Why do most mech have only one pilot? One person doing everything

Harder to work into the narrative, and they tend to be portrayed and employed as walking fighters rather than walking tanks. The established franchises also have a precedent of doing so only once in a blue moon, usually for an artillery mecha. I'd like to see a series where you have a true pilot/WSO pair in each mech and REALLY go to town on a Vietnam atmosphere, but most stick to the 1 soldier to 1 mecha formula.

You have to remember that on the basic level, they're also symbolically an extension of the pilot themselves 99% of the time. Making them crew-served without being a combiner tends to fuck with this.

>>15022294
The mech's computer picks up a lot of the slack.

>>15022294
A robot is a giant suit of knight's armor, not a tank.

>>15022294
I've thought the same too. Recently there was a guy who claimed that UC pilots in panoramic cockpits needed to be completely aware of his surroundings because the computer doesn't or shouldn't be doing it for him at all, which is silly.

Because most mechs are infantry units combined with fighter jets and most fighter jets have been single seat machines since the 70s.

>>15022311
Yeah, but there's still a limit. For example, it's hard to be aware of your surrounding when you focus on aiming the enemies, right?

>>15022294
I personally belive that series generally use just one pilot because narrative reasons; what really matters is that one character, the protagonist, inside the mecha, his development, his personal struggles, his efforts to be one with the machine, yada, yada, yada.

When you have more than one character piloting a mecha, it dilutes the merits/grandeur of the protagonist, because now he would be nothing on his own.

It is like how >>15022309 said

>>15022294
because most mecha anime are analogues to plane combat if planes were giant samurais

>>15022366
why isn't there tandem 2-seat mecha?
it makes sense, one guy maneuvers, the other guy is in charge of weapons systems. just like in plane combat

there's plenty of good character dynamic there

>>15022294
the face of the slut looks really fucked up.

>>15022379
I think Kuromukuro did that.

>>15022379
>>15022387

Gunparade March did it better

As others said, having two pilots makes the whole thing feel less like an extenstion of the pilot. Generally there are subversions to this, like Eureka Seven. Generally in that case the mech becomes representative of the bond of the two pilots.

>>15022344
That's part of what the computer handles. Proximity warnings, radar/lidar/optical/etc detection, IFF identifcation, etc. Computers also assist with aiming - there's eye tracking, HUD assisted targeting, and having a computer track a moving target is pretty trivial. Targets have heat/light/radar emissions and reflections that can be tracked. Optical identification is a thing as well.

In a fighter jet, you have a computer that tells you if you're in range to use guns, and if the angle of fire is good. Radar guided gunsights just require you to maneuver your plane into a good position while following the enemy, the system lets you know when it's good to fire. Same with missiles, and depending on the technology involved, you could have all-aspect missiles which in theory means you don't even need to be chasing the target and be at a good angle to fire.

Same thing with maneuvering - we have digital flight systems that do more to manage the plane's flight than a pilot does, it's been that way for years now. Fighter jets inherently have unstable design - it's a good thing because it means they're more maneuverable. Making a plane as stable as possible for level and straight flight means it also resists turning and therefore is unsuited at performing acrobatic maneuvers. Computers make sure the plane works well enough that on a basic level all the pilot(s) don't have to do mental math. Not long ago, a recently introduced fully-automatic flight system was mentioned to have saved the life of a pilot who blacked out.

http://aviationweek.com/air-combat-safety/auto-gcas-saves-unconscious-f-16-pilot-declassified-usaf-footage

Anyway, to say the least, the computers pick up a TON of slack. That's always been the justification for mecha anime to mainly feature single operator machines. Usually if the setting is advanced enough to have mecha, they handwave the need for a second pilot by saying the advanced cockpit computers do everything else.

>>15022410
First post here.

In addition, most of what the WSO does in the back seat of a fighter is fiddle with the radar. When the practical extent of having a second crewman in combat extends pretty much to yelling at him to give you radar boresight, the same can be accomplished by yelling it at the computer in most mecha settings. The extra set of eyes is good, but in space, your own peepers do a shit job compared to the sensor suite and warning systems.

>>15022393
Zergapain also featured tandem cockpits.

>>15022410
Flying mechs are more like helicopter than jet though.

>>15022294
So then which mechs do feature a two-person team?
Sticking to Gundam I can at least say that the Guntank originally did though with two cockpits, the Harute and the Stargazer have a single cockpit for both pilots. Can't think of much more inside the franchise that doesn't go into MA territory though.

>>15022443
The ZZ has a cockpit on its rifle

>>15022434
Attack helicopters have a crew of two to divide the workload, usually gunner and pilot duties. In the AH-64 Apache at least, both crewmembers have flight controls and both can use the forward mounted gun, I don't know if the pilot's seat can operate any of the other weapons. I guess in theory one person could fly and shoot, but practical operation calls for a crew of two. In Gundam, there is autopilot and AI assisted piloting to make up for this.

>>15022424

Zegapain was also better than Kuromukuro

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>No one mentioned Dai Guard

Just break my heart more /m/

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>>15022502
>Nobody mentions Godannar

>>15022519
Why did the Dannar and Oczer even exist as separate machines when they were mostly shown to be worthless individually and their strategy for beating every single monster was "Combine into the Godannar and kill it with the special love punch"

Wouldn't it have been more efficient to just build it as one machine without the gattai gimmick

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Dual cockpits you say?

>>15022294
I'd like to see this actually.
BONDS OF FRIENDSHIP AND BROTHERHOOD and all that.

>>15022593
As long as they don't gay for each other.

>>15022530
>Wouldn't it have been more efficient to just build it as one machine without the gattai gimmick
You could say the same about a lot of mecha.

>>15022530
Gotta have the "couple must unite" visual metaphor. Can't have two lovers pilot one mech they have to share if they don't stand each other, after all.

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Would you watch an anime about a band of WWII style walking tank crews?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O_KmU9eCA9U

>>15022740
Only if they have arms and legs instead of wheels or treads.

>>15022530
Dragliner was really the only mecha in the show that needed to be a combiner

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>>15022740
Depends on the crew.

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It's been done

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>>15022530

Are there any mecha shows where the mechs can gattai into one super robot, but staying in their uncombined forms actually has an actual advantage that's useful in enough situations that the action sequences are split pretty evenly between individual mech tactics and super robot smashing time and they don't have to combine in order to win the fight at the end of every episode

>>15022294
This seating arrangement is way off for the tank they are in.

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Dai Midler was tandem.

For easy groping access

>>15023221
This looks cute. Is it any good? Is it cute or just hurrr giant tiddies and dick jokes?

>>15023279
>dick
they're front tails

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>>15023279

It's fun. And also a meta commentary on how society tries to villainize things that it perceives as lewd when it's all harmless fun.

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Also they're the cutest OTP ever

EVEN IF THEY'RE SO GODDAMN ANNOYING!

>>15022294
Check out the Wiseduck in Tech Romancer.

>>15022971
Dancougar?

>>15023561

I think as a rule we're ignoring combiners

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>>15022344
I just think of it like a videogame, we don't control walk cycles, or hitboxes, the system is pre-programmed to do so, but can be adjusted on the fly if needed to.

I think this is why I actually think Kira's programming ability in SEED makes sense.
It's like the Strike is a videogame character, and he has access to the code for its "animations", "hitboxes", "states" and whatnot.

Obviously mobile suits and mecha in general seem to have more controls, but they mostly don't get used unless for specific actions like transforming, opening hatches, and maintenaince.

It's also possible that they have A.I. to handle some of the finer details and only need to use certain controls when an enemy is proving to be difficult.

But all this aside, minimal controls with a direct brain interface, or trace systems usually the best option for explaining these things away.

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As mentioned, computers do a lot of work.

For example, VFs in Macross could very well just fly themselves, they do have autonomous drones in the form of the Ghosts, and VFs have the remote control system.

This thread makes me wonder: what do Getter pilots do when they aren't the primary pilot? From what we see, they are doing something, but it's not really clear what.

>>15023732
Of course, it's worth noting that human pilots are still used in Macross, and Ghosts are kept under heavy amounts of programming leashes to restrict their performance, because the last time they had totally unrestricted Ghosts flying around they got hijacked by an insane pop idol AI and were nearly unbeatable.

>>15022434
The operation of Mechs, attack helicopters, tanks, fighter jets is the same in the most general sense. What differentiates them is how much you can automate.

Take navigation for example, it is easier to automate that for planes because there's minimal clutter in the sky. However, for vehicles on or near the ground, there's shit everywhere that you have to avoid. Since we don't have the technology to handle that clutter yet, those vehicles require dedicated navigators.

In sci-fi, technology is magical so mechs only need one pilot.

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>this thread
>no mention of Dougram
>no mention of Xabungle
>no mention of Mobile Armors e.g. Zam

Plebians.

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>>15023915
>>no mention of Mobile Armors e.g. Zam

>>15022294
>Why do most mech have only one pilot? One person doing everything seem like an overworked. Wouldn't have at least two people sharing the work be more efficient?
Mecha are as difficult to pilot as the plot demands. If a given mecha doesn't have two pilots, it's reasonable to assume that having two people sharing the work would, in fact, not be more efficient.

>>15023326
>>15023279
The second couple is really cute, but you gotta put up with the first couple for a while first

>>15023988
This. It's a miracle that Boss Borot and the enemy Time Bokan mechs even work as they do, given that goofballs pilot those.

>>15023595
That wasn't a reply to the OP's question but another poster with a different question

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>>15022294
At the very least, in Getter Robo, it's rarer for a robot to be piloted by a single person rather than a team.

>>15022294
>Why do most mech have only one pilot

Because most planes only have one pilot.

>>15022322
The images in UC are simulated do to minosky particles fucking with light particles at long distances. This is why sniper mechs are so rare and why long range ship fire is inaccurate. It's only at long range though.

>>15022379
>just like in plane combat

Name one 5th gen fighter with two seats. Protip: You can't. Unless you are operating a specialized electronic warefare aircraft then everything can be done by a single pilot. Read testimonies from F35 pilots and they comment on how everything is handled by the aircraft and they don't even really feel like they are flying the plane anymore. Now just imagine how advance planes will be in the future when most mecha games are set.

>>15022434
Helicopters are not piloted by commissioned officers usually so you need two warrant officers to equal the same level of responsibility.

>>15023318
>when it's all harmless fun.
>Japan is the rape capital of the world

Uh huh, sure.

>>15022530
TOYS

>>15025770
>Japan is the rape capital of the world
[citation needed]