Red Planet Primer

This is a primer that was authored by Paul "Ronin" Tierney at Virtual World Entertainment, Inc. He has graciously given me permission to post this to the web site since no RP training manual exists for Tesla.

The Basics

In Red Planet, you are at the controls of a Vectored Thrust Vehicle (VTV) racing back and forth in a confined corridor of a Martian mining canal. This is a death race and only the winner walks away alive

A Red Planet racecourse is probably unlike anything you've ever been on. It's not an oval, where all the vehicles travel in the same direction and attempt to be the first to cross the finish line.

It is better to think of a Red Planet course as a long corridor with goals at each end and you have to fly your VTV from one end to the other as many times as you can as fast as you can. The faster you complete the end-to-end run, the more points you will get. The pilot who has the most points at the end of the game is the winner.

What makes Red Planet so interesting though, is how the shape of the course makes the VTVs on it interact and interfere with each other during the race. Because the course is basically a narrow corridor on which the VTVs can only go up and back, pretty soon there are VTVs flying in BOTH directions and this can make things pretty scary! Add to this the fact that some of the courses have turns in them as well as many vertical changes, and you can see how the Red Planet racecourse can be a chaotic yet exhilarating environment.



Flying the VTV

Although the VTV is similar in many respects to a hovercraft it floats on a cushion of air - it is different in many others. Foremost among these is the fact the VTV can vary the distance between it and the ground below it. This makes it similar to an aircraft, but there is one important difference: a VTV cannot fly! Sure, it can hold itself above the ground, but it cannot continue to climb. Further, it needs to have solid ground below it if it is to move forward.

Basically, a VTV uses thrust to push it along the ground or to give it altitude. One important fact MUST be remembered when flying a VTV: a VTV has only a limited amount of power to supply to its thrust vector ports! This means that if you want to raise yourself off of the ground, the VTV must use a larger portion of its fusion reactors power to raise it up, leaving less energy to push the craft forward and to turn it. The closer to the ground a VTV is, the faster it will travel and turn. This is because the VTV is spending only a little of its power to keep the craft off the ground and hence has more available to thrust it forward.

Remember: If you want to go faster, get closer to the ground. Always try to keep your VTV as close to the ground as is practical. This will result in higher top speeds, which in turn will lead to higher scores. The motto of Red Planet: Velocity = Victory

There are four different flight modes in any VTV: Basic (Bas), Standard (Std), Veteran (Vet), and Expert (Exp). They all perform differently, and will alter the way a VTV flies. VTVs always start in Basic mode unless and until the pilot changes the flight mode.

Important Note: The training VTV for Red Planet is the Armadillo. This VTV is quite different from all of the others, and was designed especially to make learning Red Planet easier for beginners. As such, it has different flight and handling characteristics that need to be discussed separately from the other VTVs and flight modes.

The primary difference between the Armadillo and all other VTVs is this: an Armadillo does not have any vertical lift capacity its power plant provides only enough lift to keep it off of the ground. Additionally, it is more responsive to joystick commands than most of the other VTVs and because of this, can turn more tightly and quickly. The Armadillo is extremely tough and has the collision durability equal to that of most Bull Class VTVs. However, it is not well protected from weapons fire, and in this regard is about the same as the lightest Bug Class VTVs. These characteristics were given to the Armadillo to make learning the ins and outs of Red Planet that much easier.

Basic

This is the mode that a VTV starts the game in. It is the simplest to fly in, and all steering is done with the joystick. The VTV has a low seek height in Basic mode. This is the height above the ground that the VTV wants to remain at. Additionally, in Basic, the VTV will remain at the height it is told to. That means if you push the joystick forward and let it go, the VTV will remain at the height it was when the joystick was released.

The joystick will turn the VTV left or right when it is pushed left or right. The foot pedals are not used in Basic mode.

Standard

Standard mode is similar to Basic, except that the VTV has a higher seek height. Like Basic mode, the VTV will remain at the level it was when the joystick was released. Obviously, one will need to raise or lower the craft to avoid obstacles and other VTVs, but on long, flat straightaways, one will want to be as close to the ground as one can be.

Like in Basic mode, the joystick turns the VTV, but unlike Basic, the foot pedals are now active. While they dont need to be used to turn the VTV, they can help make the VTV turn more tightly. The foot pedals act like the rudder pedals on an airplane they turn the vehicle on its long axis without using thrust to initiate the turn. The joystick will change the amount of power going to the thrust vector ports to turn the vehicle. Again, this means that there is a little bit less energy available to push the craft to its top speed. Generally, this is a negligible amount, but the pilot should be aware of it to squeeze the maximum performance from the VTV.

You will also note that the VTV now rolls side to side more than it did in Basic mode. This is a function of the VTV using less of its energy to keep the craft level and more to make it go fast. This will become more pronounced in Veteran and Expert modes.

Veteran

Veteran mode takes the flight characteristics of Standard mode and ups them a notch. The VTV is now very responsive, will roll a great deal side to side when turning and has a higher seek height than previously. Also, when the joystick is released, the VTV will rise to its seek height. Therefore, it is crucial that the pilot always keep the joystick pushed forward while flying (remember the energy that the VTV has available to it is limited). Basically, at this point the VTV is outputting all its energy to its fullest capability and relies on the pilot to keep the craft flying as smoothly and quickly as it can.

Foot pedals are active as in Standard mode, and the joystick still turns the nose of the VTV left and right.

Expert

Expert mode is far different from all of the other modes, and offers the most control and responsiveness a VTV can give. The fundamental difference between Expert and the other modes is this: The joystick DOES NOT turn the nose of the VTV left or right. In Expert mode, if the joystick is pushed to the left, the entire VTV will slide to the left without changing the direction the nose of the VTV is facing (this is called side slip and is available also as a function of one of the buttons in the cockpit to be discussed later). In order to turn the VTV, a combination of joystick and foot pedals must be used. While this takes some time to master, once it is, the VTV will give the pilot the greatest control possible over the flight of the craft.

One of the primary benefits of Expert mode is that all of the VTVs flight control surfaces are handled by the pilot, and this in turn leaves more energy to push the VTV forward. In all other modes, at least a percentage of the VTVs thrust is directed to the various vector ports at all times. In Expert, none of this energy goes to the ports unless it is directed there by the pilot. This results in slightly higher top speeds.

How do I find this in the cockpit? To activate or choose any of the flight modes, there is a MFD (Multi Function Display or auxiliary monitor) located in the upper right hand corner of the cockpit. In this display, you will see listed on the bottom half of the display (four buttons along the bottom of the MFD) Bas, Std, Vet, and Exp each above a button. Simply hit the button below the mode you wish to fly in. You have now changed the mode you are flying in; this mode can be changed at any point during the game and can be changed higher (Bas ( Vet) or lower (Exp ( Std) as well.



Programming the Joystick

In the same MFD as the flight mode buttons, there are two additional functions available: Programming the Joystick and Centering the Joystick. Just like the four buttons running along the bottom of the MFD, there are four buttons along the top. The left two buttons are used to program the joystick triggers, and the right two are to center the joystick and foot pedals.

To program the joystick, simply hit one of the two buttons above the Program area. Once one of these buttons has been toggled, they will start to flash and you will hear a warbling tone in the cockpit. Your are now in Program mode. At this point, you will need to push any one of the buttons in the MFDs. Once you push the button you want (say, Booster), hold it and look up to the Program/Flight mode MFD. In it, you will see a silhouette of a joystick with circles corresponding to triggers. If there are no buttons lit up in the silhouette, the function or trigger is not activated or not assigned to a trigger. If the circle is solid white, it means that there is only one weapon or function assigned to the trigger. If the circle has a white ring around a dark center, it means that two or more functions/weapons are assigned to that particular trigger on the joystick.

While holding the button down on the MFD, simply pull the trigger you want to assign the weapon or function to. You will now see the corresponding circle on the joystick silhouette light up. That particular weapon or function has now been assigned to the trigger. To de-assign, hold down the MFD button on the function or weapon, and pull the trigger where the function or weapon is located; the light will go out and the trigger will no longer activate that weapon or function.

To exit Program mode simply push one of the two buttons above the Program area. The flashing lights and sound will stop, and you can begin flying down the course.

The Center function allows the pilot to zero or center the cockpits control inputs (joystick and foot pedals) should they become offset, or if you experience drift. To use this function, take your hands and feet off of the controls and hit the Center button once. Your controls are now re-centered and the VTV should fly the way you want it to.



Other Controls

In addition to the Program/Flight mode MFD, there are four other MFDs in the Tesla cockpit. The MFDs in a Tesla cockpit are (going clockwise from upper left-hand corner to lower left-hand corner): Flight Control/characteristics MFD (upper left), Score MFD (upper center), Program/Flight mode MFD (upper right), Weapons MFD (lower right), and Booster MFD (lower left). While the Program/Flight mode MFD has already been covered, the remaining MFDs and their functions will be covered below.

Flight Control/Characteristics

This MFD allows the pilot to activate controls that affect the way the VTV flies. These functions are: Lift Cut, and Side Slip. Additionally, there is one other control button, and that is the Horn. To activate these controls, simply hit and hold the appropriate button. While the button is held, the control function is active and affecting the VTV. Directly above or below these buttons in each area of the MFD it says Configure for the weapon or function to be configured.

Lift Cut

This button cuts all thrust to the vector ports that keep the VTV aloft. By holding this button, no energy goes to the VTVs down ports, and the craft will settle to the ground. There are a couple of reasons why this is useful. First, by feathering or hitting this button frequently, you will allow the VTV to get closer to the ground, where a slight ground effect will take hold; due to the aerodynamics of the VTV, enough air pressure is formed to keep the VTV off the ground. Thus more energy is saved and can be directed to the forward speed of the VTV, resulting in more KPHs.

A more important and useful function of the Lift Cut button is as a brake. Since the VTV sits on a cushion of air, it really has no effective brakes. Placing the VTV into reverse and applying full throttle is a great way to slow down, but it still takes time. To augment this, simply hit the Lift Cut button and hold it down while in reverse. This will cause all lift to cease and the VTV will slam to the ground. You will then scrape along the floor of the racecourse and this will help bleed off speed and bring you to a halt that much more quickly.

You will find that it is wise to have the Lift Cut (or Drop in VTV pilots slang) assigned to one of the triggers on the joystick since it will be used frequently. Most of the pre-set trigger assignments will have Lift Cut on one of the triggers.

Side Slip

As discussed previously, the Side Slip button allows the VTV to slide side to side without changing the orientation of its nose. In effect, the VTV side steps one way or the other without any directional change in its heading. Side Slip is useful in that it allows a VTV to maneuver side to side it tight areas and still allows the pilot to see straight down the course (remember, your views are limited and turning left or right will greatly affect what and how much of the course you can see).

Side Slip is automatically engaged in Expert mode and does not have to be assigned to a trigger. If the Side Slip button is pushed, it will have no additional effect in Expert mode.

Horn

This is simply an air horn for the VTV. You can use it to let the other VTVs know where you are. There is also a button for this on the secondary screen and additionally, some of the pre-sets have assigned the horn to a trigger.

Score

The upper center MFD displays your score and that of the other pilots in the race. Your score will always be outlined. You will note that you will be able to see the scores of those pilots ahead of you (points-wise), but not those behind you. What this means is that you can see how far behind the leaders you are in terms of points, but you will never be able to tell how closely the people behind you are (they may be 5 points or 5,000 points behind, but as far as the display is concerned, you are only one place ahead of them).

Weapons

The right lower MFD contains information on the mining tools, or weapons, your VTV carries, if any. There are three types of weapons that a VTV can carry: Laser Drills, Rivet Guns, and Demo packs. Each of these tools was originally designed to perform a work function in the Canals, but as the VTVs were used more and more for racing, these became a way to destroy or irritate the other pilots in the race.

Laser Drill - Generally speaking, these can inflict more damage than the Rivet guns, but their range is considerably less. As is true of the other MFD buttons, if you press one of the buttons above the weapon, you will fire it. It will continue to fire as long as the button is held.

Be aware, however, that the Laser Drill is powered by a battery that drains a bit each time the Drill is fired. If the Laser Drill is fired continuously for more than 10 seconds, its charge will be depleted, and the battery must recharge before the Laser Drill can fire again. The charge is represented by a semi-circle of hash marks that goes down when the weapon is fired. The fewer the hash marks, the lower the battery's power. Once a Laser Drill has been drained, simply watch the hash marks climb up to the full power mark, and once there, you can fire again.

There are three weights to the Laser Drill: Light, Medium, and Heavy. Each does a different amount of damage with Heavy being the most powerful. Points damage ranges from 20 points for the Light to 50 for the Heavy Laser Drill.

Rivet Gun - While the Rivet Gun may not have the single shot destructive power of the Laser Drill, it makes up for that lack with a decided advantage in range. The Rivet Gun is variant of an electromagnetic rail gun using a series of electromagnets set with alternating currents, a rail gun accelerates the rivet to hypersonic velocities and hurls it at the target. The range of the rivet gun is in the area of ² a kilometer. As an added benefit, the velocity of a VTV is added to that of the already hypersonic rivet. So, if a rivet is fired while on a double boost, it can easily crumple the armor of most VTVs and destroy a few of the lightest in one shot.

Like the Laser Drill, if the button on the MFD is pushed, it will fire the Rivet Gun. Unlike the Laser Drill, it cannot run out of battery power, but it can run out of ammo. Most Rivet Guns carry between 250 - 300 rivets. There are three sizes of Rivet Gun: Light, Medium, and Heavy. Rivets from the Light Rivet Gun will inflict 2 points of armor damage for each hit, while Heavy Rivet Guns will do 10 per rivet. Additionally, some VTVs carry more than one Rivet Gun.

Demo Packs - Simply put, Demo Packs are proximity mines; get close enough to one, and you'll trigger it. Like the other weapons, pushing the MFD button above (or below) the Demo Pack area will drop the Demo Pack. However, it is important that the VTV be moving when this is done. If it is not, you will drop the Demo Pack directly beneath your VTV. A Demo Pack will not become active for 3 seconds after it is dropped, giving the VTV that dropped a chance to move away from the weapon.

If any VTV (including the one that dropped the Demo Packs) gets too close to a Demo Pack, it will detonate. The detonation proximity is 10 meters from the centerline of the VTV flying over or near the Demo Pack. The blast radius is 20 meters, meaning that a VTV that is far enough away from a Demo Pack to not detonate it will feel the affects of a blast if another VTV sets it off and is within the 20 meter blast radius.

Demo Packs are shaped like red, three-sided pyramids. They have a warning siren on top of them and have an audible beacon to let the aware pilot know where they are. Demo Packs cannot be destroyed by Laser Drills or Rivet Guns. VTVs that carry Demo Packs usually start with 10. Demo Packs will inflict 100 points of armor damage to any VTV unlucky enough to get caught in its blast radius.

Booster - The lower left MFD contains information on the Boosters that a VTV has. Boosters are solid fuel rockets carried in a bay in the rear of the VTV. The purpose of these Boosters is to give extra top speed to a VTV temporarily. Once the Booster is fired, it will continue to burn until it is out of fuel. Generally, the Booster has enough fuel for a 6-second burn. On the MFD, there is a semi circle made up of hash marks below each bank of boosters. One can see how much time is remaining in a burn by watching the hash marks lower until they are gone.

Like the weapons and other functions, hitting the button located above the Booster area will fire it. However, there are a couple of tips for best Booster use:

Make sure that you have a long, clear pathway to boost down. Dont fire the Booster until the VTV is at or near its top speed (less of the boosters energy will be spent on getting the VTV up to speed and more will be used on moving it along further, faster).

Most VTVs have 12 Boosters, broken down into two banks of 6 Boosters each, although some VTVs may have more or fewer boosters, and some have an extra bank of Boosters. Boosters from different banks can be fired simultaneously for even greater speed, and thus even greater score. It is important to remember, though, that while boosting can give you many extra points, if you collide with something on a boost, you will lose a greater number of points than if you collided with that same object while not boosting.

Chute - There is also one other function displayed in the Booster MFD. This is the Chute function. Most VTVs have three chutes. The Chute acts exactly as a drag chute does on a racecar to slow it down. Like the other MFD buttons, the Chute will deploy if you hit the button below it.

Once deployed, a chute will remain in open in place for 4 seconds. If you wish to discard a chute once it has been deployed, simply hit the MFD button a second time. Be aware though, that the time frame to do this is short, so if you wait too long, you will end up deploying a second chute. Chutes will NOT deploy if a Booster is burning. Additionally, if you deploy a chute too soon after the burn of a Booster, it can be burned away, costing you a valuable braking tool and not slowing the VTV at all.



The Secondary Screen

The Secondary Screen also has a number of controls that will help you fly the VTV and navigate in the treacherous environment that is Mars. The main function of the Secondary Screen, though, is to provide the pilot with a view of the racecourse that the Main Screen cannot. This is the radar, and it takes up the largest percentage of the Secondary Screen.

On the radar, you will see the course and the other VTVs in the race with you. Use the radar to help you plan when and where to boost, and to give you an idea of where the other VTVs are should you want to avoid them.

Also included in the Secondary Screen display data are:

GPS - This is the Global Positioning Screen, and it is located in the lower left-hand corner of the Secondary Screen. Like the radar map view, the GPS contains an overhead view of the racecourse, but it cannot be scrolled in or out and shows the racecourse in its entirety. The glowing dot on it represents the pilot's VTV. The GPS is very useful to see where everyone else on the course is, even if you cannot see them on the radar map view.

Time Remaining - The time remaining is a digital readout of the amount of time left in the game. It is located in the lower center of the Secondary Screen.

Speed Indicator - The speed indicator is both a simple bar graph and a digital readout combined into one display. It lets the pilot know how fast the VTV is traveling. The bar graph grows from left to right as the VTVs speed increases. It is also color-coded to help the pilot gauge the safety of the speed the VTV is traveling: blue (safest) to green to yellow to red to flashing red (least safe).

Reverse Indicator - Located below the speed indicator is a box-shaped display the will light up with a red arrow curving back upon itself when reverse is engaged in the VTV. As long as the VTV is in reverse, the reverse arrow will remain lit.

VTV Status Display - Located in the lower center of the Secondary Screen is a box display that contains an overhead silhouette view of the VTV you are piloting. At the start of the game, the color of the silhouette is blue, indicating an undamaged VTV. As the VTV takes damage from collisions and weapons fire, the color of the display will change. As mentioned the display starts out colored blue. From there, indicating progressively heavier damage, the display will pass from green to yellow to orange to red to flashing red. Any damage received once the display is flashing red will destroy the VTV.

On-board Computer Message Center - The VTV is equipped with an on-board computer. Occasionally, the computer will need to give you status updates or information on the VTV itself. This is done via the Message Center. In this box located in the lower right of the Secondary Screen, text will be displayed letting the pilot know that a lap has been scored, ones own or another VTV has been destroyed, or even Bad Idea when a VTV collides with a wall.

Compass - In the lowest right-hand corner of the Secondary Screen is a compass. This circular display will let the pilot of a VTV know which direction the VTV is headed. Additionally, there is a green dot located in the compass ring. This green dot indicates which direction the wellhead that the VTV is supposed to go to is located.

As you will see, there are a number of buttons running vertically along the left- and right-hand sides of the Secondary Screen. The function of these buttons is listed below:



Left Side

Zoom + - This will scroll the map view in and allows the pilot to see the course in greater detail.

Zoom - - This button scrolls the radar view of the map out, so that the pilot can see more of the racecourse.

Crosshairs The third button down from the top of the left-hand side of the Secondary Screen is the button that will turn the crosshairs located in the center of the Main Screen off or on. All VTVs start with the crosshairs turned on. If your vehicle has no weapons or you just prefer not to use the crosshairs, simply push this button. NOTE: There is no icon or verbiage to denote the function of this button.

Horn - Hitting the 4th button down from the top will sound the VTVs air horn.

The lowest two buttons on the left-hand side of the Secondary Screen have no function and will do nothing if they are pressed.



Right Side

The buttons that run along the right-hand side of the Secondary Screen are all pre-sets for the Joystick. There are six, and they all alter the joystick from its starting configuration to greater or lesser degrees. The Virtual World Red Planet Supplement outlines each preset.



Other Aspects of Red Planet

Classes of VTVs

There are three different classes of VTV available to the pilot: Bug class, Mule class, and Bull class. Each of the classes of VTV was originally designed to perform different tasks in the canalways, and so all have different flight characteristics. Although the VTVs are now being used for something far different than their original purpose, these flight characteristics are still the same and will have a profound effect on the race itself.

Bug Class - The Bug Class VTVs are the smallest, lightest, yet fastest and most maneuverable VTVs in Red Planet. Designed to perform light welding and maintenance work in the canals, they needed to be nimble and able to get from job to job quickly.

Both of these traits help them in the race environment, but they come with a price. Bug Class VTVs are also the most fragile of the VTVs, and so need to be careful not to collide with objects in the canal at anything but the lowest speeds. Because of their light weight, Bug Class VTVs only have two thrust vector ports. If these VTVs are armed, it is generally with the lightest of the Laser Drills or Rivet Guns.

In the Red Planet racing environment, the high top speeds of the Bug Class VTVs make them the most desired. Also, because of their light weight, they get the most out of their on-board Boosters. The extreme light weight and fragility of the Bug class VTVs make them a little tricky for beginners, but once flying a VTV has been learned, they offer the greatest odds of victory for most VTV pilots.

Mule Class - Designed as the workhorses of the Martian canals, the Mule Class VTVs are good all-around VTVs, having more armor and being larger than all Bug Class VTVs. Being a compromise between the speed and maneuverability of the Bug Class, and the heavy-duty toughness of the Bull Class, Mule Class VTVs have four thrust vector ports and this gives them a blend of speed and power.

Mule Class VTVs are rugged and can be banged about quite a bit. However, they are also a bit heavier and a bit slower than Bug Class VTVs. They are not as maneuverable as Bug Class VTVs, either. Mule Class VTVs that are armed carry weapons that are usually heavier than those used by Bug Class VTVs.

As racers, Mule Class VTVs don't offer the high speeds or the maneuverability of Bug Class VTVs, but they are more robust and allow a novice pilot to survive more mistakes than the Bugs do. The fastest of the Mule Class VTVs have about the same top speed as the slowest of the Bug class VTVs, plus they have the additional benefit of being able to collide with these same Bug Class VTVs and be the ones to drive away from the wreckage in one piece. Mule Class VTVs are ideal for beginners because of the above traits. They are also good VTVs to use when exploring new courses, as they are more forgiving of piloting mistakes.

Bull Class - Bull Class VTVs are the dump trucks and semis of the Martian canals. They are designed to do the heaviest lifting and mining operations. As such, they are incredibly tough and well armored. As lifters, they have the most number of thrust vector ports (6) and have great vertical lift capability. However because of the extra armor they carry and the larger size of the frame, Bull Class VTVs are the slowest and least nimble of all the VTVs.

The armor that slows the Bull Class VTVs down is also a great boon for the pilot in that Bull Class VTVs can survive all but the heaviest impacts with the obstacles and vehicles it may encounter in the canals. When armed, Bull Class VTVs have the heaviest and most weapons of all VTV classes.

In a race, a Bull Class VTV certainly wont win any speed records, but its size and weight mean that any other VTV it encounters will have to get out of its way or be run down. The smart pilot will use this to best effect, making the other VTVs alter their path or slow down to avoid the Bull Class VTV and this will offset the differences in top speed. Bull Class VTVs are easy to fly as the pilot does not have to worry about collisions, but the low top speeds can make flying them seem a bit leisurely. VTVs of this class can be tricky to maneuver because of their great size, and some canals can be quite narrow for them. The upside of this is that they are that much harder to avoid! Good to use if you like to smash things.



Tips and Tactics

Course memorization is the key to success in Red Planet!

This cannot be stressed enough. In order to get really high scores, the pilot most know the course well enough to anticipate where bottlenecks are likely to occur and where the best areas to boost are. The only way to learn these areas is to fly a course enough to become familiar with every turn and obstacle.

Use your radar!

This is a lifesaver if you know whats in front of you, you can use that knowledge to avoid fatal collisions with bigger VTVs. Often times, a pilot cannot see far enough ahead on the main screen to avoid or anticipate other vehicles. The radar is the best way to see what is happening at the other end of the course and where the other VTVs are.

When the Containment Bay Doors are open at one end of the course, they are open at the other end, too.

The doors on a course are synched to each other, if you are going through a set of doors at one end of the racecourse, the doors at the other end are in the same position. This knowledge is vital when choosing to Boost. If you barely squeaked through a door at one end, you can bet that the door on the other end may not be open far enough to let your VTV pass through, ending your run in a spectacular, but costly impact.

Reverse is your friend!

Since the VTV floats on a cushion of air and has no direct contact with the ground, it doesnt have any brakes to speak of. So, if a pilot wants to slow the VTV down quickly, the best way to accomplish this is to use reverse at full throttle simply push the throttle all the way forward and while keeping it there, push and hold the reverse button. For even greater effect, use the Lift Cut function of the VTV to drop the VTV to the floor off the canal and scrape along until the VTV has stopped or the desired lower speed has been reached.

Don't boost into walls!

As obvious as this sounds, it still happens with alarming frequency. If you don't know what you are approaching or what is in front of you in a Red Planet course, your best bet is not to boost! If you want to boost, but aren't sure of what is down the canal, check you radar and see if there is enough long open straightaway to allow for a good boost. Also remember that if you have to use reverse to scrub the speed of the boost for any length of time, that boost is by and large wasted.



Martian Football

Martian Football is a team game played on a Red planet racecourse. Where a regular Red planet game is a race to see who can get the most points in a limited amount of time and each pilot is racing for him or herself, Martian Football takes players and puts them into two equally sized teams. Although all players can contribute to the teams score, only one of the players on each team races to each goal area to score points.

Each Team has the following positions on it: Runner, Blocker, and Crusher. The standard Martian Football team is made up of four pilots, although it can have as few as two on a team. Each team must have one, and only one, Runner on it. The remaining positions can be made up of any number of Blockers and Crushers. Typically, a Martian Football team will be made up of one Runner, two Crushers, and one Blocker, but this can change depending on the teams favored tactics or the course being played on.

The positions each have their own function on a team, and how each position contributes to a teams score will be outlined below.

Runner - The Runner is arguably the most important position on a Martian Football team. The Runners position is the one that most closely resembles a regular player in a normal Red Planet game. The Runner is responsible for running from end to end and scoring the points at each goal. For all intents and purposes, the Runner is the ball.

The Runner's most difficult task is to avoid the opposite team's Crushers who get points for colliding with the Runner. To do this the Runner must be skilled in flying the VTV and know the course well enough to hide and dodge while moving toward the goal.

Runners can use any Bug Class VTV and start with four more Boosters (2 in each bank) than they usually have in a Red Planet game. Like a normal Red Planet game, once a Runner uses a Booster, it is gone and will not be replaced for the duration of a Martian Football game. A Runner will receive a score multiplier for every goal that he or she makes without being crushed or colliding into an object on the course and dying in the process. Any Runner deaths will be subtracted from the team's score.

Crusher - The Crusher's job on a Martian Football team is to destroy the opposing team's Runner. This is usually done by colliding with the Runner, preferably at high speed and preferably head-on. As is standard in a Red Planet game, if a VTV dies at high speed, it loses more points than it would if it were moving slowly. So, if a Crusher hits a Runner at high speed, the Runners team will lose more points than if the Crusher killed the Runner at a lower speed.

Crushers can be any class VTV, although Bull Class VTVs are typically favored. Since collisions are the most effective way to kill a Runner, armed VTVs are not usually taken by Crushers. Unlike the Runner, a Crusher will receive a full complement of Boosters each time his VTV morphs in after it is destroyed. This leads to most Crushers flying around lighting one Booster after another to keep a high rate of speed up. Crusher deaths do not subtract from a team's score, HOWEVER, if a Crusher hits a Runner and then is destroyed within two seconds thereafter, all the points that were lost by the Crusher will go to the opposite team's score!

Blocker - The Blocker is both a defensive and offensive position depending on how it is played. Typically, a Blocker will attempt to destroy the opposing team's Crushers by flying up and down the course at a high rate of speed and hitting those Crushers who get in the way. Like Crushers, a Blocker's death will not subtract points from a team's score. However, (similar to Crushers) if a Blocker hits a Crusher and is then destroyed within two seconds of hitting the Crusher, the crushers team will receive all the points lost by the destroyed Blocker. If the Blocker chooses to play a more defensive game, he or she will stay near the Runner and attempt to deflect oncoming Crushers or clear a path for the Runner.

Like Crushers, Blockers can be of any class VTV, but, also like Crushers, Bull class VTVs are used more often than not. After a Blocker's VTV is destroyed, it will remorph with a full load of Boosters.

Martian Football is a fast paced, high-energy game. However, because it is so chaotic with VTVs flying in every direction and fully ² of the players not concerned with getting to the scoring zone, it can be difficult to learn. Once mastered, though, Martian Football the most adrenaline producing excitement a Tesla cockpit can provide! Below are some tips to help players get up to speed and get their bearings in the Martian Football environment:

Martian Football teams have two colors: Crushers and Blockers will be one color, while the Runner will be a complimentary color to that of the other VTVs. Team colors are: Green/Yellow, Black/Purple, Red/Pink, and Blue/Aqua. Do not use Decals in Martian Football games; they make seeing a VTVs true colors more difficult.

VTVs morph in pointed in the direction they are supposed to go. Runners will morph in facing the goal area they need to reach. Crushers will morph in facing the direction that the opposing team's Runner is. Blockers will morph in facing the direction of its team's Runner. Be aware that although a Crusher morphs in facing towards the enemy Runner, the opposing Runner may be flying towards or away from the Crusher.

Use your radar!!! This is the single best way to get your bearings on the racecourse. The enemy runner will appear as a glowing dot on the GPS. If the radar is scrolled out far enough, you may be able to see where the Runner is located as well, but this will give you less detail on the course itself so you may not be able to see what side of the canal the Runner is flying on.

Check your rearview!! This is one of the best ways to stay alive if you can't see what's going on behind you, you cannot react to it. Most often, the Runner will need to use this to stay alive, but it is a valuable tool for the Crusher or Blocker as well; not many pilots expect VTVs in front of them to pay attention enough to react to what's happening behind them. Reverse kills (getting in front of a Runner and slamming your own VTV into reverse and backing into the Runner) work wonders on demoralizing an opposing Runner.

Talk to your Teammates! Although the radar will help you locate the opposition, your teammates will most likely be near them if you are not and this is invaluable in letting you know where the Runner is going. It is also useful to have to your Runner give you status reports hitting your own Runner while on multiple Boosts is a sure way to lose many, many points!

Runners: Use the small size of your VTV to best advantage. This means going over, under, or through obstacles that are too small for the larger VTVs to follow. This will give you space between you and your opponents, and space = time, which allows you to react to enemy movement.

Crushers: Know where narrow, confined areas are and use them. You cannot maneuver as well as the smaller VTVs, but you can offset this advantage by catching the Runner in areas where he or she will not be able to use maneuverability to escape.

Know whether the doors are open or closed! Not knowing can be fatal. If a Runner is sitting in front of the doors, waiting for them to open, they are tempting and ripe targets for opposing Crushers. Conversely, small VTVs will be able to squeeze through openings that larger ones cannot. If a door is closing at one end of the course, it is closing at the other. Use this knowledge to help gauge where the doors will be when you reach them.



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This site is not affiliated with Virtual World Entertainment, FASA, FASA Interactive, or any of their subsidiaries. The ideas and opinions expressed here are those of Mark "Marz" Fusco and are not neccessarily the same as those of VWE, FASA. The V-Hoop design is a Trademark of Virtual World Entertainment, Inc. Virtual World and Red Planet are Registered Trademarks of Virtual World Entertainment,Inc. BattleTech is a Registered Trademark of FASA Corporation. Used Under License.