NEXT >>Timebomb Angles & Powers
The steps to making successful timebombs:
1. Find the 0 wind angle and power.
2. Adjust for elevation.
3. Adjust for wind.
4. Shoot
Here's the 0 wind shots you should know. The more you can use, the better your success rate will be. I've memorized 11 landmarks for 1 screen and another 3 landmarks past. Putting all the possible landmarks into 1 table is confusing, so I've made 2 - a table with landmarks for every 1/8th of the screen, and an alternate table for every 1/6th of the screen. If it seems overwhelming, start with the numbers for 1/4, 1/2, 3/4, and 1 screen. Or you may want to start with the 2nd table instead, because the landmarks are the same as the ones used for the 2.4 formula.
Timebomb Landmarks 8 parts per screen split Basic shots: Angle Power Distance 90 1.8 Hits self 84 1.8 1/8 SD 78 1.85 1/4 SD 71 1.9 3/8 SD 66 2.0 1/2 SD 60 2.05 5/8 SD 56 2.15 3/4 SD 52 2.3 7/8 SD 48 2.4 1.0 SD And here's the 6 part table:
Timebomb Landmarks (alternate) 6 parts per screen split Basic shots: Angle Power Distance 90 1.8 Hits self 82 1.85 1/6 SD 74 1.9 1/3 SD 66 2.0 1/2 SD 61 2.05 2/3 SD 53 2.25 5/6 SD 48 2.4 1.0 SD Over 1 screen is possible, too.
Timebomb Landmarks (past 1 screen) 4 parts per screen split Basic shots: Angle Power Distance 43 2.66 1.25 SD 38 3.0 1.5 SD 32 3.28 1.75 SD 30 3.65 2 SD I rounded most of the powers off to the nearest .05 bars. If your power control is very sharp, it's possible to slice in smaller increments, and for most of these SSes your shot will be a little tighter (and the damage a little better) if you can shave off 2 or 3 pixels of power. For example a true pointblank half screen timebomb is 66, 1.97. The shots over 1 SD I gave exact powers because it's necessary. The angles are also rounded up to the best approximation, but they aren't perfect. For example an enemy at 2/3 screen is really halfway between angles 60 and 61, but that's too much detail to get into. By using the angles given here you'll still get a good SS.
When an enemy isn't at any of these landmarks, you can still hit them. You just need to find the exact right angle. Remember that angle 48 is needed for 1 screen. Between 1 screen away (48) and yourself (90) there are 42 other possible angles to use. So there's no place you can't hit with a timebomb. The numbers given in the tables above are just guidelines to choosing the correct angle out of those 42.
To hit an enemy who isn't at one of the landmarks, look for the landmark nearest them. Then estimate how many angles you need to raise or lower to decrease or increase the distance of your shot. There's a trick you can use for this: Turtle's body is about 3 "ss angles" wide. So an enemy who is 1 'Turtle body' past the half screen mark can be hit with angle 63. You know angle 66 needs 2 bars, so angle 63 probably needs a hair more than 2 (the lower the angle, the more power is needed).
Elevation adjustment
This is tricky, even for experienced players, and I don't know of any fast way to calculate it. When you shoot an enemy who is higher than you, you must add power. By adding power, you are making the shot fly higher into the air, but you are also making it fly further forward. Having it fly higher is necessary to get the right airtime, but having it fly further forward is not a good thing. If adding the right amount of power is going to make it fly too far, then what can you do?
Well, remember that for timebombs and similar shots, power controls airtime and angle controls distance. If adding the power you need makes a shot fly too far, then you must raise your angle to prevent that. Similarly, if the enemy is below you then must reduce power to get the right airtime, but then you risk having the shot not flying far enough. To prevent that you must lower your angle to give the shot added distance.
So the bottom line:
Enemy below you = lower angle, less power.
Enemy above you = higher angle, more power.The only question then is how much angle and power? It depends on how far away the enemy is. The further they are, the more angles you must adjust. I've made a chart. To be honest, I never memorized or even confirmed these numbers before making this guide, I've always adjusted for elevation with "feel" before. But I know these numbers are accurate because they've been calculated. See the faq at the end of this guide to learn how. Also, for now I will just give the angle adjustment. You can feel the power difference pretty easily, or you can calculate it yourself. The numbers running across the top are the enemy's horizontal distance from you. The rows below show the adjustment when they are elevated 1/4 and 1/2 screen in either direction. If you're unsure how to measure elevation, press escape during the game to see your options box. The options box is exactly 1/4 screen tall, which means 200 pixels (thanks to Yoyobuae for sharing this).
Timebomb height adjustment (angles) 1/4 screen 1/2 screen 3/4 screen 1.0 screen 1/4 screen above you +2 +4 +4 +5 1/4 screen below you -3 -5 -7 -7 1/2 screen above you +4 +5 +8 +9 1/2 screen below you -8 -13 -16 -16 Some map-specific elevation info:
Sea of hero - Upper level (not highest point) to lower level: 160-180 pixels
Miramo town - low points to top of miramo hills: 60-80 pixels
Metropolis - upper level (not highest point) to lower level (by middle hill): 260-270 pixels
Metropolis - large round gear on upper level to top of middle hill: ~200 pixels
Cozy Tower - higher tower to lower arch: 100-120 pixels
Metamine B side - lower level to upper level: 400 - 420 pixels