Armored Core
Armored Core is a mecha-based video game series for the Playstation and Playstation 2.
Storyline
Each game's story revolves around a group of AC-piloting mercenaries known as the Ravens, who take on any mission regardless of who requests it or the circumstances involved.
Armored Core
In the presumably distant future, the vast majority of Earth's population is wiped out by a cataclysmic war known as the Great Destruction. The harsh conditions that result force the few remaining survivors to live underground for fifty years, during which corporations come to power. The two largest corporations, Chrome and Murakumo Millenium, constantly battle each other for supremacy, causing significant strife among the populace. However, the competition provides endless opportunities for the Ravens, mercenaries who exist independently of the corporations.
Armored Core 2
Sixty-seven years after the events of the first game, the largest corporation on Earth, Zio Matrix, acquires plans for a research project on Mars, dating back before the Great Destruction. Using these plans, Zio sends a research team to Mars to begin the Terraforming Project, which causes the Martian surface and atmosphere to approximate that of Earth. Other corporations quickly learn of the project and quickly follow Zio, bringing with them the competitive environment that existed on Earth.
Gameplay
The player controls a giant robot called an armored core, or AC for short. The game is primarily a third-person shooter.
The key feature of all Armored Core games is that the player can build and customise their robots themselves. Robot parts can be be bought from or sold to the Shop. As the game progresses, the player can earn credits which can be used to buy new parts.
Armored Core
The game starts with the player engaging in a test to become part of the "Raven's Nest". It simply involves destroying two Muscle Tracers, or MTs, before being destroyed oneself. Upon passing this test, the player receives mission requests from corporations and other groups. Missions generally pay higher as difficulty increases. Depending on which missions are chosen, the story progresses differently. The player can also read mail from various senders, and observe the rankings, which are based on mission success rates.
Armored Core 2
Similar to the first game, the player must destroy several MTs to be initiated into a Raven organization called Nerves Concord. Afterward, the player can take on missions from different groups. There is a new option, the Arena, which allows Ravens to compete against each other in battle. Arena victories win the player credits, and in some cases, powerful AC parts.
Anatomy of an AC
The structure of an AC is standardised and modular, consisting of a number of parts which are fitted together in the AC Garage. Radiators, inside parts, extension parts, and hovering legs are found only in Armored Core 2 and subsequent games.
Required parts
An AC must have all of these parts in order to function, or it will be declared incomplete.
Head
Contains visual sensors. May also contain radar and computing equipment. Some heads are better armored than others, but at the cost of lacking extra sensor equipment.
Core
The 'armored core' from which the robot and the game series take their name. The human pilot sits inside the core, which is the 'torso' of the robot.
Cores come in different weights to suit different styles of robot; the lighter ones are less well protected but more suitable for more mobile ACs. Similarly, there are highly defensive heavyweight cores.
Cores contain a number of slots into which Optional Parts can be placed to improve its operation. Also, some cores have built-in anti-missile systems.
Since Armored Core 3 there have been two types of core:
- Overboost core - introduced in Armored Core 2, this core contains a high powered booster system that operates in combination with the external or leg based booster of an AC. When activated, it allows the player's AC to move at amazingly high speeds, but can only be used to move forward, left, right, or diagonally left or right at a forward angle, backward movement is impossible. While it offers a tremendous amount of extra speed, Overboosting both drains energy very quickly and causes a massive increase in the core's heat level when initially used. These two factors heavily limit the amount of time an Overboost function can be used.
- Exceed Orbit core - introduced in Armored Core 3, this core contains one or more orbital pods that can be deployed to hover above the AC and retracted at will. They possess energy weapons and will automatically target and shoot enemies. The rate of fire, power, and field of vision for EO pods varies from model to model. Unlike other energy weapons, the ammunition supplies of Exceed Orbit pods gradually regenerate over time when not in use. Two important factors that limit Exceed Orbit usage are the small amounts of added heat that occur whenever an EO pod is deployed, as well as the energy drain from the pod firing.
Arms
There are two types of arms; normal arms capable of holding weapons, and weapon arms that are weapons.
Normal arms have various differing attributes; the most important are the weight and defensive qualities, which are usually related - heavier arms are better armored. Other attributes are recoil control, which keeps the arm steady whilst firing, and reaction speed, which determines how quickly the robot can swing a laserblade.
Weapon arms sometimes possess two different firing modes, and are more powerful than ordinary weapons because they can be fired from two arms at once. However, they are greatly lacking in defense compared to normal arms. Weapon arms can be useful in keeping the weight of an AC down, as they are lighter than having separate arms and weapons.
Legs
The legs support the AC on the ground and determine how it moves, and are usually the part by which an AC is classified. There are several different kinds of legs:
- Biped - classic humanoid-style. Comes in many different weights, speeds and strengths. Bipedal ACs are limited in that they must kneel down to use many of the back-unit weapons (except for missiles and rockets). This takes time and also leaves them unable to move whilst firing.
- Reverse-joint - also bipedal, these legs resemble those of a bird. Reverse-jointed ACs tend to be faster than standard bipeds whilst still having a reasonable carrying capacity. However, they have the same problem with back weapons as standard bipeds.
- Quadruped - four-legged, in the manner of an insect. Quadrupedal ACs tend to be quite fast and have the ability to fire back weapons whilst moving. However they generally cannot support heavy weights and are less well-armored than bipeds.
- Tracked - tank tranks. Slow and heavy, but very well protected and can support massive loads. Tracked ACs can fire any weapon even if moving or airborne.
- Hover - does not touch the ground. Hover ACs are the fastest and most manoeuverable of all robots and can travel over water, which gives them a huge advantage on aquatic missions. They are, however, generally the least well-armored and can only support very light loads. They suffer the same limitations as bipeds with regards to back-unit weapons.
FCS
The FCS or Fire Control System is the targeting computer, and controls weapon targeting and missile lock-ons. There are several different kinds, suitable for different styles of weapon.
Booster
Boosters enable an AC to move quickly, and to fly. They come in different strengths and efficiencies. Tracked and Hover ACs have inbuilt boosters.
Generator
Supplies power to the AC. Power is an important consideration in the Armored Core games - the generator can only generate energy at a certain rate, and if the robot uses energy at a faster rate, the charge held by the generator is depleted. The most energy-intensive activities are boosting and using energy weapons.
Radiator
ACs can get very hot, and when overheated they become damaged. Radiators attempt to release this heat, with varying efficiency.
Non-essential parts
These parts can be left off if the player desires; however, an AC will have difficulty progressing far into the game without a weapon of some kind.
Inside
An internal compartment from which a variety of devices can be released, including bombs, mines, decoys and radar-jammers.
Extension
Extensions come in pairs and are mounted on the sides of the shoulders. They are miscellaneous, usually non-offensive devices, and can be anything from extra boosters to stealth devices. A common extension is an anti-missile system. In AC3 several emergency energy units were sold - these were usually 3 uses, and would quickly refil the energy of an AC in about 5 seconds.
Back Unit
There are two points on the back where weapons or devices may be mounted. These include:
- Missile launchers
- Rocket launchers
- Projectile weapons
- Orbit cannons
- Extra ammunition supplies
- Radars
Some weapons and devices take up both Back Unit slots.
Projectile weapons must be fired over the shoulder, so there is usually a delay in activating the weapon for it to unfold or align itself. Bipedal and Hovering ACs have insufficient stability to use a projectile weapon whilst standing or moving, so it is more common to see missile and rocket launchers on these robots.
Arm Unit R
This is the right arm weapon, and for most ACs it is their primary offense. There are a large number of different weapons, including rifles, machine guns, handguns, bazookas, shotguns, grenade rifles, laser guns and various energy weapons.
In AC3 parrying blades are available - these are short-range blades used to counter a laserblade strike and deal heavy damage.
The most powerful weapons in the games are the Karasawa series, AC1 has the Karasawa, the Karasawa Mk. II in AC2, and AC3 saw the MGW Karasawa.
Arm Unit L
The left arm is traditionally used for melee weapons, typically the laserblade, which is a short-range blade of energy which can cause great damage to an opponent.
One can also equip hand-held energy shields which can absorb damage from weapons and laserblades. Since Armoured Core 3 there have been a few ranged weapons designed for the left arm, such as howitzers.
Optional Parts
These are parts which can be plugged into slots in the core to enhance the AC's performance. They have a variety of effects, such as increasing damage resistance to certain weapons, or increasing the generator capacity.
Different cores have different numbers of "slots" for optional parts, and generally more powerful optional parts cost more slots, while those only applied to certain situations are less slot-costly.
Armored Core games
Playstation
- Armored Core
- Armored Core: Project Phantasma
- Armored Core: Master of Arena
Playstation 2
- Armored Core 2
- Armored Core 2: Another Age
- Armored Core 3
- Armored Core: Silent Line