So, you may have heard about Armoured Core at some point in your life time, most likely 4/For Answer or 5 (don't buy it) and Verdict Day (I'm not sure on that). If you clicked on this topic, you either want to know more of it, or want to discuss stuff about the series (it's really in depth) and/or show off your ACs.
If you're the former, allow me to present a description of the first 3 series;
In the first few series, you are an AC pilot, widely known as 'The Raven'. Your job as a mercenary (which you always are in the games) is to go through any requests at the time, earning money to improve your AC to better suit your combat style. You'll start your mechanical adventure in a basic starter AC, which is relatively crappy, but not completely useless for your first batch of missions. Quickly, though, you'll get the money necessary to get new parts, but remember that there is not much of an AC that is able to kill all ACs, but rather there is a configuration that best suits your combat needs. (And if you need extra $$, you can indeed sell the starter parts) Remember, though; take too much damage or use too much ammo (apart from with Energy Weapons, as they'd realistically only need a recharge) and you'll have to pay a heavy tax, and if you are too inaccurate or get bombed too much, you will probably lose money - a reason to use cheaper ACs. If it wasn't hard enough, some games (only in 3rd gen) have limited lives, and Last Raven will do anything it can to kill you; if you're able to best THAT as your first AC game, you're ready for anything.
In the majority of the games, you can participate in arena matches; a ranked system in which you challenge fellow Ravens (some of which even appear in battle) right away, and with an obvious award in return. Some Ravens.. have no honor at all, and are unfairly powerful compared to you; ex. an AC with dinky little legs and yet nothing but REALLY heavy weapons: these are Human PLUS users. (You can get it yourself if you get -$50,000 somehow.) They have much higher weight restrictions, don't have to crouch down to use cannons, and usually have higher AP. You have the right to cheer if you beat them.
The customization of your mechs goes all the way into the reactor and cooling system. Here's the categories of the parts you need to take into consideration building an AC, and their various purposes.
Head: The sensor package of your AC, the Headpiece is quite possibly the most helpful piece on your AC, and without it you wouldn't even be able to go into battle. Some specifications to mind: bio-sensor, and sound supression.
Torso/Chest/Core: The very starting piece on your AC. It's where your arm sockets are, where you mount back weapons, and what you place on the legs. You don't need to go into big consideration of what to do with it, though.
Arms: An obvious necessity, Arm pieces are where you mount your arm weapons. They can make and break an AC's combat effectiveness; their accuracy and tracking speed are things to consider. Some arms come with weapons built in: they're usually heavier, though, and have less AP. Not to mention you can't attach weapons to the weapons..
Legs: It wouldn't be a mech without 'em. Legs come in 5 flavors (4 in the first 2 games); Bipedal which are suitable for anything not specialized, Reverse-jointed, which are good for jumpers, Quadruple/Centaur, which are for those who stay on ground, Tanks, where the gen 1 list ends, which are suitable for REALLY HEAVY ACs, and finally, gen 2-3 exclusive, Hover Legs, which are made JUST for speed, ya speed freeks. Oh joy, it's a rainbow of variety!
Generator: If you're gonna have a mech, it needs power. Generators are, of course, what make that power. You generally want a middleweight generator with alot of power output, or a long redzone, as those are the most effective. Remember, though, they do heat up alot.
Radiator: Your generators get really hot, so you want to keep them cool so you don't boil the mech; a middleweight Radiator with high coolant output and average emergency cooling is your best bet.
FCS (Fire Control System): It does not control fire (that's the radiator), it manages the weapons. I can't provide a good average: it's up to your weapons to decide what you want your FCS to be. Sniper Rifles work well with a long-range FCS, since you can pick off ACs at a range that they are helpless to shoot you from.
Boosters: You see ACs skiing around alot; they're all using Boosters. Again, it matters on your AC on what you choose: heavy boosters for heavy mechs, and light ones with good energy saving for light mechs. The last of the internal parts.
Shoulder: Little accesories for your mech's shoulders, these are usually not entirely necessary, though they can save you in some cases. They range from extra missiles, jammers, and bomb pods to extra thrusters.
Inside: Like the Shoulder, but inside your sholders.
Arm Weapon R: Now we're getting the interesting stuff. If you have weapon arms, you can't enjoy these, but if you have normal arms, then have fun with the joys of weapons! I honestly can not recommend a single thing at all, it's such a varied list. You have pistols, rifles, sniper rifles, FLAME THROWERS, MACHINE GUNS, AND BAZOOKAS as a basic summary.
Arm Weapon L: Usually only a laser blade though Arm Weapons have both arms loaded with guns or blades. Left Arm Weapons are all blades and shields in the first games, so you can choose between offense up close, or good defense. A popular blade is the MOONLIGHT, a laser blade that is sometimes paired with the KARASAWA laser rifle.
Back Weapons: R and L both have the same lists. It's light the Arm Weapon R, only you have some more choices, like radar packs, though unless you're unsure of where to shoot, they're often useless.
Optional Parts: FINALLY I can talk about these little things. Every core piece comes with a set number of slots; these slots can be filled with Optional parts, parts that improve some things about your mech. They're like buffs, so I don't really need to go into detail.
Huh? Confused?
Seem scarilly complex? Don't worry, it should make sense when you get into building and testing alot. Though, I do say alot.. oh, what am I saying? It really is quite complex. At least the game's nice enough to give a satistics chart for your AC.
If you're curious as to where you should start, then I'd recommend Armored Core 2 to get into the old series, or For Answer for those who like mechas that spend more time flying than walking. Just remember, though: try not to start with Last Raven. That's absolutely EVIL, and you'll get frustrated alot, maybe even thinking Armored Core is always frustrating; which it usually is actually relaxing to me.. hmm, I'm wierd.
Feel free to post about your favorite AC layout or discuss the games or ask questions or something. I'll be happy to find more AC players.
Oh boy, I just made enough text to fill a few pages of a Strategy Guide. Whoops.



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