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The Ace Combat Thread (NSF56k)

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Posts

  • KelorKelor Registered User regular
    So you're saying that Mihaly is just lucky he never ran into a pilot from the Strangereal equivalent of Mexico?

  • manwiththemachinegunmanwiththemachinegun METAL GEAR?! Registered User regular
  • Knight_Knight_ Dead Dead Dead Registered User regular
    that's a not even mad situation.

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  • manwiththemachinegunmanwiththemachinegun METAL GEAR?! Registered User regular
  • SynthesisSynthesis Honda Today! Registered User regular
    You're seeing the legendary Osean "Red Comet" Major Char Aznable, and his MiG-21, which is 3 times as fast as a normal "Fishbed".

    I'm up to Mission 20. Excluding the somewhat tedious conclusion of the last act of Mission 19, the last few missions have been...really, really good. As good as the best missions in 5, 6 and 0.

    The writing though...yikes. They went full "Go Dance with the Angels". I should've known better.

  • AxenAxen My avatar is Excalibur. Yes, the sword.Registered User regular
    Never go full "Dance with the Angels".

    A Capellan's favorite sheath for any blade is your back.
  • manwiththemachinegunmanwiththemachinegun METAL GEAR?! Registered User regular
    Mm, what specifically? I thought it was overall quite strong. Even compared to the golden trilogy.

  • cj iwakuracj iwakura The Rhythm Regent Bears The Name FreedomRegistered User regular
    Axen wrote: »
    Never go full "Dance with the Angels".

    You always go full dance with the angels, mister.

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  • Trajan45Trajan45 Registered User regular
    Finished the copy of Ace Combat 5 that came with my AC7. Overall it holds up really well and I really hope at some point AC:Zero gets the same treatment.

    Graphics: Not as bad as I would have thought. They did a pretty good job with the widescreen and resolution. The planes looked pretty decent. The main issues were blurriness for things, the hud being a bit large, and ground textures / mesh being really bad. I did chuckle that your MG bullets looks like square pixels firing out. Weirdly it's not that far from where they had to put the VR in AC7 graphic's level at. The video's suffered a lot as well. Again lots of blurring and the characters looked very PS2-ish.

    Story: Sometimes nostalgia really plays in and remembering an older game is better than replaying it. However AC5 is still absolutely amazing. When the new planes in black with the Razgriz logo's were unveiled, it still brought a tear to the eye. The characters were soooo much better than AC7.

    Gameplay: There are some strange up's and downs with this. On the positive side, your wingmen are actually useful! It was amazing when I had 1 plane left as a target and I was able to set the attack command and a wingman finished it off for me. Speaking of which, the wingmen command menu is amazing and I was really impressed by how well it worked. Allowing you to respond to questions was another great touch that helped connect you in the game. Missions were all really amazing for the most part. The main downside, is a lack of checkpoints. For the 2-3 missions that were a huge PITA, not having a check point almost made me stop. Specifically the tunnel missions where you have to restart and do half the level over.

    It's really funny how many great things from AC5 they removed from future games. Usually game developers build on them. Having your wingmen be pretty much useless in AC7 sucked. Also compared to AC7, the pacing is so much better. It helps that you have 18 missions to get into the story and characters, then another 10 after to finish it off after things flip. AC7 floundered with only having 20 missions (vs 27) and changing direction 3 times. Would have been much better to just start as a penal unit, doesn't matter what I did to get there. Flesh out your wingmen more and then swap it up halfway through.

    At some point I hope they take a Resident Evil 2 type look at AC 4 and 5. Perhaps next gen so we can get an even better graphic's jump and maybe some VR missions.

    Origin ID\ Steam ID: Warder45
  • manwiththemachinegunmanwiththemachinegun METAL GEAR?! Registered User regular
    Upon replay, your wingmen make a fair number of kills on their own, especially when drones are around. It's just that not having them under your command means you can't send them up against the targets that are giving you problems. And there's a certain subset of AC fans who will go, "MINE MINE MINE!" whenever a friendly "steals" their points. So you can't really win either way.

  • LD50LD50 Registered User regular
    Upon replay, your wingmen make a fair number of kills on their own, especially when drones are around. It's just that not having them under your command means you can't send them up against the targets that are giving you problems. And there's a certain subset of AC fans who will go, "MINE MINE MINE!" whenever a friendly "steals" their points. So you can't really win either way.

    I feel this though, because some of the S rank requirements mean you really need to be killing everything yourself.

    Seeing a cohort destroy a massive swath of the oilfield on the sandstorm mission really made my heart hurt.

  • Trajan45Trajan45 Registered User regular
    If you had the AC5 commands, you'd just set your wingmen to 'cover'. While they may get some kills, I didn't notice a single one in my play through of AC7. It was obvious in AC5.

    Origin ID\ Steam ID: Warder45
  • SynthesisSynthesis Honda Today! Registered User regular
    edited March 2019
    Mm, what specifically? I thought it was overall quite strong. Even compared to the golden trilogy.

    Almost any in-level scene involving Rosette. Which isn't surprising.

    It's not really a complaint, mind you, so much of an observation. I actually didn't mind it that much in Ace Combat 6--but there are a few minor scenes that make AC6 look subtle.
    Upon replay, your wingmen make a fair number of kills on their own, especially when drones are around. It's just that not having them under your command means you can't send them up against the targets that are giving you problems. And there's a certain subset of AC fans who will go, "MINE MINE MINE!" whenever a friendly "steals" their points. So you can't really win either way.

    I miss the ability to issue orders--very, very simple orders--from AC6. Though those are more "group strikes" than orders, even then.

    Synthesis on
  • DaMoonRulzDaMoonRulz Mare ImbriumRegistered User regular
    Do we have a date for the DLC yet?

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  • manwiththemachinegunmanwiththemachinegun METAL GEAR?! Registered User regular
    edited March 2019
    Cosette ended up being the complete opposite of the kind of character most I think were expecting her to be, and I appreciate that a lot.

    manwiththemachinegun on
  • manwiththemachinegunmanwiththemachinegun METAL GEAR?! Registered User regular
    Wow, this is amazing. Daredevil was actually composed at the last minute among other things.

    https://twinfinite.net/2019/03/ace-combat-7-best-launch-saved/

  • Trajan45Trajan45 Registered User regular
    It makes me super happy to hear that the sales numbers were really strong. While it's not the best Ace Combat, it was a lot of fun and I really want them to keep making more strangreal games. Even without his posts, I think most folks could guess this had a rocky development given the strange pacing of the main campaign.

    I love the idea of a last minute song (turns out to be one of the best on the OST) that is composed with input from the other teams like the radio chatter director to really just make the overall mission. People like to complain about scripting, but if done well, it's quite amazing.

    Origin ID\ Steam ID: Warder45
  • DaMoonRulzDaMoonRulz Mare ImbriumRegistered User regular
    I need to hear more about the upcoming DLC!

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  • SynthesisSynthesis Honda Today! Registered User regular
    Trajan45 wrote: »
    It makes me super happy to hear that the sales numbers were really strong. While it's not the best Ace Combat, it was a lot of fun and I really want them to keep making more strangreal games. Even without his posts, I think most folks could guess this had a rocky development given the strange pacing of the main campaign.

    I love the idea of a last minute song (turns out to be one of the best on the OST) that is composed with input from the other teams like the radio chatter director to really just make the overall mission. People like to complain about scripting, but if done well, it's quite amazing.

    Yeah, I'm glad that a business meeting takeaway lesson from this is: "The future of Ace Combat is not chasing the ghost of Tom Clancy and COD: Modern Warfour, where the Russians take over Mars and the Jovian moons. The iconic franchise setting can actually produce a profitable game." I couldn't say for certain that this was more immediately profitable than Assault Horizon, though it'd be very nice to see the comparison numbers (Assault Horizon being the first title to have a normal multiplatform launch, I think).

  • DrovekDrovek Registered User regular
    Synthesis wrote: »
    Trajan45 wrote: »
    It makes me super happy to hear that the sales numbers were really strong. While it's not the best Ace Combat, it was a lot of fun and I really want them to keep making more strangreal games. Even without his posts, I think most folks could guess this had a rocky development given the strange pacing of the main campaign.

    I love the idea of a last minute song (turns out to be one of the best on the OST) that is composed with input from the other teams like the radio chatter director to really just make the overall mission. People like to complain about scripting, but if done well, it's quite amazing.

    Yeah, I'm glad that a business meeting takeaway lesson from this is: "The future of Ace Combat is not chasing the ghost of Tom Clancy and COD: Modern Warfour, where the Russians take over Mars and the Jovian moons. The iconic franchise setting can actually produce a profitable game." I couldn't say for certain that this was more immediately profitable than Assault Horizon, though it'd be very nice to see the comparison numbers (Assault Horizon being the first title to have a normal multiplatform launch, I think).

    Lately I pretty much listen to Daredevil extended version when I'm needing to concentrate a bit. It's just one awesome song.

    And yeah, I hope the main takeaway is also "not all games need to be lootbox, games-as-a-service, multiplayer-fests." Something with this much heart in it should also work out great.

    steam_sig.png( < . . .
  • StormwatcherStormwatcher Blegh BlughRegistered User regular
    now just remake JP AC3 for an international HD version

    Steam: Stormwatcher | PSN: Stormwatcher33 | Switch: 5961-4777-3491
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  • QuiotuQuiotu Registered User regular
    Though I will admit, as much fun as I'm having with this game, it's incredibly hard to stream because about every other mission involves me dying at least a half a dozen times and swearing a lot before I get the hang of the requirements.

    I don't remember the other AC games being so difficult on how to finish the missions. The mission structure is very strict with a lot of timers, and I don't remember this series being so needy before.

    It's not a bad thing, I'm just not sure if I like the mission structure being so... and sorry for the comparison, Dark Souls like in terms of learning the pattern for maximum efficiency.

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  • manwiththemachinegunmanwiththemachinegun METAL GEAR?! Registered User regular
    edited April 2019
    Also if you haven't seen this, AWACS Long Caster has the BEST unit emblem of ANY Ace Combat squadron yet seen. Don't believe me?
    latest?cb=20190228063150
    This is 100% official canon.

    manwiththemachinegun on
  • SynthesisSynthesis Honda Today! Registered User regular
    "Long Caster. What's a Long Caster?"

    "How the fuck should I know? This isn't Capcom. I don't speak English."

    "Fuck you, they need an emblem. Just do something that's not obscene."

  • manwiththemachinegunmanwiththemachinegun METAL GEAR?! Registered User regular
    Officially Osean squadrons generally go with mystical elements for their squadrons. Sorcerer, Wizard, Golem, Skeleton, etc. Wardog is one of the few exceptions I think. So by that metric Long Caster fits in too in a D&D sort of way.

  • DaMoonRulzDaMoonRulz Mare ImbriumRegistered User regular
    I freaked out the first time they said Golem because I swear they said Galm

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  • DaMoonRulzDaMoonRulz Mare ImbriumRegistered User regular
    edited April 2019



    Yooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo

    Edit: so I'm watching Jesse Cox play through Ace Combat 5 and I saw the illustration of Razgriz during a cutscene....

    Is that the Lighthouse?

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    DaMoonRulz on
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  • DaMoonRulzDaMoonRulz Mare ImbriumRegistered User regular
  • Khade97Khade97 PE10, UKRegistered User regular
    No CFA-44 Nosferatu? I thought that was being rumored for the season pass / DLC?

  • VoodooVVoodooV Registered User regular
    Finished this yesterday. I was playing it alongside the free copy of AC5 so I recently re-finished that too. Overall, It was a good game and a good update, but the story was way too similar to 5 IMO. Right down to that damned underground mission.

    I take it multiplayer is the best way to earn MRP? Part of me is not looking forward to the unlock grind to get the rest of the tree, let alone just the X-02s. Any general tips for a first time going into MP Ace Combat? I assume missiles are just useless since real players aren't going to sit still like the AI would?

  • ErrorError Registered User regular
    I did pretty well with the pulse laser you get on the f-15c and su-57 for a while early in the release window, i haven't really played a whole lot more multi since so no idea if a counter has been developed.

    Also if it feels too similar to AC5 it's probably because the game was a bit of a greatest hits collection all on its own because the game had to sell. Maybe not identical but hey remember this thing that you loved well here you go.

  • QuiotuQuiotu Registered User regular
    edited May 2019
    I haven't finished AC7 yet, but as much as I've liked this game so far... and this game has it all IMO... I hope they go away from the 'plot armor' aces.

    The one real annoying factor I have with this game is that Mihaly is treated as a plot device with rules they just make up as they go along. Most aces usually have a reason for being hard to kill, either just flying really good or having a lot of flares or like in AC0 having an experimental plane. But in the Battle for Farbanti it goes beyond anything like that. Strangereal rules tend to be pretty flexible, but if I hit a fucker with missiles SIX TIMES, I expect him to go down, or you better throw out some 'NANOMACHINES SON!!' bullshit at me to explain yourself.

    I'm all for giant boss ships, for tunnel and canyon missions, for aces with bullshit rules that only apply to them but are explained. Mihaly was badly set up, and his dogfights are bullshit to a level I don't remember having to deal with in AC before. Plot armor is a very weak substitute for a myriad of ways that the story could've handwaved it away, and I expected more. I would've been happier if he was just insanely hard to hit rather than him being able to take enough missiles to down a battleship and still go... in an SU-30 of all things.

    Quiotu on
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  • DaMoonRulzDaMoonRulz Mare ImbriumRegistered User regular
    Quiotu wrote: »
    I haven't finished AC7 yet, but as much as I've liked this game so far... and this game has it all IMO... I hope they go away from the 'plot armor' aces.

    The one real annoying factor I have with this game is that Mihaly is treated as a plot device with rules they just make up as they go along. Most aces usually have a reason for being hard to kill, either just flying really good or having a lot of flares or like in AC0 having an experimental plane. But in the Battle for Farbanti it goes beyond anything like that. Strangereal rules tend to be pretty flexible, but if I hit a fucker with missiles SIX TIMES, I expect him to go down, or you better throw out some 'NANOMACHINES SON!!' bullshit at me to explain yourself.

    I'm all for giant boss ships, for tunnel and canyon missions, for aces with bullshit rules that only apply to them but are explained. Mihaly was badly set up, and his dogfights are bullshit to a level I don't remember having to deal with in AC before. Plot armor is a very weak substitute for a myriad of ways that the story could've handwaved it away, and I expected more. I would've been happier if he was just insanely hard to hit rather than him being able to take enough missiles to down a battleship and still go... in an SU-30 of all things.

    It's mentioned in the radio chatter that Mihaly is such a skilled pilot that he can maneuver his plane to minimize damage from hits. (The Eiji Date effect).

    As for it being an SU-30, it's like how you know that Imperial Aces in Star Wars are talented.

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  • QuiotuQuiotu Registered User regular
    DaMoonRulz wrote: »
    Quiotu wrote: »
    I haven't finished AC7 yet, but as much as I've liked this game so far... and this game has it all IMO... I hope they go away from the 'plot armor' aces.

    The one real annoying factor I have with this game is that Mihaly is treated as a plot device with rules they just make up as they go along. Most aces usually have a reason for being hard to kill, either just flying really good or having a lot of flares or like in AC0 having an experimental plane. But in the Battle for Farbanti it goes beyond anything like that. Strangereal rules tend to be pretty flexible, but if I hit a fucker with missiles SIX TIMES, I expect him to go down, or you better throw out some 'NANOMACHINES SON!!' bullshit at me to explain yourself.

    I'm all for giant boss ships, for tunnel and canyon missions, for aces with bullshit rules that only apply to them but are explained. Mihaly was badly set up, and his dogfights are bullshit to a level I don't remember having to deal with in AC before. Plot armor is a very weak substitute for a myriad of ways that the story could've handwaved it away, and I expected more. I would've been happier if he was just insanely hard to hit rather than him being able to take enough missiles to down a battleship and still go... in an SU-30 of all things.

    It's mentioned in the radio chatter that Mihaly is such a skilled pilot that he can maneuver his plane to minimize damage from hits. (The Eiji Date effect).

    As for it being an SU-30, it's like how you know that Imperial Aces in Star Wars are talented.

    I mean, that is a nanomachine, anime tropey as shit type of excuse, but I suppose it is an excuse. I still don't want to see it again... a missile sponge is still a missile sponge, and is the least innovative way to make something difficult.

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  • manwiththemachinegunmanwiththemachinegun METAL GEAR?! Registered User regular
    For those who were either complaining/curious about how Mihaly is able to shrug off missile damage as taking a hit in a "non-vital" area. I just found out the game justifies it as the same method that the player uses to absorb multiple missile hits.
    Mihaly: "Missile hit."
    Sol 2: "Is he down?"
    Mihaly: "No, he managed to take it in a non-critical area. I'll teach you how to do that when we get back to base."

    So it's actually a player ability as well. It's also why Mihaly's railgun never shoots you down on the first hit, even though it clearly has the power to. The player also has "plot armor".

  • SynthesisSynthesis Honda Today! Registered User regular
    Mihaly's Su-30SM, in the context of Strangereal's aircraft industries, is a pretty fuckin' high end aircraft--granted, it probably doesn't compare much if you've been heavily grinding by the time you encounter him, but the game doesn't really calculate for that.

    Putting aside the Flanker's romanticized reputation (you can pretty easily find translations of VVS journals and academic papers debating the merits of the Su-27 family compared to, most obviously, the concurrently-developed MiG-29, in the roles they do share), it's not really "just a Su-30" in the setting itself.

    On top of that, there's real life historical precedence I suppose. The Ki-43 shot down more Allied aircraft in the Pacific War than any other aircraft, despite both the Japanese Army and Navy having much technically superior aircraft. Part of that is volume, but most of Japan's aces also flew it. The Soviet ace of aces flew a P-39 which, along with other Soviet ace's aircraft, could easily be called technically inferior to the best German aircraft during the war.

    Making his aircraft as hard as a reinforced building target in the game is unfortunate, but that would be a problem in literally any aircraft.

  • manwiththemachinegunmanwiththemachinegun METAL GEAR?! Registered User regular
    Most air-to-air missiles now work like shotgun shells IIRC in that they don't physically have to connect with another plane for the proximity warhead to go off. So in magic ace land, Mihaly is just-that-good to be able to jink his plan to miss most of the fragments.

  • QuiotuQuiotu Registered User regular
    For those who were either complaining/curious about how Mihaly is able to shrug off missile damage as taking a hit in a "non-vital" area. I just found out the game justifies it as the same method that the player uses to absorb multiple missile hits.
    Mihaly: "Missile hit."
    Sol 2: "Is he down?"
    Mihaly: "No, he managed to take it in a non-critical area. I'll teach you how to do that when we get back to base."

    So it's actually a player ability as well. It's also why Mihaly's railgun never shoots you down on the first hit, even though it clearly has the power to. The player also has "plot armor".

    I'm willing to go along with it, but the main reason why we have plot armor is because we're not ace pilots, and kinda need it in order to survive. Mihaly is an ace pilot AI, backed with a squad of wingmen that he trained most of the time. I admit that it's nice to go all 'Mihaly is the greatest ace, but so are you and it's why you both can do that same thing', and the way they work with the idea of aces being rare is great in that 'if everyone was this good, everyone would be dead' kind of way.

    I guess my issue with it is that when fighting other aces in the series, they were difficult but very fun to defeat. Fighting Mihaly was like fighting online... and if I wanted that, I could fight online. Towards the end of the game I didn't even want to fight Mihaly properly, and utterly cheesed the last confrontation just to get him out of the way.

    Honestly other than Mihaly I had a blast with the game, though. But I will say I have no real desire to play it again... the newer planes aren't really enough to undo the staggering difficulty of this game in some missions, and all but a handful of the missions I would NEVER play again. Fun game, not much in replayability unless you can get into max ranks or clearing the plane tree or enjoy the online mode.

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  • ArcticLancerArcticLancer Best served chilled. Registered User regular
    Reading through the last little bit of the thread and I'm glad people are generally enjoying the game, but am I seriously the only one who feels like the overall mission design is absolutely horrible garbage? I was so glad to have been able to pick it up earlier this week after just coming off an AC6 replay, and basically everything that I loved about 6 is missing, and in its place are a plethora of scattered missions that almost all have some twist ensuring whatever you came prepared for is wrong. Basically every 'gimmick' feels like ass (sandstorms, assorted escort missions, thunderstorms, etc) and gives me zero desire to replay those missions. The timers are also constantly ridiculous and pushing me to fly stupid just to try and make things work out. Even the gun feels so worthless as to be moot ... I wanted this game to be good so badly and instead I'm just suffering an entirely massive heartache of frustration and disappointment while playing it. :(
    Like, am I having an extra horrible time for having started on hard (having assumed that made sense as someone with a lot of previous experience)? Is there some other magical "Ah-ha!" that I'm missing?

  • SynthesisSynthesis Honda Today! Registered User regular
    Reading through the last little bit of the thread and I'm glad people are generally enjoying the game, but am I seriously the only one who feels like the overall mission design is absolutely horrible garbage? I was so glad to have been able to pick it up earlier this week after just coming off an AC6 replay, and basically everything that I loved about 6 is missing, and in its place are a plethora of scattered missions that almost all have some twist ensuring whatever you came prepared for is wrong. Basically every 'gimmick' feels like ass (sandstorms, assorted escort missions, thunderstorms, etc) and gives me zero desire to replay those missions. The timers are also constantly ridiculous and pushing me to fly stupid just to try and make things work out. Even the gun feels so worthless as to be moot ... I wanted this game to be good so badly and instead I'm just suffering an entirely massive heartache of frustration and disappointment while playing it. :(
    Like, am I having an extra horrible time for having started on hard (having assumed that made sense as someone with a lot of previous experience)? Is there some other magical "Ah-ha!" that I'm missing?

    Some of the missions are....genuinely disappointing for dumb, easily avoidable reasons. Certainly not all, I think, but most of the gimmicks...kind of suck, in a way that wasn't an issue in AC6 (or AC5).

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