2. Can I use your images/information for my own site?
3. Will you link to my site?
4. Did you know that this-or-that is incorrect?
5. Is there a problem with your site? Why is your site unavailable?
6. What's with you calling the "vulcan guns" gatling cannons now?
7. Why change the name "beam rifles" to beam cannons?
8. Why do you insist on changing everything in the first place?
- Yes, a link to The World-Wide Gundam Informational Network is always appreciated. Check the Links section for banners you can use to link to my site with. I would prefer if you linked to my main page and not a specific series or unit page.
2. Can I use your images/information for my own site?
- Depends on what it is. Most of the graphics and text here at The World-Wide Gundam Informational Network are taken from artbooks and official/semi-official sources. However, some images and articles were either created by myself or others. For these materials, please ask the creator for permission before using them on your own website. All fan-made items will be labelled as such. Essentially, if I or a fan didn't make it, it's free to use. If you plan on using my information, I would appreciate it if you would not copy my exact format word for word. Do try to be original.
3. Will you link to my site?
- Send me the link and I'll check it out. My linking policy is only to link sites that I myself frequently visit because they provide the best of what is available or I owe to them a link for one reason or another. This limits my Links section to only a few websites, but I can assure you that these few are the finest websites that I know of and are well worth your time to visit for information or general content. This is not to say that you have no chance to make it onto my webpage, but your site will have to be an excellent source for all interested in its subject matter. In the future I plan on opening a "general links" page where all who send me a link will get included, but as of yet, it's not up and running.
4. Did you know that this-or-that is incorrect?
- I have my own way of doing things. Some spellings might be different from what you've seen on other sites, some information may vary, and some formats may not always correspond to other formats. I try to keep everything consistent, but it's hard to check over everything when over a thousand individual units are listed on this site. Should you notice an error, e-mail me and I'll see if it is intentional or actually needs to be fixed.
5. Is there a problem with your site? Why is your site is down or unavailable?
- Geocities now enforces a bandwidth limit on all its hosted websites. Because of this, once I hit the bandwidth limit, Geocities shuts me down for an hour. How do I correct this? I can either buy some premium package that will increase my allowed bandwidth, but I feel it's time for me to move off Geocities. I plan on registering a domain name and buying some unlimited bandwidth server space, but as you can guess, this will be expensive. I certainly won't charge anyone to access my site, but paying server costs can shut a lot of good sites down. Example; The Mecha Domain.
(The next three questions currently apply only to the Gundam SEED section)
6. What's with you calling the "vulcan guns" gatling cannons now?
- Two reasons. First, there is only ONE vulcan, and that's the M61A1 Vulcan 20 millimeter cannon produced by General Electric and used in various USAF aircraft from the F-104 to the F-16. No other gatling-type weapon exists that is officially called a 'vulcan'. Calling all the gatlings in Gundam 'vulcans' would be like calling all the missiles in Gundam 'stingers'. Thus, gatlings in Gundam are now called gatlings. Secondly, any weapon that fires a round under 20 millimeter is a gun. Any weapon that fires a round 20 millimeters or more is a cannon. So, vulcan gun has become gatling cannon, which is rightfully should be.
7. Why change the name "beam rifles" to beam cannons?
- This is an easy one. Here is the main reason: beam "rifles" don't have rifling. Let me explain. Before rifles, all firearms were smooth bore barrels firing a round lead ball. Did you ever wonder why during the Revolutionary War, the British troops would march up the battlefield within 50 feet of the enemy troops and fire? Did it seem stupid? It was actually necessary. The weapons had no accuracy. Firing a heavy lead ball out a smooth tube with gunpowder wasn't going to get you any kills unless you could see the "whites of their eyes." Then someone found by spinning the ball, it would travel straighter and faster. Simple grooves were etched into barrels, and this became known as "rifling." And the weapons were called "rifles." Now you could fire at a target hundreds of yards away, and during the Civil War even sniping became common practice by both sides. Now, it doesn't make much sense to rifle a beam cannon. Why? Energy particles don't need to spin in order to have accuracy. They have near-zero mass. Plus, mega particles would probably rip the rifling right out of the barrel of a beam cannon. So therefore, beam rifle has become beam cannon. Furthermore, all rifles are fired from the shoulder. Most beam rifles don't even have a shoulder stock. Read question 6 as to why it's a beam cannon and not a beam gun.
8. Why do you insist on changing everything in the first place?
- The Gundam universe is filled with errors it shouldn't be. People like Mark Simmons and Burke Rukes put a lot of information on the web for fans to read through, and for a long time it was unchallenged by fans and therefore accepted as canon. I'm not putting either of those men down; what they did was fantastic and even I learned from it, but I can see mistakes in their work simply because they lack any real military training. Training that I have and 99% of other Gundam fans do not. Ask your typical Gundam fan the difference between a gun and a cannon. Chances are he'll think of a big howitzer when he hears the word "cannon." Reading this FAQ will give you the knowledge to know the difference. And that's what I'm trying to do. I want to make Gundam even more concise and plausible and even accurate to today's military standards. I'll even go into how a gas-operated, magazine-fed assault rifle operates if you'll be willing to listen. Some of it is rather dry material, and does anyone care what the model number of a Federation backpack radio is? I'm there to tell you anyway. Yeah, I'll admit I made it up, but tell me if you really think the creators of Gundam detailed everything we know today, you'd be wrong. Fans are responsible for 80% of Gundam technology explanations. If you ever get a chance, ask Yoshiyuki Tomino how a beam saber works. He doesn't have the slightest clue. He won't even remember all the characters from The 08th MS Team. What he can tell you that no one else can is what's going through the minds of Amuro and Char in the movie Char's Counterattack at any given moment. But where Tomino himself or some other reputable source for Gundam info doesn't tell us "officially" how something operates, I'm here to fill in the gaps. I'm obsessive. And I have nothing else to do. Maybe with time, what I set down in my webpage will eventually become 'canon' to the general Gundam fan base. But for me, I just like typing out long-winded and mindless lists of infantry equipment and mobile suit model parts. Right now nothing is done to satisfy that goal. It will be eventually, but eventually isn't here just yet. But for now, enjoy what I have to offer. OK, move out!