Xeero

That "YF-30" Super Pack entry has sparked my interest. Has anyone managed to unlock it in game or is it just placeholder stuff from cut material?

So is it always this bad when these things get released? I didn't have any interest in the 25 or 27 so I didn't think much of it. Is there any hope for those of us unable to watch the order pages with bloodshot eyes to get one of these suckers at a reasonable price when the regular orders start?

He does some pretty freakin awesome variable mecha imo - here are a few more:

Heh, most of these are actually commissions/favors for a Macross RPG game I run. So at least in the case of the VR-5 and VF-23 I'm partly to blame for the design philosophies. Luis gets full credit for finding the best way to enact my silly ideas though.

Thanks for the quick answer on that one!

Guess I'll just stick with the CV designation then. With over 40 of these suckers that need naming anything to save on some typing will be handy! XD

So while poking about on M3 for info to use on a pet project I came across something I was wondering if anyone here knew the answer to:

On the Uraga carriers anything pre-Frontier is listed with a CV number (CV-565 and so forth) while the Frontier ships have a CVS designation (CVS-670 for instance). Clearly not an end of the world thing but I was hoping someone might have some insight to the differences

Nobody has not point this out yet?

Everybody should know MF was aired at the early hours. From about 1:30~2 am.

Considering that, the popularity of Macross including MF in Japan was/ is not so bad. Even though the rival animes, Code Geass R2 and Gundam 00, were so strong, MF has been releasing its products.

Both of them were aired in the evening, but not so popular nowadays. Now, nobody is talking about G00, and I wonder where have many Geass fans gone to? Akito is not so popular in comparison with Lelouch.

I haven't even started watching Akito. I probably should :/

Heh, ultimately that's why I threw all this up. It's interesting to hear feedback on where things stand, and it's heartening to see that while there's some minor difference of opinion on a few things the overall sentiment is the same. It'll be interesting to see what comes out from Arcadia next, and I also hope we'll see Artdink make a few more Macross titles with some improvements now that they've gotten their feet wet on PS3 development. Let alone whatever we see for animation come out next (personally I'd love some stuff to the tune of side stories).

I'm also definitely glad we're not in the same boat as Mospeada, for a variety of reasons

Either way, thanks to everyone for humoring me on this. It's been enlightening

Hold on a moment here. We seem to have gone from THIS ↓

To THIS ↓

Talking about the state of fandom and the chance of getting official BD releases outside of Japan are two very different things.

I've given my 2 yen on the fandom already but regarding the chance of localised series releases, I'll say this - there is absolutely no chance. It's not any single factor, but a combination. The music rights costs PLUS the HG issue PLUS Big West being unwilling to take the risk PLUS the difference in markets and business models means that it isnt going to happen.

HOWEVER, things like the Macross Plus boxset and the trend of other SF series (Yamato 2199, Gundam Unicorn, Gundam Seed, Gundam Age) being released in Japan with English subtitles gives me hope that future Macross series might have English subtitles as well. Sure its not cheap, but the chance to import and legitimately own/support the show will be there in the future (in my opinion at least) as long as one is prepared to put in the same investment that Japanese fans do.

Part of why I was curious to how healthy the fandom was is the two aren't so far removed. Outside of making a new IP you don't get sequels and the like unless there's a healthy fanbase, unless there's people who'll make them money. And I'd be dubious on saying that it'll never happen. I agree it's fairly unlikely at the moment but we've seen higher profile (and surely more expensive to license) anime come over just fine. Heck we got Plus and Macross II over here and Plus wouldn't have been cheap on the music front either.

That said, if we start seeing more subtitles on the original JP releases that'll make for a reasonable consolation prize, though in that event I'd probably stick to showing my support via model kits and games (good god I'd kill for something like Macross 30 to have had an English text option would've been so much more enjoyable to play and it was quite fun), possibly the OVAs, as I find the cost for anime in Japan to be silly, however that is a conversation for another time I'll agree

You were talking to the wrong owner. His partner is the one that knows the Macross stuff and they work alternate days. If you were talking Gundam, and especially Sentinel then he would be your guy. I know both of them.

As for their pricing, they charge what they charge to stay in business.

Yeah it was a rather interesting conversation to say the least. Along with claiming Macross was effectively dead and buried on both sides of the pond there was also the claim that Kawamori had done some work on one series that was funded by some religious extremists in Japan and might have fairly close ties to them, etc. (sorry I forget the specifics of what was said at this point as this was a couple months back). It always struck me as odd to hear someone say there's no support what so ever for a series that's got an existing fanbase, etc. that the product never moves and yet at the same time run a shop that's stocking Muv-Luv Total Eclipse models and Kamen Rider Wizard stuff.

State of the fandom, hm. Interesting.

As a Japanese fan in Japan, what I can say is Frontier gathered many new fans and brought some old fans back. It was a great accomplishment of MF.

I was so surprised to hear that many non-Japanese fans like both SDFM and M7... Wow...

Many SDFM fans in Japan were M7 haters and some of them never came back to the Macross series after watching only a single episode of M7. They were really disappointed at M7. In Wikipedia, not a few fans opposed to M7 because it was no SDFM-ish.

http://ja.wikipedia.org/wiki/%E3%83%9E%E3%82%AF%E3%83%AD%E3%82%B97

Well, actually Wikipedia has many mistakes, but I totally take the information for granted because I am also the one of the old fans who disliked M7.

Without MF, I would never be here.

BTW some members are talking about the model kits and the toys but they are the industrial products, not the garage kits. The fandom is lead by such amateur-made items here in Japan. For instance, I have once talked to a man who made a 1/500 Andromeda from SBS Yamato garage kit at Wonder Fest. He said when he had been making it, he didn't know 2199 was being made with laughter. The fans don't care whether the sequel is made or not; they just make just they want to make even though 30 years after the last movie was screened. And the contents holders allow them to use the copyright to a limited extent. Never cease fire so easily.

Some enthusiastic fans have kept on working with amateur-made items for a long time. And if the sequel were a good one, the old fans would come back suddenly. The fandam here is so tenacious.

Well, I don't know how about those in America and the other countries.

Thanks for that bit of insight! Admittedly I'm one of the freaks who's enjoyed prettymuch everything Macross has had to offer so far, including 7 (GASP!). Admittedly though while it's great to hear about the garage kits my concern is more on the industrial front. Not because I want to discount the contributions but more trying to get a read on how likely it'll be that we'll see new stuff come out, and maybe one day hopefully, what the odds are of ever seeing more of the series localized for western audiences. because while I'll probably cave on picking up the Plus boxset (a moment of silence for my wallet) I can't justify the costs the Japanese market puts on anime, not when compared to the western releases let alone for something where my grasp of the language is tenuous at best. :/

Which shop in Toronto? I can smack him around abit.

heh, it was Anime Extreme. Looking back on it I probably shouldn't have even bothered buying anything while there. Even accounting for shipping his prices were way off base compared to something like HLJ, but that's convenience for you!

Just a quick question then: How come a series like AKB0048, that as far as I can understand also has a lot of original music, can be licensed in North America? Is there something in particular about the way OST is presented in Macross that makes it more expensive?

I've been dubious of that claim for a while myself. I'd suspect there'd be a greater cost sure, but given all the music for Macross is produced originally for the series I can't see the license holders charging THAT much. If you're not pricing against your market you're just being silly.

Speaking for Japan, Frontier brought with it a huge boom in popularity. To the point that the soundtracks charted not once, but 3 times in the mainstream Oricon music charts. In my opinion, at Frontiers peak, in terms of fans and popularity it exceeded that of the original Macross. Having said that the show itself was still far from mainstream.

With Frontier came legions of new fans, mostly young and many female. Younger fans without the sort of income or sense of nostalgia that would make Yamato's offerings appealing to them. Many of these fans were much more invested in the characters and music than the mecha, resulting in more figures for Frontier than for all the previous series combined, and more concerts held over a 5 year period than in the past 25 years.

However, with Sayonara no Tsubasa out, and no new material on the horizon, the Frontier boom has started to peter out. Projects such as M30 and FB7 have included Frontier characters to try to keep some of this fanbase and, to a certain extent, introduce them to older series, especially M7. In the meantime, 30th anniversary projects such as the Musiculture, and the bluray sets have kept many of the older/existing fan base engaged. If a new animation isnt announced soon however its a fair assumption that the fanbase will dip further, but even if it does its still the largest fanbase that Macross has had in 20 years. I've come across more people in regular, non-Macross circles that know of Frontier than of any other Macross. As a franchise, new material is needed soon, but the fanbase is still very healthy. So please tell this shop owner in Toronto that he has no idea what he is talking about and that he needs to listen to Macross SpeakerPODcast to edjumacate himself!

Hehe, sadly I don't live in the GTA or I just might. Either way I appreciate the responses from everyone here for this. It is a shame that by and large mecha is out and moe is in, still there's been a few more series on that front and I can only hope that eventually we'll see more Macross stuff come out (I'd love an animated version of The First for instance). It's a shame that there's not enough demand over on this side of the pond to have licensing companies look at throwing some legit financial weight into getting the other series over here (at the very least Frontier). Oh well...

Then I used it correctly because I had someone trying to assert that Macross was dead as a fandom, even in Japan >_>

So after an encounter I had with a shop owner in Toronto I've had a question sticking in my craw that I'd hope the more knowledgeable folks here could answer for me: namely what IS the state of the Macross fandom in general right now?

I mean with things like Frontier a few years back, Macross 30 being released, the re-release of Plus, etc. it SEEMS to be doing good but at the same time now Yamato's folding/being picked up by another company, so I was really hoping to get a level-headed assessment of where things are at. No doubt there had to have been some popularity surge, but I'm curious how it's fairing now and how likely we'll see more stuff (games, models, etc.) get released from here on out.

So yes, if anyone would care to chime in on this I'd love to hear where things are really at

So since I didn't see anyone else post this info and knowing what a pain some of the items could be to find I wanted to share where you can find the Ourobouros Stones and Sierra Stars needed for the Vanquish Course plans in the Archipelago and Desert areas.

Ourobouros stones you can get pretty easy in Archipelago from the Bolverkr Ruins. Enter the ruins and take the right hand path all the way to the end and you'll come to a room with a whole bunch of the gold drop points. The majority of these will be the stones. You can exit and re-enter repeatedly for some easy spawns.

The Sierra Stars I found to be much more annoying but you can get them fairly consistently. Head for Heithrun Cave, It's just behind Ramad. When you enter the cave take the right hand path. There'll be a yellow drop point just behind some rocks on the left side of the wall. It's roughly a 50% drop rate between the Sierra Stars and another item I didn't dig up the translation for. I managed to get 11 so far quite easily this way. There looks to be just the one drop point so unless you wanna clear the place out for other drops you can just enter, grab the first drop and leave to make the process go as fast as possible. If I come across other drop points for troublesome items I'll be sure to share them, and feel free to add to this if you've found something better!

Nothing I can add to this except my most enthused thanks. This'll make playing so much easier @_@

Unfortunately, its one based on both past experience and many, many sales estimates.

I'll grant you that to a point. The issue I have is the past experience and sales estimates seem to constantly be based on the rushed games and shovelware these days. Again with Macross I realize North America's basically at the butt end of their priority list but in the case of something like Gundam they've had several good games they could have used to start growing their market.

Of course nowadays it feels like almost nobody knows how to market a new IP. Valkyria Chronicles is a sad reminder of that one. :/

Maybe you're right and a crunch time for anime will be good. Be nice to break out of the moe obsession that's filled it so much lately x_x

Their sales would increase to such an incredibly minute degree, that it's not even remotely worth the effort. Those of us that import are gonna import. Those who don't like import prices won't change their mind just becasue there's a translation. Throw in the random problems having multiple languages in a game produce that add to QA time, and I doubt it will happen in the foreseeable future. Solution? Just import and enjoy!

It's always sucky that this is the prevailing view. I can certainly see where a company comes from for these things but heck look at Sunrise's efforts with Unicorn and doing the simultaneous release. Now to be fair Macross is a very unique beast with "The company that shall not be named" making life miserable for us (I'm still upset over VF-X2), but a lot of times it feels like JP devs have no desire to attempt to expand their market. Every so often we get a random shovelware title brought over like Gundam Crossfire, but then things like 0081 get left out despite the fact the game screamed that it was tailored for western audiences. So many of these games I'd kill to have them even put together a half-assed translation so we can at least get the gist of the plot without having to spend lord knows how long trying to pick up a whole new language to enjoy them. :/

http://www.hsoi.net/mud/clients/ haven't tried any of these ones myself, but one of them out to work fine for Mac

It's not too bad once you get used to it. It'll also be getting easier as a lot of the combat related stuff will be automated as more of the code gets finished. Regardless we're always willing to help folks out so the focus can be more on playing than sorting out how to make it work

Hehe well bringing out the YF-24 has been something talked about off and on. The way we're tackling it is the only stuff being taken as gospel is what's explicitly shown in animation. We made the choice for a variety of reasons, among them was making it easier to decide when some changeovers happen (The '171 becoming the mainstay fighter, the UNS swapping to the NUNS, etc.). Obviously the aim is to keep things in the ballpark of all the canon materials but in the end we're more concerned with making things flexible for RP fodder while maintaining the actual feel of a Macross series.

Playerbase fluctuates to be honest. We're coming off the holiday season which always seems to murder our numbers and then they start to trickle back over the spring. We've had anywhere from 4-ish people active in scenes all the way up to a dozen at a time.

Well we've got some OC VF designs that are starting to trickle in. As for canon designs they get statted out as they become played on the game. Or in the case of a couple players when they have a particular interest in the VF sometimes they'll do up stats and clear them by the admin to add them to the website.

Bah I should've set this to e-mail me when there's replies. The game's up and running 24/7 (even if some folks aren't logged in all the time). The website listed above has all the info to connect, but the short version is you need a client program to connect like MUSH client ( http://www.gammon.com.au/mushclient/ ). The game's address is macross.genesismuds.com port 2050. Plug those two in and you can connect as a guest and chat with folks while you sort out the character you want to make

That is gorgeous! What scale is it? (For those of us who don't want to sift through older posts!)

That is a gorgeous regult model! Also love the work for Colonial Marines listed on the site too!

Hehe honestly the easiest way would be to poke about the website. There's links provided to free versions of the client software needed to connect to it along with the majority of the theme, systems and rules explained. Besides that can always PM me on here or simply connect to the game and chat with us at any time (most folks are available from about 7pm eastern and onwards).