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Whoopass IV Game Manual

You are a robot thrust into a competitive arena with other robots. To survive, you must collect the resources and treasure in the world before other robots do. You must also be able to defeat other robots in head-to-head combat. If you defeat them, you'll gain experience. There's also a chance you could receive one of their possessions or learn one of their skills.

Robots

Each human player can choose to either be a Johnny-Class robot or a Hover-Class robot.. They have slightly different behaviors, but the main distinction at this point is aesthetic.

There's another type of robot that inhabits the world: the Dalek-Class. These robots are computer players and somewhat nasty. If they see you, they'll try to go after you. They're pretty stupid and easy to kill, however, so it makes sense to tackle a bunch of Daleks before you try to defeat a human player.

Johnny-Class

Hover-Class

Dalek-Class

The World

There are a bunch of objects in the world that you need to recognize:

Safe Zones

Each robot begins the game in its personal safe zone. Here, you'll find your refinery (the cone in the middle). You can never be attacked when you are within your own safe zone. In fact, if another robot tries to even enter your safe zone, it will start losing energy at an alarming rate.

Teleporters

Teleporters beam robots to other parts of the world. You can't enter a teleporter if the other end is blocked by another robot. Some teleporters are invisible -- you'll need to use your sonar to locate those.

Energon Crystals

As robots move around the world and use their special skills, they use up varying amounts of energy. Once they have been properly refined, these blue crystals will replenish a robot's energy supply. The largers the crystals, the bigger the yield so it is best not to harvest energon when it is very immature.

Energon has a short life cycle. Once it has reached maturity, it will start to slowly wane until it disappears. As old energon patches die, new energon crops are born into the world.

Chests

Chests contain weapons, armor, and items a robot can use in the world. Try to open them before your opponents do!

Actions

A robot can perform a variety of actions in the world:

Refining energon

Once you have collected enough energon ore, you should go back to your safezone. In the middle of your safe zone is your refinery. If you face your refinery, all of your energon crystals will be refined into energon cubes, which you can use at any time to replenish your energy.

Sonar

Every robot is equipped with a sonar capability that allows it to perceive invisible objects. Teleporters, chests, and other robots can all potentially be invisible. Sonar costs quite a bit of energy, however, so you want to be a little careful how you use it. Press 's' to send a sonar ping.

Fighting Robots

If you face another robot and hit <ENTER> you'll engage in battle with it. A battle shield will descend upon the pair of you as you duel. This prevents other robots from trying to interfere in your battle. If you win the duel, you'll receive experience and perhaps one of the robot's possessions or skills. If you lose, your stats will be lowered and you'll be immediately returned to your safe zone. You might also lose a possession to your vanquisher.

Note that you cannot attack another robot if it is already engaged in battle. You also cannot attack a robot that is in its safezone.

Using Items

You can use items by pressing <F1> to bring up the menu and selecting the "Item" option. From there, just pick the item you'd like to use. To cancel or remove the menus at any time, hit <ESC>.

Using Skills

You can use a skill by pressing <F1> to bring up the menu and selecting the "Skill" option. From there, just pick the skill you'd like to use. To cancel or remove the menus at any time, hit <ESC>

Special Items

There are some special items in the world to look for. Some of them are:

Sonar Amplifier: increases the range of your sonar
Pcket Refinery: allows you to refine energon anywhere, but at a lower rate of ore-to-cube conversion
Pocket Teleporter: sends you to a random teleport pad
Constructor: creates a temporary wall in the world.

Hint: there's one chest in the world that you won't be able to get without the constructor and the pocket teleporter.

Keyboard Map

up arrows

Moves the robot forward

Menu mode: Moves the selection arrow up.

down arrow

Moves the robot backward.

Menu mode: Moves the selection arrow down.

left arrow

Turns the robot 45 degrees to its left.

right arrow

Turns the robot 45 degrees it its right.

spacebar

Clears the move queue. (Useful if you've been holding down the keys and have overshot your target)

F12

Zoom in. Puts you in a first-person view mode.

F11

Zoom out. Puts you in a third-person over-the-shoulder view mode.

F1

Display menu. (In battle mode, menus are activated automatically)

F9

Toggle the display of the mini-status box. Shows your hitpoints and energon, as well as the mount of energon ore (crystals) you have collected.

ESC

Cancel menu action.

ENTER

If you're in front of a chest, it opens the chest. When pressed when you're in front of a robot, ENTER initiates battle with that robot.

Menu mode: selects the currently highlighted option.

s

Sends a sonar ping

x

Toggle sound effects

m

Toggle CD music.

q

Quits the game.

	Safe Zones	Each robot begins the game in its personal safe zone. Here, you'll find your refinery (the cone in the middle). You can never be attacked when you are within your own safe zone. In fact, if another robot tries to even enter your safe zone, it will start losing energy at an alarming rate.
	Teleporters	Teleporters beam robots to other parts of the world. You can't enter a teleporter if the other end is blocked by another robot. Some teleporters are invisible -- you'll need to use your sonar to locate those.
	Energon Crystals	As robots move around the world and use their special skills, they use up varying amounts of energy. Once they have been properly refined, these blue crystals will replenish a robot's energy supply. The largers the crystals, the bigger the yield so it is best not to harvest energon when it is very immature. Energon has a short life cycle. Once it has reached maturity, it will start to slowly wane until it disappears. As old energon patches die, new energon crops are born into the world.
	Chests	Chests contain weapons, armor, and items a robot can use in the world. Try to open them before your opponents do!