn't one of the best is because he has real trouble doing damage aside from rehit combos, none of which combo off his jump punch, so even when you land one, you have to hope he won't block. 2. MOVELIST ----------- MOVE NAME | COMMAND | DAMAGE | TYPE -------------------------+-------------+----------+------------ Jump Punch | (air) P | 12.5 | Medium Jump Jump Kick | (air) K | 12.5 | Medium Jump Jab | P | 4 | Light AR Fierce | b+P | 15 | Medium AR Knee | f+K | 10 | Light AR Forward | K | 7+7 | Light AR Roundhouse | b+K | 17.5 | Medium KD Low Jab | df+P | 4 | Light AR Low Strong | d+P | 11.5 | Medium AR Low Fierce | db+P | 15 | Medium Low Short | df+K | 5 | Low AR Low Forward | d+K | 11 | Low AR Sweep | db+K | 17.5 | Low KD Electric Shards | qcf+K | 2+3 each | Light AR Rolling Thunder | f,f+P | 15 | Medium Shadow Rolling Thunder | qcf,f+P | 15 | Heavy KD Air Rolling Thunder | (air) f,f+P | 15 | Medium E0 Ball Lightning | qcb+P | 15 | Medium Electric Shock Treatment | (close) f+P | 25 | Light Throw Scrap: d,f+P Destruction: u,uf,f,df,d+P before 4th hit Fire & Ice: f,df,d+P during 3rd lightning strike Notes: The Electric Shards can be cancelled into a Rolling Thunder at any point. The Rolling Thunder (both versions) will rebound when blocked. The Ball Lightning can be controlled with the arrow keys in Hyper Mode. Each enhancement adds a projectile to the Ball Lightning. The 1st enhancement gives the Electric Shards more hits. 3. COMBOS --------- Instant Kill Combo throw or b+K -> P -> b+K -> b+P -> db+P. Repeat. Most Powerful Ground Combo db+P -> df+P -> d+P a. qcb+P,b -> uf,K -> qcf,f+P Standard "Guile" jump-in: direct the Ball Lightning back so it will hit just before the jumpkick, which then combos into a Shadow Rolling Thunder. If you're not confident of your ability to pull off the Thunder so quickly, go for db+K instead. b. b+K -> P -> uf,K Quick and dirty b+K combo with Electra. Faster opponents can AR after the P; in this case, simply go for db+P after b+K. If you're fast and they're slow, add a df+K before the P. c. (close) f+P -> b+K -> P -> uf,K Combo A, with a throw beforehand. Almost any b+K combo will work after a throw, except combos (like the ones below) that involve two roundhouses. d. (close, wall) f+P -> b+K -> df+P -> db+P -> uf,K This requires absolutely precise timing, and the last hit can be ARed by fast opponents. For results, delay the df+P until the last possible second so that the db+P will also hit. The last hit must be entered as fast as possible (almost uf+K instead of uf,K). e. (close, wall) f+P -> b+K -> df+P -> b+P -> db+P The timing isn't as close on this one (just input everything as fast as possible) and it actually does more damage than some of Electra's showier combos. However, the last hit can be ARed by fast opponents, so against them, keep the pressure on with an f+K knee instead of a db+P for the last hit. f. b+K (close) -> P -> b+K -> db+P Not a true combo, the opponent can AR after the 2nd hit, but the usual caveats apply. The window for an AR is so small that anyone but Katana and Gargoyle will find themselves hard-pressed to avoid the second b+K. If you're in a fast pilot, you can add a Rolling Thunder after the last hit. g. (close) f+P or b+K (wall) -> df+K -> P -> b+K -> df+P -> b+P -> db+P Not a true combo (as with most of Gargoyle's b+K combos), it can be ARed after the 3rd hit and only works on slow opponents. However, it does dish out a LOT of damage, and it's not as strict on timing as some of his other combos (since b+P travels in an arc, it will connect after df+P without having to be delayed). h. (close) f+P or b+K (wall) -> df+K -> df+P -> f+K -> P -> b+K -> b+P -> db+P If your opponent is slow and you're an agile pilot, use this combo instead of the one above. Yes, you can AR after the 5th hit, but as usual, you're already in the air with b+K when they recover, so you can expect the damage to be forthcoming anyway. If you're shaky, use u,P after the P for guaranteed damage. i. (close) f+P or b+K (wall) -> d+K -> df+K -> P -> f+K -> df+P Humiliations galore as you nail the opponent with all four jabs and a low kick to boot. Requires strict timing in the extreme, and both of you must be in fast pilots. j. (air) K -> b+P x4 -> f+K -> f+K -> b+P -> K -> b+K -> qcb+P In Tournament Mode, you can do some truly amazing stuff with an Electra. This one requires both enhancements (so that all three hits of the Ball Lightning will connect); if you don't have it, end with db+P instead of qcb+P. /-------------\ |III.H. KATANA| \-------------/ 1. OVERVIEW ----------- One of the best robots in the game, and my personal favorite. There is exactly one reason to play Katana: Rising Blade. The Blade is an invincible fast combo starter that can be done in the air: what more do you need? Actually, Katana comes with a decent suite of good moves as well: db+P is serviceable anti-air, b+P/P/f+P are good pokes, and you can force a slow-move guessing game with db+K and b+K. Plus, he's got a good throw and Razor Spin is useful as a low- trajectory jump. There's really no reason for Katana to lose, unless he gets careless and allows an opponent to avoid the second hit of the Rising Blade. Note that you MUST use a fast pilot (Crystal or Milano) to combo after a Blade. 2. MOVELIST ----------- MOVE NAME | COMMAND | DMG. | TYPE --------------------+-------------+--------+-------------------------- Jump Punch | (air) P | 10.5 | Medium Jump Jump Kick | (air) K | 12.5 | Medium Jump Jab | f+P | 4 | Light AR Strong | P | 4 | Medium AR Fierce | b+P | 17.5 | Heavy Short | f+K | 6 | Light AR Forward | K | 11 | Medium AR Roundhouse | b+K | 16 | Light KD Low Jab | df+P | 6 | Light AR Low Strong | d+P | 11 | Medium AR Low Fierce | db+P | 15 | Medium Low Short | df+K | 6 | Low Low Forward | d+K | 11 | Low Slide | db+K | 15 | Low KD Rising Blade | qcf+P | 12+4.8 | Medium AR (KD on 2nd hit) Shadow Rising Blade | hcf+P | 12+4.8+4.8 | Medium (KD on last hit) Air Rising Blade | (air) qcf+P | 12+4.8 | Medium E0 (KD on 2nd hit) Front Razor Spin | qcf+K | 11 | Special Back Razor Spin | qcb+K | 11 | Special Head Stomp | (air) d+K | 15 | Light AR Fireball | qcb+P | 20? | Heavy KD E3 Volley Ball Set | (close) f+P | 25 | Light Throw Scrap: hcb+P Destruction: hcf+P during 1st hit Fire & Ice: hcf+K during 2nd hit Notes: The Razor Spin (both versions) starts with a fast jump to the wall (a normal jump situation, until it hits a wall), and then a Medium Jump attack. Once it hits or is blocked, it rebounds; if it hits a wall, it starts another Spin. The Head Stomp finishes in a normal jump situation. The Rising Blade (all versions) is invincible during execution, but is throw counterable. The first 2 enhancements add a hit to the Shadow Rising Blade. 3. COMBOS --------- Instant Kill Combo (wall, close) f+P -> b+K -> db+P -> df+P -> qcf+P. Repeat. Most Powerful Ground Combo d+K -> d+P -> df+P -> hcf+P a. (air) K -> df+P -> b+P -> b+P -> hcf+P This requires tournament mode and both enhancements to work properly; without the enhancements, it does less hits with the Shadow Rising Blade, and for it to work in One-Player Mode, omit the fierce punches. Basic stuff, guaranteed knockdown, you'll be doing it a lot. b. (air) K -> qcf+P -> df+K -> df+P -> qcf+P Requires a fast pilot and slow opponent, of course. Against a wall, replace the df+P with db+P (yes, it works, since Katana's low fierce knocks them upward enough for the second Blade to connect.) c. (air) K -> qcf+P -> db+P -> b+K -> b+P Tournament mode only, obviously. You land just fast enough after the two hits of the Blade to tag on a db+P and following combo. Against a wall, you can probably stick in a df+P jab somewhere (for slow opponents). d. (wall, close) f+P -> f+K -> b+K -> qcf+P Requires a fast pilot, but works on any opponent. The Short does a little more damage and doesn't push the opponent up as far as a jab, but it's slightly more difficult to hit with. The qcf+P will hit as long as the opponent is pushed to the wall with the b+K, but in those situations, omit the f+K. e. (wall, late) b+K -> db+P -> qcf+P Another "improbable" combo, this requires you to hit later in the b+K animation the slower your pilot is. For example, Ibrahim must hit in the last couple animation frames to pull this off, but Crystal can hit at any time while the leg is going down. The qcf+P (one hit only, since it's Rehit Mode) hits almost instantly, so there's no chance to AR except possibly after the last hit. Without a wall, simply omit the crouching fierce. f. (close) f+P -> uf,d+K -> qcf+P Only against fast opponents, and may require a fast pilot as well. Very stylish, and more powerful than most of Katana's options against fast pilots. However, you recover close to your opponent, and barely in time to outprioritize their throw, so be forewarned. g. (close) f+P -> b+K -> db+P -> qcf+P Throw into b+K combo, fast pilot and slow opponent only. The throw version has no special conditions (it WILL work without a wall), but is still difficult to pull off. Against a fast opponent, use the simpler combos above. h. (close, wall) f+P -> b+K -> f+K -> db+P -> qcf+P Style points for your Katana, plus a wall hit if you need one. For best results, walk forward slightly before the f+K Short hits, as the db+P is difficult to combo with. i. (close, wall) f+P -> P -> b+K -> f+K -> db+P -> qcf+P Risky, but very damaging, and of course only possible with a fast pilot and a slow opponent. Walk forward slightly before the P and f+K to get as much air as possible for the db+P. j. (late) db+K -> df+K -> db+K And when we say "late", we mean "very very late", almost "opposite wall late". Of course, since it requires a fast-slow combination, it most likely won't happen except in tournament mode, where you can use the combo below. k. (late) db+K -> db+P -> b+P Another tournament-only combo, the slide hits low so it's a great weapon in your arsenal, especially with the free damage you get when you tack on the pair of fierce punches. Not much else to say about this one. /---------------\ |III.I. SHREDDER| \---------------/ 1. OVERVIEW ----------- Shredder is widely considered the best bot in OMF, simply because it's got the craziest combos. Any time you land a headbutt, Flip Kick, or jumpkick, your opponent should die, which is why you should always be fast to maximize your chances of landing one. Strategy is much the same as for Electra: charge in with a jumpkick, headbutt, or flip kick, then either start a huge combo or mix up attacks until the opponent fails to block, then start a Flip Kick mega-combo. The Flying Hands can be hit, but they're still a good keep-away move and set up his infinite combo against slower pilots. Fighting against a Shredder is a simple matter of defeating the Flip Kick and headbutts, then moving in. 2. MOVELIST ----------- MOVE NAME | COMMAND | DMG. | TYPE -----------------+-------------+-------+------------- Jump Punch | (air) P | 12.5 | Medium Jump Jump Kick | (air) K | 12.5 | Medium Jump Jab | P | 4.5 | Light AR Fierce | b+P | 15 | Medium AR Forward | K | 10 | Light AR Roundhouse | b+K | 17.5 | Heavy Low Jab | df+P | 4 | Light AR Low Strong | d+P | 11 | Medium AR Low Fierce | db+P | 15 | Medium Low Short | df+K | 5 | Low Low Forward | d+K | 11 | Low Sweep | db+K | 17.5 | Low KD Headbutt | qcf+P | 15 | Medium KD Shadow Headbutt | qcf,f+P | 15 | Heavy KD Air Headbutt | (air) qcf+P | 15 | Medium KD E0 Flip Kick | d,d+K | 11+11 | Light AR Flying Hands | qcb+P | 10+10 | Light AR Turn Around Toss | (close) f+P | 22.5 | Heavy Throw Scrap: d,f+P Destruction: d,u,u+P before 4th hit Fire & Ice: u,ub,b,db,d+K right after destruction Notes: The Flip Kick can be cancelled into a jump attack or Air Headbutt at any point. The ground Headbutt and Shadow Headbutt can be cancelled into a Flip Kick before it connects, which will do the first frame of Flip Kick animation and return you to a grounded situation. The Flying Hands can be hit. The 1st enhancement gives the Flying Hands more range. The 2nd enhancement makes the Headbutt (any version) faster. 3. COMBOS --------- Shredder's "combo starter" is any Headbutt except a close ground one. Instant Kill Combo (air) K -> d,d+K -> (air) qcf+P -> qcf+P -> df+P -> hcf+P -> P -> qcb+P. Repeat with b+P or extra qcb+P repetitions added. Big Showy Combo combo starter -> df+P -> qcf+P -> P -> hcf+P -> d,d+K -> (air) qcf+P -> qcb+P -> b+P -> db+P Max 14 hits in one-player mode, no infinites. Note that this combo works anywhere from right up against the wall to about half-screen away. a. (wall) combo starter -> df+P or P -> qcb+P x infinity Shredder's Flying Hands is a true infinite combo, but requires perfect timing to pull off for more than 3-4 repetitions (since the qcb motion usually moves you backward, you'll eventually get out of range). When that happens, simply do a Flip Kick into air Headbutt and repeat. When you get pushed out of range again, do hcf+P -> P and repeat yet again. The infinite can be ended at any time by b+P -> db+P, or their death, whichever comes first. Note that you can also start this infinite from the 14-hitter above by repeating the qcb+P. b. (close) f+P -> df+P -> qcf+P -> P -> hcf+P -> d,d+K -> (air) qcf+P -> qcb+P -> b+P -> db+P Yes, folks, a THROW COMBO for Shredder. This works only from a good distance away from the wall, so Shredder has time to turn around and df+P the opponent before the wall hit. As usual, once you've got one qcb+P, you've got as many as you need. c. (air, wall) K -> d,d+K -> (air) K -> b+K x3 -> hcf+P -> b+P -> hcf+P -> P -> d,d+K -> (air) qcf+P -> qcb+P -> qcf+P -> K -> b+K Matt's 18-hit Death Combo for Shredder. Jumpkick, Flip Kick (let both hits connect, then cancel into a jumpkick before you hit the ground), three roundhouses, Shadow Headbutt, fierce, Shadow Headbutt, jab, Flip Kick (cancel just after first hit into Air Headbutt), Flying Hands, Headbutt, forward, roundhouse. Needless to say, it ends on a wall hit and a guaranteed dizzy. You can also omit the starting jumpkick for a 17-hitter from a close Flip Kick, or omit the first 7 hits for an 11-hitter from a close Shadow Headbutt. Of course, the whole thing requires a fast tournament pilot, but it's still almost a guaranteed kill and therefore worth practicing. /------------\ |III.J. FLAIL| \------------/ 1. OVERVIEW ----------- The hardest robot to learn, the Flail is the most original fighting character I have ever seen. Flail actually has decent combos, but they're very hard to pull off. Flail's main weakness is, of course, the air. He is basically helpless against a Gargoyle, since neither his jumpkick nor the crouching short (both excellent defense moves) will protect him from a Diving Claw. Flail has an excellent crouching fierce, crouching short, and standing fierce, complementing its two staple moves (the Chains and Charging Punch), both of which serve as good counter moves as well as attacks. Flail is a great defensive bot because of his priority and range, but overusing any of his moves will get you nailed. Just keep them on the ground, chipping away at their life with the Chains, and eventually they'll make a mistake. 2. MOVELIST ----------- MOVE NAME | COMMAND | DMG. | TYPE ------------------------+-------------+--------+------------- Jump Punch | (air) P | 12.5 | Medium Jump Jump Kick | (air) K | 10 | Light Jump Jab | P | 5 | Light AR Fierce | b+P | 15 | Medium Short | f+K | 5 | Light AR Forward | K | 10 | Light AR Roundhouse | b+K | 17.5 | Heavy Low Jab | df+P | 5 | Light AR Low Strong | d+P | 11 | Medium AR Low Fierce | db+P | 15 | Light KD Low Short | df+K | 5 | Low AR Low Forward | d+K | 10 | Low AR Slide | db+K | 15 | Low KD Slow Swinging Chains | d,K | 15+15 | Medium KD Fast Swinging Chains | d,P | 7 each | Light AR Charging Punch | b,b+P | 15 | Heavy KD Shadow Charging Punch | qcb,b+P | 15 | Heavy KD Spinning Throw | f,f+K | 26 | Special Air Spinning Throw | (air) f,f+K | 26 | Special Massive Multiple Mauler | (close) f+P | 25 | Light Throw Scrap Part 1: f,f,f+P Scrap Part 2: f,b+P during 1st hit Destruction: b,f+P after 1st hit Fire & Ice: hcb+K during 2nd hit Notes: The Spinning Throw (both versions) is a Heavy KD that is blockable only in the first frame of animation (meaning it's unblockable done out of nowhere, but after a blocked move it can also be blocked). The Swinging Chains (both versions) can be controlled with the joystick in Hyper Mode or with the 1st enhancement. The 1st enhancement allows a Slow Swinging Chains to cancel into a Charging Punch, and a Charging Punch to cancel into a Spinning Throw. The 2nd enhancement allows a Fast Swinging Chains to cancel into a Charging Punch, and makes the Shadow Charging Punch faster. The opponent recovers stun as normal while being hit by a Spinning Throw. 3. COMBOS --------- Most Powerful Ground Combo df+P x4 -> d,K Against Nova at wall only. Against most robots, omit 1-2 df+Ps. 0. Fortuitous Timing! W00t! (air) P -> f,f+K -> (planes hit) -> f+P -> uf,f,f+K TWO Spinning Throws in one combo. Of course, it requires the planes in the Desert to be hitting JUST as the Spinning Throw finishes (they float right above you), so it'll never happen, but it's still cool. a. (air) P -> d,K or f,f+K Both of your power moves can be comboed off of a jumpkick. If you have both enhancements, you can tack on a b,b+P after the second hit of the d,K Slow Swinging Chains; with just the first enhancement, go for jump punch -> fast Chains -> Charging Punch instead. b. (close) f+P -> qcb,b+P Boring, you say? Well, since Flail's options for combos are so limited (especially against fast opponents), this is great, since it does plenty of damage and causes a wall hit, setting your opponent up for the combos below. c. (close, wall) f+P -> df+P -> f,f+K Simple yet effective, simply do a Spinning Throw right after a normal throw and requisite small hit to get the opponent up the wall. Because of the Spinning Throw's extremely short range, it can be used in combos only in these limited situations. With an extremely agile opponent, you can even go for an air Spinning Throw instead, or add a f+P jab before the Spinning Throw. d. (close, wall) f+P -> df+K -> d+K -> K -> qcb,b+P Requires a fast pilot to connect all the hits, but it looks very nice. You hit them with the Charging Punch right before they hit the ground, and it's a good thing the Punch is so fast, because you're too far away to hit with anything else. You can use f+K instead of d+K if you want style points, but it doesn't do as much damage. e. (close, wall) f+P -> df+K -> f+K -> P -> b+K Just a stylish version of the previous combo, using hard-to-connect moves like b+K and three out of four of Flail's jabs. If your opponent doesn't have a long- reaching low move, go for a d,K Slow Chains instead of the b+K; it doesn't cause a wall hit but looks even better. f. (close, wall) f+P -> df+K -> d+K -> uf,K (-> P -> b+P) A very handy wall combo if you want to get fancy. The double low chain trick works only on slow opponents; against faster ones, omit the d+K. If the opponent manages to AR before the uf,K hits, continue as you land with a punch and fierce (the opponent will also be able to AR after the uf,K, so watch out!) g. (close) f+P -> d,K (one hit) -> b,b+P -> f,f+K Double-enhancement combos are fun, and this one is extremely impressive. Note that it works only when the b,b+P does NOT cause a wall hit. h. (air) P -> d,K (two hits) -> b,b+P -> df+P -> qcb,b+P A more impressive double enhancement combo that works only with Flail's back to the wall and on a slow opponent. You can also do these starting from a throw, but you won't get the second d,K hit. You can use d,P instead of d,K, but it does less damage. /---------------\ |III.K. GARGOYLE| \---------------/ 1. OVERVIEW ----------- This ruler of the air is also a break from traditional fighting, and the best robot in the game. Just like usual, most of Gargoyle's normal moves are useless (with the exceptions of his fierces and jab), making you rely on the overpowered triangle jump: Rising Talon into Wing Charge into Diving Claw. Rising Talon is the game's best anti-air move, with priority over every other air attack (it goes right through an air Rising Blade), and it beats most ground moves as well. If you miss completely or hit a grounded opponent