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That poo poo is loving ridiculous. I mean, don't get me wrong, when you're a crew chief (or in my case, a Plane Captain, hooyah go navy) having your name on the side of an aircraft makes your chest swell with pride. But getting turned into a 5' tall anime on the side of an otherwise serious-business attack chopper is just so Japanese that I can't even comprehend it.
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Jan 7, 2016 07:58
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I want to become an anime and strike fear into the hearts of everyone.
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Jan 7, 2016 08:29
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Those last couple of JSDF shots were for promotional purposes if I recall because of a base anniversary or such. This is interesting and relevant reading though: http://www.newyorker.com/culture/culture-desk/japans-cute-army?intcid=mod-latest
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Jan 7, 2016 09:50
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I did like seeing Urd, Belldandy, and Skuld (Yes, even the creator of the manga knew he spelled Verthandi's name wrong, but going from Old Norse to Katakana to Roman Lettering can do that to you) up there. At least those three are known for causing incredible destruction upon their enemies in the series they come from.
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Jan 7, 2016 10:32
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Veloxyll posted:So what title were you going for on this mission? Because on Alpha/Beta you were exploding plenty of yellow target? In the loosest sense, Alpha is the "true" run of this mission as far as Ace Style and behind the scenes save file continuity goes. We're still well within Knight territory, it's just that because this mission involved a lot of post-facto recording and two whole missions that just flat out didn't count towards my Ace Style, so I kind of wound up forgetting I was supposed to be playing Knight and you can see that reflected on the slider bar at the end of 8A. So far this LP has spanned three different save files. Missions 1 to 10K were done on the "early game" save file, which I abandoned for one reason or another. Missions 11 to 18 were recorded on a second save file where I tried to replicate my choices from the first one as much as I could (only I saved my money and didn't buy the Mirage this time). And then the third save file is the 100% "Cheat" file with every plane, every paint scheme, every assault record, and every mission on every path and every difficulty unlocked in the game's Free Mission mode. I recorded 8B, 8C, 11, 12, and the Mercenary and Soldier boss versions of Missions 10 and 16 on that one. That way I can just do those missions a la carte and edit them together like I've been doing rather than record three different runs through the game. That's why you will be seeing some post-mission screens that show me with $3 million credits for seemingly no reason. I'm trying to keep the stuff from the cheat save down to an "only as necessary" level in the LP itself, but once we clear the game and go into the post-mortem bonus video then all bets are off. nine-gear crow fucked around with this message at 10:56 on Jan 7, 2016 |
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Jan 7, 2016 10:52
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ultrabindu posted:How did Belka get a GDI ion cannon? Why did they wait until now to use it? Everyone in Strangereal has some sort of massive laser cannon (or in at least one case, giant rail cannon), and there's actually in-universe reasons for it that the next mission should go into. Polaron fucked around with this message at 15:56 on Jan 7, 2016 |
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Jan 7, 2016 15:53
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The Casualty posted:That poo poo is loving ridiculous. I mean, don't get me wrong, when you're a crew chief (or in my case, a Plane Captain, hooyah go navy) having your name on the side of an aircraft makes your chest swell with pride. But getting turned into a 5' tall anime on the side of an otherwise serious-business attack chopper is just so Japanese that I can't even comprehend it. Hey, sometimes you just get an old itasha tuner who goes into the military later in life, and he just has ideas. (Not kidding, this actually happens more often than you'd think.)
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Jan 7, 2016 16:17
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ACES CURE PLANES posted:Hey, sometimes you just get an old itasha tuner who goes into the military later in life, and he just has ideas. I am quite interested in hearing how often this happens than someone stating stuff regarding the limits on heat shedding regarding every other aircraft with a similar level of electrical demand yet if it if the fuel for the F-35 was stored outside on a hot day, the F-35 won't start up. Also, if I recall, the SR-71, which also has significant heat issues as well from its hilarious speed also used heatshielding yet never broke down like that. AmyL fucked around with this message at 16:57 on Jan 7, 2016 |
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Jan 7, 2016 16:51
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Cooked Auto posted:Those last couple of JSDF shots were for promotional purposes if I recall because of a base anniversary or such. I know the words are being italicized because they're Japanese words (or, at the very least, English spellings of Japanese words) but the way "anime" and "kawaii" and in italics every time they appears makes the author seem really distasteful toward it. I mean, read this "Peering more closely, I could make out the action figure of a female heroine from an anime series between them" and try not to hear the disdain in the author's voice 
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Jan 7, 2016 17:24
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Dead Reckoning posted:poorlywrittennovel: "So when are you going to get the anime girls on the plane?" These 3 are probably the most sensible of anime characters when you consider what they're based off of.
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Jan 7, 2016 19:26
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ultrabindu posted:How did Belka get a GDI ion cannon? Why did they wait until now to use it? I don't think you're Belkan military R&D material if you ask questions like that. This is just how Belka does things.
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Jan 7, 2016 19:33
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AmyL posted:I am quite interested in hearing how often this happens than someone stating stuff regarding the limits on heat shedding regarding every other aircraft with a similar level of electrical demand yet if it if the fuel for the F-35 was stored outside on a hot day, the F-35 won't start up. Using fuel as a heat sink is a relatively common trick as well. The issue is that the F-35 leans on this trick more than other aircraft, most likely as a weight savings (due to the need for STOVL, of course.) If the fuel delivered to the aircraft is already heat-soaked, the cooling system is less efficient, and they end up shutting down the plane to avoid risking damage to whatever critical system is going to overheat first. The USAF's solution to this problem was... to paint the fuel trucks shiny white until they can buy some sunshades. Apparently that did the trick. I'd also note that having problems with high airfield temperatures is not unique to the F-35. Also holy  if you're going to pull out the motherfucking SR-71 as an example of an aircraft that doesn't have insane, finicky servicing requirements about its fuel. Not only did it have special fuel that it didn't share with any other aircraft, it had its own dedicated refueling infrastructure, up to and including specially modified tanker aircraft, to avoid cross contamination. It certainly increased the system's ability to soak heat, but I don't think that's really a practical, workable solution for the F-35.
Dead Reckoning fucked around with this message at 01:32 on Jan 8, 2016 |
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Jan 7, 2016 20:55
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Dead Reckoning posted:The USAF's solution to this problem was... to paint the fuel trucks shiny white until they can buy some sunshades. Apparently that did the trick. Make sense since white reflects sunlight while black completely absorbs it, so it ends up generating less heat than if they left it steel gray.
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Jan 7, 2016 22:04
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Looking at the enemy aces, those from the Ludwig family sure has seen better days.
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Jan 8, 2016 01:28
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Dead Reckoning posted:It'll start up just fine. Every aircraft has fuel temperature limitations. Cooling at altitude is relatively easy, due to the colder temperatures and airflow. Cooling on the ground is more difficult, which is why the USAF maintains a fleet of air conditioning carts for aircraft. Electronic systems in particular are vulnerable to overheating of they're heat soaked. Various work-arounds for this have been tried. I don't know where the F-35 will ever encounter high airfield temperatures! If the workaround is to paint fuel trucks a nice shiny white color in a warzone, it might be a bit impractical. Also, considering that the F-35 has a direct combat role, where practicality is a must, compared to the SR-71 whose role is recon, having dedicated refueling infrastructure that actually enables it to work is a small part to actually accomplish its mission.
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Jan 8, 2016 02:43
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AmyL posted:I don't know where the F-35 will ever encounter high airfield temperatures! If the workaround is to paint fuel trucks a nice shiny white color in a warzone, it might be a bit impractical. Also, considering that the F-35 has a direct combat role, where practicality is a must, compared to the SR-71 whose role is recon, having dedicated refueling infrastructure that actually enables it to work is a small part to actually accomplish its mission. The R-11 fuel truck is not a tactical vehicle. It drives back and forth between the fuel farm and airplanes across acres of open tarmac. What exactly do you think it's supposed to blend in to? You could paint it like Ricky Bobby's #26 Wonder Bread Car and it wouldn't have an impact on its survivability. Part of the reason for the fuel heating issue occurred in the first place was that the USAF paints their fuel trucks a nice, dark hunter green, which doesn't really blend in to the sandy places of the world either.Seriously, "need sunshades for fuel trucks in hot climates" is a hilariously minor issue with the F-35, especially since a lot of other aircraft in the inventory need some sort of additional ground equipment to keep them going.
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Jan 8, 2016 03:19
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I think it's a lot funnier that the F35 melts the ground under it in a vertical take-off or landing and even then can't take-off at combat load and has to refuel immediately to even be able to fit anything on the pylons and still take off. Once again the most important aircraft around have K and C in their designation.
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Jan 8, 2016 03:51
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Obligatory: "The sun used to make our flight deck and refueling space so hot and uncomfortable, we couldn't use it!" Also Belka R&D chat, Belka has ridiculous superweapons because they, like all video game bad guys who aren't the Russians or Chinese, are based on Nazi Germany. Nazi Germany too had plans for a metric boatload of ridiculous superweapons, up to and including a loving space-based death ray by way of mirrors on a satellite. Fictional inspired-by-Nazi bad guys also have the dual bonuses of "game never goes into detail about where the enemy gets their resources, ergo they have infinite resources" and "they don't have that whole Aryan supremacy thing leading them to kill or banish everyone smart enough to actually make a working superweapon", so, laser death ray with attendant satellites to extend its range out of loving nowhere right when they need it.
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Jan 8, 2016 05:36
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Ground or space based chemical lasers in 1995 doesn't sound that farfetched to me, but then again Real Genius came out in 1985 and that's a favorite movie in my family. If any of you nerds haven't seen it yet, you owe it to yourself.
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Jan 8, 2016 05:42
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Kadorhal posted:Obligatory: Yeah, without saying too much, My Tank Is Fight! is brought up at some point during the next video coming up with Lazyfire.
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Jan 8, 2016 05:44
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Dead Reckoning posted:
Enemy long range fire. Oh wait. The F-35 is not meant to engage in visual range combat. Which makes you wonder why we need a fighter when a drone carrier ground vehicle could do literally the same job. And would probably be easier to get a 1k lb bomb off the ground with. Given the S/VTOL is meant for situations where the airstrip is practically on the front lines (otherwise, why bother), having brilliant white fuel trucks that practivally scream "shoot me to take out the enemy air capability" does not seem like a great plan. You can put a camo net over an army green vehicle and get a reasonable amount of concealment. White kinda stands out though. And yeah, blackbirds had VERY specific requirements. But they were a long range recon plane. so not really meant for large scale production and operation. or fighting on anything resembling the front lines. F-35s, not so much.
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Jan 8, 2016 07:03
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Veloxyll posted:Enemy long range fire. I think you're mixing a lot of wires here and it makes your post pretty ridiculous - even if people were inclined to agree, you are thoroughly Wrong On The Internet. First, if your airfield is being bombed you have much larger problems than the color of a fuel truck. Sensors that can do precision long range fire are not likely to care about the color of a fuel truck. The F-35 doing BVR combat has nothing to do with its airbasing requirements. The F-35B is not indicative of the -A and -C models, the ones which actually matter (and the -A is the one we're discussing, given that we're talking about the USAF model) ... and have I mentioned how the fuel truck issue means literally gently caress all? You think a strike planner with PGM capacity and intel to realtime small moving targets is going to waste it on fuel trucks? lmao no they'll be hitting the grounded airplanes. Which also aren't painted hunter green. Seriously. The entire truck paint issue is irrelevant. You seem to think everyone will be basing these things two inches behind the infantry, and not even the USMC is that dumb and they're the primary operators of the only variant that - in theory - would. No matter how hard they chestbeat on it, mind you, they won't. They'll be sitting on LHDs or on real airstrips like the -A and -C models because otherwise they can't do their jobs. STOVL is a fuckin' joke for payload so, surprise surprise, expect to see them on protected airstrips behind the front. Where ... ah yes, this entire complaint is irrelevant and based on incorrect assumptions about operations aside. Psion fucked around with this message at 07:25 on Jan 8, 2016 |
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Jan 8, 2016 07:13
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I mean this isn't really the right thread to get into it but bear in mind the "F-35" is three airplanes. Sure, there's some parts commonality (probably not as much as there should be, thanks Marines) but the -A is a different animal from the -B from the -C. Sometimes very significantly and/or dramatically so, for all they share the same designation.
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Jan 8, 2016 07:24
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Polaron posted:Everyone in Strangereal has some sort of massive laser cannon (or in at least one case, giant rail cannon), and there's actually in-universe reasons for it that the next mission should go into. Ulysses asteroid only got spotted a year ago in-game time. Laser was built for missile defense in the 80's under Belkan Ronald Reagan.
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Jan 8, 2016 07:43
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Given the current propensity for assymetrical warfare, what makes you assume it's goimng to be a planner back in their nice warm bunker, not some guy with an RPG and a chip on their shoulder. Or is part of the F-35s thing that it has to be painted grey and can't be camo painted? Though there are much bigger problems with the plane. Like it's speed, manueverability, payload...
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Jan 8, 2016 07:43
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Nanomashoes posted:Ulysses asteroid only got spotted a year ago in-game time. Laser was built for missile defense in the 80's under Belkan Ronald Reagan. Yeah, I guess it's kind of a spoiler but most of the other superweapons we'll be seeing were meant for destroying the Ulysses asteroid. Thing is, its impending impact wasn't actually announced to the masses of the Strangereal world until another year after this game. Excalibur is as mentioned meant for missile defense, but just like the later superweapons it shoots down planes just as well. Also, something else I just learned, the V2 that was also mentioned in the briefing for the last mission? Was apparently developed under a "Project Pendragon".
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Jan 8, 2016 08:02
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Veloxyll posted:Given the current propensity for assymetrical warfare, what makes you assume it's goimng to be a planner back in their nice warm bunker, not some guy with an RPG and a chip on their shoulder. Also, the F-35 is just as fast or faster and carries a heavier payload than all the aircraft it's slated to replace, (F-16, A-10, F/A-18, AV-8) so IDK where you're getting this from.
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Jan 8, 2016 08:58
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Lynneth posted:The altitude and speed are probably both in imperial numbers, feet and mi-... Actually, looking at wiki, it's probably knots, your speed. The sonic boom happens around 660, and mach 1 is 661 knots (761 mph and 1225 kph, for the record). Mind, altitude could be in metres, too. It depends on how high you can go. If 10-15,000 is the maximum, it's metres. Anything beyond, and we're talking feet, as ca 12 kilometres is the service ceiling of most modern combat airplanes. Some go higher, but none are above 18 km, to my knowledge. Altitude at the very least is definitely measured in feet across the series - the "escort" mission I just finished in AC04 repeatedly involves references to enemies attacking from 23000 feet, and this is in the JP version of the game (hooray for built-in dual audio!)
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Jan 8, 2016 09:15
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Dead Reckoning posted:RPGs are only accurate against vehicle-sized targets out to a few hundred meters. Anyone using one to plink fuel tankers would have to already be inside the airfield perimeter, and the guys with the guts and the wherewithal to launch raids across the fences tend to preferentially target aircraft, because even foot soldiers from the most backward countries in the world understand that the planes and personnel are the most valuable targets. F-35: top speed c Mach 1.6 F-16 Top speed Mach 2+ F/A-18s pull Mach 1.8 So uh. Where are YOU getting your info? Because that's what we call SLOWER. The 35 does seem to have a slightly larger combat radius, though that seems a bit ambitious compared to the other two plane's relative ranges. Since the F-35 can only manage 1200 nm tops, while the 16 and 18 get half that again. It does boast about 1T more payload. but that's about it. But I've spent too long reading up about this dumb plane.
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Jan 8, 2016 10:18
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Veloxyll posted:Given the current propensity for assymetrical warfare, what makes you assume it's goimng to be a planner back in their nice warm bunker, not some guy with an RPG and a chip on their shoulder. Given that exact same propensity I'd say just what I said: they'll be hitting the flightline. Like what happened when Camp Bastion was raided in 2012 and, surprise surprise, they hit the flightline and not a bunch of fuel bowsers. Target of opportunity sure, but not primary objective. The F-35 is typically painted grey like pretty much 99% of the USAF/USN/USMC fleet, because what matters is how it looks in the air when it's doing its job if paint matters at all. Also the military hates fun. Can't forget that. Coincidentally, the Harriers at Bastion were painted grey. So yes, there are "bigger problems" with the plane than the fictional ones we're discussing. Psion fucked around with this message at 18:06 on Jan 8, 2016 |
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Jan 8, 2016 17:24
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nine-gear crow posted:Yeah, without saying too much, My Tank Is Fight! is brought up at some point during the next video coming up with Lazyfire. Just ordered that off of Amazon. I look forward to reading it.
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Jan 8, 2016 18:05
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“Sword of Annihilation” Mission 9: Operation Judgement – May 23rd, 1995 Overview: In order to stem further losses and press farther into the Belkan heartland, the Allied Forces launch an assault on Belka’s experimental anti-missile chemical laser installation Excalibur. As long as Excalibur is operational, Osea’s efforts to subdue Belka remain in jeopardy. Galm Team and Crow Team are dispatched to Tauberg to remove Belka’s so-called “Sword of Annihilation”.  Guest Commentator: I am joined for Mission 9 of Ace Combat Zero by FPS shootmans games enthusiast Lazyfire. Lazyfire has done an ungodly lot of LPs, including Battlefields 3 and 4, Wolfenstein: The New Order, and Middle-Earth: Shadow of Mordor. He is currently working on an LP of Star Wars: Republic Commando. I show up in the 9th episode of that LP too, coincidentally.   EXCALIBUR What? Fine.  EXCALIBUR This is the other big, culturally ubiquitous HEYGUYSDOYOUKNOWABOUTKINGARTHUR?!!!  namedrop of the game. Also known by Caliburn (among other names), Excalibur was the sword of King Arthur, a magical blade of unearthly origins said to be indestructible and served as a token of proof of Arthur’s royal lineage and his rightful kingship over Great Britain.Excalibur has two popularly accepted and equally valid origins in the Arthurian mythos. The first version is the “Sword in the Stone” origin, which gave rise to works like the Disney animated movie of the same name. This origin cropped up in Robert de Boron’s poem Merlin, where the sword prefigures Arthur and stands as a perplexing mystery; an otherwise pristine blade seemingly sprouting from an unassuming stone (in other versions it’s a smithy’s anvil) with no apparent division between sword and stone (or anvil). Only the rightful king of England was said to be able to remove the sword from the stone. Many brave souls tried, but all failed to even jostle it. Then along came Arthur, and well, you know the rest. The second, slightly less well-known but more modern origin sees Arthur (already king at this point) bestowed the blade by the Lady of the Lake, the ruler of the island of Avalon. He wields the sword from that point on until his death, where he instructs Sir Bedivere (one of the few surviving Round Table knights still loyal to Arthur at the time of Camelot’s fall) to return the sword to the lake on Avalon from whence it came and throw it into the water. When he tosses the blade into the lake, the Lady of the Lake’s arm emerges and catches it, returning to the water with it. And that’s the last it’s seen of. Excalibur also had several magical abilities in addition to being indestructible. It could blind enemies with the brightest of lights when held aloft. Its scabbard also prevented its wielder from bleeding to death from injuries sustained in battle, and in some readings, preventing their wounds from bleeding at all. The scabbard was later stolen by Morgan le Fay in revenge for the death of her lover Accolon of Gaul, and cast into a lake, never to be found again, thus robbing Excalibur of its defensive attributes. The sword shares an origin of sorts with the blade Gram, the sword of the Norse hero Sigurd and the blade he killed the dragon Fafnir with. It originally belonged to Sigurd’s father, Sigmund, after Odin appeared on Midgard one day and flung it into the tree Barnstokkr, and challenged all those present to try their luck at dislodging it. After many tries from many warriors, Sigmund finally succeeded and claimed the blade for himself. Odin then got incredibly pissed that he was shown up by a mere mortal so he cursed Sigmund, his descendants, and the rest of the Völsung family, thus beginning in earnest the narrative of the Norse epic of the Völsunga Saga (which is great and you really should read a translation of it if get the chance to). Odin then shows up later to act as a mentor to Sigurd and never once mentions that he’s the reason Sigurd’s family fell from power, were all murdered (or worse), and why Sigurd had been living a life of secretive seclusion in the woods since childhood like he was Aragorn or something (whom he inspired, BTW). Because Odin’s a prick. Beyond that, Excalibur is basically one of the go-to sword names in popular culture around the world. Other famous named swords (real and imagined) include Caliburn (Excalibur’s alt-name), Joyuse (the sword of King Charlemagne) Durandal (the sword of Charlemagne’s war leader Roland), Cortana (the “Sword of Mercy” and blade of Sir Tristan of the Round Table), Claíomh Solais (the Irish Sword of Light, often conflated with the sword of King Nuada of the Tuatha Dé Danann), or Kusanagi (the “Grass-Cutting Sword,” and rough Japanese analog to Excalibur, though only in a ceremonial capacity).  TAUBERG The name of the town where this mission takes place near is called Tauberg. The word “tauberg” is German for, I’m not making this up, “Mountain Dew”. According to the Ace Combat Zero Japanese website, Tauberg lies just north of the Waldreich Mountain range, in the middle of a vast lowland old growth forest which is home to over 200 species of birds and 60 species of mammals including foxes, bears, and deer. So of course Belka shoved a giant laser tower right in the middle of it.   CROW SQUADRON Ustio Air Force 6th Air Division, 4th Air Force Unit Members:
Squadron Composition: F-16C Fighting Falcon (x3) A three-man flight of F-16s hailing from the foreign mercenary forces also attached the Ustio Air Force’s 6th Air Division. After previous solo engagements, in light of the losses incurred from the Excalibur laser installation, the Allied Forces GHQ decided to consolidate its squadron deployments, placing smaller teams together as a single operational air group, while still maintaining their individual squadron autonomy while on sortie. Following the failure of Operation Dynamo, it was decided that the Crow and Galm squadrons would handle joint assignments for the remaining duration of the war, effectively turning two three- and two-man flights into a single five jet formation. Of the three pilots comprising the squadron, the names of the flight’s number one and two pilots have been lost to the heavy redaction of the official records of the Belkan War. Only the name of Crow 3, Lt. Patrick James Beckett (callsign “PJ”) has been released to the public. Being the youngest of the trio, Beckett was constantly ribbed by his wingmates, particularly for his not-so-descrete love affair with a member of the ground crew back at Valais AFB. Beyond that, there’s not really that much to say about Crow Team as it stands beyond the fact that they are one of a number of essentially “Hufflepuff squadrons” to borrow a term from Harry Potter. IE: supportive background characters who exist to add a degree of colour and flavor to missions while still being functionally unimportant. They start out small in games like Zero, but by the time we get to Ace Combat 6, practically half the cast will be members of Hufflepuff squadrons.    Because bite me.PJ Real Name: Patrick James Beckett Callsign(s): PJ, Crow 3 Age: 23 Sex: Male Nationality: Ustio (unverified) Signature Plane: F-16C Fighting Falcon Voice Actor: Johnny Yong Bosch On-Camera Actor: None A young mercenary who joined the Allied Forces counterstrike operation on Belka as a fighter pilot. Despite his youth and inexperience, he proved a be a quick study behind the stick of an F-16 and was attached to the Ustio Air Force’s Crow Squadron shortly after commencement of counter attack operations. Being the low man on the Crow totem pole, he was constantly teased by his fight mates, mostly for his youth and seeming naiveté and at times over excitement. Despite his position as a mercenary, Beckett holds himself to a strong code of honour, similar to the Belkan knights of old. In that light, he can be seen as a reflection of Pixy’s younger days before his ideals and altruistic streak were dampened by the realities of war. Beyond that, little is known about his background or history prior to his involvement with Galm Team. It is implied, however, that he is of wealthy or upper-middle class origins, as one of his favourite stated sports is polo, a game normally played by I’m just gonna come right out and say it out front: I don’t really like PJ all that much. There’s a whole slew of reasons why I don’t, but deviling into them right now would basically break the game in two in terms of spoilers, so just keep that in the back of your mind for now.   EXCALIBUR And now for a word on the proper centerpiece of this mission. The chemical laser tower codenamed “Excalibur” was constructed by the Belkans in the late 1980s to be used as a long-range missile defense installation to protect the Belkan homeland from the threat of a potential nuclear or conventional cruise missile strike by Osea, Yuktobonia, or Erusea during the waning days of the Cold War. It was one of a number of so-called “super weapons” developed by the Belkans as part of Project Pendragon overseen by the South Belkan Munitions Factory company. Construction of the Excalibur site began on December 17th, 1989 several miles outside the forest town of Tauberg in the Waldreich foothills of southern Belka. Construction proceeded smoothly until an armed riot by animal rights and land conservation activists in May of 1990 forced the Belkan military to declare the Excalibur construction site off limits to civilians. From that point forward, Excalibur remained under heavy guard, even in peace time, to ward off potential acts of vandalism or terrorism. By October 8th, 1990, the facility’s rail-based tactical laser systems (RTLS), and main cooling towers were installed and deemed ready for operations testing, but the main tower meant to house the projection matrix for the laser did not begin construction until 1993 due to repeated delays on account of technical difficulties in scaling up the laser from the original test models. By August 9th, 1993, Excalibur was officially proclaimed to be completed, though it would be another year before an independent team of scientists and engineers certified it for operation. On July 18th, 1994, Excalibur conducted its first official laser strike against a designated target and was deemed officially operational by the Belkan government. The following year, in May of 1995, Excalibur scored its first registered combat kills as Belka hastily repurposed it from a defensive installation into an offensive platform. During the Allied siege of the Hydrian Line, Excalibur was used to covertly shoot down a squadron of Ustian fighters over the fortress complex of Glatistant. Two days later, on May 19th, 1995, its full power was turned loose against the Allies on Schayne Plains where it succeeded in turning back an otherwise successful assault on the Belkan second line of defense across the plains, downing a flight of Allied transport planes and several fighter squadrons in seconds. Standing a full kilometer tall, Excalibur was powered by an underground power generator and an array of solar panels surrounding the tower, and regulated by four cooling tower facilities. The focusing lens atop its spire was capable of discharging a concentrated laser beam with a total energy output of 1.21 gigawatts. An array of satellites and dirigible craft with reflective mirrors was also deployed to extend and focus the beam on to long range targets, giving Excalibur an estimated total operational range of approximately 1,200 km. If these figures are indeed true then every Allied national capital on North Osea was within its firing range including Oured, Gran Rugido, and Directus. The Excalibur installation was ultimately destroyed on May 23rd, 1995 by Ustio’s Galm and Crow squadrons, specifically by Galm 1 “Cipher”.  Aircraft featured in Mission 9: Operation Judgement.  F-16C Fighting Falcon Manufacturer: Lockheed Martin (formerly General Dynamics) Role: Multi-role air superiority fighter Manufactured: 1973-Present Status: In Service Primary Operators: United States, Israel, Iraq, Greece, Italy, Egypt, UAE, Pakistan, South Korea Quick Facts:
  Also known as the “Fighting Falcon.” Small and light-weight, this aircraft is a well-balanced fighting machine for air-to-air and air-to-ground combat. AMMO Missiles: 60 XMAA: 12 LAGM: 8 UGBL: 14  KC-10 Extender Manufacturer: McDonnell Douglas Role: Airborne refueling tanker Manufactured: 1981-Present Status: In Service Primary Operators: United States, Netherlands Quick Facts:
  Medal: Broken Sword Awarded for: Destroying all RTLS batteries in Mission 9 “Sword of Annihilation”. Description: Awarded for destroying the laser canon Excalibur and the surrounding facilities.  064 Helmut Schumacher "Roller" 25, Male, Belka 05.23.95 Operation Judgement - Killed In Action F-2A Viper Zero Difficulty: Any Ace Style: Mercenary (Appears after all four jamming facilities are destroyed) Schumacher's father was a commanding officer in the Belkan military, who had followed in the footsteps of countless ancestors. An officer candidate himself, his future seemed already written but was cut short when his plane was shot down in Mid-south Belka.  065 Sigwald Entenmann "Habicht" 25, Male, Belka 05.23.95 Operation Judgement - Shot Down F-15S/MTD "Active" Eagle Difficulty: Any Ace Style: Soldier (Appears after all four jamming facilities are destroyed) Joined the Belkan Air Force in 1988. During the war, he always placed himself in the front line. There are no merits in particular to note, but his patriotism and sense of duty brought him much respect within his troop.  066 Luca Wolfrum "Fliege" 31, Male, Belka 05.23.95 Operation Judgement - Shot Down X-29A Difficulty: Any Ace Style: Knight (Appears after all four jamming facilities are destroyed) In 1991, Wolfrum transferred from test pilot to the Special Operations Air Force Unit 160. Capable of skillfully maneuvering any aircraft, he participated countless special operations. He was only been shot down once.  067 Jens Thon "Rabe" 28, Male, Belka 05.23.95 Operation Judgement - Killed In Action SR-71 Blackbird Difficulty: Any Ace Style: Any (Appears after all four jamming facilities are destroyed) Fighting from the age of twenty as a mercenary in conflicts throughout the world, upon returning home he enlisted in the official air force. Having fought as a mercenary, his various military connections garnered him a respect of many. He was buried in his home town at the base of Mt. Gerarhe in the Gilberto Mountains.  068 Ulrich Stekelenburg "Bergnebel" 34, Male, Belka 05.23.95 Operation Judgement - Shot Down EA-6B Prowler* Special Paint Colour Unlocked Difficulty: Ace Ace Style: Any (Appears after all four power generators are destroyed) A pilot adept at disrupting enemy radar and an expert in the field of ECM. After the war, he was offered a position with Hartwig Bremer at the Osean Ministry of Technology. He is now doing well as a researcher in the field of enemy aerial defense force countermeasures.  Literature discussed in Mission 9, Operation Judgement: My Tank Is Fight! by Zack “Geist Editor” Parsons, Citadel Press, Kensington Publishing, 2006. Former Baseball Player Sucks At Crowdfunding: A Time Travel Adventure by Dan Ryckert and friends, CreateSpace Independent Publishing, 2013. quote:In 2013, author Dan Ryckert began a crowdfunding campaign with the sole purpose of mocking an unnamed former professional athlete. This athlete had started his own crowdfunding campaign that was woefully unsuccessful, so Ryckert set out to raise more money than his rival while offering nothing of value to its backers. The handsome 29 year-old writer was successful, bringing in thousands of dollars and fully financing his lifelong goal of getting sweet seats for WrestleMania. While Ryckert was successful, his initial plan of writing a book about the real-life figure was derailed when he realized that it was probably something he could totally get sued for. As a result, he wrote a different book that is entirely fictional and is based on no real life figures or events. He promised his backers nothing of value, and this book makes good on that promise. Enlisting the help of his friends in the gaming industry, in Hollywood, and in the world of improv comedy, Former Baseball Player Sucks At Crowdfunding: A Time Travel Adventure chronicles the entirely fictional adventures of one super-fictional former athlete that isn't based on anyone. Will the steroid-infused idiot find a way to end his chaotic ordeal? Will he ever find peace with the fact that his penis is just the smallest thing in the world? Learn the answers to these questions and more in this thrilling work of fiction. ARTWORK And now some behind the scenes artwork and screenshots of Excalibur and its construction.             EXCALIBUR OPERATIONAL RANGE DIAGRAM Note how literally every capital is in Excalibur’s range. Belka could have ended the war in an afternoon by blowing up Oured and yet… They didn’t.    Tracks featured in Mission 9: Operation Judgement. DISC 1 nine-gear crow fucked around with this message at 06:02 on Mar 25, 2016 |
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Jan 10, 2016 08:30
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Overall I've always thought this is one of the less fun and interesting giant super weapon boss fights in an ace combat game. Still fun though.
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Jan 10, 2016 08:56
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YOTC posted:Overall I've always thought this is one of the less fun and interesting giant super weapon boss fights in an ace combat game. Still fun though. I know taking 4-5 passes to kill something after it's already been crippled and rendered harmless is exciting for me! I don't know why, but I've never been able to get into AC0. I loved 4 and 5, but 0 just never grabbed me. I think this was the mission I stopped on, as I'd rented rather than bought it and just didn't feel like continuing after that really boring fight.
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Jan 10, 2016 09:03
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Wait, you didn't have to fly inside of it to blow up the super important component to kill it? This is bullshit!
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Jan 10, 2016 09:45
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paragon1 posted:Wait, you didn't have to fly inside of it to blow up the super important component to kill it? This is bullshit! It's not a skyhook.
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Jan 10, 2016 10:08
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For the record, in Malory's La Morte d'Arthur Mallory does what Mallory always does - he includes both versions of the Excalibur legend (the Sword in the Stone and the gift from the Lady of the Lake) and calls both swords Excalibur despite the part where the first sword, the Sword in the Stone, is shattered in Arthur's hand by King Pellinore. Is that a contradiction? Sure is! Mallory don't care. Incidentally, most of the time Excalibur was not actually wielded in battle by Arthur; more often it was entrusted to Gawaine, who carried the sword into battle as the High King's Champion. Because Gawaine was badass and no one pays attention to him anymore because everyone's too distracted by Lancelot slipping the D to the Queen.
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Jan 10, 2016 10:13
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Of interest to no one, but who cares: I've also gone back and added in all the references to Excalibur in the OP Timeline that I was purposefully keeping off it until now. And yes, it also proves that, 1) Excalibur has nothing to do with the Ulysses asteroid, and 2) can we please shut the gently caress up about Ulysses until Ace Combat 04 because of spoilers thank you 
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Jan 10, 2016 10:26
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Speaking of penis euphamisms: KC-10 EXTENDER
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Jan 10, 2016 10:54
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| # ? Jun 11, 2024 20:13 |
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The fiddly bit at the top that Lazyfire lamented you not crashing into looks like the crossguard to me (well, half of one).
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Jan 10, 2016 11:22
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