Getting out of a box...

[Tank Program]

The most common way of Dying in Armagetron I think is getting traped in a box, where you have enemy walls all around you. But, this is not as hopeless as it seems. There are several ways I think to get out of this situation. If there is a wall length on the server (where the walls come up after you) you can just do like a snake, back and forth, holding down the brake if possible. The worst thing you can do is follow the walls of the box like the AI does, that is worst thing possible that you could do. Now if there is no wall length, most definetely hold down the brake, and go up to the way out as slowly as possible. After it looks like you should have crashed, then turn in the appropriate directions, and follow the way out, this is especially necessary when you have been "sealed in" which is when the other player gets as close to another wall to trap you in. If there is brake depletion on a server (when you speed up after holding the brake down for a while) then be careful working your way out of a box trap. Don't under estimate how fast you slow down, on most servers anyway. You'll get a feel for it if you practice this a bit. So, hope this helps everyone get out of those nasty boxes . Anyway, if you have anything to add... Just do that...

[subby]

The best way that i have found is to do circle the from the outside to the middle, always turning in one direction, but leaving plenty of room (like a snail) when you reach the middle turn around and come out again, by the time you are out the box, the wall should be gone and you will have good speed to kill ppl outside of your box.

Another tip about being traped in your own walls is that if you go slower the wall will also go slower and it willl take longer to get out, and when you do, you will be vulnerable. Happy boxing and good luck.
subby

[n54]

which trick for getting out of the box is best... hmm

if its a "clean" box i.e. a square box without kinks i'd do as subby says or (more usually) grind the inside in a U-shape (one side of the box untouched) this preserves speed (but only for a while until the u gets too small), keeps it simple, and gets you out fairly quick as you're waiting for one of the "original" walls to dissapear. best for big ones...

depends on the situation though (and the server settings)

[Guest]

There are off course many ways to get out of a box, personaly if there are kinks somehwere, and the area is relatively small. I might make two snails or more, one too fit in each section. whith this method, you can get out of some real tight areas.

If its a long thin box, or an L shape i will do the ... mmmmm how do i best describe it .... I'll draw it ... o___o, ill call it the"C curve" for now thing where you go up and down your wall doing tight returns. If its an L shape area do the same but bend the C curve in the middle by 90 deg. Thsi has been very helpfull at times.

cheers,
Subby

[Communist]

I have an unfair advantage of a wonderful connection (low ping, lots of lag but still less than most other people, very hi-speed). In that case it is possible to take advantage of the rubber settings and simply sneak out of the box between the walls that were supposed to seal it. It takes some good timing and a little luck, but if the opponent simply thought s/he trapped you and went on to other things (i.e. didn't keep grinding along the trapping wall until reaching a corner), escape should not be too difficult.

Even if you have to tube grind/slingshot yourself around corners, sometimes it's your only hope, especially if you've run out of space to survive in the box. I've seen Algerion and War Monkey pull off incredible escapes in this manner, but those take quite a bit of practice.