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 Daba wrote:
In VD, are normal sorties just regular multiplayer matches?

It's been a while since I've actually played, but yes, regular multiplayer matches. Typically 4v4, with option for an operator on each side.

I haven't tried any multiplayer yet, but I'm not feeling too familiar with the style of game at the moment.

Above all else, this is a team game. Be aware of where your opponents are, and what they're doing whenever possible. You'll want to move in relation to your allies just as much as your enemies. For example, as someone taking the role of the team's 'assassin,' I won't commit to attacking an enemy until either my team has moved in and made it difficult for my enemies to keep track of me, or an enemy has moved far enough out of formation that I can easily jump in, take him out, and jump back into cover with impunity.

With that in mind, every member on a decent team will have a role. As I said above, I tend to take the role of isolating enemy weakpoints and taking them out, essentially the role of an assassin or interceptor. If I can take out a light AC that's harassing my team's tank, or quickly cripple the enemy tank, then the dismantling the rest becomes much easier.

Similarly, I need my allies to cover any mobile TE-resistant bruisers that are on the opposing force, since my weaponry and light frame can't typically deal with them efficiently.

To that end, you need to know what your ideal targets are, and how to prioritize them. If you're a bruiser, even though your weaponry should be able to punch through most anything, your primary concern should be taking down threats that come the way of your tank. On the other hand, while a dual-sniper support unit can do a considerable amount of damage to just about anything, their best used spending their time and valuable ammunition to lock down the enemy tank, who can't do much in response on his or her own.

A bruiser who wastes his time trying to attack an enemy tank will end up losing a damage race and not serving much use to his tank, who will be picked off by riflemen with little effort, while a dual-sniper support who tries to go after lightweight interceptors without a significant edge in positioning will find themselves wasting ammo and significantly out-matched, if not ignored entirely while the rest of their team falls to pieces.

Here's a good guide to summarize what the basic roles on a team might be:
http://forum.armoredcorelegacy.com/viewtopic.php?f=13&t=371

Also, the early missions seem much harder than the few in V (maybe because there's no easy garage in it?).

While there's no mid-mission garage in VD, the missions are quite a bit shorter. That said, some of the missions will end up being considerably harder than what you've faced in V. I'd say this ranks somewhere along the same lines of Last Raven in terms of difficulty, which is one of the harder games in the franchise.

In Story mode, would you specialise and make a build as you would for multiplayer, or would that be unsuitable?

This tends to vary, and you'll probably want to customize more specifically for some missions. That said, I find a combination of a good rifle, battle rifle, and pulse machine gun on a decently mobile frame acts as a pretty reliable way to get through almost any encounter you get into. Better yet, while PMGs aren't particularly good weapons outside of single player, rifles and battle rifles are both great in pretty much any situation, and standard weaponry that it pays to get used to using.

I might get this soon. I might do this anyway because it's what I did in the PS2 games, but does going full tank with two machine guns, a plasma cannon, and a grenade launcher really work in this game?

 Wilytank wrote:
I might get this soon. I might do this anyway because it's what I did in the PS2 games, but does going full tank with two machine guns, a plasma cannon, and a grenade launcher really work in this game?

Well, no, because the whole back weapon system has changed and grenade cannons aren't in the game. That said, you do get autocannons and pulse cannons.

They got rid of grenade launchers? I'm going to miss that bestial noise they made when I fired them.

Let's reword then. Is it viable to make a durable tank type mech with hard hitting weapons?

Absolutely. Just keep in mind that all that firepower and durability won't be ignored, and you'll often have the entire enemy team gunning to take you down. It also doesn't help that any donkey-cave with a pilebunker can take you down in one or two hits, and that dual-sniper rifle lightweights can handle you pretty effortlessly. So you have to rely quite a bit on your teammates to help control the fight so you can lay down the law.

Also, grenade launchers as you know them may be gone, but don't worry, they've gained new incarnations in the form of autocannons, HEAT cannons, and HEAT howitzers.

EDIT: For anyone playing on the PS3, I wouldn't mind joining in and helping you guys pick up the basics. My PSN is TheManingrey, and my ACVD ID is Wintermute. I fired up the PS3 for the first time in a while last night, although I it looked like the ACVD servers went down before I could do any sorties. I'm a little rusty, but I should still be able to clean up pretty well.

Unfortunately I'm on 360, but your guides have been really helpful.

Is there any way of quickly analysing the data you get from the scan? Can you know the weaknesses/defences of something really quickly (looking a Soladrin's video, it looks like he glances at each of the scans briefly, then goes on to demolish that team)?

Speaking of whom, I swear in V I saw a weapon in the 'Buy New Parts' menu that had Soladrin's name on...

 Daba wrote:
Unfortunately I'm on 360, but your guides have been really helpful.

Is there any way of quickly analysing the data you get from the scan? Can you know the weaknesses/defences of something really quickly (looking a Soladrin's video, it looks like he glances at each of the scans briefly, then goes on to demolish that team)?

Speaking of whom, I swear in V I saw a weapon in the 'Buy New Parts' menu that had Soladrin's name on...

Hah. who knows, I do play 360 though.

And yeah, just famliarize yourself with the scan info lay out, the defense stats are on the top part really easy read.

Should be listed as:

KE: xxxx
CE: xxxx
TE: xxxx

Just remember what weapon types you are using and switch accordingly.

If your weapon's attack power is higher than the enemy defensive value, you'll do decent damage. If it's lower, then the damage will be drastically reduced. You'll also receive a notice saying "ineffective."

(P = Weapon Power, D = Defense Rating)

Effective:
Damage = P * (0.8 - 0.00016D)

Ineffective:
Damage = P * (.25 - 0.00002D)

It's for this reason that I don't consider gatling guns to be very good outside of singleplayer. Since everything will have enough KE defense to deflect them, the damage they do tends to be quite low, even against light targets. And while it can add up over time, you're better off using weapons that can guarantee damage without having to damage race at a disadvantage.

I have loved every AC game up until V. I put a lot of hours into 4, For Answer and others. V I just feel like it was too much change for me. Some love it and that is fine.

I got Verdict Day yesterday and am failing every mission I try. :/

Control problem or just a crappy build?

 Wilytank wrote:
I got Verdict Day yesterday and am failing every mission I try. :/

If it's the Guards (can't remember their exact name, but they're the cannon fodder with high defences [1800+ in all areas IIRC] and shields), the Battle Rifle you can buy from the shop tuned entirely for power defeats their armour, or you could try laserblading them.

First, if you're having trouble controlling your AC, I'd recommend switching over to a more user-friendly control scheme, such as the one I mentioned above:

L1: fire left weapon
R1: fire right weapon
L2: jump
R2: high boost (no second staging anymore, but it still feels right)
L3: activate shoulder unit/weapon
R3: toggle scan mode/combat mode
X: turn booster on/off
Square: deploy recon unit
Triangle: Switch weapons
Circle: glide boost

This will give you much more precision and better ease-of-use of your AC, allowing you to concentrate on the actual battle at hand.

For the missions themselves, I'd generally recommend a mobile, midweight AC. That way, you can get a decent amount of bulk to last the long haul, while also being able to carry a variable arsenal and dodging attacks.
Being able to dodge is important, since some missions will draw on for a while, or require you to fight multiple ACs at once, or over the course of a mission. In those instances, pure bulk won't usually be enough to get you through, since you can and will eventually be worn down.

For weaponry, unless you know the specifics of each mission, a well-rounded mix of rifle, battle rifle, and pulse machine gun can get you through most sorties reliably. However, on some missions you'll have to be more prepared. Be ready to customize your AC to handle a specific mission.

How would you tune weapons generally, of different types?

e.g. Is there any point to tuning anything but power on blades?

Also, what is the benefit of having two shoulder storing units?

Tuning varies, but I tend to go with full power for most of my weapons, since not only does it increase damage, making it easier to punch through armour (this is very important), it also helps to increase range.
I'm typically not a fan of the rapid fire option, personally.

Blades do gain benefits from the other tuning options. Rapid fire allows a blade to be used again faster, and if I remember correctly, accuracy increases the blade length for laser blades.
Physical blades and HEAT piles have no reason not to invest in full power.

As for having two shoulder units, it simply doubles the function of your shoulders.
For example, if you have a missile launcher installed on an AC with two shoulder units, you'll fire twice as many missiles as you would with one shoulder unit. Keep in mind, however, that you still carry the same amount of ammo.
Similarly, the effects of subcomputers are doubled, as well as the effects of EN amplifiers.
It's worth noting that, for EN amplifiers, the effects are multiplicative.
Normally, with the Yakumo mdl.2 amp, you get an EN attack power enhancement of 1.35, with a rate of increased energy per shot of 1.80.
If you run dual shoulders, you get a final EN attack power enhancement of 1.8225, NOT 1.70, and a whopping increased energy usage per shot of 3.24.

As for why you'd ever use dual EN amps when they multiply your weapons' energy usage by more than 3 times over for only an 80% increase in damage, this increase is done before resistance, meaning a weapon that previously couldn't may now be able to punch through enemy armour.

 Fafnir wrote:
Tuning varies, but I tend to go with full power for most of my weapons, since not only does it increase damage, making it easier to punch through armour (this is very important), it also helps to increase range.
I'm typically not a fan of the rapid fire option, personally.

Blades do gain benefits from the other tuning options. Rapid fire allows a blade to be used again faster, and if I remember correctly, accuracy increases the blade length for laser blades.
Physical blades and HEAT piles have no reason not to invest in full power.

As for having two shoulder units, it simply doubles the function of your shoulders.
For example, if you have a missile launcher installed on an AC with two shoulder units, you'll fire twice as many missiles as you would with one shoulder unit. Keep in mind, however, that you still carry the same amount of ammo.
Similarly, the effects of subcomputers are doubled, as well as the effects of EN amplifiers.
It's worth noting that, for EN amplifiers, the effects are multiplicative.
Normally, with the Yakumo mdl.2 amp, you get an EN attack power enhancement of 1.35, with a rate of increased energy per shot of 1.80.
If you run dual shoulders, you get a final EN attack power enhancement of 1.8225, NOT 1.70, and a whopping increased energy usage per shot of 3.24.

As for why you'd ever use dual EN amps when they multiply your weapons' energy usage by more than 3 times over for only an 80% increase in damage, this increase is done before resistance, meaning a weapon that previously couldn't may now be able to punch through enemy armour.

Or you are just really mean with Karasawa's.

Good luck managing to charge a Ksaw without going completely dry with two amps.

 Fafnir wrote:
Good luck managing to charge a Ksaw without going completely dry with two amps.

I never said it was good, but it's doable to get one shot off. ;D

Do Laser Rifles do damage without the charging?

I just passed level 8. 7.6 (I think it's that one) was pretty tough, with two of those bosses coming after the suicide drones, one of which was the chapter boss for 4, where you had a load of AI support to fight that one, and the terrain is more in your favour then too!

As I'm gathering more gear, I'm going to try making some builds. It is generally better to have all round defence values, or go for two high value ones or does it depend on the rest of the build?

 Daba wrote:
Do Laser Rifles do damage without the charging?

Yes, but obviously not nearly as much. The values you see listed in the weapon's stat pages are for a fully charged shot.

As I'm gathering more gear, I'm going to try making some builds. It is generally better to have all round defence values, or go for two high value ones or does it depend on the rest of the build?

Depends on how you build the rest of your AC. If you're going to build a lightweight, high mobility AC, then speed is armour (although having the defenses to block gatlings and other weapons that would be able to hit you fairly reliably is important). On the other hand, a heavy biped/tank AC is going to need resistances covering each damage type, since they don't have that mobility.
Heavy reverse joints and tetrapods are going to have trouble making their TE resist anything worthwhile, no matter how you build them. This isn't too bad for a tetrapod sniper, since they tend to have an ideal range that's too far for most energy weapons to be effective anyway (although if someone comes up to you with a pulse gun, and you don't have any friendlies nearby, you're in huge trouble).

When considering an AC's armour types, it's important to figure out what breakpoints you want to reach. Every 500 points of resistance will cut damage done to you by around 8%, so every little bit helps, but in order to get the most efficiency out of your armour, you'll want to hit the breakpoints that will turn enemy weaponry ineffective. This is especially important for heavies/tanks. The highest breakpoints I'd suggest are (note that these may be outdated with the balance patches, and only apply to the initial release version):

KE defense breakpoints

~900KE: Deflects gatlings (one or two might be able to creep past 900, don't have the numbers on me at this moment), small shotguns
~1200KE: Deflects small rifles, handguns, most small/med KE missiles
~1784: Deflects the strongest conventional rifle (highest reasonable point to deflect small arms, as far as I can tell at this point)

You have a bit of leeway with KE weapons, since their attack power decreases with range. There are higher breakpoints in the 2000's range and up that go on to block sniper rifles, although past a certain point, it becomes difficult to invest in KE defense in a worthwhile manner without harshly compromising your other defensive values, since most KE parts are specialized for lighter ACs. KE is probably the most common and easily raised defensive stat you'll run into, with low impact, high mobility parts that can be used by ACs of any type.

CE defense breakpoints

~1000CE: Deflects HEAT machine guns
~1400CE: Deflects most HEAT small/med missiles
~2036: Deflects the triple shot battle rifle
~2519: Deflects the strongest battle rifle

Unlike KE weapons, which decay over range, CE weapons tend to stay mostly the same. So these numbers are 'harder.'
After 2519, there's not much that can be reasonably deflected.
CE defensive parts tend to have very high performance, at the cost of high weight and drain. This makes it harder to incorporate into a build than KE defense, but still fairly common.

TE defense breakpoints

~900TE: Deflects non-amplified Pulse Machine Guns
~1150TE: Deflects non-amplified Pulse Guns
~2500TE: Deflects most lower end, non-amplified laser rifles (ie, non Karasawa family)

TE weaponry falls off similarly to KE weapons, but they fall of a bit differently, with TE weapons dropping off sharply past a certain point.
Also keep in mind that TE weapons can have their attack power boosted through EN amplifiers.
While it becomes difficult to deflect higher end TE attacks, due to the wide breadth of very powerful TE weaponry, high TE defense is always valuable, and even when not deflecting attacks, the reduction granted against even the most powerful TE attacks from high TE defenses is invaluable.
TE defense is probably the hardest defensive value to raise, since short of legs, most TE body parts tend to be quite poor outside of their AP and TE defense values.

Man, seems like the newer AC games have gotten way more technical!

I'd say so. Classic AC definitely has its own nuances, but with all the new stats, as well as mechanics like high boost, drifting, more creative use of terrain, and the like, ACVD adds a whole lot to the pile that really expands on how AC plays.
AC4/fa could be pretty fun at times, but all too often it would end up a spammy twitchfest. If you wanted to play a good match of AC4/fa, you pretty much had to go against the Japanese players (although they were crazy good, even if they couldn't build a decent AC to save their lives). That said, I really miss stabilizers, they were pretty cool.

Reached the

Also, screenshots:


posing with chainswords (well, a lookalike when they're not on) there.

Beat the final boss. The Kojima particles it emits puts a sort of clock on you.

Any idea when the new patches are going to hit?

I read that Pulse Guns and energy amps are going to take a hit, but the lower damage fast firing weapons (e.g. Gatlings) are getting improved.

Knowing how much Namco Bandai hates both Armored Core (let's face it, they only entered into a publishing contract with Fromsoftware for the Souls games) and their Western consumer base, probably not for a long time.

The original ACV community ended up all but dying out thanks to Namco Bandai deciding to do next to nothing for the international servers.

That's kind of annoying, though I guess I will try and ride the pulseguns in the meantime if I go online when I'm back.

On the other hand, I have the opportunity to buy some of the model kits... I already got a Tellus (which was my starting choice in 4/A).. now to choose possibly one more..

From the poorly translated patch notes I saw, the only changes to pulse guns are an increased spread in one update, and lowered weight in another.
Certainly not enough to kill them by any means. You just need to make sure you're as close as you can get before you fire your shot.

Were they used with great effect with energy amps? Those are being reduced in effectiveness (that combined with the EN cost they add which isn't changing, mean they probably become useless) [the amps, not the pulse guns that is]

gak. I use amps/pulse guns for my main AC.
Looks like the drop in effectiveness is from 135% to 121%. That's pretty significant, especially considering that the cost is still going to remain at 180%.
It can mean the difference between killing an enemy in 2 vollies and 3 vollies (with how much energy pulse guns under amps take up, that can be huge).
More importantly, it makes it easier to hit the breakpoint that would make the damage of pulse guns ineffective, effectively castrating them (pulse guns really, really, really do not handle high TE defense well).

That said, it still shouldn't be too difficult to reach the offensive values that can punish most lights/mids/RJs/quads, and that's what matters most. Pulse guns will always be garbage against heavies and tanks, and now maybe a few midweights might be able to shut them down too.

I can get by with that, but I don't like it. But my main AC is a supersonic rocket held together with duct-tape and bubble gum with two pulse guns and pile bunkers strapped to it, so I might be kind of biased.

The Karasawa model is huge!



I guess it's because it's 1:72 scale as ACs are smaller than Gundams, but wow.

(Actually, the Banshee model makes it look smaller than it really is, thanks to it being a bit closer. When right next to it, her head only goes a bit above the lower circle bit on the ground there)