Time[edit]
Time is an important element in Vantage Master. Though the game is turn-based, it has a 24 hour clock. The clock doesn't tick by in real-time, but serves as a gauge for when events occur, such as when a unit's turn will be. When a turn is ended, time passes until something else is triggered by its passage.
Open to Action[edit]
After a unit takes its turn, it gains a recovery time in minutes. This statistic is called Open to Action (OA). This is displayed in the information window beside the red hour-glass. Once this recovery time has reached zero, it will be that unit's turn again, save for instances of ties.
In the event of a tie between a unit of the blue team and a unit of the red team, the blue team will always go first. If there is a tie between units on the same team, it either goes to seniority of existence, or to seniority of the unit who took that spot on the turn order first (it is unknown which of these two possibilities it is).
OA can be shorter or longer depending on the actions taken by the unit. It's difficult to calculate what it will be on the fly without a tool, but in general:
- Wait is the fastest
- Attacking is faster than Magic for Natials
- Moving and then performing any action is slower than just standing in place and performing it. The amount of spaces moved does not matter.
Speed is also a large factor in the amount of OA a unit will receive. If there is a large gap in speed between two units, it is probable that the faster unit can catch up to the slower one using a move-wait command on their first turn, if the slower one performs an attack.
Freezing spells like Ba-Modo's magic work by adding many points of extra OA. Once this extra OA has passed, the unit will thaw.
Turn Order[edit]
The bell icon underneath the red hour-glass icon indicates the highlighted unit's current position in the turn queue. Beware, for this number is not always reliable. If the unit highlighted has an incredibly high OA, it is conceivable that something can take two turns using fast recovery moves before the OA has exhausted itself.
Time of Day[edit]
There are three times of day: bright, dark, and in-between (called "Blurry" or "Lettle Bright" in the game dialog).
- Bright: lasts from 8:00-15:59. Zamilpen, Greon, Guene-Foss, and D-Alma are all powered up during this time of day. Marme, Dullmdaller, Amoltamiss, and Ba-Modo are all powered down.
- Dark: lasts from 20:00-3:59. Marme, Dullmdaller, Amoltamiss, and Ba-Modo are all powered up. Zamilpen, Greon, Guene-Foss, and D-Alma are all powered down.
- Blurry: lasts from 4:00-7:59 and 16:00-19:59.
Some maps are locked to one of the three states, regardless of the clock.