Laserforce Explained, Part 2b: More Game Modes
In the previous post I described some of the game types currently on offer at any Laserforce site in the world. This time, I will explain a few more game modes, including a few that I haven't tried as of now. Unlike last time, though, I will focus on the more challenging modes offered, whereas the game types previously mentioned were generally straightforward. So here is the rest of the list of available game modes, complete with a few tips to help you survive them.
Fugitive mode splits the players into two teams: fugitives (yellow) and marshals (blue). The former tend to consist of a small number of more experienced players and always enter the playing field before the game commences, allowing them to take up a strategic position. Marshals, on the other hand, do not enter the field until the game has actually started and are never allowed to actively chase fugitives; instead they tend to hide in some secluded corner of the map, hoping to ambush them. Players' initial allocation of lives are determined using a complex algorithm that takes all of their skill levels into account. As such, if there are many more marshals than fugitives, the former will start out with far fewer lives. At any rate, taking too long to find an opponent will cause a player to be warned, and they will even lose a life if enough time passes without a successful hit on an opponent. If a player runs out of lives, he/she will be eliminated from the current game, although to discourage this, they will be warned if they only have a few lives left.
Photon Emulation evokes the feel of Photon, the world's first laser tag system, and as such is the slowest-paced game mode of all. Players can only fire once per second and cannot use missiles. However, regardless of skill level, only one direct hit is required to stun an opponent, although this can only happen if the victim was not already stunned. In addition, players cannot zap the same opponent more than three times in a row, and must hit another opponent or a fixed target to reset this counter. Also, a player who is hit by enemy fire will not be registered as stunned for a half-second after impact, and will be reactivated within five seconds. Finally, due to the lack of Warbots (or equivalents thereof) in Photon, these props are not used in Photon Emulation.
Wedlock requires an even number of players, and for good reason: all players are split into pairs and initially act as a single entity. Thus, whatever happens to either player in the pair, be it receiving a special ability or being deactivated, affects both, until the pair holds down their triggers at the exact same time while active after accumulating at least 25 special points in total. Once the players are decoupled, none of the negative effects of the wedlock will affect them, although the positive effects will be retained.
Dead Aim (which can be played as an individual or team-based mode) emphasizes accuracy above all, since each player is initially allocated a limited number of shots and cannot carry more shots than a predetermined value - both of which depend on the player's skill level, with higher-ranked players having smaller initial and maximum ammo loads. Obviously, it is impossible for a player to open fire if all of their shots are expended; however, any direct hit on an opponent will replenish their ammo reserves, with high-level players needing more hits to do so than low-level players. Also, the higher a player's skill level, the more direct hits they will need to destroy a fixed target. Finally, activating a payback (which immediately reactivates a player who is deactivated) requires two shots; in addition to this, firing a missile requires four shots, and if it hits an opponent, the attacker will gain additional shots (enough to recoup the initial four-shot investment multiple times) plus lots of points.
Tag is an individual game type in which some of the players will be "it", and aim to tag a player who is not "it" using a missile. Those players can score points by zapping tagged players without being tagged themselves (although they cannot zap any player who is not tagged), Players who are tagged cannot score and can only fire missiles instead of normal shots; however, they can tag an opponent by firing a missile at them, and will revert to normal whenever this occurs. As an incentive to be "it" for as little time as possible, a tagged player will not only be unable to destroy static targets, but also lose points whenever they are hit, and will always revert to normal if they stay "it" for too long, losing even more points in the process while an untagged player is tagged automatically at random. Anyone who tags an opponent cannot be tagged until the attacker zaps a tagged player or stationary target, or the victim tags any other untagged player. Finally, warbots and skill levels are not used in this mode.
That brings an end to my discussion of normal Laserforce game types, but there are a few modes that are primarily reserved for tournaments and official league play. These will be described in detail in the next post.
Wedlock requires an even number of players, and for good reason: all players are split into pairs and initially act as a single entity. Thus, whatever happens to either player in the pair, be it receiving a special ability or being deactivated, affects both, until the pair holds down their triggers at the exact same time while active after accumulating at least 25 special points in total. Once the players are decoupled, none of the negative effects of the wedlock will affect them, although the positive effects will be retained.
Dead Aim (which can be played as an individual or team-based mode) emphasizes accuracy above all, since each player is initially allocated a limited number of shots and cannot carry more shots than a predetermined value - both of which depend on the player's skill level, with higher-ranked players having smaller initial and maximum ammo loads. Obviously, it is impossible for a player to open fire if all of their shots are expended; however, any direct hit on an opponent will replenish their ammo reserves, with high-level players needing more hits to do so than low-level players. Also, the higher a player's skill level, the more direct hits they will need to destroy a fixed target. Finally, activating a payback (which immediately reactivates a player who is deactivated) requires two shots; in addition to this, firing a missile requires four shots, and if it hits an opponent, the attacker will gain additional shots (enough to recoup the initial four-shot investment multiple times) plus lots of points.
Tag is an individual game type in which some of the players will be "it", and aim to tag a player who is not "it" using a missile. Those players can score points by zapping tagged players without being tagged themselves (although they cannot zap any player who is not tagged), Players who are tagged cannot score and can only fire missiles instead of normal shots; however, they can tag an opponent by firing a missile at them, and will revert to normal whenever this occurs. As an incentive to be "it" for as little time as possible, a tagged player will not only be unable to destroy static targets, but also lose points whenever they are hit, and will always revert to normal if they stay "it" for too long, losing even more points in the process while an untagged player is tagged automatically at random. Anyone who tags an opponent cannot be tagged until the attacker zaps a tagged player or stationary target, or the victim tags any other untagged player. Finally, warbots and skill levels are not used in this mode.
That brings an end to my discussion of normal Laserforce game types, but there are a few modes that are primarily reserved for tournaments and official league play. These will be described in detail in the next post.
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