Q: I looked, but I saw nothing about doing Fatalities. What is it all about?

A: Fatalities are one of the items you can win through the trivia. So are Brutalities, Animalities, and Babalities. All of those can be used to finish your opponent. Friendships can be won from the trivia, too, but those are used to cancel Fatalties and Animalities rather than to finish an opponent.

Q: What is a jump considered?

A: "Jumping in" isn't any different gameplay wise than walking in. Either way, you're moving into hand-to-hand with the person and your action will be at -1 speed. The only ways to move into hand-to-hand without suffering -1 speed is to run in or to use a basic attack / special move / weapon attack that automatically moves you toward the person (like a teleport or jump kick).

Q: I know you can pull your weapon during a kombo, but does the weapon pull count as one of the hits in the kombo?

A: No. Since the weapon pull is normally a movement and doesn't actually cause you to make contact with your opponent it doesn't count as one of the hits in the kombo. For example, if Liu Kang did a jab/head kick/weapon pull/overhead slash kombo it would count as a 3 hit kombo with the jab, head kick, and overhead slash being the 3 hits. It can be inserted at any time during the kombo except at the beginning. The same applies to running. Feel free to E-mail me if you have any questions about specific kombos.

Q: I can use moves labelled ranged at hand-to-hand but I can't use hand-to-hand moves at ranged, right? Or can I only use projectiles at ranged distance?
Can a Kounter Move work on a projectile attack performed at hand-to-hand distance, provided the above applies?

A: A hand-to-hand move can only be used while at hand-to-hand with your opponent, and a ranged move can be used while at either distance.
Kounter Moves don't work against any projectile attack, even if the attack is done at hand-to-hand.

Q: Could you please give me a sample of what I'm supposed to send in for my first turn?

A: Every turn, you should send in the name of the action you want to use, the name of the movement you want to use, and what order you want to use them in. For example, if you want to block for your action, just send in "Block". If you want to do a basic attack, just send the name of the attack, like "Uppercut" or "Sweep Kick". Only the name of the attack is necessary. You don't have to send the speed and strength values or anything like that, I can look those up. The same applies to your movement if you choose to use one that turn. So your complete E-mail might look something like, "Walk in and Uppercut", "Flying Kick", "Run back to ranged then block", "Throw then pull weapon", or "Taunt", etc. All movements (walking, running, picking up a weapon, drawing your weapon), and actions (basic attacks, special moves, weapon attacks, blocking, dodging, kounter moves, kombos, taunting) should be done in a similar fashion.

Q: I just bought a copy of MK Trilogy and installed it, but I keep getting an error message when I auto detect my graphics card. The message says, "No supported VGA chip." I have an AGP Diamond Viper 4MG video card PII 300 64 SDRAM, BX M/B . . . so what is the problem?

A: You're asking the wrong person. MK Online doesn't have anything to do with playing the MK video games online and I am not qualified to help you with your problem. MK Online is an E-mail game whose gameplay is based on sending E-mails. I can't help with problems with the any of the MK video games. I suggest checking the instructions that came with your game for information on how to contact Midway with your problem.

Q: Does throwing your weapon count as a projectile for the purposes of "Projectiles Disabled" kodes?

A: Yes. Throwing a weapon is a projectile move, so it's affected by "Projectiles Disabled" and "Projectiles Encouraged" kombat kodes.

Q: Is it legal to use "pick up weapon" as my movement even if I have not yet dropped my weapon?

A: No, I'm afraid not. You can't choose pick up weapon as your movement for a turn unless there is a weapon on the ground and you're not holding a weapon. You're probably wanting to choose that movement as a safety net in case you drop your weapon that turn, but that would be an unfair move and therefore isn't legal in the game.

Q: I have to ask: What are the question marks in the character profile section for?

A: I knew somebody would ask that. Well, since they're in the character profile section they are obviously going to be characters to take up those spots eventually, but I'm not going to say when or how . . . or who. That's for some lucky player to figure out. :)

Q: I was wondering if there were going to be any special events. Like maybe a lightning round, where the person who gets the most trivia questions right gets 5 items. You know, just something special to interrupt fighting and normal trivia.

A: I really don't have anything like that planned, but that's not a bad idea. I may come up with some special hidden events or something like that. If you have any ideas for them it couldn't hurt to send them in.

Q: When high attacks are disabled, does that mean if I do a Kounter Move and it works then my Kounter doesn't work since it's a high attack (Shoryuken)?

A: Kounter Moves are not affected by kodes like "High Attacks Disabled", "Throws Disabled", "Special Moves Encouraged", and other kodes like that. The only kode effects that affect Kounter Moves are "Tech Disabled" and "Kounters Disabled".

Q: Lets say my opponent is at 10 hit points, and I have 2 Fatality items. Can I use both of them and kill my opponent?

A: Sorry, you can't combine items like that. You can't use a Fatality unless your opponent is at 5 hit points or less, even if you have two of them. However, if you have two Fatalities, that puts you in a good position because you can use your 2nd one if your 1st one gets cancelled by a Friendship.

Q: Lets say two opponents have not been responding. Eventually, after 3 turns of neither responding, they have to withdraw. What happens then? Can both players be forced to withdraw?

A: Well, first of all it's not a matter of "forcing" them to withdraw. It's just that if someone sends nothing in for 3 weeks straight, it's a pretty safe bet that they don't want to play, so I take them out to make room for people who do want to play. Also, if someone doesn't respond on their first turn, I take them out of the game. I've found that 9 times out of 10, if someone doesn't send anything in on the first turn, they're probably not going to send anything on any of the other turns. If two players who are matched up against each other both send in nothing for 3 turns, and are taken out of the game at the same time, they're just both taken out. No wins are recorded for that match.

Q: I am confused about tech kombos. Do I specify what each move is, or is it the number of hits has a set amount of damage?

A: You specify what you want each move to be. It's generally advised to start your kombo with a fast attack (since it's the first attack that decides whether the kombo hits or not), and use the stronger attacks near the end. You also have to remember a couple of things when choosing your moves. First, if a move knocks somebody back, you can't do a hand-to-hand move right after it unless you run first (for example, Liu Kang can't kombo a Flying Kick/Uppercut kombo unless he uses up 2 tech points to run after doing the flying kick). Also, the maximum damage your kombo can do is 10 points. Lastly, there are some moves that are listed as unusable in kombos.
Just as another point of advice, it's a good idea to think a little outside of combos that are possible in the video games. A lot more is possible in MK Online. For example, Rayden can do jump kick / body torpedo which is a possible kombo in several of the MK video games, but in MK Online he can also do things like throw / lightning toss which can't be komboed together in any of the MK video games. As long as it follows the rules for kombos as described on the rules page, it's a valid kombo.

Q: After a match has been finished but before the kodes have been changed, can I use one of the kodes I have already selected from a previous match, or can I only start using the same numbers after you switch the kodes? What about with trivia, or will you ever change the boxes?

A: The same player isn't allowed to use the same kode twice until I change the list of working kodes. That applies even if you win a match and go to another one, and also if you lose a match and signup again as a different character. Periodically, I do change the kode list, when I do, the set of working kodes will be different, and the discovery process will begin again. I'll also do that from time to time with the trivia numbers, but with one hundred of them and it only being possible to win up to 5 per match, it should be a while before I have to put the items in a different order. Whenever I make changes to the kodes or the trivia, it'll be listed in the updates section.

Q: Do I still get the +1 speed for dodging if my opponent doesn't attack?

A: No. To get the +1 speed, you have to choose to dodge for your action on a turn, and your opponent has to choose an attack for his action on the same turn. If your dodge is fast enough to dodge the attack, you get +1 speed against your opponent next turn. If the dodge is too slow or your opponent doesn't attack (instead chooses to block, dodge, or taunt), you don't get the +1 speed.

Q: Can anybody's teleport be done at hand-to-hand and they'll get the +1 speed? Akuma's says it'll move him to hand-to-hand, what if he is at hand-to-hand?

A: If your fighter has a teleport, and you use it at hand-to-hand you'll stay at hand-to-hand and get the +1 speed. If you think of it in terms of a real fight, the +1 speed is because you teleport behind your opponent, and it takes them a little time to turn around.

Q: Please could you give me an example of how I must type in the kombat kode?

A: Just send in a 3 digit number from 000 to 999. You get to send in a kode every turn. Most people send it in at the same time they send in their action.

Q: It was not too long ago that I saw some battles that had gotten started, like Goro vs. Shang Tsung. Nothing was happening, yet now I see Shang Tsung vs. Nightwolf. What happened? Did Goro forfeit?

A: Goro sent in nothing for the first turn, so I assumed he didn't want to play. I know players might not always have time to send their actions in, but if a player doesn't send in anything for 3 turns in a row, or doesn't send anything for their first turn, I assume they have no interest in playing the game and take them out to make room for players who do want to play.

Q: Do I E-mail what I want to do on my turn to you or to my opponent?

A: You should E-mail the name of the action you want to use, the name of the movement you want to use (if any), what order you want to do them in, your kombat kode, and your trivia answer to me ([email protected]). You really don't have to E-mail your opponent at all, unless you just want to.

Q: I don't understand how I block and dodge. Could you please explain it to me?

A: While you'll want to choose an attack most turns, on some turns you'll want to use a defensive action instead. That's what blocking and dodging are, defensive actions. You don't choose them at the same time as an attack, and you don't use either of them as your movement during a turn, using either counts as your action for that turn.
You'll want to choose block as your action if you're in a bad position to attack that turn. For example, if you're at -1 speed from falling or picking up a weapon or something else then you might want to block that turn since your attack will end up being really slow if you attack that turn. That way, you just take 1 damage if your opponent attacks instead of risking taking more. You might also use it when your opponent is powered up (with extra speed, strength, etc) or if you're just expecting them to do a big attack that turn and you want of avoid taking a lot of damage.
Dodging should be used to set up for attacks. The best time to use a dodge is after you've just used a fast attack, because then your dodge will be fast. If you successfully dodge your opponent's attack that turn, then you'll be at +1 speed for your next turn. Then on that next turn if you choose an attack for your action it'll be much more likely to succeed. That's when you'll want to use a strong attack or even a kombo.

Q: In the game, when you build your character up to be stronger than before, does your character have ANY special moves to begin with?

A: Every character starts out with an entire set of special moves that they can use right from the beginning. The move adding thing is just to add moves from other fighters to build up your character. You can see the special moves your character starts with in the character profile for your character.

Q: The description says that the character stays invisible until damage is taken. What happens if the character gets hit with a non-damaging move? For example, Sub-Zero's freeze. It'll freeze him, but will you not be able to see him still? What if they don't do a follow-up? Does the character stay invisible? What if they block the freeze?

A: The character would become visible like in the game when someone invisible is frozen. They don't take damage but they are made visible. If an invisible character blocks an attack that does no damage then they will still be invisible. Also, if Strong Block is in effect where no one takes any damage from blocking then they'll stay invisible until taking some block damage. Likewise, if the invisible character is using an Invincibility Shield where they take no damage at all then they will stay invisible until the effects wear off and they take damage. Basically, an invisible character must be stunned or hurt to be made visible.

Q: If you are invincible, what happens if you trade hits with the opponent when you were going to do a kombo? Is your kombo stopped even though you took no damage?

A: Yes. If you are invincible you still suffer the effects of the attack such as being knocked back or falling. Effects of getting hit also include stopping a kombo so your kombo will end if you get hit even though you aren't hurt. You only need to be hit to stop a kombo, not damaged. In fact, you can suffer damage as long as you are not hit and still continue a kombo. Example: opponent uses Trap and when you run in to use a kombo you take 2 points of damage automatically but since you weren't hit by an attack your kombo will work after you take the 2 points of damage.

Q: I have an extended strike. Can I use this at ranged to start a kombo?

A: Yes. If the extended attack hits and the next move in the kombo is a ranged attack then it will connect. It just has to fit all of the kombo rules.

Q: Can the extended strike be used in combination with a brutality?

A: Yes. For a Brutality to work you just have to hit with an attack of any kind. You could start a Brutality with an extended jab or a projectile attack if you want. Just make sure that you don't break the "maximum damage" rule.