Cyber Troopers Virtual-On: Operation Moongate

Cyber Troopers Virtual-On:Operation Moongate

European Saturn cover art
Developer(s) Sega AM3[1]
Publisher(s) Sega
Series Virtual On
Platform(s) Arcade, Saturn, Microsoft Windows, PlayStation 2 (Sega Ages 2500), PlayStation Network, Xbox Live Arcade
Release date(s)

Arcade

Saturn

  • JP November 29, 1996
  • NA November 8, 1996
  • EU 1996

PC

  • JP June 13, 1997
  • NA June 10, 1997

Xbox Live

Playstation Network

Genre(s) Action
Mode(s) Single-player/ Multiplayer
Cabinet Sit-down
Arcade system Sega Model 2

Cyber Troopers Virtual-On (電脳戦機バーチャロン Dennō Senki Bācharon) was released in arcades and for Sega Saturn and PC, all in both America and Japan. There were also two-player online versions of the game released in America and Japan for the Sega Saturn using the NetLink and XBAND services. A remake of the Operation Moongate was released for the PlayStation 2 on October 25, 2007, as part of the Sega Ages 2500 line, featuring improved framerates, music and additional features not found in the original versions. Operation Moongate was also rereleased on Xbox Live Arcade & PlayStation Network as a part of the Sega Model 2 Collection.

Gameplay

Virtual-On is set up similar to a Versus fighting game. Two Virtuaroids (Mecha) face each other on a stage. The player(s) use a variety of firearms, explosives, melee weapons, and other techniques to destroy the enemy for a set number of rounds, usually a single battle, or best two out of three rounds, like fighting games.

The game is made to be played with a two-joystick setup, known as the twin-sticks. Each stick is equipped with a trigger and a button on top of the stick.

The twin sticks control the virtuaroid on screen much like a bulldozer. Pushing or pulling both sticks in one direction will make it move in that direction, while pushing one stick forward and pulling the other back will make it turn in the forward direction. Pulling the sticks apart causes the virtuaroid to jump into the air, and automatically turn to face the opponent. Pulling them towards each other while pulling a trigger causes the virtuaroid to prone while firing.

The top buttons are Turbo buttons. Pressing a Turbo button while moving will cause the virtuaroid to dash for a few seconds. Dashing is used to avoid enemy fire, or to maneuver quickly around the map. Virtuaroids can fire while dashing. While Dash-firing, as with during a jump, the virtuaroid will turn to face the enemy before shooting.

Each virtuaroid is armed with three weapons, which are different for each virtuaroid.[2] Two of those weapons are associated with either the left or the right trigger, and are referred to as the Left Weapon (LW) and Right Weapon (RW) respectively. The Right Weapon is generally a Virtuaroid's main weapon, usually a rifle or gun. The Left Weapon is commonly a support weapon, often an explosive. Left weapons usually have a blast radius and can inflict splash damage even if they miss the target directly. The third weapon is called the Center Weapon (CW), and is activated by pulling both triggers simultaneously. Depending on the selected virtuaroid, a Center Weapon attack can be extremely powerful, but can only be used a few times in a row before they run out of energy. Each weapon's size, power, and rate of fire is varied by the virtuaroid's actions when the player pulls the trigger. For example, a standing Temjin's RW is a single shot from its rifle, but while dashing, the RW unleashes a rapid burst of shots at once. While dashing, the virtuaroid's direction may also have an effect on the attack.

Story

The Virtual Century has Begun.

The world is under new management. It is the age of economic feudalism; governments have been privatized, multinational conglomerates have carved the world into enterprise zones and sprawling business entities stretch their tentacles into every sector of public and private life.

V.C. 0084

The delicate balace of power maintained by the rival trade consortiums was thrown awry when a lunar-core mining survey commissioned by the DN Group uncovered an extensive ruined outpost of incredible complexity and indeterminate age beneath the desolate surface of earth's moon.

The DN Group appropriated esoteric machinery from the lunar ruins and implemented a revolutionary R&D program under the tighest security blanked - OT (OverTechnology) Systems. Years of secret research culminated in the development and release of a new line of neurally-directed combat droides with battleground precision and attack capabilities far beyond any mechanized warriors produced by the competition.

OT Systems gave DN Group a total monopoly, cementing its dominance of the world economy. But, more disturbingly, the internal security programs of the lunar base were accidentally re-armed by DN Group technicians, unleashing virtual pandemonium on the surface of the moon. "Operation Moongate" was initiated to shut down the base before

the chaos could extend to earth.

V.C. 00 a. 0 (Present Day)

The battle for control of the moon is underway, with OT Systems combat machines arrayed against the formidable remnants of the lunar complex defense forces. The DN Group forces have numerical superiority but are being tactically outclassed by the experienced droids defending the base. In a desperate effort to recruit talented virtual pilots, the DN Military Support Division has opened a Test and Training program designed to cultivated maxium combat skills in the shortest possible time. As one of thousands of test candidates, you must prove yourself in a simulation warfare against increasingly powerful DN test droids before qualifying for the Mindshift into real-time combat in the lunar theater.

Virtuaroids

In the Virtual-On universe, Virtuaroids became relatively easy to produce when the creation of matter through "reverse conversion", and the virtuaroids themselves, were discovered. They are produced by first constructing a working skeletal frame, then installing the "V-connector", and lastly creating their armor through reverse conversion. Later in the series, the V-converter would be responsible for the full creation of the Virtuaroid, including the skeletal frame.

Light Virtuaroids

First appearance: Cyber Trooper Virtual On

Unit type: Mass Production Virtuaroid

Height: 15.2 m

Base weight: 7.62 t

Full weight: 20.3 t

Powerplant: V-converter (4620 kW)

Armaments: Beam Rifle/ Beam Sword/ Power Bomb

The Temjin was the first prototype to be developed by the DN Group. This machine was made for stability and performance. A general purpose fighting machine, what the Temjin might lack in advanced technologies, it makes up for with its reliability.

The first of the two original Virtuaroids, the Temjin is a well-balanced VR that serves as the architecture basis of all Virtuaroids. It is well equipped for long-, mid-, and close-range combat; a pair of fold-out boosters installed underneath its V-converter aids in both speed and aerial combat. When the Temjin was first designed, its concept included a railgun for combat, which proved to be too cumbersome, and ill-suited for melee combat. Eventually, it was retooled to use a Multipurpose Beam Launcher, or M.P.B.L., a weapon capable of acting both as a laser rifle and an energy sword.

A simplified variant of the Temjin was also produced. This streamlined version, called the 10/80, is colored gray and equipped with a vulcan cannon and sometimes a railgun. One of the first pilots to use it effectively was Issy Hatter of the S.H.B.V.D., who used the 10/80 to defeat a second-generation Apharmd.

First appearance: Cyber Trooper Virtual On

Unit type: Virtuaroid

Height: 14.8 m

Base weight: 6.84 t

Full weight: 13.7 t

Powerplant: V-converter (4380 kW)

Special feature: Hyper mode

Armaments: Bow Gun/ Hand Beam/ Heart Beam

The Fei-Yen is the fastest of the DN Group droids, sleek and streamlined for extreme-speed maneuverability. The R&D team had to cut back on armor and heavy weapons, but the Fei-Yen is rumored to have a devastating secret attack system for last-ditch defense.

The SRV-14-A "Fei-Yen" is the only Virtuaroid from Operation Moongate not designed by the D.N. Corporation. It was designed by a mysterious independent syndicate; specifically, by L'Ln Plajiner, the daughter of a renowned VR scientist, a child prodigy at age 10. She managed to design and build the "Fei-Yen", a feminine Virtuaroid unit with an emotion-system built into its V-converter. However, through some unknown means, the original Fei-Yen model "escaped", and has been missing ever since. A simplified version of Plajiner's original design has gone into production. It has high speed but relatively weak weapons, and its left hand is equipped with a sword that can launch weak beams towards its enemy. Compensating for this weakness, the Fei-Yen's emotion system goes into "hyper mode" in moments of extreme panic, causing its color changes to bright gold, its weapon systems to increase in power, and its speed output to be pushed far beyond its limits.

First appearance: Cyber Trooper Virtual On

Unit type: ???

Height: ??? m

Base weight: ??? t

Full weight: ??? t

Powerplant: V-converter (??? kW)

Special feature: "S.L.C." (She's Lost Control) kamikaze-ram

Armaments: Beam Launcher/ Vulcan Cannon/ 7-Way Missile

Developed for fast tactical deployment, Viper II extends the Temjin prototype to a new level of quickness and agility. Sacrifices were made in the Viper-II armor and close-range arsenal, but most machines have trouble getting close enough to hit one.

The XMU-06A "Viper Version Alpha" and later the TRV-06-E "Viper" were created by the eccentric scientist Dr. Yzerman, who reworked the Temjin's concept into a more mobility-based Virtuaroid. The Viper had much higher mobility and speed, which became its greatest assets in aerial combat. However, during one of the VR's tests, the pilot of the Viper lost control over the VR, and his last words before the unit crashed into ground were, "She's lost control!"

The Viper was eventually modified to fix the loss of control over the aerial thrusters. Once the TRV-06-E "Viper-II" was finished, it was fitted for weaponry: a beam launcher was built into the its chest, and it carries a fast-firing vulcan cannon, which is also capable of launching streams of missiles, in its right hand. The Viper-II also has Special Wing Binders mounted onto its back to compliment the powerful thrusters. However, as a side effect of its high mobility, the Viper-II lacks sufficient armor for prolonged combat, and is often turned down for the less agile but better armored Temjin. In what is believed to be either a sick joke at the late test pilot's expense or a dedication, the Viper can empty all of its energy into its thrusters and ram into its opponent in a kamikaze-like fashion; this moved has been dubbed "S.L.C.", short form for "She's lost control."

Eventually, Yzerman continued his research on the Viper in an attempt to give it more functionality. The result was the YZR-540SH "Viper 540sh", which was capable of transforming into a jet-fighter. While the prototype ultimately proved unfit for combat, special retooled variations were given to a select few pilots, two of whom were part of the RNA's "Rose Sisters."

First appearance: Cyber Trooper Virtual On

Unit type: Mass Production Virtuaroid

Height: 15.5 m

Base weight: 8.82 t

Full weight: 23.5 t

Powerplant: V-converter (5800 kW)

Armaments: Tonfers/ Shotgun/ Power Bomb

The Apharmd models are designed for use as guerilla shock-troops, with a paid of beam tonfas especially suited for close-quarters combat. Turbo speed and sturdy armor make the Apharmd droid a force to be reckoned with on any battleground.

A guerrilla-warfare VR based on the Temjin's skeletal frame. The Apharmd is the choice of advanced virtuaroid pilots, possessing special melee weapons known as "Tongfers", which are fold-out beam-blade versions of tonfa weapons, connected by a swivel on its wrists. These tongfers use high-density beams of supercharged energy that can break through even the toughest physical defense. In addition to the Tongfers, the Apharmd is armed with a shotgun and the same dispensable bombs as those used by the Temjin. With its high speed and agility, the Apharmd is a highly capable Virtuaroid and, in large numbers, a force to be feared.

When Operation Moongate ended and the D.N. corporation split into the DNA and RNA armies, the Apharmd became the choice VR of the RNA army. It was one of the first VRs to undergo transformation into the second generation series, resulting in the creation of a number of variants to cater to different types of special missions.

Heavy Virtuaroids

First appearance: Cyber Trooper Virtual On

Unit type: Limited Production Virtuaroid

Height: 17.8 m

Base weight: 12.28 t

Full weight: 32.5 t

Powerplant: V-converter (8824 kW)

Armaments: 2 Laser Irradiators/ Ground Bomb/ Shell Bazooka

Raiden droids are feared equally for their dual laser cannons and their strontium-alloy armor. If these machines have a weak point, it's a lack of speed and jumping ability, but they don't need to spend much time trying to get out of anything's way.

The second of the two original Virtuaroids, the Raiden was created alongside the Temjin as a heavy battle VR. Heavily armored and incredibly strong, it is a formidable enemy on any battlefield. The Raiden's shoulder-mounted lasers were salvaged from 26 Battlecruisers disassembled after the war. With these high-powered lasers, the original purpose of the Raiden unit was to intercept and destroy enemy spacecraft before they reached Earth's atmosphere. These lasers are capable of completely destroying a VR in a single shot or, less commonly, of heavily damaging one. To complement the lasers, the Raiden is equipped with a "shell bazooka", which was originally designed with a flat-launcher laser, although its power flow proved to be impossible to regulate while the weapon was in use. The Raiden is also equipped with mines that are dispensable from its palms. Due to the high-cost construction of the Raiden and lack of available postwar battlecruisers, it was very difficult to produce them in high numbers. This resulted in production being halted at 26 units. Consequently, the D.N. corporation created the Belgdor and Dorkas Virtuaroids to make up for the low production numbers of the very expensive Raiden.

When Operation Moongate ended and the D.N. cooperation split into the DNA and RNA armies, the DNA army created the Special-Heavy-Battle-Virtuaroid-Division, or "S.H.B.V.D.", as a special forces unit. The unit was made up mostly of heavily customized Raidens, such as the HBV-05-SR4 unit belonging to Lt. Salpen, which uses heavy chaingun, and Dash Pronger's HBV-05-E/k2, which was capable of faster movement than normal.

First appearance: Cyber Trooper Virtual On

Unit type: ???

Height: ??? m

Base weight: ??? t

Full weight: ??? t

Powerplant: V-converter (??? kW)

Armaments: Homing Missile System/ Grenade Launcher/ Napalm

Based on the popular Raiden battle-droid, the Belgdor is a slightly more mobile variant with a devastating homing missile launcher. The Belgdor doesn't have the one-punch KO capability of a Dorkas or Raiden, but it beats them both in speed and jumping range.

A heavy-type Virtuaroid created out of necessity due to the high cost of the Raiden unit, it uses the Raiden's skeletal frame as a chassis, and uses missiles rather than lasers. It has twin projectile launchers built into its shoulders, as well as a high-frequency radar dish built into its head. This VR is often used for bombing operations. It carries a grenade launcher in its right hand and is armed with a napalm weapon in its left. Its weapons can be considered quite powerful, and is used as foil to the Raiden series. However, the dramatic change in the design has left it with relatively weak armor, and the missile weaponry installed in its upper body has resulted in balancing issues. These issues make the Belgdor unsuitable for close-range combat.

The S.H.B.V.D. was notable for using Belgdor alongside Raiden when the group was first formed. When it was discovered RNA had already finished the new second-generation Apharmds, the Belgdors were discovered to be nearly useless against them. As a result, the "Belmate", a slightly larger Belgdor painted gray rather than the traditional green, was developed. The Belmate was equipped with a much better radar system than the Belgdor, and was used briefly in Operation Sand Sycthe until its successor, the GRYS-VOK, was developed.

First appearance: Cyber Trooper Virtual On

Unit type: ???

Height: ??? m

Base weight: ??? t

Full weight: ??? t

Powerplant: V-converter (??? kW)

Armaments: Hammer/ Phalanx Cannon/ Fireball Launcher

The product of early experimentation with a stronger armored structure, the Dorkas is built slower than other droids, but packs a heavier punch. The long-range and obstacle-clearing power of its hammer attack make it a particularly tough customer in broken-field arenas.

A heavy-battle type Virtuaroid also created as a substitute for the expensive Raiden Unit. It has a design very different from that of the Raiden and Belgdor, including extreme strength, and was created with energy efficiency in mind. It also has a mace-like hammer that can be launched at the enemy mounted on its left arm, a claw integrated on its right hand, and a fire-lanced bombing system implanted into its chest. The Dorkas is much shorter than the other virtuaroids, which makes it somewhat difficult to engage in melee combat. Despite its incredible strength, demand for the Dorkas was relatively low, which caused production to cease quickly, before Operation Moongate had ended.

The RVR-64 "i-Dorkas", a variation of the Dorkas was created for use in construction. It has no weapons and has a shovel claw installed on its left arm.

Others

First appearance: Cyber Trooper Virtual On

Unit type: ???

Height: ??? m

Base weight: ??? t

Full weight: ??? t

Powerplant: V-converter (??? kW)

Armaments: Floating Mines/ Hand Bit/ Ring Laser

The Bal-Bas-Bow was released well after the other DN Group battle droids, and it represents a new direction in virtual warfare tech-droids. With longer sustained jumping power and next-generation smart guidance weapons systems, the Bal-Bas-Bow may be the newest stage in battle-droid evolution.

The design of the Bal-Bas-Bow was based on the head of a Virtuaroid found during the excavation of the moongate, which was incomplete upon full recovery. The Bal-Bas-Bow is a highly experimental and volatile Virtuaroid that is armed with E.R.L.s, or Ejectable-remote-limbs, on its arms. These weapons can be mentally controlled from the cockpit, and serve as remote turrets. The bottom half of the Bal-Bas-Bow is a hovercraft instead of legs, which provides poor mobility to inexperienced pilots.

First appearance: Cyber Trooper Virtual On

Unit type: ???

Height: ??? m

Base weight: ??? t

Full weight: ??? t

Powerplant: V-converter (??? kW)

Armaments: Solar-Cannon/ Incorporates Bal-Bas-Bow weapon systems

A powerful enemy and the guardian of the Moongate, the Z-gradt is a powerful 4-legged tank that protects the moongate and its solar-cannon. It has a very high defense, and built-in beam weaponry. A large particle-cannon is constructed into the center of its frame. While the Z-gradt's defense is lowered when the particle-cannon is in use, the cannon itself is stronger than even that of the Raiden's laser-irradiators. What controls the Z-gradt is unknown, but appears determined to prevent humanity from using the moongate. Z-Gradt can be used on the PS2 version in Z-Gradt mode.

First appearance: Cyber Trooper Virtual On

Unit type: ???

Height: ??? m

Base weight: ??? t

Full weight: ??? t

Powerplant: V-converter (??? kW)

Armaments: 4 Laser Irradiators/ Player-Seeking-Bombs

During one of the many tests DN performed to discover pilots with a high VO+ rating, a small boy's consciousness was absorbed into the Reverse-convert while controlling a Raiden. The result was a fatal bug and mutation in the M.S.B.S.'s gameplay. Should a player disengage against the computers made to test the pilot, the bug will manifest itself in the form of a mutated Raiden known as Jaguarandi. Jaguarandi is heavily armed with four Laser irradiators and powerful seeking-bombs. While the armament has been confirmed by reports, the Jaguarandi's size and appearance has varied greatly. Respective eyewitnesses have claimed to have seen it as red, green, and many other colours. Some claim it was as large as a battleship, and others, as tiny as a Dorkas. While Jaguarandi has proven to be an annoyance to players of the M.S.B.S. control games, DN found it to be nothing more than a bug, and have no plans to remove it from the program. Jaguarandi is playable as a hidden character on the Sega Saturn and PS2 ports.

References

  1. ↑ "Protos: Cyber Troopers". Electronic Gaming Monthly (Ziff Davis) (76): 220. November 1995.
  2. ↑ "Virtual War Declared!". Sega Saturn Magazine (5) (Emap International Limited). March 1996. pp. 24–25.

External links

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