Part 149: Miho
Not much spirit in the thread lately. Then again, it has been a while since a good old-fashioned wanzer build-off. Sad to say, though, it'll still be about a week and a half until the next one. Alas, the combination of a decade-old game and my LPing talents aren't apt to draw much traffic on their own.Wanzer Retrospecticus: Miho
Build Cycle #1: Missions 10-18
"Enforcer"
Submitted by: Nick Buntline
Parts
Body: Zenislev
L. Arm: Kyojun Mk 107
R. Arm: Kasel M2
Legs: Kasel M2
Backpack: BX002
Weapons
L. Shoulder: Empty
R. Shoulder: Empty
L. Arm: SPPG 14
R. Arm: Mk 6 Shield
MVP of Mission: 15
Fatal Flaw: Its robotic efficiency made it impossible for this wanzer to understand the human emotion of love. Also, inspired Nick Buntline to do his damnedest to fuck me over.
Most people submitting designs only have limited experience with the game. A few have played Front Mission 3 years ago, and many have never played it at all. Nick Buntline, on the other hand, knows what he's doing. The result? A wanzer so well-thought through that I don't have much to say about it.
Now, my response to this was probably not the smartest thing I'd ever done. I was worried that other people would be discouraged by Nick's build and not want to participate, so I made fun of him for the perceived min-maxing. And that, gentleman, is how the Aegis Knight was born.
Build Cycle #2: Missions 19-24
Riot Gear
Submitted by: Mehuyael
Parts
Body: Meledyne M1
L.Arm: Kyojun Mk 107
R.Arm: Zeros
Legs: Kasel M2
Weapons
L. Shoulder: Yunsheng 34
L. Hand: SN-100G
R. Shoulder: Empty
R. Hand: Mk 9 Baton
Fatal Flaw: Wasn't good at dealing damage...or taking it. Other than that, it was great.
One of the biggest problems with letting you guys build these wanzers, to which I haven't found a good answer, is that there tends to be inconsistency when it comes to weapon choices, which has repercussions later in the game, when characters are way behind in levels.
The issue here is that Miho had no experience in either missiles or melee. That was kind of a problem. There's also the issue that melee and missiles don't really go together. Missiles are heavy, meaning you'll need a high power body unit, and those are almost never rugged enough to deal with the stresses of close combat.
That's not to say it can't work, just to say that it probably won't.
Build Cycle #3: Missions 25-28
Gladiator
Submitted by: Capskye
Parts
Body: Yongsai 3
L. Arm: Kasel M2
R. Arm Zeros
Legs: Yongsai 3
Backpack: Mk 6 Pack
Computer: COMB554
Weapons
L. Shoulder: None
L. Hand: Mk. 10 Fist
R. Shoulder: None
R. Hand: SN-100G Shield
MVP of Mission: 27
Fatal Flaw: Broke my heart when I had to retire it.
Ah, the Gladiator. I'll never really understand why I liked the way I did, which is not to say it didn't have a lot going for it. The parts selection was good. The Yongsai body wasn't as durable as it could have been, but it was strong enough, and the extra power made the melee attack more powerful.
Also, the Zeros and a shield are always a good combo in the early game, as it unlocks Shield Attack I which is usually quite devastating. In all honesty, it probably was the fact that the Gladiator just looked cool. I mean, here was a wanzer that just looked like it was going cause trouble.
Build Cycle #4: Missions 29-34
Girl in Blue
Submitted by: Lotish
Parts
Body: Laiying 1
L. Arm: Pare PAW1
R. Arm: Shangdi 1
Legs: Tiandong 3
Backpack: BPT3A
Computer: COMB603
Weapons
L. Shoulder: Empty
L. Hand: Chongta 3
R. Shoulder: Empty
R. Hand: Huosai 2
MVP of Mission: 32
Fatal Flaw: For some reason, prone to fits of extreme bad luck. Who built it? Oh, Lotish? Okay, then, that makes sense.
Another good wanzer for Miho. Granted, she had no experience in Flamethrowers, but then again, you have to start somewhere, and she had enough levels in shotgun that it wasn't an insurmountable problem. The Shangdi's Double Shot II also helped a ton. Interesting note: if you're using a configuration like this, keep your flamethrower locked into its 11-AP mode as much as possible, so that it will fire more if Double Shot II goes off.
Beyond that, there's the problem of the Laiying body which is pretty weak, especially for a wanzer whose maximum offensive range is three squares away from the enemy. But, I suppose the extra power in needed to allow the use of both weapons.
Build Cycle #5: Missions 35-41
Peacekeeper
Submitted by: Spikey
Parts
Body: Genie
L. Arm: Shangdi 1
R. Arm: Shangdi 1
Legs: Grapple M1
Backpack: Mk5 E-Pack
Computer: COMB603
Weapons
L. Shoulder: None
L. Hand: Chongta 3
R. Shoulder: None
R. Hand: Housai 2
MVP of Mission: 35, 36, 38
Fatal Flaw: That I have to say goodbye...
This really isn't a million miles away from the Girl in Blue, which, as I stated then, is no problem for me. Allowing Miho the chance to keep the same weapons gave her a chance to get good at using them, and that's always helpful because a lot of the problems with reader designs would mitigated if they were capable of doing more damage.
Beyond that, it's basically the same as the previous design, although, once again, that's not necessarily a bad thing.
Build Cycle #6: Missions 42-50
Tyrant
Submitted by: Abundance of Gokus
Parts
Body: Lenghe 1
L. Arm: Prov PAW2
R. Arm: Prov PAW2
Legs: Jinyo MK 110
Backpack: BPT9MAX
Computer: COMC754
Weapons
L. Shoulder:
L. Hand: Chongdu 2
R. Shoulder:
R. Hand: Chongdu 2
MVP of Mission: 44, 49
Fatal Flaw: Tyranny is never the answer.
High-risk, high-reward. If a combo of Double-Shot I goes off, Miho is probably going to wipe out the enemy single handed, as she'll have the chance to take six or eight shots in a row. If it doesn't, she'll do basically no damage, since she only has Chongdu 2s, long after they've been surpassed by better weapons.
Granted, the Lenghe 1 body does mean that Miho is apt to survive a few misfires, but it's always a bit a frustrating dealing with such an unpredictable unit. That said, the whole point of letting you guys build these things has been to try and inspire out-of-the-box designs, so, there's that.
Danger Girl
Submitted by: jng2058
Parts
Body: Whisk
L. Arm: Lenghe 1
R. Arm: Shunwang 1
Legs: Tiandong 3
Backpack: BPT9MAX
Computer: COMG10
Weapons
L. Shoulder: None
L. Hand: Mk10 Shield
R. Shoulder:
R. Hand: Desoto M300
Hey! Look at the picture of this wanzer! Yep, I totally forgot to include the Zhiniao! Fuck! In my defense, I never would have used it anyway.
Beyond that, this is a solid late-game unit. It can shoot, it take a lot of hits, and it can move. If I had included the Zhiniao, the Shunwang's arm's lack of accuracy might have been an issue, but, well, you know.
All-Star Endgame Showcase: Missions 56-59
Danger Girl in Blue
Parts
Body: Whisk
L. Arm: Shunwang 1
R. Arm: Shangdi 1
Legs: Yongsai 3
Backpack: BPT9MAX
Computer: COMG10
Weapons
L. Shoulder: Empty
L. Hand: Desoto M300
R. Shoulder: Empty
R. Hand: Hot Gazel
Eh, what can I say, I liked the Girl in Blue/Peacemaker era. Beyond that, I took the Whisk body for the power, the Shunwang and Shangdi arms for the skill and accuracy, and the Yongsai legs because they're good value for their weight.
Personally, Miho would probably be more effective with a shield, since her flamethrower level isn't great, but who am I to stand in the way of the will of the thread? The tyrant, that's who, but, even dictators know that they cannot stay in power without throwing the occasional bone to their people.