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The Glory of Battle

Alright, maggots! I've taught you the way of the world. I've prepared you for the great beyond, working you day and night both physically and emotionally until you maggots broke down to tears. I've moulded you from the sickly piles of waste matter that you are when you started this class into the fierce fighting machines you will become today! I have...

You haven't done any of those things. First of all, we haven't been worked physically, aside from sitting in this cramped, non-airconditioned room for 2 hours a day. Also, the only reason most of us were crying was because the vents are open, and the onion fumes from the cafeteria next door got in. And we were NOT sickening piles of anything, sir! If you want us to work for you, you'd better treat us with a little more respect than that!

I... I'm sorry.. I apologize to everyone. The reason I yelled at all of you and treated you poorly was because... I love every one of you. You are like my family, and every time you leave the classroom, I die inside a little. You complete me, men. It would give me great pleasure to be in the same unit together..

!!! Sir.... we feel the exact same way! Let's fight together!

*sniffle* Ahh.. heh.. let's just finish today's lesson; battling.

Battling Basics

Vanguard Bandits is a strategy RPG, with the meat of the game being the battling. Sure, there is management between missions and some decisions regarding story, but the goal of Vanguard Bandits is to complete the game via battling, and battle you shall.

A battle takes place on a battlefield, which looks something like this:

The battle screen is made up of square spaces, as you can see. The object of the battle is to wipe out all of the enemy units while losing as few of your own as possible (if Bastion dies, you lose the mission). However, on rare occasions, the objective differs slightly. Sometimes you may have to protect a certain character in battle, or you may have to land on a certain space to finish the mission.

I'm assuming you know a bit about strategy RPGs before you play. Basically, the game involves the enemy and you taking turns commanding your units and choosing where you want them to move and what you want them to attack. You can attack once per turn, and move a certain amount of spaces as well. Each unit has an HP value, and if that unit hits 0 HP, they are defeated until the end of the battle.

The Battlefield

As stated earlier, the battlefield is made up of many square spaces. Some can be moved onto, some can't. Different ATAC units move differently on each type of space. To view what type of space a particular square is, simply move over it with the cursor and read the information in the bottom-left. Each space takes a certain amount of AP to move through. AP will be covered later.

Sizing up the Situation

It's important to enter battle prepared, but it is also important to pause before the battle starts and size up the battlefield and your situation. That way, you can prepare for what the enemy has in store. Here are a few things you can do to learn more about your current situation.

At any time during your turn, move your cursor over any space. The following information is displayed.

  • - The character who currently has their turn will have their AP and FP displayed in the top right.
  • - In the bottom left is information about the space that is currently being hovered over by the cursor. The height of the space, as well as the attack advantage of this particular space for that particular character and the terrain type.
  • - Move the cursor over a unit to bring up a small bubble with their name and HP/MAX HP.
  • - Move the cursor over a unit and press Circle to get a small bit of statistical information on them.
  • - Move the cursor over a character and press X twice to bring up the following screen (if you are selecting the character who's turn it currently is, select Info to bring up the same screen.

    Here you can view the following information.

  • Equipment and ATAC: Displays a 3D model of that character's ATAC, and lists that character's equipment and ATAC.
  • Statistics: List of character's statistics, represented by the meters on the right. Blue bars represent the character's stats, while white bars represent stats added from equipment and the ATAC.
  • AP/FP/HP: Displays the character's current AP (when this hits 100, the character gets a turn), FP (if this hits 100, the character becomes dizzy and loses a turn), and HP (hit points.)
  • Other Info: Character portrait, character name, current level, EXP to next level, Spirit (added total of all stats without pluses), Range (spaces this character can move per turn), and Speed (determines how fast this character's AP hits 100.) Also noteworthy is the Emotion graph, which displays the character'sl anger, happiness, calmness and sadness. The size of the faces here determine how much of a boost in stats that character has, with Anger being attack power, Happiness being accuracy, Sadness being defense and Calmness being evade. These emotions change as various events happen on the battlefield, such as seeing an ally attacked.
    • Also, press Right on the control pad to scroll over during the Info screen and display that character's Attacks, Support Abilities and Dormant Abilities.

    On your turn, press Start to bring up an option screen with the following selections.

    Units View information on all the units on the battlefield. You can compare their names, HP, Level, Range and Speed from there. Pressing X while highlighting a unit will scroll the screen to find that unit on the battlefield.

    Map Switches to a bird's eye view of the entire map.

    Turns Brings up a small table showing the next 32 turns in battle, and which unit will get their turn in each. Enemies are written in red, your units in blue.

    Tactics Gives you the objective of the mission (which is usually Annihilate the Enemy).

    System Toggle various options. Each will be explained in the table below.

    - Cursor: Determines how the cursor moves. Choose from Right, Left or Center. The default is Right.

    - V. Scroll: Toggles Vertical Scroll between ON, OFF, or AUTO. When set to ON, the game will always scroll the screen up or down when the altitude of the cursor changes. With OFF, it will never, and with Auto, it will keep it at more of a happy medium.

    - Map Zoom: Allows you to zoom out the perspective of the Battle Screen. At default, it's set to 100%, but you can change it to 80% zoom or 60% zoom.

    - Status Box: Turns the status box On or Off. The Status Box is a little circle (yes, a CIRCLE) that appears over a unit's head on their turn. It displays their name, current HP and max HP.

    - Msg. Speed: Determines how fast text messages are displayed on the screen (battles are filled with small story scenes, and that's where this option comes in).

    - Sound: Choose from Stereo or Mono. I already used up the joke.

    - Battle Anim.: Turn the Battle Animation ON or OFF. With animation ON, whenever an attack is executed, it will switch to a separate screen and you will watch the ATAC launch the selected attacks at each other. However, this may get on your nerves after a while, so set it to OFF to just see the HP meters go down.

    - Vibration: Toggles Vibration ON or Off. To shake or not to shake.

    Save Save your in-battle progress. You can jump to this screen instantly by PRESSING the Right Analog Stick (R3 Button).

    Get to know the controls and functions of the game as early as you can so you don't have to worry about how to operate the controller at a pivotal moment.

    How to Fight

    Now it's time to actually fight. Battling is a little hard to explain, so I'll use a few pictures as examples and walk you through it.

    It is Bastion's turn. He wishes to attack Imperial 4, who is hiding near the bush in that screenshot. See? Wave to him!

    The first thing we have to do is move over to him to get into position. To enter battle with an opponent, you need to move into range, but you probably figured that out by now. So let's select Bastion (if the cursor is not on Bastion, move it to him), and press X. Select MOVE.

    See the blue area? This is where your character can move on this turn. Moving spaces consumes AP. AP is basically your "energy"; every action in the game consumes AP. Moving along each space consumes AP, depending on the terrain and your ATAC type. Attacking consumes AP, as do other things.

    Now move the cursor along the blue area to where you want to move (in this case, look at the screenshot). Press X, and Bastion will mosey on over. Next, select which direction you want to face (generally, you want to face the enemy and not expose your back). Now, your AP is pretty much depleted, and we're not close enough to attack, so we'll END our turn. Ending our turn allows the next person to move, and our AP will gradually go up until we get our next turn at 100.

    If you are in range to attack, the ATTACK command will be added to the small menu. Read on to learn how to attack.

    Attacking

    Select Attack. A menu will be displayed that looks something like this.

    There is no basic "attack"; rather, you choose an attack from a list of ones you have learned. The most basic ones are Slash and Thrust, which you will have from the start of the game. Attacks are determined by the stats your character has, and you can find more information on attacks on the Attacks section of the shrine. But let's skip that for now.

    Now, we want to Slash our enemy. Select Slash from the menu. A lot of information is displayed, which tells the statistics of that particular attack. But those are merely statistics, and we want an accurate portrayal of just how effective this Slash will be. So press X again. Now, select your target from any target within range (indicated by red squares). You will see this screen.

    This is basically a confirmation screen to let you decide whether or not you want to use this attack or not. From this point, you can back out and choose something else to attack with by pressing Triangle, but we want to Slash. It is important to understand what this screen means, so let's go over it.

  • On the left is the attacker's status (in this case, your character's status), including their HP, AP, FP, and Level. Check the AP, FP and HP meters before you confirm an attack, as attacking will certainly change them. AP will go down, FP will go up (if you hit 100 FP, you lose a turn and are 100% vulnerable to enemy attacks) and HP may change if enemy decides to counterattack. In this case, the enemy chose not to. Other stats on this screen are Assist (explained later) and accuracy of your attack in percentage. Greater percentage means a greater chance that the attack will actually hit.

  • On the right is the status of the "attacked" (in this case, the enemy's status), including their HP, AP, FP, and Level. Check the AP, FP and HP meters before you confirm an attack, as attacking and defending will certainly change them. Our opponent chose to defend; more information on the commands available when attacked can be found later. Other stats on this screen are Assist (explained later) and accuracy of any counterattack chosen in percentage. The enemy simply chose not to counterattack, but merely to defend in this case.

  • If Battle Animation is set to on, pressing X will play the battle animation. Both characters will perform his or her commands, and damage will be dealt, EXP will be rewarded to the attacker, and AP and FP will be changed accordingly. If Battle Animation is off, a second HP bar will be displayed under each HP bar. This is basically to show how much damage is actually done; if a hit is successful, the screen will shake and a sword slash will be heard. If not, a miss sound will be played.

    Some things you need to know:

    EXP:

    In Vanguard Bandits, EXP is given for getting a successful hit in during a combat round. The amount of EXP given depends on how hard you hit; you get more depending on how much damage you do. Also, your level and the enemy's level determine just how much EXP you earn, meaning that the higher your level is in comparision to the enemy's level, the less EXP you get. So if you are weaker than the enemy, you will earn more EXP.

    FP:

    FP stands for Fatigue Points. Each command in VB other than moving adds FP to your FP meter. Once this meter reaches 100, that character becomes dizzy (indicated by a spinning star over their head) and will not be able to act for one whole turn. In addition, they will not be able to dodge, and will always take full damage from all attacks until undizzied. It is important to watch your FP, and to try and get the enemy's FP up to take advantage of them. IMPORTANI: If your FP is very high, choose simply to do nothing (End) on your turn. FP is reduced each turn in proportion to the unused AP you have on that turn.

    Attacking enemy from behind:

    If you attack an enemy from the back, expect two things. One: the enemy will only be able to avoid your attack. Two: the enemy will take more damage when struck from behind. Of course, the same thing applies to you. Try and keep your back covered at all times; never allow the enemy to hit you from behind if you can help it.

    And that's all you need to know about attacking. Being attacked will be covered in a bit.

    • Support Abilites

    A little later into the game, you may learn some Support Abilites. Support Abilities are basically support magic, without any FP cost. They still require an AP cost though, and that generally means you won't be able to move around much if you choose to use one during a turn. To activate a Support Ability, select Skill during your turn, then select the ability to bring up the move's range. Select a target, and it will activate.

    Dormant Abilites

    Though you can't actually use them, Dormant Abilities are important in battle. You don't select them and "target" with them; rather, they are special abilities that lie dormant in your character and give that character special skills, such as Second Attack (attack twice per round), Chivalry (do extra damage from the front) or Stealth Motion (move through enemy ATACs). Dormant Abilities can be viewed on the Info Screen, and each character has specific Dormant Abilities they can learn by raising their stats the proper ways.

    Mission Objectives

    As stated earlier, the objective of a battle is usually to "Defeat all enemies:, but sometimes you may be required to land on a certain space, defeat one specific opponent, or save someone. View the Mission Objective before getting too deep into a battle so that you know what you have to do. To view the objective, press Start on your turn and select "Tactics".

    When Attacked..

    On enemy turns, the enemy has the same options as you, aside from the fac that they cannot use Support Abilities. Enemies will move in and attack, and when you are targeted by an attack, the following prompt will appear.

    Your options are quite different when attacked. Here is a rundown of each.

    Go!

    : After selecting a command, select this to actually execute it.

    Attack

    : Choosing Attack allows you to attack the enemy after he attacks you. After choosing Attack, choose which attack you wish to use on him. His accuracy and your accuracy will then be displayed; press X to confirm. This command consumes no AP, but adds the normal amount of FP that the attack would add, so be careful. These attacks have a higher rate of hitting than usual, because the enemy has just struck you, and his guard is down. Note that attempting this command to attack after your opponent hits with a Collision or Knockdown attack will result in you getting no attack in at all.

    Defend

    : Adds 30 FP. Basically, this command ensures you will take the hit, but you will only take half damage. It is generally not a good idea to use this command very often, because you can more often that not avoid the oncoming attack. There are some cases where you will not be able to avoid, and Defending is the only way to save your life.

    Avoid

    : Adds 20 FP. Basically, this command makes your ATAC dodge the oncoming attack. Has a high success rate, but if you are hit, you will take the full amount of damage. Avoid is usually your best choice, and your only choice when struck from behind.

    Counter

    : Adds 20 FP. This command only shows up when attacked from the front, and not very often at that. It attempts to fully counter your enemy's attack by stabbing them as they rush in, and you will do a bit more damage than a Thrust attack if it works. However, it doesn't work too often, and it's generally not a useful technique.

    Please note that enemies have this same command list, aside from Counter. Also note that if you are attacked from behind, Avoid will be your only option.

    Level Up!

    Every 500 EXP earned, your character will level up. This is a joyous occasion and should be celebrated the best way you can; by raising that character's stats! When leveling up, your stats are displayed by the bars with the numbers representing your stats WITHOUT stat bonuses from equipment. From here, you are given 3 stat points which you must use to raise your attributes in any way you want. Think carefully before distributing these points; plan ahead and know what each stat will earn you!

    Assist

    When you are surrounded by allies (or when the enemy is surrounded by his cronies) and you enter combat, look for the Assist stat. This is basically a combat advantage that slightly alters your stats (or the enemy's) depending on how many friends who are surrounding you in the area. Each ally within an 8 space area represents a 6% stat increase. Therefore, it's good to keep your team together. Right?

    Terrain and Movement

    As explained earlier, different tiles in the game have different "terrain" properties. Each ATAC belongs to one of 6 "types", and each type performs better on certain terrains. For more details, check out the Terrain section of the shrine.

    Morale

    Morale is the mental state of your team members and your relationship with them. It can have an effect on the ending you get, and may (though I am not sure) affect how well your allies fight. Morale is raised by allowing your party members to participate in combat and get kills, and is lowered by your allies being KOed in battle or by not allowing your party members to participate in battle. More on Morale in the Interview section of the shrine.

    CPU Controlled Allies

    Certain missions have you working with allies controlled by the computer. They basically follow the same rules as computer controlled opponents; however, when they engage in combat, they do not receive EXP OR MONEY. It is imperative that you let CPU Controlled Allies score as few kills as possible.

    Battle Strategies

  • First and foremost, always attack the enemy from behind if you can. This way, you don't have to worry about blocking or nasty counterattacks, and if you hit, you will do more damage than usual. Also, cover your back whenever possible. You can back up against a wall, against another ATAC.. whatever works best.

  • When boosting stats at Level Up, never raise WEP. Buying new weapons will raise this stat as high as you will ever need it.

  • Try and take down one enemy at a time, and keep your team grouped up as much as possible in the later missions. Strength in numbers is an old axiom that has never been truer than in Vanguard Bandits, where being surrounded by ATAC 4-1 can easily defeat even the mightiest warrior. Keeping your ATAC together makes it easier to use Support Abilities on them (such as HEALING), and your Assist bonuses will surely make fighting easier.

  • In later missions, you probably won't be able to attack from behind near as much. This is where a new strategy comes into play; the Turbulence Strategy! As you know, dizzying an opponent leaves him 100% open to attack, right? Now consider this; the computer opponent will almost always block Knockdown attacks. Blocking costs 30 FP to do. Turbulence is a 4 space range Knockdown attack. By having a Wind-Stone equipped character use Turbulence, the computer will simply block it, taking a bit of damage and gaining 30 FP. Do this again with another character (or that character if you have Second Attack.) That's 60 FP! Computer opponents generally choose to rest and recuperate for a turn if their FP is around this total, so you've just cost them a turn! With this strategy, it is also easy to get FP up to 100 for opponents, which means you can step in and annihilate the enemy with your uber-attacks!
    •

    If you die...

    Should a team member be defeated in battle, they will return at the end of battle. It can't be helped, but it can be prevented. Losing a character in battle is a huge morale loss, and should be avoided by hiding weaker characters when they are in peril. Put them somewhere safe and finish the battle as soon as you can. Of course, the next and final section of the How to Play section shall explain how to prevent this from happening very often.

    If at any time Bastion dies, you get a Game Over. Therefore, it is imperative that you keep Bastion in good health at all times. He cannot heal himself, so watch his HP very carefully.

    And that is that. You are now part of an elite fighting force, and you now possess the skills and knowledge to go far and to make the Kingdom Army proud! Today, we begin our first mission! Assemble outside in 1500 hours for briefing!

    Sir, yes sir!

    (At this point, I regret to inform you that High-Ranked Imperial and his men were never seen again. Well, actually, they got the wrong rendevous point co-ordinates and assembled in the woman's washroom. They have all been discharged and most have moved on careers in the exciting fields of salmon gutting, men's room attendants, assembly line workers, and reality TV show producers. Pray for each of their souls; they'll need it.)

    There is one more section left, taught by me, Dalton of Zeal. Please read it; it's perhaps the most important of all.

    How to WIN at Vanguard Bandits