Metal Gear/ Metal Gear Solid

Question: How would you design a classification scheme for the various Metal Gears, from Granin's original "missing link between infantry and (conventional) artillery" to the Arsenal Gear model? I personally break it down by "purpose" (tactical/conventional warfare vs. strategic/nuclear warfare) and "means of locomotion" (land walker vs. mobile fortress).

I think that you would have to first list all the various mechs that should be classified as Metal Gears before you can break it down.

Option A: All the canonical ones (except Otacon's minimech). Option B: All Metal Gears (again, except Otacon's minimech).

Otacon's minimech is excluded because it's explicitly not a real Metal Gear by any definition; it only vaguely resembles one in appearance and was named "Metal Gear" by Otacon so that he "would never forget that [he] was the one who built [Metal Gear REX]."

I'm half-tempted to create a new user name called Paleuntakinte, just for the heck of it...

Hey, how come The Boss AI doesn't have an entry on Characters.Metal Gear Solid Peace Walker?

Mammal pod? Is this a joke?

The name, or my question?

No, the freaking name! Why is an AI based on the war hero to end all war heroes essentially called a boob womb?

The idea is based around brain development. The Reptile Pod is based on the Reptile brian, the Cerebellum, the first segment of the brain evolved, the part of the brain related to all base instincts and moror control. The Mammal Pod is based on the more evolved part of the brain, the Cerebrum, the part of the brain most evolved in Mammals, related most to complex decision making, like firing the nuke that would end the world.

At least, that's how it was described. Kojima knows jack all about biology.

edited 26th Dec '12 10:08:21 AM by unnoun

Actually, the reptile/mammal brain thing is an actual model for the vertebrate forebrain's evolution. Where did you get the idea that "Kojima knows jack all about biology"?

edited 26th Dec '12 10:20:36 AM by MarqFJA

Even a stopped clock is right twice a day.

And I got the idea from the first Metal Gear Solid, and recessive genes.

edited 26th Dec '12 10:23:08 AM by unnoun

Well, I think it's less that he's ignorant and more that his knowledge is antiquated; I remember reading the same stuff in my science books as a kid, except it was "reptile brain", "mammal brain", and "superior functions"; the first would take care of the base instincts (hypothalamus, was it?), the second of warm social feelings (cortex?), and the third all the abstract decision-making and consciousness and all that jazz (prefrontal cortex). Or something. My point is, "common myths" aren't fiction, they're just outdated science or badly-popularized science, and we should despise people for not keeping up to date on every piece of trivia they catch.

Still, when you're making a multi-million game, I suppose it doesn't hurt to just book an appointment with a neurologist and ask.

Who said that Kojima was even trying to be accurate in this instance? He could've known but decided to go with Rule of Cool, or picked the names as just two more additions to the many Shout Outs that the game/franchise has done to real-life (pseudo)science and such things regardless of their actual credibility... or was trying to paint whichever character that picked those names as having dubious naming sense/scientific knowledge.

edited 26th Dec '12 10:27:03 AM by MarqFJA

That wouldn't be new in the MGS universe. *cough*genes*cough*. In fact, even though they don't sing, MGS is much more of a Genetic Opera than Repo ever was.

Even so, I don't think Liquid Snake deserves some of the treatment he gets due to his argumentative rant he gave to Snake in MGS about the various theories. I mean, when I saw that scene for the first time, I thought Liquid was very well versed in that area and some things made sense to me for a bit at that time. Now comes the explanation that "Liquid's rant about biology is a bunch of bullshit" and as you look back at it again, it does blunt the impact considerably because then... What are we supposed to think about Liquid? He was a Badass, guy didn't die when he oughta and I thought he had a pretty good plan going in the Shadow Moses Incident.

If there's one mayor flaw about Kojima that I can find, it's precisely that: Biology. And don't tell me it isn't his mayor or anything about his college career because he had a lot of people to look up about weapons, military tactics, technology, the internet and shit, but he couldn't be bothered to find someone that could help him in that area to explain things better?? Poor, poor Liquid.

God damn it, Kojima.

Right. So back to my previous questions: The one about the classification scheme, and the one about The Boss AI not having a character sheet entry despite being very much a character, unlike the other AIs of the Peace Walker Project.

I thought that it was intentional that Liquid didn't know lots about biology?

Well, I just got the HD collection for Christmas yesterday, so I started with Sons of Liberty. My introduction to the franchise.

Alert themes are cool.

I have actually never played a MGS game.

If you can find one for cheap, pick it up.

I started with 2, and I got it for $10 :D

*5

Regarding classification, I would say go with the conventional vs nuclear model. As for The Boss AI, I think it would be best to just add a subsection to The Boss' entry.

RE Boss AI: Kinda makes sense, but what tropes would apply besides Brain Uploading? Wait, do we have a Sister Trope for when you model an AI after an already dead person's mental patterns without actual Brain Uploading?

Also, I notice a distinct deficiency in tropes pertaining to the AI Weapons' capabilities on the Peace Walker main article. Maybe we should dedicate separate sections in each installment's main article for its signature Metal Gear (or equivalent, like MGS3's Shagohod), to make it easier to see what tropes have been listed for them and what tropes haven't yet?

I really need to find my blue memory card. I have a Metal Gear Solid 3 Tuxedo run to do.

Basically, you go through the whole game wearing the Tuxedo.

edited 28th Dec '12 1:50:17 AM by MrMallard

Not Solid Snake but James Bond... there should be a PC port so we can get mods...

Pretty sure there is.