Mega Man Chronology Discussion

[johnboy3434]

Well, one was about to pop up, anyway, so I figure I could post it. This is basically a list of what we know about the placement of the spin-off games in the classic series (I wish they'd publish a definitive timeline, since this is the only series where the timeline hasn't been spelled out clearly for us). Any corrections or additions would be appreciated.

Mega Man (PC): Probably takes place before Rockman 3 (Rush is absent)
Rockman World: Takes place after Rockman 2 (RM2 Robot Masters are present)
Rockman World 2: Takes place after Rockman 3 (RM3 Robot Masters and Rush are both present)
Mega Man III (PC): Probably takes place before Rockman 3 (Rush is absent)
Rockman World 3: Takes place after Rockman 4 (RM4 Robot Masters and New Rock Buster are both present)
Wily & Right's RockBoard: That's Paradise!!: Takes place after Rockman 4 (Dr. Cossack and Kalinka are both present)
Rockman World 4: Takes place after Rockman 5 (RM5 Robot Masters, Beat, and Super Rock Buster are all present)
Rockman's Soccer: Takes place after Rockman 5 (Beat is present)
Mega Man (GG): Takes place after Rockman 5 (RM5 Robot Masters are present)
Rockman World 5: Takes place after Rockman 5 (Stated to take place after RW4)
Wily Tower: Takes place after Rockman 3 (Weapons from RM3 Robot Masters are available)
Rockman: The Power Battle: Takes place after Rockman 7 (RM7 Robot Masters, Auto, and Forte are all present)
Rockman 2: The Power Fighters: Takes place after Rockman 8 (Duo is present)
Rockman: Battle & Chase: Takes place after Rockman 8 (Duo is present)
Rockman & Forte: Takes place after Rockman 8 (RM8 Robot Masters are present)
Super Adventure Rockman: Takes place after Rockman 5 (Beat is present)
Rockman: Gold Empire: Takes place after Rockman 8 (Duo is present)
Rockman & Forte: Challenger from the Future: Takes place after Rockman 8 (Forte Buster is used as in RM&F)
Rockman Strategy: Takes place after Rockman 8 (Duo is present)

I'm not going to attempt to place all of them in a coherent timeline just yet, but here's the info if you want to do it yourself.

[Zan]

With the forum reset, I wanted to put up a new timeline for both X and Classic. Haven't gotten around to it yet, but I guess I'll do it tomorrow. However, there were some notes in MarshmallowMan's posts and my own that I might forget now that I can't check the old threads.. Maybe Vixy could recover those for me?

Takes place after Rockman 8 (Supposedly takes place after RM&F; can someone confirm this?)

All the game's materials are in relation to a game after RnF. But I guess Vixy needs to recover that post aswell >.>

[Canticleer Blues]

Wasn't Dr. Wily thought dead between MM3 and his appearance in MM4?  If so than no games can happen between MM3 and MM4, right?

[johnboy3434]

He looked just as dead after RW2 (moreso, actually, since he basically fell from  orbit), so the concept of him being dead before RM4 still holds.

[VixyNyan]

Maybe Vixy could recover those for me?

X, ZERO and ZX series for the moment.
Google might help for the Classic series.

[Zan]

Didn't really need those timelines, since they're the same ones I have up at MMN, but the thought is appreciated.

What I need is actually the long discussion between Gaunlet, MarshmallowMan and myself in the thread about "where do the gameboy games fit into the timeline?" and then my own posts and again MarshmallowMan's in the classic chronology thread where I cited the timeline passage from the other thread, made a list of why RnF CftF is after RnF and MarshmallowMan mentioned how long MegaMission2 is after X3 (I think it was two months.)

[Gauntlet101010]

If you really want to be complete with this, you might want to add in Cannon Spike and Marvel VS Capcom 1 and 2 as well.  While I don't think their canonicity is awknowledged by Capcom, it's not like anything really happens to MM to disclude them (MM's story is rather flat, so their inclusion doesn't conflict ... at least for MVC; dunno as much about C Spike). 

Anyhow, this seems to be a list of "it's probably not in, but if it was it'd be *here*", so...

Forums aren't a great storage space for info.  At some point someone might want to add it to one of the wikis floating about.

[Gaia]

If you really want to be complete with this, you might want to add in Cannon Spike and Marvel VS Capcom 1 and 2 as well.  While I don't think their canonicity is awknowledged by Capcom, it's not like anything really happens to MM to disclude them (MM's story is rather flat, so their inclusion doesn't conflict ... at least for MVC; dunno as much about C Spike). 

Anyhow, this seems to be a list of "it's probably not in, but if it was it'd be *here*", so...

Forums aren't a great storage space for info.  At some point someone might want to add it to one of the wikis floating about.

That's why WikiSpace exists for that, we can just slap it on there once we get everything back on track.

[HyperSonicEXE]

He looked just as dead after RW2 (moreso, actually, since he basically fell from  orbit), so the concept of him being dead before RM4 still holds.

And that could get explained away by it being a robot Wily. Probably.

[Bag of Magic Food]

Oh no, now I'm going to be seeing robot Wilys everywhere.

[Police Girl]

And that could get explained away by it being a robot Wily. Probably.

That would be a ton of robot Wilys, the world only needs 3.

[johnboy3434]

Well, Zan is obviously the real expert here, but until he comes up with his own timeline, here's mine. Note that I have no access to the various Japanese books (and if I did, I could only stare at the pretty pictures), so if any published guide contradicts this, inform me and I will revise it.

Rockman
Mega Man (PC)
Rockman 2
Rockman World
Mega Man III (PC)
Rockman 3
Wily Tower
Rockman World 2
Rockman 4
Rockman World 3
Wily & Right's RockBoard: That's Paradise
Rockman 5
Rockman's Soccer
Rockman World 4
Mega Man (GG)
Rockman World 5
Super Adventure Rockman
Rockman 6
Rockman 7

Okay, here's where it gets hairy. There's two different story arcs that go through the games past RM7: Forte's loyalty to Wily and Duo's presence on Earth. With the games that have been released so far, it is impossible to make these two arcs jive with each other without assuming events between games. I'm providing two examples from here on out, each focusing on one of the arcs. First an example of a Duo-centric timeline:

Rockman: The Power Battle
Rockman 8
Rockman Strategy
Rockman: Battle & Chase
Rockman: Gold Empire
Rockman 2: The Power Fighters
Rockman & Forte
Rockman & Forte: Challenger from the Future
Rockman 9

Duo arrives, meets Rockman, then leaves in RM8. He is seen fleeing to Earth in Strategy, is present without explanation in B&C and GE, and finally leaves in the end of TPF. The RM&F duology must take place after this because the museum from RM&F is the supposedly the same one Napalm Man built in the end of B&C. Throughout all this, though, Forte is switching to and from Wily's side several times. Now, here's an example of a Forte-centric timeline:

Rockman 8
Rockman Strategy
Rockman: Battle & Chase
Rockman & Forte
Rockman & Forte: Challenger from the Future
Rockman: The Power Battle
Rockman: Gold Empire
Rockman: The Power Fighters
Rockman 9

Forte is working for Wily in both Strategy and B&C (but disobeys him in the ending sequence of B&C), is unaware that he is fighting against Wily in RM&F (where he once again disobeys him), is working for Wily in CftF (in the end he decides to follow his own path), then goes completely rogue in the ending of TPB, apparently taking a copy of Wily's energy-producing plans with him so he can hand them over in GE.

[Gauntlet101010]

Forte's role in Rockman Strategy is a stage boss.  That's it.  You fight him and Treble seperately.

Gold Empire can actually fit in right before Rockman 9 since it's story says Wily retired from villainy (and Forte joins with Light, but ... that can be a stint).

Edit:
http://blue-bomber.jvmwriter.org/community/index.php?showtopic=472 - Zan's Classic timeline. 

[johnboy3434]

So, after you defeat him, does he join your cause, or just beat feet?

Also, Zan, what is your reasoning for Strategy being after TPF? I'm also interested in your thinking behind the placing of RockBoard and Soccer.

[Gauntlet101010]

So, after you defeat him, does he join your cause, or just beat feet?

Also, Zan, what is your reasoning for Strategy being after TPF? I'm also interested in your thinking behind the placing of RockBoard and Soccer.

Technically he explodes into falling bubbles (their version of the classic exploding into bubbles).  But so does Wily and every single other boss (including Luna and Apollo who later reappear and are very much alive) so take that for what it's worth.

I don't think you can get him in your party.  I didn't have much patience with figuring out the entirety of who you could get, but it seems limited to those with reverse-facing sprites.  So, in other words, no he probably doesn't join you after you beat him.

It's worth noting that there's a good deal of evidence to suggest RM Strategy was unfinished, so thre's not a whole lot of dialogue outside of the first few stages and various cutscenes.

[Zan]

Also, Zan, what is your reasoning for Strategy being after TPF? I'm also interested in your thinking behind the placing of RockBoard and Soccer.

There are reasons why I deem that timeline outdated and fit for a rewrite, you shouldn't use it as a source, I contradict the notion of Strategy after PF in my latest post in the thread.

Soccer is after 5 because Beat is present. And Rockboard's placement is exactly why I want to recover a couple of posts. From my recollection, Rockboard is several months after 4 and World3 is several months after World2.

Which places them as:

World 2
>
Rockman 4
>
World 3 ||> Rockboard
>
Rockman 5

With Rockboard being statistically likely to be after World3, but still uncertain. Several months from 3 and several month from World2 would make Rockboard after World3 unless the several months time passage is significantly shorter for Rockboard than World3.

Rockman World 5
Super Adventure Rockman

Rockman 5
>
(World 4 > World 5) || Super Adventure
>
Rockman 6

Similar case to Rockboard vs World3. But this time between three games; Super Adventure is uncertain in relation to World 4 > World 5. However by making assumptions of World5 and Super Adventure's plot and calculations of 3 years versus three to four times several months. You could presume Super Adventure as after World 4 and before World 5.

Rockman 5
>
World 4 || Super Adventure
>
World 5
>
Rockman 6

[johnboy3434]

Beat is in RMS? Where do I find him? I never saw him, but then again, I sucked at the game, so...

[Zan]

Never mind that, I recall there were some sprites of Beat from Soccer, but sprites inc doesn't have any so I'm probably mistaken.

[Gauntlet101010]

Beat was in Rockman Soccer.  In the background of one of the fields, in the stands.  Rockman Soccer backgrounds and stuff within the backgrounds were never effectively ripped by INC.

The only thing I'm inclined to challenge is PF being after RM9.  From every interview it seems the idea is that RM9 is supposed to be the very latest RM game.  But the inevetable newest timeline will probably clear this point up better than pages of arguing in a forum will.

[Zan]

Could anybody supply an image of Beat? It'd be nice to have for future reference.

[Cherrykorock]

There ya go. =]
Beat's in the middle on a sniper Joe's head.

[VixyNyan]

Could anybody supply an image of Beat? It'd be nice to have for future reference.

PNG is cleaner, and smaller.

[Zan]

Well, thanks both. Definitely helps. Wonder who got it first, though >.>

Anyway,

I'm going to have to correct myself a bit. All the World games are several months apart. The one side game that reference Rockman4 as having occured several months ago is either Soccer or Rockboard. MarshmallowMan mentioned it last forum, but since it can't be recovered, without him backing it up I can't confirm which one it was.

Of your old thread, Johnboy, only this could be recovered:

http://64.233.183.104/search?q=cache:37HNXCyvlNEJ:forum.rockmanpm.com/index.php%3Ftopic%3D7579.25+Stories+from+the+manuals+of+lesser+classic+games%3F

The RnF WS list is one thing I was interested in:

-Gospel Boost (8+)
-Forte Buster (RnF+)
-Team Rockman and Forte (RnF+)
-Roll (8+)
-Tango (W5+)
-Reggae (Rockboard+)
-Eddie (3+)

The Rockman and Forte team was first established during the incident with King as Wily being kicked out of his castle and seeking refuge at Light's place led to Rockman and Forte working together like a team. Forte's gameplay mechanics are also very closely related to RnF. Roll implicates a post 8 game. But before 9.

All in all, everything in that game is made with being an RnF sequel in mind.

[Cherrykorock]

PNG is cleaner, and smaller.

I wish I knew that before. >.<
I've made a mental note of it.

[marshmallow man]

The several months after R4 was for Soccer. Rockboard's story doesn't include date references, or events, or even much of a plot for that matter.  I don't think it's intended to be a real occurance in the canon, but if one wanted to put it somewhere it would at least have to go after the relevant characters were introduced.

About the placement of the PC games, if one considers that Rush is on the box art even though he's not in the game itself, it could really go either way  on its placement before or after R3 depending on what one wants to consider relevant.