Guides

Which weapon should I use? How can I capture an Ovaknight? How can I make my mecha better? What determines my chance to succeed when using skills? How, exactly, does *GearHead* decide how much damage a hit does? This is where you'll find out how *GearHead* works, and get some advice on strategy, all without having to read the code yourself.

You can argue that reading about the game mechanics isn't "cheating", and some of the guides are things that really depend on quirks of the game mechanics. If you were a real person in the *GearHead* universe, you would, for example, see the effects of a weapon in much more detail than a damage number. On the other hand, you have advantages that a real person wouldn't have... As with any single-player game, your satisfaction and entertainment are your own business. If you like to know how things work, keep reading.

## Getting Started

* Jospeh Hewitt's GearHead Quickstart Guide
* Eeeviac's GearHead Quickstart Guide
* Johnny Dmonic's Starter Walkthrough (SPOILERS)
* Introductory Mecha Building Guide
* Controls

## Game Mechanics

Just the algorithms *GearHead* uses to decide what happens, the game physics. Not too much comment on how to take advantage of those facts.

* Skill Rolls: How *GearHead* rolls dice.
* Combat System: Hitting and missing, armor, weapon attributes, etc.
* Mecha mechanics: MV/TR/SE, Speed, jumping/flying, Battroid/Zoanoid/...
* Robotics GH1, GH2: Create your own friends, courtesy of RadioShack.
* Lancemates: How many you can have, how they "think".
* Experience: XP and SkillXP
* Character Creation (GH2): Character creation in *GearHead 2*.
* Timekeeping: How time works in *GearHead*.

## Strategy

This is where we start to get into things you could figure out for yourself. Play the game some before spending too much time reading this. There are multiple ways to succeed in *GearHead*, so you don't need to have a character who's good at all of these things.

* Mecha Design: A flying Zero Savin? Speed vs. armor and weapons, Tradeoffs...
* Equipment
* Selecting Cyberware
* Lancemate Strategy: Things to look for in a lancemate, and gear they use well
* Robotics
* Pets Strategy
* Personal Combat: tactics and equipment
* Mecha Combat
* Capturing Mecha: killing enemy pilots or making them eject.
* Making Money (GH1): early and late game
* Making Money (GH2)
* Mecha Repair: tips for repairing your damaged mecha.

## Spoilers & Cheating

Those recruiters are pretty tight-lipped about what they're looking for in a candidate...

* Join the Military (GH1)
* Join the Guardians (GH1)
* Join the Hwang-Sa Temple (GH1)
* Join the Corporations (GH1)
* Joining the Thieves Guild
* Obscure References: list of obscure references (i.e. easter eggs) in GH1/GH2.

This is where I draw the line between *really* cheating and not cheating. Not that I never cheat, of course.

* Quests (GH1): list of quests in the game.
* Recovering the Argoseyer (GH1)
* The Iria Ruby Plot (GH1)
* Item Search Quest (GH1)
* Skill Schools (GH1): where to find teachers for the skills.
* Shrine Tour (GH1)
* Savescumming
* Savegame Editing

## Development

Ready to get your hands dirty designing your own mecha or writing a plot-line? Here's where to start reading.

* Development

## External Links

* *GearHead* Player's Guide v1.1.4
* *GearHead* Keyboard Chart