In the game, the values were divided into two parts.
One part came from the pilot, corresponding to:
Strength
Intelligence
Piloting
Reaction Capability
Aiming
Sensory Perception
Mechanical Knowledge
And so on.
The other part was the mech itself.
Mech values included:
Durability
Energy
Firepower
Mobility
Jumping Power
Attack Power
Armor
Ammunition Loading Speed
Evasion
Heavy Blow
Critical Hit
…
Wow.
Just looking at it, Yamada Masaharu was a bit bewildered.
Because the character values and mech values given by Pokeni were quite numerous, and at first glance, many terms sounded impressive, but he had no idea how to calculate them.
In short, it was very impressive.
According to Yamada Masaharu's guess—
There should be a multiplication relationship between the two, with coefficient bonuses, but Yamada Masaharu hadn't fully figured it out yet.
However, he didn't need to fully understand the numerical relationship between the two, or even how to calculate it, because Pokeni thoughtfully provided a total value panel directly.
So, if he didn't want to understand the specific mechanisms and calculation formulas, he could just look at the total panel, which was the final mech combat power panel.
All calculation results would be displayed in numerical form.
…
But if he wanted to understand the detailed content, it wasn't impossible. In the menu options, by bringing up the corresponding mech information and character information, moving the directional keys to the corresponding item bar, and pressing the confirm button, he could re-enter the detailed explanation panel.
Inside, there would be very clear explanations of what each value was for, what effects it had, and so on.
In mech game, the respective attributes of the pilot and the mech are usually separated.
For example, in super robot wars, the values of the pilot and the mech are separated. Sometimes you can even change mech pilots other than the male protagonist and female protagonist to achieve better results.
Therefore, how to combine them is a very important skill.
The 86 - eighty-six developed by Pokeni, the pilot and mech values in the game are also separated, but the combination in terms of world view is tighter and better integrated.
Moreover, the functions corresponding to various values have clear differences from super robot wars.
Take strength, for example. Different mechs have their own weight and operational complexity requirements. Heavy mechs require higher strength from the pilot. You must reach a certain value to fully, or even excessively, unleash the mech's capabilities.
Otherwise, there will be a discount.
For example, the male protagonist Shinei Nouzen, his reaction capability and sensory perception are very strong, making him suitable for agile mechs with high mobility and fast movement. If he were to pilot a large shield mech or a heavy mech focused on suppressing firepower, then the values would be discounted.
In the game panel, parentheses will display the corresponding bonus or penalty values.
Then, some values of the mech itself cannot be buffed/debuffed by the pilot's abilities.
The first is durability, and the second is armor.
That is to say, some inherent non-human attributes of the mech itself can only be strengthened through improvements and upgrades, and are not affected by the pilot's ability bonuses.
As for others, such as the speed of reloading, this is influenced by both strength and reaction capability. If the shells used by the mech are heavy, then a minimum strength is required to avoid a penalty. Higher strength and reaction capability lead to faster reloading speed.
In the game, this will be reflected as the cooldown recovery speed corresponding to each weapon skill.
In the game, this recovery speed is not entirely divided into whole turns; it can have a decimal value, like 0.something, which will be rounded up later.
In short, the values are relatively complex. If you can understand them all, it will be of great help to the game. At least you will know how to match pilots with corresponding mechs.
To unleash the mech's abilities at critical moments.
But it doesn't matter if you don't understand the values, because each character has a corresponding icon to indicate that character's ability preference.
It's the same for mechs; different mechs also have an icon that classifies them, making it easier for players to identify them.
For example, if it's a heavy mech, its icon is a red fist, and if a pilot is strength-oriented, their icon is also red.
You can just match them according to color.
The male protagonist Shinei Nouzen is a flexible character leaning towards reaction, more adept at close-quarters combat than long-range, so his emblem color is a blue badge.
…
The mech piloted by the male protagonist is named:
"M1A4 Destroyer."
In the mech's description panel, it says:
"This mech is an 'unmanned aerial vehicle' manufactured by the Republic of San Magnolia."
[Overall length] 10.7 m /
Overall height: 2.1 m (excluding gun mount armament)
[Fixed Armament] High-frequency blades × 2 or 12.7 mm heavy machine guns × 2, copper wire grappling hooks × 2 equipped on the combat auxiliary arms, back gun mount (usually equipped with 57mm smoothbore cannon × 1)
As this unit is an "unmanned aerial vehicle," it is equipped with only the bare minimum of armor and does not have life-saving equipment such as airbags or emergency escape devices. The "M1A4 Destroyer" appearing in this work is an autonomous unmanned combat machine owned by the Republic.
However… this is only the official statement.
As the combat AI under development consistently failed to meet combat standards, the Republic, seeing The Legion at its gates, made the worst decision.
With the devilish idea of "as long as the pilot isn't human, then this is an unmanned aerial vehicle," the "non-humans" recognized by the Republic—the "86 - eighty-six"—became bound to their machines by fate.
…
In other words, the Destroyer mech currently piloted by the male protagonist Shinei Nouzen has interchangeable forearm weapons. If equipped with melee weapons, it can perform melee attacks.
If equipped with remote machine guns, it can perform longer-range attacks…
As for what kind of combination to use, it's entirely up to the players to choose, of course, it also depends on what you have in your reserve warehouse.
After equipping them, you can switch them out for use, but it will cost one turn.
In addition to basic values, both characters and mechs have skills.
Currently, they are at Lv1, so the number of skills is relatively small.
The male protagonist's passive abilities include two:
Super Sensory Lv1: Can detect nearby enemy units, including stealth units.
Nani?!
When Yamada Masaharu saw this, he wondered if his brain was problematic or if Pokeni's designers' brains were problematic?
There are even stealth units among the enemies, so how will they be attacked then?
But he quickly figured it out—
Either rely on the male protagonist's passive ability to discover enemies, or use AOE for saturation bombardment, which can also eliminate stealth units.
However, the person who came up with this really has a unique way of thinking.
Undertaker Lv1: Basic piloting ability increased, and as a pilot, can give the mech a certain chance to evade enemy attacks.
When Yamada Masaharu saw this, he somewhat understood why the M1A4 Destroyer's armor was so thin.
It only has 150 points in total.
Compared to the armor of allies and enemies, it is significantly shorter by a large margin.
It turned out this guy was completely relying on evasion to survive.
…
In addition to this.
Besides the few pilots, there was also a yellow scavenger mech on the battlefield named fido.
It has no attack capability, but its HP is quite high. It can only be used for support and replenishing ammunition, energy, etc.
fido also has a special function: battlefield cleanup. If there are mechs defeated by players in the game, they won't completely disappear but will leave some wreckage on the spot.
At this point, sending fido over will allow it to perform recovery work.
Recovery can replenish ammunition in fido's ammo bay, extract energy, and also acquire repair tools and equipment, etc., to help other combat units repair their mechs.
In other words, the character fido is actually quite useful. Not only can it serve as a support unit in the game for supplies, but it can also clean up the battlefield, clear debris, and most importantly, it also acts as a battlefield medic.
Its only weakness is that it cannot attack.
After understanding its role, Yamada Masaharu stated that he would definitely protect fido well.
fido has no pilot; it is a fully autonomous intelligent machine.
However, in the first stage, it can be controlled by the player.
…
In other words, the units Yamada Masaharu could control now, besides the male protagonist's Destroyer, was the scavenger mech fido.
The male protagonist is the main damage dealer, and fido provides supplies and repairs.
It seemed very reasonable.
Moreover, fido might also obtain some important items while searching through wreckage, such as equipment, buff potions, or certain information fragments.
…
The battle officially began.
Following the beginner's guide, he controlled the male protagonist to move in front of the nearest enemy mech and observed that it entered attack range.
Select skill.
In the skill bar, select [High-Speed Dash Blade].
Buzz!
A piercing vibration sound rang out. In the game, the male protagonist's mech's rear end first changed color, a burst of blue flame erupted, and then the mech thrust its oscillating blade forward from its mechanical arm.
With a sudden push.
The Destroyer sliced back and forth across the enemy's body.
The armor on the enemy mech's head shattered, and its durability (HP) instantly vanished.
Bang, bang, bang, bang…
Explosions sounded, and the mech in front of him immediately turned into a pile of scrap metal.
Wow.
This effect is too amazing, isn't it?
The entire model's animation was actually cooler than Yamada Masaharu had imagined. He had initially thought the mech looked so ugly.
But when it actually fought, it was a completely different story. When the mech dashed, there was an inexplicable sense of dynamism.
How to describe that feeling?
It was a bit like a master in a sword duel, gripping a katana tightly, with furrowed brows and focused mind, then launching an attack in an instant.
A flash.
Directly KOing the opponent.
The death destruction effect and explosion effects were also a pleasant surprise.
They were done very exaggeratedly, looking very impactful.
At this moment, just the mech combat alone made Yamada Masaharu's blood boil.
…
After the tutorial,
Yamada Masaharu had explored a bit and more or less figured things out now.
From a combat perspective, turn-based strategy game are clearly much easier: just move to the target, select a skill, and attack.
Wait for the enemy to attack in the next turn.
Then it's his turn to act.
That's roughly the cycle.
Reaction capability and such are completely unnecessary; its main fun lies in how to position and which enemies to attack.
To put it simply, it's like playing chess: where to move your pieces, and which of the opponent's pieces to capture.
It tests one's thinking ability.
Yamada Masaharu actually quite liked this feeling.
It was very satisfying; he felt like he had become smarter.
…
The first turn ended, and allied forces began to move.
Several mechs with green health bars moved along their respective trajectories.
After a few turns, two of the allied mechs were already out of commission.
But fido couldn't supply them with energy or repair them.
Yamada Masaharu couldn't help but wonder, are they autonomous NPCs that can't be supplied?
According to the normal routine, these allied mechs would probably join the faction after the first stage. Yamada Masaharu was still looking forward to it.
…
However, what happened next made Yamada Masaharu doubt life itself—
These green allied mechs were surrounded one by one, but he only had the male protagonist's mech that he could control, and there was a certain distance between them, making it impossible to reach them within the number of turns.
The first allied mech was quickly scrapped under the enemy's assault.
Boom, crackle…
An explosion sounded.
[Alpha1 unit destroyed]
[Allied units: 3.]
Yamada Masaharu remembered its pilot, that big guy with the red mustache.
Immediately in the next turn, the red-haired older sister, whose HP dropped to zero, was defeated by the enemy.
[Hey! Why are you pushing forward so much?!]
[Ah… there's nothing we can do now. It's about time, isn't it? You all, you must live on with the last hope…]
Tears streamed down the red-haired female protagonist's face.
Boom, explosion.
[Beta1 unit destroyed.]
[Allied units: 2.]
Next, the young boy who looked very young.
His voice was still quite tender.
[There are too many enemies; we can't break through at all. I'll leave it to you.]
[What a pity… I didn't even get to grow up a little…
I really want to go back to a normal, happy life too.]
Boom, explosion.
[Beta2 unit destroyed.]
[Allied units: 1.]
…
At this point, Yamada Masaharu had already noticed something was wrong.
What about the promised allied forces joining the team?
Why was this dialogue a bit strange, and the way they were destroyed was also strange?
This tragic farewell felt like a dying wish.
Yamada Masaharu was already severely shaken.
But there was no reason!
Who designs a game where your allies in the first stage are meant to be sacrificed?!
…
Yamada Masaharu immediately rushed towards the last mech, determined to clear out the surrounding enemies before it was completely scrapped too.
However, the inability to heal allied forces in this stage was truly unbearable.
What was more troublesome was that he had no command over these allied forces; they were charging forward entirely according to their own ideas.
Therefore, he didn't even have time to clear out the enemies on the battlefield before the last machine also exploded and was destroyed.
…
The blue-haired girl sat in the cockpit, her eyes filled with tears, a smile on her lips.
[I'm leaving it to you, Shin.
Undertaker.]
"What is it?"
[Don't forget our promise, okay?]
"Mm."
Boom!!!
Explosion!
[C1 signal lost.]
[Allied units: 0.]
…
At the same time, just after the last allied unit was scrapped, the male protagonist activated his ultimate mode.
The Destroyer was no longer controlled by the player but moved autonomously.
The screen played an animation: the male protagonist piloted the Destroyer, weaving in and out of the enemy ranks, deftly dodging, and every strike was a hit.
After his figure flickered, a violent explosion sounded on the screen.
Boom, boom, boom, boom…
All enemy mechs were scrapped in an instant.
It seemed to be an act of revenge and catharsis for the fallen comrades.
…
[Stage 1 Mission Complete]
Nani?!
What just happened?!
Yamada Masaharu looked at the screen in disbelief.
It was hard to believe what he was seeing. At first, everyone except the male protagonist died?!
And they weren't revived in later stages. After experiencing the first stage of combat, the few names Yamada Masaharu had just managed to get familiar with were actually reduced to cannon fodder like that?!
This…
This is too unreasonable, isn't it?
What is Pokeni trying to do?!
Who starts by killing off characters in the very first stage?!
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