Attack on Titan: Tribute Game Tutorial Compilation

Since I posted this elsewhere today, I thought I should do it on my own blog too! :P

Feng Lee's Attack on Titan browser game is awesome, has lots of updates, and is doing so well that other people have decided to try make their own versions of it. If you don't know what Attack on Titan (aka Shingeki no Kyojin) is, then I suggest either watching the anime or reading the manga first to avoid spoilers.

You can play Feng Lee's game here.

Now, Feng's game does come with a steep learning curve though so I decided to compile a bunch of tutorials to hopefully make things easier for you. :)

A few tips from me first!

-You'll probably find your mouse goes crazy once actually in a game. Press "C" to toggle the camera until it is one you are comfortable with.

-Spacebar fires two un-aimed cables. Don't use it. Use Q and E to launch individual cables, or press both to launch simultaneous cables.

-You can alternate between Q and E to "walk" up a tree or the back of a titan. Remember: their only weakness is the back of the neck.

Ok, onto the video tutorials. I've tried my best to arrange them in order of easiest to what I think is the most difficult.

Characters Specials
Characters Stats 1.1
Titan Training Basics
Sparrow Strike
Spring Pocket Strike Part 1
Spring Pocket Strike Part 2
Air Equator

That's it! Hopefully we can meet up to save humanity some time! ^_~

Warframe General Tips

It only took me to get to Rank 10 Mastery before deciding to post this, (I'm slow!) but hopefully this short cheat sheet will prove handy to some new players of Warframe on the PC.

Damage Type Basics

There are three main damage types which directly relate to the three main factions:

Corpus are weak against Impact
Grineer are weak against Puncture
Infested are weak against Slash

Combined elemental damage types give extra beneficial effects (and will perform better) but at the base level that's all you need to get by.

Speed Running

These are some of the combos I know of to make your Tenno move at the best speed possible. Some require dextrous fingers but a little bit of practice and you'll have it down in no time. I am assuming you have the standard key bind in this guide (left hand on keys / right hand on mouse), and have arranged the moves from easiest to hardest but ultimately none are really that hard.

Horizontal Wall Running  
SHIFT + W + SPACE (and keep it down) while aiming at a wall at an angle. Too sharp and you will attempt to run directly up (vertical Wall run).
I find it faster than normal running on the ground.
Your warframe ignores the laws of physics while doing this and will only stop running along the wall if:

• it hits an obstacle or runs out of wall
• you let go of SPACE at which point your Tenno will launch off in the same direction
• you press E to do a wall spring attack that is more controllable than letting space go, but doesn't take you as far

Regular Slide Attack
SHIFT + W + CTRL + E
Use your the tip of your pinky finger to press and hold down SHIFT at the start then press down on CTRL with the rest of it once you are running
Makes you move a bit further than just sliding without attacking (without + E)
Extra distance traveled depends on melee weapon equipped
Also nice to damage enemies in the way

Forward Somersault
SHIFT + W + CTRL + SPACE
Stepping stone to get to the final move. Not that useful in the larger scope of things.
Like the previous move, pinky finger presses both SHIFT and CTRL
Add + E at the end to finish Somersault with a smash if you are landing in a cluster of enemies

Limited Flight
SHIFT + W + SPACE + CTRL + E (before you hit the ground)
Outside Warframe specific powers this is one of the fastest ways to move across the map
Basically a slide attack in mid-air, breaking more laws of physics and traveling insane distances
Extra distance depends on your melee weapon. Daggers are supposedly some of the best for "flight".
Should have a master rank, two-keypress pinky finger by now from the previous two moves. :P

Don't let the key combinations scare you. If you really just want to practice, the most accessible place for everyone would be any Exterminate mission on Mercury.

Fastest Way to Level Mastery Rank:

Just plugging this in since some people may have come here looking for it. Instead of a to-do mission list, here are three simple tips to help you out:

1 - Play with squad mates (even randoms) when you can, and stay near them (at least one of them) at all times.
2 - Do not bring anything that doesn't need leveling which you feel you can survive without.
3 - Keep your eyes open for Alert and Infestation Outbreak Mobile Defense and Defense missions as its easier to find PUGs in them.

That's it! Nothing really most veteran Warframe players wouldn't know but for anyone that didn't, I hope this helped! Have fun! ^_^

Teaching an old dog new Tricks

My fourth Mabinogi lesson! To find what other classes are available please see the binding post. :)

The combat system in Mabi is quite different from most other MMORPGs. Certainly from the ones I've played anyway, and thats a pretty big list. After doing your newbie quests (Giant / Elf / Iria Human) or taking classes at the School (Uladh Human) its probably a good idea to go and nail down some good combat technique with the Beginner Battle Class board that you can find at Tir Chonail, Vales, or Filia. Outside of that, the immediate areas around those towns (and Qilla too) also provide good opponents to practice basics on. Some extra notes on these before we continue that I don't feel the game teaches too well:

Combat Mode:
Try to always be on combat mode (space bar by default) when going into battle. If you don't I've found your first combo into a second skill to be more delayed than usual, which can cost you a few HPs if the enemy capitalizes on it.

Normal Attack:
If your fight method involves simply clicking like mad, they you are doing it wrong. This can get you past maybe some foxes and racoons, but wolves and up will eat you for breakfast. You have a set number of swings you can do based on your weapon and each click should be a concious action. To chain another skill at the end of the combo, you should activate it while you character performs the last attack in his or her chain. With practice you can also add an extra hit to weapons that are 2-hit or more. It's just timing and delay.

While the normal attack is the standard "defense" against Smash, don't forget you can use it while your opponent is preparing another skill. Regardless of what it is, if you reach it in time, you should be able to strike before the skill loads. This goes for you as well: When you are -preparing- a move you are technically open for attack!

Smash:
Sometimes, when executing this you will run up to your target and just stand around/lag like a buffoon - especially when the targeted foe is distant. To combat this, when you load up smash run up beside your intended victim first and only click on them when you are a step away.

Windmill:
Is perhaps the most important skill in the game, as it is your best and often your only multi-aggro handler in close quarters. This along, with refining (trust me it's hard to rank later on), should be your number one priority in ranking up first regardless of what you ultimately want to be. Remember you want -all- the skills. Windmill also ignores protection which means it does a ton of damage even against targets on defense, but if you don't kill them they will have free hits on you. When the skeletons at Rabbie do this to you, you'll see what I mean. :P

Magnum Shot:
For humans especially this should be your staple opening bow attack at the beginning for luring things when you have space to use it (elves may opt to use mirage missile depending on the situation). Stuck in a room full of monsters is probably not the ideal spot but out in the fields or in rooms that allow you to run back through hallways you should have no reason to *not* use this (well unless your targets all have natural shield). With it, you can kill off many baddies and avoid getting into multi-aggro spots. Later on you will be following this up with arrow revolver (humans) which will all but ensure your target doesn't reach you. Later on you will probably switch it out for Crash Shot which does more damage in crowded rooms but for a newbie that will be far yet. Giants will not have this ability and will probably have to resort to bolt magic for ranged lures.

Time to Train - One on One melee:
One of the best critters to train up your combat ability (as a player) on are wolves. They are very readable in combat and move fast enough to catch you if you do something wrong. I suggest finding the correct type that you can take some hits from AND can take a few hits from you. If the battle is too one sided then you will not be learning much! There are quite a few types around Tir Chonail and you can find them East of Vales as well. Mongeese use similar AI outside Qilla and North East of Filia but you may have to travel far to find the correct type to practice on.

Alternatively for more EXP make the trek to Taillteann and take the mission "Defeat the Shadow Warrior" (basic) from a Shadow Mission Bulletin board and head to the Stonehenge to enter the mission. You will be locked in with small groups of enemies but they will only fight you one at a time. Except for the archers, you'll need to be on your toes and kill them quick. :P As a general rule of thumb, while you are free to attack anything it is the enemies that have the "!!" mark that are actively seeking to kill you.

Good sparring partners for new players.

UO Class: Bare Bones Basics

Welcome to the Ultima Online basics class - the bread and butter everyone should know when venturing into any Ultima Online shard. To find other classes please visit the binding post!


All about Health:
Keep your health bar visible at all times! Regardless if you are using the whole screen as the "play area" or just a windowed section, be it graphical or numerical, you need to keep an eye on your stats all the time. Generally the -best- time to heal is the second you take damage. On some shards you can even start bandaging before taking damage which is even better! The reason for this is because the more hurt you get, the more chance your bandaging will fail. Potions should only be used in emergencies (like, bandaging fails) and on some shards where you have to have a free hand to drink can equal a quick death when you drop your shield, weapon, or spellbook.

Target Practice:
First thing you should do when an enemy shows up is "drag" its health bar out. This makes it easier to target them later on (just target their stationary bar). You can do the same for all your allies if you want to keep an eye on their condition too. Travelling too far from them makes the bars vanish though. Also, if you are trying to target something in a swarm or the enemy is something like a small snake or bird you should also have an "all names" macro at the ready, because "the enemy name" can potentially have more clickable pixels than the enemy itself.

Speed of Aggro:
If you run around crazily, monsters are going to aggro you quick. If you walk slowly on some shards, it takes them a few seconds before they realize you're there - even if you are not hidden. Can be handy if you want to try tame stuff, scout quietly, or setup a gex pile trap. Also handy to drag their health out while they aren't moving around so much.

Push them around:
On almost all shards, you cannot walk "through" an npc (friendly or otherwise) unless you have full stamina. This means you should keep a stock of stam pots handy for those situations where you really need to literally push past some beastie to better terrain, or to extracate yourself from a swarm of lesser critters who have pinned you down. Obviously if big things surround you, either you've put yourself there intentionally and can take it or you are about to die. It is unlikely you'll need a stam pot in either of those. ;p

Lure and Kill:
Unless you are confident in your skills it is often safer that your first action upon enemy contact is to pull back to where you just came from, that way you know you have clear space to deal with the threat, and what exactly the threat "is". This is assuming you aren't just running past other monsters and you are not misfortunate enough to run into freshly spawned critters (by GM or otherwise). It will take slightly longer than the gung ho method, but will make for easier combats (to win or flee from).

Order of Combat:
When faced with more than one enemy, who to target becomes a matter of priority - and I think the "chain" of targetting should look like this:

Weak Mages, Weak Archers, Strong Archers, Medium Melee, Strong Melee, Weak Melee.

Strong Mages should be dealt with individually and not engaged at the same time as any other foe. Also it is important which foes NOT to kill first: the ones that do weak melee damage. Being swarmed by little cats is much more favorable than being swarmed by the ogres milling around them.

Running Like a Girl:
Most things in UO are pretty straight forward to get away from, either you just flee or take cover then flee. On some shards though there are critters that can/will outrun player characters (even when mounted). I've found the best way to "lose" them is zigzag away. The way it works is simple: NPCs turn on the spot before stepping forward, be this for going to the market or chasing down a player. The more moves it spends turning on the spot because its prey is running like a girl left and right, the more squares away it puts you from it. ;p

It possibly also makes them dizzy!

Ultima Online Classes

And now for something completely different! :P

I've played Ultima Online for years and even though I know the game is almost as old as the dinosaurs now, I thought that some basic tips on surviving the many facets of Britannia and/or the many other lands it has spawned could come in handy for anyone (like me) who still wanders those realms. There won't be any mind-shattering discoveries here, just basic truths that should help everyone's gameplay. Note that depending on the shard, some of these may be invalid but in general should be ok to follow.

Classes:
Bare Bones Basics - Everything a newbie should know
Archery Tips - Killing them softly from afar
Warrior Tips - For those who like it up close and personal
Mage Tips - Help for reality altering sadists

If you have any thoughts, corrections or suggestions please leave a comment below! :)