Ubertreffen

[Lord_Leperman]

EYE
C89E
CETUS
neo PETAL (forgot the name, it’s the TIE fighter legs)
LOTUS (8 output, 2 battery)
R92 (10 cooling)
MEDUSA
FUNI
SPARTOI
MV

Majority of tunes go to shell defense and cooling. Ops are standard.

Name based on Ubertreffen, a song from Beatmania IIDX 15:
<object width="425" height="344"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/mSBwDsd8uYw&hl=en&fs=1"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/mSBwDsd8uYw&hl=en&fs=1" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowfullscreen="true" width="425" height="344"></embed></object>

I tried playing the music while using this AC. The music lasts under 2 minutes, which is around the same operating time of this AC... In under 2 minutes, victory or defeat can go to your hands with this design.

This is the epitome of a high-risk, high-reward design in AC. This was inspired by a multitude of ideas, most notably Mangetsu's NX AC from Battle Arena 2004 and Imori's KSAW + PETAL in AC3 during Korea vs. Japan fight.

As expected from a hover, the design enjoys unrivaled and efficient ground mobility. The legs provide unrivaled acceleration and speed on the ground, and relies on this advantage to avoid enemy fire. However, as with all hovers, its top speed gets bogged down to its regular hover speed whenever it flies in the air, making it an easier target whenever it is airborne. This unusual property thus limits its speed advantage on uneven terrain, as hover legs sometimes overshoot some surfaces making them go airborne and thus, easier targets. For those wondering why I used the EYE instead of the EYE3, I felt the greater radar range and refresh would be more advantageous for a design such as this one, since the extra armor of the EYE3 will barely make a difference for this design.

Armed with the CETUS arms, the unit excels in hit-and-run tactics, often running at jousting speeds. The high heat and high damage modes work well against a wide variety of opponents due to their high damage and accuracy. Coupled with the unit’s mobility which offsets the ND lockbox, the combination of speed and firepower allows for high speed attacks and immediate retreats to safe zones. Supplementary rifle projectiles from EOs provide some extra damage, or used as a finisher when an enemy's AP is low. Ammunition is sufficient to destroy most opponents, but the low ammo count means that any misses are definitely felt. Verts are there to help close the distance as well as to confuse opponents, while the SPARTOI + FUNI is for long range bombardment. Since one can only choose between the two missile combinations, it is important for one to know the opponents armament before deciding which missile system to keep.

These advantages come at the inherent problem that ALL hover legs that break easily. Hovers can break even at the first few shots, not to mention that the poor armor on this AC makes a direct confrontation almost suicidal. When piloting this machine, one must not tolerate carelessness as the smallest mistake can spell doom. This goes for all aspects of piloting, from movement to shooting, all skills must be in top form since the slightest error can easily be exploited by an opponent. Its thin armor and easily breakable legs can lead to a series of disastrous events if not adequately foreseen.

An opponent that manages to close the distance can rip through the thin armor plating and destroy the hover legs, leading to heavily penalized movement (boost heat spikes up, while acceleration and boost power drastically go down) and an easily penetrable defense, all in a mater of a few seconds. Missile defense is limited, consisting of 10 decoys and CAMS, missile homing properties and flight patterns should be mastered along with the effective range of direct-firing weapons in order to optimize the unit’s mobility and limited defense.

If piloted well, it is possible not to get hit while the CETUS + EOs and missiles create a wide AP difference between you and your opponents, but this demands the utmost skill, discipline and patience from a pilot in mastering range control, defense, and offense. Overall, it is not a beginner friendly design, but only in the hands of a skilled pilot will this design begin to shine.

I do encourage people to try this design though, as it is fun to use because of its amazing speed, and can give a sense of an adrenaline rush knowing that each enemy projectile that hits could be your last.

Additional stuff: I tried the G69 + ANANDA and found it to be a less risky Rad/Gen combo, though its lower power output and energy capacity slightly affects mobility.