I cut the chapter on Human-Plus from this video for several reasons: It wasn’t flowing in the script, it was becoming long, I began wondering why I needed to remind vets of H+ and also, what would that information really add for newcomers? Not enough for the focus of this video, I concluded. Maybe I was wrong, maybe not. So I thought I’d provide the script for it here! A SHORT STORY: HUMAN-PLUS IN ARMORED CORE 1/MOA You begin centuries after an event called the great destruction; a cataclysmic event that forced the human race underground for shelter. You play as a raven, an independent merc, and take on contracts from cooporations vying for power. You fail, over and over, only to be reborn as a human plus, with your character renamed to a series of numbers. You see, a version of this human augmentation has been present in Armored Core since its very beginning, where it was called Human Plus in the english version. In the japanese version, this term “kyouka ningen” was what they used for human plus back then, and it just so happens to be exactly what they chose again for the japanese version of AC6. Moving on. You awaken, reborn with your name and history erased, a new secret ability (which compound with each resurrection,) and the game restarted. Now, let's pause on this for a moment, and wonder... Why in the world would someone do this to you, and then just release you like a wild animal? Hmm... Eventually, you persevere. And after all the dominoes fall, you discover that the coorporations were also pawns themselves, of all things... an artificial intelligence. An A.I. that, in fact, shares the very same abilities endowed in you through all of the surgical proceedures done to turn the wheel of fate one more time, until it finally broke. The reason for your release from the operating table becomes clear. You come to find, that the AI's purpose was to keep civilization in endless conflict to stifle humanity’s growth and destructive potential-potential for creating another extinction level event, just like that of the original great destruction, where it all began.
A very nice and detailed breakdown of what the trailers showed. From what I seen from the interview there will be multiple endings and diverging paths. Maybe we will get cameo fights like from Another Age.
As I've said many times when speaking on Armored Core, among other things: "Hold my beer" Often when we find ourselves at an impasse, faced with two options which both seem equally true with some attempt of the person expressing these ideas to appeal to some false middle the truth is that we're actually asking the wrong question. Instead of evaluating whether or not determinism or free will are things in opposition to one another as objects derived from dialectic exploration, I think it is better to break down the definitions of things like determinism and free will as if they are two end-points of two independent convergent evolutionary paths of thought. In this case, we can rule determinism as either not existing due to entropy or that entropy itself is a so far insurmountable order of complexity that appears random to human perceptions and the abstractions upon which humans construct their understanding of the world. We will call this Path, Path A -- a world based in measurements, deltas and calculations (which is accurate, but sacrifices speed and comprehensiiblity) In the case of free will, ideas of this are based in a refusal to accept any opposition -- that if the options are to consider free will vs no free will, that there is a wager not too different from Pascal's: the tradeoff of autonomy, or non-autonomy. The worst result is we believe ourselves to have autonomy when we do not which is to be deluded, or that we believe ourselves to not have autonomy when we do which is to not have enough faith, which is why I say this concept is based in faith: Path B -- a world based in names, categories and inferrences (which is fast, but sacrifices accuracy) Now both of these competing ideas which form the basis of modern schools of evaluating the world refuse to acknowledge that they are constructions: Things which are made by or emerge from humans and therefor we are assuming the constructions themselves are flawless despite the massive piles of cognitive biases revealing they aren't. In this way, it is deeply tempting to say either A or B is true, since either or always assume even in Path A, that even if humans are emergent properties of systems that the mechanisms used to analyse the systems themselves therefor must be foolproof enough to make that observation to begin with. What we actually learn is both mathematics and logic are fundamentally broken, with Godel's incompleteness which shows no logical system can validate its own existence without breaking itself -- and things like BanachTarski cloning, which reveal the irreconcilable problems between quantifications in abstractions and amounts as they happen in ground truth reality which humans themselves cannot perceive. The assumption in both cases, is to try and prove four things: Cognizance, consciousness, sentience, and sapience. They are all seemingly necessitated as important by the human survival instinct. These things can seemingly exist independent in limited quantities even outside of human beings but what we learn when we evaluate them up close is they aren't actually real and that what we call the concept of a self is a thing which emerges from language and the need to differentiate ourselves from others. That when we are imagining and simulating mental outcomes of the future, or conversations or trades, we need a frame of reference. In turn, mathematics and physics also depends on a frame of reference, but no such thing actually exists in ground truth. Its an abstraction. We made the whole thing up, to reduce the scope of complexity of what we were dealing with. A similar pattern exists in human behaviour: Religion. Religious thinking emerges as a way to control the scope of complexity while attempting to assign causation and a moral structure to one's actions under the assumption that without any such scope control human action would become exploitative, cruel and unimaginably horrifying which we learned wasn't true -- simply on the grounds that most humans tend to be able to imagine themselves in the positions of others -- usually by foregoing seeing attachments and evaluating emotions at a deeper more fundamental level: To recognize the fear and concern and worry in the hearts of others and that our goals are often identical even if our frame of reference or means are not. Religion was all about controlling scope, under the guise of giving people freedom from cruelty and harshness to set people free when really its purpose was to conceal the universe and I think our current human understanding of the world likewise also conceals the universe in so many of our fundamental assumptions about reality. Its only when we look at structures of thought and concept as things which are subject to the laws of information the same way the universe is and likewise that these things can be broken and changed that we realize even the concept of differentiating, measuring or classifying only exists inside humans and not within reality. Coming back to stories like Armored Core, the question with Human+ and other posthuman ideas is "was our humanity taken away?" The real question is "did it even exist to begin?" -- "did any human ever have humanity? Did cognizance, consciousness, sentience and sapience ever exist?" If they didn't, it cannot be taken from us. If they can't be taken from us, we can never be deprived of them. Likewise, like those circling the drain of fear of amorality, we can still love regardless of those things. That we can still form attachments. We can peer-bond. Feel the pain of those who are not us, and feel the need to help them and prevent harm. Just as soul can rebecome a quality which can exist in any object or song, or idea or memory, or even the land I think humanity too will go the same way. Humanity is wherever you find the urge to climb, and eventually, to soar. Hounds we may be, but as Ravens, we are all free. I'll see you across the rubicon.
@@osakanone Ok, I love all this, and it’s also too big for me to respond to all of it, haha. But I do see something: Before you jump to conclusions about determinism, it’s worth pointing out there exists established distinctions such as “soft” determinism, which overlaps with free will, and “hard” determinism, which does not. I obscured these from this video for the sake of brevity and the scope of the main subject. Determinism also doesn’t have anything directly to do with entropy, and if I’m reading in to that connection you’re making correctly, it shouldn’t be confused with fate.
Even though some the speculation didn’t end up as fact in AC6, this video is still fantastic. I’d never played an Ac game before this one, which I’ve now beaten on NG++ and am close to S ranking every mission, this video still really resonates with and I believe captures the themes of AC6 in a very true and philosophically sound perspective. I’m happy I stumbled upon this series and this video. Thank you for making something, that at least I find, meaningful and impactful!
well, for those that always wondered if this wasnt a damn bleak depiction of ac6's possible story, that we might not be the cool nice character... just remember the amount of destruction we caused in all the previous games, without even stopping to really think about it, like it or not, directly, indireclty, willing or unwilling, Ravens and the Raven's Nest, Raven's Ark and Nerve's Concord, are all Corporation funded. you breathe and live blood from everyone. AC4's manager agency is even more in your face that you're a corporate funded killing machine, we might be called "Lynxes" or "Links" as a fancy naming, but the people we respond to named the agency as "Collared" as in, obedient and docile to those that have you in the leash. in the end of Armored Core Last Raven, when you kill all the opposing Ravens, you destroy Alliance all of the corporations combined, Vertex, the Pulverizers, the technology that created them, The Final Pulverizer, all the loose ends are tied. and you're done, then the actual ending rolls, that scene, with you and your very own AC, staring into a sun-rise, into the horizon, i guess at that moment, for the first time, your character could breath, the purest and strongest inhale of air your character could have ever done in their life, and they wonder, just for a minute "am i finally, truly... free...?"
The last quote of the trailer really seems to hint that will be the premise of the story "Let's see how high you can fly on bowered wings" "Why hide behind another's callsign?"
this version of Once Upon a Time in The West that you have used for your video just matched too well, with your calm and serene narration... i cant help but return to listen to your work. i absolutely love armored core and what you just created makes me wish there were.. more? in depth media for armored core, like a short series of animated episodes or a movie, that goes deeper on the more complex facets of armored core, not just, the fights.
Watching this after nearly losing my job and facing up to five years in prison for petty crime… It hits home. The determinism hidden in the fact that I played this game most recently and desire nothing BUT freedom after a short stint in jail… Are our lives really our own? Are we not actually owned by the police and the law? They can take us away at will… We did not create certain laws ourselves. We are forever at the mercy of guns and badges… In the bondage of red tape… Slaves to the rules of people we’ve never even met. The Armored Core Corporations are just our jobs. Without their mercy and employment, we starve.
This is some of the best AC6 content I've seen yet. just watched both videos you have up and am overjoyed by your deep reasoning and insightful observations. SO glad to not see another "Armored Souls 6" video.
I just started Armored Core 1 yesterday and just got the message about the human plus project. Didn't expect to come across something this morbid into a mecha game but... Given it's cyberpunk roots i don't think i should be surprised. Great video
I think our relation to Walter is a desperate possibility - now that the game is out right in the start Walter mentions that "even a merc with fried brain can start a new life" with money we are about to make. We are survivors of "Human Plus" program making us mute and potentially have more brain damage like paralysis, stunted emotions etc. and we are controlled by Walter swinging reversing either side effects or total Human Plus procedure as reward for completing whatever is the ultimate mission we arrive to Rubikon to achieve.
READ BLOOD MERIDIAN Really though, it's a great book that embodies the themes you're talking about. Also, a key theme discuss in cyberpunk, as well as pretty much all fromsoft games, is the idea of living in an evil world, one that is completely hostile to human existence, of endless cycles of violence, one that is impossible to change or overcome. In truth, I believe that the cyberpunk genre is fundamentally Gnostic in outlook, that we live in a reality that seeks to undermine and destroy the human spirit, and the protagonists we see, are heroic in their struggle to resist this, even if it is ultimately futile. Cyberpunk for me, represents the Gnostic struggle to overcome the false reality of the Demiurge.
You done did it again! Somehow for a channel that only has two videos uploaded, you also happen to have two of my favorite videos on UA-cam about Armored Core-well played …and after visiting your channel, I come to find you’re a super talented tattooer as well?! As a tattoo enthusiast, this interests me greatly. I applaud you sir! Keep it up! 🤘
Your assessment is a nice exposition of what the trailer meant. The game trailer and the gameplay has a dozen hidden eggs. I enjoyed this video very much for its quality. Hound by the way, is never used in the Japanese version of the trailer, this is a Bandai localization team, they often "create" words to give the story a different meaning since the Japanese storytelling is often less descriptive. In the game, we are call sign "Raven" and our code name is a call back to "Hustler One" the original A.I. from Armored Core 1. 621 is 6+2+1 = 9, for Nineball, the original AC piloted by Hustler One. We are Human Enhanced in the game because of Human+, this is plot device used by the developer to tell a story of the origin the Muscle Tracer that evolved into the Muscle Cores, that eventually became the Armored Cores we know now. The lack of humanity of the pilot is derived from the fact that the pilot must make many morally questionable choices when choosing missions that range from killing civilians or saving them. We experience Armored Core now from the pilot's perspective, but from our own moral compass. We are not affiliated with any of the factions, we are most likely part of a Hustler One plot, as in every AC, a story between control by Artificial Intelligence and our own perception of freedom. See AC1 - AC2 and research the story of Leos Klein.
I knew there was a reason I added a whole section on AC1 and Human Plus… hahaha… But I cut it, because it was getting so long. I guess my whole comments section will be filled with people telling me I didn’t talking about Human Plus now.
I love this video, don't get me wrong. It's beautifully done and it never gets boring. Had to watch it twice to soak in all the cool bits. I'm betting it reaches 100K views for its awesomeness.
@@ArmoredCoreChannel I think at some point I asked myself why would I need to remind vets about Human Plus, and what would that information really add for newcomers? Not much, I concluded.
@@ArmoredCoreChannel By the way, great to see you’re still around! You have no idea who I am but I was a forum lurker back in the deep and dark days and pretty much knew everyone by alias, lol.
Not to mention Coral seems like analogous with Melange from Dune as I saw someone point out. Of which the director of the newest movie also made the new Blade Runner. Seems like maybe Fromsoftware has been doing some sci-if homework and I hope to see their storytelling evolve and flourish from their exposure to these ideas.
... welp as a Raven coming from armored core 3 trilogy, and seeing that armored core VI probably a continuation of the original universe, its depressing that ultimately the Alliances corporate conglomerate wins in the long run and Jack-00's Vertex thats an off shoot of the former glory of his Ravens ark days lost. Oh well im gonna name my pilot as Internecine and my AC the pulverizer series, making my story the alliance implated re-programmed internecine hardware on my pilot and that some of the old data of the internecine survived and now lives on the pilots thoughts. A machine struggling for its own freedom from the corporations that enslaved it and its host. Like wolfs story in MG:R
Wonderfully put. Insightful, thought provoking content like this is what not only the world but especially Armored core needs. This has been my favorite series since I was 4 years old and seeing great stuff like this getting put out more and more consistently just makes my day. Please, keep going, you’ve only made 2 videos and don’t even have 700 subscribers but the content you’ve produced is wonderful! You have my support all the way.
Im a very big sucker for symbolism (too stupid to appreciate deeper things without video essays to guide the enlightenment into my brain) and while it is kind of obvious, I feel like we should be taking note of anybody with monikers like "Mad Dog" "Wolf" "Crow" "Vulture" "Eagle". Particularly the "Mad Dog" one, I have a very strong feeling someone like that will appear, although who knows how plot relevant they will be. But I will have my suspicions when someone like that appears. I'm imagining that our character, 621 will probably not have a happy ending. Much like the later Bladerunner film with Ryan Gosling, I feel like we will end up either sacrificing our lives and attaining freedom in death, or accepting our chains and dying anyway.
The nice thing is also that we had gotten confirmation of multiple endings for the game, so this means while this is a possible outcome, it isn't the only one, if we want.
well remember in AC3 you had an email stating your "citizen ID" and how you passed the Raven exam, which becomes a call forward in Silent Line. and then in ACfA where you have the PC pretty much kill whats possibly 99% of the world who because of the events of AC4 it seemed normalized to have modified people with human plus to essentially pilot walking demon cores (Thanks Kojima) boosting at the speed of sound hounds can also be a reference to another from soft game chromehounds (basically their take on mechwarrior but plays on the building mechanics of Armored Core rather call them battlemechs they are called hounds) but that may or may not be the case which all ironically can also play into one of the core central themes in armored core refering to pilots as "animals" first as birds (ravens), next is a cat (LYNX a play on LINKS) now we have dogs....
Dude...how did you come up with this story line 2 months ago?..l just saw the new story trailer released a few days ago and what you said 2 months ago is 100% on point. Wow!!!
Thanks! I’ve so happy with the new trailer. Been waiting 26 years to see who/what was lying on that operating table, and it was worth waiting all 26 years.
It's amazing that you can make a 10 minute long video about something like this with such little information. I mean, one trailer or interview with From Software can derail this theisis pretty quickly, and I'm sure there already exists some countrpoints. But regardless of that, your video is very much impressive and reasonable, despite it all. Good job man.
Thanks! And yea, it’s all just for fun, and about more than just AC. It’s also not so much about the details of the plot as it is about the general arc. Hell, the player could start out as Raven themselves from the get-go and I’d still bet money it moves from subjugation masked as freedom to subjugation. I’d actually be disappointed if my guess was how the specifics of the story turned out. I’d rather be surprised.
I was very surprised to hear the radio voice actor sound almost exactly the same as from those games. Was hoping for some new talent (AC VO has always sounded "phoned in" to my ear) but I'll reserve judgement until I'm done with the game. It's unfair to make judgements from such short snippets, and anyways, they don't sound bad at all so far!
Thank you! I was looking forward to making another one too :). Wish I could have leaned in to finishing Labyrinths of Rubicon, but it felt illegitimate to cobble together what would have had to be such a huge amount of footage from other players playing the old games. I wanted to create my own footage, but I have only one job that pays the bills right now and these videos aren’t it yet!
@@b.e.wooten very understandable man, I've recently decided to try playing the older games too but as you said, it's rough finding the time. Regardless though, whenever the next vid comes out I don't doubt it'll be a banger!
1:03 correction: the term hound/dog is not used at all in the Japanese dub and is solely a translation liberty. In Japanese they just say “him” in a rude way.
The official documentation from FROMSOFT tells us that we are or become “C4-621, Raven.” This forces me to ask, what about the old AC ways of allowing us to type in our own pilot name?
I think the whole purpose of the game is asking you what you think about the dilema in question. It wants you to answer for yourself and decide what you believe in. Since AC allows you to choose what missions you take, I wouldn’t be surprised if the game gives you no answer at all, instead letting you go through the experience and reach your own conclusion. Are you really a raven? Or are you a dog? And when you find out what you think the answer is, what do you think about that? Is that subjugation preferable to the bleak hopelessness of freedom against an anti human universe that doesn’t care about you? Or is that freedom enough to keep you going? I would much prefer if the game wants you to think about it moreso than trying to answer that question for you. What you choose to believe is your reality, whether it’s predetermined, or chosen out of your own soul
Man I just wanted to watch cool AC footage and listen to some story speculation. Didn’t expect to end up rethinking my whole life. In all seriousness, thank you so much for making such quality content on a (until now) very niche series. Now I am even more hyped for experiencing Armored Core VI. Not just for the intriguing world and the awesome customization but for the themes and ideas expressed through them. Thanks again for this
@@b.e.wooten For real, you made the content from the trailer take on a whole new level of meaning for me. What initially seemed like just cool-sounding lines and scenes now form part of a greater whole in my mind thanks to you which I really appreciate. I didn’t think it was possible for me to be more hyped for this game but now I am even more excited to experience the game through this lens that you present. I know it’s all just speculation at this point but I wouldn’t put it past them to have this level of depth in the lore of the game. Keep up the good work!
I hope the game is as deep and well-written as this video implies. Given FromSoftware's storytelling, I wouldn't doubt it. The only part I have my doubts on are the feelings of hope, as that seems to almost always be missing from Armored Core. For the most part, they always seem to strip your humanity and morals away the further into the story you go. Your choices of missions become more limited as you either antagonize or destroy corporations and competition, often leaving you with only one course of action towards the end of the game that always seems to result in more bad things happening. Either way, I'm excited to see what's coming. Thank you for the excellent video!
Amazing video out of nowhere man, instantly subbed. Already deep subject here and it's around my favorite game series too. Thanks a lot for this one, AC6 is gonna be kino. You're a tatoo artist, that's amazing, also an artist too, so I'm looking forward to hearing your experience about that as well if you ever feel like it, especially considering the times we currently live in..
Thank you, and thanks for letting me know you’re interested in the art and design related content I’ve been planning on making! That’s very encouraging information. :)
Do I know what's going to happen? No, not really. However the last time An Old Raven tried fighting for freedom, He dropped Phobos unto Mars. Death to the King from The Answer starts playing.
The thumbnail has been bothering me since before this new video dropped. I'd rather just make a new video, but I just moved and don't have much time at all.
Wow...this is amazing. Although we have little information about the story you made a very convincing theory about it. I have theories of my own but if your's were to happen it would be mind blowing.
I'mnot sure that all AC merc pilots are 'hounds' I think maybe some mercs have more freedom while there the unlucky ones like 621 who get stuck with people like Walter. Who takes the lowest of the low. he seems to care little for his 'hounds' but the other AC pilots don't have this emotionless part to them. Then again you are augmented, it seems even coral might be involved. But I feel like armoured core in the short time I've been looking into has always had a sort 'Subjugation masked as freedom' idea to it. Many of the ravens in the past consider it freeing to work for themselves, to be powerful and sought after, not beholden to anyone.... but the very nature of their job requires them to take work from the very people they want to avoid. The corporations. Average people and even communities can't pay the high cost to hire a raven/merc. Refusing work isn't an option due to needing to show a willingness to work, and to pay bills for the very expensive AC. A sdingle failed mission could bankrupt you. So you don't even get the privilage of being picky with jobs unless more than one arrives and there's only time to do one.... but quite often it's just picking another brand of horrible for a evil company. Terrorize striking workers, or remove squatters who just happen to be in a place the company wants. Both can be bad, but you don't have the luxury to say no. At the end of the day for all the 'freedom' the ravens claimed to have, they are still slaves to the paychecks of the companies. Which also breed a total lack of morality cause you start to not care what the job is..... it pays, that's all that matters. You aren't even a morally grey protagonist anymore, you are morally irrisponsible. Sadly that thought process on the 'raven' bit is about you, your character has stolen a dead mercs license who's codename was raven. Clearly just a bit of a nod to the older fans. You are Raven, but you are also a hound.
I enjoy the hints at Godwyn. It seems to be a theme that many of the demi gods viewed the Golden Order under the Greater Will as nothing but freedom masked as subjugation.
I very recently commented on Absurd's "Dogs on a Leash" video, which I think inevitably broached subjects found here (YT didn't put this one on my feed until today. Bad YT! bad!). I think that the reason you're drawn to these comparisons with Blade Runner is because BR meets a very peculiar form of Japanese aesthetic (for lack of a better term) half away, and it does this by supercharging the feeling of structured, complexly hidden chaos and humanity's shattered sensibilities reflected on it, especially when attempting to raise what seems like a veil in front of it. What makes this "Japanese POV" so particular on top of this layer of an already odd vision of reality is the manner in which characters find a solution, and in no other place is this so reflected as in the conclusions of Evangelion and RahXephon (and similarly minded works), where the mecha concept, the cool robot who saves the world concept, is brought to its inevitable collapse when human experience is not masked by any layers of heroic pretension - on the contrary, a rather naked fragility, ready to splinter with any pressure, takes center stage. The crucial elements of technology, presumed from the get-go to empower human will, merely bridge a human being into the existential vortex otherwise unreachable but always present - the supposed solution is merely a reminder of the problem beneath our feet. The polar opposite of this, the affirmation that human worth is infinite, is found in stuff like Gurren Lagann, a rather fantastical answer to these aforementioned afflictions. The reason I bring this up is because I don't think AC works like this, which extends to AC6. It is much more Blade Runner than it is cool/super robot fiction (generally speaking). But I am rather curious about the paths we pilots might get to take in our AC6 explorations. We have interplanetary catastrophe, an extraordinary substance, oppressive corporations and freedom fighters (at least we know there's a Rubicon Liberation Front). So I'm rather curious what AC6 is doing with this "man on a robot" paradigm. Both from the perspective of previous AC games and the more recent overarching elements of Souls narrative. Anyway, these videos are *it* relative to AC. I hope this is a resurgence of these themes and this way of confronting reality.
Thanks for this. It made me think about my own life. And I have thought about free will and determinism quite a bit. I think on a material level I’m only a character. But that there’s a larger me who authored my story before the accord. But it’s only speculation. I believe it’s meant to be a mystery. Keeps it interesting.
As an augmented human you probably went through ACVI's equivalent of human plus, good news, you have a better control over your AC, bad news the human plus program makes you more in common with your AC than a human.
while I dont agree with your take of the player not being Raven, I can see how you got to that conclusion. I wish YT would let me give you more than 1 like. Well done sir. Btw do you have PHD is philosophy? because it certainly sounds like it.
No PHD here. I’m a normal guy who was existentially lost in youth and sought answers to these questions ten-fifteen years ago, so I’ve had some time to tie these ideas into my favorite video games, lol.
Man the last track that you use sounds like a sythwave version of Detach from the soundtrack of Interstellar. Can you post that track in the comments or can someone else please?
@@b.e.wooten I've got a premise for a video you could possibly do. Explore the relationship between the player, the perspective (1st and 3rd person), the controls (1st and 3rd), and the game avatar. I noticed a switch from 1st person controls to 3rd person controls in the AC6 gameplay demo. I think this has impact on the player's emotional response. There's something interesting to explore or research here. For instance, a 3rd person view is a disconnect from the avatar. We're now a spectator. But with 1st person controls we're more directly involved and personally invested. The avatar still feels like "us" or at least we are the ghost in the machine. Change the controls to 3rd person with a free camera and we're now a companion or viewer. We can see things the avatar may not have in their line of site. The controls now become a narrative tool. Examples of this effect are in games like The Last of Us. The game has us "playing a character" yet our emotional response to that character dying isn't a mourning of our own demise. It's empathetic. The player and the avatar are disconnected. When they give us a different avatar character we have our own emotional response to them even though we're in control of them and they are "us". We subconsciously view them as separate. Another example of high emotional investment is in basically all competitive FPS games. When the avatar dies, you don't feel empathy. You take it personally. Your perspective and control is all 1st person. Psychologically the avatar is you. In previous Armored Core games, the combination of 1st person controls and 3rd person perspective served a purpose. You were the pilot. You felt like you had total control (even if the actual controls were wonky). The 3rd person visual perspective gave you a sense of power and spatial awareness that 1st person would have lacked. Which brings me to the change to 3rd person for AC6. I believe the switch served two possible purposes, it was a development decision based on accessibility to their largest audience but also to serve in a narrative function. The story you've laid out as a possible narrative would have us feel empathy for the avatar, a slave to his handler, not fully in control. We empathize with the avatar rather than pity our selves when the narrative perspective changes, whether it's visually or in the way we control the avatar. Anyway, just wanted to share my thoughts on it and maybe you'll find it interesting. Looking forward to seeing your next video, your production quality is top tier. Edit: one more thing, "Crossing the Rubicon" is an idiom meaning a point of no return. Julius Caesar uttered "the die is cast" upon crossing the Rubicon river with an army, cementing his treason, insurrection and declaration of war. The game title is more than likely an allusion to that.
The 15 year investment into the AC community and teaching the nuisances of 4th gen has me questioning my following to play(ac6). With an inevitable internal war between older FS AC fans and new FS fans(dark souls types) there will be blood. The collision is coming will you survive?
I just like to think that bro got into way too much debt until the guild he worked got tired of his shit and just sold him to some company for a pseudo human plus experiment, AC1 style i think its funny
I cut the chapter on Human-Plus from this video for several reasons: It wasn’t flowing in the script, it was becoming long, I began wondering why I needed to remind vets of H+ and also, what would that information really add for newcomers? Not enough for the focus of this video, I concluded. Maybe I was wrong, maybe not. So I thought I’d provide the script for it here!
A SHORT STORY: HUMAN-PLUS IN ARMORED CORE 1/MOA
You begin centuries after an event called the great destruction; a cataclysmic event that forced the human race underground for shelter. You play as a raven, an independent merc, and take on contracts from cooporations vying for power. You fail, over and over, only to be reborn as a human plus, with your character renamed to a series of numbers.
You see, a version of this human augmentation has been present in Armored Core since its very beginning, where it was called Human Plus in the english version. In the japanese version, this term “kyouka ningen” was what they used for human plus back then, and it just so happens to be exactly what they chose again for the japanese version of AC6. Moving on.
You awaken, reborn with your name and history erased, a new secret ability (which compound with each resurrection,) and the game restarted. Now, let's pause on this for a moment, and wonder... Why in the world would someone do this to you, and then just release you like a wild animal? Hmm...
Eventually, you persevere. And after all the dominoes fall, you discover that the coorporations were also pawns themselves, of all things... an artificial intelligence. An A.I. that, in fact, shares the very same abilities endowed in you through all of the surgical proceedures done to turn the wheel of fate one more time, until it finally broke.
The reason for your release from the operating table becomes clear. You come to find, that the AI's purpose was to keep civilization in endless conflict to stifle humanity’s growth and destructive potential-potential for creating another extinction level event, just like that of the original great destruction, where it all began.
This is awesome. Thanks for the detailed description.
A very nice and detailed breakdown of what the trailers showed. From what I seen from the interview there will be multiple endings and diverging paths. Maybe we will get cameo fights like from Another Age.
@@Mobius-ow7id or itll be as BS as Last Raven which had that mechanic
As I've said many times when speaking on Armored Core, among other things: "Hold my beer"
Often when we find ourselves at an impasse, faced with two options which both seem equally true with some attempt of the person expressing these ideas to appeal to some false middle the truth is that we're actually asking the wrong question.
Instead of evaluating whether or not determinism or free will are things in opposition to one another as objects derived from dialectic exploration, I think it is better to break down the definitions of things like determinism and free will as if they are two end-points of two independent convergent evolutionary paths of thought.
In this case, we can rule determinism as either not existing due to entropy or that entropy itself is a so far insurmountable order of complexity that appears random to human perceptions and the abstractions upon which humans construct their understanding of the world. We will call this Path, Path A -- a world based in measurements, deltas and calculations (which is accurate, but sacrifices speed and comprehensiiblity)
In the case of free will, ideas of this are based in a refusal to accept any opposition -- that if the options are to consider free will vs no free will, that there is a wager not too different from Pascal's: the tradeoff of autonomy, or non-autonomy. The worst result is we believe ourselves to have autonomy when we do not which is to be deluded, or that we believe ourselves to not have autonomy when we do which is to not have enough faith, which is why I say this concept is based in faith: Path B -- a world based in names, categories and inferrences (which is fast, but sacrifices accuracy)
Now both of these competing ideas which form the basis of modern schools of evaluating the world refuse to acknowledge that they are constructions: Things which are made by or emerge from humans and therefor we are assuming the constructions themselves are flawless despite the massive piles of cognitive biases revealing they aren't.
In this way, it is deeply tempting to say either A or B is true, since either or always assume even in Path A, that even if humans are emergent properties of systems that the mechanisms used to analyse the systems themselves therefor must be foolproof enough to make that observation to begin with.
What we actually learn is both mathematics and logic are fundamentally broken, with Godel's incompleteness which shows no logical system can validate its own existence without breaking itself -- and things like BanachTarski cloning, which reveal the irreconcilable problems between quantifications in abstractions and amounts as they happen in ground truth reality which humans themselves cannot perceive.
The assumption in both cases, is to try and prove four things: Cognizance, consciousness, sentience, and sapience. They are all seemingly necessitated as important by the human survival instinct. These things can seemingly exist independent in limited quantities even outside of human beings but what we learn when we evaluate them up close is they aren't actually real and that what we call the concept of a self is a thing which emerges from language and the need to differentiate ourselves from others. That when we are imagining and simulating mental outcomes of the future, or conversations or trades, we need a frame of reference.
In turn, mathematics and physics also depends on a frame of reference, but no such thing actually exists in ground truth. Its an abstraction. We made the whole thing up, to reduce the scope of complexity of what we were dealing with.
A similar pattern exists in human behaviour: Religion. Religious thinking emerges as a way to control the scope of complexity while attempting to assign causation and a moral structure to one's actions under the assumption that without any such scope control human action would become exploitative, cruel and unimaginably horrifying which we learned wasn't true -- simply on the grounds that most humans tend to be able to imagine themselves in the positions of others -- usually by foregoing seeing attachments and evaluating emotions at a deeper more fundamental level: To recognize the fear and concern and worry in the hearts of others and that our goals are often identical even if our frame of reference or means are not. Religion was all about controlling scope, under the guise of giving people freedom from cruelty and harshness to set people free when really its purpose was to conceal the universe and I think our current human understanding of the world likewise also conceals the universe in so many of our fundamental assumptions about reality.
Its only when we look at structures of thought and concept as things which are subject to the laws of information the same way the universe is and likewise that these things can be broken and changed that we realize even the concept of differentiating, measuring or classifying only exists inside humans and not within reality.
Coming back to stories like Armored Core, the question with Human+ and other posthuman ideas is "was our humanity taken away?"
The real question is "did it even exist to begin?" -- "did any human ever have humanity? Did cognizance, consciousness, sentience and sapience ever exist?"
If they didn't, it cannot be taken from us.
If they can't be taken from us, we can never be deprived of them.
Likewise, like those circling the drain of fear of amorality, we can still love regardless of those things. That we can still form attachments. We can peer-bond. Feel the pain of those who are not us, and feel the need to help them and prevent harm.
Just as soul can rebecome a quality which can exist in any object or song, or idea or memory, or even the land I think humanity too will go the same way.
Humanity is wherever you find the urge to climb, and eventually, to soar.
Hounds we may be, but as Ravens, we are all free.
I'll see you across the rubicon.
@@osakanone Ok, I love all this, and it’s also too big for me to respond to all of it, haha. But I do see something: Before you jump to conclusions about determinism, it’s worth pointing out there exists established distinctions such as “soft” determinism, which overlaps with free will, and “hard” determinism, which does not. I obscured these from this video for the sake of brevity and the scope of the main subject. Determinism also doesn’t have anything directly to do with entropy, and if I’m reading in to that connection you’re making correctly, it shouldn’t be confused with fate.
This is some actual top tier armored core content man
Tru
This is just some top tier content
Even though some the speculation didn’t end up as fact in AC6, this video is still fantastic. I’d never played an Ac game before this one, which I’ve now beaten on NG++ and am close to S ranking every mission, this video still really resonates with and I believe captures the themes of AC6 in a very true and philosophically sound perspective. I’m happy I stumbled upon this series and this video. Thank you for making something, that at least I find, meaningful and impactful!
well, for those that always wondered if this wasnt a damn bleak depiction of ac6's possible story, that we might not be the cool nice character... just remember the amount of destruction we caused in all the previous games, without even stopping to really think about it, like it or not, directly, indireclty, willing or unwilling, Ravens and the Raven's Nest, Raven's Ark and Nerve's Concord, are all Corporation funded. you breathe and live blood from everyone.
AC4's manager agency is even more in your face that you're a corporate funded killing machine, we might be called "Lynxes" or "Links" as a fancy naming, but the people we respond to named the agency as "Collared" as in, obedient and docile to those that have you in the leash.
in the end of Armored Core Last Raven, when you kill all the opposing Ravens, you destroy Alliance all of the corporations combined, Vertex, the Pulverizers, the technology that created them, The Final Pulverizer, all the loose ends are tied. and you're done, then the actual ending rolls, that scene, with you and your very own AC, staring into a sun-rise, into the horizon, i guess at that moment, for the first time, your character could breath, the purest and strongest inhale of air your character could have ever done in their life, and they wonder, just for a minute "am i finally, truly... free...?"
These two videos are still so good, man. Hope you make more some day.
The last quote of the trailer really seems to hint that will be the premise of the story
"Let's see how high you can fly on bowered wings"
"Why hide behind another's callsign?"
Amazing, the way you present the information and how you make the viewer question its own existence. Greatly enjoyed the video.
Thank you! Wish I had time to make more.
this version of Once Upon a Time in The West that you have used for your video just matched too well, with your calm and serene narration... i cant help but return to listen to your work. i absolutely love armored core and what you just created makes me wish there were.. more? in depth media for armored core, like a short series of animated episodes or a movie, that goes deeper on the more complex facets of armored core, not just, the fights.
I also wish for this. Perhaps we’ll get there. In the mean time, I’ll here here doing what I can to stir that up. Maybe even make some fiction.
@@b.e.wooten You have a strong authorial voice. If you write, I'd like to read it.
@@b.e.wootenare you working on more armored core 6 content ?
Watching this after nearly losing my job and facing up to five years in prison for petty crime… It hits home. The determinism hidden in the fact that I played this game most recently and desire nothing BUT freedom after a short stint in jail… Are our lives really our own? Are we not actually owned by the police and the law? They can take us away at will… We did not create certain laws ourselves. We are forever at the mercy of guns and badges… In the bondage of red tape… Slaves to the rules of people we’ve never even met. The Armored Core Corporations are just our jobs. Without their mercy and employment, we starve.
This is some of the best AC6 content I've seen yet. just watched both videos you have up and am overjoyed by your deep reasoning and insightful observations. SO glad to not see another "Armored Souls 6" video.
Just making the AC content I wish to see in the world. Thank you!!
I just started Armored Core 1 yesterday and just got the message about the human plus project. Didn't expect to come across something this morbid into a mecha game but... Given it's cyberpunk roots i don't think i should be surprised. Great video
This is the best speculation I've heard on the game. This sort of progression could be incredible.
I think our relation to Walter is a desperate possibility - now that the game is out right in the start Walter mentions that "even a merc with fried brain can start a new life" with money we are about to make.
We are survivors of "Human Plus" program making us mute and potentially have more brain damage like paralysis, stunted emotions etc. and we are controlled by Walter swinging reversing either side effects or total Human Plus procedure as reward for completing whatever is the ultimate mission we arrive to Rubikon to achieve.
READ BLOOD MERIDIAN
Really though, it's a great book that embodies the themes you're talking about. Also, a key theme discuss in cyberpunk, as well as pretty much all fromsoft games, is the idea of living in an evil world, one that is completely hostile to human existence, of endless cycles of violence, one that is impossible to change or overcome. In truth, I believe that the cyberpunk genre is fundamentally Gnostic in outlook, that we live in a reality that seeks to undermine and destroy the human spirit, and the protagonists we see, are heroic in their struggle to resist this, even if it is ultimately futile. Cyberpunk for me, represents the Gnostic struggle to overcome the false reality of the Demiurge.
That’s the third time of hearing about that book. Looks like I’ll be reading it now!
another banger damn keep up the good work
after seeing the new story trailer, this video got me mind blowing
This video was amazing. Loved the editing, narrating, and the handling of subject matter.
Man, using Gyorgy ligeti's 'Requiem' when you started talking about determinism / causality. Great choice, that piece always gives me the chills.
I’m thrilled you noticed. :)
You done did it again!
Somehow for a channel that only has two videos uploaded, you also happen to have two of my favorite videos on UA-cam about Armored Core-well played
…and after visiting your channel, I come to find you’re a super talented tattooer as well?! As a tattoo enthusiast, this interests me greatly. I applaud you sir!
Keep it up! 🤘
Your assessment is a nice exposition of what the trailer meant. The game trailer and the gameplay has a dozen hidden eggs. I enjoyed this video very much for its quality. Hound by the way, is never used in the Japanese version of the trailer, this is a Bandai localization team, they often "create" words to give the story a different meaning since the Japanese storytelling is often less descriptive. In the game, we are call sign "Raven" and our code name is a call back to "Hustler One" the original A.I. from Armored Core 1. 621 is 6+2+1 = 9, for Nineball, the original AC piloted by Hustler One. We are Human Enhanced in the game because of Human+, this is plot device used by the developer to tell a story of the origin the Muscle Tracer that evolved into the Muscle Cores, that eventually became the Armored Cores we know now. The lack of humanity of the pilot is derived from the fact that the pilot must make many morally questionable choices when choosing missions that range from killing civilians or saving them. We experience Armored Core now from the pilot's perspective, but from our own moral compass. We are not affiliated with any of the factions, we are most likely part of a Hustler One plot, as in every AC, a story between control by Artificial Intelligence and our own perception of freedom. See AC1 - AC2 and research the story of Leos Klein.
I knew there was a reason I added a whole section on AC1 and Human Plus… hahaha… But I cut it, because it was getting so long. I guess my whole comments section will be filled with people telling me I didn’t talking about Human Plus now.
I love this video, don't get me wrong. It's beautifully done and it never gets boring. Had to watch it twice to soak in all the cool bits. I'm betting it reaches 100K views for its awesomeness.
@@ArmoredCoreChannel I think at some point I asked myself why would I need to remind vets about Human Plus, and what would that information really add for newcomers? Not much, I concluded.
@@b.e.wooten Only the purists. There aren't many left so you have nothing to worry about.
@@ArmoredCoreChannel By the way, great to see you’re still around! You have no idea who I am but I was a forum lurker back in the deep and dark days and pretty much knew everyone by alias, lol.
this is the only AC VI theory I like, great insights, great composition and direction, great speech
One of my favorite videos
I loved this video. This is something I'm going to show people when they ask me what Armored core is about.
Never heard of armored core until they announced 6. Ever since then I’ve been looking for content just like this, thank you
Not to mention Coral seems like analogous with Melange from Dune as I saw someone point out. Of which the director of the newest movie also made the new Blade Runner. Seems like maybe Fromsoftware has been doing some sci-if homework and I hope to see their storytelling evolve and flourish from their exposure to these ideas.
I hope you have time to make a video about the Coral residents on rubicon next
Awesome video Brad! August can't come soon enough.
Thanks Colin, hope you’re well!
... welp as a Raven coming from armored core 3 trilogy, and seeing that armored core VI probably a continuation of the original universe, its depressing that ultimately the Alliances corporate conglomerate wins in the long run and Jack-00's Vertex thats an off shoot of the former glory of his Ravens ark days lost.
Oh well im gonna name my pilot as Internecine and my AC the pulverizer series, making my story the alliance implated re-programmed internecine hardware on my pilot and that some of the old data of the internecine survived and now lives on the pilots thoughts. A machine struggling for its own freedom from the corporations that enslaved it and its host. Like wolfs story in MG:R
Wonderfully put. Insightful, thought provoking content like this is what not only the world but especially Armored core needs. This has been my favorite series since I was 4 years old and seeing great stuff like this getting put out more and more consistently just makes my day. Please, keep going, you’ve only made 2 videos and don’t even have 700 subscribers but the content you’ve produced is wonderful! You have my support all the way.
Im a very big sucker for symbolism (too stupid to appreciate deeper things without video essays to guide the enlightenment into my brain) and while it is kind of obvious, I feel like we should be taking note of anybody with monikers like "Mad Dog" "Wolf" "Crow" "Vulture" "Eagle". Particularly the "Mad Dog" one, I have a very strong feeling someone like that will appear, although who knows how plot relevant they will be. But I will have my suspicions when someone like that appears.
I'm imagining that our character, 621 will probably not have a happy ending. Much like the later Bladerunner film with Ryan Gosling, I feel like we will end up either sacrificing our lives and attaining freedom in death, or accepting our chains and dying anyway.
Sounds about right.
The nice thing is also that we had gotten confirmation of multiple endings for the game, so this means while this is a possible outcome, it isn't the only one, if we want.
well remember in AC3 you had an email stating your "citizen ID" and how you passed the Raven exam, which becomes a call forward in Silent Line.
and then in ACfA where you have the PC pretty much kill whats possibly 99% of the world who because of the events of AC4 it seemed normalized to have modified people with human plus to essentially pilot walking demon cores (Thanks Kojima) boosting at the speed of sound
hounds can also be a reference to another from soft game chromehounds (basically their take on mechwarrior but plays on the building mechanics of Armored Core rather call them battlemechs they are called hounds) but that may or may not be the case
which all ironically can also play into one of the core central themes in armored core refering to pilots as "animals" first as birds (ravens), next is a cat (LYNX a play on LINKS) now we have dogs....
Dude...how did you come up with this story line 2 months ago?..l just saw the new story trailer released a few days ago and what you said 2 months ago is 100% on point. Wow!!!
Thanks! I’ve so happy with the new trailer. Been waiting 26 years to see who/what was lying on that operating table, and it was worth waiting all 26 years.
this is interesting your narrative it's amazing as well keep up the good work
Thanks!
It's amazing that you can make a 10 minute long video about something like this with such little information. I mean, one trailer or interview with From Software can derail this theisis pretty quickly, and I'm sure there already exists some countrpoints.
But regardless of that, your video is very much impressive and reasonable, despite it all. Good job man.
Thanks! And yea, it’s all just for fun, and about more than just AC. It’s also not so much about the details of the plot as it is about the general arc. Hell, the player could start out as Raven themselves from the get-go and I’d still bet money it moves from subjugation masked as freedom to subjugation. I’d actually be disappointed if my guess was how the specifics of the story turned out. I’d rather be surprised.
Ayo brad my boi, plz tell me your cooking up so gold out of that story trailer hope your doing alright love your vids
I noticed the Female voice who says "watch out". Is Fiona from Armored Core For answer.
I was very surprised to hear the radio voice actor sound almost exactly the same as from those games. Was hoping for some new talent (AC VO has always sounded "phoned in" to my ear) but I'll reserve judgement until I'm done with the game. It's unfair to make judgements from such short snippets, and anyways, they don't sound bad at all so far!
Waiting for the next vid bro 😎
"6 minutes ago" I've been looking forward to this follow up so much. Keep the amazing content up man!
Thank you! I was looking forward to making another one too :). Wish I could have leaned in to finishing Labyrinths of Rubicon, but it felt illegitimate to cobble together what would have had to be such a huge amount of footage from other players playing the old games. I wanted to create my own footage, but I have only one job that pays the bills right now and these videos aren’t it yet!
@@b.e.wooten very understandable man, I've recently decided to try playing the older games too but as you said, it's rough finding the time.
Regardless though, whenever the next vid comes out I don't doubt it'll be a banger!
thank god i clicked on this video, its gold. keep it up.
It's no wonder you've garnered so many subs in so short a time. This is stellar!
Dude, holy shit this is good. Thank you for making this.
1:03 correction: the term hound/dog is not used at all in the Japanese dub and is solely a translation liberty. In Japanese they just say “him” in a rude way.
I never even considered we wouldnt have the codename Raven, but someone else would
The official documentation from FROMSOFT tells us that we are or become “C4-621, Raven.” This forces me to ask, what about the old AC ways of allowing us to type in our own pilot name?
I think the whole purpose of the game is asking you what you think about the dilema in question. It wants you to answer for yourself and decide what you believe in. Since AC allows you to choose what missions you take, I wouldn’t be surprised if the game gives you no answer at all, instead letting you go through the experience and reach your own conclusion. Are you really a raven? Or are you a dog? And when you find out what you think the answer is, what do you think about that? Is that subjugation preferable to the bleak hopelessness of freedom against an anti human universe that doesn’t care about you? Or is that freedom enough to keep you going? I would much prefer if the game wants you to think about it moreso than trying to answer that question for you. What you choose to believe is your reality, whether it’s predetermined, or chosen out of your own soul
Your commentary style, music and video selection is top notch!
Dude who are you?! This fucking video is great! Good job man.
Actually a really well put together video. Subbed, keep it up. I look forward to seeing more from you in the future.
Man I just wanted to watch cool AC footage and listen to some story speculation. Didn’t expect to end up rethinking my whole life.
In all seriousness, thank you so much for making such quality content on a (until now) very niche series. Now I am even more hyped for experiencing Armored Core VI. Not just for the intriguing world and the awesome customization but for the themes and ideas expressed through them. Thanks again for this
It means a lot to me that you were affected this way. Thank you.
@@b.e.wooten For real, you made the content from the trailer take on a whole new level of meaning for me. What initially seemed like just cool-sounding lines and scenes now form part of a greater whole in my mind thanks to you which I really appreciate. I didn’t think it was possible for me to be more hyped for this game but now I am even more excited to experience the game through this lens that you present. I know it’s all just speculation at this point but I wouldn’t put it past them to have this level of depth in the lore of the game. Keep up the good work!
Damn this is some top tier content. Very insightful and well articulated.
I hope the game is as deep and well-written as this video implies. Given FromSoftware's storytelling, I wouldn't doubt it. The only part I have my doubts on are the feelings of hope, as that seems to almost always be missing from Armored Core. For the most part, they always seem to strip your humanity and morals away the further into the story you go. Your choices of missions become more limited as you either antagonize or destroy corporations and competition, often leaving you with only one course of action towards the end of the game that always seems to result in more bad things happening.
Either way, I'm excited to see what's coming. Thank you for the excellent video!
Amazing video out of nowhere man, instantly subbed. Already deep subject here and it's around my favorite game series too. Thanks a lot for this one, AC6 is gonna be kino.
You're a tatoo artist, that's amazing, also an artist too, so I'm looking forward to hearing your experience about that as well if you ever feel like it, especially considering the times we currently live in..
Thank you, and thanks for letting me know you’re interested in the art and design related content I’ve been planning on making! That’s very encouraging information. :)
Do I know what's going to happen? No, not really.
However the last time An Old Raven tried fighting for freedom, He dropped Phobos unto Mars.
Death to the King from The Answer starts playing.
Are we blind? Deploy the subscriptions! Great content man you definitely deserve more subs and more attention
This theory got good points from the trailer we saw and hear hope more info comes out to see how the story goes.
Annihilation, blade runner, wake that dawg up ! Great taste and well done !
I noticed you’ve changed the thumbnail since the Story Trailer dropped.
The thumbnail has been bothering me since before this new video dropped. I'd rather just make a new video, but I just moved and don't have much time at all.
This is a very well put together video for such a small channel. I wish you all the success you deserve. Keep it up!
Wow...this is amazing. Although we have little information about the story you made a very convincing theory about it. I have theories of my own but if your's were to happen it would be mind blowing.
Damn bro, this video is amazing. I wish it could lasted more.
You earned a new sub :D
Longer videos, noted. Thank you!
I'mnot sure that all AC merc pilots are 'hounds' I think maybe some mercs have more freedom while there the unlucky ones like 621 who get stuck with people like Walter. Who takes the lowest of the low. he seems to care little for his 'hounds' but the other AC pilots don't have this emotionless part to them. Then again you are augmented, it seems even coral might be involved.
But I feel like armoured core in the short time I've been looking into has always had a sort 'Subjugation masked as freedom' idea to it. Many of the ravens in the past consider it freeing to work for themselves, to be powerful and sought after, not beholden to anyone.... but the very nature of their job requires them to take work from the very people they want to avoid. The corporations. Average people and even communities can't pay the high cost to hire a raven/merc. Refusing work isn't an option due to needing to show a willingness to work, and to pay bills for the very expensive AC. A sdingle failed mission could bankrupt you. So you don't even get the privilage of being picky with jobs unless more than one arrives and there's only time to do one.... but quite often it's just picking another brand of horrible for a evil company. Terrorize striking workers, or remove squatters who just happen to be in a place the company wants. Both can be bad, but you don't have the luxury to say no.
At the end of the day for all the 'freedom' the ravens claimed to have, they are still slaves to the paychecks of the companies.
Which also breed a total lack of morality cause you start to not care what the job is..... it pays, that's all that matters. You aren't even a morally grey protagonist anymore, you are morally irrisponsible.
Sadly that thought process on the 'raven' bit is about you, your character has stolen a dead mercs license who's codename was raven. Clearly just a bit of a nod to the older fans. You are Raven, but you are also a hound.
Excellent video
Great essay! Glad to have come across your channel.
Absolutely stellar work, from the composition to the message you are trying to convey, I hope to see more from you!
I enjoy the hints at Godwyn. It seems to be a theme that many of the demi gods viewed the Golden Order under the Greater Will as nothing but freedom masked as subjugation.
I very recently commented on Absurd's "Dogs on a Leash" video, which I think inevitably broached subjects found here (YT didn't put this one on my feed until today. Bad YT! bad!). I think that the reason you're drawn to these comparisons with Blade Runner is because BR meets a very peculiar form of Japanese aesthetic (for lack of a better term) half away, and it does this by supercharging the feeling of structured, complexly hidden chaos and humanity's shattered sensibilities reflected on it, especially when attempting to raise what seems like a veil in front of it. What makes this "Japanese POV" so particular on top of this layer of an already odd vision of reality is the manner in which characters find a solution, and in no other place is this so reflected as in the conclusions of Evangelion and RahXephon (and similarly minded works), where the mecha concept, the cool robot who saves the world concept, is brought to its inevitable collapse when human experience is not masked by any layers of heroic pretension - on the contrary, a rather naked fragility, ready to splinter with any pressure, takes center stage. The crucial elements of technology, presumed from the get-go to empower human will, merely bridge a human being into the existential vortex otherwise unreachable but always present - the supposed solution is merely a reminder of the problem beneath our feet. The polar opposite of this, the affirmation that human worth is infinite, is found in stuff like Gurren Lagann, a rather fantastical answer to these aforementioned afflictions.
The reason I bring this up is because I don't think AC works like this, which extends to AC6. It is much more Blade Runner than it is cool/super robot fiction (generally speaking). But I am rather curious about the paths we pilots might get to take in our AC6 explorations. We have interplanetary catastrophe, an extraordinary substance, oppressive corporations and freedom fighters (at least we know there's a Rubicon Liberation Front). So I'm rather curious what AC6 is doing with this "man on a robot" paradigm. Both from the perspective of previous AC games and the more recent overarching elements of Souls narrative.
Anyway, these videos are *it* relative to AC. I hope this is a resurgence of these themes and this way of confronting reality.
it's really hard to tell.. fromsoft has history in using in-game dialouges out of context in trailers..
Thanks for this. It made me think about my own life. And I have thought about free will and determinism quite a bit. I think on a material level I’m only a character. But that there’s a larger me who authored my story before the accord. But it’s only speculation. I believe it’s meant to be a mystery. Keeps it interesting.
Great theory crafting
This video is DOPE AF 🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥
beautiful video
So Armored Core has a similar story as Legacy of Kain / Soul Reaver but set in the future without block puzzles? Got it.
Great video
What a beautifully insightful video. Absolutely hats off to you.
Thank you!
The 'C' in Augmented human C4621might be referring to Coral and that might indicate humans augmented by other means.
I cut out a huge part where I began to speculate on the role of coral, becaue I think it deserves its own video.
That was pretty awesome. Earned a like and a sub.
As an augmented human you probably went through ACVI's equivalent of human plus, good news, you have a better control over your AC, bad news the human plus program makes you more in common with your AC than a human.
Well, in the original game you sign up for the Human+ only when you're completely bankrupt.
Too bad it's all lost
Like Tears in the Rain.
Guess I'll go dream of Electric Sheep.
while I dont agree with your take of the player not being Raven, I can see how you got to that conclusion.
I wish YT would let me give you more than 1 like. Well done sir.
Btw do you have PHD is philosophy? because it certainly sounds like it.
No PHD here. I’m a normal guy who was existentially lost in youth and sought answers to these questions ten-fifteen years ago, so I’ve had some time to tie these ideas into my favorite video games, lol.
@@b.e.wooten I feel that so hard. Makes even more sense now.
Hope you have found yourself. 👍
@@EinherjarV I was there all along. I was just dumb! ;*
@@b.e.wooten dont be so hard onyourself.
Man the last track that you use sounds like a sythwave version of Detach from the soundtrack of Interstellar. Can you post that track in the comments or can someone else please?
The final track in this video is Mesa from Blade Runner 2049 OST.
@@b.e.wooten thank you bro
5:56 Sounds like that one scene from Code Geass, another series which itself also has much inspiration from Dune.
Hey, Brad! Wonderful video. I had no idea you were making yt content. We should team up when the multi-player hits.
Thanks Eric! Yea, my excitement on this game just couldn’t be contained. I had to spew it somewhere. Will you be on PC?
@@b.e.wooten I haven't purchased yet, so the options are open to PS5 or PC.
@@ericpitts4979I’ll be on PC. Crossing my fingers the pvp won’t be p2p, but not so tightly I hurt myself when it is.
@@b.e.wooten I've got a premise for a video you could possibly do. Explore the relationship between the player, the perspective (1st and 3rd person), the controls (1st and 3rd), and the game avatar.
I noticed a switch from 1st person controls to 3rd person controls in the AC6 gameplay demo. I think this has impact on the player's emotional response. There's something interesting to explore or research here. For instance, a 3rd person view is a disconnect from the avatar. We're now a spectator. But with 1st person controls we're more directly involved and personally invested. The avatar still feels like "us" or at least we are the ghost in the machine. Change the controls to 3rd person with a free camera and we're now a companion or viewer. We can see things the avatar may not have in their line of site. The controls now become a narrative tool.
Examples of this effect are in games like The Last of Us. The game has us "playing a character" yet our emotional response to that character dying isn't a mourning of our own demise. It's empathetic. The player and the avatar are disconnected. When they give us a different avatar character we have our own emotional response to them even though we're in control of them and they are "us". We subconsciously view them as separate.
Another example of high emotional investment is in basically all competitive FPS games. When the avatar dies, you don't feel empathy. You take it personally. Your perspective and control is all 1st person. Psychologically the avatar is you.
In previous Armored Core games, the combination of 1st person controls and 3rd person perspective served a purpose. You were the pilot. You felt like you had total control (even if the actual controls were wonky). The 3rd person visual perspective gave you a sense of power and spatial awareness that 1st person would have lacked. Which brings me to the change to 3rd person for AC6. I believe the switch served two possible purposes, it was a development decision based on accessibility to their largest audience but also to serve in a narrative function. The story you've laid out as a possible narrative would have us feel empathy for the avatar, a slave to his handler, not fully in control. We empathize with the avatar rather than pity our selves when the narrative perspective changes, whether it's visually or in the way we control the avatar.
Anyway, just wanted to share my thoughts on it and maybe you'll find it interesting. Looking forward to seeing your next video, your production quality is top tier.
Edit: one more thing, "Crossing the Rubicon" is an idiom meaning a point of no return. Julius Caesar uttered "the die is cast" upon crossing the Rubicon river with an army, cementing his treason, insurrection and declaration of war. The game title is more than likely an allusion to that.
The 15 year investment into the AC community and teaching the nuisances of 4th gen has me questioning my following to play(ac6). With an inevitable internal war between older FS AC fans and new FS fans(dark souls types) there will be blood. The collision is coming will you survive?
I appreciate your gamification of all that dumb drama. :) makes it all seem so fun!
Well done brother. I sub!
I just like to think that bro got into way too much debt until the guild he worked got tired of his shit and just sold him to some company for a pseudo human plus experiment, AC1 style
i think its funny
I'm waiting for your next video 😒
Lacks a discussion on capitalism/free will
Great video tho
I am Santiago.
bros making a video essay before the game is even out 😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂
Well I’ll certainly be too busy playing it once it does release, so now’s my only chance!
Wow that was a lot of conjecture
Dude, you're seriously looking too much into this.
😂
It's all in good fun... at least I hope so, I want to see more of it!
Have we ever been the protagonist in Fromsoftware titles? I think we are mostly the villains
Sometimes some piece of my life just tears up to this . . . It is sad to watch just by imagining to what fate it led