What Can Be Said About "Dead Rising"?

I remember when I played Dead Rising 1 for the first time. A good friend of mine brought it over once when we hung out and he let me play on his file. I'd already been a zombie fan for awhile, having loved movies like Shaun of the Dead and having a copy of the "Zombie Survival Guide". Needless to say, I was very quickly hooked. I have many fond memories spending hours whacking zombies with anything and everything that I could get my hands on: bats, chairs, rocks, trash cans, benches, CDs, plates, fish, bottles, swords, and even jewelry. It was a zombie fan's ultimate dream, and it's now surprise that the game was a big hit that spawned two sequels, and even a port onto the Wii (which I haven't played, but based on what I've seen looks mediocre and just weird). Because of my love for this game series, I have chosen it to be the subject of my first WCBSA! I won't focus too much on the story, but there may still be spoilers.

The premise of Dead Rising was pretty simple: You play as freelance reporter, Frank West, who has come into the town of Willamette, Colorado, after getting a tip that something big was happening there. Despite being introduced as a "nowhere little town", Willamette sports a shopping mall of impressive size, and it is here that Frank is dropped off via helicopter, the pilot of which promises to return in three days. After meeting a strange man on the roof of the mall by the name of Carlito, Frank soon learns that the town has been overrun by zombies. He spends the next three days trying to discover the truth while also trying to stay alive.

He's covered wars, ya know.

As I mentioned, the big selling point was that essentially everything is a weapon in this game. Whatever isn't bolted to the ground, Frank can utilize against the hordes of zombies throughout the mall. When playing this game for the first time, I literally ignored the main storyline for hours just because I wanted to see just how much stuff I could use. "Found out what's causing all these zombies? Forget that! I absolutely need to find out how many CDs I can throw at a zombie before I finally manage to kill it. Hey! I bet I can knock down a bunch of zombies with this bowling ball. Oh! I did it, and I got an achievement! This is the greatest game of all time!"

But fighting zombies isn't the only thing to do. Throughout the game, you're given missions by a fellow named Otis, who was a janitor for the mall. He communicates with you via a walkie talkie and tells you about things he's witnessed through the security cameras in the security room, which is your main base of operations. Most of the times, he'll tell you about people who are in danger and need help. These Survivors can be escorted back to the Security Room for Prestige Points, which functions basically as Experience Points; they basically level Frank up, unlocking higher stats and abilities. Occasionally, though, Otis's calls will lead you into meeting one of the game's Psychopaths, human characters who have gone insane during the zombie outbreak. Throughout the game, these guys serve as bosses for Frank to contend with. For the most part, the Survivors and Psychopaths (except when required by the story) are optional. The missions that Otis gives can expire after some time, and there's usually no consequence for missing them, except for missing out on PP, as Survivors and Psychopaths give a lot of PP when you finish dealing with them. Failing to do a Story Mission in the required time means you fail the storyline completely, making it impossible for you find the truth of the outbreak. However, even if you fail the storyline, you're still allowed to play throughout the mall. The game does not end until the third day when the helicopter returns.

Dead Rising 1 had three modes: 72 hour mode, which is basically the base game; Overtime mode, which you get by completing all story missions in 72 hour mode; and Infinity Mode, which you get by completing Overtime. Overtime mode is basically just a continuation of the story when the helicopter crashes at the end of 72 hour mode (assuming you completed all the story missions). But then there's Infinity Mode, or, as it should have been called "Survival Mode". Infinity Mode puts the player back into the Willamette Mall, but now the health meter slowly declines over time, and you must search for food to replenish it. However, food items are no longer unlimited as they were in 72 hour and Overtime. This means, you have to exercise more caution when fighting and conserve your healing items. Survivors and Psychopaths spawn through out the mall at certain intervals, and all of them are hostile. You get additional healing items for killing them, though, with Survivors dropping only moderate goods while Psychopaths drop better stuff. There was no indication when the Survivors and Psychopaths would spawn in Infinity Mode, so it gave you a reason to explore and search. But it was also very dangerous because Psychopaths would spawn in areas you didn't actually fight them in during Overtime mode. For example, one notable Psychopath, Sean, the leader of a cult of crazies in rain coats, fights you in the Mall's movie theater, which his flock have turned into their church. However, in Infinity Mode, he fights you in Wonderland Plaza, a completely different area on the other side of the mall. I was literally running through Wonderland Plaza and, for no reason, I rotated the camera to check behind me while I was going. To my surprise, a few feet behind me was Sean, chasing after me with his sword.

Sean

Sean's Followers

While Dead Rising was a great game, it was not without its flaws. One of the most famous annoyances is communication with Otis. Whenever he calls on the walkie, which can be at any time, you're defenseless as you listen to his description of what he's seen in the monitors. If at any point during his speech you get hit or otherwise interrupted, he will call back a few seconds later and actually scold the player for hanging up on him. Then, he will start talking again, starting over from the beginning, meaning you have to again wait for him to stop talking all while trying to keep zombies away from you. This is was basically a similar problem that gamers had with Navi from Ocarina of Time, and it caused many to hate Otis. 

Another very annoying thing is the bad A.I of the Survivors. Most of the survivors can't fend for themselves, their path finding programming bugs out causing them to walk into walls, and they're generally a huge pain to get anywhere. You'll constantly be going back to save some who got nabbed by a stray zombie or try to get a straggler caught up. Even more annoying, as well as baffling, most female Survivors cannot be given a weapon. Usually, all you can do with them is hold their hands, making it so you can guide them through hordes. You can only hold the hands of two girls, though, so if you have more than that, or if there's another survivor you need to carry, then that makes them even more difficult to escort. Unfortunately, escorting Survivors is the best way to earn PP, so the game sort of forces you to deal with them.

Other problems are the inability to strafe while using guns, and the fact that the game only allows one save file. So, if a friend wants to have their own file, they can't, so they have to be on your file. 

So Dead Rising was a huge success. It went without saying that a sequel was required. There were a lot of requests for content in it: bigger area, more weapons, and, of course, co-op play. And, finally, in 2010, we were introduce to Chuck Greene and Dead Rising 2. 

He hasn't covered wars, ya know.

Chuck is a motorcross champion who lost his wife during a zombie outbreak in Las Vegas (almost wrote "New Vegas", ha). The game begins with him competing in a game show in Fortune City, called "Terror is Reality", which is hosted by a man named Tyrone King or TK. Chuck's competing is a way for him to earn money to get a drug called Zombrex for his daughter, Katey (Katie?). Zombrex (which we witnessed the origin of in Overtime mode of the first game) impedes the zombification process for 24 hours, requiring daily doses. 

This is important, because it is a major feature of the game. Like the first game, you have three days to complete the main story (this time, the military will fire bomb the city in that amount of time), but, in addition to that, you also must make sure that Katey Greene stays alive. This means, you must be on the look-out for Zombrex, which is hidden throughout Fortune City or can be acquired through some missions. Like Dead Rising 1, you can fail the story missions and still play around the game. Oddly though, you can also do this if Katey dies. There are no benefits to keeping Katey alive, other than getting the good endings for the game. So, basically, Katey becomes a redundant mission that makes it harder to just goof around a bit.

That aside, though, Dead Rising 2 featured improvements. You could finally move while aiming, and even better, the A.I of the Survivors was much better (in my experience, at least). All Survivors can take weapons, and they generally can break themselves out grapples from zombies, making it much less annoying to have to escort them. Melee combat was also given improvements, giving players quick attacks and slower, but more powerful attacks.

Once again, the big gimmick with Dead Rising 1 was that anything was a weapon. So, how could they expand on that for the sequel? Obviously just adding more miscellaneous weapons lying around wouldn't do the trick. So, Dead Rising 2's biggest innovation were the Combo Weapons. Take something like a useless box of nails and a baseball bat and put them together, and you've got the Spike Bat. Players can discover combinations either by just trying random things, or by finding Combo Cards, which basically tell you what is needed to make said weapon. You can only make weapons in Fortune City's Maintenance Rooms, which are found through the city.

Spike Bat

On the surface, the advent of the Combo Weapons seems like a brilliant idea, and, to be fair, it is fun trying all of them out. But once you do, you start to realize quickly that most of them are pretty useless. If you've played Dead Rising 2, how many times did you build the Air Horn? Or the Hail Mary? Or the Freedom Bear? Or the Blitzkrieg? Probably once or twice, just because you were goofing around and wanted to try it. There are very few actually practical Combo Weapons. The iconic Paddle Saw, which Chuck wields in box art of the game, is very slow and can be difficult to use in a horde of grabbing zombies. Think about how bad it is against a Psychopath. Most of the throwing combos can only be used once, making them largely garbage as to have enough to be practical would take up too much space in your inventory. As a device to keep players...well, playing, the Combo Weapons are a neat idea, but when most of them are really only good if you're screwing around and not when you actually could use a special weapon against a tough enemy, they just become a waste of space. Some combo weapons actually less effective then the original weapons that they're made from. A prime example of this is the Boomstick, which is made from a Shotgun and a pitchfork. Aiming with the Boomstick only makes Chuck attempt to throw it rather than aim it like a gun, so you cannot fire it. It can be used to slash at zombies in an arc, which is not done very effectively. The heavy attack, Chuck stabs one zombie, lifts it up, and fires the gun. All of this means you'd have been better off just using the shotgun on its own.

Another notable change in Dead Rising 2 was a rise in quirkiness. The first game had its quirks: random weapons lying around in absurd places, being able to dress Frank up in women's clothing, etc. But, in Dead Rising 2, this quirkiness escalates quite higher. Chuck can ride a tricycle, play on a water slide, get drunk, wear an increased assortment of goofy hats and attire (included a European thong-swimsuit thing), and he often makes lame puns after fighting Psychopaths. What do this features add to the game? Nothing, except short lived chuckles, but I can't help but feel that Dead Rising 2 took the quirkiness  too far. 

This man has his priorities straight

Even the Psychopaths are pretty goofy. One Psycho is a mascot who is mad because he's a dork who finally got a date, which the zombies ruined. Another Psycho is an obese pervert who hasn't been able to have sex. Another are two aspiring magicians who keep killing assistants during their shows due to their ineptitude. Another is a cop with a humorous inferiority complex. It causes the game to lose some sense of realism that the first one had. It makes the Psychopaths less like people who snapped under the pressure, and more like just generally bad people who use the situation to do evil things. In the first game, one Psycho was a store manager determined to protect his store at all costs. Another was a clown who witnessed his audience eaten. Another was a gun store owner with trust issues. A war veteran who is stuck in a Vietnam flashback brought on by the lose of his grand daughter. Dead Rising 1 had a group of family member sniping innocent people to survive, with one of them expressing reluctance to do so, causing tension in the group. Dead Rising 2 had four rednecks sniping people pretty much because they're stupid, stereotypical rednecks fightin them damn lib'rals (should I mention that they were border patrol guards too?).

Dead Rising 2 wasn't bad. But, for me, it just wasn't the same as the first game. 

But, in 2013, came Dead Rising 3, with yet another hero, Nick Ramos. 

He's just a mechanic, ya know.

 Dead Rising 3 changed a lot of things.

First, you no longer escort survivors to a "Safe Room", which was what you spent most of your time doing in the other games to get PP. Instead, any Survivors who join you become part of your Posse, and they will travel with you to assist you. It's a neat idea, but I don't feel it was necessarily executed very well. Up until this game, Survivors only existed as a means to get PP to upgrade your character. You weren't really supposed to take them with you where ever you went. You only gave them weapons so they could defend themselves until you got them somewhere safe. The Survivors in Dead Rising 3 largely act the same way as the previous games: they follow you around, you can give them food to replenish their health, you can issue them commands, etc. But, now, some survivors can join your party and can be recruited into your team via a bulletin board found in "Safe Houses" that are all over the map. The problem is that the Survivors still behave as if they're being escorted, and not members of your team or Posse. They can't heal themselves, they can carry only one item (which you have to give them), and they can't level up any stats of their own. If you have more than one person with you, you must find a vehicle big enough to accommodate them or walk the whole way everywhere. And, worst of all, you will have to stop and wait for them if you get ahead, because, if you go too far, they'll leave you and you'll have to find a safe house to get them again.

Next is that vehicles are basically Combo Weapons now. Nick can combine certain vehicles together to make a bigger, deadlier car. I'll take about this a little more later.

The Leveling Up has been revamped as well. When Nick levels up (via PP), he gains Attribute Points which which can used to upgrade traits such as Life (health), inventory space, melee prowess, gun prowess, agility (speed) etc. The other games had similar features, but would often upgrade traits following a pre made list. For example, you may only get a speed boost for Frank when you hit level 7 and then not again till level 43, forcing you to cope with Frank's slowness for a long time. Here, you can choose when to upgrade anything, giving you more control over Nick's abilities.  Also, Nick can sprint, which makes him easily the fastest character.

There is no designated "Safe Room". In the first game, there was the Security Room, the second game the bunker. Now, there are "Safe Houses", which you can find in various locations. Each Safe House has lockers which allows you to select attires and weapons that you've found while playing the game. This allows you to select Combo Weapons that you've built without having to find materials to actually build them. Also, you can download a wide variety of DLCs which grant you more weapons, like a mini gun that allows you to take down hordes of zombies.

Dead Rising 3 is essentially one huge map. The various areas you can go to are all connected by a highway, and you can reach them without having to stop for a cutscene. This is a welcome transition from the first two games, which involved a lot of traveling from area to area, often having to go through many loading screens just to get where you're going. 

Finally, the Combo Weapons are back in full force. Instead of Combo Cards, now the player looks for Blueprints scattered all over that tell how to build a new weapon or car. A few improvements are that Nick can build Combo Weapons anywhere, rather than having to find Maintenance Room, and that certain items can be used more than once. For example, when crafting a molotov in Dead Rising 2, you'd make only one molotov, where as, in Dead Rising 3, you craft more, allowing you to use more. And now, Combo Cars, as mentioned, are a thing. It'd take too long to go through all of them, and in general, the Combo Weapons function better here. But, there's still the problem of, you're not really going to use most of them very much, save for the few practical ones such as the Grim Reaper, the Iron Edge, Spike Bat, etc. There are more useful ones than there were in Dead Rising 2, but a lot of them are only good for screwing around. The Combo Cars sort of suffer the same problem, but to a lesser extent. There are less of them, and you'll generally only need them when traveling from town to town, as, usually, once your in one town, there are many barriers and obstacles that prevent you from driving around fully. And since there's usually an abundance of normal cars that will get you around just as fast without having to stop and combine them or finding the other car needed to complete the combination, you very well may end up just using the normal cars more than the combo ones. 

Dead Rising 2, as said, was notably more quirky than the first game. Dead Rising 3 sort of goes in the middle between the the other two games. It isn't as goofy as Dead Rising 2 (you can't ride a tricycle anymore while wearing a beer hat), but it does have moments of it. The most notable example, in my opinion, of this are the Psychopaths, some being modeled after the Seven Deadly Sins. For example, one of them, representing gluttony, is a very morbidly obese woman who is confined in a motor scooter and constantly farts as she threatens you. Another is a lazy guy who sends tiny helicopters at you, and eventually dies from a heart attack when you finally physically reach him (he also farts as he dies).

"Are you calling me FAT!?", "That'd be putting it kindly!"

Once again, all of the Psychopaths are "over-the-top" stereotypes. You really can't imagine these people as ever being sane, average people, where as the Psychopaths in Dead Rising 1, you could more easily see it with most of them. They were just people who had gone nuts from seeing their lives be destroyed. With Dead Rising 2 & 3, most of them appear as if they were already nuts, and the outbreak just made it worse. It's just something that sort of annoys me. Why did the Psychos have to be so over-the-top and stereotypical? It just seemed less realistic and just overall goofy.  The goofiness doesn't make the games bad, it just makes them harder to take seriously. This may have been the point, but it seems like a rather stark comparison to the first game which, for the most part, seemed to take itself much more seriously than the rest of the series. 

Dead Rising 1 seemed more genuine, and felt like it had less gimmicks. Dead Rising 1 was simple, you didn't have all the Combo Weapons or a whole bunch of vehicles and guns to choose from. You had five default guns in Dead Rising 1; The pistol, the shotgun, the sniper rifle, the submachine gun, and the rare assault rifle. It meant limited options, but all of the weapons seemed to be more valuable. The guns weren't that effective against the zombies. There were too many of them. You saved those for the Psychopaths. You either just ran through or around the zombies, beating them with a solid weapon from time to time. There wasn't a big, huge, monster of a gun that allowed you to blow away hordes. Frank was not that overpowered. Frank actually had to be careful. The only overpowered weapon he had were the small chainsaws he got from Adam, the crazy clown. 

All of the Dead Rising games are fun to play, there's no denying that. Dead Rising 2 & 3 arguably had more things to play with, both had better A.I, and both had Co-Op. But Dead Rising 1 was just as fun, and it managed to do so without all of that. In Dead Rising 1, the ability to utilize everything as a weapon complimented the whole game and it game a very real sense of survival. You were fighting Steven in the supermarket, and you ran out of bullets. You don't have many weapons. So, you chuck a cash register at him. Then, you having exhausted that, you look around for something a bit more practical. Aha! The store's deli! There has to be a knife there! You then pass a display that's been broken during the fight. Wait? Fish? I can use fish as a weapon? Ha! I gotta do that! Wow, that actually worked! But it didn't last very long. Let's get that knife now.

There was a greater feel of "improvised combat" that made the first game so great. Sometimes you just literally had to use anything you could find because, sometimes, you didn't really have that many options. You used more of everything because you had to. In Dead Rising 2 and 3, it's all about the combo weapons, which are more powerful. They completely overshadow the other weapons.  Why use a machete when you could use the Spike Bat? Why use a shotgun when you can use the Z.A.R? How many benches did you throw in Dead Rising 2 and 3? How many potted plants? Probably not that many, because you were too busy mowing them down with your mini gun, the rail gun, or blowing them up with other types of Combo Weapons. 

The biggest problem I have with Dead Rising 2 and 3 is that the games seem to built more towards screwing around. You have several weapons that allow you to experiment in how you kill zombies. But if you ever wanted to do some of the story, you probably didn't use many of the combo weapons, just the few that were practical. In Dead Rising 3, the Mini Gun can blow through many zombies in seconds, but it's much less effective against human characters, even those who aren't bosses. There are biker guys in Dead Rising 3 that spawn every now and then. You literally have to hold down the trigger of the mini gun to take one out, whereas a few swings with a good bludgeon combo weapon can take them down. It creates a weird disconnect: why is a bludgeon more effective against a person than a fucking Minigun. 

Despite the fact that both Dead Rising 2 & 3 are all about screwing around, only Dead Rising 1 appears to have anything like Infinity Mode. And that's bizarre, as an unlimited sandbox mode would be gold in Dead Rising 3, where there's so many weapons to play around with. I've had more fun goofing around in Dead Rising 3 that, nowadays, I don't even bother with the story or any of the missions. The only reason I did in the first place was to get PP and Attribute Points. Dead Rising 3 would almost have been better served as just a sandbox game where all you did was just goof around without being hassled by missions and story.

In Dead Rising 1, you had Infinity Mode. And, even during the regular story, you were more likely to use the same weapons that you used to goof around during the story campaign. The whole idea of using anything and everything complimented the whole game, not just the aspect of goofing around.

So, in brief, I feel the first Dead Rising game was among the best. The other two were good, and were fun to goof around in, but they seem to overstep themselves when trying to expand on the original Dead Rising's idea of improvised combat. They give you so many things, but so many of the things are only fun while screwing around, and won't be much use during the story mode. The other games are much more zany and silly, making it harder to take them as seriously. There are a lot more cliches in the other two games; greedy business people, corrupt politicians and military men, where the first game had a young man getting revenge after a government funded experiment failed. The games had to become more zany so that the number of crazy combo weapons and vehicles, not to mention attires, made sense within the universe of the game. You couldn't have Frank using the same kind of weapons in the first game, because the first game was more realistic. It would be too much to have Frank throwing a football with grenades duct tapped to it, or a paddle with chainsaws also duct taped to it. The Combo Weapons resemble insane weaponry that you'd see in intentionally goofy movies like Sharknado. They didn't belong in the first game.

So, from my view, what can be said about Dead Rising? The first game is the best, with its innovation of everything as a weapon working well through out the game. The second and third game are a lot of fun, but inevitably go too far trying to expand on the first game's improvised combat. They give you more options, but most of those options are only there so that you spend more time playing the game to goof around with the zombies rather than when you need to advance the story or fight a Psychopath. The new weapons overshadow the original concept of using everything, making you favor the combo weapons rather than everything else. And with all of this stuff to goof around with, you don't really care about the story or the missions, despite that only Dead Rising 1 had an infinity sandbox mode. 

If you like the idea of beating zombies up with anything, but enjoy a story, stick to the first game. Otherwise, you might be better off with the second or third game.

STOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOORE!

What Can Be Said About "......"?

Hello whoever is still reading this blog (probably no one).

I have decided to create a written critique series called "What Can Be Said About...?" (0r WCBSA, for you acronym loving hipsters). It will focus on games, obviously. I am going to to try and release my first installment of this either today or tomorrow (most likely tomorrow).

I know my Five Nights at Freddy's blog post about the first game was popular, but hopefully if there's anyone still out there who has any interest in discussing games, hopefully you'll let me know in the comments below...

...hopefully.

....

...I'm the only one here, aren't I.

I'm so alone. :(

Amatuer Videos!

So, it's been awhile since my last post, but, during my absence, I finally purchased FRAPS, and now I can make videos of me playing games. And, to celebrate, here's a video of me playing a recently released game that just happens to be the deepest and most thought provoking game of all time...."I am Bread".

Enjoy.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FNclP0mBxUg&feature=youtu.be

I am Bread

Future Horror Games

Promotional Picture for Five Nights at Freddy's 2

With the Month of Halloween upcoming, I thought it would be great to conjure up a list of upcoming horror games that will either come out this year or next. These can either be Indie or otherwise.

1. Alien: Isolation

2: Soma

3: Five Nights at Freddy's 2

4: Dying Light

5: Routine

6: Evil Within

7: Until Dawn

8: Silent Hills

Which games are you guys most looking forward too? Did I miss any?

Personally, since Five Nights at Freddy's was the most recent one that I've played, I eagerly await to see what Scott Cawthon has cooked up for the re-opening of the Pizzeria. But, at the same time, Soma, since I've played both Amnesia 1 & 2, is another big one that I look forward to. Some friends of mine have told me that Alien: Isolation is one that I should get as well, but I haven't really seen much about that one.

How about you guys?

Mann Vs. Machine: Class Roles and Weapons

ROBOTS!

If you've ever played Team Fortress 2 (or even only heard of it), then you most likely know about it's Co-Op mode, Mann vs. Machine, in which the game's unique nine classes have to defend Mann Co. bases from a horde of Robots carrying giant bombs. If this is your first time hearing the name "Team Fortress 2", by all means, go to the game's website and find out more about it. It's a free First Person Shooter that features nine classes with their own unique personality. Each class is a part of a unit (Offense, Defense, and Support). In the offense unit, there's the super fast Scout, the Rocket Launcher wielding Soldier, the Pyro and his Flamethrower. In the Defense Unit; the Demoman with his Sticky Bombs and Grenade Launcher, the Heavy with his Minigun, and the Engineer, who can build Sentry Guns and Dispensers. In the Support unit is the Medic with his healing Medigun, the Sniper with his...well, sniper rifle, and the Spy, who can disguise as other members of the team and stab them in the back to instantly kill them. The game specializes in strategy and team cohesion, emphasizing the need to work together, as each class has a drawback. For example, the Scout is the fastest, but has the lowest health. The Heavy has the highest health and a powerful weapon, but is the slowest and is very big, making him an easy target. Each class has a weakness that can be exploited by another class, thus creating the need for teammates to support each other. 

Mann Vs. Machine brings six players against waves of Robots that mean to deliver a bomb to their base. Obviously, if they succeed in planting in the base's hatch, the wave is lost. Players can collect Credits dropped from slain enemies which they can use to upgrade themselves at Upgrade Stations, with the Credits being evenly distributed amongst team members. Mann Vs. Machine is a bit different than the traditional multiplayer of Team Fortress 2. Aside from the obvious things (it being Co-Op, there being robots, etc), Mann Vs. Machine is the only mode in Team Fortress 2 where you'll get scolded by your fellow players for bringing a certain type of loadout to the game. In the regular multiplayer, every unlockable weapon has the potential to be efficiently lethal, but not so in the Co-Op mode. For example, I doubt that I will find a single gamer familiar with Mann Vs. Machine who would disagree with me that the Soldier and Demoman's new item, the B.A.S.E Jumper, which is essentially a parachute, is entirely useless in the Co-Op mode.

The B.A.S.E Jumper

The ability to slowly glide down to the ground doesn't really help that much when there's a large swarm of Robots all firing in your direction. And that's not even mentioning the Sniper Bots. The Scout's Atomic Bonk cola, which makes him unhittable with the cost of being unable to use his weapons, serves no use either. The Engineer's Gunslinger, with the ability to build only a small sentry, can also be disregarded. Players not only have to be more careful of what weapon they pick, but which class they play as. In contrast to the regular multiplayer, where teams are evenly numbered, Mann vs. Machine has six players against a vast army of Robots. Crowd control, thus, becomes a major concern. Snipers, Medics, and Spies lack the firepower to counter the hordes of metal men barreling at them, so teams that have multiple players using these classes will cause a drop in the damage dealt to the enemy.

Veteran players of Mann vs. Machine may recognize these issues, but players who are new to Mann vs Machine may not realize that they may not be able to play as their favorite class or use the new weapon they just got. In order to do well in Mann Vs. Machine, some guidelines must be followed, and certain weapons should be used. Unlike regular multiplayer, there are fewer strategies that will work in Mann vs Machine unless you have a team that is "just that good". But since such teams are rare to find, it may be best to try to follow some rules of thumb that will be laid out in this guide. If followed, they should substantially assist in your endeavor of slaughtering Robots and defending your base.

Class Breakdown:

Scout:

 Because Mann Vs. Machine is a defensive mode by nature, the Scout is at a disadvantage right off the bat, with his low health and close range weapons. However, he has a higher gather radius for Credits, and gains a health boost whenever he picks them up. The more Credits in one pile, the higher the health he receives. This makes the Scout a natural at making sure that all Credits are picked up, so that the team can buy better upgrades at the stations. Since the Scout is more of a support role in Mann Vs. Machine, any more than one on the team is unnecessary.

Arsenal:
Primary: Back Scatter
Why?: The Back Scatter grants mini-crits to enemies when attacking from behind. As the Scout should always be on the move, chances are there will be times that he will catch up to Robots who are too busy to notice him. This will allow the Scout to do hard damage to enemies.

Secondary: Mad Milk
Why?: Enemies doused in Mad Milk grant health to players who shoot at them. This can be immensely useful to Heavies, who are trying to mow down Giant Robots. In addition, Mad Milk can be upgraded to slow enemies down significantly, delaying the delivery of the bomb.

Melee: Fan of War/Sandman
The Fan of War marks enemies hit with if "for death", meaning that all damage done to them will be mini crits for a short time. This will allow the team to do more damage to Giant Robots. The Sandman can also be a good choice, as its baseball can be upgraded to also mark enemies. The drawback, however, is that the Sandman causes the Scout have less health than he normally would.

Upgrades:
The Scout should not worry about upgrading his primary weapon. As counter intuitive as that sounds, the sad truth is that the Scout's weapons are meant to be lethal in close range to one enemy at a time. The Scout should only need his Primary Weapon when attempting to push past smaller enemies. Larger enemies are obviously more powerful, and, most of the time, they can take out a Scout too easily and quickly for them to do any real damage with their primary weapons. Instead, Scouts should upgrade the Mad Milk and their resistances and Speed. Being able to run incredibly fast, and having high resistances to damage, will allow the Scout to weave around enemies, scooping up Credits, which should heal health lost. Many enemies will be attempting to kill you, and them focusing on you will grant the other team mates an opening.

Soldier:

With the high damage and blast radius of his rockets, the Soldier is a good class to have in any round. Upgrading his weapons properly will make him very effective against waves of regular robots and the Giant Robots. In addition, the Soldier has banner weapons that, when used, give certain boosts to players near him, thus even giving him a supportive edge. His Rocket Jump can also be useful for shortcuts or quick, desperate get aways.

Aresenal:
Primary: Beggar's Bazooka
Why?: The Beggar's Bazooka has the ability to fire off multiple rockets in one go. Need I say more? Upgrading the clip size at the Upgrade Station will allow him to fire even more rockets. Combine that with a Medic with the Kritzkrieg or Crit Canteens and you can literally repel waves of enemies on your own.

Secondary: Buff Banner
Why?: The Buff Banner, once it's "Rage Meter" is full (via killing enemies), can be activated to give opponents a mini-crit boost. This can be especially helpful when dealing with robot Tanks. The Buff Banner can be upgraded to lengthen its duration.

Melee Weapon: Shovel
Why?: The Soldier's default weapon is the best one. Other melee weapons block the Medic's ability to heal with active, or only become useful if you're rocket jumping towards the enemy, which you shouldn't be doing anyway. It's best to just stick to the classic. Besides, the Soldier should only rarely use his melee weapon.

Upgrades:
The Soldier needs to upgrade his Rocket Launcher. As stated, the Beggar's Bazooka can be upgraded to fire more rockets in one go, and can also be upgraded to be loaded faster. Max out the damage, and give a few upgrades to Rocket Specialist (which will expand the blast radius as well as stun enemies) and the Soldier can take out mobs of robots on his own. A few Credits can be tossed towards resistances and speed as well, if possible.

Pyro:

In some ways, the Pyro shares the same difficulties as the Scout, since his primary weapon has a short range. However, his compression blasts becomes incredibly useful as it is one of the few ways to push the bomb carrier back. In addition, he is still very useful in countering Spy Bots and extinguishing players when they catch fire. If the Pyro is able to ambush the robots, he can deal a great amount of damage to them.

Primary: Default Flamethrower
Why?: The other Flamethrowers either take too much ammo to use the compression blast, do less damage, or can't do the compression blast at all, which is essential. As such, it's better to hang with the original (or the Rain Blower) for Mann Vs. Machine. As his weapon tends to run out of ammo fast, upgrading the ammo capacity and having Ammo Canteens is important.

Secondary: Flare Gun
Why?: The Flare Gun will do critical damage every shot to an enemy who is on fire. Upgrade the amount of time enemies stay on fire after shooting them with it, as well as the reload time, and you'll be able to do great damage with this weapon alone.

Melee: Third Degree
Why?: The Third Degree will damage everyone connected via a Medics beam. So, if there is a Giant Robot who is being healed by multiple Medics, bring out the Third Degree. If you're able to get to the Giant without being caught, a Crit Canteen may enable you to kill all of the Medics healing it. Otherwise, an Ubercharge canteen may help get close.

Demoman:

As one of the Defensive classes, the Demoman finds his knack in Mann vs. Machine. His sticky bombs can be used to guard the bomb and prevent the Robots from getting their hands on it, while blowing up several of them at the same time. And, just like in regular multiplayer, he can be helpful in destroying Engineer Bots and their buildings.

Primary: Loch N Load
Why?: The Loch-N-Load does more damage than the default Grenade launcher, and the projectiles it fires travel faster. The only downsides are its lower clip size and the fact that you must actually hit an enemy for the projectiles to explode. However, a simple Clip Size upgrade from the Stations should resolve the latter, and since the robots tend to come in hordes and the Giant robots are...well, giant...missing becomes less likely than in regular multiplayer.

Secondary: Scottish Resistance
Why?: The Scottish Resistance can lay down more sticky bombs than the Stickbomb Launcher. In addition, it can also set them off only if the player's cursor is over them, thus allowing them to set multiple "stick pits" that can be set off at different times. Use Crit Canteens or the Medic's Kritzkrieg to make the "pits" even more lethal.

Melee: Scotsman's Skullcutter
Why?: The Skullcutter has a large attack range and does 20% more damage than the regular Bottle. It's downside, however, is that it reduces the player's speed. However, Speed upgrades are inexpensive, so this can be negated entirely, thus making this weapon a great choice.

Upgrades:
Upgrading the Demoman's damage for his primary and secondary weapons is very expensive, but once they are maxed, the Demoman will be devastating, killing multiple enemies with a single shot. Upgrade the reload on his weapons (especially the Scottish Resistance), so he can fire more and lay traps faster. Use Crit-Boosted stickies to do massive damage to Tanks. Also, if you are going to use the Skullcutter, then be sure to upgrade the Demoman's speed as well.

Heavy:

With his giant Minigun and great pool of health, the Heavy is obviously a great asset to any team in Mann Vs. Machine. If a Medic is with him, he is great at stopping hordes of Robots on his own. He can also be upgraded to deflect enemy projectiles, like Soldier Bot rockets.

Primary: Brass Beast
Why?: The Brass Beast does more damage than the default Minigun. It can additionally be upgraded to fire faster and penetrate multiple enemies with its bullets, which makes it great at crowd control. It does decrease the players speed while the gun's barrel is being spun, but the damage it does more than compensates for this.

Secondary: Sandvich
Why?: Since the Heavy is great at dealing damage to hordes of robots, it's important that he stay alive. What better way to ensure his survival by carrying around a tasty snack? Also, the Sandvich can be thrown to heal other players. This is particularly useful when trying to keep your Medic alive.

Melee: Gloves of Running Urgently
Why?: The Heavy is the slowest class in the game. Thus, any way to get him to the frontlines faster is always good. The Gloves of Running Urgently are the best at doing this, without having to spend Credits on Speed Upgrades. The only drawback is that they cause all damage taken while using them to be mini-crits. However, since the Heavy has the most health, this is easily compensated.

Upgrades:
Like the Pyro, the Heavy uses a lot of bullets. Upgrade his ammo capacity and have some Ammo-refill canteens ready. Due to his already large amount of health, resistances are less important for the Heavy, though Crit Resistances are always good to have. And if you have the Gloves of Running Urgently, you won't have to worry about buying Speed upgrades. Focus on improving his primary weapon. Projection Deflection will protect you from Soldier Bot rockets, especially ones from Giant Soldiers which will sometimes always crit. The Heavy can also upgrade his primary with a "Rage" ability, which allows him to push back enemies. This can be especially useful if the robots are getting closer to dropping the bomb.

Engineer:

Every team needs an Engineer. No exceptions. With his ability to transport players to the frontlines quickly, create Dispensers for quick health and ammunition, plus his Sentry Gun for taking out large amounts of regular robots, the Engineer is vital to a teams success. If you join a team and they have no Engineer, you might want to consider selecting this class. The Robots do have a special variant in their ranks for Engineers, however, and that's the Sentry Buster, which is designed to run towards your Sentry and blow it up. The good news is that, once it reaches your Sentry, it takes a few seconds for it to actually explode. This gives you time to snatch up your Sentry and carry it to safety. Be warned that anyone caught in the blast of a Sentry Buster will die, so keep that in mind while trying to get them to explode.

Sentry Buster

Arsenal:
Primary: Frontier Justice
Why?: The Frontier Justice racks up "revenge crits" with every kill. If it killed an enemy, you get two revenge crits, if it only assisted the kills (but didn't do the killing blow) it'll get one crit. If, at any point, the Sentry is destroyed, the stored crits will be made available to the player. The player can have up to thirty five revenge crits. This grants the Engineer better ability to aid his team against Tanks, and also better ability to defend buildings from Spy Bots. The downside of the Frontier Justice is that it has fewer rounds in its clip than the default shotgun, but this can be negated at the Upgrade Station for a fairly low price.

Why not the Rescue Ranger?: Some players suggest using the Rescue Ranger for the primary weapon of the Engineer. This weapon fires a special bolt that can repair Sentries from long distance. In addition, the Engineer can also use it to transport buildings from great distances, as buildings he wants to move will "teleport" to his possession if he has them in his crosshairs. This can greatly cut down on "travel time" and can be helpful if the Engineer is away from his buildings, but still needs to repair them. However, the Rescue Ranger has much less overall ammo than the Final Frontier, and also causes the Engineer to take mini-crit damage while carrying buildings, something that the Engineer must do frequently in Mann Vs. Machine. Due to his already low health, this makes the Rescue Ranger dangerous in times of "retreat" if the team must move back. On top of that, the Rescue Ranger's bolts don't refill ammunition of Sentries, which means that you'll still need to stay near it to keep it stocked anyway. And if you've upgraded the Sentry's firing speed, you'll need to refill it frequently.

Secondary: Wrangler
Why?: The Wrangler allows the player to take manual control over the Sentry Gun. This increases the Sentry Gun's firing radius and speed. In addition, it also causes the Sentry Gun to emit a shield that will greatly protect it from incoming damage. Players can focus their Sentries on Tanks and Giant Robots, doing great damage to them in mere seconds.The only down side is that, with increased firing speed, the bullets will run out fast, forcing the Engineer to constantly have to stop and restock the gun.

Melee: Default Wrench
Why?: Some players suggest using the Jag, which grants the player the ability to build faster, but at the cost of a damage penalty. This is indeed handy on occasion, but keep in mind that while it causes buildings to be erected faster, upgrading them still takes the same amount of time. And since the Engineer can use "Upgrade Canteens" (which are very cheap) to instantly fully upgrade buildings, it makes the Jag's perk slightly unnecessary. And while the Engineer should stay out of direct combat in most instances, he can save ammo by using his default Wrench to pummel Spy Bots trying to sabotage his devices. This becomes more of a hassle with the Jag's damage penalty, and the Wrench's firing speed can be increased, improving it's erecting AND upgrading speed, while also maintaining a higher damage output than the Jag.

Upgrades: The first thing the Engineer should upgrade is his maximum amount of Metal. This allows him to build more, and also lets him restock his guns longer before running out. Then, he needs to focus on upgrading his Sentry Gun. The Engineer is one of the two classes that actually have reason to upgrade their melee weapon (for reasons already stated). Resistances are also good for the Engineer, as he needs to stay alive to keep his Sentry Gun firing. Speed will also allow him to both get to his buildings if they are in danger and carry them out of harm's way. Consider giving upgrading the clip size of the Final Frontier if you have it.

Medic:

Until recently, the Medic wasn't a great choice in Mann Vs. Machine. But then an update was made, and he can now not only emit a shield that blocks projectiles AND damages approaching enemies, he also can revive teammates who have been recently slain on the battle field, bringing them back with full health and ammunition. Because of this, a team can benefit greatly from having a Medic on their team, especially if they don't want to spend Credits to instantly get back into the game, rather than waiting to respawn for free.

Primary: Kritzkrieg
Why?: The Kritzkrieg not only has a high charge rate than the standard Medi-Gun, but it grants the receiving player guaranteed critical hits for the duration of the deployment of the Ubercharge. This, combined with a Heavy, Soldier, Demoman, or Pyro can mean a lot of dead Robots.

Secondary: Overdose
Why?: The Overdose grants the Medic a speed boost as the Ubercharge increases. This can be very useful in allowing the Medic a better chance of escaping enemy fire, while also helping him quickly get to his patients in need. The drawback is that it does less damage than the standard Syringe Gun, but as the Medic's combat weapons are generally ineffective, only to be used as last resort, this makes little difference.

Melee: Ubersaw
Why?: Upon hitting an enemy with the Ubersaw, the player will fill twenty five percent of their Ubercharge bar. This can allow players to deploy their Ubercharges much faster, though the Ubersaw will not fill the Ubercharge meter if the player attacks a Robot Tank. The best enemy for the Medic to attack with this weapon is the Sentry Buster, as those are generally not hostile to anyone except the Engineer's Sentry Gun. So, the Medic can use the Ubersaw on it, without any fear of retaliation, allowing the player a quick recharge of the Uber meter.

Upgrades:
The Ubercharge is the most important thing to upgrade. Making it charge faster and stay deployed longer will benefit the team greatly. Not only will they be able to perform Critical hits longer (if using the Kritzkrieg), the Medic revives players almost instantly while using the Ubercharge. The Projectile Shield is also incredibly invaluable, as more difficult levels of Mann Vs. Machine have Giant Robots that shoot rapid fire, always critical projectiles. The Projectile Shield can negate them entirely. The Medic can also be upgraded to share his Canteens with players. Meaning if he gets an Invincibility canteen (Ubercharge Canteen), the player that he is healing will also become invincible when the canteen is used. This makes for an always critical hitting, completely invincible Heavy, which will level the playing field.

Sniper:

The Sniper is a difficult class to play as in Mann Vs. Machine. Since his attacks are slow and can usually only take out one enemy. With low health, and poor crowd control, the Sniper is less useful in Mann Vs. Machine than in regular multiplayer, with some gamers regarding him as almost useless. However, what the Sniper lacks in crowd control, he makes up for in raw damage output. In the hands of a competent player, a Sniper can take out a few Giant Robots on his own. While playing as him, only focus on the Giant Robots, and let the rest of the team deal with the crowds.

Primary: Machina/Sydney Sleeper
Why?: When fully charge, the Machina does more damage than the standard Sniper Rifle. In addition, its bullets penetrate multiple targets at once. The only drawback of this weapon is that it cannot be fired unless it is zoomed, but that's hardly an issue as the Sniper should never let his enemies get that close.

If your aim is not very good, consider the Syndey Sleeper as an alternative. When charged enough, enemies shot by this rifle will be coated in Jarate (see Secondary). This makes them more vulnerable to incoming damage from other players.

Secondary: Jarate
Why?: All enemies covered in Jarate will take mini-crit damage, allowing them to be easily picked off by stronger classes. Jarate can also be upgraded to slow down coated enemies. This helps taking out Giant Robots with the bomb.

Melee: Bushwacka
Why?: The great thing about the Bushwacka is that, where a weapon would usually only mini-crit, a critical hit is guaranteed. Jarate coated enemies thus become even more vulnerable to you. Coat Giant Robots when their backs are turned to you, and then go in for the kill with the Bushwacka.

Upgrades:
The Sniper can upgrade his rifle to do more damage and charge faster, allowing him to reach full damage potential quickly, or more quickly coat enemies with Jarate if using the Sydney Sleeper. In addition, he can be granted higher reload time, allowing him to fire off more shots. He can also upgrade his rifle to grant him "Explosive Headshots", which, upon a head shot, will cause an explosion, damaging or killing several enemies near the victim. Jarate should be upgraded to slow enemies down, and also to recharge faster, allowing it to be reused quickly. As the Sniper should stay away from enemy fire, upgrading his resistances are not as important as with other classes, but are also never a terrible idea.

Spy:

The Spy often receives more scorn than the Sniper from players in Mann Vs. Machine. With low health, the inability to attack from a far, lackluster weapons, and not great mobility, the Spy is often declared completely useless in Mann Vs. Machine. But such prejudice against him is unfounded. Much like the Sniper, in the hands of a competent player, the Spy can deal tremendous damage, sometimes even more than offensive classes. But, also like the Sniper, the Spy is almost entirely limited to attacking Giant Robots, so focus on them when playing as this character. With his ability to disguise himself as a the enemy, the Spy is great at snatching money undetected (keep in mind, though, that if you catch on fire, the robots will realize you're an enemy and attack). Thus, in earlier and more mild rounds, the Spy can support his team by being the Credit Collector. Keep in mind, however, that there should not be a Scout AND a Spy on one team. If someone else is already playing as one of these characters, then consider another class. It is worth mentioning that Sappers cannot be used continuously as in multiplayer. They must recharge after one is used.

Primary: Enforcer
Why?: The Enforcer does more damage than the default revolver. While the player will be generally overpowered against the robots while playing as the Spy, the Enforcer's damage boost will aid greatly in a jam where the Spy must fight. It has a slightly lower firing speed as the Revolver, but as this weapon should be used as a last resort, this is not concerning.

"Secondary": Dead Ringer
Why?: The Dead Ringer, when active, will absorb the majority of the damage dealt to the enemy, while simultaneously dropping a fake corpse and rending him invisible. Even for a short time after becoming invisible, the Dead Ringer will continue to protect the Spy from damage. In addition, the Dead Ringer will also extinguish fire and stop bleeding. This is very useful as enemy robots immediately detect nearby backstabs and will often target the Spy right after.  The Dead Ringer will allow the player to get away from spotlight, heal if necessary, redisguise, and attack again quickly. Unfortunately, the Dead Ringer cannot be upgraded.

Melee: Default Knife
Why?: Unlike most knives, the Default knife doesn't come with a lower health penalty for the Spy, which is great, as he has low health to begin with. Your Eternal Reward, since it takes away the ability of the Spy to disguise manually at any time, is tricky to use as it requires the Spy to sneak up on an Enemy and backstab him without being killed by his robot bretheren. Also, since Robots will always detect nearby backstabs, they will always attack the Spy. They will quickly forget that he's an enemy if he redisguises, but the time it takes for this to happen may still be enough for them to do heavy damage to you.

Upgrades:
The two most important upgrades for the Spy are the Armor Penetration and the Attack Speed of his knife. Armor Penetration will cause backstabs to do more damage to Giant Robots, and Attack Speed will allow the player to perform multiple backstabs to certain enemies. It's also a good idea to upgrade the Spy's speed, allowing him to catch up to enemies, and retreat quickly if necessary. His Sappers behave differently than they do in Multiplayer. They have a radius in which they affect groups of small robots, essentially shutting them down for a few seconds. Giant Robots continue to function but are slowed significantly by Sappers (nearby regular robots will still be rendered completely vulnerable). They can be upgraded to have a higher radius and last longer. They are particularly useful at Sapping groups of Medics on Giant Robots, that can then be either picked off by the rest of the team, or quickly backstabbed by the Spy himself, granted his Attack Speed is high. Resistances are also very good for the Spy, allowing him to save the Dead Ringer for emergencies, while also allowing him to navigate the battle field without worrying about getting killed by a stray shot.

Conclusion:

General rules of Mann Vs. Machine

1 - Try to avoid duplicate characters. This is especially true with Spies, Snipers, Medics, and Scouts. You may really love playing as the Scout, but if there is already one on the team, then another is not necessary.

2 - Avoid too many support characters. Don't have a Spy, a Sniper, a Scout, and a Medic one one team. Your team's damage output will suffer greatly

3 - Don't be a jerk. Very often in Mann Vs. Machine, you will get put in a team don't always follow the first two rules. Try to suggest that any players playing as duplicate classes, or going as another support class change who they play as, but do so in a way that isn't hostile or belittling. A lot of players are inexperienced, and they won't really know what is the right thing to do.

Not everything in this guide is objective. Some of the weapons I have suggested may not be the "ideal loadout" for others. Try experimenting with other weapons. But always be sure to check what the weapon's draw back is. If the weapon comes with a damage penalty, or a bleed ability, then it may not be the best weapon for MvM.

But overall, the arsenal suggestions in this guide are generally identical to what most players of Mann vs. Machine will suggest (more or less). Following this guide will help not only defeat the Robot menace, but also might prevent you from getting kicked out of Game Lobbys by players.

Five Nights at Freddy's: Information and Guide

From left to right: Bonnie, Chica, and Freddy Fazbear

EDITED: 9:22AM 9/29/2014

Introduction:

Five Nights at Freddy's, for the five or six of you who don't know of it by now, is an indie horror game created by Scott Cawthon. In it, you play as Mike Schmidt, a newly hired security guard who works the night shift at Freddy Fazbear's Pizza. His job is to keep an eye on things, namely everyone's favorite animatronic bear, Freddy Fazbear, and his two band mates, Bonnie the Bunny, and Chica the Chicken. In addition to them, Mike also needs to keep an eye on their poor, "out of order" friend, Foxy the Pirate, who stays behind his fancy curtain over at Pirate Cove, not far from Fazbear's show stage. During the day, Fazbear and his two buddies entertain both kids and adults as he sings his joyous songs, warming the hearts of folks everywhere. During the night, however, these seemingly lovable characters take a much darker persona (no pun intended). They lurk about in their "free roaming mode", seeking out metal, animatronic endoskeletons to stuff inside an appropriate suit (after all, those ARE the rules of Freddy Fazbear's Pizza after all...). Mike Schmidt has access to all the security cameras in the restaurant, except the kitchen (that one's busted, it only has audio, but no visual), and he must use them to keep track of the animatronics as they roam about. If those goofballs show up at the doors at either side of the security office, Mike can lock them out with large metal doors. Mike needs to keep them back until his shift ends at 6AM, or else he'll find himself stuffed in an animatronic suit as well...and those things are not comfortable in the slightest. To make things worse, he's only got so much power to work with, and if it runs out, there will be no keeping the animatronics away from him.

Bonnie, Chica, and Freddy staring towards the camera

 Player Mechanics

The game's controls are pretty simple. You can't really move around the building as you're to stay at your post at the security office.

The Security Office

The mouse lets you move your head from side to side, viewing both entrance doorways on the left and the right. Each doorway is equipped with a panel that has a button for the "Door" and the "Light". Pressing the "Door" button will cause a large metal door to drop down, securing that doorway from any threats. Pressing the "Light" button, will illuminate the hallway right outside your doorways. This is good, because those hallways are in the blindspots of your cameras, and if you can't find something on the security feed, chances are, it's lurking right outside...and you better shut the door.

Bonnie standing out in the doorway...

At the bottom of the screen, there is also a rectangular button that, whenever you scroll your mouse over it, will activate your Security Tablet, which allows you to check the camera feeds throughout the building. Scrolling your mouse back over the button will deactivate the tablet.

The Tablet activating and deactivating

Once the tablet is activated, you can click on all the feeds from the grid on the right. Each camera, except for the one in the kitchen (Cam6), has full audio and visual capabilities. Cam6 only has audio. The Tablet allows you to keep tabs on the animatronics' positions and if they're getting close to you.

Be warned, however, that using any of these features (the Doors, the Lights, and the Tablet) will increase how much power you are using. You begin each night with 99% power, which will drain slowly, even if you aren't using anything. Locking both doors might make you feel safe, but it will rapidly drain your power, making it very difficult to last until 6AM. If the power runs out, Freddy Fazbear himself will come to your door, so you must do everything possible to manage your power as efficiently as possible.

Enemy Behavior:

(Disclaimer: Nothing about this game is 100% understood. Not everything written here may be accurate.)

In order to survive, you need to keep a close eye on the whereabouts/doings of the four characters. Some of them behave very differently and its important to understand each of them so that you know what to expect.

Bonnie the Bunny:

The guitar player in Freddy's band, Bonnie is easily the most fickle of the group when it comes to his location. He has the uncanny ability to seemingly teleport from room to room. He can be lurking in the Dining Area one second and then be right at your door the next. In general, he will come for you from the west side of the building, using the left doorway when he gets to your office. Bonnie tends to visit the office the most, so be sure to keep tabs on his position and check the left Light often for him. 

Chica the Chicken:

Rumored to be the female of the band, Chica will approach the player from the East side of the building, using the right door when she gets to the office. Chica tends to lurk in rooms longer than Bonnie, and doesn't visit the office as much. It's very important to make sure you keep an eye out for her, though. Don't let Bonnie distract you to the point that Chica manages to sneak in. Keep your ears peeled for the sound of clashing pots and pans. She's in the kitchen if you hear that.


Foxy the Pirate:

The lonely, decommissioned animatronic over at Pirate Cove (Cam1C), Foxy has a completely different set of rules than Bonnie and Chica. You can, sometimes, have very little warning of him coming, and even if you do catch a glimpse of him sprinting down the hall towards you on the camera, you will have very little time to react...

Foxy's role is to force the player to use the Tablet and view the cameras. He has two criteria that must be met, or he will emerge from his curtain and eventually sprint to your Office. The criteria is this:

1: The player must check the Tablet and the camera feeds.
2. In addition to checking the Tablet, the player must also remember to check Pirate Cove, only occasionally. Too much and he'll become active as "he doesn't like being watched".


Freddy Fazbear:

The singer and main attraction of the restaurant, Freddy Fazbear can be considered the "boss" character. During the first two nights, he won't leave the Show Stage, but if you run out of power, he will approach the office, play a jingle, and then stuff you into a suit. He does leave the stage on Night 3, but it is currently unclear if he will actually attack until Night 4 or not. Like Foxy, he seems to follow a different set of rules than Bonnie or Chica, and these rules are even less understood by players. He generally follows the same path to the office that Chica takes, a deep laugh heard each time that he changes location. He plays his jingle while lurking in the kitchen, so keep an ear out for that. I have speculations and theories about him, but for now I will say this: Don't bother checking the Lights for him. He won't be there...ever...

 Breakdown of the Nights:

Night 1: This is by far, and not surprisingly, the easiest night in the game. Bonnie and Chica won't activate till around 3AM, though that sometimes changes. Just keep an eye on their positions and you should be fine. Though the player isn't warned about Foxy until Night 2, he can still be active on this night if the player neglects checking the Tablet for way too long.

Night 2: Difficulty noticeably ramps up for this one. Bonnie and Chica are much more active and will move around more frequently, especially Bonnie. Make sure to check the Lights more frequently on this night, especially the left one for Bonnie. Foxy becomes more of a threat this night, and you'll need to watch him carefully. 

Night 3: Chica will leave the stage first on this night. Keep an eye on her as she wanders, but make sure to peek at Pirate Cove, so that Foxy doesn't sprint to you. Bonnie and Freddy will leave the Show Stage around 3AM (though, as always, that's liable to change). Don't worry too much about Freddy, as he's not very active during this night regardless, but watch him...just in case...

Night 4: Bonnie and Chica will both activate pretty quickly this night. The first thing you'll want to do, right when the game starts, is check Pirate Cove. Freddy will become hostile this night for sure. You'll need to keep an eye on him, as well as Foxy. Alternate between the two.. If Freddy gets close you'll have to be even more vigilant. See further down for my advice on him.

Night 5: Everyone will be very active this night, especially Foxy. On this night, reduce your tablet time to just Foxy and Freddy. Bonnie and Chica you'll need to try to play by ear, while checking the "Lights". It is important that you do everything you can to keep Foxy in Pirate Cove.

Night 6: Don't even bother trying to find Chica or Bonnie. They move around too much. Focus on Freddy and Foxy only. Alternate between them in this pattern: Check lights, Check Pirate Cove, Check Lights, Check Freddy, Check Lights, Check Pirate Cove, etc.  If you do this pattern properly, you should be able to keep Freddy on the Show Stage and (hopefully) keep Foxy in his curtain. Just be wary of Bonnie and Chica. They will both visit the Office frequently, though they both tend to leave rapidly. Stay diligent with the lights. You don't have a lot of time to block them out.

Do NOT believe rumors that Foxy will not activate on Night 6 if you don't look at Pirate Cove. There are documented cases of this being false. Specifically here (around 7:20 in the video). 

On Night 7, you can adjust the difficulty for every animatronic, with 20 being the highest. More on how to beat Night 7 at the bottom

General Tips/Strategies for the Game:

Here's a list of tips that come from my experience playing the game.

1: Play with a stopwatch handy. Each hour of every night lasts one minute and twenty five seconds (yes, I timed it). The entire night lasts roughly eight minutes and thirty seconds. That's how long you have to survive, so your power has to keep on for much of that. If you have a stopwatch, it will allow you to know how much time you have left until 6AM.

2. When a round starts, immediately check Pirate Cove. Every now and then, Foxy may start singing a song. A speculation of mine is that, when he sings, this signifies that he is happy and is not going to attack for the moment. I base this assumption on the observation that I've never heard him sing while he's peeking out of his curtain. Of course, his singing may just be a random event instead.

3. Always check the "Lights" for the doorways before looking at the Security Tablet.

4.  Do not, EVER take your time on the Tablet. Search as fast as you can. If you need to, stop in the middle of your search, check the "Lights" to make sure nothing is lurking outside the Office, and then keep looking.

5. If you know it's gonna happen, turn down the volume....

6. Do not shut the "Doors" unless you absolutely have to. This is a lot easier said than done, especially when Bonnie and Chica are close by. But using the doors out of fear can gobble up a lot of power. Check the "Lights" to know if Bonnie or Chica have left and the minute they leave, open the door.

7. If at any point you should see the curtain in Pirate Cove wide open and no Foxy in sight, close the door on the left immediately. Once the door is closed, check Cam2A, and you will catch a glimpse of him sprinting down the hall towards the Office. He will then proceed to bang on the door, robbing you of some of your power (how much he takes varies, it is usually only a little, but sometimes he can take a significant chunk). If you look at Cam2A before shutting the door, you will have less than a second to react...

8: Listen! You can hear often hear the footsteps of the characters. You can save power by simply listening for them. If Bonne and Chica are close to the Office, then you might want to just keep checking the Lights, while very quickly peeking at Pirate Cove on the Tablet from time to time.

9: If, at any point, you look at Cam2B and see this poster on the wall...:

You've just activated Golden Freddy. This activation will be marked by the sound of children giggling. When you next lower the Tablet, you will find a slumped over, golden version of Freddy Fazbear sitting across from you in your office. Staring at it for too long will cause a nasty jumpscare followed by losing the game (and occasionally the game crashing). If Golden Freddy appears in your office, quickly raise the Tablet back up. This will cause him to disappear from the game. Just be aware that Bonnie and Chica or Freddy can still sneak into the room while this is happening.

 10. Milk the power. Remember, Bonnie and Chica, once they've breached the Office, will not actually attack you until you lower the Tablet after using it, and Freddy won't sneak in unless you're viewing it. Use this to your advantage. When you're trying to get through 5AM to 6AM, at some point, try and just wait. Don't check the lights and don't check the Tablet. Just try to ride out the rest of the night. A good time to do this is when you're around 5 or 4% power. This will let you milk more time, and possibly get your homefree. Be warned, however, that Foxy can still kill you, regardless of whether or not you're checking the Tablet. If you're going to attempt this strategy, check Pirate Cove first to see where Foxy is. If he's getting to sprint out of the Cove, you might have to shut the door to prevent him from entering...or bite the bullet and hope the power will go out before he makes it to the Office. Once the power goes out, Freddy will approach the Office, play his tune, and then kill you. If you "play dead" you may (or may not) get more time, as Freddy may (or may not) play the longer version of his song, thus allowing you to make it to 6AM.

Freddy playing his song at the Power Outage

Foxy getting ready to sprint...

Strategies/Theories regarding Freddy Fazbear:

Freddy Staring into Cam 4B

Freddy Fazbear, as previously stated, will not leave the Show Stage till Night 3, but there's a higher risk of him killing you on Night 4. Each time he moves, he emits a creepy laugh, which tells you that he's on the move. From the Show Stage he'll follow a path, starting at the Dining Area, the Restrooms, the Kitchen, The East Hall and then the East Hall Corner. One of the most important things to know about Freddy is that he cannot be found via the "Lights" like Bonnie and Chica can. He will bypass the doorway and sneak into the Office, hiding out of the player's direct line of sight before springing into attack.

SURPRISE

Freddy can be tricky for players who don't understand him, but once you know his pattern, he's fairly easy to deal with. Here's everything you need to know.

1: Listen for his laugh. Every time it is heard, he's moved closer to you. Unlike Bonnie and Chica, he does not wander randomly. He will follow his path directly to you, and will not retreat back to any position once he's advanced. If he was at Cam4B and you hear his laugh again, there's a chance he's in the room. If at any point you think Freddy has snuck into the room, check Cam4B. If he's no longer there, then you're in trouble. I don't know if he can attack you while the Tablet is raised (like Foxy can), or if he waits for you to put it down (like Bonnie and Chica do).

2. Keep tabs on where he is and check him frequently. He tends to hide in the dark, so he may be difficult to see at times. Look for his eyes. Watching him on the Tablet slows him down. On later nights, alternate between checking his position, and Foxy at Pirate Cove.

3: If he makes it to Cam4B, close the right door every time you check the Tablet. Because he can bypass the doorway, this will prevent him from getting into the room.

4: Despite rumors to the contrary, Freddy cannot bypass a closed door. There's often a small delay between when he enters and when he attacks. If you are killed by him with the right Door closed, chances are he snuck in prior to the door being closed.

HOW TO BEAT NIGHT 7 20/20/20/20 MODE

As stated above, you can adjust the difficulty for the characters to whatever you want. The highest you can set them is 20 A.I Level on all four of them. This is the fabled 20/20/20/20 mode (or 4/20 mode), which was originally thought to be impossible by game developer, Scott Cawthon. Once he found out that people had managed to complete it, he created an update, granting players a third star for completing it.

It is, without question, the most difficult night in the game, one that only experts should even attempt, as it requires a full knowledge of the game's mechanics to beat. You have to know your enemies and how they behave, and, in addition, you have to focus and be fast in your movements. This Mode offers little space for mistakes.

 It IS possible, though, as several YouTube Let's Players have demonstrated. I, myself, was able to beat 4/20 by following a brilliant strategy found on a discussion thread on Steam. The person who made the thread (a fellow by the name of "Bagel the Bagel"), posted a detailed video in which he shows the strategy (he was doing a live stream at the time of the recording, evidently, and he communicates people who were chatting with him as they ask questions).

In writing, the strategy is this:

When the game starts, quickly check Pirate Cove, then place the Tablet on CAM4B (The East Hall Corner). Rapidly check it for a few moments, and then start checking your Lights for Bonnie and Chica. After quickly checking both doorways with the Lights, bring up the Tablet and check Freddy, who should be there very shortly after the game starts. Frequently checking him on the Tablet will prevent him from entering the room. Don't worry if you occasionally see Chica on CAM4B instead of Freddy. He's still there, you just can't see him when Chica's there as well.

Checking the Tablet frequently for Freddy will also slow down Foxy's activity, but you'll still need to peek over at Pirate Cove or he'll sprint for you regardless. Whenever you want to check Pirate Cove, you absolutely must shut the Right Door. Failure to do so will allow Freddy to sneak in and kill you. Once you've peeked at Pirate Cove, do not forget to immediately put the Tablet back on CAM4B or you might accidentally let Freddy in. Freddy may temporarily disappear from CAM4B as he attempts to enter the room. Don't panic. If everything was done right, he should reappear there. You'll probably hear him laugh twice as this will be essentially two movements for him

If you manage to keep the pattern going, there's a chance you may be able to beat 4/20 mode without running out of power. But, just to be safe, it's still a good idea to try to "milk the power" as discussed in Tip 10 above.

Here's Bagel the Bagel's video:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8DfCRVKLUuA

Here's a video of myself playing 20/20/20/20 mode
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EUZsnILQceY


In Conclusion:

I must again emphasize that not everything about this game is really understood. Nothing written here is 100% guaranteed to get you through the night alive. With that said, I welcome anyone to submit their own thoughts on what they believe the mechanics of the game are. I encourage players to try these steps and see if they work or not.

A recap of the most important points:

- Don't watch the Tablet for too long

- Check the "Lights" often, and especially before you check the Tablet.

- Check Pirate Cove immediately when the game starts, and periodically afterwards.

- Don't shut any "Door" unless you have to.

- Be ready for Freddy. Don't let him sneak in the Office.