Which condition that facilitates MS variations?

[False Prophet]

As I was skimming through the various MSV, a certain idea struck me: Why does Universal Century always have more variation units of both Gundam and other Mass Production Units (counting MSV, manga, and game)?

Of course, the logical answer would be U.C has always been the universe that receives the most attention of creators and fans alike. But I'd like to find a more in-universe explanation for this matter.

So, here are the conditions that I think facilitates the situation which encourages the existing of variations (read: Variations, as in the changes must be of a new invention, or to adapt the MS into a whole new combat environment - excluding striker packs and the likes.)

- There must be scientific advancements being made: In contrast to U.C, we can point out that in A.G (Age), C.C (Turn A), R.C (Reconguista), and P.D (Orphan), people pretty much relies on technologies invented centuries ago while piloting really, really old MS. The key point is that even the scientists of those settings don't comprehend fully the technology that they have in hand (for example, even by the end of the century war, people still can't interfere directly with the design of what comes out of the Age system).

On the other hand, for example, please look at the dizzying numbers of TMS during Gryps Conflict and the few years after, when it was the dawn of TMS technology and everyone scrambling to experiment with something they didn't know (and MS technology in general. At best, in U.C 93, MS technology is only 30 years old, from when Dr. Minovsky began realizing the concept.)

- The faction must be able to afford it: This is given. Just look at Neo Zeon before and after the Char's Rebellion - Compare the number of variations between the Doga and the Zulu.

But also, if you think about it, having too much budget can actually push you toward making completely new MS instead of making new units - the Titans for example.

(I still don't know from which unit did the Titans Test Team really begin making radically different MS instead of experimenting in moderation. The Hazel II?)

[Seto Kaiba]

As I was skimming through the various MSV, a certain idea struck me: Why does Universal Century always have more variation units of both Gundam and other Mass Production Units (counting MSV, manga, and game)?

Of course, the logical answer would be U.C has always been the universe that receives the most attention of creators and fans alike. But I'd like to find a more in-universe explanation for this matter.

While I'm not as well-versed in the intricacies of the Mobile Suit Gundam franchise as I am in Macross's, the translations I've done from Master Archive Mobile Suit and other Gundam publications have left me with a rather cynical view that it's mostly for the money (in-universe or otherwise).

Gundam's Universal Century is so heavily commercialized that every major event has a half-dozen side stories or spinoffs, and each of them has to have its own original designs so they can sell Gunpla and so on. Thanks to that, it seems like the UC timeline's cup runneth over with super prototypes too expensive for mass production, ace custom mobile suits built for Newtypes, one-off units built as proof-of-concept for canceled or rejected programs, and minor variants of mass-production suits intended for special operating conditions.

[Gelgoog Jager]

- There must be scientific advancements being made: In contrast to U.C, we can point out that in A.G (Age), C.C (Turn A), R.C (Reconguista), and P.D (Orphan), people pretty much relies on technologies invented centuries ago while piloting really, really old MS. The key point is that even the scientists of those settings don't comprehend fully the technology that they have in hand (for example, even by the end of the century war, people still can't interfere directly with the design of what comes out of the Age system).

I think you are mistaken about Gundam Age: between the manga and video games there's plenty of MSV like units. What's more, even during the series we can see specific role units such as terrain specific units (Gomel & Wrozzo), role specific units (Dorado variants: Dorado L & Abigel), and differences between prototype/mass production type units (Defurse & Reganner).

- The faction must be able to afford it: This is given. Just look at Neo Zeon before and after the Char's Rebellion - Compare the number of variations between the Doga and the Zulu.

Actually, I'm inclined to say that the only Zeon factions with plenty of variations would be the Principality of Zeon and Axis/First Neo Zeon.

Despite the existence of a book claiming that there were many Geara Doga variants, including many ground use units, I don't think that any official work has ever depicted a Geara Doga or variant on Earth. The closest I can think of are the Garencieres' Geara Zulus and the Zee Zulus. More importantly, if we are told that only about 100 Geara Dogas were built, including 82 standard types and 10 commander types, the last few are most likely the heavy armed types equipped with lange bruno guns, which is the only animated (and thus official) Geara Doga variant.

This is hardly surprising considering the dire situation of the Zeon remnants after the defeat of Haman's Neo Zeon. The later at one time was said to have a combined strength of 800 MS, most of which were high end units built with gundarium gamma armor, and at least a significant number were units equipped with newtype-related systems , ranging from the mass produced units such as the AMX-004G and AMX-014 (equipped with a quasi-psycommu system), to units like the AMX-015 and NZ-000, both of which Mahq profiles have classified as mass production type units, despite only one of each participating in the 1st Neo Zeon war. It's no surprise that many of the new variants of Zeon remnants MS are based on those, including the AMX-009G, AMX-011G, AMX-101E, AMX-101K, AMX-101S, AMX-107R, etc., as well as the ARX-014, not to mention the cameos of the AMX-102 and AMX-109 in Turn A Gundam.

Compared to those, the only 2nd Neo Zeon variants to have appeared in recent years would be the AMS-119C, which is Full Frontal's custom unit using the beam machine gun from a Geara Zulu and the prototype gear Doga used by Vincent Gleissner in the Missing Link section of the Gundam Side Stories PS3 video game, both of which are essentially commander type Geara Dogas. You could count the repaired MSN-03 or the Geara Zulus series, but the former hardly deserves mention and the later has adifferent frame even if it can borrow equipment from the Geara Doga.

[Areku]

C.E. saw explosively rapid advancements in MS technology, going from dakka-dakka battery-powered GINNs to HiMAT/Dragoon-spamming nuclear-powered Gundams and fleet-slaying Meteors in just four years, followed by a period of proliferation of those once-niche technologies and the further development of beam/positron shields and the miniaturization of positron weaponry over the next three years. By the time you've made one or two variations on any given design, they're all obsolete.

A.D. sees similarly rapid advancements, with everything from S1->AotT taking place in ~7 years.

F.C. arguably sees tons of variants on the same core MS, with seemingly every nation's Gundam capable of the same Mobile Trace System-fueled golden aura that seemingly no one knows about in-universe. It's rather telling that all of these Gundams are capable of the same exponentially-improved output despite no one knowing about it, with certain progressions further indicating that the MS are moreso common machines with custom equipment to reflect their fighter than they are inherently distinct machines (such as Dragon managing to take both Shining and God to similar stalemates despite the supposed upgrade).

[Kuruni]

It's worth to note that several variants are never built, some never get beyond designing stage, while other only exist as data in simulator. So fund isn't that important in meta-sense .

Adding Gunpla Battle series, another factor is that the builder need certain variant/equipments for specific event . Sei and Yuuki even give "in-universe" UC background history for their Build Mark II and Nu Gundam Vrave, which pretty much come out of nowhere from UC perspective.

[HalfDemonInuyasha]

As I was skimming through the various MSV, a certain idea struck me: Why does Universal Century always have more variation units of both Gundam and other Mass Production Units (counting MSV, manga, and game)?

Of course, the logical answer would be U.C has always been the universe that receives the most attention of creators and fans alike. But I'd like to find a more in-universe explanation for this matter.

While I'm not as well-versed in the intricacies of the Mobile Suit Gundam franchise as I am in Macross's, the translations I've done from Master Archive Mobile Suit and other Gundam publications have left me with a rather cynical view that it's mostly for the money (in-universe or otherwise).

Gundam's Universal Century is so heavily commercialized that every major event has a half-dozen side stories or spinoffs, and each of them has to have its own original designs so they can sell Gunpla and so on. Thanks to that, it seems like the UC timeline's cup runneth over with super prototypes too expensive for mass production, ace custom mobile suits built for Newtypes, one-off units built as proof-of-concept for canceled or rejected programs, and minor variants of mass-production suits intended for special operating conditions.

And there is still plenty of room within the canon UC era to make use of things given the large time skips in the latter half, hence Unicorn was able to take place shortly after CCA, still leaving 27 "empty" years until F91 while, canonically anyway, still having 30 "empty" years between F91 and Victory, and there's still beyond to whenever the Universal Century calendar ends.

[Kuruni]

*cough* 70 years between Victory and G-Saviour.

[MythSearcher]

Well, look at the real world varients, many military vehicles has their own varients for countless reasons, its actually not really related to the length of the time given but more like whether they have a need for it.

WWII and cold war saw a lot of varients developed and built in a short period, less so after the USSR collapsed.

[HalfDemonInuyasha]

Well, look at the real world varients, many military vehicles has their own varients for countless reasons, its actually not really related to the length of the time given but more like whether they have a need for it.

WWII and cold war saw a lot of varients developed and built in a short period, less so after the USSR collapsed.

Hobart's Funnies =D lol

[Seto Kaiba]

And there is still plenty of room within the canon UC era to make use of things given the large time skips in the latter half, hence Unicorn was able to take place shortly after CCA, still leaving 27 "empty" years until F91 while, canonically anyway, still having 30 "empty" years between F91 and Victory, and there's still beyond to whenever the Universal Century calendar ends.

Yes, but those are mostly dead space between major events that don't (yet) have any major events worth noting.

By in large, these excessive numbers of variations seem to be clustered around (and during) the major conflicts of the Universal Century... especially with Zeon and Neo Zeon's known prediliction for throwing everything short of a kitchen sink at the Feddies just to fill space on the TO&E. Unicorn was a perfect example of this, being mostly an OVA to get as many MSV designs animated as possible so they could be commercially exploited as gunpla. As a result, Neo Zeon's forces were mostly made up of one-offs, ace customs, stolen prototypes, and leftovers gathered from all over the Earth Sphere.

[False Prophet]

As I was skimming through the various MSV, a certain idea struck me: Why does Universal Century always have more variation units of both Gundam and other Mass Production Units (counting MSV, manga, and game)?

Of course, the logical answer would be U.C has always been the universe that receives the most attention of creators and fans alike. But I'd like to find a more in-universe explanation for this matter.

While I'm not as well-versed in the intricacies of the Mobile Suit Gundam franchise as I am in Macross's, the translations I've done from Master Archive Mobile Suit and other Gundam publications have left me with a rather cynical view that it's mostly for the money (in-universe or otherwise).

Gundam's Universal Century is so heavily commercialized that every major event has a half-dozen side stories or spinoffs, and each of them has to have its own original designs so they can sell Gunpla and so on. Thanks to that, it seems like the UC timeline's cup runneth over with super prototypes too expensive for mass production, ace custom mobile suits built for Newtypes, one-off units built as proof-of-concept for canceled or rejected programs, and minor variants of mass-production suits intended for special operating conditions.

And there is still plenty of room within the canon UC era to make use of things given the large time skips in the latter half, hence Unicorn was able to take place shortly after CCA, still leaving 27 "empty" years until F91 while, canonically anyway, still having 30 "empty" years between F91 and Victory, and there's still beyond to whenever the Universal Century calendar ends.

Aren't those the "Time of Death"? First of all, there aren't that many big-scale wars to push the envelope of MS development. And secondly, I don't think that either side - The Federation and one of the rebelled colony - has that much resources to spend after the Zanscare War.

On a side note, if you take the V Gundam manga as canon, humanity must have colonised a very big part of the space between Earth and Jupiter - so much that Judau has to look for a new place that takes hundred of years to reach.

That can also means that maybe, maybe one of the reason that there is the Warring Age during U.C is because even the resources on space is beginning to be scarce, and human have to look farther and farther for them. But we all know how hard is it when you pass Jupiter.

[JEFFPIATT]

And there is still plenty of room within the canon UC era to make use of things given the large time skips in the latter half, hence Unicorn was able to take place shortly after CCA, still leaving 27 "empty" years until F91 while, canonically anyway, still having 30 "empty" years between F91 and Victory, and there's still beyond to whenever the Universal Century calendar ends.

Yes, but those are mostly dead space between major events that don't (yet) have any major events worth noting.

By in large, these excessive numbers of variations seem to be clustered around (and during) the major conflicts of the Universal Century... especially with Zeon and Neo Zeon's known prediliction for throwing everything short of a kitchen sink at the Feddies just to fill space on the TO&E. Unicorn was a perfect example of this, being mostly an OVA to get as many MSV designs animated as possible so they could be commercially exploited as gunpla. As a result, Neo Zeon's forces were mostly made up of one-offs, ace customs, stolen prototypes, and leftovers gathered from all over the Earth Sphere.

Ironically that made it the most realistic depiction of an nation less military group still fighting with no real backing to have standardized equipment. Seeing that the animated 0083 ova pretty much standerized the two fleets to the GM type C for the EFSF and the Diaz fleet to Zaku II F2 and rick dom II units with the marine fleet having the few gelgoog units in the Marine config. the novel being not bound to the limation of tracing one model sheet to speed up animation gave the two zeon fleets an more diverse line up fitting with an faction of zeon's military who ran and hid with what troop's and ships ran with them and the ms that fit in the ships bays. The sleeves basically have the capital char left them with to buy the few new ms units from AE but the bulk of the forces are pretty much bring your own equipment merging troops from both neo zeon movements and there allied earth bound remnants of the zeon earth forces. the most the units got was an standardized paint job and some ms were given downgrades in equipment due to lack of new parts. the difference between the EFF and the Sleeves still useing ms as far back as the oyo is the Sleeves can't afford to retire there old ms units, The Federation just doesn't dispose of old ms quickly especially if the service branch doesn't have an replacement lined up. Hence the EFN still useing there old Aqua GMs and Waterproof Gundams as the RMS platform replacement was politically retired and an good chunk was captured by Axis neo zeon and the line was an reminder of the Titans. The Federation's size also precludes quickly replacing old units and the eff tends to rotate old units down to lower priority bases with the important ones getting the newer stuff.