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AUTHOR'S NOTE: This is a continuation of a prior post on the subject. As such I'm continuing my thoughts without stopping with any introduction of Front Mission. This post assumes a basic familiarity with the series.
There are status effects in Front Mission 4 but they never appear at random. Instead they must be deliberately inflicted by a unit with an EMP backpack - which takes that unit's action for the turn. The possible statuses are:
Attack System Down: cannot attack
Movement System Down: cannot move
Backpack Down: cannot use backpack (including items inside)
Systems Down: this is the most dangerous status as it shuts the wanzer down for several turns leaving it unable to do anything
Most of these can be removed with proper usage of a repair backpack except for Systems Down which can only be cured by using a Remove All item to reset the wanzer's status. The attacking unit has a percentage chance for their EMP attack to succeed which is calculated using the raw % on the EMP backpack itself minus the defender's resistance value (a number from 0 to 100). Resistance is bought using EP in two levels. The first raises the applicable resistance by 50% and the second by an additional 50%. With both ranks the pilot is invulnerable to that status.
This is far more equitable then the RAGE-inducing randomness inherent in FM 3. Seriously, in one simulator mission poor Dennis first got hit with Pilot Damage 2, then was ejected twice in a row - being shotgunned for most of his health on one ejection and dodging a missile in the other - only to be KOed when he got back into his wanzer and the next attacker succeeded in their pilot injury check. His wanzer had suffered significant damage but was still operational.
Ejection results have another clearly-exploitable feature in FM 3. They can be used to raise a veritable fortune. The ability to capture enemy wanzers was cut from FM 4 (it isn't needed as cash rewards for the stages themselves will keep studious players supplied). However money rewards in FM 3 are so tight that it is imperative, particularly early on, to capture as many enemy wanzers as possible for sale or for augmenting player wanzers with new parts. There are two ways to capture a wanzer.
The first is to make the enemy surrender. This is sometimes difficult because enemies only try to surrender when their morale is low. To lower morale you have to first kill some of the enemy forces then reduce the intended target to critical health. The enemy then has to go into 'Checking Morale' status (which only lasts for a few turns). While in 'Checking Morale' if they are attacked again and survive they will surrender. Special enemies such as unique characters never go into low morale. Non-wanzer foes who surrender provide no benefit. You cannot capture or sell tanks, choppers or armored vehicles.
The second way to capture a wanzer is to eject its pilot and kill them while they're outside their craft. One benefit to this method is that you won't accidentally destroy the machine.
With all this cash it becomes a synch to keep one's wanzers fully upgraded.
There are status effects in Front Mission 4 but they never appear at random. Instead they must be deliberately inflicted by a unit with an EMP backpack - which takes that unit's action for the turn. The possible statuses are:
Attack System Down: cannot attack
Movement System Down: cannot move
Backpack Down: cannot use backpack (including items inside)
Systems Down: this is the most dangerous status as it shuts the wanzer down for several turns leaving it unable to do anything
Most of these can be removed with proper usage of a repair backpack except for Systems Down which can only be cured by using a Remove All item to reset the wanzer's status. The attacking unit has a percentage chance for their EMP attack to succeed which is calculated using the raw % on the EMP backpack itself minus the defender's resistance value (a number from 0 to 100). Resistance is bought using EP in two levels. The first raises the applicable resistance by 50% and the second by an additional 50%. With both ranks the pilot is invulnerable to that status.
This is far more equitable then the RAGE-inducing randomness inherent in FM 3. Seriously, in one simulator mission poor Dennis first got hit with Pilot Damage 2, then was ejected twice in a row - being shotgunned for most of his health on one ejection and dodging a missile in the other - only to be KOed when he got back into his wanzer and the next attacker succeeded in their pilot injury check. His wanzer had suffered significant damage but was still operational.
Ejection results have another clearly-exploitable feature in FM 3. They can be used to raise a veritable fortune. The ability to capture enemy wanzers was cut from FM 4 (it isn't needed as cash rewards for the stages themselves will keep studious players supplied). However money rewards in FM 3 are so tight that it is imperative, particularly early on, to capture as many enemy wanzers as possible for sale or for augmenting player wanzers with new parts. There are two ways to capture a wanzer.
The first is to make the enemy surrender. This is sometimes difficult because enemies only try to surrender when their morale is low. To lower morale you have to first kill some of the enemy forces then reduce the intended target to critical health. The enemy then has to go into 'Checking Morale' status (which only lasts for a few turns). While in 'Checking Morale' if they are attacked again and survive they will surrender. Special enemies such as unique characters never go into low morale. Non-wanzer foes who surrender provide no benefit. You cannot capture or sell tanks, choppers or armored vehicles.
The second way to capture a wanzer is to eject its pilot and kill them while they're outside their craft. One benefit to this method is that you won't accidentally destroy the machine.
With all this cash it becomes a synch to keep one's wanzers fully upgraded.
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