Chapter II: Tips & Rules Clarifications

A. Scenario Tips

You can retreat out of any scenario at any time with no ill effects. For example, you can log in to a node to see what you're facing, and then leave to shop for appropriate programs.

Programs never "die." After you leave a scenario, you get your entire inventory of programs back.

Standard scenarios end at the instant you kill the last enemy unit. Some scenarios have credit squares; if you want to loot all the credits, you might have to nurse the last computer unit for a few extra turns.

Document capture scenarios end at the instant you move onto the documents (and never before, even if you kill all the computer's units). With these scenarios, you will be able to delay collecting credit squares until you've defeated all enemy forces.

You can choose any order to play your units – use "undo" and then click on the head of another of your units to activate it instead.

When you walk into an empty square, your body grows. If you're already at your maximum size, your final tail piece is removed. (This tail piece will flash during movement selection.)

You can always walk on top of yourself (for example, to get to a better location for attacking). You won't grow or shrink, but moving onto your body will refresh that piece, changing the tail removal order. Tail removal order appears to be erratic for gigantic units.

Computer units cannot walk onto credit squares (green Cs) under any circumstances – credit squares are walls that only you can remove. This is an intentional feature that makes several scenarios much easier.

Whenever a unit is damaged, body pieces are removed from tail to head, always leaving the head square for last. This means that units that have moved to the front remain engaged until death, while fleeing units are sometimes spared by die-back that brings them out of combat range of other would-be attackers. Be careful to account for die-back (e.g. by attacking the tail first) when ganging up on an enemy unit.

Any attacks can be targeted at empty ground. Seeker 3.0 will shrink by using Seek-and-Destroy-5 on an empty square (or a friendly unit).

If you don't meet size pre-requisites, attempting an attack routine will auto-end your unit's turn with no effect (wasting your attack).

Units use their first attack routine by default. For example, Bit-Man activates Zero unless you select One.

Red attacks do not cause damage to friendly units. If you run across the front lines with Memory Hog, you won't be able to get through until your opponent damages it clear. Blue attacks (such as haste and slow) fully affect any unit - friend or foe.

IMPORTANT! Clicking on a unit head (friend or foe) activates that unit's program information panel. If you click on a head while you are in the middle of moving or attacking with another unit, your active unit's turn will auto-end, wasting its move. This is particularly pernicious during your attack routine, when you are likely to click on an enemy head to attack (or a friendly head to buff). If you are attacking and you select a head that is within range, you will attack it successfully. But if you select a head that is out of range, the info panel will appear to the left and your unit's turn will auto-end, wasting your attack. Make sure that if you are targeting an enemy head, it is within attack range - look for cross-hairs over the head in order to attack safely.

Red attacks inflict damage - they are supposed to be targeted on enemy units.
Red attacks can be targeted at your own units. The attack does not cause damage, although Seeker 3.0 will shrink itself if it tries Seek-and-Destroy-5 against a friendly unit, and kamikaze units will die. This auto-ends your unit's turn.
Red attacks can be targeted at a vacant square, activating shrink effects. This is a convenient way to auto-end your unit's turn (for non-kamikaze units).
Red attacks cannot target yourself or the void.
Red attacks cannot target a floating unit. Red attacks targeted at a floating head fail (activating the program.info panel instead), auto-ending your unit's turn.

Blue "attacks" are buffs or de-buffs.
Any blue attack can be targeted at and affect your own units. Don't Clog yourself!!
Any blue attack can be targeted at and affect enemy units. Be sure that you know what you're doing when you Boost or Grow an enemy unit!
Blue attacks can be targeted at a vacant square. Turbo will shrink by buffing the ground.
Blue attacks cannot target yourself or the void.
Blue attacks cannot target a floating unit. Blue attacks targeted at a floating head fail (activating the program.info panel instead), auto-ending your unit's turn with no effect on the floating unit or yourself.

Green "attacks" add or remove a square. You can add to or remove an occupied square without hurting the occupying unit, leaving the unit floating (see Bit-Man Cheat).
Green attacks can target enemies, friends, empty squares, and the void.
Green attacks cannot target yourself.
If you attempt to Zero void, nothing happens (your unit's turn auto-ends).
If you attempt to One an existing square, nothing happens (your unit's turn auto-ends).
Bit-Man can build at the edge of the map, although marching off the map can lead to erratic behavior (such as crashing the game).