GAME PLAY
This section will help you understand game play and menu and controller commands.
 
GAME BASICS
     You'll need 2-6 free blocks of memory to save (2 for intermission saves and 4 for in-battle saves).
     When you are in a mission you move, attack, and use items during your (Player's) turn. When you are finished, the enemy takes its turn to move, attack, and use items. First, lets look at what you can do in the different locations and what certain buttons, functions, and screens do.
 
UNDERSTANDING MENUS, BUTTONS, AND PLACES TO GO
 
 
(O)        button: Unselect/go back button.
(X)        button: Select button.
(Triangle) button: Used in battle to show the counter's percentage of damage. (or)
(Trinagle) button: Used in battle to show the counter's hit probability. (I'm not sure)
(Square)   button: Used in battle to choose between your weapons to attack or counter.
L1         button: Used in battle to rotate the view of the map to the left.
L2         button: Used in battle to skip backward to the last Panzer in your group.                               Used in battle to select backward a target in enemy's group.
R1         button: Used in battle to rotate the view of the map to the right.
R2         button: Used in battle to skip forward to the next Panzer in your group.                               Used in battle to select forward a target in enemy's group.
 
Menus
 
 
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Main Menu (After you turn the PSX on):
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Before Battle Menu (2), after you select who goes into battle, but before you place them:
 
Note: You will see up to 3 choices depending on what upgrades you bought. You can spend some of your hard-earned AP before the battle to raise the stats on actions you take during battle. I highly recommend doing this. You can skip this by just moving the cursor over to END. Here are the 3 choices:

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In Battle Menu (On your turns):
 
Note: While in battle, press the (Square) button to switch your offensive primary weapon.
 
Also:
 
You can find the amount of % to hit lost by looking at the weapon in status screen during a fight. If you press O button while a weapon is selected, it should look something like this:
Shotgun
Base hit %: 75%
% gain with each space: 2%
Range: 1-3
 
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In Battle Menu (System): When in battle on your turn, press Start to access this menu.
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Inter Mission Menu (after battles):

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Location Menu (between battles):

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After Battle Display:

Wanzer Setup Menu
 
     This menu is first introduced after mission 5. It allows you to customize your Panzers. This is pretty much the same thing in all Front Mission games. The menus are in Japanese so it's a little harder to figure out. Here is a breakdown of the menus. Main screen:     
     Here you'll see a list of your Panzers. The first listed is Kazuki's. When you first press the O button over one of your Panzers, a menu shows up. The 1st option is used to setup that unit (you'll see a picture of the pilot and a rotating image of his/her Panzer). The 2nd option is used to switch out pilots between units (the Panzer's name will becomes blue). After choose the Panzer you want that pilot to go in, just press the O button again. If you have a captured Panzer in your group, when you first press the O button over it, the same menu shows up, added by two others options. The 3rd option is used to sell that unit (you'll see its price in the top right hand corner of the screen). The 4th option is to "break apart" that unit so you can use its parts for other Panzers. Check below for what you'll see in the setup screen menu:
 
Note: When you are changing out parts and weapons (or buying them at a SHOP) you can press the L1/R1 buttons to switch between "stock parts", "parts to buy (if in SHOP)" and, "parts equiped". 

Skills

Skills are obtained in battle. Once you have them you can equip them into the Panzer's computer. The better the computer (the more expensive) the more skills you can fit into the computer. The skills will randomly (as far as I know) activate and you can gain some great advantages by their use.
 
Different Panzer parts will increase chances of learning different skills. For example, Zenith arms (the arms the main character starts with) help to learn Double Assault. M2 arms help to learn Stun Punch. Type 107 body helps to learn Zoom. Your computer limits the amount of skills you can have equipped. The basic comp 4 allows 4 slots of skills. Most skills take 1 slot. Double Assault takes 2. To find out which items to equip in order for a skill to come out of an arm press the (triangle) button when you are looking at parts to add to a Panzer (arms, etc..) The name of the weapon is in brackets.
 
Complete Skill List (In Text Format)
By Anthony Nguyen
 

AP

AP: Action Points. Each unit begins with a specific number of AP, which can only be increased by level-upping (exact AP-Level relation unknown). Just remember, the higher the AP, the better.
 
Note: AP usage changes according to the items being used. This is a general assessment:
 
AP Usage:     Missiles          10    
              Shotgun            5
              Machinegun         5
              Rifle              4
              Fight              2
              Evade              2
              Shields            1 (During the enemy phase)
 
 
AP Hints:
 
1. Don't move full tilt into the enemy, get surrounded, and, therefore, plastered. Remember that moving consumes AP too.
2. Attacking one enemy multiple times per turn will lower his AP a lot, especially if he counters with gunfire. The same goes for your units.
3. Missiles leave one wide open, with an AP cost of 10. In this case, prefer do not move your missiles units, but if you have to do so, make it the lesser possible.
4. Keeping your troops together will not only ensure a steady AP, but will help you hem in the enemy.
5. Sometimes you might not want to counter. But if you do, make it with a fight-type weapon, because they consumes the same AP used to evade (only 2) and do a lot of damage.
6. Use those computer upgrades that can utilize your AP. Don't use too much AP though!
 
IN-BATTLE SYMBOLS
 
 
Lighting Bolt - Paralysed. The unit will not attack back when attacked while the lighting bolt is present. Sometimes this will last for only one turn, sometimes more.
Question Mark - Confused. Makes the unit have to use double the AP to attack and counterattack.
White Flag - Surrender - Once the flag shows up, you need to attack the unit once more (try not to destroy it), if you can do it, the pilot will abandon the unit, and when you clear the stage, that unit will be incorporated to your group. During battle, though, you can get out of your own unit (preferably placing it side-by-side the enemy's one) and get into the new one right away and use it! Unfortunately, this will cost you a turn. After battle, you can use its parts to sell or to equip in another unit, or use it as one of your own units! Know more symbols? let me know!
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