Personally, I haven’t had time to parse all the changes myself, but over in our Discord, heavy discussion is already underway. There’s even this handy breakdown of all the numbers that were changed (originally from Cleric’s Discord).

The following is directly lifted from the official blog post on Bandai Namco’s website. It’s a long one.

ARMORED CORE VI FIRES OF RUBICON – Regulation Update 1.03.1

ARMORED CORE VI FIRES OF RUBICON – Patch Notes 1.03.1

A new regulation patch (1.03.1) has been distributed to make gameplay balance adjustments and bug fixes. Please apply the latest patch before playing the game.

Targeted Platforms:
PlayStation 4 / PlayStation 5 / Xbox One / Xbox Series X|S / Steam

MAJOR ITEMS INCLUDED IN THE LATEST REGULATION UPDATE

Balance Adjustments

Weapon Units

EXPLOSIVE THROWER “DF-ET-09 TAI-YANG-SHOU”: increased Effective Range/Total Rounds, decreased Reload Time
LINEAR RIFLE “LR-036 CURTIS”: decreased Recoil/Charge Time
LINEAR RIFLE “LR-037 HARRIS”: increased Chg. Attack Power/Cooling, decreased Charge Time
SHOTGUN “SG-026 HALDEMAN”: decreased Direct Hit Adjustment
SHOTGUN “SG-027 ZIMMERMAN”: decreased Attack Power/Impact/Accumulative Impact/Direct Hit Adjustment
HANDGUN “HG-003 COQUILLETT”: increased Total Rounds
HANDGUN “HG-004 DUCKETT”: increased Total Rounds
BURST HANDGUN “MA-E-211 SAMPU”: increased Total Rounds
NEEDLE GUN “EL-PW-00 VIENTO”: increased Total Rounds
BAZOOKA “DF-BA-06 XUAN-GE”: increased Projectile Speed, decreased Reload Time
BAZOOKA “MAJESTIC”: increased Projectile Speed, decreased Reload Time
BAZOOKA “LITTLE GEM”: increased Projectile Speed, decreased Reload Time
DETONATING BAZOOKA “44-141 JVLN ALPHA”: increased Projectile Speed, decreased Reload Time
GRENADE “DF-GR-07 GOU-CHEN”: increased Total Rounds/Projectile Speed, decreased Reload Time. Rounds now explode upon reaching their Effective Range, even if they don’t make contact
GRENADE “DIZZY”: increased Total Rounds/Projectile Speed, decreased Reload Time. Effective Range also adjusted. Rounds now explode upon reaching their Effective Range, even if they don’t make contact
GRENADE “IRIDIUM”: increased Total Rounds/Projectile Speed, decreased Reload Time. Reduced sway caused by accumulated Recoil. Effective Range also adjusted. Rounds now explode upon reaching their Effective Range, even if they don’t make contact
PLASMA RIFLE “IA-C01W1: NEBULA”: decreased Chg. Attack Power/Chg. Impact/Chg. Accum. Impact, increased Charge Time
SIEGE HAND MISSILE “WS-5000 APERITIF”: increased Reload Time, decreased Guidance
GRENADE CANNON “EARSHOT”: decreased Reload Time. Rounds now explode upon reaching their Effective Range, even if they don’t make contact
GRENADE CANNON ”SONGBIRDS”: decreased Attack Power/Impact/Accumulative Impact. Rounds now explode upon reaching their Effective Range, even if they don’t make contact
STUN NEEDLE LAUNCHER “VE-60SNA”: decreased Impact/Accumulative Impact/Direct Hit Adjustment/Attack Power on consecutive attacks
LASER CANNON “VP-60LCS”: increased Total Rounds
DIFFUSE LASER CANNON “VP-60LCD”: increased Total Rounds
PULSE SHIELD LAUNCHER “EULE/60D”: increased Total Rounds/Pulse Shield Durability, decreased Weight/EN Load
LIGHT WAVE CANNON “IA-C01W3: AURORA”: decreased EN Load. Energy Firearm Spec now applies to this weapon
DUAL MISSILE “BML-G1/P31DUO-02”: increased Attack Power/Impact/Accumulative Impact/Guidance/Projectile Speed
DUAL MISSILE “BML-G1/P32DUO-03”: increased Attack Power/Impact/Accumulative Impact/Guidance/Projectile Speed
DUAL MISSILE “BML-G2/P08DUO-03”: increased Attack Power/Impact/Accumulative Impact/Guidance/Projectile Speed
ACTIVE HOMING MISSILE “BML-G3/P04ACT-01”: increased Guidance/Homing Lock Time/Projectile Speed
ACTIVE HOMING MISSILE “BML-G3/P05ACT-02”: increased Guidance/Homing Lock Time/Projectile Speed
NEEDLE MISSILE “EL-PW-01 TRUENO”: decreased Guidance. Projectiles now follow a stable trajectory
CORAL MISSILE “IB-C03W3: NGI 006”: decreased Chg. Attack Power/Chg. Impact/Chg. Accum. Impact/Direct Hit Adjustment
LASER ORBIT “45-091 ORBT”: increased Attack Power/Direct Hit Adjustment/Ideal Range/Effective Range/Projectile Speed
LASER TURRET “VP-60LT”: increased Projectile Speed/Laser Turret Attack Frequency

Frame Parts

HEAD “AH-J-124 BASHO”: increased System Recovery
HEAD “HD-011 MELANDER”: increased Attitude Stability/System Recovery
HEAD “HD-033M VERRILL”: increased System Recovery
HEAD “HD-012 MELANDER C3”: increased Attitude Stability/System Recovery
HEAD “DF-HD-08 TIAN-QIANG”: increased Attitude Stability/System Recovery
HEAD “VP-44S”: increased Attitude Stability/System Recovery
HEAD “VP-44D”: decreased Attitude Stability
HEAD “VE-44A”: increased Attitude Stability/System Recovery
HEAD “HC-2000 FINDER EYE”: increased System Recovery
HEAD “HC-2000/BC SHADE EYE”: increased System Recovery
HEAD “HC-3000 WRECKER”: increased System Recovery
HEAD “HS-5000 APPETIZER”: increased Attitude Stability/System Recovery
HEAD “EL-TH-10 FIRMEZA”: increased System Recovery
HEAD “EL-PH-00 ALBA”: increased System Recovery
HEAD “20-081 MIND ALPHA”: increased Attitude Stability/System Recovery
HEAD “20-082 MIND BETA”: decreased System Recovery
HEAD “IB-C03H: HAL 826”: increased Attitude Stability
CORE “NACHTREIHER/40E”: increased Attitude Stability/Generator Output Adj.
CORE “IA-C01C: EPHEMERA”: decreased AP/Anti-Energy Defense/Anti-Explosive Defense/Attitude Stability
ARMS “AA-J-123 BASHO”: decreased Anti-Kinetic Defense/Anti-Explosive Defense
ARMS “AA-J-123/RC JAILBREAK”: decreased Anti-Kinetic Defense/Anti-Explosive Defense
ARMS “AR-011 MELANDER”: increased Recoil Control
ARMS “AR-012 MELANDER C3”: increased Recoil Control
ARMS “DF-AR-08 TIAN-QIANG”: increased Recoil Control
ARMS “DF-AR-09 TIAN-LAO”: increased Recoil Control
ARMS “VP-46S”: increased Recoil Control
ARMS “VP-46D”: increased Recoil Control
ARMS “NACHTREIHER/46E”: increased Recoil Control
ARMS “VE-46A”: increased Recoil Control
ARMS “AC-2000 TOOL ARM”: increased Recoil Control
ARMS “AS-5000 SALAD”: increased Recoil Control
ARMS “EL-TA-10 FIRMEZA”: increased Recoil Control
ARMS “EL-PA-00 ALBA”: increased Recoil Control
ARMS “04-101 MIND ALPHA”: increased Recoil Control
ARMS “IA-C01A: EPHEMERA”: increased Recoil Control
ARMS “IB-C03A: HAL 826”: increased Recoil Control
BIPEDAL “AL-J-121 BASHO”: increased Attitude Stability/Jump Distance
BIPEDAL “AL-J-121/RC JAILBREAK”: increased Attitude Stability/Jump Distance
BIPEDAL “LG-011 MELANDER”: increased Attitude Stability/Jump Distance
BIPEDAL “LG-012 MELANDER C3”: increased Attitude Stability/Jump Distance
BIPEDAL “DF-LG-08 TIAN-QIANG”: increased Attitude Stability/Jump Distance
BIPEDAL “VP-422”: increased Attitude Stability/Jump Distance
BIPEDAL “VE-42A”: increased AP/Attitude Stability/Jump Distanc
BIPEDAL “2C-2000 CRAWLER”: increased Attitude Stability/Load Limit/Jump Distance
BIPEDAL “2C-3000 WRECKER”: increased AP/Attitude Stability/Jump Distance
BIPEDAL “2S-5000 DESSERT”: increased AP/Attitude Stability/Jump Distance
BIPEDAL “EL-TL-10 FIRMEZA”: increased Jump Distance
BIPEDAL “EL-PL-00 ALBA”: increased Attitude Stability/Jump Distance
BIPEDAL “06-041 MIND ALPHA”: increased Attitude Stability/Jump Distance
BIPEDAL “IA-C01L: EPHEMERA”: increased Attitude Stability/Jump Distance
BIPEDAL “IB-C03L: HAL 826”: increased Attitude Stability/Jump Distance
REVERSE JOINT “KASUAR/42Z”: increased Attitude Stability
REVERSE JOINT “06-042 MIND BETA”: increased Attitude Stability
REVERSE JOINT “RC-2000 SPRING CHICKEN”: increased Attitude Stability
TETRAPOD “LG-033M VERRILL”: decreased AP
TETRAPOD “VP-424”: decreased AP
TANK “EL-TL-11 FORTALEZA”: decreased Anti-Kinetic Defense/Anti-Energy Defense/Anti-Explosive Defense/Attitude Stability

Inner Parts

BOOSTER “AB-J-137 KIKAKU”: increased Upward Thrust
BOOSTER “BST-G1/P10”: increased Upward Thrust
BOOSTER “BST-G2/P04”: increased Upward Thrust
BOOSTER “BST-G2/P06SPD”: increased Upward Thrust
BOOSTER “ALULA/21E”: increased Upward Thrust
BOOSTER “FLUEGEL/21Z”: increased Upward Thrust
BOOSTER “BC-0600 12345”: increased Upward Thrust
BOOSTER “BC-0400 MULE”: increased Upward Thrust
BOOSTER “IA-C01B: GILLS”: increased Upward Thrust
BOOSTER “IB-C03B: NGI 001”: increased Upward Thrust
FCS “FCS-G2/P05”: decreased Close-Range Assist
FCS “FC-006 ABBOT”: decreased Close-Range Assist
FCS “FC-008 TALBOT”: decreased Close-Range Assist
GENERATOR “AG-J-098 JOSO”: increased EN Capacity/Supply Recovery/Energy Firearm Spec
GENERATOR “AG-E-013 YABA”: increased EN Capacity/Supply Recovery/Energy Firearm Spec
GENERATOR “AG-T-005 HOKUSHI”: increased EN Capacity/Energy Firearm Spec

Expansion

EXPANSION “PULSE PROTECTION”: increased Resilience
EXPANSION “TERMINAL ARMOR”: increased Duration

• Adjusted Attitude Recovery rate according to Total Weight. ACS Strain now dissipates much faster on lighter ACs, and slightly slower on heavier ACs
• Adjusted various Boost Speed rates according to Total Weight
• Decreased top speed during Assault Boost for heavier ACs
• Decreased Boost Kick attack range for Tetrapod legs
• Increased EN Consumption while hovering with Tetrapod legs
• Decreased Impact reduction effect during Assault Boost
• Decreased Impact/Accumulative Impact dealt when colliding with enemies during Assault Boost
• Decreased Impact/Accumulative Impact dealt by Boost Kick from all leg types except Reverse Joint
• Adjusted damage dealt by certain weapons when attacking the pulse shield deployed from PULSE SHIELD LAUNCHER “EULE/60D”

Bug fixes

• Fixed a bug with CORAL OSCILLATOR “IB-C03W2: WLT 101” where charged attacks would have stronger tracking than intended when using Tetrapod legs
• Fixed a bug where the attack warning marker would not display for an enemy AC firing DETONATING MISSILE “45-091 JVLN BETA” equipped to the left back slot
• Fixed a bug where the attack warning sound would not play correctly for an enemy firing GRENADE “IRIDIUM”
• Fixed a bug where charged attacks from LIGHT WAVE BLADE “IA-C01W2: MOONLIGHT” and CORAL OSCILLATOR “IA-C01W7: ML-REDSHIFT” would clip through certain structures/objects
• Fixed a bug where reloading with a full magazine would cause certain weapons to fire unintentionally
• Other bug fixes

The version number of this update shown at the lower right corner of the Title Screen will be as follows:
App Ver. 30
Regulation Ver. 1.03.1 *

This regulation update is required for online play.

We will continue to provide improvement updates in the future to allow players to further enjoy ARMORED CORE VI FIRES OF RUBICON.
Thank you all for your support.

*Notice to PS4, PS5, XboxOne and XSX|S players:
If the game is set to boot to offline mode in the Network Settings inside the System Menu, the latest regulation files will not be downloaded. Please ensure the game is set to online mode before attempting to apply this update.

The post Armored Core VI Regulation 1.03.1 Released appeared first on The Raven Republic.

A staggering 233 players took part. Whew. Double elimination format too, so that’s a lotta fighting. Full brackets, rules, and ban list can be found here.

In spite of all the talk regarding the balance of dual ZIMMERMANs and VE-60SNAs, it was Boles who prevailed as champion, rocking a tank missile boat, complete with two APERITIFs.

Check out the seven hours of 1v1 AC action from the VODs below, c/o Celtic Spear.

[via ACD]

The post Armored Core Discord’s Week 1 Tournament Results appeared first on The Raven Republic.

In other news, older AC sites and communities are making a revival. Much like ACU, Eternal Core (AKA AC-X), one of the older English Armored Core communities is making a comeback. It’s founder, JinX, is an OG in the space participating in the very first Master of California Armored Core tournament, and made huge contributions to the community with his online AC builders back in the day.

That’s it for this short update on things, we’ll continue our coverage as more AC news comes up.

The post Armored Core Community News July 2023 appeared first on The Raven Republic.

If the world of Armored Core collided with the world of Pro Wrestling, it would give birth to the legendary Master of California series of tournaments. With opera levels of drama, intense rivalries, and a cast of distinct personalities, this competition was a true spectacle of skill and showmanship. Drawing up to 50 participants, Master of California stood as the most prestigious tournament outside of Japan, captivating AC fans across the globe.

There have been a total of five MoC events, starting from Armored Core 2 and ending with Nexus. California has a flourishing fighting game community, so it was only natural that Armored Core’s competitive scene was alive here as well.

The Genesis of Master of California

Before organized grassroots tournaments, smaller AC gatherings organized by “Ravens’ Nest” popped up in various locations, including Japan. The birth of Master of California was sparked by the ingenious minds of three individuals from Southern California’s Ravens Nest in Irvine: The Watcher, Cable, and JinX. Little is known about the inaugural tournament, but its existence left an indelible mark on the competitive Armored Core scene.

August 25, 2001, 11:30AM, California State University, Fresno, University Student Union, Room 309 (funny how Armored Core 6 is going to be released 22 years later).

The first MoC tournament featured fierce battles and passionate duels. The rules for this initial tournament were relatively straightforward:

• Platform: Armored Core 2
• Linked play
• Double elimination format
• Legal cores only; no human PLUS and/or overweight designs allowed
• 5 minute time limit per match
• Coin toss determined the first arena, with the loser picking the next map.
• The same rules applied for the Contraband tournament, except allowing Human Plus and Overweight designs.

Oliver Maiquez emerged as the champion, with Dante Mapanao (Cable) securing second place and Alain Maiquez (The Watcher) claiming third. The separate Contraband tournament saw Angelo, Kurt, and Dante winning first, second, and third respectively. The event’s details have become somewhat obscured by time, but its impact on the Armored Core community was undeniable; it lit the competitive spirit of Ravens in the US.

According to sources, the winners were a sweep for the Southern California Ravens, largely due to the dominance of siblings Oliver and Alain who played against each other on a regular basis. Dante, their family friend, surely managed to catch in on those sessions as well.

NorCal vs. SoCal Rivalry

The introduction of the Ravens Nest of Northern California (RNNC) into the Master of California series elevated the tournament’s intensity. The clash of NorCal and SoCal Ravens fueled a fierce rivalry, accompanied by colorful trash talking and heated duels. While NorCal Ravens boasted creative and competent pilots, the SoCal Ravens had their own unique gift for combat, setting the stage for unforgettable confrontations.

Around May 2002, after MoC1, NorCal and Socal Ravens again got together in an event called the Southern California Royal Rumble. The rivalry between the two groups led to absolute gems such as this reply to a post after the event:

Listen to this fella… *RETRACTED*, I hate to break it to ya, but Nor. Cal. didn’t look as hot as you’re making it sound. I mean none of you are BAD players, but c’mon, The Watcher, CABLE, and Angelo were whippin you guys around like rag-dolls (as well as the rest of us of course). Fact is, Judging by what I saw, Nor. Cal. will be lucky to get in the top 5 AT ALL. I mean, Kannon is great, and Juju is good. Kobel ain’t bad, and you’re nothing to sneeze at, but c’mon. Donn eats guys like you for lunch, and Kurt slammed most of you without breakin’ a sweat. Besides, you’re run and hide tactic that you were so proud of did seem to backfire rather quickly, and though I did lose to you off and on, we all know I owned a better percent of my matches against Nor. Cal., than not.
Really, though, it WAS cool that you guys cruised down. I had really been concerned for So. Cal. representation, but now, I don’t think that there is much to worry about. MoC may not be an accurate title for the tournament, more likely it’ll be, ‘The Slaughterhouse.’

laetz yo.

You can find the entire archived trash talking thread here. This leads us nicely into…

Master of California 2: The Calling

A year after the inaugural tournament, Master of California 2 arrived on August 24, 2002. Players assembled once more at Fresno State, eager to showcase their skills. The rules for this edition of the tournament were similar to the first, with some slight modifications:

• Platform: Armored Core 2 Another Age
• Double elimination, best of three tree structure
• 5 minute time limit per match
• Enemy data HUD is banned
• Retzki Armament Laboratory was banned as a map of choice
• Like in MoC1, coin toss to determine the starting arena. The difference being only Ocean Base, Old Avalon Area, and Ancient City are the only choices for the first arena, where the loser of the coin toss gets to eliminate one of the three for the starting map.
• The loser of a match gets to pick the next map.
• A lottery system was in place to determine who fought who in the brackets, done at random.

An addition to this were what the organizers called Challenge Matches, where anyone could challenge any player to a duel, and if the other party accepted, the organizer would facilitate a match between the two on the day of the tournament, with no effect on their tournament placement. No doubt this was spurred on by the rivalry between players in the community, some of whom may have had a grudge to settle.

Oliver continued his winning streak, securing another first place victory, while Angelo and Joust claimed second and third place, respectively. From a personal account of Penguin Deus, he recalled that Angelo was concerned that The Watcher was playing subpar, and that the former was annoyed with Joust‘s gimmicks (a quad running the STEALTH backmounts with the S/NIGHT sniper and a blade) leading him to tell Joust straight to his face: “a lock wouldn’t make a difference”. And it didn’t, as the results showed.

The best part: a gang of Ravens on vacation from the east coast managed to record their participation in MoC2:

It’s as if you were there.

Some choice tournament vids of Joust playing in MoC2:

Joust has uploaded the entire library of recorded matches from MoC2, but unfortunately, most of them are set to private or are unavailable.

Armored Core Online’s First Tournament

While not part of the Master of California series, this event took place on May 25, 2003, only a couple of months before MoC3 and was a litmus test of what was to come. This was the first tournament organized by the popular website Armored Core Online, and probably the first large-scale Armored Core 3 tournament in California, attracting over 20 participants.

The rules for this tournament were as follows:

• Platform: Armored Core 3
• Matches were best 3 out of 5
• Players could only use one AC design throughout the tournament
• A lottery system was in place to determine matchups
• A separate after-party tournament allowed the use of OP-INTENSIFY/CROW designs

Once again, Oliver demonstrated his prowess, securing first place. The whole event was a prelude to the upcoming Master of California 3, generating excitement and anticipation.

The most striking fact was that he wasn’t even using a competitive design; he didn’t even have a left arm weapon on his winning AC, Genocide. His brother Alain also participated, but no records show how well he fared in this event. Second place went to Joust.

Master of California 3

Finally, we have a much more well-documented event. Master of California 3 continued the tradition of annual Armored Core tournaments. Taking place a month after ACO’s tournament, MoC3 took place on June 25, 2003 in the same building as the previous two MoCs.

The rules for this tournament mirrored those of Armored Core Online’s tournament:

• Platform: Armored Core 3
• OP-INTENSIFY, CROW stealth extensions, and the RF/220 rifle were banned
• HUESO legs were soft-banned

The East Coast trio documented the event once more:

We are very fortunate to have found an extensive collection of the tournament footage as well. We’ve organized all of it right here:

Master of California 3 Playlist

Before we get to the results of this tournament, which was by far the biggest at more than 30 participants, we’d like you to watch the final match of the tournament. Can you guess who will win?

That’s right, it was the brothers, Oliver and Alain, again fighting for the top spot. To no one’s suprise (anymore), Oliver got the first place victory. 3rd place went to Kobel, the founder of Raven’s Haven. As a member of RNNC, he netted a win for the Northern California Ravens.

The MoC3 tournament brackets can be found here.

The complete rankings of MoC3 can be found here.

Master of California 4

There are few surviving records of Master of California 4, but thankfully we have a firsthand account coming from its second place winner, Penguin Deus, from an interview in The Raven’s Voice podcast:

MoC4 brought over 40 participants, and while records of the event are scarce, Penguin Deus‘ interview outlines what you would expect. There were a few interesting moments during the tourney which we’ll leave for you to discover in the interview, particularly the Red Shirt Guy incident. As a bonus, you’ll hear stories from the California group in the same podcast. We urge you to give it a listen.

In a surprising twist, Oliver did not win the championship! His brother Alain won first place.

We’ve also organized available tournament footage here:

Master of California 4 Playlist

Master of California 5

Next to nothing was archived about the last MoC tournament, but a few choice anecdotes from TMRaven and Penguin Deus can give some insights on who won and what they used:

TMRaven: achilles won moc5 wtih 89e/fa frame using 81G/Golem as guns
TMRaven: rebelsoul took 2nd in moc5 using an lf71 ob quad using rs/gl, and GLL (Backmounts)

Penguin Deus (on the top 4 rankings): Achilles 1, Rebelsoulpk 2, Reuben 3, Booyaka 4

Beyond that, we’re spent on any MoC5 information.

Epilogue

And so we reach the end of Master of California’s known history. As we look to complete our coverage on Armored Core’s past, we will be exploring the AC scene in the Philippines through the tale of our very own Raven Republic.

Stay tuned for the next chapter in the saga of competitive mech combat!

SOURCES:

MOC History

Master of California 1 website and results

Southern California Royal Rumble

Second Source for Southern California Royal Rumble

Master of California 2 website

Master of California 2 footage

Master of California 3 brackets

Master of California 3 results

Master of California 3 footage

Penguin Deus’ interview

Master of California 4 footage

The post Master of California, The Largest AC Tournament Outside Japan appeared first on The Raven Republic.