GunZ The Duel

GunZ The Duel, also known simply as GunZ, is a Multiplayer Online Shooting/Role Playing Game (MOSRPG) created by Korean-based MAIET Entertainment. GunZ is currently free and in beta stages, and it will remain free for everyone to play. GunZ is played from a 3rd-Person view, with no clear way of changing this announced. Though the International Edition is in beta stages, the Korean version has long since been more complete with much more to the game. The full version is expected to be released sometime in December of 2005, but this is very uncertain.

The game's most recognizable characteristic is the ability to perform gravity defying Matrix-esque stunts while in play that allow you to fight your opponents in a myriad of ways. However, to gain points you must defeat your fellow players, taking them on in a multitude of different game styles featuring different ranged and melee weapons.

By gaining XP, you also acquire bounty, which is the currency used in the GunZ world. The unit value given for one kill is 1.2 times the level of the person you killed, with a maximum gain of double the amount someone would get for killing you. With bounty, you are given entertaining RPG style shops at which to buy new clothes, weapons and acessories. These include weapons such as dual guns, rifles, long swords, kodachi, and grenades. You can also purchase health packs.

As in other role-playing games, with enough XP, you can also level up. This enables you to wield better weapons and wear better armour. The amount of money (bounty) and XP you get depends on the level of your enemy you defeated.

In the early stages of its International Version life, Gunz had problems coping with the mass influx of users. The Beta still has issues coping with the high number of users and servers are still difficult to access.

Contents[hide]· 1 Version History· 2 Weapons o 2.1 Ranged Weaponso 2.2 Melee Weaponso 2.3 Grenades· 3 Techniques· 4 Cancelling Techniques o 4.1 Basics Behind Cancellingo 4.2 Movement Techniqueso 4.3 Combat Techniques· 5 External Links

Version History

The company consists of around 12 people that only expected several hundred users to play their game during beta -- not several thousand.

2005-06-09: The GunZ team set up another server to deal with the high amount of users. Players could then choose between Server 1 and Server 2. However, users from

different servers are not able to interact with one another.

2005-06-20 Server 3 and Server 4 were added.

Two more servers, Server 5 and Server 6, were added on July 29th, 2005, following the incredible popularity the game has faced. The update disabled the replay mode

temporarily and changed the netcode.

2005-08-09 The launcher was fixed, presumably for future Japanese and Chinese language releases.

2005-08-02: A minor sound bug was fixed.

2005-08-07: "Berserker" game mode was added. A small glitch also came with it that let players below level 21 to play the expert only maps (Dungeon and Castle), causing people to think they were "unlocked."

2005-09-01: The maps glitch was fixed.

2005-09-15: Fixes to GunZ concerning abnormal termination (crashes) of the program were implemented. Also, a change to the "Berserker" game mode was made. Now, the player who kills the "Berserker" will automatically gain full HP.

2005-10-13: The method for "Port Forwarding" was changed. Now you can set the range for it. Some localization issue fixed. A new animation was added. Now a player falling to hell doesn't see themselves landing, but falling into a bottomless pit. Any other object such as health packs and rockets also fall endlessly. Also some sounds were added/changed.

2005-10-24: A different way of updating was introduced, making a Peer-to-Peer (like BitTorrent) update download program. This helped resolve the issue with bandwidth on their FTP site.

2005-11-1: The GunZ Team added the Locator Server.

2005-11-2: Today, they discovered some issues involving 'unidentifiable IPs'. Very heavy traffic on the website.

2005-11-14: They were supposed to release GunZ officially, but decided to postpone the release until they could fix lag issues. The lag problem is caused by people half way around the world playing in the game. MAIET is looking to make a Tagalog version of GunZ, and may localize GunZ in many other countries.

2005-11-24: They added a fix so you could see the amount of players in a server.
2005-12-19: Added Port map for Expert channel and Snow Town (a variation of town) for the new channel "Elite" (level 35+). Snow Town gives more exp and bounty, but is only available during the winter season. Auto-team balance has also been added, but is a bit glitchy. Also, a number of hacks have been disabled.

Weapons

In the game, there are 7 types of ranged weapons, 3 types of melee weapons, 3 types of grenades, and 3 types of accessories:

Ranged Weapons

· Shotgun: This weapon blasts out 12 low-damage pellets at a slow refire rate. The standard shotgun is called the "Breaker". The advanced version, the "Avenger", displays much higher firepower at the expense of reduced ammo. The weapon is very inaccurate. Shotgun blasts are soaked up easily by AP due to the low critical rate on the pellets. A close- to mid-range firearm, its potential and damage are at their highest in close-range combat. This gun can be a friend for gunners against melee warriors.

· Rocket Launcher: Shoots high damaging rockets that do splash damage with a low critical rate, and thus soaked up easily by AP. There are two versions: a high-ammo, mid-damage lighter model set with a decent fire rate, and a low-ammo, high-damage heavier model set with a slower fire rate. The user cannot run up walls and receives a movement speed penalty of -10%. Strictly a mid range weapon, as being too close may result in damaging oneself and being too far makes it very predictable. It's often used in deathmatches. Using this weapon on a group of people or opponents with their backs to a wall is the most efficient way to wield it.

· Submachine gun (SMG): Sprays out bullets at low accuracy at a 80 to 120ms delay. The dual wield versions are very powerful during the first 10 levels or so. Different models offer different fire rates, hit damages, accuracy, weights and clip sizes. As close- to mid-range weapons, they are hard to dodge at mid-range due to the "damage cone." It's often used in deathmatches.

· Pistol: A fair-damage weapon with a decent repeat rate; often a starting weapon. They are fairly accurate, more accurate than revolvers, but they are not as threatening on the damage scale. They have a decent critical rate. The weapon's greatest strength is that it is adequate in any range of combat.

· Revolver: A high-damage weapon with few rounds. They have an incredibly good critical rate, often ignoring AP entirely. Can be dual wielded. An alternative series of Revolvers, the Dynax series, offers higher clip size and refire rate at the cost of some damage. They are somewhat accurate and thus can be used fairly well at close and long range, but their real strength lies in mid-range combat.

· Assault rifle: The most accurate weapon also has the pleasure of having the gun with the best fire rate. The most accurate and rapid-firing model, the Maxwell, is also the most popular, although other models offer more damage per bullet and varying clip sizes. It does decent damage and is suitable at close and mid range, but some may find it as 'too accurate' at close range combats.

· Machinegun: The biggest automatic weapon is available only to characters who have achieved levels 25 and higher. The user cannot run up walls and recieves a movement speed penalty of -10%. This gun is the most inaccurate machine gun, shooting at medium delay, but the biggest advantage is its huge clip size; it rarely, if ever, needs to reload, and thus can be held down and fired for a very long time before it does so. There are only three models, and each new machinegun simply increases the damage dealt per bullet by 1. A close- to mid-range weapon, particularly because they are hard to dodge at mid-range due to the "damage cone". It's often used in deathmatches.

Melee Weapons

· Dagger: Stabs opponents. The primary attack is a stab and can has uses from stopping enemies from attacking, persuading enemies to draw their melee weapon or infinitely stabbing enemies in a corner. The alternate attack is a lunge that knocks your opponent back severely and leaves him open for enemy fire, although this attack has terrible recovery and can easily be safe-falled. You can use it to climb walls by jumping at a wall and right-clicking. Close range. Light weight.

· Sword: Slashes at opponents. The primary attack is a normal slash which can be done four times for an attack string. The alternate attack is an uppercut that sends your opponent flying into the air (they cannot move even if they safe-fall in mid-air, and thus uppercutting people off into pits is a popular tactic, particularly in Dungeon where there are many suitable spots where the player is nearly invincible as long as he/she is uppercuting), which leaves your enemies prone mid air or on the floor if they did not safe fall, where they can be shot or followed up with a mid-air attack. You can use it to climb walls by jumping at a wall and right-clicking. Close range. Medium weight.

· Kodachi: Two swords instead of one. The primary attack consists of a very quick slash with very low delay that can be repeated often if timed correctly, or can be done five times as an attack string. The alternate attack is a quick cross-slash that knocks your enemies into the air much like a sword uppercut. It has shorter range than normal swords. You can use it to climb walls by jumping at a wall and right-clicking. Close range. Heaviest weight of melee weapons.

All melee weapons except daggers can deflect bullets by holding down block, however they will not block bullets striking your lower area or anywhere besides your front area. All melee weapons, including daggers, can also be charged up for a more powerful attack by holding down attack or blocking an enemy's melee attack.

Grenades

· Frag Grenade: Thrown and after a set amount of time blows up, dealing damage to anyone in the vicinity of the explosion. At full health it is almost impossible to be killed by a single grenade unless you are standing on the grenade with 100 HP and 0 AP.
· Flash Grenade: Bursts into a flash of light, blinding and deafening anyone in the vicinity.

· Smoke Grenade: Releases a cloud of smoke, blurring the vision of that area. It also has the effect of making the area "laggy", and if someone were to wallclimb near the area, they would lose control and fall if not careful.

Techniques
One of the key features of Gunz is the ability to execute many different wire-fu acrobatic stunts featured within the game.

Vertical Wallrun
While running straight against a wall hold forward and press jump.

Horizontal Wallrun
While running at about a 45 degree angle to a wall hold forward and jump.

Wall Jump
While in the air next to a wall press jump.

Wall Climb
While in the air next to a wall and equipped with a melee weapon press and hold right click to stick to the wall. Hold forward and jump again and right click again to repeat the process.

Wall Hang
While in air with melee weapon and directly facing a wall, right-click to hang on wall.

Tumble
With a ranged weapon equipped double tap forward, sideways, or back to perform a tumble in that direction.

Dash
With a melee weapon equipped double tap forward, sideways, or back to dash in that direction.

Cancelling Techniques
Expanding on the original techniques, what is commonly known as the Korean Style of play is technically a style of play mostly based on a programming oversight within GunZ: the ability to cancel certain moves. Much like in Fighting Games such as Street Fighter, this allows you to cancel a move into another, or even allows you to repeat certain moves or activate moves where you shouldn't be able to, thus creating complex combo moves.

Basics Behind Cancelling

Guard Cancelling
At any point during a slash with a sword or kodachis, you may immediately cancel the animation by pressing BLOCK.

Switch Cancelling
At any point during a slash with a sword or kodachis, you may immediately cancel the animation by SWITCHING WEAPONS.

Slash Cancelling
At any point during a jump off a wall from either a wall jump or a wallrun, you can cancel the fixed state of either and regain movement control in the air by slashing.

Dash Cancelling
At any point during a slash with a sword or kodachis, you may dash as long as your previous 'dash' has ended.

Movement Techniques

Infinite Walljump / Flying
( WALL JUMP -> SLASH -> DASH ) This consists of cancelling a Wall Jump with a slash. Slashing cancels the neutral state of the Wall Jump that doesn't allow you to do anything, which allows you to dash back towards the wall to jump again. You are able to repeat this indefinitely. Basically, when you flip off the wall after a horizontal wallrun, slash and dash towards the wall so that you are almost parallel to it. Then press space bar twice quickly to flip sideways and immidiately start wallrunning again.An advanced version of this technique has people executing the "Quick Slash" instead of a standard slash. It is possible to dash into the wall and jump off it sideways, and you are also able to Full Step (SlashShot) mid-air while executing this.

Light Step
( JUMP -> DASH -> SLASH -> DASH ) Allows you to dash twice during one jump by cancelling the slash with another dash. It increases your running speed and can be used to dodge faster.

Light Step Variant
( JUMP -> DASH -> SLASH -> JUMP -> DASH ) A variation of the Light Step that's easier to perform continuously. The main problem is that it doesn't increase your running speed, so this is basically used only for dodging.

Aerial Horizontal Wallrun
( DASH TOWARDS WALL IN MIDAIR AT ANGLE -> WALL JUMP -> JUMP ) Allows you to execute a wallrun. This is curiously done by cancelling the very first frames of a Wall Jump with an attempt to Wallrun.

Silent Step
( GLITCH ) ( FALL -> DASH REPEATEDLY ) After falling for a fairly long period of time (2-3 seconds), your model's animation will freeze and you will be able to dash indefinitely, regardless of what weapon you're wielding. Effective to reload on a long fall, such as on the wall at the stairs in Dungeon.

Flash Step
( JUMP -> DASH -> QUICK SLASH -> DASH -> QUICK SLASH -> DASH ) Based on both the Quick Slash and the Light Step, this allows you to move around much faster than a normal Light Step due to the quicker ending of your slash. This also has the added effect of putting sword damage in your movement trajectory, and can thus be used as an offensive technique as well, much like a faster, unblockable Butterfly Step.

Combat Techniques
Full Step (Slash Shot)
( MIDAIR SLASH (HOLD) -> SWITCH TO GUN -> GUN WILL SHOOT -> SWITCH TO SWORD ) The basis of almost all quick-movement combat within the game, this is one of the first types of cancelling most people learn. It consists of cancelling a mid-air slash (with the mouse button held down) immediately into a weapon switch, then waiting for the shot to go off before switching back to your sword to move again.

Butterfly Step
( JUMP -> DASH -> SLASH -> BLOCK ) The best use of guard cancelling available, this allows you to continuously cancel slashes into guards, giving you very short slash attacks very repetitively while allowing you to move forward or dodge side to side.

Half Step
( MIDAIR SLASH (HOLD) -> SWITCH TO GUN -> DASH -> GUN WILL SHOOT -> SWITCH TO SWORD ) One of the first variations on the Full Step, this allows you to dash as you draw your gun to shoot, giving you a quick dodging opportunity mid-switch.

Half Half Step
( MIDAIR SLASH (HOLD) -> SWITCH TO GUN -> JUMP -> DASH -> GUN WILL SHOOT -> SWITCH TO SWORD ) This variation of the Half Step allows you to string multiple Half Steps together.

Million Step
( MIDAIR SLASH (HOLD) -> SWITCH TO AUTOMATIC GUN -> JUMP -> DASH -> RELEASE FIRE -> SWITCH TO SWORD ) The execution may not be completely accurate. The move is described by Kraise simply as "unstop Half Half Step with rifles or 120 gun". The gist is being able to aim and land a perfect stream of quick bullets, much like how slash-shooting is intended to land the perfect shotgun blast. It is technically a Half Half Step with an automatic weapon.

Quick Slash
( MIDAIR SLASH -> SWITCH TO GUN -> SWITCH TO SWORD ) This makes any sword attack incredibly shorter by cancelling your full slash recovery into the delay of your weapon draw.

Swapshot (Streaming)
( WHILE MOVING, SHOOT -> SWITCH TO OTHER GUN -> SHOOT -> SWITCH TO OTHER GUN -> SHOOT -> ... ) This technique allows you to consecutively fire two high-delay weapons in an alternating fashion, allowing you to output a high amount of damage in a short amount of time. Effective with things like Shotguns, Revolvers, Rockets or a combination of the three. Don't forget Med Packs and Armor Kits, they can be streamed too to throw them out faster. It may be done in mid-air while falling, or while walking.

Launch Combo
( SWORD / KODACHI LAUNCH -> SWITCH TO GUN -> SHOOT ) This nasty technique requires a decent amount of control on the mouse and good aim, and simply allows you to shoot an enemy down mid-air after a launch. Rifles will keep an enemy aloft in the air for some time if hit directly from below and followed properly.

Instant Kill
( MASSIVE COUNTERATTACK -> SWORD LAUNCH -> SWITCH TO GUN -> SHOOT -> SWITCH TO OTHER GUN -> SHOOT ) This is the proper execution given for the deadly "Instant Kill", essentially an expansion of the Launch Combo and almost completely guaranteed to land. After a counterattack done with a massive attack off a block, you can dash in and launch your opponent into the air and shoot them twice in mid-air. Because this is often done with shotguns, the amount of damage done in total is so high that very often you can completely kill an opponent through this method, particularly when using higher level guns such as the Avenger series.
The following are some glitches that add some level of unpredictability to the game, but aren't as widespread and popular as the ones listed above. They are mostly related to

melee weapon use.

Unblockable Strike (Glitch Strike)
Due to the odd collision detection used in determining if slashes hit or not, it is possible to bypass someone's guard when executing a Massive Attack. To hit someone who is blocking facing you, turn away entirely and execute a Massive Attack. To hit someone who is blocking facing upwards, strike while facing upwards. To hit someone who is blocking facing downwards, strike while facing downwards.

Blocking Massive Attacks
Based on the above Unblockable Strike, you must predict where and how your opponent will throw their Massive Attack and block accordingly. If your opponent often turns away to hit you with a Massive Attack, then turn away at the same time they do to prevent yourself from being hit. If your opponent looks down when doing it, look up instead, and viceversa.

Short Ceiling Sword Launch Combo
In areas with short ceilings, you can prevent someone from safefalling when you do a sword or kodachi uppercut by slashing two-three times as they are in mid-air.

Foot Slash
You can prevent yourself from bouncing off someone's guard by slashing at their feet. It will register to them as though they had blocked the attack, but you may continue to follow up unhindered because your client will not consider you have been blocked. This lets you hit them while their guard falls due to their client thinking they've successfully blocked an attack.

External Links
· Official Gunz Site
· GunzFactor

Resources

Wikipedia