A Brief History of Armored Core and the Community

The Beginning

Armored Core has always been something of a niche in the already niche mecha genre. The original Armored Core was one of the first opportunities for mecha fans to feel like they were piloting and customizing their very own giant robot. But despite this unique formula, the game’s unintuitive tank controls, complex AC assembly, and in-game debt may have kept the series from gaining mainstream popularity, especially outside of Japan.

The players who could overlook the quirks of the Armored Core games discovered its high skill ceiling and deep customization options. And the most dedicated of these players grew tired of testing their skills and new AC designs against the AI arena. Perhaps their biggest challenge was in finding actual people to play with, let alone ones as dedicated to the game. And with the young internet, when connectivity was slow, unreliable, and not yet a standard feature on game consoles, such players resorted to mailing lists and message boards to seek competition or exchange information about the game. Some fansites even had pilot directories for those hoping to connect with others in person.

For the English-speaking AC community, enthusiasm for the series probably peaked between Another Age and Silent Line. Several community forums coexisted, where discourse was abundant, though scattered. And through these forums and message boards, various tournaments were organized by the community itself, as opposed to Japan where there were officially supported events. Match videos and other media were available, though hard to come by (and even harder to download). But aside from the geographic boundaries and technologic limitations of the time, the community was the healthiest it had ever been.

The Nexus Era

Armored Core: Nexus eventually released and brought about some scorching changes to the game and the community. Despite the welcome addition of dual-analog controls, the game’s new mechanics frustrated a lot of the long-time fans while making things even more complicated for newcomers. Nine Breaker was more of the same, and Last Raven didn’t look any different to those who already felt burned. But for some of those who stuck around, Last Raven did rekindle some of the competitive spirit from the days of Another Age and Silent Line, although this was a short-lived renaissance.

Duking it out in Last Raven
The Fourth Generation

With the release of newer generation consoles came the most radical AC iteration yet: Armored Core 4. The gameplay overhaul meant to make it more appealing to a wider audience, and the built-in online multiplayer and multi-console release made it more accessible than ever before. But as new fans came in, many older fans felt pushed out and further alienated by the changes.

Though Armored Core 4 and the subsequent For Answer finally featured a convenient way to play against others, the internet infrastructure outside of Japan at the time may not have been developed enough to have facilitated a truly competitive environment like the in-person tournaments of old. Ironically, online discussion about the new games was relatively sparse, and shortly after AC finally went online was when its fansites and message boards started dying out. The remaining communities only continued to exist because their members used to meet up and had become real-life friends.

The Fifth Generation

Following For Answer, FromSoftware pivoted back to their medieval fantasy King’s Field roots by focusing their energies on Demon’s Souls and eventually Dark Souls, which raised them to near-mainstream recognition. This shift, perhaps, was forced by the relatively poor reception of the previous Armored Core games up to this point. Then, after four years without a new Armored Core game came Armored Core V.

Once again, Armored Core V, and later Verdict Day, introduced drastic changes. In particular, the game shifted to a more team-oriented format that seemed to borrow more from FromSoft’s own Chromehounds. Game activity was incentivized by having teams fight over territories just to be able to show off their custom emblems on the game’s world map. And because each team could only accommodate ten members, joining the top teams was highly sought after.

Zoom in.
The Cost of Success

For better or worse, Armored Core V’s team dynamics introduced a new dimension of drama to the AC community that rekindled it for some time. But the bulk of this activity was from the newer generation of fans. As with the iterations before it, Armored Core V attracted new fans perhaps at the cost of many older ones who felt like the game was no longer the AC that they knew and loved.

After Verdict Day, FromSoft returned to producing games in the vein of the Souls series, resulting in more critical acclaim and commercial success than had ever been brought to them by the mecha genre. Their most recent title, Elden Ring, truly catapulted them into the mainstream. And while FromSoft had gained more fans than ever before, the subset that were AC fans first felt increasingly disillusioned.

Coexistence in the Sixth Generation

Clusters of newer AC fans, many brought in by FromSoft’s newfound popularity, gathered on social media platforms, such as Discord, Facebook, and Reddit, while some of the few remaining message boards and their grizzled members further dwindled. But the sudden announcement of Armored Core VI: Fires of Rubicon reignited interest for the series.

Coincidentally, around the time of the announcement, unofficial software had developed just enough that many of the previous Armored Core games could finally be played online. New and old fans alike could now readily interact and go back to play their preferred AC generation while anticipating Armored Core VI.

Hope for the Future

After a decade since the last Armored Core game, what may be the greatest change to the series so far is just around the corner. Armored Core VI looks to have mechanics calling back to all previous AC generations while having features that seem to have been adapted from FromSoftware’s more successful games. And while the older remnants of the AC community are cautiously optimistic, the hope is that Armored Core VI has enough common ground for everyone.

 

Editor’s note: This is somewhat of an update to the An Unkindness of Ravens editorial posted 14 years ago.

Update: Now on YouTube.

NEXT – Season 1 – Armored Core: Last Raven Tournament

Mobius and some members of the Armored Core Discord community have decided to host a tournament for Armored Core: Last Raven in response to the recent surge of activity and interest after the Armored Core 6 announcement.

The banned parts list for this tournament is particularly interesting.

Heads: CR-H05XS-EYE3
Cores: CR-C83UA – REGULATION RULE: This core is only banned if hangers parts are to be utilized.
Arms: A09-LEMUR2, YA10-LORIS
Booster: CR-B83TP
Insides: All ECM makers
Extensions: All Energy Mags
Back Weapon: WB31B-PEGASUS 、WB27O-HARPY2
Right Arm Weapon: CR-WH79H3
Left Arm Weapon: CR-WH79H3
Hangars: CR-WH01HP, YWH14PU-ROC4, WR12PU-ROC2
REGULATION: Hover legs are exempt from the Frame-Part ban rule
REGULATION: Tank Legs are exempt from Frame-Part Ban rules with exception to the Regulation addendum regarding CR-C83UA hangers.
Information and HUD
[ Enemy Data OFF ]

The tournament is open to those who are relatively new to competitive Last Raven.

For more information on the rules and how to register, check the full post on our forums.

Armored Core: Verdict Day JPN Tournament

The Japanese Armored Core community just concluded an intense and very entertaining tournament for Armored Core: Verdict Day. Check out their recording, and congratulations to the winner.

ACV NA FINALLY PATCHED

ACV was finally patched.

There’ll be no indication, and the game will still say “1.01” on the lower right corner, but the stats have definitely changed to match Japan’s 1.03 version.

Thank you, Namco Bandai.

We’ll stop whining.

For now.

ACV Online Bosses Coming To You This Weekend!

It seems that the Armored Core community’s outcries have been heard, somewhat, as the massive online-only bosses have finally been scheduled to be unleashed outside of Armored Core V’s Japanese servers. DLC packs are now available as well, though they’re just the packs that came with the pre-orders.

Though these recent developments are highly encouraging, we still don’t have the long-awaited balance patches, so please continue the effort on the Namco Bandai support forum.

Now to whet your appetites for this weekend, I’ll leave you with this video of one of the bosses in action.

*Image credit to whoever took it. Let us know on the comments so we can acknowledge you. Thanks!

Armored Core V – English Trailer

It appears that Namco Bandai’s promotion of the English release of Armored Core V has gone into full swing with the debut of the official English website, http://armoredcore-v.com/, and the trailer above.

Longtime fans of the series however aren’t too pleased with the marketing direction, specifically the music choice for this campaign. But it’s understandable that they’re trying to lure in a new generation of players.

Let’s just wait and see how this is all received when the English version comes out on March 20, 2012.

Armored Core V Out in Japan!

In case you haven’t heard: Armored Core V has been out in Japan since yesterday.

I don’t have a link right now, but I’ve read that it’s been reviewed very favorably by Japanese gaming magazines Famitsu (34/40) and Dengeki Playstation (85/100). But more importantly it’s been received even more enthusiastically by the fans.

After playing the demo, I’d say it does live up to the 2-year hype. If you’re not yet convinced, you ought to watch the video above featuring 5-on-5 online multiplayer action from the full game.

For those eager enough to jump straight into the Japanese version, you can check out some of the guides generously prepared by our friends at ACU.

Head over to the forums for more up-to-date Armored Core V news and discussion.

UPDATE:

And here’s a preview of the English release coming out on March 20, 2012.

Armored Core V Demo Out Now!

We’re coming out of hibernation just in time to announce that the Armored Core V Demo has been available through Japanese PSN. If you want to know how to join in on the fun, no point in recapping info that’s readily available elsewhere, so just help yourself through the recently revived Armored Core V discussion thread over at the forums.