Armored Core
From Armored Core Wiki
An Armored Core is a type of modern weapon, a kind of 'walking tank', that was originally developed to counter the growing violence and terrorism that rose from the sovreign nations' loss of control.
Further development of Armored Cores led to the creation of Nexts, a breed of Armored Core far above the capabilities of the standard Normals.
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[edit] Gameplay
In Armored Core games the player is given control of an AC that they have either chosen or created, and is tasked with shooting down enemy forces in a third-person shooter style. Creating your own AC will often garner the best results; a nearly unlimited amount of configuration options means that many play styles can be accomodated.
[edit] Other Armored Cores
There are also references to other types of Armored Cores in existance rather than the player models or Nexts. These are originally known as General Purpose Armored Cores but then their name was later changed to Normals in Armored Core 4.
[edit] Required Parts
In order to function, a player's (and, presumably, an enemies') AC must have equipped the following parts; in most cases, it is impossible to leave the assembly screen without them.
- Head - Prior to Armored Core: Nexus, the head unit contained visual sensors, and optional radar and computer equipment. The radar and computing functions can include Bio-Sensors, Noise-Cancellers, Night-Vision, Missile-Sensor and other map-related functions. Of course, all of these can be disregarded if the player wishes for a high-armor model. In Armored Core: Nexus and following it, the stability of a head unit became a factor in the overall stability of an AC.
- Core - The torso area of the AC, and the 'armored core' from with the games take their name. New features and core funtions have been added as the series has progressed; such as Over Boost, Exceed Orbit, Hangar Units, Quick Boost, and Primal Armor.
- Arms - The arms and shoulder are where most weapons are fixed. Heavier arms usually boast better firing stability and armor, whereas light arms usually relate to how quickly the craft can take aim or use a Laser Blade. Arms can also have inbuilt weapons, which are usually lighter than having arm/weapon combinations; however, they usually lack the armor total of regular arm units.
- Legs - Legs are the deciding factor of the AC's movement. There are several different types, including bipedal (normal and reverse-jointed), quadrupedal (providing better firing stability), tank legs (providing massive amounts of armor at the cost of speed) and hover legs, which are usually the fastest and most manueverable.
- FCS - The Firing Control System is the craft's targetting computer. FCS come in many different kinds, each specializing to a different kind of weapon.
- Boosters - These are the 'thrust' systems of an AC, and enable it to fly and boost along the ground. They usually are either efficient for longer use, or powerful for greater speeds.
- Generator - The AC's engine, this part supplies power to all parts of the AC. In Armored Core 4 and onwards, the generator also produce produce Kojima Particles, which can be used to power their Primal Armor, or use certain types of weapons.
- Radiator - Armored Core 2 to Armored Core: Last Raven saw the introduction of Radiators, parts which dispersed heat from the AC's vital areas, and kept the craft running efficiently. Without a radiator, and AC was prone to overheating; which would either incur damage or drain a colossal amouong of energy from the craft's engine until the craft had regained normal temperature.
[edit] Non-Essential Parts
Equipping any of the following parts is a decision left entirely to the player; however, without any kind of weapon, your AC will essentially be a large, expensive peice of target practice for your enemies.
- Inside - In Armored Core 2 and until Armored Core: Last Raven, it was possible to equip an internal compartment to your AC, inside of which a variety of devices could be stored, including mines, bombs, radar jammers, decoys, and so on.
- Extension/Shoulder - Armored Core 2 saw the addition of Extensions, which were devices that could be placed on an AC's shoulder. The devices were usually non-offensive, such as radar jammers, Primal Armor rechargers/enhancers, emergency heatsinks, although several types of missile are also available. In Armored Core 4, 'Extension' slots were renamed 'Shoulder' slots.
- Back Unit - A weapon can be attached to the back of the craft, usually between the shoulders and head. There are slots available for left and right, however, some weapons take up both of those slots. Cannons, grenade launchers and other long range weaponry are typically equipped here. Radar units are also mounted here.
- Arm Weapons - This is where most craft's primary weapons will be mounted. Armored Core 1 allowed the player to only equip a Laser Blade in the left hand, a feature which was revised in later releases. Weapons mounted here include rifles, sniper rifles, railguns, laser/hi-laser rifles, machine guns, pulse guns, and laser blades.
- Optional Plugins - Up until Armored Core 4, the player had the opportunity to equip parts to the AC's core to improve certain areas of performance. Features included faster lock-on time, damage resistance, extra generator capacity, etc.
- Stabilizers - Armored Core 4 saw the introduction of the stabilizers, small weights and foils used to keep the craft's balance. As most AC's are not symmetrical, leaving stabilizers off will result in the craft's balance being off-center, resulting in a loss of boost speed and turning ability. They may also be used to offset a craft's slow acceleration in a certain direction; for example, a craft with two front weapons and no back weapons will be front heavy, and unable to boost backwards at any speed. Equipping stabilizers can help to offset this.
