ONE MUST FALL

STRATEGY

Robyrt: Tournament mode (due to its massive upgrades) is the fastest, the longest-lasting, and often the most fun mode of OMF. Combos are plentiful and powerful, while there are a seemingly never-ending stream of more powerful opponents. Tournament mode is an excellent chance to get used to robots at their full potential (about 200 wins will give you the cash to experiment as much as you like). Points equal cash, so doing that mega combo and destruction may give you that extra boost to get the next Endurance upgrade.

Strategy Guide: Always leave a cash buffer in your coffers to protect you from a loss; otherwise, you will have to sell your most expensive robot parts at 70% price just to cover costs, putting you in a downward spiral. Never enter a tournament if you don’t have the money; you will have to work off the difference by massive decreases in not only your robot, but YOURSELF. Don’t trade mechs in the middle of a tournament, since all the other pilots are calibrated for your buffed bot, not the weak one. Make sure you have money left to buy some essential powerups. Trading only gets you back 85% of the price though. The other pilots always have a slight edge in power over you, so you can’t go back to the Northam and expect to kick butt; they’ll have better bots too. Endurance increases your total life bar, while Armor decreases the amount of damage you take from each hit. Thus, a higher Armor will decrease your repair costs, while a higher Endurance will come in more handy in the more difficult tournaments.

Po Chan: In tournament mode, I've tried a couple of different tactics, and surprisingly, most of them have been successful. If you're good at executing combo moves, shoot for power over speed. The speed of the robot moves are often negligible, and a few good combos will stun your opponent often. Then you can toss him over your shoulder more than once (or in the case of Pyros, burn his metal ass). One thing I've noticed is that you can deliberately throw matches before you begin them in order to earn more money for your robot before facing a tough opponent. Being the honest, hard-working pilot I am, I would not recommend this tactic personally, since you really aren't earning accolades for your craft, but if you find you're short on cash and need to get in just one more Endurance course before fighting Raven for the North Am title, there isn't any National Robotics Ethics committee to stop you -- just a repairman telling you how pathetic you are for bailing out.

Phreaky: This mode, on my configuration, is VERY fast paced and I have to learn to keep up. The bots are best off in a game getting a head start - this is established by a sweep (down back and kick incase u didn't know) and this is usually enough to knock ur opponents off their feet and you to get urself into a combo set up - From then you unleash a nice combo. Tournaments are always good to do combos as they can be very fast paced as mentioned. Keep in mind at all times that speed and power are weighted against each other well and one must (yes yes... fall) keep in mind that timing is essential.

Robyrt: The Northam is the tourny we all trained on; it basically plays like the One-Player game, truncated to fit the shareware version. There are no random robots in this tourny, and the only new faces are Jack (like Christian, but weaker) and Dr. Lynn Yarr (like Angel, but more defensive). There are a good assortment of secret characters; in fact, on Heavy Metal difficulty, it’s often worth playing this tournament just for Iceman’s 3^rd Shadow enhancement. This is a fairly easy tournament which can be played repeatedly to gain experience and robot enhancements. Once you’re comfortable, you can move on to bigger and better things. Don’t switch robots just yet; if you’re very good with a Jaguar, you can hold off improving your robot until you get the cash in the next few tournaments.

Robyrt: The Katushai Challenge is one of the best tournaments ever made for OMF, with an awesome ending, a nice mix of new and old characters, and a great introduction to the real world of tournament play. The main competitors in this tournament are Steel Claw and Prince Vassar; the former has the only good Flail AI in the game, while the Prince learns your moves amazingly quickly. The opponents are all much more powerful than you, especially the secret characters, and don’t offer as much easy cash or enhancements. The use of random robots makes it easier for you, but if you’re relatively new to OMF, you’ll need to play this a few times to get a feel for how most of the tournament opponents fight and adapt to the longer rounds and higher power levels. If you specialize in one bot, switch to it after you complete the Katushai; if you’re not confident you can handle facing super-buff opponents, stick with the old trusty Jaguar.

Robyrt: WAR has made good on their promise for this one: a spate of new characters with some heavy hitters as well as cool cash. This tournament goes by rather quickly, since most of the new opponents have weak AI and random robots, but you should watch out for characters like Selenna, Ariel and Nicoli, who have specialized in their particular robots. If you have more than a few losses under your belt before you get to Nicoli, it’s probably best to go play the Katushai a couple more times, but if you feel this tournament was a breeze, it’s time to switch to your desired robot and enter the World Championship. As you play, take note of the best ways to counter each robot; you’ll be needing it later on.

Robyrt: Now it’s time for the real thing, the best tournament for OMF 2097 ever created. You think you can handle the 30+ opponents with ease… run a simulated fight with Ian Tavares and see how much you have to learn. The first dozen opponents should be child’s play after the WAR and Katushai; the next dozen are not quite so forgiving, but nothing you haven’t done before. The final four (usually Bruce, Ian, Jaquoline and Raven) will give you a run for your money with their perfectly upgraded bots and custom robots; as a matter of fact, Ian himself will require a couple tries if you haven’t had much OMF experience. Money will cease to be a problem here; instead, focus on things like accuracy and health left. Do consistently well and you’ll get the real cash in the form of innovative secret opponents, ranging from Nicoli to the elusive Bethany, who carries your second enhancement. Once you’ve completed the World Championship, you may want to try it again to get your second enhancement if you missed it; in a Shadow, don’t move on until you’ve gotten the Freeze from Iceman in the Northam.

Robyrt: This tournament is more of a "for fun" tournament, so not much strategy really applies. This is us in our "dream robots", complete with weird colors and sometimes secret characters. A fairly good OMF player should have no trouble with any opponent except Rob Elam and Dirt, although the secret versions of Robyrt, DL, and Crusher are super-powered. Dabble through these tournaments until your robot is close to perfect before starting the Mantis Project.

Robyrt: The Mantis Project is my own creation, so I may be a little biased. J Despite the title, the only relation this tournament has to the Message Board Open is that I reused its characters; I have added a lot of new ones, though, both from the World Championship and completely new ones. This is the biggest OMF tournament ever, with over 50 opponents; most of them are secret characters, though, so be prepared for frequent challenges. This tournament is playable by anyone, but even the most elite players will find some nostalgic value (if not a real challenge). By now you should have a handle on all the strategy you need. Good luck and have fun!