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Are you in need of any help, either legitimate or cheating? Then you have come to the right place. Please take note that most of the basic gameplay tips are covered in the AC2 Tips section and can be viewed
here.
Here you can see new TIPS such as:
- Adapting gameplay tips
- Strategies for using and combating the new
weapons
- New Level specific strategies
~The TIPS section~
General Strategies:
- Boost Hopping
- Still very important and more useful than ever. Given that the ingame engine has had a speed increase it is now easier to dodge all incoming shots. Yet to do this perfect timing is required. Go to the testing grounds and try dodging the purple shots of the test droids. See how close you can get and still dodge all their shots. I find that their rounds have a good velocity to make a quick and effective drill.
- Overboost Jousting
- This technique requires much more finesse to pull off in AA. There is now a heat penalty, varies with the core equipped, for initiating an OB. Overusing this will put you in Output Down status and you will continually lose life. Also note that the distance you can cover using the OB has been reduced as well. No longer can you simply OB from one end of a level to the other.
- Feather Boosting
- Booster output has also been lowered, despite a faster game engine. This means that you still move at similar speeds despite a quicker game pace. As such the timing for effective feather boosting has also changed. Once you re-adjust you can still make use of this technique. I do find myself using it less often though and focusing more on a ground based attack.
- Hang Gliding
- The AC2 section covers most of what you need to know about this. Just remember that with the OB heat penalty you can no longer fly 8 to 10 laps around the boundaries of a level while staying airborne, at least not without incurring a damage penalty. The best core to do this with is the ECL-ONE. It has the lowest heat increase but also a weak booster power.
Weapon Specific Strategies:
- Rifles
- Rifles have one main change, each one has gotten 20 more shots added. Also there are several new rifles, each with it's own uses.
- Bazookas
- In general bazookas have increased heat damage per shot. Also the Hydra has gotten a few more shots and a small projectile spread.
- KARASAWA
- This one has been toned down for AA. The game engine makes it easier to dodge shots now and it's lost its stun effect. Still a good weapon to use.
- Grenades
- There is a new smaller back grenade launcher. Also the GN210 grenade rifle has had it's ammo cut in half. The attack power was slightly raised to partially compensate.
- Basic Missiles
- Seem meaner than in AC2 at first glance. With practice you should find them to rank about the same as last time. There are several new launchers, including an arm weapon, but the one that stands out the most is the Ground Torpedoes. This weapon drops a smalll pod that slides toward it's target and splits into four slow moving, great tracking missiles.
- Rockets
- There are some new rocket pods but nothing spectacular.
- Orbit Cannons
- While only a noveltie in AC2, these babies can actually wreak some decent havoc on an unprepared opponent. You'll still probably push these aside for their Inside Part version. This new unit will drop a stationary orbit platform that will blast any enemies that approach. The computer will simply let them blast away at it. They make a decent counter move for people who like to attack with swords. They're a bit on the heavy side though so design preparation is needed.
Level Specific Strategies:
- Retski Armament Lab
- This is a strange level for a game like AA. It's something you would expect from a FPS game like Red Faction. Still despite the size and tunnel design there are areas to combat this. Namely those are either the rooms that you start in or the room to the left of the first player, or right of the second, that has pillars and rafters to stand on. This room offers the closest thing to a balanced battleground as you are going to find.
- Treatment Plant
- A fun but dangerous level. Since the whole thing is in a furnace, temperature becomes important and overheating occurs frequently. It's also best to avoid any contact with the lava in the bottom. Note that the floors can be shot out leaving nowhere to land except in the lava. Take advantage of this by dropping Inside Orbits or using the Pursuit Missiles to destroy all the platforms the enemy is on. Also use the central pillar for cover if you need to.
- Ancient City
- A great stage. It features low sand hills scattered with buildings. These make for some great hiding places to avoid incoming missiles. The stage is expansive as well so going out of bounds should be very infrequent here. Also the ceiling boundary is high so you can fly freely. Try using the OB to quickly get from one building to another.
- Old Switchyard
- A cramped stage. It features no room to fly in save for that of the center. There are two pillars here to take cover behind. Also note the destroyable trains make temporary cover. Watchout for opponents with a lot of high powered weapons. They can shoot up the place without thinking twice and thus exposing you. This level is best for high defense designs with lots of weaponry.
- Arena
- A large polygon arena that features pillers near its outer edges to hide behind. You can also fly on top of the pillars and rain down some missile barrages. Also note that playing the missions here will involve a different setup. It's a shame that the transforming nature of the arena wasn't implemented as a randomization program in the game. Whereby each visit to the Arena can take one of 3 shapes. Still its a good balanced level to play on, not too big and not too small.
- Old Battlefield
- This level start like the Zio City of AC2 in that both player are facing each other and have a free shot. Just like AC2, equipping a high powered weapon gives you an early advantage. Also note that the ground is littered with landmines that WILL damage you should you accidentally walk into one, or get blasted into one for that matter. Also the SRBIA surface weapon, featured in the AC2 mission where you aquire the Karasawa, can be used as cover. Other than that the level is sparse.
- Bureau Ocean Base
- My favorite new level. It features many different areas to mess around in. It also consists of two main layers. The upper base part and the ground level. The ground level is simple in design with a few small hills and the pillars of the base. These pillars also contain some small support platforms to stand on. The base level is the interesting part of the design. It also has a lower sublayer around it's outskirts, a good hiding spot for stealth designs. The top features a mid bridge with an alcove on either side and some side platforms to stand on. Note that this level only really shines when played with I-Link. Otherwise the place is foggy and has a dire appearance.
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If you have any questions or comments about the site, or any questions about the Armored Core series, feel free to e-mail me: Outpost Command.
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