USEA Today

700+ fans served!

2011-05-07T16:24:00.001+02:00

Our latest translation pack has reached more than 700 downloads!

Here's to a 1000!

Long time no see!

2011-04-27T15:30:00.016+02:00

Hello dear readers of USEA Today!

It's been some time since the last post, but fret not, we're still here. The project isn't over yet, we've still got some work to do.

Team Nemo's last objective is to replace the Japanese text with our English translation. That is our Grade A, Mission Accomplished, target. Fortunately, we're now one step closer to achieving just that, as a skilled programmer has come forward and offered to help us!

We're still evaluating what can and what can't be done, but fingers crossed!

Also, I'd like to bring to your attention that we're now accepting donations. Donations will help pay for the cost of keeping our website up.

If you're a fan of AC3 and enjoy the content we've brought to you, please consider donating, any amount is welcome!

E-Mail Bag

2010-11-04T20:21:00.010+01:00

Hey guys!

Thanks to all of you who sent us emails, I try to answer every single one of them but don't always find the time to do it. For those that haven't received a reply from me, this post is for you.

Some of you asked for positions in the team so they could help with the project. We're still looking for a programmer, but thank you for volunteering!

To those who offered to help translating our script in other languages, more than expected I might add, feel free to do so. I haven't had the time I thought I'd have for the Italian and Portuguese translations, so others are welcome to go ahead and do it in my stead.

Got something to say? Give us a shout at team@projectnemo.net!

2010-09-25T15:28:00.000+02:00

Erratasphere

2010-09-11T17:03:00.002+02:00

Mission 29 - Betrayal

In-game BGM: Mind Flow

Correct BGM: The Execution

Direct Audio shows the track "The Execution" as M29's BGM and is grouped with other BGM featured in the game itself, and very clearly not with the unused tracks. However this track isn't heard anywhere in the original version of AC3.

The international version has this track in the renamed "Swarm" mission. Being the first version I played, my bias is towards this track being more fitting, with the DA's documentation only proving how it really is the right track.

A minor screw up, and one easily circumvented with a little emulator tweaking. Some slack has been rightfully cut today.

Before the Awakening there is Mission 00

2010-08-28T11:16:00.025+02:00

Not content with a packed OST release, several guide books, models and figures, Namco decided to go one step further into merchandise land.

The result was a tape named "Mission 00". The title may be misleading at first, as it's not about a mission that takes place before the game proper begins. It's also not an anime prologue, but considering the "quality" of many game-related OVAs, we're better off that way!

This is actually a walkthrough of the new USEA, presenting the technology, political climate and key characters that color USEA in the year 2040. This means it's a non-stop information barrage. It begins with a 5 minute-long, trailer-like recap of AC's history from AC1 up to 3. Then we proceed to the real meat of the video, which is all talking heads. Some of it is presented in a CNN-like way, other times we have a character narrating or describing what's on screen and other times it's pseudo-interviews. Much more interesting and dynamic than reading the countless Archive entries of the game, which gets boring after a while. There is a little overlap between the two, but each has info not included in the other so they complement each other quite nicely. It's a pretty good watch for those hungry for more AC3 stuff!

Mission 00 AKA Mission Zero was released a week after AC3, on June 5th 1999. It retailed for 3800 yen though it's dificult to find it for less than ~7000 yen these days. Considering the nature of this video and the niche that it covers, it may very well have had a limited print as it's always been hard to find. Still, it does pop up online from time to time.

As this is now an 11-year old tape, I'd like to address concerns of tape degradation. I am very pleased with my copy, with great picture and sound considering its age and format, very watchable. Any future collectors need not fret as Japanese collectors take extreme care of their possessions (my copy looks and plays like new!).

Mission Complete

2010-08-17T21:49:00.006+02:00

I'll just leave this here...

[NEMO]Ace Combat 3 Electrosphere 01-52 EN

[ITA][PT-BR]Side Project Announcement

2010-08-04T12:05:00.012+02:00

Salve a tutti gli italiani, annuncio oggi che ha inizio la traduzione di AC3 in italiano.

La traduzione sarà fatta da me partendo dal copione in inglese, non da quello in giapponese gia che non abbiamo traduttori che sappino sia l'italiano che il giapponese. Comunque, serve sapere che la nostra traduzione in inglese viene fatta tenendo sempre in mente che sarà poi usata come punto di partenza per tradurla in altre lingue, a fine di mantenere al meglio il contenuto originale.

È una iniziativa tutta mia che non interferirá sulle nostre altre traduzioni in corso. La traduzione in italiano sarà la prima che faró delle due, l'altra sará lo stesso lavoro ma in portoghese.

Manterró il nostro blog sempre aggiornato per mantenervi al corrente.[/ITA]

Olá pra todos os brasileiros/portugueses, estou anunciando o começo da tradução de AC3 em Português.

A tradução será feita a partir do nosso script em inglês e não daquele em japonês porque não temos um tradutor que saiba ambas a linguas. De qualquer modo, vale a pena dizer que a nossa tradução em inglês vem sendo feita desde o inicio sabendo que serveria para a tradução em outros idiomas, assim mantendo ao melhor o conteúdo original.

Esse meu trabalho de tradução não terá algum efeito nas nossas outras traduções. Como sou só eu nesse projeto, a tradução em português começará depois de acabar aquela em italiano ao fim de poder me dedicar completamente á qualidade da tradução. Isso quer dizer que depois de acabar as primeiras missões em italiano, farei então as mesmas em português.

Deixarei o blog sempre atualizado sobre o progresso da tradução do jogo.[/PT-BR]

EAPN Top News 7

2010-08-03T14:22:00.008+02:00

The blog has moved to "http://useatoday.blogspot.com/", be sure to update your bookmarks.
Translation work on the game is still going. Our translator informs that he's 90% done with the first draft. This does not necessarily mean a new release anytime soon though.
This last piece of news won't be of much interest to our American and English fanbase. I am now starting to translate AC3 into Italian and Portuguese. A more detailed post will follow written in those languages for our foreign readers.

Last but not least, I want to thank all fans for their continued support and kind comments!

Scrapped Weapons

2010-07-31T10:32:00.006+02:00

Here are two pictures, one from the international opening and one from the game itself.

Courtesy of resident AC3 scholar (;D) Fabian.

Yes, it's been a full year already!

2010-06-02T06:49:00.002+02:00

This blog is commemorating its first year since it all began!

Quite a lot has been accomplished until now, hasn't it?

Here's to another year, cheers!

Has it been a year already?

2010-05-31T09:22:00.002+02:00

AC3 has just turned 11 this last Thursday!

Happy Birthday and thanks to the developers for making this wonderful game!

STALL STALL STALL

2010-04-30T19:03:00.003+02:00

Team NEMO is taking some much needed time off, we'll be back soon!

...and the digging comes to an end.

2010-03-05T12:00:00.007+01:00

Mission ID 13

Name Above The Thumbnail: (Garbled Graphics)
Save Game Screen Name: ----
Before Starting Mission Name: GAME SHOW
Background Music: None
Selectable Aircraft: Su-43 Berkut

Screenshot 1 : Mission Thumbnail
(May vary, I could not find an explanation to this)
Screenshot 2 : When you start the mission, there's an
F-16XA flying in front of you, It is the only primary target in the mission...
Screenshot 3 : ...But if you destroy it the mission doesn't end.
Screenshot 4 : There's also two R-101 flying near the F-16.
Screenshot 5 : Do you see that white line in the map??
Screenshot 6 : They're the legendary floating gun turrets!
Screenshot 7 : Another view of the guns
Screenshot 8 : And Another view of the guns.
Screenshot 9 : Your allies trying to destroy an R-201 in the Southeast corner of the map.
Screenshot 10: At 4:00 this message appears, hurrying you to do something
Screenshot 11: Smoke on the Water!
Screenshot 12: And finally at 5:00, the mission ends (fails).
Screenshot 13: If you save the game from the options menu, and then, you return to the title screen and select "Download", you'll see this.

If you load from that file, you'll start directly
in the mission.

Strange Arrow in "A Canopy of Stars"

Different Font

(EDIT August 8th, 2010) Forgot to add credits to contributor Fabian, who as it turns out found even more hidden files in the game.

New thread on GameFAQS! and...

2010-02-27T20:10:00.009+01:00

I've noticed a trend lately...

A trend where some people keep asking question after question in the comments section of a completely unrelated post. If you didn't see your comment posted, this may be one of the reasons.

I love answering questions and talking to the readers/fans, but such things have their own appropriate place. It ain't happening here.

I've posted before where such discussions could take place, but didn't seem to catch on at the time, so I posted a new thread on GameFAQS. See you there!

Teaser for first Relay Essay release

2010-02-20T17:30:00.002+01:00

Page01

200+ Fans Served!

2010-02-15T19:38:00.001+01:00

EAPN Top News 7

2010-01-23T17:23:00.017+01:00

After doing the True Ending video, pmt7ar is currently translating two other things.
The Original Movie won't be finished anytime soon. Gonna take another month, at least.
I'll be out of town for about two weeks, new posts will resume in February.

Random Pictures out. Picasa Gallery in!

2010-01-23T16:12:00.009+01:00

Random pictures are getting their own, more appropriate, space now. Be sure to check it once in a while for new stuff!

P.S. Be sure to comment on the pictures there too!

Digging Further

2010-01-23T14:37:00.015+01:00

Ouroboros' Flyable Airplanes

Garbled stuff in the NW corner

Electrosphere - Part 2 (Unused Thumbnail)

Thanks to: Fabian for digging this stuff up and the screenshots.

A new Tunnel Vision record?

2010-01-19T16:45:00.008+01:00

Just sick, watch it on nicovideo.jp.

The Red Comet Strikes!

2010-01-18T08:11:00.002+01:00

The Truth about Nemo - AC3 True Ending

2010-01-14T13:38:00.003+01:00

Random Picture

2010-01-13T23:00:00.002+01:00

Relic of Development - Work In Progress XR-900

2010-01-11T00:14:00.030+01:00

Here is a visual comparison of the prototype, WIP model of the Geopelia (left) and the in-game, final model (right).

Differences

Bottom engines are blue.
It has a more conventional jet sound as opposed to the XR-900.
The flames that come out of the upper engines are freaking big.
Lack of any details in the bottom of the plane (just plain gray)
The rest of the grey-colored part of the plane also displays a distinct lack of detail.
The Prototype has flames, the final model has Aeon particles.
Top speed: 2856 km/h
Missile payload: 199

Thanks to: Fabian for the screenshots and text.

Realistic Sci Fi in AC3 - Aeon Particles

2010-01-11T00:14:00.009+01:00

Æons

In AC3, a source of clean energy.

In real-life, well... read on!

"Beyond quantum

ENERGY is the ability to do work and energy in the patterns of Electrons, Protons and Neutrons is Matter.
Space, Galaxies, Stars, Planets, You, The Universe and me are all made of the same expanding packets of energy ------ AEons. (AEtherons)
AEons are the atmosphere of the Universe.
AEons move continually at the speed of light.
AEons are both cause and effect.-(energy and matter)
AEons are closely spaced individual expanding packets of energy.
AEons occupy a finite space but have no special shape and are hyper elastic.
AEons are the spiraling electromagnetic fields that surround Photon Waves.
AEons are spiraling energy fields that are Photons, Electrons, Protons and Neutrons.
AEons are spiraling electromagnetic fields surrounding Protons, Neutrons and Electrons.
AEons move in random fashion in space when not influenced by Photon Waves (Light Rays).
AEons are expanding Mass/Energy/Space units that exert pressure on everything, and are everything.
AEon fields are the surface of matter that can be touched, not the Electrons, Protons and Neutrons in that matter.
AEons can only be organized into a stable sustainable pattern by a Photon Wave in it's various configurations (Photon Waves, Electrons, Protons, Neutrons) .
PHOTONS
Photon are spiraling waves of AEons in the Universal Field of AEons. William B.Luton called them "Forceons" because they alone can force organized patterns in the randomly moving AEon field.
Photon Waves spiral through the Universal Field of AEons at the speed of light (and are light).
Photon Waves cause a spiraling wake of AEons to be formed in the Universal Field of AEons much the same way that a propeller creates a spiraling wake of water as it passes through a body of water This spiraling wake of AEons is the electromagnetic component of light. Magnetism is a screw like pattern in the Ǽon field.
Photon Waves twisted spinning structures of AEons can be detected as both individual packets and as waves.
Photon Waves are energy consumers. AEons are the energy.
Closely spiraling Photon Waves (Photons) are more energetic than those more loosely spiraled. Gamma Rays are more energetic waves that are spiraled tighter than those of more loosely spiraled visible light rays.
Photons, Electrons, Protons, Neutrons, Neutrinos and all of the short-lived unstable particles are patterns of AEons
ELECTRONS
Electrons are the interface (gateway) between AEons and matter and are the smallest unit of matter.
Electrons are a stable pattern of spiraling Photon Waves flowing in a circular configuration.
A spiraling field of AEons is caused to surround and travel with the Electron's Photon Wave. That spiraling field of AEons is electromagnetism.
AEons in the vicinity of an Electron's spiraling ring of Photon Waves, impacts the Waves from all directions at the speed of light, imparts part of their energy to the waves and part of that absorbed expanding energy becomes matter.
THE TWO COMPONENTS OF GRAVITY
Electrons are Energy/Matter converters. The Universal, random moving Dynamic AEther field of AEons are biased toward and exert a directed pressure on electrons, protons, and neutrons in a body of mass and is one of two components of Gravity. Einstein would recognize this as warped time/space around a body of matter..
The second component of Gravity is again the Electron. The Photon Wave in the pattern of an Electron consumes expanding AEon energy and converts part of it into matter. Gravity is the result of a directional pressure of energy exerted toward all matter and the conversion of part of that expanding energy into matter by the Electron. This continual conversion of expanding energy into matter at the Electron level results in an accelerating outward expansion of all matter. Gravity is not a force but a twofold result.
Magnetic attraction and repulsion is the result of spiraling screw like patterns of AEon energy caused by spiraling photon waves. Electrons in a piece of magnetic material line up in the same direction and each electron's photon wave contributes its spiraling field of AEons to the overall magnetic field. Opposite magnetic poles attract because of a screwing together effect in the AEon field and like poles repel because the screw like patterns in the AEon field rotate in opposite directions having the effect of unscrewing.

William B.Luton called AEons "Pressureons" in his "The Pressureon Forceon Concept of Reality". He called them "Pressureons" because they exert pressure on everything. The idea of a Universal Dynamic Ether and the structure of Photon Waves and Electrons are logical conclusions based on William B. Lutons "The Pressure Forceon Concept of Reality".
The author, Marcus W. Hardin, coined the name AEons and The Universal Dynamic AEther. mhardin104@aol.com

AEons sustain all matter at the electron level. AEons are the energy that sustains Stars, Planets and everything in between.
Individual AEons in The Universal Field of AEons normally move randomly at the speed of light but the Universal Field of AEons in the vicinity of a mass are biased toward the electrons in that mass. (Warped Space).
Electrons in that mass are sustained by the energy/mass exchange of AEons.
AEons biased inward toward a body of mass become more concentrated than those flowing away from that body. This resulting in inwardly biased pressure on the particles of mass is a one component of gravity. Our Sun requires an enormous energy inflow of AEons to sustain it and it has an extremely inwardly biased AEon field. The inwardly biased field in the vicinity of The Planet Mercury is much denser than in the vicinity of the Earth. This simply means that more energy in the form of AEons flows toward a body of mass than away. The Electrons in the Sun convert the inflow of AEons into electron energy and mass. Some of the Electron's Photon rings are broken at the Sun's surface and radiate into the surrounding space as photon waves."

So, the staff seems to have gotten the energy part right, but as a common source of energy for the future? Hmmm...

The jury is still out on this one but kudos to the developing staff for staying grounded in reality when they could have simply made up a fabulous new energy source that just got discovered, YAY!! (like countless other works)

-Credit-

Æon for the (untouched and unedited) extract

Cast & Staff

2010-01-09T22:40:00.005+01:00

-Cast-

Rena Hirose - Yuri Shiratori

Erich Jaeger - Souichiro Hoshi

Fiona Chris Fitzgerald - Kumiko Watanabe

Cynthia Bridgitte Fitzgerald - Maria Kawamura

Gabriel William Clarkson - Ito Hiroshi

Gilbert Park - Mugihito

Simon Orestes Cohen - Ryusei Nakao

Keith Bryan - Daiki Nakamura

Martha Yoko Inoue - Sakiko Tamagawa

Abyssal Dision - Masashi Ebara

___

-Staff-

ORIGINAL GAME DEVELOPMENT

NAMCO

Project Leader - Hiroyuki Onoda

Project Director - Takuya Iwasaki, Atsushi Shiozawa

Programming - Toshiyuki Koike, Katsuhiro Ishii, Toshiaki Matsuno, Satoshi Gentem Suzuki, Kenji Nakano

Conceptual Design - Kei Yoshimizu

Art Director - Takumi Kudo

Level Art - Manabu Okano

Graphic Design - Minoru Sashida

Mission Layout - Naoto Maeda, Hideki Hattori

Conceptual Design & Cooperation With - frognation

Producer - Yasuhiro Noguchi

Assistant Producer - Noriko Wada

Assistant Producer - Paul Guirao

Music and Sound Director - Tetskazu Nakanishi

INDUSTRIAL DESIGN

Lead Designers - Atsushi Takeuchi (Production I.G.), Kei Yoshimizu

Aircraft Modeling - Isshin Yabuki

Aircraft Texturing - Masahiro Onda

GAME MAP DEVELOPMENT

Map Design - Manabu Okano, Masaki Imai

Map Modeling - Koichiro Maeda, Manabu Akita, Kou Akimoto, Masato Kanno, Akira Shinobu

Object Modeling - Takayoshi Nomura, Atsushi Hanaoka

Map Texturing - Tomomi Sano, Hitoshi Muto, Mai Takahara, Tadashi Sato, Makiko Gotou, Yoshihiko Sato, Kunihiko Yanagida, Naoko Asano, Miki Naruse, Taro Hasegawa, Junichi Iwanaga, Hiroki Nagaoka

Technical Support - Tsuyoshi Achira

INTERFACE DEVELOPMENT

Graphic Design - Minoru Sashida, Hiroki Suzuki

Motion Engineers - Hideki Nakamura, Keiichi Tatemoto

Programming Support - Tsuyoshi Takahashi, Yoshiaki Hirai

CG MOVIE DEVELOPMENT

Director - Kei Yoshimizu

3D CG - Akiko Nakazawa, Kazuki Aizawa, Tatsuya Matsue

Technical Support - Tsuyoshi Achira, Hiroshi Numakami

Intro Movie Development In Cooperation With - Production I.G, Stereotype Produkts

MUSIC AND SOUND EFFECTS

Music - Tetsukazu Nakanishi, Koji Nakagawa, Kanako Kakino, Hiroshi Okubo, Go Shiina, Tomoko Tatsuta, Asuka Sakai

Mixing Engineer - Hidetaka Hikosaka (Sound In)

Sound Effects - Tetsukazu Nakanishi, Koji Nakagawa, Eriko Imura, Kanako Kakino

Voice Recording - AUDIO TANAKA

Audio Director - Hideyuki Takanaka

Recording Engineer - Hiroyuki Shibue

Recording Studio - TAVAC

Casting - Nobue Yoshinaga (Arts Vision)

Voice Actress - Gerri Sorrells

Production I.G

Release in Japan: May 27, 1999

Director: Yasuhiro Chiba

Character Designer: Yasuhiro Chiba

Mechanical Design: Atsushi Takeuchi

Animation Directors: Yasuhiro Chiba, Atsushi Takeuchi, Kayoko Nabeta

3D Director: Tokumitsu Kifune

Animation Producer: Hidekazu Terakawa

Animation Production: Production I.G

Produced by: Namco

(this list is not final and will be revised once the AC3's own credits scroll is translated)

Follow USEA Today!!

2010-01-08T00:37:00.014+01:00

As some of you have noticed, USEA Today is being updated more than ever!

More articles, more quality, so keep up-to-date and follow us!

Realistic Sci Fi in AC3 - The Mega-Float

2010-01-04T00:14:00.028+01:00

This is the first in a series of posts that will show how realistic the tech in AC3 really is, what is based on or inspired from what and if it is (or will be) possible in the future.

To kick this off I chose the Mega-Float, which in the game is a floating city and a military base while the original, real-life counterpart is "just" a floating airport.

The Mega-Float was a research testbed built in two years (1998-1999) with the purpose of evaluating whether the concept of a floating airport was feasible or not. Its research also included the enviromental impact of the Mega-Float on its surrounding eco-systems.

Results seem to have been very positive: "In March of 2001, the “Mega-float Airport Investigation Committee” put together a detailed evaluation of the verification tests on the 1000m Mega-Float airport and the 4000m-class test design, and announced in their final report that a Mega-Float airport with a scale of up to 4000m as being more than feasible."

You can read this and more in the following links:

- http://www.mlit.go.jp/english/maritime/mega_float.html

- http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Very_large_floating_structure

- http://kcubbin.tripod.com/id24.html

Random Pictures - New Year's Special Edition II

2010-01-03T23:51:00.004+01:00

Random Pictures - New Year's Special Edition I

2010-01-03T23:09:00.013+01:00

can't believe it's been FIVE MONTHS since the last Random Pictures post, THE HORROR!!!

EAPN Top News 7 - New Year's Special Edition II

2010-01-03T17:03:00.005+01:00

As of this writing, the Original Movie is being transcripted.
Regarding the French translation, I'd like to specify that it is not a Team NEMO endeavor but a collaboration. We'll be providing our English script for this authorized translation of our work.
Progress is being made on the hacking side of Project NEMO. Things are looking good, initially at least.

EAPN Top News 7 - New Year's Special Edition I

2010-01-03T00:36:00.014+01:00

Our B-Translator is currently evaluating the Original Movie, our next candidate for translation.
AC3 is now also being translated into French. Note that it is En -> Fr.
While we are still in need of a programmer, IcemanUK is trying to get the translation in the game.

Enter pmt7ar

2010-01-02T22:26:00.015+01:00

Team NEMO is proud to introduce its new Backup Translator!

He will be translating printed material (i.e. pages from the guide books) and possibly a video or two.

Welcome, pmt7ar! oh, what could this be? clicky click

À tous les francophones

2010-01-02T21:28:00.008+01:00

Je viens de recevoir une proposition de quelqu'un qui aimerait traduire AC3 en français!

Il utilisera notre propre traduction en Anglais comme point de départ. Il reconnaît que la traduction d'une traduction n'est pas l'ideal, mais il assure qu'il va lui donner son meilleur afin que les fans francophones peuvent plonger dans le monde de AC3.

Un salut sincère à tous les fans de AC3!

Website Re-organization

2009-12-06T23:13:00.006+01:00

Hi folks - just a quick message to say that the blog now comes under the projectnemo.net parent site. The site design is "simply functional" so please do not expect anything like the DataSwallow ver4.0 GUI just yet :-)

UPEO: Complete!; GR: 19->28

2009-11-19T05:16:00.009+01:00

Greetings fellow readers, DSXIII back online!

Get the latest translation pack, fresh from BRPXQZME's desk, here!

Namco Official Guide Book

2009-10-29T10:18:00.006+01:00

Been a while since the last update ;^_^ Anyhow, here are some photos I took of the Official Guide Book. I got this from eBay and I've been wanting to own it for aaaaaaggess!

Some photos are attached - which got me thinking: there's *plenty* of Japanese in the guide and scope for us to translate this too once the game translation is 100% complete - what do you think?

Namco has not forgotten AC3

2009-09-22T21:59:00.005+02:00

Namco have not forgotten about Ace Combat 3 - they know there are a contingent of fans out there who love the game and would just love to see a remake (oh, and in English!).

Did you know that a fairly recent game, the Xbox 360 title "Ridge Racer 6", contained a lot of references to the game? Does anyone else know of any other Namco games which reference AC3?

I recently acquired the official Namco Japanese AC3 guide book from eBay, it's something I have wanted to get hold of for a looong time. I will post highlights from the guide in my next post.

Excerpt from our interview with special guest Rena Hirose

2009-09-12T14:01:00.010+02:00

;_:

EAPN Top News 7

2009-09-12T10:46:00.015+02:00

New content has been uploaded.
I'm handing all writing duties to IcemanUK, effective now. He's a better writer than I could ever be, so don't worry, the blog's in good hands!
I'll come back when the next translation is ready for release.

See you then!

AC3 Fan-Made Ending

2009-09-12T09:19:00.003+02:00

Direct Audio with AppenDisc

2009-09-12T08:57:00.005+02:00

If shortly means three full months, then the full article presenting the Direct Audio is finally here!

For the uninitiated, this is the original soundtrack plus some extra features. There are two discs containing all tracks featured in the game, in promotional stuff, two that were later featured in the international version of the game and other tracks that were never used anywhere. The "AppenDisc" of this release is the second disc, which includes the following extra features: an easy way of viewing the game's cutscenes (displayed without any subtitles), the ultimate save data that unlocks everything plus the X-49 Night Raven and the Original Movie, which introduces the X-49.

Also included are two small booklets. Their contents include charts showing all missions and their places in the game's various branches, what tracks and what cutscenes play in what missions. Official art fills both booklets, making this yet another excellent looking release on par with the guide books. Also of note are the comments from those involved in the making of the soundtrack, which were the first things to be translated here.

A fact that might surprise most fans is that it is still available new, making it a much easier purchase than its literary and visual companions. I bought it for about 30 bucks, which is relatively affordable considering Japanese media can be excessively overpriced at times.

Track listings
-Disc 1-
01.Engage
02.Linkage
03.Armory
04.Transparent Blue
05.Eye of The Storm
06.Physical Layer
07.The Protocol
08.Montage
09.Quartz
10.The Maneuver
11.Mind Flow
12.Frozen Soul
13.Miles Above
14.Void
15.Black Lotus
16.Freefall
17.Alert
18.Superstition
19.Shattered Stones
20.Analogue
21.Turbulence
22.Defiled
23.Code of Honor
24.Floe
25.Lithium
26.Shorelines
27.Replay
28.The Crew

-Disc 2-
01.Electrosphere
02.Somnus
03.The Execution
04.Rotation
05.Liquid Air
06.Child's Play
07.Camber
08.Kernel
09.Reve lation
10.Amorphous
11.Virgo
12.Gordian Knot
13.Zero-Sum
14.Morc eaux

My personal favorites: Engage, Quartz, Mind Flow, Superstition, Analogue, The Crew, Electrosphere, The Execution, Gordian Knot.

-Pics-

Get scans here!

Books of AC3 - Scans

2009-09-05T03:18:00.010+02:00

NAMCO Official Guide Book, front and rear.

Mission & World View, front and rear.

Get them, in all their ludicrously high resolution glory, here!

Books of AC3 - Mission & World View - More Pics

2009-09-02T03:25:00.011+02:00

Dision, looking sharp!

Mission 00 and Direct Audio promotion.Introductory pages.

Staff of AC3

Bonus: a comparison.

Books of AC3 - Mission & World View

2009-09-02T02:00:00.002+02:00

-Cover with dust-sleeve and obi-

Here we are, second AC3 book, first one not made by NAMCO. Can it measure up to the S-Rank achieved by the Official Guide Book? Well, yes in some respects and no in others. Let's get down to business...

It has 191 pages in A5 format, almost all of them in color but no glossy finish. The last pages, that contain AC1, 2, and 3 secrets and some other stuff, are in black and white.

The guys at CB's Project clearly went for the style of the original book (wise choice) but it falls short of that. It's not as good-looking as the NAMCO one, with a look that is simpler and less refined. It feels more like a budget version than a high-end one, even though both books originally retailed for the same 1200 yen. The backstory and character sections fare the best while the mission guidelines and the airplane presentations fare the worst. They didn't even use renders for the airplanes, only screenshots (and some bad ones at that). While one may not miss the glossy finish, it's clear it doesn't have the production values that NAMCO put into their own book. It fares bad in comparison but I'd still be satisfied if this were the only one available, just not impressed.

Now about the content. There's a lot overlap of information between this and the first book, which is to be expected. It looks to have almost everything that the first book had so nothing wrong at all here. The good news is that it does have some additional concept art for characters. The BEST news is that there's another interview (which we'll be translating soon) at the end of the book, with a couple of revealing pictures showing staff members and a lot of AC3 merchandise and some unique stuff there: Mission 00 and Direct Audio are par for the course but then you see what may be the actual animation cels, the original concept art drawings, other promotional art and at least one great-looking poster, oh my!

The interview contained in this book will be the first one translated, hopefully in the next few months. Look forward to it!

All in all, I consider this an expansion to the NAMCO book, not essential but welcome nonetheless if one's willing to shell out the same amount for some extra things (kinda like a typical DVD douple-dip, same main contents and a couple of new featurettes).

-Pics-

Books of AC3 - NAMCO Official Guide Book - More Pics

2009-09-02T01:41:00.004+02:00

Concept art | Render

The men of AC3.

Organizations Overview | Character Relation Chart

Map of USEA

Backstory and introduction to the political climate in AC3.

Books of AC3 - NAMCO Official Guide Book

2009-09-02T00:49:00.040+02:00

-------Cover with dust-sleeve on-------

This is, quite predictably, the best book. Why? Read on.

First the boring stuff. specs: it's in the B5 format which was kind of an upgrade from the slightly smaller A5 format that was popular at the time. AC2's and RAGE RACER's guide-books were in A5, had 144 and 128 pages respectively and retailed for 950 yen. AC3 and RIDGE RACER TYPE 4, on the other hand, sported 176 and 128 pages in B5 and retailed for 1200 and 1000 yen respectively.

Moving on to the actual contents, this is the be-all end-all of AC3 books! It's got so much information one could spend a good couple of days of non-stop reading and looking at the awesome imagery on display (yes, we'll make that first part possible someday). It contains everything I mentioned in the introduction, all of it presented with such a high-quality that you'll think this is a magazine from the future! Glossy finish, all pages in color, excellent content and art, you name it, it has it (no videos printed on it though, sorry!).

It even has all 52(!) mission synopses in English, though it's not up to the perfect standard set by Frognation in the Photosphere. The translations range from "average" to "pretty good", with most resting squarely in the middle which is just fine for what they are as this isn't Shakespeare. Still, they helped clear up some things, mostly in the mid-to-final missions as well as the, huh, decisive missions (my new way to call them). This feature caught me completely by surprise (did anyone else ever attempt such a thing again?), showing just how avant-garde they wanted AC3 to be, as if everything else wasn't enough!

This baby right here earns a S-Rank for both quantity and quality of its contents, the presentation of which doesn't leave to be desired either. All-around perfect!

-Pics-

Books of AC3 - Introduction & General Info

2009-09-01T23:36:00.034+02:00

Hey guys, DragonSpikeXIII here for your AC3 needs! Today I'll be presenting books made for this game.

First of all, these aren't your run-of-the-mill guide-books that we usually get here in the West. The Japanese usually put in everything they can in them, plus the proverbial kitchen-sink. In this case, these are the contents: backstory and plot, character art and bios, concept art, airplane stats and descriptions, developer interviews, secrets and, you guessed it, mission guidelines. Basically everything you need to know is there and then some!

There were three books printed by different companies:

The first was NAMCO's own Official Guide Book, released on the same day as the game (May 27th 1999) for 1200 yen (about 13 bucks).
The second was the Mission & World View, made by CB's Project and published by Media Factory (who also published the Direct Audio and Mission 00). It was released in September 1999 for the same price as the NAMCO one.
The "third", which actually was released a month before the M&WV book, is made by SONY for their "Magazines Deluxe" line. This is a book I don't have and I won't be covering for a variety of reasons: 1) From what I've seen it's one to give a miss to as it doesn't seem to have anything the other two books don't have; 2) I have the previous two already; 3) "Magazines Deluxe" sounds cheesy; 4) There are many companies that excel at making guidebooks, SONY isn't one of them.

All three have been out-of-print for a long time, but they do show up on websites that sell used goods from time to time, so don't lose hope if you're interested!

To those interested in purchasing one or more of these books, keep their MSRPs in mind! I paid 30 bucks for the NAMCO book with its obi, which isn't that great of a deal compared to the 15 bucks I paid for the Mission & World View (both near-mint). After doing some research I found that these items (and other AC3 stuff), while rare in the West, still aren't worth much more than their original prices! Anything close to double, even in near-mint condition is too much.

Each book will get its own post as they can get pretty big, with all the info, pictures and what not.

EAPN Top News 7

2009-09-01T22:52:00.003+02:00

"Original Movie" to be finished sometime next month.
Next non-game item to be worked on will be some of the Mission & World View book.
I'll still be dropping by for a few posts before my leave.

A Hello from the Co-founder

2009-08-26T23:32:00.007+02:00

Hi All, IcemanUK here (thats my GameFaqs.com forum handle), co-founder of this project and a member of the Front Mission 5 Translation Team. I'm really excited about this translation project. We're planning on having a translation for the Append Disc soon which should further illuminate this fascinating sci-fi world of Ace Combat 3. Another plan is to produce a full website for the project with a more structured layout. Part of that idea is to produce a website using flash that simulates the Data Swallow 4.0 GUI. Are you a flash wizard looking for somewhere to make a splash and show off your talents? Then this project may be it. Please contact me at electr0sphere@yahoo.co.uk about it.

In the near future, I will be carrying the torch for the project for a while and I hope to make regular and interesting updates to the blog.

In the meantime, please tell anyone interested about the project - blog about it and mention it on forums and in forum signitures.

Thank you, signing off,
IcemanUK

EAPN Top News 7

2009-08-21T16:57:00.007+02:00

Translation for the "Original Movie" has just been commissioned.
Work on the game itself may resume next month.
Co-founder IcemanUK will be taking my place in the next few months.

UPEO: 01-07v2 + 08-13

2009-08-07T23:00:00.007+02:00

Grab the latest release here!!

Models - X-49 Night Raven

2009-08-07T09:41:00.002+02:00

Random Pictures

2009-08-06T03:40:00.005+02:00

Models - XFA-36A Game

2009-08-06T01:58:00.003+02:00

Discussion Threads

2009-08-05T23:46:00.001+02:00

BGM & Image Preview

2009-08-05T05:35:00.001+02:00

Rena figure, UPEO pin

2009-08-04T20:00:00.003+02:00

Models - Su-37R Super Flanker

2009-08-04T19:48:00.002+02:00

AC3 Pack for FSX

2009-08-03T22:56:00.032+02:00

An ongoing fan project for FSX by Xpand which should be out before December.

UPEO - MiG-33 Fulcrum SS, F-16XF Gyrfalcon, Su-37 Super Flanker, Su-43 Berkut

General Resource - F-15S/MT Eagle+, F-22C Raptor II, XFA-36A Game

Neucom - R-101 Delphinus #1, R-102 Delphinus #2, R-103 Delphinus #3, R-311 Remora, XR-900 Geopelia

Ouroboros - UI-4054 Aurora, X-49 Night Raven

Pilot and organization-specific skins will also be included. Transport airplanes, a fictional Delphinus and more are also planned.

You can follow the project's progress in this thread (you need to be a registered member first).

Related Websites

2009-08-03T22:33:00.004+02:00

Models - R-Series Delphinus Part III

2009-08-02T21:29:00.011+02:00

Bonus video: http://www.nicovideo.jp/watch/nm6183981

Models - R-Series Delphinus Part II

2009-08-02T20:46:00.010+02:00

Models - R-Series Delphinus Part I

2009-08-01T16:33:00.011+02:00

RaidersSphere - RENA

2009-08-01T15:34:00.008+02:00

Stuff made by fans that I found while perusing Nico Nico Douga:

Websites:

Screenshots:

EAPN Top News 7

2009-07-31T15:17:00.016+02:00

Next release (8-13) to include new and improved translations of 1-7. Ready and coming soon.
Translation progress currently on halt, resuming soon.
After a longer-than-expected hiatus, "USEA Today" will be updated more regularly once again.

Random Pictures

2009-07-31T15:08:00.004+02:00

Related Websites

2009-06-14T09:18:00.005+02:00

Japanese websites:

The official website is slowly losing pages and images.

EAPN Top News 7

2009-06-13T05:21:00.004+02:00

Full-fledged website coming soon (http://projectnemo.net/).
Next release to be 08 -> 13, no E.T.A..
Updates will be less frequent.

Random Pictures

2009-06-13T04:06:00.003+02:00

Public Announcement

2009-06-11T11:35:00.009+02:00

We're currently looking for someone with the programming skills to patch the game with English subtitles.

If you can fill this position, contact me at dragonspike@projectnemo.net.

UPEO: 01 -> 07

2009-06-11T08:51:00.045+02:00

Rejoice fans, the first seven missions have arrived!

A big round of applause to translator, BRPXQZME, for the high-quality translation!

Keith & Yoko give this a THUMBS UP!

"We worked on AC3 and we approve of this project. Keep it up!"

Cynthia is somewhat less enthused though...
"What TOOK you so long?! Been waiting 10 years for this!!"

Better late than never, I guess. Get 01 -> 07 here!

Random Pictures

2009-06-11T00:08:00.004+02:00

Promotional Materials

2009-06-10T07:18:00.012+02:00

Two ads that may be a flyer or a mag two-page spread.

Developers at the Tokyo Game Show '99.

Teaser that came with RIDGE RACER TYPE 4.

TV-CM

Cast

2009-06-10T00:40:00.027+02:00

Rena Hirose - Yuri Shiratori

Erich Jaeger - Souichiro Hoshi

Fiona Chris Fitzgerald - Kumiko Watanabe

Cynthia Bridgitte Fitzgerald - Maria Kawamura

Gabriel William Clarkson - Ito Hideaki

Gilbert Park - Mugihito

Simon Orestes Cohen - Ryusei Nakao

Keith Bryan - Daiki Nakamura

Martha Yoko Inoue - Sakiko Tamagawa

Abyssal Dision - Masashi Ebara

International Opening (alternate version)

2009-06-10T00:05:00.006+02:00

Here is a rare, alternate version of the international opening I found a few days ago. Enjoy!

Unlocking the X-49 Night Raven

2009-06-09T00:31:00.067+02:00

Wondering how to fly the X-49? You're not alone, practically everyone here in the West is. So much that people spread around a rumor saying that it was impossible to use.

They were wrong, it IS unlockable, only the requirements are well... kinda unique.

See, the developers thought that the X-49 was so special, that to actually fly it the player would need to invest more than time and patience. They wanted you to, in a way, BUY it! (think archaic DLC)

Requirements:

purchase Direct Audio
insert AppenDisc into PlayStation or disk drive.
save SPECIAL DATA SAVE.

Et voilà! It's the ultimate save data. It unlocks all extra skins, all airplanes, the Mission Simulator and the X-49 Night Raven.

The Direct Audio is definitely worth the investment. It's not just .wav files copied to new CDs but an all-around kick-ass package. A full article detailing the Direct Audio will follow shortly.

It's also the last AC３ item that is still available at your major Japanese online retailer of choice. Brand new and at 2,800 yen, it is relatively cheap for a Japanese import. I wholeheartedly recommend it!

Rena approves, and so should you!

"I get to fly the X-49? HELL YEAH!"

Videos

EAPN Top News 7

2009-06-08T01:42:00.012+02:00

Mr. Jerng's translation is bad. We'll be replacing his work.
Next release to take longer, Mission 01 up to Mission 07.
Posts about AC３ stuff begin tomorrow.

Voices of NAMCO Sound Team

2009-06-07T04:33:00.021+02:00

Voice of AC３ Sound Director

To make “sound” that is not a song:
That is the theme this time around.
The chaotic world of sound
should become a stimulant to everyday life.
-------
It’s Naka-nii. In this Ace, the theme was turning the location’s atmosphere and tense feeling into “sounds” more than into “songs”. That it has no melody and doesn’t develop much is a result of that. To be honest, I also saw a slap-bass-in-a-synth-lead-portamento world (heh) in a dream. That I got that direction, I understand, but even so, that ended up not being AC３. The scenario, the images, the songs, the sound effects... when they all became one, they were AC３. What? Oh, this CD? ...for this CD, rather than listen, just cruise through it without thinking anything. The chaotic world that spreads out there should become a little stimulating for everyday life. Well, next, aim for a bright future....

Sound Director Tetsukazu Nakanishi
______________________________________________________________

Voices of AC３ sound staff

These days, my mood is often intoxicated in “sound”. The sound of a subway departure; the sound of a dump truck’s air brake; the crunchy sounds of a hard drive. They aren’t limited to sources, either. The feeling of an acoustic field’s reverb; the feeling of the compression of an analog compressor; hi-fi in the midst of lo-fi. After you’ve gotten used to them, is that feeling of alienation good? Like, even though there was no feeling before. Ah, yes, is that the feeling of alienation? If you could say so, then AC３ is....

Sound staffer Kōji Nakagawa
-------
The Ace series so far has gotten quite some varied background music. Background music as part of that space. We sure can do environmental-sound music, can’t we? On my own, I put ethnic instrument types into the mechanical sound called techno, trying to represent something like nature and the lives of people in the near future. Then somehow, it became the song for low-altitude missions. Meep? So how is this kind of ambient Ace Combat?

Sound staffer Kanako Kakino
-------
I am happy that continuing from the last game AC2, I was able to participate this time, too. Although it’s a surprise in that it feels completely different from the series so far, the Ace series is awesome, of course. And, this time, I did two songs for the background music, and also added sounds to the movies, so please try to listen and be surpised in the game.

Sound staffer Hiroshi Ōkubo
-------
During production, I tried to inflate my imagination, and went to the Itō Spa! Was the starfish there an illusion? Well sooomehow, if I went back with a mollusk, it’d bitten my pointer finger! Thanks to that, I made phrases that don’t use the index finger! Mr. Starfish, you were a real stimulus!

Sound staffer Gō Shiina
-------
This time around, only participating for one song, I was in charge of the final song in Electrosphere. With the keywords “insanity”, “computers”, and “orchestra” at the base, I produced it by tying orchestral tones and synth sounds together. In order to keep up the feeling of tension, we put live performance at the core, so it took an awful amount of time beforehand getting the synth together in preparation. To make the tones, I was able to expand the image from the refined nuance of the word “computer”.

Sound staffer Tomoko Tatsuta

10th Anniversary!

2009-06-05T18:21:00.018+02:00

AC３ has just turned 10!

In 1999, ACE COMBAT３ electrosphere (エースコンバット３エレクトロスフィア) was released in Japan on May 27th. Both critics and gamers praised the game, which was a pretty big departure from past titles.

And what better way to celebrate the 10th anniversary of this great game, than to give fans what they've been longing for since its release?

Yeah, that's right!

TEAM NEMO is pleased to announce that the AC３ Translation Project has officially begun! All kinds of goodies will soon be posted on this very blog in the future.

First in the pipeline are the comments from the great Tetsukazu Nakanishi (Sound Director) and members of the Namco Sound Team that were included in the Direct Audio booklet. And soon after that, the first completely translated mission will be released, 07 - No Clearance.

See you then!

Connecting...

2009-06-02T22:24:00.017+02:00

Welcome!

This blog is dedicated to ACE COMBAT３ electrosphere and anything related to it: the game itself, its setting, story, characters, airplanes, merchandise, media, trivia, related websites, etc... Some videos, both official and user-made, are already available on my YouTube channel.

Another thing I'll be chronicling here is the translation project that I'm trying to get started. This was, at first, supposed to be a typical fan translation but lack of support from the community forced me to look for the only other alternative: a professional, paid translation. After much research and many solicitations I came to the conclusion that it'd be way too costly, even with several generous contributors. So now I'm back to "Phase 1", hoping to find people interested in translating this hidden gem.

The project's objective is to have all media related to AC３ in English. This includes: the game's entire script, videos, guide books and booklets, the official site's commentaries and interviews with the game developers, etc...

I have the game's complete script with every possible dialogue variation included in text files ready to be translated. So all that's needed is at least one Japanese-to-English translator.

If you know of any translators that might be interested in participating in this project, you can contact me at nightravenx49@hotmail.com.

As you can imagine, this is quite a big project and its future is, as of now, uncertain. But it has to start somewhere, so it might as well here!

Other than that, I'll be posting about AC３ stuff soon, so stay tuned AC３ fans!