------------------------ Silent Line: Armored Core - Max Speeds FAQS Written by: Ryan Gibson AKA Badfishrmg Copyright: 2003 Ryan Gibson Started: 8/4/2003 Last Updated: 8/4/2003 Finished: TBD...NEVER!!!! ------------------------ Contact info: Email: badfishrmg@neo.rr.com AIMs: Badfishrmg TABLE OF CONTENTS: I. What is this is all for? a. Version Info b. Mission Statement c. Misconceptions II. The Research a. Constants and Variables b. Humanoid Legs c. Reverse Joint Legs d. Quadruped Legs e. Caterpillar Legs f. Hover Legs III. Results and Theories a. Results for Non-Booster-Equipped Legs b. Results for Booster-Equipped Legs c. Theories, Laws and Hypotheses IV. What does this mean? (SUMMARY) V. Glossary and FAQ VI. Credits. VII. Links. I.WHAT'S THIS ALL ABOUT? Basically, I'm a speed nut with AC. I love to have the fastest of whatever I decide to do whether it be hovers, caterpillars, light humanoid or whatever. Over the course of AC the game has changed quite a bit and from what I've seen no one has ever really gotten into the nitty gritty with speed and what makes an AC fast and what slows it down. a. VERSINO 2.0 August 4th, 2003 1. Added an FAQ section to the end of this FAQ *that's redun- dant* 2. Posted some of the info for the Humanoid Leg Results. 3. Posted Terminal Velocity theory and WAKE Terminal Velocity, hopefully when I'm done this I will make an FAQ for that including info for all boosters. 4. Spent forever replacing all Tabs with Spacebars. 5. Added Links to my fav AC websites. 6. Updated the Credits section. 7. Updated the Glossary. 8. Add remaining Leg data and results. 9. Fixed error with Humanoid Leg Data: Switched format in the middle of the data table. 10. Fixed a lot of spelling and grammar errors. 11. Spent some time dealing with more concepts in the theories section. Finally getting into the heart and soul of this FAQ. Now that the tedious statistics are posted, I can really get into the "NITTY GRITTY!" VERSION 1.0 August 4th, 2003 1. I'm starting this FAQ today, 8-4-2003. I have all of my test data complete. 2. Got my disclaimer down at the top...is that an oxymoron? 3. Wrote my Mission Statement...yay for me! 4. Writing my misconceptions. Will add to these if people ask me dumb questions, just kidding, ask away! There are no dumb questions. 5. Explained my research constants and variables 6. Displayed my Humanoid Leg data. More to come. b. MISSION STATEMENT: I will try my best to give you all the info you need to make the "fastest" AC. No claims for efficiency, only speed. c. MISCONCEPTIONS Well one day, I decided that I would test some theories as far as the capable speed of legs. I've found a lot of common misconceptions which I think I might be able to resolve for some people. Misconception #1: A higher Moving Ability in a leg will increase Dashing and Boosting speeds. Fact: Moving Ability only affects the non- boosting state of movement such as running. To increase Dashing and Boosting performance, one must lose weight and increase boost power. There is a direct ratio that can be determined that I will discuss later. Misconception #2: WAKE boosters are only effective for Heavy ACs. Fact: WAKE boosters actually have a greater effect on Light ACs, Hovers and Caterpillar setups. Misconception #3: WAKE boosters seem to be relevant to the max load capacity of the leg. Fact: WAKE boosters and Normal boosters are directly linked to the total weight of the AC. Misconception #4: I'm a total nut case for spending this time making this worthless FAQ! Fact: WORTHLESS FAQ!!!! quite the contrary... but I am a nut case...yeah it's like 4am and still doing this damn thing! II. THE RESEARCH Here is all the data I've collected. It took me sometime. I'll actually explain what the results mean section III. a. CONSTANTS AND VARIABLES. 1. Constants - I used these parts through out the tests. Due to direct relation of weight and speed, I chose the lightest necessary parts to equip. Those being: HEAD: CHD-01-ATE CORE: CCL-01-NER ARMS: CAL-44-EAS FCS: VREX-WS-1 GENERATOR: KGP-Z54 RADIATOR: R1X-CR10 INSIDE: N/A EXTENSION: N/A R.ARM: N/A L.ARM: N/A OPTIONALS: N/A 2. Variables - Some parts due the nature of testing had to be variable. Obviously the Leg Unit had to be variable. The boosters were swapped between the CBT-FLEET and the MBT-OX/002. The MBT-OX/002 was only used in correlation with the WAKE back boosters. I did much testing which I won't show here on this FAQ which proves the MBT-OX/002 booster is the most effective with the WAKE back booster, but it is. It has to due with a weight:boost power ratio that I haven't exacted yet. In no case did any other booster out perform the OX/002 in any speed category. b. HUMANOID LEGS ___________________________________________________________ Weight Leg Name Booster WAKE Boost Dash ___________________________________________________________ 4843 CLL-HUESO MBT-OX/002 y 458 591 3848 CLL-HUESO CBT-FLEET n 417 537 ----------------------------------------------------------- 4951 CLL-SECTOR MBT-OX/002 y 450 580 3956 CLL-SECTOR CBT-FLEET n 417 537 ----------------------------------------------------------- 5018 CLL-01-FKST MBT-OX/002 y 445 574 4023 CLL-01-FKST CBT-FLEET n 417 537 ----------------------------------------------------------- 5045 MLL-MX/077 MBT-OX/002 y 443 571 4050 MLL-MX/077 CBT-FLEET n 417 537 ----------------------------------------------------------- 5063 CLL-04-LGSK MBT-OX/002 y 442 570 4068 CLL-04-LGSK CBT-FLEET n 417 537 ----------------------------------------------------------- 5133 MLL-SS/1001 MBT-OX/002 y 437 563 4138 MLL-SS/1001 CBT-FLEET n 417 537 ----------------------------------------------------------- 5183 CLL-03A-SRVT MBT-OX/002 y 434 559 4188 CLL-03A-SRVT CBT-FLEET n 417 537 ----------------------------------------------------------- 5217 MLM-MX/066 MBT-OX/002 y 431 556 4222 MLM-MX/066 CBT-FLEET n 417 537 ----------------------------------------------------------- 5231 CLM-01-EDF MBT-OX/002 y 430 555 4236 CLM-01-EDF CBT-FLEET n 417 537 ----------------------------------------------------------- 5235 MLL-MX/EDGE MBT-OX/002 y 430 554 4240 MLL-MX/EDGE CBT-FLEET n 417 537 ----------------------------------------------------------- 5245 MLM-SPINE MBT-OX/002 y 429 553 4250 MLM-SPINE CBT-FLEET n 417 537 ----------------------------------------------------------- 5337 MLM-MM/ORDER MBT-OX/002 y 423 546 4342 MLM-MM/ORDER CBT-FLEET n 417 537 ----------------------------------------------------------- 5618 CLM-02-SNSKA1 MBT-OX/002 y 406 524 4623 CLM-02-SNSKA1 CBT-FLEET n 417 537 ----------------------------------------------------------- 5643 CLH-XV-MGHS MBT-OX/002 y 405 522 4648 CLH-XV-MGHS CBT-FLEET n 417 537 ----------------------------------------------------------- 5652 CLM-02-SNSK MBT-OX/002 y 404 521 4657 CLM-02-SNSK CBT-FLEET n 417 537 ----------------------------------------------------------- 5746 CLM-03-SRVT MBT-OX/002 y 399 514 4751 CLM-03-SRVT CBT-FLEET n 417 537 ----------------------------------------------------------- 5819 CLM-55-RVE MBT-OX/002 y 395 509 4824 CLM-55-RVE CBT-FLEET n 415 535 ----------------------------------------------------------- 5898 MLM-SS/ORC MBT-OX/002 y 391 504 4903 MLM-SS/ORC CBT-FLEET n 409 527 ----------------------------------------------------------- 5933 MLH-MM/LINK MBT-OX/002 y 389 502 4938 MLH-MM/LINK CBT-FLEET n 407 525 ----------------------------------------------------------- 5951 MLM-XA3/LW MBT-OX/002 y 388 500 4956 MLM-XA3/LW CBT-FLEET n 406 523 ----------------------------------------------------------- 6120 CLH-XV-MSGR MBT-OX/002 y 380 489 5125 CLH-XV-MSGR CBT-FLEET n 395 509 ----------------------------------------------------------- 6407 CLH-STIFF MBT-OX/002 y 366 472 5412 CLH-STIFF CBT-FLEET n 378 487 ----------------------------------------------------------- 6489 MLH-MX/VOLAR MBT-OX/002 y 363 468 5494 MLH-MX/VOLAR CBT-FLEET n 373 481 ----------------------------------------------------------- 6558 CLH-04-SOD MBT-OX/002 y 360 464 5563 CLH-04-SOD CBT-FLEET n 370 476 ----------------------------------------------------------- 6821 MLH-SS/RS MBT-OX/002 y 349 450 5826 MLH-SS/RS CBT-FLEET n 356 459 ----------------------------------------------------------- c. REVERSE JOINT LEGS ___________________________________________________________ Weight Leg Name Booster WAKE Boost Dash ___________________________________________________________ 5523 CLB-44-AKS MLB-OX/002 Y 412 530 4528 CLB-44-AKS CBT-FLEET N 417 537 ----------------------------------------------------------- 5853 MLB-SS/FLUID MLB-OX/002 Y 393 507 4858 MLB-SS/FLUID CBT-FLEET N 413 532 ----------------------------------------------------------- 5433 CLB-SOLID MLB-OX/002 Y 417 538 4438 CLB-SOLID CBT-FLEET N 417 537 ----------------------------------------------------------- 5663 MLB-SS/KRT MLB-OX/002 Y 404 520 4668 MLB-SS/KRT CBT-FLEET N 417 537 ----------------------------------------------------------- 6120 CLB-33-NMU MLB-OX/002 Y 380 489 5125 CLB-33-NMU CBT-FLEET N 395 509 ----------------------------------------------------------- 6263 MLB-MX/004 MLB-OX/002 Y 373 481 5268 MLB-MX/004 CBT-FLEET N 386 498 ----------------------------------------------------------- 5920 MLB-MX/008 MLB-OX/002 Y 390 502 4925 MLB-MX/008 CBT-FLEET N 408 526 ----------------------------------------------------------- 6398 CLB-55-HM220 MLB-OX/002 Y 367 473 5403 CLB-55-HM220 CBT-FLEET N 378 488 ----------------------------------------------------------- d. QUADRAPED LEGS ___________________________________________________________ Weight Leg Name Booster WAKE Boost Dash ___________________________________________________________ 5493 MLF-RE/005 MBT-OX/002 Y 414 533 4498 MLF-RE/005 CBT-FLEET N 417 537 ----------------------------------------------------------- 5743 MLF-MX/KNOT MBT-OX/002 Y 399 515 4748 MLF-MX/KNOT CBT-FLEET N 417 537 ----------------------------------------------------------- 5233 CLF-DS-SEV MBT-OX/002 Y 430 554 4238 CLF-DS-SEV CBT-FLEET N 417 537 ----------------------------------------------------------- 5916 CLF-D1-ILC MBT-OX/002 Y 390 503 4921 CLF-D1-ILC CBT-FLEET N 408 526 ----------------------------------------------------------- 6223 CLF-D2-ROG MBT-OX/002 Y 375 483 5228 CLF-D2-ROG CBT-FLEET N 389 501 ----------------------------------------------------------- 5147 CLF-D3-WIZ MBT-OX/002 Y 436 562 4452 CLF-D3-WIZ CBT-FLEET N 417 537 ----------------------------------------------------------- 6690 MLF-RE/006 MBT-OX/002 Y 354 457 5695 MLF-RE/006 CBT-FLEET N 363 468 ----------------------------------------------------------- 6333 MLF-RE/007 MBT-OX/002 Y 370 477 5338 MLF-RE/007 CBT-FLEET N 382 492 ___________________________________________________________ e. CATEPILLAR LEGS ___________________________________________________________ Weight Leg Name Booster WAKE Boost Dash ___________________________________________________________ 7213 CLC-03-MLKS N/A Y 311 139 6093 CLC-03-MLKS N/A N 268 139 ----------------------------------------------------------- 6140 CLC-SHUT N/A Y 361 146 5020 CLC-SHUT N/A N 323 146 ----------------------------------------------------------- 6035 MLC-RE/3003 N/A Y 384 155 4915 MLC-RE/3003 N/A N 353 155 ----------------------------------------------------------- 6168 MLC-TRIDENT N/A Y 355 152 5048 MLC-TRIDENT N/A N 316 152 ----------------------------------------------------------- 6733 CLC-D3TA N/A Y 327 138 5613 CLC-D3TA N/A N 285 138 ----------------------------------------------------------- 6333 CLC-D4ZTSL N/A Y 370 148 5213 CLC-D4ZTSL N/A N 380 148 ----------------------------------------------------------- 6563 MLC-HARPOON N/A Y 344 145 5443 MLC-HARPOON N/A N 304 145 ----------------------------------------------------------- 6693 CLC-ACE N/A Y 331 138 5573 CLC-ACE N/A N 289 138 ___________________________________________________________ f. HOVER LEGS ___________________________________________________________ Weight Leg Name Booster WAKE Boost Dash ___________________________________________________________ 5058 MLR-RE/EGA N/A Y 264 570 3938 MLR-RE/EGA N/A N 264 499 ----------------------------------------------------------- 4713 MLR-MX/QUAIL N/A Y 231 595 3593 MLR-MX/QUAIL N/A N 231 526 ----------------------------------------------------------- 5633 MLR-SS/REM N/A Y 235 523 4513 MLR-SS/REM N/A N 235 537 ----------------------------------------------------------- 4773 MLR-MM/PETAL N/A Y 287 595 3653 MLR-MM/PETAL N/A N 287 594 ----------------------------------------------------------- 5227 CLR-00-MAK N/A Y 270 555 4107 CLR-00-MAK N/A N 270 537 ----------------------------------------------------------- 4893 CLR-01-SCUD N/A Y 281 586 3773 CLR-01-SCUD N/A N 281 540 ----------------------------------------------------------- 5713 CLR-03-SEOLF N/A Y 257 517 4593 CLR-03-SEOLF N/A N 257 526 ----------------------------------------------------------- 5107 MLR-MX-LEAF N/A Y 270 566 3987 MLR-MX-LEAF N/A N 270 526 ___________________________________________________________ III. RESULTS AND THEORIES. a. Results for Non-Booster-Equipped Legs Humanoid Results: Fastest Legs: CLL-HUESO *no surprise there 591 WAKE DASH and 537 FLEET DASH 458 WAKE BOOST and 417 FLEET BOOST It's obvious that the WAKE is far more advantageous to the Light Biped than any other Humanoid Leg. Not only is it 54Km/h faster, it has a much reduced charge drain and is able to maintain a higher speed longer! Slowest Legs: MLH-SS/RS *evil "No-No" in my world!* 450 WAKE DASH and 459 FLEET DASH 349 WAKE BOOST and 356 FLEET BOOST Here raises a question... although the Fleet was faster, does one chose to sacrifice for a much lower charge drain? I suppose that would be up to the pilot's preference. Reverse Joint Results: Fastest Legs: CLB-SOLID 538 WAKE DASH and 537 FLEET DASH 417 WAKE BOOST and 417 FLEET BOOST Oddly enough, this is the only Reverse Joint Leg that actually benefits from the use of the WAKE boosters. Only 1km/h Is hardly a benefit. Slowest Legs: CLB-55-HM220 473 WAKE DASH and 488 FLEET DASH 367 WAKE BOOST and 376 FLEET BOOST Forget the WAKE combo on these Legs. Their minimum weight is so high that it negates any possible use of the WAKE for any intents or purposes. Quadruped Results: Fastest Legs: CLF-D3-WIZ 562 WAKE DASH and 537 FLEET DASH 436 WAKE BOOST and 417 FLEET BOOST Although not a serious difference between the speeds, combined with the booster efficiency can be invaluable for quads because of their excessive charge drain stats. Slowest Legs: MLF-RE/006 457 WAKE DASH and 468 FLEET DASH 354 WAKE BOOST and 363 FLEET BOOST Once again, WAKE is slowing down the heavier legs. Efficiency may be more useful, but oh yeah...this FAQ is about Speed! So screw the efficiency right!? b. Results for Booster-Equipped Leg Caterpillar Legs: Fastest Legs: MLC-RE/3003 155 WAKE DASH and 155 Non-WAKE DASH 384 WAKE BOOST and 353 Non-WAKE BOOST Because tanks cannot dash boost, I can only measure their "crawling" speed and Boost speed. Tanks are slow, but there has to a fastest of everything right!!! Slowest Legs: CLC-03-MLKS 139 WAKE DASH and 139 Non-WAKE DASH 311 WAKE BOOST and 268 Non-WAKE BOOST Tank are definitely the oddballs here. Seems that the WAKE boosters are even effect- ive on the heaviest of legs. This is quite contrary to the Non-Booster-Equipped Legs. ROCK ON! MORE SPEED FOR THE HEAVIES! Hover Legs: Fastest Legs: MLR-MM/PETAL 595 WAKE DASH and 594 Non-WAKE DASH 287 WAKE BOOST and 287 Non-WAKE BOOST Here is my perfect specimen. They don't come any faster than this. Although the MLR-MX/QUAIL matches the MLR-MM/PETAL in WAKE DASH speed, it fails to compare in all of the other categories. What I find most interesting is that the WAKE only adds 1Kp/h to the DASH speed. Check the IIIc. Theories for more info on this quandry. c. Theories, Laws, Hypotheses and Quandaries Law of Terminal Velocity: If you look at the data closely you may notice that while equipping the FLEET booster, The CLM-03-SRVT and the CLL-HUESO both top out at 537 Dash and 417 regardless of the 903lbs difference! Why is this? This is due to what I refer to the Load Capacity Thresh- old of an AC's Terminal Velocity. It seems that every booster, including the WAKE boost- ers which may have it but I have not tested, has a limit, similar to a governor plate for an automobile, which restricts the maximum speed of the AC. This threshold has a maxi- mum weight which once is passed begins to degrade the max speed of the AC. EXAMPLE: The CBT-FLEET booster has a Terminal Velocity of 537 Dash and 417 Boost, with a Load Capacity Threshold of 4801. Provided the AC stays under this weight, under no circumstances can this booster perform any faster. Due to some weight:boost ratio the WAKE boosters cannot even effect this booster, al- though, the lack of WAKE booster improvement cannot be said of all boosters. Clear example used in this FAQ is the MBT-OX/002. THIS ONLY SEEMS EVIDENT IN NON-BOOSTER-EQUIPPED LEGS, AND SEEMS TO HAVE NO BEARING ON HOVER AND CATEPILLAR LEGS. MORE TO COME. Theory of WAKE Terminal Velocity: While examining the hover legs, specifically the MLR-MM/PETAL, one might notice that the max DASH speed is 594, while the WAKE only boosts the AC to 595 DASH speed. Only a 1Km/h in- crease seems highly unlikely and seems to go against the flow of the rest of these tests. Now viewing the MLR-MX/QUAIL one would notice that it's max DASH speed is 526, while the WAKE DASH speed is 595 making the two Legs handle very much the same while dashing with WAKE. This lack of significant improvement in the MLR-MM/PETAL compared to the MLR-MX/QUAIL could seem feasible if the MLR-MM/PETAL was a much heavier leg, but due to the relatively equal weight of the two legs, the increase seems hardly proportional. Also note that while both legs maintain near the same weight, the MLR-MM/PETAL boasts a signifi -cantly higher non-WAKE DASH speed meaning that, it must have a stronger booster. Therefore, the percentage of boost increase between legs of similar weight and unequal boost support my hypothesis that the WAKE boosters do have a Terminal Dashing Velocity, which is 595km/h. Supporting this, I believe the Load Capacity Threshold of the WAKE is estimated to be around 4773(The weight of the lightest possible PETAL setup.) Which explains why the HUESO+OX/002+WAKE setup, which weighs 4843(70 less than the Threshold) tops out at 591km/h, just shy of the 595km/h mark. And why the QUAIL, even with lower boost matches the speed of the PETAL. WEIGHT 4713 QUAIL 595km/h>-WAKE Term. Velocity Est Load Capacity Threshold----<4773 PETAL 595km/h>-WAKE Term. Velocity 4843 HUESO 591km/h 4893 SCUD 586km/h 4951 SECTOR 580km/h This is an untested hypothesis, but soon I hope to be able to provide proof and make it Law. The numbers seem to heavily support this theory. I also believe this velocity may be different with different boosters. More research and results to come. Theory of Weight to Boost Power Ratios It has become apparent that weight directly effects the speed of the AC in porportion to the selected booster. Meaning the more Boost and less total weight equal a faster AC, taking into consideration the Law of Terminal Velocity stated earlier. This is why a set of Heavy Humanoid Legs (for example) could perform as well as Light Humanoid and even out perform the Light Humanoid depending on total Load Capacity of the AC. I'm convinced there is a direct ratio that can be uncovered that will shed some crazy light on how to chose a booster that fits your AC like a glove. Unfortunately this will be a long and difficult formula to uncover. Rest assured I will try my best. Hypothesis of Boost Output Wall I believe that there is a max booster output that cannot be exceeded. Fact: The MBT-OX/002+WAKE will out perform an equally equipped AC using a CBT-FLEET+ WAKE combo, or any other WAKE Combo. Fact: MBT-OX/002+WAKE should be 17400+5000 Boost power, thus equaling 22400 total Boost power. CBT-FLEET+WAKE should be 19900+5000 Boost power, thus equaling 24900 total Boost power. Thus, there is difference of 2500 Boost Power Fact: MBT-OX/002 weighs in at 230. CBT-FLEET weighs in at 355. Thus, there is difference of 125. Because the WAKE would weigh the same on both ACs, I don't believe it would have an effect on this hypothesis. Test: Equip two identical ACs, one with the OX/002 and the other with the FLEET. Test the speed of the AC. The FLEET should test higher speeds than the OX/002. Repeat with WAKE equipped on both ACs. The OX/002 should test higher speeds this time. Why? The Booster Output Wall: In the first test, the boost power of the FLEET over powered the OX/002 despite the fact that is 125 heavier. In the second test, it would be assumed with the same weight differences, and equal boost im- provements, yet this is not the case. Similar to the Terminal Velocity, I be- lieve there is a Boost Power Wall, in which somewhere between 22000-22400 there is a cut-off. This meaning that the FLEET+ WAKE combo would then be reduced to 22000- 22400 boost power: equal to the OX/002, yet weighing more. This would also explain why other boosters such as the NI/MARE(18500), UN8(19500), and NI/GULL(18000) would also perform poorer than the OX/002. Their excess boost could be cut-off at 22000-22400 and thus their extra weight compared to the OX/002 would in turn be their handicap. This would also explain the quandary of PETAL and QUAIL hover legs. Other Explanations There may be some speculation as far as this may be due to porportional boost gains relative to the weight increase. I do plan on looking into these, but I'm more supporting the Booster Output Wall Theory. IV. WHAT DOES THIS ALL MEAN? (SUMMARY) Ok, unless you're a nut case like me, then you've probably skipped past all that lovely info I spent hours laboring and testing to give you... yes, that's right GO READ IT NOW YOU LAZY BUM!... Just kidding. You don't have to read everything to make a fast AC. It is advised that if you want to really understand what makes an AC fast and what kinda of performance you can create with this info, please read and ask questions. Testing me will only make this more accurate of an FAQ... wait.. I mean testing my theories, laws and hypotheses, not my PATIENCE! a. So you want to make a fast AC, or new to light AC combat? First, decide what Speed you need for your AC? Check out your competition. Fighting Heavies, you shouldn't require as much speed, though, fighting Lights you'll need to seriously look at what equip- ment you really need on your AC. Example using the test setup HUESO+FLEET and knowing the Terminal Velocity Theory(I said that reading it would help!), you know that as long as you keep your total AC Weight under 4801, then you won't sacrifice any speed and you'll top out at 537 Dash and 417 Boost. This should be extremely fast to a Heavy AC; hard to deal with as a Middle AC; annoying as crap to a Light because he/she's is going to pissed that you're more than likely faster than them, and if not then they had to sacrifice a lot to put on WAKE boosters or are a Hover in which case you have the Boosting speed advantage so try to take your game in the air and pull them away from the ground. So starting from the test setup you weigh in at 3848 - your legs, 1500, you're left with 1348 total on your Leg Weight. 3989-1348 leaves you with 2641 in weight to distribute, but don't be fooled, knowing that you don't want to go over 4801 you'll want to leave room on your Leg Weight. So lets rethink this... really you use your Threshold Weight 4801 - your test weight 3848 to get 953. "Ack," that is a 1688 difference from what you had before. Stay cool, you can make this work. Ok so no KAWASAWA, oh well. Check your options. Think about what you're gonna be fighting again. If you're fighting a Heavy, think along the line of point blank fighting, i.e. shotguns, bazookas, blades, plasma guns(minus they weigh a ton!), and of course machineguns. Forget back weapons for the most part, you'll have trouble finding something that will kill a large AP AC say around 9500+ AP. A laser blade is a must. If you run out of ammo, you lose. Also, think about your Generator, FCS and Head. If you can spare the weight, then think about the arms and core. Heaven for bid you still have more weight, then consider upgrading legs to something with better defensive stability and AP. Grenades and Bazookas are going to be a Heavy AC's best friend against you. If he/she hits you once, it could be game over for you. DON'T DANCE AROUND IN FRONT OF THEM! Both weapons have ridiculous impact shock. Staying in their FCS is just asking for trouble! I don't care how good you are at dodging, don't tempt fate, she's a filthy whore! Prove how good you are by not getting in harm's way. Planning on fighting a middle weight? This is possibly gonna be the toughest opponent for you. You'll have a speed advantage for sure that can really annoy a Middle weight and make them feel like they're fighting as a Heavy! Problem is this: they can pack a punch and can keep up with you a lot better than the Heavies. Good thing is, they won't deal with the damage as well as the Heavies, so you won't have to hit them as much and with you're speed, you'll get hit a few times, but don't let it discourage you from pushing your advantage... SPEED! Key is to make them think your faster then you really are. OK, you're a lot faster than them, but the key is to frustrate them into thinking they're playing as a heavy. Try rapid fire weapons that have a short to mid range. Machine guns, handguns, pulse rifles, and rifles are your best friend. Now, you can go with a different L Arm weapon, but you're still fast enough to take it to them and get in a couple swipes. Also, keep in mind your Generator, FCS and Head might need some improvement. You might want to consider upgrading arm or core. You speed advantage won't be as high, so you're more likely to get hit...possibly more often, too. ok, well that leaves Light ACs. This is your fun fight. If you build your AC as I've prescribed, then you should be faster than the majority of the Lights out there. Question is how do you use it? It's up to you, and you style. Personally, your chance of overpowering them with short range weapons is not in your favor. They'll most likely be able to keep a lock on you at most times. Which means you'd really need to press your advantage to is max whenever you get the opportunity. I'd say if you're new to AC or playing as Lights, then try mid to long range. Mid leaves you comfortably able to press advantages while maintaining a safe distance. Think about it, they're not gonna be packing any- thing too big. Bazookas suck at mid to long range. Grenade Launchers will slow them down tremendously... those are your biggest fears, next to the Blade. If you suck at blades. Keep your distance.. most experienced Lights will carry a powerful blade like the MOONLIGHT or the 3771... these are LETHAL to you. But useless at Mid range...hehe. A nice combo for this situation is a good handgun/rifle and shotgun combo (Thanks FROM SOFTWARE for the new L Arm Parts!). Keep pecking at mid range and bust'em with the shotgun if they press the close combat. Chance are you'll land more 500 AP shots with the shotgun they will 1500-2000AP blade swipes. If you do it consistently, it can really mess up their game too because they'll start to second guess going in for blade swipe and losing 500AP every time they miss. And then you have the long range hit and run... Hey, I don't like it, but some people were just not meant for close combat. Forget all missiles, except the HI-ACT missiles. You'll never be out of their sight to catch them with large missile salvo, so use missiles that they'll have trouble dodging. Remember, they don't have much as far as weight to work with so don't count on them having missile counter- measures. Missiles weigh a lot, though, so think sniper rifle or laser rifle. So you can apply these stradegies to any leg, just make sure you're keeping weight that keeps you at the speed want. Also, keep in mind each type of leg has it's advantage: Humanoids, RJs, and Quads all more suited to aerial combat than Caterpillars and Hovers. Humanoids have more leg options from which to chose. RJs have the best(lowest) charge drain and highest jump function. Quads have great defensive stability and are a Fast Blader's best friend, the stab does way more damage than the swipe. Caterpillars have the best overall turning abilities combined with great load capacity means a GL that's hard to get away from! Hovers...umm yeah if you can catch one, then you'll see why they rock...ultimate speed...minus they can't fly worth a darn. b. So what if you don't adhere to the Law of Terminal Velocity? Most ACs designs don't, so don't feel that it'll really hurt your AC design. Following the Law of Terminal Velocity in no way guarantees you a Godlike AC, so don't blame me if you lose while following the Law. I'm here to make you faster, not better, though I try to accomplish both sometimes in this FAQ. c. Ok, well, you don't like light weights or you're curious about WAKE performance and your AC. First, I'd suggest building your AC and then compare it to the data I have provided. If build a SNKSA1 setup but it weighs in at 5600 per say without the WAKES and you've got on the FLEETS, you'll have to add 995 to find your comparison on the chart. 995=1120(WAKE)+230(OX/002)- 355(FLEET) So you'd have 6595 thus you could compare it to the CLH-04-SOD test setup. There would be a 37 difference that would have almost no effect on your final speeds. But you could expect these results: 360 WAKE BOOST & 464 WAKE DASH. Not bad for a middle weight AC. though, 370 FLEET BOOST & 476 FLEET DASH, definitely look better. As it seems unless your Non-Booster-Equipped AC's total weight with WAKES is less than 5432, you will see no increases in speed from the WAKE combo. Although, some people feel that if you can maintain similar speeds, the efficiency of the WAKE combo is worth a small speed trade off. Personally, well...I don't think I have to tell you where I stand if you've made this far into the FAQ. d. So you like Hovers huh...weirdo!? jk Well, lucky you. ALL HOVERS CAN GAIN SPEED FROM THE WAKE! Though the PETAL only gains 1km/h, it's still technically an increase. If you plan on using the PETAL, I'd say screw the WAKE. It is just not a big enough change to worry about it. Beside that would leave you back open so if you competition decided to drop weapons for later, you could use them against them or drop them in the water/lava/edge of the earth... whatever! Unfortunately, the WAKE still won't make you fly faster. What a rip-off!?! but hey, you're still the fastest on the ground! Oh, and forget efficiency, they won't help hold a charge longer. Minus, unless you change legs from say the PETAL to the QUAIL, which are more efficient with charge drain and will give you equal boost on the ground as the PETALs. e. Creepy, crawly things that go BOOM!!!!!! Yeah, just like Hovers, every Caterpillar leg, benefits from the WAKE in terms of speed. Just oppositely so. Caterpillars gain aerial boosting speed, oh yeah, duh, like they have any other boosting speed *they crawl on the ground if you didn't get that*. So how does feel being 7200 weigh and out flying the fastest Hover in the air?! yeah, that's an ego boost for Caterpillars! Efficiency? Well yeah, it can be gained same as the Hovers... Can you just be happy out flying them! f. SO LET ME GET THIS STRAIGHT!? Basically, this FAQ can tell you a few interesting points. 1. As long as you build your AC under the Law of Terminal Velocity, it will maintain maximum speed capabilities of that booster. 2. The WAKE OX/002 combo is the most effective WAKE setup. 3. The most effective setups with the WAKE combo are Non-Booster- Equipped Legs under 5432 with WAKE, Caterpillars and Hovers. 4. Weight and Boost Power rule Speed. V. GLOSSARY & FAQ a. GLOSSARY Boost(WAKE BOOST; FLEET BOOST): refers to the maximum speed in Km/h the AC traveled once contact was lost with the ground Booster: refers to which booster unit is currently equipped Booster-Equipped: Legs that come standard with a booster and do not allow a separate booster to be equipped: Caterpillar and Hover Legs. Boost Output Wall: ceiling at which additional boost is cut-off and no long effective Caterpillar: any leg unit with the prefixes MLC or CLC Dash(WAKE DASH; FLEET DASH): refers the maximum speed in Km/h the AC traveled while maintaining contact with the ground Hover: any leg unit with the prefixes MLR or CLR Humanoid: any leg unit with the prefixes MLL, MLM, MLH or CLL, CLM or CLH Leg Name: refers the full part name of the leg unit Load Capacity Threshold: Point at which a booster's terminal velocity begins to degrade and the ac loses speed. Non-Booster-Equipped: Legs that allow you to equip a separate booster, due to the fact they do not come with a booster : Humanoid, Reverse Joint and Quads. Nutcase: Yeah, that would be me...how many times am I gonna call myself that in this FAQ... yeah...lots! I might even start believing it Quadruped(Quads): any leg unit with the prefixes MLF or CLF Reverse Joint(RJ): any leg unit with the prefixes MLB or CLB Terminal Velocity: point at which a boost can no longer improve in speed WAKE: refers to whether the WAKE booster was equipped or not. WAKE combo: refers to equipping the WAKE back unit with the MBT-OX/002 booster unit Weight: refers the entire weight of the AC including all equipped parts ---------------------------------------------------------------------- b. FAQ 1. How can I use this info? Well, by calculating the exact weight of your ac fully equipped, you may compare it's weight to the weight of the tested designs. Therefore you should be able to calculate it's top speed. And if you AC is not as fast as you'd like, you have the knowledge to find what weight you have to get down to in order to achieve that speed. Refer to the Summary Section for more detailed info. Also a concept call "Terminal Velocity" comes into play which I will explain later. Basically all boosters have a max velocity up to a certain speed in which a max tolerance load can be applied without degrading the speed of the AC. I might make a separate FAQ just to explain that concept:) 2. Are WAKE boosters right for my AC? Once again, you have to weigh the pros and cons. Do you want back weapons? How much does said AC weigh? If you're having trouble deciding because the speeds are near indistinguishable, then I'd suggest go with the WAKE combo for better efficiency. 3. Speaking of Speed, why is that when you jump while charging/fall from high places without boosting, if you press forward, back or either strafe, your speed is relavant to your equipped booster, yet you never boosted? Ok, this isn't such a Frequently Asked Question, but something I stumbled upon while toy with all my test. At first I thought it was a glitch, something that might date back to AC1! How could this glitch be over looked!? I mean why should your boost affect you speed while falling or jumping? Well, it's a glitch. Every leg that can jump has auxiliary boosters that link to the Main Boosters and help support the jump function, though a loss of charge will shut down the Main Boosters, it has no effect on auxiliary leg boosters. If you listen closely you can hear them engage when you jump. As for Caterpillars and Hovers, same goes minus the auxiliary boosters don't support a jump function. 4. Will you look at my AC and tell how I can make it faster/better? Well, maybe, just depends on if I get a lot of response from the FAQ. 5. Will you hand me my arse if I come to your tournament? You're damn skippy I will! VI. CREDITS Thanx to: my friends for helping me get into this game, James for being my constant antagonist with AC, Damien for making me verbally explain this FAQ OVER THE PHONE! But you did help me dig deeper to find more truths about speed in AC, the agetec.com forums from who I've learned so much and for giving me inspiration to make this. Sometimes controversy pushes us all to do things we wouldn't normally. Thanks to me... I did write this crap! yeah. And thanks to Bowling for Soup, A Simple Plan, AFI, Dashboard Confesional, the Used, All-American Rejects, and Starting Line for giving me something to listen mindlessly for hours while I compiled this! FOSHIZZLE NIZZLES! If you would like to use this FAQ or would like link to it on your webpage, please only copy it in it's entirety, do not take credit for what I've done. If you'd like to post this at another forum please make sure I get credit. You can reproduce it for personal use. Hope it helps. Else, if you think what you're gonna do might be shady, ask first!!!! VII. LINKS http://www.agetec.com - AC's U.S. publisher if you didn't know http://www.fromsoftware.co.jp/etop/ - AC's Developer http://pub30.ezboard.com/bagetec - Agetec's official forum, also my fav board just watch out for Valk and Turel! hahaha! jk http://www.geocities.com/exit_left2000/actournament2003.html - Silent Line Tourney we're hosting in October. other fun boards for AC.. obviously the gamefaqs.com boards Eternal Core Forum: http://pub154.ezboard.com/fjinxsarmoredcorepagefrm19 Armored Core Online Forum: http://www.armoredcoreonline.com/acforums/index.php Game-Hits.com Forum: http://www.gmhits.com/forum/forumdisplay.cgi?action=topics&forum= Armored+Corner+&number=9&DaysPrune=365&LastLogin= Their respective trademark and copyright holders own all trademarks and copyrights contained in this document.