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Battling

Introduction: The term "Battling" as it's presented here is used to mean any Zoid Battle. By Zoid Battle, we of course mean any battle between Zoids. Zoid Battles can take place between any number of Zoids of any level, type, or family. Generally, Zoid Battles fall into one of two categories: Sanctioned Zoid Battling and 0999/Warfare. The former is a traditional, international, and well-loved sport, and is strictly regulated to prevent serious injury or death of pilots and Zoids. Battlemode 0999 and Warfare are unregulated, unrestricted combat. In this section, we will cover most everything you need to know for both the RP and the Out-of-Character mechanics of fighting in a Zoid Battle. Battling that involves footsoldiers or other non-Zoids is not covered in this section.

The Best of Both Worlds: Zoid Battling, no matter which category it falls into, can take place in one of two locations: in an AIM chat in or in the Coliseum, which is a category on the forums. Both types of battling require a judge, whether or not a judge would be required in RP. Therefore, even Battlemode 0999 battes and Warfare require a judge present. Both types of battling also (obviously) require at least one consenting opponent, who is ready and willing to fight you in a Zoid Battle. Your opponent(s) can withdraw his or her consent to battle at any time for any reason, as can you. Attempts to coerce an opponent into fighting you can be met with a wide range of punishments, from a stern warning to banning, depending on the severity.

After you have opponents picked out, you decide what kind of battle your battle will be. This includes a few key pieces of information, like teams for the fight (if any) as well as terrain and the appropriate battlemode (if you're having trouble with the battlemode, ask a judge about it). All combatants also need to know exactly what Zoid they're taking into the fight, as well as what modifications or parts (if any) they're taking with them. Under normal circumstances, each combatant is only allowed one Zoid. The last option your group of pilots has is which location they'd like the battle to be in: AIM chat or Coliseum. Either option is fine, and each has its own advantages and disadvantages.

Once all that is done, the group of combatants need to find a judge. However this is done, it's important to recognize and honor a judge's stipulations while asking for him or her to judge your battle. Also, a judge has the right to say "no" for any reason. Many a readied battle has been foiled by a plain and simple lack of a judge, so this can be a delicate process. If you think a judge is intentionally refusing to judge for you because a personal gripe, or if the judge just isn't doing his or her job in general, don't complain to everyone about it. Either I or one of the other higher-ups will notice, and action will be taken. If you think a judge is being biased specifically against you, for some reason, (or is making blatantly biased or irresponsible calls) then come and talk to me. However, judges are picked with extreme care, and a scenario such as the above one is unlikely. If you have such a claim, have solid evidence to back it up.

AIM vs. Coliseum: As mentioned several times already, the AIM chat and the Coliseum are the two possible locations for a group to battle it out in. Both work the more or less the same way, it's just the matter of how much time the battle will take.

In the AIM chat scenario, someone makes an AIM chatroom and invites all participants, spectators, and the judge. The judge will then proceed to ask for all of the various information regarding the battle. Even if you've told the judge beforehand, give it to him or her again. It's required for the record. After the information is given, the judge will announce the order which will determined randomly using AIM's roll command. Participants may post in that given order. Under special conditions, a specific order may be fixed or requested, but this is not a regular practice. Usually, AIM battles take a few hours, and all participants have to be present almost continuously. While this is great for getting things done quickly, it does require the devotion of that entire block of time to the battle. If someone leaves the chat due to technical difficulties or other complications, it is up to the judge how to decide the battle.

In the Coliseum, the style is much the same, except that it is done with posts on the forum instead of in an AIM chat. First, the combatants must contact a judge and get him or her to agree to judge the battle in the Coliseum. Then, the judge (no one else is allowed to start the thread) will start the battle topic in the Coliseum. Then information is posted in the same manner, and the battle proceeds as usual. This is the better option for pilots who just don't have that huge block of time to commit to an AIM battle, or for combatants who want to fight but don't have a common time to do it in. Also, battles with many participants should usually be fought in the Coliseum, on pain of dragging out for hours and hours. If one participant in a Coliseum battle fails to post for an inordinate period of time (judge's discretion), the judge may take whatever action he or she feels appropriate, from skipping that person's turn to disqualifying him or her from the match.

The Basics: Once a Zoid Battle is kicked off, be it in the Coliseum or be it in an AIM chat room, the pilots post in the order specified by the judge, one move after another. There is no size limit to the post, but there the judge may institute a time-limit during an AIM chat battle. Furthermore, the judge may request that all RP be separated from actual action. It is also standard practice among pilots to close their moves in AIM chats by using asterikses (**) or other symbols or indications.

In the game, or inside the cockpit of the Zoid, only six second elapse between every move. This means that while minutes, hours, or even days (in the Coliseum) may pass before a player's next move, only a few seconds have whizzed by for the pilot. This means you should make your moves realisitic, and remember that rounds aren't terribly long or complicated. This also means that there are two exteremly important restrictions on the move one can make in Zoid Battling: 1) You cannot act as though you have prior knowledge of an opponent's move (that has happened this round). 2) You cannot use an "if" statement or another conditional in a Zoid Battle. The former is up the judge's discretion (and is only acted upon under very blatant circumstances), but the latter is usually is a clear offense. Note that use of a "when" statement may or may not be considered a violating conditional, at the judge's discretion. Also, punishment for violation of either of these two rules is completely up the judge, depending entirely on the severity of the infraction.

These are the only two rules that are always true, regardless of which location or which kind of battle the battle is. They are the "out-of-character" rules, that serve to make this system of battling work. The other rules might well vary from scenario to scenario. Following whatever rules those might be, all participants then post their moves. Then, the judge is allowed to speak. The judge then explains to the pilots what actually happened, and assesses damages and new locations of all combatants. The judge then determines a new order (standard practice is to simply reverse the old one if no one has been knocked out the fight) and tells the combatants to continue. This continues until the end of the battle.

Blind Battling: There exists a special style of battle called "blind battling", meant to absolutely enforce the first rule of battling (don't act with prior knowledge). It can also be fought over AIM or in the Coliseum, with one crucial difference: participants don't have the ability to see their opponents' moves while they compose their own. In AIM battles, all participants send their moves to the judge via IM (not in the chat), and there is no order. When all moves are in, the judge posts them into the chat, followed by judgement. In the Coliseum, the judge recieves the moves by PM instead of by IM, but does essentially the same thing. This type of battle may be requested for any reason, but it's advised by the administration Blind Battling not be conducted without good reason. The procedure can be tedious or annoying for the judges, and more than a little taxing for everyone.

Sanctioned Zoid Battling: The first "ruleset" or type of Zoid Battling is called Sanctioned Zoid Battling, which is done for entertainment and profit. In what is essentially the only treaty that every current world government has ratified, Sanctioned Zoid Battling is the established international sport of Zi and it adheres to a strict, specific set of rules. It is always fought with an RP judge (judgebot) present. (Note that judges no longer dramatically descend down in rocket-boosted capsules, since the ZBC world-wide satellite constellation has been destroyed. Battlefields are set up prior to the battle's occurance.) A Zoid's participation in the battle is considered to be over when it reaches Command System Freeze (or when its pilot surrenders or is disqualified), and the battle is over when only one side remains standing.

The rules of the planetary past-time aren't chokingly restricting, but are set in place to protect the lives of Zoids and pilots. First and foremost: shooting at the Zoid Core or cockpit of another Zoid is strictly illegal. Attacking a transport is illegal. All Zoids in a Sanctioned Battle must adhere to the Superweapons Rules (listed by superweapon in the given Zoid bio), such as those for the Charged Particle Gun, Megalo-Max Blast, Hyper Gravity Bullet Cannon, Tactical Missiles, and so on. Outside help and intruders may not influence the battle. Violation of any of these rules is grounds for dismissal (disqualification) from a battle. The judge has the responsibility of enforcing these rules, and calling fouls if he or she believes the actions of any participant are inherently dangerous. Note also that all Zoids used in Sanctioned Zoid Battling must be on the standard Zoid list: factional Zoids and War Customs are unavailable for use in Sanctioned Battling.

There are a number of upsides to Sanctioned Zoid Battling as well. Firstly, there is a sum of prize money that the victor receives, which is sponsored entirely by the government (whichever government or nation you happen to be in and battling under). Above and beyond that, pilots can put up additional prize money as "incentive" for someone to fight himself or herself, or can raise the stakes entirely by all participants adding money from personal reserves to the prize money. Furthermore, pilot or Zoid death may never occur inside a Sanctioned Zoid Battle. (Hospital time is still a possibility, though.) Lastly, all Sanctioned Zoid Battles result in the gain of points (be they team or individual), which allows the pilot to climb up in the world and eventually gain privileges that others do not have. [See: Rewards and the Point System]

Battlemodes: Battlemodes are a "mode" or brief description of a type of battle. Battlemodes are used only in sanctioned Zoid Battling (and Battlemode 0999, which means no rules). Battlemodes detail things like the number of combatants and the rules by which they'll be fighting. However, all modes but 0999 adhere to universal sanctioned battling regulations.

Battlemode 0999 and Warfare: It's not all fun and games on Zi. Sanctioned Zoid Battles, the planetary past-time, may be all well and good, but there's a war on as well. This leads into Battlemode 0999 and Warfare. Both are essentially the same thing, in that there are no rules. Battlemode 0999 usually refers to a contest between pilots (like a Zoid Battle), but with no judge, safety-features, or rules present. There is sometimes a Dark Judge present in a 0999 battle, but he or she does little or nothing to enforce safety standards. Warfare is complete and utter chaos, and may not even be a Zoid Battle. Though there are inevitably Zoids involved in warfare, they aren't the only factors. The objective may not to be to CSF the opponent, but rather to complete some other task (destroying a non-Zoid target, surviving a number of rounds, holding a strategic location, ect.). The participants and combatants may include non-Zoids, like pillboxes, footsoldiers, and automated defense systems. The transports may engage in combat, or artillery and mortars may be raining down on the battlefield. Calling for reinforcements and outside support is often nothing less than a necessity. War can be chaos, and war can be hell. Note also that war-battles are referred to as "Skirmishes".

Both Battlemode 0999 and Warfare are far more dangerous than Sanctioned Zoid Battling. While character death basically can't occur, Zoid death is a very real and frightening possibility. In Battlemode 0999, the chances of this event are greatly lessened, as the participants are engaging in a friendly (or semi-friendly) contest of skill. However, in warfare, there is a very real danger. Beware. Note that in Battlemode 0999, combatants may put up prize money and the like, but there is no pre-made reward for winning a match (as there is no sponsor). In skirmishes and warfare, there is no such "prize", but a faction may offer other incentives for completing objectives. Also note that there isn't always a clear winner... in warfare, fleeing the scene of the battle is a withdrawl, not a forfeit by action. Sometimes, the more gutsy pilots will even grab an assault rifle or an AZ weapon and bail out of a CSFed Zoid, continuing to fight on foot. Note, however, that there is such a thing as a Prisoner of War (PoW), even if character death is essentially impossible.

To Wrap Up: At the end of the battle, the judge will review the last round of combat, as he or she would normally, but will not present damages or distances. Instead, the judge will announce that the battle is over and will declare a winner, as well as the damages to participating Zoids (And, in rare cases, other damages and hospital time). [See: Damages and Repairs]This is true of either case. In warfare, the judge may review the battle, and may explain the results and reprecussions of the skirmish. (Otherwise, the judge defers to someone else who posts the results and reprecussions in the forum). If the battle took place in the Coliseum, then the judge will simply close the topic. If it took place in AIM, the transcript will be copy/pasted by the judge and posted in the forum, and will be available for everyone's perusal. Sanctioned Zoid Battles may affect player's points, and they will update those. Team battles may do the same to team points, and the group will respond accordingly. And that's everything: the basics of Zoid Battling. The rest is up to you.