Introduction

Immaterial and Missing Power, or IaMP, is a rather odd fighting game based on the Touhou, or Shrinemaiden Shmups series. While ZUN typically does all the programming for the shooters, he turned over the production of IaMP to Tasofro, the makers of Eternal Fighter Zero.

What Tasofro did was make a fighting game that recalled elements of shmup play. IaMP tends to confuse most players of traditional fighters on first play, as it plays nothing like a traditional fighter.

Game Mechanics

Controls

IaMP uses four buttons and one joystick. In general the buttons follow this pattern:

A, used for weak melee attacks close up and projectiles at long range.
B, used for strong melee attacks close up and projectiles at long range.
C, used for projectiles at all ranges.
D, used for dashing/grazing, hyper-jumping, and air dashing.

Yes, you read that right, at long range ALL your normal attack buttons shoot projectiles.

Directional command notation is as follows:

                   .- up (u)
                   |
  up+back (ub) - 7 8 9 - up+forward (uf)

      back (b) - 4   6 - forward (f)

down+back (db) - 1 2 3 - down+foward (df)
                   |
                   `- down (d)

Note: These numbers can be easily referenced by looking at your keyboard "numpad". Think of it as a joystick/controller that is facing to the right. "5" is used to signify "neutral".

Universal Maneuvers

These are techniques that all characters have access to.

Walk Towards: Hold 6
Walk Away: Hold 4
Dash/Run Towards: Tap 66 or 6D
Dash Away: Tap 44 or 4D
Crouch: Hold 1, 2, or 3
Jump Up: Tap 8
Jump Towards: Tap 9
Jump Away: Tap 7
Hyper Jump: Tap 1, 2, or 3 then 7, 8, or 9, or 7D, 8D, 9D
Airdash Towards: Tap 66 or 6D in the air
Airdash Away: Tap 44 or 4D in the air
Air Recovery: While in the air, press any button and a direction after hitstun ends
Bomb: Tap 22C
Spellcard mode: Tap 22D

Meters and Mechanics

Basic Strategy

Watch your spirit gauge. Throwing too many random consecutive projectiles is not cost effective against an opponent who knows how to graze well and leaves you open to being guard broken.

Use bombs to get out of tight situations like corner traps or to regain momentum. Hitting enemies with melee attacks while they are throwing projectiles frequently gives you bombs back.

There is almost NO real wake up game. The roll once you are knocked down is pretty invincible and moves quite a distance. That being said, it is almost always better to be in the air when someone is getting up so you can chase down where they roll very quickly with dashes.

Try to go into spellcard when you are low on life, but not when you are being repeatedly attacked, as your activation can be interrupted. A very common tactic is to bomb or knockdown an opponent, then go into spellcard.

Advanced Strategy

Game Versions

Characters

Useful Links

Caster Netplay: Currently the best netplay patch available. 120ms or under gives you 60fps with no input lag most of the time, allows spectators to boot. Only cons are frequent desynchs. Tested distances: New York-California (60fps, with spectators), New York-Sweden(60fps, however with one spectator frame rate dropped), California-Singapore (40? fps). Use the last file.