Part 146: Ryogo (Alisa's Branch)
This is probably going to be another one-update day. To make it up to you guys, here's a filler update on Ryogo's wanzers.Wanzer Retrospecticus: Ryogo (Alisa's Branch)
Build Cycle #1: Missions 10-18
"Ultragunner"
Submitted by: MUMMYMIN
Parts
Body: Kyojun Mk107
L. Arm: Shangdi 1
R. Arm: Kyojun Mk 107
Legs: Jinyo Mk110
Backpack: BX002
Weapons
L. Shoulder: Empty
R. Shoulder: Empty
L. Hand: DGS-25
R. Hand: Mk 6 Shield
ACtually, this was a pretty good design. Maybe the parts weren't optimized, but, keep in mind, this early in the game, not many parts were available. This wanzer had a good set of battle skills, great accuracy, and even a shield.
The only nitpick I have with it, is that it probably could have used a slightly stronger arm for its shield, as the Kyojun isn't very durable. Still, pretty damn good.
Build Cycle #2: Missions 19-24
"Trainwreck"
Submitted by: FridayNightFights
Parts
Body: Enyo Mk 109
L. Arm: Jinyo Mk 110
R. Arm: Jinyo Mk 110
Legs: Enyo Mk 109
Backpack: BX002
Weapons
L. Shoulder: Yunsheng 34
L. Hand: Mingda 2
R. Shoulder: Empty
R. Hand: Buckler
MVP of Mission: 19, 24
With a name like 'Trainwreck,' there were bound to be troubles...
Anyway, the issue with this wanzer is that it sacrifices a lot of HP in order to mount a missile launcher, with poor results. The Jinyo arms are okay, but are pretty heavy, especially when you're wasting one of them as a shield arm. Moreover, allowing Ryogo to shoot missiles made him much worse at his primary job as a machine gunner. Having a Enyo body meant that Ryogo couldn't get to too to an enemy, as he couldn't absorb damage.
I understand the attraction of mounting multiple weapons on a wanzer, but it doesn't usually work.
Build Cycle #3: Missions 25-28
"Mmmbop..."
Submitted by: DonTirri
Parts
Body: Rekson
L. Arm: Jinyo Mk110
R. Arm Yongsai 3
Legs: Yongsai 3
Backpack: Mk5 E-pack
Computer:COMB554
Weapons
L. Shoulder: Empty
L. Hand: Mingda 2
R. Shoulder: Empty
R. Hand: Mingda 2
And the lessons of the 'Trainwreck' were promptly forgotten. Here's the thing, Ryogo had no way of using both guns at the same time, meaning that the machine gun on his right arm was basically for display purposes only, because the Jinyo arm had better accuracy.
Also, as a result of the weight of the second gun, Ryogo was forced to use a relatively weak Rekson body instead of something more durable. As nice as a shield would have been, it's the use of a less durable body that was the real problem here.
Build Cycle #4: Missions 29-34
"GenericBuild"
Submitted by: tanasinn
Parts
Body: Rekson M4F
L. Arm: Zeros
R. Arm: Yongsai 3 Legs: Kasel M2
Backpack: BPT3A
Computer: COMC65
Weapon
L. Shoulder: Empty
L. Hand: Heavy Shield
R. Shoulder: Empty
R. Hand: Huida 3
Much better. This is a fine wanzer.
To nitpick, I would have, once again, picked a more robust body unit. The Rekson is kind of weak for a machine gun wanzer to use, especially in Alisa's branch where enemies typically have machine guns of their own to trot out. At the very least, I would have tried for a stronger body unit instead of the quite heavy Kasel legs used here, if only because movement isn't that important for Ryogo if he has a machine gun.
Build Cycle #5: Missions 35-41
"Soulmate"
Submitted by: Abundance of Gokus
Parts
Body: Yongsai 3
L Arm: Getty
R Arm: Zenislev
Legs: Kasel M2
Backpack: BPT3A
Computer: COMC754
Weapons
L. Shoulder: Empty
L. Hand: Huosai 2
R. Shoulder: Empty
R. Hand: Mk 22 Spike
Abundance of Goku designed this for a different character, which, I guess, goes to show how important weapon levels can be in this game. Ryogo had no experience with either flamethrowers or melee before he got this wanzer, and it showed. Pham had used an almost-identical wanzer the previous cycle to great effect, because she could at least be counted on to use the melee weapon well. No such luck with Ryogo, though.
The parts are fine, the pilot selection...less so. Had I spent hours grinding Ryogo to be proficient in these weapons, it might have worked great, but there's only so much I can do for you guys.
Build Cycle #6: Missions 42-50
"Ultra Combo"
Submitted by: Capskye
Parts
Body: Whisk
L. Arm: Wude 3
R. Arm: Grezex
Legs: Laiying 1
Backpack: BPT9MAX
Computer: COMC754
Weapons
L. Shoulder: Empty
L. Hand: Heavy Shield
R. Shoulder: Empty
R. Hand: Huida 3
MVP of Mission 42
Everything on this design is fine, except that Grezex arm....and that may be due more to bad luck than anything else. Having a shield will only take you so far, because it has limited uses, and costs 2 AP to use. Since Ryogo was the only guy with a shield most missions, I'd select him first, which, for whatever reason, flagged the enemy to attack him as much as possible. This led to Ryogo eventually having to take damage without using his shield, and that, inevitably led to his machine gun arm getting destroyed.
I don't know why, but Ryogo always seemed to lose that arm, whether by missile, rifle or fist, it was only a matter of time before his right arm was blown to bits, leaving him nothing to do but try and draw the enemy's fire until he finally got taken out.
Build Cycle #7: Missions 51-55
"SupportGunnr"
Submitted by: Gideon020
Parts
Body: Laiyang 1
L. Arm: Yongsai 3
R. Arm: Vinedrai
Legs: Shangdi 1
Backpack: BTP9Max
Computer: COMG10
Weapons
L. Shoulder: Empty
L. Hand: Arc Barrel 4
R. Shoulder: Empty
R. Hand: Desoto M300
Just a bad idea all around, really. Let's start with the body unit. The Laiying 1 gives a ton of power, but is incredibly fragile. Now, as long as you're a missile wanzer and can stay far away from the enemy at all times, that's not a problem. The SupportGunnr, however, is designed to get pretty damned close to the enemy, so it's going to take some damage, which is fine, as long as it has a shield.
But this wanzer doesn't have a shield, it has a second weapon, a shotgun, which Ryogo has no experience using. That's a huge problem, especially this late in the game, but, that can be negated so long as Ryogo has Double Shot II, allowing him to effectively use the shotgun as bonus damage.
But Ryogo doesn't have Double Shot II, and, without Shangdi 1 arms, is never going to learn it. He does have Shangdi 1 legs, but that's not going to help him much. For what it's worth, the Yongsai 3 arm gives Ryogo RoF III, and the Vinedrai has Aim Arm, both of which are good (great in the case of RoF III).
All-Star Endgame Showcase: Missions 56-59
"Mortal tanasinn"
Parts
Body: Grezex
L. Arm: Yongsai 3
R. Arm: Lenghe 1
Legs: Laiying 1
Backpack: BPT9MAX
Computer: COMC754
Weapons
L. Shoulder: Empty
L. Hand: Arc Barrel 4
R. Shoulder: Empty
R. Hand: Mk 10 Shield
Before we go any further, let me remind you that the point of these builds is to try and capture the spirit of the reader wanzers for the particular character, not to create the min-maxiest wanzer around. Case in point, I had enough extra weight to give Ryogo a Lanze body instead of the Grezex, but I felt it was more in keeping with the spirit of the exercise to give him a weaker body.
The Yongsai isn't the most accurate arm around, but, remember, accuracy upgrades tend to outstrip evasion upgrades, and it really doesn't make much of a difference if Ryogo is 97% accurate, or 115% accurate. For that reason, I took the skill, power and HP bonuses the Yongsai had to offer.
As for the Laying 1 legs, I like the skill, but I took them for nostalgic reasons, to be honest. Way back when this game first came out, there was a guide to the game in the old gaming magazine Expert Gamer (formerly EGM2). They included a set of recommended builds, which put Laiying legs on Ryogo's wanzer for whatever reason. So, that's why I did that. Also, by the point in the game, having a 5 dash move means that it doesn't usually make too much of a difference if Ryogo has a 2 move or not.