Assault Rigs Levels Page

This page will explain the basic level design and terrain you will find in the different levels of Assault Rigs. I have put the level codes on the Tips, Tricks, and Codes page, so if you are interested in starting on a certain level, please go there to find the appropriate code. Continue to the first level, Welcome

Level Design

There are three basic layouts for the levels in Assault Rigs; Maze, Open, and Point to Point.

Maze	Maze levels are constructed to confuse you not only with dead ends and seemingly unreachable areas, but also with push block puzzles. Maze levels are also sometimes underground or inside of buildings that all look the same. The whole point is to make you think that you have gotten all of the gems in a certain area by making you think you've already gone a certain way.
Open	Open levels are simply wide open spaces with the gems sitting at fairly easily reachable areas. Not all open levels are like Wastelands. Levels with large rooms connected together are also Open levels. Open levels are generally levels that aren't as confusing or constricting as Maze levels, but you are still able to get the gems in any order with minimal difficulty. Most of the link-up levels are Open levels.
Point to Point	In Point to Point levels you are somewhat constricted in the order in which you should get the gems. You can usually get the gems in any order you wish, but in Point to Point levels it's rather obvious which gem should be gotten first, which should be gotten second, and so on. Thisway is an example of a Point to Point level. Even though you can drive around some of the gems on your way to the exit block, it makes no sense to do so.

Not all levels fall into one of these three categories. Likewise some levels, like Coaster can fall into two or all three categories. In the case of Coaster, it is a Point to Point level in that you need to follow the "roller coaster" corridors in order to get all of the gems, but if you get outside of the corridors the level is more like an Open level in that you can drive all around to get back to the beginning. Keep these definitions in mind when playing a level you haven't encountered before. If you pick-up five gems in a row on what seems to be a logical path, you are probably playing a Point to Point level and should continue in a somewhat straight path until you find another gem, even if one is not in sight..

Terrain

The levels in Assault Rigs are made of all flat surfaces. Even though there are hills, ramps, and vertical walls they are still flat. The real variation in the terrain has to do hills, ramps, and vertical walls themselves. Each rig can move at different speeds, therefore each rig has a certain slope that it simply can not climb. The Light rig is the fastest rig and therefore can climb the steepest ramps, while the Heavy rig is the slowest rig and likewise can not climb some of the same hills that the other rigs can.

Besides ramps, jumps make a big part of the terrain. The faster your rig can go the farther you can launch yourself off of ramps. This is good in some levels for jumping over walls that would normally have to be driven around. Always look for walls at the end of ramps or a slight distance away from them. Weapons and items are sometimes hidden on the other sides of the walls, or you might be able to get behind enemies and destroy them from a side where they can't return fire.

A different type of ramps are the one way ramps that are some times encountered. All jumps are one way in that you can usually only jump off of them in one direction because they simply end in a sheer wall. One way ramps on the other hand are shallow ramp that end in a shear wall, but can be seen over to tease you into finding a way around them. They usually do this by having a gem or blue box just in view. These ramps can be a real frustration, especially if you have no idea how to get to the other side. A good example of a one way ramp is in Zamcam. One way ramps are also turn sideways sometimes and used as a barrier. Parkalot uses sideways one way ramps to show you all of the gems at the beginning of the level, but not allowing you to drive directly to them.

Another way that the designers of the levels try to frustrate you is through the use of false walls that can be driven through. These walls usually hide short cuts and blue boxes. Enemies sometime become confused if you slip behind a false wall while they are pursuing you. You can then emerge from behind the false wall and destroy them while they are turned. There are two ways to find false walls. One is to shoot at a wall. If you do not see the blue circles that are normally seen when your shots hit a wall, then it can be driven through. This is not a very reasonable way to find false walls because if there is a blue box behind the wall and you shoot at it more than once, you run the risk of destroying the the weapon or item that is contained in the blue box. The other way is to switch to the overhead view. Doing this will allow you to see the gems, blue boxes, and corridors behind the false walls. Keep in mind that there are also false floors. There is no way to predict where false floors are other that flying a Guided Missile through it or driving over it.

Other Things To Know

Arrows

Make sure to follow the arrows on the walls and floors when you see them. They will point you towards false walls, items, and clues to solving puzzles.

Moving Platforms

Moving platforms are used to move your rig from one place to another, and to move push blocks from one place to another. Enemies that can move will sometimes try to get on moving platforms, but they usually fall off. Moving platforms can move up and down like an elevator, or left and right. They can not move diagonally. When you encounter moving platforms make sure you time their movement correctly. When pulling your rig onto a moving platform, try to get in the center of it. When the platform begins to move, if it moves fast enough, your rig will move slightly which can throw you off of it if you are to close to the back edge of the platform.

Styles

There are four different styles or themes in Assault Rigs. Each style is only used for five consecutive levels, then the next style is used. After twenty levels, the style will return back to the first style.

VR Zone
These levels look like most early virtual reality video games. With the bright neon colors and the highlights of yellow on all of the block corners, it's easy to have these levels hurt your eyes slightly if you play for them for too long. The VR Zone levels may also remind you of the Disney movie Tron.

Steam Punk
The backgrounds and surface textures in the Steam Punk levels are pretty detailed. The enemies also look the best in these levels. When playing against someone else in a link-up game it is easy to have them loose your rig by not moving because you will blend into the background slightly.

Military Zone
Military Zone levels have some very good looking rigs in them, but the enemies, especially the Wakka's, look very strange.

World at War
The World at War levels make everything look like a scene from an old war movie. The rigs look the most like actual tanks in these levels. The Gun Turret's also look authentic in these levels.

Continue to the first level, Welcome