Front Mission 4 - Beginner/Game Mechanics FAQ

FM4 - Basics and Game Mechanics FAQ
by Lord Plothos

Abbreviations and terminology
   Q01: What are skills and how do they work?
   Q02: How do I gain skills?
   Q03: What determines when a skill activates?
   Q04: What are chains?
   Q05: How many skills can I equip?
   Q06: What's better: lots of skills or higher-level skills?
   Q07: What is evasion, and how does it work, exactly?
   Q08: What determines the likelihood of evasion?
   Q09: What does the speed stat do?
   Q10: What is accuracy?
   Q11: How is accuracy determined?
   Q12: How is damage determined?
   Q13: Why do some of my single shot attacks do half damage? Why do
        some of my MG or SG bullets do half what the others do?
   Q14: Why do I take damage from a BZ, even when it misses?
   Q15: How do shields work?
   Q16: How does melee damage work?
   Q17: What are links and how do they work?
   Q18: What are the best links to set up? How do I use links
   Q19: Can I decide what a linked wanzer does? If so, how?
   Q20: What do character levels do?
   Q21: What is the maximum level I can get?
   Q22: How do I gain levels?
   Q23: What's the fastest way to gain money?
   Q24: What's the fastest way to gain EP?
   Q25: What's the fastest way to gain exp.?
   Q26: What's the best way to _____ in battle/sim _____?
TOPIC 8 - WHERE IS ______?
   Q27: Where is the Wanzer Shop? How can I buy stuff?
   Q28: Where is the Computer Shop?
   Q29: Where is the old equipment? Can I still get parts sold in
        previous shops?
   Q30: Where is Sim battle ____?
   Q31: What's the best way to use _Pilot Name_?
   Q32: I never use _Pilot Name_'s Backpack; what's it good for?
   Q33: How does all this power and weight stuff work?
   Q34: What parts should I buy? What are the best combinations?
   Q35: How do I set a wanzer's armor, and to what should I set it?
   Q36: Does the color of a wanzer effect anything?
   Q37: Some parts in the wanzer shop are in orange font; what's up?
   Q38: I've talked to ____, but I didn't get the ____. What gives?
   Q39: How do I get the ______?
Thanks, legal, etc.

Introduction: The purpose of this faq is to help the FM4 player
make sense of some of the confusing things about this splendid game.
The inspiration comes from extensive observation of the most frequent
questions raised on the gamefaqs.com message board. New players
continue to raise questions about the same issues. The message board
is a very good resource for this type of thing, of course, and the
FM4 board is especially helpful, I find. However, as the questions
keep recurring, it would seem beneficial to these new players if they
could get answers to their questions more quickly and perhaps with
less embarrassment. Details about some of the mechanics may also
remain mysterious to more experienced players. Some info and/or
speculation about some of these things will help anybody who hasn't
sat down and collected a bunch of data, then figured this stuff out.

   The questions put forward here reflect my own observations of the
kinds of things players typically find obscure. Along the way, I'll
include some mechanical details to help players get a clearer idea of
how things work in FM4. Much of the mechanical stuff is mere speculation.
I will try to indicate when this is so, and give a bit of data to back
myself up. I have not hacked the game, so I could be wrong about many
of the things in here. Still, it fits the data I've gotten, and I've run
all of it by the folks on the message board, so it should be pretty safe
to let your thinking about the game be guided by what's in here.

   Questions will be divided into topics for ease of location, but the
complete noob might want to just read through all of this quickly.

   One thing I will not do here is advance my own (or anyone else's)
style of play or general strategies. I will attempt to give information
that is certain and/or accepted truth on the board, and wherever there
is some contention on a given matter I will indicate both sides of the
issue whenever I can.

-----Abbreviations and terminology I will use------
MG - Machine Gun          RK - Rocket
SG - Shotgun              GR - Grenade Launcher
RF - Rifle                REP - Repair Pack
BZ - Bazooka              EMP - EMP Wanzer or Pack
MS - Missile              Ev - Evasion
ML - Melee                Acc - Accuracy

Sniper - Alternative name for a RF wanzer.
Dodge - Alternative word to describe successful evasion.
Burst - Used to denote the series of shots fired by burst weapons like
   MGs and SGs. An attack with a SG, for example, involves the firing
   of two bursts (provided the attacker has sufficient AP).
<Skill Name> - Notation used to indicate that the name being used is
   for a pilot skill, such as <Double Shot I>. Many skills have an
   associated number. If I leave it off, this is to indicate what I
   have said holds in general for each of the skills of that type.
   E.g.: "<Double Shot>, though it involves firing two guns, will use
   up ammo for only one of them," for this is true of <Double Shot I>
   and <Double Shot II>.
Rating - Term to denote the level of a given attribute. A pilot has
   ratings for speed, evasion, and weapons, indicating how skilled that
   pilot is in those areas. Speed and evasion have no set limit, but
   there is only so much that each pilot will be able to add to them
   during the course of the game. Weapon ratings never exceed 3 (lowest
   is 0).
Battle - Indicates the larger engagement taking place on the battlefield,
   as opposed to "Firefight".
Firefight - Indicates the smaller scale gun battle that takes place
   each time one wanzer attacks another, as opposed to "Battle".
Chain Skills - These are the skills that can be strung together to
   create chains. Not all activation skills are chain skills, but all
   chain skills ARE activation skills. (See topic 1 below). Almost
   every time two of these skills activate in a row, they will chain
   together, increasing the damage of the later attacks.
Damage Packet - A piece of the damage in an attack, corresponding to
   a number displayed in a firefight animation. Some weapons concentrate
   their damage into a single packet, but others divide their damage
   into numerous packets. Each packet strikes one and only one part of
   the target wanzer. (See topic 4 below).

Q01: What are skills and how do they work?
   A: Skills are abilities gained by the various pilots in the game.
  They are said to be attached to the computer, and so more can be
  gained later in the game via the computer shop, but they are
  specific to each character and may not be swapped in any way. They
  operate like class abilities for different character in a standard
  RPG. There are enhancement skills, such as <AP +1> and <Evasion +3>,
  that increase a pilots stats permanently. These may be purchased
  multiple times with the results stacking. Getting three <Evasion +3>
  adds 9 to the pilot's evasion rating. These do not need to be
  equipped or anything else. They reflect the pilot simply getting
  better in those areas. This includes weapon ratings, which can go up
  to 3, but no further, and affect how much damage a pilot will do with
  weapons of that type. Two pilots with the same SG and differing
  SG ratings will do differing damage with those bullets that actually
  hit the target (i.e., that have not been evaded or simply missed).
  There are also resistance ratings, indicating how hard it is for an
  EMP to damage the pilot's wanzer in the indicated area. The pilot is
  better at combating the effects of the EMP pulse on these systems in
  his or her wanzer. These come in increments of 50%, with 100%
  indicating total immunity. Then there are skills that must be
  equipped by the pilot after purchasing them, sort of like armor or
  weapons. These are divided into two categories: passive skills and
  activation skills. Passive skills must be equipped, but once they are
  they will always work. These include <Move Plus>, which increases
  the pilot's range of movement by 1, <Repair Plus>, which increases
  the pilot's ability to repair damage with a repair pack, and <AP
  Plus>, which reduces the amount of AP the pilot uses up when he
  fires his weapon. Last of all, there are activation skills. These
  skills must be equipped, and have merely a chance of activating when
  the conditions are right for it to work. Examples include <Rapid
  Fire>, which increases the number of bullets fired by a MG or SG
  attack, and <Feint>, which increases the chance of dodging an attack.
  Thus, to use <Rapid Fire>, it must be equipped, and you must be
  firing a MG or SG. It will not always activate when you do so, but it
  may. Likewise, <Feint> must be equipped, and MAY activate when you
  are attacked by a weapon that can be dodged (this excludes missiles,
  grenades, and rockets). As each skill has only a chance to activate,
  the more skills you have equipped, the more chance one of them will
  activate, but the less chance any given one will. This is because
  for each shot (with a few exceptions), only one skill may activate.
  Thus, if <Rapid Fire> activates first, then <Double Shot> cannot
  activate for that shot, though it still may for the next. Defensive
  skills that activate for enemy attacks do not compete with offensive
  skills that activate for your attacks. One pilot may activate 2
  <Rapid Fire>s and then 2 <Feint>s in the same firefight.
   Advanced A: Skill activation is a bit of a mystery, but it seems
  to many of us on the board that it works like this. All skills
  a pilot has equipped and which can activate at a given moment are
  compiled into a list (the order might be fixed, but we don't know).
  The game then goes down the list and checks each skill to see if it
  activates. If one does, that is the skill you see, and the rest of
  the list is not checked. If none activate, you get nothing. This
  helps explain why you will see more activations if you have more
  skills, and also why once you have a sufficient number of them
  you'll probably activate one just about every time. This is why I
  suggest that you find a happy medium and get as many high level
  skills as you can, while still basically guaranteeing that one always
  activates (so you get those lovely chains). If you have 4 slots
  available and 6 skills already equipped, <Rapid Fire III> would be
  a good choice, as it doubles your MG or SG damage, and you have
  enough skills to be relatively sure of activation. If, on the other
  hand, you have 4 slots and only one skill, you may be better off
  going with <Rapid Fire I> and <Terror Shot I> to increase your
  activation chances, thus increasing the likelihood of chaining.

Q02: How do I gain skills?
   A: There are two ways to get skills, the second available only a
  little ways into the game. The first works like this: Each pilot has
  a set of skills associated with him/her, and those skills are divided
  into six groups for each pilot. When you first get a pilot, they
  will have a certain number of these skill groups available to them.
  Each skill in one of these available groups may be purchased for
  the pilot by spending that pilot's EP (enhancement points, gained
  in battle). The pilot can also spend EP to open up further groups of
  skills by selecting "Upgrade" in the character setup menu. See Q1
  above for what the different skills types are, and how they work.
  Don't forget that some skills must be equipped to do anything. Once
  all six skill groups have been opened, that pilot can do nothing with
  his/her EP but purchase available skills. If there are no more skills
  you wish to purchase, then you'll have to wait for the computer shop
  to get more. The computer shop will come up later (see below for when).
  Here, you can spend money to buy further groups of skills for each
  pilot. The skills purchased and how much each costs will be displayed.
  Once the skills are purchased from the shop, they still need to be
  purchased with EP.
    Thus, there are two ways to make skills available to a pilot:
  purchase upgrades with EP or purchase skill sets from the computer
  shop with money. All skills made thus available must then be purchased
  with EP. Some of those then need to be equipped.
   Advanced A: Some skills in the computer shop menu will be listed in
  red font. This indicates that the pilot already has that skill
  either available or purchased. Thus, buying that set from the com-
  puter shop will NOT make that red skill available to the pilot.
  Thus, if you look at an evasion set and 3 of the 4 <evasion +3%>
  skills are red, buying that set will only make one <evasion +3%>
  available for the pilot to purchase with EP. For this reason, there
  may be times when you will benefit more by purchasing a LESS expensive
  set of skills in the computer shop. Nearly all skills gained
  from the pilot's original sets will be somewhere among the three
  computer shop sets, so upgrading will always make some items in
  the computer shop red. This is why weapon ratings can never exceed
  3. There are only 3 <Weapon +1> skills for each weapon type available,
  and getting it makes it red. If the pilot got all three naturally,
  he/she can't get any more from the shop.

Q03: What determines when a skill activates?
   A: A skill has a set of preconditions that determine those occasions
  when it CAN activate. For <Rapid Fire>, this is that the pilot must
  be firing with either a MG or SG in a firefight, which can be either
  as the attacker or as a counterattack. There is a chance that the
  skill will activate on those occasions. Two chain skills cannot
  activate on the SAME shot/burst, but they can activate on EACH shot/
  burst in the firefight. Two separate bursts of the SG can
  activate a chain skill for each shot, possibly the same skill twice,
  possibly a different skill for each. When subsequent shots/busts each
  activate a skill, this CAN create a chain, increasing damage (see
  Q4 below). Because each skill has a chance to activate when conditions
  are right, the more skills you have equipped and which can activate
  for a given attack, the more chance one of them will activate, but
  the less chance a specific one will do so, for it may be precluded
  by the activation of another skill. (See the Advanced A to Q1 above
  for more information on this subject). It is not known whether higher
  level skills have lower activation percentages than lower level
  skills or not, but even if they don't, because you can equip larger
  numbers of lower level skills, you will have more activations this
  way. The downside of this, though, is that what activates will be
  less effective. A large number of high level skills is the best,
  but hard to attain. Find the balance that works best for you. (Keep
  in mind that chains are very useful in this game, so even lower
  level skills can do more damage overall if you're chaining them
  more often).

Q04: What are chains?
   A: Chain attacks can occur when a series of attacks are made by one
  side (you or the enemy) and a chain skill activates on each one.
  Chains increase the amount of damage of the later attacks. Early in
  the game, your wanzers will not be linked, so you will not be able
  to form chains involving more than 2 shots/bursts (one character
  firing twice with a MG or SG). Later, when chains can include as many
  as 8 shots/bursts, they will become one of the most important methods
  of doing damage and defeating the enemy. The highest bonus to damage
  that can come of this is x2.0. Example: Two linked wanzers attack an
  enemy, firing twice each with MGs. All four bursts activate <Rapid
  Fire I>. The first will be at normal damage (though the skill will
  increase the number of bullets in the burst). The second will
  multiply the damage of each bullet that hits by 1.2. The third
  multiplies by 1.5, and the fourth by 2.0. Longer chains will
  involve repeated 2.0 bursts. Chains can be interrupted by an enemy
  shot, by the failure to activate a skill on one of the attacks, or
  (rarely, but it happens) by the skills simply failing to chain to-
  gether. An enemy's evading your attack will NOT interrupt the chain,
  as the skill still activates and the shots are still fired; your
  chain attack has simply missed the target.

Q05: How many skills can I equip?
   A: Each pilot has a number of Skill Slots (this can be increased by
  purchasing upgrades). Each skill takes up a certain number of these.
  Think of it like this: each pilot has a skill backpack with so much
  room in it. Better skills take up more room. Only activation and
  passive skills require being equipped, so buy as many enhancement
  skills as you like. Be careful not to buy more activation skills than
  you can equip, unless you plan on replacing one you no longer want
  to use, or you'll be wasting EP (and later money).

   A: Opinions vary. Activating more skills and making sure you create
  chains frequently is important, but so is activating good skills.
  See the answers to Q1 and Q2 above.

   A: As opposed to FM3, where a wanzer's evasion was simply subtracted
  from the attacker's accuracy, evasion in FM4 is a set percentage
  chance for a wanzer to dodge the entire attack (see question 2 below
  for info on what that chance may turn out to be). Each unit on the
  battlefield has a set evasion percentage, and for each and every
  attack that percentage is used to determine if it completely misses.
  This is totally independent of how accurate the shot is. The accuracy
  of the shot (indicated by the blue number by the target on the screen)
  is the percentage chance to hit IF the attack is not evaded. This has
  the effect of making a MG or SG attack a bit less dependable than it
  was in FM3, because when a wanzer evades, it evades all the bullets
  fired by the MG or SG, whereas in FM3 even against a high evasion
  wanzer you could be reasonably sure one or two bullets would hit. The
  evasion is graphically depicted by the wanzer stepping to the side
  when fired upon.
   Advanced A: Each attack in the firefight can be dodged. In FM4, so
  long as a pilot has enough AP, he will fire TWICE with either a MG
  or SG. The target wanzer can evade both, neither, or only one of
  these bursts. Some special attacks like <double assault> and <double
  strike> will involve two attacks, and I have seen it happen that only
  one of these is dodged. Conversely, I have never seen just one burst
  from a <double shot> attack dodged; there it seems all or nothing.

Q08: What determines the likelihood of evasion?
   A: There are a number of factors. The first is the base chance. This
  is equivalent to the wanzer evasion plus the pilot's evasion, but
  only if the wanzer's evasion is above 0%. A wanzer with 0% evasion
  cannot dodge, no matter what the pilot's skill. Thus, the base for a
  pilot with 30% evasion in a wanzer with 11% evasion is 41% but the
  base for the same pilot in a 0% wanzer is 0%, even though the total
  of the two is 30%. The base chance is then modified by the conditions
  on the battlefield. The pilot levels of the attacker and defender
  matter, but no one knows to what degree. If you're higher level than
  your attacker, you get some advantage. Similarly, facing matters.
  Attacks from the side and back are harder to dodge. In fact, the game
  claims attacks from the back cannot be dodged (see Advanced A below).
  Terrain and weather conditions may or may not have some effect as
   Advanced A: The claim that back attacks can't be dodged has been
  seen to be false. One possible explanation is that the facing that's
  relevant is the facing in the firefight at the moment of the attack,
  NOT the facing of the wanzers at the time the fight was initiated.
  Thus, pilots with high speed ratings may be able to change their
  facing before their attacker actually fires, thereby allowing them to
  dodge. In the animation of the firefight, you will see wanzers turn
  themselves towards their attackers. This would indicate their facing,
  and so tell you if the attack is one that can be dodged. As far as I
  know, no animation has been seen in which a wanzer was faced entirely
  the wrong way, did not change its facing, and still dodged.
   Some Data: I put Darril on a bridge facing several enemies straight
  on (no facing modification) with a base evasion of 75%. I then
  recorded 200 attacks (ignoring those in which he activated <Feint>).
  He dodged almost exactly 75% of them. Thus, the numbers worked out
  pretty well, although he seemed to get no bonus from his (massive)
  level advantage.

Q09: What does the speed stat do?
   A: Speed affects nothing but the point at which your character will
  be able to act during a firefight. Characters with higher speeds will
  shoot first whenever a firefight is started. Thus, if you are fast,
  you can counter and kill your attacker before he ever fires at you.
  If it is possible to change facing in the firefight so as to help you
  dodge, when you are able to do so is affected by speed. Speed does
  not increase a unit's evasion or accuracy percentages, nor alter AP
  use or number of attacks in any way.
   Advanced A: Different weapons have varying speed modifiers. Thus,
  two pilots with the same speed but weapons with differing speeds will
  always attack in the same order, the one with the quicker weapon
  always going first. ML attacks seem to be significantly delayed. If
  you want a ML wanzer to attack first, you'll have to give that pilot
  a large speed advantage. 2 speed is enough early on, but as speed
  ratings rise, the difference will have to be 4 or more to get the ML
  acting first. Apparently, then what matters is the relative differ-
  ence in speed, i.e., the difference relative to the numbers involved.
  2 is 1/4 of 8, but only 1/8 of 16, and the weapons may require a 1/4
  or 1/6 advantage.

Q10: What is accuracy?
   A: Accuracy is the chance to hit with each damage packet in an
  attack, IF the enemy doesn't dodge. Accuracy does not include or
  in any way reflect the enemy's chance to dodge, in which case the
  entire attack will simply miss (see Topic 2 above). Each weapon has
  its damage indicated in the following format: NNxNN. A SG will look
  like 12x10, while a MS may look like 60x4, and a ML like 90x1. This
  indicates the number of damage packets that can strike the enemy and
  the base damage each packet will do. If the target doesn't dodge,
  then each packet has a percentage chance to hit it. That percentage
  chance is given by the accuracy. An acc of 75 will mean a 75% chance
  to hit with the one ML strike, and 75% chance for each bullet in an
  SGs burst. Thus, a bust of 10 SG bullets will probably have 7 or 8
  hit. Each of the packets that successfully strike the target will
  randomly strike one of its parts (legs, body, or left or right arm).
  (See Q12 below for info on what happens when parts are broken.) Your
  accuracy is displayed on the screen by the blue number next to the
  target. The accuracy of your target's counter attack, if any, will
  be displayed in red next to you. If there is no number, it means the
  enemy can't counter (he may be out of ammo or AP). If it is 0%, he
  can't hit, usually because of intervening obstacles like trees, and
  so he will not be able counter. If the number is non-zero, he can
  counter, and he always will.
   Advanced Tip: You can use this last fact to your advantage. A
  powerful unit can be made to waste its AP if you cause it to fire
  with a very low accuracy. Once its AP is used up, it can then be
  attacked without fear of counter. This helps against Wagner on more
  than one occasion.

Q11: How is accuracy determined?
   A: Each weapon has a range, and weapons for which accuracy matters
  have their accuracy displayed in the following manner:
     1           X
     YY%        ZZ%
  The YY number represents the base accuracy of the weapon from a range
  of 1 square. X is the extreme range of the weapon, the furthest
  distance from which it can be fired, and the ZZ number is it's base
  accuracy from that range. Middle accuracies fall in between these
  numbers and you just have to calculate or guess at them. This base
  weapon accuracy is then modified by the accuracy of the arm holding
  the weapon. The overall base accuracy is then modified by weather
  conditions (which can also affect range), light levels, and pilot
   Advanced A: ML, MS, RK, and GR DO NOT benefit or suffer from any
  accuracy modification of the arm. A pile bunker ML weapon has a base
  90% acc no matter what arm is equipped, though this 90% can be in-
  creased by a level advantage. For weapons that require two hands,
  like RFs and BZs, the accuracy of the off hand is irrelevant. Only
  the acc of the hand pulling the trigger matters. Likewise, it appears
  the acc of the chosen MG or SG in a <double shot> attack is all that
  matters. If you have weight issues, you can use a low acc arm on the
  primary gun and a low acc arm for the off gun (but make sure the
  primary gun has enough ammo, and make sure it is the one set to 
  attack and defense support) (See Q19 below).

Q12: How is damage determined?
   A: As just noted, damage for each weapon comes in a set number of
  packets. 60x4 means four packets that do an average of 60. 12x10
  means 10 bullets that do around 12 each. The damage of each is a bit
  random and can fluctuate. Additionally, the damage will be increased
  when the pilot is proficient with the weapon in question. If a pilot
  has a SG rating of 3 and a MG rating of 0, she will do more with a SG
  than with a MG, even if both are 12x10. Damage for GR and RK is
  evenly spread over the wanzer struck. Damage for GR decreases with
  the target's distance from the target square. Damage for RKs is
  random over the whole attack area. (See Q7 below for special rules
  regarding ML attacks).
   Effect of weapon ratings: Each pilot has a rating for each type of
  weapon in the game, which can vary from 0-3. The only effect of this
  stat is its impact on how much damage you will do with a weapon of
  that type. At skill level 0, you will do the base damage of the
  weapon you're using. At level 3, you will do 5/3 damage, that is,
  base damage plus an additional 2/3 damage, or roughly 1.666667 times
  base damage. A MG with base damage of 10x12 will do 16 to 17 damage
  with each bullet if the pilot has a rating of 3 for MG, whereas it
  will do 10 with each if the pilot is at 0. Ratings 1 and 2 represent
  equal steps up to this +2/3 level. At a rating of 1, the same MG
  would do 1.22222 times normal damage, or mostly 12s with some 13s.
  At rating 2, damage equals 1.444444 times normal, or mostly 14s and
  15s. Zead's donkey missiles will do about 80 at 0, about 97-8 at 1,
  about 116-117 at 2, and about 133-4 at 3.
   Advanced A: Damage from a single packet that exceeds the HP of the
  part struck is wasted. Thus, hitting an arm with 1 HP with a ML
  attack that does 900 damage in reality does only 1 damage, destroying
  the arm. The extra damage is wasted. Unlike FM3, in which destroyed
  parts were ignored, in FM4, a part that has been destroyed is no less
  likely to be hit than it was before being destroyed. Damage from a
  packet that hits a destroyed part is halved and then transferred to
  the body. Thus, a ML attack on a wanzer with its arm blown off that
  would normally do 900 damage will, if it hits the arm, do 450 to the
  body instead. Another effect of all this is that a ML attack on a
  wanzer with only 1 HP left on each its parts has just a 1 in 4 chance
  to kill it, even if it hits. A SG attack, on the other hand, is
  guaranteed to kill it, so long as it connects with at least 4 bullets
  (and the damage isn't reduced to 0 by a <Block Damage> or <Anti-Break>
  skill), because once the bottom three parts are destroyed a bullet
  that hits them will have its damage transferred to the body, thus
  destroying the wanzer.

Q13: Why do some of my single shot attacks do half damage? Why do some
   A: This is due to the damage transfer rule outlined in the advanced
  answer to Q12 above. Hits to broken parts are transferred to the
  target's body, and damage thus transferred is halved.

   A: BZ damage comes in two forms. The first shot can hit or miss, and
  is impact damage. This is followed by 4 fire damage packets that will
  almost always hit no matter what. Very low acc can cause the fire to
  miss as well, as can the shell striking something on the way to the
  target (like a tree in the way). Otherwise, even if the shell misses,
  the scatter damage will still hit. If the target evades, the fire
  damage will miss as well.

Q15: How do shields work?
   A: The main benefit of the shield is often not the damage reduction,
  but instead the fact that it makes all damage go to the arm holding
  the shield. Even the fire damage from the BZ (whether the shell
  missed or not) will hit the arm (which is usually unimportant and has
  lots of HP). The damage taken will be reduced by the % listed for the
  shield. The AP used is 2 for each attack blocked. Thus 4 AP is needed
  to block both bursts from a SG, but only 2 for a RF or ML attack. If
  the target dodges, no AP or shield "ammo" is used up; however, if the
  target does not dodge, even if the shot misses, both AP and ammo will
  go down (annoying, but true).
   Advanced A: <AP plus> and <AP damage> skills attach to each use of
  the shield. Thus <AP damage> can render shields pretty useless, as it
  can take 6 or more AP to block one SG burst! Useful on simulator D8.

Q16: How does melee damage work?
   A: Like all weapons, ML have a base attack damage that can be in-
  creased by the pilots ML rating. This can be increased by activated
  skills and by chaining skills, as with other weapons. ML, however,
  have in addition to this the following modifier:
      N = wanzer's total power/wanzer's total weight
  Any ML attack is multiplied by the N for that wanzer. This is in
  addition to all other modifiers. Thus, if Latona has a weight of 200,
  and a power output of 400, her N is 2. So, her damage will be multi-
  plied by two. If she's acting late in a long chain, the x2 from that
  makes her attack x4 overall. Whatever her base damage is, modified
  for her weapon rating and any added damage from the activation of
  the skill is then multiplied by 4! Late in the game, ML attacks can
  easily exceed 1,000 points of damage. N canNOT exceed 2, however. A
  150 to 400 weight-to-power ratio still results in a x2 modifier.

Q17: What are links and how do they work?
   A: Links affect who takes part in a given firefight. If no one is
  linked, when a wanzer is attacked, he and his attacker are the only
  ones involved. Links have the effect of including more wanzers in
  these firefights. Each pilot can have up to 3 attack links and 3
  defense links, meaning 3 additional pilots can be included on each
  side of the firefight, for a total of 8 wanzers. Yikes! The links are
  set up in the "pilot setup" screen, and work as follows. The two
  lynchpins are the attacker and his target. For each ally the attacker
  has linked in his attack links, they will assist him when he attacks,
  so long as they are in range and have enough AP/ammo to do so. For
  each ally the defender has in his defense links, they will assist him
  when he is attacked, so long as the same conditions hold. Thus, if
  Darril is linked to Renges defensively and Chaeffer offensively,
  Chaeffer will fire at Darril's target when Darril attacks, if he can,
  but will do nothing when Darril gets attacked, even if he's right
  there. Renges will fire at anyone he can who attacks Darril, but will
  do nothing when Darril is the aggressor. If THEY do not have Darril
  listed in THEIR links, Darril will not assist them in attack or 
  defense. The fact that they're in HIS links only means anything when
  HE is a lynchpin in a firefight (attacker or target). Links are the
  only way to get lots of people firing in the same firefight, and so
  are the only way to form the long, damage-multiplying chain attacks
  that are the core of the later 2/3 of this game (see above).
   Advanced A: The only wanzers that will take damage in a firefight are
  the attacker and his target, with one exception. Appropriately linked
  wanzers are always part of the battle (even if they have insufficient
  AP or ammo to do anything), while unlinked wanzers are not. As such,
  linked wanzers can block your line of fire, while non-linked wanzers
  will not (they basically vanish for the duration of the firefight).
  You will not hit a friend with your shot even if he decreases your
  accuracy, but you CAN hit a foe who does so. Sometimes you can use
  this to your advantage. When firing a MG or SG, don't shoot at the
  guy with 1 HP; shoot at the guy behind him. You may still hit the
  first guy, killing him, and some shots will go on to hit the guy
  behind him. Plus, if the first burst kills the intervening guy, the
  second burst will still be fired, whereas had the first burst been
  directed at the guy in front, there would be no second burst. The
  enemy isn't smart enough to use this to his advantage, but you may
  still find yourself sometimes taking damage to two wanzers in one
  fight. Obviously, this strategy isn't effective for single-packet
  weapons like RF and ML.

Q18: What are the best links to set up? How do I use links effectively?
   A: This is more of a tactical question, and so not really intended to
  be part of this guide, but some suggestions help illustrate the mechan-
  ics of the link system, so here are some ways many people set things
  up. First of all, linking early in the game is less of a factor than it
  is later. This is because massive amounts of attacks typically require
  massive amounts of AP, which your units just don't have early on. A
  pilot with only 12 AP can fire a MG only thrice per round, and that's
  only if he/she doesn't move first. So, if he/she attacks, that's
  basically it for him/her. The big exception to this early on is the
  melee wanzer, because melee attacks take only 1 AP. Unfortunately,
  because ML attacks have to be made from an adjacent square, they are
  not very useful defensively. They can be very nice in an attack link,
  though. Putting Latona in the attack links of both Hermes and Elsa
  early on lets her move and attack, then link into the attacks of both
  those two pilots. Thus, she can be active in three linked firefights
  even early on, something the other members of the squad can't do. When
  you get more AP later on, linking gunners becomes more and more useful/
  necessary. Another thing which helps with this is the <AP Plus> skill.
  Any pilot involved in the firefight (i.e., even if they're out of range
  or ammo) who has <AP Plus II> equipped will reduce the AP cost of all
  attacks by friendlies by 1. Thus, if all four linked wanzers have it,
  all attacks take 4 less AP than they would have otherwise (minimum of
  0). MGs and SGs will fire for free, as will MLs. BZs and RFs will fire
  for 2. You can also include <AP Plus I>, which takes off a further
  AP, but only if the wanzer who has it equipped is one of the link
  lynchpins: i.e., the attacker or the target. Links with RFs and BZs
  can be very effective once you have enough AP or <AP Plus> to allow for
  lots of firing, because their range makes it extremely easy to involve
  them in firefights (they can typically hit a larger number of units
  from any given square). Be careful, though, because these weapons can
  run out of ammo fast, and if they're always firing they surely will.
  Later in the game, MGs and SGs will also have highly limited ammo, so
  spreading links out amongst your party is often a good idea. Another
  thing to do is to set any two-gun wanzers to attack-link with one
  weapon and defense-link with the other. This evens out their ammo use.
  (See below about setting link actions.)

   A: Yes, you can. Remember that when you attack you decide what the
  attacking wanzer will do by selecting (with square) which weapon to
  fire, etc. When a linked wanzer acts, what it does is automatic, but
  you can determine ahead of time what that action will be. In the
  link setup screen, select "set support action". Here, you will be
  given two choices: one for attack links and one for defense links.
  What you set here determines what your wanzer does when supporting
  an ally's attack or when coming to the aid of a targeted ally. You
  can set any MG, SG, BZ, RF, or ML that the wanzer has equipped, and
  they will function just as if you had fired the weapon yourself.
  Thus, if you set Elsa to SG for attack support and MG for defense
  support, she will fire her SG when she is included in an ally's
  attack links, has enough ammo, has enough AP, and is in range of
  the ally's target; she will fire her MG when she can at anyone in
  range who attacks an ally that has her included in its defensive
  links. Setting different weapons to different support actions helps
  to spread out ammo use for a two-gun wanzer. It also allows for a
  SG/ML wanzer like Darril to use ML for attack (see above for why
  that's nice) and SG for defense. It is often a good idea to put
  longer range weapons in defense links, because you have less control
  over who is where when it's the enemy who's moving. Later, you will
  also be able to put backpacks into support action slots, just like
  weapons. Actually, you can always put them there, but early on this
  won't do anything, because your packs will have no support functions.
  Later, EMP packs will have anti-missile capabilities, which will
  protect any unit in range (and who is linked the EMP unit's backpack
  defensively) from missile attacks (up to ten times). You will also
  be able to set radio packs to salvage destroyed allies. Missile
  anti-lock is very nice, salvage much less so.

Q20: What do character levels do?
   A: Levels effect two things only: accuracy and evasion. If unit A is
  a higher level than unit B, it gains an accuracy bonus when attacking
  unit B, and an evasion bonus when unit B attacks it. Rumors that level
  also increases the chances of activating skills have not been sub-
  stantiated, and the game gives no overt indication that this is so.
  Keeping your levels above those of the enemy is advisable, but hardly
  necessary, as the advantage is small. It is unclear whether greater
  differences in level mean greater advantages, and if so how much.

Q21: What is the maximum level I can get?
   A: 30.

Q22: How do I gain levels?
   A: You gain levels by gaining experience. A unit will gain experience
  whenever an enemy unit is destroyed and whose destruction your unit
  took part in. If your unit ever attacked it, was offensively linked to
  a unit that attacked it, defensively linked to a unit that was
  attacked by it, or even if your unit healed damage done by that unit,
  you will gain exp when it is destroyed. The amount gained (I think)
  is based on how good the enemy is and where your team is in the
  storyline. Thus, the further you go, the less exp you'll gain in a
  given sim (though the decrease may stop at a certain point, for you
  can still get significant exp by soloing D2 and U1 even very late in
  the game and with very high-level characters. Your radio man will
  quite easily hit the level 30 cap if you visit the sims often.

Q23: What's the fastest way to gain money?
   A: Sim battles that can be completed quickly and result in good money
  are the best way to do this. D2 is very good for Durandal, especially
  after you get the radio pack. D8 and D4 are also good. U1 is very,
  very fast if you have the minotaur arms. U11 is good as well. See my
  Bare Bones FAQ for info on the money received from each sim. Determine
  how easy they are to beat quickly and use that to determine which
  sims you want to fight.

Q24: What's the fastest way to gain EP?
   A: The skill <EP Plus> helps a lot, if you need a character to gain
  EP fast. Soloing sims is another good way to get one character a lot
  of EP. D2 with a radio (you can slap a radio on anybody for a while
  and do this, then slap it back on Beck or whoever) is excellent for
  this. U8 is very good, as it is easy and quick. U1 with a minotaur
  will also work well.

Q25: What's the fastest way to gain exp.?
   A: See Q2 above. Generally, if you're gaining a bunch of EP, you're
  gaining a bunch of exp. Radios and Minotaurs are great ways to do

   A: For strategies on specific battles, check the FAQ/Walkthroughs.
  You can also ask for advice on the gamefaqs.com message board. There
  are many helpful contributors there.

TOPIC 8 - WHERE IS ______?
   A: The wanzer shop isn't available right away. It will open up later.
  It's hard to miss, as it will become an option on the main menu, just
  like "Talk" and "Pilot Setup". The first shop for Durandal is available
  just before Mission 05 - Polish Resource Base. The first shop for the
  UCS 332nd is available just after Mission 08 - Port Cumana. See my Bare
  Bones FAQ.

Q28: Where is the Computer Shop?
   A: Like the wanzer shop, the computer shop is not available early.
  It will also become an option from the main menu. The first comp. shops
  are: for UCS, just after Mission 10 - Rural Village, and for Durandal,
  just before Mission 11 - Wassau. See my Bare Bones FAQ.

Q29: Where is the old equipment? Can I still get parts sold in previous
   A: Yes, but you have to go to the "Simulator" and then pick "Online
  Shop" from the menu there. All previous equipment is available here
  except Durandal shop 3, which is only available for a brief time in
  Port Nicolaev. See my Bare Bones FAQ.

Q30: Where is Sim battle ____?
   A: Each sim battle has to be unlocked. Durandal sims D1-D8 and UCS
  sims U1-U7 are unlocked by completing a battle in the story. Sims
  D9-D14 and U8-U14 must be unlocked by meeting some special criteria.
  Through the 12th sims for each side, there are two ways to open each
  sim, one that can be accomplished in a story battle, and one in the
  simulator. Check my Bare Bones FAQ for what these criteria are in
  each case. For sims D13, D14, U13, and U14, there are almost
  certainly more criteria than those given in my FAQ. This is because
  the exact criteria have not been determined. Most likely these also
  include meeting all the criteria for opening the "special" sims
  (8/9-12). That is, meet the storyline criteria AND the sim criteria.
  D14 appears to require that you meet at least two separate criteria.
  The first involves D13, so you will have to open that first. The 
  second involves mission 27 (kill the AA wanzers by turn 8). Unlike
  D9-D12, where meeting EITHER of the two criteria listed will open
  the sim, D14 requires you to meet BOTH. D13, U13 and U14 may also
  have additional criteria, but they have not be positively identified
  as of yet.

Q31: What's the best way to use _Pilot Name_?
   A: Again, this FAQ is not intended as a means of suggesting strategy,
  just as a way of helping you to form your own. Here are some things to
  take into account as you proceed. As outlined above, each character
  has a set of skills they need only EP to obtain. Other skills must be
  bought in the computer shop, and are often unavailable until late in
  the game. Thus, any time you want to change one pilot from his/her
  "normal" role, that pilot will always fail to be perfectly suited to
  their new role until late in the game. A good example of this is the
  weapon ratings. Latona, e.g., gets only ML weapon ratings naturally.
  Other weapon proficiencies she must get from the computer shop. Making
  her a RF wanzer prior to the third shop means she cannot have a rating
  of 3 in RF. You may still find a rating 2 RF of more value than a
  rating 3 ML, however, depending on your style. Also, typically, a
  pilot's skills will not be suited to other weapons, so switching their
  role means either buying a ton of new skills or doing without, thus
  reducing effectiveness. The call is yours.

   A: All packs have their uses, but depending on how you play you may
  not find a need for them all. Don't sell any of them short, but don't
  stick with something that's clearly no help to you just because it's
  in the game. Sometimes, however, packs become either more or less
  useful as the game goes on, so you may get rid of a pack that would
  prove to be a big help later on. (Naturally, you can dump the pack
  until that point, and then pick it up again.) EMP packs, for instance,
  gain missile anti-lock capabilities (See the Links topic above), which
  gives them a novel and very real value. The value of sensors will vary
  depending on the value you place on missiles, and your tendency/desire
  to separate your forces. There are battles in which sensors can be
  very useful. All can be useful sometimes, though. The key is to
  determine which is useful ENOUGH to make it worth lugging the thing
  around all the time.
   Example A: Latona's early 50% EMP may seem too unreliable, but you
  may like the following tactic. With Latona in Elsa's and Hermes'
  attack links, she'll get two free attacks on any wanzer she's next to,
  and he probably won't survive that. Plus, you have to move SOMEbody in
  first, and you don't want him/her to get clobbered. So, send Latona in
  first, have her EMP a guy she's NOT next to (thus avoiding counters),
  and then move Elsa and Hermes in to shower lead on the guy she IS next
  to. Now he's dead, and his friend is EMPed half the time. 
   Example B: Bosch has a sensor pack and you're in a battle with a
  bunch of allied missile wanzers that can't move far or survive well.
  Move him forward and they can chip in from range for a ton of free
  damage THAT CAN'T BE DODGED. Quite a way to take out some of those
  dodgy enemies.
   Advanced A: Do not underestimate the secondary abilities of the radio
  pack. Few disvalue the air strike, but don't forget the armor coating
  and supply features. Supply can save you late in the game, when your
  MGs have only 20 shots. Armor at a key moment can really soften the
  blow of a big foe you weren't prepared for.

Q33: How does all this power and weight stuff work?
   A: A wanzer has a power output, given by a numerical value. All parts
  and equipment have weight values, also given numerical values. The
  total weight of the wanzer cannot exceed its total power output. You
  can see these numbers listed in the wanzer setup and wanzer shop
  screens at the top right of the screen next to a bar, which represents
  the ratio of weight to power. As the bar fills up, this indicates that
  you have less power to spare. Power comes from two sources: the wanzer
  body and the backpack. Not all packs give additional power, but all
  bodies do. To find total power, add the outputs from these two sources.
  All parts, weapons, and packs have weight as well. Thus, since the body
  and pack have weights, the spare power you have left over for
  additional parts and weapons is less than the power output: it is equal
  to power output minus the weight of the body and the pack. Each part
  you add, each arm or set of legs, adds weight, reducing spare power.
  Likewise for weapons. When you swap parts (e.g. buy a new right arm),
  if the new part is heavier, you will reduce the spare power by the
  difference. Swapping a 40 wt. arm for a 20 wt. arm decreases your
  power surplus by 20, making it harder to put heavier parts/weapons
  elsewhere. If you do not have sufficient power to accommodate the
  heavier arm, you will not be allowed to equip it. Keep in mind that
  weapons can weigh a lot, so when buying parts you need to leave power
  for weapons as well. Typically, as parts get better, they get heavier.
  Likewise for weapons. Fortunately, as bodies get better they provide
  more spare power. Packs can weigh a lot too, and do not always add
  power to make up for it. Sensors, repair packs, and EMPs are usually
  very heavy with no power output, so you'll need a body with LOTS of
  spare power to hold it in addition to arms, legs, and weapons. Bodies
  with lots of spare power generally have less evasion, and sometimes
  major penalties that prevent dodging at all! For this reason, Hermes
  and Zead early on are generally unable to dodge much, Hermes because
  of his heavy repair pack, Zead because of his heavy missiles. Latona
  can remain dodgy, despite her heavy EMP pack, but only because her
  arms and weapons can be extremely light (remember that ML and MS
  weapons are unaffected by arm acc). She will still suffer in the
  damage department, though. (See the damage topic above).
   Example: Hermes is in shop Durandal 1. He's in his original Giza
  wanzer. The Giza's body has a weight of 75 and a power output of 320,
  leaving 245 power to spare. The arms weigh 30 each, leaving 185. The
  legs weigh 40, leaving 145. His repair pack weighs 100, leaving just
  45, and his Raptor MG weighs 32, leaving a mere 13 spare power. Thus,
  with this setup, the display at the top right of the screen will read
  307/320, with the bar almost entirely filled. The only other legs he
  will be able to equip now will be the Valiant F and Wildgoat legs,
  because his current legs weigh 40 and the next heaviest weigh 60, so
  all he can change to are the lighter ones... but, unfortunately,
  both of these would be a big step down. He can switch both arms to
  Zenith, though, because they weigh 32, only 2 more each than those of
  the Giza, leaving him with 9 spare power. However, he only needs good
  accuracy for his gun arm, so he should only switch one. That leaves
  11 power. Oh no! The best MG weighs 20 more than his current one. 
  Should he settle for the middle gun? But wait! His off arm doesn't
  need acc AT ALL. Swap that for a Wildgoat (weight = 16), and he'll 
  have enough for the new gun arm and the best MG (11 + 16 - 20 = 7).
  So he's got a good MG with a +10% acc. arm. Not bad. Better still,
  though, if he changes his body to a Stork, he'll have 260 power to
  play with from the beginning, instead of the 245 from the Giza.
  That's an increase of 15, for a total of 22! He can improve his legs
  with that! (Note: this is not a suggested build. I do something much
  different with Hermes. This is just for illustration).
   Note: Items (like repair 200, or missile reloads) do not weigh
  anything. They only take up space in the repair pack. Each pack has
  a number of item spaces, and each item takes up a certain number of
  these. Item packs have the most space, but power packs have some too,
  and some special packs you can get later have item space as well
  (e.g., a certain repair pack you can get in the simulator).

   A: I'm not going to build your wanzers for you. Half of the game
  lies in how you outfit your wanzers and pilots. Here are some things
  to keep in mind. First of all, you can find lists of the shop sets
  in my Wanzer Shop FAQ, where all the parts, packs, and weapons are
  listed in what I think is a helpful manner. Wanzers with heavier
  loads (e.g., missleers, grenadiers, mechanics, EMPs, etc.) may have
  to sacrifice evasion in order to get the weight needed to carry all
  their stuff. The bodies with the most spare power usually have huge
  evasion penalties, and no matter what legs you have you won't be
  dodging. If you have to use one, make sure your other parts have
  high HP, or keep your wanzer out of battle. Sacrifice symmetry when
  you need to. Don't make both arms the same if it's not the best
  setup. Often you'll have only one gun (e.g. RF wanzers or MG wanzers
  with repair packs). If so, make the off arm light and high HP. Make
  gun arms as accurate as possible, but keep in mind that missiles,
  grenades, rockets, and melee weapons don't benefit or suffer from
  arm accuracy modifiers, so you can use lighter, less accurate arms
  there. Movement is important for just about everybody, but evasion
  isn't always too critical. Keep in mind what you'll be doing with
  the wanzer in question when determining which is most important.
  Don't forget about power packs if you're just shy of being able to
  accommodate a part you want. Power packs in this game can even carry
  a few items in there, so missleers can carry reloads and get some
  extra power for mobility too. Fit your wanzer to the pilot and the
  role they're gonna be playing in your force. I usually buy by
  weapons first (though sometimes I'm forced to buy a body first to
  get the extra power I need), then build the rest of the wanzer
  around that, maximizing whatever I need maximized (e.g. acc, ev,
  HP, movement, etc.).

   A: In the "wanzer setup" screen, pick "Set Armor". What armor is
  best depends on what the next battle will be like. You can guess,
  or check a faq like my Bare Bones FAQ or one of the walkthroughs.

Q36: Does the color of a wanzer effect anything?
   A: Just how funky fresh you look. Pick whatever you think looks
  good and bask in the light of your aesthetic sensibilities. Camo
  in the jungle won't make you any harder to hit.

   A: The orange color indicates that your team owns at least one of
  that particular piece of equipment. Any time you have a part (or
  weapon) either equipped or in your stock inventory, that item will
  be listed in orange font whenever it is available in the shop you're
  perusing. There will also be a number at the bottom right of the
  shop screen: "Team Surplus". Whenever a piece of equipment in the
  shop is highlighted, if you have any of that type in your stock, the
  number will be displayed here. This is to let you know you have a
  spare before you shell out money for a new one. Keep an eye on it.

   A: Many of the items you get from conversations require several
  conversations throughout the game. You must carry out ALL of them
  before you actually receive the item in question. See my Bare
  Bones FAQ for info on when you should talk to someone, and when
  you can expect to get an item out of it.

Q39: How do I get the ______?
   A: There are two ways to get special items in FM4. Some you can
  get via conversation (see Q38 above) between battles. Some you
  get in the simulator. There are special simulator battles that
  must be unlocked by meeting certain criteria (see Q30 above).
  Check out my Bare Bones FAQ for info on what you can get from the
  sims and how to open the sims in the first place.

Legal: This FAQ is for distribution through gamefaqs.com
only, and is intended solely for the assistance of the
Front Mission 4 player as he is playing Front Mission 4.
No part of this FAQ may be reproduced, used, or cited for
any other reason, for profit or otherwise without written
permission from the author.
Contact Information: For advice, comments, or questions,
you may contact me at holopanien<at>juno.com. Info on
mistakes, gaps or other errors will be greatly
Special Thanks is due to the many participants on the
gamefaqs.com FM4 message board. Data collection, analysis,
and theory-building has been greatly facilitated by many
of these insightful, courteous people.

Copyright 2004 Ben Fiedor