Strategy Guide - Guide for Macross: Digital Mission VF-X
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Macross Digital Mission VF-X FAQ Version 1.04 Find Updates at the Official FAQ Homepage: http://members.aol.com/~MacrossPSX/DM_VF-X/ -Please Distribute But Do Not Modify- by Son Hoang ([email protected]) [HTML FAQ by Merill Ronquillo ([email protected])] http://members.aol.com/~Vegeta921/macross/macross.htm 0.0 Version Update 1.0 Introduction 1.1 Bad Stuff 1.11 Pop Up 1.12 Fighter Mode Realism 1.13 Music 1.14 Static Animation 1.15 Vulnerable Transformations 1.2 Good Stuff 1.21 Graphics 1.211 Variable Fighter (VF) 1.212 Lock on Missiles! 1.22 Sound Effects 1.23 FMV Animation 1.24 Macross Feel 2.0 General Information and Manual Interpretation 2.1 Profile 2.11 Eye 2.12 Rank 2.13 Level 2.14 Name 2.15 Kill Score 2.16 UN Spacy Logo and Control Type 2.17 Your Fighters 2.2 Cockpit 2.21 Compass 2.22 Hour-Glass and Arrow 2.23 Speed Indicator 2.24 Extra Bars in Battroid Mode 2.25 Damage Indicators 2.26 SP and AL Indicators 2.27 Timer 2.3 Objective View Point (Chase Camera) 2.4 Radar 2.5 Controls and Manual Translations and Corrections 2.6 Analog Controller 2.7 Skill Level 2.8 Level Types 2.81 Space 2.82 Lower Atmosphere 2.82 Upper Atmosphere 3.0 Variable Fighters 3.1 VF-1X-Plus Valkyrie and SP Edition 3.2 VF-4G Lightning III 3.3 VF-11B Thunder Bolt 3.4 VF-17D Nightmare 3.5 VF-19A Excalibur 3.6 VF-22 Sturmvogel II 4.0 Variable Modes 4.1 Fighter 4.11 Special Attack Descriptions 4.2 GERWALK 4.21 Special Attack Descriptions 4.3 Battroid 4.31 Special Attack Descriptions 5.0 Mission Descriptions 5.1 Mission 1 : Training 5.2 Mission 2 : First Contact 5.21 Route to City 5.22 City Conflict 5.3 Mission 3 : Satellite Fall 5.4 Mission 4 : Ghost Town 5.41 Enemy Encampments 5.42 Airborne Laser Turrets 5.5 Mission 5 : High Zone 5.6 Mission 6 : Break Through Blue 5.61 Into the Atmosphere 5.62 Battle on the Clouds 5.7 Mission 7 : Twilight Attack 5.71 Sunset Canyon 5.72 Enemy Base 5.8 Mission 8 : Legacy 5.81 Coastline Outposts 5.82 Giant Tank Mech 5.9 Mission 9 : Eternal Songs 5.91 Final Voyage 5.92 Tunnel Flight 5.93 Return of the Variable Mech X.0 Codes, Tricks, and Trivial Knowledge X.X MAXMILLIAN JENIUS' BLUE VF-1X-PLUS VALKYRIE! X.1 Missile Recovery X.2 Special Attack Recovery X.3 Full In-Flight Camera Control X.4 Variable Fighter Viewing Mode X.5 Controller Reset X.6 Import Manual Fiasco X.7 Redbook Audio Track X.8 Favorite Moves VF-X FAQ's End Comments VF.1 Personal Requests VF.2 Links VF.3 Special Thanks VF.4 Future Versions, Legal Issues, and Contacting Me 0.0 Version Update Major thanks go to Ken Brennan ([email protected]) for his corrections during the development of this FAQ and for his input during the revisions. Also to Merill Ronquillo ([email protected]) for figuring out what some of the VF statistics actually mean (enemy detection, circular performance, and firepower) and finding an error in the Asian English instruction manual, and FAQ error spotting. Updates (From Newest to Oldest) 1.04 Fixed information for VF-17 background data and VF-19 history. Got rid of whole Macross II analogy, since it just throws everything off. -Thanks to Ken Brennan for Corrections 1.03 Added X.8 Favorite moves section, and Legal Issues to VF.4. Fixed minor grammatical errors and removed comments from Beta versions. Minor changes to Mission Descriptions for Missions 3 and 9 1.02 Added sub-sections underneath VF-X FAQ's End Comments 1.01 Fixed numerous spelling mistakes 1.0 Introduction Hello, this is my first attempt at writing a FAQ. Until now, I have never really felt the need to write one (since most games I liked had numerous FAQs written on them). But this is a game of epic proportions. And it is an import game. So I took it upon myself to write one. :) Oh, since this game has been criticized left and right, the next two sections will list the good and bad parts of this incredible game, in my opinion of course. 1.1 Bad Stuff 1.11 Pop Up This means objects don't appear until they are relatively close to you, and in some parts of the game, this can be terribly annoying. Such as shooting at an enemy, only to realize it was behind a building or a pillar. This is the worst part of the game. 1.12 Fighter Mode Realism The Fighter mode is terribly sensitive to movements. This is pretty bad. You push it a little here or there, and it will spin out of control. That's using the normal controller, with the analog it's worse. That's sad. Also, the mechanics of flight aren't realistic in the game, you have no sense of gravity, because flying at the slowest speed still doesn't cause you to lose lift. The turning mechanics also doesn't seem to have a difference in Earth or space. This is bizarre because gravity should effect the turning arc, but it doesn't. But I suppose that's acceptable. In any event, this game wasn't created to be a realistic simulator to make you feel like a pilot, but rather to be a fun shooter and make you feel like you're flying a VF. 1.13 Music The music in this series sounds like MIDI. Not general MIDI, but MIDI as in the poor kind. Some of the MIDI is okay, but most is just drowned out by the loud sound effects. The reason for the music being this way instead of redbook audio is because there are lots of in-flight speeches made by the "Operators" who inform you of mission objectives while you fly. 1.14 Static Animation The cut scenes in the game and the in-flight briefings are pretty crappy because most of them are static pictures with moving mouths, much like the Gundam cell animation cut scenes. Big disappointment to me. 1.15 Vulnerable Transformations At first, flashing outwards to the VF so you could watch it transform was fun, but in heated battles, transforming can be hazardous since you can't fight back or move, but can still take damage. It would be preferable if you could simply transform without the theatrics, but you simply can't. You'll be okay if you transform before you engage in battle. 1.2 The Good Stuff 1.21 The Graphics 1.211 Variable Fighter (VF) Your main VF is highly detailed, in terms of lighting, gouraud shading, and texture mapping. It's very true to the series, although on occasion the polygons shift in strange places making the VF look weird. 1.212 Lock on Missiles! The "Lock-On" symbol is very true to the series, so that was cool. The trails the missiles leave are very fun to watch! Although they don't look smoky like originally intended to be true to the series, they look cool nonetheless. 1.22 Sound Effects All sound effects are loud, crisp, and clear, and true to the series. Sometimes it's just fun to shoot your gun-pod to hear it fire off rounds. 1.23 FMV Animation The intro and a music video near the end contain FMV, and the intro contains some CG stuff. Although the intro contains a minimal amount of footage from Macross Plus, it's still mostly new stuff. Both are top notch and are very entertaining to watch. 1.24 Macross Feel The main objective of this game was to give that "Macross feel" to it, of being immersed in the world of Macross and give the feel of flying a VF. That is what this game does, and that is why it is so fun. 2.0 General Information and Manual Translations 2.1 Profile 2.11 Eye The eye thing comes from "Macross Plus." In "Macross Plus" it was the retina scanner that admitted Isamu Dyson to New Edwards Test Flight Center. It goes on your profile, and is how they identify who you are. I guess they would use this form of identification since finger prints can be doctored, same with voices. Faking a retina is kind of hard, I think. 2.12 Rank Under that, is your rank. Your rank is determined (I think) on the number of kills you accumulate. You start off as a Second Lieutenant and work your way to Colonel. Number of Kills - Rank - Symbol 0-99..............2nd LT (Second Lieutenant) - Single Star 100-199...........1st LT (First Lieutenant) - Dual Stars 200-299...........CPT. (Captain) - Triple Stars 300-399...........LT COL (Lieutenant Colonel) - Dual UN Spacy Insignia 400+..............COL (Colonel) - Eagle Wings 2.13 Level Underneath that the level you have this profile saved on. If it's on 00, obviously you haven't started the first mission yet. 2.14 Name Under Level is the name you entered at the beginning of the game, if you didn't enter one, this will be blank. 2.15 Kill Score Under that is your kill score, which tells you how many kills you've clocked in previous missions. In order for kills to count, you must pass the mission you acquired them on. 2.16 UN Spacy Logo and Control Type On the upper right is a circular red thing with a white diamond shaped thing in it. Well it's not Robotech, and so that's not the RDF's symbol. Its Macross' UN Spacy symbol. Why UN Spacy? I have read that it was because the US had an Army and a Navy, land and sea military forces. So, for a space force, why not Spacy? It's also the Save Icon on your memory card. The actual position of the UN Spacy logo will change, depending on whether you selected type A, B, or C, and the logo will position itself next to the saved type. 2.17 Your Fighters Under that lists the Fighters you have gained access to during the game. 2.2 Cockpit 2.21 Compass It's your compass, it displays the direction in which your aircraft is moving. It's shaped like a cross and are spinning rules. 2.22 Hour-Glass and Arrow In the manual, it's called the "Lock-on indicator." But it has multiple functions. To head to your missions objective points you follow it by placing it in the middle of your screen or in the center of your compass. During a battle, it'll tell you where your closest or most important enemy is located relative to you, and during this time, it'll be an arrow at the edge of the screen. 2.23 Speed Indicator The speed indicator in the cockpit changes with each variable Fighter. It's usually some kind of light bar that goes up and down with your speed. Also, the speed indicator doesn't tell you what direction you're heading in which is sometimes a pain if you're not yet used to the forward and backward thrust of GERWALK mode. 2.24 Extra Bars in Battroid Mode When you transform into that mode, the cockpit isn't orientated in the cockpit like it normally is. Usually, the cockpit will turn inside the Fighter, allowing the pilot to sit up straight when in Battroid mode. But when in such a position, this leaves the pilot at the midsection, while the plane of viewing would be more advantageous at the head. However, the head is the most vulnerable part of the plane and it moves the most compared to the rest of the main body which would be disorientating for the pilot. Hence, the pilot is in an enclosed space, with the cockpit window shielded. So, the bars actually separate monitors inside the Battroid, just like in the Macross series. 2.25 Damage Indicators diagram of my plane. Does this mean those parts are effected in any way? I have not noticed any effected performance when parts of my VF take damage, so as to the best of my knowledge, your VF performs perfectly until your VF gets destroyed. However, there are four boxes that light up depending on how much damage you've taken. Each box represents 25% damage taken, the blue ones are how much you have left. The fourth box is the 90% indicator, that tells you that 90% of your VF is damaged. This is when the insistent beeping goes on in the ship. Also, the VF diagram represents a percent of how much damage you've taken in 25% increments as well. The first part to go is the head. The second parts to go red are the legs and thrusters. The third are the arms. The fourth is the upper torso. Each time you take 25% damage, a "Controller" or one of those chicks that monitor from the home base will chime into your cockpit telling you to stop getting shot. At 90%, the diagram will show the upper torso to be entirely red too. 2.26 SP and AL Indicators The SP is your speedometer, I think it's in kilometers per hour. And the AL is your altitude. Don't you love this game? In levels in the lower atmosphere (where you can touch the ground) the atmospheric ceiling is 3,000 and you can't climb past that. Also on upper atmospheric levels, you can't drop below the clouds. 2.27 Timer In the cockpit, there's a timer that tells you how long you've been playing this mission. 2.3 Objective View Point (Chase Camera) Same as the cockpit, really. Except at high altitudes in GERWALK Mode, the game goes into an overhead view. 2.4 Radar The arrow on your radar either points to your objective navigation point or to an enemy target. Sometimes, the objective point is an enemy target, but if you want to avoid sorties to conserve missiles or energy, you'll probably want to give up the chance for kills and opt to finish your mission. Also, the targets on your radar are color coded. The gray triangle in the center is obviously you. If a target is red, it's at your altitude, if it's yellow you're below the enemy, and if it's blue you're above the enemy. Circles are either cities you're supposed to fly to or enemy bases. Oddly shaped symbols are different types of enemies or asteroids. 2.5 Special Attacks When you hold R1 (in Control Type A) a menu pops up. The number over the picture of the buttons from the Sony controller tells you how many Special Attack points you have left. Lines corresponding to each button leads to a description of what that attack is and how many Special Attack points it will use when you execute it. The Variable Mode section has detailed descriptions of all the Special Attacks. 2.5 Controls and Manual Translations and Corrections You can find the controls and a bit of manual translation at Vegeta's Macross Digital Mission VF-X FAQ http://members.aol.com/~Vegeta921/macross/macross.htm You can find the controls and complete manual translation (including the Macross history) at phosphors magazine: http://www.phosphors.com/ For Special Attacks on the VF-17D Nightmare, there is Simultaneous Firing in Fighter mode but no Body Attack in Battroid mode. 2.6 Analog Controller This is fun to play with, for that extra "Macross feel," and it takes awhile to get used to. The left stick acts as throttle when you move it forward and backwards, and depending on the degree of how far you push or pull it, the throttle will increase or lessen. There are also buttons on the left stick to allow you to use throttle that way, and a button to enable Special Attacks. The right stick allows the trigger finger to fire the gun-pod, and the thumb button is the missile button. Next to the missile button and on the small finger is the transformations buttons. The little hat on the right stick allows you to pan slightly in external view while you're playing. 2.7 Skill Level This determines how hard the game is (obviously). This affects how strong your attacks are, how clever the computer AI (Artificial Intelligence) is, and how many enemies will attack you at once. This has a BIG affect on challenge, and believe you me, Hard is no walk in the park. Also, Skill Level is saved in your profile and cannot be changed. When you load your game your saved Skill Level loads up as well. 2.8 Level Types This is just a general description of the three types of levels you will be playing on. 2.81 Space Missions that are in space have an altitude floor of 33,000 and have a ceiling of 36,000. These missions may seem like there are no such restrictions, but there are. 2.82 Lower Atmosphere These include city battles and any other mission where you can touch the ground or run into it in Fighter mode. The floor is obviously 0 and the atmospheric ceiling is 3,000. 2.83 Upper Atmosphere These are the cloud type levels. They have a floor of 2,800 and a ceiling of 5,200. In these levels you don't need to keep adding lift to maintain altitude in GERWALK mode. 3.0 Variable Fighters This includes a brief history of each of the VFs and concentrates on strengths and weaknesses. Performance means all aspects of that mode. They include that modes maximum speed, acceleration, and circular performance. The three degrees of measurement are weakest, moderate, very strong, and strongest. Some VFs may be tied on certain things. Circular performance is how fast the VF can turn in that mode, the higher the rating, the faster it can turn. Enemy detection tells how many missile locks the VF can have at one time, so now it will be referred to as number of missile locks. Lastly, firepower determines how many missiles the VF can carry. Each mode also has their top speeds listed (without afterburners which increase speed by 10,000) and special attacks in each mode listed. Each VF also has its number of Special Attack points listed and which Special Attacks it can execute in each mode. Refer to the Variable Modes section for a basic description of the Attacks (since most attacks are shared by the VFs, they are only altered slightly), including which button press is used and how many Special Attack points it takes to execute it. 3.1 VF-1X-Plus Valkyrie and SP Edition Appears in the original Macross series and in the Macross movie, "Macross: Love, Do You Remember?" Created in 2007 and put into service in 2008. Weakest maximum speed and acceleration in all modes. Very strong circular performance. Weakest armor and firepower. 2 missile locks possible. Special Attacks - 12 Points Fighter Mode - Top Speed - 14,000 Random Attack, Simultaneous Firing, Roll Scissors GERWALK Mode - Forward Thrust - 4,000 / Backward Thrust - 1,000 Simultaneous Firing, Quick Avoidance, Random Gun-pod Firing Battroid Mode - Top Speed of 2,500 Repeated Punches, Gun-pod Strikes, Gun-pod Firing While Rolling, Random Gun-pod Firing VF-1X-Plus Valkyrie SP Moderate maximum speed and acceleration in all modes. Strongest circular performance. Weakest armor and firepower. 2 missile locks possible. Special Attacks - 20 Points Fighter Mode - Top Speed - 15,000 GERWALK Mode - Forward Thrust - 5,000 / Backward Thrust - 2,000 Battroid Mode - Top Speed- 3,000 3.2 VF-4G Lightning III Appears as first generation VF-4 in "Macross: Flashback 2012." A music video depicting Lynn Minmay's "Sayonara Concert" to Earth before leaving and disappearing. Hikaru Ichijyo flies this VF next to the new SDF Megaroad 01. It does not transform in the video so this is its variable debut. Also only VF without a detachable gun-pod. Different design in terms of Battroid and GERWALK. Put into service in 2012. Rumor mill has it that this Fighter was not transformable, because it never shifted modes in "Macross:Flashback 2012." Obviously, that isn't true. Part of being a "Variable Fighter" or a VF is being able to change modes, which is what the "Variable" means in VF. Very strong acceleration in all modes. Very strong maximum speed, but moderate in Battroid mode. Weakest circular performance and armor. Moderate firepower. 3 missile locks possible. Special Attacks - 15 Points Fighter Mode - Top Speed - 18,000 Random Attack, Simultaneous Firing, Low-Fly Pass GERWALK Mode - Forward Thrust - 6,000 / Backward Thrust - 3,000 Simultaneous Firing, Quick Avoidance, Random Gun-pod Firing Battroid Mode - Top Speed - 4,000 Repeated Punches, Body Attack, High-Speed Dash, Long-Distance Sniping 3.3 VF-11B Thunder Bolt Appears in "Macross Plus" as aging Fighter. Isamu Dyson flies this plane (or is it a first generation VF-11?) when we first see him and when he has the boosters strapped to his plane. Created and put into service in 2030. Moderate maximum speed and acceleration in all modes. Moderate circular performance but weakest in GERWALK. Moderate firepower and armor. 3 missile locks possible. Special Attacks - 17 Points Fighter Mode - Top Speed - 16,000 Random Attack, Simultaneous Firing, Roll Scissors GERWALK Mode - Forward Thrust - 5,000 / Backwards Thrust - 2,000 Simultaneous Firing, Random Gun-pod Firing Battroid Mode - Top Speed - 3,000 Repeated Punches, Body Attack, Bayonet Attack, Random Gun-pod Firing 3.4 VF-17D Nightmare This ship only had about 4 in services, all reserved for Diamond Force, part of the "Macross 7," which aired and was released only in Japan. It's also the only VF to have gun-pod mounted on the top of the VF in Fighter mode. Different designs in terms of GERWALK. Only ship that doesn't have a "Random Attack" Special Attack in Fighter Mode. Weakest circular performance in all modes. Moderate Fighter performance. Very strong GERWALK performance. Weakest maximum speed and moderate acceleration in Battroid mode. Very strong firepower and strongest armor. 3 missile locks possible. Special Attacks - 12 Fighter Mode - Top Speed - 16,000 QM69, Low-Fly Pass, Pinpoint Bombing, Simultaneous Firing GERWALK Mode - Forward Thrust - 6,000 / Backward Thrust - 3,000 Simultaneous Firing, Gun-pod Firing Battroid Mode - Top Speed - 2,600 Repeated Punches, Gun-pod Strikes 3.5 VF-19A Excalibur Appears as prototype as YF-19, made by Shinrei Industries to replace the aging VF-11B Thunder Bolt as the service plane in production. Competes with YF-21 (which used mind control) and wins the project. Isamu Dyson is the final test pilot for the plane and wins the project. Developed in 2040 and put into service in 2041. Also, my favorite variable Fighter. :) Only VF to have the wings swept forward in Fighter or GERWALK mode, and have wings hanging from the hips instead of tucked in during Battroid mode. First VF to be outfitted with "anti-laser coating" and "pin-point" barrier system, although the "anti-laser coating" never saw any real action. Strongest performance in ALL areas for ALL modes. Moderate armor. Strongest firepower. 4 missile locks. Special Attacks - 20 Points Fighter Mode - Top Speed - 20,000 Random Attack, Flying Deadblow, Quick Avoidance, High-Speed Dash GERWALK Mode - Forward Thrust - 7,000 / Backward Thrust - 4,000 Simultaneous Firing, Quick Avoidance, Random Gun-pod Firing Battroid Mode - Top Speed - 4,000 Pinpoint Barrier Kicks, Pinpoint Barrier Punches, Body Attack, Random Gun-pod Firing 3.6 VF-22 Sturmvogel II Put into service in 2042, and is utilized in "Macross 7" television series. Based on YF-21 design from "Macross Plus," developed by General Galaxy. Brain wave mind control was taken out of this model and the head was changed to accommodate the changed sensory pack. This model was used exclusively by everyone's favorite ace pilot couple, Max and Millia Jenius. Very Strong armor and gun-pod attack. Very strong Fighter and GERWALK performance. Strongest Battroid performance. 5 missile locks. Special Attacks - 20 Points Fighter Mode - Top Speed - 18,000 Random Attack, Simultaneous Firing, Active Stealth, Limiter-Off GERWALK Mode - Forward Thrust - 6,000 / Backward Thrust - 3,000 Long Distance Sniping, Random Gun-pod Firing Battroid Mode - Top Speed - 4,000 Repeated Punches, Pinpoint Barrier Punches, Long Distance Sniping, Full Barrier 4.0 Variable Modes Obviously the fame of Macross in part comes from the infamous mechanical (mecha) designs by Shoji Kawamori. First concepted by him in Studio Nue, for the original Macross series was the VF, the Variable Fighter. Not only were there giant robots like in Gundam, but they could turn into planes, and an usual hybrid between the two, called GERWALK, Ground Effective Reinforcement of Winged Armament with Locomotive Knee-joint. This part of the FAQ describes the advantages and disadvantages of each mode, from in and outside the cockpit. Each mode also lists all the Special Attacks that are available in that mode for all VFs, including the button press to execute it as well as how many Special Attack points are used up. Special Attacks are listed in alphabetical order, and also tell which VFs can execute that particular Attack. 4.1 Fighter The fastest mode of the three. When flying at high speeds, you can avoid most missiles by flying right by them since they won't have time to adjust their course. However, it's very hard to fight adequately like this. It does let you do an "air raid" type attack, by flying real fast, and hold down the missile button until you get a missile lock, letting go and flying by. But this isn't isn't the best way to go when you're attacking a large group of enemies. So basically the Fighter mode is recommended mainly to reach your nav points or to escape your enemy. On the inside, it's easier to see what targets are in your plain of view, letting you know who you can lock missiles on. On the outside it's basically the same, but since they show areas below and above your point of view, it's a little harder. The most dangerous aspect of this mode is obviously hitting the ground or a building. In some cramped areas, if you run into such a thing, you'll spin out of control, and it's very hard to regain control unless you switch to another mode. 4.12 Special Attack Descriptions Active Stealth (X) 3 Points - VF-22 The plane begins to flicker in Object View Point, and the enemy has a less chance of hitting you with most attacks and doesn't attack as much. Just like in "Macross Plus!" But if you transform into other modes, the stealth disengages. It only lasts for like half a minute anyway. Flying Deadblow (X) 2 Points - VF-19A The plane goes up, stalls and drops down on the ground to crush whatever's beneath it. Dangerous, dangerous move. High-Speed Dash (Circle) 2 Points - VF-19A The wings sweep back and the engine exhaust narrows, and the plane shoots forward to break through enemy crowds. Limiter-Off (Square) 3 Points - VF-22 Everything goes into slow motion, but what happens in actuality is that the computer maps out a flight plan projecting where the enemy will shoot. So you can play very slowly, dodging every shot, planning every attack, just like in Macross Plus! But when it wears off, you go back to normal speed. Transforming into other modes disengages the Limiter-Off effect. Low Fly Pass (X) 2 Points - VF-4G, VF-17D The VF speeds up and skims across the ground. Pinpoint Bombing (Square) 4 Points - VF-17D The Fighter shoots rounds up, then down, than horizontally. QM69 (Triangle) 4 Points - VF-17D The Fighter does a barrel roll while shooting rounds. Random Attack (Triangle) 6 Points - VF-1X-Plus, VF-4G, VF-11B, VF-19A, VF-22 You start changing into all the three modes, firing orgies of missiles and shells. VERY powerful but somewhat hard to aim, and can leave you hitting buildings or the ground in tight spaces. Roll Scissors (Square) 2 Points - VF-1X-Plus, VF-11B The plane does a series of rolls or other trademark Macross maneuvers to avoid incoming fire and missiles. Simultaneous Firing (Circle) 5 - VF-1X-Plus, VF-4G, VF-11B, VF-17D, VF-22 Fires a VERY large orgy of missiles at all targets on screen. 4.2 GERWALK Second fastest mode. This is basically the mode to use when there are a lot of fast moving objects. You can strafe left and right to avoid missiles and to actually turn you need to thrust forward or backward. Since you can thrust backwards it's a lot easier to get enemies that fly right by you. Also, the gun-pod isn't so hot in this mode, since it still stays in the middle. But this is by far the most versatile mode, it has maneuverability and speed combined. The cockpit view allows you to lock missiles on enemies you can see, while external mode allows basically the same, but at high altitudes, it switches to an overhead view, allowing you to survey the area, but otherwise it's kind of a nuisance. However, it does allow you to do missile locks on enemies of lower altitude than you, allowing you to do "bombing." Overall, this mode is good for all types of combat engagement, but mastery of this mode takes awhile. Also, to maintain lift or altitude in the lower atmospheric stages, you must keep pushing down or tapping it, otherwise you'll fall. One of the most helpful maneuvers in this mode asides from flying backwards is to not use thrust at all, and simply to strafe left and right with the control pad to avoid incoming fire. 4.21 Special Attack Descriptions Quick Avoidance (X) 2 Points - VF-1X-Plus, VF-19A A trademark Macross maneuver to do some maneuver to dodge hordes of missiles. Random Gun-pod Firing (Square) 2 Points - ALL Fires gun-pod shells in a horizontal pattern. Simultaneous Firing (Circle) 5 Points - VF-1X-Plus, VF-4G, VF-11B, VF-17D, VF-19A Fires a VERY large orgy of missiles at all targets on screen. 4.3 Battroid Slowest mode. You use this when there are a lot of stationery objects, or slow-moving objects. This mode is also the easiest to control, and easiest to use to dodge objects. This mode allows accurate gun-pod firing and strafing left and right, allowing you to dodge incoming fire if you're fast enough to respond. This mode allows you to conserve missiles and is best for city battles. 4.31 Special Attack Descriptions Bayonet Attack (X) 2 Points - VF-11B Just like in Macross Plus, your Battroid extends a bayonet from his gun-pod (which you can't see) and stabs your targeted enemy in a downward motion. Body Attack (Circle) 4 Points - VF-4G, VF-11B, VF-19A He tackles the enemy. Full Barrier (X) 2 Points - VF-22 Has the same effect as Active Stealth. Gun-pod Firing While Rolling (X) 4 Points - VF-1X-Plus Your Battroid rolls on the ground, just like in the Macross opening sequence, and kneels on the ground firing a lot of rounds at your target. Gun-pod Strikes (Circle) 2 Points - VF-1X-Plus, VF-17D The Battroid hits the targeted enemy with the gun-pod High Speed Dash (X) 3 Points - VF-4G The Battroid moves forward very fast. Long-Distance Sniping (Square) 2 Points - VF-4G, VF-22 The Battroid aims with one hand and fires a shot. Pinpoint Barrier Kicks (Triangle) 2 Points - VF-19A Just like in Macross Plus, the Battroid steps back, and does a jump-kick at your target. Pinpoint Barrier Punches (Circle) 2 Points - VF-19A, VF-22 The Battroid lunges and pushes both fists into your targeted enemy. Random Gun-pod Firing (Square) 2 Points - VF-1X-Plus, VF-11B, VF-19A Fires the gun-pod in a horizontal pattern. Repeated Punches (Triangle) 2 Points - VF-1X-Plus, VF-4G, VF-11B, VF-17D, VF-22 Your Battroid does a punch combination on your targeted enemy 5.0 Mission Descriptions Missions that have more than one part I made up sub-names for. :) Also, mission hints on my behalf don't include Special Attacks, because for the most part, I only use them for fun. Fighter mode's random attack is very powerful but is hard to target on an enemy, and simultaneous fire is helpful but isn't particularly that strong. 5.1 Mission 1 : Training This is the training mission before you embark on Operation Orpheus, to rescue the famed Milky Dolls, an idol group that has been captured by the Zentrady. You start off in the VF-1X-Plus SP Valkyrie and you learn how to play in this training mission. This mission takes place in space. Your opponent is a VF-4G Lightning III. All you have to do is shoot him down, using either guns or missiles. The easiest way to kill him is to either switch to GERWALK mode and fly backwards shooting missiles or to use Battroid mode, strafing left and right, turning to adjust aiming. After that you will be able to choose the VF-4G Lightning III as your ship in future missions. 5.2 Mission 2 : First Contact Fly to a city to stop a city attack, your first encounter with the enemy. 5.21 Route to City You fly towards your main objective, to destroy enemy targets that have moved to attack a city. You will fly towards the city, over small grassy hills under the atmospheric ceiling that limits your altitude. This is the typical atmospheric level. The enemies you encounter will be Remodeled Reguards, or rather purple battlepods. They always attack in groups of three. The quickest way to pass this part is to simply fly at top speed in Fighter mode and to not deviate from the course to attack enemies. The navigation system will be going all over the place, locking on to enemies, but to reach the city you only have to fly straight. However, you will not rack up kills this way and isn't very fun. But it does jump straight right into the fun of this mission, the City Conflict. 5.22 City Conflict This is the stuff legends are made of. You enter the area and there will be Reguards and Grages, or officer type battle pods, flying around. The main objective is to destroy three radar towers, surrounded by gun turrets. This is a good level to rack up kills on, and will give you practice with Battroid and GERWALK mode. Battroid is good for weaving between buildings for cover while GERWALK is the best way to cover terrain quickly. When you finish this mission, Reatrice is rescued, with a short cut scene of her talking, my favorite Milky Doll. ^_^ 5.3 Mission 3 : Satellite Fall This is the mission that really tests how well you've come along in using the VF controls. This is because if you rely too heavily on missiles, you will run out of them before you reach the boss or while you fight the boss. So if you haven't learned how to use the gun-pod efficiently, particularly in Battroid mode, you won't pass this level. This battle also takes place in space, with the main objective to destroy an enemy satellite. The level is scattered with Fighters that fly pretty fast and shoot a lot of missiles, but if you've gained a moderate amount of skill, it should be easy. There are also asteroids in this level, and you can destroy them but it's a waste of time. However, the missiles lock onto them so be careful. The boss is a wide, purple mech that shoots A LOT of lasers and missiles and occasionally deploys the Air Battle Pods, which are the small orange Fighters. When you destroy that, the satellite at the beginning of the mission appears, equally as strong as the purple mech. Again you can pass this level easily by just flying straight towards the boss mech and kicking him to the curb. After this level, you gain access to two new VFs, the VF-11B Thunder Bolt and the VF-17D Nightmare. 5.4 Mission 4 : Ghost Town 5.41 Enemy Encampments Flying to an enemy group that attacks another city. On the way are enemy encampments, consisting of a large green statue that deploys Air Battle Pods and stationery, defenseless wherehouses. A total of five encampments en route to the city. 5.42 Airborne Laser Turrets This stage introduces the rotating laser turrets that stay in the air. They shoot rapidly and are easiest to avoid in GERWALK mode for me, but also pretty easy in Battroid mode. There are about four sections to clear out before you pass the level. When you do, you will receive a cut scene with Molly. 5.5 Mission 5 : High Zone One of the best looking stages in my opinion, you fly against the backdrop of the sky, and there's no ground, just clouds, but you can't fly through them. However, you take no damage for flying into them. This stage is relatively easy. The enemies are all Air Battle Pods and Kerkalia, the three pronged enemy Fighters that are blue based with silver prongs. The key to beating the boss is to switch to Fighter mode to maintain the same speed he is, and to shoot him with missiles and rounds to destroy him. If you go too fast or too slow, he'll disappear from view. About 10,000 is a good speed. 5.6 Mission 6 : Break Through Blue This mission has two parts, it begins in space and ends up in the upper atmosphere, or the sky type stages. 5.61 Into the Atmosphere This stage introduces tougher enemies, and VERY large groups of the old ones. The best way to survive is to use Battroid mode since in GERWALK you will eventually run out of missiles. However, there is no boss to this stage, so you simply have to kill the weaker enemies. I believe the big blue Grages are simply space versions of the atmospheric Grages. Same thing with the purple Air Battle Pods. There are also these green old style Zentrady ships that shoot massive amounts of lasers and missiles. During battles it would be a good idea to take them out first. 5.62 Battle on the Clouds Again, this part of the stage has no boss. You fight the same kinds of mechs you fought on Mission 5, and the big blue Grage from the previous part of this stage. After this mission you get the long awaited VF-19A Excalibur! By far, my favorite VF. The other ship you get is the VF-22 Sturmvogel II. 5.7 Mission 7 : Twilight Attack The purpose of this stage is to tail a retreating enemy mech to its home base to destroy it. 5.71 Sunset Canyon After a few sorties with wimpy enemies, you come across this land roving orange mech. It makes these weird sounds whenever you see it on your view screen, and it shoots lasers at you. However, just keep a good distance from it and follow it in GERWALK or Battroid. This may take several minutes, but eventually it will lead you to its base. DO NOT SHOOT AT IT! If you do you'll have to restart the whole ordeal. This stage's backdrop is a sunset lit sky, kind of pretty, with intermittent rivers on the canyon floors. Be careful in Fighter mode because you can easily ram into the side of a mountain or canyon. 5.72 Enemy Base This level is a military base and construction site. There are some cool parts to the scenery, like a search light that comes out of the ground. Also, the objective is to destroy these purplish containers scattered around the base. Some are in hard to reach places, so you can either stand on top of them as a Battroid and shoot or use the GERWALK to shoot missiles down at them. You'll also see Reguards and Air Battle Pods on the ground, but you won't be able to destroy them. There are also a lot of rotating laser turrets at high altitudes, so be careful. When you've caused a lot of damage, a Zentrady variable mech will arrive to the base in a dramatic way. Be careful because it is highly maneuverable and has considerable firepower. When you clear this mission, you rescue Freia, my tie with Aoi for my second favorite Milky Doll. ^_^ 5.8 Mission 8 : Legacy 5.81 Coastline Deployment This level starts off nice enough, flying over a coastline, with a few cliffs and an ocean below. The goal is to destroy three separate hangers that deploy the purple Air Battle Pods. On each site are a few Grages sifting in the water, and several defenseless containers. Destroy all the hangers than you will enter an invaded city. 5.82 Giant Tank Mech This level is a very cramped city, with A LOT of rotating Laser Turrets throughout the level. Not only that but each are protected on two sides by columns, underneath each are protected by Grages. After you destroy several, a huge tank-like mech engages battle with you. It takes a lot of work to kill it, but if you get a good pattern of dodging and shooting down, such as flying in a different patterns in GERWALK mode. Then after that, you have to destroy what appears to be a defenseless energy conduit. Then a large concentration of enemy Laser Turrets and Grages are the final objective. Laser Turrets have a tendency to rice to the atmospheric ceiling, so you won't have the room to fly up to get out of the way of shots. The cut scene following this level has your character standing face to face with Violetta, and as they talk, the screen shakes, and you see the head of the invading Zentrady forces onboard his flagship. Then there's a static communication coming from the Valhalla III, then the next mission briefing begins. 5.9 Mission 9 : Eternal Songs It begins with the Milky Dolls talking about something, then the Captain of the ship begins to say something, everyone gets excited, something about Minmay is mentioned, mostly likely, the Milky Dolls are trying to persuade the commanding officer to allow them to stage a concert to disorientate the enemy, similar to what Minmay did in "Macross: Love, Do You Remember?" He agrees, they go frantic, the bridge begins to issue alot of battle orders considering you're the only ship being scrambled. 5.91 Final Voyage This mission has several enemies trying to stop you from arriving at the Zentrady flagship. You don't actually have to fight them, you can simply fly or afterburn all the way to the ship, just ignore the nav readings. But if you do fight them, be careful because there are a lot of asteroids in this level that will draw your missile and gun-pod fire. When you reach the ship, the best cut scene in the game plays. 5.92 Tunnel Flight Not a true level, but you do get to play a little. Before they show you, they show the Milky Dolls singing "Only You," a song composed and written for this game by Mari Iijimi, the original seiyuu (voice actress) for Lynn Minmay. While they sing, it switches between the video footage and footage of you flying through a long tunnel. This part is only external view and all missile locks and launches are automatic. You blaze through the tunnel destroying everything with ease. You can actually fire the gun-pod yourself and maneuver in the limited space they give you. You can't die, and this part of the mission is over when you reach the Zentrady leader, and destroy him, which is automatic. This section of the level is very similar to "Macross: Love, Do You Remember?" movie's climatic ending sequence. Whatever VF you chose for this mission will be the one flying through the tunnel, blazing a trail of glory. One for the history books even. 5.93 Return of the Variable Zentrady Mech The ship explodes and the nuisance from level 7 returns. He transforms, does that weird punch thing with his hand and begins saying stuff in Japanese. This is the final dogfight. Missiles will become scarce since there are so many asteroids in this level. And unless you keep track on the indicator (the hour-glass), the enemy can easily blend in with the back ground. When you run out of missiles, you have to switch to guns. By far the easiest way to kill him is simply to use the VF-19A, since it is still quite fast in Battroid mode, you can just fly backwards shooting at him, dodging occasionally. When he dies, the game ends. The Milky Dolls perform in New Macross City, in front of the old Super Dimensional Fortress. But you only get to hear them sing as the game credits scroll to an end. X.0 Codes, Tricks, and Trivial Knowledge Maxmillian's Blue Valkyrie, the Missile and Special Attack Recovery tricks were taken from a Japanese newsgroup. The Variable Fighter Viewing Mode trick was taken from a post off of Freddy Chan's Anime PSX Page (located at http://www.aiai.com/~freddy/animepsx/), but was submitted by James Wong, email address [email protected]. The Controller Reset trick is the one I'm most proud of, because it was discovered by me. :) The In-Flight Timer is just something I noticed, but didn't think everybody would. Oh, a note of warning, the game is much more fun without using the Missile or the Special Attack Recovery codes, but if you're really having a hard time, go ahead. :) X.X MAXMILLIAN JENIUS' BLUE VF-1X-PLUS VALKYRIE! YES! Maxmillian Jenius, genius/ace Fighter pilot from Macross and captain of the Macross 7 Colony Fleet has had his VF-1X Plus Valkyrie put into the game as a secret ship! All you have to do is get over 500 kills by the last mission and select the VF-1X-Plus Valkyrie as your ship and instead of the usual catapult that launches the Fighter, the VF drops out of the docking bay, transforms to Battroid mode and flies off. The only sorry thing is that you can only use this ship in the last mission. X.1 Missile Recovery Pause the game with controller one, with controller two hold select, press O 7 times, triangle, square, X, then release select. The missile meter should go to full now. X.2 Special Attack Recovery Pause the game with controller one, with controller two hold select, press square 7 times, triangle, O, X, then release select. You should recover all your Special Attack points. X.3 Full In-Flight Camera Control Unlike the analog stick's hat which only lets you slight pan left, right, down, and up, this will allow you to rotate, zoom, and everything, really. All you do is use controller two during flight to manipulate the camera during Objective View Point (Chase Camera). X.4 Variable Fighter Viewing Mode When you have all the planes and have passed the game, simply go back into the game to the screen where you choose your VF and can load and save your game. Then go to the blank box under load and press O. It will list all the VFs in the game and allow you to view all the ships, modes, and special attacks and manipulate camera angle. You can also put it into slow motion to see how they transform. However, you cannot go back into the game and you'll have to reset the game from the console. X.5 Controller Reset Almost at any time in the game, simply hold select, start, L1 and R1, and the game will reset to the Big West/Bandai Visual copyright screen. I actually found this one myself. X.6 Import Manual Fiasco Not known to all, Macross Digital Mission VF-X comes with one of two different manuals. The original one is the Japanese manual, in full Japanese with color pages and a sticker sheet. Very cool. The Asian release (intended for Asian audiences) is in English, with black and white interior and no stickers. I got the English one. :( If someone would like to trade with me, PLEASE email me at [email protected]. If not, someone please scan me the color pictures inside the manual and email them to me. It will be very appreciated. X.7 Redbook Audio Track The second track on the CD is a message in Japanese that says, ""This is an urgent message from the bridge of Valhalla III. This CD is PlayStation Software. Please remove it from your CD player!" X.8 Favorite Moves My favorite VF move is the VF-1X-Plus's Fighter Random Attack, not the SP edition though. Because during the Random Attack, the VF shifts into Battroid mode and shoots the gun-pod underneath his left armpit. Isn't that cool? My favorite cel animation move was during the Milky Doll concert where Freia twirls the microphone really fast in her hand, which I will call the infamous "Freia Microphone Trick" or the "Freai Mic Trick." It's simply amazing. VF-X FAQ's End Comments VF.1 Personal Requests Can anyone tell where the gunpod for the VF-22 is stored during Fighter mode? I'm just curious, it won't be included in the FAQ. I'd like to know if there is any actual meaning for the "Y" in "YF" during a VF's testing stage. How do I calibrate the analog joystick? The instructions are in Japanese both in the game and in the Asian English instruction booklet. Someone translate the cut-scenes for me! Please! Anyone willing to trade the English manual that I have for their Japanese one? If so, please email me! VF.2 Links Links that aided in the creation of this FAQ include Freddy Chan's Anime PSX Page - Previews, Reviews, FAQs, and Cheats http://www.aiai.com/~freddy/animepsx/ phosphors - Translators of Japanese Gaming Manuals http://www.phosphors.com/ UNiT Inc. - Production Team of this Epic Game http://www.unit.com/ Lance Webster's Macross Forever Homepage - Okay okay, so this page actually didn't help, but my friend made it and it's really good. =) http://www.oro.net/~lghtning/ Macross Compendium - THE most extensive Macross information site on the Internet. http://www.anime.net/macross/ VF.3 Special Thanks Here I thank the people that have helped me create and develop this FAQ. =) Ken Brennan ([email protected]) - For nit-picking my errors in the early versions of this FAQ, suggestions, and input. Thanks a bunch Valkyrie! Merill Ronquillo ([email protected]) - For proof-reading the FAQ and finding errors in the Asian English manual. This guy's really observant. Minh-ha Hoang - My sister for buying me this game. =) Studio Nue, and Macross All Staff - For creating Macross, what else? =) VF.4 Future Versions, Legal Issues, and Contacting Me A future HTML version of this FAQ (calm down fanboys!) will be available in the future when I have excess time on my hands or when I'm not playing this game. Macross was created by Studio Nue and produced by Big West and Bandai Visual. Macross Digital Mission VF-X was produced by UNiT Inc. All names and concepts are copyrighted by their respective owners. Please do not reproduce anything in this FAQ without my permission and consent. Do not modify this FAQ in anyway, but please distribute it. Thank you. My email address is [email protected]. Please feel free to email me with comments, suggestions, questions, additions, and corrections. Response is guarenteed within a day or two, and if you're on America Online (God forbid), then by all means please talk to me on there. Please visit the FAQ homepage often to check on updates! Thanks! Until next mission, good hunting! And "good ruck!"