Mass Destruction and mayhem: MAP Weapons

[Shuu]

The purpose of this thread is to explain MAP weapons and their role in the Simulation Chamber. The points of discussion are:



What MAP Weapons are and their types
MAP Weapon Usage: Discriminate
MAP Weapon Usage: Indiscriminate
MAP Weapon Usage: Targetable
What abilities are ineffective against MAP weapons
F.A.Q.
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[Shuu]

What MAP weapons are[/color]

MAP itself is an acronym for Mass Attack Power. These are the weapons that attack numerous combatants all in one blast or shot. In the earlier days of the SC, the MAP weapons from SRW were reflected with the (S) marker -- now the two are distinctly different.

Types of MAP Weapons[/color]

MAP Weapons are divided into three different types:

Discriminate

These are labeled with a (D) in the hangar. Discriminate MAP weapons are the types that differentiate between ally and foe. In short; you can use these types of MAP weapons without worrying about damaging your allies. Such examples include Cybaster's Cyflash, or R-3's Telekenetic Missiles.

Indiscriminate
Labeled with a (I) in the hangar, these weapons are the majority of what you will see in the SC. These target any and everything that happen to be in their line of fire. More detail will be given in this section later, but it never hurts to mention it more than once:

ANYONE who posts after the firing of an indiscriminate MAP weapon is considered to be in its line of fire.

Targetable
These are denoted with a (T) in the hangar. These weapons are a hybrid between (D) and (I) type MAPs. They work in the same manner as a (I), but allow the attacker to choose the focal point of impact, instead of just centering on himself.

[Shuu]

MAP Weapon Usage: Discriminate Weapons
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As stated before, there are three types of MAP weapons. This section will cover how the usage of Discriminate MAP weapons works in the SC.

Since Discriminate MAP weapons differentiate between friend and foe, their targetting can be specified. Therefore let us take the following weapon and battle scenario:

Team 1: Cybaster, ZZ Gundam, Zamzeed
Team 2: Nu Gundam, Big-O, Zeta Gundam, Mazinger-Z, Dancougar, Gaiking, Gandol

Being grossly outnumbered, Cybaster decides to use its Cyflash MAP weapon; let's take a look at the stats:

Cyflash: (D:5) - 100 Damage, 10 EN

Since the Cyflash is a Discriminate MAP weapon, Cybaster can choose any of the five targets to attack with this weapon. Its attack phase would look something like this:

ATTACK PHASE

Weapon Used: Cyflash (D:5)
Targets: Big-O, Zeta Gundam, Mazinger-Z, Gaiking, Gandol
Damage: 100 to each target.
Resources Spent: 10 EN


Note again the difference between MAP class weapons and S class weapons -- with an S weapon, the 100 points of damage would have to be divided up between each target. With a MAP weapon, a flat 100 is dealt to each target.#nosmileys

[Shuu]

MAP Weapon Usage: Indiscriminate Weapons
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Now we move onto the usage of Indiscriminate MAP weapons. Here's where things get a little trickier to explain, so pay close attention. We'll use the same scenario, only now, the ZZ Gundam is the one attacking with its Hi-Mega Cannon. Let's take a look at its stats:

Hi-Mega Cannon: (BI:3) 90 damage, 20 EN

The ZZ's attack phase would look a little different from Cybaster's; let's take a look:

ATTACK PHASE:

Weapon Used: Hi-Mega Cannon
Damage Dealt: 90 (B)
Resources Spent: 20 EN

Notice the absence of a targets section; Indiscriminate MAP weapons make no distinction between friend and foe. So how do we determine who's hit by the Hi-Mega Cannon, and who isn't? We'll have to take a look at the order of combat, which in this scenario, went as such:

Cybaster: Caloric MIssile
ZZ Gudam: Hi-Mega Cannon
Zamzeed: Hi-Familiar
Nu Gundam: Beam Rifle
Gandol: Gandol-hou
Mazinger-Z: Rocket Punch
Dancougar: Punch
Gaiking: Counter Punch
Zeta Gundam: Grenade Launcher

The mecha in bold are those who are in the path of the MAP's range, thus will either have to dodge or take the hit. Thus we get to the cardinal rule of indiscriminate MAP weapons:

Any mech that posts AFTER the mech firing the MAP weapon is considered to be in its line of fire, for however long the range extends.

The ZZ's Hi-Mega Cannon has a range of three, thus the first three mechs to post after it are in the line of fire, which in this case were Zamzeed, the Nu Gundam, and the Gandol.TEXT

Just to clarify:
Let's say we have a 2 on 2 fight, with a Wing Gundam and a Heavyarms on one side, and a Tallgeese and a Leo on the other side. The turn sequence is as follows:

Wing Gundam
Heavyarms

Tallgeese
Leo

The Wing Gundam fires this weapon:
Buster Rifle Full Output (BI:5)- 60 damage, 3 rounds

Of course, the Tallgeese and Leo are in dange of getting hit, because they're in the line of fire. However, what happens to the other three spaces that the Buster rifle will hit?

NOTHING. The explosion will dissipate because the turn is over. It doesn't make sense for the explosion to continue hitting stuff until the turn of team that fired it--so the Wing Gundam and the Heavyarms are safe from their own Buster Rifle. Of course, if there are multiple teams, the Buster Rifle will continue hitting enemies until all 6 slots are filled up. Take the following example:

Heavyarms
Wing Gundam

Tallgeese
Leo

Virgo
Virgo

Again, it's the Wing Gundam that fired the Buster Rifle. The names in bold will get hit. The blast, of course, will not persist until the turn of the team that fired it. Again, the Heavyarms and Wing Gundam are safe. The Wing's allies will only be in the line of fire in the following situation:

Wing Gundam
Heavyarms
Deathscythe
Sandrock
Shenlong

Tallgeese
Leo
Leo
Leo

Virgo
Virgo

Because the Wing Gundam fired its Buster Rifle before the rest of its team was able to make a move, its team members get hit by the shot as well. Since the Buster Rifle has an area effect of 6 spaces, it hits all the bold names shown above--whether they be friend or foe. The Vergos are safe, because they are out of the area of effect.

[Shuu]

MAP Weapon Usage: Targetable Weapons
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As stated above, (T) type MAPs take aspects from the other 2 types. Functionally, they work in the same manner as an Indescriminate MAP, but allow the attacker a finer degree of control over who gets hit. Let's take a look at an example.

Let's say we have a Dragonar-2 on one team. It has an attack like this:

MAP Attacks;
Plasma Grenade (PT:3)- PARALYZE, 15 damage, 4 rounds, Mobility Break

It's turn comes up, and it decides it wants to shoot buddy 3 places down in the face. Let's see how this works:


Cell Booster - Beam Cannon
Dragonar-2 - Plasma Grenade
Zaku IIJ - Cracker Grenade
Soldefar - Bit Gun
Ifrit OF - Soulshooter
Contio - Chest Beam Gun
GM Custom - Beam Rifle
Gallop - 12.7mm Cannon
Boss Borot - Borot Pressure Punch

"Hold up!" one might say, "How did it pass over those 3 other units?"

This is how a Targetable MAP works. The attacker specifies a target opponent, and the MAP then hits him, and a number of people who post afterwards equal to the range. In a team battle, it works just like an Indescriminate MAP, and would stop at the beginning of your team's turn. However, should you feel like it, a T MAP may be made to target an ally. Should this happen, it will continue to hit any allies that post afterwards (even yourself!) until the range is met. You cannot, however, target yourself specifically, just like with any weapon.

Alternatively, you may decide to use a (T) MAP as an (I) MAP instead. If so, then it follows all the rules as specified above.

[Umbaglo]

MAP Weapons and Abilities[/color]

There are a few rules that MAP weapons are an exception to in regards to defense and certain mech abilities. As such, this section will focus mostly on what will NOT work with or against MAP weapons. If it's not listed here, then you can safely say that it will work against or in conjunction with MAP weapons. Be sure to check back in this section often; it will be updated as we discover loopholes and factors that were not addressed when they should have been.


Defending against MAP weapons

The following defenses will NOT work against MAP weapons

Countercut
Countershoot
Support Defense
Blocking


Mech Abilities and MAP weapons
The Following Abilities will not work against or in conjunction with MAP weapons

Beam Deflection Shield
Reflect Shield
Snipe

Seishin and MAP weapons
Additionally, the following seishin will not work in conjunction with MAP weapons

Snipe