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Glossary of Terms
I have collected some of the more common terms for Steel Battalion: Line of Contact that are not defined elsewhere on this site or in the game manual. This list is constantly evolving as the game matures and more terms are derived. For a lighter take on some of the terminology in the game, I suggest: Githon's Steel Battalion Terminology Guide 
A "stealth" mode which is enabled by deactivating all of the startup toggle switches. In this mode, enemy targetting will not display the red "active" display or audible signal when the VT is swept over with the targeting reticule. When Ambush Mode is enabled, movement or weapons firing is not possible. Also note that with the OXYGEN supply shut off, a pilot will die in 30 seconds if it is not toggled back on again. The screen will start to go white and a gasping sound gradually increases in volume. How the Japanese refer to the Yellow Jacket VT in casual conversation. Shorthand for the Supply Bin, where VTs are purchased. The tactic of waiting until the :50 mark countdown on the Campaign Timer and then entering the Supply Bin at that exact moment to try and acquire rare release VTs. Abbreviation for Battle Royale gameplay mode. The time between the end of the Sortie/Waiting Room and the beginning of the Mission/Map session. During this time, pilots quickly discuss tactics and make VT selections and weapon loadout modifications as necessary. The primary gameplay mode for Steel Battalion: Line of Contact. Played as a series of eight Rounds, each of which lasts eight Turns. Each Turn lasts a week, during which 3 maps/missions are available for play. Campaign also involves a complex economy, ranking system and persistent territorial control. The publisher for both Steel Battalion and Steel Battalion: Line of Contact. The joke is on you Githon. A combination of metalic particles and heat flares which can be deployed around a VT to confuse the targeting systems of guided missiles. Each chaff unit is only effective against a single missile salvo. Shorthand for SHOULDER CHECK. A slang term/inside joke regarding artillery fire (howitzers). This originated from the 2003 E3 preview movie Capcom was distributing for Steel Battalion: Line of Contact. In the movie, a pilot codenamed "FOX4" gleefully exclaims "Cheddar coming boys!" as he fires a howitzer round at enemy positions. Likely, this was bad translation from the original Japanese conversation, but it has gone on to become part of the folklore of the game. An exploit in the game which circumvents the normal reload time between rounds for magazined weapons. Performed by holding down the MAIN WEAPON FIRE button on the AIMING LEVER (right joystick) and rapidly pressing the MAGAZINE CHANGE button on the CENTER BLOCK. Almost universally disliked by North American and EU players (and will result in banning from future game sessions), but most Japanese players see the tactic as valid. This should be noted if ever playing against or with a Japanese player. They refer to it as "Magazine Rush" pronounced "magú -rúsh-eh." The "currency" of rank in the game. Command Points are earned by participation in missions. Higher kills and kills against more advanced VTs will earn a pilot more points than losses or kills against inferior VTs. Note that even a mission loss will still net a player 5000 "participation" command points. A loss of connection to a game session due to flawed network code withing the game. Connection Errors will usually result in the loss of whatever VT is currently selected in a mission if the session has already started. Typically, the best method to try and prevent connection errors is to only allow players with SUPERIOR connections join a room session and to keep the maximum players at six or below. Many more details regarding this subject are available on the Connection Issues page. A term used by the Japanese in reference to the PRF Decider VT. An acronym for the Capture the Container gameplay mode. The devastating melee weapon of the Jaralaccs C and Jaralaccs NS-R VTs. Often used as a descriptive as in: "I was cutter boomed." The weapon does a massive amount of damage per contact unit of time, see the weapon information page for more details. The "boss" VT/weapons platform in the hangar at the end of Level 23 in the original Steel Battalion game. Not present in Steel Battalion: Line of Contact, but its Gauss weapon returns in a modified form on the Earthshaker VT. At the conclusion of a Mission, each players stats are displayed, along with Supply and Command points earned, any captured VTs and any Optional Parts earned. Pilots have the opportunity to trade items with each other or save the Replay data from the mission. For a long time this was suspected to be in the game but never proven until recently. The armour thickness for certain VTs enables a reduction in the effective distance of an attacking VT's weaponry. Each VT may have three independent armour modifier values, for Front, Side, and Rear. A full list for each VT is available here. It should also be noted that the Advanced Armour optional part enables a 200m additional modifier to any VT it is equipped on. A less fancy reference to slidestep. See also: Cutter Boom. A word with dual meaning within the game: 01. A common term reference to the :50 minute mark Campaign time when rare VTs are replenished to the Supply Bin; "the drop" 02. Connection Error - when a member of the team is lost due to a Connection Error; dropped. An example of bad Babelfish translation attempting to handle the word "Decider." Essentially breaking the word down into two elements "D" and "Cider" of which, the "Cider" becomes "Soda Pop." Get it? See also: SPY ACCOUNTS Duping was probably the single most devastating exploit to Steel Battalion: Line of Contact. Simply put, it was a loophole in the TRADE process in which both items and money could be duplicated by disconnecting from the trade dialogue in mid-transit. Although VTs could be temporarily duplicated by this exploit, they would disappear after a single use in a mission due to their serial numbers. Optional Parts and Supply Points are not serialised and this resulted in thousands of high-level Optional Parts pervading the remaining playerbase. This utterly destroyed the economy of the game and has almost permanently devalued Supply Points as a currency. Capcom/Nudemaker did reset Optional Parts for Campaign Mode accounts on November 3rd, 2004 after the duplication fix patch was applied in September 2004. An acronym for Forecast Shooting System. This function, found only on 2nd and 3rd generation VTs, attempts to predict the lateral movement of locked targets by leading weaponry aim. The system is only intended for medium to short range applications and will not function properly for long range or indirect fire weapons like howitzers and multi-launch rocket systems. F.S.S. does not work when sniper mode is engaged. The process of manually leading a shot on a moving target without a lock or the use of F.S.S. A difficult skill to master, but highly useful both to increase hit percentage and not sound a warning in the targetted VTs cockpit. Sometimes very difficult to do effectively due to latency. Hitting team mates with offensive fire by accident. In Campaign this causes no damage to friendly units but will result in a deduction from earned Supply and Command points. In Free Mission mode, Friendly Fire can by turned on (off by default) as an option. A massive electromagnetic emitter system used to shut down enemy VTs on the battlefield. The gauss was originally found on the D3EYE in the original Steel Battalion game, now field deployable as a fixed mount weapon on the Earthshaker VT. Sometimes considered an exploit, generational violation is the unsportsmanlike process of taking a high generation VT into a session/mission specified only for lower generation VTs. This gives the respective pilot an advantage. Unfortunately, the Session setup options only implement the VT Generation setting as a "suggestion" rather than a hard filter. A term with dual meanings: 01. Hai Shi Dao is a faction in the overall conflict. 02. Hai Shi Dao is also the name of the island on which the conflict is being fought. The island is also referred to as Kasaii Island or Ocean City Island depending on context. They all refer to the same thing. As above, but usually the acronym is used to describe players of the Hai Shi Dao faction. The player/pilot who initiates a mission/session. This pilot will appear in the "first" slot of the Sortie Room on either the top or bottom halves, depending on which side the entering player chooses. The Host Name is displayed as Pilot Name when viewing Available Sessions. Atsushi Inaba, the executive producer from Nudemaker Studios responsible for both Steel Battalion amd Steel Battalion: Line of Contact. Often decried for not taking any active interest in his past projects. Typically used to refer to a member of the Jaralaccs faction. Occasionally used to refer to the Jaralaccs class VTs. A mercenary faction in the Hai Shi Dao conflict. This faction is unique in that its members may fight for any side, and it does not garner any territory for itself on the Campaign map. A slang term used to refer to both members of the Jaralaccs faction and the Jaralaccs class VTs. Another name (usually from a Japanese context) for Hai Shi Dao island. Acronym for Killed In Action, what happens when a pilot does not eject in time from a critical VT. When a player is removed from a Sortie Room prior to mission start by the room host. Killed In Action, what happens when a pilot does not eject in time from a critical VT. Technically, delays in data transmission over a network connection. This is expressed in a game session as pauses or inconsistencies in location for players over a period of time. In Steel Battalion: Line of Contact, lag is a persistent problem due to the faulty network code utilised by the game. As such, players are advised to do everything possible to ensure the soundness of their broadband connections, and when hosting, limit access to only those with Superior connections and low latency. More information on connection issues may be found here. The online only sequel to the original Steel Battalion Microsoft XBox game. Steel Battalion: Line of Contact builds upon the success of its forerunner with multiplayer team-based tactical combat. An acronym for Steel Battalion: Line of Contact. A playful moniker for one of the most horrendous VTs to ever take the field. Conceived by Parias, named by KingLeerUK and blinding to all who look upon it. The terrain played for each Mission. Three Maps are available for each Turn in a Round. There are a total of 24 Campaign/Conquest maps, with an additional "training" map (Mission 00) available only in Free Mission mode. See the mission information pages for more detail. What the Japanese pilots call Clip Dumping. More accepted as a tactic amongst Japanese players, but still frowned upon even by some of them. Pronounced "magú -rúsh-eh." Rounds fired by the Marker Launcher which tag an enemy VT with a radar signature visible by all teammates for two minutes. Very useful for marking VTs for artillery placement or rear attack strategies. Can only be equipped by a limited number of VTs, the majority of which belong to the Right Brothers faction. The same as map. Multiple Launch Rocket system available only on support class second and third generation VTs. Launches a salvo of rockets containing highly explosive bomblets which disperse over targeted VTs. Can be manually strafed to concentrate the destructive payload dispersal. A method of exploiting the Supply and Command point award system by setting up arranged matches between teams for the sole purpose of legging VTs. Typically, one team will take base level VTs and the other team will take advanced VTs. The team with base level VTs shoot the opposing team, legging their VTs, enabling capture of the VT model, a large number of Supply and Command points, and artificially inflated stats. Roles are then reversed to allow the opposing team to reciprocate. Lame and pathetic behaviour for stat whores. A button available on the XBox Live communicator interface which disables a players microphone. Should be used (but isn't) when players are putting on (or taking off) their headset to avoid annoying other players in a session lobby. Can also refer to the act of muting an annoying player via the Friends list functionality of XBox Live. The NATO phonetic alphabet assigns words to the letters of the English alphabet so that critical combinations of letters may be pronounced and understood by aircrew and air traffic controllers regardless of their native language. Often used within Steel Battalion: Line of Contact to give map quadrant coordinates. Learn more here. The "common ground" used between factions to allow Chat and Trade activites. Chat and Trade rooms are available for within factions, but these are hardly ever used in favour of the Neutral rooms. This menu space is also used for Awards and to check Campaign progress. A new player to the game. Usually identified by having a low rank, little currency and few missions of experience. However, experienced players are often ranked low due to having been Killed in Action or simply starting a new pilot. Unsportsmanlike behaviour of hosting rooms with the intent of playing against new players only, even going so far as to deny entry to higher ranked players. This tactic typically guarantees victory for the more experienced Veteran players. New players are advised to be aware of this situation and understand the possible outcomes. "L33t" speak reference to new, or newbie players. The developer of Steel Battalion: Line of Contact XBox title. Not to be confused with Capcom, the publisher of the title. Slang reference to a player of the lowest rank in Steel Battalion: Line of Contact, a Corporal. A single word term for Optional Parts, relatively rare items which can add specific functions or additional performance when equipped to a pilots VT. Abbreviation for Override. A function on second and third generation VTs which disables the safety limiters on a VT allowing for faster movement and quicker battery recharge time. When enabled, the VT will consume fuel at 10 times the normal rate. The protagonists from the first Steel Battalion game return as invading conquerors attempting to stop the secession of the Hai Shi Dao. The majority of Pacific Rim Forces VTs are optimised for close combat roles. A software fix which is applied to a deployed application, or in this case, game. Steel Battalion: Line of Contact has been patched once via XBox Live to fix the duplication of items exploit. Slang reference to the Bang Needle attack of the Garpike VT. Hitting the eject button before critical damage is inflicted on a VT requiring ejection. This process "steals kills" from enemy pilots and is generally frowned upon. Abbreviation for the Pacific Rim Forces faction. A "nickname" denoting combat preference and performance. Earned by using specific VTs or through exceptional battlefield performance. A full discussion of professional names is available here. The extremely unsportsmanlike practise of turning off the XBox console, or even removing the network cable, when a player is about to be destroyed or lose a mission. What this effectively does is cancel the "negative performance" statistic from being recorded against a pilot profile. Unfortunately, it also tends to lag out a session, causing other players to drop and lose their allocated VTs. Being caught doing this can result in being shunned from future matches. Slang reference to being hit with a Rail-Gun. One quantifiable statistic for experience within Steel Battalion: Line of Contact. Rank increases over time with participation in missions. A full discussion of rank is available here. An abbreviation for the Right Brothers faction. Can be used to refer to either a replay file or the replay mode itself. Steel Battalion: Line of Contact offers very detailed replay functionality, suitable for the creation of gameplay movies. A full discussion of replay functions is available here. Separatist rebels from the Northern Central highlands of Hai Shi Dao. They make their appearance in the 3rd Turn of every Round. The majority of their VTs are very specialised and nearly all may carry the Marker Launcher. A time required to complete on set of eight Turns, each Turn lasting one week. At the end of a Round, all the maps are reset back to their starting factions (HSD and PRF) and all pilots may re-sign with the faction of their choice. If a player VT is hit with either a Stun Rod or Gauss discharge then all control systems will be shut down and the VT will need to be restarted. This can be very disconcerting in the middle of a battle and will usually result in the loss of the current VT to enemy attack. In order to get restarted, the same steps required to initially start a VT are followed, with the exception of closing the cockpit hatch, which is already closed. Note that if a VT is not restarted within 30 seconds a pilot will die of asphyxiation. A fancy word for "dodge" used in Steel Battalion: Line of Contact. Initiated using the SLIDESTEP PEDAL on the foot controller block. Slidesteps use up battery power and cannot be performed if the battery reserve is below the necessary charge. A slidestep move used to place a VT in the path of an enemy VT travelling in 5th gear wheel mode. If the enemy VT should collide with the slower moving "checker" VT, it will be knocked off balance and tip over, effectively stopping it. This move is particularly effective against Light class VTs which rely on their speed and maneuverability for safety. This a manually aimed sniping mode which is only available on sniper rifle equipped VTs (Scare Face, Scare Face A1, Scare Face II and Regal Dress N. With a sniper rifle selected, the F1 button is pressed to enable the zoomed view. The AIMING LOCK is disabled in this mode. Aiming is accomplished via the VIEW HAT thumbstick on the ROTATION LEVER. Secondary XBox Live accounts used by players to access Supply Bins of factions for which they do not actually fight for in Campaign mode. The objective here is to obtain limited or rare VTs for use on the primary account. Although not technically cheating, this process has contributed to the overall problem of limited numbers of rare VTs being available. The original game released in the Fall of 2002 for the Microsoft XBox console. Very similar to Steel Battalion: Line of Contact but differnt in a number of key areas. Often used as a "training ground" for new players prior to joining the ranks of Steel Battalion: Line of Contact, which is exactly what the game producer Atsushi Inaba intended. The highly valued skill of manually aiming shots without the help of either LOCK or F.S.S. Very useful for leading shots in the absence of F.S.S. (as in first generation VTs) and also to hit targets without giving them a visual or audible cockpit warning of the incoming shot. The "currency" of the Campaign mode environment used to purchase VTs from the supply bin, as well as for trade of items with other players. Supply points are earned by participation in Campaign mode missions. A type of Local Area Network game connection between XBox consoles. Steel Battalion: Line of Contact supports System Link for up to 10 players, and it is rumoured to be relatively lag-free. The downside is the massive logistical and expense requirement of assembling 10 individual gaming stations (XBox console, Steel Battalion controller, standard XBox controller, game disc, monitor, headset, sound system) for each player. The Japanese name for the original Steel Battalion game. Literally translates as "Iron Horseman" The Japanese name for Steel Battalion: Line of Contact. Literally translates as "Iron Horseman: Great War" The five toggle switches on the left block of the Steel Battalion controller which are flipped in order to complete the startup sequence for a VT. If all are turned off while a VT is operating, it will enable an "ambush mode" where the VT cannot be locked onto by enemy units, but is also incapable of movement or firing of weapons. Turning off each toggle independently will have varied negative effects on VT performance. The process of trading a VT (in a Campaign mode Chat/Trade session) to one player and then sending the VT unit directly back to the original owner. This "touching" of the VT unlocks the model for use in Free Mission mode from that point on. Another term to reference Shoulder Checking. A period of 1 week within a Campaign Round. During each Turn, 3 maps are available for Campaign play. New VTs and factions may be introduced at the start of each new Turn. . The large bipedal vehicles used for combat within Steel Battalion: Line of Contact. Vertical Tanks are not "robots" as they have human pilots. They are also not powered armour. The closest approximate literary reference would be "mecha." Vertical Tanks come in three unique developmental generations, each with increasing abilities and performance. Within each generation, there are sub-genres of combat type and weight class which greatly influence the performance, appearance, and combat role played by a given VT. Abbreviation for Vertical Tank. A mode of rapid locomotion achieved by building up sufficient torque and changing the gear shift to 5th gear. Wheel Mode allows a VT to rapidly traverse large areas of open terrain, but also limits the turning ability and greatly increases the chance of tipping. |
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