The Newbie and Short Questions thread

[Darkspire17]

A few years i heard of super dreadnought fortress macross. The original 4 minuet pilot film containing clips of the first episode (Boobytrap).

I believe i once owned it on a MADMAN promo disk (australian). ive not seen anyone show it off expect for ADV using it to demonstrate the remastering process.

Has it been included in any form at all? dose anyone know where i can get a legal copy?

all i remember is it shows a different logo opening and 4 minuets of clips from boobytrap accompanied by the full macross theme.

any info you guys have on it?

Link to ADV's edit:

[frothymug]

Leave it up to Sketchley to argue over semantics about the proper pronounciation of terms. Just let it go, dude. We all know what is intended; I accept both spellings equally.

[Seto Kaiba]

You mean this: "フランス語では Gaule（ゴール）"?

The translation of that is: "It is Gaule (ゴール) in French".

Yeah, that's the one I meant.

Are you using a machine translator? Some important things are missing from your translation.

Nope, I gave up on those ages ago... too many "blind idiot" translations. I just summarized for the sake of brevity.

Going back to the first paragraph, it says "the exact pronunciation of the classical Latin [Gallia] is ガッリア." Which puts a lot of weight on the side of the MF production team not using the phonetic reading, but the literal, or historical meaning of the name.

*nods* My view of that is more a note on the difference in pronunciation rules between Classical and Liturgical Latin, the latter being far more prevalent than the former in modern society because of its association with a modern religion (and media depictions thereof). Even though Christianity is a minority religion over in Japan, I'd expect Liturgical Latin to be the one they're more familiar with, thus necessitating the note.

Literal, historical significance would've been my reason for picking "Gallia" over "Gaul" as a translation... but then, that's probably my bias speaking. A lot of the Roman settlements in Gallia/Gaul sprang up around the forts constructed to hold the territory, and that seems to be kind of the way Gallia/Gaul 4 was going before Grace blew it up, being that it was way out on the frontier.

[ManhattanProject972]

Who exactly is Mina Forte? I played through Macross 30 almost a dozen times but since I dont understand Japanese her big reveal or revelation is lost on me.

[sketchley]

Leave it up to Sketchley to argue over semantics about the proper pronounciation of terms. Just let it go, dude. We all know what is intended; I accept both spellings equally.

Dude. You guys complain about translations, and then complain about translators trying to be as accurate as possible when translating.

Is there anything you guys don't complain about?

Edited April 25, 2016 by sketchley

[JB0]

Is there anything you guys don't complain about?

Nope!

[sketchley]

*nods* My view of that is more a note on the difference in pronunciation rules between Classical and Liturgical Latin, the latter being far more prevalent than the former in modern society because of its association with a modern religion (and media depictions thereof). Even though Christianity is a minority religion over in Japan, I'd expect Liturgical Latin to be the one they're more familiar with, thus necessitating the note.

When it comes to "the classics", Japan looks to the Chinese ones, not the Greek/Roman ones.

Let's sidestep the issue of religion in modern society and just say that it isn't very prevalent in everyday transactions, and just leave it at: one shouldn't expect the general person in Japan to have any familiarity with Latin.

Literal, historical significance would've been my reason for picking "Gallia" over "Gaul" as a translation... but then, that's probably my bias speaking.

I blame Asterix.

Edited April 25, 2016 by sketchley

[EXO]

Leave it up to Sketchley to argue over semantics about the proper pronounciation of terms. Just let it go, dude. We all know what is intended; I accept both spellings equally.

It's just a friendly discussion, not really an argument.

But at the same time, this is the newb and short questions thread, you guys should really take the discussion to a more appropriate thread or start one if there isn't any already. Thanks!

[RedWolf]

Who exactly is Mina Forte? I played through Macross 30 almost a dozen times but since I dont understand Japanese her big reveal or revelation is lost on me.

Mina Forte was kept in cold sleep for who knows how long till Aisha and Leon found her in a Protoculture ruin. Her people disappeared with no trace. The planet Ouroboros littered with Protoculture ruins and Dyaus guardians protecting them. She was worried she is some sort of biological android which Aisha and Leon assured she isn't. And then the Oh Crap moment she remembers the 8th Evil Series is sealed on the planet.

[ManhattanProject972]

Mina Forte was kept in cold sleep for who knows how long till Aisha and Leon found her in a Protoculture ruin. Her people disappeared with no trace. The planet Ouroboros littered with Protoculture ruins and Dyaus guardians protecting them. She was worried she is some sort of biological android which Aisha and Leon assured she isn't. And then the Oh Crap moment she remembers the 8th Evil Series is sealed on the planet.

Oh so her people were native to the planet and disappeared and she was pretty much the sole survivor?

[mickyg]

It's just a friendly discussion, not really an argument.

But at the same time, this is the newb and short questions thread, you guys should really take the discussion to a more appropriate thread or start one if there isn't any already. Thanks!

Just throwing it out there but I find this sort of discussion is entirely appropriate. I had no idea there was any debate about the actual name of the planet! I too was going on the subs as well as the Bandai fold/speaker set for what it was called. I find this sort of "behind the scenes" fascinating and honestly, in my opinion, it is a "short question" in every sense of the term: "What was that planet in Frontier actually called?"

Of course, I may be in the minority and that's fine. Just wanted to say thanks for the guys who take the time to explain some of this stuff, even when it is quite involved and maybe not everyone's idea of a simple question and answer section on this thread.

Carry on...

[RedWolf]

Oh so her people were native to the planet and disappeared and she was pretty much the sole survivor?

As far as we know she is the last of her kind.

[kajnrig]

Does the Frontier VF-171 have a gunpod? The original 17 has the internally stored one (and the forearm-mounted guns), and the Delta 171 sports a traditional undercarriage-mounted one, but I don't think I ever saw a Frontier fighter with either variety...

[Scyla]

Does the Frontier VF-171 have a gunpod? The original 17 has the internally stored one (and the forearm-mounted guns), and the Delta 171 sports a traditional undercarriage-mounted one, but I don't think I ever saw a Frontier fighter with either variety...

It does:

source: http://www.macrossworld.com/mwf/index.php?showtopic=34315&p=902911

[kajnrig]

Is that the same model as the 17's? Either way, that solves that, thanks!

[Scyla]

Is that the same model as the 17's? Either way, that solves that, thanks!

It looks similar however I don't think they are the same.

You can compare them on the Macross Mecha Manual:

VF-17: http://www.macross2.net/m3/macross7/vf-17s-nightmare.htm

VF-171: http://www.macross2.net/m3/macrossf/vf-171.htm

For a more in depth analysis you have to ask a different board member.

Edited April 27, 2016 by Scyla

[calubin_175]

Are Super Packs necessary for VF-1, VF-11 and VF-25 for moderate duration space operations?

I got the impression that without the super packs, their default form would not able to last long in space.

Of course, SDF TV made the space Super Pack a luxury space equipment rather than an essential.

Doesn't this manual say the vanilla VF-1 could run for 700 hours under atmosphere but only 600 seconds in space?

Edited May 4, 2016 by calubin_175

[Master Dex]

Are Super Packs necessary for VF-1, VF-11 and VF-25 for moderate duration space operations?

I got the impression that without the super packs, their default form would not able to last long in space.

Of course, SDF TV made the space Super Pack a luxury space equipment rather than an essential.

Doesn't this manual say the vanilla VF-1 could run for 700 hours under atmosphere but only 600 seconds in space?

That is the general consensus that the extra fuel and equipment allow for better space operations. It might not necessarily be longer however. It could though. As you mentioned, in SDF:M we see the VF-1s in space a lot before FAST packs appeared. My recent back and forth with one Seto Kaiba in the Macross Delta mecha/tech thread has also pointed out to me more details on how the engines work in space that had eluded me for a long time (you can refer to that for details, presuming you don't want Delta spoilers). Keeping that in mind, the VF-1 running slick in space definitely doesn't have the ability to go long term if it is running its engines a lot. However in space you also do not need constant thrusting (it looks like they do anyway, but I'd pin that on artistic reasons because it looks better to animate than a plane flying with no exhaust, though there is some question on whether the exhaust should be visible all the time.. but I digress). As such, with careful use, they could keep their sortie time good without wasting their limited fuel probably. FAST packs of course make this much easier. Additionally going back to my first comment, FAST packs also can allow for the valk to do more in space without wasting the fuel, even if it keeps their sortie time around the same as it was without the FAST packs (such as more maneuvering, or specific accelerations that might have used too much fuel without the extra engines and tanks).

[Mr March]

I don't think the FAST/Super Packs/Parts are necessary for regular sortie of variable fighters in space. The SDF Macross series depicted both short and long range operations of the VF-1 Valkyrie, all without any added Packs. But space is REALLY big and the ranges are really far, so I think the FAST/Super Packs added primarily enhanced performance to close gaps faster. Operational time might have also been enhanced to a degree, but I don't think that was as much a concern given the design. The original VF-1 Valkyrie FAST/SUper Packs only had enough fuel for 150 seconds at maximum thrust, according to the official trivia. So I think enhanced performance rather than endurance was the point.

[Seto Kaiba]

Does the Frontier VF-171 have a gunpod? The original 17 has the internally stored one (and the forearm-mounted guns), and the Delta 171 sports a traditional undercarriage-mounted one, but I don't think I ever saw a Frontier fighter with either variety...

It'd have a hard time pulling this one off if it didn't...

Appears to be internally stored on the Frontier fleet's VF-171 units prior to the EX upgrade, at which point some units started carrying it externally because the extra armor added to the legs got in the way of the doors.

Is that the same model as the 17's? Either way, that solves that, thanks!

Sort of. It's mentioned with two different models that appear to be either externally identical or mounted in the same case... the GU-14B and MC-17C. Exactly what the difference is, we don't know, but the VF-17's was the MC-17A, so we can say with some certainty that it has the option of using a later variant of what was standard on the VF-17. From that, it seems a somewhat logical assumption that the gun pod we DO see is the GU-14B, as it has eight barrels rather than the MC-17's 7 barrels.

Are Super Packs necessary for VF-1, VF-11 and VF-25 for moderate duration space operations?

I got the impression that without the super packs, their default form would not able to last long in space.

In all honesty, that's a question to which the answer will vary depending on the Valkyrie.

There are two chief considerations that affect space endurance: the fighter's internal tank capacity and the efficiency of its engines. Larger fighters, such as the VF-14 Vampire, have much more room for internal fuel tanks than small ones like the VF-1 Valkyrie. Also, the 4th Generation VFs (VF-19, VF-22, VF-171) and 5th Generation VFs (YF-24 and derivatives thereof) each received new generations of engine technology that greatly improved efficiency and power vs. what a previous-generation Valkyrie was capable of.

The VF-1 Valkyrie has rather limited internal tanks because its size was deliberately constrained to produce a battroid that was approximately the estimated size of the giant aliens that were believed to have crewed the ASS-1. Based on the fuel tank and consumption rate remarks in Variable Fighter Master File, a VF-1's 1,410 liters of internal fuel would give the engines a maximum operation time of approximately 6 minutes and 33 seconds at full power. The additional fuel in the FAST pack's conformal tanks stretches that to a few seconds short of 30 minutes.

The VF-11 isn't that much bigger than a VF-1, so I would assume its endurance is similarly limited... but short-duration space operations, and medium-duration operations where there isn't a lot of heavy maneuvering expected should be OK for either. Its larger rival, the VF-14, was built HUGE for space operations so it didn't need FAST packs even with its comparatively inefficient engines.

Mind you, thanks to Master File there's the suggestion that just because we don't see extra tanks doesn't mean they aren't there. There's mention in the second volume of Variable Fighter Master File: VF-1 Valkyrie of an additional internal set of fuel tanks that can be inserted into the VF-1's main and BLCS intakes for the purpose of maximizing its operating time in space. No word on their capacity though, but it has to be at least a few hundred liters. It wouldn't surprise me if that feature were retained on later designs either.

The Advanced Variable Fighters equipped with thermonuclear reaction burst turbine engines or Stage II thermonuclear reaction turbine engines seem to all be built large enough that they don't strictly need FAST packs for short- or medium-duration space flight, though for most the option seems to remain available for long-range or high-activity space operations (or just when they feel the need to spam missiles like they have some kind of grudge against Ichiro Itano's wrist.

Of course, SDF TV made the space Super Pack a luxury space equipment rather than an essential.

Doesn't this manual say the vanilla VF-1 could run for 700 hours under atmosphere but only 600 seconds in space?

On a quick skim, it does seem that way... it's kind of hard to make out because the scan is low-rez, but I do see what looks like 運転時間700時間 (Operation time of 700 hours) in there.

That's quite a sprint in atmosphere! 700 hours is 29 days 4 hours!

I don't think the FAST/Super Packs/Parts are necessary for regular sortie of variable fighters in space. The SDF Macross series depicted both short and long range operations of the VF-1 Valkyrie, all without any added Packs. But space is REALLY big and the ranges are really far, so I think the FAST/Super Packs added primarily enhanced performance to close gaps faster. Operational time might have also been enhanced to a degree, but I don't think that was as much a concern given the design. The original VF-1 Valkyrie FAST/SUper Packs only had enough fuel for 150 seconds at maximum thrust, according to the official trivia. So I think enhanced performance rather than endurance was the point.

That's 150 seconds of full power burn for the big rocket boosters... but that's a hybrid rocket engine, so it can be throttled and that 150 seconds of "hold onto your butt" stretched into many minutes of less over-the-top thrust.

EDIT: You guys have no idea how much I enjoy questions like these... honestly. :-)

Edited May 4, 2016 by Seto Kaiba

[calubin_175]

It is just that the VF-1 in DYRL verse, VF-11 in M7 and VF-25 in F all sortie with super packs in space.

Heavy fighters such as VF-14 and VF-17/171 certainly don't need them. The VF-19 in M7 was mainly short duration in defense operations, except for the last one.

[Seto Kaiba]

It is just that the VF-1 in DYRL verse, VF-11 in M7 and VF-25 in F all sortie with super packs in space.

Heavy fighters such as VF-14 and VF-17/171 certainly don't need them. The VF-19 in M7 was mainly short duration in defense operations, except for the last one.

On the VF-1 and VF-1, that was probably necessary to ensure they could fight for the maximum amount of time without needing to withdraw for refueling. In the case of the VF-25, it's likely more about the additional armor and weaponry. If you take Master File's stance on the SPS-25S/MF25 Super Pack at face value the advantage is pretty straightforward... when equipped with the Super Pack, the VF-25 can carry almost 20% more weaponry in the pack itself than it could if it had deployed with micro-missile pods on all eight pylons AND the outer two pylons on each wing remain free. That is a LOT of ordinance... over 200 micro-missiles!

(All that and it's got extra fuel tanks, boosters, and more powerful verniers...)

[Valkyrie Driver]

This is for those that have played Macross 30.

I recently purchased a YF-29B Percival Rod custom (because it looked cool, and was the most avilable and most current YF-29 mold). I'm trying to figure out just who Rod is in the game. I know that he's a NUNS pilot, but I don't know any more than that.

I'm not too hung up on spoilers, as I don't own the game or a PS3 to play it on.

[Seto Kaiba]

I recently purchased a YF-29B Percival Rod custom (because it looked cool, and was the most avilable and most current YF-29 mold). I'm trying to figure out just who Rod is in the game. I know that he's a NUNS pilot, but I don't know any more than that.

Rod Baltemar is a pilot attached to the New UN Spacy Special Forces 815th Independent Squadron "Havamal". His callsign is Odin-1, his rank is Captain¹, and he's the right-hand man to Havamal's commander: Colonel Ushio Todo.

Rod Baltemar is essentially "the rival" to the player character in Macross 30: Voices Across the Galaxy (SMS 2nd Lt. Leon Sakaki, AKA Siegfried-1). He, Leon, and Leon's sister Mia all served together in the Laramis system² New UN Spacy garrison force until their base was attacked by parties unspecified, which resulted in Mia's death. Rod was in love with Mia, and her death messed him up real bad. He and Leon stopped talking after Mia's death and Leon quitting the Spacy to join Sephira's branch of SMS. Rod was apparently recruited by Havamal's Colonel Todo for his plot to alter history using the power of the ruins on the isolated emigrant world of Uroboros, with the promise of using that time-altering power to make Mia's death un-happen.

Rod and Leon encounter each other for the first time in-game in orbit of Uroboros, where Rod's YF-29B and a platoon of ghosts ambush Leon's YF-25 after he defolds there on a mission to deliver an airframe control AI to Major Blanchett of the local SMS branch for use in a new prototype fighter. He gets shot down by Rod after defeating the Ghosts in that supposed-to-lose dogfight, and is recovered by the SMS carrier Gefion. He runs into Rod a few times thereafter, where Rod makes some veiled threats or dismissive remarks. They don't start actually fighting until Havamal is revealed to have been backing the bandits preying on the planet's colonists and starts to move openly against both SMS and the planet's NUNS forces. Their final battle is basically the second-to-last boss battle, one of the "trench run" type levels in which Leon uses the YF-30 to shoot down Rod's YF-29B, leaving him free to go rescue Mina Forte and Aisha Blanchett from Colonel Todo with the help of all of the time-displaced pilots from previous Macross titles.

Both Rod Baltemar and his YF-29B Percival become playable and selectable ally units in New Game+.

^{1. In the Army/Air Force sense, not the Navy sense.}

^{2. The system in which the emigrant planet Sephira is located, originally colonized by Macross-4.}

Edited May 10, 2016 by Seto Kaiba

[Valkyrie Driver]

Thanks Seto. So he's one of the Antagonists, so I bought a Villain Valk. That's what I needed to know. I have plenty of Hero Valks, but only 2 enemy valks.

[UN Spacy]

I really need to finish Macross 30.

[Valkyrie Driver]

Whatever happened to the Megaroad-01 and Hikaru Ichijo and Misa Hayase?

[Seto Kaiba]

Whatever happened to the Megaroad-01 and Hikaru Ichijo and Misa Hayase?

Officially? The 1st large-scale long-distance emigrant fleet led by Megaroad-01 lost contact with Earth in 2016 somewhere near the galactic core and hasn't been heard from since. Nobody knows what happened to it, in-universe or otherwise. Richard Bilra, owner of the interstellar shipping concern Bilra Transportation, was hoping to locate Minmay and the Megaroad-01 on the 55th large-scale long-distance emigrant fleet's trip into the core, but nothing came of it. The UN Government covered up the fleet's disappearance, and it is still officially regarded as being en route.

The Macross: Do You Remember Love? video game had a mail-in giveaway bonus that was a musical greeting card in the shape of the Protoculture tablet from the movie, with what purports to be the last known transmission from the fleet (penned by Lynn Minmay). It indicated that Megaroad-01 had found some kind of hole in space from which music was being broadcast, and was moving in to investigate. It's speculated that they may be somewhere in another galaxy.

Edited May 13, 2016 by Seto Kaiba

[RDX17]

The 1st large-scale long-distance emigrant fleet led by Megaroad-01 lost contact with Earth in 2016 somewhere near the galactic core and hasn't been heard from since.

Do you know if a specific date regarding when contact was lost has ever been published?

I found mention of July 2016 on Wikipedia and a few other sites, but I'm curious where this information came from.

As a fan of the series I'd also like to make note of it to commemorate this year.

[Seto Kaiba]

Do you know if a specific date regarding when contact was lost has ever been published?

Most of the official sources I know of just say "in 2016". The Macross Chronicle mechanic sheet for Flashback 2012's SDF-2 Megaroad-01 cites "July 2016".

The aforementioned musical greeting card from the Macross: Do You Remember Love? video game does give a specific date for the transmission of Minmay's last message to Earth... that being Thursday, the 7th of July, 2016. Presumably there was some time lag between the message being transmitted and it being received by Earth during which the ship actually disappeared.

[RDX17]

Most of the official sources I know of just say "in 2016". The Macross Chronicle mechanic sheet for Flashback 2012's SDF-2 Megaroad-01 cites "July 2016".

The aforementioned musical greeting card from the Macross: Do You Remember Love? video game does give a specific date for the transmission of Minmay's last message to Earth... that being Thursday, the 7th of July, 2016. Presumably there was some time lag between the message being transmitted and it being received by Earth during which the ship actually disappeared.

Thank you so much for the detailed information!

I'll have to plan something Macross related for July 7th then.

Edit: I searched for an image of the greeting card and the message within, but came up empty-handed. Have you ever seen the card or an image of it? Thanks again!

Second Edit: I haven't found a picture of the card, but did find a site with a translation of Minmei's last message here: http://monkeybacon.mywebcommunity.org/OTother/MinmeiLastMessage.php

Edited May 16, 2016 by RDX17

[zathras]

Wanted to speculate why the Windermere's are pissed off at the UNS/NUNS government. Windermere was among the first worlds that had joined the UNS. Their grievance on their declaration of war against the NUNS was that their deal with the UNS/NUNS wasn't in their favor or had reneged on it. I can only speculate that maybe the original UNS might had offered them the chance to live longer with access to their genetic engineering technology. Unfortunately due to the clone illness crisis in the 2030s, the mass cloning of ppl was stopped. The Windermere might had originally allied and joined the UNS government on the promise that they'll continue their research but with the NUNS, that promise might had been stopped or non-priority. I'm assuming that the original generations of Windermere are hoping that their children would be able to live longer with genetic modifications to extend their life expectancy. The Windermere rebellion is a response to the collapse of the original UNS government and their promise while the NUNS didn't see any advantage in continuing their research to extend the Windermere's life extension. While the Windermere population might not fully know the details of the deal, it's likely the royals and elites who will benefit on this research are now feeling betrayed since it's near the end of the current generation's time ensure that this promise was kept. At the moment, the NUNS might not care about the Windermere since it's a localized issue that doesn't warrant sending a fleet of ships to reinforce the local conflict.

Pls give your opinion on this and provide other ideas to the Windermere's grievances against the UNS/NUNS.

Edited May 15, 2016 by zathras

[azrael]

Pls give your opinion on this...

As the name (and first post) of this thread makes very clear: This is NOT a discussion thread. It's a question/answer thread. Start your own thread.

[kajnrig]

Having just built the RVF-25, I have a question about the 25-series gunpod, namely: Why does it have a hinged under-barrel? Does it serve a practical purpose? The gunpod seems to function just as well in fighter mode, when that under-barrel sits flush against the gun barrel, as it does hand-held.

[Seto Kaiba]

Having just built the RVF-25, I have a question about the 25-series gunpod, namely: Why does it have a hinged under-barrel? Does it serve a practical purpose? The gunpod seems to function just as well in fighter mode, when that under-barrel sits flush against the gun barrel, as it does hand-held.

Official publications (e.g. Macross Chronicle) indicate the retractable armor cover on the underside of the gun is designed to deploy like that to improve the weapon's heat dissipation and, in so doing, extend the time it can be continuously fired without overheating.

Edited May 17, 2016 by Seto Kaiba