Rafzakael Rules

In Chromehounds, the future will leave a decidedly metallic taste in your mouth. You're a mercenary, putting your butt on the line every time you take your Hound out into the field. Fortunately for you, however, your contracting agency, Rafzakael, has a pretty good field manual loaded with tips on how you can keep your parts where they belong until you get back to your Garage.

Perhaps the most important bit of advice you glean from the book is to watch your back. When you're in the field, your visibility isn't always as good as you would like. If one of the COMBAS towers goes down, you may find yourself practically blind. So keep an eye out. The enemy will sneak up on you from behind and run around to flank you, just so they can take pot shots at you. If you don't see it coming, you may not even realize you're taking damage until you're on fire.

Make every shot count.

Shots in the Dark
Remember, soldier, when you're out there, you're a target. Anyone who isn't on your side wants your big metal toy blown to bits, and they don't care how they do it. So, don't get hit. Experienced mercs know to bob and weave and keep moving. This makes it harder for you to shoot, so you'll have to practice, but there are steps you can follow to make your running and gunning easier.

Line up your shots to the side of your target so you when you move, your enemy is in the crosshairs. When you don't have to worry about simultaneously stepping and aiming, your shots will be more stable. It's only when you're weaving and rotating your sights together that you're decreasing your chances of scoring a hit on your opponent.

Always, always watch your back.

Ammo Gram
You're going to have a limited supply of ammunition on the majority of missions you'll be undertaking. Always be conscious of how much ammo you have. If you run out, you'll have to swtich weapons, and if there's anything worse than using the wrong weapon in a situation, it's having to run up on your opponent and trying to kick them to death. It's embarrassing.

To avoid this, make every shot count. Don't shoot until you see their muzzle flashes. Get in as close as you can without taking damage, and then make a surgical strike. Blindly strafing the enemy with your machine gun only helps your opponent. He's sitting back laughing while you use up precious bullets shooting trees and groundhogs.

Fortunately for you, the enemy can reveal himself in a number of ways. Keep your eyes open and you might spot him moving across the terrain, but the easiest way to see him is watching for the muzzle flash of his weapons. This especially works well at night, when visibility drops.

Chromehounds doesn't pause just because you need
to check your map. Bullets still fly, and people still die.

Ins and Outs
While you're on a mission, you have two basic camera views, either weapon aiming view or an over-the-shoulder view. Use the right bumper to switch between them, and don't get too comfortable in one or the other. You'll need them both, and you'll need to get fast at switching between them to stay on top of the situations you'll face.

When you're looking through your weapon sight, you get some capability of zoom. It's easy to stay in this mode and to come to rely too heavily on it. You need this view to aim properly at distant targets, certainly, however, you should always switch periodically back to the over-the-shoulder viewing for three reasons: 1) You move faster, 2) You can tell from which direction your enemy is shooting you, and 3) You need to see where you're going so you don't walk off a cliff.

The map might help you stay oriented, but don't keep it open for too long. Practice opening the map quickly, orienting your mech an closin the map. Unlike some games, Chromehounds doesn't pause just because you need to check your map. Bullets still fly, and people still die.

Know when to retreat. Now would be good.

You're trained, soldier, to listen to your superiors and support personnel. That shouldn't change now. The game gives you important information in the monologue. Take it to heart. Sometimes the mission can change course in mid-stream, and if you miss it, you'll be left out to dry. The clock is ticking, and the war waits for no one. Know your weapons. Know your weaknesses. Stay alert. There's not much more a field manual can tell you. The rest you'll have to figure out on your own. Good luck out there.

Article by Angel Leigh McCoy