For how long have we been forced to enjoy giant robots on a strictly visual level? Will there ever be a time when we are given control of these great mechanical beasts?

Gentlemen, I say that time is now.

Youâ€™ll be using this mech to help your team defend its territories. While piloting, your attack options are to either fire the machine gun or to use one of the mechâ€™s various missile launchers.

The missile launchers are controlled with a simple flick of the left joystick. Move right to fire the right missile, moving left fires the left missile, and titling the control stick forward activates two missiles which target the area straight ahead of you. Keep in mind that each missile takes ten seconds to reload.

The only automatic weapon on the mech is the missile battery, itâ€™ll fire off a missile cluster every thirty seconds.

There are seven territories to be taken, the first four are vulnerable to fire from the mechâ€™s missile launchers. The fifth territory is located within the area targeted by the missile battery. Those attempting to take this territory will need to have proper timing; step onto the territory immediately after the missile battery fires and you should have enough time to capture the area before the second round of missiles launch.

-View of the territories from the mech's cockpit-

The last two territories are inaccessible unless the mech is issued some battle damage. The attackers will need to shoot the fusion coils located in the back of the mechâ€™s two knee joints to expose the last two territories (after damaging the mech, telleporters located in the attackerâ€™s base can be used to move the attackers into the hidden territories).

Also located in the attackerâ€™s base are some plasma pistols and deployable covers. The deployable cover will serve as vital protection against the mechâ€™s machine gun fire. The plasma pistol can be used to immobilize the inner workings of the mech, removing its missile firing capabilities (other than the missile battery).

The attackers can also protect themselves from the mechâ€™s missiles be having a teammate move to the side of the mech and shoot the missiles before they have a chance to fire. Another option is to have one person stand on the territory while a teammate off to the side shoots down the incoming missiles.

Lastly, I want to be honest here and say that the missile firing mechanisms arenâ€™t perfect. I spent a lot of time building and reworking them, eventually getting the launchers to a point where they work correctly about three quarters of the time. But the fusions coils on this map seem to have a mind of their own and love to act unpredictably, fall over ineffectually, explode inexplicably, and flat out miss their intended target when launched. Like I said, I spent a lot of time working out these issues, but theyâ€™ll still pop up from time to time. Here are some things you can do to help reduce the chances of having a firing mechanism mess up.

-After moving left, right, or forward try not to remain in that position for too long, if you do you may interfere with the respawning of the fusion coils.
-Fusion coils are fragile, donâ€™t ram into them too suddenly, try to keep your movement smooth.
-It may be tempting to move around wildly when firing the machine gun at attackers, but try to keep yourself as stationary as possible, moving into awkward angles can knock fusion coils out of place and can also create a number of other problems.

Keep those tips in mind and this map should run smoothly.

Gametype:
Go Mech Go!

Map:
Ride the Mech