"Ace Combat Zero: The Belkan War" Walkthrough By Ysionris Gavotte (bond4154) Version 0.1 06/03/23 ============================================================================== INTRODUCTION [INTRO01] ============================================================================== "Ace Combat Zero: The Belkan War", despite being called "Zero", is actually the sixth installment in Namco's "Ace Combat" series. Unlike the previous game, ACZero is directly connected to another Ace Combat game, namely, "Ace Combat 5: The Unsung War". Essentially, ACZero is the direct prequel to AC5, which details the infamous "war fifteen years ago" so often mentioned in AC5. This is the first walkthrough I have ever created. People may ask why I have chosen to write a walkthrough for ACZero. Simply put, I have enjoyed the AC series ever since AC4 (although I've turned hardcore with the release of AC5, which is the landmark in the AC series), and, since I am in a position to obtain the import version of the game, I can create a walkthrough early on for this game. As I am writing for the import version of ACZero, there may be instances where comphrension of the game's storyline will be difficult, even though there are English voice-overs. Thus, this will be a SPOILER-FILLED walkthrough. If I have time, I will create a non-spoiler walkthrough in the near future. ============================================================================== TABLE OF CONTENTS [TABLE01] ============================================================================== How to Use the Table of Contents: Proceeding each major section of the walkthrough on the Table of Contents is a seven-character alphanumberic "code" in brackets, for example: [EXAMPLE]. By using the search function, you can type in the code and find the section you are looking for easily this way. Typing [DISCL01] will bring you to the disclaimer, for example. All codes are provided in the Table of Contents. [INTRO01] INTRODUCTION [TABLE01] TABLE OF CONTENTS [SCTIN01] SECTION ONE: WALKTHROUGH ESSENTIALS [DISCL01] I. Disclaimer [VERHS01] II. Version History [SCTIN02] SECTION TWO: THE WORLD OF ACE COMBAT ZERO [BASIC01] I. The First Step Into Ace Combat [STORY01] II. The Story [FCTNS01] III. Factions [FCTNS02] A. Republic of Ustio [FCTNS03] B. Belkan Federation/Principality of Belka [FCTNS04] C. Osean Federation [FCTNS05] D. Union of Yuktobanian Republics [CHARA01] IV. Characters [SCTIN03] SECTION THREE: GAMING SYSTEM [BASIC02] I. Game Basics [CNTRL01] II. Game Controls [CNTRL02] A. Menu Screen [CNTRL03] B. Game Screen [CNTRL04] C. Extra Notes On Controls [SCREN01] III. Game Screen [STYLE01] IV. Style Gauge [STYLE02] A. Soldier Rank [STYLE03] B. Knight Rank [STYLE04] C. Mercenary Rank [PLANE01] V. Planes [WEAPN01] VI. Weapons [WEAPN02] A. Vulcan Machine Gun [WEAPN03] B. Missiles [SCTIN04] SECTION FOUR: WALKTHROUGH [BASIC03] I. Starting Your Game [MMENU01] A. Main Menu [MMENU02] B. Pre-Mission Menu [SHOPS01] 1. Aircraft Shop [SHOPS02] 2. Weapons Shop [WTHGH01] II. Walkthrough [MISSN01] A. Mission One: [MISSN02] B. Mission Two: [MISSN03] C. Mission Three: [MISSN04] D. Mission Four: [MISSN05] E. Mission Five: [MISSN06] F. Mission Six: [MISSN07] G. Mission Seven: [MISSN08] H. Mission Eight: [MISSN09] I. Mission Nine: [MISSN10] J. Mission Ten: [SCTIN05] SECTION FIVE: [SCTIN06] SECTION SIX: EXTRAS AND MISCELLANEOUS [GLOSS01] [SCTIN07] SECTION SEVEN: ENDING NOTES ============================================================================== SECTION ONE: WALKTHROUGH ESSENTIALS [SCTIN01] ============================================================================== I. Disclaimer [DISCL01] "Ace Combat Zero: The Belkan War", "Ace Combat", and its related content are the property of Namco. This walkthrough and FAQ, property of myself, Ysionris Gavotte, is protected under copyright law, and may not be used for commericial purposes. This walkthrough is to be used for private uses only. Duplication of this walkthrough for public or commericial uses is strictly prohibited without my consent. As of March 24, 2006, these are the only site(s) that have permission to use this walkthrough: GameFAQs (http://www.gamefaqs.com) II. Version History [VERHS01] (Under Construction) These are where updates of this walkthrough are recorded. Other than for reference, it serves no real purpose. If you're not really interested in this, then skip ahead to Section Two ([SCTIN02]). 06/03/24 Wrote the first draft of the "Ace Combat Zero: The Belkan War" walkthrough. Following content added: -Introduction -Table of Contents -Section One (Disclaimer, Version History) -Section Two (The First Step Into Ace Combat, The Story, Characters) -Section Three (Game Basics, Game Controls, Game Screen, Style Gauge, Planes, Weapons) -Section Four () -Section Five () -Section Six () -Section Seven () ============================================================================== SECTION TWO: THE WORLD OF ACE COMBAT ZERO [SCTIN02] ============================================================================== I. The First Step Into Ace Combat [BASIC01] For those who do not yet know, "Ace Combat", originally "Air Combat" for the Playstation, is a flight simulator. Of course, it is not exactly a very accurate flight simulator; aircraft can make sharp hairpin turns, accelerate and decelerate quickly, carry up to a hundred missiles, and the like. But essentially, the "Ace Combat" series is meant to be a plane game to be enjoyed. Hailed as the "Gran Turismo of flying games", the AC series has been noted for its superb graphics, great soundtrack, and excellent storylines. Many of the AC games have modeled its storyline backgrounds after real-life events. For example, the Osean Federation is based off the United States of America, with traces of Great Britain and Japan in its political system. The Union of Yuktobanian Republics is based off the former Soviet Union, while the Belkan Federation/Principality of Belka is based off Facist Germany. Many of its story aspects are also quite similar to real-life. Prior to the Belkan War, Osea and Yuktobania were at a stage of cold war, very much like post World War II United States and Russia. Meanwhile, Belka experienced an economic setback similar to that of post-World War I Germany, and was taken over by the right- wing faction in the manner of the Nazis taking over Germany. Many of these hints will be found throughout the story. So prepare for sortie, check your six, and go shoot down some bandits. ...Okay, so it wasn't the most original line I've come up with. II. The Story [STORY01] In 2010, the fallen nation of Belka deceived the Osean Federation and the Union of Yuktobanian Republics, former allies, into a war with each other. "Ace Combat Zero: The Belkan War" tells the story fifteen years ago in 1995, when Belka was a powerful nation that challenged the world, which led up to the events in "Ace Combat 5: The Unsung War". The Belkan Federation signed the Federal Law Review in 1988, which started granting its satellite nations its independence, as well accelerating its economy, under the support of the Osean Federation, as Osea would profit from this treaty by buying the Great Lakes Region from Belka with the promise that Belka would receive a high percentage of the natural minerals mined there. However, internal unrest began almost immediately after the signing of the Federal Law Review, as Belka began to lose territory, with almost all of its satellite nations declaring independence from Belka. Not only that, but Belka had slipped into an economic crisis after boosting their economy to unprecendented heights. It appeared that there had been little mineral to be mined from the Great Lakes regions, and the Belkans had been deceived by Osea. On the other hand, Belka began to see a time of inflation, which began to devastate its economy. In this economic crisis that spanned from 1988 to 1991, the right-wing party of Belka's political system, led by an organization known as the "Grey Men", gained power in Belka, and apparently solved many of Belka's economical problems. However, with its lack of territory and natural resources, its only hope lay in its original satellite nations. In preparation of a military takeover, the Belkans relied heavily on their military, creating unrivaled weaponry for their military, which essentially brought the world, especially Belka's close neighbors, to a state of cold war. In 1995, the Belkan Federation became the Belkan Principality, and declared war on its former satellite nations, with the aim of annexing these nations to regain control of their natural resources. On March 25, 1995, Belka declared war on Ustio, Ratio, Recta, Fato, Gebat, and Osea in order to gain territory from those six nations. Using blitzkrieg tactics, Belka managed to gain a large amount of territory from these nations using advanced military technology. However, the Allies, headed by Osean and Yuktobanian forces, managed to call forward their forces and outnumber the Belkan forces. As the Allied Forces conquered South Belka, they moved on toward the capital in the north. Realizing that they could no longer hold the border, the Belkans committed the unthinkable, and detonated seven nuclear weapons on the Belkass Valley, creating an unpenetrable nuclear barrier to defend North Belka, but also destroying the cities along Steir, practically eliminating the entire population there. Osea, seeing this calamity unfold before their eyes, felt morally responsible for the wanton destruction, and discontinued the war. At the same time, Belka ran out of resources to continue the fight, and formally surrendered on June 20, 1996. "Ace Combat Zero: The Belkan War" takes place during the Belkan War, otherwise known as the Belkan Conflict. The player flies as Cipher, a mercenary pilot hired by the Republic of Ustio, formally a satellite nation of Belka. As Belka declares war on Ustio, Ustio hires mercenaries Cipher and Pixie to defend Ustio from Belka. Much of the fighting is centered around "the Round Table", a region in between Belka and Ustio located at north latitude 24 degrees, east longitude 235 degrees. Roughly shaped in a circle, the "Round Table", also known as "Airspace/Area B7R", is a strategically important area used by the Belkans as an attack corridor not only into Ustio, but also into its surrounding nations. It is also full of resources that Belka needs to power its war efforts. Thus, the area is charged to many Belkan aces to defend, and the aces that distinguish themselves here are called "the Knights of the Round Table". III. Factions [FCTNS01] The world of "Ace Combat Zero" shares the same world as AC4 and AC5, and presumably AC3 as well. This world, like the real world, has many countries and factions, as well as its different political standings. This FAQ will attempt to detail and describe all major factions involved in "Ace Combat Zero". A. Republic of Ustio [FCTNS02] The Republic of Ustio is the main nation of Ace Combat Zero. Formerly a satellite nation of Belka, it gained its indepdence after Belka signed the Federal Law Review, and formed itself into the Republic of Ustio. Eventually, the Principality Belka would declare war on many countries, including Ustio, in an effort to gain territory and natural resources. Ustio is the nation that hires the two main characters of the game, the player, known only as "Cipher" or "GALM 1", and Larry "Pixie" Foulke, or "GALM 2". In the game, Ustio would eventually be overwhelmed by Belka, but with the efforts of the Allies, the Belkans would be pushed back, and Ustio regains its independence after the Belkan War. ACZero is the first game to premier the Republic of Ustio; Ustio was relatvely unknown before this game. The capital of Ustio is Directus. B. Belkan Federation/Principality of Belka [FCTNS03] The Belkan Federation first signed the Federal Law Review in 1989 that sold the Great Lakes region to Osea and granted independence to its satellite nations one-by-one in an effort to boost its economy. However, things went terribly wrong, and Belka experienced a great slide in its economy. Belka was then taken over by the right-wing faction, led by the Grey Men, with promises of restoring the Belkan economy. Belka expanded on its military forces, and renamed itself, formally becoming the Principality of Belka. Then, on March 25, 1995, declared war on Ustio, Ratio, Recta, Fato, Gebat, and Osea in order to gain territory from those six nations. After initial success, Belka eventually ran out of steam as the Allies outnumbered the Belkans, and, with little resources left, the Belkans surrendered on June 20, 1996. Belka was first featured in "Ace Combat 5: The Unsung War". After the Belkan War, the countries that Belka had annexed regained its independence, and Osea annexed South Belka, renaming it to North Osea. Belka, still led by the Grey Men, began to plot its revenge on the nations that defeated it. An economic nation, Belka began to expand on its weapons corporations and sold advanced technology to the Oseans and Yuktobanians, which created tension between Osea and Yuktobania despite the peace policy that the two nations adopted after the Belkan War. Along the way, Belka also provided Osea and Yuktobania with Belkan "defectors", both superb officers and talented pilots that seemed to be loyal to Osea and Yuktobania, but were actually supernationlist Belkans that were part of Belka's revenge. With its ranks infiltrated by the Belkans, Osea and Yuktobania were deceived into the Circum-Pacific War with each other, thanks to Belka, in AC5. In AC5, it is inferred that Belka had attempted to go to war with the world many times, assumingly always after extra territory, as Belka's unimaginable economy was limited only by its lack of resources and territory. Belka, located near the arctic, is mostly a snowy country with a cold climate. Much of the country is covered in snow and with rather cloudy and chilly weather, giving it chilling winters and cool summers. Belka is also noted for its nuclear winter, after it dropped seven nuclear weapons on the border between North and South Belka to stall the Allied forces from moving into North Osea. The capital of Belka is Dinsmark, but after Osea annexed South Belka and renamed it North Osea, the capital of North Osea became Sudentor. C. Osean Federation [FCTNS04] The Osean Federation is based off the United States, with hints of Great Britain and Japan in its political system. Osea, a federal nation with an above average industry (presumably not as strong as Belka), had turned into a Federal Dictatorship during the Circum-Pacific War when the country was declared into a state of emergency, and the nation was essentially under the direct military control of the President, his staff, and commanding generals of Osea. However, we would soon learn that President Vincent Harling had been abducted by the Belkans, and all the decisions were being communicated through the Vice President and many generals of Osea, all of whom did not share the same optimistic views of Osea's peace policy, all of them controlled and by the Belkans. In the Belkan War, Osea played a major role in stopping the Belkans from expanding their territory, and eventually led the Allied forces to victory against the Belkans. Osea was first featured in "Ace Combat 5: The Unsung War". After the Belkan War, Osea, feeling morally responsible for the catastrophe that unfolded during the Belkan War, began to adopt a peace policy, which was later strengthened by Osean President Vincent Harling, who cut the budget to the Osean military, now dubbed the Osean Defense Force, which was charged with the defense of the nation, not to fight wars. However, after the Belkans successfully infiltrated the ranks of Osea's political system, Osea went to war with Yuktobania without realizing that they had been tricked. Eventually, a small group of Oseans and Yuktobanians realized what was going on, and launched a campaign to end the war between the two nations, which succeeded after the SOLG, a nuclear attack satellite dubbed the Stategic Orbital Linear Gun, was destroyed before it could crash into Oured, the capital of Osea. In AC5, it was said that after the Belkan War, Osea adopted a peace policy that allowed the nation to forge many alliances with Yuktobania and other nations that fought alongside it against the Belkans. It was responsible for the joint-project of creating the mass driver located in the Basset Space Center with Yuktobania, as well as the creation of the Arkbird, a spaceship that would eventually be the predecessor of an ISS (international space station). The climate of Osea is seemingly moderate, with warm summers and cool winters. Osea is also filled with forests and plains, although it is known to have an arctic climate in the north. The capital of Osea is Oured, but after Osea annexed South Belka and renamed it North Osea, the capital of North Osea became Sudentor. D. Union of Yuktobanian Republics [FCTNS05] The Union of Yuktobanian Republics is based off the Soviet Union. Before the Belkan War, Yuktobania and Osea were at a state of cold war. However, when Belka began to expand its territories during the Belkan War, Yuktobania became an official and major ally of the Allied forces, dedicating much of its resources to Allied cause. Yuktobania is essentially a Communist state, which explains its initial enmity with the seemingly capitalist Osea. During the Circum-Pacific War, Yuktobania turned into a martial dictatorship after the Yuktobanians (sometimes referred to as the "Yukes", for short), under the influence of the Belkan agents that had infiltrated Yuktobanian ranks, launched a silent coup when Yuke generals that were bound to the hate of Osea (mostly likely due to propaganda from the cold war era between Osea and Yuktobania) ejected Prime Minister Seryozha Viktrovich Nikanor from power, placing him under arrest and eradicating his peace policy. Yuktobania was first featured in "Ace Combat 5: The Unsung War". After the Belkan War, Yuktobania adopted a peace policy with its new ally, Osea, and began many cooperative projects with Osea for peace, many of them improving political relations, accelerating the economy, and encouraging technological growth. However, after the Belkans infiltrated the ranks of Yuktobania, Yuktobania was deceived into fighting the Oseans in the Cicrum-Pacific War, falling into Belka's perfect revenge against the two nations. Eventually, a small group of Oseans and Yuktobanians realized what was going on, and launched a campaign to end the war between the two nations, which succeeded after the SOLG, a nuclear attack satellite dubbed the Stategic Orbital Linear Gun, was destroyed before it could crash into Oured, the capital of Osea. In AC5, Yuktobania was often said to be an ally of Osea during the Belkan War. Obviously, after the Belkans infiltrated into Yuktobanian ranks, they managed to trick both Osea and Yuktobania into a war. Not much about pre-Belkan War Yuktobania is known. As Yuktobanian territory spans across an absurdly large amount of land, Yuktobania has a rather bizzare climate. While some regions are winterlands, there are also deserts, plains, and forests across the entire region. However, it is assumed that Yuktobania has a cooler climate, considering that most of its territory is covered with mountain ranges. The capital of Yuktobania is Cinnigrad. IV. Characters [CHARA01] (Under Construction) There are a great many characters featured in "Ace Combat Zero" to complete its bid for a usually great storyline. This section of the walkthrough will introduce you to most of them. A. "Cipher" Faction: Ustio Gender: Male Age: N/A Nationality: Codename: GALM 1 Rank: Plane: N/A 6th Air Division, 66th Air Force Unit (assembled under special circumstances). "Cipher" is the callsign of one of the mercenaries hired by the Republic of Ustio to defend itself from the Belkan attack on Ustio. The player will fly as Cipher alongside with Larry "Pixie" Foulke in the mission in ACZero. Like the rest of the AC main characters, Cipher is a completely unknown pilot, with a "silent protagonist" role. Face-shots of Cipher are never seen, and it is assumed that you are the pilot. B. Larry "Pixie" Foulke Faction: Ustio Gender: Male Age: Nationality: Codename: GALM 2 Rank: Plane: F-15C 6th Air Division, 66th Air Force Unit (assembled under special circumstances). Larry "Pixie" Foulke is the main narrator of the story, and the wingman of "Cipher". He is nicknamed "Solo-Wing Pixie" because of an incident where he blew off his right wing and still managed to bring his plane back safely. For this, he has a unique paint scheme that has his right wing red. C. "PJ" Faction: Ustio Gender: Male Age: Nationality: Codename: Rank: Plane: D. Detlef "Red Swallow" Fleisher Faction: Belka Gender: Male Age: Nationality: Belkan Codename: ROT 1 Rank: Plane: Eurofighter Typhoon 2nd Air Division, 52nd Tactical Fighter Squadron. "The pilot that lives by pride". E. Bernard "Owl" Schmidt Faction: Belka Gender: Male Age: Nationality: Belkan Codename: GRUN 1 Rank: Plane: F/A-18C 10th Air Division, 8th Tactical Fighter Squadron. "The strategist". F. Dimitri "Indigo Heron" Heinreich Faction: Belka Gender: Male Age: Nationality: Belkan Codename: INDIGO 1 Rank: Plane: JAS-39C Gripen 7th Air Division, 51st Tactical Fighter Squadron. "A man who upholds honor". G. Rainer "Cormorant" Altman Faction: Belka Gender: Male Age: Nationality: Belkan Codename: GELB 2 Rank: 2nd Lieutenant Plane: Su-37 Terminator 5th Air Division, 23rd Tactical Fighter Squadron. "The fallen". 2nd Lieutenant Rainer "Cormorant" Altman is part of the two-man GELB flight, which uses two SU-37 Terminators. The flight is known as "The Coupled Cormorants". H. Dominic "Vulture" Zubov Faction: Belka Gender: Male Age: Nationality: Belkan Codename: SCHWARZE Rank: Captain Plane: MiG-31 Foxhound 13th Night Fighter Air Division, 6th Tactical Fighter Squadron. "The Bringer of Death". Captain Dominic "Vulture" Zubov leads the eight-MiG-31 flight known as SCHWARZE. Recognized by their black-and-red paint schemes. His is the only squadron in the entire Belkan air force that has unconditional clearance to engage hostile and friendly forces alike at will. Because of this, they are often referred to as the "Vultures", and universally feared by both Allied and Belkan forces. I. Erich "Phoenix" Hillenberand Faction: Belka Gender: Male Age: Nationality: Belkan Codename: SCHNEE 1 Rank: 2nd Lieutenant Plane: F-14D Super Tomcat 22th Air Division, 4th Tactical Fighter Squadron. "The man who lived for battle". 2nd Lieutenant Erich "Phoenix" Hillenberand is also nicknamed the "Eternal Second Lieutenant" for never being promoted about his current rank of 2nd Lieutenant. Despite this, he never quite cares, lives only for flight and battles, and, like any other Belkan ace, is fiercely trusted by his wingmen. He leads the SCHNEE flight, using four F-14D Super Tomcats and an additional EA-6B Prowler as a jammer aircraft against enemy radar. J. Dietrich "Boss" Kellerman Faction: Belka Gender: Male Age: Nationality: Belkan Codename: SILBER 1 Rank: Lieutenant Colonel Plane: F-4E Phantom II 51st Air Division, 126th Tactical Fighter Squadron. "The reborn veteran". Lieutenant Colonel Dietrich "Boss" Kellerman had aready retired from active duty, but has taken up arms once again for Belka as a morale boost for the Belkan forces. He had been training nuggets, rookie pilots, before being recalled back into active service. He leads the SILBER flight, in which he pilots a F-4E Phantom II, although his three wingmen pilot F-16C Fighting Falcons with silver zebra paint schemes. ============================================================================== SECTION THREE: GAMING SYSTEM [SCTIN03] ============================================================================== I. Game Basics [BASIC02] "Ace Combat Zero: The Belkan War" is a fighter aircraft simulation game. You will fly in an aircraft in various missions with different missions objectives that may range from simple "defeat-the-enemy", escort, bombings, surgical strikes, and others. By completing these missions, you advance further in the game, and unlock more planes and weapons. Before you go on your mission, you will be briefed on the situation and the initial objectives of this mission. Some missions may have a "Mission Update", in which a change in the situation may add more objectives to the mission you are on. When you complete all the objectives in the mission, the mission will be over. You will receive money to buy new planes and weapons, and will be able to proceed to the next mission. Present in "Ace Combat 4: Shattered Skies", taken out in "Ace Combat 5: The Unsung War", and put back again in "Ace Combat Zero: The Belkan War", is the two-player system, in which two players can play with one PS2. There are several new features in ACZero. One is that there has been an update to the command system. In AC5, you can order your teammates to cover you (attack targets on your six), to attack (engage enemies in front of you), to disperse (pick off targets at their own discretion), and to activate special weapons (tell to that they can use their special weapons when they want). The one update to the command system is that when telling your wingmen to disperse, you can tell them to either engage air targets only, ground targets only, or attack either at their discretion. Another addition is that there are now "yellow targets". Yellow targets can mean either neutral targets or escaping targets. Yellow targets should be generally ignored unless you want the Mercenary rank, as they are unable to do any harm to you. Some targets start out as "yellow targets", but sometimes, when you shoot an enemy, instead of saying that the target was "destroyed", it will say that the target was "neutralized", meaning it has not been destroyed, but has been stripped of its combat functions. They will then attempt to flee the battlefield. Yellow targets are highlighted as yellow on the HUD and the radar. Again, unless you want the Mercenary ranking, ignore them, as shooting them is merely a waste of time and ammo. II. Game Controls [CNTRL01] You may not have a joystick or a cockpit in front of your TV screen, but your PS2 controller is fully capable of controlling your aircraft. These are the controls in the game. (Note: This is for the Japanese version of the game. When "Ace Combat Zero: The Belkan War" is released in the United States and European communities, button configurations may vary.) A. Menu Screen [CNTRL02] B. Game Screen [CNTRL03] X Button: Fire Vulcan Machine Gun Circle Button: Fire Missile/Special Weapon Square Button: Activate Map* (Pressure-Sensitive) Triangle Button: Switch Target/Visual Zoom In* (Pressure-Sensitive) Left Analog Stick: Control Aircraft Right Analog Stick: Look Around D-Pad Up: Give Order To Attack D-Pad Down: Give Order To Cover D-Pad Left: Give Order To Disperse D-Pad Right: Give Order To Activate Special Weapon L1: Decrease Throttle (Pressure-Sensitive) R1: Increase Throttle (Pressure-Sensitive) L2: YAW Left* (Pressure-Sensitive) R2: YAW Right* (Pressure Sensitive) Start: Pause Game* Select: Switch Special Weapons *Note: The square button in the game is pressure-sensitive. If you hold down square lightly, the radar area will expand slightly, while pressing it down harder will expand the radar screen even more. Holding it down all the way will show the entire mission map. The triangle button is also pressure- sensitive, but works differently. Tapping the triangle button once will allow you to switch targets, which will most likely be the target both closest to your aircraft and right in your crosshairs. However, holding down the circle button will allow you to "zoom in" on your target as if you are looking at it with binoculars. The harder you push it down, the more the visual zooms in. Also, all planes have the YAW function, which allows your plane to turn slightly either left or right without tilting your plane. However, this is mostly a relatively useless function, as turning is mostly performed with the right analog stick, and YAW has limited turning capability. It is mostly used only when you want to make slight turns to the left or right, perhaps mostly in compressed spaces. When you press the Start Button, you will access the in-game menu. In the in- game menu, you can see your list of mission objectives and the map of the area you are in. You can also try the mission, initiate a replay of your flying, change several in-game options, or quit the game from this menu. C. Extra Notes On Controls [CNTRL04] Controlling your aircraft in "Ace Combat: The Belkan War" mostly requires the use of the right analog stick. For beginners, however, you may notice that your plane does not turn left when you push the analog stick to the left, although your plane will tilt counter-clockwise. In actual aviation, it is physically impossible for airplanes to turn directly left or right because of its mechanics, meaning that its main method of maneuvering comes from its wings, and the wings' "rudders" need to be in the full blow of the wind at a proper angle to turn. The most effective way to turn is to first push the analog stick in the direction you wish to go, which will spin your plane a bit. Once the direction you want to go is at the top of your screen, push the analog stick down; this will move your plane to the direction you wish to go. This walkthrough suggests you take the Tutorial provided in the game for practice of controlling your aircraft if you're relatively new to flying games. If you still cannot get the hang of it, ACZero provides a "Beginner's Controls" configuration, which allows the computer to turn your plane left or right by pushing the analog stick left or right without much hassle. This configuration, however, harshly hampers your freedom to control the aircraft, and it is suggested that you master the normal controls before you play the game. III. Game Screen [SCREN01] Your game screen, also known as the HUD (Heads-Up Display) contains information and other tidbits in the game. When flying, they will be present on your TV screen. This is a list of things you should pay attention to and what they do. A. Communications Log Radio chatter has existed in the AC series for a long time. You will hear radio chatter throughout the entire game from your forces, the enemy forces, and sometimes even third parties, which adds to the realism and dramatic effect of the game. When someone speaks on the radio, subtitles will appear on the top of the screen. B. Score On the upper-left hand corner shows the current score you have so far. Score is basically determined by how much targets you have neutralized or destroyed. The higher the score, the more money you will receive at the end of the mission, and the better an ace you are. C. Speed Gauage The speed gauge is on the left side of the screen. It shows how fast your aircraft is travelling. D. Radar On the lower-left hand corner of the screen is the radar. The radar shows the positions of allied forces, enemy forces, mission objectives, and other targets in the proximity of your plane. Holding down the square button on your controller will enlarge this square to show the entire area. In ACZero, your radar does not show the damage inflicted to enemy targets as was in AC5. Red targets mean mission objectives, green targets mean normal enemies, and yellow targets mean neutral or escaping targets, which should be generally ignored, or destroyed if you want the Mercenary rank. E. Timer The timer is located on the upper-right hand corner of the screen. It shows how much time you have left in the game. If you fail to complete your mission objectives before the time runs out, you fail the mission. Sometimes, when there is a mission update, your time is automatically extended. Sometimes, you will also have to wait for the time to run out for the mission to end or be updated. F. Altitude Gauge The altitude gauge, located on the right side of the screen, shows how high you are flying compared to the lowest altitude on the map. Certain mission objectives may impose altitude restrictions for your aircraft, in which your altitude has to be within a set parameter. G. Ammunition Count On the lower-right hand side of the screen is your ammunition count. It shows how much ammo you have for each weapon on your aircraft. H. Damage Indicator Right below your ammunition count on the lower-right hand side of the screen is the damage indicator. It shows how much damage your plane has taken. An undamaged plane has a damage index of zero. Damage to your plane will increase this number. Once this number reaches 100, you are shot down. I. Weapon Hardpoints Right below the damage indicator is the the weapon hardpoints, showing how many weapons are currently docked on your wing. Once you use up all the weapons on your hardpoints, they will have to reload before you can fire them again. When a weapon is fired, the hardpoint icon will dull. The icon will then start to light up from the button, indicating that it is reloading. When the icon is fully lit, you are free to fire you special weapons again. J. Orders On the bottom of the screen right of the radar displays the current orders you are giving to your wingmen. This command system has been around since AC5, but in ACZero, there is a modification. There will be three boxes on the left of the orders. This is an indicator as to what your wingmen will target when you give them the disperse command. If there is a cross on the top box, your wingmen will target air targets only. When the cross appears on the bottom box, your wingmen will target ground targets only. When the middle box is crossed, they will chose their targets freely. K. Information Display The information displays shows various information about the current situation of the mission and your plane. Various messages can appear on it. Mission Start: This indicates that the mission has started, and that you are free to control your aircraft. Mission Update: This means that extra objectives have been added to your mission. Mission Accomplished: This means that you have completed all the objectives of the mission, and the mission is over. Shoot: When you have locked-on to an enemy, this message shows that it is good to fire on them. Hit: This means that you have hit and damaged an enemy with a weapon, but it is not yet destroyed. Destroyed: This means that an enemy has been destroyed by a weapon you fired. Miss: This means that your weapon, most likely a missile, has missed your intended target. Neutralized: This means that you have disabled the enemy aircraft, but it has not been destroyed. Aircraft that have been neutralized will then attempt to flee the combat area. Warning: This means you are currently being locked-on by the enemy. They have not fired, but they can shoot missiles at you when they want. Missile Warning: When the enemy shoots a missile at you, your Warning status changes to Missile Warning, meaning there has been a missile or missiles fired at you, and you should take evasive action. Damage: This means that you have been damaged by enemy fire, and your plane's condition is deteriorating. Off Course: This means that you are currently close to leaving the combat area, and it warning you to turn around. If you leave the combat area, you will lose the mission. Return to Base: In some missions, there will be a return line where you can fly back to your airbase to repair and resupply. When you are close to this return line, this message will appear. IV. Style Gauge [STYLE01] A new add-on to the "Ace Combat" series is the presence of what is known as the "Style Gauge". Basically put, the style gauge is a real-time record as to how you fight in the game. Based on the way you fly, you can attain one of three ranks, which are mostly taken from your moral and ethic decisions. A. Soldier Rank [STYLE02] Pilots who focus primarily on mission objectives and targets will attain the rank of soldier. You are passionate about your country and comrades, but will restrain yourself at times. B. Knight Rank [STYLE03] Pilots who neutralize enemy aircraft but do not destroy them will attain the rank of knight. You believe in fairness and mercy, and will let everyone who surrenders live. C. Mercenary Rank [STYLE04] Pilots who destroy everything, targets and enemies alike, will attain the rank of mercenary. You live for money, power, and glory, shotting everything that gets into your sight. There will be small changes in the storyline, primarily in the radio chatter and the cutscenes of the game, depending on what rank you achieve. Your rank will also determine which aces you meet in battle. V. Planes [PLANE01] (Under Construction) VI. Weapons [WEAPN01] (Under Construction) To achieve most of your objectives in ACZero, you will be required to destroy certain things, ranging from enemy aircraft to ground forces to buildings. To do this, you need an arsenal of weapons at your disposal. This is a list of weapons you will be able to use in ACZero. A. Vulcan Machine Gun [WEAPN02] Standard weapon for every fighter aircraft, but it varies slightly for different planes. It's effective range is around 450 feet. For fighter jets, the Vulcan will probably be aimed directly at the crosshairs of the game screen; on the other hand, bombers have Vulcans aimed slightly below the crosshairs, which will make it easier for the planes to hit ground targets in strafing runs without crashing. The Vulcan machine gun is not nearly as powerful as any other weapon, but thanks to its rapid-fire capability, it can wear down any enemy aircraft pretty quickly. When your plane is in the effective range of the Vulcan, a circular icon will appear on the game screen. This icon is the computer's estimation of where you need to fire to hit your target based on enemy velocity and trajectory. As long as you keep your target in the circular icon, you should be able to hit your target. B. Missiles [WEAPN03] Standard weapon for every fighter aircraft. With an effective range of 850 feet, standard missiles are placed on both wings, one on each side, and will reload automatically after you fire them. Missiles are more powerful than the Vulcan, and have a longer effective range as well. It also has slight homing capability, capable of turning at a curved ninety-degree angle to track down its target. When your target is within the effective range of your aircraft's missiles, the target cursor will appear red to indicate that you have locked- on to the target. Once you have locked-on, you may proceed to press the circle button once to fire one missile, or twice to fire two. Most aircraft in the game can only take two missile hits, while some others can take three. Against more skilled pilots, however, missiles are relatively easy for them to evade. Missiles almost always hit ground targets with relatively low speed. ============================================================================== SECTION FOUR: WALKTHROUGH [SCTIN04] ============================================================================== Note: I am currently playing with the Ace Style of Knight. There may be slight variations to the walkthrough depending on what Ace Style you achieve. This walkthrough will be updated when I gain more information. Mission One Operation: Crossbow 1995/04/02 13:00 Valais Airbase The Belkans have started their invasion of Ustio, and they have begun their attack on the final Ustio stronghold of Valais Airbase. You and Pixy, making up GALM Squad, will be shooting down bombers headed from the west side of the map to the east side of the map. The bombers, consisting of 6 B-52 and 4 BM-335s, will start out from the west side of the map with 6 fighter escorts comprised of F-5Es and F-4Es. They will pilot in a pretty singular line, making a strafing run on these bombers perfect. You do not have to engage the fighters to complete the mission. These bombers are slow flyers, and two missile shots will do the trick. If you wish, you can just go down the aircraft column and shoot them all down on a one-way trip. Two extra escort fighters will appear after you shoot down all but two bombers. Besides that, it's a pretty basic first mission. This mission is basically easy, considering that there are too few escort fighters to make a difference, and the bombers can't really fight back, other than the BM-335s, which has inaccurate machine guns at the back of the planes. Mission Two Operation: Roselein 1995/04/15 10:20 Arlon The Allied forces need a certain road to deliver supplies; the problem is that this "highway" is currently being occupied by Belkan ground forces. Your job is to destroy all ground targets that are on the path. You will first notice that there are many yellow targets on the ground, which are actually windmills and other neutral settlements. They are not part of your mission objectives. Instead, you will be mostly paying attention to the ground forces, comprised mostly of tanks, AA guns, APCs, and SAMs. Tanks and APCs will not pose a threat to you; however, watch out for the AA guns and SAMs that can target aircraft. The main Belkan ground force is located north at a bridge, where there are plenty of AA guns and SAMs. There are also tanks and APCs in this region. South of this bridge is a small settlement of a sort where two APCs are hiding in. Other than the obstacles these settlements may pose to your firing, the APCs are basically waiting to be shot. Mission Three Operation: 1995/04/20 Welcome to the infamous Airspace B7R, otherwise known as the Round Table. You will be conducting a recon mission here. You are authorized to fire on contact, meaning shoot as soon as you seem them. For the first part of the mission, which involves shooting down eight Belkan fighters, I suggest the conservation of ammo, especially regular missiles. You'll need them against the "boss" of this mission. Initially, there will only seem to be eight enemy fighters here. However, as you are in the middle of taking them on, the Belkans will get reinforcements. Welcome to your first fight against a Belkan ace squadron, the Indigo Squadron, a four-JAS-39C flight that will truly test your flying skills. The first thing you notice is that they'll launch a lot of missiles. Your missile alarms will be going crazy, because there will probably be a lot of enemies behind you, making a SAAM lock-on rather difficult. Another is that they fly a lot better than your regular pilots. They'll avoid your missiles easily, and you'll probably be missing them a lot, hence the earlier advice to conserve missiles. Also, it is likely you will not have destroyed all of the initial Belkan force, so you'll have that to contend to as well. The best suggestion to take on the Indigo Flight is to use fire-and-leave tactics. Try getting behind one of the planes; by turning in the attempt, you should be able to avoid most missiles fired at you. When you believe you have achieved the proper angle, fire two missiles, and then break away, because more missiles are going to be fired at you. If you miss, try the attempt again. It is a good way to attack while keeping yourself safe from the missile barrages Indigo will fire at you. Mision Four Operation: Offensive Campaign No. 4101 1995/04/24 11:40 Futuro Canal Ustio and Osean have allied together in a push in the Futuro Canal, which is under Belkan control. This is the first large-scale operation you will take part in, and it is seperated into three operations on the same map. Operation Gelnikos is mostly an air-to-air operation to gain air supremacy over the canal. Operation Round Harmmer is mostly an air-to-ground operation to destroy the Belkan fleet and weapons facilities. Operation Costner is an escort mission to escort a state-of-the-art Osean ship through the canal. The first thing you will notice in Operation Gelnikos is that there is a big green circle in your operation area. That is because there are a total of four jammers in your operation area that is jamming your radar. Lock-ons are possible, but it is much more difficult to find your foes on radar. The jammers are all ground-based, and take one or two missiles to destroy. After that, it's a ball game, involving taking out several aircraft and numerous ground weapons as well, including tanks, AA guns, and SAMs. A fact that will delight players of "Ace Combat 5: The Unsung War" is that the Osean ship you have to escort in Operation Costner is in fact the Kestrel, which was a vital ship in AC5. It is currently being commanded by a Captain Weeker. (Under Construction) (To Be Continued)
