Firefighter Destroid

I'd say Macross R deserves an OVA or game given the amount of attention on this forum.

If the Macross universe doesn't have a new scenario yet it would totally rock as a realism-driven sandbox MMORPG considering the amount of content that has been made over the years.

I agree. Macross should not merely dwell on what has been established but evolve and realize new concepts. Take the VF design - It is always fixed to 3 forms and every VF design adheres to the same shape and structure for each form. Why not base the VF forms based on gameplay motions or actual physical motions? An example is Gerwalk mode - hailed as having versatile VTOL hover actions but is the most physically unstable shape of the 3 modes. They could consider centralizing the mass closer to the source of thrust to achieve better realism in terms of form and function, to name a few. And why does Fighter mode always have to resemble a 20th century jet fighter? Ace Combat Electrosphere and Fairy Air Force Yukikaze proved you could have bizaare aerodynamic shapes and still provide the illusion of flying realism. And Battroid - why do they always have the tapered intakes above the hips? Haven't they realized those intakes keep banging on the folded wings when the robot walks forward? And to solve this problem they pose the toys to flex from the Gerwalk Hip instead shortening the upper leg? Also try considering animating the robots toes or phalanges to flex both up and down. This is what provides the agility and jump in one's step. As it stands, Battroids still bang their entire feet on the ground to stride forward. What kind of slow speeds can you achieve that way? Try running without flexing your toes at all and you'll see what I mean. Logically speaking the entire VF should consider an evolution in form and function - not merely a restyling of an old design.

This game may interest you: Assault Gunners It's called Destroy Gunners on smartphones.

Why was that plot point closed off? Is there a link that references that?

I hope the next game they release is a sandbox emulating the exactness of the likes of Grand Theft Auto IV or V. Instead of Liberty City it'd be Macross City XX drifting in space toward some planned destination. You can do all sorts of things in and out of the City aside from the usual mecha combat. Everything will take place in real time making use of actual physics. Grinding stats will be there for the afflicted but gameplay will be more than that. And in space up and down won't exist and will be truly relative to your orientation and point of view. And hopefully we'll discover what happened to the Megaroad. Regardless of platform or console - don't you think it's time developers took these things into account when making that definitive Macross Game?

Hi Everyone! It's been some time since I last checked on this post - something I started several space folds ago. I had to do some actual work that really kept me pre-occupied from here. And it seems in the time I was gone I had been give an actual name in the Japanese official site: 'Destroid Werk' (or Destroid Work if you prefer). It looks like I have a lot of catching up to do reading through all your entries (we've just started the groundwork for mecha control systems!). But even so, I want to express my appreciation on how this topic has sparked so much interest & response on what a VF is and what it can do and how it does the things we all love it for doing. Thank you all for your faith & enthusiasm. Domo arigato Go-Zaimer, fellow MetaCulture mechheads. Soredewa, mata ne!

I'm thinking Master Chief now... VF-27 RECLAIMER (ri-ku-re--ma--) And another term associated with Messiah... VF-27 REDEEMER (ri-dji--ma-)

Here're the lines from the link then: Eighteen P&W LHP04 low-thrust vernier thrusters beneath multipurpose hook/handles. Vernier thrusters with chemical fuel tanks in backpack section in GERWALK and Battroid modes. Vernier system below nose and in aft engine nacelles. Fluid pulse actuators enable transformation. Two cooling sub-air intake/airframe lift adjustment slits located on forward main body in Fighter mode. Thanks for this, Sulendid. Now can anyone be imaginative enough to speculate how this thing works? It didn't say it enables robotic movement, though. Can we assume it does too since transformation effects & limb effects are intertwined?

I like the way Noboru Ishiguro directs. He puts a lot of goofy antics in the background scene. Like the Nue logo on the building in South Atalia that was smashed into. Where else can you see a fixed painting plead for its existence in a short moment? Or Shoji Kawamori being ignored while interviewing Minmay. It's sad this kind of comedy is absent nowadays.

I'm not sure that thing's main rifle really destroys things. Sort of like space folds them mutilatedly to another dimension where they can never, ever come back from.

Alright!!! Our first real winner! Thanks for that, Fade Rathnik - Fluid Pulse Actuator (are you Zjentolhauean, btw?) . Now we can speculate how that might work if it were real: Fluid - does a fluid run through it? Or does that describe the fluidity of its operation? Pulse - perhaps this is similar to how nerve cells in our bodies transmit data at light speed? Actuator - this speaks for itself, but is still an unknown in terms of what it really is like. Any ideas?

That and their inner motors they apparently forgot about that shake their metal booties. Imagine building a Gundam plastic model kit. After completion you can pose it the way you want. But you must do it externally with your hands because you know the joints cannot move by themselves. You know that there is a lack of motors inside that might be able to move the toy figure on its own. The same is with the Macross VF canon. Official spec write ups are very comprehensive with a lot of things namely: sizes, weapons & engines. But in their ivory tower these authors fail to explain or give an idea on what devices makes the thing move around on its own two feet. Please be able to distinguish the Control system from the Actuator system. It is the former that you are answering, it is the latter that is being determined here.

'Minmay Soul' is a singer-persona integral to the elements driving a Macross story. Lynn Minmay's singing saved the Zjentolhauean from becoming mindless drones forever drawn to war. Myung Fang Lone's quiet song saved Isamu from losing his sanity in Sharon Apple's music. Basara & Milene sang their throats dry to pacify the Spiritia hunger of the Protodeviln. Mao Nome sang to save Shin from plunging his harmonic-sensitive OverTech craft into the sea. In Frontier, President Glass specifically ensures the safety of the singer Sheryl Nome who we all surmise as the last living relative of the Nome sisters. I suppose you understand why such a person must be protected? The singer has always been integral to the resolution of a conflict. Now I'm beginning to think small furry green alien squirrels endowed with giant killing machines are beginning to like them too. As for Mr. Bilrer, I can only say i have yet to see a micloned giant with an inhuman-looking forehead & right eye. But I have seen a Protodeviln in the Macross 7 show that has such mutant features. I believe he died while singing - saving his beloved Sivil in the process.

I hope when I survive to be real old the inspiration you've shared your children will ignite the spark to create a true-to-life tranformable aircraft-robot.

SMS is bossed by that creepy Protodeviln-like paraplegic dude in a wheelchair. What are his motives for running such an organization? To gain the full legacy of the ProtoCulture? To what end? To perpetuate the power & resource struggle that fuels meaningless wars within civilizations? (Well that seems more like Leon Mishima's cup of tea). Or is it to protect a certain type of person that can gain favor & access with whatever entity the Protoculture has become? SAVE the MINMAY SOUL?

Definitely Ranka's impromptu performance at The Folmo. Sheryl should just sing to small furry Vajra squirrels. Infinithi sounds like a rip-off of a Gundam Seed closing song. The BGM seems patterned after OSTs from Jerry Bruckheimer & Michael Bay movies, doesn't it? I think Kanno's opus was fully spent on GITS & 2nd Gig. At least we have fresh new themes for new times.

Let's not take walking for granted. It took the greater part of a decade for Honda Corp. to perfect the actuator system for the giggly stride of our new mechanical brother Asimo. While it may seem we take this aspect for granted in anime, the addition of such detailed renderings make for a richer story and background. Which is one among many reasons why we love Macross and the like. And so this dialogue was opened for you to stretch your imagination on the Robotic Aspect in Macross. Sometimes I think the robotic aspect was deliberately left out by Mr. K to avoid confusing Macross with its bastardized clone nemesis R080+3(H.

Thanks, JT Silversmith. That was a very detailed interpretation indeed. I bet if you had a VF of your own it'd be configured this way. And from your explanation I can understand how deeply you feel about the Valkyrie - its elaborateness does this to a lot of us.

Dude, you came up with a lot of great ideas & I thank you for that. While on the whole it really is anime magic for now, maybe in a decade or two we can all laugh off how we used to think about these things because we would have made them real by then simply because we started believing in them now. That's how we as a people have advanced technologically. Well let me take this opportunity to clarify to all the purpose of this query: I opened this up to get to the bottom of a gap Mr. K left open - what sort of robotic system is employed in a Valkyrie? Is it hydraulic? Is it artificially muscled? Does it use multi-axis servo motors? Or does the rocket thrust from the apogee motors on its limbs make it flail about?

Regarding the Controls, I think it was in shown in Frontier episode 2 how Alto appeared to be pressing or rolling the bulges on the flight stick handle to manipulate the right hand's fingers in cocooning Ranka precariously. As for general limb movement, that must have been done by the new special EX-Gear suit pilots wear. The machine just mimics the pilot's body motion as if on a puppet string. I suppose by then they probably already use a wireless method more advanced than wi-fi or bluetooth. But tell me, do you have any idea what sort of robotic motors a VF might have? The diagrams sent in here ruled out hydraulics & artificial muscle fiber, leaving only a bunch of vague 'circles'.

Got to believe in magic, huh? Great idea!

It seems hard to imagine a radiant form of energy strengthening the molecular density of a solid object. But I get your point about the specially designed armor that can utilize this energy. It's pretty far-fetched indeed. Thanks for your entry, it cleared up some confusion. But I would have also like it if the SWAG also acted as a universal conduit system that distributes power to all the VF's facilities. This would free up a lot of internal space for a variety of useful equipment, wouldn't you agree?

So SWAG would more or less be a physical defense system. Kind of like instead of the part collapsing due to impact, the energy kind of vibrates & reverberates around the struck area until it dissipates. Like a tuning fork. What about the energy needed to operate the robot motors? Or the robot motors in question. There is hardly any info regarding this. Officially documented specs never mention the robotic system. It's usually only the powerplant as a propulsion engine. So what makes the VF swing its foot forward to walk? The foot thruster fired backward forcing an equal and opposite reaction?

I believe that was a function of the GBP system - the Reactive Armor concept where the kinetic force against a plate is equally repelled back. That all started with the Ingram's (Patlabor) cloth-like suit which balloons after getting hit. Besides, if SWAG was merely an armor concept what would distribute the VF's energy to enable its robot motors? Cables & separate conduits are absent unless the Boss (Mr. K) says otherwise.