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Questions Regarding Part Stats


Emris

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I’m playing Armored Core For Answer on regulation 1.2

I’m not sure if it matters but I’m playing on a PS3.

I know this game is old, I’ve been replaying it after a long time of being away from the game.

 

The thread title pretty much explains my issue. Pressing the select button in game to view the explanations of stats hasn’t been very helpful to me. I’ve searched this site’s forums and wiki (they’ve been very helpful) but I still have several doubts regarding parts stats. Please help a new member out.

 

Arm Stats:

-Aim Precision: Does it affect energy blade performance or does it only affect the performance of ranged weapons?

-Arm Maneuverability: I’ve read that this is important to energy blade performance but haven’t been able to find any specific info on how.

-I’ve read posts which say this stat reflects an arms ability to track a moving target but I’m not sure if this applies only to firearm use or if this stat also affects target tracking while wielding an energy blade, which is it?

-I’ve read that this stat affects the speed of an energy blade swing, is this true?

-Firing Stability: Does this affect energy blade performance at all?

-Energy Weapon Skill: I know this affects ranged energy weapon performance but I’ve heard mixed info regarding its effect on energy blades. Some pages I’ve visited say it does affect blade performance and some pages have said it doesn’t. This stat doesn’t seem to affect the energy blade attack damage stat when viewed via weapon selection in ACSIS whereas the stat’s effects seem to be visible for ranged energy weapons. So does this stat affect energy blade performance or not?

 

Head Stats:

-Camera Ability: From what I’ve read this stat governs lock-on range.

-Does it affect anything else besides lock-range?

-Does it affect blade lock-on range?

 

Are there any other stats that affect energy blade performance? (Other than FCS related stats)

Are there any hidden stats that affect energy blade performance?

 

PS: I’ve come to learn how everyone feels about blader builds and the associated latency issues which take place during online play. I’ve never played online and I doubt I will start now, I pretty much stick to the story mode so please spare my inbox and this thread of any blader build related complaints or snide remarks. Thank you.

 

 

Back Mounted Weapons:

What parts and stats affect their performance?

Are there any hidden stats that affect their performance?

 

 

For a person like me who has never played Armored Core For Answer online, is there any DLC or other content I’m missing out on?

Edited by Emris
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As far as I know, aim precision and maneuverability only affect guns. Aim precision is just that-- aim precision. Treat maneuverability like lockbox size in older AC games. The higher the maneuverability, the larger your lockbox is before you'll lose lock on your opponent.

 

Firing stability deals with recoil of solid shell weapons-- you really ask a lot about blades do you.

 

Energy weapon skill-- again with the blades?

 

Camera ability is a multiplier of your lock range essentially. I forgot what the baseline was I think 150?

 

Stop asking about blades.

 

Dunno about the back weapons you'd have to be more specific.

 

There's no DLC for FA.

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Thank you for the reply.

 

Treat maneuverability like lockbox size in older AC games.

 

^^^ This made more sense to me than any other explanation I came across before. Brings back memories of AC2 and AC3.

So if aim precision doesn't affect blade performance and maneuverability basically translates to lock box, are we to assume that if a nonmoving target is within range and a lock is established then activation of a blade is guaranteed to hit? The reason I ask is I’m trying to figure out why I’ve had blade swings miss nonmoving targets like fixed gun emplacements. The blade swings narrowly missed but missed nevertheless. These were one hit to kill targets so the issue wasn’t a lack of attack damage, if they were hit at all they would have been destroyed. Lock-ons were established, my AC was facing the target and moving in a forward direction each time so I don’t think that the target moving out of the lock box is what caused the issue in this particular case. This left me wondering if there is a stat that affects blade accuracy in the same way that aim precision affects ranged weapons. Is it possible that I just screwed something else up and caused this?

 

you really ask a lot about blades do you.

Yep, sorry. Like I said I don’t play online, I find the infinite ammo aspect of blades very useful during missions. I typically use a dual bladder but without the back mounted boosters, I equip back mounted weapons instead.

 

Energy weapon skill-- again with the blades?

^^^ I get that you’re annoyed by questions about blades but this doesn’t help me...if you know the answer please share. Thanks.

 

Dunno about the back weapons you'd have to be more specific.

I always stick to using the same back weapon on each side.

My two favorite back weapons are

EC-O307AB: http://armoredcoreun...title=EC-O307AB

and

GRB-TRAVERS: http://armoredcoreun...tle=GRB-TRAVERS

Depending on the mission I also often equip:

CG-R500: http://armoredcoreun...p?title=CG-R500

and

KAMAL: http://armoredcoreun...php?title=KAMAL

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Hi Emris

 

It's good to see that someone else still plays and couldn't give a fig for the online element! I don't usually play as a blader, but don't denigrate those who do, it's your game, you play how you want surely?

 

I noticed when I did start playing around with a blade build that although I had a lock on from the FCS my swing missed as well. I think this happens because you are too far from the target. Check the Blade Range stat and anything below that you'll score a hit, but if you are further away you will miss. You can tell how far you are from the target by the number directly beneath your targeting reticule.

 

I always dump points into the Energy Weapon slot if I use a blade (A blade he says, let's face it I only ever use Moonlight!) to be honest I don't know if it makes a difference as Moonlight generally nukes anything it comes into contact with anyway. I should try to experiment with a 'lesser' blade to see if that helps.

 

As for your back mounted weapons, they are generally affected by the same things your arm mounted weapons are; lock on, energy weapon skill, etc.

 

The Camera Ability function governs lock on range and speed so whilst it does affect the range at which blades lock on, they don't affect the blade length so you still need to be close for the blade to be effective. The longer range lock on should help with more accurate boosting to your target though.

 

It's a shame that we had no DLC for this game, but seeing how Ace Combat 6's DLC could rob you of a month's wages for completely unnecessary stuff, it could be a good thing... Although new parts would always be welcome.

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ppl who dont online are scrubs

 

en weap tunes on your arms affect blade dmg

 

arm weapon handling tunes will not help your back weapons at all

 

camera function on head only dictates lock range and lock range through solid objects, it doesnt affect speed

 

when you get a red lock with blades, you are not guaranteed a hit. thats just the game telling you that you have a secure lock on. you can fall short on your own or your opponent can still dodge it

 

use a light quad or a light midweight with dual blades and back booster add-ons so you increase your blade lunge speed and distance. this will help you hit more often. also make sure you are QBing forwards a split second you use your blades to add to your burst speed.

 

its also important to know what regulation you are playing through story on, since they affect ac performance and stats drastically but if you are smart youd be playing on regulation 1.15 for infinite energy

 

i should probably explain how blades work and stuff to since you are so interested in blades

 

 

just like other ac games, blades have a certain amount of hit points that each do damage to an enemy ac. these hit points are distributed along the length of the blade, and the more of them that hit an enemy ac, the more damage the blade strike does. sweeping motions only allow for a few of those hit points to connect, while stabbing motions allow for almost all of these points to connect.

 

now, all the leg types have different blade swing animations, and certain animations are far more desirable than others. the two best animations are the middleweight animations and the quad animations. the midweight animation is a broad 180' sweep that catches a lot of things that try to dodge horizontally, while the quad motion is a direct stab motion (lahire LW legs are the only lightweight legs to use the midweight animation and are very valuable for blading). the reason why the quad legs are so good is because their blade animation allows for almost every blade hitpoint to pass through an enemy ac, allowing for more damage than most blade strikes. quads also have very fast natural horizontal speed, which adds to your blade lunge distance and speed. longer blades are typically more valuable than short and powerful blades, although power generally does more than length does in terms of damage. moonlight will do more damage than eb305 on both quads and midweights. the best blade to use due to its power, length, and en efficiency is almost always eltanin, as the damage decrease from moonlight is well worth the en efficiency and added range.

 

when you use a blade, there are 2 factors that majorly affect your blading. the first one is speed. your blade distance is a function of your speed and its easy to apply simple physics to explain this (distance = rate / time). since blade animations take the same amount of time, your distance is dependent on your speed (aka rate). so if you want to blade more effectively you gotta go fast.

 

the second factor is tracking, which is what allows you to home in on your target like a missile. this tracking ability is a hidden stat in the game's engine itself and changes slightly from regulation to regulation, but generally, your speed is the larger of the 2 factors. regulations with good blading are basically 1.15 through 1.4, with each regulation nerfing blades more and more.

 

if you want to go fast better, you mainly need to tune for forwards quickboost speed and maintain a light ac. your blade lunge speed is affected by your forwards QB, horizontal normal boost, and AC weight. your momentum that you have before you enter a blade lunge is added to your blade lunge speed, so QB and OB before lunge allows you to go much faster.

 

dedicated bladers will always use back unit boosters for their additional speed, and hybrid bladers that use blades and guns focus on using blades to combo into their gun weapon. good hybrid blading weapons include shotugns, zooks, kamal, and other burst damage close range weapons. since youre just missioning, rifles are probably your best bet.

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A big thanks to everyone who posted and a special thanks to Bakuhatsu Pengin for taking the time to type and share such a thorough explanation on blade performance.

 

use a light quad or a light midweight

 

I use a light middleweight AC with middleweight legs and dual blades.

 

its also important to know what regulation you are playing through story on, since they affect ac performance and stats drastically but if you are smart youd be playing on regulation 1.15 for infinite energy

 

I’m playing on regulation 1.2

 

Besides energy, are there any differences between 1.15 and 1.2?

 

Does 1.15 allow an FCS blade lock?

 

your opponent can still dodge it

 

I’ve been missing blade swings even in cases where the target cannot dodge because it literally does not have the ability to move, like fixed gun emplacements for instance.

 

now, all the leg types have different blade swing animations, and certain animations are far more desirable than others. the two best animations are the middleweight animations and the quad animations. the midweight animation is a broad 180' sweep that catches a lot of things that try to dodge horizontally

 

As far as blade animations, I’ve noticed that swinging both blades at once with middleweight legs produces a different sort of swing that seems to go across and upwards sort of diagonally. What affect does this swing have?

 

the second factor is tracking, which is what allows you to home in on your target like a missile. this tracking ability is a hidden stat in the game's engine itself and changes slightly from regulation to regulation

 

Interesting, are there any parts to be wary of with this stat?

 

lock range through solid objects

 

Could you tell me more about this?

 

I noticed when I did start playing around with a blade build that although I had a lock on from the FCS my swing missed as well. I think this happens because you are too far from the target. Check the Blade Range stat and anything below that you'll score a hit, but if you are further away you will miss.

 

I believe I know what you are talking about. I used to experience the same thing anytime I equipped the BLUEXS FCS (http://armoredcoreun...hp?title=BLUEXS) without equipping the shoulder mounted boosters as well. When I did so the blade lock range greatly exceeded the distance traveled by my AC while activating the blade and I would stop short of the target.

 

I’ve since switched to the INBLUE FCS (http://armoredcoreun...hp?title=INBLUE) to prevent that from happening, its blade range matches the distance covered by my AC while swinging the blade.

 

However the issue I’m having is different from this. When I said my blade swing was missing the target what I meant was that my AC would miss by swinging to either the right or left of the target and sometimes above or under the target; sometimes it would even pass the intended target. That said, I don’t think travel distance is the issue here.

 

let's face it I only ever use Moonlight!) to be honest I don't know if it makes a difference as Moonlight generally nukes anything it comes into contact with anyway. I should try to experiment with a 'lesser' blade to see if that helps.

 

I really liked the moonlight’s power but I’ve generally stuck to

 

EB-O305: http://armoredcoreun...p?title=EB-O305

 

^^^ (because of its long blade distance I can destroy 2 normals with 1 swing while wielding this blade!)

 

and

 

EB-R500: http://armoredcoreun...p?title=EB-R500

 

because of energy drain, weight and blade latency. The blade latency stat dictates the blade’s reaction time, basically the time that goes by between the point when you press the button on your controller and the point when your AC actually performs the swing. When I got used to the EB-O305 and later tried the moonlight the blade swing seemed sluggish to me so I went back to the EB-O305. Each to his own, experiment and see if you notice a difference.

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youre probably missingyour lunges because ypu are playing regulation 1.2 and your speed is outperforming your tracking. 1.2 was the notorious death of acfa due to its insane amounts of speed, which destroyed every aspect of balance. if your gun could not consostently hit something it was automatically trash, so 1.2 had muzzle velocity as the only stat that mattered.

 

youre offline though so for you its just fkng up your blading. id recommend trying to line up your lunges better or switching to a different regulation. 1.3 and 1.4 arent as fast so itll be easier, but even then its worth noting that you cant allow tracking to do everything for you. tracking is insane, but it still has its limitations and you wont get 100%on any regulation

 

1.15 and 1.2 only have en differences

 

attack latency stat isnt your lunge time, its your blade reload speed. lunge time is dictated by how long you hold the attack button

 

now that i think about it, you might be having issues because you arent letting the ac track the target long enough because you are tapping the attack button

 

blade swings will also be shorter if you run out of energy tho, and moonlight has big en usage

 

iirc r500 has never been great compared to eltanin or 305

 

tracking is not affected by any visible part stats and ive never seen evidence of any parts affecting it in a hidden manner

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attack latency stat isnt your lunge time, its your blade reload speed. lunge time is dictated by how long you hold the attack button

 

I stand corrected. Thank you for pointing this out.

 

youre offline though so for you its just fkng up your blading. id recommend trying to line up your lunges better

 

So this seems to be the most likely reason. Well...I'm a bit disappointed at myself but glad it’s at least something I can change.

 

I know that I can't realistically expect to hit every single target (especially something like a fast AC) but at the least I expect to hit a fixed in place nonmoving target that doesn't even have the ability to move (like a fixed gun emplacement).

 

I have a new idea regarding a possible cause for this problem. Suppose I move my AC using the regular boosters in any horizontal direction or vertically upwards and I perform this movement while acquiring a blade lock, swinging the blade as soon as a lock on is established. Suppose that during the blade swing/QB lunge I change the direction in which I was applying the left thumbstick, doing so while applying the regular boosters or alternatively I disengage the regular boosters completely during the blade swing/QB lunge. Will the swing accuracy be affected by either the slight change in course or the slight change in speed?

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doesn't HB (edit: meant Quick Boost) duration directly influence max lunge time?

 

uhhh… if you're having trouble hitting stationary targets offline practice releasing the blade attack such that you're AC stops overboosting before colliding with its target, but within the range of whatever blade you're using. With stationary targets you will still inflict damage, even if you do over-cook the rush and collide before activating the blade. In PvP, improper timing means your target has that much longer to GTFO.

 

@Will the swing accuracy be affected by either the slight change in course or the slight change in speed?

A. Yes, for the reason i mentioned above.

B. I may be misinterpreting your post but you're over thinking it. 4th gen blading is for the most part very simple, get positioning (not so simple in practice) depress kill button, release (timing contingent on target A vs B mobility; for the sake of simplified comparison: using a fast build with alliyah or better mains, vs a stationary target) kill button just before reaching target B, at which point momentum will bring the wide arc of the laser blade into anything dumb enough to still be there.

 

@directional changes… I'll admit I'm a bit confused. You more or less want to keep the target dead center of the reticule. There is some wiggle room here, allowing dodging and compensation vs a moving target, but 4th gen blading is Point A to Point B, once you've out maneuvered your target and activated the OB lunge.

 

...Are you trying to blade during over boost? IIRC that screws up auto-tracking quite a bit.

Edited by Nescient
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  • 3 weeks later...

Sorry it’s been a while, I’ve been traveling.

 

 

uhhh… if you're having trouble hitting stationary targets offline practice releasing the blade attack such that you're AC stops overboosting before colliding with its target, but within the range of whatever blade you're using. With stationary targets you will still inflict damage, even if you do over-cook the rush and collide before activating the blade. In PvP, improper timing means your target has that much longer to GTFO.

 

^^^ If by “overboosting” you meant to say quickboosting then this accurately describes one of the issues I’ve had. When I try to attack something like a big arms fort my AC usually slams into it during the QB lunge before the AC’s arms swing the energy blade. I thought the tracking function was supposed to account for distance to the target and time the blade swing as appropriate. Are you saying it doesn’t and the player is required to control this manually by lifting up off of the button that engages the blade swing?

 

 

@Will the swing accuracy be affected by either the slight change in course or the slight change in speed?

A. Yes, for the reason i mentioned above.

B. I may be misinterpreting your post but you're over thinking it. 4th gen blading is for the most part very simple, get positioning (not so simple in practice) depress kill button, release (timing contingent on target A vs B mobility; for the sake of simplified comparison: using a fast build with alliyah or better mains, vs a stationary target) kill button just before reaching target B, at which point momentum will bring the wide arc of the laser blade into anything dumb enough to still be there.

 

Perhaps an example would help. Suppose I’m strafing sideways using the regular boosters (not the OB or the QB) by holding down on the button that engages them. Then I come across a target. I push the button on my controller to activate the blade. After the QB blade lunge begins and before my AC’s blade strikes the target I am still holding down the button that controls the regular boosters (not the OB or the QB) and I can do 1 of 2 things, either let go of the button and thus disengage the regular boosters (not the OB or the QB) or I can continue to hold down on the button.

 

Will disengaging the regular boosters mid swing affect the blade swing’s accuracy or does tracking account for this?

 

The reason I mention this is I’ve noticed that while chaining blade swings together (right arm swings, then left arm swings, then right arm swings, then left arm swings…repeat) if I also hold down the button that engages the regular boosters (not the OB or the QB) the AC’s speed increases. This can be noticed by observing the speedometer. I don’t know if this difference in speed has any effect on blade swing accuracy other than the fact that increased speed increases the chance to hit a moving target but let’s assume we’re considering a fixed target.

 

 

...Are you trying to blade during over boost? IIRC that screws up auto-tracking quite a bit.

­

 

No, I seldom ever use the overboost and I never, ever try to attack by swinging the blade while overboosting.

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Blade lunge is basically the same every time. It differs depending on blade/booster but other than that there isn't much difference what kind of boosting you're doing. You just have to figure out how far forward you lunge when you swing. Holding down the attack button or just pressing it makes no difference.
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If by “overboosting” you meant to say quickboosting then this accurately describes one of the issues I’ve had. When I try to attack something like a big arms fort my AC usually slams into it during the QB lunge before the AC’s arms swing the energy blade. I thought the tracking function was supposed to account for distance to the target and time the blade swing as appropriate. Are you saying it doesn’t and the player is required to control this manually by lifting up off of the button that engages the blade swing?

 

Yes.

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