Chapter 2: The First Mission

Basic Controls
Most of the fighting craft in Giant Fighting Robots are controlled using one slider, two buttons, and the device’s tilt. Tilting the device forward will bring the targeting reticle down, while tilting the device back will bring the reticle up. Tilting the device left will cause the robot to turn left, and tilting it right will turn the robot right.

The screen controls, labeled in the image below, are as follows:


 * [[Image:GFR_controls_labeled.jpg]]

1. The throttle slider

To move the slider, touch it with your finger and drag it. When it is in the center of its range of motion, the robot is stopped. At the top of its range of motion (as shown in the image above), the craft moves forward at full speed, and at the bottom of its range of motion, the craft moves backward at full speed.

Note that in some craft, there may be a second slider at the bottom of the screen. This controls the turret (and also where the HUD is “looking”), while leaving the robot’s controls untouched. At the center of its range of motion, this slider leaves the turret facing forward. Moving the slider left and right move the turret accordingly.

2. The FIRE! button

Tap this button to fire a quick burst from the robot’s weapons, or hold it to fire a sustained volley.

3. The JETS button

Tap and hold this button to engage the robot’s jets, causing it to fly upward and forward. Tilt the device left and right to steer, or let go of the button to cause the robot to drop back to the ground. Be careful though—fall too hard and system damage will occur. To prevent this, tap the JETS button intermittently on the way down, taking away some of the craft’s momentum.

Note that the robot’s reactor will slowly create ionized gas to recharge the jet motor. Thus, larger reactors will recharge the jets more quickly. The jet motor is one of the weakest parts of the robot’s armor and thus one of the first systems to be knocked out by enemy fire.

Configuring the First Battle
Upon opening Giant Fighting Robots, a live video feed is displayed from a battleground where, at this very moment, humanity is fighting back the Spiders. Click the Begin Campaign button to get started.


 * [[Image:Opening_feed_GFR.jpg]]

The setting of the story is as follows:

Aliens have invaded our outer colonies with no warning, and we are madly trying to raise a defense as our outposts fall, scrounging up anything was can to defend ourselves with!

You will command an All-Terrain Attack Walker, or ATAW… They are calling them “Giant Fighting Robots” in the press now. Standard X-Plane views and pinch-zoom rules apply (more on this below).

Click the Mission Briefing button. The specific mission will randomize on each load, with a quick description given of the mission’s location and why the battle needs to be fought.

Next, click the Tech Briefing button. The first robot available is a Genesis-class ATAW—humanity’s first effort at such a craft, little more than a modified all-terrain cargo-bot. This is the best form of defense available given the circumstances.

After being briefed on the ATAW, tap the Weapon Review button. The only weapon available for the first level is the Vulcan Gun.

Click the Arm ATAW button. Again, the only weapon available, the Vulcan Gun, is already selected. As the campaign progresses, more weapons will be available to choose from. The robots house two, four, or six weapons bases, allowing users to strategically decide among the mix of offensive and defensive technologies.

Next, tap the ATAW Systems button. On this screen, the ATAW’s components can be selected. By default, the lowest level reactor, battery, armor, and jet capacity are selected. Higher quality systems are heavier, and the craft can only be equipped with so much weight.

More advanced weapons like lasers and ion guns require large amounts of electricity, as do the shields and cloaking devices (when available). To feed them, the robot will need large reactors and/or battery packs, but be wise about how the ATAW is “optioned out.” The robot’s motors (which enable the ATAW to walk), reactors, batteries, armor, and jets all need to be carefully selected, because the bot has a maximum equipped battle weight which cannot be exceeded.

Once the systems are configured, click the Launch the Attack button to begin the fight!

Fighting
Combat in Giant Fighting Robots is fairly uncomplicated, though still engaging. To begin, drag the slider on the left side of the screen (the throttle) to the top. This will start the robot walking forward. Look at the radar (found in the upper left, right next to the throttle) to find your target. The center of the radar represents your craft, and the angle formed by the two lines represents your field of vision. Tilt the device left or right until the enemy is within the field of view. As the throttle is already set to move forward, the robot will now be moving toward the alien target.

When the enemy is within range, tilt the device left, right, forward, or back to track the alien’s movement. At the same time, press (and optionally hold) the FIRE! button to attack. Note that you can put two fingers on the display and drag them together or apart to zoom in and out to more clearly see your target. Once the alien craft takes enough damage, its shield will go down. From there, it’s only a matter of time until it is destroyed. Unless the bot is equipped with guided munitions, you’ll need to lead the target if it is moving to ensure that your weapon or weapons strike with maximum effectiveness.

The enemy robot won’t go down without a fight. As your ATAW is hit by enemy fire, systems will begin to fail. This could result in anything from diminished control (caused by a leg failure) to the HUD flickering out (from an HUD failure) or shattered glass through your viewport. If enough systems become damaged, the bot will sound an alarm and eventually will be destroyed. In this case, the user thankfully survives, though with a damaged reputation. Due to the defeat, the scientists fueling the war effort against the Spiders will not have had time to upgrade the ATAW’s capabilities, so the next mission will use the same robot and thus the same level of difficulty.

Using the In-Game Menu
Tap the center of the screen to make the menu appear.

The menu options, labeled in the image at the top of the following page, are as follows:


 * [[Image:GFR_Menu.jpg]]

1. Internal view with HUD

This is the default view for the robot, described in depth in, found below.

2. Standard external view

This gives an external view centered on the robot. The user can tap the screen and drag to pan the view around the craft. Two fingers may be used to zoom in by touching the screen with both fingers far apart, then bringing them closer together. To zoom out, touch two fingers close together and drag them apart.

3. “Walk-by” external view

This will fix the external camera at a certain distance from the robot, panning to track the craft, but not moving to keep up with it.

4. Fixed trajectory external view

This view will note the current speed and direction of the robot’s movement and move itself in the same way. Thus, if the robot continues at the same speed and in the same direction, the camera will stay the same distance away, but if the robot changes speed or direction, the camera will change in its distance from the robot.

5. Self-destruct

You may find yourself in the situation where your munitions are depleted and you have no recourse other then to self-destruct. Tapping this button once will arm the robot’s self-destruct. If it is tapped a second time, the robot will destroy itself, ending the mission. To cancel, tap the center of the screen.

6. Pause

Tapping this button will pause the game.

The Head-Up Display
The head-up display (or HUD) is the most useful screen for controlling the robot. It displays the following information, labeled in the image below:


 * [[Image: GFR_HUD.jpg]]

1. The radar

This shows the position of an enemy relative to the user’s robot. The lines forming a 45 degree angle represent the user’s field of view; any enemies within these lines are visible, while enemies outside the lines are not visible. As you zoom in and out in this view, the field of view lines will change in width.

2. The weapons status

This displays which weapons are selected and number of rounds available.

3. The targeting reticle, or crosshair

This represents where the robot will fire.

4. The systems status

This displays updates to the robot’s systems, noting when damage inflicted on the robot results in the failure of its components. For instance, if the HUD fails, the status displays on this screen will begin to flash intermittently.

5. System Status

This displays the amount of energy available from the robot’s reactor, batteries, and jets.

Starting a New Campaign
To begin a new campaign, select the New Campaign tab from the initial window (as shown in the image at the top of the first column on the following page). Tap and drag the slider to change the level of difficulty, then press the Start New Campaign at This Difficulty button. This will completely erase the previous campaign, returning the user to stage one.


 * [[Image:New_campaign_GFR.jpg]]

Playing against Another User
In addition to fighting against the game’s artificially intelligent aliens, users can battle one another in a death match-type game. In this multiplayer mode, users can select the ATAWs’ weapons, reactors, batteries, armor, engines, and jet duration to maximize the lethality of their attack.

To use the multiplayer mode, both players must be on the same wireless network. When the Multiplayer tab is selected from the opening menu screen (as shown in the image at the top of the next column), the game will search for other users on the network to play against. This is where the game becomes nearly impossible to put down!


 * [[Image:GFR_Multiplayer.jpg]]

After your device has found another copy (or multiple copies) of Giant Fighting Robots running on the network, select it from the list and then hit the Mission button to begin.

Changing Volume and Calibrating Controls
Opening the Settings tab will display the screen on which the device’s “control zeros” (that is, where its tilt is registered by the game as giving no input) can be adjusted. Simply hold the device at the desired angle and tap the Set Current Phone Tilt as Center button (shown in the image below) to make the current attitude of the device the point for which input is zero. This lets the user control the robot with the phone in his or her lap when sitting or standing, or held vertical when lying down—kind of convenient!


 * [[Image:GFR_Settings.jpg]]

Additionally, the volume slider can be tapped and dragged to adjust the in-game volume.