Encompassing the era from the original Armored Core, Project Phantasma and Master of Arena, First Generation units are the initial pioneers for the highly versatile weapons platforms known as "Armored Cores."
While lacking mobility options and enormous variety, these units set the standard for future generations.
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Examples of First Generation Armored Cores: Black Dragon, Nine-Ball,Vixen
A first generation Armored Core, with laser rifle, verticle missiles, laser cannon, and laser blade.
The First Generation of Armored Cores set the standard for all future Armored Cores to surpass.
While limited in terms of variety in comparison with later generations a First Generation unit still had a wide option weaponry, and made up for lack of volume by the sheer power they possessed. Many weapons were capable of annihilating ACs with only a few blasts, such as the infamous Moonlight and Karasawa.
Mobility wise, they were very limited, with only a single or dual booster available for movement. While moderately quick, it was predictable and without other secondary mobility options other than walk.
An Armored Core was made up of the following parts:
- Head - The head unit contains visual sensors, optional radar and computer equipment. The radar and computing functions can include bio-sensors, noise cancelers, night-vision, missile sensors, other map-related functions and the extremely important FCS. Of course, all of these can be disregarded if a pilot wishes for a high-armor model. Head parts are generally lightly armored, and they have the lowest amount of AP of all the components, even if they are heavy models, however.
- Core - The torso area of the AC, and the "armored core" from which the games take their name. This is also where the pilot controls his AC, and is the final part of the Armored Core to be destroyed during combat. In general, the Core is the most durable part of an AC, as expected.
- Arms - The arms are where most weapons are fixed. Heavier arms usually boast better firing stability and armor, whereas light arms usually relate to how quickly the craft can take aim or use a laser blade. Arms can also have inbuilt weapons, which are usually lighter than having arm/weapon combinations; however, they likewise lack the armor total of regular arm units.
- Legs - Legs are the deciding factor of the AC's movement. There are different types, including bipedal (normal and reverse-jointed), quadrupedal (providing superior ground based mobility), and tank legs (providing massive amounts of armor at the cost of speed). Bipedal legs are divided into three sub-groups: Middle legs, which are the all around basic legs for most ACs; Light, which offer extreme speed at the cost of carry weight; and Heavy, the natural opposite of light, which allow high carry weights while limiting mobility. Reverse joint legs also come in three weights, carrying the same traits of bipedal legs; however, reverse joint legs are suited more to aerial combat, with high jumping ability and good energy use. Conversely, quadrupedal legs are the opposite of reverse joint legs, specializing in ground attack, and ill suited to aerial combat, with high energy drain. Lastly, tank legs are supremely heavy, and are highly detrimental to speed; however, tank legs also offer the highest carry weight of all the leg types.
- FCS - The Firing Control System is the craft's targeting computer. FCS come in many different types, each specializing to a different kind of weapon. From the pilot's perspective, an FCS creates a "firebox;" any enemy within targetable range that enters the box will be targeted by any weapon with sufficient range to hit it. A sniper-oriented FCS will create a smaller box, while a machine gun-type-weapon-oriented FCS will create a wider FCS. Also affecting the size of the box is the weapon used; a sniper rifle will decrease the size of the box, while a shotgun will increase it.
- Boosters - These are the thrust systems of an AC, and enable it to fly and boost along the ground. They usually are either efficient for longer use, or powerful for greater speeds. The actual method of thrust is unknown, but it can be deduced that, as the generator is likely not fossil fuel based, the boosters use some sort of ion-reaction drive or other method of propulsion.
- Generator - The AC's engine, this part supplies power to all parts of the AC. Like the boosters, the exact method of supplying power to the AC is not known specifically, though the seemingly limitless energy providable by the generator and its ability to power all of the functions of an AC at once, while still keeping the likely very heavy vehicle airborne, would indicate that it is a nuclear fusion-based power source.
- Weapons - The key component of any AC, weapons are what allow them to take on almost any threat. The sheer variety and quantity are what sets it apart from its predecessor, the MTs.
- Optional Parts - Various modular units which "plugged" into the AC's core, these parts had widely varying effects and could improve anything from turning speed to energy weapon damage. Each core had a limited number of "slots" into which these parts could plug into, and each optional part utilized a set number of slots, increasing based on the part's perceived power and usefulness.Lighter cores usually have more option slots while heavily armored cores have limited number of slots.
The First Generation is also known to have the most offshoots and branches of Armored Cores. There are three main types beyond the first original regular Armored Cores:
Scaled down versions of the AC, GPACs were hybrid MT/ACs which were created for mass production. They were very fast and capable of boosting, and had basic weapons such as the bazooka and laser blade. While not as powerful as a regular Armored Core, their swift speed and high performance made them dangerous in large numbers.
- Mass Productions Armored Core (MPAC)
While the GPAC was a scaled down version of the Armored Core meant for mass production, the MPAC was a regular Armored Core that was "scaled up" so to speak to be above the capabilities of a regular unit. The only real difference is that the MPAC was internally modified in some way to enhance its abilities. Despite this the unit does not have Human PLUS and also like the GPAC, is much less durable. Examples include the Swift and Spiteful.
- Custom Armored Cores
Whereas an ordinary AC would be composed of multiple mass produced parts, the Custom was produced specifically as a single set of parts custom designed by a corporation and was never reproduced. Custom ACs often were much more powerful than ordinary Armored Cores, but are also considerably rarer. The two most prominent examples are the AC Vixen and Nine-Ball Seraph.
Other Appearances[]
The First Generation was also unique in that it was the only generation to appear outside of the original games it appeared in. Specifically, the First Generation appeared again in Armored Core 4 and Armored Core: For Answer as a standard enemy, called Normals, to underline the extreme superiority of the Fourth Generation Armored Core. Despite their name, they are more akin to MTs as they are standardized and have little difference between models other than weapon swaps.
Weaknesses[]
The drawbacks of the First Generation Armored Core were readily apparent as one was used; the primary method of thrust, the boosters, did not provide any method of bursting in speed, and made rapid dodging maneuvers ineffective. Also, although First Generation Armored Core-grade weaponry was effective against other Armored Cores of the same generation, and lesser enemies, it simply did not have the stopping power to fight higher-generation Armored Cores, as demonstrated by the Fourth Generation Armored Core's ability to eradicate whole squads of First Generation Armored Cores while taking minimal damage itself.
Another key disadvantage that would carry on until the Fourth Generation is the lack of a speed control; that is to say, the ability to stay at a certain speed. Generally speaking, an AC had only two speeds: absolute standstill or absolute maximum; there was no way to allow the pilot adjust in any form and was only capable of reaching its maximum speed. The only known work around to this was "bunny hopping," activating the booster for a moment to jump and continue going.
Although it had perhaps some of the most powerful weapons, another issue the First Generation suffered from was the inability to use more than one weapon at time. This would later be rectified in the Third Generation and all following ones.