VP Solo Tutorial!

[MTJ]

Planning Your VP Solo

Remember back when you were new and the VP used to kick your butt everytime you tried to fight him for a promotion? Well now it's time for you to get some revenge and kick his butt single-handedly! Think you're ready? Soloing a boss battle is the toughest feat in Toontown but it's an amazing achievement for those who can do it! It takes time, knowledge and skill. A good collection of Unites are crucial and a book full of 5 star SOS Cards is useful. Still interested?

Here's what you'll need:
~Time: you should save at least 1 hour to complete your solo
~Unites: stock up on at least 5 Max TU (or 300 laff worth)
~Restocks: have a few gag-up/restock all handy
~Level 7 Gags: optional, but are free to get in battles rather than using your hard earned rewards
~SOS Cards: optional but recommended
~Knowledge: practice or read up so you know what to expect!
~See how many Unites/SOS cards others have used in their solo's here!

*300 laff points of Unites (about 5 Max) is the minimum I would bring for a solo but it would be wise to bring more. You always want to hope for the best but expect and plan for the worst! Nothing is worse than having a streak of bad luck with missed SOS's and lures and running out of Unites near the end and feeling like you just wasted everything. Better safe than sorry, right?
*Max Unites can be substituted by multiple smaller Unites (ie: 3 of the +40 TU Unites are equivalent to 1 Max TU Unite)
*If you can't get Unites yet, bring a good collection of Flippys. Unites are just preferred because they can save you at any time while SOS cards require their own round to use.

*SOS cards are beneficial to the battle. Do not depend entirely on these because they could miss. If they work, they can speed things up and make those waves of high level cogs fly by with ease!
*The cards you will want to collect and use are listed below. You can gain these quickly by SOS shopping with the TCB.

*Practice makes perfect! If you're unsure of your ability to solo the pie round, grab a few friends and ask them to VP with you and let you practice soloing pies. That way if you mess up, you'll know what you still need to learn without wasting time and Unites. Keeping trying!

The Cog Rounds

***Mixed Cogs***

This is the first set of cogs obviously. It's made up of mostly lower level cogs with some high level cogs. How you go about taking them out is up to you since everyone has a different playing style and a different amount of SOS's and gag restocks to waste.

Strategies for fighting these cogs:
~DO NOT try to keep all the cogs lured all the time. It just won't happen and you'll keep going in circles. Kill a few then lure them all again.
~Nervous about facing 4 high level cogs? You can keep 3 level 1s around and fight off the stronger cogs 1 at a time.
~Sound is great for waves of small cogs. Foghorns will kill up to level 5 and elephant trunks up to level 3.
~If you don't want to waste gags and don't mind taking hits, 2 foghorns kill level 8s and 2 organic foghorns kill level 9s.
~If you have enough gag restocks, you can lure and take out most of the level 8-11 with your level 6 gags. Clouds for levels 8-9 and cakes for level 10 and 11 (if organic). For 12s you can lure, cake and cream pie (if organic) or cake and cloud (if non-organic).
~When you get to the last cog, you can call an SOS or trained doodle a few times to toon yourself up before the next battle. You can also call on Prof. Pete to restock your gags at this time if needed.

***Skelecogs***

The 2nd round is full of level 8-12 Skelecogs. If you saved up SOS cards and level 7 gags, now is the time to use them! If you prefer to take out the cogs without level 7s and SOS's, then the same strategies apply here as well. DO NOT try to keep all the cogs lured unless you're going to: use a level 7 cake or geyser, use an SOS to restock/TU, or call on your doodle a couple times. Then you do want them all lured!

***SOS Cards***

SOS cards can be a major help in solos, especially for those waves of high level cogs. You don't want to collect just any cards though! You only have room for 8 cards, so fill your book with only the best ones that will help you in your solo!

Strategies for using SOS Cards:
~Flippy (124 TU) - use just after luring a set of cogs, especially if you're going to take them all out at once.
~Prof. Pete (restock all) - use to restock all of your gags when you're running low.
~Lil Oldman (lure - 4 rounds) - use if you're out of lures and don't want to restock yet or for a more probable hit. He's supposed to hold for 4 rounds but will sometimes hold for less...
~Moe Zart (80 sound) - use on a set of level 7-. If you don't care about taking hits, 2 Moes will kill up to level 11.
~Clerk Clara (180 trap) - use on a row of 11-. Many people don't like to use her on solos because it takes 2 rounds to trap and then lure but it's great for those who are impatient and careless.
~Barnacle Bessie (170 drop) - use on a row of 11-12. Remember, Barnacle Bessie misses (alot for us unlucky guys ) so be prepared to take extra hits if it happens. If her drop hits, you can finish off (level 12s) with a foghorn if you have sound.
~Franz Neckvein (100 drop) - use for a row of level 8-
~*BONUS* Cogs Miss (any) - these are not collected often but they are useful if a group of cogs are about to unlure.
~*BONUS* Trained Doodle - not an SOS Card, but if your doodle is maxxed he can save you some Unites!

*Using restocks can make your gags uneven. You want to be careful that you don't end up with 20 seltzers and no room for goggles or cakes! To avoid this, I try to use up all my level 6s first then use restock all. If you've used up most of your lure (for example) but not your other level 6s, then its pretty safe to restock lure. Just keep track of what gags you need and already have.

The Pie Round

I think we can assume that if you want to solo, you have a good idea of how to use your pies. For those who aren't too great with their pies though, here's a quick lesson: if you hold the INS/DEL key down you will see the bar fluctuate from white to blue. When the bar is mostly white, your pie will fly in a long, straight line. If your bar is mostly blue, your pie will arch up and land closer. The longer you hold the INS/DEL key for, the slower the bar will fluctuate. Practice how to use your pies and how to time straight and high shots. To stun from close, you will need to know how to do a straight shot quickly. To push the VP back, just tap the key repeatedly. The bar will usually be around 2/3 blue.

***Stunning***

The main trick here is to keep the offensive position (position to stun from) at all times while still dodging the VP's attacks. The easiest and fastest way to beat him is to stun from up-close on the front side. The downside here is that there are more attacks to dodge, but with some practice they will be no problem for you!

To stun from up close:
~Stand in front of his front-left tread (as shown in the 2nd and 3rd picture).
~Stand your toon around 45 degrees to his hatch so you're aiming right into it.
~When the hatch opens, quickly aim your pie low and release it into the hatch. If your pie hits, the VP will flash red and become dizzy! Then it's time to push him back.

*When the VP is on a ramp, it will be easier to run to the back and stun there. Do it the same way as you would the front - stand behind his left tread and aim your pies into the hatch. You may need to aim a bit higher depending on his position.

*Don't stand too close to his treads! If you do, you won't have room to dodge his gears unless you move back (out of the offense position). Plus, if he gets stunned or jumps he may run into you, making you take -1 (from touch) then -5 (from swatting) and the VP will lose his stun.

*For those who prefer to stun from farther away, that works too. However, it is recommended you learn how to stun from up-close as well for solos. If you're far away, the VP won't be able to throw his gears at you so he will jump like crazy. That means he will be racing back up the ramp and you will have to keep jumping with him and re-positioning yourself as he moves up. It's faster and more accurate to stay close.

Dodging the VP's attacks while stunning:
~Watch for the VP to target you for an attack. Since you're alone, he will be targeting you pretty much non-stop.
~If you have a hard time seeing when the VP targets you, just press the TAB button a couple times so your view is from farther behind you. This will allow you to see the VP better.
~When he targets you in your stunning position, just move up a step closer to his treads. This works whether he throws or sprays gears. The gears will fly right over your head and you'll still be next to the hatch ready to stun. Move back again after the attack.
~Some people like to stand a few more steps back from the VP and wait for the hatch to open before they run up and pie it. Find what works best for you, just don't stand too far away or the VP will start jumping.
~When stunning, make sure you stand to the side of his hatch (behind his treads) or else the gears will fly out and hit you when his hatch opens and you'll miss the opportunity to stun him.

***Example Dodge & Stun***

***Pushing Back***

This is probably the easiest part for most people. Once the VP is stunned, move back and just tap your INS/DEL key over and over to slam those pies into the VP's face. Just position yourself so that your pies will hit the VP and you don't have to aim. The pies have to hit the VP's actual body (above the gear) to push him back. You can see where your pies are hitting from the yellow splats.

*Pushing him over and down that first ramp can sometimes be tough. For some people it works better to stand far away or to the side and pie from there. Some others prefer to keep close to him and aim their pies to hit him. If you have to stand close, you may want to tap/hold the key just a second longer so that your pies aim higher.

*The longer you fight the VP or further to the edge he gets, the shorter time he will stay stunned. You may only be able to hit him a couple times when he's near the edge but once you knock him over you can finally celebrate your victory!




Now hopefully you're a step closer to completing your solo! Good luck!!

---------------------------------------------------------------------------

Suggestions are welcome guys! I know many TCB members have already solo'd and most of us probably have different ways that we like to do it. I wanted this guide to be interesting and easy to understand for both advanced and less experienced players and I tried to cover as much as I could (maybe even too much). Let me know what you think.

[Good ol' Lefty]

Awesome Guide!!! Thanks for taking the time to do this, I'm sure many people are grateful!!!

[King Ricky]

Great Guide, I can see you didn't leave any rocks un-turned on this one. This truly is an awesome Solo Guide and if anyone has ever thought about challenging themselves, reading this will make you that much more prepared. It was a good read, easy to understand and gets to the point on what you need to know before taking the big lead. So my hats off to you MTJ on a truly great guide (How many times is truly in post? ugh sorry short vocab can't help it?).

[Master Knuckles]

This is the greatest gide EVER!! Thanks a lot!!!

[Blinky Trickyspinner]

Thanks for the tutorial!

[Doctor Mac]

Awesome Tutorial! I think Barnacle Bessie hits more if you sound before using. This would only be beneficial for level 12s, you could fog and use her. She's actually never missed for me, I've used her about 20 times. I also thought Flippy did +124 not +120, but I may be wrong. Once again, this is awesome. Must have taken a while.

[Crazy Chip]

Thank you so much for the guide!

[~Scarlet~]

Very nice guide! You covered everything beautifuly

I have had very good luck with Bessie too, never had one miss, and I have used a LOT. One thing to mention about LOM, many times he only lasts one round so beware.

I tried the trick with the tab key on the top ramp during my solo and it really messed me up. I found running around SO difficult lol, but I never use that view so maybe if you are used to using it occasionaly it would be helpful. As soon as I got him off the top ramp I switched views back to normal.

[MamaJ]

wow. Im impressed. Im still afraid to try though.

[MTJ]

Thanks! You guys with all your good luck make me sick though Wanna pass some this way?

Originally Posted by ~Scarlet~

I tried the trick with the tab key on the top ramp during my solo and it really messed me up. I found running around SO difficult lol, but I never use that view so maybe if you are used to using it occasionaly it would be helpful. As soon as I got him off the top ramp I switched views back to normal.

I know what you mean! I personally always run into everything when I change my view lol I guess we just aren't used to it. It's mainly only good for people who like the far away view so they can see the VP better.

I re-worded and added a few things for you guys. Thanks for the info!

[Tippin]

Someday I would like to try this so I have a question.

If I am down the ramp from him and stun him and without moving hit his upper body with a pie does he move towards me or away from me? Remember I am downhill from him.

[jkid]

Originally Posted by Tippin

Someday I would like to try this so I have a question.

If I am down the ramp from him and stun him and without moving hit his upper body with a pie does he move towards me or away from me? Remember I am downhill from him.

I have recently solod the VP so I hope you don't mind if I take a crack at you're question.


If you hit his chest behind him, he won't move at all. You've got to hit the front of his chest or head for him to move back down the ramps.
Hope that cleared it up.

[coolbule]

ty thats awesome gettin unites rite now

[King Max]

Great guide for people who like to solo the vp

[iamcatguy]

It would be nice if you had special advice for the trapless/lureless/soundless/dropless people.

~CCF~