Energy
Energy, or Power, is the life meter of the machine. It is not how much fuel it has, as that is indefinite. Energy is lost to Anti-Gravity Guide Beams, Craters (or Lava), Pull Magnets, Mines, Traps, Lasers, not landing softly after a jump (hold D-Pad down, F-Zero: Maximum Velocity, F-Zero: GP Legend, and F-Zero Climax only), other racers, stage-specific props (F-Zero GX only, such as Fire Field Undulation and using it's Jump Plate or Port Town Long Pipe), or objects specific to F-Zero GX Story, if the pilot collides with one. If the meter goes beyond zero, the machine explodes/crashes. In F-Zero and F-Zero: Maximum Velocity, it is optional but recommended to heal in pits. In F-Zero X, F-Zero GX, F-Zero: GP Legend, and F-Zero Climax, it is essential to use pits for boosting more than just a handful of times.
Body grade plays a role in how much abuse a machine can take if it takes damage. The lower the grade, the more the energy meter depletes. Conversely, lower scoring bodies fill up the meter much more quickly than higher scoring bodies.
When the meter is about 1/5 to 1/6 full, the game will issue audio and visual cues that the machine is at risk of exploding. The machine will blink white or red, twitch, or smoke. A warning siren will keep sounding until the pilot heals. Thrusters will change color. In F-Zero and F-Zero: Maximum Velocity, the more the machine takes on damage, the slower the machine's top speed is. F-Zero: Maximum Velocity, the boost doesn't reach max potential. The intensity of which all these effects happen depends on how much of that fraction is further reduced, meaning the far left it does all these things frequently while the far right, it does so infrequently.
Energy can be recovered by attacking.
In F-Zero, the body system is shown as MAX POWER. The higher the number, the more abuse the machine can take.
In F-Zero 99, maximum power increases every time the machine KOs a gray bumper or another player's machine. This power increase lasts through the entire race and the rest of the Grand Prix or Mini Prix in those modes. When the machine KOs another player's machine, their energy will be fully restored as well. However, KOing a bumper will only grant a slight increase to the machine's power.
Gallery
Lap 1
Lap 2+
| v F-Zero | |
|---|---|
| Pilots | Captain Falcon • Dr. Stewart • Pico • Samurai Goroh |
| Machines | Blue Falcon • Fire Stingray • Golden Fox • Wild Goose |
| Planets | Big Blue • Death Wind • Fire Field • Mute City • Port Town • Red Canyon • Sand Ocean • Silence • White Land |
| Tracks | Mute City I • Big Blue • Sand Ocean • Death Wind I • Silence |
| Mute City II • Port Town I • Red Canyon I • White Land I • White Land II | |
| Mute City III • Death Wind II • Port Town II • Red Canyon II • Fire Field | |
| Track Features | Anti-Gravity Guide Beam • Dash Zone • Jump Plate • Magnetic Field Block Coat • Mine • Pull Magnet • Pit • Rough |
| Mechanics | Boost • Drift • Energy • Rocket Start • Short Cut Foul |
| Modes | Grand Prix • Practice • Records |
| Other | Album • F-Zero: The Story of Captain Falcon • Mr. Zero • Official Recorder |
| v BS F-Zero Grand Prix / BS F-Zero Grand Prix 2 | |
|---|---|
| Machines | Blue Thunder • Fire Scorpion • Green Amazone • Luna Bomber |
| Venues | Big Blue • Death Wind • Fire Field • Forest • Metal Fort • Mute City • Port Town • Red Canyon • Sand Ocean • Sand Storm • Silence • White Land |
| Track Features | Anti-Gravity Guide Beam • Dash Zone • Jump Plate • Magnetic Field Block Coat • Mine • Pit • Pull Magnet • Rough |
| Mechanics | Boost • Drift • Energy • Rocket Start • Short Cut Foul |
| Modes | Free Practice • Grand Prix • Records |
| Others | Official Recorder |
| v F-Zero: Maximum Velocity | |
|---|---|
| Pilots | Alexander O'Neill • Blitz Wagner • Jane B. Christie • Kent Akechi • Kumiko • Lord Cyber • Megan • Mickey Marcus • Nichi • Professor Yazoo Jr. |
| Machines | Falcon MK-2 • Fighting Comet • Fire Ball • Hot Violet • J. B. Crystal • Jet Vermilion • Silver Thunder • Sly Joker • The Stingray • Wind Walker |
| Venues | Ancient Mesa • Beacon Port • Bianca City • Cloud Carpet • Crater Land • Empyrean Colony • Fire Field • Stark Farm • Silence • Synobazz • Tenth Zone East |
| Track Features | Anti-Gravity Guide Beam • Crater • Dash Zone • Jump Plate • Magnetic Field Block Coat • Mine • Motion Strip • Pull Magnet • Pit • Rough • Twist Plate |
| Mechanics | Boost • Blast Turn • Drift • Drift Turn • Energy |
| Modes | Championship • Demonstration • Grand Prix • Password • Records • Replay • Training |
