Noyhauser

Isn't that a failing of the application of the Silcore system over the 2nd Ed stuff? I've only borrowed silcore stuff (since it got a serious drubbing by alot of the old hands who played HG) and to me it oversimplifed and generalized alot of things to the point that it lost its flavour. 2nd Ed skills were alot more complex and specified, which I thought was actually a good thing.

is this a Mac? Because apparently the Matushita DVD drives on the Macs are virtually uncrackable, or so my friend who's really into this stuff says.

I downloaded it and hated it. I'm glad I did not pay for it. It's better than VF-X, granted, but it's still a mess. The only reason M3 is worse is the framerate problems. It's not a good game by any stretch of the imagination with its shitty plane on a string and low ceiling crap, and not that great control, and unimpressive graphics when compared with other PlayStation games of the time. I disagree. 406772[/snapback] I'm with Skull. some of he levels were eh, but others were great fun, with some of the most diverse VFs available. From the VF-1X to the VF-22 and the VF-11 Full armor, you enjoyed each for their quirks. The flight controls were a great mix between arcade and sorta real flight sim... Changing modes had a great effect on how you played, and the fighter moved plausable through the air, unlike in DMVF-X (just not on a map)

(The whole thing is a spoiler) Yeah I know, but Vermillion is the "signature" battle of the series, its the climactic battle between the two leaders. Of course its great. Bucock at Mar Alldatta 2 is something different alltogether however.With a badly outnumber force he picks apart Reinhart's fleet in a battle he knows he's not going to win. And yet he still fights because of principle and honour, and knowing that makes his final speech all the more poignant and yet stirring moments in the whole series. I also liked any battle with Willibald Joachim von Merkatz... just because he was such a great tactician.

Space fight(one-on-one or armada battle) Legend of Galactic Heroes... Either the FPA's Galatic Empire Campaign that culminated in the Amlitzer Star Zone encounter, The Second Battle of Mar Aldetta (with Bucock) or The battle between the two fortressess... Classic classic battles. Mech fight(self explanatory) Macross plus again. Best location of a fight(where the fight took place had you thinking "wow") Amlitzer star zone was over a sun... Fav description of an attack/sword etc( you know when they describe the history of the attack etc or even when they have a fantastic name/magic call for the attack itself. Saitoh Hajime's Gatosu.

I thought the "Cribs" Star Trek Edition was good. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eBXal1GAA4A&dpos=0

soo knight, have you memorized the DoD 5000 series, from front to back :-p Kidding, kidding, you probably know more about this now than I do.

Yes, but on a bureaucratic side, that didn't matter matter. Gold plating was a common problem that cropped up on almost every program prior to 1995, and the F-22 is an example of a Cold War procurement program. Once the design was chosen it went to standard practices, adding new requirements, changing funding envelopes, ect... with the usual 120% cost increase later. The Typhoon suffers from the exact same problem, and its seen similar cost overrruns and delays. The YF-23, being a completely immature development wise, probably would have been even worse. Probably the first program to change this mold was JDAM acquisition. It heralded an age of programs under what is called Cost and an Independant Variable (CAIV). Its an interesting read if you can find articles on it. Also In certain procurement articles I've read, the F/A-18E is seen as a good program to follow management wise as well, which it came in relatively on time and on budget.

Safari on OSX.

Veritas, you keep hitting all my favorites. I remember guts, they were all the rage on the playground, everybody had them, except me. I was sorta uncool, until I came back from Japan one Christmas with a Super Deformed Dom, Kampfer, and VF-1J. I remember the look on other kids faces... screw your guts, my blue Kampfer with 2 Bazookas and Pzfausts, was waay cooler. As for Mega Force, I had all the small sets for the V-rocs. Its something I'd probably end up collecting again, now I remember their names, and can look them up on ebay. Thanks!

Bush has been all for the ITAR waiver, for quite some time. Its congress thats been holding them up. Given the state of relations between congress and the President, especially with mid-term elections coming up, I'm skepctical that it will happen, but Its possible.

Forget China, India, and Australia make for better allies and have the ability to power project and able to pull your butt of the fire should the need arise. After looking at the population numbers for the Kuril Islands and Sakhalin, the ROS is going to need protection as roughly 700,000 people will be hard pressed to maintain a military large enough to cover the entire nation. 402429[/snapback] Chechens did it in 1994 and again in 1996, with the same population numbers, and far less preparation.Airpower in this case can be used to great effect by denying Russians the mobility they need to move their forces in the region. You're not going to see a massive russian invasion force, they wouldn't be able to send enough units anyway, and not many heavy weapons. If you honestly think that India would be a better ally in this case than China, you need to read up on your geo-politics. You honestly think that the Indian government is going to send their only prized carrier all the way around the straits of malacca, and up to ROS... probably to have it sunk by a Akula. And for what strategic reason would they do that for? They already sit beside the world's largest proven resources of hydrocarbons, and have been exceptionally unwilling to participate in anything but UN peace keeping operations. Do the words "non aligned state" ring a bell? Sweden is more likely to intervene than India ever would. But, you could probably count on them to lodge a protest in the UN. What use is Australia? Australia has no carriers, limited power projection capabilities that certainly are not able to reach or effectively operate in the ROS's sphere. C-130Js can't even get a half of the way there. Moreover their forces are not well configured for pure expeditionary warfighting, and they certainly aren't going to come into a conflict that is literally half way around the world. Unless the US or someone else goes in, they aren't going to show up. China on the other hand, has geo political interests here, they are very close by (thereby eliminating the problem of distance), and have the ability to pin down a large amount of Russian forces simply by moving their own forces along the border. They don't have to do much and they would probably have done more than any other state could do by providing troops to counter a Russian invasion directly. Its the ROS's natural ally.

I think if you wanted to design a scenario for such an attack, the best you could come up with is Falklands 1982. This sort of scenario is quite close actually to what the Russians and Chinese would be able to mount. Three key factors I see. First off Effective Air to Air Capabilities are a must, one that can survive a prolonged conflict. Whomever rules the skies over the ROS will win. Due to the Country's odd size, effective AEW is irreplacable and a fundamental to victory. Anti Ship warfare is also key, preferably with stand off weaponry, though I think that given the state of Russian Navy that you could still see dumb bombs being effective. IF the Russians are able to amphibiously land forces, its all over for the ROS. I think the ROS's forces would be more than adequate to deal with paratroops, if they can be quickly cut off. However if the Russians and Chinese get forces on the ground, they would not be able to stop such a large attack. Air to ground stuff will be vital. It could well become a force multiplier in the large country, against forces spread out. Mid altitude stuff would be prime, given the Russian to carry large amounts of MANPADS.

Very very very doubtful that china would annex Sakhalin, or act like an expanding power in that sense. China in the past has been willing to give nuclear weapons technology to its neighbours (ie Pakistan)... thats how worried its about expanding its sphere of influence. If you're interested in how Chinese Geopolitics operate, I suggest David Kang's article in International Security:Getting Asia Wrong (27:4). (Now that is cutting it close to politics.)

Well thats the point, unless the US has a clear defence agreement, like the North Atlantic Treaty, the US has been in the past a very mediocre ally, acting on its interest. And I sincerely doubt that the US would do such a thing. It would be tantamount (and portrayed as) giving a defence treaty to Chechnya. While NATO expansion was a foregone conclusion in most Western European States, it brought up alot of hackles in the US, especially the Senate, precisely because it would force the US to honour a mutual defence treaty. I doubt that the US would immediately rush to the ROS's aid, and its also unlikely they would provide it with high grade military equipment, especially if it were to be used against russia (since there are obvious territorial disputes occurring). They may well deny critical military supplies to the ROS, as they did to Israel at certain junctures. First off, its not like Russia is agressively expanding its territory. IT would be very much percieved as an Chechnya type problem, which is basically in the Russian sphere of influence, and not the US's problem. And while you say Russia has been ineffectucal, I'd reply, up until now. As I pointed out, the Russian perception of the west has changed since Putin has come to power, and the economy has shown signs of major revival. In the 1990s, the Russians soon learned that Former Warsaw Pact states were well out of there sphere of influence, and that they had limited control over their sphere after Chechnya. But that was then and this is now. I would certainly not want to buy Russian airfames if I was in the ROS's position.

Those three countries are former states in their own right, Russia had little sway over them in any case (especially CZ and Poland which were fundamentally western countries prior to 1939, as was romania to a slightly lesser extent) although even in the early in the 1990s the USSR had serious problems with them joining NATO due to Russian intransigence. The ROS buying weapons from the US would likely be similar to one of the CIS states trying to cozy up to the United States, and that being in its sphere of influence would likely provoke a negative reaction. There's actually been a bit of a backlash lately in Russia to NATO's encroachment. I don't think the US would like to involve itself into that sort of disupte. The best case for them is to go for China. I think that new Cheap F-16 type fighter that was just unveiled would look good. I'd also look to Israel, and India for other defence purchases, ones that are non essential. I think you can separate logistical items into three areas. Critical Supplies (parts that wear out or are used quickly, like certain parts, bombs ect.)/ Semi-critical (parts and equipment that wear out or may need replacement every couple of months, like certain avionics) /non critical supplies (Stuff that does not need constant replacement, ie airframes). How you purchase you fighters should be based on this critera. You want to make sure that you have assured, quick access to critical supplies, or have large stores of it. Think Israel during the 1967 and 73 wars. So China would be a good bet. For Semi Critical parts, you probably can get away without replacement for a conflict if its short, but you'll probably need replacements if the conflict becomes protracted, or if you don't have deep stores. Think Iran's american Fighters during the Iran/Iraq war. Finally for non critical supplies, you can purchase anywhere, because you don't have to worry so much about resupply during the war. 401923[/snapback] I worry about buying Chinese weapons mainly from a reliability and maintainability standpoint. Historically their aircraft are a bit crappy and I'd worry about my FC-1s of J-10s constantly breaking down on me. American aircraft on the other hand generally have a reputation for reliability. That might piss off the Russians but it appears that in the scenario I outlined the ROS has made the conscious decision to flip them the bird anyway (I made my purchases accordingly). Interestingly enough you've done a pretty good job of explaining why I decided to arm my air force with mostly Israeli ordinance. In a shooting war I figured I would be expending missiles the fastest, I figured the US might shy away from sending me more AMRAAMs or Sidewinders to use against the Japanese or the Russians, but the Israelis will sell to anyone. 401931[/snapback] The great thing about china is that they are literally a flight away. You lose a couple of planes? Big deal, purchase 5 more and get a 6th one free, delivered all in the next day. Given the losses that they may suffer (looking at the 1973 war as an example), its likely that cheap and flimsy is a better option than few and expensive, especially if you have a good fighter corps of well trained pilots. Morover if a few Chinese Pilots ferrying fighters were to accidently be shot down... well that plays right into the hands of the ROS. I think where Israel offers the best options is for AEW stuff, maybe someone like Dave could cover this more, but they would fit neatly in a mid range supplier if they have the equipment to sell in this area (I'm not sure). However they are too far away to be a critical parts supplier.

Those three countries are former states in their own right, Russia had little sway over them in any case (especially CZ and Poland which were fundamentally western countries prior to 1939, as was romania to a slightly lesser extent) although even in the early in the 1990s the USSR had serious problems with them joining NATO due to Russian intransigence. The ROS buying weapons from the US would likely be similar to one of the CIS states trying to cozy up to the United States, and that being in its sphere of influence would likely provoke a negative reaction. There's actually been a bit of a backlash lately in Russia to NATO's encroachment. I don't think the US would like to involve itself into that sort of disupte. The best case for them is to go for China. I think that new Cheap F-16 type fighter that was just unveiled would look good. I'd also look to Israel, and India for other defence purchases, ones that are non essential. I think you can separate logistical items into three areas. Critical Supplies (parts that wear out or are used quickly, like certain parts, bombs ect.)/ Semi-critical (parts and equipment that wear out or may need replacement every couple of months, like certain avionics) /non critical supplies (Stuff that does not need constant replacement, ie airframes). How you purchase you fighters should be based on this critera. You want to make sure that you have assured, quick access to critical supplies, or have large stores of it. Think Israel during the 1967 and 73 wars. So China would be a good bet. For Semi Critical parts, you probably can get away without replacement for a conflict if its short, but you'll probably need replacements if the conflict becomes protracted, or if you don't have deep stores. Think Iran's american Fighters during the Iran/Iraq war. Finally for non critical supplies, you can purchase anywhere, because you don't have to worry so much about resupply during the war.

Look, I've been around here for quite some time, and I know where I can and can't go, almost certainly better than you. these threads are littered with posts of this kind. Please don't tell me what to do, k? My post was right on the topic, and its elucidation of what geostrategic considerations may be involved in purchases. Someone else can chose the exact weapons based on my choices. It wasn't meant to be overly political, rather an identification of how states act in the region. If a mod has a problem with it, then he can tell me, but I've said similar things in the past, and with the exception of Mistrovit nitpicking, its been fine. Edit: I'll probably make exact choices later... I only did the above for idle musings.

Here’s my political take on the game, you guys can fill in the rest. First off kalvasflam, I think you're mistaken to believe that because a state can crush another conventionally that there is no point to arm. First off Russia will not have their complete military capability available for such an invasion, it will have to send much of it via Siberia, while also preventing a possible attack by China. Moreover if you’re fishing for a potential ally, they want you to have effective military forces to contribute. The US, China ect, is sure as hell not going to defend you tooth and nail if you’ve essentially done nothing to defend yourself. Look at the issue of Burden Sharing for the trans atlantic alliance and you’ll get a feel for it. So lets look at this clearly. The Republic of Sakhalin’s (ROS) two natural allies are Japan and China. Its #1 ally is China. First off, China will benefit the most from the ROS’s resources, and has limited reasons to invade this country. China has absolutely no scruples sending military machinery to 3rd party states and would almost be happy to ship weapons during a crisis. Due to these two states proximity re-supply would be greatly facilitated. China’s Security council seat is another advantage. Finally, China’s relationship with Russia also plays into the ROS’s advantage because it can “keep Russia honestâ€, forcing Russia to keep many of its units pinned down in Siberia to deter a potential Chinese invasion, thus limiting the amount of forces it can spare for an Invasion. The Bulk of your military capability should be of Chinese make. Japan is second. Yes Japanese extreme right politicians are known for their bluster, but in truth they command a very limited segment of Japanese population. Easing relations with Japan would not only increase trade relations between both states, but also security relations. By extension this would increase its standing with the United States. Unfortunately Japan is not a weapons producer, and its ability to influence Russia would be minimal. The ROS’s secession would have likely rehabilitated relations between Russia and Japan since the Kuril islands dispute no longer stands in their way. Trade and investment would have likely increased dramatically once a peace treaty has been signed between the two states. Still though Japan would be the best recipient for ROS’s trade, and is likely to be the most stable state in the region. The US is unlikely to be a reliable ally, and difficult to promote support. Cultivating relations with the United States would immediately run into problems with Russia, as cozying up to the US would be seen as allowing an enemy into Russia’s spehere of influence. Witness the problems of NATO expansion circa late 1990s. Russians are growing resentful of NATO’s encroachment, and direct relations between ROS and the US are likely to provoke a negative reaction from Moscow. What I’d be looking for is getting American Technical experience, specifically in training pilots. This might be low level enough not to engender deep negative reactions from Russia, provides effective ways to greatly increase the ROS’s Airforce, while being a relatively self sufficient program. If the US refuses support in the future, the trained pilots remain, and do not need spare parts. Finally the EU would be the last ally. Too far away, and wholly dependant on Russian Oil, Europeans would be the first to jump ship. Parts would take too long to arrive, and be vulnerable to interdiction… Europe is of limited use to ROS. I hope that gives people some things to think about.

Totally Silhouette. I've been using it for Macross for years. You don't spend hours designing mecha but retain lots of crunchy details for the technophiles amongst your players. 400953[/snapback] Do you use Silcore3 or the Jovian 2 rules? Personally I was one who thought Silcore was a bit of a disaster, and it ultimately made me leave HG. The Jovian II rules were by far the best in my mind.

The same could be asked about the person who uses this avatar Nice to see you back Ewilen

Sheesh, don't I feel like I'm behind the curve.

Here's an odd story F-14 Tail found In Ireland http://home.hamptonroads.com/stories/story...4179&ran=157482

Oh, you mean like Nazi Germany did? And not surprisingly, it worked out just as well for them as it did for Zeon. 397789[/snapback] Even then the comparison isn't apt. Zeon was producing new designs in a matter of weeks after each other... While many of Nazi germany's wonder weapons were either flimsily put together (ME-163/263, Bachem Natter, He-162), essentially variants of existing units(The Jager lines like the Jagpanther), or nothing but paper projects, Zeon was putting out high quality suits that were far superior to their UNT counterparts, like the Gelgoog, Gyan and the Galbaldy, and doing so in spades.

Well it was superior story telling and animations style that got me into anime. SDF Macross (through the bastardized Robotech) is what got me "actively involved". SK is a talented designer, but his gundamizing of the Valks is getting a bit out of hand.... 397727[/snapback] I don't think so at all. I think his fighter designs have fitted coherently. The VF-1 is the first attempt at a variable craft. Its a bit clunky but it gets the job done. The VF-4 is a bit more streamlined, but it too isn't very smooth. The VF-11 is slightly better, and you can see how it links between the VF-1 (which has its same design heritage) and the VF-19 (its replacement). There is a direct trend towards streamlining fighters, as design prowless increase. By the end the VF-21's form is complete stylization, its limbs are more for show than anything else. I never had a problem with Macross 7 designs either. As graham pointed out, the series brought some of the best designs forward, like the VF-17 and the VF-11 Full armor. And the VF-19S for what it does isn't a bad design either, its a dedicated space fighter, rather like the VF-17. As for the Sound Force stuff, since most of those are one offs of existing designs, designed for a special purpose, I can live with the "faces" as they aren't intended for combat like the mass produced fighters.