Gunbound - Lightning Guide v2.00
by EverNoob
May 14, 2005
e-mail: gentil_requin@hotmail.com
Copyright 2005 Son-Hai Mai
Anybody is free to post this guide on their website, as long as it is kept in
its original format, and is credited to EverNoob.
Introduction
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
I've been using Lightning (aka Lovebot) ever since my newbie days (maybe those
days aren't over yet), and have become fairly proficient with it. Seeing how
painful it was to for me learn how to use Lightning properly, I thought I'd
write a guide to make it easier for those who want to start using this mobile.
I know this guide is long. But I've tried to be as comprehensive as possible,
and Lightning is a complicated mobile. Take note that Lightning is most suited
for novices to experts players. This guide is written with the assumption that
the reader is an experienced Gunbound player.
No Love for Lovebot!
There are a large number of players out there who hold the opinion that
Lightning is weak. Do not believe them! This belief usually stems from not
understanding how this mobile really works. I can't blame them though, because
Lightning's strengths aren't immediately obvious, and it requires a different
way of playing. Lovebot is a strategic mobile, to be used by players who
understand delay, angle blocking, trickshots, etc...
Update 2.00
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
It's been a year since I posted version 1.00 of this guide. Since then many
things have changed for Lightning.
- general editing: Changed and corrected the text here and there.
- all true angle: At the time I wrote v1.00, Lightning's shooting angle was 22,
with 12 true angle. Now the angle is 32 all true, and it
looks like they raised it by 10 degrees or so. Therefore
Lightning no longer has a tiny firing angle. Thank you
Softnyx!
- lower delay: In addition to raising and increasing Lightning's angle, its
delay was also lowered by 20! Shot 1 now is 730 delay, and shot
2 is 780. Not sure what the numbers for the SS is, but I'm
guessing it's 20 less as well, since it looks like they lowered
base delay. May seem like much, but it really does makes a big
difference.
- HP: Lightning's HP seems to be closer to 750 than the 800 posted previously.
- splash damage: Lightning's splash damage was always 76 for non-metallic bots,
but I had used 75 for the sake of simplicity. The correct
amount of 76 is used now.
- Section 2.3: Has been updated to describe how base damage and electric
damage are added.
- Added 2.6. Shot 2 land destruction
- Section 3.2: Having learned a few things since v1.00, I've changed this
section alot.
- Section 5: The whole section on avatar equipment has been scrapped. I've
given up on avatar-on games mainly due to the attitude of many
player on those servers :(
- Added Mobile specific strategy section
- Added a section devoted to weather
- Added Lightning formulas
Table of Contents
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
1. Basic Information
2. Lovebot Quirks
2.1. Non-solid tracer
2.2. Tracer trickshots
2.3. Base and electrical damage
2.4. Light projectile
2.5. Constant bunging
2.6. Shot 2 land destruction
3. How to Win with Lovebot
3.1. General Lightning strategy
3.2. Tactics
3.2.1. Putting the enemy in a hole
3.2.2. Shooting in heavy tailwind
3.2.3. Melee
3.2.4. Using dual and dual+
3.2.5. Defensive tactics
3.2.6. Using SS
3.2.7. Hitting multiple enemies
4. Formulas
5. Weather
Thor
Force
Thunder
Tornado
6. Mobile Specific Strategy
7. Game Settings/Items
4.1. Maps
4.2. Game types
4.3. Items
8. Comments
9. Credits
1. Basic Information
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Strengths:
-    high defense and high total HP
-    great damage to delay ratio
-    good movement
-    can hit multiple targets far apart
Weaknesses:
-    requires *a lot* of accuracy
-    hard to use attack items effectively
-    can easily hit yourself or teammates
-       can't hit enemies underground
Mobile type: shield
Weapon type: electricity, tracer
Natural enemies: Boomer, Turtle, Ice
Natural prey: ArmorMobile, RaonLauncher, Bigfoot, Aduka
HP: 750
Shield: 300
Shield regeneration: 20/turn
Firepower: average
Defense: high
Health: high
Movement: good
Climbing: average
Bunge: average
Shot 1 ---------------------------------
Angle: 32
Max damage: ~200
Delay: 730
Weight: light
Description: a single vertical lightning bolt strikes where the tracer lands.
Has a wide electrical splash damage area which does 76 damage to nearby bots.
On natural prey bots, shot 1 can consistently do ~220 damage. Requires high
accuracy to do maximum damage. Note the high damage for low delay.
Shot 2 ---------------------------------
Angle: 32
Max damage: 250-300 (on a single target)
Delay: 780
Weight: light
Description: this is the shot that makes Lightning complex. 2 bolts of
lightning strike diagonally roughly 45 degrees from the left and the right to
where the tracer lands, like a V. The left bolt strikes a fraction of a second
before the right bolt. For this reason, when you hit a speck of land, the bolts
will make a y instead of a V. In practice, damage is around 200-250 on
reasonably accurate shots. To do more damage requires you to land the tracer
ever so slightly to the right of your target with *pinpoint* accuracy and for
them to be sitting on a slope. Shot 2 has a wider splash area than shot 1,
which makes it good for double kills (dk).
SS ---------------------------------
Angle: 32
Max damage: ~160 (on an isolated target)
Delay: 1280
Weight: light
Description: shoots a bird shaped projectile and creates a huge radius where it
lands. For every enemy inside the radius, a single vertical lightning bolt will
strike precisely where the bot stands. The bolts do splash damage, so that if
two enemies are near each other, they will each be hit for more damage than if
they were far apart. When 2 enemies are close they each get splash damage from
the lightning bolt of their neighbour as well. The SS will do more damage to a
group of enemies close together than to the same number of enemies further
apart. Teammates are not targeted and are only hit by splash damage. VERY good
for dk. Also, the SS projectile is slightly larger than the one for shot 1 and
2.
2. Lovebot Quirks
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Here are some unique characteristics of Lightning and how to deal with them
effectively. Most of them can be bad or good depending on usage, and the
situation.
2.1. Non-solid tracer ---------------------------------
When you shoot, you must remember that the projectile itself will go through
bots. The tracer only stops when it hits land. Likewise, the resulting
lightning bolt will also go through bots and only stop when it hits land.
That's why Lightning always bunges by the same amount, whether you hit a target
directly or not. You have to aim so that the tracer lands at the center of
where the target is standing, not the bot itself. This explains why shotgunning
with Lightning is rarely effective. Trying to hit a bot standing on a pixel can
be very frustrating. On the bright side, you can safely fire right through
teammates!
2.2. Tracer trickshots ---------------------------------
Lightning is a tracer bot. Like A. Sate and Aduka, you don't necessarily have
to shoot where the target is to hit. So it can be really useful when you don't
have a direct shot at your enemy. But also, if there is land between your
target and the trajectory of the bolt, then the bolt will be blocked by the
land. Very annoying on "layered" maps like Stardust, Metamine B side, and
especially Nirvana B side.
Shot 1
The easiest trick shot to do. Simply fire so that the tracer lands directly
below your target, either at the chuck of land they are standing on, or at the
ground below them. If the land they are standing on is thin, fire at the ground
below. This is because a hit will bunge them, and they will fall straight down
to where the tracer landed. If you fire upwards to where they were standing and
they get bunged down, you will have to recalibrate your shot to hit them again.
But if you shot at the ground below, you won't need to recalibrate your shot,
since they get bunged down to where your tracer landed. Avoid using shot 1 when
there is land right above your target.
The shot 2 V
Since the shot 2 bolts come down in a V pattern, you can shoot a tracer
diagonal to a target and hit them. This is the most useful shot for hitting
multiple targets and getting a dk. It just takes abit of thinking to estimate
where the 2 bolts will strike. It's easier for you to see shot 2 for yourself,
and imagine how to hit multiple targets with it, than it is for me to describe
how to do it here. Not to be used when there is land blocking on both sides of
your target, such as when they are in a hole. It's also very easy to hit
yourself or teammates with this shot, splash damage isn't too bad, but a
direct hit of a bolt can do 200+. All it takes is abit of thinking before
shooting to use shot 2 effectively.
The shot 2 y:
Because the shot 2 left bolt strikes before the right bolt, if you fire on a
speck of land, the left bolt will destroy the land, and the right bolt will go
right through where the land used to be. This creates bolts in the shape of a
y, meaning that you can hit targets diagonally below and to the LEFT of where
your shot landed. This also explains why you do better damage by landing the
tracer slightly to the right of your target. Whenever you see this, it will be
in the shape of a y, never a reverse y. This trick also works well on ledges.
The situations where you'll have the opportunity and the need to use this y
effect are rare. But it's important to keep it in mind to avoid hitting
yourself or teammates.
2.3. Base and electrical damage ---------------------------------
Similar to JD and Aduka, Lightning shots deal electrical splash damage in
addition to their base damage. The way each bolt deals damage is roughly:
shot 1 = 125 base + 76 splash = ~200 total damage (against metallic bots splash
does 82). The splash part of the damage is not cumulative and only happens once
per shot. This means that a dual would not deal splash damage twice, it would
deal base damage twice and splash damage once: 125 base + 125 base + 76 splash
= ~325 total damage. Splash damage has a fairly wide area, and is useful for
damaging more than one enemy. On the other hand, in close combat situations you
might end up damaging yourself or your teammates. Note that the electrical
damage comes from the lightning bolt itself, and that the base damage comes
from the physical explosion of land caused by the bolt.
2.4. Light projectile ---------------------------------
Lightning is the only mobile that fires a light projectile. It actually has the
same weight as a teleport shot. This means that your shots are very sensitive
to wind compared to most other bots (except Boomer). On far shots, a difference
of *1 wind* will make you miss if you don't adjust your power and/or angle.
Wind going with (tailwind) or against (headwind) your shot can be good or bad
depending on the angle you can get. But mostly, it's better to have headwind,
so that your tracer comes straight down on your enemy. Even moderate tailwind
can make hitting opponents in holes impossible.
2.5. Constant bunging ---------------------------------
As described above, both the tracer and lightning bolt are non-solid, going
right through bots and hitting land. Your shots will always bunge by the same
amount, even on a direct hit on your enemy. The good side of this is that you
will constantly be changing your opponent's firing position and angle. The bad
side of this is that you will often have to readjust your shot if you want to
keep hitting your opponent. Especially at low angles, you'll have to decrease
your power, or adjust your angle. The most frustrating consequence of the
constant bunge is its effect on dual/dual+. You'll find that at low angles,
the first shot will hit and bunge, making the second shot miss. For this
reason, it's preferable to shoot so that your tracer comes down vertically on
your opponent. One way to do this is to use high angles. The second way is to
shoot into headwind. In those cases you won't need to re-adjust your shot every
time. A problem with shot 1 is that if your opponent doesn't move, they will
end up in a deep narrow hole. Again, to keep hitting your opponent in a hole,
you have to use a high angle, or shoot in headwind.
2.6. Shot 2 land destruction and damage ---------------------------------
Because the shot 2 left bolt strikes before the right one, if you look closely
you'll notice that the hole it makes is *always* the same. It's always slanted
downward to the left, with a tiny overhang on the left side. This means that
if the opponent is sitting in the hole, their shot to the left is blocked, but
*not* their shot to the right. Unless you had shot with Thor or thunder weather
effects, they'll be able to climb out however. The orientation of the hole is
important to know because it'll determine what your enemy will do. If your
opponent wants to shoot left, he has to climb out of the hole, whereas he
doesn't need to climb out to shoot right. This makes a difference on how you
want to block someone's angle (see Section 3.2.4.).
Another unusual characteristic of shot 2 is that its damage varies depending
on terrain, supposing both bolts hit. It tends to do more damage on targets
sitting on a incline going upwards to the right. It could either be a slight
slope, or the right side of an indentation they're leaning on. On metallic bots
it can do up to 300 damage. For creature bots it can reach around 270 or so,
which is pretty awesome for 780 delay!
2.7 The Avatar-on Juggernaut ---------------------------------
Shot for shot, Lightning is unquestionably the strongest bot in avatar-on.
The combination of high defense, low delay, and defense ignoring splash damage
might make it seem really unfair to other mobiles. However crafty non-Lightning
players have a few options to beat a Lightning in avatar-on. First is to use
tunneling tactics with Bigfoot or Boomer. Second is to use a Nak to shoot from
underground when he eventually holes you. Using Mage might seem like a good
idea, but in reality isn't that strong against Lightning in avatar-on.
Lightning's delay and angle raping eventually catches up with Mage.
3. How to win with Lovebot
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Alright, now that you have a good background on how Lightning works. You must
now learn to win!!! In this section I'll outline Lightning's general strategy,
and tactics for specific situations. Basic Gunbound strategy also applies to
Lightning, but this being a Lovebot guide, I won't cover them.
3.1. General Lightning strategy ---------------------------------
The key to Lightning is low delay, so be sure you understand how to control
delay. Combined with accuracy, Lightning has the best damage to delay ratio of
any mobile. Shot 1 does 200 for 730 delay. Shot 2 does 225-250 for only 780
delay! In theory, you could effectively play a game with only shot 1. The only
way for other bots to keep up with your low delay is to use shot 1. In that
case you will do more damage than they will. Low delay combines well with your
shield regeneration (+20/turn). In general, make sure you have at least 1 turn
for every turn your opponent has. Occasionally you'll be able to lap a turn as
well. Also, if you're ahead on delay (meaning you have less), you can use items
without your opponent lapping a turn. Lightning's natural high defense and high
total HP also helps you last long enough for your accumulated lead in delay to
become effective.
Keep in mind the low dual damage when trying to finish someone off with dual or
dual+. This forces you to use a dual/dual+ abit later than other bots to finish
off. If you are ahead enough in delay, you can use dual+ safely even if it
won't finish them off. Don't use a dual if it won't finish them off! The damage
is simply not worth the delay. Try to use an item only if you are ahead enough
in delay to cover it. Meaning that even if your enemy fires a shot 1, they
won't be able to go twice in a row. Although you'll find that you can sometimes
win games without using any items at all.
3.2. Tactics ---------------------------------
3.2.1. Turn Lapping
With the proper delay control, it is a certainty that you will lap turns on
your opponent at least once unless they only shot 1. There are only 3 bots you
may not lap turns on, JD, Bigfoot, or another Lightning. This extra turn makes
up for the your low dual damage. Two shots in a row is very important to
Ligthning's overall strategy. It lets you put opponents in a hole without using
duals while allowing you to do maximum damage. Your shields also benefit from
an extra turn of regeneration. Sure it's not alot, but in a close game every
point of life counts.
3.2.2. Putting the enemy in a hole
This can be accomplished with a simple shot 2. Although it won't be deep enough
to prevent them from climbing out. The most effective method is to use dual+
shot 2. The shot 2 puts them in the initial hole, and then shot 1 makes it
deeper, all the while keeping the hole narrow. Multiple shot 1 can also be
used, if your opponent doesn't move. Dual shot 1 can also be used, but not
recommended due to the low damage/high delay. It's important to keep in mind
that putting your enemy in a hole can be very bad for you, since it will become
harder to hit them. In general, only put your enemy in a deep hole if you have
a high enough angle to keep hitting, or you have headwind.
3.2.3. Shooting with heavy tailwind/low angles
Heavy tailwind or a low firing angle can create alot of problems for Lovebot.
Hitting someone on the opposite side of a slope or even in a shallow hole can
prove to be impossible. In those cases you have 3 options:
1) go for a trickshot;
2) destroy the land directly in front of them;
3) shoot at someone else.
A trickshot is only limited by the situation or your imagination. For example,
opponents in shallow holes can sometimes be hit with a shot 2 y if you land the
tracer on the right edge of the hole. Destroying the land directly in front of
them will clear a path for your next shot, however this only works if they
don't have shelter to move back to on their turn. If all else fails, remember
that Gunbound is a team game, so if you really can't hit someone don't waste
turns trying and shoot someone more accessible. You can always swap targets
with your teammate.
3.2.4. Planning ahead
While it's important with any mobile to plan ahead before shooting, there's an
extra factor to think about when using Lightning. That factor is the constant
bunging. Each time you shoot, you have to think about your next shot. Will your
current shot bunge and make your next shot harder, or even impossible? This is
especially important when shooting with heavy tailwind or at low angles.
Learn to maniputlate your opponent's terrain to your needs. For example,
suppose your target is sitting on the opposite side of a slope in heavy
tailwind and you can't get a high angle.
--> wind -->
bad guy
you                ____
/    \ *
#               /      \*
#              /        \--------------
------------------/
In this situation, hitting directly using your low angle is impossible. A
trickshot with shot 2 also won't hit well. So you start with a shot 2 on your
side of the hill at the bottom, splashing him for 76. More importantly, you've
made a small hole at the bottom of the slope as well as put a small dent to the
right of the peak.
__
/  \__ *
#               /      \*
#               \       \--------------
------------------\__\
Now your opponent can choose to move or not. If he chooses to stay so he can
keep his original angle and firing position, then he is open for a shot 2
trickshot. All you have to do is fire a shot 2 into the small hole you made at
the bottom of the slope and the right bolt will hit fully. This will deepen
your "shooting hole" even more, making your next shots even easier to control.
The same thing applies if he chooses to move up towards the peak of the slope.
If instead he moves down the slope to flat ground, then that just solves your
original problem.
That was just *one* possible scenario. So plan ahead, terraform your opponent's
land, and be creative.
3.2.5. Angle blocking/messing ('angle raping')
Properly used, Lightning is a master at angle raping. At the very least, a hit
messes whatever angle they had since you're constantly destroying land. This
puts pressure on them since they have to move and recalibrate their shot. It
also makes them waste time and causes extra delay. Ideally what you want is to
block their shot completely, forcing them to waste turns digging themselves
out. In normal circumstances shot 1 is the best way to block shots. Here's the
general procedure (warning: I suck at ASCII art):
you                      bad guy
#                          *
-------------------------------------------
Suppose your opponent is on relatively flat ground and terrain allows you to
get a decently high angle. You start with shot 1.
you                      bad guy
#
------------------------------  *  --------
\---/
Your opponent now has 2 options, stay in the indentation (usually for angle),
or climb out. Suppose he stays, or even better you lapped turns on him. Now you
have different choices depending on what direction your opponent wants to shoot
(remember Gunbound is a team game, just because someone is shooting at you,
doesn't mean you have to shoot back at them to win the game). If you want to
block his shot to the left, the best method is a single shot 2. Because he is
already in an indentation, a shot 2 will make a hole deep enough so that he
can't climb out. And because shot 2 makes downward slanted holes to the left,
his shots to the left will be blocked. Although depending on wind, mobile, and
distance, they might be able to do a backshot by leaning on the right wall.
you                      bad guy
#
------------------------------     --------
|    |
/ *  /