The idea for this guide basically came while I was playing UT2k4 one night with
nothing else to do. I had been looking for an idea to write my fourth guide
about. Well, technically my first, because I never finished the other two for
various reasons. Anyway, I decided that UT2k4 would be a good game to write
about, since I knew it didn’t have many guides, so I decided to start working.
The purpose of this guide is to pass on the knowledge I have accumulated over
the time that I’ve been playing UT2k4, mostly to newer players but more
experienced players may find some useful tips. I don’t pretend to be any kind
of expert on this game or anything, so I’m hoping people with more knowledge
than I have will e-mail me with information I may have missed, forgotten or
didn’t know about.
I didn’t incorporate any sort of Ctrl-F code words or anything, so use the
section number instead (include the “.0 because the first number will be used
somewhere else in the guide).
Ballistic arc - The projectile in question travels in a way that is similar to
an object that has been thrown. The projectile begins traveling forward, but
begins falling at an ever increasing rate until it eventually hits the ground,
a wall, or other object.
Automatic - The weapon will fire at a consistent speed as long as you hold down
the fire button. Think of it like a machine gun; the gun will fire repeatedly
as long as the trigger is held down.
The Editors Choice Edition (ECE) - Is an official mini-expansion available to
the full game that can be downloaded for free off the internet. It add some
maps and three vehicles, which I will be covering in the Vehicles section. It
comes packaged with some of the newer versions of the game, so if you aren’t
sure whether to download it or not, check if you can find the Paladin, Cicada,
and SPMA in your game (or the manual). If you can, you have it already and
don’t need to download it. If not, you will have to download it if you want
to get those vehicles.
Freshly spawned enemy - An enemy that has just re-appeared after death and as
such has 100 health and no shields.
This section is intended for people who have just bought the game or are
thinking about buying it. People who have been playing for a while should skip
to General Tips
3.1 - Movement
First and foremost, find or create a control scheme that you like and stick
with it. Personally, I use a programmable USB controller since I play on a
laptop and the touch pad is hard to use for aiming. Next, learn how to use this
control scheme. It seems obvious, but far too many people set up a button for
something and never use it. Now, you should learn some of the different things
you can do to move. I have listed, described and explained them here. Also, I
didn’t write down the exact buttons for them, as each person is able to choose
their control setup. Check the menu to find and change which buttons have been
assigned to each task.
Walking/Running:
I have discovered that there IS a button for walking, but you shouldn’t really
need it that much - this game is about arena style combat. There is no need for
stealth or going anywhere slowly. In UT@k4, running is always better than
walking. Anyways, running is the best mode of transportation in any mode other
than Onslaught or Assault (In those two modes you can drive vehicles). Running
is easy to do, and fast enough to get you where you’re going. Most of the time.
On larger maps it might take you a while to get where you want, so you might be
better off with a vehicle in Onslaught.
Jumping:
The standard jump is low, slow, and generally not very good. The only time you
would want to do this is in a low gravity areas, because double jumps or dodge
jumps may cause you to go too high or far.
Double Jumping:
Much better. The double jump is much higher than the standard jump and much
better to use to jump onto or over things. Some people have trouble performing
this move. The trick is to press the jump button after you stop moving up, but
before you start moving down. This skill is very important, so I suggest you
practice it until you can perform it every time. Note that a jump takes much
longer in low gravity areas, so if you want to use the double jump, you will
have to wait a bit longer. Jumping, and even double jumping is not very useful
to dodge enemy fire, so focus more on dodging and dodge-jumping for that
purpose.
Dodging:
Hmm. Not very good, but not bad either. This is only really used for dodging
vehicles or incoming fire. It isn’t very good at getting you around the map.
Also, note that there is a hidden timer before you can dodge again, so you’ll
have to duck behind some cover or run around for a moment before you can use
it again. Plain dodging doesn’t go very far, but at least it is relatively
fast. Again, use this in low-gravity situations where you don’t want to go off
the edge of the map. A Dodge can be performed by tapping a direction twice in
quick succession. The maximum amount of time between the taps can be changed
in the menu. Dodging can also be disabled in the menu.
Dodge-Jumping:
Much better than the plain dodge. To do this, dodge, then jump at the highest
point of the dodge (which is pretty low, mind you). This is more of an advanced
skill, but it can help your game immensely once mastered. This is more
important if you like using the Flak Cannon or Shield Gun, because it allows
you to close the distance much faster than you might be able to otherwise.
The dodge-jump goes much farther and higher than a standard dodge when
performed correctly. I recommend mastering this skill, but it isn’t really
crucial or anything. A warning though, the dodge or dodge-jump does not work
very up a slope due to how low the dodge is.
Wall-Jumping:
The wall-jump can be performed by jumping towards a wall, then dodging away
from it when you hit it. I have never found a lot of use for this skill,
however, I think it could be useful as a surprise tactic to get close to an
enemy quickly and hit him or her with a powerful weapon.
Translocator:
This would be in the weapons section, but it’s main purpose is to move people
around the map, so I put it here. With the Translocator, the primary fire
button launches a small glowing disc on a ballistic arc. Once the disc has been
launched, the primary fire button will cause the disc to teleport itself back
to you for re-use. The alternate fire will cause you to teleport to the
location of the disc. This is useful to get to a certain point quickly, but it
has limitations. First and foremost, the Translocator cannot be used by the
]flag carrier in Capture the Flag. If the Translocator is used by the flag
carrier, the flag will be dropped in the carrier’s original position. This can
be used to pass the flag to a team-mate if so needed. Second, the translocator
has an ammo count of 5, but this regenerates on its own and is only used when
you teleport to the disc. In Bombing Run, this ammo is depleted to zero when
you pick up the ball, and must regenerate to 2 before the Translocator can be
used, so you can’t launch the ball ahead of you then teleport to it to move
faster. Third, if the disc is hit by enemy fire or splash damage from an
explosive weapon, it will stop glowing. If this happens, it is very important
not to teleport to it. Attempting to teleport to a damaged disc will
immediately kill your character. The disc cannot be returned to the
Translocator in this state; to be able to use your Translocator again, you
must run to the location of the disc and pick it up. The Translocator can be
used as a weapon; anyone standing on the disc when its owner teleports to it
will be killed instantly. This can be taken advantage of by launching the disc
at the enemy and teleporting at the moment that it hit him or her, however, it
is very difficult to pull off, so it would probably be much easier to use a
different weapon.
3.2 - Aiming
Again, it may seem obvious, but learn how to aim. More importantly, learn how
to aim with each specific weapon. Some need more lead time than others, and
some have special abilities that help you aim. You’ll find this in the Weapons
section.
3.3 - Driving
This would be in the movement section, but I thought it deserved its own area.
Anyway, again, may seem obvious, but learn how to drive, again, with each
vehicle. There are two different ways to drive, both on specific vehicles and
both very important. First, there is the Raptor, Manta, and, if you have the
ECE, the Cicada. These vehicles automatically orient to the direction the
cursor is pointing. An interesting note is that if you are moving, the turning
will be slower than if you are not moving. You still have to use the movement
buttons to move, but left and right will make you strafe instead of turn. Next
is the mode that includes the Scorpion, Goliath tank, Hellbender, and, in the
ECE, the Paladin tank and SPMA. In this mode, the cursor aims the turret, or in
the case of the Hellbender, which has no turret fore the driver, lets you look
around. Note that some of the turrets can only move so far to one direction, or
can’t move as fast as your cursor, in which case you will have to wait a bit
before firing, or the turret will fire in the direction that it is currently
aiming, likely missing it’s intending target.
That about covers the basics. Now on to the General Tips.
This is a more advanced section, for those who have mastered the basics section
This is more general stuff, and won’t be organized by any specific setup, as
most sections are.
Know the weapons - It helps greatly to know exactly what a weapon can do, as
well as it’s strengths and weaknesses, even if you don’t use it often.
Remember, other people may use it more often than you do, so it helps to know
what to do about it.
Know the maps - It is important to know precisely where each of the weapons
are, or the location of a shield pack or health pickup. The location of good
sniper camps is important, even if you don’t use a sniper rifle, because there
may be other snipers there that you may want to avoid or attack. Also, some
maps may dictate what type of weapons you use. For example, on a small map that
has many long, small hallways, a weapon like the Flak Cannon or the Shield Gun
would be more effective than a weapon like the Shock Rifle or Lightning Gun.
Know the Vehicles - Some vehicles are easier to use than others, some are more
effective against certain vehicles than others. For example, the Raptor is
easy to use to destroy a Goliath, unless the Goliath has a second driver
manning the machine gun. Also, the location of vehicles is important.
Know the Game Modes - The rules and strategies for the game modes are very
different. You should know what you are supposed to be doing.
Always keep moving - You are a very easy target for snipers, or pretty much
anyone else if you are standing still. Never do that. Always be on the move.
Besides, even if you are on a map where you aren’t likely to be killed while
standing still, it never hurts to look for health, shields, ammo or enemies
to kill, does it?
Use Splash Damage - Splash damage occurs when explosive weapons such as the
Rocket Launcher are used. It causes damage to everyone and everything within a
certain radius. Since it is often difficult to score a direct hit with the
Rocket Launcher or other splash-capable weapons, the splash damage can be used
to increase your accuracy. Simply aim for the opponent’s feet and the
surrounding ground; when the rocket impacts, the splash damage will often cause
at least some amount of damage to your opponent. However, there is another side
to that coin - the splash damage can hurt you. If the rocket impacts close
enough to you that you are in the splash damage radius, you too will receive
some damage. This applies to pretty much every weapon that causes an
explosion - Flak Cannon secondary fire, Grenade Launcher, Assault Rifle
grenades, the Redeemer, even vehicle weapons such as the Goliath’s cannon.
Don’t depend on shields - Shields only absorb some of the damage from hits you
take. That means that if you have low health, go for health before shields
because the shields won’t help you very much. Some of the damage from enemy
fire still hurts your health, so if you don’t have much health, it is entirely
possible to die with some points left in your shields.
Remember to lead your enemies - Most projectiles take a bit of time to reach
their target, and if it is moving, you may have to aim it ahead of them so that
the enemy and projectile will reach the same place at the same time. Some
projectiles travel slower than others, so the amount of lead time they will
need should be adjusted accordingly.
5.0 - Weapons - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
I don’t have the exact numbers or anything, so I’ll just list the weapons,
describe them and give some helpful tips on their use.
5.1 - Assault Rifle
Primary Fire:
The Assault Rifle’s primary fire is the standard rapid-fire mode. This mode
does very small damage per bullet, and overall takes far too long to do any
significant damage. An interesting side note, if you pick up an enemy’s
Assault Rifle, it can be dual wielded. This helps the weapon significantly,
doubling the fire rate for the primary fire. When dual wielded, the Assault
Rifle becomes a force to be reckoned with, however, it is still outclassed by
more powerful weapons.
Secondary fire:
The Assault Rifle’s secondary fire allows you to launch a small grenade on a
ballistic arc. The distance that the grenade is launched is determined by how
long the secondary fire button is held down. The grenade that is launched is
quite bouncy and will bounce of floors and walls until it hits a character
(friend or foe) or it’s timer runs out, upon which it will explode, and
hopefully damage the enemy. The damage done is quite respectable, but of
course outmatched by other weapons. Unfortunately, the fire rate of the
grenades stays the same when dual wielded, though the maximum ammo count for
the Grenades and bullets is doubled.
Notes:
The main starter weapon, the Assault Rifle is easily outclassed by nearly
every other weapon. The Assault Rifle uses the same bullets as the Minigun,
so collecting Minigun ammo pickups will give more ammo for the Assault Rifle
and vice-versa. The grenade mode uses grenades that are only provided by the
Assault Rifle ammo pickups. I generally don’t use this weapon, preferring to
use the Shield Gun until I can get a better weapon. If you do use this weapon,
practice aiming the grenades, and try to get a second assault rifle to increase
your firepower. The grenades travel quite slowly, so they need a good amount of
lead time. However, the bullets travel to their target instantaneously, so they
need no lead time at all.
5.2 - Shield Gun
Primary Fire:
The primary fire allows the user to hold the fire button to charge up an
extremely powerful, yet extremely short range energy blast. This blast, when
fully charged, is capable of killing all but the heaviest armored opponents
in one shot. Unfortunately, the Shield Gun has next to no range, as in, you
have to run directly into your opponent to hit them. The primary fire uses no
ammo.
Secondary Fire:
The Shield Gun secondary fire mode projects a green (red or blue in team games)
shield in front of the user. This shield absorbs some of the damage from
incoming fire, using up ammo as it does so. The shield also drains ammo slowly
while it is active, but the ammo will regenerate on it’s own while the shield
is not active.
Notes:
The other starting weapon. This one has some pretty creative uses. For the
primary fire, charge it up, then dodge-jump at the enemy for the element of
surprise and let the gun fire for you; it will fire by itself when you run
into an enemy. For the secondary fire, it can be used to block some damage
from long falls by aiming it directly downward and holding the secondary fire
button. For very high falls, I suggest tapping the primary fire button just
before you land; if timed correctly, you won’t take any damage from the fall,
but some damage from the Shield Gun. This is for very large falls, where using
the shield wouldn’t help enough. This gun is very powerful, but far too short
ranged to be used on large maps effectively. In cramped, small spaces, however,
it can deal a lot of damage quickly. This gun needs no lead time, as it has no
projectile effects.
5.3 - AVRiL
Primary Fire:
The primary fire launches a large rocket. This sounds, mundane, but there’s
more. First, never ever use this against anything that is not an occupied
vehicle. When fired against an occupied vehicle, the cursor changes. This
signifies that the rocket is locked on to that vehicle, and as long as the
cursor is kept on the vehicle, and the driver stays in that vehicle, the rocket
will follow the vehicle, and is almost sure to score a direct hit. If the
driver gets out of the vehicle, or the lock is broken, the rocket will
continue on in the exact same direction, possibly impacting the vehicle. If the
missile is hit with a weapon or hits a part of the map that gets in the way,
it will explode but do no damage. The rocket has a very small turning radius,
allowing it to turn to respond to the motions of its target vehicle. It will
also lead the vehicle on it’s own. The AVRiL takes a long time to reload, so
if you plan on using it against infantry, expect to get killed. When the
rocket hits a vehicle it usually does a large amount of damage to it, though
some of the vehicles have special armor that decreases the damage taken per
hit. When you have locked on, the driver of the targeted vehicle sees a message
warning them of the lock-on, and giving them some time to escape. The AVRiL has
a very large recoil, and will send the firing character backwards about the
same distance as a standard jump.
Secondary Fire:
Believe it or not, the AVRiL has no secondary fire. The secondary fire button,
if the cursor is locked on, will zoom the view in on the targeted vehicle and
cause the cursor to follow the vehicle around the map, maintaining the lock
unless the vehicle goes out of sight behind a hill, wall or other object. I
find this extremely useful, but some players fire the missile above or below
the target vehicle then lock on at the last moment to minimize the amount of
time the enemy driver can see the warning message, and therefore giving them
less time to react.
Notes:
I like to use the secondary fire to focus on the vehicle and increase my
chances of hitting it greatly. However, I don’t play online much, so that
tactic may not be as effective online. I suggest using the strategy of firing
near the vehicle without locking on to it, then locking on to the vehicle as
the rocket gets closer, thus decreasing the amount of time the driver has to
react to the warning message. Unfortunately, the only game mode the AVRiL is
normally available in is Onslaught, but some unofficial maps may include it for
other game types. The AVRiL needs no lead time, and for that matter, you don’t
even have to aim the rocket at the enemy to conect. The missile, when locked
on, will lead and track the enemy on its own.
5.4 - Grenade Launcher
Primary fire:
The primary fire for the Grenade Launcher launches a small, round grenade on a
ballistic arc. The grenade will bounce off of walls, floors, and objects until
it hits a vehicle or person, or runs out of momentum, in which case it will
stop. If it hits a person or vehicle, the grenade will stick to that object.
Note that the game only allows you to have 8 grenades in play at any given
time, shown by eight transparent grenade icons above the ammo count that
become solid as grenades are fired. If a ninth is launched, your oldest
grenade will detonate, taking with it any other grenades, spider mines, or
characters close enough to the blast.
Secondary fire:
The secondary fire will detonate any and all grenades you have in play.
Notes:
Not a bad weapon. This one can be used very creatively; get a couple of
teammates to cover somebody with grenades and detonate them when he or she is
near an important objective or Power core. You can also attach some grenades
to a nearly destroyed vehicle, then if an enemy hijacks it, you can detonate
the grenades for an easy kill. Finally, you could spread eight grenades in a
small area then detonate them if somebody walks over them, sort of like a
minefield. Each grenade does a large amount of damage, but not enough to kill
an enemy in one hit. An important note is that all of your grenades will
detonate when you die. This can also be taken advantage of; If you are far
from any health pickups and injured, this weapon could be used to get the
last laugh. Simply stick a few grenades to an enemy, then if he or she kills
you, the grenades will detonate and hurt or kill him or her. Again, this
weapon is only available in Onslaught mode normally, but some maps, such as
DM-Hyperblast contain it as a pickup. The Grenade Launcher needs quite a bit
of lead time.
5.5 - Flak Cannon
Primary fire:
The Flak Cannon’s primary fire detonates a shell inside the weapon, launching
a shotgun-like spray of glowing pieces of shrapnel. At close range, this can
be incredibly devastating, taking at most two shots to kill nearly any enemy,
one for a freshly spawned enemy. The shrapnel travels in a straight line, but
the pieces spread out as they travel. Therefore, the power drops off fast as
the distance increases, making this a very short-range weapon, though it can
do enough damage to kill a weakened enemy at longer range. The shrapnel can
bounce off of walls, floors and such, but after it does it travels on a short
ballistic arc to the ground.
Secondary Fire:
The secondary fire launches the shell from the weapon which detonates upon
impact with whatever it hits. The shell travels on a ballistic arc, requiring
you to aim higher than the enemy actually is to compensate for gravity. When
the shell lands, it explodes, causing a good deal of splash damage and sending
a few pieces of shrapnel out in a random direction. The main damage source
for this mode is the explosion and it’s splash damage rather than the shrapnel.
Because of the splash damage, try to aim this to land near the enemy rather
than hit him or her.
Notes:
An extremely powerful short- to mid-range weapon, the Flak Cannon is capable
of taking down a freshly spawned enemy in one close range primary-fire blast.
Don’t bother trying to bounce the shots around corners; they fall to the
ground after they bounce off of something. Also, don’t try shooting the Flak
Cannon at a very close wall. The shrapnel still does damage it if hits
someone after bouncing, so you could hurt or kill yourself with ricocheted
shrapnel. The primary fire is great for anything at close range; infantry,
Nodes, the Power Core, even vehicles if you don’t have an AVRiL. The
secondary fire is good for medium range. The splash damage can usually take
out an enemy in two or three good shots. The projectiles (shrapnel and shells)
travel quite slow, and can easily be dodged, so you may have to lead your
target a bit.
5.6 - Lightning gun
Primary fire:
When you press the primary fire button, a large bolt of electricity arcs from
the gun to whatever happened to be in the cursor. This does a great amount of
damage - two shots to kill a freshly spawned player. This weapon really shines
when sniping, as a head shot will cause the immediate death of the person in
the cross hairs, plus a nice little message that you got a head shot. Also,
if you get enough head shots, the announcer will say something along the
lines of “Headhunter”.
Secondary fire:
Hold down the secondary fire button to zoom in. Once zoomed in, the secondary
fire button will return the view to normal.
Notes:
A good weapon for sniping. Zoom in and go for the head shot; if you miss,
you’ll probably still cause a large amount of damage to the enemy.
Unfortunately, the Lightning Gun doesn’t work very well at close range - it
takes far too long to recharge. The lightning bolt travels to it’s target
instantly, so the target requires minimal lead. Remember, it takes a fraction
of a second to press the button and fire the bolt. Also, remember that when
using the Lightning Gun, move to a different sniper spot after every
kill - the lightning bolt leads right back to you and shows exactly where you
are.
5.7 - Sniper Rifle
Primary fire:
Like any Sniper Rifle, this weapon essentially fires a large bullet. The
primary fire creates a small puff of smoke that obscures your vision. Again,
this weapon scores an instant kill for a head shot.
Secondary Fire:
Hold down the secondary fire button to zoom in. Once zoomed in, the secondary
fire button will return the view to normal. (Yes, this is copied from the
Lightning gun section)
Notes:
The Sniper Rifle is essentially the same weapon as the Lightning Gun with a
few differences. First off is the small puff of smoke to obscure your vision.
You can easily move to the side to continue to shoot. Second is the lack of
the lightning bolt to give away your position, so you might be able to get
away with two or three kills before you should move. The third thing is a few
statistical differences - I think the Lightning Gun does more damage for a
body hit, but shoots slightly slower. The Sniper Rifle is normally only
available in Assault, but again, some maps might have included it.
5.8 - Minigun
Primary fire:
The Minigun primary fire causes a very fast, very inaccurate, automatic
bullet spray. Also, a glowing tracer is shown every fraction of a second, but
the actual fire is much faster. As usual with bullet weapons in this game,
the bullet reaches it’s target instantly, though the tracer does not. The
Minigun takes a second or so to spin up fast enough to fire, though, so start
holding down the primary fire early. The primary fire does great damage over
time, but the bullets spread out too far over large distances, so, like the
Flak Cannon, the Minigun is limited to closer range.
Secondary Fire:
The secondary fire for the Minigun is a slightly slower, more accurate bullet
spray that explodes upon impact. This mode does more damage per hit, but
fires slower, so is less effective at close range. However the greater
accuracy and increased damage per hit allows it to maintain its damage better
over distance, therefore it is more effective at long distance than the
Primary Fire. The secondary mode still needs to spin up to speed before it
fires.
Notes:
The Minigun can do great damage, if the correct fire mode is used at the
correct distance. There really isn’t much to say about it. Use the primary
fire at short range, then switch to secondary fire as you get farther away.
5.9 - Rocket Launcher
Primary fire:
The Rocket Launcher launches a small rocket in a straight line. The rocket
travels quite fast, but can be dodged. The splash damage it causes upon
impact is quite large, so rockets should be aimed for the ground near an
enemy rather than right at him or her. If you hold the cursor on an enemy for
a short time, the cursor will change color. This means that is has locked on,
and will home in on the enemy. However, the turning radius of this weapon is
not as sharp as the AVRiL, so it can be dodged. If you are on the receiving
end of a homing rocket, dodge to one side a bit before the rocket hits you.
With luck, it won’t be able to turn sharp enough and will hit a nearby wall
or the ground. If you lock on to an enemy and fire, the rockets fired will
maintain the lock even if you aim at something else.
Secondary fire:
Holding down the secondary fire button will load up to three rockets into the
barrel, then once all three have been loaded, fire them in a spreading
horizontal line. The middle rocket will travel like a standard rocket, but
the other two will get farther and farther off to each side. If you press
the primary fire button while the rockets are loading the rockets will stay
in a tight spiral. This is very powerful, as the splash damage from all three
rockets is enough to kill most enemies. The secondary fire mode also locks on
to enemies, but multiple rockets don’t increase your chances of connecting,
just increase the damage if you do.
Notes:
I make it a habit to use the spiral mode when launching multiple rockets. It
helps keep the damage potential up - without the spiral effect, the outside
missiles spread out quite fast, so even to hit a large target, you have to be
quite close. As can be expected from a rocket, the splash damage is large,
and can usually take down an enemy in one or two good shots.
5.10 - Shock Rifle
Primary fire:
The primary fire launches a bright purple energy beam. This does medium damage,
but needs pinpoint precision to connect with, so is hard to use against a
moving target. The beam travels instantaneously, so needs no lead time. The
Shock Rifle causes a large amount of recoil in its target when it hits, so it
can be used to launch things around the map, knock people off high ledges, or
prevent a person from landing from a jump pad and instead fall to his or her
death.
Secondary fire:
The secondary fire launches a large, slow moving energy sphere that is nearly
impossible to hit anything but the slowest moving enemies with. This is very
easy to dodge; simply move to the side.
Notes:
The Shock Rifle may sound like a pretty weak and useless weapon; the primary
fire takes too much precision to hit consistently without a scope, and the
secondary fire moves far too slowly. However, the Shock Rifle has a very
powerful ability. This ability, called the Shock Combo, creates a large,
powerful explosion in mid-air sometimes capable of killing someone in one
shot. “How do I perform this amazing move?” you ask. Well, it’s quite simple.
Launch a secondary fire sphere, then shoot it with a primary fire beam. The
simplest way to do this is by standing still, but if you read the General
Tips section, you know that standing still is not a good idea. If you use the
Shock Rifle, practice strafing and using the Shock Combo at the same time.
Also, the Shock Combo uses five ammo, even though the two shots would
separately use up two in total. Note that it is possible to use someone
else’s energy spheres to perform the Shock Combo.
5.11 - Mine Layer
Primary fire:
The Mine Layer throws out a small, spider-like device on a ballistic arc.
These spider mines will run around and follow any enemies that come nearby,
then jump on them and detonate. These mines do approximately the same damage
as the grenades from the Grenade Launcher. The mines will instantly explode
if they hit a wall, vertical object, each other, or fall from a high enough
distance.
Secondary fire:
The secondary fire for the Mine Layer emits a small, harmless laser beam that
causes all mines you have on the map to run directly to the point the laser
is pointing at. Unfortunately, they run straight there, ignoring any obstacles
in the way, so they usually run into something or each other on the way there
and explode.
Notes:
The Mine Layer could be useful for defending something like a choke point or
the core. Defending a node is harder because nodes are usually a lot easier to
attack from a distance. Mines can be loaded up with grenades. Doing so will
decrease the movement speed for the mine (I think it cuts it in half for each
grenade, but I’m not sure) but increases the explosive power, making it good to
defend a choke point against large, heavily armored vehicles. It is less
effective against infantry because the infantry will probably be able to
easily outrun the slower mines. If you have mines chasing you, the best thing
to do is run or dodge jump away, and try shooting at the mines with a rapid
fire weapon like the Minigun or Assault Rifle; they can be destroyed with
weapons fire.
5.12 - Biorifle
Primary fire:
The primary fire launches a slow, but automatic fire of a small blob of
glowing green sludge on a ballistic arc. If you shoot several blobs in the
same spot, it progressively creates a larger and larger blob, until the blob
has absorbed ten shots, at which point it will burst, sending small blobs
around the nearby area and reverting to about the size of three or four
blobs. This can be quite useful to create a minefield-like area, however such
a tactic is less useful than it sounds, as the blobs only spread out over a
relatively small area, are easily visible, and disappear after a short time.
Secondary fire:
The secondary fire allows you to charge up and fire a large blob. The size
depends on how long you hold the button. The amount of ammo used is equal to
the amount that would be used to create the same sized blob using the primary
fire. If you hold until ten ammo is used, the blob will split into several
small blobs and one medium sized one upon impact. The ten ammo burst is
extremely powerful - it is impossible to survive a direct hit from it unless
you happen to be riding in a strong vehicle (the Manta and Scorpion will be
destroyed by a direct hit). The ten ammo blob does 350 damage, one more than
the maximum damage (199 health + 150 shields = 349 max HP).
Notes:
I don’t use the primary fire much. I prefer to use the secondary fire,
charging up and holding a 10 ammo shot until I find someone or something to
shoot. If I miss, the small blobs that spray out create a sort of area effect.
This is also very useful in Assault mode. You can charge up and run at the
objective you have to destroy, then release the blob, doing a large amount of
damage in a short time. This helps because you often have very little time at
the objective even if you manage to get to it. This helps for maps where you
have to destroy a lot of things, like AS-RobotFactory and AS-MotherShip.
5.13 - Link Gun
Primary fire:
The primary fire launches a small green projectile that uses up two ammo per
shot. It also fires automatically at a medium speed. Each projectile does
good damage, but travels slowly enough to need a medium amount of lead time.
This mode is good for vehicles and hitting other things at long range.
Secondary fire:
The secondary fire of the Link Gun creates a continuous green beam of energy.
This beam does damage to infantry quite fast, and has several important uses.
First and foremost is the ability to repair vehicles and power nodes (not the
power core, you can’t repair that) in Onslaught and Assault modes. Also, if
another teammate is using the link gun, you can shoot him or her with it. If
you do, the beam will change color to your team’s color. Linking with teammates
is quite helpful. What happens when you link is that your teammate’s
projectiles and beams become yellow, signifying that they will do more than
twice the damage. Therefore, you can do more damage by linking to a teammate
than by both of you firing together. Also, your teammate will not use up any
of his or her ammo; when he or she fires, the ammo will be removed from your
gun. To help you know whether a teammate is using the Link Gun, a small
triangular symbol will appear above your teammates heads, next to their name.
If that symbol is the same color as your team, that person is using a
different weapon. If the symbol is green, the teammate is using the LinkGun.
Notes:
When a nearby teammate is using the Link Gun, always be sure to link to him
or her. This will increase the damage done by his or her link gun past what
you both could do. The beam travels a good distance, but still not remarkably
far, so for long range attacks you have to use the primary fire. The main
purpose for this weapon in Onslaught mode is to repair and aid the
construction of nodes. Remember to link to your teammates to build a node
faster. You can also use it to repair vehicles and turrets in Onslaught and
Assault modes.
5.14 - Target Painter
Primary fire:
The primary fire shoots a small, harmless laser beam at whatever happens to
be in the cursor. This beam gets progressively stronger as it is held in the
same place, until eventually it returns to normal. A second or two later a
large bomber craft flies overhead and strafes the area with powerful bombs.
This weapon is considered a Superweapon, and can only carry one charge. The
bomber can be shot down, but it is unlikely. Note that to take effect, the
beam must be aimed outdoors, with nothing above it. If the beam does not get
brighter after a bit, the weapon will not work in that location.
Secondary fire:
Hold down the secondary fire button to zoom in. Once zoomed in, the secondary
fire button will return the view to normal.
Notes:
Not the best Superweapon there is. The bomber drops around 15 bombs, but only
2 or 3 will actually connect with any one target. This is generally enough to
do a decent amount of damage but usually won’t destroy much. Like any
Superweapon, though, if a person is caught in one of the explosions he or she
is almost guaranteed to be killed unless he or she is on the edge of the
blast radius. If the bomb lands in an area that is close enough to an enemy
to damage or kill him or her, but the enemy is behind a pillar, rock, wall or
other object, the blast will do no damage. (The animation passes through
objects but the damage does not)
5.15 - Ion Painter
Primary fire:
The primary fire is identical to that of the Target Painter, however instead
of a bomber strafing the area, three large purple beams appear out of the sky
and converge on the targeted area. When they land, a very large, purple
shockwave is created, causing great damage to anything in the blast radius.
This weapon will destroy most vehicles in one shot, and will kill any people
that are not on the very edge of the shockwave area.
Secondary fire:
Hold down the secondary fire button to zoom in. Once zoomed in, the secondary
fire button will return the view to normal.
Notes:
Good, but not the best. Again, this is a Superweapon, but in my opinion it is
not as good as the Redeemer. This weapon does its damage in one large shot
rather than multiple smaller shots, so generally does more damage to each
target than the Target Painter. This weapon must also be fired outdoors with
nothing above the targeted area. If the targeted area is close enough to an
enemy to kill him or her, but that enemy is behind a rock, wall, pillar or
other object, the shockwave will do no damage, even if the animation passes
right through the enemy. (The animation passes through objects but the damage
does not)
5.16 - Redeemer
Primary fire:
The Primary fire launches a huge, slow moving missile on a straight path.
When this missile impacts, it causes a massive, fiery explosion. This
explosion is capable of bringing down a fully constructed power node in one
hit. As with the other two Superweapons, pretty much anything hit by this
monster is obliterated instantly. The only things that can survive a direct
hit are the Leviathan and the power core. Unfortunately, the missile can be
easily shot down in mid-air. If it is, it disappears in a puff of smoke. No
massive explosion or anything. So try not to let it get shot down, OK?
Secondary fire:
The secondary fire allows you to guide the rocket by looking through a camera
on the front. In this mode either of the two fire buttons will cause the
missile to detonate immediately, while the mouse or whatever you use to aim
will steer the missile. When in this mode, keep as low to the ground as you
think is safe to try to avoid getting shot down.
Notes:
This is the only Superweapon that can be fired indoors. I think that this is
the best of the Superweapons just due to the sheer damage it does upon impact.
If the missile impacts in an area that is near enough to an enemy to do
damage or kill him or her, but that enemy is behind a pillar, rock, wall, or
other object, the Redeemer will do no damage, even if the explosion animation
passes right through the enemy. (The animation passes through objects but the
damage does not)
Vehicles are only available normally in Assault and Onslaught modes, but some
unofficial maps might contain them for other modes.
Vehicles are locked until someone from their team takes control of one. If
that person gets out, someone from the other team could take control of the
vehicle. Some vehicles have multiple positions, and can therefore carry
several people at once. If you want to switch between positions without
getting other people into your vehicle, there are buttons for that. These
buttons are the same buttons you would press to select a weapon on foot, and
you can check what they are in the menu. Look under “Switch to Biorifle”,
“Switch to Link Gun” etc.
Vehicles can run over and kill players, but this is obviously easier to do
with a fast vehicle.
6.1 - Goliath
Number of positions: 2
Driver:
The driver of the Goliath (the first person to get in) can drive the tank,
and has control over the large cannon on top. This cannon moves quite slowly,
and can only aim up to a certain point. When the green circle appears around
the cursor the turret is aimed at the cursor. The Primary fire launches a
large, extremely fast, very powerful projectile that causes a large explosion
and splash damage when it impacts. Hold down the secondary fire button to
zoom in. Once zoomed in, the secondary fire button will return the view to
normal.
Machine gun position:
The second position is able to man the machine gun on top using the primary
fire. The bullets travel instantly, though the tracers do not. It can aim up
much higher and move much faster than the main cannon, allowing it to hit
airborne and fast moving targets easier. Hold down the secondary fire button
to zoom in. Once zoomed in, the secondary fire button will return the view to
normal.
Notes:
Very powerful, hard to kill and slow moving. I like using this vehicle. The
cannon is powerful enough to destroy a small vehicle or player in one hit.
Not really much for tactics with this vehicle, just point and shoot. If you
are facing one of these, hit it with pretty much anything you can. An AVRiL
will work well, as the Goliath is too slow to move out of sight easily.
6.2 - Hellbender
Number of Positions: 3
Driver:
The driver of the Hellbender can control the vehicle, but has no control over
the weapons. The primary and secondary fire buttons activate the horn, which
will often cause any nearby bots to run to you and jump in. The driver also
gets license plate privileges; The driver’s name is shortened and put on the
license plate at the back of the vehicle. As the driver, you can press the
jump button to use the handbrake and turn quickly.
Side Turret:
The second player into the Hellbender has control over the small round turret
on the top. The primary fire is a slow firing, but automatic weapon that
launches glowing purplish spheres not unlike that of the Shock Rifle’s
secondary fire. The secondary fire of the Side Turret fires a beam of energy
at a nearby sphere, detonating it like the Shock Combo. You still need to aim
near the sphere, however the beam will hit the sphere by itself, even if you
aren’t aiming directly at it. The Hellbender’s version of the Shock Combo
causes each detonated sphere to let out another beam at another nearby sphere,
creating a powerful chain of Shock Combo-like explosions. I find that the
sphere projectiles are quite slow, so it is quite difficult to hit moving
targets at a great distance, however it could be used very effectively
against a large group of infantry, as the explosions are very effective
against them.
Rear Turret:
The Rear Turret primary fire allows you to charge up and fire two bright
energy beams. These beams pack quite a punch, especially when fully charged,
and have even more force than the Shock Rifle, so they are able to send a
Manta flying around the map quite easily. Hold down the secondary fire button
to zoom in. Once zoomed in, the secondary fire button will return the view to
normal. The zoom can be used for sniping. The beams are quite accurate, and a
fully powered shot is enough to kill a freshly spawned enemy.
Notes:
The Hellbender is much faster than the Goliath, but not as well armored. Also
note that the Rear Turret gunner is exposed and can take health damage from
enemy fire. If you are against a Hellbender, use the AVRiL, or you could use
some kind of large explosive. The Goliath’s cannon works well. The Rear turret
can be used for sniping; park the Hellbender on a hill or something, switch
to the Rear Turret, zoom in on your enemies, charge up and pop some heads.
6.3 - Manta
Number of positions: 1
Driver:
Aside from controlling the vehicle, the driver has control over the weapon.
The primary fire launches glowing, purple projectiles. These do moderate
damage, fire quite fast, and are automatic. The secondary fire and crouch
button will cause the vehicle to move closer to the ground, and will cause
the vehicle to fall very quickly while it is in the air. The jump button
causes the Manta to jump. The secondary fire is very useful for crushing
people.
Notes:
The Manta’s main strength is it’s ability to crush people with great ease.
The Manta is the fastest vehicle in the game, along with it’s ability to jump
makes it able to get nearly anywhere and surprise people by jumping over walls
and such. The weapon is very similar to that of the Raptor, and is quite useful
against nodes, and sometimes infantry. However, the Manta itself is far more
effective against infantry. If you are against a Manta on foot, use the AVRiL.
The AVRiL will destroy a Manta in one hit. However, the Manta is fast enough
that it can often get out of sight and break the lock. Besides the AVRiL, the
Goliath’s cannon and the Scorpion’s primary fire work quite well. The Manta
isn’t really something that would be considered tough, so pretty much anything
you can hit it with works well. The Manta offers little in the way of
protection for the driver, so it is quite common to kill the driver without
destroying the Manta. It’s entirely possible to snipe the driver out of the
Manta (I did once). Also notice that it is possible for people to ride on the
wings. If you can get anyone to, this is a very good idea to do, because it
gives the Manta some much needed extra firepower, and can be used to perform
a function similar to that of an APC - transporting troops around the map at
high speed. Also, the wings can hold spider mines, allowing them to jump off
and damage things as you go by.
6.4 - Scorpion
Number of positions: 1
Driver:
The primary fire allows you to charge up and fire a green energy shot. This
takes some explaining. It has some (depends on the charge time) bright spots
on it that attach to things that they hit. When one attaches to something the
whole projectile will wrap around that thing and pop, doing large amounts of
damage. This projectile works well (uncharged) on power nodes and large vehicle
. The projectile (charged or uncharged) works especially well on the Manta.
The bright objects seem to be attracted to the Manta’s wings, and do more
damage to it than other things. The secondary fire button extends two large
blades from the sides of the Scorpion. These blades are used to slice through
infantry. Their only real purpose is to increase the area that counts for
running characters over. The blades can be dodged by dodging or dodge-jumping
to the side, so a good trick is to drive up without the blades extended, then
use the handbrake (jump button) to turn sharply near an enemy, extend the
blades, and sideswipe him or her when he or she doesn’t expect it. The blades
can be snapped off if the hit something that is part of the map (rocks, walls,
trees, etc).
Notes:
The Scorpion is slower than the Manta, but better armored. The Scorpion is
another vehicle that doesn’t protect the driver very well, so the driver can
quite easily die before the vehicle explodes.
6.5 - Raptor
Number of positions: 1
Driver:
The primary fire is pretty much identical to that of the Manta. It
automatically fires energy projectiles in your team’s color with a small
splash damage area. These can be quite effective against stationary targets
like Power nodes and the Power core, however, they are quite hard to hit with
against fast moving targets like Mantas. The secondary fire launches a
missile straight forward. This missile will track Mantas, other Raptor’s and,
if applicable, Cicada’s. Unfortunately, it’s turning radius is quite large,
making it quite possible for an enemy pilot to dodge the missile.
Notes:
The Raptor is known for it’s agility, but I dunno. The main thing people will
be using against you is the AVRiL, which can’t be dodged, making agility
essentially useless. I don’t really find the Raptor to be that fast or agile.
One good thing about it though, is the ease with which you can crush
unsuspecting enemy soldiers by dropping on them from above. If you are using
a Raptor, use the missiles for all of the vehicles that it can track, and the
primary fire for other, larger, and slower vehicles and Power Cores and Nodes.
The primary fire or the Raptor itself can be used against infantry. Against
the Raptor, on foot, you’d probably want to use the AVRiL, because the Raptor
probably won’t be able to break the lock in time. Other than the AVRiL, some
weapons to use are the Lightning Gun and Shock Rifle because of their
instant-impact capabilities and accuracy, giving the Raptor no time to get
out of the way. Some vehicle weapons that are good are the Goliath’s machine
gun, Hellbender’s rear turret, and another Raptor’s missiles. Note that if
you manage to score a direct hit on a Raptor with the Goliath Cannon (hit it
with the projectile, not the splash damage) you will get a reward message of
“Eagle Eye” whereas shooting down an enemy Raptor with a Raptor missile gives
you “Top Gun”.
6.6 - Leviathan
Number of Positions: 5
Driver:
The Leviathan’s primary fire is an automatic, medium speed, homing missile
launcher. The Missiles will target anything but Power nodes and Power cores,
with the condition that it is owned or controlled by the enemy (occupied
vehicles and enemy infantry). These missiles are quite powerful, and can
often destroy even a Goliath in less than 10 seconds of continuous fire.
These missiles are fine for driving around and shooting down enemy aircraft
or infantry, but the real power comes when the Leviathan is deployed
(secondary fire). Pressing the secondary fire button, when the Leviathan is
absolutely and completely still, starts a long deployment sequence,
immobilizing the Leviathan. When this is complete, the missile turret will be
replaced by a different turret. Once deployed, the primary fire switches to
an incredibly powerful energy burst. Point the new turret at whatever you
want to go boom and press the primary fire button. In a moment a bright energy
beam will be fired out. A large, bright, sphere of energy will appear, and
after another moment, the sphere will explode outward and annihilate anything
in its path. To give you a sense of the incredible power of this blast, it
can obliterate anything but the Power Core and another Leviathan in one shot.
The Leviathan’s deployed weapon does about twice as much damage as the
Redeemer, easily able to take a full health Power core down to 20-30% in one
shot.
Turret: (positions 2, 3, 4, and 5)
The Leviathan has four turrets, one on each corner. Each one of these is
similar to the Raptor and Manta’s weapon, but the projectiles are green, as
well as faster moving and faster firing. Hold down the secondary fire button
to zoom in. Once zoomed in, the secondary fire button will return the view to
normal.
Notes:
Wow. Just Wow. This thing is the king of all vehicles in this game. The
missiles do great damage, and the main weapon is enough to obliterate nearly
anything in one hit. Not only is a fully manned Leviathan able to take down
nearly anything but another Leviathan in a fraction of a second, but it has
5000 hit points. Yes, 5000. Plus it has extremely strong armor - an AVRiL
will do about 50 damage to a Leviathan. This thing is nearly unstoppable. At
least the Leviathan is a big target; about twice as tall as a character, and
covering a larger area than the Goliath. There are two practical ways to
destroy a Leviathan. The first, and most obvious, is to use another Leviathan.
This works quite well - The main cannon will often destroy a Leviathan in two
or three hits, while the armor and massive amount of hit points should
protect you long enough to get those shots off, even against a fully manned
Leviathan. The second practical way to destroy a Leviathan is to focus a
significant portion of your team, sometimes even your entire team on destroying
it. If you go this way, get people to use pretty much whatever they have. The
Link Gun works well if several people are charging one person. The three
superweapons work well too if you have them. The main weakness to the Leviathan
is how slow it is; it is only slightly faster than maximum running speed on
foot. This will often give the enemies a long time to wear away at the
Leviathan’s hit points before you get to the point where you can use the main
cannon to any effect. The other weakness is the fact that attacks from above
do more damage while the Leviathan is deployed. The Leviathan works well to
attack bots, even if you can’t actually damage their nodes yet, because the
Main cannon’s massive area of effect and damage will allow you to keep any
bot that spawns there in a perpetual state of death, because they won’t respawn
at a different base. They always spawn at the closest base possible to your
Power Core, so you can just keep shooting that base with the Main cannon,
repeatedly killing the same bots, preventing them doing anything to attack
you or prevent your teammates’ expansion across the map. If you have a
Leviathan, recruit as many people as your team can spare to man the turrets.
If you can get four people to man the turrets, it becomes nearly impossible
to stop you without using another Leviathan plus some people attacking you.
Of course, you still need to leave enough people on you team to capture and
defend the nodes. Unfortunately, due to it’s extreme power, the Leviathan is
not found on many maps. I know one is ONS-RedPlanet.
6.7 - Human/Skaarj Spacefighter
Number of Positions:1
Driver:
I know the manual lists these as two separate vehicles, but they are, for all
intents and purposes, identical, so I put them as one. Anyway, these vehicles
have a unique driving style. The mouse steers the vehicle, forwards and
backwards control the speed that you travel, the two strafe buttons (left and
right) cause the vehicle to strafe, holding jump while strafing causes the
vehicle to roll, and crouch causes the vehicle to roll back to horizontal.
Piloting a spacefighter is similar to piloting a Redeemer in that you are
always moving forward. As for the weapons, the primary fire shoots energy
projectiles in the color of your team. Again, these projectiles are identical
to those from the Manta and Raptor, aside from the color, but shoot slower.
However, they do impact very quickly (the manual says that it is instantly)
so little lead time is needed. The alternate fire launches a missile that
will track your current target (the target is the enemy surrounded by a green
box) if said target is on the screen.
Notes:
Not a very good vehicle. Even with the instant hit capabilities of the primary
fire, it is still hard to connect with anything, due mostly to the fast that
there is nothing behind your target to use to cause splash damage. The
missile will usually hit it’s target if you keep him or her on the screen.
Not because the missile has a small turning radius, which is does, but because
the spacefighter is so slow and not very agile. The spacefighters are only
available on the map AS-MotherShip for the first few objectives.
6.8 - Plasma Tank
Number of Positions: 2
Driver:
The driver controls a large energy cannon. This cannon is essentially the
same as that on the Ion Cannon. Hold down the secondary fire button to zoom
in. Once zoomed in, the secondary fire button will return the view to normal.
Machine Gun:
The second position is able to man the machine gun on top using the primar
fire. The bullets travel instantly, though the tracers do not. Hold down
the secondary fire button to zoom in. Once zoomed in, the secondary fire
button will return the view to normal.
Notes:
Basically an Ion Cannon on wheels. Only available in AS-Glacier so far, but
again, some unofficial maps may contain it.
6.9 - Paladin - ECE only
Number of positions: 1
Driver:
The Paladin uses the same control style as the Scorpion, Goliath, etc. The
primary weapon fires a large, fast moving, purple ball of energy. Upon impact,
this energy ball creates a large purple explosion that creates enough force
to send nearby infantry (if they survive, of course) flying through the air.
This weapon is especially good at damaging drivers inside vehicles - one
direct hit will usually kill the driver of a Manta but not destroy the Manta
itself. While you hold down the Secondary fire, a large purple energy shield
is projected in front of the turret. This shield is strong enough to
completely stop any enemy fire that hits it from Assault Rifle bullets to
AVRiL rockets to Goliath shots. The shield is regulated by the energy bar in
the bottom right. Simply turning the shield on doesn’t change the bar at all;
the bar drops when enemy fire hits the shield. Once enemy fire weakens the
shield, the bar will not recharge until the shield is disabled. An
interesting effect is that, if you enable the shield, then fire the primary
fire, the energy ball will hit the shield and create a purple energy wave
that spreads out from the Paladin and does about the same damage as the
primary fire.
Notes:
The shield is very useful to block AVRiL rockets, as the Paladin is quite
slow. The Paladin isn’t nearly as powerful offensively as the Goliath, but
much stronger defensively, as it also has strong armor that decreases the
damage done per hit, as well as the shield. Because of these abilities a
Paladin will almost always win a one on one fight with a Goliath, unless
the Paladin is severely damaged. The primary fire does less damage and moves
slower than the Goliath’s shell, but the shockwave, shield and armor make up
for it. If your enemies are using a Paladin against you, the only way to beat
it is by surrounding it so that the pilot can’t block all of your shots. Keep
in mind that the “fly above it in a Raptor and fire down” thing doesn’t work
on the Paladin. The Turret can aim almost directly up, easily to the point
where the shield will block your shots.
6.10 - Cicada - ECE only
Number of Positions: 2
Driver:
The primary fire launches two missiles from the sides of the aircraft which
then fly to the point that the cursor was on. Not all that good. The
secondary fire shoots a small laser at the cursor. The point where the laser
hits is targeted, and as long as the secondary fire button is held down, the
Cicada will load missiles until it reaches sixteen or the button is released,
at which time it will fire all of its missiles in one large burst that will
home in on the target. You can see how many missiles are currently loaded in
the bottom right corner of the screen. The controls are identical to that of
the Raptor. I find the Cicada to be more agile than the Raptor due to its
ability to change it’s height quickly. The forwards and sideways movement
speed is lower, but the ability to duck behind a hill quickly increases
your chances to dodge an AVRiL.
Turret:
The turret’s primary fire shoots an automatic fire laser, that actually does
do damage. The secondary fire drops a flare which is supposed to divert
incoming AVRiL rockets.
Notes:
Try to get a second character to help out, to increase the damage you can do
and increase your chances to dodge an AVRiL rocket. The high climb/dive
speed allows you to crush infantry easily by dropping on them from above.
Against the Cicada, use instant hit weapons like the Lightning gun and shock
rifle, because they won’t be dodged. The AVRiL can be used, but it is much
less likely to hit a Cicada than it is other vehicles.
6.11 - SPMA - ECE only
Number of Positions: 2
Driver:
The Primary fire launches a large shell on a ballistic arc. Where this shell
lands, it explodes. Simple enough. The Secondary fire gets complicated. When
it’s fire, the SPMA also fires a shell, but this time the camera follows it.
If the Secondary fire button is pressed again while it is in the air causes
it to stop and hover in midair. The shell will deploy, the camera will aim at
the ground, and a targeting reticule appears over the landscape. The targeting
reticule can be moved by using the movement buttons, but note that the movement
is centered around the SPMA, not the camera. IE, forward makes the reticule
move away from the SPMA, etc. Once you have the target over what you want to
attack, press primary fire. The SPMA will fire a shell, and as it falls it
will split up into several shells that will spread out across the targeted
area.
Turret:
The fire launches energy balls similar to that of the Hellbenders side turret,
but there is no option to detonate them. The secondary fire is the same as
the primary fire.
Notes:
The main cannon is quite difficult to connect with, so use the secondary
fire. When using the secondary fire, use it against things like Power Nodes
and Cores, as most vehicles and characters will move out of the targeted area
before the shell impacts. Not to say that the Secondary fire can’t hit
vehicles or infantry, but when it does, it is usually an accident. The camera
shell can be shot down, and if it is targeted with the AVRiL the missile will
home in on the SPMA itself rather than the camera, so be careful about using
it. The SPMA is best used sitting behind a hill providing artillery support
with the secondary fire. Destroying an SPMA is quite simple. Use the AVRiL on
the camera, or just attack it with other things.
6.12 - Stationary Turrets
There are four different types of turrets, but they are all quite similar.
Minigun turret: Works like a more powerful Minigun. Hold down the secondary
fire button to zoom in. Once zoomed in, the secondary fire button will return
the view to normal.
Mothership turret: The primary fire is identical to that of the spacefighters,
while the secondary fire raises a shield.
Link turret: A large, high damage Link Gun. The primary fire is the same as
the Link Gun’s primary fire, and the secondary fire is the same as the Link
Gun’s secondary fire. Forward and backward control the zoom. The Link turrets
can link to each other, and the Link Gun can link to a Link Turret in the
same way.
Ion Cannon: A large, slow moving cannon. Hold down the fire button to charge
up and eventually fire a large energy blast that causes a super weapon size
explosion where it impacts. Hold down the secondary fire button to zoom in.
Once zoomed in, the secondary fire button will return the view to normal.
Energy Turret: Found on most onslaught maps near Nodes. Essentially two
large, automatic Shock Rifles. Hold down the secondary fire button to zoom
in. Once zoomed in, the secondary fire button will return the view to
normal.
This section is meant to explain the different game modes and give some tips
for winning them.
7.1 - Deathmatch
The standard FPS multiplayer mode. Basically, the aim is to kill anything that
moves. At the end of the match, the player with the most kills wins. I
suggest using weapons like the Flak Cannon and Rocket Launcher that can do a
lot of damage quickly in a small space, as most Deathmatch maps are small and
full of narrow hallways. As always, shield and health pickups are important.
7.2 - Team Deathmatch
Deathmatch in teams. The team with the most kills wins. In this mode you have
teammates, so you can use the Link Gun to it’s full power. Team Deathmatch
uses the same maps as Deathmatch. I don’t really play this or Deathmatch much,
so I don’t have much for tips on them. If somebody who likes these modes
would Email me to give some more information.
7.3 - Capture the Flag
Another multiplayer FPS standard. The point of Capture the Flag is to travel
across the map to the Enemy flag, take it, then run back to your own flag and
touch it. Doing so will score your team a point. If you are killed while on
the way back with the flag, it is dropped on the ground. If your teammate
touches it, he or she can continue to run back to your side of the map and
score. If an enemy touches the flag it will be teleported back to its original
position. Weapons can be used while holding the flag, but the Translocator
will cause you to drop the flag, so you can’t use it to bring the flag home.
You can, however, use it to get back across the map to the enemy flag, or to
pass the flag to a teammate with more health. I don’t suggest using it for
getting back to the enemy flag though, as an enemy can damage your
Translocator beacon. If you attempt to teleport to a damaged beacon, you will
be killed. Since this is a team-based game, I suggest that you take at least
one other person with you to get the flag, but remember that you need to have
some people protecting your own flag. The reason for taking an extra person
or two is to increase your groups firepower allowing you to kill multiple
enemies quickly, to protect the flag carrier, and to increase chances that if
the flag carrier does get killed, another person can take the flag and
continue back to your own base. If your flag is taken, you cannot score, so
protection of the flag is extremely important. If the flag is taken, everyone
on defense should go after the enemy flag carrier, while the people on
offense should stay at base and protect the flag carrier, who should be
standing close to the flag stand so that if/when your team recovers your flag
you will be able to score quickly.
7.4 - Double Domination
Similar to King of the Hill modes in other games, there are two points on the
map which you can take over by stepping on them. Once both points are under
your team’s control, you must hold them for 10 seconds to score. If one is
captured by the enemy, the counter is reset. I suggest using close range
weapons like the Flak Cannon because most of the enemies that try to capture
a point will be at close range. If the enemy has both nodes, do everything
possible to capture one. Ignore the enemies, and make a mad dash for the point.
Dodge-Jumps help greatly. After a team has scored, the points become neutral
for 10 seconds, then can be captured again.
7.5 - Bombing Run
Similar to soccer (football to those of you outside North America). The
objective of this game mode is to get the ball in the middle of the map and
carry it to the enemy goal, then shoot or carry it through the goal. The ball
comes with a weapon; the Ball Launcher, which allows you to lock on to a
teammate (secondary fire) and launch the ball to them (primary fire). The
Ball Launcher is the only thing that can be used while holding the ball, so the
ball carrier needs some people to protect him or her. While you hold the ball,
you will automatically heal your health up to a maximum of 100. Once you get
the ball to the enemies’ goal, you can either throw the ball through the goal
for 3 points or jump through the goal with the ball for 7 points. However,
carrying the ball through the goal often leads to your death, as many of them
are positioned above death traps. If the ball carrier is killed, the ball is
dropped, and anyone can pick it up. The ball carrier can be distinguished by
the lines shown around him or her.
7.6 - Last man Standing
In this mode, everybody is spawned with all standard weapons. The objective is
to kill the enemies as much as you can. Each player only has a limited number
of lives, and the last person alive is the winner. An option in the menu allow
you to gain health by killing someone. If a person stays in one place too long,
a message is displayed notifying the other players that the player in question
is camping, and an arrow appears to show the direction to the camper. My
suggestion would be to use weapons that allow you to kill an enemy quickly
with little damage to yourself, though I don’t play this mode much either, so
I haven’t got many tips for it. If somebody who plays this mode regularly
could email me with some ideas, that would be great.
7.7 - Invasion
This is a complicated mode. There are waves of enemies that appear. You and
your teammates have to kill them all to progress to the next wave. If you die
during a wave, you do not respawn, but if one player survives to the next
wave all players are respawned. As the waves progress, more monsters of
increasingly difficult types are spawned. This mode does not actually have
winners, as it continues until the monsters defeat the entire team. The
monster difficulty can be changed through the bot difficulty setting in the
menu. I don’t really play this mode much, so I don’t have much for tips on
it. If somebody who likes this mode would Email me to give some more
information.
7.8 - Mutant
This mode starts out like a normal Deathmatch. When one player scores a kill,
he or she becomes the Mutant and gets all of the standard weapons and full
ammo, as well as the equivalent to the adrenaline combo Berserk. The other
players are teamed up against the mutant, and whoever kills the current
mutant becomes the next mutant. The mutant slowly loses health, but can heal
by scoring kills on other players. To gain points, a player must become the
mutant, then kill other players. A single kill is worth two points, but
chains of kills are worth more. For example, a Multi kill would score two
points for the initial kill, three for the second (Double kill) and four for
the third (Multi kill), a total of 9 points. Every step after Multi kill is
worth 4 points. As an added, optional, element, the player with the lowest
score becomes the Bottom Feeder, who can kill other players for points, until
he or she no longer has the lowest score, at which point the next lowest
scoring player will become the bottom feeder, and so on. The mutant scores
5 points for killing the Bottom Feeder. My tip would be to use weapons that
will let you kill enemies fast, as you need to kill enemies to stay alive.
More weapons fit into this category than normal, because of the Berserk
effect increasing the fire rate of your weapons. The standard Flak Cannon and
Rocket Launcher as usual, and some weapons like the Minigun and Link Gun work
well too.
7.9 - Assault
In this mode, each team has a different purpose. One team plays defense, one
team is the attackers. The attackers have to complete a series of objectives,
and the defenders have to prevent them from completing said objectives. The
objectives consist of two types. The first is that the attackers have to
stand on the objective until it is completed. These usually involve pulling
switches, operating computers, and planting explosives. The second consists
of objects that you must destroy with weapons fire. The objectives don’t
reset, so if you make it to an objective, get it halfway finished, then die,
the objective will stay at the point it was at when you were killed. Once all
of the objectives are complete or the time runs out the teams switch roles.
If the attackers completed the objectives, the timer is changed to the amount
of time that it took the attackers took to win. The new attackers must
complete the objectives faster to score a point. If they do not, the defenders
score. If, in the first round, the attackers do not complete the objectives,
the second round attackers simply have to complete the objectives to score.
For the attackers, Kamikaze missions are usually the best way to go. They are
also usually unavoidable, as if you do manage to make it to the objective, you
will almost certainly be killed quickly. The weapons used by both teams are
often quite similar, being the Flak Cannon and other powerful weapons. The
defenders often use the Sniper Rifle as well. I suggest, for the objectives
where you are required to destroy something, that you use the Biorifle if
you can. The charge up function works well because you can fire a shot that
does large damage in a short time. Weapons that can do a large amount of
damage per shot, even if they take a long time to re-charge, work well for
this type of objective because you can launch one shot for large damage rather
than many shots for small damage. This is important because you often will not
have enough time to fire enough weak shots to accumulate as much damage as one
large shot would do. If you are on defense, I suggest using weapons that you
would use normally for modes such as Deathmatch, as most often you will be
fighting a group of infantry. Another important thing to note is to use the
turrets. Many objectives have a turret provided for the defenders to use, and
the defenders should use it. Think about it; the turrets give you a weapon more
powerful than what you are likely to already have, unlimited ammo for it, and
make the user harder to kill. In this mode there is no reason to split your
team up like there is in Bombing Run and Capture the Flag, so the attackers
should have the entire team in a group going for the objective. By the same
token,the defenders should have the entire team defending the currentobjective.
7.10 - Onslaught
This is my favorite mode. The objective of this mode is to build Power Nodes
in a connect the dots fashion across the map to your enemies’ Power Core,
allowing you to attack and destroy it. The Nodes must be built in order - at
the start of the game the only node you can build will be the one connected
to your own Core. After that one is complete, you can build any node(s)
connected to that one, and so on. Enemy nodes can only be damaged if you have
a node connected to them. Nodes that cannot be damaged are covered by a
team-colored force field. Nodes that are available for capture have yellow
energy above them, and are shown on the map as white. When a node is
completed, vehicles will spawn at it and the turrets protecting it will
become operational. If the node is not currently under attack, players can
also spawn there. If you want, you can run into a friendly node and press the
use button (the button that lets you get into vehicles) to bring up a map of
the area. Click on another friendly node to teleport to that node. You can’t
teleport to or spawn at a node that is under attack. The most important
weapons in this mode are the Link Gun, AVRiL and the superweapons. The Link
Gun is crucial because it allows you to speed up the construction of and
repair Power Nodes, as well as repairing vehicles. Remember to link to other
teammates using the Link Gun to increase the construction boost. It is
important to always use the Link gun to boost the first node, because it will
often give your team a huge advantage; your team can have one node finished
and one or two more under construction while the enemies are still building
their first node. Ideally, all of the nodes would be boosted, but the later
ones won’t usually give quite as much of an advantage, so only boost the
later nodes if it is practical. The AVRiL is important because it is the only
infantry weapon that is reasonably effective against the vehicles, having been
designed just for the purpose of destroying vehicles. The AVRiL is actually
the best way to destroy many of the vehicles, and a few people with AVRiLs
can often change the course of a game. Another thing that can often change
the course of a game is the Leviathan. Fear it. Despite its incredible lack
of speed, if one of these things gets anywhere near your Core while it is
vulnerable, you are almost guaranteed to lose quickly. Two shots of the
Leviathan’s main cannon can obliterate the Core. One shot can take down a
node. The AVRiL isn’t quite as effective in this case, but it still is one
of the better things to use against a Leviathan. The best ways to take down
a Leviathan are several people with Link Guns linking to one person and that
person using his Link Gun to attack the Leviathan, and using another Leviathan.
Fortunately, the Leviathan is so slow that you will often have a long time to
destroy it, but beware of the homing missiles and turrets it has. Another bit
of advice I can give you is to not fear kamikaze attacks. All-or-nothing
kamikaze attacks are often the best way to attack the enemy Power Core. I also
suggest that you use the vehicles provided for you. They often provide
powerful weapons and armor, as well as transportation that is faster than
simply running. Also, many maps have at least one superweapon, which is always
useful. For offense, the good weapons to use against nodes include all of the
vehicle weapons, the Flak Cannon, the Link Gun, the Minigun, and the
Biorifle. Against vehicles you should use the AVRiL if possible. If not, the
Flak Cannon works well at short range, as well as the Rocket Launcher, Link
Gun, Grenade Launcher, and the Mine Layer. For fighting infantry, the same
weapons used in other modes work just as well here. On defense, the most
important tip I can give is to use the turrets stationed near nodes and the
Core. The turrets are powerful weapons, and will usually kill many enemies
before they even reach the object you are protecting, and destroy them shortly
after if they do. The last thing I can say is to tell you to protect the Power
Core with your character’s life, as it can’t be repaired, and if you die while
protecting the Core, it doesn’t matter much because you can just respawn.
Q: Can you send me any of the following:
A CD key
A CD Key Generator
The manual or part of it
A copy of this game
No-CD Cracks
Cheats, hacks, or trainers
A: No.
Q: Can you repair the Power Core?
A: No.
Q: Will you play with me online?
A: Probably not. I don’t play online much.
Q: How can I contact you?
A: See the Contact me section at the end of the guide.
This is all I could think of at the moment. If I get any questions I’ll
probably put them here.
My name is Brook Heisler. I’m 15, I live in Lanigan, a small mining/farming
town in central Saskatchewan (a province in Canada), and I like videogames
(obviously) and some science fiction. I own a Dell Inspiron 1150 laptop,
which I used to write this guide. I own or have owned every Nintendo system
but the Virtual Boy, Game Boy Pocket and GBA SP. I also own a PS1. At the
time I wrote this I was on summer break between Grades 10 and 11. I sometimes
play MMORPGs but that’s more something I do when I’m not working on other
projects like this or playing other games. I’m interested in computer
programming, math, and science (chemistry and physics) and hope to be a
computer programmer after college. As you may have seen from the guide, I
make an effort to be politically correct.
If you do send me an Email, I suggest you put “UT2K4 or something similar in
the subject line for a quicker reply. Even at the best of times, you probably
won’t see a reply for a few days, at least until school starts again. If you
send an email, avoid AOL/Leet/1337 speak if possible. Grammar and spelling is
a good thing too. Common abbreviations like “lol” are acceptable, though more
incomprehensible emails will probably be deleted immediately. I only speak
English, so French, German, etc will be deleted immediately. Don’t try to
contact me through MSN, as I am usually not on it, and if I am, you will
probably be blocked quickly. If you have a tip, hint or trick to submit to
me, spelling and grammar is a must. You will be credited for your submission.
If you have a question, look through the relevant section of the guide and
the Frequently Asked Questions section to see if your question has already
been answered. If not, you may Email me. Do not add me to your friend list,
address book or any similar object, as I don’t like viruses and many are
spread through those things.
All trademarks and copyrights contained in this document are owned by their
respective trademark and copyright holders.
The only websites with my permission to host this guide currently are
GameFAQs.com, GameSpot.com, and Neoseeker.com. If you see my guide on any
other site, please email me about it. If you would like to host this guide on
your site, Email me. I will almost certainly give you my permission to, and I
would like to know which sites are hosting my guides so I can keep them
informed of updates.
1.00 - Wednesday, August 10, 2005
I finished the guide. Every section is written, no *to be added* or
*incomplete* signs here.
1.01 -
Added Neoseeker.com to list of approved guides
