Combos

A combo is a series of tricks in a row, with each part of the combo adding a certain amount of points to the combo's final score. Some tricks do not add points, but instead add a multiplier to the combo score to greatly increase the final score.
The player has to use the trick buttons, as well as jumps, manuals, slides, and even boost tricks, to keep a combo going and get a high score. The combo ends when the player either gets off their movestyle while on the ground, the manual/slide meters run out while doing a manual/slide, or otherwise when the player goes back to riding around normally without doing any tricks.
See here for an example of the game's controls, which are referenced throughout this page by their specific function in this game.
==Rails==
Rails are the main part of most combos. The player must grind on rails, which can range from actual rails to wires, pipes, poles, and lampposts. This even includes grinding vertically and upside down. As long as a player stays on the rail, they can press the different trick buttons to do tricks while grinding.
==Manuals==
A manual is a trick that can be performed by holding down the manual button while on the ground. Manuals are used to move between other rails, quarter pipes, and billboards without dropping the player's combo.
While doing a manual, a meter appears at the bottom of the screen to let the player know how long the manual will last. If the manual meter runs out while the player is still on the ground, the current combo is considered finished. The meter can be reset by doing a boost trick before the manual runs out (see the Boost Tricks section). However, if the player tries to do a regular trick while doing a manual, this risks making the manual's meter run out faster.
The baseline length of a manual depends on both the current movestyle, as well as the character's momentum at the time of the manual. However, even with the same starting momentum, overall bikes still have the longest manuals, while inline skates have the shortest. From a low starting momentum, the inline skates manual lasts for about 2 seconds, the skateboard manual lasts for about 3 seconds, and the bike manual lasts for a bit under 5 seconds.
Manuals will not use up the bar at all if the player is going downhill on a inclined surface. This includes going down stairs while doing a manual.
A slide is a specific type of manual that can only be done on foot (i.e. the character has to get off their movestyle). Regular slides last for just a bit over a second with low starting momentum, and are thus shorter than an inline skate manual with the same momentum.
However, slides will be infinite while doing so on a sliding path. This is demonstrated in one of the images below, which shows the slide meter disappearing while on a sliding path, and then reappearing when sliding on regular ground. Note that this only applies to the non-movestyle slide, and not the inline skates manual (called a Cess Slide in the game).
Also note that the slide and manual meters cannot be reset by switching between the two, i.e. do a manual, jump up and change movestyles midair, then keep holding the manual button to do a slide. The meter will be the same between the two until you do a boost trick, go downhill, or get on a rail.
File:ManualInlineSkates.gif|Showing the manual for inline skates
File:ManualSkateboard.gif|Showing the manual for skateboards
File:ManualBMX.gif|Showing the manual for bikes
File:SlidingWithPath.gif|Demonstrating sliding without a movestyle, with and without a sliding path
==Multipliers==
Multipliers are bonuses that can add a huge boost in points to a combo's final score. If the player does a trick using certain spots in a given area, it will increment the multiplier number on the current combo. As the name implies, that number gets multiplied with the actual point score of the combo, resulting in a final score once the combo is finished.
There are three ways to gain multipliers for a combo: lean into corners while grinding on a rail (without trying to do a trick at the same time), riding a quarter pipe, and doing a wallride on a billboard. Note that a wallride will instead be called a wallrun if the player does it while not on a movestyle.
A given corner/quarter pipe/billboard will only add to the multiplier if it is a new one for the current combo. For corners and billboards in particular, this is indicated with "(New!)" appearing in the multiplier trick's name. Therefore, as an example, the player can't keep doing a wallride on the same billboard just to boost the current combo’s multiplier.
An important exception to this is with crew battles, though only because it's even more strict with multipliers. During a crew battle, a multiplier will only be added to your current combo if it is new for the crew battle in general. Thus, if you drop your combo in the middle of a crew battle, you cannot regain the multipliers by hitting the same corners/quarter pipes/billboards in a new combo until after the crew battle is over. This makes it especially important to keep your combo going for as long as possible during a crew battle.
==Boost Tricks==
A boost trick is performed by tapping one of the trick buttons while holding down the boost button at the same time, while the Boost Meter has enough of a charge. They can also be done while tapping (not holding) both the boost button and one of the trick buttons at the same time. The latter can help save on charge for the Boost Meter, whereas holding the boost button while doing boost tricks tends to drain the meter faster.
Boost tricks can be done with or without a movestyle, though without a movestyle it can only be done while sliding or in the air. Meanwhile, with a movestyle, it can be done while doing a manual, in the air, and while grinding.
The main purpose of a boost trick is to add a huge amount of points in one trick to your score. They can also be used to reset the manual bar while doing a manual: Wait until the manual meter is almost depleted, then do a boost trick. This helps with extending manuals so the player can move around a given area to reach other rails, quarter pipes, and billboards for the current combo.
File:BoostTrickDemo.gif|Demonstration of a boost trick while grinding on a wire
File:BoostTrickManual.gif|Using a boost trick to reset the manual meter
==Combo Hazards==
This section notes some hazards that can cause a combo to be dropped, besides just letting the manual meter run out or otherwise getting off a rail without doing a manual.
* Getting knocked down by a car or the police
* Falling into water or a pit. If this happens, the combo is completely lost, meaning it won't be saved even if it's higher than the area's current high score.
* Stairs
For the last point, the player can still go down stairs safely while doing a manual or slide. If the player tries to do the same while trying to go up the stairs, they will automatically get off their movestyle (or get up in the case of a regular slide), thus ending the current combo. It's best to avoid stairs during a combo if a downhill manual/slide can't be guaranteed.
==What Affects the Score==
Multipliers can be a big help in making a high score even higher. The player needs to be able to traverse a given area and collect as many multipliers in one combo as possible, be they from corner leaning, billboards, or quarter pipes. It is important to know what corners/quarter pipes/billboards the player can reach for a combo, especially how far apart they are. Thus it’s helpful to learn the layout of a given area ahead of time, in order to have a better idea of where all the multipliers are, how to get to them, and how to avoid any hazards along the way.
That being said, doing tricks using the trick buttons are what's worth the most points for a given score. Getting a high number of multipliers isn't enough if the actual amount of points is still very small. Boost tricks in particular are highly useful for giving a large amount of points at once.
However, it's also important to keep those tricks fresh. What this means is that the player can't just stay on the same rail the whole time, at least not without needing to take a very long time to build up a good score. This is because, eventually, tricks will go "stale", meaning they will give less and less points per trick the longer the player stays on the same rail. This also applies to boost tricks.
The fresh vs. stale status on tricks is not indicated in the game other than by the amount of points awarded per trick. Thus, it is important to be able to do manuals and move to other rails in order to refresh the tricks. An easy way of keeping tricks fresh is to do tricks on a given rail, then hop off and do a manual for a while. Before the manual runs out, the player can hop back onto the same rail. That is enough to effectively "refresh" the tricks back to their original point value.
==Trivia==
* There are game achievements for getting a certain high score in each part of New Amsterdam besides the police bureau. There is also an achievement for keeping a combo going for at least 4 minutes, and another for keeping a manual going for at least 69 seconds.
* Even if a score during a crew battle beats your highest score in a given area, it will not count as a new high score in the pause menu. This is likely because you also have your crewmates helping you during the crew battle, so it's not your personal high score.
Category:Game Mechanics