Armored Core 2: Another Age In-depth AC Speed FAQ Version: 1.2 By: 'Collider' E Mail me at: ColliderMKII@Hotmail.com Or for help on the spot, (AOL) instant message me: ColliderAC2 -Legal Junk- This is my work, And my work only. I worked hard on this information to help YOU. If you wish to use it on another web site ask me first. If you want to print this out for personal use, Go ahead. But this FAQ is not to be reproduced in any way, shape, or form. It is for private use only. bla bla bla.... --Contents-- A: Misc. leg info and booster info I: Lightweight humanoid II. Midweight humanoid III. Heavy Weight humanoid IV. Reverse Joint legs V. Quad legs VI. Tank legs VII. Hover legs VIII. Boosters B: SPEEDS I. Ground and Air speeds C: Tested, And proven AC's D: Q & A E: Thanks and Credits F: Version updates ******************** A. Misc. Information ******************** Legs are basically what makes your AC's speed. If you choose heavy legs, Like the ZLN-XA1/FA for example, You're most likely not going to get the max, Or even close to it. The lighter the legs, The lower the weight capacity. The lower the weight capacity, The faster the AC. An AC with light load capacity, and heavy legs might be able to make top speeds....But its very unlikely you will achieve this and still keep armor, And power. This FAQ will hopefully help you decide how to go about jamming speed into an AC, And still have the armor, and power you are aiming for. I. Lightweights Lightweight Humanoid legs are basic legs with sacrificed AP and defense in replace for speed. There are 4 lightweight legs in this leg class. ZLN-EKI/SRRT - These are the lightest of the Humanoid legs. With a max carrying capacity of 4010, They are the fastest of the Humanoid legs. ELN-701 - These lightweight legs are utter crap, But I will still test them. These lightweight legs have the 2nd highest load capacity of the Lightweights, But with them come terrible defense and AP along with high energy drain. With these legs quipped you don't go more then 10 kilometers faster then the same AC build on different midweight legs. ZLN-WA02/SS - The best pair of Humanoid Lightweights in my opinion. These have a good weight capacity of 4400, and with good speed. They get about 10 kilometers slower then the ZLN-EKI/SRRT, But with better defense, AP, and higher load capacity, That more then suffices. ELN-070 - These are more like midweights then lightweights. With 5118 as their max weight capacity, Once that is filled you only go 5 kilometers faster then light midweights. II. Midweights Midweights are, What I refer to as the 'Jack of all trades' AC leg class. While they don't excel in any one way, You can make them do certain things. Like you can equip light parts, and excel with speed, Or you can arm them to the teeth and make them mobile AC's with heavy weight weaponry. There is a variety of things to do with midweights. ZLN-ZZO/TP - These are the legs that the game give to you. Now, Even I usually throw them away for the over all better ELN-02A or ZLN-XA2/FF, But these do have their own advantages. They are the fastest pair of midweights, Have okay AP and defense, And low energy drain. They are a good pair despite the down sides. ZLN-XA1/FA - These high weight capacity legs can hole up to 5442 weight points, and still keep good speed, despite the fact that they are the slowest of the midweight leg class. They have all right defense and AP, low energy drain, And are all around decent legs if you can't fit your AC on a lighter pair, Yet don't want to go up to heavy weights. ELN-2002AT - Heavy shell defense, Moderate speed, good AP and over all defense. These midwieghts are mainly for those lightweight AC's that wont fit on a light pair of legs and if you want high defense. ELN-02A - Great pair of midweights. I use them on almost all of my designs. They are pretty well armored, Have decent AP and defense, and over all best speed for its 5205 weight capacity. ZLN-XA2/FF - Excellent pair of midweight legs. These have good weight capacity, And great armor. High defense and AP, But higher energy drain. Small price to pay since they are fast too. ELN-025LD - These legs were a disappointment. They are said to have high defense, But its only 100 more then any other pair of legs and these are slow. In order to get their slightly higher defensive points, They have slightly lower AP then a standard pair. These are the second slowest of the Midweight legs. III. Heavy Weight Humanoid Heavy Weight legs in this class are used to get okay speed, With high defense and armor points, along with high load capacity. ZLN-2A/GR - This pair of heavy weights is said to have energy defense, But they don't. All the other pair have 100 lower at max. I don't see any thing good in this pair of heavy weight legs. ELN-STVM - This pair is by far the best pair. It has the highest load capacity as far as the heavy weight humanoid leg class goes, And the second highest defense. Its down side is that its the heaviest and the slowest of the heavy weights. ZLN-9001/A - This is another pair that shouldn't be used. They don't have the highest defense, And they are of the slowest. This pair is beaten out by all of the other heavy weight humanoid legs. ZLN-01/BARREL - This pair is the fastest of the heavy weights, Has high AP and defense, An over all good pair. IV. Reverse Joint VIII. Boosters Boosters are self explanatory, They make your AC move, Only some make an AC move faster. This time around they got the booster stats right. In Armored Core 2 there was a major flaw I pointed out. The ZBT-H4/T booster not only drained less and weighed less, But it boosted faster then the ZBT-GEX/3000 and the ZBT-Z1/ARTERE. This time, They have fixed the speeds and booster effectiveness. Here is a run down on the boosters. EBT-GE - The first boosters that the garage give you. They are junk, But they at least get the starter AC going. Max speed of 251 KPH (In the air). EBT-GE2100 - They are a step up from the EBT-GE, But are still junk. Their max speed is 273 (In the air) so they are better then the starters, But not by much. ZBT-H4/T - The godly booster from AC2 is toned down. With a max air speed of 360, Its a large step up from the first 2 boosters. EBT-V55 - These boosters, Once again, Not that great. Better then nothing, but still junk. Their max air speed is 295. ZBT-Z1/ARTERE - These are the best boosters if your AC has low draining parts. These are the boosters that get the max air speed of 404. They weigh considerably more then all the others, and drain more, So they are best suggested for low draining AC's, Or AC's without an energy weapon as its only, Or back up weapon. ZBT-GEX/3000 - These are the second best boosters. They get a max air speed of 379, don't drain allot, And weigh less then the ZBT-Z1/ARTERE. EBT-GR4300 - Another pair of junk boosters. These are simply the slowest boosters made. Max air speed of 251, with low drain. Thats the only thing good about them, Low drain. ********** B. Speeds ********** This section will cover air and ground speed. Here is the catch in making an AC as fast as possible, And special thanks to Gelgoog IX for pin pointing this number: As long as your AC IN TOTAL weighs equal to, Or less then 4798 WP, It will get the max air speed possible for the boosters equipped. --------------------------- Here are the top speeds for each booster, Ground and air. Booster: Ground Speed: Air Speed: EBT-GR4300 314.4 251.5 EBT-GE 314.4 251.5 EBT-GE2100 342.0 273.6 EBT-V55 369.5 295.6 ZBT-H4/T 450.7 360.6 ZBT-GEX/3000 474.3 379.4 ZBT-Z1/ARTERE 505.8 404.6 Legs with Built in boosters: ZLC-M2/PIKE ???.? ???.? ELC-MLK0303 ???.? ???.? ELC-DISI ???.? ???.? ELC-HTT0808 ???.? ???.? ELC-C04T/CYOR ???.? ???.? ZLR-K196/RJ 484.8 231.2 ZLR-EE/STOL 511.0 235.6 ZLR-MOC200/FG 524.1 226.3 ZLR-ZIO/MATRIX 524.1 249.1 ZLR-TI/BUD 550.3 263.3 ZLR-ARROW 576.5 275.8 A really good thanks goes to Gelgoog for covering the hover legs. Although tank legs were not possible to get since none of them, Even with the lightest equipment, Would not meet the 4799 WP limit for fastest speed. *************** C: Speed Losses *************** Thanks to over 2 hours of work with Nosferatu over AIM, I have found the speed loss pattern. I only did it with air speeds, So here is a summery: For every 3 WP over you will lose .2 KPH off your speed. The pattern is like this: 2 2 1 2 2 I bet your still confused. I was too. Below is a list of AC's starting with the AC that gets the 4798 WP for 404.6. Follow the loss of speed with the WP gained. ********* TEST AC'S ********* AC Name: Callista AC Weight: 4798 AC Speed: 404.6 Creator: Gelgoog IX Head: ZHD-2000/SV Core: ECL-ONE Arms: ZAN-303/S Legs: ALN-EKI/SRRT Booster: ZBT-Z1/ARTERE FCS: VERTEX-750/W Generator: GR-XR/15000 Radiator: RGB-CM6 Inside: -- Extension: BEX-AA00 Back R: -- Back L: EWM-S608 Arm R: -- Arm L: LS-MOONLIGHT AC Name: Test 99 AC Weight: 4799 AC Speed: 404.5 Creator: Nosferatu Head: ZHD-2000/SV Core: ECL-ONE Arms: EAN-02-BG Legs: ZLN-EKI/SRRT Booster: ZBT-Z1/ARTERE FCS: VERTEX-750/W Generator: HOY-B1000 Radiator: RGB-CM6 Inside:-- Extension:-- Back R:-- Back L: EWM-S608 Arm R:-- Arm L:ELS-7880 AC Name: Unit Zero AC Weight: 4800 AC Speed:404.5 Creator: Collider Head: EHD-WACS Core: ECL-ONE Arms: ZAN-303/S Legs: ALN-EKI/SRRT Booster: ZBT-Z1/ARTERE FCS: VERTEX-750/W Generator: HOY-B999 Radiator: RGB-CM6 Inside: -- Extension: -- Back R: -- Back L: EWM-S608 Arm R: -- Arm L: LS-MOONLIGHT AC Name: Unit 01 AC Weight: 4801 AC Speed: 404.4 Creator: Collider Head: EGD-WACS Core: ECL-ONE Arms: ZAN-303/S Legs: LZN-EKI/SRRT Booster: ZBT-Z1/ARTERE FCS: LODD-BLAZER Generator: HOY-B999 Radiator: RGB-CM6 Inside: INW-DEC-D0A Extension: ZEX-RS/HOUND Back R:-- Back L:-- Arm R:-- Arm L: LS-MOONLIGHT AC Name: Unit 02 AC Weight: 4802 AC Speed: 404.3 Creator: Collider Head: ZHD-GE/OHR Core: ECL-ONE Arms: EAN-02-BG Legs: ZLN-EKI/SRRT Booster: ZBT-Z1/ARTERE FCS: LODD-8 Generator: HOY-B1000 Radiator: RRX-COT-1550 Inside:-- Extension:-- Back R:-- Back L:-- Arm R:-- Arm L: LS-MOONLIGHT AC Name: Unit 03 AC Weight: 4803 AC Speed: 404.3 Creator: Collider Head: ZHD-2000/SV Core: ECL-ONE Arms: ZAN-303/S Legs: ZLN-EKI/SRRT Booster: ZBT-Z1/ARTERE FCS: LODD-8 Generator: HOY-B999 Radiator: RGB-CM6 Inside: INW-DEC-D0A Extension:-- Back R:-- Back L: EWM-S612 Arm R: EWG-HG-ART Arm L: ELS-3443 AC Name: Unit 04 AC Weight: 4804 AC Speed: 404.2 Creator: Collider Head: EHD-NIGHTEYE Core: ECL-ONE Arms: ZAN-303/S Legs: ZLN-EKI/SRRT Booster: ZBT-Z1/ARTERE FCS: LODD-8 Generator: HOY-B1000 Radiator: RGB-CM6 Inside:-- Extension: BES-AA00 Back R:-- Back L: EWM-S612 Arm R:-- Arm L: ELS-3443 AC Name: Unit 05 AC Weight: 4805 AC Speed: 404.1 Creator: Nosferatu Head: ZHD-2000/SV Core: ECL-ONE Arms: EAN-02-BG Legs: ZLN-EKI/SRRT Booster: ZBT-Z1/ARTERE FCS: DOX-125 Generator: HOY-B1000 Radiator: RGB-CM6 Inside:-- Extension:-- Back R:-- Back L: EWM-S612 Arm R:-- Arm L: ELS-3443 AC Name: Unit 06 AC Weight: 4806 AC Speed: 404.1 Creator: Collider Head: EHD-NIGHTEYE Core: ECL-ONE Arms: ZAN-303/S Legs: ZLN-EKI/SRRT Booster: ZBT-Z1/ARTERE FCS: DOX-ALM Generator: HOY-B1000 Radiator: RGB-CM6 Inside:-- Extension: BES-AA00 Back R:-- Back L: EWM-S612 Arm R:-- Arm L: ELS-3443 AC Name: Unit 07 AC Weight: 4807 AC Speed: 404.0 Creator: Nosferatu Head: ZHD-GE/OHR Core: ZCL-XA/2 Arms: ZAN-303/S Legs: ZLN-EKI/SRRT Booster: ZBT-Z1/ARTERE FCS: LODD-8 Generator: HOY-B1000 Radiator: RGB-CM6 Inside:-- Extension:-- Back R:-- Back L: EWM-NAP-02 Arm R:-- Arm L: ELS-7880 AC Name: Unit 08 AC Weight: 4808 AC Speed: 403.9 Creator: Nosferatu Head: ZHD-2000/SV Core: ECL-ONE Arms: EAN-02-BG Legs: ZLN-EKI/SRRT Booster: ZBT-Z1/ARTERE FCS: DOX-PG2 Generator: HOY-B999 Radiator: RPS-MER/SA Inside:-- Extension:-- Back R:-- Back L: EWM-NAP-02 Arm R:-- Arm L: ELS-7880 AC Name: Unit 09 AC Weight: 4809 AC Speed: 403.8 Creator: Nosferatu Head: ZHD-GE/OHR Core: ZCL-XA/2 Arms: ZAN-303/S Legs: ZLN-EKI/SRRT Booster: ZBT-Z1/ARTERE FCS: DOX-ALM Generator: HOY-B1000 Radiator: RGB-CM6 Inside:-- Extension:-- Back R:-- Back L: EWM-NAP-02 Arm R:-- Arm L: ELS-7880 AC Name: Unit 10 AC Weight: 4810 AC Speed: 403.8 Creator: Collider Head: ZHD-AG/TURRET Core: ECL-ONE Arms: EAN-02-BG Legs: ZLN-EKI/SRRT Booster: ZBT-Z1/ARTERE FCS: VERTEX-124/EE Generator: HOY-B1000 Radiator: RGB-CM6 Inside:-- Extension:-- Back R:-- Back L: EWM-NAP-02 Arm R:-- Arm L: ZLS-400/SL ******** D: Q & A ******** When I first made this faq and had it posted, There were some questions that people had. Here, I will post question, and the answer as best as i can. Whackamole asks: Q: Is loss linear with gained WPs (once you are over the minimum)? e.g. your speed drops Y for adding X WP to your current total, no matter what. Start at 4800 or 8800, add the same X, and slow down by the same Y. A: I have just answered that in V. 1.2 Q: Is loss constant across all boosters (maybe to some absolute minimum)? e.g. The craptastic GE3400 boosters slow down (lol) by Y when X wieght is added to the test AC. So do the Artere and H4/T and all other boosters. A: When i was first trying to cover how much WP was lost by adding a cannon like the GN44, I found that the lower boosters like the GE would only lose 14 KPH, while the artere would lose 22. I am still testing this too, Since now i have a better test AC, I should be able to find this out pretty soon. *UPDATE* Boosters each have a set speed, And lose speed all the same. Guess i was wrong about that, But to clarify: Higher grade boosters do not lose more speed then lower class. Mechwarrior15 asks: Q: are OBs affected by boosters or not. I am pretty sure its just the core but not 100%? A: I have narrowed down the starting point of OB speed loss between 7300 WP total, And 1400 WP total. Some where in between the loss in speed will begin. This is as exact of an answer as i can give on that subject of OB speeds. Each core has a max speed, And that speed starts to drop between a total of 7300 and 7400 WP. The booster has no effect on the OB. ********************* E: Thanks and Credits ********************* Special thanks: To the people at the AC2:AA that helped me out with leg run downs (I will add your names in a later version, along with the info you provided, I kinda lost that stuff). Special thanks to Gelgoog, Because he could have done this faq long before I could have, And he provided me with vital information that changed the way I was going on this. Thanks again man. Also a thanks goes to Nosferatu who helped build AC designs to specific WP's. He helped for over 2 hours over AIM, And it really paid off. Thanks. ******************* F Version Updates: ******************* This FAQ will be finished in a later version: Update will include finalized leg run down, and tank/internal booster testing. (1/25/02)Version 1.0: Basic faq. First draft (1/27/02)Version 1.1: After being posted, I noticed typos galore. I Fixed those. (3/2/02)Version 1.2: Figured out exact KPH losses for each WP, and listed that AC's that the data was figured out with. The most recent version of this faq will always be found at Gamefaqs.com. This faq is also posted at: www.PSXcodez.com www.neoseeker.com