Welcome to Gaia! ::

I became a fan after my bro bought AC2: Master of the Arena for the PSX many years ago but because I never got a PS2 I've lost touch with the series. I assumed the Ravens would have disbanded after the events in AC2.

I must get that game!
I plan to buy all of the AC games sooner or later (all I have is Nexus).

I haven't even gotten around to playing AC3 yet. >>

Any particular installments AC3 or after that are recommended?

First topic I see upon getting accepted here is about my favorite mecha game series. Who would've guessed.

I've followed the AC series since it's start way back on the PSX on a demo disc, lol, I've been hooked since, played every game except for Silent Line and Last Raven so far. Nexus has been by far my favorite game in the line, though in my opinion, AC2 actually had a good story.

What's been bothering me about the series is that they've kept the same part generation for some...pfsh, years now. I'm tired of the part generation featured in AC3, I want something new, something fresh. Hopefully AC4 will fill that gap, it better, heh.

Myself, my AC's evolved since the first installment from a quad-leg design with big guns on the back to a featherweight biped with emphasis on speed and firepower. The left-arm weapons in Nexus were lifesavers. Machinegun in right, Grenade Launcher in left. I love it.

Well if you look close, the enemies that the featured AC is taking on in the AC4 trailer, are all more or less starter ACs from Armored Core 3, just with slight modifications, mostly in weapon choice. To this day, a lot of the AC fan community has said either 1, it's just coincidence, or 2, it's symbolism for 'out with the old, in with the new.'

Personally, I'd rather aim for 2. ninja

And yeah...I just can't stand anything heavy in AC anymore. I'm the kind of player who enjoys not having to look at things hitting his mech, so if I were to have to get stuck in a tank or heavy biped, I wouldn't be a very happy camper. I guess I've always been one for the 'best defense is a good offense' ideal. Except maybe with the subtitles: 'and a way to pansy out of there before you get hit back.' added on. lol

Your shotgun/blader AC sounds interesting...how would it play though if your enemy could keep you generally away from himself?

Exactly as I said, out with the old, in with the new. :b

See, this is what I like about AC: everyone plays differently. Sounds like you and I were like-minded when we built our mechs, spare weaponry, fast and light all the same. Then on the battlefield, you sound a little more reserved and patient, waiting until they realize..."Crap. I can't shoot him anymore!" while I go psycho-crazy-nutzo to take them down and make sure that they DON'T want to get a lock on me for too long simply because it means that they'll probably be hit with a hail of machinegun shells and a grenade or three. xd Everyone has their own style of fighting, and therefore everyone's unique. And uniqueness is always a plus factor. It's what dragged me into this series in the first place.

Ah, right right.

Even when I'm rushing my opponent, though, I keep myself safe and mobile so that they already have a tough time keeping a lock on me. While I'm fighting, I almost never stop in one spot unless it's a slow AC and I manage to get behind 'em and I know I'm safe for at least a moment. I use a pretty high-quality FCS choice for my weapons, though, so I can lock onto my enemy fairly easily and retain at least a little more ability to dodge and move around and keep my guns centered on 'em.

About grenades for the left arm, I really don't see what's so hard to use about them. The only thing I see that might be a hurdle is the delay while you raise your arm to fire. I actually use that to my advantage and pull the trigger just a moment before I fully lock-on, so that the moment it begins automatically guiding itself, the grenade shoots off. Even if it doesn't hit, it's great psychological intimidation. Big explosions near you often cause someone to freak out. lol

I have a friend that uses a medium-heavy quad-legged mech with a linear cannon on his back and the ridiculously powerful machinegun arms. He actually is fairly speedy for his weight, but I think he sacrifices energy conservation and heat stability for it, because he often starts having trouble in that way, which is where I really pour on the aggressiveness in an attempt to drain him even more. I've noticed that his main weakness is that, and the fact that his most dangerous weapon ((MG arms)) has so little ammo.

Meanwhile, I have another friend who has a tank with dual-Karasawa rifles and the high-powered linear cannon on his back, and almost 9999 AP to boot. He's slow as ******** and not very mobile, but god damn, if he had any more AP, I might end up running out of ammo before I take him down. But yeah. I'm only thankful that his weapons all have a rather limited amount of ammo as well. Though he does have some hangar weapons as well. He's probably the scariest guy I face, because I know that if I give him a big enough opening, he'll rip me to shreds in seconds with those energy blasts.

You sound like you'd annoy the hell out of the both of them, because you use a strategy that they're quite prone to. xd