Assegai Developments are an Anti-Gravity racing team representing the United African Nations, but based in South Africa. Their craft are always known to be among the nimblest ones in every competition they have participated in so far.
History[]
Assegai Developments was formed in 2113 following an invitation from the F5000 Anti-Gravity Racing Commission to the United African Nations (a union of African nations based in South Africa). This was in response to the strong performance of African pilots in the past, as well as an attempt by the Commission to make AG racing a truly international competition. For this reason, Assegai opted to hire only African pilots for their anti-gravity racing program.
Everything turned out to be very good for Assegai as they competed in the F7200 League. Needless to say, the team managed to punch above their weight for almost 40 years thanks to their craft's far superior handling capabilities, despite being such a new team and the craft itself having a weak shield strength. This allowed them to perform really well there and earn a great deal of recognition from AG racing fans.
Envious of the agile Assegai craft, Piranha would buy the operation outright from the UAN in 2150 for an undisclosed sum. Acquiring the team and their technology gave the Piranha craft the much-desired boost in handling they had been missing for so many years, and the impact was immediate, leading to several dominant seasons during the early 2150s and in the following F9000 League.
Assegai was refounded in 2181 when Piranha was requested by the UAN to sell back the Assegai name. 16 years in advance, following the success of the FX150 Amateur League, the Assegai team made a return to professional competition in the FX300 League, with a brand new craft that was quick out of the corner and capable of jumping off the pack, and more durable than before. With their impressive performance throughout the League, the Assegai team proved a worthy contender and were looking confident.
This soon prompted the Assegai team to focus on the FX400 League. Since their fans appeared to have been missing the agile Assegai F7200 craft, Assegai then decided to create a new craft, which was very similar to the former F7200 craft in terms of performance, so this would have a particularly weak shielding. Because of this concern, Assegai decided to partner up with Triakis, trading some of their handling specifications for some of Triakis' shield technology. With this new boost to the Assegai craft, Assegai fans could then get excited to see the Assegai team's strong performances at the head of the pack in the League.
FX300 Background[]
The Assegai entry into the FX300 League is a different beast to the highly manoeuvrable craft that excelled on the more technical circuits of the F7200 League.
The United African Nations team now boasts a chassis that's as tough and durable as it is quick out of a corner. Although the historically agile handling might have suffered as a result, the all-new Assegai is better equipped to mix with the big guns of the FX300.
FX400 Background[]
Continuing in their tradition of producing craft with exceptional handling characteristics, the Assegai team have managed to improve the top end performance for their FX350/FX400 chassis, too.
Another welcome improvement is a minor upgrade to the shield durability over the FX300 craft, which means that Assegai fans can be confident of seeing strong performances at the head of the pack in 2207 and beyond.
FX400 Message[]
Statement issued by Assegai Developments, Durban, UAN
This is an exciting time for Assegai Developments. By building on our strong performances in the FX350 League, we have vastly improved our race craft for the 2207 season of FX350 & FX400 Anti-Gravity Racing League events.
Speed, acceleration, and handling have long been the hallmarks of Assegai Developments crafts. Now, by partnering with Triakis, we have developed unique shield technology which improves the durability of our new chassis without sacrificing that legendary Assegai agility.
At our headquarters in Durban, we are looking to recruit capable pilots for the 2207 season and beyond. If you have what it takes to fly an Assegai race craft to victory, then don't hesitate to contact our recruitment centre.
With Assegai, you can achieve your destiny.
Appearance, Evolution and Stats[]
One can easily see this African AG racing team possess different strategies every time. Overall, the team is one to favour agility, producing lightweight craft that excel in turning ability, though at the cost of low shield. Apart from this exchange, the team is pretty balanced.
Less experienced pilots will have trouble dealing with the lack of shielding. However, once that is dealt with, the craft can prove quite capable of taking top positions, having average speed which is pretty good considering how great the craft is at taking corners.
In Pure, the Assegai ship is a modified version of the Wipeout 3 ship. It is, by far, the most balanced of the Assegai ships. This ship has an outstanding balance between speed, handling, and shield, with a plus point for thrust. This will help a lot at getting out of the pack early.
In Pulse, the ship is recycled from the Pure model. In terms of stats, the ship seems to utilize the traits from Wipeout 3. With its balanced mix of speed and thrust, along with great handling, it is very capable of escaping the pack at corners in the right hands, at which point the low shield becomes nothing more than a petty nuisance. However, in HD, the ship uses the different model from its precursors, though its stats is shared from Pulse. The Assegai Fury ship is considerably better in terms of speed and thrust, though at a slight value.
Gallery[]
Trivia[]
- "Assegai" is a traditional African weapon, in the form of a short spear made of wood with an iron tip. This weapon is usually thrown, making it similar to a kind of javelin.
- Assegai are the only team in the series to feature a motto indicating their year of establishment, as seen during the FX350 and FX400 Leagues.
- Assegai are one of the only two teams to have used ships with an asymmetrical design, the other being Auricom.
- Assegai's initial policy of recruiting pilots solely from Africa seems to have been practiced only during the F7200 League. The reason why this policy was abandoned in the FX-era leagues, as seen with their pilot in Wipeout Merge being of a French nationality, is never explained.
| Anti-Gravity Racing Teams in Wipeout |
|---|
| AG Systems • Assegai • Auricom • EG-X • FEISAR • Goteki 45 • Harimau • Icaras • Mirage • Piranha • Qirex • Triakis • Van-Über |
| Defunct/Former Teams: EG-R • G-Tech • Tigron • Xios |