Gameplay: Shootmania Storm – Melee

Gameplay: Shootmania Storm – Melee

Of all the modes Shootmania Storm has to offer, this is the mode which I think would appeal to those that already enjoy the FPS genre (Call of Duty springs to mind). Melee is pretty much a free for all, first to ‘x’ amount of points wins the round. Players are able to use rocket launchers, as well as rail pads located around various maps. Each player has two armors, four rockets and ten minutes to eliminate as many people as possible. The player with the highest amount of hits (the removal of one armor) will win the round. The round will also end if a player reaches fifty points.

Melee allows players to boast their individual skill, in order to do well in this game mode players need to be able to fully utilize all resources available.

 
 (Spamming out all your rockets is never a good idea, unless of course the player in front of them is mid jump!)

 (When the player at the top of the leader board changes, a message will be broadcast across the top center for the screen)
 

(As mentioned previously, players can take advantage of rail pads on different maps, these rail pads as usual will instantly eliminate a player)

 

Player Mechanics:

As with all game modes it’s important for a player to understand the basics of movement, control, reload mechanics, and so on.


Armor – Simple enough, the amount of times a player needs to hit you to eliminate you. Goes without saying it’s a tad silly to dive three people with one armor!

Ammo – Ammo recharges, each weapon has a specific recharge time per one ammo. It’s not a good idea to fire them all off at once, one at a time is your best bet. Firing all of your rockets off at once is only going to leave you a sitting duck. Maximize ammo usage, for example firing one at a time, leaving a pool of rockets at your disposal should you get pushed into.
 

Stamina – Stamina is the resource found on the right hand side of the player HUD. This resource and learning how to manage it, really defines a good player from a novice. You can use stamina by holding in your jump hotkey. You use stamina to jump, to increase your run speed, and you also utilize stamina when ‘wall jumping’. Having no stamina and engaging onto an opposing player is never a good option, being able to increase your speed during an engagement could be the difference between dodging their next shot and taking one to the face.

Also keep in mind that to utilize stamina you will first need to jump regardless of where you are or what you’re doing, this is when you’re at your most vulnerable. If you try jumping in front of an opposing player to increase your speed its fairly likely he/she will take advantage of that moment and land a rocket or two.

Jumping – Jumping in Shootmania is what we refer to as ‘variable’, you tap your hotkey and you’ll jump a slight amount, the more you press it the bigger the jump. There are plenty of fancy tricks and manoeuvres a player can pull off to land difficult shots and get to wonderful places.

 

Mastering game mechanics and throwing yourself in the deep end would be the only real tips I could give for Shootmania Storm's Melee mode. It really is just practice makes perfect. Being aware of your surroundings is important, some maps are very small and can hold twenty or more players. Not getting caught out in tight spots and making sure your constantly moving I found to be a real plus. Save your stamina and a pool of rockets for when you need it, there's nothing worse than turning a corner with neither and multiple players ready to shoot at you. I found Melee to be the mode I enjoy most when I'm playing alone, although its also fun to play with friends, voice communication banter and Shootmania never seems to get old.