History VideoGame / AceCombatInfinity

''Infinity'' was free to play, and was only available on the UsefulNotes/PlayStation3. The Japanese beta went live in December 2013. An International Beta was available from February 4th to 11th 2014.

** Acepedia got in on the fun the following year by [[http://acecombat.wikia.com/wiki/User_blog:SlyCooperFan1/Ace_Combat:_Infinite_Skies "promoting"]] ''Ace Combat: Infinite Skies'', touted as a single player-only remake-slash-continuation of ''Infinity'' for the UsefulNotes/PlayStation4 set to be "released" on the second anniversary of ''Infinity''[='s=] international release. [[https://www.reddit.com/r/acecombat/comments/4ctwo8/ace_combat_infinite_skies_confirmed_for_ps4/ The hoax was believable enough that some actually fell for the joke.]]

** The game even added out-of-franchise crossovers. There is of course, [[VideoGame/{{Mappy}} the Butterfly Master humming Mappy's theme]]. In late August 2014, emblems of 8-bit versions of the girls from ''[[VideoGame/TheIdolmaster The iDOLM@STER]]'' were given as random drops, with later drop events giving regular emblems, nicknames (such as "<insert idol>'s Producer"), and even the planes of both the original group and the characters from ''Cinderella Girls''. During the October 10-15 2014 Forced Sorties event, players could have their aircraft decked out in paint schemes of the three main planes from the video game adaptation of ''Manga/{{Area 88}}''. Shortly afterward, ''VideoGame/{{Tekken}}''-themed skins were available for drops, complete with unique Special Weapons. The mid-February 2016 Naval TDM event was essentially one big reference to the classic arcade game ''Sky Kid'', complete with rental sets during the event and the prize tiers afterwards allowing players to play as fully-3D renditions of Red Baron or Blue Max. Early March 2016 featured challenges to give emblems and nicknames of characters from a mobile game based on ''Literature/{{Gate}}'', with later challenge events awarding emblems and nicknames from ''VideoGame/SummonNight'' (commemorating the 15th anniversary of the series and the Japanese release of its sixth main installment, ''Lost Borders''), ''Franchise/{{Digimon}}'' (to likewise coincide with the Japanese release of ''VideoGame/DigimonWorldNextOrder''), and ''LightNovel/SwordArtOnline'' (celebrating the Japanese release of ''Hollow Realization'').

* AsskickingEqualsAuthority: When Viper retires, Reaper, originally Bone Arrow 4, takes his place as he's become the best pilot in the game by that point.

* FakeBalance: The three major plane classes. In theory, Fighters and Attackers are supposed to be better against aircraft and ground targets respectively because of damage bonuses to each other. At the same time, they have damage penalties against targets opposed to their role (e.g. ground targets for Fighters). Multiroles can take on both without benefit or penalty, but by default have access to more parts slots than Fighters or Attackers. Fighters and Attackers are balanced out with a lack of upgrade slots, but this means that Multiroles negate their MasterOfNone label and butcher both aircraft and ground targets more effectively than Fighters and Attackers combined. The addition of Bombers does nothing to alleviate this, either.
** To rub salt in the wound, the May 2015 update added an experience system where frequently flown aircraft can earn additional upgrade slots after earning certain amounts of experience points. In theory this is supposed to make the lower-tier aircraft more competitive and given a fair chance against higher-tier aircraft, but in practice accentuates the higher-tier aircrafts' superiority and raises the Multiroles' already massive upgrade slot count even more. It ''should'' be noted, however, that high-tier aircraft need to accumulate about 100000 experience points before having their slots boosted by 1. This will take them roughly '''9000+''' missions when flown on a single fuel unit. In the meantime, the lower-tier craft can easily rack up slots, especially when using Forced Sorties.

* WeaponOfChoice: Reaper's preferred craft is once again an F-22 Raptor. Omega prefers a modded EF Typhoon, while Viper has an old Fishbed. The Ridgebacks all prefer [[SuperPrototype the fictional ASFX Shinden]], while the Butterfly Master has a modified version of [[VideoGame/AceCombat6FiresOfLiberation the CFA-44 Nosferatu, QFA-44 Carmilla]].

** This issue can be partially resolved, but only if you can't perform further research on the planes and parts you have. You will receive a special "Credits Reimbursed" bonus worth additional 4420 credits for each unperformed research. This can boost earnable credits to 20000 and above. Elite Mercenary Contracts also exist to slightly boost the amount of credits the player earns per sortie for twelve hours. Forced sorties in Special Raids allow even greater rewards, upwards of 100,000 per sortie. On the rare occasions the game allows the player to sortie with [[UpToEleven six units of fuel at once]], burning that much fuel alongside a merc contract for at least the red variant of any Special Raid can potentially allow for a ''million'' credits in one sortie.

** Exaggerated in the Excalibur Onslaught raid, where MissionControl orders you to fly through ''a gigantic web of lasers'' and destroy all installations. Better yet, the Golden variant introduces an elite flight of CFA-44 midway through the battle and you have to fight them. [[UpToEleven With the laser web still active]]. And then the Black Sword version features [[FromBadToWorse the return of the Butterfly Master and her drones...]]

* MightyGlacier: Most Attackers, being sturdy and having ferocious machine guns and filled with bombs, anti-ground or anti-ship missiles, but lacking in speed/mobility since they're for destroying tanks/ships, etc. Bombers, apart from a complete lack of guns or missiles, take the "mighty against ground enemies" and "slow glacier" traits UpToEleven.

** Reaper [[{{Expy}} primarily takes cues from]] [[VideoGame/AceCombat04ShatteredSkies Mobius 1]], though certain accomplishments of his, such as stopping the launch of an ICBM at Avalon Dam and dismantling a large enemy battalion at Area [=B7R=], are lifted from [[VideoGame/AceCombatZeroTheBelkanWar Cipher's]] book. In fact, if the player earns an S Rank for Operation Battle Axe, they'll be awarded with an emblem entitled "The Demon Lord," a nod to Galm 1's epithet as [[RedBaron "The Demon Lord of the Round Table."]] They'll also be awarded the title of "Round Table Reaper" for successfully completing the mission.

** In-universe, most of the fictional superplanes have yet to be seen in the campaign and Omega likens the Butterfly Master's defensive array of laser-toting [=UAVs=] to "some kind of crazy sci-fi force field," suggesting the technology of the ''Infinity'' universe is lagging behind Strangereal's (and thus closer to our own). [[RealityEnsues But such is to be expected when numerous meteorite fragments cause extensive collateral damage and destabilize the global economy.]]

* UnluckilyLucky: Omega, named [[EmbarassingNickname King Bailout]] for repeatedly punching out of his craft. On one hand, that costs money and means you're at risk of getting shot down. On the other, surviving several potential deaths is pretty lucky.

* AttackDrone: The QFA-44 Camilla, also known as the Butterfly Master, is notorious for entering the airspace accompanied by multiple MQ-90 Quox. They're not too formidable in the campaign, but online co-op [[ZergRush is]] [[FrickinLaserBeams another]] [[AlwaysAccurateAttack story]].

* FrickinLaserBeams:
** All three versions of the ADFX-01 Morgan have a mounted prototype laser cannon.
** Enemy drones controlled by the Butterfly Master have nose-mounted laser beams with which they can destroy missiles. She returns with a vengeance as a rare Mission Update enemy in Moscow Battle, Area [=B7R=], and Adriatic Sea Landing Operation. She is also a major enemy on Tier IV/Black raids. Unlike her Campaign Mode incarnation, aggroing several of her drones at once can and will mean quick laser-inflicted death.
** A rare Special Raid mission in online co-op pits you against an upgraded, special golden-painted Aigaion/Moby Dick from ''VideoGame/AceCombat6FiresOfLiberation'' with laser projectors instead of Nimbus cruise missiles. Like the ones used by laser drones in the campaign, this Moby Dick's lasers can shoot down any missile weaponry that flies near it. Even worse, the laser projectors are not destructible until most of the primary targets onboard the Aigaion itself are already destroyed.
** The ADF-01 FALKEN, which has been iconic for its Tactical Laser since ''[=AC5=]'', still has it, and due to being classified as a Fighter, it is much more deadly against aerial targets. Switching to missiles while the laser is firing from the FALKEN's "mouth" will cancel the laser.
** The X-49 Night Raven also boasts the TLS, though the laser is coloured green to replicate the Orbital Satellite Laser it actually had in ''Electrosphere''.
** All four versions of the ''[=AC5=]'' SOLG appearing as the third special raid will defend themselves against you with unmanned lasers when the second set of targets appear.
** All of the above are [[BeamSpam put to shame]] by the fourth Raid set, [[VideoGame/AceCombatZeroTheBelkanWar Excalibur Onslaught]]. The main tower will emit a large blue laser periodically to discourage your attempts to destroy the surrounding jammers, and once you do that, it will instead deflect its beams into several panels and smaller towers, making for a truly impressive laser ''net''. Just in case this wasn't enough, a few armoured trains also have modified TLS to shoot you down with. The aforementioned Butterfly Master also crashes the party during Excalibur Onslaught IV, just in case you thought there was a dearth of laser beam action.

** The "superplanes" on the aircraft tree eventually received their Special Aircraft counterparts, alluding to past ''Ace Combat'' games and boasting even better stats, but also costing even more. The [[VideoGame/AceCombat3Electrosphere X-49 -Rena Hirose-]] in particular is the priciest aircraft in the entire game, needing a whopping ''547 million credits'' to fully upgrade. You can shave off a bit by using a Nonstandard Upgrade form to bypass the transition from level 5 to 6, but even then it's still the most expensive of them all. In return, that particular X-49 variant is the strongest aircraft to wield the [[FrickingLaserBeams Tactical Laser System]].