Part 156: Dennis
He was in the LANCE BEAN. Deal with it, Slaan.Wanzer Retrospecticus: Dennis
Build Cycle #1: Missions 14-21
Hey Joe
Submitted by: DrivenBatty
Parts
Body: Kyojun Mk 107
L. Arm: Drake M2C
R. Arm: Kasel M2
Legs: Kyojun Mk 107
Backpack: Empty
Computer: COM4
Weapons
L. Shoulder: Empty
L. Hand: Mk9 Sniper
R. Shoulder: Empty
R. Hand: SN-100G
MVP of Mission 17
There is no good way to build a rifle wanzer. Oh, I'm sure that in other Front Mission games it's viable, but in Front Mission 3, rifles aren't really good at anything. They have good range, but missile launchers have better range. In the early part of the game, the low accuracy will slowly break your spirit, and even if it hits, a rifle isn't going to do enough damage.
Still, don't get me wrong, you guys did the best you could. This design aims to solve the accuracy problem by use of Zoom I. That helped, but didn't really solve the damage problem.
Build Cycle #2: Missions 22-29
2Late2GoBack
Submitted by: Utgardaloki
Parts
Body: Rekson M4F
L. Arm: Prov PAW2
R. Arm: Rekson M4F
Legs: Zeros
Backpack: MK5 E-Pack
Computer: COM 5
Weapons
L. Shoulder:
L. Hand: Laoxing 6
R. Shoulder:
R. Hand: Laoxing 6
MVP of Mission 22
Here was the next try. The idea here is if Double Shot I triggered, you'd get two rifle shots off, and if you double the productivity of a rifle, you might have a reasonably successful wanzer.
The problem was that the second rifle took the place of the shield, which meant that this wanzer was terribly vulnerable, especially with its less-than-robust Rekson body. Clearly, this wasn't the answer.
Build Cycle #3: Missions 30-37
HarmSmash
Submitted by: lanzy
Parts
Body: Rekson
Right Arm: Foura
Left Arm: Foura
Legs: Drake
Backpack: Mk5 E-Pack
Computer: COMB554
Weapons
L. Shoulder: Empty
L. Hand: Laoxing
R. Shoulder: Empty
R. Hand: Laoxing
MVP of Mission 30
Okay, so Zoom I isn't the answer and Double Shot I isn't going to cut it either, but how about Arm Smash?
The problem is basically thus, Arm Smash has a relatively low activation rate, meaning that, even at best, it's not going off more than two or three times a mission, and even if it does hit, it only has a one-in-two chance of hitting the arm with a weapon in it, meaning that, under the best circumstances, this wanzer might, just might, cripple two wanzers. That dog won't hunt.
Build Cycle #4: Missions 38-43
Goose
Submitted by: Spikey
Parts
Body:Laiying 1
L. Arm:Getty
R. Arm:Mingtain 1
Legs:Grapple M1
Backpack:Rucksack L
Computer:COMC654
Weapons
L. Shoulder:
L. Hand: SN-100G
R. Shoulder:
R. Hand: Laohu 3
A sort of back-to-basics rifle wanzer that worked as well as it was going to.
Build Cycle #5: Missions 45-55
Pancake House
Submitted by: Dr. Video Games 0071
Parts
Body: Zenislev
L. Arm: Wude 3
R. Arm: Pare PAW1
Legs: Grapple M1
Backpack: Placid
Computer: COMB603
Weapons
L. Shoulder:
L. Hand: Heavy Shield
R. Shoulder:
R. Hand: Laohu 3
The gimmick this time was Topple Shot. But, for whatever reason, the game somehow sensed that Dr. Video Games 0071 built this wanzer, and refused to let Topple Shot go off. For that reason, I can't say whether or not it was a good wanzer in theory. In practice, however, not great...
Build Cycle #6: Missions 56-62
Poker Face
Submitted by: Nick Buntline
Parts
Body: Qibing 0
L Arm: Wude 3
R Arm: Mingtian 1
Legs: Tieqi 4
Computer: COMG10
Backpack: Placid
Weapons
L. Shoulder: None
L. Hand: Heavy Shield
R. Shoulder: None
R. Hand: Laohu 3
Didn't work. Rifles never work. The gimmick was Random Smash, which has a 1-in-2 shot of actually being helpful, but has an even lower activation rate than Arm Smash. Not a bad effort, I guess.
Build Cycle #7: Missions 63-69
HlfMnutHero
Submitted by: Capskye
Parts
Body: Shunwang 1
L. Arm: Hoshun mk. 112
R. Arm: Tiandong 3
Legs: Shunyo mk. 111
Backpack: BPT9MAX
COM: COMG10
Weapons
L. Shoulder: Empty
L. Hand: Mk 11 Sniper
R. Shoulder: Empty
R. Hand: Mk10 Shield
This is about as good as it's going to get for a rifle wanzer. If Body Smash goes off, that's one enemy dead. If not, Dennis might as well miss for all of the damage he'll do. The moral of this story? Rifles don't work.