My Life as a Spy

INTRO | MANUAL | FORUMS | MLAAS GOLD | BYOND

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Player's Manual

Getting Started

MLAAS runs inside of the BYOND environment. You will need to download BYOND's DreamSeeker software to play the game. If you already have BYOND installed, you can go directly to the game here. If a game is being hosted, you will see a "Join" link to log in.

During Beta, MLAAS is hosted Fridays at 10:00pm Eastern time. When the beta period is over (estimated at Nov. 1) we will attempt to keep the game available at all times.

When you log in, you will see the introduction screen, and you will be asked to enter a name for your character. Choose an appropriately spyish name, and hit OK. You will find yourself in a small beginner's area, displayed in the map panel on your screen.

If you already have a character saved, the initial prompt will let you load in that character, delete that character, or create a new one. You may save up to three characters in My Life as a Spy.

Map Panel

In the upper left corner of the game window is the map panel. This is an overhead view of your character and his surroundings. (Note, the position of this panel and the panels listed below may depend on the size of your computer monitor, as well as the resolution set in your Display control panel of your computer.)

Text Panel

The scrolling text panel is on the right of the screen. During play, you will see information on your progress, and events that are occurring around you. This area will also show messages typed in by you and other gamers.

Stat Panels

The stat panels are on the left, under the map panel. Click on the named tabs to bring each panel forward. These panels give you control and information about your character's status. You will see the following panels in this area:

Stats - The current condition of your character, including his name, rank, health, and protection scores.
Abilities - Your scores in six different spying abilities.
Inventory - Here you will see items belonging to your character. During play, you will purchase items, as well as find them on the ground to be picked up. When an item is in your inventory, you can get a description of it by clicking on it.
Verbs - These are actions you can perform in the game. Some verbs will always be on this panel, while other verbs will appear only when the situation warrants. In order to use a verb, simply click on it with the mouse. Alternatively, you can type the name of the verb in the command prompt.
Skills (Purple agency only) - This panel will only appear if you join the Purple agency. It lists the special skills the Purple agent has trained in.

Moving Around

If the Num Lock key on your keyboard is not already turned off, turn it off when you begin play. Use the number keypad to make your character walk around on the map. You can move horizontally, vertically, and diagonally by using the keys 1-9. You can also use the arrow keys to move around, but you won't be able to move diagonally in this case.

Interacting with Objects

As you walk around on the map, you will encounter objects that can be picked up or used by your character. If you hold the mouse over an object, the name of that object will appear in the lower left hand corner of the map. If you click and hold the right mouse button, you can often interact with an object. Usually, you will need to be standing right next to it to interact. You can try this in the beginner's area by walking up to the blue triangle with the question mark on it. Click and hold the right mouse button, and a menu will pop up with the name of the object ("information kiosk") and a submenu of verbs associated with it. You should see the verbs "get info" and "hide behind." Choose one, and see what happens.

Note also that these verbs become available on the verbs panel under the map while you are standing next to the kiosk.

Choosing an agency

There are four spy agencies in MLAAS, three of which are selectable when you make a new character. In the beginner's area, you will see three colored blocks marked "HQ" at the North side of the room. These represent the Black, Red, and Green agencies, and are actually remote entry points to the respective headquarters. Once you have decided which agency you would like to join, simply walk to HQ entry of your choice, and you will join that agency. Your character will now be colored to match his agency, and he will be taken to the agency's headquarters.

The Purple agency has tougher entry requirements, and you may not choose it at the beginning of the game.

Side Bonus

When you first enter the world, take a look at the text on the right. You should see something pop up labeled "Side Bonuses." If you don't know which agency to join, consider joining the one with the highest bonus. This is for the purposes of population balancing. Smaller agencies get training point bonuses for some missions. The beginner spy may find these bonuses helpful in quickly earning training points.

Agency Advantages

Each of the four agencies has its own advantages, and joining will often be dictated by the style of play you are in the mood for. Here are the main differences:

	Black Agency - Focus on equipment Black pays less for equipment bought at headquarters, and they also receive more money for equipment sold there. They have access to more and better weapons, and do not need as high weapons skills to use them. They are the only agency to get an insurance booth, which helps against equipment loss. Their base defense system is the strongest, which makes them a difficult target. Lastly, they are the only agency which may use the unique "XOP" equipment. This comes in a variety of reinforced clothing, and weapons with improved accuracy, and larger clips.
	Red agency - Focus on stats Red ability scores are easier to train, meaning they may find it easier to gain ranks more quickly. They are the only agency to have a stims vending machine in their headquarters, which will help boost their stats temporarily. They also have a rejuvenation booth, which will bring them quickly back to full health, if they are hurt.
	Green Agency - Focus on secrets Green agents are allowed to carry one more document than agents of the same rank on other agencies. This helps them deliver quickly and efficiently. Green also has a computer in their HQ that helps them track down the whereabouts of informants, which will make it even easier for them to deliver secrets. They get a small training point bonus on enemy weapons sold to their own vending machines, and they have a shortcut into the city inside their base. Last of all, they are the only agents that have access to a vending machine that sells bugging devices in their HQ.
	Purple Agency - Focus on unusual skills The purple spy has access to training in unusual skills, but must give up a lot in exchange for this knowledge. The purple spy may not use a gun, and is restricted in how much protective clothing he may wear. The restriction becomes tighter as he attains higher ranks. However, with each new rank, the purple spy may add one new special skill to his repertory. In addition, the purple spy has a mild resistance to glue guns and glue traps, which increases with rank. In spite of this, glue is the bane of the Purple spy's existence, since they are not able to use ranged weapons.

Your Headquarters

When you first appear in your headquarters, you will find yourself in the "spawning bin." This is a somewhat safe area, but do keep on your toes. The enemy forces can get downright sneaky sometimes! Fortunately, when you first enter the world, you are immune to enemy attack. This immunity disappears as soon as you receive a reward for a mission, make money by selling an item, or perform any hostile action. You can visually identify immune "newbies" by the pink halo surrounding their character's icon.

Headquarters Booths

You should become familiar with all of the permanent fixtures within your headquarters. These are items you will need to use throughout the game.

	Training Kiosk - Here you can choose your spy's major and minor ability, and train in order to increase your ability scores. (See Choosing Your Focus and Skills below.) You can also save your character here, though it is usually not necessary, since you are automatically saved when you log out or gain a rank.
	Documents Clerk - The clerk will give you secret documents for delivery.
	Vending Machines - There are several vending machines in your headquarters, as well as scattered throughout the game world. Choose "purchase" from the pop-up menu, and you will get a new stat panel showing you the items for sale from that machine. Clicking once on an item will give you its description and price. A double-click will purchase that item if you have enough money. The description will show the price for the item in red if your funds are insufficient for its purchase.
	Security Devices - These devices protect your headquarters from invasion. They are designed to send an electrical shock through the bodies of unauthorized persons inside headquarters. They are not foolproof, however. Spies wearing the proper colored mask will easily fool the security devices.
	Lockers - A locker is a safe storage area for items you don't wish to carry at the moment. No one but you can retrieve items you place in the locker, and all items will be safely stored when you log out of the game.
	Bulletin Board - Use this to communicate secrets with your team. The bulletin board is the only means of communication within the game that is 100% secure, so your most closely guarded secrets should be here. When one of your teammates posts a message, you will be alerted so that you can check into headquarters, and read up on the latest news.
	Cell Scanners - These are the pulsating web-like squares you'll find in the doorways of your headquarters. Only spies in the same colored agency as the scanner will be able to pass while these are active. When you pass through the scanner, it will deactivate for about three seconds, so be careful not to let unauthorized visitors in as you come and go.
	Rejuvenation Booth (Red only) - Use this booth to gain health back at a much faster rate than normal. You must stand still for the effect to work.
	Insurance Booth (Black only) - Use this booth to insure your equipment against loss. Normally when you die, there is a chance you will drop some equipment. Insurance will decrease that chance. Insurance comes in three levels, with the highest level protecting the item against loss in almost all cases.
	Datanet Computer (Green only) - Use the computer to help track down informants you are looking for (see Informants below). The computer is hooked into the many drop boxes throughout the game maps, each of which will report in if an informant has been nearby. If you know the location of the drop box, you can quickly run to try and find the informant before he strays too far.
	Missions Clerk - The Missions Clerk will offer you several of the easier missions in the game. One of first missions you may want to complete is the Mission of the Good Name. This will lock your character's name to your BYOND key, making sure that no one else can use that name for their own character.
	Skills Trainer (Purple only) - The Purple agency skills trainer will offer the purple spy one new skill at each attained rank. Use the train verb to see a list of available skills. You will see the names of the skills, and the minimum rank needed for each. Clicking on a skill will give you a description of its usage and effect. Double-clicking on it will train you in that skill, as long as you do not yet have as many skills as your rank, and as long as your rank is high enough for that particular skill.

Choosing Your Focus

Before training in abilities, you must first pick your major and minor focus at the training kiosk. The different focuses are Brawn, Stealth, Traps, Weapons, and Intelligence (Perception + Influence). Choosing your major ability will immediately increase rating of that ability by a large amount. It will also allow training in that ability at a reduced rate. Choosing your minor ability will immediately increase the rating of that ability by a small amount. It will also allow training in that ability at a slightly reduced rate. Choosing Intelligence as a focus will affect both Perception and Influence.

Abilities

Brawn - Affects your maximum health, all protection ratings except electrical, and weaponless combat. At higher levels, allows you to push and pull boulders.
Stealth - Affects your ability to hide, effectiveness of masks, and chance to be noticed when hacking or placing a trap.
Perception - Your ability to notice people hacking, setting traps, and to see through their masks. Also the ability to find traps and hidden cameras in an area search.
Traps - This skill affects the damage done by your traps, the difficulty in finding them in an area search, and the ease at which you disarm your enemy's traps.
Weapons - Affects the damage done by your weapon, and determines how high a quality of weapon you may wield.
Influence - Affects prices at the vending machines, and the chance of losing items when you die. Spies with high influence may be allowed to carry more documents at one time.
Dodge - Affects your chance of being hit. Also your chance of being stuck when hit by a glue gun.

Training Abilities

As noted above, abilities are trained at the training kiosks. You must pick a major and minor focus before being allowed to train in any abilities. When you choose to train at the kiosk, you will be shown a new stat panel that will show you the names of the abilities. The text panel will show you the current prices in training points for each ability. The price will rise as your ability level rises. You receive discounts on the prices for your focus abilities. The highest you may train an ability is 120.

Communicating

There are several ways to communicate with other players in MLAAS. The easiest is by typing "shout" and your message in the command box. Your message will be heard by spies throughout the MLAAS world. If you do not want everyone to hear your message, you can communicate with those who are nearby by typing "say" and your message. Your message will be heard by spies who are in the area currently displayed on your map.

By far the most interesting means of communication is the spy radio. You may purchase a radio at the "gadgets" vendor. Have your spy friends all tune to the same frequency, and you can communicate with each other without the other teams hearing.

The most secure means of communication is the headquarters bulletin board. Messages typed here can not be read by enemy agents at all. All other communication has the chance of being overheard, even if you don't think there is anyone there to hear it! Whenever you post a new message on the bulletin board, all spies on your team are notified. The board will only display the four most recent posts.

Etiquette

My Life as a Spy is a social game, and it is meant to be fun for those wishing to interact with others. While some filters are in place to keep language somewhat clean, it should be noted that these serve merely as a warning, and not as a failsafe method for keeping things nice in the communications channels. Those players who like to annoy, bicker, curse, spam, etc., will be removed from the game.

Tip Sheets

Scattered throughout the maps are tips sheets for your use. Each gives a little nugget of knowledge that may give you ideas about how to spy more effectively. Until you become very familiar with the ins and outs of the game, you should pick these up as you see them, and read each one. There are quite a number of tips to be found on these sheets. The tip sheets are constantly being updated and added to, so if you haven't read one in awhile, you might want to pick a few more up.

Boulders

Scattered throughout the maps you will see some large boulders. Agents with enough brawn can push these around, and block off passages from each other. An even higher brawn is needed to push more than one boulder at a time, or to pull a boulder. The highest levels of brawn will make pushing three stacked boulders possible.

Earning Training Points

In order to advance your character, you're going to want to train as much as you can. But training costs training points (TP), and you have to earn those. TP are earned for the following activities:

Delivering documents from HQ to drop boxes or informants
Delivering neutral and enemy documents to HQ
Having enemies attempt to use machines you have hacked
Selling enemy weapons at your own HQ
Killing enemies

Likewise, you can lose TP for the following activities:

Using a hacked machine
Being killed by an enemy
Killing someone from your own agency
Dropping a document when you die

Making Money

You're also going to need money to purchase needed equipment. Money is made in the following ways:

Delivering HQ and neutral documents to drop boxes or informants
Selling equipment to the vending machines
Completing some missions.

Drop Boxes

Drop boxes are destinations for documents. They are controlled by forces unknown to you, but it is evident that your agency has ties to these forces. By delivering documents to the boxes, you will earn cash and training points. But each document has its own destination box, and cannot be dropped in the wrong one.

Clicking on a document will tell you its destination. If you know where the box is, you are all set. All you need to do is run to the box, and choose "Drop off documents" from its verb pop-up list. You will instantly be rewarded for your efforts. Some boxes are harder to find than others, so when you see a new one, it is a good idea to make a note of its name and location. Holding the cursor over the box will show you its name in the lower left corner of the map.

Informants

Informants are also destinations for documents. Some times the description of a document will tell you that it is intended for a named informant, and it will then be your duty to track him down and give it to him. These missions are a little more difficult because you won't know exactly where to find the informant. Once you do find them, you must figure out how to deliver the document to them. This is left for the player to discover, but it will be well worth it; these documents are typically worth more money than the ones that go to the drop boxes. There are a total of six informants.

NPCs

Sometimes you may chance upon a spy wearing a different color cloak than the standard Black, Red, Green, or Purple. You have just met a NPC (non-player character). These are computer-controlled spies who sometimes roam the game. Most of them have a purpose in the game... usually to give or accept a mission. Sometimes you may have to do battle with one of these spies to get an important item.

Missions

Missions consist of a series of tasks you must perform in order to receive a specific reward. Rewards come in the form of unique items, training points, or cash. Most missions involve picking up a mission folder from a mission starting point. A starting point will be your HQ missions clerk, an NPC, or a hidden or restricted location you must discover for yourself. When you accept a mission, you will find a mission folder in your inventory. Choose "open" from the folder pop-up menu to read the details of the mission.

Opening a mission folder will create a new stat panel on your screen. Here you can read about the mission requirements and reward. Click on each requirement to see the details of the items you must retrieve. These items must be found, and dragged from your inventory window onto the mission folder icon. Click on the reward item (if there is one listed) to get the stats of the reward item. Most of the rewards are items that are not otherwise obtainable in the game.

Once all items have been found, the folder will be marked as complete. The description will tell you where to take the folder. When you are standing next to the folder's destination, click on the "Submit" button within the folder, or type "submit" in the text entry screen. If the folder is complete and you are at the correct destination, the folder will disappear, and be replaced with the reward for that mission.

What Should I Do First?

It's time to get rolling! Your agency is waiting for you to prove yourself, so let's start with the easy stuff first.

Go to the documents clerk in your headquarters, and pick up two documents. If you are a green spy, you will be allowed to pick up three documents. You will also be allowed to pick up more documents as your rank and influence increase. For now, just pick up as many as the clerk will allow.

Click on the documents for a description of each. The text panel will show you the type of document, the destination for the document, and the reward in TP and cash for its delivery. If you don't want to accept the mission, you can destroy the document by right-clicking on it, and choosing "destroy" from the pop-up menu. The clerk doesn't like to give too many documents in too short a span of time, so he may ask you to wait a moment before accepting a new one.

Most of the beginning document destinations will be in the countryside, which is where your headquarters is located. This means you shouldn't have to wander too far. Now it's time to take a look around for those boxes or informants. The boxes all have fairly logical names, and they shouldn't be too hard to locate. For example, if the destination box is "Southeast Dropbox," it's probably in the southeast corner of the map. The boxes in the city and mall are a little harder to locate by name.

Go find the box and drop off your document. But do be wary of lurking enemy spies. They would love to get their hands on those documents! If you safely drop the document, you will be rewarded with some cash, and a couple of training points. Drop off a few more documents, and you'll be able to train up some skills again.

Neutral Documents

As you wander around, you may see some yellow documents scattered about. These are neutral documents that are not produced by any of the four agencies, but which are of value to your leaders. These documents may also be dropped at their destination for a reward, but if you prefer, you may take them to the documents clerk in your headquarters for a reward that is higher in training points (but lower in cash). If your goal is to train quickly, you will probably want to turn them in at HQ. If you are low on cash, deliver them to their destination.

Enemy Documents

It is very difficult to get your hands on enemy documents. Usually, it requires killing an enemy who happens to be carrying one. Upon death, there is a chance the document will drop, but there is no guarantee. If you manage to pick one of these up, hurry it back to HQ for a very nice reward from the documents clerk. Some of the more sensitive documents from higher ranked enemies will be worth quite a bit.

Rank

As you train your abilities, you will eventually be promoted to a higher rank. Your rank is calculated by taking your average ability score, and dividing it by 5. For example, if your average ability is 15, you will be rank 3. When you are promoted, the world gets an announcement of your accomplishment... it also serves as a warning! For when your rank increases, you will get a slight boost in your maximum health, your mission rewards will be greater, and you will find yourself a more effective agent overall.

Be wary of those with much higher ranks than yourself. You can get a general idea of another agent's rank by looking at the yellow rank indicators he wears on his chest. The first indicator is earned at rank three, and is a short line. Thereafter, a rank increase will either increase the length of the line, or add another line. A rank 20 spy will have six long lines.

Fighting

Make no mistake about it, you will probably have to do some fighting at times. The agencies don't exactly get along with each other well, but at least your teammates should be helpful to you. It's time to prepare yourself!

After you have made some money, you will probably want to arm yourself. While you can do battle without a weapon, fists are generally not as deadly as a nice Desert Eagle. Especially if you have to stand right next to your enemy, but he likes to run away shooting. Go to the weapons vendor, and take a look at the selection. Before you buy anything, make sure you have enough money, and that your weapons ability is high enough to use that particular weapon. The price and ability requirements will be listed in red if you you cannot purchase or use the weapon. Weapons may also have special damage types, such as chemical damage, or special effects, such as the ability to glue your opponent in place.

After you find a suitable weapon, select "Equip" from its pop-up menu. Now you should see the weapon in your inventory, and it should be marked "equipped." Remember, if it isn't equipped, you aren't ready to fight!

Fighting is actually very simple in MLAAS. All you need to do is click on your opponent when he is within range of your weapon. The description of the weapon will tell you its range, which is simply the number of map squares away. Fists and knives always have a range of 1, while guns have ranges from 2 to full visual range. As you fight, you may see your health decreasing. If it gets too low, it might be time to bail out, and get out of there as fast as you can! Don't worry, your health will quickly raise back to its old level as you heal.

If you like to fight, you'll have fun with this. If not, you can always try to run away to safety!

Protection

Protective clothing is available in vending machines throughout the game map. The description for each piece will show you how much and what type of protection(s) it offers. Fighting without adequate protection could be asking for trouble!

Dying

When people run around with guns and knives, it's inevitable that someone is going to die. It's true in real life just as it is in this game. However, unlike real life, dying isn't all that unpleasant a notion in MLAAS. It does have its set-backs, but at you'll be up and on your feet again in seconds. Here are the effects of dying:

You may lose TP, and your opponent may gain the same amount. The amount earned is based on your rank relative to your opponent's. If your opponent is of a higher rank, he may not take any TP from you at all, but if he is of a lower rank, he may earn a lot.
You may drop one or more items. If this happens, your opponent will most likely grab the items and do with them what he pleases. The chance of dropping items goes down with an increase in your influence ability, and also if the items are insured by the Black agency's insurance booth. If you drop any of your agency's documents, you will lose training points, as you have likely just given away vital secrets!
You will reappear in your headquarters' spawning bin, which is usually a safe area for you to sit and lick your wounds.
Your health will return to about half of its maximum, and you will begin to heal.

Enemy Weapons

You leaders will be much impressed if you bring back an enemy weapon. You can tell an enemy weapon by its color. The weapons you buy at your headquarters will be the color of your agency, so weapons with enemy colors come from your enemies' headquarters. Sell these at your home base for extra cash and a few TP reward.

Witnesses

In your travels, you will see a number of innocent bystanders walking around. It is important to not let them know about your spying activities. If they see you commit an act of aggression, they will try to run away and report you to the police. If they manage to get away, your leaders will become upset with you, and take some TP, and possibly some skill points away. Depending on the nature of what they witnessed, you may be fined from just a couple of TP to quite a lot if they see you murder someone.

Hiding

Increasing your stealth ability will let you hide increasingly well. Any spy may hide behind large objects by walking up to them and choosing "hide behind" from the pop-up menu. If no such option appears, then you may not hide behind that object. Some objects, such as large trees, will obscure you from vision simply by walking behind them. Depending on your stealth skill, using "hide behind" will also blend you into the background somewhat, making it harder still to see that you are there.

Agents with a high enough stealth skill can actually hide out in the open. Type "hide" in the command panel, or click on "hide" in the verbs panel to begin to hide. You will see your agent begin to fade away, though he will still be partially visible. The effectiveness of hiding in this manner will depend partially on the color of the agent and the color of the terrain. For example, green agents hide very well in the grass of the countryside. Black agents hide better on the streets of the city. Red agents hide best on the red carpeting found in the mall area. Purple agents hide somewhat well both in the city and in the mall.

Using Traps

Traps are purchased from the gadgets vending machines. Traps come in several varieties, so you'll have read the description of each to get an idea for what you want. There are explosive, electrical, gas, glue, and possibly other types of traps. Some of them have a range rating, which will actually damage anyone who is nearby when the trap goes off. If someone is killed by your trap, you get credit for the kill, the same as if you had just plugged them with your weapon.

To set a trap, choose "set trap" from its pop-up menu. The trap will be set on the square you are standing on. Don't try to set a second trap on the same spot, as that will trigger the first trap, and cause you damage. You and your teammates will see a large "X" where you have laid the trap, so that you can easily avoid setting them off. Just remember: if you see an "X," don't step on it!!

If an enemy is in the area with you when you set the trap, they may notice you doing it. The chance they will notice is based partially on chance, partially on your stealth ability, and partially on their perception ability. If you see the message that someone has "done something fishy," they may have just set a trap.

If you suspect that an enemy has set a trap nearby, use the "search area" verb to do a quick inspection of the area. Finding a trap is based partially on luck, partially on your perception skill, and partially on your distance from the trap. If you manage to find one, it will show up as an "X" wherever it was set. It will have a color that matches the color of the agent who set the trap.

Now that you know where the trap is, you can attempt to disarm it. Stand next to the trap, and click on "disarm trap" in the verbs panel. This will bring up a window showing you the traps you are standing next to (that you can see), the types of traps, and the chance of disarming each one. You may then choose to either disarm the trap, or just walk away. If you try to disarm it, be warned that an incorrectly disarmed trap will spring and hurt you. Your chance of disarming is based on luck, your traps ability, the traps ability of the person who set it, and the quality of the trap.

Infiltrating

Infiltrating enemy headquarters is an art, not an exact science. There are many ways to get inside, and many reasons to do so. Here are some ways of getting in:

Blast a hole in the wall with plastic explosives
Come in through the front door when someone else comes out, or follow somebody in.
Wear a very high quality mask, which will fool the cell scanners, and walk in at your leisure.

Here are some reasons to get in:

Hack your enemies machines
Lay traps inside their headquarters
Use their machines, especially the ones unique to that base. This can only be done with a high quality mask.
Wreak havoc with your weapon against your enemies.

The danger of being inside an enemy base is that the base has a natural security system built in. Unless you are wearing a mask of the appropriate color, the security devices will shock you with an electrical bolt every few seconds. The security devices can be hacked to prevent the shock, but most areas of the bases are covered by at least two of the devices.

Even if you are wearing a mask, you may be unmasked by a perceptive agent. It could be very dangerous to be masked and inside when an agent with a high perception score walks by.

Items

Here are some of the items you will find in-game. Many more exist than appear on this list, of course, but you'll have to discover the rest on your own.

	Weapons - Knives, Glock, WalterP99, Desert Eagle, Rain, Glue Gun
	Clothing - vests, gloves, boots, lab coats, gas masks, radiation hoods, rubber pants, waders. Most of these offer protection in some form or another. Waders allow you to cross water when worn.
	Health Packs - These heal you. They have limited charges.
	Stims - These will boost different abilities for a short time. They have limited charges.
	Radios - Radios can be used to communicate with each other by setting the frequency to match that of your friends' radios.
	Cyanide Pills - This is the "safe" way to die. Swallow one if you are stuck in an enemy base and under attack. Dying by cyanide will: safely destroy any documents you are carrying keep you from losing TP from the death keep your enemy from gaining TP from the death lower the chance that other items are dropped.
	Masks - Masks can be worn to fool your enemies into thinking you are one of them. They come in four different colors, one for each team. The higher the quality mask, the more you can accomplish with it. In order of difficulty, you can do the following: take on a randomly generated name take on the name of one of your enemies (depends on your stealth as well) fool enemy vending machines into selling to you fool enemy special booths into letting you use them (rejuvenation, insurance, Datanet computer) fool enemy cell scanners to let you through Masks can be seen through by agents with high perception skills. The chance to see through a mask is based partially on luck, partially on the mask-wearer's stealth, and partially on the surrounding agents' perception skills. When a mask is seen through, it is permanently destroyed. Masks are also destroyed as soon as you attack someone.
	Bugs - These are sold in the green base, but can also be found lying about at times. To use a bug, set it, and bump into an enemy. The bug will be invisibly planted on them, and activated. There are bugs to listen to enemy communications as well as bugs to temporarily deactivate enemy cell scanners when they are walked through. There are unconfirmed reports of other types of bugs as well.
	Cameras - Cameras help secure your headquarters, and can also earn you a few training points if you're lucky. If you are having trouble with masked enemy spies coming in your base, hacking machines, and setting traps, you will probably want a camera or two to keep them at bay. Select "plant" from the verb list, and the camera will install where you are standing, appearing to you and your team mates as a dimly flashing camera icon. Any time an enemy does any suspicious activity in your HQ, and is within range of a camera, there is a chance the activity will be noticed, and you will be awarded training points, while the perpetrator will be penalized. The chance increases with the quality of the camera, and decreases with the perpetrator's higher stealth score. Each camera has a limited amount of built-in battery power before it stops transmitting, so if they have served their purpose, you may want to pick them up before they run out. Use the "stop cameras" verb to expose your own cameras, so that they may be picked up. When infiltrating a base, it may be prudent to search the area before setting traps or hacking machines. Use the "search area" verb to look for these cameras. Any cameras found will be disconnected, and may be picked up for your own use. Note that disconnecting cameras can itself be considered suspicious activity, so any undiscovered camera will catch you on tape, and you will still be penalized. Obviously, cameras set in pairs are even more secure than single cameras.
	Explosives - This is the forceful way of getting the job done. An explosive will blow a hole through a wall, and through anyone unfortunate enough to be standing next to it when it goes off. To use it, set it and run away quickly. You have about three seconds before it goes off, so be careful. Walls that have been blown through will rebuild themselves in a minute or so. Explosives will also destroy boulders, but they can not blow through the steel walls.
	EMP Bombs - These bombs will not harm anyone, but they will disable all machinery in the area with an electromagnetic pulse. The machines will repair themselves shortly, but it's a nice little goodbye present when leaving an enemy base.
	Smoke Bombs - These are great for disorienting your opponent so you can slip away, or to keep them bumping into walls or traps. Setting off a smoke bomb produces a very thick cloud of white smoke that is almost impossible to see through, thereby making it almost impossible for battle to take place. The smoke will dissipate in a few moments, so make your escape quickly!
	Traps - The workings of traps are listed above. There are many good trap setting strategies. Choose well-traveled pathways, and try using them in conjunction with one another to be extra effective.
	Bug Scanners - These handheld devices will scan you for any hidden bugs planted by your enemies. They have limited charges.
	Cell Scanners - These are portable doorways that you can drop, and keep enemies from passing through. They work the same way that the permanent cell scanners at your headquarters work, except that they disappear after a few minutes. To set one, you simply drop it where you wish to restrict your enemies' movements.
	Hacking Devices - In order to hack machines in your enemies' headquarters, you must have at least one hacking device in your possession. A high quality hacking device will cause a machine to go down for a longer time. If an enemy attempts to use the machine while it is hacked, you will earn a few TP from them. The higher their rank, the more you will earn. Note that you may use Save, Choose Major, and Choose Minor from a training kiosk without being penalized if it is hacked.
	Special Items - There are other items in the game which can only be found by completing a mission. Some of these give you unique abilities, or duplicate skills otherwise only useable by the Purple team. The number, type, and availability of these items is constantly changing, and will not be listed here.

Locations

The Country - The country is where Green, Red, and Black agents have their main headquarters. This area contains the drop boxes for the lower paying beginner's missions. Some interesting features are the brook and a couple of ponds, and a neutral vending machine in the Southern region.
The City - The city has a smaller base for each of the four teams, where they can purchase higher quality items, but which do not contain documents clerks or special booths. There are several secrets to be found in the city, including false walls and hidden vendors. This is also where the infamous hedge maze is. Inside the maze is a high price drop box, but navigating the maze is dangerous with any enemies nearby.
Waverly Mall - The mall is a somewhat smaller area, and is mostly indoors. There are more drop boxes inside, as well as a few other interesting features left for the player to discover. Outside and to the West is the main Purple headquarters.

The Purple Agency

Joining the Purple agency is a personal mission to be accomplished by the player in-game. It will require discovering the recruiting process, as well as meeting certain requirements. In addition you must have a MLAAS gold membership.

Purple Skills

Here is a partial list of the special skills Purple agents may acquire, their effects, and rank needed to train the skill. A full list may be found in-game only.

Cross Water (1) - The agent can cross any water freely without waders.
Deep Breath (1) - The agent's natural resistance to gas is greatly raised. The resistance increases with rank.
Poison Blade (2) - The agent's blade is always poisoned. The strength of the poison rises with rank.
Immunity (3) - The agent is completely immune to poison.
Heft (3) - The agent has increased maximum health. The amount increased rises with rank.
Track (4) - The agent can track informants and other agents in the area.
Quick Heal (5) - The agent's natural healing rate is increased. The rate rises slightly with rank.
Safe Document (5) - Documents the agent carries are less likely to be dropped upon death.
Safe Item (6) - The agent's equipment is less likely to be dropped upon death.
Safe Death (6) - If invoked beforehand, will automatically destroy an agent's documents, and protect him from training point loss upon death. May be used once every 25 minutes, and lasts for 8 minutes.
Complete Hide (7) - Renders the agent completely undetectable. The agent cannot be seen, heard, tracked, or attacked, and will not be listed using "who." May be used once every 20 minutes, and lasts until the agent moves.
Sneak (8) - The agent can move while hidden.

Future of the Game

Members of the BYOND community may check out coming changes for the game on the Big Spy List. Known bugs and fixes are listed here, as well as suggestions by the spying community.

MLAAS is a small potatoes production, and cannot survive without the occasional donation. Please help keep this game up and running by donating a buck or two through PayPal.