Armored Core 4 Playthrough #2 - Hard Mode [RPCS3] (No Commentary)

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Look Back Gaming

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Published on July 20, 2021 4:39:59 AM ● Video Link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UcHbFUBq5I8

Game:

Armored Core 4 (2006)

Category:

Let's Play

Duration: 1:59:03

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Armored Core Series: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLPO56tlewLYRryyxnGYWHOXf2D1PmFxbC
Please refer to my normal mode video for part setup and the story. You can't replay the post mission cutscenes on hard mode.
It's not possible to start the game immediately on hard mode. I am continuing from a normal mode playthrough.

Hard mode alters every mission. Typically by simply increasing the number of enemies. Usually, it's pretty noticeable but sometimes it's not. There are some missions that are practically identical to the normal mode version because the change only comes into play when you're losing.

This is being emulated via RPCS3. No joke.
It's very close to being perfect but I had to do a full reset of the emulator for every mission to avoid texture issues. This is with write/read color buffers enabled.
There are two missions that cannot be played with write/read color buffers enabled and you'll see some strange stuff.

Notes
Elimination: We're a few years early for shockwave memes, FromSoft.

Icebreaker Defense: Pretty sure the missiles bugged out completely. Not sure if this is due to emulation or if it's an actual bug with the game. In any case, the strategy I used will have the same result. The icebreaker will just take more damage.

Retaliation: This mission is done out of order on the mission list. In the story mode, you are forced to do this mission after Icebreaker Defense. I wanted the order to be the same.

Ego Boost: Haha.

Firefly/Operation Ascend: Blades do damage based on the amount of contact with the length of blade. Standing on top of a Fermi and double blading ensures maximum contact.
Fermi's are flying damage sponges and anything that isn't blading costs a lot of time/money to do.

Empress: On hard mode, the only difference is that you won't receive help if you're losing the fight somehow.

Silent Avalanche: On hard mode, this mission crashes the emulator if write/read color buffers are enabled. Turning them off causes textures to not load correctly on ACs.
The two new enemies on hard mode have weapons that stun very easily. You just get pounded into the dirt if you try to fight at close range.

Jardin De Chavalier: This mission crashes the emulator if write/read color buffers are enabled. No real changes on hard mode.

Marche au Supplice: Since passive missile interception was removed and the AI has always been weak to missile spam, this mission is really quite easy if you use missiles.

There's no extra ending. It just ends. Hard mode was sort of tacked on.

00:00 First Strike
02:05 Swarms of Red Eyes
07:02 Elimination
09:20 Dangerous Waters
10:47 Operation: Descent
13:09 Sharpshooting
14:56 Bald-Dora
17:32 Sandstorm Citadel
20:24 Desert Wolf
24:39 Aerial Interdiction
27:48 Icebreaker Defense
33:47 Retaliation
36:49 Water Gliding
39:27 Might Makes Right
42:16 Barbe-Bleue
46:01 A Dark Night's March
48:57 Up In Flames
51:08 Internal Purge
56:34 Ego Boost
1:00:53 Firefly
1:03:39 Operation: Ascend
1:06:25 Line of Defense
1:10:57 Sea of Blood
1:13:38 The Womb
1:16:52 Empress
1:19:28 Break The White Lance
1:22:41 Juggernaut
1:24:56 Unseen Assailant
1:27:59 Hail of Bullets
1:31:24 Silent Avalanche
1:36:16 Futile Resistance
1:39:28 Pillar of Light
1:42:13 Sol Dios
1:46:59 Jardin De Chavalier
1:49:24 Marche au Supplice
1:53:20 Bitter Obligation
1:55:50 Seed a Barren Earth

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