# One Beam

> One unit holds the beam and only it can fire. The rest run. The rules, the score, the controls and the Worlds.

One unit holds the beam: the **Hunter**, and only it can fire. The rest of the
crew drop off the sky platform, scatter across the World and try to last the
Window.

## A window, start to finish

1. **The drop.** Every window starts on the sky platform. The crew drop off, and
   their units' thrusters set them down (there is no boost on the drop). The
   Hunter waits 20 seconds on the platform, blind.
2. **The hunt.** The Window runs 3, 5 or 10 minutes (the host picks). The Hunter
   fires the lasers on its unit's forearms. The crew hide behind rocks, run,
   boost, swim and dive.
3. **The close.** When the Window runs out, or every unit is down, the camera
   finds the unit that took the window and the results come up.

The host picks the Hunter: a random unit, a named one, or **Rotate**, where
every unit holds the beam once, a window each. With Rotate, the most points win
the match.

## Health and shield

Every crew unit has **health** under a **shield**. Bolts wear down the shield
first; it comes back a few seconds after the last hit, until a hit gets through
to your health. From then on your shield is gone for the window, and health
never comes back. At 0 you are **down** and watch the rest of the window. The
Hunter's shield always holds.

- Damage depends on the Hunter's power, the distance (full up close, half at the
  lasers' range) and where the bolt lands: the head takes the most, the ball and
  fork the least.
- A laser field out at sea marks the edge of the World. It pushes everyone back.
  Your shield holds it off; with the shield down, a touch costs half your
  health.
- Hitting a rock face hard throws you back: the shield takes it, or it costs
  health.
- Badly hurt, a unit smokes, sparks and slows down, its booster first.

## Risk and score

Every unit moves at the same speed. Two stats, set in the Hold, change your
**Risk**, and Risk multiplies your score:

- **Boost**: 3 to 5 seconds of rocket flight.
- **Power**: your beam's damage when you hunt, your shield when you run.

Less boost and less power mean a higher Risk, from x1 to x2. In the hunt it is
live: it climbs near the Hunter (up to x3 within 15 m) and drops far from it,
never past x5 in all. The HUD shows it under the clock.

| Who    | Points                                                                                                         |
| ------ | -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- |
| Crew   | 1 a second you last, times your Risk; 30 more (times your Risk) if you make it to the end. Down, you keep half |
| Hunter | 50 a unit downed at even Risk, times its Risk over the target's, and a bonus for clearing the World early      |

## The sea

The sea is part of the World. A unit wades in the shallows, swims on its pack's
thrusters turned water jets (Shift bursts them, on the booster's fuel) and, out
of its depth, can dive: under the surface bolts can't reach it, and the Hunter
can't fire. A dive lasts as long as its air.

## Controls

| Keyboard and mouse | What it does                                                      |
| ------------------ | ----------------------------------------------------------------- |
| W A S D            | Move                                                              |
| Shift              | Run (held); in the sea, burst the jets                            |
| Space              | Jump; again in the air (held) to boost; in the sea (held) to dive |
| Mouse              | Turn and look (click the game to capture the mouse)               |
| Left click         | Hunter: fire (held); not under water                              |
| Right click        | Zoom (held)                                                       |
| Tab                | When down: watch the next unit                                    |
| M                  | Sound on or off                                                   |
| F1                 | Help                                                              |
| Esc                | Free the mouse, menu and settings                                 |

| Gamepad     | What it does                                   |
| ----------- | ---------------------------------------------- |
| Left stick  | Move; push it all the way (or click it) to run |
| Right stick | Turn and look                                  |
| A           | Jump, boost, dive                              |
| RT          | Hunter: fire (also RB or LB)                   |
| LT          | Zoom (held)                                    |
| Y           | When down: watch the next unit                 |
| Back, Start | Sound on or off, menu                          |

On a touch screen, drag on the left half to move (to the rim to run) and on the
right half to look. The buttons jump, zoom and, for the Hunter, fire.

## The Worlds

- **Earth**: green hills around a tall peak, meadow grass, surf on white sand.
- **Desert**: dune fields over low ridges, turbid shallows, sand on the wind.
- **Mars**: a plateau cut by broad, layered canyons, dark brine, fine dust in
  the air.
- **Ice**: a glacier over the island, slick clear ice (a unit slides on it), a
  fjord, icebergs offshore and a low sun all day.

## Tips

- Rocks stop bolts: the big ones are cover (the grey spots on the map).
- Nerve pays: keep near the Hunter and your Risk climbs.
- Bolts fly fast, but not instantly: lead a moving unit.
- The boost is loud and bright. It gets you away, and it shows where you are.