The Guide to Bot Apocalypse

[TailsMK4]

Bot Apocalypse seems like a simple concept, it's just like regular TLMS except there's a bot team with a player as the leader. There is much more to the game than that, though. This mode was started a while back by SaviorSword, who would host a server and give the lone player the option of which kind of bot he wanted to have (I almost always picked Gemini Man myself). This ended up being a lot of work, and Sav asked others (which I was one of some people to agree) to help manage the game, since it required a mod to watch over the games. Since that time, it has turned into an actual mod, first by SickSadWorld whose version is closer to the original, and then by Messastu who added his own twists to the mode, such as Rage mode to the lone Light survival and extra health for the bot leader. This guide is mainly about Messastu's version, since he continues to host the mode.I know, the mode is probably overdone, but not as much as Roboenza and especially Classes...anyway.

I have played the game a lot for some time and noticed the game can get very deep in strategy, despite what it may seem at first. The addition of a bot leader adds a whole new dimension of strategy into the game. I will share some of the experience I've learned while battling Dr. Wily's bots and the leaders he has chosen for them (which I was selected many times as well to be the leader). The best way to go about this is to split this into two parts, which either part can be done first. This guide focuses on Light's survival, but will contain tips for the lone leader as well.

Before I go into the guide itself, allow me to define some terminology:

Anti-Human, Anti-Bot, Neutral: Describes the maps as far as how battles tend to go in them. Humans are simply another name for the Dr. Light team, even though everyone is a robot in the game. Anti-Human maps mean the maps favor the bots (or Dr. Wily team), and vice versa.

Astro Man/Duo/Meteor Stick: These all relate to the event that occurs when time runs out. They are said to be responsible for creating the meteors that come down on the Light survivors, but regardless this is talked about when the event is about to occur. The reason Duo is mentioned is because the song that is played during the event is the same song used in the fight against Duo.EXE in the Battle Network series.

Bot Leader: The lone player on the Dr. Wily team. If anyone on Light talks about the "leader", they're refering to this player. In addition to destroying the bots, the lone player must also be destroyed.

Bot Pit: Just an area described for where bots are often seen in the maps. These are often low-lying areas.

Stuck (Bot): This just means that the bot is not moving, whether it is standing still or trying to run into an area that is blocked by a boundary that cannot be crossed by "monsters."


Part 1: The Bots

No matter how good the lone player is, without bots to contain the other players, the lone player will not survive against many other players. The bots are not very smart, but their aiming is much better than a regular human player's. There are many strategies to taking bots out, but it of course depends on the weapons you have. Here is some general information on how to deal with bots.

DO

*Conserve weapon ammo as much as possible, unless the leader is down. Saving ammo for fighting the last bot can make a difference.

*Use weapons like Water Wave and Super Arm for taking out bots below or above your level. The majority of weapons can be surprisingly helpful in this situation. Pharoah Shot is excellent if your aiming is great, and even weapons like Knight Crush are useful. If all else fails, or you want to conserve energy, use the Mega Buster or Bass Buster.

*Use your items wisely. Item 1 can be used to reach higher places, or is sometimes used to hold a bot or the leader in place. Use W Tanks to replenish weapon energy, and you will receive more when you get enraged (fastweps) or berserk (fastweps + spread). Eddie will give you a weapon or item, but only use him when you know you can get the item before someone else. Exit Unit should be a last resort, since often you are teleported right into a Bot Pit, placed near the leader, or otherwise a difficult location. Very rarely will you get a telefrag with Exit Unit, and that telefrag can be against an ally.

*Study the weapons you are given. The bots will have these weapons as well, and weapons like Super Arm or Mirror Buster often give players trouble. If Eddie is involved, the bots could get a powerful weapon like Gravity Hold. Remember that bots have infinite ammo, but will change their weapons from time to time, so it may be best to wait a bit before resuming your attack, especially if the bot's current weapon is the Mirror Buster.

DO NOT

*Get overconfident. Let down your guard just a bit and a bot will take advantage. A bot may just change to a weapon that will turn the tables.

*Try to take a bot out on the same level as you. The bots have amazing accuarcy and will score more hits than you will. If you're about to be ambushed, run. If you got a weapon like Hyper Bomb, it might make facing them head-on just a little less riskier. Going Rambo on bots could cost your team the victory unless you know exactly what you're doing.


Part 2: The Leader

The other major challenge of the mode is the bot leader. Without a good leader, the bots will have trouble surviving on their own. The leader will often try sneak attacks or else focus on the more threatening players on Light's team to try to reduce the chances of the Light team winning. The leader is much more of a threat, but if the bots are gone, then it is much easier to gang up on the leader. No matter how much health the leader gets, it cannot survive against three or four players trying to finish it. The strategies for the bot leader are different than those for the bots.

DO

*Watch your back. The leader may sneak up on you while you're trying to find a target. The leader will use any means necessary to tip the battle in his/her favor, especially attacking the allies that are attacking the bots.

*Work with other players. The leader will have a harder time taking out a group of players together than a single player. One method is to play defense; while one player is busy taking out bots, you can make sure that ally is safe by looking around for any threats. The time it takes to adjust from a fighting mode to a flight mode can be just long enough to ensure that ally's demise.

*Study your weapons, again. The leader has the same weapons as well, and may prefer certain weapons. Spark Shock may be a nightmare if used by bots, but a leader is not likely to use it. A leader will be more effective with a weapon like Pharaoh Shot, though, plus the leader is smart enough to change weapons on the fly if one isn't working, or else adjust his angle.

*Gang up on the leader. Unless the leader has a weapon like Hyper Bomb, or is surrounded by bots, the leader will sometimes fold when ambushed by multiple players. The leader may use his Exit Unit, but he'll be back later.

DO NOT

*Try to take on the leader by yourself unless you are the lone survivor. The leader has much more health than you do and will punish you for your recklessness. Sometimes the leader will run instead of fighting, though...it depends on the leader itself.

*Underestimate the leader. The leader can make stupid mistakes sometimes, but is smarter than a bot when it comes to fighting. The leader may try a different tactic if one doesn't work.


For the Leader...

So Wily has chosen you to lead his team of robots against the resistance...what will you do to ensure you stay on Wily's good side? Well, being the leader has its advantages and disadvantages, which include the following:

+Extra health
+Bots will not attack you and may distract the other team for you
+Often will have the element of surprise
+Will not be a target of the meteor end event (although Light members may try to use it against you)
-Will likely be targetted and swarmed upon in a moment's notice
-Often have to deal with suicidal or uncooperative bots

No matter how much skill you have, you will often find yourself at an disadvantage without help from your bots. Here are some tips for survival when dealing with the resistance:

*Keep your bots alive, if possible. Bots that are still alive will try to pick off any Light members, and they may kill them for you. Do not count on them to finish off every member, though. Attack Light members that are trying to kill off the bots. Finally, your team is not out for good if you get killed, as the bots might finish the job regardless.

*Avoid combat unless you have an advantage or can finish off your target quickly. Prolonged combat can allow backup for Light to arrive, and you will find yourself swarmed. Attacking with your bots can increase the chances of victory in the little fights against the resistance, since the bots' aim is very good with certain weapons.

*Study your weapons. The resistance and your bots have the same weapons as well, and if Eddie is involved, your bots might get some great weapons, but so can your enemies. The more you know about the weapons, the more prepared you are for when your enemies use them against you. Finally, bots have infinite ammo for the weps, so keeping them alive means your team still has weapon ammo even if you run out of yours.

*Use the Exit Unit wisely. As the leader, Exit Unit is more valuable and less riskier to use than for a Light member because even if you do end up teleporting near a group of Light members, they may not notice you while bots will take notice of any Light members near them. You may even get a telefrag in the process, but that is unlikely. The time to use Exit Unit is when you need to get away from being swarmed, or if you want to take your chances to get at a more advantagous position.

*Enraged players. The lone survivor on Light will get buffed a bit to account for losing his/her allies. This is the most dangerous player to face. To increase your chances of survival, continue the surprise attacks and hit hard. Also, if there are two members remaining on Light, kill the one that is more threatening to you and let the other player become enraged. The player that is not quite as skilled will be easier to take down. Finally, the player will fold anyway if the player is swarmed by bots, increasing the importance of keeping your bots alive.

*Finally, do not die. You drop your current wep and a M Tank if you are killed, which greatly increases the chances of survival for Light. Use the Exit Unit if you do not think you can escape before you die. Worst case scenario is to delay the game long enough for the meteor event to occur, but you will likely have some upset players in the process. It's a game of survival, though, so do what you must to win.


I am sure there is much more to the game than what was said, but this should be enough to suffice. Any other members are welcome to give comments about the guide/game and their own advice as well.

[T's Inventions]

Mess' version of the Bot Apoc WAD is what I've always considered to be the way too easy version.
Though his version can get quite tricky at times, for the most part is too easy.
There are not enough bots that enter the game, and all players start with a RIDICULOUS amount of Wtanks.
I cannot recall a single time playing his version where I used most of my Wtanks.

Now back to the good ol' days of MM8BDM-V1 when SaviorSword used to host manual Bot Apoc, those were the good times.
Those were the days when Bot Apoc was the game that it was supposed to be.
There were always ALOT of bots in the game (normally 16-20) hence the game name Bot APOCALYPSE,
Bot leaders could CHOOSE the bot(s) they want in their army, the bot leaders were NOT OVER POWERED with extra health,
The Big amount of bots pretty much WAS the bot leader's extra health, And players always got to TAKE TURNS to be the bot leader.
So far, I have never EVER been able to get chosen as the bot leader when there's a whole bunch of players in the server in mess' version B.T.W.  

Though I will admit Manual Bot Apoc did have it's flaws,
Players would often get raped by bots on the start of a new round, though players did have ether Skull Barrier or Leaf Shield or Plant Barrier more often,
All Bots would use the same weapon and never ever change weapons unless maybe if a bot picks up a different weapon,
And all players had no assist items.

So basically Classic/Manual Bot Apoc is what I consider the version where there is ALOT more strategy, skill, and stealth involved.
But this is a good guide anyway.

[Knux]

Remember that when a bot spots you, it will more often than not follow you and shoot. Also remember that bots sometimes stay in place not doing anything, but don't even think about getting close then. I've had times when they turn back and kill you quickly even with Mega Buster.

A trick to kill following bots is to lure them into following you and stop half covered by a corner. Get out a ripping weapon like Metal Blade or Yamato spear or fast firing weapons with stopping power like Needle Cannon, and shoot. They'll just eat it and die most of the time. This is sort of advanced though and new players shouldn't attempt it unless they're practicing to become better.

Now, we need a section about what to do when you're the leader of the bots, and such.