G ame C ontrols
... play Laxius Force like a God (or a Goddess ^^)
LAXIUS FORCE is a very intuitive game.
If you have played 2D RPGs before, you shouldn't have any problem playing this game.

Headlines:

1. The Basics!
2. The Menus
3. Fighting Time!
4. Let's talk about states, baby! States are extremely important in Laxius Force, read that!
5. I want gameplay!... it's about time, all the subtleties of this game!
6. Summary: Keywords, Symbols, Attributes etc. All in a nutshell!

The Basics Basic Controls: Laxius Force can be controlled with the Keyboard or using a Gamepad. In that case, make sure to try all of the buttons to see what they do. In most cases the buttons of a Gamepad replicate those of a Keyboard. Using a Keyboard, Laxius Force can be played with the following keys: [ENTER], [ESC] and the Directional Pad.
Use the D (Directional) Pad:
- to control and move your characters.
- to browse through the menus.
Press [ENTER]:
- when walking up to a non-player character to talk to them
- during a dialog to see the next part of the dialog
- when checking a part of the scenery (including but not only limited to chests, doors etc)
- to select an item, spell, weapon, etc. in the Menu
Press [ESC]:
- when in exploration mode, to open the MENU (see below)
- when browsing the menu, to go back to the previous window
- when the Choice Box shows up, to choose the default option or not to choose any of the suggested options at all
Press [A] or F6:
- to open the Change Party screen
You can switch characters inside and outside of the party moving them left (inside) or right.
Press [S] or F7:
- to open the Questbook
When on the top left quest icon, push left to reach the menu of completed quests. Use [ESC] to leave the Questbook.
Pay attention to the information given inside the red square.
Press F8:
- to open the Hall of Fame
Note: The Questbook, Hall of Fame and Change Party are not enabled immediately at the beginning of the game.
Now that you know the basic commands of this game, let's get the thing rolling!
GETTING STARTED
Start a new file or load a previous one. You can also exit the game by choosing "Leave the Deport". ALT + F4 does the same as exiting. v
You can save up to 4 save files. v
Once you've started the game, you'll find yourself in Exploration mode, in other words, "on the map".
The first thing to do is check your menu, by pressing [ESC].
Note: It is possible to save almost everywhere.

All the Menus Main Menu - Status Menu - Equip Menu - Item Menu - Skill Menu MAIN MENU - PRESS [ESC] The Menus are available only in Exploration Mode, not in Battle Mode. HP and MP stand for Hit Points and Magic Points. The 1st indicates the overall amount of damage a hero can take, the second their amount of magicka - in other words, if they can cast a lot of spells without having to replenish their MP bar. A character is exhausted (exhaustion state), therefore unable to fight, when his/her HP falls to 0. Only a specific item/spell or a night at the Inn will make him/her available again for fighting.
In between [ ] is the main state the character is under. [Normal] indicates the character has no state.
States can be enchantments, diseases (status ailments), temporary boosts etc. - it is recommended to read further down ("States" chapter) to learn more about them.
A character can have a limitless amount of states at the same time - if you need to know them all, for example if you have to cure your character, open the Status Window and read the left column.
STATUS MENU
This window is very important - it tells everything about your character.
The left column is where the aforementioned states are shown.
Try to keep an eye on it regularly, especially if you suspect your character may be diseased or weakened! When a character is gradually losing HP (because he or she has been poisoned, for example), the screen will flash red.
In the top right corner are displayed various statistics:

- Kills and Hits, each by Weapons and Spells
- Defeats (ie each time the character is killed)
- Number of Fights
- Experience gained
- Experience needed to reach the next level

The more experienced the character, the stronger they get, and the more spells they can use.
On the bottom right is displayed the equipment:

- Weapon
- Shield
- Helmet
- Armor
- Accessory

Always make sure to fill every slot if possible, and to balance the overall equipment of each character.
You can sell the useless stuff but always make sure it is really going to be useless.
The following window, that you can reach from the main menu by clicking on "EQUIP", allows you to change your characters' equipment.
EQUIP MENU
This window also tells the (very) important information related to weapons and other equipment.
It is best and heavily recommended to check the properties of every equippable item so you can use your equipment to its maximum potential.
The top bar is the important information. It displays all of the equipment's attributes.

- PW: the elemental power of the weapon, it can be Fire, Ice, Thunder, Air, Earth, Water, Holy, Dark, Mind, Legend, Laser.
  Naturally being weak or resistant to those alters the final amount of damage. If several attributes are to be dealt with, the most favorable to the attacker is picked.
- Good Vs: this tells which enemy type the weapon is very effective against.
  "Good Vs" is considered a normal attribute when dealing with the final damage.
- Infl.: this stands for "Inflicts" and tells about the states that the weapon can inflict
- Special Features:
  Equippable items can have any of those features:
  - Pre-emptive: the character strikes first if attacking.
  - Pre-emptive+: the character strikes first whatever their action.
  - MPCx0.8: the MP cost of all spells is multiplied by 0.8 (here 0.8 is just an arbitrary choice - more generally all following numbers are just arbitrary choices to make it easier to understand).
  - +5HP/R: each round restores 5HP to the character (it also works with MP).
  - X3: the character hits the same enemy 3 times (the remaining hits are lost if the enemy dies before the last hit).
  - X3+: the characters hits 3 times at random.
  - HP+10: the character receives +10HP total as long as they keep the weapon/armor (it works with MP too).
  - Counter: the character counters any damage received from a physical hit.
  - Counter-S: the character counters any damage received from a damaging spell.
  - Counter+: the character counters everything.
  - DAM 100-300: the weapon has a fixed damage - a random number is picked in the fork (attributes such as Fire/Ice etc. still affects the fixed damage though).

ITEM MENU
Items are very necessary to finish the game.
You will have to distinguish them, so symbols have been created for that purpose.

- => Heal One Ally's HP
- => Heal All the Allies' HP
- => Heal One Ally's MP
- => Heal All the Allies' MP
- => Revive One Ally
- => Revive All the Allies
- => Cure One Ally
- => Cure All the Allies
- => Boost One Ally
- => Boost All the Allies
- => Damage One Enemy
- => Damage All the Enemies
- => Special, usually powerful Item on One
- => Special, usually powerful Item on All
- => Permanent Boost
- => Spell Book
- => Location Map
- => Ore
- => Alchemy Ingredient
- => Food
- => Miscellanous Item

Healing items are probably the most used ones. You will be able to tell their power reading this kind of information:
25%HP + 150
=> Heals 25% of total HP plus 150.
As you can see, it is nothing difficult!
Damaging items also work this way. Pay attention to their attributes though, so as to pick them wisely depending on which enemy you fight.
Location Maps:
This is one important type of item. As you progress in the game you are likely to find maps. Those have to be used from the inventory and will allow your heroes to reach a new, usually fairly faraway place. Maps cannot be used everywhere! If you are not in the right place when trying to use one, a message will inform you which place you should be in to use the map.
Spellbooks:
Again a pretty important item. Use a Spellbook to teach a spell to one of your characters. The book disappears when its magic has been taught to a character.
SKILL MENU
Some skills can be used only in exploration mode, others only in battle mode, and some in both.
Here is the list of spell symbols:

- => Damage One Enemy
- => Damage All the Enemies
- => Heal One Ally
- => Heal All the Allies
- => Cure One Ally
- => Cure All the Allies
- => Protect One Ally (with a Shield)
- => Protect All the Allies (with a Shield)
- => Boost One Ally
- => Boost All the Allies
- => Lower One Enemy
- => Lower All the Enemies
- => Dark Based
- => Inner Power

NB: if a spell has more than one type of effect, the "main" type is picked as symbol.

Attributes:

- Fire
- Thunder
- Ice
  The 3 aforementioned attributes are considered the "Conflictual Elements".
- Water
- Air
- Earth
  The 3 aforementioned attributes are considered the "Natural Elements".
- Holy
- Dark
- Mind
- Legend
- Laser

Good Vs
Whenever a spell is "Good Vs", it is recommended to use this spell if battling against the specified type of monsters. For indeed, if the spell has a good enough power (PW), the resulting damage will be increased a lot because of the sheer nature of the enemy side. As you can guess, a well-planned strategy is the key here.
Passive Skills:
Those skills can never be "used" per se, although they are helpful throughout the game.

- Persuasion:
  Be persuasive with people around.
- Mercantile:
  Buy and sell at better rates.
- Perception:
  Find secret places and niches.
- Jump:
  Grab items normally out of reach.
- Telekinesys:
  Reach faraway items.
- Undead Language:
  Talk to Undead and decipher Undead writings.

Note: some Passive Skills can also be learnt from Guilds.
Spell Information

- PW => Spell Power
  The number attached to it indicate the amount of power.
- Infl. => Inflict State
- Rem. => Remove State
- PD => Physical Defense
  The percentage number indicates how much of the attacked one's Physical Defense is used to lower the spell's damage.
- MD => Magical Defense
  The percentage number indicates how much of the attacked one's Magical Defense is used to lower the spell's damage.
  The total of the PD and MD values of a spell is usually equal to 75%, but not always.
- Var => Variance
  Determines how much the damage or recovery fluctuates. The higher the number, the more significant the fluctutation.
- ST => Strength
- RS => Resistance
- SP => Speed
- MN => Mind
  Do not mistake MN for MD (and vice versa)!
  Those 4 stats are extremely important, because they determine the damage inflicted and received in a fight.
  For instance, a character with 200 in ST will do twice as much damage as a character with 100 in ST (see below).
- AT => Attack
  When a spell has a percentage number of attack (AT), it means that this % of the character's AT points are added to the actual PW value of the spell.
  Damage Algorithm:
  For that formula, let's say BOB is attacking BEN.
  power =
  (BOB's spell PW + BOB's AT x spell AT%)
  - BEN's PD x spell PD% / 100
  - BEN's MD x spell MD% / 100
  rate =
  (BOB ST x spell ST% / 100)
  + (BOB RS x spell RS% / 100)
  + (BOB SP x spell SP% / 100)
  + (BOB MN x spell MN% / 100)
  DAMAGE = power * (rate + 20)
  - if spell ST > 49 (ST based)
    FINAL DAMAGE = DAMAGE / (BEN's RS + 20)
  - if spell MN > 49 (MN based)
    FINAL DAMAGE = DAMAGE / (BEN's MN + 20)

Fighting!... Fighting is nothing complicated... if you've got the power and the adequate strategy! Let's examine a fight screen.

| Characters: at the bottom row are your characters (up to four). You can see their HP, MP, and their main state. Be careful! Only one state is displayed even if the character has many (check below). Fight: Select each of your characters' actions one by one (see below).
Rush: All the characters attack.
Status Boxes: Status boxes are there to indicate the states possibly inflicted to either the monsters or the characters. Pay close attention to them as they can influence the battle drastically!

| Fight: attack with your weapon. The ATK power of your weapon minus 75% of the monster's defense gives the raw damage. The ratio (ATTACKER ST)/(DEFENDER RS) modifies the raw damage (see below for the full algorithm). Reminder: some weapons can attack more than once.
It is important to know your enemy so as to decide who is going to attack whom, and how (weapon, spell, item etc.).
Skill: access the list of your skills and pick one.
Defend: take a defensive stance, resulting in a damage (if attacked) divided by 3, 4, up to 6, depending on the defending hero (some defend better than others, try to find out which!)
Item: use an item from the bag.

Important!
Being knowledgeable with SKILL information... You won't be able to pick the best skill in a fight if you cannot read what they do... Make sure to fully comprehend the SKILL MENU chapter above.

States, Boosts, Enchantments etc. States are... how can I stress it enough?... *VERY* important. You can cumulate so many of them! Whenever you are unsure, you should always check the states of your character(s). To do so, [ESC] then hit menu "STATUS". On the left column you will have the list of all the states the character has at the moment.
As you will see, some can (and must) be cured, either by a spell, an item or a rest at the inn (Status Ailments). Some are given by specific equipments and/or spells - they are called Enchantments.
Some only last the time of a fight, they are called Fight Boosts.
Here is a list for you to check what each state does, if you want to.
STATUS AILMENTS:
In the game, you will find items and spells that cure status ailments. Most of them, although not all of them, also go away after a good night's rest.
Here is a list of what each status ailment (and other types of alterations) does.
Remember they can be cumulated so avoid cumulating bad states at all costs - it could end up having dreadful consequences.
Reminder: ST = Strength, RS = Resistance, SP = Speed, MN = Mind, AT = Attack, PD = Physical Defense, MD = Magic Defense.
NB: the following list does not detail ALL the states, enchantments and boosts.
POISON Slip Damage 10%
POX Slip Damage 9% ST80% RS80% SP80%
PLAGUE Slip Damage 10%
VENOM Slip Damage 12%
ICE JAIL Can't Move RS160%
WRATH Attack Enemies ST140% RS70% MN70%
NAUGHTINESS SP75% MN40%
FATIGUE ST80% RS90% SP75%
FEAR ST80% RS85% SP80% MN90%
COLD ST80% RS90% SP60% MN90%
ZOMBIFICATION Can't Use Spells HP142% ST152% RS135% SP80% MN95% AT125% PD105%
SILENCE Can't Use Spells
BLACK HOLE Can't Use Spells MD40%
THUNDER NUMB Can't Move RS50% PD60% MD60%
FRAGMENTATION AT90% PD80% MD90%
SHATTER PD50%
BURN RS60% SP80% MN90%
PARALYSIS Can't Move RS50%
DEBILITY MN30%
STONE Can't Move RS180% MD120%
MIND DISABLING Can't Use Spells SP90% MN50%
AURA BROKEN MD50%
GROUND LOCK Can't Move
BLINDNESS More Misses RS65%
SURPRISE Can't Move RS80%
DIMINUTION ST90% RS80% SP80% MN90%
INSTANT BREAK Can't Move
MADNESS Attack Allies
SHRINKAGE HP50%
SLEEP Can't Move RS50% SP50%
DISPERSION MN70%
DEMOLITION PD85% ST60% RS50% SP60% MN80%
ENTANGLED Can't Move
MALE POSSESSION Attack Allies ST125% RS60% SP50% MN75%
LICHEA Slip Damage 15% ST80% RS70% SP80%
BLEEDING Slip Damage 8% ST90% RS90% SP90% AT90% PD90% MD90%
FIGHT BOOSTS
WEAPON BOOST AT125%
WEAPON H-BOOST AT150%
ARMOR BOOST PD125%
ARMOR H-BOOST PD150%
STEEL MUSCLES ST125%
TITAN MUSCLES ST150%
STEEL SKIN RS125%
OBSIDION SKIN RS150%
HASTE SP125%
LIGHTNING SPEED SP150%
BRILLIANT MIND MN125%
GENIUS MIND MN150%
HEROISM ST125% RS125%
DAZZLE SP140%
GAZ SHAPE HP95% ST95% SP95% PD130% MD124%
BRAIN BOOST MP115% MN120%
SAINT SHIELD MD115%
MAGICKA DEFENSE MD120%
ENCHANTMENTS
IRON WILL RS110% MN105%
BRAVERY ST115% RS110%
LOVE POWER MP120% ST120%
WOLF RAGE HP120% MP80% ST130% RS90% SP130% MN80%
WARRIOR PRIDE AT120%
YVEEN AURA MP125% MN125% MD120%
ELVEN AURA MP120% MD110%
Always remember... good OR bad, you can have as many states as you want!
Note: some states remove each other, usually when one is the evolution of the other one. For instance, Weapon Boost (AT125%) cancels Weapon H-Boost (AT150%), and reciprocally. The last one always wins!
A special case...
Random's Metallist Curse spell:
One of Random's most helpful spells, the connection between Random and the living sword Metallist resulted in Random developing a dangerous curse. The Metallist Curse is able to cut through the targeted enemy's defenses so strongly that the apparently invincible enemies become affordable.

GAMEPLAY Let's now see various very interesting gameplay mechanisms.

- What happens when all my characters have died (exhaustion state)
  That will result in you losing 10% of your gold, and you will be teleported back to a previous point.
- What happens if I'm trapped in a dungeon?
  Feeling like you are trapped?... just keep fighting and if you die, you will be teleported back to a previous (safe) point!
- I have to earn more experience points
  Killing monsters is one of the top ways to earn experience points and consequently become stronger.
  It is not the only way though, as you can also...
- Complete a quest
  Each time you complete a quest, the quest total of each party member increases.
  A XP bonus, depending of the mind, level and quest total of the character, is also given.
  Note: some quests will only reward one specific character.
- I need to get my characters healed
  The most common way to get healed is to have a good night's rest. Most of the time you will have to spend a night at the Inn but you can also find free beds at times. Other ways to get healed include using items or spells.
  Note: Some status ailments are not cured by sleeping.
- Using States to your advantage
  Do not overlook this side of the game - boosting characters and weakening enemies at the right moment can be the key to winning a fight.
  The Poison state (and other similar states) will stop on the map where the poisoned character reaches less than 10% of their HP. It is still lethal in a fight though.
- Monsters' weaknesses... and your own.
  Try to find your enemies' weak point(s), and always give the proper equipment to compensate for your own.
  Each character has strong and weak points, so spend a moment learning them all.
- Finding quests and... getting 'em done!
  Talk to everybody, get in touch with the local customs, be curious and focused.
  The best way to keep track of your quests, especially if you've registered for many of them, is to use your Questbook regularly. It is also often useful to carefully read the details given by the person who gives you the quest.
- Non-linearity Fun
  Laxius Force has a wide world and a LOT of quests, as well as areas, are optional - depending on how much you explore, you will discover them... or not. The bottom line is, the more you explore, the more you will be rewarded.
- State-giving Equipment
  It is recommended to pay attention to the items that will give one or more states. For instance, Brilliant Mind, Weapon Boost, or Steel Skin. That usually results in big increases that should not be overlooked. As a sidenote, protections and special features are other key information to look at.
- Trials requiring one or more particular attributes to be high
  There are many ways to boost your stats even temporarily - that includes spells and/or items. Again, do some research on what can help to complete a stat-based quest.

Keywords:

- PW => Item/Spell Power
  The number attached to it indicate the amount of power.
- Infl. => Inflict Condition
- Rem. => Remove Condition
- PD => Physical Defense
  The percentage number indicates how much of the attacked one's Physical Defense is used to lower the spell.
- MD => Magical Defense
  The percentage number indicates how much of the attacked one's Magical Defense is used to lower the spell.
  The total of the PD and MD values of a spell is usually equal to 75%, but not always.
- Var => Variance
  Determines how much the damage or recovery fluctuates. The higher the number, the more significant the fluctutation.
- ST => Strength
- RS => Resistance
- SP => Speed
- MN => Mind
  Do not mistake MN and MD!
  Those 4 stats are extremely important, because they determine the damages inflicted and received in a fight.
  For instance, a character with 200 in ST will do twice as much damage as a character with 100 in ST (cf below).
- AT => Attack
  When a spell has a percentage number of attack (AT), it means that this % of the character's AT points are added to the actual PW value of the spell.
  Special Bonuses for Weapons and Armors
  - Pre-emptive: the character strikes first if attacking.
  - Pre-emptive+: the character strikes first whatever their action.
  - MPCx0.8: the MP cost of all spells is multiplied by 0.8 (here 0.8 is just an arbitrary choice - more generally all following numbers are just arbitrary choices to make it easier to understand).
  - +5HP/R: each round restores 5HP to the character (it works also with MP).
  - X3: the character hits

the same enemy 3 times (the remaining hits are lost if the enemy dies before the last hit).
- X3+: the characters hits 3 times at random.
- HP+10: the character receives +10HP total as long as they keep the weapon/armor (it works with MP too).
- Counter: the character counters any damage received from a physical hit.
- Counter-S: the character counters any damage received from a damaging spell.
- Counter+: the character counters everything.
- DAM 100-300: the weapon has a fixed damage - a random number is picked in the fork (attributes such as Fire/Ice etc. still affects the fixed damage though).

  Keys & Shortcuts:
  - F1 => Enter the Game System.
    With F1, you can turn on/off musics and sounds, as well as adjust your screen for flickering and/or smooth scrolling, depending on your own preferences. Test all combinations and find what you like best!
  - ALT+F5 => Quit + Shutdown
  - F12 => Reset
  - ALT + ENTER => Full Screen/Windowed Screen
  - Page Up/Page Down => Fast Scrolling when browsing through menus
    This is very useful if you need to pick an item that is not near the top or bottom of the list.
  - A/F6 => Change Party (Memory Trick: A for Allies)
  - S/F7 => Questbook (Memory Trick: S for Sidequests)
  - F8 => Hall of Fame

  Fighting Algorithms and Mechanisms: For those formulas, we'll use the following premise: BOB is attacking. BEN is defending.
  - Physical Damage:
    (BOB's AT - 75% of BEN's PD) x (20 + BOB's ST) / (20 + BEN's RS)
  - Magical Damage:
    (good luck with this one)
    ==================================
    power =
    (BOB's spell PW + BOB's AT x spell AT%)
    - BEN's PD x spell PD% / 100
    - BEN's MD x spell MD% / 100
    rate =
    (BOB ST x spell ST% / 100)
    + (BOB RS x spell RS% / 100)
    + (BOB SP x spell SP% / 100)
    + (BOB MN x spell MN% / 100)
    DAMAGE = power * (rate + 20)
    - if spell ST > 49 (ST based)
      FINAL DAMAGE = DAMAGE / (BEN's RS + 20)
    - if spell MN > 49 (MN based)
      FINAL DAMAGE = DAMAGE / (BEN's MN + 20)
    ==================================
    Note about the Magical Damage Algorithm:
    Both above algorithms are modified by the attribute (Fire, Ice etc.) used by the attack. When several attributes are involved, the most favorable one to the attacker is picked.
    On top of everything else it is recommended to pay utter attention to the "Good Vs" thingy, as attacking a Demon with a "Good Vs Demon" spell or weapon is likely to cause heavy damage!
  - Dodging: no formula this time, just a confirmation that this depends of both fighters' SP and their EVADE points (check your equipment).
  - Critical Hit: no formula either, but in order to raise the chances of a critical, BOB's RS should be high and BEN's SP low.
  - Defending: a character/enemy can divide the damaged received by a number from 3 to 6 (this number depends purely on the character and reflects said character's ability to defend well or not).

  Symbols: Spells
  - => Damage One Enemy
  - => Damage All the Enemies
  - => Heal One Ally
  - => Heal All the Allies
  - => Cure One Ally
  - => Cure All the Allies
  - => Protect One Ally (with a Shield)
  - => Protect All the Allies (with a Shield)
  - => Boost One Ally
  - => Boost All the Allies
  - => Lower One Enemy
  - => Lower All the Enemies
  - => Dark Based
  - => Inner Power
  Items
  - => Heal One Ally's HP
  - => Heal All the Allies' HP
  - => Heal One Ally's MP
  - => Heal All the Allies' MP
  - => Revive One Ally
  - => Revive All the Allies
  - => Cure One Ally
  - => Cure All the Allies
  - => Boost One Ally
  - => Boost All the Allies
  - => Damage One Enemy
  - => Damage All the Enemies
  - => Special, usually powerful Item on One
  - => Special, usually powerful Item on All
  - => Permanent Boost
  - => Spellbook
  - => Location Map
  - => Ore
  - => Alchemy Ingredient
  - => Food
  - => Miscellanous Item
  NB: if a spell is having more than one specific type of effect, the "main" type is picked as symbol.

  Attributes:
  - Fire
  - Thunder
  - Ice
    The 3 aforementioned attributes are considered the "Conflictual Elements".
  - Water
  - Air
  - Earth
    The 3 aforementioned attributes are considered the "Natural Elements".
  - Holy
  - Dark
  - Mind
  - Legend
  - Laser

  Passive Skills:
  - Persuasion
  - Mercantile
  - Perception
  - Jump
  - Telekynesys
  - Undead Language