Hi, this is the official guide for Droidarena 2. Hopefully this will allow you to play the game, and should outline all you need to know. I will touch upon all the different aspects, however what I wont do is go into great detail about the new special aspect of the game, RSL (robot scripting language) as it is too large a subject to explain in this manual, however a channel on irc.droidarena.com, #rsl, and a separate scripting guide, will explain the language in full.

BASE / SIMULATION

On this page you can test how your robot would react in a real arena fight with your current weapons, shields, cpu and script. Since this is only a simulation, it will take less time than an arena fight usually does. From 2 minutes to 2 hours or more, it is not certain when the simulation will end, however it is likely that it will only take a few minutes to complete. For a limited time you can have only one simulation a day, our staff will adjust the number of simulations you can have depending on server load.

Simulated arenas are often referred to as "simulations" or "VRAs" which stands for Virtual Reality Arenas. To begin a simulation, you need to prepare your robot, and the script you want to test. Everything will be happening just like in real arenas, except you will not receive any real damage, nor resources or experience.

Your robot can join real arenas while the simulation is running, but you can start one simulation at a time. You can choose to let your robot wander alone, or can add up to 3 enemies to fight it. Simulated arenas are usually much smaller than real arenas, so you do not have to worry about not finding your enemy in the arena.

Each simulation costs money of course. The more experienced you are, the more it will cost. The price depends on how many enemies you set up and the complexity of the arena map that you want to simulate. Since simulations run on Senate or Inquisition mainframes, it is not possible to cancel them. Once you start a simulation you must wait until it ends.

In order to access the arenas, you have to first research “Arena Teleport,” which takes 1 turn to complete. This will give you time to buy all the equipment that you need to enter an arena. You MUST have a frame, scanner (radar) and processor equipped, and a script uploaded, in order to join arenas (see relevant sections). You will probably also want a shield, some weapons and maybe even a communications device. Once you have completed all of this, you are ready to rumble.

Click the TERMINAL/ARENAS.DA link to access the arena page. You will see a list of 25 arenas, all of which are in the “join phase.” Above this list is a drop down box. By clicking on the drop down arrow, and then on one of the options in the menu, you can choose to see either All Arenas, Arenas in Join Phase, Arenas in Bets Phase, Arenas in Play Phase or Arenas in Results Phase.

Arenas have 4 different phases, each used for a certain function. Firstly, an arena will appear in the JOIN phase for 1 hour. This is the phase in which deckers may join the arena, by clicking the “JOIN” link on the Joinable Arenas list. After an hour, the arena goes into the BETS phase. This also lasts for an hour, and is when deckers may place bets on who will win the arena (see Wagering section). After BETS, the arena goes into the PLAY phase. This is when your robot actually does battle with the other robots, and also when your XP, CRs and CPs and kills are awarded. Your win/loss display is also updated in the PLAY phase, and the blackbox log becomes available. You may not leave or join an arena when it is in BETS or PLAY.

After the PLAY phase, your robot is let out of the arena. You may then repair and join a new arena again if you choose. The arena goes into the RESULTS phase after PLAY. This is when the results of the arena are published in the form of an ordered list. This can be accessed by selecting “List Arenas where Results are Available” from the drop down menu on the ARENAS.DA page, and then clicking on the name of the arena that you want to see the results of. Players are listed in order of the XP that they gained from the arena (right hand column). A gold disc indicates that that player got the doll, and a chevron indicates that that player was on the winning team (corporation).

Before joining an arena, you must check that it is suitable for you. Arenas are set so that only so many people can join from each corporation (1/corp, 2/corp, 3/corp etc). This is displayed in the “Limitations” column of the ARENAS.DA joinable arenas page. Also, some arenas may be for loners only (“loner only”), and many have level limits ( e.g. “ 3/corp, free for all, from level 3 up to level 8” will only let levels 3 to 8 join). “Free for All” arenas with no level restrictions allow anyone to join. Some arenas have passwords, so that only the people who the creator wants to enter can enter. Such arenas include Senate organized tournaments, or pre-arranged inter-corporation tournaments. These arenas have a little yellow key to the left of their name on the main arena list. After clicking the “JOIN” link, you must type in the key and press enter. Sometimes, arenas may also place restrictions on the type of player who can join, e.g. members of a corporation, leaders of a corporation or financial advisors only. For more on the possible positions you may have, see the Corporations section.

You can access the list of players who have joined an arena by clicking on the name of the arena, or, when the notice, “You have successfully joined… click here to see who is playing” comes up, clicking on “here.” The resulting page shows the names of the players, their level and their corporation. There is also a “Leave” link, which you may click if you wish to leave. Not all joined robots are player controlled. If you see Security Orbs, those are automatic defenses which were deployed by an enemy military advisor. See cities to learn more about this new feature.

Type	Description
1. Processors	These are your robot’s CPU. Without one of these equipped you cannot run your script.
2.Frames	Generally this is what you equip everything onto. Without this you aren’t going to be going anywhere fast
3.Radars	In an arena radars are crucial. Without a radar you cannot see your enemy and therefore cannot shoot with any hope of accuracy
4.Shields	This is your basic defence. Without a shield you wont last very long in an arena…
5. Weapons	Your basic offence in an arena. You can equip as many as your frame will allow but remember to keep an eye on your CR for buying other crucial equipment.
6. Special devices	This is where you can find your communications device. This allows you to send and receive messages in an arena.
7. Software	If you are not the best of scriptwriters and you want a script that won’t loop then this is where you want to be spending your CR first.

CORPORATION / CITIES 

V. About

Would you have further questions, please read our FAQ, contact other players on IRC or our administrators through the contact form that can be found within the game.