Misplaced Pages

#519480

56-608: The entirety of G-Nome' s gameplay is based around close-surface combat, by the means of direct foot movement or the occupancy of vehicles. The majority of the vehicles are mecha assault machines called "HAWCs", (Heavy Armored Weapons Chassis), that carry between two and four weapons, including laser pulse weapons, machine guns and missiles. Each race also has hovercraft and tanks . Certain vehicles may carry passengers. Equipped with low-energy laser rifles , foot combatants are generally disadvantaged to vehicle-occupying opponents, though non-lethal grenade launchers called GASHRs will eject

112-534: A backface , and can be made visible or invisible depending on the programmer’s desires. Many modeling programs do not strictly enforce geometric theory; for example, it is possible for two vertices to have two distinct edges connecting them, occupying exactly the same spatial location. It is also possible for two vertices to exist at the same spatial coordinates, or two faces to exist at the same location. Situations such as these are usually not desired and many packages support an auto-cleanup function. If auto-cleanup

168-473: A bird 's legs, hence the name. However, birds actually have forward-facing knees; they are digitigrade , and what most call the "knee" is actually the ankle. The 1868 Edward S. Ellis novel The Steam Man of the Prairies featured a steam-powered, back-piloted, mechanical man. The 1880 Jules Verne novel The Steam House ( La Maison à Vapeur ) featured a steam-powered, piloted, mechanical elephant. One of

224-521: A cockpit , typically located in the chest or head of the mech. While the distinction is often hazy, mecha typically does not refer to form-fitting powered armor such as Iron Man 's suit. They are usually much larger than the wearer, like Iron Man's enemy the Iron Monger , or the mobile suits depicted in the Gundam franchise. In most cases, mecha are depicted as fighting machines, whose appeal comes from

280-449: A skyscraper ( Space Runaway Ideon , Genesis of Aquarion , Science Ninja Team Gatchaman , Neon Genesis Evangelion ), some are big enough to contain an entire city ( Macross ), some the size of a planet ( Diebuster ), galaxies ( Getter Robo , Tengen Toppa Gurren Lagann ), or even as large as universes ( Tengen Toppa Gurren Lagann: Lagann-hen , Demonbane , Transformers: Alternity ). The first titan robots seen were in

336-636: A super robot , with Getter Robo (1974 debut). An early use of mech-like machines outside Japan is found in "The Invisible Empire", a Federal Men 's story arc by Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster (serialized 1936 in New Comics #8–10). Other examples include the Mexican comic Invictus by Leonel Guillermo Prieto and Victaleno León; the Brazilian comic Audaz, o demolidor , by Álvaro "Aruom" Moura and Messias de Mello (1938–1949), inspired by Invictus , created for

392-476: A triangle , which is the simplest polygon in Euclidean space . More complex polygons can be created out of multiple triangles, or as a single object with more than 3 vertices. Four sided polygons (generally referred to as quads) and triangles are the most common shapes used in polygonal modeling. A group of polygons, connected to each other by shared vertices, is generally referred to as an element . Each of

448-438: A 3D accelerated graphics card . There are many disadvantages to representing an object using polygons. Polygons are incapable of accurately representing curved surfaces, so a large number of them must be used to approximate curves in a visually appealing manner. The use of complex models has a cost in lowered speed. In scanline conversion , each polygon must be converted and displayed, regardless of size, and there are frequently

504-522: A Windows-based company, so working with DirectDraw and Direct Access was a no-brainer. We did the Direct Access in October and what we saw was an immediate increase in speed. Another great thing about it is that we can play in any resolution , 320x200 all the way to 1280x1024." A Next Generation critic hailed the ability to exit one's mech, wander around on foot, and take over other characters' mechs as

560-410: A key component of the popular Phong shading model. Some rendering systems use vertex normals instead of face normals to create a better-looking lighting system at the cost of more processing. Note that every triangle has two face normals, which point to opposite directions from each other. In many systems only one of these normals is considered valid – the other side of the polygon is referred to as

616-443: A large number of models on the screen at any given time. Often, programmers must use multiple models at varying levels of detail to represent the same object in order to cut down on the number of polygons being rendered. The main advantage of polygons is that they are faster than other representations. While a modern graphics card can show a highly detailed scene at a frame rate of 60 frames per second or higher, surface modelers ,

SECTION 10

#1732908838520

672-401: A large scale for use in wars. The real robot genre also tends to feature more complex characters with moral conflicts and personal problems. The genre is therefore aimed primarily at young adults instead of children. Mobile Suit Gundam (1979) is largely considered the first series to introduce the real robot concept and, along with The Super Dimension Fortress Macross (1982), would form

728-448: A milking stool, imagine it a great body of machinery on a tripod stand." Ōgon Bat , a kamishibai that debuted in 1931 (later adapted into an anime in 1967), featured the first piloted humanoid giant robot, Dai Ningen Tanku ( 大人間タンク ) , but as an enemy rather than a protagonist. In 1934, Gajo Sakamoto launched Tank Tankuro ( タンクタンクロー ) on a metal creature that becomes a battle machine. The first humanoid giant robot piloted by

784-586: A never-before-seen feature, and praised the mission designs for their combination of fun "blast-fests" with ingenuously conceived infiltration missions. He nonetheless concluded that "While it admittedly introduces some interesting new elements, G-Nome doesn't put much of a dent in the MechWarrior genre." Stephen Poole similarly remarked in GameSpot , "The good news is that G-NOME has several unique (and pretty cool) features that you won't find in any other mech game;

840-423: A photograph or a drawing. The user then uses a second image of the subject from a different angle and extrudes the 2D shape into 3D, again following the shape’s outline. This method is especially common for creating faces and heads. In general, the artist will model half of the head and then duplicate the vertices, invert their location relative to some plane, and connect the two pieces together. This ensures that

896-513: A relative advantage over the other. The one exception to this would be the Mercs, whose faction features an extra vehicle and all their vehicles do not feature auto-eject systems upon destruction, causing a guaranteed fatality, if not attended to. The game takes place in the year 2225, A.D., on the contested planet Ruhelen. Humanity is space-faring, under a government called the Union Alliance, which

952-480: A skeleton for animation. Meshes can also be assigned weights and centers of gravity for use in physical simulation . To display a model on a computer screen outside of the modeling environment, it is necessary to store that model in one of the file formats listed below, and then use or write a program capable of loading from that format. The two main methods of displaying 3D polygon models are OpenGL and Direct3D . Both of these methods can be used with or without

1008-602: A standard vehicle (such as a fighter plane or transport truck) and a fighting mecha robot. This concept of transforming mecha was pioneered by Japanese mecha designer Shōji Kawamori in the early 1980s, when he created the Diaclone toy line in 1980 and then the Macross anime franchise in 1982. In North America, the Macross franchise was adapted into the Robotech franchise in 1985, and then

1064-425: A variety of tools. A wide variety of 3D graphics software packages are available for use in constructing polygon meshes. One of the more popular methods of constructing meshes is box modeling , which uses two simple tools: A second common modeling method is sometimes referred to as inflation modeling or extrusion modeling . In this method, the user creates a 2D shape which traces the outline of an object from

1120-428: A very large number of operations which may be performed on polygonal meshes. Some of these roughly correspond to real-world manipulations of 3D objects, while others do not. Polygonal mesh operations include: Once a polygonal mesh has been constructed, further steps must be taken before it is useful for games, animation, etc. The model must be texture mapped to add colors and texture to the surface and it must be given

1176-504: Is an abbreviation, first used in Japanese, of 'mechanical'. In Japanese, mecha encompasses all mechanical objects, including cars , guns , computers , and other devices, and 'robot' or 'giant robot' is used to distinguish limbed vehicles from other mechanical devices. Outside of this usage, it has become associated with large humanoid machines with limbs or other biological characteristics. Mecha differ from robots in that they are piloted from

SECTION 20

#1732908838520

1232-454: Is at odds with the alien Scorp species, as well as the Darkens and Mercs. The discovery of the mineral-rich Phygos star system has upset the tenuous ceasefire between the four races, threatening war. The player assumes the role of Sergeant Joshua Gant, a retired Union Intelligence Acency (UIA) operative who was on a mission ten years prior that resulted in the loss of his best friend, Ron Pearl. Gant

1288-400: Is not present, however, they must be deleted manually. A group of polygons which are connected by shared vertices is referred to as a mesh . In order for a mesh to appear attractive when rendered , it is desirable that it be non-self-intersecting , meaning that no edge passes through a polygon. Another way of looking at this is that the mesh cannot pierce itself. It is also desirable that

1344-498: Is often tied in with toy manufacturers. Large franchises such as Gundam , Macross , Transformers , and Zoids have hundreds of different model kits. The size of mecha can vary according to the story and concepts involved. Some of them may not be considerably taller than a tank ( Armored Trooper Votoms , Yatterman , Megazone 23 , Code Geass ), some may be a few stories tall ( Gundam , Escaflowne , Bismark , Gurren Lagann ), others can be titan sized as tall as

1400-692: Is reenlisted by UIA director General Allance Wilkins for a covert mission, to euthanize a creature genetically engineered from human prisoners of war by the Scorp called the "G-Nome" and to destroy the laboratory where it is kept. Gant is assigned a team to assemble that includes his old friend and munitions expert in Darken territory, Sergeant Stephen Kylie, the UIA's most proficient geneticist on separate assignment in Merc territory, Doctor Victoria Thane - and an undisclosed final member of

1456-527: The Shogun Warriors in the U.S., that were (and still are) very popular with children and collectors. Robot/mecha anime and manga differ vastly in storytelling and animation quality from title to title, and content ranges from children's shows to ones intended for an older teen or adult audience. Some of the first mecha featured in manga and anime were super robots . The super robot genre features superhero -like giant robots that are often one-of-a-kind and

1512-482: The ending credits of the game. The UIA rummage through the remains of Sheridan's laboratory, while Wilkins discretely retrieves a petri dish labelled "G-NOME: PEARL". The Scorp subsequently declares war on the Union Alliance, though both they and the Union deny Gant's mission. Wilkins unexpectedly resigns. G-Nome made its first public appearance in the form of conceptual video footage shown at publisher Merit's booth at

1568-634: The run and gun shooters Hover Attack in 1984 and Thexder in 1985, and Arsys Software 's 3D role-playing shooters WiBArm in 1986 and Star Cruiser in 1988. Historically mecha-based games have been more popular in Japan than in other countries. There are a few real prototypes of mecha-like vehicles. Currently almost all of these are highly specialized or just for concept purpose, and as such may not see mass production . Most of these experimental projects were made and first presented in East Asia. In

1624-400: The 1948 manga Atomic Power Android ( 原子力人造人間 , Genshiryoku Jinzō Ningen ) and Mitsuteru Yokoyama's 1956 manga Tetsujin 28-go . However, it was not until the advent of Go Nagai 's Mazinger Z that the genre was established. Mazinger Z innovated by adding the inclusion of futuristic weapons, and the concept of being able to pilot from a cockpit (rather than via remote control, in

1680-685: The Diaclone toy line was adapted into the Transformers franchise in 1986. Some of Kawamori's most iconic transforming mecha designs include the VF-1 Valkyrie from the Macross and Robotech franchises, and Optimus Prime (called Convoy in Japan) from the Transformers and Diaclone franchises. In Japan, "robot anime" (known as "mecha anime" outside Japan) is one of the oldest genres in anime. Robot anime

1736-486: The Scorp border and are introduced to the final member of the team, Major Jack Sheridan, who was responsible for the loss of Pearl. Sheridan leads the team to the laboratory, but betrays the mission by attempting to kill Gant, allowing for Kylie to be captured by the Scorp and taking the G-Nome for himself. The Scorp ally with the UIA, to prevent Sheridan from cloning the G-Nome at a genetic recombination laboratory located within

G-Nome - Misplaced Pages Continue

1792-483: The Summer 1994 Consumer Electronics Show . Merit suffered from a number of financial setbacks, delaying the game, and the game's developer, Distant Thunder, was later acquired by 7th Level. Producer Todd Porter commented on the advantages of switching the development environment to Windows 95 : "It's a real time , 3D, texture-mapped , polygon game. We're getting benchmarks that are just incredible right now. We're already

1848-451: The Western world, there are few examples of mecha, however, several machines have been constructed by both companies and private figures. Polygonal modeling In 3D computer graphics , polygonal modeling is an approach for modeling objects by representing or approximating their surfaces using polygon meshes . Polygonal modeling is well suited to scanline rendering and is therefore

1904-425: The bad news is that muddy control, graphics glitches, and a sparse manual keep it from being the best it can be." Besides the ability to take over mechs, he was pleased with the high level of control over one's teammates, but found that control issues make even basic maneuvers unreasonably difficult. He particularly criticized the fact that when on foot, the player character fires in the direction he's running instead of

1960-744: The basis of what people would later call real robot anime. Some robot mecha are capable of transformation ( Macross and Zeta Gundam ) or combining to form even bigger ones ( Beast King GoLion and Tengen Toppa Gurren Lagann ), the latter called 'combination'. Go Nagai and Ken Ishikawa are often credited with inventing this in 1974 with Getter Robo . Not all mecha need to be completely mechanical. Some have biological components with which to interface with their pilots, and some are partially biological themselves, such as in Neon Genesis Evangelion , Eureka Seven , and Zoids . Mecha based on anime have seen extreme cultural reception across

2016-456: The case of Tetsujin). According to Go Nagai: I wanted to create something different, and I thought it would be interesting to have a robot that you could drive, like a car. Mazinger Z featured giant robots that were "piloted by means of a small flying car and command center that docked inside the head." It was also a pioneer in die-cast metal toys such as the Chogokin series in Japan and

2072-461: The cockpit display, omniscient radar, troublesome targeting, pixelation, weak enemy AI, and repetitive multiplayer combat. G-Nome commercially "flopped", according to the Dallas Observer . Mecha In science fiction , mecha ( Japanese : メカ , Hepburn : meka ) or mechs are giant robots or machines typically depicted as piloted and as humanoid walking vehicles . The term

2128-439: The combination of potent weaponry with a more stylish combat technique than a mere vehicle. Often, they are the primary means of combat, with conflicts sometimes being decided through gladiatorial matches . Other works represent mecha as one component of an integrated military force, supported by and fighting alongside tanks , fighter aircraft , and infantry , functioning as a mechanical cavalry. The applications often highlight

2184-483: The direction he's facing. His final assessment was that players who can master the frustrating controls would still find the game worthwhile for its gameplay innovations. Greg Fortune of Computer Gaming World was less forgiving: "Vehicle independence is a great concept, but it is so poorly implemented here that it detracts from the game rather than enhancing it." Like Poole, he ridiculed the inability to fire in alternate directions when on foot, and additionally criticized

2240-503: The first appearances of such machines in modern literature was the tripod (or "fighting-machine", as they are known in the novel) of H. G. Wells ' famous The War of the Worlds (1897). The novel does not contain a fully detailed description of the tripods' mode of locomotion , but it is hinted at: "Can you imagine a milking stool tilted and bowled violently along the ground? That was the impression those instant flashes gave. But instead of

2296-518: The giant robot genre in Japan. The first anime featuring a giant mecha being piloted by the protagonist from within a cockpit was the Super Robot show Mazinger Z , written by Go Nagai and introduced in 1972. Mazinger Z introduced the notion of mecha as pilotable war machines, rather than remote-controlled robots. Ken Ishikawa and Go Nagai, later, introduced the concept of 'combination' ( gattai ( 合体 ) ), where several units slot together to form

G-Nome - Misplaced Pages Continue

2352-577: The manga/anime franchise Patlabor and the American wargame BattleTech universe , also encompass mecha used for civilian purposes, such as heavy construction work, police functions, or firefighting . Mecha also have roles as transporters, recreation, advanced hazmat suits , and other research and development applications. Mecha have been used in fantasy settings, for example in the anime series Aura Battler Dunbine , The Vision of Escaflowne , Panzer World Galient , and Maze . In those cases,

2408-411: The mecha designs are usually based on some alternative or "lost" science-fiction technology from ancient times. In case of anime series Zoids , the machines resemble dinosaurs and animals, and have been shown to evolve from native metallic organisms. A chicken walker is a fictional type of bipedal robot or mecha, distinguished by its rear-facing knee joint . This type of articulation resembles

2464-419: The mesh not contain any errors such as doubled vertices, edges, or faces. For some purposes it is important that the mesh be a manifold – that is, that it does not contain holes or singularities (locations where two distinct sections of the mesh are connected by a single vertex). Although it is possible to construct a mesh by manually specifying vertices and faces, it is much more common to build meshes using

2520-444: The method of choice for real-time computer graphics . Alternate methods of representing 3D objects include NURBS surfaces, subdivision surfaces , and equation-based (implicit surface) representations used in ray tracers . The basic object used in mesh modeling is a vertex , a point in three-dimensional space. Two vertices connected by a straight line become an edge . Three vertices, connected to each other by three edges, define

2576-731: The model will be symmetrical. Another common method of creating a polygonal mesh is by connecting together various primitives , which are predefined polygonal meshes created by the modeling environment. Common primitives include: Finally, some specialized methods of constructing high or low detail meshes exist. Sketch based modeling is a user-friendly interface for constructing low-detail models quickly, while 3D scanners can be used to create high detail meshes based on existing real-world objects in an almost automatic way. These devices are very expensive, and are generally only used by researchers and industry professionals but can generate high accuracy sub-millimetric digital representations. There are

2632-586: The occupants of any vehicle or structure upon impact. G-Nome features four alien factions: the Darken, the Union, the Mercs and the Scorp. Each of these races represent a certain environmental theme; the Darken are desert-themed, the Union-centered portion takes place in a volcanic land, the Mercs are snow and ice-themed and the Scorp are grassland-themed. All the races maintain similar naming conventions and strength orientation in regards to their vehicles and structures, with certain attributes of one vehicle having

2688-491: The polygons making up an element is called a face . In Euclidean geometry , any three non-collinear points determine a plane . For this reason, triangles always inhabit a single plane. This is not necessarily true of more complex polygons, however. The flat nature of triangles makes it simple to determine their surface normal , a three-dimensional vector perpendicular to the triangle's surface. Surface normals are useful for determining light transport in ray tracing, and are

2744-421: The product of an ancient civilization, aliens or a mad genius . These robots are usually piloted by Japanese teenagers via voice command or neural uplink , and are often powered by mystical or exotic energy sources. The later real robot genre features robots that do not have mythical superpowers, but rather use largely conventional, albeit futuristic weapons and power sources, and are often mass-produced on

2800-403: The protagonist appeared in the manga Atomic Power Android ( 原子力人造人間 , Genshi Ryoku Jinzō Ningen ) in 1948. The manga and anime Tetsujin 28-Go , introduced in 1956, featured a robot, Tetsujin, that was controlled externally by an operator by remote control. The manga and anime Astro Boy , introduced in 1952, with its humanoid robot protagonist, was a key influence on the development of

2856-652: The supplement A Gazetinha from the newspaper A Gazeta ; Kimball Kinnison's battle suit in E. E. "Doc" Smith's Lensman novel Galactic Patrol (1950); the French animated film The King and the Mockingbird (first released 1952), and Robert Heinlein 's waldo in his 1942 short story, " Waldo " and the Mobile Infantry battle suits in Heinlein's Starship Troopers (1958). A transforming mech can transform between

SECTION 50

#1732908838520

2912-508: The team undercover in Scorp territory. Gant begins his mission by traversing the Darken Republic and rendezvousing with Kylie. They cross Merc territory to meet Thane, who identifies specialized Merc technology housed in a facility called the Citadel atop Mesa Caracon, for neutralizing the G-Nome. After acquiring the technology, the team heads for the Scorp territory. Gant and his team bypass

2968-558: The theoretical usefulness of such a device, combining a tank's resilience and firepower with infantry's ability to cross unstable terrain and a high degree of customization. In some continuities, special scenarios are constructed to make mecha more viable than current-day status. For example, in Gundam the fictional Minovsky particle inhibits the use of radar, making long-range ballistic strikes impractical, thus favouring relatively close-range warfare of Mobile Suits. However, some stories, such as

3024-410: The volcanic Shalten Frontier. Gant's team destroys the laboratory, but Sheridan kills Kylie. Gant pursues and kills Sheridan. The G-Nome breaks out of the cargo bay of Sheridan's vehicle and attacks Gant, prompting him to tranquilize it. A marker upon the G-Nome's paw reveals that it is Pearl. Gant allows the G-Nome to flee before the UIA forces arrive. The G-Nome is seen heading toward the sunset during

3080-631: The world. The personification of this popularity can be seen as 1:1-sized Mazinger Z , Tetsujin, and Gundam statues built across the world. Mecha are often featured in computer and console video games . Because of their size and fictional power, mecha are quite popular subjects for games, both tabletop and electronic. They have been featured in video games since the 1980s, particularly in vehicular combat and shooter games , including Sesame Japan's side-scrolling shooter game Vastar in 1983, various Gundam games such as Mobile Suit Gundam: Last Shooting in 1984 and Z-Gundam: Hot Scramble in 1986,

3136-1000: Was first used in Japanese after shortening the English loanword 'mechanism' ( メカニズム , mekanizumu ) or 'mechanical' ( メカニカル , mekanikaru ) , but the meaning in Japanese is more inclusive, and 'robot' ( ロボット , robotto ) or 'giant robot' is the narrower term. Fictional mecha vary greatly in size and shape, but are distinguished from vehicles by their humanoid or biomorphic appearance, although they are bigger, often much bigger, than human beings. Different subgenres exist, with varying connotations of realism. The concept of Super Robot and Real Robot are two such examples found in Japanese anime and manga . Real-world piloted humanoid or non-humanoid robotic platforms , existing or planned, may also be called "mecha". In Japanese, "mecha" may refer to mobile machinery or vehicles (including aircraft) in general, piloted or otherwise . 'Mecha'

#519480