Ace Combat 6: Dynamic Mission System
- Aaron "Ribbon-Blue" Mendoza
- 1 minute ago
- 4 min read
The perfect presentation of large-scale combat with direction and purpose
It has almost been 20 years since Ace Combat 6: Fires of Liberation was released. A much younger me has fond memories and deep opinions about this game. Thanks to a recent video in the ongoing Ace Combat 30th Anniversary memorial movie series, it is forefront on my mind again.
To this day, Ace Combat 6 (AC6) does something other games in the Ace Combat series have not completely replicated. From the arcades of 1992 up to the release of AC6 on October 23rd, 2007, the Ace Combat series was defined by linear small-to-mid sized missions that could be completed within a few minutes. There were some uncommon missions that were more of a timed based score attack lasted closer to 20 minutes, but you get the idea.
Large-Scale Battles
One of the major selling points of Ace Combat 6 was its large-scale battles. Harnessing the power of the Microsoft Xbox 360, a leading seventh generation game console back in the 2000s, there were often more enemies to fight in a single mission of AC6 than two or three missions from the PlayStation installments combined.
The average fixed-wing fighter in just about every Ace Combat games has enough ammo to defeat a small air force. That's a known fact. Trying to destroy 80+ enemies per mission is still a bit of a tall order for lone aircraft to accomplish though.
Fortunately, there are many types of allied non-player-controlled units to battle the hordes of enemies alongside players. With dozens of enemies and allies moving to achieve their own objectives separate from the player, there is a lot of data to process. This is where the Dynamic Mission System comes in.
Dynamic Mission System
During the briefing of each mission players see the primary objective of the mission at hand. They are then separated into Operations, also known as sub-objectives. The player chooses one of the available Operations to start the mission and combat begins.
As combat continues across the battlespace players can switch between each on going operation to see which allies and enemies are engaged in combat and decided whether or not they want to intervene. This creates situations where a player may choose to start the mission hunting long-range artillery on a western flank, but they could easily switch over to assisting with the capture of a frontline airfield that is getting stalled due to significant enemy action. All within the same mission.
During the mission, the player can switch their radar display to show allied and enemy units active in the selected operation. This declutters their radar display and only shows active targets in their Heads Up Display or general game user interface. This is known at the Operation ID device.
Operation ID Device display on the player's radar. Sorting from All operations to operation C.
The opposing force also reacts to the operations as they are won or lost by directing their forces to different objectives or changing their tactics that results in mid-mission updates or new operations appearing due to enemy action.
As each operation is completed the allied units tied to that operation become available as Allied Support assets. This is a different game mechanic, but it is an extension of the Dynamic Mission system in practice.
Once the player destroys a certain number of enemies, they are able to trigger a massive, combined arms attack against enemies in front of and around the player's aircraft. Depending on the composition of the allied units that are available, this could result in a swarm of aircraft, naval bombardment or land forces moving into action. The Allied Support attacks are powerful enough to wipe out entire fighter squadrons and armored battalions.
Example: San Loma Assault
Giving a specific example, Mission 08: San Loma Assault. The primary objective is to recapture Cavallia Air Force Base, a major military facility. The allied forces would use it as a springboard for a large-scale air operation against a flying heavy command cruiser that is singlehandedly harassing the player's friendly forces across the continent.
That primary objective is split into three operations:
[A] Supporting a tank battalion approaching the primary objective from the east.
[B] Providing escort for a strategic bomber squadron destroying hardened defensive positions on the southern coast of the primary objective.
[C] Support a friendly fleet as they approach the primary objective by sinking an enemy fleet that stands in their way.
When two of these operations are completed, the opposing forces falls back to the air force base for its final stand. Once the enemy is routed the primary objective is complete and the mission is over.
Since 2007 there have been a few other Ace Combat games with varying degrees of large-scale battles. A primary example of this being the long-gone Ace Combat Infinity inherently had to have a massive amount of non-player-controlled units to fight as the game specialized in 4 vs 4 multiplayer competitive co-op missions. Having enough targets for eight players to fight over is a considerable amount action happening in the same area. Honestly the airspace was absolutely chaotic.
The Ace Combat 6: Fires of Liberation Dynamic Mission System is not something that is vital to the flight arcade genre as a whole, but in retrospect it is a fine tool to help players manage their situational awareness and better inform their decisions in combat.
About the Writer
Co-founder of Skyward Flight Media. After founding Electrosphere.info, the first English Ace Combat database, he has been involved in creating flight game-related websites, communities, and events since 2005. He explores past and present flight games and simulators with his extensive collection of game consoles and computers. [Read Profile]
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