Health
Health is displayed in the form of a health bar in the upper left corner of the screen. When this runs out, you die and respawn.
T-ENG, or Thermal Energy
T-ENG is displayed as a number value below the health bar. Unlike the single-player game, you do not die when you run out of T-ENG. However, T-ENG is required to pilot a Vital Suit or man a turret, and use an energy-based weapon. If you are piloting a Vital Suit or manning a turret when your energy runs out, you will be automatically ejected from it. If you are using an energy-based weapon when your energy runs out, you won’t be able to fire it anymore. Energy weapons for VS can be dropped with the Weapon Change button, but non-VS weapons cannot be dropped unless there is another weapon on the ground to exchange it for.
Certain stages will have T-ENG recharging areas. This allows you to charge up your T-ENG in order to pilot Vital Suits and use energy-based weapons longer.
Data Posts
Data posts are “nodes” or “posts” that can be activated and claimed. Activating a data post enables the radar (see below) and earns the person that activated it 500 points (in Elimination and Team Elimination modes, calculated differently in other modes).
Multiple people can work together to activate a post at once. Two people can activate a data post twice as fast as a single person, three people three times as fast, and so on. The person to get the last button press to activate the data post earns the points. Activating a data post also gives the player a T-ENG bonus, enabling further use of an energy-based weapon or a Vital Suit.
Data posts can also be stolen from opponents by first deactivating and then activating it again.
In team matches, the color of light emanating from an activated data post indicates the color of the team that has claimed it (red, blue, yellow, green). In non-team matches, the light will appear as orange for a player’s own posts, and as purple for opponents’ posts.
Radar
The radar is shown in the upper right corner of the screen. This is off by default, although it always shows the four directions (North, East, South, West). To use the radar, first a data post must be activated. Data posts enable radar within a certain proximity around the post. On larger maps, you may find that you can’t see anything on the radar because you have ventured out of your data posts’ active range. Activate additional data posts to expand the range of the radar. If an opponent takes over your last data post, your radar will be deactivated. So it is advantageous to claim as many data posts as possible, and steal data posts from your opponents.
The radar will show the location of data posts, indicated as numbers (i.e., 1, 2, 3), as well as the location of players. Players appear as small red dots, and players piloting Vital Suits appear on the radar as large red dots. The radar will also show the direction of incoming fire. The radar does not differentiate between allies and foes.
Weapons
Default starting weapon is the machine gun. The host has the option of changing the starting weapon to any non-VS weapon or setting it to random. Weapons will be scattered throughout the map. Standard human-sized weapons will have a yellow ring spinning around them, while large Vital Suit weapons will have an aqua blue ring. Vital Suit weapons can also be plucked from the sides of un-manned Vital Suits. Certain Vital Suits have weapons that are not removable.
Weapons have at least one level of zoom, and certain weapons have multiple levels (including a scope for the sniper rifles).
There are 5 types of grenades, and each time you die and respawn you may get a different type of grenade than the last time you spawned.
Energy-based weapons require T-ENG to use. Some use more energy than others, and some can be charged up by holding the trigger. But the more powerful the weapon, the more T-ENG it will use.
Vital Suits / Turrets
There are Vital Suits scattered about each stage for players to pilot. There are over 20 variations in the game, each with different abilities. Some can transform, hover, double- or super-jump, dash, or even skate around. Certain models also have powerful melee attacks and other special abilities.
Certain stages also feature stationary turrets equipped with a variety of weapons. Turrets can aim up and down and spin within a certain range.
You must have T-ENG to pilot a Vital Suit or man a turret. If you are in one and you run out of T-ENG, you will be automatically ejected.
Vital Suits and Turrets have their own health meters. If the health meter is reduced all the way, the VS or Turret will explode. If you are piloting or manning one, you must eject in time by rapidly pressing the B button. You must also get far enough away from the explosion to avoid getting killed.
Vital Suits and Turrets only take damage while being piloted or manned, respectively. Weapons can be removed from the sides of Vital Suits and Turrets, although certain weapons are fixed and cannot be removed.
