===========================
VOOT Special Moves FAQ v1.0
<< Christopher "XAQ" Tan >>
===========================
========
Contents
========
* FAQ version info
* Introduction
* Terminology
* Special moves
- Ajim - Angelan - Apharmd B/S - Bal series
- Cypher - Dordray - Fei-Yen Kn - Grys-vok
- Raiden - Specineff - Temjin
* Acknowledgements
* Legalese
================
FAQ version info
================
v1.0 6 June 98. Updated the following special moves:
- Self-nuke (Ajim)
- Angelan's wings: vampire staff spray
- Flying kick / Air Dive (Apharmd B/S)
- Infinite sonic rings (Apharmd B)
- Black hole, pyramid trap, reflect laser (Bal-Series)
- Infinite dagger (Cypher)
- ICBM (Grys-vok)
- Speed for health (Raiden)
- Multi-fireball, Death Mode (Specineff)
v0.6 14 May 98. Talk about instant feedback! Robert DeLoura sent me
his weeks-old English translation of VOOT material found at the
following URL -- http://www2.tky.3web.ne.jp/~tuxedo/Von/index.html
Thanks, Robert! :) Most of the special moves were briefly
described in his post, so in order to avoid making this FAQ
an exercise in redundancy, I'll try to go into more detail
about usage constraints, strategies, etc. The FAQ has also
been reorganized somewhat, and several blanks have been filled
in, so I don't really want to list all the changes here. Heh.
v0.5 FAQ created on 13 May 98. Many parts are still sketchy,
but I'm releasing the FAQ early in order to get quick
feedback from VOOT players.
============
Introduction
============
Special moves are a staple of most one-on-one combat games.
Some may be highly damaging attacks, some may have defensive
applications, and some are just there for the novelty value.
In addition to strategic usage, special moves also tend to be
visually stunning, hence their appeal to video gamers.
The original Virtual On (VOOM) featured only 3 special attacks:
Temjin's Gliding Ram, Viper II's SLC Dive, and Dorkas' Mega
Spinning Hammer. However, in Virtual On Oratorio Tangram (VOOT),
just about every VR has a special move, and some have more than one.
Special moves have been posted to the rec.games.video.arcade (RGVA)
newsgroup in dribs and drabs, but not in an organized manner. In
this short FAQ, I hope to compile all the information out there on
special moves into a single list for the benefit of all VOOT players.
Once the Ultimate VOOT website (http://www.cybertroopers.com/voot) is
revamped, a copy of this FAQ will be always be available there.
If there are any additions or corrections to be made, please
feel free to email me at Chris (at) Cybertroopers (dot) com.
Enjoy reading, and happy gaming! :)
===========
Terminology
===========
Move execution is described using the following terminogy:
RW Right weapon
LW Left weapon
CW Central weapon (RW + LW)
RT Right turbo
LT Left turbo
BT Both turbos (RT + LT)
START Start button
Jump Pull both sticks apart
Crouch Push both sticks inwards (also: jump-cancel)
Airdash Dash while in the air
DblJump Jump, and jump again while in the air
"+" means press the buttons/sticks simultaneously, while
"," means press the buttons/sticks sequentially.
For trigger/dash button combinations, the "+" is dropped for the
sake of convenience. The weapon is listed before the turbo.
eg1. DblJump, CW:
Execute jump command twice, then hit both triggers.
eg2. Crouch CWLT
Push sticks inward and SIMULTANEOUSLY press RW + LW + LT.
Each special move has the following details:
(E) Execution
(D) Description
(U) Usage constraints
(+) Advantages
(-) Disadvantages
(X) Extra notes (if any)
Square brackets [...] denote uncertainty in the information.
Contributions/confirmations are most definitely welcome!
=============
Special moves
=============
Virtuaroids (VRs) listed in alphabetical order.
----
Ajim
----
Self-nuke:
(E) Left stick UP + Right stick DOWN + CW
(D) Ajim stops moving, twirls around the same spot several times,
and then causes an explosion with himself at the center.
(U) Anytime all three weapons gauges are nearly full
(+) Serious damage to any VR in the vicinity of the explosion.
(-) Ajim loses 50% of available health. Also, if the enemy VR is
not killed in the explosion, Ajim is extremely vulnerable to
projectile and CC attacks for the next five seconds or so,
during which time Ajim's body reforms around the torso diamond.
(X) If Ajim is hit while spinning, the move terminates prematurely.
Hence executing the move behind cover is always advisable.
Also, because of his vulnerability after the move is executed,
a good time to use the self-nuke is when you're down to a
little bit of life left, and the opponent does not have enough
health to survive the blast. Another possibility is to use the
move when the enemy is on the floor, timing the explosion to
coincide with the end of invulnerability phase for the enemy.
-------
Angelan
-------
Angelan's wings:
(E) Crouch + START
(D) Angelan grows a set of giant blue/purple wings which last
for approximately 15 seconds
(U) You can execute this move again (and again) after you lose your wings
(+) Speed is augmented greatly
(-) Angelan loses 50% of available health
(X) Vampire staff spray: close combat RTRW adds enemy's life to
Angelan's when she has wings
-----------
Apharmd B/S
-----------
Flying kick / Air Dive:
(E) Jump, fwd airdash, CW
(D) Apharmd B does a flying kick, with the help of his jet thrusters.
Apharmd S does an air dive, also with the help of his jet thrusters.
You can also do a Jump, side airdash -> fwd airdash, CW.
Basically, as long as you end up in a fwd airdash, this move works.
The same principle applies to Temjin's Gliding Ram and
Cypher's SLC dive.
(U) Anytime CW gauge is nearly full
(+) Pretty decent damage *if* you connect
(-) Limited range, no homing ability (straight line travel only)
(X) Useful against heavy VRs that can't move much laterally when landing
Hyperization:
(E) Dbljump, CW
(D) A white glow forms beneath Apharmd, who then hovers slowly to
the ground. The white glow stays for the next [10?] seconds.
(U) Move can be performed only once per credit (ie. only once per
entire game vs CPU, and once per enemy challenger)
(+) Apharmd gets a speed boost once he touches down after the move
is executed. Reports also say that his weapons are more damaging,
and that he takes less damage per hit, but this is unconfirmed.
Other people have said that some V.Armor is restored, but this
didn't happen when I tried it out.
(-) The long initial hover time makes him vulnerable to attack,
especially just before he lands. The short duration of the speed
boost is also a minus point.
(X) Conceivably, this move can be used to escape from the enemy
in the last few seconds of a close game.
Infinite sonic rings: (Apharmd B only)
(E) Walk to your right, then move sticks forward-right and press CW.
Then, keep holding CW and wiggle sticks between the right and
forward-right positions (something like half-rowing).
Do not wiggle the sticks too fast -- there is a certain rhythm
to the motion. You can also "half-row" to the left. (Some reports
have said that this move can be performed while jumping as well.)
(D) If done correctly, the sonic rings will come out in an endless
stream without depleting Apharmd B's CW gauge.
(U) Anytime there is enough ammo in the CW gauge to fire a sonic ring
(+) Sonic rings do pretty decent damage at mid- to long-range.
Good for harrassment value, and for catching landing opponents.
(-) Loss of mobility when performing this move
----------
Bal-Series
----------
Black Hole, Pyramid Trap, Reflect Laser:
(E) Launch all four ERLs (limbs), then do one of the following:
Standing RTCW - Black Hole
Crouch RTCW - Pyramid Trap
Jump RTCW - Reflect Laser
(D) The black hole sucks all enemy projectiles into itself; the pyramid
trap limits enemy's freedom of motion if trapped in the pyramid;
the reflect laser fires a series of highly damaging lasers.
(U) CW gauge must be 100% to execute the move
(X) Hirotoshi Shimizu's Bal Mania website has tons of info on the
different ways you can execute and use Bal-Bados' special moves.
Check it out at http://www2.jps.net/~shimizu/kenbanya/index.html
------
Cypher
------
SLC dive:
(E) Jump, fwd airdash, CW
(D) Cypher transforms into an aircraft (in Japanese: Wave Rider),
with a surrounding arrow-shaped glow.
(U) Anytime all three weapons gauges are nearly full
(+) Very damaging move, if you're good at piloting in jet mode.
SLC lasts pretty long [13 seconds?], as long as you do not hit
the arena boundary or an obstacle within that time frame.
(-) Unlike Viper II's SLC dive in VOOM, which homed in on the
opponent, this SLC requires the user to steer towards the enemy.
Even worse, Cypher is NOT invulnerable in the SLC dive. Geez.
Jet mode:
(E) Dbljump, START
(D) Cypher transforms into a jet (without the glow). Steer left
by pushing left joystick back and right joystick forward.
Steer right by doing the reverse. Climb by pulling both
sticks back, dive by pushing both sticks forward. Hover in
the same spot by pressing and holding the turbo button.
Transform back by pressing START. Cypher will remain in jet
mode for 13 seconds, but will revert to normal mode if the
user hits the arena boundary, an obstacle, or the ground.
RW is a two-shot vulcan, CW is a single homing beam, LW is
a 4-way missile. From jet mode, Cypher can execute SLC by
simply pressing CWBT.
(U) Cypher can transform anytime all three weapons gauges are
nearly full (but unlike the SLC, no ammo is used).
(+) Flying around and keeping at high altitudes makes it hard
for other VRs (especially the slower ones) to target Cypher.
Unlike the standard SLC, the Jet->SLC does NOT require any
weapons gauge to be full! :)
(-) V.Armor does not work while Cypher is in jet mode, so any
projectile that hits him will hurt bad. Targeting also
seems to be a problem.
(X) Try this out: transform into a jet, hover, launch 4-way,
launch homing, launch 4-way again, and immediately follow
up with SLC! :-0
Infinite dagger:
(E) Wiggle left joystick sideways while tapping LW rapidly
(D) Cypher fires an endless stream of sets of 3-4 daggers
(U) Anytime there is enough ammo in the LW gauge to fire a dagger
(+) Good for catching landing or walking opponents in front and
slightly to the right of Cypher.
(-) Cypher has to stay pretty still when doing this. Also, the
daggers travel towards the forward-right arc, so this limits
the move's usefulness
(X) If you're right handed and you can't wiggle the left stick fast
enough, try this: keep pressing LW rapidly, but wiggle the right
stick instead. (I can get 10 or more sets of 3 daggers this way)
-------
Dordray
-------
Giant mode:
(E) START (Dordray must be standing still)
(D) Dordray grows to three times his original height, and obstacles
and the enemy VR all seem puny in comparison.
(U) Once per game [and once per challenger?]
(+) Uh, to borrow a phrase from the new Godzilla movie: "Size DOES
matter". I'm not sure if all the projectiles grow larger and/or
cause more damage.
(-) Takes a long time for the transformation to be complete.
During the interim period, Dordray cannot move, and if he
gets hit by an enemy projectile, the transformation
terminates prematurely.
(X) If projectiles increase in size, then the Stun Rings (CW) have
a much higher chance of connecting, and you can follow up with
the Ram (Fwd + LWLT).
Mega Spinning Drill:
(E) Left stick UP + Right stick DOWN + CW
(D) Similar to Dorkas' old MSH. Dordray extends his drill and spins
three times, moving towards the enemy. A close combat attack.
(U) Anytime the CW gauge is nearly full
(+) Good damage if it hits. Unsure whether a CC attack can be
cancelled into an MSD. Dordray's MSD has a much shorter startup
time than Temjin's spinning sword.
(-) MSD cannot be cancelled once the command is executed.
[It should be blockable as well]
(X) Useful if you know an enemy is going to land somewhere
around you, but you don't know exactly where.
----------
Fei-Yen Kn
----------
Hyper mode:
(E) Automatic
(D) Fei-Yen turns gold when hyper mode is activated.
(U) Hyper mode occurs when Fei-Yen's life is reduced to <50%.
Obviously, this happens only once per round, max.
(+) All weapons become more damaging, including close combat attacks.
(-) None...
(X) ...apart from the fact that you're walking around at less than
half your health.
--------
Grys-vok
--------
ICBM:
(E) Crouch + START
(D) Grys-vok crouches and launches one bigass missile. Several
seconds later, you see the selfsame monster missile heading
straight down towards the enemy VR. Pretty funny, actually.
(U) Once per game [and once per challenger?]
(+) Good damage with a decent blast radius. Also very effective in
reducing Virtual Armor.
(-) Grys-vok stalls in a crouch for just a brief moment. The ICBM
itself also travels slowly. Also, Grys-vok can be damaged by
his own ICBM blast!
(X) Another version of the ICBM is Crouch RTCW (requires 100% CW gauge,
but can be performed multiple times in a round)
------
Raiden
------
Machine gun:
(E) Wiggle right joystick sideways while tapping RW rapidly.
(D) Raiden fires bazooka shots faster than normal.
(U) Move can be performed as long as there is ammo in the RW gauge.
(+) Speeds up Raiden's slow rate of fire.
(-) Raiden has to stay pretty still when doing this. The RW gauge
also tends to run out of ammo after a few shots.
Speed for health: (hmm... sounds like a drug)
(E) Dbljump, START
(D) Raiden sheds his armor a la Fighting Vipers (f,b,f,b,P+K+G).
(U) Once per round
(+) Raiden becomes highly mobile -- walking and dash speeds
are faster and rotational speed is augmented.
(-) Raiden loses 90% of his health in exchange for greater
mobility. Virtual Armor is reduced to zero.
(X) I'm not sure you'd want to do this unless you have, like,
1% life remaining, in which case losing 0.9% isn't that
big a deal.
---------
Specineff
---------
Death mode:
(E) START, START (Specineff must be standing still)
(D) A death-mode counter appears in the lower right hand corner
of the screen. No visible changes from the enemy's standpoint.
(U) Once per round
(+) Total invulnerability from all weapons for 13 seconds
(-) Um, well... Specineff dies in 13 seconds.
(X) If a player executes Death Mode when the match timer has less
than 13 seconds remaining, Specineff will die when time runs
out, unless the enemy is killed before that.
Machine gun:
(E) Wiggle right joystick sideways while tapping RW rapidly.
(D) Specineff fires long launcher shots faster than normal.
(U) Move can be performed as long as there is ammo in the RW gauge.
(+) Speeds up Specineff's slow rate of fire.
(-) Specineff has to stay pretty still when doing this. The RW gauge
also tends to run out of ammo after a few shots.
Multi-fireball:
(E) Left stick UP + Right stick DOWN + LW
(D) Specineff fires 8-10 small plasma balls in the forward arc
(U) Anytime the LW gauge is nearly full
(+) Near guaranteed hit at close- to mid-range in forward arc
(-) Plasma balls have bad homing capabilities and so-so damage.
LW gauge also takes a long time to recharge.
Sliding tackle:
(E) Fwd dash, crouch + CW
(D) With the help of his jet thrusters, Specineff slides forward
feet first (think of SF M.Bison and you'll know what I mean).
(U) Anytime all three weapons gauges are full
(+) Good damage if it connects
(-) Non-homing -- you need to steer Specineff left and right.
I don't think you are invulnerable either, so the sliding
tackle has the same deficiencies as Cypher's SLC. Worse,
the range for the tackle is pretty short, and when the move
terminates, Specineff's weapons take a pretty long time
to recharge. :(
------
Temjin
------
Machine gun:
(E) Wiggle right joystick sideways while tapping RW rapidly.
(D) Temjin fires a near-continuous stream of beam rifle shots.
Note that the machine gun is executed differently from VOOM,
which required the player to alternate RW and crouch commands.
(U) Move can be performed all the time, as the RW gauge replenishes
faster than the rate at which ammo is used up.
(+) Good for harrassment value. The beams seem to move slightly
faster as well.
(-) Temjin has to stay pretty still when doing this.
(X) If you're bad at timing your dash shots to hit a landing
opponent, this is a decent alternative.
Spinning sword:
(E) Left stick UP + Right stick DOWN + CW
(D) Similar to Dordray's MSD. Temjin stalls for half a second as
he readies his beam sword, then spins three full rounds while
moving towards the enemy.
(U) Anytime the CW gauge is nearly full
(+) Good damage if it hits. Unsure whether a CC attack can be
cancelled into a spinning sword.
(-) Spinning sword cannot be cancelled once the command is executed.
[It should be blockable as well]
(X) Reverse spinning sword: Left stick DOWN + Right stick UP + CW
Surfing ram:
(E) Jump, fwd airdash, CW
(D) Temjin's sword transforms into a glowing surfboard upon
which Temjin stands, as he seeks out the enemy.
(U) Anytime all three weapons gauges are nearly full
(+) Unlike the original gliding ram in VOOM, the surfing ram homes
toward the enemy pretty well, and connects for good damage too!
(-) Miss the enemy, and you surf all the way to the arena boundary
(or till you hit an obstacle). Also, Temjin is pretty vulnerable
when he lands, especially so because his weapons are all zeroed out.
Temjin is not invulnerable when doing the gliding ram either.
(X) Extremely useful when you want to catch someone as he lands.
Also has its use against Cypher players who keep using
the super low altitude airdash (SLD) in order to fire 2 weapons.
================
Acknowledgements
================
I read a few of the special moves on RGVA, but can't remember
all of the contributors... if you think you were the first to
post a special move, please email me and I will add your
name to this list in the next revision. :)
Alan Tan Cypher stuff
Mark Nguan Temjin stuff
Monomiyu Apharmd stuff
Natas Raiden stuff
Robert DeLoura Translation of Japanese FAQ
Tirah Dragonfire Angelan stuff
Hirotoshi Shimizu Bal-Series stuff
Thanks also to the other Singapore VOOT regulars whom I've sparred against:
Lip Seng, Rolander, Jia Kang, Jia Kun, Mark, Jeffrey, etc.
========
Legalese
========
Feel free to download and print out this FAQ for yourself and
your friends. I would appreciate it if people AVOID DOING the
following things, however:
- charging people for this FAQ
- chopping off the header and the acknowledgements section
and sending the truncated FAQ to others
- appending some extra information to this FAQ and trying
to pass it off as your own work
Videogame magazines, some of which are notorious for ripping
off information from the net, should take special note.
Information in electronic form is STILL copyrighted material.
Stealing information for commercial use is a violation of
intellectual property rights and therefore illegal; besides,
news travels fast over the internet, and ripping information
is the best way to anger the videogaming community (read:
bad for business in the long run).
======================================================================
(
geocities.com/tokyo/flats) (
geocities.com/tokyo)