Ace Combat Zero

[RFT]

To avoid further clogging the aircraft Vs thread, I thought it would be good to start a new one for this new Ace Combat game.

there's now a trailer for it here.

same planes as in the magazine scans (F-15, F-18, Draken, Eurofighter), though there's a short shot of a tanker I can;t quite identify. I first thought it was a victor, but i'm not sure now.

Edited September 16, 2005 by RFT

[Duke Togo]

I'm there.

[Project Phoenix]

OMFG.

Return of the Gray Men.

'Nuff said.

[mikeszekely]

Ah, a prequel to Ace Combat 5. Nice.

Well, any Ace Combat game is gold to me. Except maybe Air Combat (one of those games that was amazing at the time, but is nigh unplayable today) or Ace Combat Advance.

Has the platform been announced? I'm kinda hoping PS2, since Xbox 360 just seems unlikely, and I'd hate to break down and buy the PS3 so fast just for Ace Combat Zero.

[Axelay]

Oh WOW. Now this is truly exceptional timing. I was just wondering yesterday if there was any word about any new Ace Combat games. This has made my day!

Project Aces: "Nothing Else Comes Close." Damn right.

I cannot wait for this.

[Coota0]

Not really about Ace Combat:Zero, but about Ace Combat.

I opened my email this morning to find that Namco wanted me to take a survey on Ace Combat, for an upcoming game...Ace Combat 6 for PS3, most importantly I was asked several questions about online play! You play a mercenary, open ended, 16 players in online combat. If you got any questions I'll answer what I can remember.

Edited September 16, 2005 by Coota0

[McKlown]

Ah, a prequel to Ace Combat 5.  Nice.

Well, any Ace Combat game is gold to me.  Except maybe Air Combat (one of those games that was amazing at the time, but is nigh unplayable today) or Ace Combat Advance.

Has the platform been announced?  I'm kinda hoping PS2, since Xbox 360 just seems unlikely, and I'd hate to break down and buy the PS3 so fast just for Ace Combat Zero.

328970[/snapback]

There were some Ace Combat Zero magazine scans over on 4chan(can't find them now) with a big 'ol PS2 logo on the first page.

[Duke Togo]

Yeah, its PS2.

[Roy Focker]

Okay I'm buying this.

[Duke Togo]

Okay I'm buying this.

329005[/snapback]

Hey, get in line, hussy.

[Jin_Kune_Do]

I am like SO THERE!

- Jin

[Gaijin]

I will have this title...

[Project Phoenix]

Here's a slightly better webpage for ACZ but it's in Japanese.

Link

Partial quote from the Concpet page:

"The player will play the role of the Republic of Ustio Air Force 6th Air Wing(also known as the 'Mercenary Group'), 66th Squadron, Garum Team's fighter pilot."

Hmm...666, interesting number combination here.

The page also mention of another character in the game who will fly alongside you as a wingman, probably the F-15 with the red starboard wing. Somehow, I smell Bartlett and "Pops" Beagle all over this set up.

Edit: The new tagline is "New Blood. New Battles." Nice!

Edited September 16, 2005 by Project Phoenix

[David Hingtgen]

Lots of people want some older planes, and the appearance of the Draken helps, but I'll still be amazed if we get anything other than that. My current theory is the Draken is a "replacement" for the F-4E in the game. Every other AC game has the F-4E as the oldest basic plane, I think the Draken will have that role in this game, and then it'll start the normal F-5, F-16 progression of the other games.

I'd love to be proven wrong though.

Next point---what do you want in the game? I want multiple/selectable weapons for each plane----the F-15C should not be instantly outclassed by the F-18E simply due to the game giving the 18E AMRAAMs and leaving the 15C with Sparrows. Weapons should be able to be upgraded much the same way as planes. I think it'd work well----in AC5, flying a plane a lot got you better versions of that plane. Weapons should be the same----using lots of Sparrows should unlock the AMRAAM, etc.

And as for selectable weapons---same thing---an F-16CJ should be able to have HARMs or Paveways or AMRAAM's. It's a multirole fighter, it should be able to fly any mission. I personally love using the F-16 as a midgame light fighter, but in AC5 they give it dumb bombs and Sidewinders---not the best combo for that role. That's one feature of Air Force Delta Strike I really liked---you could buy different weapons for your planes, and choose what to take on each mission.

All in all, I actually expect it to be 99% identical to AC5, simply a new story.

[Jolly Rogers]

I hope the JP version of AC0 is dual language like the US release of AC5... Nov. can't come soon enough!!!

* Dies from excitement *

[David Hingtgen]

If you download the trailer, you'll see it's already 100% english so at least we won't have to wait for it to be dubbed like so many games.

As for dual language---I think there's good odds. I doubt it'd be much larger disc-wise than AC5 and so there should be room for both audio tracks.

Edited September 17, 2005 by David Hingtgen

[mikeszekely]

All in all, I actually expect it to be 99% identical to AC5, simply a new story.

And all in all, would that be such a bad thing?

[Druna Skass]

All in all, I actually expect it to be 99% identical to AC5, simply a new story.

And all in all, would that be such a bad thing?

329168[/snapback]

I also saw a couple Viggens in the trailer.

As far as wepons go, hopefully it'll be more like AC4 where you can select what load out you want to use.

[hellohikaru]

Interesting to see the Draken. and their secondary weapon will be the semi-active Falcon!

Hope to see the F-8, A-7, F-104, Kfir and Mirage III. I hope they removed the Falken and X-02. Bring back the XFA-27 as the final plane. F/A-22 downgraded back to the YF-22A

[David Hingtgen]

YF-23 was flying in 1990, plenty old enough to be in the game. (As is the 22)

[Yohsho]

Looks nice, I hope the story is good. Am so buying this game.

[Keith]

PS2, Ace Combat, F-14, 'nuff said.

[Axelay]

I wonder what the odds are that he flight stick/throttle combo will be rereleased when this game comes out? I am really wanting one now, but they are bloody expensive. Anyone have any good recommendations?

[Gaijin]

I wonder what the odds are that he flight stick/throttle combo will be rereleased when this game comes out? I am really wanting one now, but they are bloody expensive. Anyone have any good recommendations?

329297[/snapback]

I'm never giving mine up.

[David Hingtgen]

Something I just remembered:

I want more variation in paint schemes, as well as more schemes that resemble real ones. Seriously, 90% of all AC5 planes are "generic 2-tone camo" or "generic 3-tone camo". Available in desert, jungle, and blue-grey.

The Jolly Rogers F-14 schemes in AC5 were nice examples of realistic schemes. I've always loved the F-15C schemes in AC4, they were good examples of what I'm talking about for variation--don't really match anything I know of, but are unique and plausible. As opposed to some of AC4/5's gaudy "ace" schemes. AC0's F-15 schemes are somewhat like AC4's. (Though maybe leaning a bit towards the F-15 prototype schemes)

Basically--I want something besides generic wavy camo all over, but not flowers and flourescent paint. There's plenty of middle ground, but we don't often see it from Nacmo.

[hellohikaru]

Right now i don't care too much for the paint schemes. They should include more planes.

Since the F-15C would be firing AMRAAMs this time then there will probably be an F-15A armed with Sparrows.

I hope they include the F-104 this time. Namco hadn't paid tribute to a plane which the JASDF was one of the largest operators in the world.

[McKlown]

Damn, just thinking of this game made me dig out AC5 and play it for the 100,000,000,000,000th time.

[David Hingtgen]

More thoughts:

1. I want the Area 88 planes. F-8, *Sea* Harrier, Mirage F.1 (the only Mirage that's not a delta), A-4, F-5, etc.

2. The best planes should come at the END of the game. AC4/5 give you the F-22 way too early, you can use it for like half the game. It should only be there for the last mission or two IMHO. I always feel like I get better and better planes very quickly, and the planes get better faster than the enemy AI does. Thus, I actually get "lazier" in my flying as the game goes on, as my planes just get so much more agile I don't really have to do anything other than fly circles until I'm in position. Not until the last mission does the AI "catch up" to your greatly improved planes and you'll actually have to dogfight again. Having an F-4 is much more fun and challenging, you have to actually fight. Give the F-15 at the mid-point, and the F-22 at the end. Not F-15 at mission 5, then F-22 at mission 10.

[mikeszekely]

AC4/5 give you the F-22 way too early

Gotta disagree with you there. As a fan of the F-22, I always want to play with it as fast as most of you want to play with the F-14. One of the things I hated about the Airforce Delta was all the obscure and outdated Israeli/Indian/African/Chinese etc fighters they stick you with at the beginning, and the fact that the game was half over before I got any planes I actually wanted to fly.

Maybe, as a compromise, have all the fighters unlocked by 2/3's of the way through, but keep the best weapons for it locked until closer to the end.

[David Hingtgen]

My point isn't really the plane itself, it's that such a GOOD plane comes out so early. You could easily substitute Su-47 or F-15S/MTD for F-22 there. They are SO agile it changes the whole game dynamic. (IMHO). Or, once you get a current-gen fighter, the AI ramps up really fast or they start bringing in Su-30MKI's.

I also like it when a new plane "matches" the upcoming mission. There's little point in unlocking the A-10, then giving us 2 dogfights in a row. Conversely, getting the F-15C before a "fortress assault" mission---you've got a new plane but can't really use it for a while. Then you end up getting a backlog of planes to try out.

Other possibility---choosing what planes to unlock. Instead of multiple paths, simply offer two new planes every time, and the player can pick which one they want. That'd give everyone what they want pretty quickly. Then you can get all the ones you didn't pick on the second run.

Oh, final comment/rant. I really want Namco to "split up" the plane families to upgrade them. The F-16 takes FOREVER to upgrade because it wants all the points for the entire family, since it wants to unlock them all at once. F-15 suffers from the same problem. Conversely, the F-5 and F-14 upgrade quickly since you only do one at a time. Make them all one at a time, or allow us to CHOOSE which one to develop. I didn't want the F-16 Blk 60 at all and never fly it, but really wanted the XL. By making the XL and Blk 60 "evolve" together, it made it take twice as long with twice as many points needed. Goes along with my previous comments, in that you spend so much time trying to upgrade a plane (due to it needing excessive points due to being lumped in with other variants) that it gets left behind. I can go from F-5 to F-20 and F-14A to F-14B, in the time it takes to get like 1/4 of the bar filled on the base F-15/16.

Edited September 20, 2005 by David Hingtgen

[RFT]

Oh, final comment/rant.  I really want Namco to "split up" the plane families to upgrade them.  The F-16 takes FOREVER to upgrade because it wants all the points for the entire family, since it wants to unlock them all at once.  F-15 suffers from the same problem.  Conversely, the F-5 and F-14 upgrade quickly since you only do one at a time.  Make them all one at a time, or allow us to CHOOSE which one to develop.  I didn't want the F-16 Blk 60 at all and never fly it, but really wanted the XL.  By making the XL and Blk 60 "evolve" together, it made it take twice as long with twice as many points needed.  Goes along with my previous comments, in that you spend so much time trying to upgrade a plane (due to it needing excessive points due to being lumped in with other variants) that it gets left behind.  I can go from F-5 to F-20 and F-14A to F-14B, in the time it takes to get like 1/4 of the bar filled on the base F-15/16.

329925[/snapback]

This is such a good point- I've still not unlocked everything in AC5 because of this- the F-16's worst because of the 3-at-once thing, and the fact the standard viper isn't actually much cop in the game, being neither a top-level air-air or air-ground machine. Getting the Tornados (another 3-at-once tree) was a pain as the BDSP is rather a specialist weapon.

The other problem with the shallow, wide upgrade trees is once you've slogged through to get the planes unlocked, there's then no point flying the planes you've unlocked- I really wanted the Tornado F.3 but one you've unlocked it there's nowhere else to go.

I'd liek to see at least one upgrade for every plane, as I find, at the moment at least, that if picking a plane to for a mission i'll nearly always pick one with available upgrades as otherwise it's a bit of a wasted mission. I've never so much as touched the Gripen, MiG-29, MiG-1.44, YF-23 and others...

Selectable secondary weapons is another thing- it doesn't have to be every weapon in the game, but a couple of options would be nice, as at least it would allow us to upgrade planes slightly quicker because they'll be useful for more than one mission. Multirole planes could pick between an air-air or air/ground weapon, mud-movers between maybe thier specialist weapon (the tornado's BDSP for example) and iron bombs, and air/air could pick between XMAA/QAAM, or XLAA/XMAA for the big interceptors (tomcat and foxhound, really)

just 2 weapons per plane would open things up much more. the number of A-G missions where I wanted to use the Tornado, but couldn't as the BDSP was unsuitable, got really frustrating.

[David Hingtgen]

I too wanted a Tornado F3 bad, but it was the last fighter I ever unlocked---at which point it was one of the worst fighters in the game. (Love the plane, but when you can use the YF-23 or Su-37 there's little point) Plus the GR4 is so similar to the GR1, and the ECR (like all ECM planes in the game) is really useless. That's about the only plane I thought there were too MANY of. All you need is the IDS and ADV. Anything else is kinda pointless, and having them all evolve simultaneously just made the ADV F3 take forever to get, making it too little too late. Current-day F3's have AMRAAMx4 and ASRAAMx4 for standard armament---that'd make it really useful in the game, as it's the WEAPONS the plane has that's really important in games like these---see following point:

Personally, I'd rather have the WEAPONS evolve/selectable instead of the plane. Really, for most of them in AC5 that's all that really changes--same plane, same stats, just new weapons and paint. I mean, the F-14D is the F-14B with Phoenixes. Su-35 is Su-27 with AA-12's (and +1 agility).

The F-18C would be a MUCH more useful plane if you could choose and upgrade weapons--start with Sparrows and Harpoons, and end with AMRAMM's and SLAM-ER's. In AC5, it's good for ships and nothing else simply due to only having Harpoons.

Having multiple weapons would allow you to use many early planes even late in the game---and by doing so, would help them acquire upgrades, as you wouldn't be limited to using them only in the early missions.

[Axelay]

Man... I can't believe just how excited I am about this game already. I think I've watched the trailer at least a dozen times. I can only pray that I enjoy this one as much as I did AC5.

[Gaijin]

Personally, I'd rather have the WEAPONS evolve/selectable instead of the plane.  Really, for most of them in AC5 that's all that really changes--same plane, same stats, just new weapons and paint.  I mean, the F-14D is the F-14B with Phoenixes.  Su-35 is Su-27 with AA-12's (and +1 agility). 

The F-18C would be a MUCH more useful plane if you could choose and upgrade weapons--start with Sparrows and Harpoons, and end with AMRAMM's and SLAM-ER's.  In AC5, it's good for ships and nothing else simply due to only having Harpoons.

Having multiple weapons would allow you to use many early planes even late in the game---and by doing so, would help them acquire upgrades, as you wouldn't be limited to using them only in the early missions.

329968[/snapback]

Bravo. My feelings exactly.

[Skull Leader]

Lots of kickass fighters? check

Bitchrod sountrack? Most likely

PS2 platform? Almost definately

= I'm there.