[center][b]Gameplay and Interface Guide[/b]
[i]By Zeke50100[/i][/center]

[b]Table of Contents[/b]

[b][*]Introduction
[*]Main-Screen Interface and Controls
[*]Character Information
 [*]In-Battle Interface and Gameplay
[*]Item Shops and Inventory
[*]C-Mail and the Galactic Map
[*]Conclusion
[*]Credits[/b]

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[center][b]Introduction[/b][/center]

Welcome to MechQuest, the Fantasy/Sci-Fi Web RPG. In this game, you play the role of a university student, destined to defeat the Shadow Scythe. But there’s one [i]small[/i] problem; you have no idea how to play! Well, just hop in your mecha and strap on your flamethrower; this is going to be one fun ride!

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[center][b]Main-Screen Interface and Controls[/b][/center]

[b]Game Controls:[/b]
[*][b]Mouse Point and Click:[/b] This is the main tool used for playing the game. You move your character by clicking on any area, and they will move as close as possible to that point in a straight line. It is also used to click buttons, both outside and inside of combat.

[*][b]Arrow Keys:[/b] The arrow keys are only used in select minigames, such as the Labyrinth. What each key does depends on the game, but it is mainly used for moving your character during the minigame.

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[link=http://i413.photobucket.com/albums/pp211/Zeke50100/MechQuest/MaMJournal.jpg]Click here for the Main-Screen Interface picture[/link]

This is the opening area of Soluna City, and is your default area once you complete the Dropship. In the image above, important areas are boxed in different colors. Here is a description of each of the boxed areas:

[*][b][color=#FF0000]1 – New Releases:[/color][/b] This little section is seen in the top-right corner of Soluna City. It holds clickable buttons that will lead you to each new release. For example, the “Monthly Rare” button will warp you to a shop containing the mecha of the month within it. It can be very useful for traveling to releases outside of Soluna, as it is free and will not cost the usual 1,000 credit fee.

[*][b][color=#0000FF]2 – Your Character:[/color][/b] This is your character avatar. This is what you move around throughout the game.

[*][b][color=#FF00FF]3 – Character Bar:[/color][/b] This handy little icon-set shows you quite a bit of your info. It lists your name and level at the top, with your character’s face-icon at the left. The [color=red]Red[/color] bar is your HP / Health bar; it goes down as you lose health. The [color=yellow]Yellow[/color] bar is your EP / Energy bar; it goes down as you lose energy. The [color=#9900FF]Purple[/color] bar is your experience bar; when this fills completely, you gain a level.

[*][b][color=#00FF00]4 – Exclamation Icon:[/color][/b] Objects or characters with this icon over their head means there is something important with it/them. Major NPCs are commonly labeled with this.

[*][b][color=#00FFFF]5 – NPC:[/color][/b] Otherwise known as “Non-Playable Character,” these characters cannot be controlled. Most of the time, however, you can interact with them (and many hold quests)

[*][b][color=#FFFF00]6 – Building / Area:[/color][/b] Most door-shapes and/or open spaces are pathways leading to different areas. In this case, it leads to Tek’s Mechs.

[*][b]7 – Interface Toolbar:[/b] This neat toolbar holds a variety of buttons that can be used to your advantage. The one found in Soluna is the most complete. Here is a list of the buttons:
- [b]“Battle!”[/b] – This button launches you into a random battle.
- [b]”New!”[/b] – Much like the New Release section, but this can only send you to the absolute latest release.
- [b]“Repair”[/b] – This will repair all of your mecha’s HP and EP to full.
- [b]“Equip”[/b] – This opens up your item inventory.
- [b]“Mecha”[/b] – This opens up your Mecha inventory.
- [b]“Shop”[/b] – This will send you to Tek’s Mechs.
- [b]“Watch”[/b] – This will send you to Ballyhoo.
- [b]Star Captain Icon[/b] – This indicates that the next few icons require a Star Captain’s License to use.
- [b]“Normal, Hard, Extreme”[/b] – These are difficulty levels. The higher the difficulty, the stronger the enemies are; however, they also reward you with more credits and exp. Only Normal is available to Free Players.
- [b]“Zoom”[/b] – This will enlarge/shrink the toolbar. Available to all players.
- [b]“Travel”[/b] – This button let’s you switch between your Mecha and your character for walking. It is currently only available on Zargon.
- [b]“Leave”[/b] – This button will send you back to either Soluna, or back to the “main” section of a Planet. It is only found on some planets.

Below the toolbar, and to the right of the character info bar, you can see a button labeled as “OPTIONS”. This opens up an option screen. There, you can change the volume, toggle music, teleport to your hometown, and even return to your character list (all unsaved progress will be lost).

Also note the screen with the yellow exclamation point seen directly above the character. This is the C-Mail screen, which has a variety of features. It will be explained in a later section.

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[b][center]Character Information[/center][/b]

[link=http://i413.photobucket.com/albums/pp211/Zeke50100/MechQuest/CharacterInformation.jpg]Click here for the Character Information picture[/link]

The Character Information screen is one of the most useful screens you will ever utilize throughout playing the game. In order to access it, you click on your Character’s face Icon found in the bottom left corner of your screen. This is accessible at nearly all times; the only times it isn’t available is during your enemy’s turn, or during a scene that takes away the entire bottom bar.

At the very top left, you can see “Character ID#”. In place of the following ######’s you will see your character ID number, used to identify your character in order of creation.
Directly below that, in giant letters, is your character’s name. In this case, it is GEARS Student.
Below that is your level, your status, and experience. The status depends on what uniform you are wearing. The default is Mecha Pilot.

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Next is the actual stats section, below the page break. Your mecha name is listed here (In this screenshot, it is Katana V1), as well as all of its stats.

This is where one of 2 useful features limited to only this screen comes into play. The stats update even during the battle. This means that if your enemy hits you with a “-20 Bonus to hit” effect, your “Bonus” will change to reflect that. Check this screen often to see your stats and adjust your strategy accordingly.

Your weapon damage is also listed here.

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To the left of these general mecha stats are your Player Stats. [link=http://forums2.battleon.com/f/tm.asp?m=16810392]Mecha Stats and Stat Buildings[/link] contains more information. Bonuses from Mods will show up as a blue +#, where # will be the effect of the mod.

Below these stats, you see the Credit count (the currency used in this game), and the Nova Gem count (NGs for short; this is secondary currency). These can also be seen in the Inventory and Shop menus.

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Finally, there is the “Resistances and Status” section. That giant blue orb will contain a Star Captain icon if you are a Star Captain. This section lists ALL of the effects on your mecha, and how long the durations are. It will also show innate abilities. Some examples:

“Immobility: #” will be listed here, with # being any number, according to how much Immobility resistance you have.
“Taking Fire Damage! # turns remaining” This is an example of a Damage Over Time effect, or a DoT. This means your mecha will receive damage at the start of your turn. The # of turns remaining will be how many of your turns must pass before the effect subsides.

There are MANY more effects that are listed here. For a list of all effects, check out [link=http://forums2.battleon.com/f/tm.asp?m=16604757]Equipment Specials and Effects Guide[/link]. It will contain all the information you need.

Note that any effect that says “-20 to BTH” or something similar will also be reflected in your mecha stats section. All effects started in a battle subside after battle.

[link=http://i413.photobucket.com/albums/pp211/Zeke50100/MechQuest/OnFire.jpg]Click Here for an example of what the Resistances and Status section may look like after receiving an effect[/link]

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[b][center]In-Battle Interface and Gameplay[/center][/b]

[link=http://i413.photobucket.com/albums/pp211/Zeke50100/MechQuest/In-BattleInterface.jpg]Click here for the In-Battle Interface picture[/link]

You can get into a battle in many different ways. The most obvious and easiest method is clicking the button labeled “Battle!” You can also encounter battles by running into enemy mecha that are on-screen, and also through buttons that may lead to battles (Such as the Knife & Spork, which sets you up against a chain of fights without saying “Battle!”)

When you DO get into a battle, it will look like the screen above. On the left is your mecha, and on the right is the enemy mecha.

Down the middle are the actual combat options. At the top of the screen, a little window shows the statistics of the current highlighted weapon/option (highlighted options are darkened, and look like buttons that are pushed in; in this case, it is the Smokey Flame Thrower). This window shows information in the following format (for weapons):

[b]Name of Selection[/b] (Smokey Flame Thrower)
[b]Damage (element)[/b] (8 – 12 Fire)
[b]Energy Cost[/b] (23)
[b]Cooldown[/b] (5)

Damage is the amount of health will be taken away in total if it is used and connects. Element is the element used, such as Ballistic or Laser; there are some enemies with resistances to certain elements, so be on the look out for that.

Energy Cost is how much EP will be used up; if you do not have enough EP, the option will be grayed out, being unusable for that turn.

Cooldown is how many turns you must wait before you can use that weapon again; if it says 5, you must attack or skip 5 turns in order to be able to use it again. Cooldowns do not carry over through battles.

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Your weapons available are listed below in the following format:

[b]Front Arm[/b] (Double Autogun)
[b]Back Arm[/b] (Smokey Flame Thrower)
[b]Front Shoulder[/b] (None)
[b]Back Shoulder[/b] (Miscalibrated Sniper Rifle)
[b]Body[/b] (None)
[b]Head[/b] (None)

Only weapons with attacks will be listed here, and will be grayed out if you do not have enough EP, or if the weapon is in cooldown.

The last buttons are the “Skip” and “Eject” buttons. Skip will cause you to miss a turn, but you do not use any EP, and regain EP equal to your EP Regen. Eject causes you to instantly lose the battle, so be careful when using it.

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Each battle works like this: You and the enemy take turns (Starting turn is determined by who wins Initiative, which is affected by Luck and Reflex) attacking each other. The battle is over when one of the combatants is reduced to 0 HP. If you win a battle, you gain Experience and Credits; if you lose, nothing bad happens, but you are forced out of the quest (or back to the beginning) if you were in one.

Each weapon that you use will cost a certain amount of Energy, or EP. At the end of every turn, you will also recover some EP, known as EP Regen. The higher the EP Regen, the more EP you will gain.

When you are Stunned, you will be unable to move during the turns you are stunned. Your weapon cooldowns will still reduce, and all other effects take place (Effects wear down, you take DoT damage, you regain EP, etc). Be careful when you are stunned; it can very well be the end of the fight for you.

By perfecting your equipment set-up and forming a strategy, you can easily defeat enemies. Just practice (yes, this takes practice!) enough, and you will eventually get the hang of the battle system.

NOTE: There IS another type of battle; Energy Battles. It is explained in [link=http://forums2.battleon.com/f/tm.asp?m=18295747]Energy Blades, Fights, and Uniforms[/link], so just head over there if you want more information.

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[b][center]Item Shops and Inventory[/center][/b]

Items are the most crucial part to all MechQuest battles. Without proper equipment, you will fail nearly all the time. In order to purchase items to equip on your mecha, you must visit a shop. Shops are located on nearly every single planet, containing a wide variety of Heads, Shoulders, [s]Knees, and Toes[/s] and Arms. When you enter a shop, it will look like this:

[link=http://i413.photobucket.com/albums/pp211/Zeke50100/MechQuest/ItemShop.jpg]Click Here to see image[/link]

In this example, you see Tek’s normal Arms shop. On your left is your current mecha, with its current equipment. On the right, you see a list of equipment; those are all items you can buy. If you select an item, its appearance is added to the mecha on the left. You can also check out all of the details; Damage, Type, Energy Cost, etc., and there’s also a description, usually containing information about any specials the weapon may have.

You also see the number of Credits (or, for Nova Gem items, Nova Gems) it will cost. You cannot buy an item if you do not have enough currency. Another thing to note is that an item with a name outlined in [color=red]Red[/color] is unusable on your current mecha (including lack of level), items outlined in [color=green]Green[/color] cost Nova Gems, and items outlined in [color=purple]Purple[/color] are Star Captain-only.

You can purchase items by clicking [b]“Buy”[/b]. If you click the tab named “Sell” at the top, you switch to your inventory, and can sell all non-default, unequipped items from there (You see the same details as from the buy menu, except you see Sellback instead of Cost). Click [b]“Sell”[/b] to sell your items.

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Once you’ve purchased your items, you can view them in your inventory to equip.

[link=http://i413.photobucket.com/albums/pp211/Zeke50100/MechQuest/Inventory.jpg]Click Here to see image[/link]

All of your items are listed here, along with any details pertaining to them. The layout is basically the same as shops. However, there are also additional tabs at the top, which sort your items:

[b][*]All Items (Default)
[*]Heads
[*]Front Arms
[*]Back Arms
[*]Front Shoulders
[*]Back Shoulders
[*]Energy Blades[/b]

In addition to these tabs, there is also a Recycle Bin icon in the description of each item. These delete items completely, and you will not receive a sellback as if you were selling the item. Be warned when using this.

When you are viewing your Mecha inventory, you will instead see your mecha listed, with its HP, EP, EP Regen, and description listed.

Non-Star Captains can hold 20 items, not including default items, and 3 mecha, including the one you have equipped.

Star Captains can hold 20 items, not including default items, and 20 mecha, including the one you have equipped.

More slots for storage are available for Nova Gems.

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[b][center]C-Mail and the Galactic Map[/center][/b]

C-Mail is one of the most useful features in the game (aside from equipping and battling). There are several screens, so bear with me:

[link=http://i413.photobucket.com/albums/pp211/Zeke50100/MechQuest/NewsScreen.jpg]News Screen[/link]
[link=http://i413.photobucket.com/albums/pp211/Zeke50100/MechQuest/Jobs.jpg]Jobs Screen[/link]
[link=http://i413.photobucket.com/albums/pp211/Zeke50100/MechQuest/C-Mail.jpg]C-Mail[/link]
[link=http://i413.photobucket.com/albums/pp211/Zeke50100/MechQuest/GalacticMap.jpg]Galactic Map[/link]

The News Screen is just a preview of the week’s release, along with a convenient button leading to the new release. It functions much like the other New Release buttons found elsewhere.

The Jobs Screen lists all of Soluna’s Jobs, along with your rank in that job. It can help in tracking down jobs you haven’t completed yet.

The C-Mail screen is interesting. You gain C-Mail when a new storyline quest is available. If you don’t know where to go, check C-Mail, as it is a more-than-obvious clue.

The Galactic Map is possibly the most useful feature of C-Mail. It allows you to travel to other planets, provided that you have repaired your Starship (A story quest). If you are non-Star Captain, there will be a fee of 1,000 credits.

There are other screens, as well. The Recruit screen is just a link to your referral; if people create accounts using that referral, you will gain a portion of their exp and credit earned. The “Go to Starship” button sends you to your starship (Star Captain-only). The Hometown button sets your hometown to Soluna.

C-Mail is the ultimate in travel and progress features in MechQuest. Use it well!

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[b][center]Conclusion[/center][/b]

The world of MechQuest is a vast and confusing. You are now, however, well-prepared for the journey ahead. Learn to use the interface well, and you will love the game. Of course, the more you love the game, the easier it is to play, as well.

Practice makes perfect. The more you battle, the easier it becomes. The more you use your inventory (and item shops), the more natural it will be. Use the systems available in-game, and you’ll breeze through the game.

If you are ever stuck while trying to accomplish something, just keep trying; if you truly cannot find the answer, ask in the [link=http://forums2.battleon.com/f/tt.asp?forumid=177]MechQuest Q&A Section[/link]. [link=http://forums2.battleon.com/f/tt.asp?forumid=250]MechQuest Guides[/link] and [link=http://forums2.battleon.com/f/tt.asp?forumid=244]MechQuest Encyclopedia[/link] can help you, too.

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[b][center]Credits[/b][/center]

As always, there are people who helped create this guide. They’ll be listed in alphabetical order here:

[i]Thanks to Seriyu and Zamuel![/i]