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Armored Core 4

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Armored Core 4
Armored Core 4 (PlayStation 3 version)
Developer(s)From Software
Publisher(s)Sega
Designer(s)From Networks
Platform(s)Playstation 3
Xbox 360
Release




Genre(s)Simulation
Action
Mode(s)Single player
Multiplayer

Armored Core 4 is a video game for the PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360. It is the 11th installment of From Software's Armored Core series, despite being titled Armored Core 4. Armored Core 4 is set in the near future in an alternate universe where a great war has left the nations of Earth devastated and corporations have taken over the role of the government. The game features a system for personalized customization of the player's mech and an online mode where players can battle each other over the PlayStation Network and Xbox Live. The game is similar to the MechWarrior series and is the spiritual sibling to From Software's other mecha-based game, Chromehounds. An OAV due out this spring entitled Armored Core: Fort Tower Song is based on the game and its history.

History

The Nation Dismantlement War

The world experienced a period of rapid population growth which put a strain on global food and energy supplies. As populations increased, so did the gap between the wealthy and the poor and so did the unrest between the classes. Eventually, violence began to erupt and the governments quickly lost control of their populations as their cities were consumed by terrorism and anarchy. People began turning to corporations, complete with private armies, to keep them safe from the chaos.

In the midst of the meltdown, the world's six most powerful corporate conglomerates decided to do away with national governments and install their own brand of rule and law. They launched a full scale war on the nations of the world which came to be known as the Nation Dismantlement War.

Using advanced Armored Core technology, the corporations decimated the forces of the nations and declared victory in less than a month. The old nations of the world had been toppled and the corporations set to work on a new system of government.

Pax Economica

The corporations dubbed their new order as the "Pax Economica", a system where loyalty and service to the corporations guaranteed food and survival. Under the Pax, however, people were forced into corporate-run colonies and basically became slaves serving wealthy corporate masters.

The Ravens

Not everyone was powerless to the corporations though. Rebels and mercenaries calling themselves "Ravens" turned against the corporations and their new order and began to fight against them. It has been five years since the Pax was established and the world's population has become passive and apathetic under the new system, however one Raven is poised to change all that.


Characters

  • The Raven — The protagonist of Armored Core 4. As in previous Armored Core games, the Raven is an unnamed silent protagonist controlled by the player. The game plays out entirely from his or her perspective.
  • Professor Jarnefeldt — As the developer of Next control technology, he single-handedly supplied the core of Anatolia's livelihood with his many technical advancements . His death left Anatolia in a state of economic crisis.
  • Fiona Jarnefeldt — Not only is she Professor Jarnefeldt's daughter but she also worked as the Raven's support partner (operator) in the field. Though she understands the necessity of Emil's plan, she is unable to relieve her feelings of guilt at using the Raven.
  • Emil Gustav — Though a member of Professor Jarnefeldt's Next tech development staff, his true talents lie in the world of politics. Following the Professor's death, Emil assumes responsibility for the Colony's welfare and proposes that they sell the Nexts. With this in mind, he asks the Raven to act as the Next's pilot.
  • Joshua O'Brien — An old friend of Fiona's, this former AMS test subject now works as a mercenary for Aspina. He pilots a white Next tuned for extreme mobility with a high degree of AMS compatibility. Despite his gentlemanly calm nature and somewhat apathetic aura, he continues to fight to protect his tiny homeland.
  • Amazigh — He pilots the irregular Barbaroi Next for the Maglib Liberation Front. Born and raised in Africa, he stands as an iconic hero to Maglib and the other anti-establishment forces in Africa. He's pushed Barbaroi's performance to the limits despite extremely low natural AMS compatibility, enduring a tremendous amount of psychic shock.
  • Mido Auriel — Because she possesses special psychic traits, Mido became one of the elite Lynx pilots. She trained with Omer after the National Dismantlement War and pilots her beloved Null Next.

The Corporations

Bernard and Felix Foundation

Bernard and Felix Foundation
Bernard and Felix Foundation

An integrated military company that has an adversarial relationship with GA. Characterized by highly precise and sophisticated armaments, they traditionally enjoy close ties with Rosenthal. BFF offers state-of-the-art existing arms, and excels at high-precision machinery, especially their lineup of sensors.

  • AC Info - Having an alliance with Rosenthal, BFF's AC designs have similarities to Rosenthal's designs like both companies designs having the appearance of a AC which seems to be capable of boosting in flight for a long time. BFF's AC designs are fast mobile AC's that have a unique head providing the the ability to detect enemies.
  • Leader: Name Unknown - The Leader of the Bernard and Felix Foundation pilots a modified BFF AC armed with a cannon.

Eqbal

Eqbal
Eqbal

An industrial integrated enterprise. Eqbal is known for their solid mass-production system and for unique and unconventional weapons. The mix of quarreling regions under their control gives them ample opportunities to test their products, ensuring their effectiveness in real battle conditions. Eqbal has historically banded with Omer Science Technology.

  • AC info - Lightweight, highly mobile, and designed for close-range combat, these AC's make up for their lack of defense with both lateral and vertical maneuverability, allowing pilots to strike foes from all angles.
  • Leader: Sadhana - The Leader of the Eqbal Corporation. Sadhana pilots an AC similar to the Eqbal standard design, however it's internal parts are heavily modified.

Global Armaments

Global Armaments
Global Armaments

The greatest integrated military company in the Pacific Rim economic region. GA has a solid reputation for practical and stable armaments and their arms are characterized by simple strength, and have a strong military favor. GA has an adversarial relationship with Bernard and Felix Foundation.

  • AC Info - Their heavyweight mechs are designed purely for strength and offer high physical defense and stability. GA's heavy artillery, such as the bazooka and missiles, provide ample firepower.
  • Leader: Enrique Elkano - The Leader of the Global Armaments America. Enrique pilots the AC Geohart which is a modified version of the standard GA design.
  • GA Europe - GA's European subsidiary. Known for originality in their weapons development, GA Europe has several unique weapons ready for use in the field.

Leonemeccanica

Leonemeccanica
Leonemeccanica

Alliance of military companies in Europe. With leading companies of actuators and laser technology in their ranks, they are characterized by high-performance and expensive arms that make full use of cutting-edge technologies.

  • AC Info - Their middleweight smooth part AC designs are mostly equipped with unique arms and special high-performance laser armaments made by them which are capable for a large battle.
  • Leader: Name Unknown - The Leader of the Leonemeccanica is unknown. The leader pilots an AC with smooth parts, possibly a private design like Berlioz's AC.

Rayleonard

Rayleonard
Rayleonard

An Emerging energy company that occupies an important place in the development of the Kojima Technology, which is an essential technology of AC units. Known for their ambitious and aggressive design policies that defy the boundaries of existing weapons.

  • AC Info - Specializing in agility and speed, Rayleonard's highly mobile AC's were designed with high-speed close-range combat in mind. Their impressive lineup of quick-firing guns and blades maximizes attack power with the shortest possible delay.
  • Leader: Berlioz - The Leader of the Rayleonard corporation. Berlioz pilots the AC Gaavera, a special AC design made by Rayleonard. It is fast, mobile and very effective on close range.

Rosenthal

Rosenthal
Rosenthal

An integrated military company that was derived from a huge industrial conglomerate. They offer versatile, precision weapons with an excellent sense of balance.

  • AC Info - Their slick, all-purpose ACs are created from careful designs. They are made to be adaptable, providing stable, easy-to-use, low-impact performance.
  • Leader: Noblesse Oblige - The Leader of the Rosenthal Corporation is known to pilot a modified Rosenthal AC equipped 3 energy cannons on each shoulder.

Minor Corporations

  • Akvavit - Longstanding military electronics corporation based in northern Europe. In addition to being the world's leading Kojima technology company, Akvavit produces top-of-the-line computing devices, sensors, and other electronics. Though offering weapons of impressive, cutting-edge functionality, their creations are plagued with a dangerous fragility. Akvavit has strong ties with Rayleonard, and also works with GA Europe.
  • Aldra - Military heavy industries corporation and member of the Interior Union. Aldra is the originator of the Actuator Complexity System and remains a specialist in the field. They also hold the distinction of being one of the only members of the Interior still focused on bullets over energy-based weapons.
  • Arisawa Heavy Industries - Integrated heavy industries corporation long centered in Japan. Specializing in military vehicles and explosives, their creations are known for durability. Though still technically an independent Company, Arisawa essentially falls under the GA family umbrella and is one of the leading economies of the Pacific Rim.
  • Cougar - Military manufacturer specializing in rocket engine technology. These days Cougar is criticized for stagnant design, suffering particularly in the area of Kojima rocket engine development.
  • Melies - A member of the Interior Union, Melies is strongest in the high-tech field, specializing in laser and rocket engine technologies. Widely acknowledged as the industry authority on the former.
  • MSAC International - Military manufacturer of computers, sensors, and other high-tech electronics. MSAC's high performance standards have traditionally accounted for a large portion of the GA group's profits. Their highly specialized weapons, particularly in the missile industry, hold a majority share in the market.
  • Omer Science - Omer Science is the only corporation being able to develop the Kojima Technology independently after the technology was created.
  • Technocrat - Offering mostly older technologies and generally falling behind in the engineering race, Technocrat's ties to Eqbal are the only things currently keeping this ailing Company afloat. Still clinging to their status as a controlling Company, if barely, the sun is poised to set permanently on Technocrat unless its minimal output sees improvement.

Glossary of Terms

  • Actuator Complexity System (ACS) - The Next's new and improved system of control which far surpasses that of Normals in terms of precision. Originally researched and developed by Aldra, poor data management has cost them a great deal of advantage in the field. It is now looked at among Companies as a comparatively easily surpassed engineering hurdle.
  • Allegorical Manipulation System (AMS) - Piloting system allowing those with a certain in-born psychic trait to control Nexts. Though the strain it places on pilots is considerable, it allows for an extremely high degree of AC control.
  • Armored Core (AC) - A new form of humanoid multi-purpose weapon, armed with unparalleled firepower and capable of deciding battles single-handedly. The ACs were originally developed to combat the terrorism and violence that rose with the world's sovereign nations inability to preserve order. Recent developments in Armored Core technology have yielded a new breed of ACs, called "Nexts," in addition to the previous "Normals."
  • Colonies - Collective dwellings inhabited by all except for the privileged employees of the Companies, ranging from small city-states to tiny villages. Economic transactions take place exclusively between the Companies and a Colony representative, leaving the majority of the population to work in exchange for their food and security. The tight supply of food and energy, however, paired with the Companies' prohibition of direct inter-Colony trade, still leaves nearly all of the inhabitants in destitution.
  • Companies - The six corporate groups, and their holdings, which have assumed the responsibility of providing a new order in the place of the world's former nations.
  • Firing Control System (FCS) - The weapons control system that operates alongside the IRS when sighting targets.
  • Fractional Regulation System (FRS) - An AC control system that relays commands to each of the individual parts of the mechfrom the IRS.The ability of the FRS to optimize and execute control over separate parts without losing overall control gives FRS the advantage over IRS performance.. Furthermore, FRS performance can be enhanced through the addition of specialized external memory chips.
  • Integrated Regulation System (IRS) - The centralized AC control system stored within the craft's head. The IRS processes data output from the AMS fills in any gaps in the pilot's commands and relays them to the parts. The IRS system also handles data from the AC's camera eyes and sensors.
  • Interior Group - Heavyweight crafts streamlined for minimum impact, designed to rule the battlefield with lethal high-powered energy-based weaponry.
  • Kojima Technology - A recent breakthrough in engineering that unravels the secrets between Nexts and Normals. Originally developed by Akvavit and Rayleonard, Omer Science Technology replicated their results through independent research shortly thereafter. Thanks to tight data control within the labs of these three companies, the inner workings of Kojima tech remains a black box to outside developers and corporate espionage among the Companies has escalated to a fevered pitch.
  • Kojima Particles - A new substance discovered approximately 7 seven years prior to the National Dismantlement War by a researcher of the same name. Ensuing research has shown that when Kojima technology is applied to a host of applications that the basis of the Nexts is formed. Kojima particles have also been found to be a powerful pollutant, causing dangerously widespread and persistent damage to all forms of life exposed to them. Created by Akvavit and Omer Science Technology, Kojima Particles hold great potential for military use.
  • Linx - Title applied to Next pilots who are AMS-compatible.While the Nexts' AMS control system directly translates the user's skill into AC performance in the field, it requires pilots to possess a special psychic trait in order to properly function. Only candidates born compatible are suited to act as pilots. Their psychic peculiarities could be called a form of genius, and many of them are used as the Companies' experimental test subjects.
  • National Dismantlement War - The armed conflict that erupted after the Companies decided to form a new world order. After explosive population growth, the sovereign nations of the world lost their ability to maintain control in the face of food and energy shortages. Beginning with the Companies' sudden and unilateral blitzkrieg, the largest scale coup de etat in world history was concluded within weeks, with the Companies standing victorious.
  • Nexts - A new breed of weapon developed in secret, initially used as the Companies' ace in the hole during the National Dismantlement War. Though based on Normal AC technology, the combination of Akvavit's Kojima technology, Aspina's Allegorical Manipulation System, and other new breakthroughs yield a product with far greater potential. The exclusive Nexts also represent the Companies' power, as most Colonies and independent armed groups do not have access to them.
  • Normals - High-powered, multi-purpose humanoid weapons developed to counter the terrorism and violence which rose to fill the vacuum left by the sovereign nations' waning power. The strongest weapons in play prior to the National Dismantlement War, Normals are now - with the exception of some of the latest or most highly specialized models - all but powerless in the face of the world's few Nexts. That said, Normals still compose the bulk of the Companies' forces, and represent the strongest units available to both Colonies and independent armed groups.
  • Originals - Title given to Lynx who piloted Nexts from the time of the National Dismantlement War, which is to say from the very outset of Next technology. Over half of the Lynx in existence are Originals, with the number of post-war additions still extremely few. A strong sense of being one of a chosen few pervades the ranks of the Originals, who were numbered from one through 26 following the war, in the order of their battlefield accomplishments.
  • Overed Boost (OB) - Propulsion device developed through the application of Kojima technology to boosters. The conversion of a craft's Kojima particles into the OB allows for instantaneous, explosive acceleration, though it gradually weakens the craft's PA.
  • Pax Economica - The new social order, established after the Companies' victory in the National Dismantlement War. Under it, a majority of the world's population dwells in collectives known as Colonies. There, people are guaranteed food in return for labor, but they are completely cut off from the market economy.
  • Primal Armor (PA) - A defensive shield created by molding Kojima particles into a sustained, stable flow around the AC's exterior which is capable of greatly diminishing or entirely nullifying a wide variety of attacks. After an attack Kojima particle dispersion can lead to temporary weakening, but unlike conventional armor, PAs restore themselves with time. There are few drawbacks to using PA though it can be weak comparatively against highly penetrative weapons, and the necessity of expelling a large quantity of Kojima particles into the atmosphere risks serious environmental contamination.
  • Quick Boost (QB) - Though Boost technology is hardly new in Normals and other weaponry, this breakthrough technology allows for immediate acceleration in any direction over a short distance. With the Nexts' revolutionary energy provision system and the AMS's high degree of control, the Quick Boost has become one of the new ACs' characteristic features.
  • Raven - Common name for a mercenary AC pilot after the widespread use of Normals in battle began. Their high degree of specialization and the impressive power of their crafts represented the chaotic era in which they fought. Now, after the close of the National Dismantlement War, however, most Ravens have been forced to become lackeys of the Companies and patrol the Colonies for next to nothing, or give their all to independent armed groups. Their current struggle to survive is a far cry from the glory they once held as the unchallenged masters of the battlefield in the days before the advent of Next technology.

New Features

Armored Core 4 has more new features than previous AC games although some of them are removed which is found on the past previous AC games.

Mission Gameplay

  • The lockbox normally found from the first AC game up to Last Raven was removed from the HUD. AC's will now automatically lock on enemies when in range.
  • The energy bar, normally found on the left is now above the AP.
  • Another energy bar which belongs to the Primal Armor is found in the right of the AP.
  • The environment is now affected by AC battles. For example, an AC moving on sand will leave footprints when walking on the ground. Weapons also have terraforming effects, most notably in an unlockable Arctic battle stage.
  • A status window found in the most left keeps udpating showing the condition of the AC.
  • The ECM on the area the AC is on is measured and shown just below the map.
  • All weapons now do more damage.
  • Enemy AI's and AC's now are stronger and smarter making them harder to defeat although some are still weak.

AC Parts

  • Weapons can now be painted just as how AC parts are colored.
  • All cores are now equipped with the Primal Shield and Overboost.
  • Inside and Extension parts are removed and new parts are introduced. These are the side boosters, shoulder weapons, and back boosters.
  • A new tuning system has rendered the optional parts useless.
  • Another new part, which is the Stabilizers are added into the game. Stabilizers shift the balance of an AC, and add aesthetic details.
  • AC's have more AP now, with up to aproximately 45000AP compared to the old 9999 max. Weapons also do more damage to balance out the AP.

Garage

The garage has been improved and new categories are added in order to make the garage easily accessible.

  • Weapons - The place where weapons can be bought and equipped. Unfortunately, the weapons can't be bought or equipped at the Assemble place.
  • Assemble - The place where parts used by the AC are bought and equipped.
  • Paint - The place where players can color any parts of their AC except for boosters and the generator and also the FCS.
  • Simulation - A new category where players can face off against AI ACs. Many of which did not appear in missions. Certain parts can be unlocked when an AI AC is defeated.
  • Test - Its always the place where players get to test their AC's against AI enemies.
  • Tutorial - A new category added in the game where new players can learn how to play Armored Core 4.
  • Design - A new unique category where players can customize the parts of the AC like adding more extra optional parts or decals. For example, a player can add a small horn like part on the arms of their AC.

Gameplay Features

Due to that Armored Core 4 is taking advantage of next generation consoles, the details and grahics including the sounds are changed and improved and new features are added like the ability to customize a players AC.

Graphics

It is confirmed that the game would have a much more advance and more detailed graphics than its predeccesors. Environment details and effects are the ones that are known to be improved the most which are seen in the trailers which were released.

Sound

The sounds though are changed and now are a little different than before. Guns now have a much more different sound like sounding how guns sound when fired today although are much more stronger.


External links

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