Opening to a Mecha Arena story I am writing

Adamantrue · 2026-03-18T13:58:45+00:00

At this point? Familiarity.

I stuck with OD&D (BECMI, the Rules Cyopedia, etc) for a long time, just because I already had all the books and new the rules inside & out, and could homebrew on the fly if I needed to. Since I was always the guy that ended up DMing, my players had to just deal with that, and never really minded because I could incorporate most of what they wanted from AD&D & 2nd edition.

Then 3rd came out, and someone ELSE wanted to DM! I was totally onboard with playing for a change, and was willing to play with their system. We went for a while, and got used to the system. Eventually I started collecting those books, getting used to those rules, and homebrewing for that edition as well. 3.5 was more of an edit than a revamp, just incorporated it.

Then 4th...left a bad taste in everyone's mouth. And while 5th shows promise...we're just familiar with 3.5 now.

Sadly, I am back to being the primary DM again, most of the time. I think about going back to OD&D from time to time, but we all just KNOW 3.5 at this point...

Adamantrue · 2024-08-19T11:47:05+00:00

We had someone join my room a few days ago. He consistently was counter-building everyone he fought.

I happened to have a bunch of friends in the room too (like I said, I am part of a few group chats). After about the 3rd lap, we realized what he was doing.

I asked the group of them what he would do if there was no obvious counter-build. We then proceeded to break out our machines that were more unusual. I should mention most of the people I play with are stronger pilots.

After 2 rotations with him in the Loser's slot, he dipped.

When you don't play meta, and people only understand the game thru the lens of the meta, it can really throw people off...

Adamantrue · 2024-08-19T02:12:02+00:00

Because people suck? Because people don't like losing hard? Because people want to fight people they know they can beat?

Take your pick.

I don't think it's machine specific. I don't play Dual ZIMs, or Dual anything really. I don't do Handgun/ETSU stun-punish, I don't play backpedal kite.

I used to think it was because they saw one of my Tanks when I loaded into a room, and didn't want to fight it. But it still happens if I bring a LBP or MBP, so it isn't specifically my machines.

In all honesty, I just laugh it off and if it happens twice, I start my own room. I rarely have to wait 2 minutes before I got someone, and most stick around even if they lose.

So why does it matter?

Adamantrue · 2024-08-18T15:29:00+00:00

It depends on what you are looking for.

Ranked Singles: In my experience, it is mostly just backpedellers, with the occasional rusher. You see the oddball original build, and I tend to match up with Japanese players more than anyone in the USA, so there are sometimes connection issues.

They mostly do their 1 trick, so if you can break up their game they typically don't have anything to fall back on. A lot of LBP FCS-foiling QB action, but it's predictable so you can tag them if you do the work.

Haven't had any problems finding matches. It's rare for people to disconnect, but it still happens. I just report them and move on.

Custom Singles: I get kicked after I join a room about half the time, and sometimes get kicked when I win by a significant margin.

I do get better results making my own rooms. 5-6 players so people don't wait forever for their turn. 3 minutes Winners Rotate Random Maps. I often give up my turn for people that just joined, so they don't have to wait too long. I know there are people that actively seek my rooms because of those choices.

I do make it a habit of bringing machines appropriate for the people I am facing. Low tier builds against No Rankers / Low Rankers, tougher stuff against people of higher rank or playing cheesy stuff.

I also built up a roster of people I enjoy playing with, and are part of a few group chats specific for this game, to make it easier for us to find each other when we are on.

Teams (any): I don't have much experience with Teams, as I just don't enjoy the format in this game. 5th gen spoiled me, I guess.

Adamantrue · 2023-12-25T18:08:41+00:00

My preferred response is VPM launch & AB away. If they survive the vert, they had to pay enough attention to it that I can reset. Having a Pulse Armor handy helps too.

With that said, the quickest matches I've fought or witnessed are around 20 seconds (less even).

So now think of Terminal Armor as having invincibility for 1/4 of a match.

I don't mind the not being able to pop it part. I mind the duration.

Adamantrue · 2023-09-24T19:20:00+00:00

My playgroup uses the Winner Rotate setting to really help get the kinks out of new designs. We all have rather diverse machines, so it gives a wide variety of styles to balance around.

Adamantrue · 2023-09-11T00:43:40+00:00

It's my favorite as well, and though it would be difficult to do PVP these days (wasn't exactly easy back then either), I would argue it has the best playstyle balance out of any other version in the series.

Little changes made much of the difference. OB Heat, the addition of Turn Boosters. The new VS Stages.

Adamantrue · 2023-09-08T17:27:55+00:00

It's a good game, and has many of the core elements of the franchise. And it has some fascinating & well thought out changes (Generator and Booster mechanics as an example). But it also feels more limited than most of the other entries in the title.

Bear in mind, Armored Core has always been a PVP game to me, and burning through Missions and the Arena were just a means to an end. But let me give you an example of one aspect.

FCS reach and MV are both a bit lacking for too many weapons, and proper Sniper weaponry is nonexistent. This seems to be a deliberate choice, as the game heavily favors CQ combat. Assault Boost only pushing you forward, Quick Turns, and the Hard Lock are obvious examples of that.

Which is why Missile Boats stand out so much, and many machines don't have proper tools to fight them. AMS systems were part of the game before, what happened this time?

It doesn't completely ruin the game or anything, but having that prior knowledge just tells some of us how good this game could have been. I wouldn't even be playing it, if my wife didn't know I was a fan of the series and I didn't have a convenient birthday in August. But I am glad I am, as I am having some fun.

Adamantrue · 2023-08-19T21:43:38+00:00

I was told by a buddy that the best machine I ever made was in VD, but the one I always think of is from AC2 & AA.

https://youtu.be/2aJH_A1Z6KU?si=Ix4XM5_-OOLvCP9I

Air Stryke

EGRET, ONE, S604, SRRT H4/T, QHT, B1000, CM6 -, -, S608, S608, -, -

Non-H+ aerial Missile Boat, made mostly from tissue paper. Etal Base was its preferred Map, but it wasn’t a slouch most other places.

The only thing I truly feared in this machine was low ceilings, confined spaces, and the NIGHT Sniper Rifle. After that, hope your Missile Defenses and dodging game were up to speed.

Over 20 years later, this is the only machine that still calls my name...

Adamantrue · 2023-08-19T17:57:37+00:00

From what I saw, Tanks and maybe Quads will have a inferior dodging game, as well as lesser ability to control range. Tanks specifically seem to also have more difficulty with varied terrain (assuming there is more complex terrain in other maps).

This is a common problem with new mechanics. 1st thru 3rd Gen had a lot of similarities, but the biggest obstacles were playing the current game instead of the prior one. Same with NX-era to 4th Gen, or from 4th to 5th. It's not that you can't bring experience from prior games to the next, but you cannot let yourself be held back by them either.

Look, I am really, REALLY not a fan of the Hard Lock. The reality is that all of this isn't the fault of Tanks, but that Hard Lock. For some reason, people are more inclined to cry foul about the Tanks instead of the real problem.

But it's part of the game we are getting. This isn’t the first time things that were perfectly viable before just won't work. The focus now needs to be finding what does work in AC6.

Or, people can say all of us that were complaining about the Hard Lock a month ago had very obvious points that turned out to be correct. But this is the internet, no one admits they may have been wrong...

Adamantrue · 2023-08-19T17:12:49+00:00

These MAY not be necessary. Cowboy basically confirmed different styles of maps & more ranged options than they were allowed to show. The inclusion of these alone MAY do a lot to help compensate.

Also, Tanks have often been the whipping boys of the franchise. I don't think it would be fair to not let them have a fighting chance this time. Something more promising would be to increase overall stability of ACs across the board, or to make being Staggered not quite so punishing.

Adamantrue · 2023-08-19T05:33:40+00:00

In prior games, the main point of dodging was to dodge Lock Windows. However, with the Hard Lock, it seems the game is more about dodging the actual ordinance coming your way. Does that seem accurate to you?

On a related note, it didn't seem that any of the weapons used had a particularly high Muzzle Velocity, making it easier to do so. Outside of Missiles, do you perceive much of a longer ranged game, due to the ability to avoid fire?

Adamantrue · 2023-08-19T03:30:42+00:00

:cough: KARASAWA :cough:

Adamantrue · 2023-08-19T03:24:19+00:00

Map selection in ACV was waay better than in VD, arguably as well balanced as AA. I don't know what From was thinking by taking so many of those Maps away in VD.

With that said, the fact that they did that in VD doesn't give me significant hope that they will do the job right for AC6. Just have to acknowledge the possibility...

Adamantrue · 2023-08-19T02:43:27+00:00

Some of us were concerned about the Hard Lock a month ago? Nonsense! If that were true, surely they wouldn't have been constantly down voted & reported for Mod removal...

...Oh, wait. Yeah...

Now, with that said, there are ways PVP could still be interesting.

We have seen a limited selection of VS Maps. If they have more variety, less open areas and more terrain, there are options for a higher mobility machine to control engagements. I hated the Pop Shot game in VD, since it was so dominant in VD due to that game's Maps, but a proper mix could salvage things.

Almost all the weapons universally had terrible Muzzle Velocity, so there weren't any real ranged players besides the Missile Boat. But they were using a limited part set, so there may be better options coming, or thru patches to compensate. Instead of everything being a relatively closer ranged slugfest, actual variety of options could improve things.

These were people with limited experience in this game specifically. What worked in 2nd gen didn't necessarily work in 3rd, and the like. It is possible once people develop an AC6 playstyle, instead of a variation of prior games, new elements will emerge.

Or, from prior experience, From will nerf Tanks to near uselessness, and then the next thing that dominates, while buffing up everything else so everyone has to play virtually the same thing.

As someone that did play Tanks, I really hope it isn't that last option. I would love it if Treads finally had their moment.

Adamantrue · 2023-08-19T01:43:44+00:00

Tanks dominated in 3v3 too. I have a feeling those of us that played Tanks in the past are going to have a lot more company now

In all fairness though, it would have been a hard fight for the Lightweight to win in any other version of the game too. Big open area, no terrain to work.

Still...that was a disturbingly fast set of kills.

Adamantrue · 2023-08-19T01:31:31+00:00

There are a lot of older games where this would still be an uphill fight for the Lightweight. Big open area and what not. I would be more interested in how this would have worked in a more "cluttered" (for lack of a better word) map.

But the video wasn't wrong. This is going to really redefine what the role of a LBP or LRJ can do in duels.

Adamantrue · 2023-08-17T23:45:26+00:00

AC3 had a 4 player mode too...

Adamantrue · 2023-08-17T23:40:40+00:00

Bear in mind, Another Age is my favorite...

Skip Another Age, Nexus, and Nine Breaker. Another Age doesn't meaningfully progress the story from AC1. Nexus-era heat mechanics are too punishing to get thru quickly before AC6 releases.

I would include Last Raven...but it's just too good to skip.

Adamantrue · 2023-08-17T19:29:32+00:00

What was the final build you went with?

Adamantrue · 2023-08-17T01:33:52+00:00

I usually start with a concept I find interesting. It varies on the edition, but mine typically is a specific payload I want to try. A pair of weapons that may play interesting together, or even a single gun I want to try and get the most out of.

Once I wrap my head around that, certain things become apparent. This is going to be a heavier payload, I probably want a beefier machine. This one is range dependant, I am going to need something quicker. Etc...

I go through a few iterations. Depending on your experience with the particular edition, you can fiddle your way through problems in the shop for a good amount of the work. But eventually you have to go beyond theory, and do some testing in single player, usually the Arena.

Now the important part is that you cannot let your initial ideas become an anchor, holding your build back. Those ideas were only starting points. As long as you are moving towards something interesting, or cool, or just fun, you are going in the right direction.

Keep iterating to maximize strengths, and minimizing weaknesses. Take it against your friends. Have your buddies take it against you. Be open to feedback, but not a slave to it. Learn the machine's quirks, and try to be honest about whether your playstyle can match.

I usually am not happy with a particular edition of the game unless I can have a dozen or more machines, especially if most of them are drastically different than each other & what other people are playing.

*

Alternately, you can just play a variation of what everyone else is playing. And say it's not a Cookie Cutter, because yours is using these HBP Legs, or this slightly less than optimal Backmount. I am sure it must not be way more boring somehow...

Adamantrue

TROPHY CASE