Tag: Armored Core: Master of Arena

YOU, the Original Dominant

Why are you banned?

forsaken: Because I cheated in a CS:GO tourney

FaZe Jarvis: Banned from Fortnite because I literally hacked and filmed it for millions to see

YOU: IDK I’m just too good

Have you seen this AC? If you’ve played the Ex Arena in Armored Core: Master of Arena’s 2nd disc, under the “Champion” category, you probably have.

It turns out, there’s a man and a story behind this AC—a glimpse into the earliest days of Armored Core tournaments and the people around it.

Who is this person with the callsign “YOU”? A man who was so good at Gen1 Armored Core that he was banned from participating in Armored Core tournaments for winning consistently. He was so good that he was bestowed the title of “Irregular” by his peers, and as you saw, cemented his legacy by earning a spot in AC:MoA’s Ex Arena.

Denfaminico Gamer was able to track YOU down for an extensive interview about his life as a Raven. The following is a summary of that interview.

A Head Start

YOU’s extraordinary journey began in the early days of Armored Core, where he swiftly made a name for himself. In total, he won a staggering nine official tournaments across the first and second generation Armored Core games and was a force to be reckoned with. However, it was his participation during the lifecycle of Armored Core: Project Phantasma that solidified his legendary status.

When asked about his ban from Armored Core tournaments in the PSX era, YOU confirmed the rumors, explaining that he was asked to step aside after his fourth tournament. FromSoftware sought a fresh champion, and deemed his unparalleled success as a hindrance to the tournament’s diversity and excitement. Eventually he was able to rejoin the tournaments, winning again when Armored Core 2 and Armored Core 2: Another Age were released.

Unconventional Tactics and Unforgettable Moments

Throughout his career, YOU developed a reputation for employing unorthodox strategies and mind games to gain an edge over his opponents. His mastery of the game’s meta allowed him to remain on top. He intentionally chewed gum during matches to distract his adversaries. He was also known for surprising his competitors by announcing one AC design before a tournament, only to arrive with a completely different one on the day itself—an unpredictable tactic that often caught his opponents off guard.

YOU also shed light on the inner workings of Armored Core tournaments during his prime. FromSoftware would send letters to participants, and a lottery system determined who would compete. A minimum of 16 players were required for a tournament to commence. In recounting these events, he revealed that the first-ever tournament was sponsored and organized by the renowned Yodobashi Camera Corporation. This first tournament, which happened to coincide with his birthday, saw him triumphantly declaring victory as his greatest gift to himself.

The Path to Greatness

During the interview, YOU delved into his origins as an Armored Core enthusiast. Initially introduced to the world of mecha combat through the PSX title Vehicle Cavalier, he quickly became captivated by Armored Core’s limitless possibilities. A desire to create effective PVP designs and tactics fueled his passion, pushing him to invest countless hours into honing his skills. With modesty, YOU attributed his success not to innate talent but to unwavering dedication and practice, often logging five to eight hours of gameplay per day, with the interviewer commenting it is not unlike how an athlete trains for a sporting event.

The Unbreakable Friendships

While the competitive scene could be cutthroat, YOU acknowledged the friendships he formed during his Armored Core journey. These bonds, often forged through battles and shared experiences, provided him with a lifeline when the pressures of constant victory threatened to consume him. He emphasized the significance of these relationships, recounting heartwarming anecdotes of sharing post-competition ramen sessions with fellow Ravens. These communal moments, where individuals from different backgrounds gathered to bond over their shared love for Armored Core and local cuisines served as a powerful motivator for him to continually push the boundaries of his abilities.

Reflections on Triumph and Humanity

As the interview drew to a close, YOU reflected on the mental toll his pursuit of victory had exacted on him. The weight of his “Irregular” title became suffocating, causing him to hyperventilate under the immense pressure to always emerge victorious. However, it was the intervention of a concerned teammate that led him to question the true value of relentless triumph. It was through this introspection that he finally discovered the joy of Armored Core beyond the competitive realm—a joy found in simply playing for the love of the game.

The Legacy of a Legend

Immortalized in Armored Core: Master of Arena, YOU managed to leave a permanent legacy in the history of Armored Core. From his meteoric rise, to his ban from official tournaments, and finally, to the profound friendships he fostered along the way, his journey is a testament to the lasting impact of shared experiences and the power of camaraderie forged by competition. While Armored Core may have catapulted him into the annals of gaming history, it is the connections he made that he cherishes above all else. Truly, Armored Core proved to be the conduit that linked him to lifelong friends, forever enriching his life.

Today, YOU is just coasting through life, surrounded by family and friends. He’s jumped into figure modelling and is a fan of Girls und Panzer. He looks back at his glory days and wonders if his story might be unearthed by his children one day.

And yes, he still possesses the skills of an Irregular:

The last word of the interview may be the finest (machine translated):

My life changed when I met “Armored Core”, and I am grateful to Mr. From and the Ravens who played against me. I never thought I’d be interviewed after 20 years, but I’m happy to have this opportunity and it was fun.

Thank you very much today!

Thank you, YOU for being a legend. His experiences resonate to many of us who have met in real life because of Armored Core. And so to that end, thank you too, FromSoftware, for creating the game that brought us all here together.

For those who are curious, his old Armored Core website is archived in the links section below.

Thus concludes the first part of our series covering various Armored Core PVP moments in history. Stay tuned for part 2!

SOURCES:

We talked to the legendary Raven who became an “Official Irregular” because his “Armored Core” was too strong

Web archive of YOU’s Armored Core Website, Arcadia

YOU’s Twitter account

Editor’s Note: Name has been redacted as per request of YOU. Sorry about that!

PSX Armored Core PVP – Now with Rollback!

Over at Twitter and on our Discord server, val brought this to our attention: HeatXD‘s fork of DuckStation with GGPO, which in turn enables netplay with rollback.

For those unaware, GGPO is middleware/code that is designed to mitigate differences in ping and latency by simulating the next frames of action in games based on previous inputs from the player. If an input arrives that is different from what is being simulated, the game “rolls back” to the frame of the last correct state, and then executes the player’s inputs as intended. What this amounts to is a sometimes jerky, but near-lagless online experience, which is preferred over a delayed on-screen reaction. GGPO was created by Tony Cannon (of the Cannon Bros/SRK/Evo Championship Series fame), and as such has a rich history with fighting games. In fact, a lot of modern fighting games have implemented GGPO code.

HeatXD‘s implementation has been hotly received, and at the time of writing, there are already numerous examples of games benefiting from the addition over on his Twitter – from Tekken 3, to Bloody Roar 2, to Rival Schools, and even Gundam Battle Assault 2. There’s also a written guide to help you set it up, so no excuses.

So, what does this mean for first-gen AC PVP? In val‘s own words:

Seems like a strong case to me.

[via val on Twitter and HeatXD on GitHub]

Play as Armored Core Bosses!

"Remember me?"

Leave it to the Japanese to squeeze out just a bit more from our favorite ancient games. In the same vein as the Sailor Moon vid posted some time ago, we’ve again come across some cool AC1 hacks, this time by YouTube user aniski.

Check them out after the jump.

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Armored Core: Sailor Moon

What’s this? Someone actually took the time of putting a robotic version of Sailor Moon for Armored Core: Master of Arena, and it looks like it is working just as expected. We’re strangely excited about trying this out for some reason, and we’re expecting some sort of magical transformation to occur when you equip the grenade launcher. See the gameplay video after the jump:

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10 Most Overpowered Weapons in Armored Core

Right arm weapons are nobrainers to use. Just point and shoot, simple enough that anyone with the slightest bit of hand-eye coordination would be able to do. While there is a wide variety of weapons to choose that will burn, shoot or crush your opponents, at times From Software just makes it a little too easy for people punch holes into each other. Here we shall see the 10 most overpowered weapons in old school AC that make killing NineBall Seraph and Phantasma, a breeze.

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An Unkindness of Ravens

A Nest for Ravens

Armored Core has always been something of a niche catering to the already-niche genre of mecha simulation. The Armored Core trilogy for the PS1 provided mech fans everywhere with the rare chance to build and battle with their very own customized mechs. As players got to know the game better, their skills improved along with their ability to design ACs. It got to the point where bashing the AI rankers wasn’t enough any more and nothing other than an equally skilled human opponent would suffice for competition. But as most AC players surely realized, finding people to play against, let alone skilled ones, was just as challenging as learning to play Armored Core itself.

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Names in Armored Core: Nine-Ball

The Essence of Armored Core

Anyone familiar with the game of pool will be familiar with the “nine-ball” format. Unlike other pool formats, nine-ball is generally played one-on-one, and remains to be a popular event in major pool sporting tournaments. The primary appeal of a nine-ball game is its mano-a-mano format, offering spectators a duel of fates between two competitors whether it is in the spirit of friendly competition, or bitter rivalries. It is this very same format and emotionally charged atmosphere that surround Armored Core’s defining attribute – the arena.

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