The Beginner's Guide to TACS

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So, you have just been converted, and you're a bit lost. Have no fear! This guide is intended to help explain TACS for beginners.

!profile
First off is !profile, which shows you what your stats are like when are undamaged, your modes, the names and levels of your attacks, your abilities, any protections, and skills. It should look something like this:

============================================ BASE STATS / MODE 1 Strength    -  55                     Intelligence -  70 Accuracy    -  80                     Leadership   -  60 Endurance   -  60                     Courage      -  70 Firepower   -  60                     Technical    -  70 Agility     -  60                     Energon      -  50 ________________ _____/ MODE 1 - Robot \_______________________________________________________ Size: 5  -   Velocity: 43   -   Armor: 50 Attacks: Blaster [4] Abilities: SCOUT ______________________ _____/ MODE 2 - Helicopter \_________________________________________________ Size: 5  -   Velocity: 60   -   Armor: 10 Attacks: Machine Gun [2] Abilities: CRACKSHOT

SKILLS Ghetto Bird, Bootlegging, Narc

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[ Use '!attacklist' for more specific attack info ]==============

!attacklist
!attacklist will give you more information on your attacks. It will tell you the name, damage level, attack type, damage type, any effects, and energon cost of the attack. It should look something like:

=========================[ Attack List for SKIDROW ]========================== Mode 1 [Robot] Blaster                [LVL 4: RANGED] Damage Type: ENERGY Effects   : ACCURATE Energon   : 8

Mode 2 [Helicopter] Machine Gun            [LVL 2: AREA-RANGED] Damage Type: BALLISTIC Energon   : 2

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[ See also '!globals' for the "free" global attacks ]=============

!attacks
!attacks shows you all the non-!global attacks that you currently have available. Usually, this is just whatever attacks you have in your current mode. However, it might be more. For example, if you are an Autobot and Fortress Maximus is in base mode, you might be allowed to man some of his guns via the Control effect. This uses your turn, not Fortress Maximus's turn, but it uses Fortress Maximus's energon, not your energon. Alternatively, you might have an object, like a demolition bomb, that has attacks that you can use.

!globals
!globals shows the free attacks that everyone gets. They look like this:

=====================[ Attack List for FREEBIE ATTACKS ]====================== Mode 1 [] Grab                          [LVL 0: MELEE] Damage Type: IMPACT Energon   : -4 Punch                         [LVL 1: MELEE] Damage Type: IMPACT Energon   : -1 Kick                          [LVL 2: MELEE] Damage Type: IMPACT Energon   : 2 Disruptor                     [LVL 1: RANGED] Damage Type: ENERGY Energon   : -1 Laser                         [LVL 2: RANGED] Damage Type: ENERGY Energon   : 2 Smash                         [LVL 3: MELEE] Damage Type: IMPACT Effects   : OUCH Energon   : 5 Ram                           [LVL 3: VELOCITY] Damage Type: IMPACT Effects   : OUCH Energon   : 5 Pistol                        [LVL 1: RANGED] Damage Type: BALLISTIC Energon   : -1

=
=================================================================

!globals can be renamed by using !attackname global=newname. So, Skidrow can rename his Punch to 'Derisive Slap' by using !attackname Punch=Derisive Slap. This renaming will be permanent until Skidrow changes it again.

damage level
The damage level of the attack is the maximum level you can use the attack. You can use the attack at lower levels, though. So you do not, for example, need a level 1 'Little Punch' impact melee attack, a level 2 'Bigger Punch' impact melee attack, and a level 3 'Biggest Punch' impact melee attack. To pull an attack, the syntax is: !attack/4 target=attackname. So, to attack Mixmaster with his Blaster at level 1, Skidrow would use, !attack/1 Mixmaster=Blaster. For Skidrow, pulling his Blaster to level 1 is usually better than usign the !global Disruptor, which is also level 1, because Skidrow's Blaster has the Accurate Effect. When Skidrow pulls his Blaster to level 1, it will cost the same energon to use as Disruptor, because the Accurate Effect does not add any energon cost to the attack.

attack type
The attack type of an attack is either Melee, Ranged, Velocity, Area-Melee, Area-Ranged, as can be seem in !combatinfo attack-type. Melee and Area-Melee attacks run off Strength. Ranged and Area-Ranged attacks run off Firepower. Velocity attacks run off Velocity.

When buying attacks, Area attacks cost 2 CP extra compared to normal attacks, to get the Area utility. Area attacks cost the same energon for one target as normal attacks do, so there is no harm in using an Area attack on just one opponent. For more than one opponent, Area attacks cost x*(n+1)/2 where x is the energon the attack costs for one target and n is the number of targets. To put it a little more simply, each target after the first costs half the energon of the first target. So, if Skidrow wanted to attack Mixmaster, Scrapper, and Hook with his Machine Gun, it would cost him 2+2/2+2/2=2+1+1=4 energon total. Unlike in the old system, damage is not divided in area attacks. They just cost more energon to use.

damage type
Damage types, all of which can be seen in !combatinfo damage-type, add flavour, for the most part. However, some people have Protections against a certain damage type, so attacks of that damage type will do less damage to them. Some people have Weaknesses against a certain damage types, attacks of that damage type will do more damage to them. The first damage type is free, when buying attacks, and any extra damage types cost 1 CP.

effects
Effects, as seen in !combatinfo effect, can make an attack better or worse. For example, the Overpowered effect will make an attack cost more energon to use. The Shatter effect will make an attack also damage the armour stat of the target. (Armour is now a 0-100 stat.) Good effects can be turned off with !cancel. So if Skidrow wanted to turn off his Accurate effect, he would use !cancel Accurate. If Skidrow wanted to turn Accurate back on, he would use !cancel Accurate again to turn it back on. !attacklist will tell you if you have !cancelled any effects. Some effects, like Shatter, add energon to the cost of the attack, so if you are running low on energon, you might want to turn them off. You might also want to !cancel effects if you are trying to go easy on an opponent or of you feel the effects are simply not thematically appropriate for the RP at the time. As a tip, it is not very useful, generally, to !cancel effects that do not increase the energon cost of the attack. Negative effects cannot be !cancelled.

transforming
Transforming is the name of the game, and to transform, you simply use !transform #, where # is the number of the mode you want. If you forget what mode you are in, you can use !curmode to check. If you don't like your alternate mode name, you can change it with !name #=newname, where # is the number of the laternate mode you would like to rename. Sorry, you cannot change your mode 1 name.

combat
In combat, there are a few more options now. The usual order of your turn will look like this:

1) Pose. About three lines are usually good. Be sure to react to any hits, and hits about 15 damage are usually pretty grievous.

2) Transform and/or set your defence level. This step is optional. You do not need to transform or adjust your defence level. You can if you want to, however. If you want to transform, you must transform before you attack (or do another option that burns a turn). If you want to adjust your defence level, you must do so before you attack (or do another option that burns a turn).

3) Attack or take another option that burns a turn. !inspire, !patch, !aim, !analyze, turning on a forcefield, !cloak, et cetera are examples of other options that burn a turn. So you cannot, for example, attack and !patch. The complete syntax to attack is !attack/# target=attack=newname, where # is the desired level, target is the intended victim, attack is the name of the attack, and newname is what the attack is temporarily being renamed to. So, if Skidrow wants to attack Mixmaster with a level 1 and call his Blaster 'Shot To The Face', he would use, !attack/1 Mixmaster=Blaster=Shot To The Face. You do not have to adjust attack level or temporarily rename the attack; these are optional. For Area attacks, the complete syntax is !attack/# target1,target2,target3=attack=newname, where you can have as many targets as you have energon to hit. If you are getting errors about hitting someone and they are in alternate mode, you will need to use their alternate mode name instead of their mode 1 name.

defence levels
Defence levels are listed under !defend. The default is neutral. The defence levels make trade-offs with Accuracy and Agility. To switch defence level, you use !defend levelname where levelname is the name of the defense level. If Skidrow is fighting Galvatron and he really does not want to get hit, because Galvatron is scary, he might !defend protected, which will boost his Agility but lower his Accuracy. If Skidrow was fighting someone who is very agile and hard to hit, he might !defend fearless to get an Accuracy bonus at the expense of Agility.

As a fun tactical application, a pair of allies can pull off a 'rope a dope' trick with defence levels. One can set himself Protected, so that the enemy has to go fearless to hit him. Then, while the enemy's Agility is impaired by Fearless, the second ally can pick him off.

The Hidden and Off-Guard defence levels do no apply to most people. When someone !cloaks or !sneaks, they are set into the Hidden defence level. If someone with the radar or Enhanced_Senses ability exposes the !cloaked or !sneaking person, that person will be set Off-Guard.

!systems
!systems will show your Endurance, energon level, stat damage, defence level, any combat flags like crippled, what mode you are in, and what attacks and abilities you have in the mode you are in. !syscheck is a shorter version of !systems.

non-attack options
These are non-attack options that burn a turn:


 * !analyze target or !analyze target=ally is command usable by those with the Scout ability. Gathering analysis data gives a damage bonus against the target. Using !analyze target=ally sends the data to the name ally instead an allows your friend to get a bonus. Thus, Scout is a good team-helping ability. !analyze target=ally uses the turn of the analyzer, not the ally.


 * !aim target gives an accuracy bonus against the target. While !aiming, you cannot change your defense level without losing your aim, much like you cannot aim at someone from a shadowy alley, jump over a fence, and keep your aim steady.


 * !patch target will give the target a little endurance and take up some of the energon of the !patcher. You can !patch yourself. Most people can only be !patched once, but Junkions can be !patched an arbitrary number of times in a battle. The Repair ability provides !patch to Transformers and Junkions. Humans can be !patched by people with the Heal ability. !patch uses the turn of the !patcher, not the !patchee.


 * !cloak allows people with the Cloak ability to vanish from sight at will. Doing so costs energon and gives them access to the Hidden defense level. While in the Hidden defence level, they cannot attack or be attacked, but they can !analyze to pass analysis data on to themselves or allies, !aim, and a few other things. They can de!cloak to sneak attack someone. It toggles on with !cloak/on and off with !cloak/off.


 * !sneak, useable by people with the Cloak ability, allows silent, stealthy movement. It can only be used before battle has actually begun and before the combat flag is set. Once you attack someone, they tend to notice you. !sneaking costs energon and gives access to the Hidden defense level. While in the Hidden defense level, they cannot attack or be attacked, but they can !analyze to pass analysis data on to themselves or allies, !aim, and a few other things. They can de!sneak to sneak attack someone. It toggles on with !sneak/on and off with !sneak/off.


 * !inspire target allows someone with the Inspire ability to raise the Courage of the target for the rest of the battle. This uses the turn of the !inspirer, not the !inspiree. You can only be !inspired once a battle.


 * !retreat is the action that you use to leave battle. It will let you know who is fast enough to take a parting shot at you.


 * !merge turns a combiner team into its combined form.


 * !refuel target let the user give the target some of his/her energon. This take the turn of the !refueller but not the !refuellee.


 * !junkdive is like a better version of !patch but only Junkions can use it and only on Planet Junk.


 * !pass gives you back some energon. It will give you back more if you are in a more aggressive defence level, but it will give back a minimum of 4 energon. A very few FCs have the Generate ability, which lets them make more energon during a !pass. You cannot buy Generate with AP.

running low on energon
Energon is much more fluid in the new system than in the old one. If you are running low on energon, you have several options:
 * You can !pass. This will give you a minimum of 4 energon, but at more aggressive defense levels, it will give you more energon.
 * A very small number of FCs have the Generate ability, which allows them to make more energon than usual when they !pass. This ability cannot be purchased.
 * You can use a low-level attack, if you want to recoup a little energon and still do some damage. A level 1 attack will usually give back 1 energon, if it doesn't have any effects that cost energon.
 * As an exception, a level 2 attack with the Efficient effect will give back 1 energon, if it doesn't have any effects that cost energon. A level 1 attack with the Efficient effect will give back 4 energon, if it doesn't have any effects that cost energon.
 * As a second exception, attacks with the Overpowered effect, which makes them use more energon than usual. Overpowered attacks will cost 2 energon at level 1, so Overpowered attacks are not good to use when low on energon.
 * You can use an attack with the Feed effect. If it hits, you will get 10 energon. This Feed effect could be represented as anything from your character gnawing on an opponent's arm to your character having a sci-fi gun that converts the kinetic energy of its recoil into energon. However, if you miss, you do not get the 10 energon.
 * A character with the refuel ability can !refuel your character, which gives you some of his or her energon. This burns the turn of the refueller but not the refuelee.

protections/weaknesses
For a complete list of what you can be protected from/weak to, look at !combatinfo protection. However, some people have Protections against a certain damage type, so attacks of that damage type will do less damage to them. Some people have Weaknesses against a certain damage types, attacks of that damage type will do more damage to them.

Most FCs don't need to worry about protections/weaknesses at all. Some FCs have unbalanced protections/weaknesses. FCs cannot add protections/weaknesses; they just get whatever makes sense, based off their tech spec and TFU profile.

OCs can pick protections/weaknesses at Chargen or during Conversion. For each protection, there must be exactly one weakness, and they must balance out. If you wanted +4 against Fire, with a value of 3, for example, and a weakness to Ballistic, with a value of 2, you would need -6 to Ballistic, because 4*3-6*2=0.

mode-variable stats
Sometimes, you may notice that under a mode, some stats are listed as different than the mode 1 stats. This means that, in that particular mode, you are better or worse in that particular stat. For example, Ape face is said to be extremely agile as an ape, so his ape mode Agility might be higher than his robot mode Agility. As another example, tapes usually have Strength, Velocity, and Agility equal to zero when they are in cassette mode, because they are little immobile objects.

velocity dodging
In your alternate mode, the system will automatically make you harder to hit by melee attacks but ranged attacks will still have the same hit rate. For example, it is very hard to punch a speeding motorcycle, but shooting a speeding motorcycle with a laser is relatively easy. The higher your alternate mode velocity, the better you will velocity dodge. For example, you might be able to run up and punch a car, but punching a jet in flight, which is a lot faster than a car on the ground, would take a lot of skill.

ability-based dodging
In certain rooms, people with the old movement abilities will gain a slight bonus to dodging. This bonus is based off the velocity of whatever mode they are in that has the ability. The abilities are: Flight, Space-Flight, Space-Walk, FTL, Swim, and Dive. For example, if you are in a sky room and do not have Flight, you could pose that you are shooting out the side of a shuttle, but someone who can actually fly will dodge better than someone not designed to work well in sky rooms. Because it is based off the velocity stat, for example, jets in sky rooms who can also fly in robot mode will get a bigger bonus to dodging as a jet than as a robot, because they fly faster as jets than as robots.

combat spam
If you are having trouble keeping track of stuff in combat, combat spam can help! Type @set me=COMBAT_SPAM to enable the following features:


 * Notifies you of how much energon you spent
 * Gives you the 'real' details of any attack against you

ammunition
Ammunition is an alternative to energon-based attacks. If an attack is ammunition-based, it will have the Ammo effect listed under !attacklist. Ammunition attacks do not use any energon. Instead, they have a certain amount of ammunition. usually, for each shot, one ammo is used up. Some attacks share an ammunition bin. If you use the same Missile attack in robot mode and alternate mode, you might only have two missile total, so if you use up a missile as a robot and transform, you'll only have one missile left in alternate mode. Attacks that cost no energon sound great! However, for each ammo attack that you have, your energon bin is lowered by 10. Most people have an energon bin of 50. Some really powerful characters or refuellers or otherwise appropriate characters may have higher bins. However, people with ammo attacks will usually have energon bins below 50. It is a trade-off. Once a week, the gumby will !reload you for free, and certain player characters have the Resupply ability, which allows them to !reload you. Note, just because an attack ICly has ammunition does not mean that you need to give it the Ammo effect, codewise. It is perfectly okay to pose loading bullets into a gun that uses energon, codewise.

Unlike energon-based attacks, using ammo-based attacks at below their maximum level is generally not very useful. So if you have a level 5 ammo attack, pulling it down to level 2 is probably not a great idea. Energon attacks cost less energon when pulled to lower levels, but ammo attacks don't give you anything back when you pull them to lower levels. You can still pull ammo attacks to lower levels or cancel their positive effects if you want to be nice to someone and go easy on him/her, of course, but people with ammo still have !globals if they want low-levels attacks with no positive effects, too.

How do I hit this guy?
One question we see a lot of from new players is "I can't ever seem to hit this spaceship/Seeker/Aerialbot/Blurr, what can I do?" Well, with Blurr you might be out of luck, but for the other three, there are several methods that characters can use in order to increase their chances of landing a solid hit, apart from simply increasing your Accuracy stat.


 * The Fearless stance - Using !stance fearless will make all of your attacks much more accurate. It doesn't cost any energon to do, and everyone can do it. However, it also makes you much easier to hit as well, so watch out for your opponent or their allies who may take this opportunity to unload a big hit on you in retaliation!


 * An ACCURATE attack - The ACCURATE effect makes a certain attack more accurate. It doesn't cost any extra energon to use ACCURATE with an attack, and it doesn't require you to use an extra turn, but it does cost 2CP, so an attack with ACCURATE will be 2 ranks weaker than an attack of the same CP cost without ACCURATE.


 * A CRIPPLE attack - If your attack has the CRIPPLE effect on it, it isn't any more accurate, but it makes your opponent less likely to dodge the next attack made against them after you hit them with CRIPPLE. CRIPPLE by itself may not seem as good as ACCURATE, but it is useful if you want to make a big expensive attack in the following round but you're worried that it will miss and use up all your energon/ammunition, or if you want to help one of your allies to hit your target.


 * Transform small - There are advantages to being little. If you can transform so that you're smaller than your opponent, you are more likely to hit them AND more likely to dodge their hits. On the downside, you also take more damage from their melee or velocity attacks, and you deal less damage to them with your melee or velocity attacks.


 * A NO-SIZE attack - If you have an enormous mode (hello Broadside) and you don't want to transform out of it, you may be able to use an attack with the NO-SIZE effect on it. This makes you effectively the same size as your opponent for the purposes of only this attack. For normally sized people, NO-SIZE is much less effective than ACCURATE or CRIPPLE, but we're just throwing it out there for those who are truly vast (hello Broadside).


 * Transform accurate - If one of your modes has a higher ACC than another (hello Warpath), use the more accurate mode.


 * A STUN attack - STUN is the big brother of CRIPPLE. While CRIPPLE makes an opponent easier to hit with the next attack made against them by anyone, STUN guarantees it. If you don't miss them with the STUN attack itself, of course. Stuns also oblige the victim to "lose a turn." People are often sensitive about being stunned because it gives them very little to do besides stand there and get beat up, so if you have the STUN effect, try to use it the way you would like to have it used on you, and don't stun people so often that their end of the scene becomes dull!


 * Use guns - Thanks to velocity-dodging, altmodes are harder to hit than robot modes of the same AGL. Some altmodes that have especially high VEL are much harder to hit. Particularly if you find yourself fighting in a hostile environment that they're built to handle, such as in the ocean with Seaspray. Ranged attacks are more accurate than melee attacks, against vel-dodging opponents.

Still confused?
Still confused? First, take a look at +help NewCombat and the rest of the TACS files on the wiki and see if your question is covered there. If you can't find it, try asking on the &lt;Combat Discussion&gt; channel, where most of the Conversion admin and ex-beta testers hang out.